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sometimesibewriting · 1 year

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Bad Boys Never win

✨Summary: You go to Karakura Town High School a school known for gangs and delinquents. While leaving at the end of a school day you encounter trouble, that you believe you can handle but once that trouble starts it turns out to be more than you can handle

📃Wordcount: Around 3K

💙I saw the Bleach April Fools dating sim back in April and this idea popped into my head and I got to writing. I always loved this look on Uryu since the day I found the official art on Pinterest. So happy to see it redone in an anime-like style if if it was for an April Fool's joke.

❌Warnings: Cursing, violence against women, talk of blood and injuries.

❤️AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/49720216

It was your decision not to get involved with the students of Karakura High, you just wanted to have peace. Little did you know keeping your head down and out of trouble made you a target.

Getting good grades gets people intrigued in you, but mix that with going out of your way to not interact with anyone, and people get the idea that you think you are better than them. Joining a gang was law here and not doing that also put you in the spotlight.

Your arms felt like they were going to fall off as you tried to scrub the profanity on the desk, “They really used a good marker this time.” You said to yourself as you dipped the rag in water again.

“You know my offer still stands.”

You rolled your eyes, Where did she even come from? You looked up to see Rukia Kuchiki, who was the leader of one of the most influential girl gangs in school.

Rukia jumped off the desk she was sitting on and stood in front of you looking down at the words. They were slightly smudging but she could still read them.

Ignoring her you scrubbed harder. "I'm offering you a helping hand. Join my group and I'll make sure stuff like this never happens." Rukia's tone was serious.

"What's the catch?" You weren’t interested but it wouldn’t hurt to entertain the idea, Rukia smirked. “Smart. I need a tutor and seeing as you are in the top Te-”

“Absolutely not.” You cut her off.

Rukia gave you a look that would scare most people as you dried the table the words weren't gone but they were now unreadable due to smudging. You threw the cloth over your shoulder and walked away struggling with the bucket. Rukia grabbed one side.

“My brother has been cutting my allowance due to my dropping grades but I do have money saved, I can pay you, and on top of that I can offer you protection.”

The last thing you needed was to be seen with Rukia Kuchiki, even if it was just to study. You paused as if thinking about her proposition. "I've been at this school two years I'm used to how the students treat me, protection is the least of my worries. I'm sorry but you'll have to find another tutor."

Without another word, you grabbed the bucket from her and left the classroom.

______________________________________________________________

Despite it being late afternoon there were students lingering after school. You would think delinquents would want to leave the school grounds as soon as possible yet they stayed to do who knows what. You walked through the halls towards the back of the school as it was the faster path to take. A bunch of guys hung around a fence, you paid them no mind.

"Hey!"

One of them shouted. You kept walking as if you didn't hear him almost reaching the exit, suddenly someone violently grabbed your arm. "Didn't hear me talking to you? Huh?" He sneered looking you all over, once he realized who you were he laughed. "You one of those top students ain't yah? Say we need help with homework care to come with us." He looked over to his group of friends who had devilish smiles on their faces. "Will give you drinks as a thank you."

You took note of the white ties and school uniforms it was obviously Nnoitra and his group. They were known for forcing girls to date them and do other things. Just your luck.

"Why does everyone suddenly need a tutor..." You said to yourself, taking your arm out of his grip and walking off once again.

"That wasn't something you could say no to." You knew he was coming at you. When Nnoitra reached you, you turned around and kicked him in the nuts he let out a sharp gasp. His whole team looked at you in shock.

"You should have seen that coming from a mile away."

These words broke them out of their shocked trance as they ran to grab you. It was pretty easy to dodge them all, with each dodge you made sure to back up closer to the exist. That was until one of his henchmen put his leg out behind you causing you to fall.

“Shit.”

Your skirt got caught on the fence ripping it slightly, thank god you wore safety shorts every day.

"Girl with a smart mouth but no sense, I can't wait to shut you up. Fuck her up." Nnoitra said with wide-crazed eyes. He had somewhat recovered "I want the last hit as payback doe." You tried to get up but were pushed down every time.

One of Nnoitra’s henchmen had you by the collar and was about to hit you. While you closed your eyes you traced back all of your decisions, trying to figure out where it all went wrong all while accepting the fact that they were going to beat you. You opened your eyes no punch ended up landing.

Instead, the guy fell to the ground screaming in pain. "Hurting a girl on school grounds, are you really that dumb?" You looked up and saw a guy with glasses and slick back hair. Of course, you recognized him from Kurosaki's gang but his name escaped you at the moment.

"Ishida." Nnoitra snorted. "My lucky day huh?" Ishida pushed up his glasses and then sighed. "Unfortunately it is not mine..."

Uryu. Uryu Ishida. The name now comes to you had seen it on the grades listing, he was a top student, number one in fact.

"Make sure to get him and get him good," Nnoitra commanded. All three guys ran at Uryu, he took the book that was in his hands and threw it at the guy to his left causing him to fall.

The guy in the middle came at him but he dodged it. Uryu was able to land a punch on him but the middle guy didn't go down.

A guy to Uryu's right slammed into his side but Uryu stayed standing. The guy then began punching him, Uryu lifted his leg and slammed it into him as the guy went to catch his breath causing him to fall to his knees and then lay down. A crowd of leftover students was now starting to form at the windows of the school.

Sadly that left him open and Uryu got punched in the face. He staggered a bit his nose bleeding, he wiped it with his sleeve and went back to fighting. You were in awe at his fighting, Uryu really had skill. "I guess that's why he's in Kurosaki's gang." you thought as you watched.

Your thoughts were interrupted as you were picked up and slammed right into the fence. "I didn't forget about you," Nnorita yelled at you. He raised his leg to kick, knowing exactly where he was aiming you put up your hand to block the blow.

Nnorita staggered a little and then slumped over you, blood could be seen falling from his head. "Who da..." He healed his head and turned around. All his henchmen were on the dirt-filled school grounds, and Uryu stood right behind him.

"You wanna leave the damn girl alone?" He fixed his glasses so they now lay straight on his face. Nnorita turned around with a scream and went to punch him. Uryu dodged it but it was a fake out and he was hit with Nnorita's left, the blow landing on his stomach causing Uryu to fall to his knees. As he went down Nnorita kicked him in the same place. Uryu was trying hard to catch his breath it also sounded like he was trying not to bring up his lunch as well.

Nnorita turned back to you putting his hands around your neck and squeezing. Was he serious? He was really trying to kill you on school grounds. You wasted no time taking a finger from each of his hands and bending it backward, breaking both of them. The pain was so severe that Nnorita had to lean his shoulder on the fence for support, he let out a roar.

Nnorita was in a lot of pain and he wasn’t fighting back. Uryu took this opportunity to get up from the ground. He picked Nnorita up by his collar slamming him against the fence. "I don't want to see you or your group hurt a girl on school grounds ever again. If I do I'll make sure you won't recover." Uryu’s voice was straightforward and stern but it did not scare you.

Nnorita shook his head in agreement, only to be slammed back into the fence, a whimper escaping his lips. "I need you to say it." Nnorita shook his head again and in a raspy voice said, "I promise...I promise to not hurt a girl on school grounds again, you have my word." With that, Uryu dropped him and walked to pick up his book. He brushed it off. "Glad I didn't bring a library book today..."

The crowd that had formed at the school windows broke away as if nothing had happened. Uryu turned to look at you, your legs didn't move even though your mind wanted them to. He looked you up and down as he walked. He squatted in front of you causing you to flinch. "Didn't mean to startle you but your skirt's ripped." He said looking it over.

"Oh." Your cheeks warmed up as you looked down at the tare in his hands, he stood up. "I can fix it for you, that is…if you want me to.” He looked away pushing his glasses up his beatup face.

"You-you don't have to I think you did enough."

"You could also use some first aid."

That was when you noticed that you had some scrapes and cuts, his wounds seemed to be way worse than yours though. Bruised up face, a cut lip, and dried blood resting under his nose his breathing was also still staggered. It was a miracle he was still standing.

"I think you need it more than I do. In fact, we should probably get you to a hospital."

"I am definitely not going to the hospital," Uryu said with a tone that sent a chill down your spine. "We can go to the infirmary. I shouldn’t have a problem getting a key." He simply stated with a cold tone.

_____________________________________________________________

You sat on a cot looking around the infirmary as Uryu walked around the room grabbing things in complete silence. He stopped in front of you and extended his hand, a pair of gym pants in it.

"Here change into these so I can fix the skirt."

This was awkward, so awkward.

You closed the curtain and changed into the sweatpants, then handed him the skirt. Uryu pulled out a mini sewing kit from his uniform pocket. "You...carry around a sewing kit?" Curiosity and confusion mixed as you spoke.

"Am I not allowed to?" He said as he began pinning up the skirt.

"I didn't say that it's just-"

"That you wouldn't expect me to be into sewing." Uryu shot a glance at you as he finished your sentence. You felt as if you said something wrong. To distract yourself from the weird atmosphere you began to patch yourself up.

Ironically you both finished at the same time, he handed you the skirt and you looked it over, it was almost like there was never a tare he really had talent.

"You're welcome. Make sure to return the sweatpants tomorrow." He began to pack up his mini sewing kit.

"Wait..." He hummed in response. "Aren't you going to patch yourself up?" You asked. "I can do that when I get home." He simply answered.

That was when you walked up to him, Uryu looked at you puzzled, and without warning you put both hands on the side of his face. His cheeks turned red but this went unnoticed by you as the bruises hid the color.

"Isn't your mom going to say something when she sees this?”

“My mom…’ Uryu whispered to himself, his whole expression changing. It was obvious that you had brought up something. You cursed yourself for that and searched your mind to change the subject to something else.

'Why don't I patch you up?" He took your hands off his face. "Absolutely not!"

"It's my thank you. You saved me from a creep and sewed up my skirt. It's the least I can do."

"Well, I-"

You cut him off. "You never took off your glasses during the fight, so I can assume you can't see the best without them. You're going to have to take them off to patch yourself up. You're not going to be able to see what you're doing. Am I right?"

Uryu sighed slightly annoyed. "Your quiet observant..."

"It doesn't take that many brain cells to figure out your blind." Uryu pushed up his glasses. "I'm not blind, I just can't see that well without something to correct my vision." He closed his eyes thinking, then reopened them a few seconds later. "I don't have much homework to do, so I guess it's fine."

Without any hesitation, you grabbed the first aid kit and he sat down taking off his glasses. You walked up and put your hand on his face moving it around gently. “Has anyone ever told you that you have a nice facial structure? You should model." You dabbed the bloody spots with the soaked cotton swob.

"No, nor do I have an interest in such a thing."

"Lost cause." You tossed the cotton swab and grabbed another one putting alcohol on it, this time you dabbed it on the cut on his nose. His eyebrows frowned but his straight face remained causing you to chuckle.

"What's so funny?”' He asked nonchalantly. "You trying to keep a straight face like you have an image to uphold."

"I kind of do."

"Oh really." You threw the cotton swab in the trash can and placed a bandaid on the cut. “I am a part of Kurosaki’s gang, I kind of have to look tough in order to not bring down their representation.” You walked away and came back with an ice pack in hand.

“I promise not to tell anyone if you whine or whimper.” You sarcastically said placing the ice pack on his face. "Didn’t know the gang was that well known.”

"You didn't?” He looked at you with an air of suspicion. “I don’t have much interest in the gang life here. I’m not even a part of one. I just want to graduate and move on with my life.”

Uryu raised an eyebrow at you, finding interest in what you had said. “So…that means you have no protection here.” He he lifted his hand but quickly put it back down as he remembered he had no glasses on.

"I'm surviving. All they do is bully me for being stuck up. The worst is they spread a rumor but those die down after a few days." He was looking at you, your eyes beginning to water.

You wondered why they did that, you didn’t care what they did to you but for some reason saying it out loud made you feel…empty and alone. Your face was blurry to him but he could tell you were upset. Uryu put his hand on yours as you held the ice pack.

“Dosn’t it get lonely?” He asked knowing exactly what loneliness felt like, she had no one, and that had him concerned. Uryu knew how it felt to be belittled and have no one to go to or talk to. That road was empty and endless, that was how he ended up at this school despite his good grades. Even though he was at odds with them sometimes, if he didn’t join Kurosaki’s gang, where would he be? Probably in and out of jail and forgotten by his father.

You stayed silent not wanting to answer his question, he spoke. “I understand that feeling too well, you should definitely talk to someone. I know this is out of place for me but if you ever feel lonely you can come and talk to me if I have time."

“Uryu…” You said in a whisper.

He looked up at you with wide eyes.

"Your kind of... crushing my hand,” That was when he noticed that he had a hard grip on your hand. “Sor-sorry.” He stuttered and took his hand off of yours, you also removed yours causing the ice pack to drop.

"I got it." Uryu beat you to it but hit his head on the table on his way back up. “Damn.” He said as placed the ice pack on his head, you tried to hide your laugh but couldn't, bursting into laughter. Despite the new pain he ended up smiling cause you weren’t upset anymore.

__________________________________________________________

By the time you both walked out of the school, the sky was a deep blue and the streetlights were on. “Do you mind if I walk you home?” Uryu asked. You looked taken aback, he cleared his throat.

“It’s late. I don’t think it’s smart to let you walk home on your own. Especially after what happened today.” He explained, you looked at him with a smile. “I wouldn’t mind.”

The walk wasn’t that eventful, you asked him questions here and there but his answers were quick and abrupt. Uryu didn’t talk much either it was mainly you starting conversations. Despite this, it didn’t feel all that long and you were almost home.

"Can I ask you a question?"

Uryu pushed up his glasses. "Seeing as you've been asking them all evening I guess I wouldn't mind another." For some reason, you found the way he talked endearing, though most people would see it as rude.

“Why did you help me today?" Uryu looked up at the dark sky. "Do I need a reason to protect someone?"

You shrugged at his answer, and he sighed. “Well, beating up a girl for refusing advances is quite gross. They needed some sense beat into them.”

“Thank you.” You blurted out, he looked at you straight-faced.

“There's no need for that, it's just common sense."

"I mean, you could have just left me after you won yet you took time to fix my skirt and see if I was okay, that was sweet of you."

"Sweet of me," Uryu said to himself, a rosey tint forming on his cheeks. “Oh, we're here.” You said looking at the apartment complex.

"Thanks again," you repeated snapping him out of his trance. You turned toward the stairs away from him and turned right back. "Do you...mind if I get your number?”

Uryu looked at you wide-eyed. "My number?" Confusion could be heard in his voice. “You said you understood the feeling of being lonely so I thought…maybe we can exchange numbers, so if we ever felt lonely we could just text each other.” You played with the strap of your bag.

You just met this guy and now you were asking for his number. While every fiber of your being wanted to crawl under a rock. Something made you determined to stay in touch with the young man.

“I guess..it couldn’t hurt.” He answered as he took out his phone. “I will warn you that I might take time to answer back. I still have school duties as a class president.”

“Really?!?! I didn’t know you were president of your class.” You looked at him with shock, Uryu smiled at you. “I see you truly don’t keep up with what happens at this school.” Both of you exchanged numbers and bid each other a good night.

______________________________________________________________

Uryu sat on his bed staring at your contact on his phone. He was wracking his head around today's events. How he met you and how you just blatantly asked for his number.

It was all very random but it made him happy. It was a weird and new feeling for him but he welcomed it. The phone he held in his hand vibrated, he flipped it open and read the text immediately;

Srry for the late reply. Glad you got home safe, hope to see you soon.

He closed the phone with a smile on his face.

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crepusculum-rattus · 2 years

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have a rlly messy work doodle where i just gave phil my own hairstyle 👍

#a customer saw me drawing and was like ‘oh are you student’#and i was like ‘yah’ and he said ‘are you an art student?’ and i said ‘no’ and then he tipped me $3 #also one of my coworkers saw it right as i started drawing and was mad i didn’t let him see it when i finished it #you guys get it instead 👍#philza #rat doodles #🐀

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astaroth1357 · 4 years

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Demigod MC Series: Dionysus

Hey y’all, sorry for going dark! I’m alright, almost completely recovered in fact! I just got so sleepy while my body was fighting stuff off and couldn’t really work up the energy to write... Still going to be spotty for a short time, but I’m glad to have gotten this done. See ya soon!

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes, Hades, Dionysus

Lucifer

Well, this mortal stumbled out of the portal covered in glitter, body paint, and carrying a red solo cup… which they proceeded to stare at like, "'ell sshhit… Thiz iz sum stron s'uff…"

First impressions were not on their side here.

He spent a depressingly long amount of time more or less assuming that the MC was a drunken f-up and spent the first few months trying to make them more… presentable.

But like… How do you stop someone from acting like a drunk fool when they can turn any drink they touch alcoholic???

For months they would show up to meetings buzzed or stumbling, all smiles and all giggles but HORRIBLY unprofessional, and he just couldn't stand it!

But then he found out their little secret…

Assassination threats befall the exchange students all the time. Most of them are dealt with quickly but some (through skill or dumb luck) manage to slip through...

He had been walking with the MC through their new vineyard in the House's courtyard, yet again trying to lecture them about their drunken behavior, when suddenly the two were ambushed!

Ten or so heavily armored demons dropped down from the sky to attack them! Lucifer was so preoccupied that he got cornered by three of them and it took him a hot minute to destroy them.

When he looked back at the mortal (who had been fighting a 1-on-7) he was certain they'd have been kidnapped or worse…

But he saw that they had already cut down two attackers with their weapon with ease. The other five were rolling in the dirt, babbling about inexplicable terrors and imaginary pain as their minds succumbed to madness…

Meanwhile, the MC just stood in the middle of it all with the icy glare of someone who’s just revealed how stone-cold sober they've always been under the surface...

When they turned back to him, they put their usual ditzy smile back on over the tormented wails of the demons around them...

MC: Whoopsie… Gotta little mad there. 🙂

He uh… took a big ol'step off their back after that. Surprisingly, they're more pleasant (and less dangerous) "drunk" than they are sober…

Mammon

Oh HELL yeah!! Lucifer actually gave him a mortal that knows how to party!!

Admittedly, they looked like utter trash when they first met, like, "Hey, I've been at this party since DAWN" trash, but they gave him one good look and pulled together a surprisingly hot smile.

MC: "-ey yer cute… Ya like strip poker?"

Spoken like someone else who also makes shit decisions… They were going to get along just fine!

And they did. The MC to him was that one friend that's always down for anything. Just anything. Whenever. Wherever.

He wants to try sneaking into Lucifer's room to steal stuff? Sure, what time?

He wants to take a mattress and see if he can ride it down the grand staircase of the palace? Alright, we bringin' pillows too?

He needs to set up another scheme that's gotta involve live rats and box of tiny hats and monocles?? That's oddly specific but count them in!!

Sometimes he honestly can't tell if they're laid back or just crave chaos... but it works out fine for him either way so who cares? 🤷‍♀️

And if you think normal Mammon is a pain in the ass for Lucifer? Check out drunk Mammon. All the same urges but literally none of the (marginal) competence!!

At one point, the eldest ended up stringing both Mammon and the MC from the ceiling after they both barged into his office looking for Goldie… while he was still in there… watching them wander around aimlessly calling out for a piece of plastic like it was a missing puppy…

They end up together on the ceiling a lot come to think of it, but hey, at least now he has some company. 😌

Leviathan

Thinks they're the most normal normie to have ever normed on this normie planet!!!

No, seriously. They're a billion times worse than Asmo!! All they want to do is go to parties and drink all the time! What kind of use is he to someone like that??

… That being said they ARE pretty fun to be around… And their sake is WAY better than anything he could get off Akuzon!!

