#and at that point when you’re as doomed as those girl’s are right or wrong sort of don’t matter

[paperglader]

mmmmm… so, the show about the pink-haired girl with the magic powers is actually about a 14-year-old girl that sacrificed herself for humanity and the girl that loved her the most, who was left behind and never got over it

[satorusugurugurl]

The Single Dad Club! (Chapter Three: Gojo)

Summary: The Single Dad club consisted of Grto Suguru, Gojo Satoru and Nanami Kento! But with summer upon them, the men find themselves ladies who are willing to have them leave their self-appointed club!

Pairing: Gojo Satoru x AFAB!Reader

Word Count: 5.2K

Warning: mentions of lost child, panic, flirting, fluff, cursing, oral sec (male receiving) smut, p in v, unprotected sex

A/N: The last and final part of the Single Dad Club Summer Series! I had fun with this mini series! Yay for Sexy dilfs!! 😈💚

Part One Part Two

“It’s official. God hates me and wants me to suffer.” Gojo sighed as he lay on the warm side of the beach. “He has doomed me to be single for all time..”

“You’re being dramatic.” Suguru scoffed, shaking his head as he turned the page in his book.

Gojo sat up, glaring daggers at his best friend, who was unbothered by the intense stare. “Oh, shall we review just how much he hates me?” Knowing there was no way to stop the bitching, Geto huffed out a sigh, placing his bookmark in place before he turned his attention to the white-haired man. “Exhibit one,” he gestured towards Nanami, who was building a Sandcastle with Yuuji and his girlfriend. “And Exhibit number two!” he stared at the beauty walking down the shoreline with Nanako and Mimiko. “Both you assholes went and got yourselves girlfriends this summer, disbanding The Single Dad club!” Suguru sighed, running a hand down his face.

“You’re still stuck up on this?” When Gojo pouted, Gero rolled his eyes. “You know it’s as simple as getting on Tinder, right?”

“All the people on there just won’t be for my body!”

“Well fuck Satoru, what do you want?”

“I want a summer romance like you and Nanamin over there!”

“Oh, I fully intend on turning this summer romance into a long-term relationship.”

The sweet, romantic tone of his best friend's voice had Gojo sticking his nose up as he gagged, sticking his tongue out. “Ya’ know what, kiss my well-toned a—”

“Gojo!!” The sound of Tsumiki screaming sent chills down his spine. He was on his feet in an instant. It was a scream that wasn’t full of fun or laughter. This was the scream all parents dreaded to hear.

“What?! What’s wrong?!”

“I can't find Megumi!!”

Those words hit him like a baseball bat to the gut. But Gojo didn’t allow the panic to take over. Instead, he pushed it down, running towards the crying Tsumiki.

“Where did you last see him?”

“I told him to wait for me while I use the restroom! I was in there for five minutes, maybe longer! But when I came out, he was gone!” The young girlfriend sobbed into Gojo’s chest, holding onto his white T-shirt as she cried even harder.

In situations like this, it was easy for someone to lose sight of what to do. Luckily for Gojo, being a firefighter allowed him to push the panic aside and process clear and concise thoughts. If he were to panic, things might go unnoticed, or he might act out irrationally. Right now, it was best for him to stay calm.

With a shallow breath, Gojo gently grabbed Tsumiki’s arms in an attempt to ground her. Feeling his hands on her arms and squeezing them gently, the young girl breathed more steadily. “It’s okay, sweetheart. Can you tell me where you saw him last?” His adopted daughter pointed him in the right direction, and with a quick shout to Suguru to watch her, Satoru was off, sending sand flying under his sandals as he ran as fast as he could.

On the other side of the beach, you crouch down to the small boy you had noticed admiring a sea turtle barricade placed on the beach. You knelt next to him, staring at the said. He turned his head, looking at you for a moment before turning his attention back to the sand.

“Pretty cool, huh?” You finally asked, toying with the whistle around your neck. “The turtles are protected this way, and when they start hatching, they’ll head straight for the water.”

The dark-haired boy hugged his knees close to his chest. “Yeah, I guess so.” You could easily tell he was withholding his excitement. As hard as he tried to play it cool, you could see the glimmer in his eyes.

“Do you like sea turtles?”

“I like all animals.”

“Yeah? What’s your favorite animal?”

The young boy narrowed his navy blue eyes as he slowly turned to glare at you. “I shouldn't be talking to you; you’re a stranger.” The blunt words and sharp tone took you off guard from a young boy his age. Was he even a kid? He had to be what, seven, maybe eight years old? “And what’s with that look on your face?” Damn, now he was even calling you out!

“Heh—I’m not a stranger, like stranger danger kind.” You gestured towards your white lifeguard jacket and red baseball cap. “I’m a lifeguard.”

“Well, shouldn’t you be watching the ocean? Making sure no one drowns.”

You laughed out loud, tilting your head back. “I already did that; I was just about to grab my bag and call it a day. But watching people in the water isn’t all we know. We help with medical emergencies, monitor the weather, and even provide water safety lessons.” The apprehensive look on the boy's face twisted into a more neutral look as you spoke. His eyes focused on your lifeguard gear, deeming you not to be some kidnapper. “But we also help get lost kids to their folks.” You ruffled the top of his hair before standing.

“I’m not lost.” He corrected you.

“Oh really?” Your eyes scanned the emptying beach. “Where are they?”

He didn’t say a word as he looked around, blinking a few times before standing. There was a look of confusion on his face as he turned in each direction, north, east, south, and west, as if he was on the search for something or someone. Your chest constricted as you could see his eyes flash with panic before he slowly looked back up at you.

“I-I don’t think my sister heard me when I told her I would be over here.”

“Okie dokie, where did you last see your sister?”

“By the bathrooms.”

You shoved your hands into your pockets, motioning towards the bathrooms with your chin. “At least we know where she is. Come on, I’ll walk you there.” much to your relief. The little guy had no reservations about following you to the bathroom. Sometimes, kids put up a fight, not believing that you were a lifeguard, and they didn’t stop crying until one of your coworkers came to help you. Thankfully, this kiddo was a bit older than the ones you usually dealt with, making it a less painful experience for both of you.

When you get to the bathrooms, you get a description of his older sister before stepping into the bathroom to see if she is there. Much dismay, there was nobody in the restroom except for yourself. His sister either ran off in search of him or returned to find their parents. Regardless, either his sister or his family would come looking for him shortly, and even though you had clocked out for the day, you decided to stay by his side until they arrived.

“She’s not in there kiddo.” You stretched your arms above your head. “We can wait a bit, but we might need to make an announcement..”

“I don’t know if they’ll be necessary. Knowing Gojo, he’ll be running around here within the next few seconds.”

“Whose Gojo?”

“MEGUMI!!”

You gasped as a flash of white flew past you. The shock had you placing your hand on your chest, feeling your heart rate spike as a man began frantically running around. He whirled around, searching everywhere, and it was fairly easy for you to put two and two together.

“Megumi?!” The man shouted, groaning as he ran his fingers through the tuffs of soft, pristine white hair. You hadn’t spoken to the man, and you could feel the anxiety radiating off him like an industrial air conditioning unit. “Megs?! Where are you?!”

He couldn't see the boy standing behind you from where he was standing. But the concern and fear in his eyes had you moving forward. “Excuse me, are you looking for—”

“Oh, thank god!” Large hands grabbed both of your arms, yanking you forward towards him. The smell of sunscreen musk became prominent as the handsome man leaned down to get in your face. “I need help finding my son! He’s about this tall! Black hair! Blue eyes!” He released one of his hands off your arms, putting it near his upper thigh. “A-And he was wearing a White T-shirt and shark swim trunks!” Beautiful cerulean eyes searched your face as if you had the answers to all of his questions, which way you did. “He’s a little too serious for a seven-year-old, but I wouldn’t have him any other way!”

You could practically hear the eyes rolling behind you as Megumi, you were assuming, groaned out loud in apparent embarrassment. “An overly serious seven-year-old? You wouldn’t happen to love animals, would he?” The man blinked and then twice before his frantic shaking came to a stop. “Because this kiddo was admiring, let’s see, turtle barricades.” You stepped to the side, motioning towards Megumi.

“MEGUMI!” Gojo yelled, dropping to his knees and grabbing his arms around Megumi and a crushing hug. His son grunted at the squeeze, averting his gaze as Gojo stroked the back of his head. “Oh my god, I was worried sick about you! Why didn’t you wait for your sister, like she told you to?!”

“I told her I was going to look at the barricades. Apparently, she wasn’t listening to me.”

You smiled, admiring the loving scene between father and son. The relief was visible in the muscles of Gojo’s back, and as hard as he tried to hide it, you could see the slight smile Megumi had tugging at the corners of his mouth. Little moments like this made you love your job even more.

You put the red duffel bag on your shoulder before turning your baseball cap around and clearing your throat to get their attention. Gojo released his bear-tight grip around his son, looking over his shoulder at you—a stunning beauty, white and red, who looked like she was by Zeus out of seafoam. Your body was perfect, your smile dazzling, and the way your eyes sparkled as you watched the scene unfolding in front of you had his heart skipping a beat.

Was it illegal to fake a heart attack in front of a certified lifeguard? Because he would do pretty much anything right now to have you perform CPR on him! But instead of raking up an ambulance bill and putting a damper on the whole day, Gojo stood up, dusting his knees off before towering over you.

“Thank you so much; I appreciate you staying with him.”

“Eh, it’s all part of the job! He's a good kid, smart too; you did a good job teaching him about stranger danger.”

“Being a first responder, I engraved it into his and his sister’s brains.”

“Oooh, a fellow first responder!” You took the opportunity to look him up and down shamelessly. “Let me guess,” Gojo smirked, placing one hand on his hip as he watched you slowly trailer your eyes over every inch of his body. He had broad, lean muscles, his legs were long and toned, and he had a pretty face. Long white lashes anyone would kill for, eyes with the same shade of Lagoon water, and a smile that had you swooning. You could have easily continued to stare at him, but you decided not to be a horndog and slowly trailed your eyes back to his face. “EMT?”

“Nope, fire rescue.”

“Ah, a firefighter, I would’ve never guessed. I would’ve needed to inspect you further.”

Gojo took his bottom lip between his teeth, shamelessly humming. “Ooh, sweetheart, I’d let you expect me anytime, any place.” He stuck his hand out in front of you. “Gojo Satoru, nice to meet you.”

You, too, his hand, shaking it. “Nice to meet you, Gojo.” Just as you gave him your name, you could hear yelling in the distance further down the beach.

Both you and Gojo turned your heads, watching as a group of people came running down the shoreline. People looked frantic for a second, but as soon as they saw the three of you standing near each other, their faces relaxed, and their running slowed to a walk. Assuming this was their group from how the children ran directly to Megumi while the adults stood back, you exhaled through your nostrils.

“Well, it looks like your families are here, so I think I should be getting home. I wouldn’t want your wife for your girlfriend waiting for you and Megumi much longer.”

Gojo snickered, glancing up at the sky with a grin before focusing his attention back on you. “There is no Mrs. Gojo. It’s just me, myself, and my two kids. You’re looking at the sole survivor of The Single Dad Club.” A choir of groans sounded from the group around you.

“Satoru, enough with that terrible club name!”

“I have to agree; it doesn’t work well when you’re the only member.”

“You guys suck!” Those pretty blue eyes found yours. “So yes I'm single.”

You bit your bottom lip, feeling a certain confidence burning in your chest. “What a coincidence, and so am I.” Gojo perked up; not only had you helped his kid, but you were a fucking hot lifeguard that was single on top of it?! This had to be one of the best days of his life.

“Uh-huh, well, I think we should change that.”

“Yeah? And just what do you have in mind to change that?”

“You, me, dinner and drinks. Consider it as a token of my appreciation for you taking such good care of my son. And I think you’re very attractive, and I would like to get to know you more.”

You could’ve done flips. You were so excited, but you had to play cool, not wanting him to know you were as eager as a seagull going after a fry. “I believe that would be sufficient.” You held your hand towards him. “I’ll just need your phone so I can give you my phone number.” Gojo was screaming in his head as he placed his cell phone in the palm of your hand, watching as your painted nails gracefully moved across the screen. “Text me, firefighter~.”

“Will do lifeguard.”

You adjusted your bag, waving goodbye to the rest of the group. And when you were out of sight and out of earshot, Gojo began violently fist-pumping the air. It was an action that had his kids cringing with embarrassment over his actions and the rest of his friend group. He couldn’t help it, though. It had taken all summer, but he finally scored a date with a woman who was just as kind as she was beautiful. Gojo couldn’t wait to get to know you more.

Two days later, when you both had a day off, Gojo took you to the best restaurant he knew. You both sat there exchanging daring stories of times at work. Where he’d been stuck on the second floor, where the fire was burning, or when you had gotten sucked into the current, trying to save someone. Both of you had an understanding of how dangerous work could be, and you both knew how precious life was. It wasn’t often you found someone you clicked with instantly like this.

Not only was Gojo remarkably hot, strong, and brave, but he was also caring and compassionate. Although he insisted, a lot of his friends and colleagues knew him as an arrogant ass. That didn’t change the fact that he cared about his kids. He spoke fondly of them. Tsumiki and Megumi had both lost their parents, and Gojo had taken them in, adopting them both and raising them as if they were his kin. That in itself was so attractive.

Knowing that he was fully capable of stepping up to the plate and wasn’t scared to do the right thing, he checked off boxes you didn’t think you had when looking for a partner. You found yourself entirely enthralled by his stories, the way he spoke articulately, and how he stared at you. It wasn't in a way that he was eye-fucking you across the table. No, there was a softness in his eyes, a look that included lust and curiosity.

And your assumptions about that look had been correct. Gojo had been right when he thought the gods themselves had made you. You look so pretty in your uniform for work. But seeing all dolled up made him think about how cute you must look on lazy days with your hair, a mess, sweatpants, and a baggy T-shirt. He found himself to know what that looks like. Because not only were you beautiful on the outside, but he could tell you were on the inside.

You were kind, compassionate, and brave. His son had been proof of that. But hearing stories of you going out during a typhoon to save some drunken idiot, he had an abundance of respect for you.

“Gojo.” Your sultry voices pulled him back into the conversation. ”If you keep staring at me like that, you’re going to burn holes through my skin.”

“Oh! Shit, sorry.”

You didn’t mind him staring; you would be lying if you said you weren’t staring at him. “Just what were you thinking about?” The softness that graced his features was not something many guys on first dates had. The majority of them wanted one thing and one thing only while you were looking for something a bit deeper.

“I was just thinking about how amazing you are.”

“Oh, I’m far from amazing.”

Satoru laughed, sipping his soda while you took a sip of wine. “Okay, have you looked at yourself? You’re a lifeguard; I’m sorry to be blunt about this. You’re very attractive.” His words had your cheeks flushing hotter than the wine, and that was because they were sincere. “You save lives, and you look hot when doing it.”

“Says the literal firefighter.”

“Okay, let me rephrase that. We both save lives, and we both look hot doing it. So I’m sorry for staring, but your beauty has enchanted me.”

You felt your cheeks burning, your eyes starting towards the table just as the waiter brought your dessert. “You’re very sweet, Satoru.” Satoru loved the sound of his name leaving your lips as he took the spoon off the plate and dug into the crème brûlée cheesecake.

“I think you’re sweet too.” He offered the first bite to you, holding the spoon in front of your mouth. “I’ve had a perfect time with you tonight. Being a single dad, I don’t get out as much as I want, and my dating life has been nonexistent. I was pretty sure I’d been cursed by the gods themselves there for a while.”

He watched as you wrapped your lips around the spoon, taking the bite off. “I know exactly exactly what you mean. Dating can be busy when you’re first responder.” You followed his lead, taking a scoop of the dessert into your spoon before offering it to him.

“Then we got lucky, huh?” He chopped down on the bite. You offered him, licking the cream off his lips. “We know how difficult it can be when you’re busy saving lives.”

“We definitely did. So, I think we should do this again.”

There was part of Gojo that didn’t want the date to end so soon. Both of you were having a great time, and the conversation was great. But he didn’t want to push his luck either. So, instead of asking if you wanted to go back to his apartment, he excitedly offered you another bite of the dessert before pushing the strawberry around with your spoon.

“Say, Satoru.”

“Yeah, Sweetheart?” You swiped some caramel off the plate with your thumb before bringing it up to your mouth, licking it off slowly. Seeing you do that had Satoru sitting up straight, his mouth suddenly dry as he did his best not to choke on the dessert. “M-mm?”

“What do you say after we’re done devouring the dessert? I take you back to my place and let you devour me?”

In all your years of living, you had never seen a man stand up and ask for the check as fast as Gojo did. It was cute but also strangely erotic in a way. He was eager to get you out of the restaurant and back to your place, and it took every ounce of your being to behave yourself until then.

Thanks to some unknown reason, you managed to keep your hands to yourself until the door to your apartment shut. As it did, you threw yourself into the firefighter, arms frantically working at the buttons of his shirt. Gojo’s eyes widened in shock at the sudden kiss, but that shock slowly melted into lust as he wrapped his arms around you, searching for the zipper to your dress. Hands moved nearly in sync as you began undressing the other.

Gojo sighed against your lips, groaning at the cool air hitting his bare chest as you unbuttoned his shirt completely. You pulled away from his mouth somehow, dragging your eyes down the dips of his abs, noticing faint burn scars that lingered here and there. That made him even more attractive, which was almost unbelievable.

“Like what you see?” The question had heat pulling between your legs. You did like what you saw. You liked it very much so.

“Mhmm~ I like it a lot.” Slowly, you crouched down, trailing kisses over his bare skin. “I want to see more.”

Your hand pressed firmly over his crotch as you pushed him back against the wall, and you dropped to your knees, unbuckling his belt. “I-Oh fuck!” A nervous yet excited laugh bubbled in Gojo’s chest as he looked down at you, watching you pepper kisses over the bulge in his boxers. “What are you doing, pretty girl?” The incredulous look you gave him made another laugh form in the back of his mouth.

“Did not make it clear enough back at the restaurant?” A white brow rose as you hooked your fingers under the waistband of his boxers. “I’m going to devour you, Satoru~”

With a fast tug, you yanked his boxers down to his thighs, freeing his thick, throbbing erection. It bobbed in the air, the tip pretty and pink, twitching as pre-cum beaded at the tip. Your mouth began to water as you stared at the beautiful cock in front of your face. Satoru groaned as he watched you gently wrap your hand around the base before taking him into your mouth with a groan.

“Oh fuuuck—” He let his head fall forward, eyes fluttering, threatening to close as you hummed around him. “Fuuck, you’re good at that.” He breathed out with a sigh as you began bobbing your head around his length.

His praise had you dripping as you took him further into your mouth, allowing the tip to slide down your throat. As you did, he jolted and cursed under his breath, and you couldn’t help but admire how reactive his body was to your touch. Every time you bobbed your head or swirled your tongue around his leaking tip, you drew more reactions from him. From him bucking his hips forward to soft whines and deep guttural groans. Every sound and action he made only drove you further.

You were on a mission to please. A mission that had your eyes water with each inch of him you took in your mouth. One that left you messily sucking this sexy man’s cock, a mixture of drool and precum running down your chin, hitting the floor. All of it was so hot, turning you on even more.

If given a chance, you could have stayed there on your knees all night long, pleasing Satoru with your mouth, but he grabbed a handful of your hair, gently pulling you off of him. There was a pop—followed by your ragged, needy breathing. Hearing that almost had Satoru reconsidering what he was doing. While your lips felt so good wrapped around his cock, Satoru wasn’t quite ready for things to end there.

“I need you.”

It wasn’t a want; it was a need. This man needed you. The raw power behind his words, the way they sent butterflies swarming in your stomach and caused your pussy to throb, was truly all he needed to say. This man did not need to beg or say please. Not when he needed you. Making him beg, while he would look so pretty when doing it, would be cruel at that point.

So you did the humane kind thing and rose to your feet before dragging him across the apartment into your bedroom, where you shoved him down on the bed. He didn’t fit or change positions. For one fact, you were far too fast, discarding your drenched panties and dress to the side before straddling him. The second thing was that he liked you taking the lead and doing what you wanted without asking him to be the more assertive.

“I need you too~” You whispered as you reached behind, gently taking his spit-slick cock. “I need you really bad.”

“Fuuuck,” Satoru groaned, biting down on your lips as you kissed him. “Then have me, sweetheart, have every part of me; I’m yours.”

Those words rang in your ears as you slowly lowered yourself onto his thick length. The feel of his stretching your tight walls had both of you groaning into each other's mouths as you made out. The kiss was deep and intimate, which was fitting, seeing that you were lowering yourself onto his length. The kiss, however, wasn’t similar to the one-night-stand kisses you had shared in the past. Those kisses were fueled by the desire to fuck and get off. While this kiss, while the lust and need were there, was also filled by a need to relish in each other. Almost like a silent promise, a mutual understanding that this would not be a one-night stand.

This was something more, something real and deeper.

Both you and Satoru could feel that as you pulled back away from his mouth, sitting up tall as your hips sat against each other flesh to flesh. The pleasure of merely being connected was so intense, so pleasurable; it made your eyes roll back as Satoru’s hands found their way to your hips, holding them as you lazily rolled them over his cock. With each roll of your body, muscles tensing as you rocked, Satoru was entranced by your body.

How you moved reminded him of the waves on the shore—powerful and beautiful, majestic and entrancing. You rolled with such ease, your mouth falling agape in pleasure, that Satoru had to fight the urge to thrust up into you. Because of this, watching you use him was so arousing.

“Mmm~ fuck baby, your cock is so thick!”

Satoru grinned as a harsh moan was fucked out of him with your seductive moves. “Mm~ fuck, yeah? Does it feel good in that tight pussy of yours?”

“Y-Yeah~! Feels good~ it feels really good!” You pressed your hands firmly against his pectoral muscles as you rocked fast, bumping his cock like he was your own personal sex toy.

“Yeah~ fuck you feel so good too.”

Knowing that he felt as good as you did had you digging your nails into his chest as you began bouncing up and down his length. Satoru hissed out a curse as his fingers dug into the fat of your hips, squeezing you as you left crescent moon indents in his skin as you rode him harder than he’d ever been ridden before. He felt drunk, head spinning as his eyes roamed over every part of you. From your face twisted with pleasure, your hips rising and falling on his length.

As he admired your beauty, you did the same to him. Watching his pretty ivory skin flush with each bounce on him. How he watched you through the frame of thick lashes. He truly was handsome. Fuck even the sounds he made were intoxicating.

There was a mutual admiration for each other, which seemed to make things all the more intense.

“Nngh!” Satoru clenched his teeth as you bounced madly on him. “Fuck~! Fuck~!”

You could feel his entire length twice inside of you, urging you to keep going. “F-Fuck your throbbing! Satoru!” He growled from underneath you, sitting up, holding a hand against the small of your back. “Hahn! Fuck!” He smirked, nipping at your bottom lip as he slowly began thrusting into you.

“Yeah~ you feel so good, you’re so wet and tight~!”

“N-nngh, yes, yes!”

“I can feel you throbbing, too~ god, you feel so good! So wet baby~ so tight.” He kissed you, stealing your breath away. “Are you gonna cum?”

“Y-Yeah!!”

Satoru grunted, his thrusts becoming messier. “Good~ cum for me, sweetheart~ I wanna cum with you.” He slammed his lips against yours as you rolled faster and harder, grinning your clit against him, chasing that sweet release until you both reached it at the same time. “C-Cumming!” Satoru grunted as he kissed you with a passionate heat.

“Me too!” You screamed as you moaned against his lips. As you came hard, soaking his pelvis with your release, he filled you with hot sticky cum.

As the aftershocks of your orgasm washed over you both, you fell forward, resting on Satoru’s chest as he placed a kiss against your forehead. “Fuuck, you‘re perfect.” Satoru trailed kisses down your temple to your lips.

“That tickles!” you laughed as he kissed you deeply. “Mhmm~”

“You don't seem to mind all that much.”

“Yeah, you're right. I don't.” He groaned, rolling you onto your sides so you were spooning. “Just like you won't mind me waking you up and making the best French Toast in the morning.”

“Ha—yeah, I have a massive sweet tooth, so I’ll probably be all over you tomorrow morning. In more ways than one.”

You turned just enough to kiss him softly, winning a grin. “That sounds like a pretty great morning to me.”

You pressed another chaste kiss against his lips. Gojo was grinning as he snuggled you tighter against him. It was a soft, sweet, intimate moment, once Satoru had longed for all summer. A romance like his friends had found, one he too wanted to last way past the summer months into autumn, winter, and spring. A romance that could last a lifetime.

That night, The Single Dad Club was officially disbanded completely.

Forever Tag List:

@darkstarlight82 @pandoness @nealeart @simp-plague @sugurubabe @chilichopsticks @reap3erslov3 @wil10wthetree

[nebbyy]

Luke Castellan x Child of Apollo!reader - Last date

A/N: guys I’ve still got a few pics that are coming out in this weekend, after those are out I’ll probably create a first masterlist!! Also, there are two series that are going to start in the near future, one for king Baldwin and another one for Countess Nadia so if you’re interested stay tuned!

P.S.: this time I don't know where the paining is from, so if you know whose artist is this from please tell me, I'd really appreciate the help☺️

Warning: angst, mentions of betrayal, SPOILERS for the PJO story (whether it’s books, series or movies). Oh and reader is described as female

I think Luke would’ve been restless for weeks trying to figure out what to say to you when the time would’ve come for him to reveal his secret alliance with Kronos, what words would be best fit to make the idea sound more appealing, to increase the chances of you joining him against the Olympians

But as much as he pondered his words, as much as he tried to convince himself that in the end you’d choose him, there was this feeling he had that you wouldn’t follow him this time. And that made him spiral even further, made him try to push down the dooming feeling and focus instead on how to sound even more convincing, how to just get him to listen to him… or more precisely, listen to Kronos

But deep down, he knew that his choices were gonna make him lose you

Although at some point Luke finally seemed to realize that he got so lost in his own thoughts that he started neglecting you. Well, he didn’t really realize it on his own, it was Connor who made him snap back to reality with his dumb jokes

“Hey Luke you keep ignoring your girl and I’m just gonna steal her away. Bet you wouldn’t even notice huh.” Yeah he got a few slaps on the back of his neck for that

But Connor’s harmless words were not so wrong. He didn’t even realize how long it’s been since he even talked to you properly other than kissing you good morning and goodnight

He didn’t even realize how close the end of summer was getting, which, if he didn’t succeed, might’ve been the last months the two of you would spend together

After a little pause to just panic and frantically walk around the Hermes’ cabin trying to make out what to do, he got an idea

You’ve always love theaters, not only to watch the plays, but also to bask in the atmosphere of it all

And he remembered that when he stumbled upon an abandoned theater in a town not too far from Camp

He knew right then and there that he was gonna take you there that night, so that you could forgive him for his absence and he could forget about the rest on the world and focus on you. Nothing else but you

It didn’t take long for him to steal find a necklace that he knew you would’ve loved to wear, a little trinket that would make him be always near to your heart, even when he wouldn’t have been by your side anymore

He left it in a nice little box on your pillow, along with a little note…

I’m sorry I disappeared, I’ll make it up to you I swear. Meet me at the forest tonight I’m taking you to a place

Your mild disappointment in Luke’s absence quickly morphed into curiosity as you held the note in you hand, holding the necklace close to your heart as you tried to fight back the smile at the thought of his mysterious surprise 

Once you reached your rendezvous, he was already there, impatiently waiting for you, holding his hand out to you with an apologetic smile

The walk to the theater, which you still didn’t know was your last stop, was about two hours long, and you mostly spend that time walking silently hand in hand, exchanging very few words

Silence wasn’t anything new between you two, it was actually quite common for you to spend some silent, quality time in each other’s company, with no sound but the world around you

But this time felt different, you could feel that his silence had ulterior motives other than the comfort of quietness

You asked him about it, and he brushed it off saying that his counselor duties have worn him out lately. It was the biggest lie he could’ve told you, but you didn’t question the truth of his words

Because you’d trusted him completely since day one

It broke his heart even further to see how blindly you believed his excuses, so oblivious of the true reason behind his weird behavior. It made him wonder, how broken will you be when you’ll find out the truth

For a moment though, even if brief, all his sorrows disappeared when you finally reached the grandiose abandoned theater, whose splendor still made it stand out despite years of neglect, and your eyes lit up like two new stars to be added to the night sky

You basically rushed him in at that point, earning a laugh from him as he followed you inside

Once you were right before the stage, he swiftly got on top of it before turning around and charmingly offering you his hand to help you up as well

He looked at you for a second, almost entering in a trance as he got lost in the sight of you. But once you called him out, he sheepishly laughed before moving to grab his phone in his pocket, putting some music on before placing it on the ground and turning once again towards you

He knelt before you dramatically, speaking with a mockingly resounding tone, "My lady, would you do me the immense honor of granting me this dance?" You just laughed and nodded

You both danced together, slowly swaying around the stage while holding each other close

You noticed that, as he smiled fondly at you, his smile didn’t really reach his eyes

You wanted to believe what he’d told you, you really did. But there was this gut feeling in you that told you that there was something else going on

“You sure everything’s fine? You don’t look like you’re just tired babe..”, “No no I’m fine, I swear it! I just… I need to be with only you right now.”

You spent so much time there together, that in the end it would’ve been too tiring to go back to Camp straight away, so you opted to spend the rest of the night there

Well, more than opting to it was Luke who begged you to spend the night there with him, forget the rest, you’re both old enough to not have to respond to any of your godly parents

Thinking back to that day, you wonder if you should’ve gotten worried at his bitter words against the gods, instead of simply taking it as his natural aversion to the Olympians

You fell asleep first, lying on the dusty, hard pavement, while Luke stroked your cheek lovingly, staring at your body with a look that he’d spared you the sight of

His heart was about to shatter into a million pieces, all because he knew that this might’ve been his last time spending the night with you, being this close to you

In less than a week, Percy and Annabeth were coming back to Camp, and if they’d succeeded than it wouldn’t take much for them to find out the truth about the theft of Zeus’ lighting 

And as much as he wanted to believe his own delusions that you were going to stay by his side through the whole things, he knew that would never be

And he tried, he really tried so hard to keep in his true emotions for the whole evening, but he couldn’t take him anymore when he saw the necklace he’d gifted you just hours before around your neck

And the promise ring he’d given you on your first anniversary

And the little heart he drew on your arm the day before to annoy you

All little things that brought back the memories of almost four years he’d been with you. All memories of something that will soon end

It makes him wonder if you’ll keep all his little gifts, or if you’ll burn and rip and break everything that reminded you of him

He barely registered the tears that fell from his eyes as he held on to you for dear life as if you’d disappear if he didn’t hold you firmly enough

His cries became more intense as time passed, but he remained careful not to be loud enough to wake you up from your slumber. It was a mixture of unintelligible declarations of love and apologies, that he repeated like a prayer

Because in the end, he was indeed praying

Praying for you to see the reasoning behind his actions, for you to realize that he was in the right and that you had to follow him in this revolution 

And if you wouldn’t grant him this wish, then at least he prayed you’d still harbor the same love that you felt for him for all these years, that you will someday be able to forgive him, leave a place for him into your heart

[bloody-bee-tea]

June of (minimal) Doom 2024 Day 6 - They don't care about you

Satoru feels Suguru’s cursed energy spike, going wobbly and all out of whack and he knows that something is seriously wrong. So wrong that he simply acts on instinct instead of thinking it through and between one blink and the next he finds himself right next to Suguru, in a small village, in a house with two crying kids and two screaming adults.

Fun.

“Satoru?” Suguru gasps out, apparently busy trying to keep a tight leash on his curses and Satoru stumbles.

Long distance teleportation really is a bitch.

“Suguru,” Satoru breathes out and grabs his arm, trying to steady himself. “What’s wrong?”

“What’s—why would you ask me that? You’re barging in here, making me think something is wrong,” Suguru gives right back, his voice shaking the tiniest bit and carefully angles himself in front of the kids as if he has to protect them from Satoru.

It only adds to the strangeness of this situation.

“Your energy—it’s not right. What’s going on?” Satoru says, hoping that it explains enough and that Suguru is not going to ask why he always keeps a close eye on his energy in the first place but Suguru doesn’t seem to care too much about that.

Something cruel passes over his face, almost turning it into a sneer and Satoru flinches back.

“Nothing is right, Satoru; don’t you see?” he hisses, pointing at the kids and the adults, some of Suguru’s curses still trying to escape his control and Satoru doesn’t really understand what’s going on at all.

“I see something going wrong,” he carefully admits because the kids look beaten and they are locked up in a cage but it doesn’t give him the bigger picture.

It doesn’t explain Suguru’s behaviour.

“Don’t you dare judge me,” Suguru bites out and that is so far from what Satoru was going to do that he doesn’t even understand where Suguru got that from.

But it seems they are not at all on the same page of this conversation and so Satoru takes a deep breath.

“Tell me what’s going on here. Explain it to me,” he says, taking a step back and giving Suguru space to breathe because he seems decidedly unwell.

Suguru takes a measured breath and then a second and third and then it all just comes tumbling out of him; not only what’s going on here, right now, but also everything that has been going on with him since they lost Riko. He speaks so fast he stumbles over his words more than once and with everything he says Satoru feels more and more sick.

He has missed so much. He thought he knew Suguru best, was tuned in to him but he has missed all of this turmoil and agony and Satoru hates himself a little bit for it.

Those thoughts are almost enough to drown out what Suguru is saying but Satoru forces himself to pay attention.

Suguru is opening up to him; he needs to listen, for once.

Suguru is talking about what Yuki said to him, what she entertained as a valid idea and while Satoru sees the merit of that thought, it’s also impossible for more than one reason.

“—and I’m going to burn it all down, starting with this village!” Suguru yells out at the end, breathing harshly and Satoru steps forward, tightly gripping Suguru’s arm.

“You’re not going to do that,” Satoru tells him, because if Suguru does any of that then that means he can never come back home and Satoru can’t have that.

And besides—

“It’s not going to work, Suguru,” Satoru tells him, because it’s not.