They also like karaoke too! So at least he has someone else to go with (even if they get so drunk they can’t remember any lyrics and just belt barely coherent discount Mariah Carey vocals behind him...)

Of course, the real fun between these two is everybody else getting to watch a couple of the Devildom's sloppiest drunks attempt to communicate with each other…

Levi: MMM-*hic*-MCCC…!!! *throws himself at them from across the bar*

MC: What Leviachan??? 😨 Did the chair kick you off?!

Levi: Nooo! *pokes their cheek* I wanna-I wanna tell you sometin'...! *tries pulling them closer*

MC: Whaa? Secrets?? *leans in eagerly*

Levi: Mammon used all ma money on’a pyramid scheme a thou-zand years ago… AND HE STILL WON'T PAY ME BAAA-!!! 😭😭 *starts shaking them violently*

MC: *getting flung around like a limp noodle* Waaaat?! Nooo!!! I'm so sowwy!! 😢

Mammon: *watching it all go down right next to him* 😑 Ya guys need some water… I'm cuttin' ya off, got it?

MC: 😱 Shut yer whore mouth, criminal!! *starts pelting him with pretzel bites*

Levi: 😤 Yah!! *joins in*

Good thing he's a shut-in, because the hangovers he gets after those escapades are unreal…

Satan

A little concerned for their liver, honestly… How much damage have they already done to the poor thing...?

But at the same time, he'll be damned if they don't make some utterly fantastic wine!

Alcokinesis wasn't a power he would have pegged a demigod to have but apparently the great art of making drinks comes from their godly DNA.

When they first met, he was trying to get the MC to act less slovenly but made the mistake of agreeing to a wager: he'd let them dress however they pleased if they could give him the BEST drink he'd ever tasted.

Now, Satan isn't a huge drinker (thank you terrible alcohol tolerance), but he's still a man of fine tastes. Plus, he's sampled Demonus from Diavolo royal stock before. They should not have won…

But on that day, he had to let them go to RAD in a pink blanket toga... 😑 Their wine is just THAT good.

He hates to admit it, but they've gotten him drunk more times than he could probably count too… He's not a huge fan of clubbing with them and the others, but if they bring over a bottle from their vineyard he just can't resist. They're a master of their craft, truly.

And it's a good thing he likes their drinks so much, because if they called him, "Kitty-boy," when he's sober, he may have just become a sour grape himself…

They also may or may not have copious amounts of blackmail material of him either meowing between sentences, sobbing over some fictional character he likes, pole dancing on dares….

Yeah, he's been trying to destroy their phone for months now. If Lucifer were to see ANY of that, he's done for… 😣

He has also been meaning to ask them about other aspects of their abilities, their father is also the God of Madness after all, but anytime he tries to bring it up they shove another glass in his hand and tell him not to kill the mood...

Eh. What's the harm in having another drink, right? 🤷‍♀️

Asmodeus

Honey. He's MET Dionysus. He's been to a Dio-party or two and they're INSANE. He could not be more thrilled by this!!!

He practically scooped them up on the first night that they were in the House and it’s practically been a nonstop rave between these two ever since. They’re like the party twin he never knew he needed!!

He absolutely abuses their ability to turn pretty much any drink they touch into alcohol at clubs. It makes the nights so much easier on the wallet PLUS it makes an excellent little party trick to impress the succubi! Who doesn’t want a free drink? 😏

And can he just say that their drinks are better? Just flat out amazing! If it weren’t so unhealthy he’d consider drinking nothing but their booze and wine for the rest of his days, Satan’s certainly getting close to it.

But little does Satan know, he’s not even getting the GOOD stuff...

There’s the normal wine: grapes picked from the vineyard, hand squeezed, then magically helped through the fermenting process. But their real good stuff? They were given enchanted oak barrels from their father and anything that comes out of those is worth starting a WAR over. 😩

He knows, because he gifted an extra bottle to Diavolo once and Barbs came to him the very next day demanding to know what vineyard had produced it with the look of man willing to annex a small nation...

Asmo had to beg Lucifer to talk to Diavolo after the butler more or less kidnapped the MC back to the Castle… Devil knows even Barbs wouldn’t ever be able to reproduce their wine, so they could have been locked there for eternity!!

Thankfully, he got his party-buddy back and their debauchery continued! (Just now with Barbatos following them around sometimes like he’s trying to gather state secrets... It’s an impossible task but he hasn’t given up yet, bless his black heart.)

Beelzebub

He isn't much bothered by their carefree nature, at least they seem to be having fun with his family which he appreciates. 🙂

To be honest, though, he nearly ate them when they first met because they smell like freshly peeled grapes… and for good reason.

By their third day at the House they had (somehow) planted and cultivated a full on vineyard in the courtyard. Hell, the wall growing to their bedroom balcony was covered in grapevines!! Always ripe and completely healthy in defiance of the lack of sun... Whatever magic they used was strong.

And, of course, their grapes were also delicious! Easily among the best fruits he's ever tasted! Every cluster is ridiculously plump, juicy, and sweet like little droplets of pure Heaven… 🤤

When their fruit first ripened, the MC came out with a basket to collect some only to find Beel had gouged himself on over half of their crop!!!

… which may have been why he got snared up on one of the courtyard walls by pissed off grapevines... Even with all his strength, he couldn't break through them and had to wait for Lucifer to cut him down… 😔

From then on, Beel was pretty much the pesky rabbit to the MC's harvest. They had to set up traps and magical barriers to keep him from their precious grapes…!! Which inevitably meant one of his brothers had to come rescue him from their furious vines at least once a week... 🙄

SOMETIMES, the MC will bring him along to help harvest with them with the deal that he can have an extra basket for however many he helps them pick. But the second he takes a bite he shouldn't, it’s back on the wall!

Out of the vineyard, they're nice enough. But put some grapes between these two and they're mortal enemies… STOP messing with their plants, Beel!! 😤

Belphegor

So… this drunken fool is supposed to get him out of the attic? Never mind, this is never going to work…

He was SEVERELY underwhelmed when the "human" finally made it up the steps. This was who they decided to bring for their exchange program? They seemed like they could barely stand!

Naturally, he figured all the better for him. They probably wouldn't even last that long!

Some poor, incompetent human falling victim to a demon out there? Diavolo's reputation would in tatters and he wouldn't even have to lift a finger! (His favorite way of doing things really 😌).

But… they just kept coming back? Like. Nothing was killing them….! How guarded were they keeping this moron??

Or… maybe it was something else?

Sure, the MC seemed like a drunken idiot but there were times when he'd swear that they were just… too aware to be sloshed…

MC: *suddenly stops smiling at him mid-conversation and looks him in the eye* You tilt your head when you lie. You know that?

How can someone so cheerful ALSO be so unnerving…?

So really, he should have seen their sudden heel-turn after they opened the door coming. There he was, fully intending to take them by surprise and choke them after a hug…

...and they knocked him down, climbed onto his back like a spider monkey, and rode him around like a bucking bull using his horns like handlebars!!

It wouldn’t have been AS humiliating if they didn’t also keep shouting things like "Giddiyap!" And "Yee-haw!!"

It took him a whole month to be sure that any and all footage of that nightmare was erased and he STILL hates the MC quite a bit for it…. But he's too scared to attack them now, so…

The lesson here? It's not a fair fight when one side’s crazy... 😔😒

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me demigods

1K notes · View notes

alluringjae · 3 years

Text

until dawn - ljn

part I | part II

⤑ summary: basic number one rule of the museum is not to touch the art. but no one told jeno that falling for one of them isn’t allowed either.

⤑ pairing: jeno x female reader

⤑ word count: 14k

⤑ genre: fluff, humor, angst | broke architecture major!jeno, historical figure!reader, college!au

⤑ warnings: jaemin mentions onlyfans as a joke, references to actual historical figures (some try to flirt with jeno lol) and literature, explicit language

⤑ author’s note: wow, i’ve had this idea for almost two years! this one was inspired by one of my favorite childhood movies, night at the museum. it definitely required a lot of research and brainstorming, and finally i brought it to life! it was so fun to play around with the characters, and even if majority of them are real people, this is all still fiction.

i also wanna mention one of my moots, marge for enlightening me about her life as an architecture major.

⤑ taglist: @renjunniehome (dm me if you want to be added)

⤑ leave me some feedback, constructive criticism or hellos!

Dormitory rent was another thing to worry about aside from the inflated university tuition per semester. Although he’s lucky to have his parents backing him up already on it, paying the monthly rent for his dorm was the remaining objective on Jeno’s list.

Plus, money for food. The man was a heavy eater, following the whole “gym is life” mantra.

Splitting it already with two of his dorm mates turned best friends, Renjun and Jaemin, his plate felt lighter. But the question still lies: where on earth was he going to get the money?

He’s practically checked out every available part-timing job in university and anywhere near campus. Barista at the same café Jaemin works at, teaching assistant for an art school for kids, convenience store cashier, library assistant, all taken in a heartbeat. The burden of his friends paying his debt these past months took a toll on him, almost to the point he almost considered making an Onlyfans.

“Yah, just find something else! Part-timers are in demand right now!” Renjun intensely closed his laptop before his older friend gets any suggestive thoughts.

“I mean, you didn’t work out your body to look the way it is for nothing.” Jaemin pitched otherwise, lifting the front back up. “When do you want to start filming? Loads of chicks would dig a piece of you!”

The contradicting opinions of his friends were like the devil and angel debating on his shoulders. Useless, he gave this worry a rest and returned to drawing new plates. A common thing when you’re an architecture major. Those deadlines were nearing. Looks like he’ll pull another all-nighter again.

Good thing most of his classes were late in the morning until 6 pm.

As if someone from above heard his petition, Jeno saw a help wanted sign posted on the bulletin board outside of the university museum. He initially went there to document some artwork and architecture models from Greek and Roman times, further analyzing how they’re still apparent in modern buildings.

The sign explained the need for one part-timer from any college to cover the night shift of the museum due to the current night guard’s full semester absence. He only had to come in 3x a week, choosing his days since he was still a student. Even the pay was above average, considering that most part-timers never go beyond midnight. Jeno would, on the other hand, always staying for his projects or gaming with the boys. Drinking sometimes during late-night Fridays with his entire college crew.

The pay would leave him a load of extra cash for himself, thus he sent an application to the museum office right before he left. A week later, while he was out with the boys, he got a text from the office that they wanted to meet him again for a final interview first thing on Monday.

Perhaps it was having architecture as his course and a healthy physique that landed him the part-timer position. Mainly, the latter because guards required strong endurance and fighting skills when worse comes to worst. It would start at 9 pm until 6 am the following day, and there was a designated uniform of it too. Blue blazer with matching trousers, white dress top, and loafers.

Aside from the typical museum etiquette the head director instructed him about, there was an unofficial list of tips written on paper given from the night guard on leave when the director handed you over his box of office-related things.

Only read at the night guard office once you’re the remaining staff left.

He did as he was told like an obedient son, flipping the succeeding page.

To my temporary replacement,

This part-timing job is nothing regular than the other jobs. You’ll witness things as you’ve never imagined them to be, almost like witchcraft. You’ll be lost and maybe frightened, or that’s how I felt the first time because no one led me through it all those years ago. Lucky for you, I made this small guide on how to properly take care of the place that the other staff doesn’t know about.

Before you proceed, I request you take a 5-minute stroll around the lobby first to understand what I’m talking about. After such, go back to the office or somewhere quiet then browse through the guide as quickly as you could.

Art is timeless here, so they need to be taken care of.

Good luck!

Park Sanghoon

Night Guard on Leave

Nothing could’ve prepared Jeno for what’s to come once he unlocked the office door. They say that art brings so much color to our life, allowing us to feel all sorts of emotions in a glimpse. But no one ever interpreted art to be literally alive and walking in the halls.

Behold, random wax figures and marble sculptures that he’s seen in the past roamed the hallways, as well as the paintings were interacting with each other side by side. Even the standee of a puppy from the entrance played fetch with one of those sculptures. He swore he looked like Hermes the messenger god from his arrow headpiece and sandals.

It made more sense why the guard on leave explained his feelings during the first day because it resembled Jeno’s. But unlike that guard, Jeno sucked it up. No one ever does well on the first day, even if others say otherwise. The first day was a learning experience, so he collected his thoughts even though the goosebumps triggered his body during that one rotation.

There was an indoor garden, already locked by the day guard earlier. The only room without any art piece, where students lounge to study the plants or relax in nature.

The sculptures section ahead, showcasing various fictional figures specifically from Greek mythology, chattered away about family drama and beliefs. The sculptures of Hades and Zeus, according to their title plate, argued relentlessly about power while Athena always intervened by shouting or even throwing arrows or daggers to any of the lightbulbs there.

That was one rule in the guide, but Jeno didn’t know yet until he came inside the room and swerved the attention of the arguing duo.

“Well, what do we have here?” Zeus, in the center, straightened his posture on his throne to present himself in a more regal way. “Are you perhaps the temporary replacement of Sir Sanghoon?”

“Sir Sanghoon’s stand-in is rather good looking, don’t you think?” Hera mused, stepping down from her throne beside Zeus to take a closer look at the taller male. Her cold fingers trailed his jaw until his chest, where his heart was beating intensely. She even pinched his toned bicep, mouthing wow.

“Truly handsome you are, my dear. So full of life, please introduce yourself to us.”

While Jeno introduced himself to everyone in that room, he answered any sorts of questions they had for him too. From his age, educational background, hobbies, Aphrodite just had to ask him if he had a girlfriend because he was that handsome.

“Nope, I’m single. With my degree in architecture, the requirements are so heavy I can’t even try dating.”

Mentioning his degree excited the gods, telling him how their people created and designed all these temples to house them and perform rituals. They loved it so much. This was a copy-paste of what Jeno learned from his history classes, and for a first, he’s hearing the perspective of the Greek gods.

Mind-boggling that he hasn’t fully freaked out yet. That’s what Athena anticipated when Sanghoon told her about his short leave, putting her in charge of everyone for the meantime while the replacement settled down.

The college museum was built during the late 70s as a gift from one of the alumni. It was for the purpose to preserve history and educate college students outside the classroom. The Greek mythology exhibit was the oldest one, making Athena have more seniority. Over her stay, she’s seen every new guard lose their senses during the first night. Some not even returning for a second night. She got used to every outcome, and so far, only 8 people lasted after the first night. A couple of students in the 70s and 80s, Sanghoon in the 90s, and now Jeno was one of them.

“Jeno, aren’t you terrified by us? You just got a job in a museum that comes to life every night, and it’s not a normal thing.”

“Well, I’m still shaken up about it. But it’s my first night, and it’s when I learn everything about the place from head to toe. Plus, I really need the money.”

“Money for what? But you’re young, a student even!”

“Yes, I am. However, I do pay for the rent in my dorm. So, this job is like my first big responsibility, and I want to perform well.”

Athena commended his sense of authority, capable of leading himself. She noticed how well-spoken and poised he is, respecting and listening to everything the gods and goddesses said even if they were nonsense. She never liked to compromise with her power, taking a while to like Sanghoon back in the day. Though Jeno looked like a natural leader on his first night. If he could take care of himself well, he’s skilled to take care of the rest in the museum as well.

Plus she had full control on the nights he won’t be there, especially the weekend.

With his potential, Athena mentored him the entire night about the gist of the entire museum. Every upcoming leader needs an intelligent mentor, right? She was naturally gifted with worthy leadership skills, managing Jeno like her own child.

Athena explained how the museum came to life, which was through a royal golden plate from the Oriental room. It was a gift from a popular sorceress in China to an affluent family from the Han dynasty, who wished them a long life after she was saved from invaders due to them. The plate preserved over time, becoming an artifact. Its power remained immortal, mutating to bring life wherever it goes. In this case, the museum since its arrival in the late 70s as well.

“That’s why the Oriental room must be locked always so no one could touch or break the plate.”

After she ordered Jeno to lock the mentioned room, alongside the Foreign Art Exhibit Room which he checked out for his class, she led him to the best view of the entire museum. Center of the second floor, where stairs were on both sides. Jeno marveled at the vivacious atmosphere, witnessing actual art living, breathing, and enjoying themselves.

“Unreal, right?” She leaned in the railing, scanning through the chatty paintings.

Jeno also leaned down, deep in thought and wonder. “Absolutely, Athena. How come no one knows about this? Art coming to life? It’ll invite more students to the museum.”

“That goes against a golden rule as a night guard in this museum.” She replied bluntly. “The life that goes on inside this museum at night must remain a secret to the public.”

Jeno predicted this kind of response, having watched too many films where anything supernatural mustn’t be revealed. Although he liked the advantage of knowing something this powerful, he’d never abuse it.

Athena’s intellect was beyond the world, seamlessly reading Jeno’s expression and what he was thinking. He had good intentions even if he’s a bit mischievous. She needed to keep a keen eye on him, but for now, he needed to explore on his own.

“Anyways, Sanghoon still left out some other details. So if you have any questions, I’ll be at my exhibit trying to shut my father and my uncle up again.”

“Can you not use any weapons to do so?”

“Can’t make any promises, Jeno.” She slyly cracked her knuckles and neck as if she was fighting another battle.

Jeno was silently left with himself, finally browsing through Sanghoon’s guide while seated in one of the museum benches.

It consisted of 25 rules, wherein the first two rules consisted of locking up. One, for the doors and gates of the museum, so no art piece could escape. If they do, they will turn into dust when the sun is out according to Athena. Two, locking the Oriental and Foreign Art Rooms, which was already done.

Rule #5: Let Mochi the puppy from the lobby tag along with you; feed him treats if you have any.

On cue, the little guy barked from the corridor and raced to his side. Jeno carried him, babying him for a little and letting him lick his face a few times before putting him back down. He’s surely going to the pet store first thing in the morning with the museum allowance the director gave him.

Since he was on the second floor, he read and followed the rules that fit in before returning downstairs. On the other side of the floor were the wax figures exhibitions: one for prominent men in history while the other for prominent women. Well, more people to get acquainted with.

It’s the exchange of gasps and profanities he received when he chose the latter room. Seeing their faces, these were women he’s learned in school and online. Now in the (fake) flesh. Except for one girl he’s never heard of, unbothered in her corner sketching her life away in a sketchpad. But before he could check who she was, a suggestive touch on his arm distracted him.

“My, oh my, Hera wasn’t lying when she said that the new night guard was a fine specimen.” By her dark blue eyeshadow and eyeliner with the snake-like crown, Cleopatra studied him like he was one of the most renowned art pieces. Even patting his chest, abdomen, and arms with both her hand, Jeno caught a suggestive glint in her eyes and a smirk across her red lips.

Rule #13: Reject Cleopatra’s seductive advances at all costs.

“Goodness, Cleopatra. It’s only his first night, and you’re scaring him.” With her accent, round eyes, and a chic formal outfit, she carried a posh aura while unhesitatingly scolding the Queen of the Nile.

“Come on now, Diana. He’s stunning, who wouldn’t go after him?” If no one knew her, you’re not reading up on your world history. She’s said to have been a lovely and intelligent woman, gone so soon. Jeno definitely understood why after she detached Cleopatra’s raging hands off him.

Rule #14: Treat Princess Diana and Hera like your own parent.

“Your highness.” Jeno nodded at her out of respect, only making her chuckle uncontrollably.

“No need to address me like that, love. Now, come here.” She widened her arms for Jeno, hugging him amiably. He sensed her motherly warmth, accepting such a gesture. “You remind me so much of my youngest son, Harry. Welcome to the night shift of the museum, love.”

Similar to the Greek mythology exhibit, he introduced himself and responded to any questions that the women wax figures may have. Good for him, they weren’t crossing any borders and kept him at ease.

“A student like you working at night to pay rent?” Katherine Johnson, an African-American NASA mathematician whose calculations led to the success of a lot of famous spaceflights, cannot believe her ears. Students must only focus on school, nothing else. “What about your studies, boy?”

Rule #15: Engage in academic discussions with Katherine Johnson whenever you can.

“Most of my classes are in the afternoon, Miss Katherine. So I’ll sleep in the entire morning later and study during my breaks.”

“Mr. Jeno, what do you like to do outside of work?” Anne Frank, a German-Dutch teenager whose revolutionary diary that documented her life in hiding from the Nazis gained popularity worldwide after publication dreamily asked from her section of the exhibit. Her life was robbed of greatness merely because of her religion and war.

Rule #16: Bring delicious food or gifts to Anne Frank.

“Well, I like to bike with my friends, exercise, and draw whatever comes into mind!”

Everyone he’s met so far acquired pleasure in knowing about who he was and his passion for architecture, ridding the “freaking out” phase Athena assumed he had. Yet not everyone in this exhibit bothered to give him a shot.

Jeno’s attention from Anne talking about her crush towards Peter van Daan, a teenage boy who lived with her, switched to the section beside her, where an unacquainted figure was zealously sketching as if something was due to the following day. It reflected how he’d look when he’s cramming one of his plates due to first thing in the morning. While he properly excused himself, he quietly gazed at the way this woman scrunched her eyebrows when she erased something then drew it again. She was someone he’s never seen or heard before, reading the information plate in front of him about her.

(Y/N) (Y/L/N), Explorer and Author. (1854-1900)

Wealthy women in the Victorian Era only served one purpose in society: marry a man from a prestigious family, have his children and join whatever interests they have. However, for (Y/N), she wasn’t going to conform to those standards.

Born into the affluent house of (Y/L/N), she was the youngest of 8 children. She was said to be the kindest and sweetest sibling out of everyone, not capable of hurting anyone or anything. She said it herself that she can’t throw away a dying flower because it’s too painful. While 5 of her older brothers were sent to school, she stayed at home with her 2 older sisters Cecilia and Amelia where she learned how to play the piano and take voice lessons from impressive teachers. Due to the huge age gaps between them (12 and 8 respectively), she never felt close with them. She was only closest to the 6th and 7th siblings, her twin brothers Benjamin and Liam whom she only had a 2-year gap. She was also best friends with one of the scullery maids her age, Lily, because she found her amusing that than the boring rich girls her mother forced to interact with.

The moment it bothered her that she wanted to live a more meaningful life was when Amelia got married. She was 12 years old at the time, and it left her as the last unwed daughter in the family. Badly did she want to revolt, which she gradually did. Instead of practicing piano, she’d sneak in to read every book in her father’s office. She secretly studied the notes of her older brothers from school and even dressed as a boy numerously thanks to Benjamin and Liam to join their classes or field trips.

This was her routine up until the age of 18 when she stomped her foot down and expressed to her parents that she wasn’t going to let Victorian society dictate her. The night before her parents were bound to send her to her great aunt’s home down South to sort her out, she successfully snuck out her house thanks to Lily, Benjamin, and Liam. It’s another good thing that she saved a lot of money for that moment.

Off she went across Europe first, then sailed to America and even parts of Asia. Initially under the name Lilibe, coined from picking the first two letters of her brothers and best friend, she documented her days and nights through her journals and sketches. Over time, she sent them to her brothers for publication. It started the franchise, “The Adventures of the Young and Free Lilibe”. There are 10 books under it.

She learned French, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, and Korean by herself as she made friends from those places. It was rare of someone like her to be fluent in Oriental languages, surprising locals every time she spoke to them. She was the only explorer to vividly describe life in different Asian lands in English, talking about their history and culture. With her accurate drawings of diverse citizens and their daily lives, it educated a lot of those living back home in Europe about them rather than speaking lowly of them.

In Seoul did she stayed the longest until her death from pneumonia at the young age of 46.

In her posthumous work, Finding Me, did she reveal her real identity, dedicating it to her parents whom she apologized and expressed her love for them despite everything that occurred between them. She talked about the last years of her life in Seoul, how locals were so nice and inviting to her, and how she adopted kids instead of having her own through the years.

“It’s not because I never found love in men. It’s more like I found love in doing things I’m passionate about. Traveling, learning new cultures, it outweighed the human need of romance.”

Due to her thrill in taking risks and embarking on wondrous adventures, it brought inspiration to a lot of young girls pressured to marry at that time to pursue what they really want.

A remarkable background you had, Jeno contemplated. How come no one discussed her in his classes?

You kept brushing the bangs of your hair back as it fell repeatedly. But you got irritated instantly because it sabotaged your drive, you brought out a hairpin from her desk and attached it on both sides. But when you shifted your angle of focus, the corner of your eye locked with Jeno’s attentive gaze.

He didn’t flinch, even he should’ve. He wasn’t one to linger his look on anyone’s physical appearances, but your story and the passion on your face as you sketched mesmerized him. He was charmed, to say the least.

“Uhm, hello there?” You broke the silence due to your uneasiness about it. What’s his deal?

Jeno bowed, reintroducing himself to you. As soon as his presence settled in the room when Cleopatra attempted to hit on him, you could’ve cared less. Though this man was a first for you, a first in a long time as all guards would feel intimidated by you during the first night. Even your sharp tongue didn’t faze him. “Staring is rude, sir. Didn’t your mother teach you manners?”

“She did,” He wandered through the exterior of your section, by the fence that separated you and him. Not breaking eye contact, his eyes turned into moon crescents as he smirked with trouble. “Though she also told me to appreciate the art too.”

Snorts noisily exhaled from Cleopatra, who took the center section of the exhibit, succeeded by Princess Diana’s whispered gasps and Katherine’s side-eyeing Anne beside her while she taught her math. That was an odd way a guard conversed with you, but Jeno was merely doing what the rules stated. Partly, he was impressed with his cheesy pick-up line, partly embarrassed because he’s never spoken like this to anyone.

Rule #17: Act playfully around (Y/N) (Y/L/N) to break the tension; she’s a harsh one.

There was irony between the information he read about your life versus the wax model. Even when you faced sexism and ran away according to your history, never were you impolite to anyone in your life. You couldn’t even kill a lurking fly when it roams around your food! It showed Jeno a possibility that as much as you’re just a wax version of someone famous in the past, maybe the external environment around you had a heavy influence too.

“You fool!” His confidence exasperated you, urging you to persistently throw balls of paper with your failed sketches at him. No one dared to talk to you like that, most especially a night guard. “Take that for your comment!”

If you thought he’d scram away and act repentant, you were proven wrong. His reflexes were parallel to a spider, capturing every single paper ball without fail. Up and down his body went, one arm held on to them and no more were left on your part. Never a single defeat during the first meeting in years, but that seemed to alter now.

“Give up already, Ms. (Y/L/N)?” Jeno remarked vibrantly as he discarded your mess in the trash bin behind him. If he managed to get everyone to like him tonight, he wanted to make sure to have you onboard too.

Whatever agenda he had, you weren’t up for it. You’d treat him the same way you usually treated Sanghoon for the past 20 something years: cold and ignorant. From your stool, you left your comfortable position to come face to face with this man. He better be grateful for that barrier in between you, or else you would’ve caused mayhem.

“Never in your wildest dreams, Mr. Lee.” Your mouth gave a half-smile, clenching on the bars to liberate your annoyance. Before you could fend back, that’s when Princess Diana intervened between your heated dialogue.

“Oh heavens, children!” She stood by the barrier, mostly to protect the newbie Jeno with her body. “(Y/N), he just wanted to know you. Must you be so cross?”

This Princess Diana embodied all the traits the real one had: soft-spoken, intelligent, and protective. She’s gotten so used to your gradual temper, staying on standby whenever anyone tried to mess with you. Even if it was harmless, you could get so mean!

“Diana, he was mocking me! Saying such a sleazy phrase as if to amuse me, ha! Not a chance, I hate people like that.”

“Not us women though; you just despise men in general.”

“And you’re absolutely right!” With a smug smile, you greedily rejoiced. “Anyways, escort this disgrace out. I’m not in the mood to get angry when I have a lot of inspiration on mind right now.”

While you resumed your sketching to let go of that extra steam, Jeno was left with Diana who apologized on your behalf. Your pride was too high to do that, and as the motherly figure among them, she always took care of things in your exhibit.

“I’m so sorry for that, Jeno. She’s not really like this, but I know how much you tried your best. It was quite a fresh spectacle honestly.”

Whatever was responsible for your abrasiveness, Jeno yearned to know. He couldn’t understand who you were yet even knowing your life story. All he wanted was to get along with everyone. It was the key to successfully maintain his job for the next 6 months.

“How can I make her come around then?”

A demanding question that no one had a solid answer to. Diana recalled how much Sanghoon didn’t let your dislike for him get to him, maintaining a respectful boundary in between each other after his past attempts. Though with Jeno, observing how he riled you up and your focus entirely on him, she hasn’t seen anything like it since the 80s.

There was something in Jeno that may just get you to warm up and return to your kind nature.

“Aside from acting playful, as Sanghoon recommended, I can think of two ways, love.” By the doors of her exhibit, where Jeno was already waltzing the corridor to visit other rooms, she suggested smartly. “One, argue back to her opinions. She hates whenever anyone tries to get her way, but boy, you’re just as wise as her. No one was brave enough to peeve on her until you came.”

“How about the second way?”

“Do your research, love. Aside from libraries, you have those small technology devices that allow you to search up anything.” She tousled Jeno’s brown locks as if it were her actual son’s. Some habits just don’t die when you do.

“Brush up on your history, Jeno. Not only will it help you with (Y/N), but it’ll serve purposefully with the other art pieces here.”

Boy, he was ready to crash in his bed for a few hours after all those interactions. His introverted nature required to be revitalized.

Towards the last hours of his shift, the art pieces who’ve strolled in the first floor lessened his plate by not leaving any major clutter behind. As if she listened to him, Athena didn’t break any lightbulbs too.

His main highlight would be meeting the men of the historical male section, who flaunted a more humorous ambiance. Freddie Mercury from Queen insisted he drink a glass of his wine and to bring more wine next time, which he denied since it would against Sanghoon’s rules. King Sejong the Great and Martin Luther King Jr. argued back and forth over the most random things (pineapple on pizza specifically), while Steve Jobs mediated whenever one crossed the line. Meanwhile, William Shakespeare was too preoccupied in his writing and speaking to himself about his books, wondering how to improve them.

During one of his breaks today, he multitasked drawing a new plate with his research on every art piece to know them better. He started with the exhibit of sculptures of the Greek gods and goddesses, which were Zeus, Hera, Hades, Athena, Hermes, Aphrodite, Poseidon, Artemis, Dionysus, and Circe. They weren’t the complete roster because the rest were in other museums across the globe, as said by Athena before sunrise. The majority of them he knew what they were in charge of, but the rest were foggy to his knowledge. Typing away and jotting notes down, he started downloading his favorite jazz songs too.

Rule # 4: Play jazz music to the paintings on the first floor so they can relax and dance within their frames.

Circe is a minor goddess, the daughter of the sun god Helios. She’s recognized for her versatility in incantations and herbs, capable of transforming people into animals. From Jeno’s perspective, she’s mostly within her space with her journals and magic wand, trying new spells or combinations of herbs. For the latter, he had to keep a closer eye on.

Rule #9: Don’t let Circe, god of potions, into the Oriental Room to get plants and herbs.

He discovered that Dionysus is the god of wine, happiness, and theatre. That’s why every god in the exhibit had full wine glasses during their gathering. It also added up why Freddie Mercury always comes to him when his bottles run empty, though he mustn’t go overboard.

Rule #18: Make sure Freddie Mercury doesn’t get too drunk from the wine of Dionysus; he might make numerous scenes if he does.

After his lone studying session, he took a short trip to the pet and convenience stores to buy food. He got a dumbfounded look from Jaemin back in the dorm room, who was studying for one of his quizzes in Biology in a couple of hours.

“Woah what’s with this stash? Is it for yourself or something?”

“The museum surprisingly has a lot of tasks needed to be done at night. And no, not from my wallet but the allowance they gave me before you get a heart attack.” Jeno plopped on his solo bed, covering his face with a pillow.

“Thank God.” A relaxed sigh escaped Jaemin’s lips, taking back his balled-up fists meant for his roommate. “I think I would’ve stormed that boring museum if they made your broke ass spend a cent.”

“Boring?” Jeno removed the cushion hastily, eyeing his busy and coffee-high roommate. The scent of black coffee from his mug spread in the room, assuming that this upcoming test was testing his roommate’s patience again.

Not even trying to look at Jeno while reviewing his handwritten notes, Jaemin continued giving his opinion. “Museum culture is dead, Jeno. Not everyone has the time to roam around one, plus people can always look up the artifacts online these days.”

People were entitled to their own opinions on numerous things, though Jeno begged to differ with his roommate’s. Especially after witnessing the magic of the night shift, you shouldn’t merely judge a book by its cover. In this case, you shouldn’t judge an artwork or art piece merely on its history and legacy.

Maybe because his roommate was in the science department, he thought this way. A lot of art students regularly visit the museum both for fun and for their classes, and Jeno was one of them. Though he was too sleepy to explain his side, he let it slide for now and snoozed throughout the late afternoon.

An hour before the start of his shift, Jeno promenaded the emptying museum to inspect anything else he might’ve missed out on from last night. There were two areas according to his rotation, both in the first floor.

One was the Diorama Room. Divided into 4 sections, highlighting some of the well-known ancient civilizations in world history. Ancient Egypt and Ancient China to your left, Ancient Rome and Ancient Maya to your right. They acted as if they were the actual people during those times, giving Jeno a laugh when they cracked jokes in between. Such tiny figures, yet the rule for them said otherwise.

Rule # 7: The small figurines in the Diorama Room are feisty, so make sure they don’t fight with one another again.

The remaining room left was the Theater Room. He’s never been here, though his art friends have for film festivals held by the university.

The interior of it was set to look like an actual cinema place you’d see in a mall. There was a mini lobby with a few posters of iconic films over the years. Singin’ in the Rain, Back to the Future, Titanic, those were some framed and hung on the wall. There were two other doors there: one leading to the chairs and the other where the movie projector was. The latter room was pretty riveting, wherein you can choose to watch old short films through an 88mm film projector or switch to a cd player for the newer releases.

Back to those posters, they weren’t an exception to the magic and a simple rule was left for Jeno to do.

Rule # 10: Chatter with the movie posters in the lobby of the Theater Room; they love meeting new faces.

Since there wasn’t anyone checking out the Art Rooms on the second floor, he closed them. Though as he was about to lock the Oriental Room, the ravishing plants around the royal plant appealed his interest. Said to hold magical properties from his research, Jeno was reminded of another rule to keep in mind for later.

Rule # 3: The fake flowers in the Oriental Room come to life too at night, so when no one is lurking, water it diligently.

Instead of lounging at Sanghoon’s office first, he brought his important items to the front desk of the lobby and continued sketching his plate. He wanted to watch the art come back alive with his two eyes. Usually, he’d have coffee when he does his work, but due to another crucial rule in the guide, he’d rather not take the risk.

Rule # 6: The lobby room can get rowdy, so keep any drinks away from important items.

On the dot, the cries and yawns from the art pieces around him reverberated. Closing his sketchpad, his night guard mode was on. Connecting his laptop on the aux cord of the museum speakers, he tapped play on his playlist of jazz music that’ll last for the entire shift duration. As the first notes flooded the entire vicinity, sounds of joy left the lips of each painting. Some were humming, dancing, and even singing along.

“You can never go wrong with Frank Sinatra!”

“This Jeno lad really did the heavens’ work quick!”

Having the sense of accomplishment on his sleeve, the small barks of his fluffy pal reached closer to him. As he kneeled to find him, he was only taken by surprise as Mochi excitedly jumped on him. Tumbling over, Jeno chuckled innocently as Mochi licked his face numerously. This puppy was friendly, easily liking everyone at first sight. He wasn’t as choosy like Daegal, the puppy of his friend Chenle studying Business Management.

Once he composed himself and cradling the dog like his own, he fed him a dog treat from the desk.

“Good boy, Mochi!” He rubbed his fur while the puppy happily munched on it, ready to fulfill more of his duties.

He skipped the Greek mythology exhibit since Athena was doing a good job not letting anyone go overboard with their powers, though he’ll check in again in a few hours. He met the posters of the theater room, who were celebrities he grew up watching on tv. Sanghoon was right; they were the kinder group in the entire museum because they were more laidback.

On to the second floor, all the female wax figures lounged by the male section due to another lecture from Shakespeare. Although the guide informed him that most of the time it could get boring, this lecture was more stimulating. On his platform, he elaborated with conviction the lines of one of his famous books, Romeo and Juliet. A must-read book back in his high school days, there’s no way Jeno could’ve missed that out.

From the looks of it, Jeno perceived that Shakespeare was performing spoken word poetry due to him reading only Romeo’s lines while Cleopatra read Juliet’s beside him. This kind of show was one of the sources of entertainment to these figures, so Jeno leaned by the side of the door to listen. After all, the famous author of it was a few feet away. Cleopatra channeled such a naïve character to her ability, absentmindedly saying as she clutched her chest.

“O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name; Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I'll no longer be a Capulet.”

“Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?”

“'Tis but thy name that is my enemy; Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose-”

The flow of an engaged Cleopatra was abrupted by the loud yell from Shakespeare in front, specifically to an amused Jeno. “Jeno, my boy! Welcome back!”

Such an announcement diverted everyone’s attention to the back, some running to Jeno to give their respective greetings. It’s rare for everyone to feel at ease with a new guard, taking them weeks to approach them due to the intimidation. Though Jeno’s bright presence felt welcoming, so they accepted it. Perhaps it’s because of his youth, it reminded them of theirs too.

Shakespeare highly requested (or forced) Jeno to take his part as Romeo, intrigued to watch someone younger read his lines. Since most of the male wax figures were aged, it never satisfied Shakespeare so he jumped on this opportunity as quickly as he could. With the roaring cheers from the other figures, Jeno might as well give it a try. It wasn’t like his friends were here to clown him like they usually would if he did something humiliating.

Jeno shockingly liked this activity as he wasn’t much of a performer on stage, but someone who does the behind-the-scenes of it. He realized as he read the lines from the book Shakespeare asked him to follow along with why people held university-wide spoken word shows a few times per semester. He was no actor, but it’s delightful to have tried it at least once in his life.

“O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” As if the edge of the platform was the balcony of Juliet (or Cleopatra rather), he knelt as he ardently spoke his lines. He’s emphasizing this rush of uncontrollable desire for her, rambling whatever he would do to get the girl.

“What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?” Cleopatra questioned from her chair, inching closer to the young boy. Even outside character will she attempt to charm Jeno, but Jeno was quick to catch it and kept his distance.

“The exchange of thy love's faithful vow for mine.”

“I gave thee mine before thou didst request it, and yet I would it were to give again.”

“Wouldst thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?”

“But to be frank, and give it thee again. And yet I wish but for the thing I have. My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep. The more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite.”

Everyone was condensed by their top-notch acting, as if this was the actual play unfolding before them. Jeno wasn’t so sure how he got himself in character without preparation, yet he felt what his character felt. He comprehended the material a lot better now than when he was still in high school.

However, there was always that one killjoy to ruin the heartfelt mood.