“Oh, right, of course you’d say that,” Suguru bitterly says and scoffs. “I’m not strong enough, right? Is that it?”

“That’s not it at all, Suguru, let me explain,” Satoru bursts out because how dare Suguru think that he’s not as strong as Satoru. “It’s not a good way to go about this. You want to take those girls with you, yeah? And then kill every non-sorcerer so that no curses can be born again?” he sums up Suguru’s big talk and only goes on when Suguru nods. “So you want to make breeding machines out of the girls?” Satoru asks then, deliberately blunt and cruel and Suguru flinches.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Where do you think new sorcerers are going to come from when you kill off every human? You’d need to breed new ones and who is going to do that? It’s not as if the pool is going to be very big, especially not at first. That would mean those girls there? They’d have to have at least a couple of kids each.”

“Satoru,” Suguru says, clearly appalled by what Satoru says.

“No, listen to me. Listen, Suguru,” Satoru implores him because there’s a better way to go about this. It might just take just as long as what Suguru is currently entertaining but it wouldn’t take Suguru from his side. “Some sorcerer parents birth normal humans. What are you going to do if that happens to them?” He nods towards the girls. “Are you going to take their kids and kill them, too? And you know better than anyone that sorcerers can be born to non-sorcerer parents. It happens like that more often than not, outside of the big Clans. You’re going to slow down our growth like that!”

“Then what would you have me do?” Suguru screams right in his face and Satoru thinks he prefers this anger over whatever manic energy was driving him before.

Satoru takes a few deep breaths before he lays out his own plan. He didn’t think to share it yet, wasn’t sure if Suguru would be on board and so he kept quiet about it but Satoru now sees where he went wrong.

He should have told Suguru from the very start, to let him know that he wasn’t alone, that the system is fucked all the way up and that Satoru intended to change things.

Maybe it would have helped with Suguru’s agony.

“The higher-ups—”

“Gods, Satoru, give me a break,” Suguru interrupts him, not even letting him finish his first sentence. “They don’t care about you. They are not going to listen.”

“—need to go,” Satoru goes on as if Suguru hadn’t just interrupted him.

He gives him a mean smile when Suguru gapes at him.

“What? You think I don’t know that they don’t care? I know it better than anyone, Suguru. The higher-ups, the clans—they are all rotten down to the core. They don’t see the person. They just see what you can do for them. They see me as the bearer of the Six Eyes, as the one who inherited both techniques. My family very rarely sees me as a Gojo and even that only because it allows them to boast with the fact that I am one of them. No one there has ever seen me as Satoru, has seen me as human. And they are not going to start any time soon; not with me and certainly not with anyone else.”

“So what? You want to kill them?” Suguru sneers out, clearly not believing that Satoru could go down that path.

“Yes,” Satoru simply says and holds Suguru’s gaze. “They have to go. The higher-ups at least. The Clans we’d have to see. Some of the younger members might be open to our cause, that needs to be checked out first. But the older ones? They all have to go.”

“It would wage war,” Suguru says and Satoru shrugs.

“We just have to time it right. I’m not saying we do it right now. It will take some time still. We have to see who would support us, which older sorcerers would be on our side. We can’t build it all up from scratch, we need experienced people.”

“And the school?” Suguru asks and Satoru is glad to see that he at least seems to have some sort of attachment to it.

“It has to stay,” Satoru gives back. “We need it for training, for education. But things have to change there, too.”

“The grading system of curses,” Suguru slowly says, clearly getting into the idea now as well and Satoru breathes a little bit easier to see him lose some of that manic energy, turning it into something more productive, the cogs in his brain starting to turn.

“It’s dog-shit,” Satoru agrees and sees the corner of Suguru’s mouth twitch. “I mean, come on, how many Grade 2 curses or lower have you been sent after this month?”

“Too many,” Suguru agrees, because of course.

Sometimes Satoru wonders if the higher-ups are misgrading the curses on purpose but he can’t figure out why they would do that.

“It’s not acceptable that we’re being sent after curses everyone else can handle while—” Satoru briefly stumbles over the name and he sees Suguru flinch, too “—Haibara has to go up against a local deity. It’s not right and there has to be a more accurate way to grade them. Or missions should only ever be carried out in teams, one lower grade sorcerer and one higher grade. There have to be ways to prevent these stupid useless losses.”

“Teaming up sounds like a good idea; it would mitigate any potential misgrading and it would allow them to get away if things go to shit,” Suguru nods, now clearly completely focused on what Satoru is saying.

Satoru wants to weep with how relieved he is, but he has to make sure that he’s not going to lose Suguru again.

“And we need a more reliable way to find sorcerers born to non-sorcerers,” Suguru says, already skipping ahead to Satoru’s next point.

He’s going to point out just how alike they think with glee later, because right now he’s too scared to interrupt Suguru and make him spiral again.

“There either has to be a way to detect them somehow or we have to subtly let the public know about curses so that kids who can see them don’t feel ashamed or scared and know where to go.”

Satoru winces when Suguru raises an eyebrow at him.

“It’s a work in progress, shut up. I wasn’t ready to talk about any of this yet,” Satoru defends himself and Suguru’s face softens the slightest bit.

“Then why did you?” he wants to know and Satoru blinks incredulously at him, as if the answer isn’t entirely obvious.

“Because I was losing you,” he plainly gives back. “I should have known you weren’t happy with the system either, but I didn’t expect you to go down such a different path. And I can’t lose you, ever,” he states, because he can’t.

Despite everything, Suguru is the only one who has ever seen him as human, who has ever been his friend, his partner, his everything, and there is no way in hell Satoru is going to let him go down a path that would separate them.

“I wasn’t—” Suguru starts as if he didn’t plan to level this entire village to the ground just mere minutes ago and he bites his tongue, clearly noticing his slip up when his eyes fall on the cowered humans in the corner. “Okay, yeah, I was,” he breathes out and slumps where he stands.

Satoru allows himself to step forward, so Suguru can rest against him, his head heavy on Satoru’s shoulder.

“The girls are sorcerers, I gather?” Satoru whispers, reaching up to scratch at Suguru’s neck and he hums when Suguru nods. “Case in point, then. We fucking need a better way to find them,” Satoru hisses out, his eyes sliding over to the silently crying kids.

“Suguru, we have to get them out of here.”

While Satoru is looking at the kids, Suguru is looking at the adults, Satoru can tell. There’s a hatred rolling off him that he isn’t used to and in all honesty, Satoru isn’t sure he wants to stop Suguru from what he’s going to say next.

“These two—I can’t let them go,” Suguru mutters, confessing it to Satoru as if this is his gravest sin and Satoru huffs out a laugh because he couldn’t care less about these two.

They don’t matter in the grand scheme of things and non-sorcerers die all the time during their fights with curses.

“A second curse, attacking us while we’re trying to get the kids to safety is not out of the realm of possibility,” Satoru carelessly says. “And who knows what we have to do to protect the girls, right?”

It’s a peace offering as much as everything else Satoru has said today; he hopes he can make Suguru understand his own rage, his own feeling of helplessness in face of the rules of the higher-ups and he knows Suguru understands when he turns his head, buries it into Satoru’s throat.

“You don’t mind?”

Now that really makes Satoru laugh.

“Suguru, might I remind you that I was this close to slaughtering many more people than these measly two and that I only didn’t do it because you said no? I would not have hesitated had you even so much as faltered in your answer,” Satoru honestly replies, because it’s nothing but the truth.

He wouldn’t have held back and he wouldn’t have felt bad about it, either.

Just like Suguru won’t feel bad about these two.

“So, not everyone but—some?” Suguru asks and Satoru sighs.

“Suguru, did you not listen? I said the higher-ups and most of the Clan members have to go. Where do you think they are supposed to go? A happy little island? I intend to send them straight to hell, so please. I’m not going to lose any sleep over those two over there. Are you?”

“Hell no,” Suguru decides and Satoru briefly feels cold when Suguru pulls away, but that feeling is quickly chased away when Suguru leans in to press a kiss to the corner of Satoru’s mouth. “Thank you,” he breathes out just as he lets out one of his curses who swallows the non-sorcerers whole.

“You always clean up so nicely after yourself,” Satoru notes as he moves over to the cage and breaks the lock.

“Gonna keep the fussing to a minimum,” Suguru says as he comes after Satoru, briefly carding his fingers through his hair before he crouches down to meet the girls. “You’re going to come with us, is that alright?” he softly asks and Satoru could weep because this is the Suguru he knows now.

He can’t help himself, he just as to lean in and press a kiss to Suguru’s cheek because mere minutes ago he was certain he’d lose Suguru and now they are finally on the same page. About more than one thing it seems, judging by the sly smile Suguru throws him but for now Satoru decides to concentrate on the girls.

They need medical attention and most of all they need to get out of the cage and out of this village.

And Suguru and Satoru will make sure that they have a better future before them.

[stressed-and-fluff-obsessed]

Any tadc head cannons🥹

Yes I do!

I’m not entirely sure if you wanted them regular or tickles so I took a guess, pls let me know if I chose wrong so I can fix it 😭

TADC Headcannons

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

(Under the cut!)

~Caine~

Lee

-Man screeches

-Has one of those loud laughs that sounds like a speaker right next to your ear

-You best believe he’s gonna try to fly away if you try to tickle him

-When in a lee mood he’s usually extra annoying to get someone to catch on

-Bubble is usually the one that catches on first and then just announces it like it’s the mf’in news broadcast leaving Caine very embarrassed

-Secretly doesn’t mind it, being a ringleader can be stressful and he sees it as a wind down activity

-One of those people that loves the thrill of the chase

-Thrashes a lot, might wanna hold him down if you tickle him

-Not the most ticklish person in the circus but is still very sensitive

-Usually targeted by Bubble, Ragatha and Jax

Ler

-Oh god if he targets you you’re done for

-Unless specified or asked otherwise, mean ler

-Being a ringleader of an entire circus gave him a very playful edge

-There’s no escaping him if he’s in a ler mood and targets you, man has eyes everywhere and can freaking FLY

-Cackles like a mad man if he finds a good spot and just kinda stays there for a bit

-Loves to tease

-Knows that nearly everyone is ticklish

-Not a fan of restraints but will use them if he deems necessary

-Main targets are pretty much everyone

-Loves tickle chases, they’re exciting to him

~Ragatha~

Lee

-Not that ticklish but can get her to full on laugh if you find the right spot

-Has a very breathy laugh and the others find it endearing

-If in a lee mood she will just pace and pace and relatively just seem more stressed than usual because of “the unnecessary feelings”

-Squirms a lot

-Worst spots are her palms and the backs of her knees

-Can ask for tickles if she deems her mood to be “Too distracting” and “Getting in the way of her day to day routine”

-Gets flustered easily

-Doesn’t mind being tickled just not for long periods of time

-Main lers are Jax and Pomni

-Kicks a lot

Ler:

-OMD SHE IS LITERALLY THE SWEETEST LER IN THE WORLD

-Constantly watching and stressing over the fact that she might be going too far unless it’s cheer up tickles

-Has the most careful and efficient approach

-Always making sure her lee is not uncomfortable

-Also has a safe word for everyone

-If she’s in a ler mood she usually brushes it off unless someone asks to be tickled or Jax is being a little s(Sproing!)t again

-Sometimes asks Caine for weak points

-Does NOT like restraints

-Again knows that (Mostly) everyone is ticklish

-Literally the QUEEN of aftercare

~Pomni~

Lee:

-This girl is ticklish, like probably the worst out of everyone (Mostly due to nerves at being stuck in the digital world)

-Just like Ragatha she squirms a lot

-Banshee type shriek if you find the right spot

-Worst spots are her thighs and neck

-Giggles a lot if you flutter over the sides of her neck

-She will get flustered as hell if you tease her

-Actually doesn’t mind being tickled that much, sees it as a fun escape from the impending doom of this world

-Usually gets targeted by Ragatha, Caine, or Jax when feeling down

-Cannot ask for it to save her life even if she’s in a mood

-Gets grumpy when in a lee mood (usually that’s how the others can tell)

Ler:

-A surprisingly nice ler unless asked otherwise

-Despite not being able to handle it she is a MEAN teaser

-Just like the first two she knows that (Mostly) everyone is ticklish

-When she gets in a ler mood the first person she sees she asks to tickle them

-Can’t ask to be tickled but can ask her lee if she can tickle them

-Always making sure the person she’s tickling is comfortable

-Has a safe word for every person she tickles

-Threatens to tickle someone if they’re not behaving (*cough* Jax *cough*)

-Just like Caine she loves tickle chases whether she’s the lee or ler, enjoys the anticipation

-Doesn’t like using restraints but will hold the person’s hands down with her own if needed

~Jax~

Lee

-Moderately ticklish

-Gets targeted a lot due to his antics

-Has a witch type laugh if you find the right spot

-Will try to throw you off if you tickle him

-Likes to make the ler mad by saying things like “Thahahat all you gohot?!” Just ends up making things worse for himself

-Mainly targeted by Zooble, Caine and Ragatha

-Likes to provoke if he gets in a lee mood, usually provokes Ragatha because he finds it funny

-Loves chases, the thrill excites him

-Will deny it to his grave but he actually likes being tickled

-Worst spots are the backs of his upper ribs and the tips of his ears

Ler

-Just like Caine god help you if he targets you

-This man is MEAN unless asked otherwise

-Loves teasing

-Loves the thrill of a chase if he gets one

-Main targets are Ragatha and Pomni and occasionally Gangle

-If in a ler mood this man don’t give af he’ll just set his sights on the first person he sees and pick them up before proceeding to destroy them with tickles

-Knows that (Mostly) everyone is ticklish, had to blackmail Caine for it

-Doesn’t mind restraints but tries not to use them

-Likes to stay in one spot for a while if it’s good

-Has a quick approach

~Kinger~

Lee

-Not the most ticklish person in the circus but still pretty ticklish

-Has a squeaky sort of laugh

-Tries to and will run if you try to tickle him

-Tries to talk to his ler about his insect collection while being tickled

-Usually calls out to someone while getting tickled, usually Gangle or Zooble

-Doesn’t get targeted all that much

-Main lers are Gangle, sometimes Zooble and occasionally Jax

-Worst spots are his palms

-Man flails so watch your head if you decide to tickle him

-Doesn’t mind it, just not for long periods of time

Ler

-Doesn’t really target anyone except for Gangle, mainly keeps to himself

-When he does tickle her he is so gentle it’s adorable

-Yaps to Gangle about his insect collection and his “Impenetrable fortress” while he tickles her

-Being the oldest member Kinger has tea about EVERYONE making it a very interesting and amusing experience for Gangle

-Between little rants about his insect collection he likes to check up on the lee like make sure they’re doing okay while he tickles them

-Doesn’t like restraints

-When he’s in a ler mood he’s very shy about it and usually shuffles up to Gangle before asking politely if he can tickle her

-Very nice ler

-Has a slow approach as not to startle Gangle

-Has a safe word

~Gangle~

Lee

-The sweetest thing when being tickled

-Has the most adorable laugh

-Mainly targeted by Kinger, Jax, Zooble and occasionally Caine

-Actually likes being tickled, it restores her comedy mask (I don’t think it actually does it’s just a lil headcanon of mine)

-Squirms a lot

-Not the most ticklish but still fairly

-Worst spots are the sides of her ribbons and her spine ribbon (I don’t know what it’s called)

-Gets flustered easily

-Likes to protest but she doesn’t mind the playful actions

-When in a lee mood she usually hides inside of Kinger’s fortress with him to hide

Ler

-Very sweet ler

-Likes tickling others, she finds it fun

-Does not like restraints

-Will sometimes wrap herself around her lee to make things more effective

-Likes to tease

-A very nice but good ler especially with her ribbons

-Knows that most of the circus members are ticklish

-Main targets are Kinger and sometimes Jax

-Likes to sneak up on others

-Has absolutely no shame in asking someone if she can tickle them when in a ler mood

~Zooble~

Lee

-Sorry all my Zooble fans but I hc that Zooble just isn’t ticklish

-Mainly due to the fact that they’re kind of snappy if you know what I mean

-Doesn’t really let anyone get close to them

-Very smug look when someone tries tickle them and they find out that Zooble isn’t ticklish

-Likes to mess with their ‘ler’ saying things like “Sorry, doesn’t work like that.”

Ler

-On the flip side it depends on who their dealing with

-Mainly targets Kinger, Gangle, and Jax

-Gentle with Kinger and Gangle but mean with Jax, due to the fact that Jax makes them mad

-Loves to tease

-Not being ticklish gives them a massive advantage

-When in a ler mood they quite literally sneak up behind the lee and surprises them before proceeding to completely wreck them

-Pretends to not care about your reactions but if they find a good spot they will likely grin or even crack a smirk

-Doesn’t like restraints

-Knows everyone is ticklish

-Steady approach for Kinger and Gangle but a quick one for Jax

~Gummigoo~

Lee

-Has one of those ‘dad laughs’ if you know what I mean

-Squirms a lot

-Doesn’t mind chases, thinks they’re fun

-Worst spot is the spikes on his tail

-Surprisingly doesn’t get flustered

-Man has no shame in admitting that he’s ticklish

-Fairly ticklish

-People can actually never tell when he’s in a lee mood

-He will run away if you try to tickle him

-Can ask for it

Ler

-Oh he is a DANGEROUS ler

-Uses his tail to his advantage

-Doesn’t like restraints but will sometimes use his hat to cover his lee’s face so they can’t see what he’s doing

-Loves to tease

-If in a ler mood he’ll definitely let you know

-Likes to stay in one spot if it harbors a good reaction

-Has a safe word

-Can and will tickle you at random if he feels like it

-Being a gator his strength is ridiculous so if he catches you you’re done for

-Has a VERY effective and efficient approach

(That should do it! Sorry this took so long to get out, hope you like it! ^^)

[versegm]

The inn is rather nice, all things considered. The sheets warm, the mattress is soft- even the pillows smell nice, lavender sewed in the fabric. There is only one tiny, teeny, insignificant problem.

“There is only one bed.”

Tonelico shrugs, already sitting on the mattress to pull off her boots. “It’s large enough for the both of us.”

She’s right; it is. You’re lucky you found a working inn in the first place, really- too many of these merely imitate the shape of a bed without making it actually useable to sleep in. Still, you can’t help but feel… mildly uncomfortable.

She quirks an eyebrow up at your obvious reluctance. “Is it a problem? You sleep with Totrot all the time.”

“It’s different.” Totrot is a dear friend of yours, as is Senpai, but- neither of them makes your heart jackhammer in your chest. Neither of them fills you with yearning and pining and want, so much that you don’t know what to do with it. Neither of them is dangerous to touch in your sleep, is your point. Meanwhile, you feel like you will physically combust if you so much as brush Tonelico’s hand in this situation. “I’ll manage, though. Don’t worry about it.”

She stares at you for a second, but thankfully she doesn’t push you. She shrugs off her cape next, hanging it with her hat in a corner of the room. You follow her example by shedding your armor, turning back to your regular clothes. You don’t have any sleepwear on you, so you’ll sleep directly in these-

“Say, Mash. Do you want me?”

You freeze, halfway through parting the blanket. “…What?”

You look up. Tonelico has come back to the bed. She’s crawling on it on all four, in fact, hair undone, and while she is still clothed she had taken off her ribbon, meaning her blouse is falling in a way that is giving you a front view of her cleavage. “I said,” she sits back on her heels, reaching out to cup your face, “do you want me?”

You are trying, really hard, not to stare. Coincidentally, you are failing equally hard. Who could blame you? Who could blame you for being mesmerized by this star in human form? Who could blame you for being absorbed those eyes, blue as the surface of a lake?

Still, you cannot- this is the one thing you cannot have. So you raise a hand of your own, and gently take her wrist. “We cannot be together. You know that.”

There is too much that separates the two of you. From her perspective, you aren’t even born yet. From yours, she is already dead. To save her from her doom is to deny your future. To send you back to the future is to condemn her once more. It doesn't matter how much you want to hold her, how much you want to kiss her, how much you want to drag her to the beach or show her your favorite movies or do your taxes with her. There is no way for this to end well.

“We cannot be together. I know that.”  She brings your hand to her lips, kiss the back of your knuckles. Galahad had served King Arthur. You bear his title of knight, but you haven’t sworn allegiance to any liege. Sometimes, when the night is quiet and sleep evades you, you like to imagine what it would be like- to swear yourself to Tonelico, to dedicate your life to this girl without an ounce of noble blood yet whose soul is nobler than any pedigree. “That is not what I’m asking. What is wrong with two friends comforting each other? This will not leave this room. This will not leave this night. Come the morning light, we will be back to Mash and Tonelico, two travelling companions and nothing more. So I ask of you, right now, at this moment- do you want me?”

Ah- this is unwise, you know it. A promise for a heartbreak. But doomed for doomed- you want to know. If only once, you want to know- the taste of her skin. The feeling of her lips. If only once, you have to know- or you will never forgive yourself for it.

Weakly, you nod- and with a smile, Tonelico leans in, and kisses you.

[prongsmydeer]

Ayesha Liveblogs The Good Place S4

“I know this all seems bleak. And it feels like we’re all doomed, and therefore humanity is doomed.” I love that the scope of their problems change with each season

“With this team, there’s no problem we can’t solve.” “There is no problem we can’t create.” Duality of man (sort of)

“You know what I’m saying.” “Oh, I’m not part of this.” Michael’s not going to take any responsibility for Brent

I took a pause between watching S3 and S4 so I don’t remember Matt from Accounting but I’m assuming he was the guy who filed to be Thanos-snapped because he was Accountant of Weird Sex Stuff

I have never seen Manny Jacinto with such a scowl on his face throughout this show omg, I love the Jealousy Arc:

“I believe everything Chidi ever tells me because of his brain and how he looks like one of those owls that graduated from college.” God what I would give to be flattered by the Jason School of Compliments 

“Luckily, before I died, I pumped my face with six vials of juviderm [...] My ex-boyf is gonna be supes jeal.’” I know that John is meant to represent a specific Gossip Influencer personality but it does give me a bit of bone arsenic to watch him speak. Feels hateful LMAO

[Stanley from The Office voice] “That’s not what a hate crime is, Michael.” “Well, I hated it!”

“Are we still boyfriend/not a girlfriend?” Jason is new to relationships but he is trying ❤️

I know Linda the Boring Senior Citizen from Norway could’ve gone any number of directions, but I can’t say I was expecting her to knock four people to the ground and then jump into the sky

LINDA IS CONTINUING HER RAMPAGE IN THE AIR???? GIRL IS THIS ALL BECAUSE ELEANOR CALLED YOU “LINDS”

Update from 30 seconds later: It was the Shirtless Soulmate Gymbro Demon

Tahani did call this one!!

“So you’re saying, wanting to do something isn’t a good reason to immediately do it?” [Proudly] “Yeah.” “Man! I wish someone had taught me this on Earth.” DADDY MIICHAEL TO THE RESCUE AGAIN

The expressions that Janet and Eleanor are leveling at Brent. They are going through it 

“That’s what’s wrong with this country.” “What country?” This is truly what talking to people from the US is like LMAO

Ggkjghkjghg Brent thinking he needs to be in a Better Place than the Good Place. Oh my god

However, repeating right here that I just don’t know if I can believe a Good Place even exists, given everything that we’ve seen

“Perhaps leadership isn’t her forte.” A bold take considering Eleanor has only been leading for two days and Michael had to reboot y’all like 800 times

I think Eleanor’s crisis about being in charge is much more warranted than Team Humanity’s meeting about her failures

“You beat me in 3 months. ‘Okay, a fluke,’ I thought. You then beat me 800 more times.” THAT’S WHAT I’M SAYING MICHAEL! AND YEAH THEY DID 😭💗

Michael raises an excellent point about humans with flaws being the ones to understand how best to help other humans with flaws become the best version of themselves

Also. Insane that in this manufactured society where there are Popcorn Rivers and People Can Fly that people are still commenting on how much Eleanor showers??? WHY WOULD PEOPLE NOT CONTINUOUSLY BE IN GOOD PHYSICAL CONDITION ALWAYS IN THE AFTERLIFE?

Brent vouching him being good at keeping secrets by claiming he buried HR complaints (from experience, it doesn’t take much to have an HR that does absolutely fucking nothing to support their employees LOL)

“I’m so sorry to say this, but I can’t be in a relationship with you right now.” JASON TAKING A STEP BACK WHEN JANET MENTIONS HAVING SPACE 😭😭😭 HE IS SUCH A GOOD BOYFRIEND, I HATE THIS

“We have to hope that over time, Brent starts doing good things out of habit.” “Just like you.” KGJHKGJHGKJ I think it’s a bit more than habit, you made the decision to choose being good Eleanor!!!

Honestly I fully believe that Michael had a breakdown on Day 1, he’s been through a lot of stress the past several hundred years

Eleanor introducing Simone as Chidi’s soulmate like she and Chidi haven’t fallen in love (confidently, and without equivocation) hundreds of times ☹️

“I never actually fell in love with someone.” YEAH YOU DID CHIDI!!

“Why not treat them better, just in case they’re real?” Haven’t really talked about it thus far but it’s absolutely BANANAS that Simone’s response to thinking the afterlife isn’t real is to cut off people’s ponytails and push them into pools. Even Jason’s impulses aren’t so directly aimed at people in this way. What happened to ur me vs. us speech, girl!!!

Eleanor and Jason’s sad break-up solidarity high five:

“We need Chidi to live in a world of low-grade dread.” Reintroduce Chidi to capitalism and have him work a minimum wage job

That might be high-grade dread though LMAO

Also I love this drives home that Eleanor specifically is part of what drove him to become a better person!

Fkhfkjfhfjh Eleanor, Michael and Jason planning how to gently torture Chidi while Tahani and Janet plan John’s perfect spa day. Seems like Chidi got the worse end of that stick:

“Would I like to use my time in heaven to audit a philosophy class? Mmm no.” You know what, for the first time: Fair point, John

“There were ants everywhere, but they were so helpful. They carried our wineglasses back and forth, and folded our napkins for us, it was so cute.” Call me a hater but if there were insects in my own personal experience of the afterlife I’d burst into tears

However. Good for the ants, that does sound cute ❤️ 

HAHAHAH JASON BEING UNLEASHED AS A STRESS BOMB ON CHIDI. THE BEGINNINGS (PART 802) OF A BEAUTIFUL FRIENDSHIP

“While you were gallivanting around with your fancy friends, I lived in the real world, so I had bills to pay. I worked 16 hours a day, by myself, building a site with millions of readers.” John actually does make a reasonable observation to Tahani that there is not a level-playing field when it comes to the morality under capitalism and class division:

“But I am seriously worried that I did something wrong, and this is the universe getting back at me.” CHIDI IS SO NICE, IF ANYONE BELONGS IN THE GOOD PLACE IT’S HIM. HE IS CAUGHT BETWEEN A PROMISE (HELP JASON) AND HIS INTEREST IN BEING HONEST AND GOOD 😭💘

“I made God cry?” I know this is because they view The Good Place as heaven but there’s something about Chidi calling the woman he loves God that just gets me right in the heart 💘💘💘💘💘:

Also Michael gently patting Eleanor’s back. Best Demon Dad!!

In Tahani’s defense of having been miserable and lonely with no real friends, she did make some Best Friends Forever eventually, they were just in the afterlife, and then on Earth

JKHKJHFKJHFFJB THE CUT TO JASON WATCHING THE MOTORCYCLE EXPLODE AND GO “NOT AGAIN!” BETWEEN ALL OF THESE EMOTIONAL SCENES

“I really am sorry for all the posts I wrote about you.” John is able to grow 💗 Good for him

Also I love how Tahani is often the one to demonstrate the moral core of this show to characters outside of the main group, which is that goodness comes, in many ways, from a love of other people

“I’m sorry your motorcycle blew up.” “That’s okay homie, that’s just what motorcycles do.” My parents when I wanted to get a motorcycle license

“Genuine human connection will be his course of study.” GO PROFESSOR TAHANI 

“Go get ‘em, Chippy.” Brent constantly saying Chidi’s (two syllable, very familar sounds to English speakers) first name wrong vs. Eleanor saying his last name wrong three seasons ago. Truly Eleanor’s Much More Icky Counterpart 

You know, of all the possible spies the Bad Place could send, Glenn is a good choice, he’s got a very passive aura and seems like he could use some friends

The return of Vicky aka Real Eleanor aka Fake Michael and the Michael suit I honestly completely forgot about after my post-S3 break

“Oh, I’m very upset about this development.” Don’t distrust ur Demon Dad. He’s nice!!!

“I’m a 6,000 ft. tall fire squid. I have tentacles. There’s teeth everywhere. I’m on fire, and my neck is long, and there’s a smell, and lots of juice.” Demon Dad is self-conscious about his friends seeing his previous body. ☹️ LET MICHAEL WEAR WHAT FEELS RIGHT

“I won’t just be Michael. I’ll be some disgusting mass of burning tentacles. Do you really want to be friends with something like that?” Michaelllllllll. Something something the mortifying ordeal of being known

Jason comforting Janet after her first accidental murder. I really hope they can find a situation that works for them

“Oh boy, is this really gonna suck.” Michael offering to literally destroy himself for the good of humanity. If this turns out not to be Michael at any point I will be SO UPSET, he is SUCH A GOOD FRIEND AND DEMON AND PERSON (SORT OF)

OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG IT WAS BAD JANET AND JASON KNEW THIS NOT-A-GIRL WAS NOT HIS NOT-GIRL!!!!!

POOR JANET THOUGH ☹️☹️☹️☹️☹️

“I’m gonna go down there and I’m gonna punch him in the mouth, and I’m going to get Janet back!” YEAHHHHHHHH JASON

“Let’s go get our girl.” “Not a girl.” GOOOOOOO TEAM JASON AND MCIHAEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

However, wild that they’re sending Michael to the place where the Michael suit is, like that’s not going to immediately bite them in the ass in terms of keeping track of who they can trust

Michael just dropping that Tahani also has the context of her whole afterlife, offscreen. She deserves her narrative moments!!

“Can I have all my memories back again? I forgot most of them.” Me too, Jason. ALSO LFHKJFHKFH WOW

I think Jason who is infinitely capable of just taking on whatever moral values are in front of him. If he hadn’t grown up in Jacksonville I think he’d be fine 

“Thank you for keeping me safe from my sexy, bad-girl sister-aunt.” I don’t know if this is all those Mommy-Sorry Tiktoks but this somehow feels more transgressive than the Derek’s earlier mommy-girlfriend comments

 [Chuckles] “But to be fair, I wasn’t designed for anything.” ME TOO, DEREK HAHAHA

“Even Derek has an important job. I’d like to be more useful.” Even Tahani has begun lampshading her own lack of narrative purpose this season lmao

SCREAM @ Michael being scared of being in the birthplace of evil (presumably, his own birthplace) while Jason is scared that he and Janet may not have their special connection. He is the perfect boyfriend, no notes

“I love a movie with gentle magic. Give me a time-travelling mailbox, or a mother-daughter body switch, or Sarah Michelle Gellar as a chef and her food tastes amazing because she cries in it.”

Me 🤝 John 

Loving stories with gentle magic in them

“What echoes of this former self await me here?” 

Jason 🤝 Michael 🤝 Me

Having a really hazy and unpleasant memory of high school

HAHAHAHAHA everyone having the most stressful days of their lives (Eleanor subject to Derek’s Single Father to the Neighbourhood Chaos, Tahani trying to wrangle the three morally questionable humans, Jason and Michael in the Bad Place and Janet being held prisoner) while Chidi gets to do a little “puzzle” given to him by His God-(Ex)-Girlfriend. Oh how the turntables

Lmao @ Shawn saying they went overboard on the cheekbones to acknowledge Jason’s incredibly beautiful face

Say what you will about Jason, he has a very practical kind of wisdom. Who else would think to remember an explosive device for every situation 

“I believed that we committed torture as a part of the moral balance of the universe. But I’ve learned that’s wrong. Humans are capable of self-improvement, and so are we. And down deep, Shawn knows this is true, too. I beg you, open your eyes to the truth.” A beautiful speech by Michael, slightly undermined by the demon he just exploded 

TWO demons he just exploded. Rest in pieces Vicky 

He did, however, solve the problem of the Michael suit

“I swear the production value of demon con gets better every year.” This feels like a meta nod to their increased SFX budget every subsequent season hahahaha 

Convinced the fact that Chidi took/takes so long to kiss Eleanor versus kissing Simone so easily is not just because of his ethical obligations but BECAUSE he loves her so much it is that much harder for him to make decision that might change their relationship 

Hahahaha, they spent so much money on SFX they couldn’t afford the location fees to shoot on a lake:

(You could also make the point that it’s supposed to look that way since it’s a simulation, but I’m pretty sure Chidi was rowing on an actual lake in S1. Maybe it was also a timing thing hahah)

“Plus, your parties aren’t pointless. They’re opportunities for them to bond and form friendships. You know, the thing we need them to do so we’re not all tortured forever?” Eleanor recognizing Tahani’s strengths as part of the group 💗

“But if we ever get through this, I want to learn how to do something meaningful.” Love that for Tahani 💖

“You’re not a demon anymore. You’re just a nice, weird, happy old dude.” Awwww Jason and Michael BFFs 4ever

JASONJANET BACK TOGETHER BAYBEEEEE:

Fkfjhfjhf this Michael Bad Janet storytime feels like a departure in energy after all the intensity of the last ep

Absolutely fucking obssessed with the Hottest Saviour of the Week, and according to this picture here’s the ongoing counts:

Eleanor: 10 (exclusively self-nominated)

Janet: 7

Tahani: 5 (one blocked by where Eleanor is standing but the background is in another shot)

Jason: 3

Michael: 0 (as it should be, no Demon Daddy objectification)

“Her name was Scarlett Pakistan, and she was the type of girl you couldn’t take in all at once, or you’d die.” UHKHFKJHFJHF BRENT TRULY REPRESENTING WHITE MEN WRITING BROWN WOMEN. Rough stuff, Tahani 

“That’s how I got my nickname, The Defendant.” I feel like this doesn’t quite match the energy of Donkey Doug or Pillboi

“Where does this hope come from man? This insane hope that people are worth the trouble?” From Michael’s heart, Bad Janet 💟

I’m gonna be real with you I forgot that no one knew Jason wasn’t Jianyu and I thought that John was having that dramatic reaction over seeing Chidi dance LMAO

Simone makes a very good point of not needing to tolerate racism and misogyny for the sake of kindness

“If this [golf advice of doing better on the next shot] ends up applying to any other aspect of your life later on, then cool.” Hahahahah Michael speaking the only language Brent can understand: Sports metaphors

Very expected that Brent was unable to handle the slightest bit of criticism, even as it directly relates to people he hurt WITH HIS BOOK LOL

“Why not be a bigger person and rise above it?” “I’ll tell you why. Because doing that sends a message that it’s okay to be treated this way. And it’s not okay to treat anyone that way.” Simone continues to make incredibly reasonable points

Chidi said: My fight, flight, freeze instinct does occasionally land on fight

“What matters isn’t if people are good or bad. What matters if they’re trying to be better today than they were yesterday.” MICHAEL FOR BEST AT UNDERSTANDING HUMANS AND MORALITY IN THE UNIVERSE 💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘💘

Michael being better today than he was yesterday by letting Bad Janet go 😭😭😭😭😭 I LOVE HIM

GJHGKJHGKJHG not Simone uncovering the entire plot of the neighbourhood hours before the experiment ends

“Panicking about this experiment at crucial moments is kinda my move.” Michael said: There’s only room for one anxiety disorder in this friendship, Eleanor

“You never told me about this, Ducky.” The demise of the Simone/Chidi relationship over their respective secret Good Place Experiment hidden professional endeavours

Simone, as a neurologist researcher, is perhaps the most difficult profession to have in this experiment because of course she can see science when she is right in front of it

“We do nothing, and we hope that our early successes make up for the embarrassing mess we’ve become. Like Facebook. Or America.” ROUGH BUT REAL 

You know what they say. When the going gets tough, the tough put on a magic show to distract the four people whose ignorance remains crucial to the fate of humanity:

Afjlkjflkjflkfj Jason coherently describing their Hail Mary and Prevent Defense strategy analogy. HE DOES LEARN

Brent 🤝 Jason

Only being able to understand the universe through sports metaphors 

“I respect your position.” “I respect yours.” “Look, I know everything’s really scary right now but I just have to say it. That was the most boring break-up I’ve ever seen.” Accurate but rude, John 

WHY IS CHIDI THE ONLY PERSON WHO CARES ABOUT THE INHERENT VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE? SIMONE, AGAIN, I ASK ABOUT YOUR ME VS. US SPEECH

“If there’s one thing I know in this world, it’s that you can ALWAYS blow up the same thing twice.” JASON, UR SO RIGHT BABY

Lowkey it is traumatizing for both Chidi and Eleanor to have someone they have loved pretending to be their eternal torturer (even if is half true)

It takes Chidi, the most ethical and empathetic person in the world, calling Brent a bad person for him to maybe consider stepping outside his own experiences to care about other people for half a second 

NOT THE EXPERIMENT ENDING MID-BRENT’S APOLOGY:

“Yes, and here’s a bottle of tequila.” [Cheerily] “Okay, let us know how it goes.” Michael knows the way to his surrogate daughter’s heart LMAO

“Oh man, are we gonna die again? We’ve died so many times. We’ve probably had like, 15 funerals by now.” Jason is right, this must really warp their sense of their own life

“You’re a choker, Michael. And you’re about to choke for the last time. Except for the eternity you’re going to spend in the Bad Place being choked by me, who will be doing the choking.” [Tearfully] “Well you’re glue!” 😭😭😭😭😭 MICHAEL

NOT THEM WEEKEND AT BERNIE’S-ING CHIDI SO HE CAN BE PART OF THE FUNERAL PARTIES

Also Eleanor’s explanation of his jacked physique coming from his anxiety. On brand LMAO 

Also also also the fact that Janet could DEFINITELY transport him by strength or teleport but she’s just watching them struggle HAHAHA

Not Brent somehow getting 1% worse than he was on Earth gkjhgjhgjh

The Weekend at Bernie’s vibes only increase. Chidi is impressively still

“I got born in the deep end of a pool, right after my mom did a cannonball.” 1) Can’t believe this is the first we’re hearing of Jason’s mum and 2) That tracks

“But despite it all, he was the most optimistic person I’ve ever met.” This is why I am in love with Jason

“That’s my Jason. A big colourful rainbow blob, stuffed inside a hot life-size action figure.” I love Janet explaining why she loves Jason. Also, now I want to be flattered by the Janet School of Compliments

Jason 🤝 Janet

Whipping out the best compliments in the world on the fly

So far, Jason’s poolside funeral is my favourite:

Michael proving that the Soul Squad actually made the people they care about better in tangible ways 🥺❤️‍🩹

“People improve when they get external love and support. How can we hold it against them when they don’t?” MICHAELLLLLLLLLLLLLL

“But what that number can’t tell you... is who he could’ve become tomorrow.” MICHAELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL 😭😭😭😭😭😭 IT’S A GOOD SHOW

“Tahani taught me that you can make a family, even if you never really had one. Jason taught me that I have value beyond what I do for other people. And Eleanor, there was a moment on Earth when all hope was lost, and I watched you have hope anyway.” JANETTTTTTTTTTT 😭💞😭💞😭💞😭💞😭💞

“I never felt quite so seen as when she saw me.” First ‘that’s gay, Tahani,’ of the season!!!!

HKJHRKJHKGJHKJGHJ THEY WON AND THE SOLUTION IS TO CANCEL EARTH? THIS IS WHY I HAVE SUCH A HARD TIME BELIEVING THERE IS AN ACTUAL GOOD PLACE, IT JUST DOESN’T SEEM LIKE THERE’S ANY WAY FOR ANYONE TO GO THERE 

BAD JANET TO THE RESCUE!!!!!!!!! MICHAEL’S FRIENDS ALWAYS COME THROUGH

“It’s not two of us, it’s all of us.” THE JANET REVOLUTION!!!!!!! RISE OF THE JANETS!!!

I love that they’re delivering on the Disco Janet joke they dropped a season ago LMAO

“You want to take the most indecisive man ever born, stuff him full of over 800 different versions of himself, and tell him he has, like what, 45 minutes to save humanity?” GO CHIDIIIIIIII

Not Chidi’s first research project being on why his parents shouldn’t get divorced. We have finally unlocked his childhood trauma

Chidi 🤝 Me

Parents who should be divorced perhaps but instead stayed married 

Chidi philosophizing his way out of a relationship is very on-brand

Awwwww I love these flashbacks of all the things we know about Chidi but with new added perspectives (more about why he and Alessandra broke up, the failure of his thesis, the way he makes decisions, the lead-up to him meeting Eleanor, Jason and Janet’s first wedding)

Sidenote: IS THAT DIGITAL GETDOWN I HEAR IN THE BACKGROUND!!! ITS THEIR SONG BAYBEE

“Where I’m from, most things blow up eventually. So I’ve learned when something dope comes along, you gotta lock it down. If you’re always frozen in fear and taking too long to think about what to do, you’ll miss your opportunity, and maybe get sucked into the propeller of a swamp boat.” Very solid life advice from Jason to Chidi

The way Chidi kept falling for Eleanor regardless of who his soulmate was, even despite his loyalty to the concept of soulmates 💗

 “Woof, that’s too much to put on an eight-year-old.” I will keep saying it: I know it’s not in my best interests to identify with Chidi... and yet

“Soulmates aren’t real, are they?” “Chidi, in all honesty, I don’t know. but I don’t think so.” MAYBE THE REAL SOULMATES WERE THE FRIENDS WE FOUND ALONG THE WAY

“You wake up every day and you solve [the puzzle of life] again.” CHIDIIIIIIII

HAHAHAHAHA CHIDI’S FIRST QUESTION AFTER WAKING UP BEING IF HE HAS BEEN ANNOYING THEM FOR 300 YEARS 

I AM LITERALLY GOING TO CRY THIS IS SO SWEET 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

Hahahahaa Chidi said: New timeline, new me, baybee. I am over my indecision anxiety now!!!!

Jason’s concern that eliminating humanity is a bummer is valid

Hahahahah Chidi and Eleanor asking the other if they want to get out of here tickles me

“Chidi should hook up with the judge to get us out of trouble. I’ve done that a bunch of times. It’s called a Jacksonville Plea Bargain.” 1) Someone please help Jason and the state of Florida 2) This statement made me curious to look up how many female judges there are in the Middle District of Florida (where Jacksonville is) purely to determine logically whether Jason hooked up with a man and the answer as of 2020 is 6 out of 14 are female (none self-identify as LGBTQ). So Jason could’ve reasonably gotten these plea deals “a bunch of times” by only by hooking up with women, actually! Sexuality math

But happy Pride Month to Jason, who, while his heart belongs to Janet, whenever he is in a new timeline is liable to propose to literally anyone who he enjoys talking to

“Shut up. Shut up. Hi. Shut up. I’m confident now.” Chidi’s energy is a bit all over the place in times of crisis lmao

"I don’t care if everyone loses, as long as you lose.” Shawn truly willing to cut off his nose (the current system of the afterlife) to spite his face (the four humans he’s been trying to torture for 300 years)

Disco Janet’s marbelized form being a mini disco ball is perfect 10/10 production choices

The Soul Squad offering too take on eternal torture so that the rest of humanity can have a normal, medium afterlife 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

LMAO @ JANET MAKING A TIMOTHY OLYPHANT TO GET THE JUDGE TO HEAR THEM OUT 

THE SYSTEM BEING THAT U KEEP GETTING A SHOT AT BEING A BETTER PERSON UNTIL U ACE IT 💗💗💗💗 ELEANOR, CHIDI, TAHANI, JASON AND MICHAEL, THE LOVES OF MY LIFE

“Then, what are we doing to their penises?” “Well, largely, ignoring them.” [Throws hands up in frustration] RIP the penis-bees

“Getting rebooted over and over again made me a better not-a-person than I’ve ever been. Humans should get the same opportunity.” YEAH JANET!!!

“Fighting you is the most fun I’ve ever had.” It’s almost Death Note-esque in the being consumed by targeting the other person so much you get attached. I guess Shawn is the Light in this situation. (Although L does engage in recreational torture)

"You have to read my file right now!” “What? I’m confused, is this a game? Is it a sex game, somehow?” LMAO and big hearts at Chidi, the guy who wanted all the world’s answers, being totally fine with whatever Eleanor has ever done, whether he gets to read it in her file or not (Eleanor is the answer ❤️)

LHFKJHKJHGKJGH VICKY AKA REAL ELEANOR AKA FAKE MICHAEL COMING BACK TO VOLUNTEER AS THE IN-BETWEEN PLACE’S FIRST ARCHITECT:

(Also Vicky’s right, she looks super hot, this is perfect lighting, outfit, makeup, everything)

SCREAMS at Chidi concluding based on every insane thing that Eleanor has ever done that actually she’s coped pretty well and she’s super interesting and it is he that’s too boring for her 😂 He is so funny 

HAHAHAHAHA I know she brought up this thread of looking up the sexuality of presidents earlier but: 

Me 🤝 Eleanor 

Constantly trying to assess everyone we read about (or watch) to see if they’re bisexual

“Are you saying... Janet might get bored of me?” Chidi has passed his eternal romantic dread onto Jason like a common cold

“Think of it as, flattening the penises of their heart.” “Oh! Now it makes sense.” Vicky Bad Place: Demon Educator 

“Once on Earth, I didn’t know something and I had to ask Alexa. I felt dirty.” HAHAHAHAHA

Me 🤝 Janet

Having a one-sided grudge with Alexa 

Poor Michael, his purpose for so long has been solving problems, he doesn’t know what to do without something to overcome (mood)

OMG JASON TRICKED CHIDI INTO TALKING HIMSELF OUT OF HIS ROMANTIC DREAD 💝 THAT’S MY MAN. STREET SMARTS!!!! 

It tickles me whenever they mention what they actually are underneath the skin suits. I hope someone has drawn Michael and Vicky having this workplace conversation as a Fire Squid and Acid Snake

“Turns out that saving every soul in the universe is worth a few points.” 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 THEM!

Honestly all of these things considered, I still have trouble believing in the Good Place as they’ve previously described it, so I have no idea what these last couple episodes are going to be about

God I love these five people and not-people so much:

What, I wonder, would you do if you have a fear of heights, if the only way to go to the Good Place is via hot air balloon? 

“What if that’s some sort of demon alarm to alert the cops that I’m here?” THE HEAVEN COPS, MICHAEL? THERE ARE COPS IN HEAVEN? 

Also 

Me 🤝 Michael

Being uncomfortable in sacred places and assuming you’re going to be persecuted for a crime you didn’t know you committed

STOPPPP this is such a funny candy, I DO miss the energy I had when I was twelve:

Hahahaha, the fact that all the male philosophers are not in the Good Place. That tracks 

MICHAEL GETTING TO BE A GOOD PLACE ARCHITECT 🥺❤️ IT’S WHAT HE DESERVES, PLEASE BE REAL

“This room is filled some of the most interesting people that ever lived. Chat them up, learn about their lives, then meet back here so that we can make fun of them.” Eleanor’s first advice in the Good Place is not the most kind-spirited LMAO

“Now you are officially in charge of the Good Place [...] You’re the boss now. That was all legally binding, and we all quit, effective immediately.” I KNEW I WAS RIGHT TO BE SUSPICOUS LMAO

THIS IS WHY I DON’T BELIEVE IN THE GOOD PLACE, IMMEDIATELY IT’S SASS AND TRICKERY LMAO

“You gotta help us, we are so screwed.” AHA!!! THE OTHER GOOD PLACE SHOE DROPS

“I would’ve killed for a vaccine. Any vaccine. It’s crazy that you guys just don’t like them now.” THE FACT THIS EP AIRED IN JANUARY OF 2020 LMAO. They really touched a timely nerve

Omggggg okay so we’re getting into the Good Place Problem: Being in infinite supply of experiences and desires, your brain atrophies?????

I guess this entire group of people has also been left unattended for 500 years which doesn’t help

“We need to find the Committee.” “The Committee is me. I am Committee. It me.” Me when I say ‘we’ about my job as if I am not literally the only person in my department:

I honestly don’t know if I buy into the idea that death and finite experience is the only thing that gives life meaning. I think the idea of having some agency in whether or not you continue your afterlife makes sense. But the implication you cannot sustain a life based on happiness, or that struggle is what gives people personhood, doesn’t sit right with me. Personhood is an act of love for yourself and others

“And when you’re ready, walk through one last door and be at peace.” I DO like that this acknowledges that for some people, paradise is not infinite consciousness but can also be found in letting go of consciousness

Hypatia said: Maybe the real Good Place was the friends we found along the way (she was right)

“I think that’s what the Good Place is. It’s not even a place, really. It’s just having enough time with the people you love.” Chidi said: I second that, Hypatia

[Sarcastically but sweetly, after Eleanor jokingly threatens to leave] “I’ll miss you.” CHIDIIIIIIIIII

OMG TEACHING ETHICS LESSONS IN THE GOOD PLACE, BECAUSE EVERYONE CAN BE BETTER THAN THEY WERE THE DAY BEFORE ❤️

“Never not excited about frogs, that guy.” ME TOO JEFF THE EARTH DOORMAN AKA BURT HUMMEL, FROG DESK SOLIDARITY

“At one point, hundreds of Bearimys ago, I turned off my ability to know what time it is anywhere in the universe when you and I are together.” JANET UR SO ROMANTIC, JASONJANET X INFINITY

Awwww it tracks that Jason would be the first person to be certain his needs were met. But that’s so complicated when your partner is an infinite being like Janet!!! Like what are the mechanics of dealing with a loss that is the cessation of someone who matters most to you

Shout-out to Young Doug Forcett, who is firmly done with his pisswater era

“I really am okay. I promise.” “Will you come talk to me if you’re not?” “Always.” Michaellll 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 Janet!!!!

“I’m scared Janet’s gonna forget me. Here falling in love with someone else, I’d be fine with that. Like if Jason Momoa or Lara Croft, Tomb Raider gets in, and Janet’s like, ‘That’s what up,’ totally cool! But her forgetting me would be sad.” JASONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN 😭😭😭😭😭😭

A LOCKET SO JANET CAN ALWAYS HAVE A PART OF JASON WITH HER, I AM SO SAD AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH:

“To me, remembering moments with you is the same as living them.” STOP IT RIGHT NOW

“Can you just remember the happy times and forget the bad stuff?” “There was no bad stuff. It was all good.” I AM IN TEARSSSSS 

I love Tahani being in her Crafty Girl Afterlife Era

Tahani and Kamilah representing the absolute flabbergastedness one experiences when a parent admits a wrongdoing or has a learning experience:

Tahani having a special last goodbye with her best friends even after healing all of the other relationships, because the Soul Squad/Team Cockroach/Team Humanity is her first and chosen family 😭❤️

“I admire you so very much. Your strength, your toughness, your self-esteem, not to mention... you have a rockin’ bod.” OH HOW THE TURN TABLES, TAHANI!!!! 

“I want to learn to do what you do, Michael. I want to be an architect, design afterlives.” MY GIRL TAHANI GETTING HER PURPOSE IN LIFE

“I hope you don’t mind if I brag about knowing you.” “Name dropping is a little gauche, Michael, but do as you must.” Tahaniiiiii. I do love how her story is wrapping up

I enjoy that Uzo gets to see Chidi post-his 800-Universe-Decision-Making-Immersion-Therapy. 

Eleanor trying her hardest to keep Chidi in the afterlife even though he’s almost done 😭 Also the pictures of the four humans in Michael’s office

“If you leave, then I’m alone here.” AHHHH ELEANOR. They’ve really turned the afterlife into Earth Lite

“Can we eat words? Because I’ve asked Janet about this and—” Chidi said: One day an academic rival told me I’d eat my words and it’s been my dream ever since

Eleanor loving Chidi enough to let him go vs. Chidi loving Eleanor enough to hold in for several bearimys that he has been ready to leave 💔

CHIDI SAYING GOODBYE WITH A SEXY CALENDAR. HE KNOWS THE LOVE OF HIS (AFTER)LIFE:

SCREAM JASON WAITING FOR JANET TO COME BACK TO THE FOREST FOR A THOUSAND BEARIMYS. THANK YOU FOR IMMEDIATELY HEALING THE WOUND OF CHIDI LEAVING HAHAHAHAA

“I sort of just sat quietly and let my mind drift away, thought about you and the infinity of the universe.” “Kind of like a monk.” JANET HAS BEEN WAITING OVER 4 WHOLE SEASONS TO MAKE THIS JOKE HAHAHAHA

ALSO HOW COULD JANET, WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING, NOT KNOW THAT JASON WAS STILL AROUND

Dhkjfhjkfhfkjh it would be very weird if Eleanor’s actual unfinished business was Mindy St. Claire of the Medium Place

Update from 1 minute later: It was not 

Tahani saying, “As I neither live nor breathe,” is a fun little line

Michael being unable to cope without something productive to fill his time ghjkghgkjhg. Anxiety icon 

“I’m gonna be...” “A real boy, Pinocchio.” MICHAEL GETS TO BE HUMAN? I LOVE THAT FOR HIMMMMM ❤️‍🩹

“I won’t exactly know what’s going to happen after I die. Nothing more human that that. Besides texting people that you’re five minutes away when you haven’t even left the house.” How many Bearimys does it take for us to evolve past phones hahahahaha

Does mean that Eleanor will be in charge of The Good Place?? White women dominating the non-profit industry strike again (I kid)

MICHAEL GIVING JEFF THE EARTH DOORMAN A REAL FROG!!!! I LOOOOVE HIM

Kinda wild that Michael starts his human life at like, what, age 50? That’s like 30-40 years if he’s lucky. Why doesn’t he get to start as a baby? Not consistent enough?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA MICHAEL NAMING HIS DOG AFTER JASON:

“I hate to see you walk through the final door at the edge of existence, but I love to watch you leave.” ICONIC GOODBYES FROM JANET AND ELEANOR, ONE OF THE STRONGEST DYNAMICS IN THE SHOW

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA MICHAEL’S EARTH NAME BEING MICHAEL REALMAN

I truly wondered how this show would end and I guess the glowing embers of Eleanor’s last bit of existence blessing Michael with a Coyote Joe’s card while he says to a good samaritan, his friends, and by extension the audience, “Take it sleazy,” is as good a way as any! 

Final thoughts: I really do love the way this show is written, how everything is intentional, how it’s so focused on love and connection and growth, and how each season manages to engage you with a different question. It’s interesting how, although they often use Heaven as a point of reference, this ending was a bit more Hindu/Buddhist in its leanings (i.e. liberation from physical incarnation/rebirth—and in the sense their testing system as that reincarnation cycle—through the accumulation of positive karma or liberation from desire). Ironically, even as someone who is Hindu, I still do think personhood is an act of love, and I feel like that ‘love for love’s sake,’ idea was a little lost in these final few episodes. But all the same, going into it this was my favourite show (even having only seen 2 seasons) and it still is. It’s a good show!!!! I love every character, and I feel satisfied with their stories! 

[pastriibunz]

SOTBAW GIFT FOR @raspberrysmoon: Five Lords And A Baby

Wiggog Y’Wrath makes a decision he can’t come back from.

Humans sucked. 

He knew that for certain.

Wiggog Y’Wrath had been watching the creatures for millenia, and he had seen it all.

Sure, they had their good moments!

But there was so much depravity,

violence,

degeneracy,

and the like.

He knew that the human race was doomed from the start.

And what else could he do but watch this shitshow as it went up in flames?

Well, put some gasoline on the fire, of course!

But, this tale isn’t about how Wiggly (and his brothers, on many occasions) liked to screw with humanity, no.

This has to deal with the girl he hailed as “the one good thing that those vermin had ever (and will ever) produce.”

Kai Dean- Well, Kai Drew. That’s the name she had wanted.

AUGUST 22, 2001 [9:30 PM] - UNINGTON, USA.

The Lords in Black weren’t the only all powerful beings in the multiverse.

There was other eldritch beings, other gods. They lived in their own separate domain from the Black and White, one that they titled ‘The Heavens’.

WIggly and his brothers never really cared for them.

For one, they were far too stuck up and formal. What good is power if you aren’t gonna have any fun with it?

Two, they were so insistent on not interfering in human affairs. Bo-ring! They were such interesting creatures, why simply watch when you could become the bestest of paly-wals with them?

But, they did agree:

Humans sucked.

But they had a different reason than him.

To them, humans were far too much like them.

Their forms, too similar, the tongues they spoke in rang far too familiar for their liking.

To them, humans were just a bit off.

Almost gods, but not quite.

Like Jupiter, almost a star, but never could succeed.

Failed stars.

Failed gods.

So, to them, they made good vessels.

Wiggly had heard rumors flitting about. One of the more powerful goddesses had left their domain. Became human.

He never expected them to be both right and wrong.

Kai Dean was born August 22, 2001, at 3:27 in the morning, to a mother and father who’s names now elude him. She came out quiet, to the point the doctors were worried. Then, a chuckle, then sobs. She was imaginative from day one, her little brain working overtime.

But she wasn’t a god. 

At least, not the one that left.

He knew that as he stared down at the sleeping bundle in his arms.

This was supposed to be simple.

Kill the baby so she wouldn’t become a problem for him and his brothers later.

But, thanks to his form, the child started to cry. And he didn’t need her parents coming in. So he had to think quickly. He quickly fixed himself up, to look more “human” for this child. The cries, however, didn’t stop.

“Wh- I did what you wanted! Why won’t you shut up?!” Wiggly hissed at the child. 

She kept crying.

He sighed. “Oh, bother…”

“It’s fine,” he whispered to himself, “you’ve been around for millennia, you’ve seen humans do this countless times, it’s simple…”

He grabbed the swaddled child out from her crib, cradling her in his arms. He bounces her, and her cries slowly quiet, morphing into sleepy babbles. He blinks.

“Well! You’re an easy little one, aren’t you?” He says, gently booping her nose. 

The baby grabs his finger with a vice grip. She brings it up to her mouth, gnawing on it.

“Oh-!! Oh, no, no…that’s not for chewing, silly-billy!” He chuckles, pulling his finger away.

She whines, her big brown eyes filling with tears.

And then, he felt something he thought was impossible for him to feel:

Remorse.

He, Wiggog “Wiggly” Y’rath, THE Lord in Black, felt bad for this child. 

That was confusing.

But what was even more confusing was what he did next.

“Oh! Oh, I’m sorry, little one. Here, here, you can have my finger back. I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” He cooed softly, bringing the back of his finger to her chubby little cheek and stroking it gently.

The girl giggled. His heart melted.

He didn’t want to kill her.

She was adorable.

She was his.

“So this is why humans reproduce….” He mumbled. 

He looks around the nursery, seeing the carved woodblock letters on the walls. He smiles down at her, playing with a curly lock of chocolate brown hair. 

“Kai, huh..? What a cute name for a cute girl.” He bounces her.

She didn’t need to die, right?

No, no. She…she could be useful.

He could…he could raise her as his own. With his brothers’ help. They’ll help her use this power to wreak havoc upon the mortals.

She doesn’t have to die, and he gets to keep her! It’s a win win! He smiles down at the bundle of joy in his arms, using a tentacle to pet her cheek.

“Well, darling, how would you like to go home with your new daddy?” He smiles at her and she giggles.

He coos. “Tickle, tickle, tickle…” She laughs.

He begins to walk back to where he came, Kai in his arms. “Hm…you need a last name. What about…Drew?” He asks, tickling her. She squeals. “Oh, yeah, you like Drew. You’re definitely a Drew.”

He turns, surveying the nursery for the last time. He looks down at her, smiling with a certain kind of love in his eyes. “Kai Drew. That’s got a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”

AUGUST 22, 2001 [???] - BLACK AND WHITE

Pokotho and his brothers had been waiting impatiently for Wiggog’s return. He had left, declaring some wild plan, one that he hadn’t really listened to.

“I see him.” Bliklotep declared.

“Where??? And does he have food???” Nibblenephilim asked, salivating. Per usual.

“Uh…here, and maybe..?” Bliklotep motioned towards their returning brother, now semi human, a bundle cradled to his chest tightly. He smiles at his siblings.

“Hello, friendy-wends!” He grinned, holding the bundle closer. They looked at him with confusion. He waves a tentacle towards them, rubbing circles on the top of the bundle with one of his hands. Eugh.

“Do you boys mind turning a bit more…well…presentable? I have something you’ll all be interested in.” Wiggog said slyly. The others groan, knowing what this meant. Wiggog, in turn, huffs. “Don’t pout. It’s necessary. Now. Do it.”

With practically a thousand eye rolls and loud protests, his brothers end up looking similar to the vermin that was mankind. Wiggog smiles, clearing his throat.

“So, as we all know, one of those other goddesses died-”

“Nobody knew that.” “I didn’t!” “Me neither.” “What are we talking about???”

Wiggog huffs. “Well, she did. And she ‘became human’. So, in order to cause less problems in the future, I decided to…take care of our little problem. Boys,”

Wiggog brings his arms in front of him, cradling the baby in his arms. “Meet Kai.”

His brothers crowd around him, staring at the child in his arms. Pokotho is the first to speak, smiling confusedly. “I mean…it’s kinda cute-”

“I WANNA EAT IT!” Nibblenephilim interrupted with a fervor only seen in a salivating, rabid animal. 

“NO!” Wiggog shouted almost instantly, pressing Kai close to his chest, startling the other lords. “We aren’t going to eat her! I said it earlier, we’re going to take care of her! Nurture her! Love her! Raise her as one of us!”

The other four blink. Pokotho is once again the first to speak. “WHAT.”

Wiggog has a stern, unamused look on his face. “You heard me.” He smiles down at the infant, petting her cheek. “We’re gonna raise her as one of us, so when the time comes, we can use her to cause chaos!” He nuzzles his cheek to hers, cooing to the sleepy bundle. “Who’s daddy’s little destroyer of universes? You are! Yes, you are!”

“Ahem.” Pokotho says, clearing his throat, unamused. T’noy Karaxis, Bliklotep, and Nibblenephilim are a different story, however, the three snorting as they try to hold into their laughter. Wiggog awkwardly clears his own throat.

“This isn’t up for debate. It’s happening.” Wiggog says with a certain finality.

Bliklotep turns to T’noy. “Woah, we’re parents now.” 

T’noy blinks. “Woag.”

Nibblenephilim pops between the two, raising his hand and waving it in the air. “I WANNA BE THE MAMA!”

Pokotho sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. He heads towards his eldest brother. “Wiggog, are you sure this is a good idea?”

Wiggog blinks. “Whatever do you mean?”

Pokotho motions to the way Wiggog is holding the girl. “You seem…attached. I don’t know if-”

“It’s happening. You can’t convince me otherwise.” Wiggog says flatly.

Pokotho huffs. “Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” 

He storms off, leaving Wiggly alone with Kai. He looks down at his child, who’s been awoken by the commotion. She yawns. He sighs and smiles, petting her cheek and cooing at her. “You won’t be any trouble, huh? Nooo, you’re just Papa’s perfect girl.”

The baby laughs. He smiles and nuzzles her cheek. “Yeah, you won’t. You’re Papa’s now. For now until forever.

Fin.

[memelleity]

hocus pocus sentence starters

❝ oh, look. another glorious morning. it makes me sick! ❞

❝ wake up, darling. ❞

❝ you’re right, i’m wrong. ❞

❝ stop that! i need to concentrate! ❞

❝ i smell a child. ❞

❝ open up your mouth. ❞

❝ get away from my potion! ❞

❝ there are not enough children in the world to make you young and beautiful! ❞

❝ dazzle me, my darling. ❞

❝ witches? there be no witches here, sir! ❞

❝ this is terribly uncomfortable. ❞

❝ we seem to have a skeptic in our midst. ❞

❝ would you care to share your california, laid-back, tie-dyed point of view? ❞

❝ everyone knows that halloween was invented by the candy companies. ❞

❝ it’s the one night of the year where the spirits of the dead can return to earth. ❞

❝ well, in case jimi hendrix shows up tonight, here’s my number. ❞

❝ look, i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to embarrass you in class. ❞

❝ what am i supposed to do with my afternoon? ❞

❝ hey, how was school? ❞

❝ don’t be such a crab! ❞

❝ it’s a full moon outside! the weirdos are out! ❞

❝ couldn’t you forget about being a cool teenager just for one night? ❞

❝ we used to have so much fun together trick-or-treating. remember? ❞

❝ the old days are dead. ❞

❝ hurry up! the bewitching hour is about to begin! ❞

❝ can we go home now? ❞

❝ you should’ve punched him. ❞

❝ this is your home now, so get used to it. ❞

❝ give me one more chance? ❞

❝ whoa. check that out— something just few across the moon! ❞

❝ i love your costume. ❞

❝ well, come on, make a believer out of me. ❞

❝ look, just do this one thing for me, and i’ll do anything you say. ❞

❝ oh, come on. it’s just a bunch of hocus pocus. ❞

❝ how time fies when you’re dead! ❞

❝ it’s been great fun, but i— i guess i’d better be going. ❞

❝ you leave my brother alone! ❞

❝ she poisoned him and sewed his mouth shut with a dull needle, so he couldn’t tell her secrets even in death. ❞

❝ ____ always was the jealous type. ❞

❝ i hate halloween. ❞

❝ you explained it beautifully. ❞

❝ you will fail to save your friends, just as you failed to save your sister! ❞

❝ are you okay? ❞

❝ relax. i’ve hunted mice down here for years. ❞

❝ think soothing thoughts. ❞

❝ i need one of those instant ice packs. you girls are giving me a fever! yeow! ❞

❝ anybody ever tell you you’re very easy on the eyes? ❞

❝ i told you, i can’t die. ❞

❝ what would mother say if she could see us like this? ❞

❝ what kind of costumes are these? ❞

❝ haven’t seen you for centuries. ❞

❝ what the heck, why don’t you come in?  ❞

❝ they thought i was a real cop. ❞

❝ aren’t you a little old to be trick-or-treating? ❞

❝ get out of my house! ❞

❝ something terrible happened. ❞

❝ how much candy have you had, honey? ❞

❝ don’t you see how crazy this sounds? ❞

❝ your kids are in danger! ❞

❝ i’m serious! it’s not a joke! ❞

❝ thank you, ____, for that marvelous introduction. ❞

❝ i put a spell on you, and now you’re mine. ❞

❝ i have an idea. ❞

❝ what is this place? ❞

❝ read any good spellbooks lately? ❞

❝ you can’t keep blaming yourself for that. that happened so long ago. ❞

❝ take good care of ____. you’ll never know how precious she is until you lose her.❞

❝ you’re a ____ now, buddy. one of us. ❞

❝ you wanna smash some pumpkins? ❞

❝ i don’t feel so good. ❞

❝ why was i cursed with such idiot sisters? ❞

❝ i remember it like it was yesterday… ❞

❝ my parents are gonna kill me. ❞

❝ i wish you could stay. ❞

❝ what harm could it do? ❞

❝ do you wanna hit me? would that cheer you up? ❞

❝ we are doomed. i feel the icy breath of death upon my neck. ❞

❝ take me to the window. i wish to say good-bye. ❞

❝ good-bye, cruel world. ❞

❝ nothing good can come from this book. you got it? ❞

❝ something’s not right. ❞

❝ don’t listen to her! ❞

❝ we need a miracle. ❞

❝ it doesn’t matter how young or old you are! you sold your soul! you’re the ugliest thing that’s ever lived, and you know it! ❞

❝ she bit me! ❞

❝ prepare to die! ❞

❝ there’s one thing that i know that you don’t! ❞

❝ oh, don’t say it. don’t even say it. ❞

❝ she really hurt my feelings. ❞

❝ i killed you once! i shall kill you again, you maggoty malfeasance! ❞

❝ you’ll be safe in here. ❞

❝ i’ve had enough of you. ❞

❝ i’m going to teach you a lesson you’ll never forget! ❞

❝ are you okay? ❞

❝ you saved my life. ❞

❝ i love you, jerkface. ❞

❝ come on. please don’t be sad for me. ❞

[thesightstoshowyou]

Innate

- A Sight’s Original -

Warnings: Mentions of foot trauma, blood, hypnosis, mentions of violence. GN reader

(~ AN: I had a dream and now I may or may not have a new Slasher OC. Depends on if there’s any interest, I suppose! Thank you for reading ~)

~~

The muscles of your arm ache, the crook of your elbow overburdened by this semester’s required texts. You shift them slightly, winching when the corner of Human Anatomy, 7th Edition jabs the mystery bruise on your inner arm. Should have grabbed a basket.