“How dumb is it to say that you’re in love after the first glance?” You opposed, putting the spotlight on you. This book was said to be a classic in literature, but as you matured physically and mentally, you could no longer agree with it. “Isn’t love the same thing that killed Romeo and Juliet in the end?”

Remembering what Princess Diana told him, he wasn’t going to let this pass. He wanted to give a piece of his mind too, caring less if the show must be paused. “Love is an emotion we don’t ask to feel. It’ll come to us when we least expect it, even when the timing of it can be crucial.”

“Of all the people Juliet could’ve gone for, it just had to be the enemy.” In all the years you’ve been brought to life, no one dared to test your opinions because they were aware of your intelligence, from the streets to the books. When someone bark, you’d bite back. Hard. “With all due respect, I love your works, Shakespeare. Yet the fate you’ve given these two at a young age was grave, could’ve you given them a better outcome or another character to love instead?”

“Giving them extra characters to love won’t address the horrific life fact that love can be dangerous. Regardless of what status you’re in, you can’t stop the attraction towards someone. The heart wants what it wants.” Jeno pressed his hand to his chest, pumping it a bit. Unknown to you and him, the audience found more entertainment in your argument. Anne, who was munching on the popcorn Jeno gave her earlier, passed the snack to Katherine who just couldn’t stop watching.

If this man wanted a challenge, you’re all ears. Who was he to compete with you? Was he not intelligent to know who you are?

“So are you insinuating that we just go with the flow? Be a slave to our emotions too and let them dictate our next motives?”

“Slave is such a strong word to use, (Y/N). But it’s not like we can’t choose who want to love because we actually can. In this case, Romeo chose Juliet and vice versa.”

“But what happens if the person you choose doesn’t choose you in return?”

“At least you tried your best, right? It’ll hurt like hell though, but it won’t last forever.” From his kneeling position, Jeno strutted his way with confidence. Trying not to let it mess with you, your extreme stare at him as if they’ll shoot lasers. Inches away from you, Jeno declared. “Love always has risks, that’s a given. Romeo and Juliet still tried and followed their hearts despite the downfall. But it was a needed downfall to get the message across.”

“No one would be that foolish to risk their lives for love though, right? Life is so precious, why would they do such a thing?”

“Even if they knew what their lives were without each other, they still preferred living a life where they were both in the picture. Therefore, they tried all they could that time because the regret of not doing anything at all carries a heavier burden.”

Whenever anyone argued with you, their debating points they spat back would further piss you off because most of the time, it never made sense. Back when this rude man told you to go home and be a wife in your earlier years of exploring, you civilly told him to fuck off, kicking his balls because he cornered you in an alley. For the first time, a man who tried to challenge you actually made sense. Was it because he lived in a modern time, where minds were more open? Because of the amount of sexism you faced in the past, you’ve turned a blind eye to the current period.

But your high pride maintained, not submitting into anything he said. “I still think it’s stupid to risk your life for love. There’s no such thing as having only one true love anyways, and you have to be alive to see it.”

“Fair point, but again, the feeling of regret and carrying it your entire life doesn’t fade easily. It’ll make you reflect on the what-ifs, and it’s heart-wrenching.” Jeno digressed, walking around you in circles. He’s intentionally trying to drive you mad, but he could care less. He wanted someone to put you in your place and open your mindset. “The question stands: would you rather try and go for it even knowing its risks or regret not even trying for the rest of your existence? Quite ironic for me to ask you that, don’t you think?”

Past the information board, Jeno researched more of your life history online. Your whole life was grounded on risks, from breaking the standards of your society, leaving your family and home country, to fending yourself from disrespectful men. Rather than living the original life expected from you, you chose not to because it didn’t make you happy. Such a risktaker he knew you are, but with the topic of love, he wondered why you were on a fence with it. Though some records stated you’ve had rendezvouses with a few men in your journeys, love was never in the equation. The single life was what you chose and you were more than satisfied, plus your adopted kids filled that supposed void anyways.

This man may have studied your history, but so much he still doesn’t know. Information that never made the books because you chose not to write or tell anyone about it. Aside from the discomfort growing in your chest, everyone else felt the awkward tension when you were lost for words.

Never been defeated in an argument, until tonight. Your mind lost its drive and willpower.

“Touché, Lee Jeno.” Indeed, his name you’re acquainted with. Numerously passed around in your exhibit, mostly from the lips of Cleopatra, who’d fantasize all the graphic things she would do to him. Too much information, least of your interest. “Please excuse me. I’d like to work on my sketches to ease my mind.”

As you quietly exited the room, an all too familiar sculpture leaned against the railings overseeing one side of the museum. Just like you, she hated accepting defeat or compromises. She always rooted for you to win. With a faint chuckle, “Facing a loss for the first time, I see.”

“Don’t even lecture me about it, Athena. I’m still fired up, and I need to relax.”

“Jeno is a different breed, isn’t he?” She stuck to your side, strolling wherever your feet led you.

“Different as in he’s a man? Yes. What else is there to it?”

“Men these days aren’t as trashy as those back in the day though. Shouldn’t you give him a chance?”

“Last time I did, it destroyed my heart. I’m not allowing myself to let men in even as a friend, Athena.”

She knew exactly what you were referring to, not touching on it further. No way will you let heartbreak or disappointment from men bother you. Even Sanghoon’s sweet company took a while to tolerate. You really needed to sketch this out on your pad right now, excusing yourself from Athena’s presence. Isolation wasn’t new to you; it’s what’s protecting your entire being. Immortal as you are, you had to recover from the past pain so the next decades won’t feel as brash.

You hoped to return to your old self when you were a fresh new figure in the 70s. So naïve, only proud of your accomplishments, and purely happy.

While Jeno continued to finish his scene in respect to Shakespeare, he received a standing ovation for his mini-show. Cleopatra didn’t expect such talent from him, growing fonder of the younger male. Whether she seduces him or not, he was never afraid to try new things and she liked that about him.

“Bravo, love!” Princess Diana praised, clapping at him.

Although Jeno appreciated all this positive attention, his thoughts bounced back to your and your stance on love. The debate earlier was just out of being playful, interested to hear your opinions. Though, he’s worried that he might’ve offended you. It may have been time to finally witness something like that, but then again, he was sure he touched something personal to you. No matter how you tried to fight it off, your eyes can’t lie. Staring down at him, there was pain beneath it. Your eyebrows scrunched to the center, thinking deeply yet remained utterly speechless.

A win he didn’t feel good about.

“It’s time she encountered something new in the years she’s been here. Give her some space tonight, then try again to reach out to her. Kindly this time; I’m not in the mood for another brawl that could end up like the Greek gods’ past fights downstairs.”

These clever words shared by Katherine loitered his mind for the rest of the night, eventually going back to finishing his current plate since everyone was behaving well. As great it is to get the approval of the majority, he tried brainstorming ways to make you like him too.

He understood the whole “men are trash” concept in today’s modern society, but if he could prove it wrong to at least one person, it would be you. Whatever is holding you back, he only hoped that you’d let it go. Questionably unsure as to why he was so persevering, he concluded that it was so he could perform his job better as the night guard. Set higher standards than Sanghoon even.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Weeks passed, and his attempts continued to be unsuccessful.

The capability for you to ignore his efforts remained strong, whether he was pestering you over small things or debating with you again about anything. Life, books, morals, the two of you always head butt each other. Anything good he did, you searched for a flaw in it. Whatever acts he’s tried and continued trying, not one flinch from you ever.

Even if that’s his state with you, his job no longer felt stressful nor strenuous. He’d try to sleep more on days he was off-duty. Although the fatigue of staying beyond his usual sleeping time was inevitable, he compromised to take a nap lasting an hour or two when the art pieces weren’t acting frisky.

Plus, there have been multiple times they adapted to any alterations so his physical well-being wouldn’t fall sick. Per order of Princess Diana and Hera, who by instinct became his motherly figures here, only wanting what’s best for the kids.

He became accustomed to everything that went on at night, discovering things on his own without Sanghoon’s guide. Anne talked about how much she missed biking in her neighborhood, so one night, Jeno snuck his bike inside and let her use it around the first floor. With proper monitoring so none of the paintings would be unbothered or pieces wouldn’t tumble.

Hermes the messenger god was fluent in every language possible, so every so often, Jeno would freely speak to him in Korean because sometimes he felt he could explode by the amount of English he used every night. Bilingual things, you know. He knew you were multilingual too, but for obvious reasons, he couldn’t converse with you.

Because Jeno was heavily favored, that should’ve been enough to push through his night shifts before the end of the semester. In addition to that, the hourly rate was above the average of whatever Jaemin or Renjun was earning. For the past 2 months, Jeno paid upfront first, even paying back all his debts. It almost made Renjun want to switch jobs with him.

“Trust me, Renjun. You don’t want it, being the lowkey scaredy cat you are.”

Work no longer felt like work, and that’s what everyone aspired to feel. Nevertheless, he tended to worry over you mid-shift, glancing at you from his side view. Sketching, reading, and writing were your default actions. No matter how many times he said to himself not to let your dislike for him affect him, it’d always backfire.

Why were you so cold?

What made you lose your fire from all the research he did about your lively personality?

When morning arrived and he gathered his stuff, you’d be the last thing he’ll check on. Frozen in your standing pose, smiling as you held a book and a pencil, he detected how fake it was. Bystanders would only assume your happiness was from your achievements, though Jeno’s gut firmly pried that something grand overpowered that happiness. And definitely, not in a good way.

Out of all the art pieces, he investigated on you the most. Skimming through every material in the library, endless searching on the net, even asking professors from the History department thanks to Renjun, he did whatever he could. People may already think he was obsessed with who you are, but only little did they know.

Another plate was done and submitted, and he promised himself to look you up one last time before surrendering. For someone who’s rarely given up on a challenge, this one was really out of his control. Maybe he should follow Sanghoon’s footsteps now.

You lived centuries before him, and there’s limited material of you left. Rather than learning of your adventures again, he dug through what things you liked over your life. Maybe by giving one of them, it’ll lessen the tension from a 100 to 99. Maybe you preferred gifts over words, he’ll never know until he tried.

Boom.

According to one of your journal entries, there’s a fond liking you’ve acquired for lavender roses from Benjamin and Liam when they visited you in Paris in secret because of how much you missed them. It went both ways, praying your family ties could be recovered.

It’s a good thing he needed to refill his stock of items for the art pieces so he could pass by the flower store a few blocks away from his dorm. That night, without further words, he graciously offered you a fresh lavender rose in between your new sketching session.

“I may not know exactly why you’re spiritless around me, but with this rose, I hope we could work something out.”

Your frigid face of disdain, keeping your chin high and squinting your eyes with judgment, began to crumble down. Of all things as a peace offering, he gave you that? Then again, it’s not like he knew that an item you liked so much became something you’ve grown to hate and why so. No history books could teach him that.

Vulnerability was a normal thing, yet feared by many. Once one uncovered your weak spot, they could harm you. You still couldn’t trust Jeno fully, not willing to show your helplessness nor were you ever going to tell him. Hidden from his knowledge, everyone else including Sanghoon were familiarized as to why this kind of flower tormented you.

You sprinted like thunder out the exhibit room to wherever it’s private to control your senses. You may not have a physical heart, but your emotions were just as actual as a human’s. You needed to regulate your panting breath. In the past decades, you’ve not shed a singular tear but the cycle broke when they streamed out your miserable eyes like a flowing river. Quiet sobs, an empty corner near the fire exit was where your wobbly legs faltered, the painful memories of the past replayed in your head. Once beautiful, but now an agonizing reminder of what could’ve been.

Katherine, Cleopatra, and Anne were swift on their feet to hunt you down, anxious of what you may do next. Seeing or the mention of these flowers still affected you despairingly. Sanghoon must’ve forgotten to write them down, or perhaps he didn’t know either about this fact during all the years he’s worked there.

It’s one of the biggest secrets of his museum. By the clueless face Jeno had with his eyebrows raised, mouth, and small eyes slightly open, he repeatedly asked what he did wrong and adding that he never meant to harm you. Indeed, they knew that yet what occurred involved a secret in the list of museum secrets. Confidential only between art pieces according to Athena, none of the male wax figures spoke a word, only pitying the boy.

“I wasn’t here yet that time, but they said that it was once beautiful, but now it’s a rough period.” With hesitation, Princess Diana chose to reveal it to rid Jeno’s misery. She didn’t mind having to argue about it with Athena later on, as this may further affect the two of you later on.

“A long time ago in the early ‘80s, there was a night guard around your age named Junmyeon. Also, a college student, trying to make ends meet. He did it for 3 years until he graduated. Though within his stay, not only was he such a delight to everyone, he broke a golden rule in the guide. I believe you do know the guide much more now, Jeno?”

“Yes, I do, Princess Diana. Memorized it even, but which one specifically?” Jeno’s desperate eyes pleaded, only hoping for the best and to fix what he messed up.

“You can form friendships with the art pieces, but nothing more.” Princess Diana replied bitterly. “Junmyeon was an aspiring painter, a different path from his business-oriented family. He was seen as the black sheep. She resonated with him, sharing the burden and lifting it by doing whatever fun they could in the museum. In time, they both fell in love with each other; they were each other’s first loves.”

“Why must something beautiful like love be broken? It’s not like you can control it. That golden rule makes no sense.”

“It does, unfortunately. Wax figures like me cannot age, while humans like you can. None of them could accept the reality, always pushing it away. Until Junmyeon’s last week in university, he broke it off with her unexpectedly. From there, (Y/N) was heartbroken for decades. With heartbreak, giving the cold shoulder and bitterness followed. Then with the lavender rose you gave that she used to love became a flower that she associated with Junmyeon too because he gave her one almost every night for those past 3 years.”

Things finally added up, and the guilt in Jeno’s gut expanded. His major lightbulb moment was a major failure.

“Has Junmyeon ever returned to try and win her back?”

“Well, there was one time he did come back for an art exhibition for his paintings in the 2000s. I was already here, then he had a woman around his shoulder with an adolescent boy holding his hand. He roamed around our exhibit and kept gawking at (Y/N). We may be asleep, but we remember the conversations exchanged in the room. So, his son then asked him if he knew who she was.”

“What did he respond?” Jeno attentively listened, on the edge of such a hurtful tale.

“He knew her name, praising her for historical achievements. However, nothing as a former friend or lover. From what I predict, he ingested one of Circe’s potions.”

“But I thought Circe isn’t allowed to make potions for actual consumption. She’s not even allowed to enter the Oriental Art Room.” Jeno pointed out, overwhelmed at the puzzling past. Princess Diana was mindful that she had to stop spreading too much information, so she had to end her discussion with the lost boy.

“There are a lot of secrets about this museum, Jeno. Unfortunately, I cannot reveal to you to protect our peace.”

With due respect, Jeno quit his follow-up questions and concerns. The only thing he wished to do was mend his relationship with you. As vague as to where you even stood in the first place, he unintentionally crossed a line due to his selfish intention to befriend you.

“What can I do now, Princess Diana? You know I’d never push her buttons like that, even if I’m a whimsical person.”

“Oh, my boy.” Princess Diana soothed, holding both her hand on his sweaty palm and cupping his cheek. “For the meantime, give her space. No taunting for a while, and just observe her from a distance. Though do not fret the slightest; I’m sure she’ll be okay again.”

During that interval, you were hunched on the wall, bawling and weeping like the wound was brand new again. While Katherine and Anne stood by your side, on the lookout for anyone who’d be spying on you, Cleopatra knelt in front of you as your infinite tears gushed down.

“My dear,” She tried to wipe some of them while holding your hand. “It’s been years, and Jeno didn’t know a single thing. He didn’t mean to do it.”

“I don’t care, Cleopatra! He should’ve stopped trying to socialize with me because I won’t ever live down my experience with Junmyeon.”

“As if crying like this will bring Junmyeon back to your life,” Cleopatra exclaimed, holding in her temper. Acquainted with heartbreak, it’s awful that it changed you entirely, but you should’ve found a way to heal. Throughout your attitude change, it’s mostly you in pain, not those you inflict it to. “My dear, I love you a lot. But this Jeno boy is different, and you know it.”

“He’s still a nightguard, for Christ’s sake, Cleopatra.”

“You shouldn’t generalize that all night guards are bad just because of one encounter that occurred at the wrong time.” Brushing some strands stuck by your wet visage, she professed to you bluntly. “You’re never going to know how good Jeno is unless you slowly open up again, (Y/N). Not forcing you the slightest, but healing started once you’ve acknowledged the past and move on from it.”

“But I’m scared, Cleopatra.” You restlessly admitted, hunching even more against the wall. Your poor, metaphorical heart could only take so much. You barely expressed sorrow towards others as you always held a strong exterior, only letting it out alone. Not holding back anymore, Cleopatra brought you in for a hug. The last time she did that was the first night after Junmyeon left, calming your intensified emotions so you wouldn’t do anything dumb that night. No violence, just pure sorrow.

“My dear, it’s alright.” She whispered while stroking your back upwards. “But you’re a risktaker; that’s how people remember you. Now, you must challenge yourself to move on from things that didn’t work out. Because once you do, it’ll put your heart and mind at ease.”

“Do you think I’ll be okay again?”

“Yes, you will be, my dear. You are not alone, and never will be.”

Acting like the dutiful son he always was, Jeno distanced from you.

He still cracked jokes, chatted with the art pieces, and followed the rules, yet never did he utter anything to you. You’ve proudly anticipated it since day one, not wanting him up in your business or teasing you ever. But this time, it felt odd.

On nights he didn’t report, you’ve unconsciously wondered what he may have been up to. A job like this at his age was just as Sanghoon once said: nothing in the regular.

Was he with his friends?

Was he resting well?

From the moment you chose to let go of your limitations and old thoughts, it included your grudge against past guards. Asking for forgiveness to Sanghoon when he returns was on the top of your list, however, that’ll take a while to happen. In the start, you’re baffled as to why he no longer picked on you like every night he’s been present. Somehow, it became a habit you’ve gotten used to, having so many comebacks planned to fend yourself. But you didn’t want to concede to it, maintaining what was left of your pride since that breakdown.

While on the subject, you suspected if anyone told him anything that night because that also indicated the last time he reached out to you. By anything, it would be your unwritten past with Junmyeon. A part of yourself in the museum that you didn’t want to disperse like rapid-fire again. It would be the last thing you wanted Jeno to know.

To your misfortune, Princess Diana came clean due to your growing concern over it. Although your attitude changed and people got used to it, you could only blame yourself that you were responsible for Jeno’s change.

“All he wanted was to understand and enlighten us with his likable presence. Then with you, you were his challenge because of your high walls. Out of everyone, he tried to learn everything about you. From my observation, whenever he has a goal, he’s determined to achieve it.”

“But I’m trying to be better now, Diana. Why did he stop?”

“He may have determination, but he knows where the boundaries lie.” Princess Diana patted the side of your arm, giving you a half-grin. “It hurt him when he hurt you, even if it was accidental. So he opted to give you space; that way, you could catch a breather and he wouldn’t harm you anymore. It was what you wanted from the start anyways, right?”

A hard pill to swallow, though it was a fact. It’s just that now, you’re slowly willing to release yourself from the dark. It’s been decades, and more to come. Nothing can move on unless you do.

“Where is he, Princess Diana?”

Just as she predicted right on the edge, Diana completed the grin on her face and led you to the entrance of your exhibit. She may be younger than you, but you’re reverted in your twenties while she remained in her mid-thirties. Gaping the wide museum from the railing, starting from the painting exhibit in the lobby to across the other side of the museum, Diana spotted the black hair of the boy in the Foreign Art Room.

“Over there.”

Observing where her eyes focused, you caught a glimpse of a recognizable side profile. The owner’s eyes were completely taken by whatever he was drawing on the fold-up desk he brought out from the storage room. By the tedious action of his right hand going up and down, you’ve gotten so used to his part-time identity as the night guard to entirely dismiss his current status as a university student.

Architecture specifically as he first introduced himself to you. The same path your oldest brother, Christopher, worked in. The look of tenacity Jeno presented as his eyebrows continuously scrunched, his crescent orbs hastily spied his work for any unnecessary details and his veiny hands brushed his already messy hair, you were profoundly reminded of Christopher when he was designing his possible future house. You were 8 years old, and he was 22, who just got married. He explained how many floors it’ll have, what rooms to put and what extra furniture he’ll place to make it feel more at home.

Seeing how exceptional his art skills were, you started to sketch like him. With flowers first, it turned into bedrooms and sceneries of your neighborhood. You felt your shoulders rise in accomplishment when you were able to accurately draw people. As much as you credited Benjamin and Liam the most in your works, it’ll only be within yourself to know that you also held a soft spot for Christopher.

Excusing yourself to Princess Diana, you bravely yet quietly ventured into the Foreign Art Room. Hiding first from one of the cement columns, you resumed watching him sketch. Instead of a pencil, he used a black pen with a tip as thin as a pencil. Your assumptions would be it was for a class, basing it on him informing everybody earlier that he’ll be inactive for the remaining hours of his shift to focus on his midterm requirements. That must be difficult to balance, yet he still does everything expected from him. Maybe the second cup of iced coffee beside him stimulated his bones and mind, letting his imagination free.

Through the limited space, you tiptoed whilst holding the side of the column to make up his work. There were 2 and a half rectangular shapes stacked on top of each other, the third one he was still tracing. A sign encrypted with tiny written words you couldn’t decipher, the beauty and modernity of Jeno’s plate cannot go unappreciated.

“That’s absolutely beautiful.”

Sweet words you didn’t think would bounce back in the room, Jeno’s pace ceased whilst you hid again. Art pieces capable of walking weren’t allowed here, he locked the door even beforehand! Or he thought as he was rushing to get his work done because one of his terror professors moved up the deadline to tomorrow morning. Not even 25% finished, he petitioned for everyone’s cooperation just for tonight.

He used up his 2 days of not having the night shift for other projects, and not wanting to ruin his perfect attendance, he proceeded to show up.

The voices from the foreign paintings around him hushed for him out of respect. So possibly someone snuck in, his head looking around for intruders. But only did he quit it when he saw your blurry reflection leaning against the column. The glass windows slightly mirror back what it sees, without you knowing that.

Not to mention, the small bit of your lilac dress was left out. Of all people, it was you?

“Do my eyes deceive me or is Miss (Y/N) (Y/L/N) inside when she’s not allowed so?”

To break the killing tension, he tested the waves with an innocent taunt. Never did you reach out to him, so least to say he was entertained whilst keeping his distance.

Fixing your proud stance, you responded in a low baritone voice you used to persuade numerous men in her adventures. “Uhm no, I don’t know who she is.”

As intelligent as you were, Jeno was a few steps farther than you this time. Educated about the risky ways you’d get around and one of them was changing the pitch of your voice, he heartily laughed at your unsuccessful attempt.

“Okay don’t lie, (Y/N). I can see a trail of your dress and your cloak. Oh, your reflection too.”

Damn, you peeked a little to realize that he was correct. Hauling your dress back in to readjust your outfit, you pushed your hair back before appearing to him. Though when you did such, you didn’t suppose that he was practically beside you the entire time. Bumping into his towering stance of 5’10 while the sleeves of his dress shirt rolled up, your proud posture loosened up. He even discarded his blazer. A few more inches, he could’ve cornered you on the column if you didn’t take another step back.

Has he always been this tall or were you so used to your boots having high heels under? Oh wait, maybe because you wore flats this time because it’s making your toes sore. Your head bowed from struggling to maintain eye contact with him, your palms caressing your cheeks that suddenly heated up. Clearing your throat, you straightened your back again like nothing happened.

Jeno thought otherwise, shrugging his shoulders as he chuckled. He’s never seen you get shy, not that it was a bad thing either. The temptation to play around it more was there, but he was running out of time for his assignment.

“Come in. I’ll let you off the hook this time.” His arms opened up, allowing you access to such a wonderful exhibit. Paintings from different European periods, miniature versions of famous infrastructures inside glass containers, and replicas of Greek columns in the front entrance, no wonder it’s important to protect them all.

“Are you sure?” Watching him return to his spot, which was a bench in the center of the exhibit with a table in front, it didn’t process that you were gawking at his toned back. His broad shoulders and the evident muscles in his arms while he stretched, your eyes were speedy to look away when he tried to take a glance at you.

“I don’t think the paintings here and I mind.” Sitting down again, he tapped the vacant space beside him. “Feel free to watch me draw if you want to.”

Settling by his side, he recommenced where he left off. Now with a closer view of his piece, it did look like a building as you thought. He was sketching the remaining outline of the 3rd floor of this hypothetical place, continuously checking his ruler to monitor if the lines were consistent. Able to pick up on the words of the sign beside the building, you wowed with one hand on your lips.

“You’re redrawing Seoul National University Museum of Art?”

“One of my plate assignments was to visualize a renovation of a certain place, so I chose the museum.”

“Why so?”

“Well,” Jeno shook his pen so the ink could come out. “This entire place comes to life with the royal plate, so I think we should expand the space and bring in more art pieces to life if we add another extra floor. A rooftop area for visitors and events would be fun. And definitely, we should modernize the exterior and interior a bit because it looks outdated personally. That’s also what my friends think too.”

Noticing the minor details of his plate whilst removing any unnecessary pens so it wouldn’t smudge, “Huh, I quite agree with you.”

For the first time since his night shift, you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N), came into an agreement with him. He became so accustomed to clashing opinions that now, you had no contrasting points to make at all. A good change perhaps was what he’s witnessing.

“Woah, who are you agreeing with me and where’s (Y/N)?” He creased his brows whilst locking eye contact with you. This time, you didn’t wince away and just nudged him on his shoulder to get back to work.

“Hush, Jeno. Isn’t that due later? Get to work, I’ll roam around here for the meantime.”

After decades in this museum, you’re enlightened with the foreign paintings in which some you’ve heard of in your younger years and some that were created beyond your time. The Birth of Venus, Liberty Leading the People, Girl with a Pearl Earring, there’s an advantage of learning about their stories that humans couldn’t interpret. Logical that this section must be off-limits because these pieces were extra special, yet there’s so much more than what meets the eye.

There’s peace in silence while you wandered around, though it doesn’t hinder only at the art. Jeno hasn’t uttered a word since he got back to drawing, and once you asked him what’s doing now, still no answer back. Odd, he’s constantly awa-

Oh, my. You must’ve jinxed it.

Your eyes laid on Jeno leaning forward on his desk with his arms serving as his pillow, resting his head sideways. Soft snores and minimal movement in his upper body to shake the growing cold temperature of the room, he was sleeping like a log.

Putting into perspective, he hasn’t acquired enough rest specifically this past 2 weeks. The endless number of plates due making him work extra during his shift rather than sleeping in the slightest, exhaustion must be an understatement. Coffee no longer pushed him to his maximum for this week even.

But this was the path he chose, and it’ll have its challenges. Still, if you could relieve the stress in any way, you would. This would be one of the ways to repay for all the rudeness you’ve passed on him. Scurrying to his side, placing the plate on the side with his other things. You returned the caps of his open pens so they don’t spill. They must be expensive, recalling how Jeno shared the cons of being an architecture major to Princess Diana. One was the pens needed for sketching, and any tiny damages to them meant buying them again.

With his watch on clear display, he only had 2 hours left until his shift was done. Then, 4 hours until his plate assignment was done, and his current plate was far from done.

The blunt impulse to wake him up slithered your mind, though his calm state deflected your duty. As if you were on board a ship again for your explorations, you paid attention to the view with a relaxed mindset.

Lee Jeno specifically was the view.

His coffee-stained lips were parted and his sharp nose breathing in and out at a relaxing pace, he must be dreaming a happy moment the way half his lips curved into a smile. If he’s resting well, then you too would be calm.

Because of your past disinterest in him, only at this moment did you observe how sharp his jawline was and the cuts on his arms he sought refuge in. No matter how many times you tried to deny Hera’s compliments of him on the side, you couldn’t.

Lee Jeno embodied attractive features; both physical and emotional.

Back to his plate, it’ll put him at a disadvantage if he submitted the way it looked before he passed out. But you remembered all those extra details he mentioned and wanted to add to this project. Being an explorer, you documented all your ventures through words or drawings. You’re fast to adjust to anything new too.

For all the good he’s done for everyone, he only deserved some help in return.

Your version of help was sketching the remaining details of this plate, using other pens for more emphasis. It’s a risk also, but no way could you turn a blind eye on Jeno this time.

Around 5:30 am, Jeno’s eyes blinked open due to a brightening light from the outside. Stretching his limbs, he finds a velvet cloak wrapped around him like a blanket. But before he could question it, he pulled his arm in to see the time on his watch.

“Fuck!” He cursed, realizing that his so-called 10-minute snooze break aborted.

“Oh my, you’re awake!” From his frazzled state, there you were. So put together yet active, some strands of your hair falling down your face even with your hair up in a ponytail. “How was your sleep?”

This whole time he could’ve been woken up, yet you chose not to. You’re aware of his deadline, yet you let him rest entirely. He could’ve burst out in stress, yet he didn’t. You and he may have started on the wrong foot, yet it’s impossible of you to do such an evil thing. He’ll just have to tolerate the outcome later today.

“Refreshing. I really needed it.” Packing his things in his bag and closing the table, you trailed along as he exited with you. Locking up, he has 30 minutes left to accomplish the cleaning. A long good morning indeed.

But his worry of that vanished when you admitted that you had it all covered.

“Everyone helped out in cleaning, plus there are no damages made either.” From your hand, you returned one of his keys that was on his guard blazer. “I double-checked the Oriental Room and locked the doors again.”

“Why are you suddenly so nice to me, (Y/N)?” He questioned with confusion, wearing his blazer again and patting away any creases. He placed your cloak over you again like a true gentleman.

Without a word, you simply invited him to walk you back to your exhibit as parts of the sun began to rise. As you returned to your section, your fellow figures readying themselves to pose again,

“It’s my way to apologize for my very rude first impression and the succeeding moments after. I was too cooped up in my past that I was too afraid to let humans in again, night guards in particular.” You admitted, removing your cloak and placing behind your chair like always. “I’m so sorry, Jeno. Everyone was right about you and your kind heart.”

“About time.” Cleopatra’s sultry voice cut in, laying on her day bed.

Before you had the chance to flip off, Jeno mediated swiftly. With a gentle smile, “No worries about it. I’m just happy you’re okay, after all you’ve been through.”

“Can we start over then?”

“Absolutely.” With his free hand, he brought it out. No matter what kind of introductions, shaking one’s hand was the best way to start a friendship. “Good evening. I’m Lee Jeno, the new museum night guard.”

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), explorer and author.” Sighing at his humor, you still replied by shaking his hand. “And I believe you’re mistaken, Lee Jeno. It’s a good morning.”

Seconds after, you imitated your typical pose and smile. Only now, the latter was more genuine. Finally, a fresh start to end your agony.

Once the sun fully revealed itself, every figure including yourself froze back to sleep. Something Jeno wished to catch up on if it weren’t for his damn plate. He was so screwed, already contemplating his next steps if he does fail this class. The possibility of getting delayed in all aspects, he dreaded it already.

Heading back to his dorm, where both his roommates completely passed out from soju on the couch, he sat by his work desk and turned on his night lamp for more light since the sun wasn’t strong enough yet.

With another cup of coffee, he cracked the joints of his knuckles and laid out his pens. He had 2 hours left to submit this plate, and at most he should accomplish 50% of his initial plan. However, he didn’t anticipate such a gorgeous outcome when he brought out his plate.

Picture perfect of every detail he desired, even adding a rooftop area with that he’d love to have if ever the museum does go under renovation one day. Rather than setting the plate during the day, it was at night as the skies were dark and bright specks of yellow inside the building symbolized light.

So much for wasting coffee, he’ll just give it to Jaemin when he wakes up later. Below the final product, a note written in cursive was stuck on it.

I knew you wanted to get this specific plate done, but you mustn’t compromise your sleep for it. It’s your inhumane professor’s fault!

To make up for my faults, I wanted to help you out. I paid extra attention to the details you spoke highly about, so I only hoped that I interpreted it correctly. It’s risky, but as someone who researched so much about me, would you be surprised that I did such a thing?

PS: Get back to sleep. I’m quite sure your desk is laid out the same way in the Foreign Art Room.

Respectfully,

(Y/N)

Turning off his lamp, Jeno jumped the covers of his bed to continue his lost sleep. Without an ounce of care that he hasn’t changed into cleaner clothes, he’s relieved that he won’t flunk his class.

Most of all, he’s relieved that you’ve melted the ice in you and allowed kindness to come in. Jeno may never understand how hard that must’ve been for you, yet he raved you for it.

“Oh, (Y/N) (Y/L/N). Surprise is an understatement when it comes to you.”

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takamishinko · 3 years

Note

anotha one if youre down: bakugo’s reaction to his funny himbo bf’s new neck tattoo. it was the only place he didnt have tats seeing as he had sleeves and stuff so when he comes back to the dorms from getting it bakugo’s sees and reacts. can be sfw or nsfw whatever you wanna do with it !!

sorry this one is a bit short !!

charming

pronouns: he/him

warnings: nothing really other than bakugou swearing and idk if tattoos count?

_____

It’s a common stereotype that those with tattoos on school grounds are considered to be delinquents. they gave off the impression that whoever had them is a "bad person" and how some schools will prohibit this type of behavior and not allow their students to get them. however, UA is not the case, the school shows no problem with students or staff getting tattoos. in fact, a third year in class 1A called y/n is practically built-up of tattoos and there was almost no area on his body that isn't covered by one of those amazing art pieces.

you might think that y/n is a delinquent or a bad student based off all the tattoos he has. but in reality y/n is one of the best students in class 1A. he has amazing grades and is top 5 in the class. not only that he is also incredibly nice to his friends and the people around him. sure he may give off a scary vibe when you first meet him due to his build but once you actually get to know the guy you'll realize he is actually nothing like what he looks like, in fact he's a huge himbo for his boyfriend who also happens to be in his class, bakugou katsuki.

bakugou didn't mind y/n's tattoos at all. he doesn't say it directly but he thinks they're cool. the intricate patterns carved onto his boyfriends skin mesmerized him whenever he saw it. however we all know someone like bakugou would never admit to it due to his personality so whenever y/n gets a new tattoo bakugou's reaction is usually "tch, whatever cool i guess."

it was early in the morning on a sunday that bakugou had realized the man he was hugging to sleep is not in his grasp anymore. he woke up and made himself a cup of coffee and fixed some breakfast while he's at it. it was a chill day so bakugou decided to take a break instead of sprinting to ground gamma and having a duel with deku. y/n was known for being pretty energetic so bakugou was used to him being gone when he woke up. but just to be sure where he is bakugou unplugged his phone from his nightstand and shot y/n a text.

"oi y/n, where tf are u off to this time"

"you'll see, it's a surprise ;D"

bakugou scoffed at his phone and threw it aside knowing you were up to something again.

it wasn't long before the silence broke in bakugou's dorm, he heard a few knocks on his door and "wondered who could it have possibly been"

"babe! open the door" you said with an ecstatic voice. it's like bakugou could almost hear the smile in your voice

"yah yah i'm coming"

bakugou opened the door to see his boyfriend's neck region covered with some small patterns of bombs and the shape of his grenade gauntlet.

"tada! do you like it? i showed the tattoo artist a picture of your gloves and told them i wanted this pattern."

"heh? what the hell n/n, next thing you know you're entire fucking face is gonna be covered in some random art."

"well thank you darling i think it looks nice too"

"alright whatever at least your home now, i made some eggs cuz i know you didn't eat again when you left in the morning." bakugou said while turning his head to the kitchen

"ehehe you really do know me well huh katsuki."

"of course i do, i'm your fucking boyfriend."

something about those words really made your heart melt. the aggressively caring katsuki, you liked how he showed affection and it was a perfect match to your positive personality to balance out his negative one.

the two of you enjoyed some daily news while cuddling on the coach when suddenly an amazing idea popped into your head.

"katsuki! you should get a tattoo too! that way we can match!"

"pft, what makes you think i'm gonna get one of those on my body? it's not worth the money or the time, i'm fine with how i look anyways."

"aww c'mon babe i'll pay for it we'll look so cute together"

"nu-uh."

"i bet you're probably just too afraid to get a tattoo~ you're scared it's gonna hurt huh" you said with a smirk

"HA??!! WHO DO YOU THINK I AM, DEKU?! TAKE ME TO THAT TATTOO PLACE FIRST THING AFTERSCHOOL TOMORROW, I'M NOT SCARED OF JACK SHIT."

"yay babe you're the best!" you said as you snuggled katsuki to death.

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glyxy-wvs · 3 years

Note

hey if you accept requests can you make a fluffy fanfic about Lucifer and Mammon being close? like that pic that you reblogged?

Hello, Anon! Omg, sorry for the long wait!!! 🥺💖 I was busy with irl stuff but AAAA I have finished the fluffy fic! I'm sorry if it didn't reach your expectations.😓 It was a bit difficult to write 'cause I'm not really used to writing fluff.😂 But I hope you like it!! (Also, I didn't base this fic off to the art that I had reblogged, but it's still a fluff fic!! It's fan art, and I think I need permission to write a fic about it.😅 So here's fluffy fanfic of Lucifer and Mammon being close.) Thanks for being the first person to request me haha. Please enjoy this. _ A Day To Relax. [ 1 & 2 ]

Mammon's back hurts; he did the best he could to organized the library at RAD. Maybe he deserves this, or maybe not. He sighs for the tenth time of the day.

There's nothing he can do about it because this was his light punishment for skipping classes again. Although he hates doing chores for his discipline, he needed to be a good big brother for Asmodeus.

Mammon decided to skip his classes so that he could be there to support his little brother. Everyone was busy at that time, with upcoming exams and projects, not one of the brothers could make time for Asmo. The latter understood. It's not like he could force his brothers to watch the stageplay with his classmates. But when he saw Mammon among the crowd with his D.D.D out, he almost cried while performing on stage.

(He felt a bit guilty when he found out that Mammon, believe it or not, skipped classes to watch him.)

Mammon stretched his back when he felt his phone vibrating. He took it out from his back pocket to receive a message from Asmodeus.

[Hey.

I just wanted to say thanks for supporting me there.

This beautiful brother of yours is going to treat you tomorrow! <3]

His lips cracked a smile. He feels soft and loved. Mammon chuckled as he took his bag, ready to go home. He had finished organizing anyway; he preferred to play on his phone for a while.

He started walking to the hallways; almost all of the demons were back to their places already. Some are doing their part-time jobs, and some are being lazy at home (Preferably Belphegor.)

"Mammon."

In instinct, Mammon quickly turned around. He already knows that deep voice.

"Are ya gonna assign me another chore to do?" Mammon quickly questioned his older brother, who was leaning into the student council's door frame.

Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose, seemingly annoyed already. He pushed back his hair and fixed the wrinkles of his uniform.

"No. Well, if you want to do more. Your choice." With that answer, Mammon crossed his arms, a pout on his face— ready to complain. But Lucifer stopped him.