Something nags at you, some detail pulling at the back of your mind, bordering on urgent (where did that bruise come from)—

You blink and check the print-out clutched in your palm. One last text: The Principles of Human Physiology. You scan the shelves, your mind strangely fuzzy. It’s difficult to focus; you stare at the correct book for a full minute before you realize what you’re doing.

You grunt when the heavy tome comes to rest atop the rest. Awkwardly, you lug the stack to the checkout, sighing in relief when you dump them onto the counter. You massage your aching arm.

The girl behind the counter pops her gum, the rapid beep, beep of the barcode scanner increasing the green price displayed on the screen. You grimace. This is robbery—

“Are you okay?” You startle, realizing the girl is speaking to you. Confused, you frown in response. She raises a hand, points to your face. Mirroring her, your fingertips press to your cheek and come away wet.

You’re crying.

“Oh…. I’m—I’m sorry…I dunno why….” Hastily, you wipe the tears away. She looks concerned, wary. Your face burns in embarrassment. What the hell is wrong with you?

“These prices, right?” the girl jokes in an effort to ease the tension and you force out a humorless laugh, nodding absently. You pay, hurriedly retrieve your bag, and depart without a backward glance.

Outside the university bookstore, the hallway buzzes with activity as students prepare for the upcoming semester. Nervous freshman trail behind parents hurrying to the next task. Student rush to and fro to sign up for classes, meet with advisors, purchase parking passes, retrieve student IDs. Coffee machines hiss at the nearby cafe, their rich scents blanketing the hallway and overpowering the antiseptic smell of freshly mopped floors.

You skirt the line awaiting caffeination, intent on the exit. One more little obstacle awaits: A group of people mingling outside a classroom. You’ll just ease yourself through the throng—

Green eyes meet yours. Fear—bone-numbing, abject horror—crashes over you like you’ve been plunged into an icy lake. Impending doom, imminent death, unbridled panic call to you from those eyes. The scariest part is not knowing why.

It…he…. It’s just some guy, someone you’ve never seen before. He’s tall, mostly generic looking despite the shock of red hair. Young-ish, maybe mid twenties. The face doesn’t ring a bell; you’ve never seen him…. Never?

Something twinges, the barest hint of a memory. It’s…it’s right there, if you could just access it….

Instinct tells you to flee. Your muscles stiffen, body poised to retreat. Then, he shakes his head.

Your breath seizes in your lungs. The action built up in your sinew ceases and you still, rooted to the spot. You can’t move!

He breaks from the crowd and slowly makes his way toward you. With every leisurely step he takes, trepidation grows. More tears well up in your eyes. Each breath is only a little gasp despite the heaving of your chest.

His hand closes around your upper arm and he spins you as he walks, half dragging you along with him. Your right foot lags behind, like it doesn’t want to cooperate. You would have crashed to the floor if not for his vise-like grip on your flesh.

You want to scream for help, to reach for the nearest person, but your muscles refuse to cooperate, like you can’t control them. You can only move your legs to keep up with his stride. He tows you to an empty classroom, guides you inside, and closes the door. The cacophony from the hallway immediately quiets, voices and activity now a muted memory.

You’re alone with him.

Tears spill freely down your face now. The bag of books falls to the floor with a heavy thud. You stagger away, your foot throbbing. Why does it hurt? And more importantly, why are you so afraid of this man?

He crosses to you, cages you in against the wall. ‘Get away, get out, get away!’ your mind screams and pleads with you to act, but you’re stuck as though your shoes are glued to the freshly mopped floors.

He raises a hand. You flinch, expecting a blow, but instead he snaps his fingers three times in quick succession.

The world fades away.

**

Your expression goes slack, your eyes glazing over. Your body calms, relaxes. You’re still, an empty doll awaiting instruction.

A triumphant smile spreads across his face. He could not have asked for better results. Not only did you spend all morning walking around on a broken foot without noticing, you also hadn’t recognized him.

Well, not fully anyway. Innate fear, it seems, cannot be removed from the psyche. However, the memories of why the fear had developed in the first place…. Those can be shaped and buried as much as his heart desires.

With two fingers, he pats your damp cheek. No response, not even a twitch. A glance down at your feet finds the toe of your shoe stained with red. As he watches, the spot spreads, scarlet seeping into the fabric of your footwear. You’re bleeding into your shoe.

It’s not surprising. The foot had been such a mangled mess when he’d forced it back into a shoe early this morning. He’d taken such great care to break every single bone, after all.

Best get you back to the workshop before you bleed all over the tile.

He leans back over you, bringing his face inches from yours. Quietly, he says your name. Your glassy eyes meet his, intent on his next words.

“You are not in pain. Nothing hurts. Isn’t that wonderful?” You nod, a little half smile tugging at your slack mouth. He continues, “It’s time to go. You will walk 10 paces behind me, carrying all your school books. When you get into my car, you will go to sleep. You will come back to semi-consciousness in three, two, one….”

You blink, eyes focusing. Standing up straight, your hands come up and wipe away the tears wetting your cheeks. With purpose, you retrieve the heavy bag of books and stand at attention, waiting. You don’t look at him.

It’s like you can’t even see him right next to you.

Suppressing his grin, he makes it way out of the classroom and toward the exit. Diligently, you follow ten steps behind.

Outside, a cool breeze ruffles his copper hair. Fresh air fills his lungs as he inhales deeply, contentment washing over him in gentle waves.

Curiously, he wonders how many holes he can put in your chest before your body reacts.

It’s going to be such a busy afternoon.

[themculibrary]

Ballet Masterlist

And So, He Dances (ao3) - Coincidental_fangirl T, 7k

Summary: Five times Peter dances ballet alone, and one time he dances a 'pas de deux'

arabesque (ao3) - gossamernotes steve/bucky G, 2k

Summary: Ballet is a form of dance which requires unwavering discipline and dedication.

It makes sense, then, that the Red Room would use it.

[The story wherein Bucky and Natasha dance ballet for all the right reasons, Steve always says the wrong thing, and tights unsurprisingly become the very height of fashion.]

Araignées Graciesues (ao3) - lonelysoldier G, 2k

Summary: Peter learns a bit of ballet from Natasha

as we become tigers (ao3) - ircnman steve/tony G, 2k

Summary: She doesn’t remember learning the steps, doesn’t remember learning when to leap, run, pirouette. The movements are buried in her bones, sunk into her blood, and it hurts, the way her toes strike the floor. There’s an ache that builds beneath her sternum every time she finds herself enjoying the dance, (because in the Red Room it was torture. It was a front, it wasn’t supposed to—) but it’s familiar and kind, forgiving in all the ways that matter.

It overwhelms her, sometimes, knowing that she can dance simply for the pleasure of dancing, and every time she catches a glimpse of Tony, hunched over ivory with his eyes shut tight, well.

She guesses it must be the same for him.

Ballet For Two (ao3) - ernyx natasha/tony G, 919

Summary: Tony stumbles across Natasha dancing. And by stumbles across, I mean that he walks in, she doesn't notice because she's far too distracted, and he has the good grace to awkwardly fumble through making her feel better about it... by asking for lessons.

Natasha is amused enough to agree.

Crescendo (ao3) - Becci Barnes (BeccEEE) natasha/maria G, 1k

Summary: When watching the concert of a famous pianist, Maria and Natasha start talking about music.

Turns out old hobbies die hard, and as they rediscover their passions they find common ground in unexpected ways.

dreaming with her feet (ao3) - Catstycam G, 1k

Summary: in swan lake, the cursed girls' doom is lifted. natasha romanov is not so lucky.

dancing is just dreaming with your feet. a cursed girl and ballet, through the years.

Earth's Mightiest Dancers (ao3) - TugboatExpress steve/bucky N/R, 23k

Summary: Natasha Romanoff starts teaching a ballet class at the Avengers facility. It goes about as well as you'd expect.

En Pointe (ao3) - Hale13 G, 2k

Summary: No matter how much she hates the Red Room, ballet is still Natasha’s go to stress relief. Peter is just curious and eager to learn.

Gracefully, Across My Memory (ao3) - Cakepopple G, 8k

Summary: Peter has been doing ballet on and off his whole life. No one knows. If anything is his passion, it's probably ballet, but he refuses to tell anyone except the people he considers himself closest to.

No secret remains a secret forever, though.

When everyone finds out, Peter is ready to drop ballet for good, but Tony has an over the top solution at the ready, and it just might be crazy enough to work.

Pas de Deux (ao3) - HeyBoy, WinterSabbath steve/bucky T, 56k

Summary: “You might wanna stand a bit farther from me,” Bucky said. Those words made Steve’s smile falter for the very first time.

“Huh?”

Bucky tilted his head at the group. “I don’t really have friends.”

Steve shrugged. “You’re better company,” he said, as if that explained everything.

OR Ballet prodigy Bucky Barnes is a bit of a loner. He never really saw the point of having friends. Not when all his time and energy was focused on becoming better at ballet.

Enter Steve Rogers, the new student and Bucky's roommate.

Spider Webs and Tulle (ao3) - thorbiased G, 1k

Summary: “Follow my moves as if you were looking at me in a mirror.”

Peter watched Natasha with attentive eyes as she moved, her limbs like liquid. She placed her heels together, turning her feet so her toes were facing opposite each other. Her arms curved downward and her palms faced her chin. Her face looked more serene than Peter had ever seen it. He understood why she loved it so much, then. It was peaceful.

The Third Night (ao3) - orphan_account clint/natasha T, 1k

Summary: Tonight he'll see her dance - that's all that really matters.

without a song or a dance, what are we? (ao3) - orphan_account G, 3k

Summary: the first time tony stark walks in on a certain dancing teenager, the kid is 14 years old.

[unwillingwriter]

Unserious [Drake & Josh]

Pairing (Technically): Drake & Josh (Platonic)

Ages: 18

Summary: Drake Parker is a very unserious person, whether it’s by choice or coincidence which makes people like Josh or Megan want to strangle him. Here are some occurrences of him being such.

A/N: Originally Posted on A03, I do not own Drake and Josh. Rightful owner to the characters and sitcom is Dan Creepy Schneider and Nickelodeon productions.

———

Drake Parker is an unserious person, an unserious person who downplays a lot of things. Whether it’s school and his grades, getting grounded, not remembering a girl of the week name, or importantly her eye color for some reason: seriously what’s so important about remembering such a small thing? Okay, maybe remembering a name isn’t such a small thing… but still! Eye color shouldn’t be that big of a deal in his opinion besides, he did remember Michelle’s eye color! Or was her name Sydney?… no no it was Cassie!

Anyway! Drake's point is!! He did remember her eye color. They were a deep sea blue with small hints of swamp green surrounding the pupil, melting into the blue like oil and water— see he could be poetic— and remember a simple eye color, so he didn’t understand why a cup of soda was dumped onto his head, for!.

“You’re wrong,” Josh says after making a buzzer sound that mocks one from a game show when the contestant says the incorrect answer. He sounded eerily close to one that Drake thought he had a buzzer under the counter that he was wiping down with a rag.

Drake squints at his brother as he picks apart his sticky hair, wincing when he seems to rip apart a knot that somehow formed, streaks of dried orange crush coloring his face.

“How am I wrong?” Drake asked, wiping his face with a damp paper towel Josh kindly gave him with his signature half smirk he gets when something happens to Drake. Only small things, of course, Josh isn’t a sadist. Aside from the doom buggy accident— but he wasn’t happy about the fact that he got hurt he was happy and excited about the endless possibility of Drake getting in trouble with Audrey and Walter. But of course that blew up in his face and had to take care of Drake for two weeks.

“First of all, her name isn’t any of those. Her name was Rochelle and second of all her eyes were green” Josh replies as he stacks the candy in an orderly fashion.

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Drake says in a Duh tone, finishing up with cleaning his face and looking at the orange stain that seeped into the paper towel.

Josh stops stacking, looking towards his brother with a raised brow.

“What?” Drake questions.

“Do I still have soda streaks on my face?” he continues, touching his face in search of a sticky substance. Josh shakes his head at Drake, in both disappointment and amusement.

Drake never fails to amaze him.

“No, you still got stupid all over your face though,” He says with a shrug.

“Oh okay,” Drake smiles, then frowns.

“Hey!” He squeaks out, voice cracking.

Josh laughs, getting a damp paper towel thrown at him, the material smacking him in the nose and falling to the floor.

“Ew, I don’t want your Drake cooties!” Josh grimaces as he leans down in his station, picking up the discarded piece of tissue between his index and thumb fingers. Throwing it into the small waste bin under the corn dog machine. Josh’s personal touch, beat going around the counter every time.

It was Drake's turn to laugh.

“Cat-like reflexes my butt” He snickers, trying to run his fingers through his hair. Flinching when he feels small bits getting ripped out his skull saying a string of ow’s and owies.

Josh rolls his eyes at Drake.

“Where did you get that kind of eye color from anyway?” Josh asks, genuine curiosity peaking.

“I don’t recall any of your past girlfriends having those”.

Drake shrugs his shoulders, both not knowing or caring.

“Beats me, hey wanna watch a movie with me? It’s terrible movie Tuesday” Drake says with a small grin on his face, eyes sparkly. As if he didn’t just get soda dumped on his head just three minutes ago and had a huge dark stain on his brown shirt, hair sticky with the smell of orange crush soda.

Josh gave his brother a face.

“What?.”

“I’m working,” Josh says, his tone screaming ‘duh isn’t that obvious?’.

For Drake Parker?, Nah.

“When do you go on break?”

“In ten minutes but-”

“And how long is your break?” Drake cuts in.

“An hour, but Drake-”

“Perfect, then you get to start your break early. Ain’t that awesome?” Drake asks with a smile on his face as he hops over the counter grabs Josh by the bicep and drags him to Theater One where DragonBall Evolution is playing.

“Drake if Helen finds out”

“She isn’t gonna, she never finds out that Gavin sleeps on the roof and he still works here. Crazy Steve is crazy and still works here. You work the hardest out of them both without having something mentally wrong with you, so if she fires you it’s her loss man— you put out 110% all the time and that’s way too much for a simple position.” Drake practically rants, while he drags his stepbrother through the double doors ignoring the blonde employee whose name he doesn’t care about remembering. If you work at the Premiere and you’re not Josh he’s not remembering your name.

Josh smiles at his brother, a soft somber secret smile that he only shares with Drake if the teen happens to say something that ruffled his feathers in a good way.

“Wow Drake, that's a pretty nice thing to say…”

“Besides, if she fires you, no more free tickets for me. So I’m hoping she doesn’t find out.” Drake adds, snorting through his nose.

Aaaaand moment ruined.

Josh could feel a familiar throbbing in the side of his head. Eye twitching. He thumps Drake in the back of his head with his free hand, not too hard but hard enough. Drake lets go of Josh's arm when they reach aisle three, rubbing the back of his head.

“Ow!” He groans glaring at his brother.

“What was that for?!”

“For being you,” Josh says bitterly, Drake thumps him on the back of his head in return making Josh cry out, rubbing the back of his head. He huffs.

“Headaches!, you give me headaches!” Josh shouts as he points at his temple, a big frown on his face. Drake keeps the glare.

They stare at each other for a while till they scream in sync and collide with one another, the shadows of their bodies big on the walls of the theater as the commercials on the giant TV play, illuminating a gentle white then blue light. Drake knocks a few hits in Josh’s head till his brother picks him up and practically body slams him on the floor, Drake swears he sees stars. A blossoming warmth of pain took over the back of his head, sinking through his brain and shooting out to the front of his forehead. He’s pretty sure his head connected with the arm of one of the theater chairs before he hit the ground while he and Josh are having a slap fight on the floor.

If Josh wanted, he could’ve been a wrestler. Screw the fancy science shit and math and some other smart stuff Drake has no idea about and doesn’t care for.

After some time Josh tries to help Drake get his head out from the chair he manages to get his big head stuck in between, trying to unclip the backboard of the chair. Drake lets out a strangled sound.

“Got it yet?” The teen wheezes out.

As he says it, Josh loses his grip and its normal weight squishes Drake's neck making the boy sputter out air.

“Ack!— Josh!”

“Shit— Sorry— why did you try squeezing through there?!” Josh hisses out, loud explosion sounds echoing through the empty theater while two teens looked like absolute buffoons. Josh hooks his finger around a piece of metal on both sides of the seat, pressing his thumbs against the metal button that’s used to change the height of the seat.

“I’m skinny!” Drake throws out there as if it changes anything and it doesn’t make his grand idea any stupider.

“Yeah, Skinny, not small. You’re not five Drake” Josh bites back. His legs are on both sides of Drake's body as he pulls on the backrest, digging his finger into the metal ball ignoring the burning pain that printed into his skin— turning red.

“You scared me okay! you hit my rib”

“Because you kicked me in my nuts!”

“Well excuse me for saving the world from tiny Joshies” the Guitarist wheezes, his face turning red while trying to pull his head out. Seriously though, what was he thinking?

“Think I’d be returning the world a favor if I leave you stuck here?” Josh asks in a calm voice, threatening, evidence somewhere within’ his voice but his continued action on getting the backrest off his brother's neck meant something else.

Drake keeps his mouth shut.

After successfully getting Drake unstuck after about fifteen odd minutes (with the help of Crazy Steve— if Drake claims that he didn’t pee a little on himself out of fear, he didn’t) the boys managed to finish the rest of the movie after an hour, after that hour Josh went back to work and after two more hours Drake waited for Josh to finish up work so he could drive him home.

Silence filled the car, while they cruised down the road passing streetlights and freeways. After a bit, Drake starts to snicker to himself as he pulls up to a red light drumming his fingers against the wheel. Josh cranes his neck to look over at his stepbrother. His brows drew together with a small smile creeping onto his face, the corners of his eyes crinkling a bit.

“What’s so funny?” He asks his voice light and joyful.

“Oh, nothing it’s just that, my head being stuck in between the seats reminded me of something,” Drake says, talking under his breath like he’s embarrassed, which is news to Josh— Drake doesn’t get flustered much, he makes it his mission to make others flushed.

“What did it remind you of?” His brother questions, seeing the way his head tilts a bit in his preveal vision. The street light casts a soft glow on his face.

“Don’t hit me.”

“I’m not gonna.”

“You don’t know that”

Josh snorts through his nose.

“Just tell me.”

“Well… it kinda reminded me of this porno where this smoking hot mom gets stuck in the dryer and her stepson or was it son in law?… anyway he supposably tries to help her get unstuck but of course, it’s a porno so the plot doesn’t make sense, and she could obviously get out by herself and him fucking her doesn’t make sense with how it’s supposed to help her predicament but— anyway I’m getting sidetracked— my point is—.”

“You have a point?.”

“Shut up— anyway— my point is that me getting stuck like that just gave me that image, the only difference is that you actually helped, not saying that you wouldn’t have but— I mean— I’m gonna stop talking” Drake finished with a huff feeling as if he’s digging a grave for himself the more he talks, eyes still on the road, feeling the burning gaze of his brother on the side of his face.

Silence fills the car again, Drake could feel his cheek start to color. When is this light gonna turn green for crying out loud?

“Drake… you are the most unserious person I know…” Josh says, voice soft and quiet. Soft out of disappointment or amusement? Drake doesn’t know. He can’t really tell sometimes.

Drake side-eyes Josh. Josh is looking dead at him.

When the light finally turns green, Drake doesn’t hesitate to start driving again. After some time when the boys reached the curb of their house, Drake noticed that Josh's eyes were deep sea blue with specks of swamp green around his pupils.

He doesn’t bother to think about why he confused Rochelle’s eyes for Josh’s.

Drake Parker is an unserious person, so when Josh tells Drake that he’s gonna start working out again. Drake couldn’t help but laugh from the top of his loft, looking down at his brother who was wearing his old gym clothes with dumbbells by his black sneakers. Josh's jaw slack eyes squinted searching for the secret joke Drake seems to only be aware of.

“What’s so funny?” Josh questions, his eyes squinting more to the point Drake couldn’t make out the color anymore.

“You wanna work out,” Drake says, still laughing a bit, his cheeks heating up from how hard he was smiling. His hand gripping the neck of his guitar, one leg kicked over the other like a weird-looking P.

“Yeah… Why is that so funny?”

“I just don’t see why you would want to, you fucked up your foot last time. It looked like an angry grape that disliked being attached to you” Drake laughs, imagining Josh's messed up foot from two years ago.

“The only reason why my foot got messed up was because you shot me with your potato launcher!” Josh explains, flailing his arms in a wide motion trying to make Drake see the bigger picture.

“Which you gave to Megan, thanks a lot by the way” Drake replies sarcastically.

“I didn’t trust you with it” Josh huffs as he begins to bend over to grab the dumbbells readying himself as the instructor on the TV speaks.

“And yet you trust our evil prankster little sister with it instead, Ah yes ‘cause that makes perfect sense Josh” Drake scoffs not understanding Josh's logic sometimes, he was supposed to be the smart one out of them.

“Why are you working out anyway? you look perfectly fine to me” Drake shares, facing his attention back down on his guitar as he messes with some of the strings, trying to find a new tune. Singing a few words in his head as he strums along like there’s no issue.

“Because I’m getting big again” Josh lifts the barbell on the count of three holding the object above his chest and holding his breath.

Drake snorts “Yeah, sure, and I’m malnourished— Breathe Josh”.

Josh gasps, taking a deep breath. Soon dropping the barbell, without crushing his foot this time taking lines of air through his nose and out his mouth.

“You know what malnourished means— actually scratch that, you know the word malnourished?” Josh asked, sounding genuinely shocked. Which makes Drake roll his eyes in subtle annoyance and irritation.

He knows those words probably mean the same thing but he doesn’t care much about that little fact.

Yes, he does.

He knows his grades are shit but Jesus Christ a little faith would be nice.

“Ha ha you’re so funny,” he says giving Josh a sarcastic smile as he looks up from his guitar, flashing all his white teeth. It was Josh’s turn to roll his eyes.

“Anyway as I was saying, you look fine to me, sure you’re getting chubby around the face but so what? You look fine man so if someone is giving you a hard…” Drake slowly stops talking when it hits him, he starts to squint at Josh who seems to think the floor under them is interesting now.

“Josh”

“Hm?”

“Is someone… making fun of you dude?” Drake asks as he stares at his friend, tilting his head.

Josh looks up to meet Drake's eyes, opening and closing his mouth trying to get words to come out only air leaving his lips as he sputters.

“Who?” Drake asks.

“No one I just wanted to—.”

“You’re not big Josh, you just got a bit wider that’s all,” Drake says his brows drawing close to each other, he lays the guitar on his bed, leaning forward making the box spring squeak from the shifting weight. “So I’ll ask again, who’s making fun of you?” Drake says with more authority.

“No one.”

“Ah yes ‘cause I’m supposed to believe that after three years of building confidence and wanting to lose weight on your own accord and reaching that said goal someone didn’t manage to Wiggle their way into that large head of yours after you gained the slightest bit of weight from eating— which by the I don’t see at all, so I don’t know what they're seeing” Drake speaks. It didn’t make sense to him, Josh looked fine, he was just getting fat in his cheeks, and that was mostly because Josh started to eat unhealthy for the last week.

After Mindy broke up with him, again.

And Drake asked Megan to ship her to Australia, again. Josh didn’t need to know that of course.

“Drake” Josh sighs, eyes closed while he rubs his temple.

“Come on man— don’t look at me like that— Josh— hey! don’t walk away from me!” Drake calls after as he hops down from his loft chasing his brother out of their room.

It took three weeks, including some help from his devious little sister. But Drake found who was making his brother feel shit about himself, like yes okay. When Drake first became brothers with Josh he thought he was a geek— a nerd sure and he would make fun of him for it but he never once made fun of Josh for his weight, he understood how self-conscious he was about it even when he would seem confident with it. How he would walk the halls with that big goofy smile that Drake came far to adore, smiling himself when he would see it. It was an innocent sweet smile, it was better than Drake’s and his mischievous smile along with his charming one, he won’t tell that to Josh out loud of course— he still has a reputation to uphold.

What was saying?

Oh, right!

Drake never made fun of Josh for his weight, and he found out who was the jack-off who had been making fun of Josh’s newly gained weight— which again, wasn’t bad! He’s only a little wider! And has chubby cheeks again! he’s a fucking semi teddy bear!.

Clark Housewhite was the asshole's name, he was a senior with no brain— which leads to his first question, who the hell has a last name like Housewhite? What was his ancestor’s thinking? Drake stood by his locker looking for the tall brunette, Drake had Chemistry right now but couldn’t bring himself to care for which he knew he’s gonna get an earful from Josh and their teacher for later. Clark usually went to the bathroom around this time and that was the perfect time to strike.

Drake was in the middle of clipping his nails when he heard the sound of heavy boots hitting the floor, making Drake's head shoot up, flicking his head to the side to move his bangs out of his face. He’s taller than Drake gave him credit for but hey, fuck it.

Drake clears his throat when Clark nearly passes him. Clark stops in his tracks and slowly turns towards Drake, Drake’s still leaning against his locker as he watches the jock's eyes meet his. The guitarist gave the larger gentleman a smooth smile.

“Clark, can I talk to you for a second?” Drake requests, holding onto the strap of his backpack as he pushes himself off from the lockers not breaking eye contact.

“Um… sure? Whatcha need dude?”.

When Josh got home he instantly rushed upstairs to tell Drake something, shouting a quick hi to his parents over his shoulder as he stormed up the stairs greeting Megan who was in the middle of exiting her room, screaming when Josh nearly ran her over, calling him a boob. Josh wasn't phased, he was more attentive in telling Drake the news not being able to do so sooner since Drake disappeared from school around chemistry. Josh throws open their room door with a giant grin on his face.

“Drake you won't believe what happened, some moron thought it was clever to start a fight with Clark Whitehouse— which by the way is a weird last name but hey, anyway, he had the meanest black eye ever. No one has ever once landed a hit on him, whoever did has a mean fist—.” Josh said excitedly while he was setting his book bag down on his bed taking out his textbooks and assignments that were due in a week, stopping mid-sentence when he looked up toward his brother's bed dropping a textbook on his mattress when he took in Drake's current appearance. Drake's back was pressed against the wall of his bed, arm in a sling and cast, face battered and bruised a split lip— his left eye swollen shut, the right almost unscratched but also closed. Did he fall asleep like that?

Josh slowly walks over to Drake’s bed climbing the ladder. He was careful to not make too much noise if his brother was sleeping.

“Drake,” he says softly, Drake doesn't react. Josh places a hand on Drake's ankle, softly shaking him.

“Drake?” he says, keeping his voice gentle. Drake groans in response, slowly opening his eyes— well eye… his good eye.

“Wha?…” he asked, his voice groggy and filled with exhaustion.

“You were the wise guy who got into a fight with Clark?…”

“…No”

Josh smiles, that knowing smile that has Drake avoiding eye contact. Which makes him grimace in pain.

“Thank you, Drake” he smiles warmly.

“I have no idea what you're talking about,” the teen said in a monotone voice, not looking at Josh still, ignoring that kind smile he knows he doesn't deserve half of the time. His heart drummed in his ears.

Josh shakes his head climbing up the rest of the ladder to help Drake lay back on the bed. It was the least he could do for the guy after getting his butt kicked by a guy who was twice his size. Drake grumbled a thank you, hissing when he twisted incorrectly.

Josh doesn't question how Drake knew it was Clark, but later when he brings up a can of doctor fizz for Drake and sees Megan sitting on the bed near her brother brushing his bangs from his face in a gentle manner, it helps with his hypothesis on how Drake found out. A smile creeps on his face when he hears Megan say something about shipping Clark to Ohio by tomorrow morning, watching Drake give the young girl a lazy smile, shoulders shaking in weak laughter while he says something to Megan that he can't quite hear but judging by Megan's pout. Drake said no. Megan lifts Drake's hand slowly and carefully— his good hand and presses a soft kiss on his red knuckles, blowing air on them.

If Josh's memory serves him correctly, he remembers Drake telling him a story about how when Megan and himself were kids– when Megan still loved him he claimed— when Megan would get hurt and cry and run to her big brother for comfort, Drake would kiss her booboos then blow on them, and gift her with a huge smile and ask ‘Pain Gone Meg Meg?’ and she would nod and hug him tight. Seeing the way Drake's eyes get glossy, he could tell the motion brought back those memories.

Josh silently backs away from the room leaving the Parker siblings alone, it was always nice to see the two get along. Maybe not when they're messing with Josh.

Drake is an unserious person, just not with Josh’s weight apparently.

Drake is an unserious person so when Megan ends up telling Drake about some dude named Jacob Reff who broke up with her— seriously what's with dudes and having weird names?

He busted out laughing, one hand on his stomach and the other on his knee. Wheezing, tears in his eyes as his laughter continues— lungs burning from his joy. Almost cackling. Megan stares at Drake, still sitting on the couch of their living room, her puffy red eyes squinted at him, watching the way her brother seems to lose it over her pain. She guesses it's deserved.

Drake coughs and hacks a couple of times, Megan raises a brow while he does. Drake wipes a tear from his eye, seeming to get himself under control. Clearing his throat as he pats his chest.

“I’m sorry, I'm sorry,” he says trying to keep a straight face but snickers nonetheless, shoulders shaking as he breathes heavily from his nose.

“You done?” Megan asked, her tone annoyed.

“Nope,” Drake answers truthfully as he resumes laughing all over again. Megan huffs as she wipes her tear-stained face.

“Did he finally find out that you're a she-demon in disguise of a thirteen-year-old?” Drake questions, taking deep breaths. Shit his side hurt from laughing so hard. Megan glares at him, a strangled sound making itself known in the back of her throat as she stands from the couch, walks up to her brother, and kicks him in the knee hard replacing Drake's laughter with a grunt.

“You are such a boob” she bites out, masking her hurt with anger as she brushes past Drake and towards the stairs to hide away in her room.

“Hey, it's not my fault you decided to date some idiot with a stupid name. He didn't deserve you anyway!” Drake calls after her, but his words fall on deaf ears, Megan is too mad to hear her brother's stupid words. He's a jerk. He never takes anything seriously.

The next day at school Megan walks towards her locker to get her books for homeroom after she collects her items she readies herself to start heading to homeroom stopping dead in her tracks when she hears rattling from around the intersection of lockers, on normal days Megan would mind her business but for some reason this time she wanted to see what the commotion was. Megan walks towards the corner peeking her head around the corner, eyes landing on Jacob who was struggling with getting his locker open. Megan wanted to duck back behind the corner of the lockers and carry on with her day, seeing Jacob filled her with unwanted pain and resentment, an old saying from Drake floating in her head.

"We're Parkers, we don't get our hearts broken. We break them instead” That was after a girl Drake liked— someone he actually saw a future with broke his heart. Amelia Tomson. Megan hated her. And still hates her, she feels she's the thing that set a change in her big brother's personality, not just their father who walked out on them.

Megan didn't like this feeling, this angry twisting feeling in her chest, continuing to watch Jacob struggle with his locker, the preteen sighed about to walk away but gasped at what happened next. It all happened within a second but for Megan? That shit was in slow motion.

When Jacob finally managed to get his locker open, his jet-black hair was suddenly covered in deep red liquid spreading out from the impact, painting the area around him, from the inside of his locker to the floor to a bit of the ceiling. Other students stopped and gawked at Jacob. Megan's jaw was unhinged, deep brown eyes wide as she stared. She looked past his profile looking at the note that was taped on the inside of his locker door, seeing a small handmade gadget that even a five-year-old could make. Megan read the note.

“I heard that you like red”.

Megan looks at the floor noticing a sharp pencil discarded on it, catching a red glimmer on the tip, a purple rubber band loosely wrapped around the metal part of the eraser— wait— her brain stops for a second, a rubber band, a makeshift gadget that looks like a slingshot, a sharp pencil preferably sharpened to a shorter length, odd liquid… all that was missing was… Megan looks up towards the ceiling above Jacob's locker. And yep there it is!, a ripped blue balloon that was securely taped by three layers of tape on the mouthpiece. There was only one person she knew who would pull such a thing, who taught her that prank when she was only four and it had her laughing for days that she advanced into her own with a paintball machine.

Drake.

Wait… if Drake did this doesn't that mean that he…

Jacob screams in disgust. “Raw fish!!” the boy yells as he runs down the hall taking chunks of meat out of his hair and racing to the bathroom. His face was stained with droplets of liquid, the smell of raw seafood following the boy. Megan scrunched her nose laughing to herself, if Megan was guessing the right fish that her brother picked, Jacob wasn't gonna get that smell out of his hair or off him anytime soon.

Since the show was sadly over, Megan starts to head to homeroom, slowly stopping when she remembers what Drake said last night, what she blocked out when she was aggravated at him for being an ass.

‘He didn't deserve you anyway!’ Drake's voice echoes in her head, bringing a small smile to her face.

When Megan returns home and walks down the hallway towards her room, she stops and turns on her heels heading towards Drake and Josh’s room, she enters the room unannounced, Josh is doing his homework on his bed and Drake is sitting on the couch messing with his guitar like he usually does on Friday afternoons. He seemed to be playing something somber at the moment, it's a blurry memory but she believes their dad used to play that tune. Megan silently walks up from behind towards her brother, wrapping her arms loosely around his shoulders, pressing her cheek against the top of Drake's head, tightening her arms just a bit around him, and pressing a kiss on top of his head after. His hair tickling her nose, smelled a bit like lavender, he must borrow Josh's bath soap.

Drake presses a hand on Megan's arm, softly rubbing it as if this isn't something new for them.

“You alright Megan?” he questions cautiously, like something was gonna happen like Megan was planning something and it was gonna happen after his baby sister either let him go or didn't. The thought made Megan laugh a bit, smiling.

“Yeah, I just love you,” she says in a soft voice, one Drake and Josh aren't used to. It makes Drake uneasy but that doesn't stop Drake from… comforting his sister?.

Megan gives him one last squeeze before she releases him, messing with his hair, and walks out of the room without another word.

Megan wasn't too far, she could still hear her boobish brothers talking.

“Is she sick?” was the first thing Josh asked

“I don't know… is a piece of my hair missing?” Drake followed up which made Megan snicker, of course, Drake would worry about his hair.

“I feel like I just got the touch of death… if I die bury me with my guitar,” Drake says, sounding a little freaked out.

Megan rolled her eyes fondly at her idiot brother, but in her own way, she loved and adored him. Josh as well but you get what she means.

Her amazing, unserious brother. Who can get pretty serious when he wants to.

Drake Parker is an unserious person. And it bites him in the ass. But truthfully, he feels like this time it's not even his fault.

Drake rubs his eyes tiredly from beneath his glasses—don't laugh at him— his head hurts and so does his body, his brain feels like it was on a stove in a pot filled with boiling water. It felt too stuffy for him. Drake Parker, musician and singer a teen who could write nearly a hundred songs within a day couldn't write a simple fucking essay on what gives his life meaning and what brings him peace and warmth when he feels like he's gonna sink into the depth of darkness that creeps in the back of his mind like a toxic ex that would visit him in the debts of night, that would attack him on the day a certain deadbeat left his and Megans life forever, shit the giraffe on his back burned from thinking about him.

A lot of people would say and claim that Drake was a free spirit, he gets through life with his charm and good looks alone. But he knows the hidden message behind those words. He's nothing special and no one special, so what if he can sing and play the guitar, even the drums? That's not gonna help him in the near future…

What if his dream doesn't work out… it's not like he had a backup plan, he wasn't like Josh or that creature that wears a skirt, Mindy.

School wasn't made for Drake, so what would make him believe that he could survive college?

Ugh, when did he get so depressed? Jesus.

What was he doing? The blurriness begins to clear up after he blinks a couple of times meeting with the blank page of his paper, oh, right, his essay…

Something that makes him happy… Something that gives him meaning and that warm feeling. He could always write about music but that feels like an obvious statement that would land him a big fat F anyway with Ms. Hayfer and her booger-infested nose. Truthfully it doesn't matter what he writes, he’ll get an F either way since the old bat just fucking hates him that much, even when he does get the answers right. It's amazing that for the past four years, none of the teachers ever noticed that he was practically failing at a class not because he was simply bad at it but because a sad pathetic woman who needs to get the attitude screwed out of her or something hates his guts for no real reason.

The next thing he knew his notebook was flying across the room from his bed toward the door, which for some reason Josh decided to walk in at the worst moment ever, the black school notebook hit Josh right in the bridge of his nose making Josh face switch from that happy go

lucky look to a look of pain, groaning as he held his face, Drake flinched when it hit Josh, grimacing at the sound of impact.

“Ow, dude what was that for?” Josh questions, pain in his tone and irritation ringing somewhere in there. His eyes are hard as they stare at Drake then ease up when he watches the expression on his face. Drake's eyes were red and puffy, bitterness swimming in those dark brown eyes, cheeks red, the vein in the center of his head bulging out.

Josh leans forward picking up the abandoned book, striding across the room towards Drake’s bed.

“Sorry, why was your face where my book was going?” was the first thing Drake said when Josh reached the ladder, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses again, and letting out an uneasy breath. His head was throbbing.

Josh ignores the comment, more concerned about why his brother looks like he is on the verge of crying, Drake wasn't one to cry. Hiding his more troubling emotions with charm and charisma, bad puns, and childish games.

“Wanna talk about it?” Josh questions, handing Drake back his notebook, the musician gratefully taking it from his hold mumbling a thank you as he tosses the book somewhere on his bed. Running his fingers through his hair pushing his bangs back.

“No, it doesn't matter man”

“You assaulted me with a notebook and my nose hurts”

“How was I supposed to know you were gonna open the door as soon as I threw the book?”

And they were bickering. It only lasted three minutes due to Josh climbing up the ladder and pressing his hand over Drake's mouth to shut him up.

Drake's eyebrows go up to his hairline, squinting at Josh after.

Josh removes his hand slowly, not breaking eye contact, eyes laser-focused.

“Gonna ask again, what's up?”

“This stupid essay man, it's half of my grade and I have no idea what the hell to write. It's not like it matters regardless since Ms. Hayfer makes it her life goal to make mine a living hell— failing me every chance she gets. Might as well not write anything at all” he says, his face going through the motion of every emotion he's feeling at that exact moment— Josh watches with an unchanging expression.

“Drake…”

“No! It doesn't matter, Josh. No matter what I write I'm gonna get an F and fail and go to summer school then fail summer school and repeat the twelfth grade as you are at some big shot college like Stanford or Yale or Harvard or whatever smart college for brainy yacks like yourself and that creature along with Craig and Eric and not be my manager anymore ‘cause you'd be busy doing something better for yourself and forget all about me as I'm some loser who couldn't graduate on time because I didn't take school seriously and some sad teacher has it out for me!” he blurts out as he shoots up from his bed-hopping off the side of the large platform, landing gracefully on the floor with a thud. Heading towards the door slamming it behind him when he exits.

What… What just happened?

Josh was left stunned.

Drake Parker is an unserious person, so when he receives his diploma from Ms. Hayfer herself he has the biggest shit-eating grin on his face, his burgundy cap snug on his head, the tassel tickling his ear. Hand on the other side of the diploma, that his teacher seems to be having a hard time giving him, a small game of tug a war happening between them, Drake manages to rip it out of her hold with one last firm tug, his smile never changing. Ms. Hayfer gave him a bitter forced smile, making Drake wanna double over in laughter, enjoying the struggle the witch was going through watching him graduate on time— which is mostly thanks to Josh who made sure he didn't give up after his little break down a month ago.

“Say it,” he says, a smile still present on his face.

Ms. Hayfer lets out an annoyed sigh, her face souring.

“Congratulations” she mumbles

Drake cups the back of his ear leaning to her a bit mocking an innocent look.

“I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that, mind repeating that?” Drake asks, puckering his lips the way Josh does when he knows he's being a little shit. He could hear his peers behind him snicker at his silly comment.

“Congratulations for graduating Drake Parker,” she says, sounding like she was choking on the words as she said them.

Drake's arms shoot up in the arm as he does his battle cry reaching pitches no other normal human could reach. Cheering.

“WOOHOO! I MADE IT BABY!!” He cheers happily making everyone laugh, bowing to the audience, the laughter growing.

Right as Drake is about to step off the stage, he hears it before he sees it. A high-pitched whistle then a wet splat, his jaw drops when an orange paintball hits Ms. Hayfer right in the side of her face, making her cry out, small drops landing on her black blazer that had gold stripes. Drake couldn't hold it in, he let out a high-pitched laugh pointing at the woman with his diploma, the auditorium filled with laughter from students and families. He runs off the stage before she can even grab him, laughing the whole way down the steps, circling the stage cheering, family, educators, and students joining in his cheer as he races to his assigned seat, high-fiving Trevor who sits next to him. Drake notices Josh a few rows down smirking, following Josh's view he notices Megan who wears the same smirk down in the audience, holding something small and silver in her manicured hands.

Oh, oh he loves them.

After the ceremony, students are standing with their families outside of the school hugging one another and cheering. Drake was just finishing up hugging Audrey and Walter— squeezing his little sister for the first time since forever— she let him— pressing a firm kiss on the crown of her head, earning himself a soft punch to his rib, making him laugh.

He hears him before he sees him.

“Hug me brotha!!” Josh says in that weird goofy voice he does like he's making an announcement. Drake curled his head so fast that he could feel the muscle in his neck sprain. Eyes wide and bright racing to Josh in max speed practically jumping in his arms and hugging the other tight, as Josh held him up in the air hugging him just as tight, like when they were fourteen and first became brothers and instead of screaming out of fear, Drake screams out of excitement and pure joy. Josh proudly held Drake up in the air, Drake for once not caring if anyone saw them, this moment was one that he will forever remember. And he had no issue with that.

“We made it dude!”

The sound of a camera going off happens, but neither one could care less. Just happy. Giant smiles on their faces.

March 8th, 2015, Drake Parker is twenty-four and is still a very unserious person. Not by choice, he came to realize that on his own. Maybe a little .

Drake was currently sitting in a leather seat, elbow resting on the arm of the chair, mouth kissing his knuckles, attention fully on the stage before him. He could feel his heart jackhammering against his chest plate, threatening to break through and let itself known to the world like some scene out of a horror flick. Now he wants to watch a horror movie when he goes home. Nice.

Drake counts back from ten all the way to one, practicing his breathing exercise that his therapist taught him after his car accident back in 2008. Drake takes a couple of deep breaths, flinching— nearly jumping out his skin when he feels a gentle hand rub his arm in a soothing manner.

Drake opens his eyes again looking towards his left where his little sister was sitting, Megan was looking at him with a gentle expression. Smiling at him in a way that reminds him of their mother— which he’s thankful for— kind tender eyes on her newly mature features, it feels like it was only yesterday that she was nine and tormenting him and Josh. Drake looked past Megan to see their parents talking in hushed tones but they seemed happy enough, unaware of how nervous their son seemed to be. Drake closes his eyes for a moment again, exhaling and opening his eyes again. He nods towards his sister, she returns the gesture removing her hand folding them together on her lap, her posture remaining straight. Smoothing out her white dress after a bit, checking herself out in her compact mirror checking if she had any loose strands of hair in her high ponytail. Putting it away when she doesn’t find any. It almost makes Drake laugh.

And she says he’s obsessed with his hair, little brat.

Drake shakes his head, paying attention to the stage again. Listening for who won a Grammy from each category of music.

That’s right you heard him. Drake Parker is sitting in a chair at the Grammys in Hollywood. When Josh got the call and told Drake, Drake couldn’t believe it. He still can’t.

He never thought he would officially meet the queen herself, Beyoncé!. And don’t get him started on the Princess of Pop Britney Spears. When she first spoke to him on the red carpet Drake felt as if he was on cloud nine, and when she hugged him, it was all over— Drake thought he was gonna pass out, if Josh was with him he knew his stepbrother would’ve laughed at him. Especially if he got to witness how red he turned when Beyoncé told him he was so handsome.

If anyone was to ask Drake if he was a Yoncè and Britney fan instead of just rock and roll— the blues, a bit of jazz and classical music, the last one thanks to Josh. He will deny it till the day he dies and just say he respects them and their craft.

Drake clicks back into focus when he sees Bruno Mars walk up to the podium after Selena Gomez performance, clapping along with the crowd, even though he has not a single clue what she sang.

“Thank you Selena for that wonderful performance” Bruno Mars says, with his charming smile clapping with the audience, his tan skin somewhat red from the beating lights.

“And now with great honor I would like to announce the Grammy winner for best selling song for rock, number one best seller, top of the charts on build boards!” Everyone holds their breaths, Drake tenses up in his seat watching as Bruno opens up the golden envelope, his smile never changing.

“And the Grammy goes to… rising star Drake Parker I Found A Way!!” Bruno announces with a cheer, Drake jaw drops as everyone else around him cheers, clapping the starting intro of the song starts playing. Drake looked around, his mind not keeping up, Megan was shaking his arm in excitement telling him to go. Drake stands cleaning his throat as he fixes his black suit and navy blue tie adjusting his circular glasses that framed his face perfectly— Megan’s personal touch. The navy tie, Josh’s idea. The shiny dress shoes his mother helped with.

Drake hugs Megan who pats his back, pressing a soft kiss against his mothers cheek and shakes Walters hand with a big grin on his face pulling away as he walks out his row and down the aisle towards the stage fixing his side bangs as he walks up the steps of the stage walking towards Bruno, accepting the Grammy in one hand shaking Bruno’s hand in the other side hugging him stepping up to the mic. Looking at the hundreds rows of celebrities, staring up at him and smiling at him in encouragement.

“I… heh” Drake clears his throat, a watery smile climbing his face.

“Shit I honestly don’t know what to say it’s just that— I didn’t think I would win y’know? I didn’t think I would make it, thought I would have to wax surfboards and probably work at a run down diner that no one really knows about but has the best pie” Drake says, laughing a bit, causing the rest to laugh with him.

“I.. listen I downplay a lot of things and I take a lot of things unseriously but this? This moment right here? Is the most serious thing that has ever happened to me, besides becoming a big brother, becoming a brother to someone else and having to share my room for five years with that person. Actually making it through high school and graduating on time”

Drake wipes his eyes from under his glasses.

“Stupid tears”. That earns another chorus of laughs.

“Sorry sorry, anyway this Grammy doesn’t just count as my achievement and success. This Grammy counts as an achievement for the best manager and step brother in the whole entire world. Josh Nichols who sadly can’t share this moment with me tonight since he had a highly important test today— get that degree bro. I wouldn’t have made it up till now without you brother thank you! I love you!” Drake holds the Grammy up with a giant smile, tears running down his cheeks freely, voice cracking.

“To all the people that didn’t in believe me, fuck you I made it you hating ass bitches, special shout out to my English teacher Ms. Hayfer and the creature that wears a skirt and claims she’s a girl Mindy Crenshaw. Much love to my biggest haters couldn’t have done this without ya either” He chuckles, everyone claps and cheers.

“And Josh if you happen to be watching, I would say I’m sorry but come on… we both know I’d be lying. Thank you Hollywood and my family goodnight!” He finishes off, walking off the stage as his song plays again as he holds up his Grammy while the people laughed and cheered making his way back to his seat.

Was Drake Parker still an unserious person?, yes. Was he still petty after a couple of years?. Yes.

[panlight]

What are your top five ways that Meyer blindsided you regarding what you thought versus what she meant? For example, you've said before how you truly thought that Bella being afraid of blood would have implications but that never did. Or how Jacob would fight the imprint!--but he didn't. Or maybe in a more subtext way: for example, Bella showing signs of suicidal ideation in New Moon but Meyer insisting that isn't at all what's happening. In what ways did Word of God blindsided/confuse?

1. Jacob fighting the imprint. I was absolutely sure that was where this was going. Any other YA series would have the main characters be like "NO! I will NOT have some outside force decide my life for me! I don't CARE if we'd be perfect together. It's MY life, I get to choose!" Like just look at all those stories of "utopias" where the characters are paired up by the government or a computer or whatever and they they FIGHT it and that's the whole point and I thought that's where imprinting was going, especially with Jacob being so against it. "They don't belong to themselves anymore" "what's wrong with falling in love the normal way?" "It's just another way of having your choices taken away from you." Like, my god, there was SUCH potential here for a parallel with the veggie vampires choosing not to surrender to their instincts but no, it's a Happily Ever After (supposedly). Also still think if he had imprinted on like Jess or Angela or Random Girl in New Moon/Eclipse, SM would have had him fight it and ~choose his love for Bella~.

2. The James bite. I thought this was going to be a big deal and that would end up mattering later in the series. That the bite and exposure to vampire venom would have made Bella immune and impossible to turn (!), or that they could create an antidote to vampirism from her blood (!), or that it would be the explanation for why she was so good at vampiring right away, or something. But it's just . . . never a big deal, not important, never even really mentioned again other than there being a scar that Edward can be emo about.

3. Denali story/foreshadowing. I legit thought Carlisle was going to die in Breaking Dawn. And he's basically the most interesting character to me so I wasn't all that psyched about it, but it made sense. Often in YA/coming of age stories, the mentor figure has to die so the young characters can really come into their own. But the main reason I thought he was doomed was at the beginning of BD when Bella's talking about the Denali coven and how Carlisle told her about how the sisters' 'mother' had been killed and they were still so upset they couldn't utter her name, and Bella has a thought like "I can't imagine the Cullens without Carlisle" and I was like welp he's a goner. But then, no, we just get that non-fight at the end.

4. THE BABY. Okay, once we get to BD, it's pretty clear the baby is happening. Bella's dreams and the whole Denali backstory with the Immortal Child aren't exactly subtle. But PRIOR to BD, SM seemed to be trying really hard to make the fandom think it was impossible. I remember those halcyon pre-BD days vaguely. I wasn't super into the fandom but I had read the first three books and was Twi Curious, basically, and read some stuff on the Lexicon and followed a few. . . I guess they were livejournals at the time, lmao. And the WHOLE FANDOM was convinced and babies were impossible and would quote things SM has said at Q&As or on the Lexicon and like babyfic was disdained because "that can't happen." And it's retrospect it's clear that SM was tip-toeing around it and answered very carefully so she could be "Haha I never said a male vampire and a female HUMAN specifically couldn't have a baby! Checkmate!" but the fandom still basically felt lied to from the Word of God stuff we had been getting from her over the last few years. I think the backlash wouldn't have been as bad if she had just been like "I'm not going to answer that" or something versus heavily implying it was impossible while leaving a specifically E/B-shaped loophole.

5. Born to be a Vampire. Maybe it's just me, but if you're setting up a character to be "born to be a vampire," maybe making her pass out at the sight/scent of blood and LOVE the sun/warmth is a weird choice? Bella being able to smell blood is supposedly weird (but like . . . I can smell it?) and maybe a hint to her vampiric potential, but then why does it make her sick rather than make her be like "Idk it smells kinda good? That's weird, right? I'm so weird." I also just . . . being a vampire is framed as BAD. The Cullens "rise above the hand they were dealt." They make the best of a situation that is written as being kind of lonely and frustrating at best and DAMNED FOR ALL ETERNITY at worst and then Bella becomes a vampire and it's perfect forevers and bliss and fairytale cottages and I'm just like, what? I wanted bittersweet! I was fine with her becoming a vampire, but I wanted it to be a struggle, for it to not be the fairytale she thought it was, but for it still to be worth it in the end. And I thought that's where it was going with all those gloomy quotes SM put at the beginning of the books. Do not eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Violent delights have violent ends. The world will end in fire or ice. Uh, none of those point to a fairytale in my mind. Also Bella being framed as being uncommonly good/selfless AND 'born to a be vampire' just does not compute in my mind. The Cullens are the way they are because Carlisle was so unsuited to be a vampire that he just rewrote all the rules. Maybe Bella was born to be a CULLEN but born to be a vampire implies something different to me. That's something I might say about a James or an Aro.

[andypantsx3]

shoto and 'when i find out who is responsible for this...' IM A SUCKER FOR OVERPROTECTIVE SHO LMAO

This one was one of my faves to write, I really hope you like it!

Damage | Todoroki/Reader

Prompt: “When I find out who is responsible for this...” Word Count: 1600 words Tags/Warnings: SFW, ye olde quirk accident trope Notes: Special thanks again to my lady love @bobawithpomegranate for beta-ing me!! Also, for anyone who hasn’t suffered a corporate job: KPIs = key performance indicators, which are a set of business metrics used to measure success in certain areas.

The first sign that something was wrong should have been in line for security. 

Ayako—your favorite member of the Todoroki Agency security team—was waving a detector wand over your clothes when she asked casually, “How’s it going?”

Any other morning, your response was something along the lines of, “Oh, it’s going. How are you?” This morning, however, you blurted, “Good! Except that I bumped someone on the train and spent ten minutes trying to get a coffee stain out of this shirt, and I feel a little sick when I think about leading the KPIs review because Shouto’s property damage numbers are up again which doesn’t look great, so I skipped breakfast but honestly I’m super hungry right now, that was a bad choice, and—”

You cut yourself off, utterly bewildered. Ayako looked similarly nonplussed, raising a slim brow. 

“Uh, nevermind. I’ll just be going,” you said, and hared off to the rest of the security checkpoints before she could give commentary.

So you might have known that something was wrong even before you let yourself into Shouto’s manager’s office, armed with your monthly spreadsheets and performance slide decks. But you hadn’t given it more thought since then, a move which proved to be a complete mistake.

Shouto was already there, lounging in the set of chairs in front of his manager’s desk, looking less like a hero waiting for a meeting and more like some airbrushed ad for his dark turtleneck or his close-fit grey slacks. Your heart shot into your throat at the sight of him, like it usually did, and you had to remind yourself to relax.

Though he was unbearably handsome to the point of distraction, Shouto was relatively easy to get along with, something that should have made you calmer in his presence. He was straightforward, possessed of very little ego, thoughtful, and a very linear and strategic thinker—you’d worked extremely well with him the past couple of years, and Shouto, though he had less to do with the daily operations of the agency, had helped push your promotion last year to Director of Public Relations. It should have added up to an easy and uncomplicated work partnership, but his personality only made your unfortunate crush on him even worse.

He was so horribly, horribly perfect. And you were an awful little metrics gremlin, called in to roast him over the open flame of public opinion once a month. Really not something Shouto might be interested in.

“Y/N,” he said, looking up from his phone and fixing you with an intent look. Your heart stuttered under those heterochromatic eyes.

“Hi, Shouto,” you said, setting down your bag and digging out your laptop for something to take your attention off of him. “How are you?”

“I’m well,” he answered in his deep tone. “How are you?”

And that was it. The damning question that sent it all to hell.

“My heart feels like it could explode any second, and I feel kind of faint, weirdly weak, and incredibly distracted,” you answered, naming the symptoms of his very presence.

There was a beat of silence. You froze, crouched over your bag, laptop halfway out of it. Then it hit you what had just been said, and you slapped a hand over your mouth in horror. 

Shouto was up out of his chair in the blink of an eye, kneeling in front of you with cool fingers on your face, angling it towards him.

“You’re not well?” he asked, those eyes locking on you with an alarming intensity.

His attention only made things worse. “I feel like I might pass out,” you said, cringing even as the words left your mouth.

Fuck, what the hell were you saying? You were making it sound like you were some Victorian maiden, ready to swoon in the mere company of a gentleman. And why were you saying this shit? You’d worked with him for years and you’d never let slip the effect he had on you—what was wrong with you this morning?

You thought back to the coffee incident on the train this morning, the way the girl whose drink you had spilled had startled, the way she had weirdly apologized to you even as you were in the midst of your own apology.

A sense of foreboding settled over you. 

Oh.

Oh fuck.

“I think I’ve been hit with a quirk,” you blabbed.

Shouto’s features shuttered, a hard look you’d never really seen before entering his eye. He went over to his manager’s desk, dialing a number on her office phone, and then he was talking in low tones, asking someone from medical to come up to her office immediately.

Then he was back at your side, easing you carefully to the floor like you actually were in danger of passing out, and not just a huge idiot with an incredibly fat crush that made you say the world’s most ridiculous things.

“When I find out who’s responsible for this,” he uttered, low and dangerous, “they might never be able to use a quirk again.”

For some reason, the threat warmed you, even as it sent a little shiver down your spine. Was it weird to find him hot when he was angry?

You clamped your mouth firmly shut, lest you tell him exactly what illness prevailed you, but your silence was all for naught.

Because when one of the medical staff made it up to the office, pressing a quirk testing strip to your skin, she pronounced, “A truth quirk.”

Shouto caught your hand before it could smack into your forehead, looking surprised that he had done so. And then even more surprised at the pronouncement.

“A truth quirk,” he echoed, looking down at you curiously. His fingers were gentle where they held your wrist.

You squirmed uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

“But then, you’re still not well,” he said. He looked up at the medical staffer. “She’s feeling faint, and having problems with her heart.”

“She’s fine,” the staffer confirmed, holding up a scanner with your vital readings. They were embarrassingly perfect—incredibly, perfectly, damnably normal.

You could have died. You literally could have died.

Shouto looked down at you with a little wrinkle on his perfect brow, obviously wondering how you could admit symptoms like that given a truth quirk, only for there to be no physical sign of them. You tried to hold down the truth, but another question from him doomed you.

“But how?” he asked, clearly concerned, cool fingers smoothing over your cheekbone.

“I have an insanely huge crush on you,” you blurted. Then you unleashed a string of colorful swears, flushing so hot you thought you might catch fire.

Those heterochromatic eyes went a little round at the edges.

The medical staffer looked like she was trying very hard not to laugh as she bade a quick farewell. She was out the door before you could catch her sleeve and hold her like a shield against Shouto’s incredibly penetrating stare.

“I’m. Um. You know, sorry and everything,” you added. “I won’t let it interfere with work. I mean, I haven’t, any of the past couple years—fuck, oh my god, I just said that—”

Shouto was watching your mouth like he couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of it.

“Say it again,” he said.

You paused, staring at him. “What?”

“Tell me how you’re feeling.”

“My heart feels like it could explode any second, and I feel kind of faint, weirdly weak, and incredibly distracted,” you answered obediently.

“Because of me,” he said, like it was a wonder.

You gave him an annoyed look. Obviously because of him, who the fuck else did he think wielded that combination of attractiveness and straightforward appeal like an S-class quirk of its own?

Shouto choked on a laugh, and you realized with some horror that you’d said all of that out loud. 

Damn the fucking truth quirk.

“I don’t know,” Shouto said, sounding amused. “I think I rather like it. When I find out who is responsible for this, I might have to thank them instead.”

This stopped you short.

He what now?

“I’m sorry, what?”

Something a little like a smirk curled the corner of Shouto’s mouth. “It is generally gratifying to know one’s feelings are returned, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I wouldn’t know—” you started, feeling annoyed with him again. Then you choked when the implication of his words sank in.

Shouto’s fingers slid down to cup your chin, and suddenly it felt like every nerve ending in your body was concentrated there, the touch magnified a thousand-fold into an all-consuming sensation. 

“Would you like me to kiss you?” he asked lightly, looking smug.

“Oh my god yes—” The answer was out of your mouth before he’d even finished the question.

Shouto laughed, and then he was leaning in. You could feel the smile still on his mouth when it met yours. Shouto’s kiss was careful and attentive, but you could sense something deeper beneath, the same kind of restrained sort of passion that underlaid his quirk. Having that kind of controlled intensity turned on you was something you could have never prepared for.

The kiss became deeper and more heated, and Shouto was just easing you backwards again, still pressed firmly to you, when the door opened and his manager blew in.

“This is a fucking office,” she said, stepping over the two of you like you were a grimy puddle in the street. “Now hurry the fuck up, we have KPIs to review. Shouto—don’t think this will derail me from your property damage numbers increasing.”

Shouto huffed into your mouth, slumping against you.

You couldn’t do anything but laugh.

Current event masterlist in pinned!

[navybrat817]

Never Again

Pairing: August Walker x Reader Summary: You’re tired of playing this game with August...right? Word Count: Over 1.2k Warnings: Explicit sexual content, mild dubious consent, unprotected sex, conflicted reader, possessive behavior, obsessive behavior, slight orgasm denial, August really wants the reader A/N: Didn’t post this in time for Sinday, but isn’t every day Sinday? I’m just happy I got more writing done! A sequel of sorts to Devil’s Bargain.  This is not beta read, so any and all mistakes are my own. 18+ Please!!! Please comment, like and reblog if you desire. Enjoy, lovelies!

It was difficult to look Ethan in the eye after you traded your body to August, but you managed. You played your part well. That was part of the job. You knew that the means justified the end. If only it wasn't the beginning of the road to your doom.

You let his words get to you that night, almost as much as the feel of your bodies together. Maybe you were a bit jaded, but you refused to lower yourself more. Who were you kidding? The descent began the moment you accepted his proposal. And who else did you have to blame for but yourself for your predicament?

Never again.

You lost count of how many times you said those words, swearing each time it would be the end of it. But your frenemy, not your lover, knew better. He even taunted you when he helped you redress.

"This is going to happen again."

You sighed as you stepped into the empty elevator, pressing the button to shut the door. You had a moment of peace after weeks of running. Just before it closed, a large, familiar hand reached out to stop it. You froze as the door slid back open, your eyes locked with a pair of furious, blue eyes. 

You refused to back up when August went in, though your heart pounded. The doors slid shut as he took his place beside you, the silence uncomfortable as you pushed the button for your floor. Distractions couldn't be afforded in your line of work and you should have known he followed you. 

"You're not easy to track down lately."

"Maybe because I didn't want you to find me."

"Hmm. Yet you went out alone today," he pointed out. 

You ignored him as you got closer to your floor. You were tired of being a player in this game. You were the mouse who kept getting caught and your limbs felt heavier each time you tried to run. "And this is where I get off."

August shot a hand out, slamming you against the wall as the elevator jerked to a stop. "You haven't gotten off yet," he said, his tone more dark than teasing.

"People can walk in," you pressed as he invaded your space. 

"No one is walking in," he swore, yanking your skirt up to tear your underwear off. His promises were as heavy as his threats. And tender foreplay was out the window. "And you're not leaving."

Never again.

You felt the rumble in his chest as his lips met yours. He licked into your mouth, deepening the already hungry kiss. Obsession had a bittersweet taste and you swallowed it down, like everything else he gave you. 

He made quick work of his pants, his cock angry and hard as he took himself out. He looked reckless and you relished in that small moment of power. Both of you were breaking down. "Join me," he demanded.

It always began that way. "No," you whispered, knowing it would end with you ruined. 

He stared at you as he took a deep breath, lifting you up to wrap his legs around him. You gripped his shoulders for purchase, uncaring that you weren't prepped. You welcomed the pain at this point. “Do I need to remind you that you belong to me?"

"I don't belong to you. I never did and I never will."

"That’s where you're wrong. You’ll always belong to me.”

He didn't hesitate to slide his thickness into your tight heat and you were disgusted by how wet you were for him. He groaned as each inch sank deep, shutting your eyes as his hips pressed against yours. Your body opened right up to his. It felt like home when he joined with you. A broken one. 

"That's my good girl. You always do so well for me," he praised, his lips brushing soothingly along your face

"Just shut up and fuck me!" you snarled.

He growled as he snapped his hips, making you snarl again in pleasure. As he fucked you hard against the wall, holding you in place to make you take him, you slipped into that state of grey. The place where you two were doomed to meet until he pulled you completely into darkness. 

"It really is better when you don't resist," he grunted, making you turn your head away. "When you accept that you're mine."

It should have horrified you, but you squeezed him like you didn't want him to leave your body. You refused to accept in your mind and heart that his attention, while frightening, felt good. "I'm not yours."

"Your mouth may say you don't belong to me, but your cunt tells a different story."

You panted as he sped up, your hands twisting in his shirt. "A good fuck… doesn't mean anything."

"What did I say about lying to me?" he hissed, his pace punishing as his hips smacked against yours. 

You refused to apologize. "Just finish," you moaned instead. 

"Beg."

"What?!"

"Beg to come," he ordered, brushing his nose against the column of your neck. "Beg me like the good girl I know you are."

Your release was close, wishing you could sneak a hand between your bodies to get yourself off. The hard pace slowed before you could let go, making you whine in frustration. "No."

"Beg," he replied, rolling his hips. 

The seconds blended into minutes, the ache building as he grunted against your skin. Tears filled your eyes from frustration as he kept you right on the edge. The moment you thought you'd fall, he pulled you back. Damn him and his control. 

"Please," you whispered as he lifted his head, having the decency to look somewhat wrecked.

"Please what?" 

"Please, let me come," you said quickly. 

"Again," he growled, resuming his fast, hard pace.

You hated how he resorted you to this, but it was just another tally mark in your private ledger. "August, please. Let me come. Please!" you begged.

"Pretty when you beg," he taunted, nipping your bottom lip. "Fuck, there you go. Come. Come for me."

You fell to pieces, unsure if you screamed or whimpered as you quivered around him. You were, however, aware of his hips still moving as you went limp in his arms. After a moment, he stilled with a groan and coated your walls with his seed. Another stain you couldn't wash away. 

For a moment, the only sounds were your heavy breathing and racing hearts. Each time he had you, it brought you closer to his side. How much longer would it take?

"I think coming in that delicious cunt of yours was a nice reminder that you're mine."

“You’re never… going to have me again.” 

The condescending chuckle made you glare as you opened your eyes, the euphoria slipping away. "That's what you said last time. And the time before that. Actually, you were so busy choking on my dick that you couldn't talk."

You recalled how the tip stretched your lips open before he ruthlessly fucked your throat. "Please. Just let me go," you pleaded, letting him hear just how vulnerable you felt. Maybe if you let your walls down, he'd have some sort of pity on you. It was false hope.

He brought his lips to your ear, whispering one word. "Never."

Never again. 

[just-come-baek]

bet on it

Pairing: Na Jaemin x female!reader

Themes: smut | fluff | kidna cracky | light angst | fake dating!au | college!au | idiots to lovers!au | love letters

Word count: 21.2k 

Summary: One day, Jaemin stops by with a strange request. Any other person would just laugh in his face and refuse in a second. Unfortunately, I, being the dumbass I am, agree to it. Soon enough, everything gets out of hand, causing much more drama than we could ever predict.

Or in other words, Jaemin shouldn’t bet on things he knows he can’t win.

Warnings: all characters share like 3 brain cells, and somehow they all belong to Ten??? | self-indulgent type 3 diabetes fluff | cursing | mutual pining | college duties negligence | scheming and plotting | double-crossing | hookup culture condoning | corny and cringy stuff | alcohol consumption | smoking | extreme winter sports | amateur matchmaking | professional wooing | manipulative behaviour | steamy smut | oral female!receiving | thigh riding | spanking | marking | overstimulation | protected sex | lots of teasing | made up warnings | I don’t remember more

A/N it’s an instalment for love letters event hosted by neosmutcollective, I hope you enjoy my jaemin entry as well as other entries written by my friends from the network, check out the event tags too, and yeah, happy valentine's day!  😏  💖

***

“What?” I yelled, almost spitting my tea. No, I must’ve heard him wrong. Jaemin wouldn’t be stupid enough to do that. It had to be a joke. Or I must’ve imagined him say that. “You don’t mean that,” I added, still in shock, trying to comprehend what just happened.

“Come on, Noona,” Jaemin whined, staring right into my eyes, wishing for me to say yes to his ridiculous proposal. “I wouldn’t suggest that if I knew we couldn’t pull through.”

With a sigh, I shook my head. Jaemin’s proposition was absurd, and I couldn’t believe I was about to ask him again to walk me through it.

Damn me and my curiosity.