"Remember that cafe I showed you the other day? Let's go there, my treat." Lucifer stated; he laughed when he saw Mammon froze.

"I don't believe you." His eyes narrowed, looking for a flaw in Lucifer's face and words. "Are ya' truly Lucifer? What if you're a ghost possessing my big bro's body?"

Mammon intentionally loudened his gasp; his eyes were wide, one hand placed on his heart, while the other was grasping on his hair. He paused for a dramatic effect.

Lucifer brought his hand up quickly to pinch his brother's cheek. "You idiot. It's me, of course." He proceeded to ruffles Mammon's hair. "Come on, let's go before I change my mind and give you another chore as punishment. Maybe you could clean up the laboratory next time for a month."

He whispered the last part, but Lucifer knew Mammon could hear him, making the second-born whine.

The two exited the school, taking a detour through the streets.

"I thought yah were gonna give me another punishment." Mammon broke out the silence; Lucifer hummed before replying.

"Why would I? I only gave you a chore for skipping classes, but you being there for Asmodeus? You don't deserve punishment for that."

Mammon stared at the far distance. The cafe they were going to has a nearby sea, and he smiled at his elder brother's words; he enjoyed these simple moments between them. (They're rare. They don't hang out anymore like they used to do in the Celestrial realm. That's why, as much as possible, Mammon cherished these moments.)

Mammon could say that he's close with Lucifer, but not like before— It's weird. Lucifer is his older brother, his family. But as time passed by, Mammon started to get nervous whenever he had done something wrong. He doesn't want to anger and disappoint Lucifer. (But sometimes, he can't help it— he misses his big brother's attention.)

"We're here," Lucifer said. Mammon followed the latter's gaze and immediately formed star-shaped eyes.

"WOAH!! I didn't expect it to be this cool! I only saw the picture but never expected that it would be this big!"

Mammon kept looking around the newly built cafe. The cafe was a bit massive, with a view of the sea beside it. Its structure is similar to a casino. Mammon could already smell the fresh-baked bread and pies inside, making him giggle.

Mammon had loved the view it was showing; he could eat while staring at the horizon. The cafe was located on top of a hill, not too far from the beach. It looks so nostalgic and therapeutic that Mammon took his time admiring the whole place while Lucifer already entered the cafe.

Mammon wished it wasn't too expensive. He knows that Lucifer would be the one to pay, but he doesn't want to burden him with that kind of responsibility. The second-born tried to grasp the wallet on his bag, but then he hesitated. Mammon recalled that the money in there was a payment to his debt.

Ah, yes. Mammon needed to pay it today but decided it would be better to bond with his brother first.

He sighed, still has a firm grip on his bag. He's feeling unwanted emotions today. He wants to cry, laugh, or do something he doesn't usually do. Mammon was overwhelmed with emotions.

He remembered Levi's words that it's okay to be feeling emotions you usually can't explain. Sometimes, it doesn't have to be a reason.

Mammon's snapped out of his thoughts, thinking that Lucifer was likely waiting for him inside. He turned to see the display of different pastries outside, and Mammon immediately recognized Simeon's art.

Mammon recalled Simeon's word. He said that he's going to work part-time somewhere near the sea. And this made Mammon excited. He had already counted the treats and thinking which one would his brothers choose. After planning, he tried to hurry inside but suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. Mammon looked over to his shoulder to see an unfamiliar demon. Their body is most likely the same size as Beelzebub but with a strict stare present. Mammon felt like he was burning.

"Heya! May I ask—who are you?" Mammon said; his tone wasn't that confident, and it's evident with his form that Mammon's going to run away in any second now.

He felt the grip on his shoulder got tighter, and the demon dragged Mammon into a less crowded area. He knows he's far powerful than this guy; he's one of the princes of Devildom. He's the Avatar of Greed. But man, he entirely wants to relax today. Mammon tried to stand with honor and kept his breathing in control.

The demon startled him. "Where's the money?"

And then Mammon realized.

"Oh!? You must be the brother's witch! Ah, here— give me a minute," Mammon took out his wallet and gave them the money. He doesn't feel that nervous anymore. Okay— he lied, maybe a little bit. Can't a demon have fears too? "Geez, you scared the hell out of me for a second there. The agreement was me and her meeting later." He muttered the last part.

But a dark aura surrounded him, and Mammon quickly backed away. He can't meet the other demon's eyes, but he can feel the rage from him.

Is the money not enough?? It can't be. I perfectly counted this; I also worked hard for this. What else could be missing???

"With all due respect, please don't go any nearer to him."

A voice. It must be Lucifer's. Mammon couldn't stop overthinking. What if Lucifer scolds him after this? What if Lucifer started to regret spending time with Mammon because of this?

Mammon looked up, tears threatening to fall. He saw his elder brother, standing behind them as classy as ever. His composure is straight, yet the glaring eyes are full of terror. Mammon recognized Lucifer's stance. It's for preparing himself to change into his demon form if the rest of his younger brothers are in serious trouble.

When the demon started to get closer to Mammon, the latter only felt a swift wind before realizing that Lucifer was there, in front of him now. "Didn't you hear what I said? What else do you need from him?"

"The money."

"It's not sufficient? Then alright, here." Lucifer took out his wallet to satisfy the demon in front of them. Mammon's full-out panicking now. His older brother saved him from trouble, and now he's going to be a disappointment in Lucifer's eyes.

"There, you got the money. Tell your sister that my brother had paid the debt." Lucifer dragged Mammon out of the other demon's sight. He looked back with sharp eyes.

"And as great as reasonable, if you're looking for Mammon—" He looked back with sharp eyes. "—strictly appear to see me. Thank you."

Both never turned their eyes back again as they entered the shop. Mammon quickly explained the whole situation. "I'm sorry! I'm sure— precisely sure that I had counted that money. And it's exactly the price the witch had been asking. I don't know what he's up to with—" He kept on babbling as they reached their reserved seats. Lucifer sighed.

"Look, stop chattering; it's annoying. I believe you. Can't I have a day where I relax with my little brother under no stress or orders whatsoever? Seeing you outside in that kind of situation is making my blood boil. How dare he waste such time when you and I could have been eating here already."

Mammon snickered, ah yeh— It's been so long that he forgot how dramatic Lucifer could be at times.

"Forget about it, Mammon. You had settled the debt, and the food that I ordered is already here. But make sure whenever you're going to meet someone concerning payment, always inform me. I'm serious. If the shares had been a burden to handle, you are welcome to visit my office anytime."

Lucifer already had bread in his mouth, but his expression is still irritable from the situation earlier. Mammon can feel his tears coming back again. Why am I so emotional today?

"Ah. Uhm, hey—" He called out to his older brother. "Thanks for backing me up earlier. I appreciated it!"

Lucifer munched the donut he was holding and then drank the newly served tea. His gaze was on the view outside, seemingly avoiding eye contact. "Hm? Of course. I'm your big brother after all, in case you forgot about it."

In moments like this, it was a rare scene between him and Lucifer. They usually argue and sometimes making each other's day stressful. But, just them eldest brothers, talking and sharing random topics— Mammon cherished this.

And behind that frown the eldest always wears, Lucifer could say the same too. He loved calm moments like this.

"But ain't Michael my first big brother?" Mammon teased. Lucifer rolled his eyes. "Silence, you have no elder brother other than me. Leviathan, Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, and Belphegor, you all are my baby brothers." And when Lucifer realized what he said, he quickly replaced the topic. "And eat the dessert I ordered for you."

Mammon's eyes turned into stars immediately when he recognized the smell, "Woah, no way?! How did you know this was my favorite?!!! This desert is expensive! Big bro! You do love me."

Then they chatted, random topics or something concerning about their home that needs fixing. Nevertheless, the atmosphere around them is comforting and warming. After a while, they had finished eating, and the moon was already out. Both agreed to go home.

"We should invite the others here too!" Mammon stated as he breathed the cold wind that passed by them.

"Yes, that would be a pleasant bonding time. Just don't be too chaotic, please. It's hard to handle all six of you."

It was a great day, Mammon thought to himself. It was entertaining and soothing to talk with his big brother without insults nor orders. Lucifer treated him today; it was— nostalgic for Mammon. It's like he doesn't want this kind of treatment to end. But of course, as the little mischief, as he is, he asked one more request.

"Lucifer!" Mammon rolled the letter r, a bit of a whining tone. "It's night, and I'm tired, yah know? Can I request a piggyback ride?" He knows Lucifer will reject it immediately. So it wasn't like he meant it, already hoping for the worst.

But then Lucifer looked at him, a contemplating expression, before getting down on one knee.

"Alright, just this once. Hurry up before I regret my decision."

Mammon's eyes were wide; he smirked before quickly hugging Lucifer from behind. He felt himself getting lifted off, and it reminded him of the old times, back in the Celestial Realm.

Lucifer doesn't mind; he also missed this. But not like he's going to say this out loud.

I should start spending time with my little brothers whenever I'm free. That would be nice.

#obey me #obey me fluff #obey me fanfic #fluffy fanfiction #obey me mammon #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon and lucifer #mammon #lucifer #mammon and lucifer #i hope you enjoyed this fanfic #soft fanfic #i tried my best #huhu

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scarletwinterxx · 3 years

Text

End To Start pt. 2 - Jaehyun AU

For my other works you can check them out here, and for my other story series’ you can check them out here.

taglist: @the-universe-in-you-jjh @undevotedfangirl @dumplingley @halbae

All works are copyrighted ©scarletwinterxx 2021 . Do not repost, re-write without the permission of author.

PREV || NEXT

You were still deep in slumber when you felt something wet landing on your cheek, because you were still half sleeping you just swatted it away. Not really sure if you’re still dreaming or not.

Then suddenly something wet entered your ear making you sit up from your bed,

“What the fuck?!” you screeched, looking around the room to see if someone invaded your home only to be met with the little furball by your pillow

Dalkyum was looking up at you, tilting his head on the side making him look so cute. Immediately knowing who was in your apartment this early in the morning,

“Kim Yugyeom, I swear to god you need to stop barging in here like this! What if I have someone over?” You said as you march down the hallway towards the kitchen where you already knew he would be. And there he was indeed, rummaging through your fridge like he’s in his own home

“And who would you have over? Last time I checked you have like three friends” he mumbled, not even bothering to look over at you.

You glared at him, taking the fluffy slippers you’re wearing and throwing it towards him hitting him on the back, “Yah! What are you five?” he asked, finally looking over at you

“Atleast I don’t invade my friend’s place and take their food, what are you doing here anyways?” you asked him, taking a seat on the barstool while he toss your slipper back at you. Scooping Dalkyum in your arms and hugging him close to you

“I just got off duty, I couldn’t sleep so I went for a jog with that one”

“You haven’t slept?” he just shook his head in response, Yugyeom is a doctor. A young one, too. When people see the two of you in public, there are two things they always ask: 1. How long have you two been dating 2. How did you meet?

The typical med student falling in love with an art student trope. But that is very far from reality, you and him have nothing but a very platonic relationship. Much to Jihyo’s dismay. She was the reason how you two met, she set you up with Yugyeom on a blind date. He was one of the first ones. But after the second date it was clear that the two of you were better off as friends.

“Well I’m about to go down the cafe anyways, drive me down there?” you batted you eyelashes at him, the man across from you just shooting you a blank unimpressed look

“I’m not your chauffer”

“I’ll give you free coffee”

“What time do we leave?” you snickered at him, already going back to your room to prepare for your day. After a couple of minutes you emerge from your room but Yugyeom wasn’t in the kitchen

“Damn girl, what happened in here?” he asked from the office, you entered to see what he was talking about. A few nights ago, after the talk you had with Jaehyun you may have had one too many drinks.

It was a bad time to remember thatyou still had some of his stuff in your posession, so while in you r intoxicated state you gathered everything you had that was his and threw it in a box, the very one sitting in Jihyo’s car about to be delivered to your ex’s office.

“I had an intervention”

“5 years too late but okay” that earned him a smack on the back

“Stop hitting me, I’ll never drive you anywhere again”

“Try me, I’ll tell your next girlfriend you still sleep with a night light on”

“It’s not a night light! and that was one time!”

The pair of you rode the elevator down the parking garage, making yourself comfortable in the passenger seat. When you got the the cafe, Jungwoo was already there doing some inventory.

“Hey, Woo” you said when you entered, Yugyeom following closely behind you

“Morning, honey. Oh hi, Hyung” he smiled at the older one, “How was she this morning?” Jungwoo jokingly asked, you were already behind the counter making Yugyeom’s coffee

“Threw her slipper at me”

“Psh, she threw a book at me once”

“Are you two done? Is this some kind of competition because let me tell you I have a few other things stacked on my bedside table” you said with a wicked smile on as you pass the cup over to your friend

“Please don’t, I don’t even know where those things have been in” Yugyeom answered with a disgusted look on his face, already getting his innuendo. Not that you even had one of those things in there

“You have three seconds out of the door before I accidentally spill scalding hot coffee on you”

“You can’t injure me, we have a gala to attend on Saturday remember” he said with a smile, sending a flying kiss towards you before bidding a quick goodbye to the two of you.

The day before the gala, Jaehyun was more on edge than usual. His mother wouldn’t stop bugging him about it and he didn’t have a date to accompany him. He could just ask his ‘girlfriend’ but he hated being indebted to anyone.

Plus, Chungha is still on her overseas trip meaning she’s busy hiding away with her real boyfriend. The one her parent’s would never approve of.

Glaring at the paper infront of him, he can already feel the headache coming in. He’s been working overtime for the past week, he won’t admit but it’s because if stays at his apartment a second too long his mind drifts back to you.

And he hated it.

“Sir, there’s someone here asking if they can talk to you” his secretary said through the receiver, “Who is it?”

“Park Jihyo, she’s from the fashion department. Should I send her in? she asks, he heard that name before. Recalling that Jihyo is your close friend, roommate.

How he knows that he will never admit, but really he had someone look into it after the photoshoot mishap with you. He just had to know how you ended up in that shoot. If you’re back here for good, where you’ve been in the previous years and the people you hangout with nowadays.

He found out that you’ve been back here for the past year, just last fall you opened the café not that far from his office building. You live alone in your apartment, you’re friends with one of the employees in the fashion department that was show you ended up in that shoot. He also knows you’re not seeing anyone right now.

Was it weird and stalker-ish? maybe. Well it’s either that or he follows you himself.

A knock was heard before the door of his office opened to reveal the two ladies, his secretary opening the door before gesturing at the other one to step inside.

“Can I get you anything else?” she asked with a smile, mostly directed towards at Jaehyun rather than the visitor, “Water, or tea perhaps” Jaehyun said, looking over at the smaller woman but she just shook her head

“It’s fine” Jihyo said, “Okay then that would be all, you can leave” Jaehyun said took a seat again,

“Please, take a seat. No need to feel awkward around me”

“Well technically, you are my boss” she mumbled, “I’m getting the feeling that you’re not here to speak to me about business” he answered.

Jihyo thought he looked so cold and intimidating before, this conversation further justified her initial thoughts.

“You’re right, sir-” “Please call me Jaehyun”

“Uh- okay then. Well Jaehyun, I’m here to just give you this” she said then stood up to pass a box over to him

“What’s this?” he asked

“Stuff Y/N told me to give to you, she didn’t specify what’s in it. I also got the feeling she didn’t want to tell so I just took it when she passed it to me. Heads up though, if anything’s broken in there it wasn’t my doing. She was kind of throwing stuff in there” she rambled on, half debating if she should have just kept her mouth shut but at the same time she didn’t want her boss to think she broke something in there.

You kind of had a meltdown after talking to him, throwing anything and everything of his that you still had. Furiously passing the said box to Jihyo before telling her to shove it up Jaehyun’s ass.

Jihyo kept some parts out since she didn’t want to be fired.

Meanwhile, Jaehyun just stared at the box now sitting on top of his desk wondering what might be in it.

“Is that all she said?” he asked, “Pretty much, Sir- I mean Jaehyun I don’t really know what happened between the two of you. She never really like talking about it or you. But can I ask you a favor though?” she asked, the man look up at her with a questioning look

“Go easy on her, she’s been through a lot. Before coming back here, she had no one, nothing. We met a few years back when I had a photography assignment, she saw I was struggling with something and decided to help me out. I guess the rest was history. My point is, she might seem like she has it all together but she still has a long way to go”

He thinks back on what happened after the shoot, the look in your eyes when he practically told you to get lost. You were holding back the tears infront of him.

Jaehyun once again thought how much he hated himself, this time not because he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about you but because he was probably the reason why you felt so upset.

“So uhm- that’s all really” Jihyo mumbled

After that she bid goodbye, taking quiet steps out of his office once again leaving him with nothing but the silence and even more questions about you.

Looking, more like glaring, at the box infront of him, He tore it open, only to see a few items he almost forgot about. Apart from the one item sitting on top of the pile.

It was the Eiffel tower keychain he gave you years ago, along with the promise of one day taking you there with him. You did eventually end up going there, just not with him.

He rummaged through the rest of the stuff, a few letters, photographs, even his favorite mug to use whenever he spend the night over at your place was inside the box.

He’s furious, furious at the fact you still had this effect on him. He feels confused, confused at how much power you still have on him even after all this years. But above all of that, he just felt this overwhelming sense of familiarity as he looked through the stuff you sent. It’s so much of you. It’s like you never left.

You should’ve never left. You should’ve been there with him. He should’ve never let you get on that plane.

But it’s too late. You two have gone your separate ways. He’s just not sure what’s fate up to this time.

“This dress is ridiculous” you said loud enough so Yugyeom can hear you through the door

“It’s pretty, your dress matches the tie I picked out” he answered

“Who are we trying to impress, because if it’s another girl I swear to god I’m going to spill wine all over you” pulling the door open to reveal yourself wearing a floor length satin blue gown.

Yugyeom wasn’t lying when he said it was a beautiful dress, because it really is. From the color, to the length and the cut. It fits you in all the right places

“I’m going to end up with a cold with this lowcut back” you said as you turn around and show him the almost non-existent back of the dress

“Oh bestie, you look hot. You might snatch someone tonight before me” that earned him a pinch on the side, “If only I don’t owe you, I would have never said yes to this by the way”

“Your fault for being a lightweight”

“I didn’t mean to puke in your car”

“It was brand new, and you told me before you did it” he looked at you before continuing, “You literally went, ‘I’m going to puke now’“

You sent him a smile before picking a coat from your closet to shield you from the cold, “It was your party, you invited me” you retorted back earning an eyeroll from him.

You took one last look in the mirror before going out, Yugyeom holding him arm out for you to take. You’ve accompanied him before, hospital dinners, birthday parties. That is if he isn’t dating anyone at that time.

People always ask if there really isn’t anything going on between the two of you, and the true answer is yes. You two are just very comfortable with each other and happen to like each other’s company that much. It’s an easy friendship, no bullshit.

“Is this a hospital party, because if so I will need another run-through of basic doctor jargons” that made him laugh a bit, “I’m not kidding”

“It’s not, it’s just a gala”

“Just a gala? we’re dressed up so fancy we might as well go meet the president tonight or something”

“Well technically we will”

“What?!” you screeched, looking quickly over at him

“Not a president of a country, a few companies, hospitals, business men and all that”

“Oh god, not one of those” again, he laughed at your statement. He knew just how much you hated those kinds of gatherings, you developed an aversion for those kinds of party claiming that everyone judges you based on the figures on your bank account.