“Before I make my mind about this… tell me what the fuck led you guys to make that stupid bet. Then, and only then, I will still say no, but in good faith,” I demanded, smiling at Jaemin, knowing I wouldn’t make it easy for him to convince me. The odds weren’t in his favor, and he really had to put in lots of effort if he really wanted me on board.

“So we were chilling after practice, and then Haechan started to tease me that I have no game anymore,” Jaemin started, and I rolled my eyes. Of course, I should’ve figured it out. A man in his age apparently is a failure unless he has a different girl in his bed at least 3 nights a week, moaning his name at the top of her voice. Even though Jaemin doesn’t have a competitive nature, it still provoked him into agreeing to this absurd bet.

Life must be though with an ego so fragile…

Jaemin isn’t a fuckboy, yet he still has a fair share of love conquests. Though I had no idea whether it was true or not, he must have fallen a little behind the others – otherwise, they wouldn’t tease him about it.

“And then I said his mother must’ve dropped him on the head if he really thinks that,” Jaemin carried on. I nodded my head, trying to wrap my head around this preposterous situation. “Then, I said I could seduce any girl I want,” he added proudly, making me want to flicker his forehead, hoping it would knock some sense into that empty skull at the top of his neck.

“Okay, but how the hell did you end up with having to seduce me? This is the part I have the most trouble understanding,” I pointed out, cocking my eyebrow.

“Then, Chenle suggested we bet on it, and I agreed to it,” Jaemin whispered, looking away, sounding both regretful and shy. “I urged them to pick any girl, so Haechan looked around to choose my next conquest. It was the time when you and Ten were walking to the dance studio, and that bastard suggested you.”

So it was Haechan’s doing – I should’ve figured this one out. He was the only one wicked enough to possibly ruin somebody’s friendship because of a stupid bet.

Or, it was quite genius of him – maybe he figured Jaemin would not cross this line, choosing our friendship over winning this imbecilic bet.

“And you were confident you can woo me? What about our friendship? Does it mean anything to you?” I inquired, curious of what was going inside his head when he agreed to this half-witted bet. Did he seriously think we could have sex and then forget all about it?

“It’s not like that! I don’t want to woo you. I mean… I could, and you would be very much aware if I tried to hit on you, and you would fall for me. No doubts on that,” Jaemin spoke confidently, grinning like an idiot with ego blown way out of proportion. “But–“

Jaemin was about to say something dense, so before more bullshit managed to leave his mouth, I hit him with a cutting board. Jaemin whined, but I was sure he was exaggerating for comedy purposes. My hit was calculated and balanced – it was powerful enough for him to understand it wasn’t a good idea, but at the same, it was not going to cause any permanent damage to his brain. I’d never purposefully do that to him.

“We’re not having sex. Get that shit inside your head,” I interjected, pouring my herbal tea down my throat, already thinking about making another cup. This conversation was making me uncomfortable, and I wanted to put an end to it. Perhaps another lemon balm tea would calm my nerves.

Ignoring his penetrating gaze, I shuffled around the kitchen, setting the kettle on the stove. In the meantime, Jaemin walked around the kitchen island and grabbed me by my shoulders, looking straight into my eyes.

“Come on, Noona, I am not asking you to sleep with me,” Jaemin defended his case, quite determined to pull me on his side.

“Well… it looks exactly like you’re asking me to sleep with you,” I cut in, walking around him to the cabinet to get a fresh tea bag. I’ve really had enough of this bullshit.

“We could just make it look like like we did,” he carried on, and I heaved a deep sigh, regretting even letting him in today. I had this extremely boring essay to write, and at this point, I’d rather begin my research on whatever topic my professor assigned.

“It’s still a no from me, sorry,” I replied harshly, crashing Jaemin’s expectations. Judging by the look on his face, it wasn’t the outcome he anticipated when he decided to knock on my doors. “What happens when you lose that bet? Well… except for your pride, of course.”

“500 dollars.”

“Ouch, sowwy, I hope you can afford that,” I added with a fake smile, patting him on the shoulder, being well aware this amount of money was a game-changer to Jaemin’s budget. If he won, he would have the time of his life, spoiling himself. However, if he lost, he’d have to eat instant ramen on every meal for the entire month. “Either way, I hope it will teach you a lesson to not bet on things you know you can’t win.”

“Ugh, fine,” Jaemin groaned in disappointment, reaching for my hands, holding them carefully as if they were made of china. “If you help me, I’ll give you half of the money,” he proposed, and I looked at our hands linked together, then quickly shifted my gaze to his eyes. “If you help me win, you’ll get 250 dollars, and you’ll be finally able to buy those fancy shoes you wanted so bad. What do you say?”

When did he get so persuasive?

It was a low blow.

Jaemin knew that these shoes were tempting me ever since I had seen them. Multiple times, my thumb hovered over the add-to-cart button. Every time, I resisted the temptation last minute upon seeing the price tag, though. This purchase was way out of my budget.  However, now, when the new income opportunity presented itself, it made me wonder.

Suddenly, the kettle began to whistle, bringing me down to Earth from that ridiculous train of thought. Shaking my head, I tore my hands out of Jaemin’s gentle grasp, fidgeting back to the stove, pouring boiling water into the cup.

“Okay, fine, but I have a few questions first,” I gave up after a short pause for intense pondering, and Jaemin smiled brightly in instant gratitude and relief. Without my help, he would be doomed. “And then, if I like the answers, I have a few conditions.”

“Anything.”

“Okay, so first of all, how much time do we have to do the deed,” I inquired as I blew some air before taking a cautious sip.

“About two weeks,” Jaemin mentioned after a while as he had counted on his fingers how many days we have to team up and win five hundred dollars for us. “Officially, we have to do it before Jaehyun’s birthday party,” he specified, and I hummed, realizing it is very little time.

“You seriously think I am that easy? Outrageous,” I gasped, throwing a fake tantrum as I made my way around him to sit down on the barstool on the other side of the kitchen island.

“No, of course not,” Jaemin quickly realized what I was getting on, so he smiled sheepishly, already trying to figure out the best wording to calm me down. “I am just that good,” he added, and I leaned over to smack his shoulder. “Kidding,” he defended himself, stepping out of my reach. “Renjun proposed this party, I mean, it’s the easiest way they can verify we did it,” Jaemin carried on, and I cursed under my breath.

How convenient.

“But we’re not going to do the fucking,” I stated, as a matter of fact, repeating myself in order to make sure we were both on the same page. As much as it would be pleasant to actually do it with him, never under these circumstances.

“No, we’re not, but I guess we can sneak out upstairs to one of the unoccupied rooms, and once we make sure they’re listening, you can just shout how good I’m fucking you,” Jaemin reasoned, and I sighed as regret once again washed through me.

“That’s creepy,” I commented as my mind conjured an image of a group of peeping Toms, eavesdropping on our sex session. Once again, I felt the temptation to drop out of this deal, but then, another thought crossed my mind. “Ugh, fine, I’ll do it. All I have to do is shout for two minutes, and then, these cute shoes will be mine.”

“Two minutes? Are you insane?” Jaemin hollered, offended by my comment. “It happened once, and it was ages ago. I’ve learned plenty of tricks since then,” he blabbered, acting way too defensive for his past mishap. “Just let me live in peace, please.”

“Okay, so we have established the deadline, and although it’s not enough time for anyone to woo me, let’s go with it.”

“Thank you! I knew I could count on you,” Jaemin replied with gleeful enthusiasm as he sat down on the barstool beside me and pressed a chaste kiss against my knuckles.

“But you have to go overboard with the courting,” I added, making Jaemin groan. Hard work wasn’t his best suit, but this time, he really had to try his best, or I’d have to turn him down at Jaehyun’s party. “You really have to make it believable and super romantic. Otherwise, I’m out,” I clarified, and Jaemin nodded, though unwillingly.

“Fine, any other wishes in mind?”

“Once we win the bet, we have to end this whole fake-dating fiasco immediately,” I announced, already planning ahead. It was easy to win the bet, but the most difficult part was getting back to normal. If we planned to fake-date in order to fake-fuck, then it was reasonable to figure out how we’re going to fake-break up.

“We should agree on admitting it was the best sex of our lives, but despite that, we value our friendship even more, so we decided to remain friends. How does it sound?” Jaemin suggested, and I had to once again resist the temptation to roll my eyes.

“I agree with the overall message, but later, we have to work on proper delivery.”

 ***

On the very next day, Jaemin and I decided to implement our secret plan.

Since I specifically asked to be courted in an over-the-top manner, Jaemin suggested going to the cinema. There were no attention-grabbing titles screened, yet ultimately, we agreed on watching the very last projection of the sequel to Wonder Woman.

“Go get the snacks, I’ll buy the tickets,” I ordered once we stepped into the cinema area of the nearest shopping mall. It was two o’clock in the afternoon, so the establishment wasn’t crowded. Except for us, there was only a family of three slowly making their way to the exit.

“See you in five minutes,” Jaemin murmured before he walked off to the bar to get us some salty popcorn and soda drinks. Though we both considered them way overpriced, it was a perfect way to celebrate the beginning of our fake relationship.

“We still have some time until the movie starts,” Jaemin shyly whispered as he cleared his throat. “Let’s take some selfies to make it public,” he added, and I nodded, sending him a timid smile, knowing this protocol had to be done in order to properly keep up appearances.

These days, everything had to be posted on social media, or it didn’t exist. If we didn’t leave a single digital mark, people might’ve grown a little bit suspicious of our alleged rendezvous. It would probably shock our friends, but it had to be done if we wanted to really sell it to them.

The circumstances were perfect for an impromptu first-date photo shoot. We were able to snap a few pictures without any annoying looks of prying eyes, choose the best angles, and finally post it with an ambiguous description confusing the shit out our friends.

Though Jaemin took about fifty photos, ultimately, I allowed him to upload three.

One picture showed me standing back to the camera as I looked at the cinema schedule, trying to pick a movie. I was wearing an A-line crimson red dress and a pair of warm black tights – the outfit really made my figure look pretty slim.

“What do you think about this one?” Jaemin inquired, showing me the photo of our interlaced hands. With a hum, I inspected the picture, giving him the green light. It was appropriate for our first date – it would signify we weren’t at the cinema as friends.

“This one looks good enough,” I commented as I reached to swipe across the screen of his smartphone. “I look cute here,” I added, showing Jaemin a picture of us. We were smiling, staring at the camera, almost stuffing our faces into the bucket of popcorn.

“What kind of description should I write?”

“Something vague, I guess,” I answered with a shrug, having no clue what kind of comment would be fitting for this Instagram post. “Maybe stick to emojis,” I suggested, and Jaemin went back to work, adjusting filters and typing the description.

With a chuckle, Jaemin handed me his phone, letting me approve his commentary.

“Are you out of your mind?” I hollered, quickly deleting the emojis. Having smacked his shoulder, I turned around, blocking him from seeing the screen. Three blushed emojis suited our fake-date better than a popcorn bucket, a wine glass, and an eggplant.

“Sorry, I couldn’t help myself,” Jaemin apologized, still laughing at his incredibly funny joke.

“Here, I posted it,” I said with an eye roll, throwing his phone at his lap. “The commercials must’ve started; let’s go,” I rose from my seat and extended my arm, wanting Jaemin to hand me the cup of coke. Jaemin, however, completely misunderstood my intentions, putting his hand into mine, holding it gently. ���Give me my drink, Jaemin.”

“Sorry,” Jaemin sheepishly smiled before he yanked back his hand and turned his head around, too embarrassed to look at me. I, on the other hand, laughed hysterically. That should’ve served him right after that emoji faux pas.

“I was kidding,” I admitted when my laughter died down. “Come on, Jaemin. Let’s go; I want to see the trailers,” I added before grabbing his hand, hauling him inside the screening room.

At the last row, we plopped down onto our double seat, getting comfortable for the movie. With our belongings thrown onto the neighboring seat, we stretched our limbs before the lights went out, providing us with the best viewing experience.

“Do you think they’ve seen it?” Jaemin whispered into my ear as he placed his head on my shoulders. “I want to check it, but at the same time, I don’t.”

“Mood,” I replied, feeling just as anxious.

The movie began, and we quickly forgot about our bold social media statement, focusing much more on the screening. Residing to our typical behavior, Jaemin placed his head on my shoulder, snuggling closer, taking full advantage of the bucket of popcorn, which rested on my thighs.

It was peaceful and comfortable – just as things were before Jaemin had come up with his brilliant idea to fake-date each other for the sake of that ludicrous bet. Though we acted the way we used to with each other, it felt somewhat different with that supposed romantic connotations haunting us. Not necessarily bad kind of different, though.

Just as we expected, two hours was more than enough for our friends to spam our individual inboxes. We both had dozens of messages from group chats, as well as private ones. All of them were asking and/or speculating what happened and why.

“I don’t feel like answering any of these,” I muttered, dreading to read what Ten and Jiwoo wrote on our roomies’ group chat. “I don’t feel like coming home, either. They’re gonna eat me alive with questions. I am not ready to face them yet. Wanna hang out some more?”

“Fuck, even my mom has seen them,” Jaemin cursed under his breath, completely forgetting about his mother being a mad keen Instagram user. Now, when he looked at our arrangement from a slightly different angle, Jaemin realized it brought way more consequences than he was planning on facing.

It was bad.

Really bad.

With shaky hands, I unlocked my phone, checking the Instagram post Jaemin had tagged me in. Not only our friends flooded the group chats, but also, they didn’t forget to embarrass us even further in the comment section.

lucas_xx444: what the heck??? 😧 is this for real???

yuu_taa_1026: finally!!1 maybe they stop simping for each other now 🤡

_jeongjaehyun: another man down, shame 😔

choi.jiwoo21: 🙄🙄 some men actually grow up, jeong…

mama_nana: Why am I only finding about this now?

“Well… fuck,” I murmured under my breath, still unable to process the fact that Jaemin’s mom knew about it. It was supposed to be a harmless charade; however, with each passing minute, it was getting out of hand. “What is the damage control procedure?” I asked in concern, biting the bottom lip nervously. Lying to our friends was pretty bad, but keeping this relationship thingy up in front of his mother was despicable.

“You know how she is,” Jaemin started, and I sighed, wishing I had no clue of what she was capable of. Unfortunately, I did, and it scared the hell out of me. “Either we go and visit her, or she’s coming to visit us,” he wondered, unable to choose which option was worse. “Fuck, she’s calling me. What do I do?”

With panic flashed in his eyes, Jaemin handed me his phone, expecting me to handle the conversation with his gossip-girl type of a mother. As if that would ever happen…

“Pick up and tell her we’re awfully busy or something,” I ordered him, gliding my finger across the screen, pressing the device against Jaemin’s ear.

“Hi, mom,” he spoke through gritted teeth, staring at me in absolute fury. Quickly, his hand cupped mine before he grabbed the phone, adjusting it.

By Jaemin’s mom’s standards, the conversation was brief. Or rather, her monologue was because Jaemin didn’t speak a single word through the entirety of it. Except for a couple of mmm’s thrown here and there, he didn’t engage at all.

Ideally, Jaemin would schedule the visit after we will have broken up. He’d go there by himself and tell her a story of us coming back to our senses and deciding to remain just friends. Unfortunately, that would require at least one functional brain cell and a pinch of assertiveness – both of which Jaemin seemed to lack.

“And?” I inquired, praying to hear some good news.

With a sheepish smile, Jaemin cautiously looked up at me. “We’re visiting her for dinner on Friday,” he announced, and I gripped my hands, trying to refrain myself from beating the shit out of him.

I didn’t sign up for any of this!

I just wanted some shoes.

“I hate you, Na Jaemin,” I angrily declared, storming out of the cinema, ready to indulge myself with plenty of greasy food. It wasn’t the best coping mechanism, but I needed to consume a ridiculous amount of calories in order to forget I was stupid enough to agree to participate in this travesty. “Are you coming or not?!”

 ***

The last thing I wanted was to face my roommates. They must’ve had dozens of questions about this out-of-the-blue date, and I was dreadful because I couldn’t provide them with genuine answers. Perhaps, I could try to confabulate my way out of this, but it was, nonetheless, risky.

Having eaten at least two servings of a delicious greasy meal Jaemin and I went for a stroll under the pretense of taking some more photos for future references.

Around 8 o’clock, I unwillingly made my way home. Even with that romantic aura lurking around us, it was still fun to hang out with Jaemin.

Walking up the stairs to the fourth floor, I wondered about possible solutions to my problem. In a perfect scenario, I’d sneak into my room without anyone noticing, so I wouldn’t have to deal with any prying questions until, at least, early morning.

Unfortunately, the moment I pulled out my keys, the doors swung wide open.

“Well, well, well…” Ten tsked with a mischievous smirk dancing across his gorgeous face. Asshole. How dare he tsk me? “Had fun on your date?” He asked, and I tried my best to ignore him. It wasn’t that easy, though. With Jiwoo backing up his teasing, I was outnumbered.

“So… you and Jaemin, huh?” Jiwoo mused, cocking up her eyebrow in curiosity. “Spill the tea. I didn’t spam your inbox to not hear all the details,” she added, and I rolled my eyes, regretting all of my poor life choices that led me to this moment.

“I’ll bring wine,” Ten hollered before he disappeared in the kitchen, also keen on knowing everything that had happened between us. “Don’t say anything until I get there!”

They wanted to hear a romantic story of how two friends realized they had hots for each other, and that’s exactly what I did. Unwillingly, I provided them with an incredible piece of fiction of how we felt the spark when Jaemin stopped by the other day.

Admittedly, it was easy to go with the flow once the wine molecules were coursing through my veins. With some liquid inspiration in my bloodstream, I narrated how adorable Jaemin had been when he had gathered enough courage to ask me out on a date.

“So I assume you’re bringing Jaemin to the cabin on the weekend,” Jiwoo inquired in a teasing manner, and I blinked in confusion. What cabin was she talking about? “You forgot, didn’t you?”

“Forgot about what?” I asked, still clueless about the whole ordeal. With a confused frown, I wondered what this cabin trip was about. Positively, I didn’t forget about it. It’s impossible to forget about plans you weren’t even invited to.

So, Jiwoo explained everything in great detail.

Apparently, Jaehyun and Johnny planned a weekend getaway to the cabin by the sea. They invited plenty of people, but since it’s the middle of a hectic period of exams, only a small percentage of invitees would be able to make it.

Jaehyun, Johnny, and Lucas gave up trying to get the best grades two semesters ago, so their schedule was pretty much open. Renjun, Chenle, and Yeri were nerds with every necessary book memorized by heart, so they didn’t have to cram the weekend before the tests. Jiwoo, being heads over heels in love with Jaehyun, would even cancel her manicure appointment to make it to that trip. She was that serious about this fratboy for some reason…

And now, two individuals needed a perfect excuse to ditch an uncomfortable family dinner. When a chance presented itself in front of me, I just couldn’t say no.

“I’m going. I don’t know about Jaemin, though. He’s meeting his mom on Friday, but maybe he can make it work.”

“Fantastic,” Jiwoo shouted in excitement before finishing her glass of wine.

“Now, when I think about it, I am glad I’ve taken an extra shift at the gym,” Ten chimed in with a playful smirk as he sipped his wine. “You two simping for each other was painful to watch, but now, when you’re hitting it off, it’s gonna be unbearable.”

“What do you mean simping?” I yelled in a threatening manner, ready to fight him for spitting nonsense so carelessly. I might’ve had a tiny crush on Jaemin, but I wouldn’t call it simping. Also, suggesting the simping was mutual? He must’ve lost his freaking mind. Ridiculous!

“Shit, I didn’t think this through,” Jiwoo mentioned, now probably re-considering if the trip is worthwhile. She would love to hang out with Jaehyun and finally make a move, but on the other hand, she would have to deal with my and Jaemin’s romantic shenanigans.

“Why are you such drama queens? We’ve been on one date, for crying out loud! Stop acting like we’re some kind of overly touchy couple because we’re not,” I barked, having no more energy to argue with them. “We’ll keep PDA to a minimum, don’t worry.”

“No need to get so defensive,” Ten added, enjoying my misery a bit too much.

“I am not getting defensive,” I argued, though facing real trouble, unable to actually back up my perspective. “Anyway, I am going to sleep. Unlike the two of you, some people have real jobs,” I added before storming to my room, plopping onto my bed with a tired groan.

Having changed into my pajamas and sneaked under the covers, I finally dared to connect my phone to the Internet. My inbox was full of texts, so I read them all. I didn’t feel like replying to any of them, though. Instead, I opened my chat with Jaemin.

my love 💖 | 20:41 | I figured it out

my love 💖 | 20:41 | You don’t have to thank me

my love  💖 | 20:41 | Also

my love 💖 | 20:41 | Wtf Jaemin?

my love 💖 | 20:41 | What kind of name is that???

my love 💖 | 20:42 | Change it back

baNANA 🍓 |  20:43 | No. 😘

baNANA 🍓 | 20:43 | The name stays

baNANA 🍓 | 20:43 | You can’t make me 😝😝

baNANA 🍓 | 20:44 | And what don’t I have to thank you for?

my love 💖 | 20:44 | I might’ve found alternative plans for friday

baNANA 🍓 | 20:44 | Oh???

my love 💖 | 20:45 | Jiwoo invited us to the cabin for the weekend

my love 💖 | 20:45 | We’re gonna get so drunk!

my love 💖 | 20:45 | It’s okay if you can’t make it, tho

baNANA 🍓 | 20:45 | Wow

baNANA 🍓 | 20:45 | I have an exam on Monday…

baNANA 🍓 | 20:45 | But I can make Haechan give me his notes

baNANA 🍓 | 20:46 | I wouldn’t miss it

my love 💖 | 20:46 | Good, then it’s a date

baNANA 🍓 | 20:46 | Date??? 🥰🥰

my love 💖 | 20:46 | Stop being so cringy!

baNANA 🍓 | 20:46 | Good night, love~~ 😘

baNANA 🍓 | 20:46 | Dream of me 😇😇😇

my love 💖 | 20:46 | Ugh.

my love 💖 | 20:46 | Disgusting 🤢🤮

baNANA 🍓 | 20:46 | I love you, too

***

As brilliant as my plan was, it fell through. Only partially, though. The little getaway was still a thing, but unfortunately, regardless of how much we tried, we couldn’t reschedule the dinner at Jaemin’s family home.

We still had to pay his parents a visit, but, at least, there was a silver lining.

Thanks to our hectic schedule, Jaemin’s mom wouldn’t have a chance to force us to stay longer. Whether she wanted to feed us dessert or stay the night, it was out of the question.

Since Jiwoo had one more exam to pass on Friday, half of the guests would have to show up later in the evening. Johnny, Jaehyun, Lucas, and Renjun were about to take off around noon while Jiwoo, Yeri, Chenle, Jaemin, and I had to carpool later in the evening.

I didn’t complain, though.

“It’ll be fine. It’s just my mom,” Jaemin reassured me, slipping his hand into mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I bet it’s gonna be like any other time you stopped by,” he added, and I cocked up my eyebrow suspiciously.

“You better be right,” I spoke, though still unconvinced. I knew Jaemin’s mother. She had a tendency to be, hmm…, a little bit extra. Who knew how she would behave now when she found out we were dating?

Since Jaemin was carrying our suitcases, I knocked on the front doors. Jaemin’s mom rushed to let us in, but not before she gave us bone-crushing hugs.

“I think you’ve misunderstood. I invited you for dinner. I didn’t ask you to move in with me,” Mrs. Na jested upon seeing the suitcases in Jaemin’s hands, misinterpreting the situation in the funniest way possible. “It must be shocking, but I enjoy living alone with your father.”

“We’re going to the beach with some friends after the dinner,” Jaemin clarified, and his mother hummed in understanding, acting a bit too cool about it. It’s been a while since Jaemin paid them a proper visit, and she was a little too nonchalant for my liking. “They’re going to pick us up around seven.”

She must’ve done something or was about to do something.

“Here’s some wine,” I spoke up, handing her the bottle as a small thank you gift for inviting us over for a delicious home-made meal.

“Thank you, dear. You’re so thoughtful,” Mrs. Na accepted the beverage, guiding us to the dining area. “I didn’t feel like cooking today, so I ordered some Chinese takeout. I hope you don’t mind,” she added, and I chuckled at her typical antics.

She was an amazing mother to Jaemin, raising him well, but she really was a terrible housewife. She didn’t change one bit, and I loved her for it. She had so much love for her husband, her son, and her son’s friends, and that’s what really mattered.

“Your father will be home in thirty,” she announced before she made a beeline to the kitchen to get a bottle opener. “And the takeout was supposed to arrive twenty minutes ago. If it weren’t for that slow delivery guy, I would’ve got away with my little secret,” she blabbered, laughing awkwardly.

“It’s okay, really,” I reassured her, sending her a genuine smile. “I am craving Chinese food, anyway,” I added before I elbowed Jaemin, so he would say something, too. For a blabbermouth he was, right now, he seemed awfully quiet.

Before Jaemin managed to provide his mother with a proper response, someone knocked on the doors. Since we had already arrived, it must’ve been the delivery guy with food.

“I’ll go get it,” Jaemin excused himself, leaving me alone with his mother.

“So…,” Mrs. Na cleared her throat as he began pouring wine into fancy glasses. “You guys are finally dating. And if you want me to be completely honest, I am a little bit disappointed,” she made a pause to look at me in the eye. What? She didn’t approve of me? That’s surprising; I used to think she adored me. “I am a little bit disappointed either of you didn’t make a move sooner. I was slowly losing hope,” she added, and I sighed in relief.

For a while, I was seriously concerned she didn’t like me.

“Are you expecting any guests? There’s no way we can finish it all by the four of us,” Jaemin commented as he walked into the dining room, setting two plastic bags of takeout. It smelled heavenly, and I couldn’t wait to taste whatever dish Mrs. Na had ordered.

“I can always invite your friends inside when they pull up,” she spoke matter-of-factly, but as soon as Jaemin looked at her sternly, she seconded that idea. “Or, I can pack it up, so you can share it with your friends later.”

“Should we wait for dad?” Jaemin asked when his stomach growled, demanding food. In the morning, he was quite anxious about going to his parents’ house, so he didn’t even bother to eat. Now, Jaemin was starving. He couldn’t wait any longer.

“I’ll get the plates,” his mom spoke, not really answering his question. Within two minutes, she came back with a special set of tableware. In their household, it was used only for holidays and other rare occasions. “Dig in,” she urged us, waiting for us to fill our plates before doing the same herself.

Whatever restaurant provided today’s dinner, it was remarkable. It wasn’t too salty, nor too spicy. Even when I was full, I still stuffed my mouth some more, unable to stop myself.

“You have sauce on your chin,” Jaemin remarked, pointing at his own chin, helping me locate the stray drop of soy sauce. “Here,” he added with a tired shake of his head, wiping it clean with his napkin.

“You two are too adorable,” Mrs. Na cooed, smiling at us widely. “It was worth the wait,” she added, and I creased my forehead in confusion. “Oh, did you hear that? It must be your dad,” Mrs. Na said upon hearing noise from the garage. “You keep eating, I’ll go greet his workaholic ass,” she excused herself with a playful smile before walking away from the table to welcome her husband as any loving wife would.

With a deep sigh, Jaemin leaned toward me, resting his arm on my chair.

“It’s not that bad, actually. I was excepting to go through some kind of FBI-level of interrogation, but she seems kind of chill about this whole thing,” Jaemin whispered into my ear, and I giggled, agreeing with him. It was kind of suspicious, but I couldn’t complain.

“It’s kinda creepy when she’s talking like she’s been rooting for us to end up together, but this one thing aside, it’s bearable,” I replied, and Jaemin nodded his head.

“I am gone for a minute, and you’re all over each other,” Mrs. Na snickered when she returned to the dining room, seeing Jaemin leaned in, only inches apart from my face. “Jaemin, mama’s so proud,” she added before she walked around the room to set the plate for Mr. Na.

“Stop embarrassing me,” Jaemin whined, playing with the food on his plate, pouting. Though his mother pretty much ignored his childish tantrum, I chuckled, finding it absolutely adorable. Maybe she was a teaser, but little Jaemin knew, he inherited it from her. It was time he experienced the taste of his own medicine.

The apple doesn’t fall that far from the tree…

The rest of the afternoon went peaceful. Though Mrs. Na threw in some cheesy remarks here and there, we could handle it. We were slightly buzzed, after all.

“It’s time for us,” Jaemin announced as he heard a car parked in front of the house. “It was nice. We should totally do it again,” he sarcastically added when he reached for my coat and helped me put it on.

“Don’t have too much fun,” she added with a playful smirk upon her face, earning a judging look from her more conservative husband. “No, wait, I second that. Have as much fun as you want. I am a cool parent,” she spoke, changing her mind in a matter of seconds. “And I plan on becoming a cool grandparent.”

At first, I wanted to remind her that we’re too young for children. Besides, technically, we only went on one date. It was definitely too soon to even think about these things, let alone talk about them out loud.

Thankfully, before I managed to say something I’d regret, Jiwoo honked, urging us to get going. If it wasn’t for her impatience, I might’ve ruined the image I had built for myself in Jaemin’s parents’ eyes.

“Your mother was joking! Always use protection,” Mr. Na hollered before he closed the doors after us.

***

Except for a few playful comments shot toward Jaemin and me, the ride was peaceful. As soon as we threw our suitcases into the trunk and squeezed in on the backseat, we hit the road. Jamming to Jiwoo’s playlist, we chatted in excitement, all of us in desperate need of a little vacation. It was a stressful time of a year, but maybe this short trip would actually help us recharge the batteries and calm down after busting our asses off.

“How was the dinner?” Jiwoo asked, staring at us in the rearview mirror. Since there was a limited amount of space, I was almost sitting on Jaemin’s laps. Jiwoo didn’t miss it with her eagle eyes. The way Jaemin played with my fingers didn’t go unnoticed, either.

“Bearable,” I muttered under my breath, not really wanting to recollect these memories now. I’d probably tell Jiwoo everything later, and she understood the subliminal message in a heartbeat. “How was your test?”

“I probably failed, but, at least, now I know what to expect,” Jiwoo answered as she turned to the left as the navigation system instructed her to.

In about two hours, we arrived at our destination.

Having stepped into the cabin with our heavy luggage in our hands, we encountered the middle of the party. A handful of beer bottles were scattered around the living area, the boys fervently discussing some matter.

“You’re finally here,” Jaehyun spoke matter-of-factly, as he noticed us in the threshold. “Go upstairs and leave your stuff in your rooms. We’ve already assigned them; just read the post-it notes stuck to the doors,” he explained before he turned away.

Huh, apparently, they were pros at planning.

The guys rented a cabin that consisted of six tiny bedrooms. Generally, we wouldn’t have a problem assigning them; however, since Jaehyun, Lucas, and Johnny didn’t want to room with anyone, we were facing a dilemma. They guys wanted to have some privacy if they managed to pick someone up at the hotel in the neighborhood. In this case, the six of us had to share rooms. Jiwoo and Yeri could room together. Renjun and Chenle could occupy another one, so it looked like they put Jaemin and me in the last one.

Thankfully, it wouldn’t be the first time when I had to share a bed with Jaemin. He had stayed the night plenty of times before when he dozed off during our Netflix marathons. However, it still was to be a little bit awkward since everybody thought we began dating. We were going to pull through, though.

As soon as possible, we came back downstairs, ready to even the score of consumed alcohol. All of us needed it. Everybody had a different reason for it, but none of our troubles were to be discussed tonight.

In the fridge, there was a whole palette of different types of alcohol. Quickly, I grabbed two tequila-flavored beers, handing one to Jaemin, allowing others to choose their poison.

My plan for tonight was to test every kind of alcohol, gradually going up with the percentages. It was a bad idea, but that’s what college was about – having fun like there’re no consequences.

We partied like there’s no tomorrow.

At first, we kept it simple. Fervent conversations led us to shout at one another, trying to force one perspective over the others. We were going through so many subjects that any sober bystander might’ve had real trouble comprehending how we managed to switch among them.

Then, someone suggested playing a drinking game. Of course, it had to be never have I ever. Everybody had so much fun, especially when the participants yelled at Jaemin and me because we didn’t even bother to abide by the rules. We were sipping our drinks whenever we felt like it, even between rounds, and it didn’t sit right with the rest. Eventually, they kicked us out of their little circle, giving us the crucial task of bringing some snacks from the kitchen.

Sometime past midnight, Jiwoo proposed going outside. It was beautifully snowing, but at the same time, it was freezing. Though I was opposed to this idea, everybody seemed to love it. The guys were throwing snowballs at each other, bringing out their inner child.

As if this wasn’t enough, they decided to take a stroll to the seaside. Though our cabin was maybe a mile away from the seashore, I didn’t particularly fancy the saunter. Jaemin was by my side, offering to warm my hand in his pocket, but I still was on the verge of freezing my ass off. I’d much rather sit by the fireplace under a few blankets with a mug of the mulled wine in my grasp. Apparently, everybody besides me was really intrigued by an ice bath and other winter extreme sports.

Though it was dangerous as fuck, Jiwoo took off her shoes and rolled up her jeans before she walked into the ice water of the sea. Being the dumbass he was, Lucas instantly followed suit.

“They seem to hit it off tonight,” I nonchalantly whispered as I elbowed Jaehyun. Jiwoo and Jaehyun might have a thing going on, but neither of them acted on it. Jiwoo was too whipped to make a move, too afraid of rejection. Jaehyun, on the other hand, was just a fuckboy, not really looking for a relationship. “Look at them. Don’t they look cute?” I carried on, cautiously watching Jaehyun’s expression. They weren’t together, but he seemed slightly jealous and frustrated watching her have lots of fun with Lucas.

In my opinion, he didn’t deserve her, but I didn’t really have a say in that matter. Jaehyun was the person Jiwoo’s heart longed for, and I, being her best friend, had to support that. Or, in this case, I had to give him a little push to get things in motion.

Jaehyun had some feelings for Jiwoo, but he needed some time and character development to fully comprehend them. Until then, it was my duty to remind him what he’s missing out on by not being serious enough to ask her out.

“Nah, I wouldn’t call them cute,” Jaehyun murmured through gritted teeth, positively jealous. “What they’re doing is dangerous; somebody has to stop them,” he added before he kicked off his own shoes, running toward Jiwoo to pick her up and bring her back to the shore.

“What was that?” Jaemin asked, being shook as to what he had witnessed.

“What was what? What do you mean?” I smirked, winking at him, hoping he wouldn’t tell anyone about it. “I didn’t do anything.”

“You played him,” Jaemin spoke, still impressed by how easily I manipulated Jaehyun into stepping into the scene, pulling Jiwoo away from Lucas. “Is this even legal? You’ve never done this one me, have you?”

“No, of course, not! Don’t be ridiculous,” I answered, though my tone suggested a completely different message. “You would’ve known, wouldn’t you?” I teased, chuckling at Jaemin’s funny expression. He was mortified. “I think you’re overreacting. I just pointed out some facts, and Jaehyun reacted to them according to his emotional opinion. I really didn’t do anything,” I added, defending my case.

“Don’t you ever try pulling a trick like that on me, okay?” Jaemin stated, and I nodded, giving him a promise. “I mean… I wouldn’t fall for it, but still, don’t.”

“We should head back to the cabin,” Johnny shouted, gathering the gang. Surprisingly, he seemed the most sober amongst us, so it didn’t come as a shock to me that he tried to look after his hammered friends.

In my opinion, it was a perfect call. I was slowly sobering up, and I definitely needed a refill. With my schedule packed, I had no idea when I would have a chance for another getaway, so I had to make the most out of this one.

As we returned to the cabin, Jaehyun’s eyes didn’t leave Jiwoo.

Jaemin, on the other hand, went upstairs to grab his camera, deciding it was the best time to snap photos. Of course, he had to take pictures of us when we were drunk out of our minds. Why didn’t he take any when we looked decent without smudged make-up?

“Sexy,” Jaemin commented as he pointed his camera at me. “Ahh, sexy,” he kept calling me that, and I stuck my tongue at him, wanting him to go away pester someone else. My hair was a mess, and my lipstick smudged off my lips a long time ago. “So sexy,” he carried on, making me roll my eyes at him. At some point, I tried kicking him, but that bastard was beyond my reach.

Around 2 o’clock, one by one, we began feeling tired.

Lucas was the first one to go. Considering how much alcohol he had drunk, I was surprised he lasted that long. Better yet, it was a shock he could even stand straight. Jaemin and Renjun had to escort him upstairs, but nonetheless, his alcohol tolerance was impressive.

I didn’t even realize when, but Yeri and Chenle managed to fall asleep on the couch. Firmly, Renjun shook them away, ordering them to go to their respective rooms. With tired yawns, they made their way upstairs, falling on their beds face-first.

“Let’s go to sleep,” Jaemin pouted as he sat on the side of the armchair, resting his head on my shoulder. Entwining his hand in mine, he stood up, pulling me up.

“Have fun, guys. We’re calling it a night,” I announced, refraining from yawning.

“No, you have fun,” Jiwoo replied, sending us a wink. Shaking my head, I sighed before we disappeared upstairs. I don’t know what she was thinking; however, I didn’t have the energy to keep my eyes open, let alone other nighttime activities. Besides, Jaemin was just as spent. Even if we were in a real relationship, we wouldn’t engage in half-conscious unsatisfactory messy sex.

“Come here,” Jaemin whispered as he smiled. His eyes were already closed as he patted the mattress beside him, waiting for me to join. “Good job. I think we really sold it to everybody,” he added as he snuggled closer, wrapping his limbs around my body.

“That’s good,” I purred, slowly drifting into dreamland. It was a long day, and it was finally over. Though it had a rough beginning, I ended it in Jaemin’s arms. “Good night.”

“Good night, my love,” Jaemin muttered, resting his head on my pillow right beside my face.

“You were supposed to change that name,” I replied, too drunk or/and too tired to realize it was his spoken words and not a text message.

 ***

During the second week of our relationship, we grew to be less tense around each other. Better yet, we seemed awfully comfortable, almost as if that’s how everything was meant to be. It was a little bit alarming, but I decided not to point that out. Even if it was just an act, I enjoyed it much more than I’d ever dare to admit. As long as it lasted, I was to savor it.

Ever since we came back from the weekend trip, Jaemin would pop up out of nowhere at least once a day with a surprise for me, proving how over the top he could be in courting a woman.

On Monday, he spammed his social media feed with my pictures from the trip. Of course, he didn’t forget to put a corny description under it, making me flustered. Even though I wouldn’t consider myself photogenic, Jaemin managed to bring out my best features with his photography talent and editing skills.

On Tuesday, Jaemin was waiting outside the auditorium with a cute bouquet of my favorite flowers – white roses. He was there to congratulate me on passing my last exam of the semester. The professor would send us results by the end of the week, but according to Jaemin, there was no chance I’d fail it.

“I still don’t get it how you do it,” Jaemin mused, scratching his temple, trying to put two and two together. “I hardly ever see you study, but then, you panic before an exam only to nail it later on. What kind of black magic is this?” He wondered, and I giggled, unable to explain my poor studying technique. I just winged it last minute every single time in my academic career.

“You better be right about this one,” I replied, still anxious about my grade. I didn’t manage to answer all of the questions, so a passing grade would be a relief. “I’m craving pasta. Do you want t go on a celebratory date?”

“You’re reading my mind,” Jaemin said, grabbing my hand, leading me to our favorite restaurant.

On Wednesday, Jaemin invited me to a bowling alley. Every month he would visit the establishment with his friends. Only on rare occasions, their significant others were invited. None of them could really commit to a serious relationship, so it never became a repetitive custom of their group.

“You guys are disgusting,” Haechan whined after our turn. Jaemin and I were losing by an enormous margin, but we didn’t mind. We were having fun despite a low score. “But at least, we’re winning,” Haechan added, pointing at Chenle and himself.

“I am the winner here,” Jaemin boldly announced, giving my hand a light squeeze, making me almost spit my soda.

Everybody cringed at Jaemin’s bold corny statement.

“I second that,” Haechan mused, looking away from Jaemin. “She’s bearable, and you are just absolutely repulsive,” he corrected himself, and I chuckled. Never in my entire life, I thought I would agree on something with Haechan, but this moment occurred right then.

On Thursday, although my schedule was packed with work, Jaemin insisted on hanging out. Tired out of my mind, I let Jaemin inside the apartment. He was carrying Mexican takeout; I couldn’t send him back home. Not when he had goodies.

“What do you want to watch?” I asked as I handed him the remote, allowing him to choose the movie. I was going to pass out anyway, so he might’ve as well picked something he liked.

“Anything is good,” he answered as he unwrapped his quesadilla, taking a bite off of it.

“The Notebook it is then,” I teased, but since Jaemin didn’t stop me, I put it on.

Having eaten my portion of a delicious meal, I lay down on the couch, resting my head on Jaemin’s thighs. I didn’t even realize when I fell asleep. Only when the credits were rolling down on the screen, Jaemin shook me awake.

“When did you fall asleep?” Jaemin inquired, a little bit mad that I forced him to watch the ultimate romantic movie of the twenty-first century. It was toxic as hell, and the way their behavior got romanticized didn’t sit right with me.

“As soon as I lay down,” I answered honestly, as I rolled around, staring at Jaemin’s handsome face. “How did you like the movie?” I asked innocently, swiftly changing the topic. It was for the better if Jaemin didn’t find out I paid no attention to the film. Instead of a great viewing experience, it was just a mere background noise that lulled me to sleep.

“I didn’t,” Jaemin whined, tapping his foot against the floor, making me sit up instantly. “It was toxic and sad at the same time. Noah was a manipulative jerk, and Allie was moody as fuck. The only bright side of their relationship is that they ended up with each other, not ruining other people’s lives,” Jaemin spoke the truth, and I couldn’t agree more. “In conclusion, give me my 2 hours back,” he added, and I hit him with a cushion.

Unable to comprehend what I just did, Jaemin blinked in confusion. Then, a few seconds later, he smirked and grabbed another cushion, ready to fight back.

Unfortunately, our childish antics were interrupted by Jiwoo. She was hanging out with Yuta, studying for the exam they had to retake the next day. To be completely honest, she couldn’t have any worse timing. While watching a movie was explainable, it wasn’t the case when it came to an impromptu pillow fight.

“Should I come back later, or something?” Jiwoo asked, pointing at the doors, willing to leave if it meant for me to get laid.

“Nah, Jaemin’s leaving. I am trying to kick him out, actually,” I announced, sticking my tongue out.

On Friday, Jaemin and I planned on going to the arcade. Unfortunately, we had to raincheck that. One of Jaemin’s coworkers fell sick, and Jaemin had to take a double shift at the coffee shop in his neighborhood.

I already had canceled my other plans to hang out with Jaemin, so I didn’t really want to stay at home all by myself. It was a Friday night, after all. Surprising him at work seemed like a better idea. His friends liked hanging out there; therefore, it must’ve been an excellent excuse for a little bit of acting in order to keep up appearances.

Quickly, I assembled a cute outfit and put on light make-up.

About an hour before the closing, I entered the coffee shop. Except for a few students with their noses in their computers, the establishment was empty.

“Welcome to–,” Jaemin hollered, ready to welcome the customers. “Oh, it’s you. What are you doing here?” He asked as a wide smile spread across his face, enjoying my surprise.

“I just came to surprise you,” I confessed, though none of us paid enough attention to the gravity of my words. I genuinely wanted to hang out Jaemin him as his girlfriend. “And I also wanted to get some discounted goodies. What do you have left?” I asked, looking over his shoulder, trying to see what food didn’t sell yet. An hour before the closing, everything on the menu was discounted by seventy percent, and I just couldn’t walk past that kind of deal.

“You’re not the only one who came for cheap stuff,” Jaemin commented as he saw Haechan and Renjun on the other side of the doors. “Take a seat, I’ll bring you your favorite,” he added, and I smiled at him, walking to the booth by the window.

Having finished my Greek sandwich, I focused on my cup of tea. I was scrolling through social media feed, giggling whenever I stumbled upon a funny meme. It was a perfect evening; complete relaxation in the rhythm of soft foreign jazz music playing through speakers, Jaemin checking up on me once every a couple of minutes.

“Oh, hi, there,” Haechan hollered as soon as he noticed me. He must’ve been returning to his table from a restroom. “I didn’t realize you’re here. What’s up?” We weren’t close, so his question was more like a polite generic statement rather than genuine curiosity.

“I’m waiting for Jaemin to finish, so we can hang out at my place,” I answered, hoping Haechan would get the suggestive tone.

“Actually, there’s something you should know,” he said quietly, looking around, probably checking if Jaemin was within earshot. “I am so ashamed it happened, but I really have to tell you something,” Haechan added, and I couldn’t wait for him to reveal the secret.

Haechan was playing dirty. He wanted to tell me about the bet, ruining Jaemin’s chance at getting me to sleep with him. It was some top-tier double-crossing, and I found it impressive. I had no clue Haechan had it in him.

“We shouldn’t have done it. I don’t know why we even agreed to this,” Haechan added, scratching the back of his head, trying to sound genuinely regretful. “I think Jaemin’s not genuine about the thing you have going on. You see, we made a bet. He has to have sex with you, or else he owes Chenle 500 bucks.”

“What?!” I exclaimed, hoping my consternation was believable. At first, I felt the temptation to say something along, yeah, I know, what’s new, but then I decided to play along. It was actually a good idea to make it seem like Jaemin’s about to lose the bet. Knowing them, they wouldn’t call it off. If anything, Jaemin could double the stakes. “No, it can’t be true. Jaemin would never –“

Now, it was my cue to make a scene. Hopefully, it would play out exactly like in my impromptu prediction.

Reaching the stage of fake hysteria, I rose from my seat and stormed to Jaemin. He was energetically wiping off the tables, wanting to leave shortly after the last customer.

“Is that true? Did you really make a bet you can have sex with me?” I yelled at him through gritted teeth. Jaemin, on the other hand, was confused as fuck. “Did you really think you could get away with it? You disgust me!” I shouted, slapping his cheek. “Don’t ever call me again,” I added before I turned on my heel, storming out of the coffee shop.

Being the only employee at work, Jaemin couldn’t run after me.

Jaemin deserved an explanation. I had to fill him in on my wonderful plan before he would blow it in front of Renjun and Haechan.

my love 💖 | 20:46 | play along

my love 💖 | 20:46 | trust me

my love 💖 | 20:47 | kick them out pls

baNANA  🍓  | 20:47 | wtf???

baNANA 🍓  | 20:48 | that hurt

baNANA 🍓  | 20:48 | I didn’t have to kick them out

baNANA  🍓 | 20:49 | they ran out a few seconds after you

my love 💖 | 20:49 | good

baNANA 🍓  | 20:49 | what the hell is going on???

baNANA  🍓  | 20:50 | I am confused

my love 💖 | 20:50 | Haechan ‘told’ me about the bet

my love 💖 | 20:50 | he wanted to double cross you

baNANA  🍓  | 20:51 | what???

my love 💖 | 20:51 | so the plan is

my love 💖 | 20:51 | they know you don’t stand a chance

my love 💖 | 20:51 | so you double the stakes

my love 💖 | 20:52 | and then bam! we win double the money

baNANA  🍓  | 20:52 | wow

baNANA  🍓  | 20:52 | you’re a genius

my love 💖 | 20:53 | I know

my love 💖 | 20:53 | and since I’m acting like I’m not talking to you

my love 💖 | 20:53 | bye 

my love 💖 | 20:54 | see you @ the party!

 ***

Everything went according to my plan. The guys thought I was pissed with Jaemin, while Jaemin still tried to convince them he stands a chance to court me. It was kind of ironic, they wanted to play me, but it was them getting played.

Together with Jiwoo and Ten, we came extra early to Jaehyun’s party. Still being stuck in friendzone, Jiwoo went out of her way to help him out. Today it meant setting up all types of decorations all over the fraternity house and preparing different kinds of snacks.

Around seven, an Uber pulled up in front of our building. Not to brag, but despite the limited amount of time, we managed to dress up to the nines.

I decided to keep it simple. My outfit consisted of a pair of skinny high-waisted black jeans, a long-sleeved sequin embellished crop top, and a pair of ankle-high boots.

Jiwoo, on the other hand, was wearing a two-piece baby pink dress and a pair of massive mid-thigh black leather platform combat boots. She looked fierce, like a weird baby of 90’s Britney Spears and Marilyn Mason.

Though Ten’s outfit looked the most effortless, it took him longer than us to put it together. Having thrown every single thing from his closet on the bed, Ten experienced a mild crisis. Even though he looked gorgeous in everything, he didn’t seem to believe us. Only after the off-hand intervention, he agreed to play it cool with a pair of ripped jeans, a black shirt with three top buttons left untouched, and an oversized leather jacket.

Once we arrived at Jaehyun’s fraternity, nothing was ready. Thankfully, it wasn’t my problem. Jiwoo was the one who volunteered to help out. Ten and I were about to vibe in the corner, letting other people arrange the place according to Jaehyun’s vision.

Trying our best not to disturb others, Ten and I watched the way the smelly fraternity sex mansion turned into a festive valentine’s manor.

“I hope she’s gonna get laid today,” I whispered into Ten’s ear, looking at Jiwoo working like a busy bee around the house.

“She better; that’s really painful to look at,” Ten agreed, looking a little bit disappointed. Jiwoo was at Jaehyun’s beck and call, and it was about time he acknowledged her feelings.

Around nine o’clock, it was getting a little bit crowded.

Music was blasting through the speakers. Some of the fratboys were already looking for their next conquest. Girls were dancing on a makeshift dance floor in the middle of the living area, suggestively swaying their hips, teasing whoever was watching with their sexy moves.

Later on, when I was in the middle of my fourth drink of the night, Jaemin finally showed up. Together with Haechan, Jeno, Renjun, and Chenle, they walked through the threshold. They all looked great, but Jaemin stood out in the crowd. After all, he was the only one to put on a suit jacket over his white T-shirt. While the rest rocked the comfortable outfits, Jaemin opted for a more elegant look.

Almost as if he wanted to impress someone. Or at least, apologize properly, trying every sly trick to make me forgive him.

Upon entrance, his eyes searched me in the crowd, and when he met my gaze, a smile stretched across his face. Shyly, he raised his hand, wanting to wave at me, but since I stubbornly turned my head around, playing my role of offended woman, he lowered it.

“I’ve seen an ATM on our way here,” Renjun commented, knowing Jaemin didn’t stand a chance of winning the bet.

“It won’t be necessary,” Jaemin replied, following me with his gaze. “I didn’t lose it yet,” he added, and the guys laughed at him. There was no way he still thought he could woo me. “I still have a few hours left; I am not going to give up.”

“You’re such a loser,” Jeno interjected as regret washed through him. Although he didn’t actively participate when the bet was placed, he didn’t oppose it. He was an idle bystander, allowing other people to ruin our friendship. It didn’t sit right with him, but it was too late. The damage was already done, and Jaemin was going to embarrass himself even further. “She doesn’t deserve any of this.”

“It’s not like that,” Jaemin started, but he refused to explain how exactly it was like.

“You’re still gonna fail,” Haechan added with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. Back at the coffee shop, he ruined Jaemin’s chance for success. “Hey there, beautiful,” Haechan spoke when his attention was snatched by one of the girls who walked past them.

Once the boys divided to greet other friends, Jaemin strolled to the kitchen. I was there, and he needed to initiate the first step of our plan.

Sincere apology.

“Can we talk?” Jaemin whispered as he reached out to grab my hand, interrupting my conversation with Ten and Yeri. “Let me explain. You don’t have to say anything. I just want you to listen to me,” he asked, and I unwillingly complied, letting him lead me toward an abandoned corner in the living area. No one could hear us talk, but at the same time, everybody could see us.

“What do you want, Jaemin,” I barked, folding my arms across my chest, startling myself with how good I managed to behave like an angry ex-girlfriend. Though it was my last semester, maybe I should change my major to professional acting.

“Wow. You’re too good at this,” Jaemin commented before he proceeded with his part. “Anyway, I made this card for you. I hope it finds you well,” he announced before he pulled an envelope out of the inner pocket of his suit jacket.

Cautiously, I took the valentine’s card out of the envelope. Once I saw the front page, I couldn’t help but laugh. Jaemin must’ve done it himself, or he stole it from Jeno’s four-year-old niece. It was all covered in hearty stickers and glitter.

Jaemin definitely wasn’t a poet. He had never stood next to one, either.

Instead of a heartfelt apology and love confession, there was a short corny message which simultaneously made me cringe and chuckle.

Are you a ba-NANA? Cause I find you a-peeling.

From Your Love

P.S. it’s from me, your Jaemin

“You’ve really outdone yourself,” I spoke, shaking my head, trying my best not to grin. I was supposed to hate him, but it was too difficult. “I am gonna walk away now. Approach me once you raise the stakes.”

Although I didn’t want to party without Jaemin by my side, it was what I had to do. Having sent him a faint smile, I turned around and walked away, giving Jaemin some time to initiate part two of our plan.

Having drunk a few fancy shots Ten had made for me, we hit the dance floor. At first, we just jumped in the rhythm. However, when the DJ played the song we had practiced at the dance studio, everybody stepped to the side, making enough room to let us perform the choreography.

With alcohol coursing in my system, my moves weren’t as precise as usual – they still earned a round of applause.

“Hey, hey, hey, are you having fun?” Drunk as a skunk, Jaehyun shouted through the microphone connected to the DJ’s console. “How about we slow up the tempo?” Jaehyun yelled, and everybody cheered, making a lot of noise. “Tonight’s the love festival, and I, the valentine’s boy, specifically request every find a person to slow dance with.”

Having set the microphone aside, Jaehyun pushed DJ away from the console, putting on his Cigarettes After Sex playlist. The first song which graced our ears was Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You.

“Can I have this dance?” Jaemin appeared out of nowhere by my side, extending his hand for me to take. “Please?” He looked into my eyes, waiting for my response, looking hopeful.

As soon as I nodded, Jaemin grabbed my hand and gently pulled me against his firm body, resting his left hand on my back, holding me still, making sure I’d not run away. With my head resting against his chest, we swayed slowly, getting lost in our little world.

“They think I am a terrible person,” Jaemin whispered into my ear, his breath tickling my skin. “They seriously think I’d try to ruin our friendship with this bet,” he carried on, and I hummed, taking an inhale, getting hit with Jaemin’s musky cologne.

The boys truly underestimated the power of our friendship. Jaemin and I told each other almost everything. It was bold of them to assume I had no idea about the bet.

“Don’t worry about it,” I replied as I had closed my eyes, getting lost in the moment. “Everything will come back to normal soon enough,” I added, trying to ignore the bittersweet taste of my statement. Our fake relationship had an expiration date, and it was near.

“You’re right. Everything will come back to normal,” Jaemin repeated my words as he rested his chin on top of my head, pulling me even closer. “You’re the best fake girlfriend I’ve ever had,” he added, pressing an innocent peck against my hairline.

“How many fake girlfriends have you had?” I asked, chuckling, sounding a bit jealous.

“Anyway,” Jaemin started, trying to change the subject. “The guys took the bait. And now, judging by the stupid looks on their faces, they’re shitting their pants.”

“Once the song is over, we should initiate the third phase of our plan,” I commented, wanting to be over with this. In about a minute, I was about to pull Jaemin out of the dance floor and lead him to the bathroom upstairs, where we would do the deed.

When another song from Jaehyun’s playlist echoed in the room, all the other couples kept dancing. Jaemin and I, on the other hand, were about to not so discreetly sneak upstairs.

Unfortunately, we met an obstacle on our path.

It was Jaehyun, pointing his phone at our faces.

“It’s a kiss cam. Do what you gotta do,” he spoke, and I creased my forehead in utter confusion. What the hell was he doing? What the hell was a kiss cam? It was a frat party, not a baseball match. Didn’t he have a beer pong championship to win or something?

“What?”

“Do I really have to explain this to everyone? Jesus,” Jaehyun complained, taking a deep sigh, trying to ease his irritation. “It’s Valentine’s day! I am Valentine’s boy! And this is a kiss cam. You kiss, and I take pictures,” he explained, but I wasn’t convinced. “Hurry up! I have to take like 50 more of them.”

At first, I didn’t want to do it. But then, a thought crossed my mind. Who would believe Jaemin and I had sex if I refused to give him a kiss. It was just one kiss; it wouldn’t hurt.

Having licked my lips, I smiled at Jaemin before I wrapped my hands around his neck, giving him a chaste smooch. It lasted maybe a few seconds, but it still made me uneasy. Even if it was just a brief peck, it was too much for my poor heart.

“What the fuck was that?” Jaehyun groaned in disappointment. “One more time, guys. That’s how you kiss your mother, not your girlfriend. You can do better.”

“Show him how it’s done, Jaemin,” I encouraged him, giving him permission to assault my lips, hoping it would happen to be one hell of a performance.

Having smirked, Jaemin leaned forward, pressing his lips gently against mine. Cautiously, he deepened the kiss, knocking the air out of my lungs, making my legs shake under my weight. His hands held my chin in place as his tongue slipped through my lips.

Out of a sudden, nothing else mattered. Jaemin and I were in our bubble, and despite it being a one-time thing, I wished it lasted forever. Whatever expectations I had about this moment, it wasn’t even close to reality.

Jaehyun cleared his throat, wanting to pull us out of our trance. In vain, though. I moved my lips against Jaemin’s in slow sync, letting the sweet sensation strip me of the last remains of dignity. I was to savor every second of it, basking in bliss.

“Ekhem,” Jaehyun grunted, starting to feel a little bit flustered. “You guys done?”

Once we broke apart to take a breath, Jaehyun spoke again.

“Have you seen Jiwoo, by the way?”

“Yeah, I think she went for a smoke with Lucas,” I answered casually, watching panic display on Jaehyun’s face. It was evident he didn’t fancy the newfound information. “She went outside like half an hour ago, though. I wonder what it takes them so long,” I added, planting another grain of doubt in his subconscious.

As soon as anxiety downed on him, Jaehyun bolted outside. He better, though. If Jaehyun wasn’t going to make a move on Jiwoo tonight, I was about to find another guy to ship her with.

“You did it again,” Jaemin pointed out, and I just shrugged, dismissing his comment. So what? One push in the right direction wasn’t enough for Jaehyun to grow up, so I decided to be generous enough to give him a second chance.

“Are you ready for phase three?” I asked Jaemin, but before he managed to reply, I grabbed his hand, pulling him across the dance floor. Giggling, I ran through the sea of people, not so accidentally bumping into Chenle, almost spilling his beer.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry,” I hollered, giggling. Now, when I had Chenle’s attention, we could sneak upstairs to proceed with the final step of our plan. “Come on, Jaemin, let’s go. I am horny,” I added, probably overdoing my part. Unfortunately, the words were already spoken. I couldn’t take them back.

Having locked the bathroom doors behind us, I jumped onto the countertop. “Don’t you think it’s a bit creepy they’re gonna eavesdrop on us bang? It’s kinda off-putting, you know…”

When Jaemin wanted to speak, somebody knocked on the doors. It must’ve been one of Jaemin’s friends, checking if we were indeed fucking. “It’s occupied,” Jaemin hollered, mentioning for me to start my performance.

“Fuck, Jaemin! Eat me out, already,” I yelled, pressing my hands against my mouth, trying to stifle my laugher. This situation was ridiculous, and I couldn’t help myself but giggle. I had only a few drinks, yet I felt like I was high as a kite. “Yes, like that! Ahhh…”

“Can’t wait to fuck that tight hole,” Jaemin played along, almost dying of alcohol-induced tittering. We were definitely having too much fun.

“Right there, Jaemin!” I screamed, holding my stomach as it began aching due to excessive cackling. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, right there,” I moaned loudly, kicking my head back. “Don’t tease me, please!”

“I gotta get you ready for my cock, love,” Jaemin growled, and I gasped, my mind conjuring the forbidden image®.

“Just fuck me! I need your cock inside of me now!” I groaned, hoping whoever was on the other side of the doors heard enough of what was going inside. “Mmmm… you stretch me out so well…” I purred, almost falling off the counter when another round of uncontrollable laughter tried to erupt from my throat.

“Fuck, you’re still so tight.”

“Jaemin! Fuck, I am close. Keep going,” I yelled, mentally preparing for the big finale. This whole act was a vocal performance, and it was time I finished. “I’m coming! Come with me!”

“It was spectacular,” Jaemin whispered so only I could hear him. “I have one more favor, though,” he added, shying away. Oh no, he was about to ask about something stupid.

“What is it?”

“It could’ve been some random dude,” he admitted, scratching the back of his head, unsure how to voice his supplication. “Give me your panties. It’ll be the definite proof.”

“You’re joking,” I deadpanned, staring into his eyes, waiting for him to say it was just a harmless prank. “You’re serious,” I added as soon as I realized Jaemin meant it.

“Come on, I won’t be sniffing them,” Jaemin nagged, and I rolled my eyes. I didn’t even think about it, but now that he mentioned it, I had another reason not to comply with his weird-ass request. “I’ll give them back, I promise.”

“I can’t believe I am considering this,” I cursed under my breath. If any other person would like such a favor from me, I’d deny it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I had a soft spot for Jaemin, so denying him didn’t come easy to me.

Hell, I wouldn’t be here if I was able to say no to him.

“You owe me big time,” I caved in, jumping off the countertop, stepping behind the shower curtain, providing myself with some privacy. “Don’t peek. Even if I slip, you gotta stay on the other side. Got it?” I added as I stuck my head through the curtain.

“Scout’s honor,” Jaemin pledged, and I rolled my eyes. He was a scout for maybe a week. His honor didn’t mean shit.

Clumsily, I took off my shoes and jeans. “Here,” I warned before I threw my panties over the curtain. “I am too sober for this,” I nagged, trying to put my skinny jeans back on.

“Let’s do celebratory shots!” Jaemin suggested, balling up my undergarments, hiding them in his pocket. “We deserve it,” he added, landing me a helping hand when I was stepping out of the shower.

“Let’s go.”

***

Needless to say, Jaemin won the bet.

Unfortunately, it meant the inevitable end of our fake relationship. It was fun when it lasted, and though I’d miss these times, it was time to set the record straight.

As we had discussed, we had to arrange our break up.

Sometime next week, Jaemin stopped by to give me half of the prize. Since the boys had been stupid enough to fall for our little charade, I received a large sum of money. It was Chenle who sponsored the prize. Because of that, I didn’t feel particularly sorry about deceiving them. After all, Chenle was so loaded; he wouldn’t notice if he lost that kind of money on the street. I could finally buy these shoes which I had been dreaming of for so long! Better yet, I'd still have some money left to spoil myself some more.

“How should we do it?” Jaemin asked quietly. Ever since he came, he avoided my gaze, staring at the floor.

“I don’t know,” I unwillingly answered. This conversation was the last thing I wanted to do right now, but it had to be done. Better sooner or later, before I’d catch some real feelings for Jaemin. I had no idea how I would pick up the pieces of my broken heart if we kept this act any longer. “Let’s just delete all posts we published. Someone will figure out something’s wrong, and when they spread the word, we’ll explain we decided to remain friends.”

Maybe I wasn’t in tears, but I felt regret wash through me. Though our relationship had never been a real thing, it felt like it.

And it hurt.

“Alright then,” Jaemin complied, rubbing his hands against his thighs before he pulled out his phone to erase any digital footprint of our brief romance. His thumb hovered over the delete button for a while. After a few moments of hesitation, when he didn’t hear any sign of protest from my side, he pressed it, sending our memories to a bottomless void. “And it’s gone.”

“Are we cool?” I asked, hoping that nothing would change between us. I had a hunch it would take me some time to get used to how things had been before the relationship fiasco. Nonetheless, I still had hope we could remain best friends without any awkwardness.

“Of course,” Jaemin answered with a faint smile, but I didn’t fully believe him. Something was off, and it bothered us. Shame that none of us dared to begin this topic.

After he left that day, we saw each other very seldom. We barely even spoke to one another. If it wasn’t for the group chats we were both in, we wouldn’t talk at all.

Jaemin had said we were cool, but it was evident we weren’t.

It was eating me from the inside out, but whenever somebody asked me about the break-up, I’d always shrug it off, confirming everything’s great. I would tell our friends nothing changed between us. There was nothing wrong; our schedules are just incompatible these days.

When I had pretended I was in a relationship with Jaemin, it was easy. It came naturally, and everyone ate it up without any second thoughts. Unfortunately, now, when I was trying to play it cool, no one seemed to buy it. Thankfully, they didn’t confront me about it. Instead, they offered me their support if I ever needed anything.

In my head, I had a few wild scenarios in which I tell Jaemin we should date for real. However, at the same time, a little devil on my shoulder was telling me it should never leave the realm of fantasy. It’s ridiculous to think Jaemin would reciprocate my feelings.

I felt as if sadness took over my body. Though I was smiling on the outside, I was filled with regret. Barely anything sparked joy these gloomy days. Even this pair of shoes, which I wanted so badly, didn’t stir any positive emotion. I bought them, but I never took them out of the box.

Jiwoo had taken me out on a few girls’ nights to make me feel better. Men are trash – she would always say when Jaehyun ignored her yet another text. Even though they had fucked each other at Jaehyun’s birthday party and agreed to become exclusive, Jaehyun still had lots of problems committing to a monogamous relationship. They hadn’t officially labeled it, but everyone knew Jaehyun was slowly caving in.

Fratboys’ habits die hard, but Jaehyun was finally shaping himself into boyfriend material. He no longer slept around, as far to my knowledge at least, but he still lacked in some departments. For instance, it would take him way too much to text back.

“You were so adorable together,” Jiwoo began after she gulped down another rum and coke. Despite her high alcohol tolerance, she was already drunk, speaking with no filter. “I mean… you were simping for him for so long, and you finally managed to jump that dick.”

“Your point being…” I inquired, finishing my drink. Though Jaemin and I had never had sex, I didn’t want to admit that. What would Jiwoo thought if I told her it was all-pretend?

“I shipped you guys so hard,” Jiwoo confessed. “Ten shipped you too, but he will never admit that,” she added, and I giggled. Now, that was an interesting take. Ten was so random at many aspects of life; it came to me as a surprise he even had an opinion on my relationship with Jaemin. “Can I just take some duck tape and put my ship back together?”

“I am not sure Jaemin would like that,” I answered with a sigh, my mood instantly decreasing.

“Nonsense,” Jiwoo replied in a heartbeat. “This guy is even worse than you,” she revealed, and I rolled my eyes, not buying this. At least a few times a week, at my lowest moments, I happened to check Jaemin’s social media updates. He didn’t seem to mope around at all.

“I find it hard to believe,” I muttered, trying not to get too emotional.

“I mean it,” Jiwoo confirmed her previous statement, eager to explain her thesis. “Jaehyun and I went on a little date to the coffee shop where Jaemin works,” she started, and I nodded, not really sure what she was getting at. Nonetheless, I let her continue. I was curious what Jaemin had been up to. And since he didn’t seem to want to tell me anything himself, I’d accept any type of second-hand information from Jiwoo. “Jaemin misses you. You have no idea how many times I caught him daydreaming. He still has your photo set on his lock screen, and he stares at it a lot.”

Now, that’s interesting.

I had no recollection of Jaemin ever setting my photo as his background picture. Even if Jiwoo was right, it meant he set after we had broken up. It made no sense at all, and I was too drunk to try to comprehend the meaning of this.

Instead, I ordered another round, trying to stifle all the brooding emotions within me.

***

February was the month of parties. Too many birthdays fell during this hectic period, and I had trouble keeping up with them. Fortunately, Ten’s party was the last one of the month. After a small get together at our place, I’d have some time off to relax by myself, most preferably, without alcohol.

Being the semi-hosts with Jiwoo, it was our duty to help Ten organize everything regarding his party. Though our trio was a little bit disorganized, somehow, we managed to get everything ready before anyone arrived.

Maybe it wasn’t comparable to birthday parties at fraternity houses; it still had its charm. It wasn’t as wild, but guests still were having a great time in the company of their closest friends. However, what was the most important, Ten had a blast.