“Two hours tops then I’ll drive you home”

“If you go past even a minute, you’ll owe me”

“I feel like you owe me after this” Yoo-na uttered as they drive to the venue, Jaehyun not giving an answer from he was sat on the driver’s seat

“What’s the use of being rich if you can’t hire a driver” the girl spoke again and Jaehyun was two seconds away from turning the car around and drive her back t her place.

It was a last minute call and to be clear he didn’t ask Park Yoo-na out of all people for a favor. He’d rather have his mom stare at him with disappointment all night than owe Yoo-na anything.

His mother took matter into her hands and asked the girl to accompany him tonight. The next thing he know he was driving to her place to pick her up before the ball as his plus one.

Yoo-na was, to put it kindly, a lot of work. She is, much like Jaehyun, born in the world of luxury and wealth. She never had to lift a finger her whole life, of course she was going to say something like that.

That was another reason why Jaehyun never really dated anyone who had the same status as him, they’re all snobs he thinks. He admits he’s one of them but he’s not that bad. Or so he thinks. His parent’s did raise him as a well-mannered man.

“I don’t like driving with strangers”

“So you’re finally admitting we’re friends”

“Acquaintances, at best. Don’t flatter yourself” he answered nonchalantly, stopping the car outside the grand entrance then stepping out of the car before Yoo-na can say another word.

If there’s anything Jaehyun would commend Yoo-na for, that is the way she can fool the public with her angelic appearance. It was far from who she is in real life, but the general public doesn’t know that.

“You know, it wouldn’t hurt to smile for a few pictures” she said as they walk down the hall towards the big ballroom where the gala is being held

“You’re enjoying this too much” Jaehyun mumbled, looking at his watch to see the time. He hasn’t even entered the room but he’s ready to go home just about now

“And you need to let loose, just for the night why don’t we have some fun” she with wicked smile on then pulled Jaehyun by the arm making him halt his steps

He pulled his arm away as subtly as he can, “I have a girlfriend”

“You mean your pretend girlfriend? I heard you two haven’t seen each other in months. Nobody actually thinks you’re dating Chungha you know” she answered, the smile she had on now gone

“What? you think you’re fooling anyone with that act? Everyone can see right through that lie, Jaehyun. Just admit you’re as miserable as the rest of us”

“Maybe I am, but atleast I’m not as desperate as you” he answered, not backing down at her harsh words

“You’re the own who was looking for someone to take tonight-” “Like I said, don’t flatter yourself. I have a whole contact list I can call right now to take your place. You just happen to say yes immediately, always so desperate for the attention”

Yoo-na was silent after that, he clearly hit a nerve.

He was about to continue walking when Yoo-na spoke again,

“And what about that Y/N girl? I heard she’s Kim Yugyeom’s plus one tonight. You know I’ve always wondered how you even ended up with her before, and now Kim Yugyeom the future chairman of Kim Foundation. Is she some kind of high class escort? That’s probably how she gets by”

“Don’t fucking talk about her, say something anything about Y/N ever again and I’ll make you regret it” Jaehyun is now fuming, he’s never one to lose his cool in public especially at an event like thins but Yoo-na brought up the one thing he doesn’t to talk about

Just as the two were having the intense conversation, You and Yugyeom finally arrived at the venue. Not really knowing anyone apart from your date and Johnny who briefly mentioned he would be here tonight.

At the end of the hallway, near the ballroom entrance there were two figures standing close to each other.

When you were a few steps away from them, you recognized the man.

Ofcourse he was here.

You were about to look away and pretend you never saw him but it was too late, he’s already looking back at you.

He looked mad, probably at you or maybe at the girl he was talking to you’re not sure. But one thing’s for sure, you’d make it your mission for the night to stay out of his way.

You must have jinxed yourself because before the night ended he pulled you in a empty hallway, the tight grip he had on you was enough to tell you he was still pissed.

“You have to stop directing all your anger and frustration on me, this is getting childish Jaehyun”

“Then stop making me mad”

“I didn’t even do anything! I was clearly avoiding you if you didn’t notice”

“Exactly” You pulled on the arm he was holding, the scene was like a big deja vu of your last encounter only this time you have a few things to say to him

“Stop. Whatever is going on with you just stop. You’re the one who told me to get lost, I was doing that until you decide to literally pull me here. I get that you’re not okay with me, you’re mad you’re furious and you have every right to be. But lashing it out on me every time you see isn’t how fix it, we talk like the adults that we are”

“I’m mad at me too, for what I did to you. Was I proud of it? Absolutely not”

As spoke, Jaehyun sensed there something more going on. Why would you say you weren’t proud of it? Surely you weren’t just talking about leaving.

“Jaehyun?” He was just about to ask you what you were talking about when someone called for him. It was his mother. He saw how you physically froze when you heard the voice, there’s definitely something going on

“Mother” he answered, turning to face the older woman. Stepping infront of you to shield you away from his mother’s eyes but she already saw you. No matter how much of a dick Jaehyun is being to you, he can never stand it when you feel uncomfortable.

“What are you doing here? Your father’s looking for you”

“I should get going, I’m sure you’ll find a way to find me” you mumbled from behind him, low enough only for him to hear but his mother was watching the whole exchange.

You stepped from behind Jaehyun to bow at his mother out if respect, never meeting the older ones eyes.

“Mrs. Jung, have a good night” you said quickly then walked back to the ballroom

He did want to have that talk, now he has more questions floating around his mind.

Could his mom have something to do with why you left him just like that?

If she did, does that mean you never wanted to leave?

Was he just fooling himself again?

188 notes · View notes

lec743 · 2 years

Text

Tina’s Studious Nature

Tina does everything in her power to be a straight A student. She studies and memories and practices everything that her school throws at her.

The same goes for the studies that her father gives her. Being the human daughter of a tengu, you’ve got to know nature and how to take care of it and how to see the signs of disease, over population, and mistreatment.

So on top of trying to be an A student for school and trying to be a well educated naturalist, working at the tea shop, and having a brand new social life is all a bit overwhelming for Tina.

Eventually she’ll just break down from a lack of sleep and the inability to say no because she doesn’t want to disappoint anyone. Here’s how I image that scenario going down.

*******************************************************************************************

(Tina’s in her room, at her desk, surrounded by paper’s and books and pens and pencils)

(At school in two days, she’ll have to take four different tests and the day after that, her father is going to take her on a hiking trip where he’ll leave her “alone” in the woods to make sure her survival skills are still sharp)

(Tina was stressing over her grades and the trip because even though she studied for her other tests, they weren’t as good as they should have been and she’s in danger of getting B’s in four of her eight classes and that’s just unacceptable)

(Mikey and April bust through Tina’s bedroom door)

M + A: Heeeeeey!

T: (papers and books go flying everywhere from them spooking her)

A: Your old man said we could come up.

M: Want to hit the streets and maybe do some street art?

T: (feverishly gathering her things that she accidentally let fly) Um... Uh. Uh... Uh. (starts sobbing)

A: Woah!

M: Oh no!

(Mikey and April go over to Tina on the floor and start helping her pick her stuff up)

(Tina is absolutely blinded by her own tears and each time she tries to control her breathing to stop the tears her crying gets worst)

A: (patting Tina’s back) Hey. It’s going to be okay. What’s wrong?

M: And why are you reading like five different books at the same time?

T: (weepily explains her worries and her want to hang out and her conflicted feelings, finishing by saying) Nobody likes to just hang out and study together.

A: Psssh, me and Donnie do it all the time together.

T: (sniffles) You do?

M: (in an annoyed voice) Yah they do. (then he get’s rid of the annoyed tone to his voice) But we don’t mind studying with you as a way to hang out. Especially if it’s this important to you.

T: (wipes away her tears) I don’t want to bore you guys.

M: Eh, we can stand being a little bit bored.

A: (settles on the floor beside Tina then playfully pushes Mikey) You could stand to learn a few new things anyways.

M: (falls on his shell) Hey! I am quite learn-ed, thank you very much.

T: (laughs at their playful bickering)

(Tina then hands Mikey her Plants of North America Encyclopedia and Tina goes over the periodic table with April to help her memorize it for the test)

#fanfiction #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #oc-Tina Kurama #rise april #rise mikey

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yutahoes · 4 years

Text

Otou-Chan

Yuta Nakamoto x Reader (Y/N) Smut

(Chapter Twenty Five - Final)

Summary: 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐡𝐰𝐚 𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐘𝐮𝐭𝐚’𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬.

Warning: Fluff, Needy Yuta, Cock warming, Unprotected Sex

Word Count: 3.1k

Tag List: @ailoveyuta , @puzziw

Masterlist

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️

25. My Home

For the whole day of their stay in Paris, he was just holed up in his room even if his parents kept on forcing him to go with them and tour the place. Why would he? It will only make him remember her.

He tried calling his friends, but they wouldn't pick up, and he's more depressed than ever. Paris should hold wonderful moments of her, this is where they met. How can Paris hurt him like this? How could those memories get erased by just one word?

'Sayonara'

The word he hated the most in the world.

Doesn't she know that he's still waiting for her? That's it's still her that he wants. She should be next to him right now, recreating the sexual activity they had done back in the same city. And he'll tell her he loves her. Always.

But damn, all he could do is cry. Alone. In his hotel room.

Who would have thought that he missed her more today than in the past five years? If this is how his heart would break, he shouldn't have met her in the first place.

He was more annoyed when his parents decided to stay in Paris for another day, claiming that they want to explore more. Seriously, it's not like they're new in Paris. He believed Shiho was even conceived here.

Instead, he sat there alone, in the business class of their flight. Shiho should be next to him, at least easing his mood right now. Why is he always alone lately? Much to his annoyance, Jaehyun decided to call him, "What's up?" The younger casually asked which made him roll his eyes. Yuta rambled about (Y/N) to Jaehyun, tears springing from his eyes.

He didn't want to cry, Jaehyun shouldn't see him cry. But when he exclaimed 'You're still in love with her.' He felt the tears fell down automatically.

At this point, he doesn't care that all eyes were on him. He just wanted to tell someone all this heartbreak, not wanting to bottle up his emotions inside. "I still love her, Jae." He kept on repeating, weeping in sorrow. "I want her back."

"It's still her, Jae."

When the call ended, a stewardess asked him if he needed something but he just shook his head, avoiding to look at her.

A handkerchief appeared before him and he quickly took it, wiping his eyes. This is so unmanly. The things he can do for her. "Is this your new way of picking up girls?" His plane seatmate asked, surprising him.

That's Shiho's seat. And a woman? She might be thinking that he's a pathetic loser.

Yuta had to blink twice. Are his eyes failing him? Or does he really miss her that much? The girl was staring at the stewardess who just checked on Yuta then glared at him. "She has a nice body, must be your type." She claimed casually.

"(Y/N)?" he needed to check if she's real or just a figment of his imagination. Is he really this crazy? "(Y/N)?" He repeated and she rolled her eyes at him. "What are you doing here?"

She showed him Shiho's ticket, grinning. "I'm Shiho now." She said in a failed attempt to make him smile.

What? How? Why?

"Your parents came to see me yesterday. Eomma…" She shook her head. "Your mom thought we should talk." He was just staring at her. After crying this much, she'll appear in front of him like it was nothing.

"Gifu told me you rejected coming with them so gibo gave me this ticket so we can talk." So when they said that they're meeting someone, it was (Y/N). But wait, his ears aren't joking him right? She called his parents mother-in-law and father-in-law. "Yuta, I owe you an apology." There was a sincere look in her eyes, the same expression when she told him she loves him.

But an apology? For what? For hurting him? She'll need to do a lot for that. She bit her lip for a moment and he badly wanted to run his fingers there, no maybe his tongue. God, the effect this girl has on him. "I misunderstood you and Shiho," she confessed and he cocked his head to the side. Misunderstood? "Well, she's calling you otou-chan so I thought she's your daughter."

"What? Wait, Shiho? What?" That was stupid, Yuta thought. The first sentence he uttered in front of her.

She nodded, giggling. "I thought you're already married so I said those things about moving on from you. I honestly don't want your wife to misunderstand." He raised an eyebrow at her. "Well it turns out, Shihoh is your imouto. Gifu kept on laughing when I told them." He pursed his lip to prevent himself from laughing.

She thought he's married? When he can't even look at other girls because of her? "Gomen ne." She said in a small voice, staring at her fiddling fingers.

A breathy sigh escaped his throat as the voice of the pilot announcing their take-off came booming at the plane's speakers. She can't really run away from him now. And he wouldn't let her anyway.

The plane ascended to the sky and (Y/N) cursed herself that they have to talk here like this. They should have talked back at the gala when there's land. That way, she can still run away from him. Now, she can't really back down from him. "So you haven't moved on yet?"

He looked intimidating. Like a father scolding his daughter for a mistake she did. Yet his question is so different. "Yes."

Yes, she hasn't moved on? Or yes, she moved on?

"It's still you." she continued.

His breathing hitched against his throat. How can she shake him up like this? "That guy? At the museum. Were you in a relationship with him?" She shook her head.

"He's my student and he's dating someone." She bit her lip at the intensity of his gaze. "He kept on scolding me when I told him that I lied to you. So I…" She felt a weight on her shoulder that made her stop.

He bent down to lay his head on her shoulder, avoiding to look at her. "God, I even cried when you said you're dating him." He did? His hand held hers, threading their fingers together. "The last time I cried this much was when okasan died."

"I'm sorry, Yuta."

He shook his head, still avoiding to look at her. "I regret letting you go to New York. I should have asked you to stay or come with you."

She smiled at that. "I almost didn't leave for New York at that time." She confessed. His hold on her hand got tighter. "I was so mad at you when you let me go. I just found out that my birth parents didn't want me in their life. My foster parents don't want me either. So I thought you also don't want me in your life."

"That's not true." He easily revolted, staring at her. How dare she think of that? When he's like this? Counting the days, even up to the last second of when he can see her again.

She only smiled. "I know. Taeyong said you're feeling bad about forcing me to need you all the time." He didn't know what to say. Did she talk to Taeyong? "And I hated myself for being dependent on you when I'm really not your responsibility."

That guy, really.

"I realized what I really wanted to do. I wanted to prove something to myself." She explained then continued, "To make you proud of me before I come back to you."

He only laughed at that. God, why didn't they just talked way before? They should have spared some of their tears. "And you did." His other hand tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the other still holding her tight. "I'm so proud of you. The painting, the exhibit, calling yourself a faculty member of an art school." She smiled. The same smile that was etched in his memory when her first work was published. "You have no idea how much I wanted to brag that the person I love is all that."

She released a heavy breath after chuckling at what he said, like a large load escaping her chest. "I'm sorry it took so long Yuta but I want to come back home."

"Home?" Yuta repeated then giggled. "You do realize that this plane is going to land in Japan right?"

What? She frantically looked at the plane ticket, seeing that it is indeed landing in Nagoya, Japan. Is she in a rush to see him that she missed this important detail?

(Y/N) shrugged. "My home is where you are." She said while keeping the ticket in her bag. "I can just book a hotel room…"

The hand rest separating their bodies is now lifted up as he pulled her closer to his warmth. "God, I missed you so much." And she did as well.

Five years of not seeing each other and even saying goodbye to him in front of people. Now, this. It had been a rollercoaster for the two of them.

His lips were on her, making her breathless instantly. The effect Yuta had on her still hasn't changed through the years. "Yuta." She called, making him stare with those twinkling eyes. "I love you."

He smiled at her. He kissed her forehead muttering an 'I love you' then kissed her nose, repeating the same three words. Again, his lips went on hers. She missed this, missed Yuta's warmth and his scent. His hand moved dangerously close to her breasts that she let go of the kiss, moving away from him. "Yah!"

"Yah?" Yuta glared playfully. "(Y/N), give me a break. It's been years."

Said girl giggled at that, raising her eyebrow. "You didn't touch any girl?" He chuckled while shaking his head, moving closer to her. "Are you sure?"

"How can I when my eyes can only see you?" One hand pulled her closer by the waist while the other held on to close the curtain behind her. "We can just do it here, we'll be quick." But she just laughed as a response to his attempt. "Why not? We did it on a plane first."

"We can get in jail for this. The first time is just us being lucky." Yuta pouted, sliding back to his seat and putting down the armrest between them.

(Y/N) giggled. He's so adorable. "When the plane lands..." He stared at her for a moment. "I'll let you do what you want when the plane lands."

"When the plane lands…" Yuta repeated. "I'll make sure you cannot escape me."

She smiled. She doesn't want to, honestly.

(Y/N) slipped her hand on Yuta's, leaning against his shoulder making him smile. This is the warmth she wants, the warmth that her heart is yearning for. She's home. Yuta is her home. "Tadaima, otou-chan."

He kissed the top of her head, his heart full of love only for her. "Okaeri, my ai."

Yuta had been pacing back and forth the whole time she's seated on the floor and is in a meeting with the director from the art school in Canada. When (Y/N) decided to live with Yuta in Japan, she planned to quit teaching art school and maybe just teach in Japan but the director didn't let her go and told her that she can still teach online. Now, she's in a meeting with the faculty about the latest art exhibit that they planned in Korea. "I'll send you the details when I get to Korea." And with that, she closed her laptop.

Her head rests on top of her hand that was above the coffee table, watching the Japanese man in front of her. "What's wrong?"

He sat beside her on the floor when he realized that she's done with her meeting, leaning his head on her shoulder. "Are you really going to Korea?" He asked, pouting. (Y/N) giggled at that, nodding and even saying that they already had a talk about it. "I know but can't I come with you?"

"You have work here. Besides, I have a lot of things to do there. It's not a vacation." Honestly, the exhibit is something that she's worried about. She also wanted to visit the publishing house and see what her friends are up to. Then she wanted to see her foster dad and her new life as a volunteer in a pet shelter. "I'll come back real quick."

"Really?" He asked, kissing the side of her neck. "Are you sure?" She giggled while nodding.

She turned her head to kiss him on the lips. "Yes, I'm sure." She said while smiling then turned to the coffee table quickly. "Now, I have some work to do. I'll cook dinner after doing this."

Yuta pouted at that, arms still holding her by the waist. "It's hard to date an in-demand artist. I like it better when you're a manhwa illustrator," he whined which made her giggle. She opened her laptop, opening a word document that has the detailed plans of the art exhibit. No meeting, she's just typing.

Yuta pushed the sofa behind, sitting behind her with legs caging her in. (Y/N) gasped when he started touching her stomach under her shirt. "Yuta, I still have things to do," she whined, shrugging off the kisses he was doing on her nape. Why is he so needy all of a sudden? And while doing her work?

"I need you." he pleaded, now kneeling behind her, holding her shoulders as he rubbed his hardened member on her back. She shouted his name that made him look at her with those puppy eyes. "Just let me inside you, please," he begged that made her look at him, squinting her eyes. "It hurts, baby. Please."

(Y/N) clucked her tongue, staring at the tent in his pants. Well, it really is erect. Why is he so needy all of a sudden. Knowing Yuta, that might be really tough for him. "Can't you just use your hands or something? I have to finish this..."

The guy shook his head, holding his clothed cock. "I tried that already but I can't cum knowing that you're here." The girl just giggled at that, Yuta really had his way through everything.

(Y/N) nodded that made him cheer like a young child, removing his sweatpants and underwear to reveal his red cock. He sat back down behind her, putting a hand inside her shorts that surprised her. "I have to get you wet at least," he said as he started playing her clit with his fingers.

She just kept on typing, pretending to not be fazed by her boyfriend's action but in reality, she's getting really horny at the way his fingers were fucking her. Yuta is really so good with his fingers. Once wet enough, he tapped her throbbing clit, asking her to kneel, and pulled down her shorts and underwear. Yuta positioned his cock on her entrance as she sat on him that made the guy groan. (Y/N), on the other hand, just bit her lip to prevent a moan from escaping. He can't know that she's liking it as well.