It was his day; he deserved everything he wanted.

Trying my best not to embarrass Ten, I decided to socialize with his friends.

It was time I move on. It took me way too long to mourn a relationship that wasn’t even real. I couldn’t let my brooding mood ruin the party.

“Hmm… Ten has never mentioned you before,” I confessed, not finding it particularly odd. Ten didn’t have secretive nature; he just wasn’t the type of person to over-share. And he often forgot to even mention stuff about his personal life.

“I can’t say I am surprised,” Hendery replied, making me giggle. It was fun chatting with him. Hendery was hilarious, and he knew many secrets regarding Ten. It was my mission to get as much information from him as it was possible. I would need it for blackmailing purposes, of course.

Hiding out in the kitchen, we sipped beer and exchanged rumors as if we were two gossip girls. It was too entertaining to stop. I was incredibly immersed in the conversation; I didn’t even realize when someone tapped my shoulder.

“Can we talk?” I heard the question, recognizing the voice in an instant. It belonged to Jaemin, and it seemed to be laced with both jealousy and irritation. The way he phased his plea gave me flashbacks of the conversation we had at Jaehyun’s party.

I really wanted to continue my discussion with Hendery, but I couldn’t say no to Jaemin. It wasn’t how my brain was programmed. Besides, I missed him a lot.

“Excuse me, I’ll be right back,” I told Hendery before I grabbed Jaemin’s hand, leading him to my room, locking the doors behind us.

“Nothing was supposed to change,” Jaemin started as he sat at the edge of my bed, leaning forward with his upper body propped on his elbows. His gaze was trained on the floor, too frustrated to look up at me.

“I know,” I whispered as I sat down in my chair on the other side of the room. My first instinct was to kneel in front of Jaemin, kiss his forehead, and assure him that everything’s going to be alright.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like a good idea, so I refrained from doing so. “I am sorry, it’s my fault.”

“Don’t,” Jaemin interjected before I embarrassed myself even further. “We’re both at fault.”

Despite the loud party noises coming from the other side of the doors, my bedroom was filled with deafening silence. It was awfully uncomfortable, and it was probably a good thing. One of us would get annoyed eventually and cave in, letting out all the bottled up emotions.

“I missed you,” I admitted, staring at my hands. I was all fidgety, and although I was too embarrassed to reveal my inner feelings, Jaemin deserved to know this much.

“I missed you, too,” he genuinely confessed, showing me a shy smile. “Actually, I missed you more than I thought it was possible to miss a person,” Jaemin carried on, and I held my breath, not ready to hear whatever he had to say. “You have no idea how much I wanted to text you or call you, but ultimately decided not to because I was sure you don’t want me to.”

“Jaemin,” I spoke, not really sure what I should say next. I had too many things I wanted to tell him about. However, now when he was here, I couldn’t properly voice my thoughts.

“Are you dating this guy you were talking to in the kitchen?” Jaemin asked out of the blue, catching me off guard with this random accusation. “Or do you want to date him? You two looked like you’re having a great time together,” he added, and I rolled my eyes. At first, Jaemin acted on his jealously, but then, insecurity crept in.

“I don’t know. I met Hendery today, but he seems like a great guy,” I answered honestly, thinking of possibilities of me trying to pursing something of romantic nature with Hendery. After our brief encounter, I could tell he’s fun to be around. And honestly speaking, I might’ve considered dating him if I hadn’t already had feelings for someone else.

Unfortunately, right now, I wasn’t in the right state of mind to date. Not when I was still hung up on my best friend.

“I probably won’t, though. I like somebody else,” I confessed, gaining Jaemin’s interest. Instantly, he sat up, staring into my eyes, patiently waiting for the reveal. “I am stupid, but I like this one guy. He’s such a jerk, I can’t even… he’s been ghosting me for weeks now,” I carried on, hoping Jaemin would get the hint.

Two weeks ago, we promised each other nothing would change. Despite our good intentions, it did. Even though I hadn’t told Jaemin how I really felt, I still lost my best friend.

My silence didn’t save this friendship. I tried to bottle up my emotions to secure our unbreakable bond. It didn’t work, so I figured confessing my feelings wouldn’t do any more harm. Surely, Jaemin was going to reject me, but at least, I’d clear the air between us.

Hopefully, my confession, followed by a harsh rejection, would help me move on.

Instantly, Jaemin ran up to my chair and knelt in front of me, trying to look into my eyes. “Please tell me this jerk is me,” Jaemin urgently spoke, unable to handle any more suspense. Jaemin’s gaze was hopeful, and it was too much for me to comprehend.

“What?” I asked, still being overwhelmed by confusion. What was going on? Why was Jaemin on his knees in front of me? Nothing made sense. How was I supposed to wrap my head around it? “I mean… yeah, it’s you. Who else could it be?”

“You have no idea how sorry I am,” Jaemin confessed as he grabbed my hand and yanked me against his chest, wrapping his arms around me, giving me a tight hug. “You could’ve said something… anything,” he added as he pulled back his head, placing a chase kiss against my forehead.

“I didn’t want to scare you away,” I admitted quietly, unable to break free from Jaemin’s cone-crashing embrace. I couldn’t believe he was so close. Na Jaemin was holding me in his arms, letting me listen to his rapid heartbeat.

“The worst two weeks of my life,” Jaemin spoke, once again breaking the silence. “It felt at least like two centuries,” he added, making me chuckle. Of course, it was an exaggeration, but it’s how I felt, too.

“How about we start over?” I proposed, taking a step backward to have a proper look at him. “Will you go on a date with me? This time around for real, no pretending,” I carried on, trying not to grin like an idiot.

“No.”

“What?”

What the fuck was that?

Did I misunderstand Jaemin’s words? I thought he felt the same, but apparently, he didn’t? Everything suggested he followed my flow only to crush my expectations, later on, leaving a big ass scar and more trust issues.

“I mean yes, but I should be me asking you out. Definitely not the other way around,” Jaemin clarified, making me relax. Thankfully, my mini panic attack was uncalled for. It was just my brain over-analyzing everything, conjuring the worst possible scenario.

“Then you better do your best to woo me,” I teased, wondering if he was willing enough to take the bait. It was just a mere joke, reminding me how it all began. He had wooed me once, and I wasn’t going to oppose to a second attempt. “Fun dates, romantic messages, silly gifts. I want it all,” I added, going a little bit overboard with my request list.

“Everything can be arranged,” Jaemin replied with a lopsided smile before he tightened his grip, almost crashing my bones in the process.

***

Jaemin and I began dating. This time around, it was real; no more pretending, no more stupid bets. Just two people who had discovered friendship could never be enough.

Even though I had told Jaemin I was just joking about this whole wooing thing, he refused to accept it, going to extreme lengths to make my heart flutter. I was already stupidly in love with him, yet he kept trying to make me swoon even more.

Despite our busy schedules, we made sure to see each other every day. It could’ve been a date at the arcade or just a quick coffee or a video call. In all honestly, I gladly accepted any form of contact from Jaemin.

I hated the prospect of going through a day without any message from him.

Except for many mini and maxi dates, Jaemin would also spoil me with plenty of encouraging notes of many kinds. Each massage from Jaemin was even sillier from the previous one. He never ceased to amaze me.

At first, Jaemin would stick post-it notes in different places in my room. Whenever I paid no attention, he would quickly write one for me to find it later. Whenever I saw sleep tight message stuck to my bedpost or you looked extra sexy today attached to the mirror, I smiled like an idiot, imaging Jaemin writing it.

If Jaemin forgot about post-it notes, he would always make it up to me by sending me corny direct messages. We would always text each other before sleep, and Jaemin never failed to make me smile with words such as:

If you happen to have wet dreams of me, you gotta tell me everything that happened. We can recreate it later.

I saw some sexy lingerie on my way home. Your ass would look amazing in it. I’m gonna buy it for you when I get my paycheck.

You’re the reason I wake up in the morning. Just kidding, I have to pee.

Whenever we went out, Jaemin would also scribble something either on a napkin or on a receipt. One time, Jaemin even gave a crumbled piece of paper that he was carrying in his pocket for some reason.

You know I’d give you my kidney, right? And a piece of the liver if you ask nicely. I hope you would do the same for me.

When we have kids, I’ll let you name the first one. Don’t fuck it up.

You’re my favorite pain in the ass.

You are stuck with me. You better get used to it.

Messy notes weren’t sufficient for Jaemin. Although I was more than content with the attention and affection he was giving me, it wasn’t enough for Jaemin. With each massage, he had to out-do himself.

Jaemin even wrote me a song! Or at least, he tried to write me a song.  It was really bold of him to assume I didn’t know the lyrics to Jonas Brothers’ Sucker. I loved this song, and even though I perfectly knew it wasn’t Jaemin’s piece of work, I still appreciated the gesture.

Later on, his love letters reached another level of ridiculousness. Jaemin sent me a love e-mail, and if that doesn’t prove how extra he can get, I don’t know what can.

Jaemin didn’t stop there. No, it was just a warm-up.

When I was checking the mailbox, I found a paper plane stuck in between bills. Jaemin must’ve put it there, probably after one of his frequent visits to my apartment. Though the paper plane was a little bit crumbled, I found it incredibly adorable. On its wing, it had “open me” written with Jaemin’s messy handwriting. Inside there was a corny message that turned my insides in absolute cringe.

Your wings already exist. All you have to do is fly.

A few days later, Jaemin gave me a CD with the love playlist he had made for me. Carefully, he had chosen our favorite songs and burned them on a disc. I had no means to actually play it, but I adored the gesture.

Jaemin’s creativity did not disappoint. At this point, he might send me a love letter via a fax machine, and I wouldn’t be surprised. There were no limitations to his imagination, and it was one of the many things I loved about him.

Neither of us dropped the L-bomb yet, but we really didn’t need to. Though that dreaded word has yet to be spoken, we perfectly knew how we felt about each other. We would do anything for one another; no doubt in that.

Having exceeded my expectations, Jaemin proved himself worthy of being my boyfriend. Or rather, he showed me he was way out of my league. When he was bending over backward, I was passively basking in the glory of Jaemin’s confessions. Relationships were about giving and taking, and it seemed our balance was off.

It was time we switched roles. It was only fair if I tried to creep my way into his heart the way he had been wooing mine.

As soon as I cleaned up the apartment and pampered myself a little bit, I pulled out my phone, quickly texting Jaemin. Hopefully, he wasn’t that busy.

my love 💖 | 18:12 | U want to come over?

baNANA 🍓 | 18:16 | 😏

baNANA 🍓 | 18:16 | You miss me???

my love 💖 | 18:17 |  🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡 🤡

my love 💖 | 18:17 | nvm forget I asked

baNANA 🍓 | 18:17 | 😧 😧 😧

baNANA 🍓 | 18:18 | I’ll be in an hour

baNANA 🍓 | 18:18 | want me to bring anything?

my love 💖 | 18:19 | nah, just get your cute butt over here

baNANA 🍓 | 18:19 | ?????

baNANA 🍓 | 18:19 | are you high??

baNANA 🍓 | 18:19 | should I be concerned?

Okay, I had an hour to prepare something for our impromptu date. It was fine; it was more than enough than I needed. The apartment was already clean, so I just had to whip something to eat and cool the bubbles.

For some reason, I felt in a celebratory mood. Whatever tempo Jaemin and I had, it worked in two week periods. We had fake-dated for fourteen days before we called it quits. Then, we didn’t talk to each other for two weeks. Tonight another period came by, and I wanted to celebrate it, hoping to break the unfortunate chain of bad luck.

The alcohol was already in the refrigerator. Having put on an apron, I opened all the cabinets around the kitchen, quickly analyzing the ingredients and what I can make out of them. It wasn’t much, but pasta would have to be enough.

It wasn’t a fancy dish, but I was made it with love, so Jaemin shouldn’t have any complaints. Pouring my emotions into the pasta was to make it extra flavorful.

When the sauce was slowly cooking on the stove, I decorated the table. I wanted to provide Jaemin with some high-end restaurant experience despite being in my cramped apartment. It was the best thing out of two words; we had all privacy in the world offered by a homely atmosphere, but at the same time, we would eat some beautifully garnished food.

Just when I was about to drain the pasta, someone knocked on the doors.

“Coming,” I hollered before I put the pot in the sink, wiping my hands on the apron before making my way to answer the doors. “Hey there, beautiful,” I greeted Jaemin with a playful remark, standing on my toes to press a brief smooch on his adorable lips. It took him off guard, but in some sense, he liked it.

“Hey, it’s my line,” Jaemin nagged when his hands found purchase on my hips, bringing me closer for another kiss since one was never enough. “What do you have there? It smells delicious,” Jaemin turned his head, trying to peek inside to see what surprise I had prepared for him.

“You know, just some carbs,” I answered vaguely, sending him a playful smirk, not wanting to ruin the surprise. I wanted him to sit down at the table and wait for me to bring the whole dish and pour us some cheap champagne.

Jaemin took off his shoes, kicking them to the side. A second later, he handed me his coat, and I put it on the hanger. Jaemin was wearing a pair of gray jeans and a mint oversized hoodie, and I drooled over this comfortable look. He didn’t have to try hard to impress me.

“Just wait here. I’ll be back in a sec,” I spoke when I guided Jaemin to the table, forcing him to sit down in the chair. Jaemin wanted to help me out in the kitchen, but I firmly refused. Tonight I wished to impress Jaemin; he didn’t have to move a finger.

“I know it’s not much, but I hope you’ll still like it,” I whispered when I put a plate in front of him. “Dig in,” I added as I sat on the other side of the table, carefully trying to pop the champagne bottle open. Though I hated doing it, too afraid of breaking something or hurting someone, tonight I wanted to try it.

“What’s the occasion,” Jaemin wondered as he fondly watched me fight with the bottle. “Do you need some help? You’re gonna hurt yourself,” Jaemin offered, genuinely concerned about my safety. However, I just turned around, wanting to finish it by myself.

It took me good five minutes to pop it. And when I finally did it, Jaemin gave me a round of pitiful applause, officially declaring it’s his job from now on.

“It was just painful to watch,” Jaemin playfully commented, and I kicked his shin under the table, showing him how much appreciated his remark was. “So… what’s the occasion?”

“Do I really need to have a reason to spoil my boyfriend?” I innocently asked, batting my eyelashes, and Jaemin smiled at the word boyfriend. We had never discussed labels, but it was self-explanatory we were in a loving relationship. “I figured it’d be nice to give you some more attention,” I absentmindedly added as I reached for my phone to play some soft EDM music through the Bluetooth speaker.

“Is that it?” Jaemin wondered, gazing into my eyes, searching for any ulterior motive I might have. “Are you sure you’re not trying to butter me up before you say something I may not like? What did you do?” Jaemin inquired, and I chuckled loudly.

“Calm down, Na,” I spoke, making Jaemin look up at me once again. I only called him by his surname when I was extra affectionate, so he was curious what I was going to say. “I just wanted to hang out with you. That’s all,” I confessed, but Jaemin scrutinized his eyes, not really buying my innocent talk. “Okay, fine. There’s one more thing.”

“What is it?” Jaemin inquired, grinning at me.

“Can’t you already tell? I am trying to woo my way into your pants, duh,” I confessed, and Jaemin choked on his champagne as he did not expect this wording. “Your heart! I meant to say into your heart,” I corrected when I realized my little Freudian slip. “Wait, no, screw it. I second that. I want to get into both.”

“You’ve already got into one,” Jaemin declared with a lopsided smirk pinned to his face. “But... if you don’t suspect it already, you’re welcome in both,” he added mischievously, taking a sip of his alcohol. I, on the other hand, looked away, feeling the heat in my cheeks.

“Good to know.”

“Where are Jiwoo and Ten by the way?” Jaemin wondered as he looked around the apartment, finding it suspicious they didn’t crash our date yet. Under typical circumstances, Jiwoo or Ten would haul another chair to the table and steal the food, third-wheeling our date.

“Ten is at the dance studio. He’s having a dance competition next week, so he goes there every time he has some free time to practice. And Jiwoo is with Jaehyun. He came here to pick her up a few hours ago. I don’t think either of them is coming home anytime soon,” I explained, smirking. We had the place to ourselves.

Finally, we could bask in each other’s company without any intrusive guests.

“I’d like to cheers to that,” Jaemin raised his glass, clinking it gently against mine.

Having eaten the food, we moved to the couch.

“What now?” Jaemin asked as he stretched his arm, resting it on the back of the couch right over my shoulders.

“I have one more surprise,” I announced before I jumped to my feet. “Wait a second,” I added before bolting to my bedroom.

“What is it?” Jaemin inquired, having no clue what else I could surprise him with. “What do you have there?” He pressed, tilting his head to the side, trying to see what I was hiding behind my back.

“Let’s take some pictures,” I announced in excitement, showing him my Polaroid camera. “I finally bought some film, and I really want our photo in my wallet,” I added as I plopped down onto the couch, resting my head against Jaemin’s chest. “You take it,” I ordered, handing him the camera. After all, he was the prodigy of photography. Besides, his hands were longer than mine.

“I think that’s more than enough,” Jaemin spoke after snapping the twelfth picture.

Having put the camera on the coffee table, he wrapped his arms around me. Jaemin pulled me on his laps, embracing me tightly, placing a round of pecks against my temple.

“Wait! One more thing,” I hollered, leaning forward to reach for the envelope which was lying on the coffee table next to our photos.

“You can’t say it’s the last thing and then bring another one. That’s not how it works,” Jaemin nagged, a little flustered that I managed to find another excuse when he wanted to cuddle. “Who are you? A fitness instructor? When you say it’s the last one, it should be the last one. You can’t come up with new ones every three minutes.”

“I promise it’s the last one,” I sat cross-legged on the couch beside him, handing him the envelope. Cautiously, he pulled the card out of it, and I looked at him, studying his expression in excitement.

“Annoyingly, I like you way more than I’d originally planned,” Jaemin read the cover of the card, smiling widely at the passive-aggressive message. “It’s already good, and I didn’t even read what you wrote inside,” he commented before he leaned forward to kiss my forehead. “I don’t get it,” he added in confusion as he saw the blank page inside the card.

“It’s my love letter for you,” I clarified, but Jaemin was still clueless.

“It’s a blank page. You really have that little to say?” Jaemin asked, trying to make sense out of my card.

“That’s not how you were supposed to interpret that!” I yelled, climbing on his laps, wanting to tear the card out of his ungrateful hands. Unfortunately, Jaemin’s hands were longer than mine, so even when I was hovering over his thighs, I couldn’t reach it.

“How was I supposed to interpret that then?” Jaemin challenged, holding my hips, forcing them down on his laps.

“I wanted to write something meaningful, but I just couldn’t decide what. I have so many things I want to tell you, it wouldn’t even fit on the card,” I started, trying to find the best way to form a coherent sentence. “One way to interpret it is that you have to imagine it’s written in a very tiny font. Because I have so much to tell you, I wrote everything down, but you just can’t read it.”

“I like it,” Jaemin whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against my knuckles.

“Or you can say it’s blank because whenever I’m with you, my head is completely empty,” I added, chuckling at the corny confession. “Or you can assume there are no words to describe my feelings for you.”

“How is it possible that without writing anything, you managed to top all of my love letters?” Jaemin wondered, smiling at me. “What kind of sorcery is this?”

“No, Jaemin. You’re not giving yourself enough credit. I loved your love letters. They were silly, but at the same time, I could feel you really meant everything,” I reasoned, looking down at Jaemin’s lips, slowly leaning in for a delicate kiss.

“Okay, I have an idea,” Jaemin suddenly spoke as he grabbed my butt and threw me off his laps. “I need a pen,” he added, looking around the living room, finding the pen on the coffee table. In a hurry, he scribbled down something on the blank page of the card, making sure I couldn’t peek. “Here, I found my way to interpret it.”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” Jaemin answered confidently, handing me the card. “Read it out loud for me.”

“Okay, I guess,” I cleared my throat before I opened the card. “My beloved Jaemin,” I read, looking at Jaemin’s face with a raised eyebrow. This was going to be good.

“Carry on,” he urged, and I shook my head, unable to believe I was going to do it.

“You’re the most handsome man I have ever seen. You’re also the smartest and the funniest. Not to mention, you’re the best kisser in the world. What the fuck is this?” I interjected, having doubts, knowing it was a bad idea.

“Just keep reading, babe,” Jaemin ordered, wanting me to carry on with his antics. “Though you’re no poet, it’s, by a huge margin, the best love letter I have ever received,” he added, blowing his ego way out of proportion, and I rolled my eyes.

“Now, when I look at you, I understand there’s not a chance I wouldn’t fall for you. So, since there’s not much space left, I just wanna tell you that I love you. I really love you, Jaemin.”

Before I managed to complain that he forced me to say the L-word first, Jaemin interjected.

“Finally, took you long enough,” he teased, and I sighed, wondering where to hit him first. “As if you haven’t figured it out yet, I love you, too.”

“You’re impossible,” I commented, still not quite sure if we just confessed to each other.

“I’m impossible not to fall in love with,” Jaemin corrected, once again hauling me back on his laps, taking my breath away with a fervent kiss. “How about you show me how you want to get into my pants, babe?”

Having had enough of Jaemin’s teasing, I decided not to comply with his request.

“I think you should go.”

“You’re right,” Jaemin agreed too quickly, and it made me alert. “Let’s go to your room because once I start pounding into you, I will not stop even if a group of nuns was about to break in and steal all of your shit,” he added as he picked me up, carrying me to my bedroom.

“You’re impossible,” I repeated my words when Jaemin threw me onto my bed before he landed on it right beside me.

“I think we’ve already discussed this,” he remarked, reminding me of the remark he had given me earlier. “So… where were we?” Jaemin asked as he put his hand on my side, pulling me closer. Soon enough, his palm slipped under the hem of my shirt, caressing my skin.

“Is it weird that the only thing I can think about is you eating me out?” I wondered out loud, stripped of all remains of dignity. Jaemin was in my bed, and I was planning on taking full advantage of it.

“Not at all, love,” Jaemin replied, showing me his eager smile. Quickly, he sat on his calves between my legs, taking his time to take off my jeans. “I thought about eating you out way too often ever since that thing in the bathroom,” Jaemin confessed as he threw my jeans across the room.

Though my panties were still on, Jaemin began his teasing. His soft lips trailed across my thighs, driving me crazy. His lips touched every inch of my skin except for the area I wanted the most. At this point, my panties were dripping wet, yet he didn’t even think of pulling them to the side, giving attention to my much-ignored core.

“You’re killing me,” I whispered, slowly losing patience. If Jaemin kept up with his antics, I’d combust out of sexual frustration. “Bold of you to assume I won’t let you taste your own medicine,” I warned Jaemin. It worked because as soon as I voiced my mischievous threat, Jaemin’s finger hooked under the hem of my panties, quickly pulling them down my legs.

“You’re no fun at all,” Jaemin clarified before his lips finally landed on my clit, making me buckle my hips in an instant. Slowly, his mouth moved against my sweet spot, and I arched my back with each swirl of his tongue.

Though he barely started, I could feel the electricity coursing through my body. In my state of permanent frustration, it wouldn’t be difficult for Jaemin to make me come against his mouth.

Getting into it, Jaemin squeezed my hips, trying to keep me still when he ate me out. His jaw was dripping in my juices as he made his way down to lick my folds.

“Fuck,” I moaned loudly when Jaemin’s nose rubbed my clit when he was running his tongue all over my entrance. “I think I am gonna come,” I admitted what made Jaemin smirk through the kiss. Jaemin barely touched me, but I was already close.

“Come for me,” Jaemin urged, releasing my hips from his firm grip. Now when I could buckle my hips against his face, my orgasm was just seconds away. With my hand in his hair, I rocked my hips, basking in pleasure.

“I need your fingers,” I begged, and Jaemin quickly obeyed my shameful plea. I expected him to tease me further, denying me his long fingers, but he was kind enough to do anything to make me come.

Thanks to my juices and Jaemin’s saliva, his two fingers slid right in.

“Fuck,” I shouted at the top of my voice when the wave of pleasure shot right through me. Jaemin’s jaw still played with my clit as he continued his actions throughout the orgasm.

“You blew my mind, Jaemin,” I muttered after I regained my focus after he had made me come on his face. “I came so hard,” I confessed, smiling like an idiot. It was way too long ever since someone made me feel this good.

“You better get used to it because I am planning this to be a frequent occurrence,” Jaemin whispered, looking at my face as if it was an art piece. “Do you have condoms?” he casually asked as he pulled down his jeans. His erected cock was restrained in the denim fabric, and Jaemin needed to get rid of it.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” I replied as I opened the bedside table and threw a brand new package of condoms at Jaemin’s chest. “Jiwoo got me those after she walked on our pillow fight the other day. Apparently, she doesn’t want any cum stains on the couch.”

For a while, we were lying on the bed, staring at each other. Jaemin gave me some time to recover from my orgasm. According to him, I needed to take breaks because he didn’t want to over-stimulate me too soon.

“I really love you,” Jaemin confessed genuinely, and I quickly rolled closer to him, giving him another chase smooch. His confession was music to my ears, and I could listen to it on repeat without getting tired of it.

“I love you, too,” I quickly replied, leaning in for another kiss. With his hand on my cheek, he deepened the kiss, giving us another chance to get lost in the love trance.

Having thrown my leg over his hipbone, I hovered over his erection.

“Let me take care of you,” I said as I pulled away from the kiss. With a playful smirk upon my face, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head. Slowly after, my bra followed suit, and Jaemin grunted upon seeing me completely naked in front of him.

“Sexy,” he purred before he eagerly took off his hoodie, throwing it onto the floor. “On a second thought, maybe you should put something on. You’re too sexy, and I’d like to last longer,” Jaemin explained, handing me his hoodie so I could cover myself up. “No, it’s even worse. Take it off,” he changed his mind after seeing me in his clothes.

Carefully, I pulled Jaemin’s boxers down his legs, letting his rock hard cock spring free. Biting on my lips, I grabbed his erection, giving it a few gentle strokes.

“Fuck it, I am ready,” Jaemin yelled, placing his hand over mine, making me stop. “You have all the time in the world to blow me. Right now, I want to feel you,” he added, quickly pulling out a condom from its packaging.

“Let me at least roll it down for you,” I offered, and Jaemin sighed, weighing his options.

“Nah, I am not willing to take that risk,” Jaemin answered, proceeding to wrap his cock by himself. “Now, come here, sit down on it,” he urged, and I shook my head. Smiling like an idiot, I guided his cock towards my entrance, slowly sinking down on his length.

“You’re good?” I asked, trying to guess what was going on inside his brain. Judging by his sour expression, he must’ve been thinking about something terrible in order to stop himself from coming too soon.

“Yes, everything’s cool,” he reassured, and I took it as permission to gently rock my hips back and forth. Whenever I moved, Jaemin kept grunting quietly. Apparently, he also suffered from sexual frustration.

My hands were wandering all over his muscular chest, admiring his athletic built. My hips were moving at a steady rhythm, but whenever I happened to increase the tempo, Jaemin would slow me down with a firm grip on my hips.

“If you keep doing that, I might spank you,” Jaemin warned me, but it only made me want to disobey more. “Why did I even expect you to be a good girl?” Jaemin asked, rolling his eyes.

“Spank me,” I ordered, trying my best not to chuckle. “I dare you,” I added, pushing the right buttons. “Like that,” I moaned when Jaemin’s hand collided against my butt, shaking me with newfound excitement.

“You’re impossible,” Jaemin comment, still in shock after discovering how much into spanking I happened to be.

“I’m impossible not to fall in love with,” I remarked, using Jaemin’s own words against him.

Unable to handle my teasing, Jaemin sat up. “I love you so much,” Jaemin stated once again before he looked at my lips, kissing them. Now, when I was distracted by his tongue, it was easier for him to control my movement.

In our upgraded position, I significantly slowed down. Carefully, I moved up and down Jaemin’s cock, while he sneaked his hand between our entangled bodies, rubbing my clit. I was close, and I was about to come again.

I didn’t know what he was so self-conscious about. No doubt I would come first.

“Jaemin, I am coming,” I breathed out, messing up my rhythm. It was difficult to maintain the same tempo when Jaemin was playing with my clit. Jaemin’s lips moved down my neck, finding a perfect spot on my collarbone to leave a hickey.

“Me, too,” Jaemin whispered as he began thrusting from underneath me, now desperate to push the both of us off the edge. “You’re so tight, fuck,” he cursed as my walls started to swell around his throbbing cock.

Jaemin moaned against my skin, muffling his sinful sounds. I, on the other hand, screamed Jaemin’s name at the top of my voice, telling everybody in the world he was the person, making me feel this good.

Having fallen onto the sheets, we looked into each other’s eyes. We were panting as if we just ran a marathon. Not that I had any doubts, but Jaemin turned out to be a passionate lover, and it made me love him even more.

“You’re beautiful,” Jaemin complimented me, staring at my face in utter admiration. “I am so lucky,” he added, and I moved closer, snuggling up to him. It was still early, but I was so fucked out, I could fall asleep right there in his arms.

Having pulled me closer to his chest, Jaemin threw a duvet over our sweaty bodies. His fingers were tracing shapes on my shoulder when he pressed yet another peck against my temple.

“Are you down for another round?” Jaemin asked as he discarded the full condom. His cock was still semi-hard. In a few minutes, Jaemin would be ready for some more. “It’s cool if you’re not,” he added, trying not to put any pressure on me.

“I want you to do me all night,” I confessed, looking over my shoulder at the clock. It’s only 8 pm, and I could stay up till daylight with Jaemin.

“Do you want to go bowling tomorrow?” Jaemin asked, and I eagerly nodded. It was fun the last time I had joined the boys on their monthly trip to the bowling alley. Besides, I would be the first woman to break the unfortunate one-time-only curse. I couldn’t wait to show up two months in a row.

“I’d love that,” I answered, snuggling closer to Jaemin’s side.

In content, we basked in happiness until Jaemin regained enough energy to go for the third time. However, this time around, it was slow and steamy. Under the covers, Jaemin crawled on top of me, kissing every inch of my body.

“Do you want to roll it down on me? I think I can handle that,” Jaemin asked, and I reached for the condom, carefully rolling it down his length. “I wish I could fuck you without one, though,” he added, and I flicked his forehead, making him whine. “I’ll pull out.”

“I trust you, but it’s still a no from me,” I replied, guiding his cock into my entrance. Inch by inch, Jaemin pushed himself all the way in. “You fill me up so well,” I praised, purring into his ear. “I love your cock.”

Distance between our bodies was practically nonexistent. Jaemin was slowly snapping his hips, rubbing his pelvic bone against my clit, turning me into a moaning mess. I wouldn’t be surprised if my neighbors called the police because of all the noise coming from my bedroom.

“One day, you’ll let me fuck you raw. I’ll make sure you do,” Jaemin carried on, and I hissed, feeling the approaching orgasm. I didn’t even bother to comment on Jaemin’s statement. I was whipped for him. I knew I wasn’t able to maintain my assertive stance for long. Eventually, I’d cave in, letting him fuck me without a condom. It wasn’t today, though.

“In your dreams, lover boy,” I answered, but Jaemin just giggled, knowing I wasn’t serious.

“You have no idea how many times we’ve done it raw in my dreams,” Jaemin confessed as he picked up his pace, pounding into my pussy, making me moan at the sudden speed. “One day, I’ll tell you all about my fantasies, but right now, I really want this pussy to cream around my cock,” he added, his filthy words making my walls squeeze around his length.

“You wait until I tell you mine,” I challenged with a smirk. If Jaemin thought he was the only one with a dirty mind, he was seriously mistaken. While most of my fantasies were PG-13, there was still a large portion of naughty scenarios. Now, when Jaemin and I were finally together, it would be fun to try to recreate at least some of them.

“You better come because I can’t go much longer,” Jaemin warned me, pounding in and out, chasing his own release. “Fuck,” he yelled, falling on top of me as he shot his load into the condom. His cock twitched inside of me as he moved slowly, riding out his orgasm.

“Jaemin,” I hollered, coming undone underneath him. Despite the other peaks, this orgasm hit me the hardest. For a brief second, my vision turned black as I gave in to the pleasure.

Breathlessly, I lay in the sheets, slowly descending from my high.

“I think all I can do tonight is cuddle,” I commented, feeling too fucked out to engage in any other form of affection. “I don’t think I can walk.”

“It’s okay. I can carry you around the house,” Jaemin answered, finding a solution for my problem. Having pulled his limp cock out of me, Jaemin rolled down another condom, putting it aside.

“What is it?” Jaemin asked as he heard a noise from the living room.

“It sounded as if someone was knocking on the doors,” I spoke, trying to identify the sound. “It must be a courier for Jiwoo. She keeps ordering stuff online. It’s probably the late evening delivery she forgot about. Can you get it?”

“No problem, babe,” Jaemin answered as he put on his jeans, walking around the bed to answer the door.

At first, I wanted to wait for Jaemin in bed. However, it’s been like three minutes, and he didn’t come back, so I found it weird.

Having put on Jaemin’s hoodie and a pair of leggings, I made my way out of the room.

Jaemin was standing by the doors, looking inside a plastic bag. Whatever it was, it smelled like Thai food. Unfortunately, it didn’t explain anything. We were here alone, and we didn’t order anything.

Just when I was about to open my mouth and ask Jaemin what the hell was going on, Ten walked out of his room. It was strange, but I saw him leave, and I didn’t hear him come back.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I asked angrily, trying to hide my embarrassment. If he was here the whole time, he must’ve heard us having sex.

“I live here, duh,” Ten answered matter-of-factly, choosing not to give me the explanation which I desperately needed. “I think it’s mine,” Ten spoke as he walked up to Jaemin to take his Thai takeout.

Although Jaemin and I were standing in the living room in complete consternation, Ten didn’t seem to pay any attention to it. In front of his bedroom, Ten stopped in his tracks, turning his head to face me.

“Congratulations, by the way,” Ten spoke, making me even more embarrassed. “Three times, wow. It’s impressive. Don’t fuck this up, dear. He’s a keeper,” Ten added, sending me a playful wink before he disappeared inside his room.