Yuta started grinding his hips into her, trying to feel some friction without jerking inside her but that proved as a difficult thing to do. "Can't you take a break?" he asked as his hands trailed inside her shirt, pinching her hardening nipples making her moan. "Cock warming is hard."

"So needy." she teased, shaking her head. The laptop closed once again and he grinned in victory. (Y/N) can't really resist him.

One hand groped her breast, thumb rubbing her hardening nipple while the other circled her clit. His hands were so rough on her that she can't help but moan at how good Yuta is touching her.

Her moans turned him on some more, liking how she called his name in the height of pleasure. But it's not enough, he wanted a release. "Ride me," he whispered while licking her earlobe that made the girl groan. Using the floor as an anchor, she bounced up and down on Yuta's cock. "Yes, baby, like that." He started thrusting up to meet her hips, making her scream when he started hitting a pleasurable spot.

"Yuta! There!" Her legs and arms were giving out to the pleasure she's feeling that she cannot move anymore. "Take over, Yuta," she claimed as he bent her down on the floor, ass in the air and taking her from behind. His hands were on her breasts, groping them while drilling inside her. Both their breathing got erratic and Yuta knew that she's so close, he is in a matter of fact.

(Y/N) wanted to claw at something, wanted to sunk her nails into it, but the floor isn't a great help to her. As she felt the wave of her orgasm, Yuta's thrusts became more powerful and she knew that he's also close. Their bodies lay flat on the floor and she groaned at her boyfriend's weight, cock still inside her. Fuck, she thought, she's going to die because of exhaustion. Why is Yuta so wild? Is it a Japanese thing?

He kissed her cheek then her jaw. "Are you alright?" She just nodded at him, breathless. "I'm sorry."

But she shook her head, smiling at him as he helped her sit up. "At this rate, we'll probably have lunch before breakfast." He stared at her in confusion. Isn't it dinner time already? She just gave him an annoyed look and he realized what she meant.

He had been asking her that question for months now, 'Do you want to have breakfast?' that even his parents are confused whenever he would ask that at night. "Wait, you're agreeing to breakfast?" he asked then gasped. "You're willing to marry me?"

(Y/N) had to laugh at that. "Baka! After you cried on the airplane, why wouldn't I marry you? I was waiting for you to say it, not ask me for…"

Her words were cut off when he wrapped his arms around her, crushing her in a tight hug. "God, I am so in love with you." He kissed her cheek, then her forehead. "I love you." He kissed her nose then her lips, making her giggle. "I really love you."

"And I love you too," she said s before accepting his breathtaking kiss.

"My Ai..." he called when they let go of the kiss. "Do you want to get married tomorrow?"

(Y/N) had to look at him in horror. That fast? What the hell is Yuta thinking?

Yuta shook his head, grinning. "No, let's just stay in bed tomorrow." He carried her in his arms, bridal style. "I'll make sure you can't walk tomorrow."

"Otou-Chan!" she shouted as the bedroom door closed.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️

Chapter 24

Hi, you.

If you are reading this, you have reached the end of this fic entitled Otou-Chan. Thank you for taking time in reading this and I hope you enjoyed it. I’m sorry if this is not the smut fic you expect it to be. There’s more fluff than smut here, honestly. I don’t even know if I can call this a smut fic.

But still, you’re here and you helped me finish a fic that has been sitting in my drafts for years so I really wanted to thank you. Thank you for the likes (hearts?), the reblogs, the recommendations, your compliments, and most importantly, the time you spend in reading this 25 chapter long fic. Thank you for encouraging me to write, for being the reason why I’m excited to wake up every morning and check this Tumblr account. I don’t really know how to sincerely thank you all.

THANK YOU TO YOU. 💖

Please continue supporting our Otou-Chan, Yuta Nakamoto.

-🐼

#yuta smut #yutasmut #yuta nakamoto smut #yutanakamotosmut #yuta x reader smut #nct smut #nctsmut

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jincherie · 4 years

Text

fox rain | five

• ☽ — pairing: bts x reader • ☽ — genre: crack, fluff, angst, college/uni au • ☽ — words: 9.9k+ • ☽ — rating: sfw • ☽ — warnings: stop two on the angst train express!!! not as blatant, more reading between the lines here...... have fun! • ☽ — notes: bros... it’s only downhill from here. cowa-fucking-BUNGA amirite cowboys???????!?!?

— posted; 18.09.2020

When the love letter you wrote and submitted as an assignment is leaked to the entirety of your university, it becomes a race against time to dispel rumours and convince the seven suspected muses of the poem that they aren’t the subject before anyone realises that you are the author. Easy, right? Well… maybe not as easy as you think.

— • masterpost | prev. | five | next • —

You lay in a sort of placid, bewildered shock, the kind that is sourced from confusion as opposed to an unpleasant surprise. After waking to blearily turn off your alarm before it blasted through the entirety of Dancing Lasha Tumbai, you’d unlocked your phone to find this curious set of messages from a number you haven’t saved. You’ve been lying in place for several minutes as your tired, wired brain slowly kicks into gear and attempts to debunk the mystery. After another unsuccessful few minutes of staring blankly at the screen, you’re saved from impending cranial combustion when your phone lets out a delightful little tinkle and another message hastily joins the others.

Ah, that makes so much sense now! Except it doesn’t. Actually, it kind of adds to your bewilderment. Taehyung… is texting you? You don’t think you’ve ever in your life had any correspondence with him that didn’t either take place in the presence of Jimin or under the influence of alcohol… also in the presence of Jimin, now that you think of it. You haven’t really interacted with Taehyung outside of Jimin. So it is particularly odd to wake up to a series of messages that are from him, and pertaining to such an odd topic. You’re still so tired you can’t even fathom what would warrant a text from him. Maybe you dropped something at one of your tutoring sessions and Jimin asked him to give it back to you? It would make sense, since after the rollercoaster of a ride the last week has been for him (in particular, the questionable events that took place at the hands of one Kim Seokjin but somehow ended up with Jimin and Hoseok making up? You don’t really understand it but you’re not even going to bother to try to at this point) he has ended up a little preoccupied.

Tapping the screen when your inactivity leads it to go dark, you take a moment to scrounge a response from the empty barrel bottom that is your brain. Once satisfied, you drop your phone onto your bed and flop yourself back to the position you’d been in before your own alarm woke you so rudely. Technically, you don’t have to be up and about for another hour…

With faith that your additional hour of sleep will revive your ability to think, you allow yourself to slip somewhat self-indulgently back into sleep and pass the fuck out like a woman who has spent the night trying to forget.

(Which you are, and did do, except with maybe a little less alcohol than what that sentence implied.)

X X X X

It has been almost a week since the unfortunate end to that tutoring session on Monday, and while you’ve managed to stay off social media enough that you haven’t triggered yourself by accident in the entirety of that duration, every time you come on campus it’s like for however many steps forward you took, you take double the amount backwards. University students are such gossips! Well, the jobless ones are, anyway. The students that work and study are too busy dragging themselves around campus in a stunning rendition of the undead from various media to be bothered with the latest plot twist in the resident school drama. Which is to say, there has been no twist. The population is still shamelessly up Sera’s ass in the belief that she is the author of the poem, and as has become the norm you find yourself resisting the urge to hunt the bitch down and go in for round two on her face. Surely, your self-control has earnt you the title of a saint by now.

You’re blasting some angsty shit on the way to your music history class and pretending you’re in a music video for some indie band (it’s cathartic, and you will argue that fact to your grave), when you make it a few steps past the entrance to the food court and have the absolute living daylights scared out of you. Thudding footsteps reach you through your earphones and two hands clamp on your shoulders to halt you in place and spin you around like Barbie Ballerina.

“You’re a disgrace!” It’s Seokjin who has halted you in the middle of the hallway, every bit as dramatic as you’d come to expect. “You skipped drama class? And you call yourself an acting major, PSH!”

Yanking your earphones out, you nail the tall, pink-haired idiot with a glare. Very bold of him to be approaching you after you nearly chopped off Lil’ Jinnie barely a few days ago for his bastardous antics. Perhaps he’s getting a bit big for his glittery pink rainboots.

“First of all, will you please listen to me when I tell you I’m not an acting major?” Unfortunately, when you speak your voice comes out more exasperated and less threatening than you intended. “Second of all—very bold of you to be approaching me right now. You’re lucky you escaped with your life, you meddling bastard. You want me to bite the rest of your dick off?”

“You should know by now that I take that as a compliment,” Seokjin sniffs, haughtily, ignoring the latter part of your threat. “And do you know how boring it is for me to crash your class when you’re not even there? No one threatens me like you! It’s getting harder and harder to get it up these days, you know. I need a hit of the good stuff.”

For a moment you’re simply stunned into silence, staring at him and wondering just how and why he seems to have been sent here with the sole mission of making you want to kill him and then yourself. Nothing you could think to say really is enough, so you settle on simply turning and walking away.

Of course, you forgot that no one turns their back on Kim Seokjin and gets away with it.

“YAH!”

You wince—you think he actually just broke a sound barrier, or maybe your eardrums— or both. Seokjin quickly scrambles to place himself in front of you, arms out. His eyes are wide in something you suspect he thinks is a puppy-eyed look, but actually comes across more like he’s trying not to shit himself.

“Promise me you won’t skip drama again!” Seokjin says, pointing a finger at you in borderline accusation. When he doesn’t see your expression budge, he quickly changes tactics. “If not for me, the most charming prince in the story of your life, then at least for Jungkook, that poor virgin—”

You blink, distracted for a moment by what he said. “Wait, Jungkook is in my drama class?”

“’Wait, Jungkook is in my drama class?’” Seokjin repeats in a voice a few octaves higher than your own. “Listen to you, not even knowing who is in your own class. For shame! But have no fear, since you clearly skip so much I will happily extend my generosity and take you under my wing. Tutelage fee starts at $55 with an extra $5 for every question you ask that I don’t know—”

“Do you ever actually hear yourself talk?” you ask, feeling your will to live draining out your ears. “Like, the shit that comes out of your mouth? Do you hear it? Because—wait, are you saying you would charge me for questions that you don’t know the answer to?!”

Seokjin shrugs, “It’s a little unorthodox, I know. But—”

“I would literally be bankrupt! Thousands—no, millions of dollars in debt!” You exclaim, grabbing him by his stupid big shoulders and shaking him about. “Do I look crazy to you?!”

“Oh, what, you think you can do better?!” Seokjin demands, voice wobbling from your shaking. “What’s 2x2?”

“Fucking four!” you wail, releasing him in your despair. You can’t do this, your day only just started and you are not exhausted enough to micronap while he talks like usual. “I’m leaving, don’t follow me. DELETE MY NUMBER.”

“Haha jokes on you!” you hear Seokjin holler from behind you, voice rapidly growing quieter from the speed that you’re powerwalking away. “You never gave me your number!”

You make it to class barely on time due to Seokjin acting as one of the biggest inconveniences in your life, and while you manage to push him from your brain for the duration of it, you wish you could say that is the last time you see him,

It’s probably the fact that you busted his ass being a weirdo with Jimin and Hoseok last week that has him so…. attached this week, you suspect. You’re at your third Seokjin encounter for the day and you’re honestly considering whether you should trip to the campus pharmacy and look for some pepper spray, or maybe an umbrella. Pepper spray would be more effective, but the umbrella…. You can’t argue against the satisfaction it would provide.

You’re trying to sneak your way into a library on the Arts side of campus, one you don’t usually go to, so you can study without worrying about going absolutely batshit insane in the presence of Seokjin. It was hard, but you think that you’ve finally managed to shake him. What on earth had him so determined to tail you today? Was it seriously because you skipped your own class? Nutcase.

You peek your head around the corner looking not only for Seokjin, but for another thing you had happened to notice every time you were ambushed. You have yet to determine whether the glimpse of phenomenally bright floral print right before Seokjin pounces you is causation or correlation, and it makes you a bit nervous. Cautiously, like timid forest animal, you creep around the corner and begin to make your way into the building, eyes flicking from the library door right at the end to the rest of your surroundings. The café coming up on your right tempts you greatly, but you know it is too great of a risk. Out in the open, you’d definitely be seen.

This area is almost like a courtyard, an undercover area between three separate buildings. With a looming cement and glass ceiling, though, it feels like a building of its own. The library sits nestled in the corner of the largest building, and although it isn’t very wide, it spans several floors. You plan on going to the highest one and hiding in a corner near a window.

You’re close, so close to reaching the library in fact that you’ve fallen into a false sense of security. By the time you register the sound of pounding footsteps approaching behind you, for the second time today, it’s too late.

“Ah, y/n! Wait!”

Instinctively you prepare to burst into a sprint to get away, but at the last second stop yourself. That doesn’t sound like Seokjin… that sounds like—

“Taehyung?” you ask, turning in surprise as the boy comes to a screeching halt in front of you, bending with his hands on his knees as he attempts to catch his breath.

“I’ve… been trying….” he huffs, “To talk to you…. all day….. hah…Why are you so….. good at running away?”

He looks absolutely wiped out, cheeks red and sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. You’re just beginning to feel guilty when you notice his shirt, the bright floral print that you literally don’t know anyone else bold enough to wear, and you realise he’s really not lying. Poor Taehyung, just like you he has fallen victim to—

“That Seokjin bastard,” you say, completing a quick scan of the area to make sure the mention of his name didn’t somehow summon him. “He’s been harassing me all day. I’ve had to really up my game. By the way… are you okay? Please breathe… also what did you want to talk to me about?”

Taehyung straightens, eyes closed as he attempts to control his breathing. One of his hands comes to sweep the ashy hair from his face, the ends slightly damp with sweat.

“I’m fine,” he says, sounding slightly like he’s about to pass out. You prepare to take a step forward and catch him if he does, but he opens his eyes in the next second and shoots you a dopey smile. “I’m fine! Apparently just… whoo… really out of shape.”

“Your sacrifice is not in vain,” you say, smiling when he lets out a sudden laugh. Another shaky breath rakes past his lips before he straightens, eyes blinking a little wider. “Ah, right. I was looking for you because, um… you didn’t respond to my text… and I needed to ask you something that’s a little time-sensitive…”

“Your text…” you wrack your brain, sure that you remembered responding to it this morning in bed. Your mouth shifts into a wince, though, when you can recall writing a response, but not actually sending it. “Oh. I am so sorry, I’m an idiot. I was kind of half asleep when you texted, and I swear to god I typed a response but I think I fell asleep again before sending it…”

There is not a shred of accusation on Taehyung’s pleasant features, lips instead slightly curled in a smile. “That’s fine,” he chirps, rocking on the balls of his feet for a moment. “I do it all the time too. I’m just glad I caught you.”

You return his smile, before a thought that had been nagging you earlier returned and you acted on the urge to voice it. “By the way…. How did you get my number?”

Your question seems to be unexpected and, for some reason, flusters him slightly. He reaches to scratch the back of his neck, averting his gaze for a moment. “Uh, Jimin gave it to me. It was for something stupid a while ago but I never needed to use it.”

You raise your brows at what he said, but get the feeling he’s not going to elaborate. Instead, you remain quiet and wait for him to continue his thought from earlier. He shuffles on his feet, returning his gaze to your own. “Anyway, the reason I was trying to catch you all day was because I wanted to ask you something…”

“I know it’s not really any of my business, but I kind of noticed, and Jimin mentioned lightly that things haven’t been, uh…. great for you lately.” He doesn’t even give you time for that statement to sink in amongst your shock, continuing without pause despite the way his cheeks begin to flush, “And, uh, my exhibition is this Friday, and I was gonna go with Jimin but he double-booked himself with Hobi, so now I have no plus-one and I was wondering… if you wanted to go?”

When you simply stand there, dumbfounded, he clears his throat awkwardly, fiddling with the cuffs of his button-down. “To um, you know, take your mind off things… maybe… you don’t have to, of course, but I just thought I would—”

Snapping out of your stupor before he can take back the invitation, you hastily step forward and outstretch your hands. “Oh, no I would love to go! This is really—” you clear your throat, trying to ignore the light sting of your eyes “—sweet of you. I’d like to go, if it’s ok. You’re sure Jimin doesn’t mind…?”

Taehyung seems shocked, and you suspect he might have thought you would turn down the invitation from the way his eyes seem to light up. Have you really been walking around campus looking like that much of a gloomy bitch? You need to check your facial expressions when you get home this afternoon.

“He won’t mind,” he says, waving his hand excitedly. “Great, perfect—um, here is the little info sheet. I’d stay to tell you more but my class actually started a few minutes ago, so…”

“Oh!” you exclaim, taking the sheet from his hand before waving him away. “Go! Go to class! I’m sorry I made you late! Thank you for this, by the way!”

He seems slightly dazed at your enthusiastic thanks and farewell, but he shakes himself out of it and before he goes he sends you a smile that you can’t think of any other way to describe except dazzling. “It’s no problem, y/n. See you then.”

And then he’s off and you’re left standing alone in the pseudo-courtyard, clutching the exhibition pamphlet in your grip. Your eyes sting ever so slightly, and you can’t help but think how kind of sad it is that one person goes out of their way to think of you in the midst of everything you’re dealing with and you’re so touched you’re nearly driven to tears.

Hormones suck and you want a refund.

X X X X

Taehyung was right when he said that what he had to ask you was time-sensitive.

You hadn’t realised it at the time, but Friday was only a few days away— and in the midst of classes, schoolwork, and everything else, those days went fast. Before you know it, it’s Friday morning and a panicked glance at the pamphlet Taehyung had given you reveals that the exhibition opens officially around 4:30PM. That works out surprisingly well for you, considering your last class ends at three o’clock and you can easily reschedule your session with Hoseok and Jimin.

There’s a lot about the invitation you haven’t gotten to really dwell on, and that continues to be the case as the day flies before your very eyes. By the time your music theory class comes to an end and you finish scribbling down the last few lines of note from your teacher, the event is even closer than you anticipated. From your recent examination of the pamphlet, you’d found earlier that Taehyung’s exhibition is being held at a small university-sponsored gallery downtown. It shouldn’t take you too long to get there from your house, and on the way home after packing your things, you plot out the route you’re going to take. It’s about a twenty minute trip, as you discover, since there is by some stroke of luck a bus that goes straight there from a street just around the corner from your own. Taking that into account, you should have around forty minutes or so to get ready.

Considering you’re one of many poor university students populating the area, it’s not often you actually put the effort in to get dressed up. Around these parts, there is a distinct culture of sweat pants and comfortable tops and more often than not a socks-and-slides combo, something you take part in more often than you’d like to admit. Still, you feel that considering the nature of the event you’ve been invited to and what you know of Taehyung’s works, you should probably be putting in much more effort than usual.

While you might act like a slob sometimes, this isn’t actually a problem— even goblins like you can have a stash of decent clothes somewhere in their cave. Yours happen to be pushed to the back of your closet on hangers that haven’t seen the light of day in months. What can you say? University takes its toll in mysterious ways.

Standing before your closet, eyes boring into the portion that’s been held in its depths for longer than you can remember, you wonder which way you should go with your outfit. Exhibitions are fancy right? Should you dress it up? Logic says you should, but on the other hand what if you are the only one dressed up? That would be humiliating. You pause for a moment to think about the type of garb you usually see Taehyung in— you have a feeling that he will probably dress the same way tonight. Recalling his bold, avante-garde taste in fashion is about as helpful as one might imagine, but it does comfort you to know that no matter what you choose, most eyes will likely be on him anyway.

Comforted by that fact, you make up your mind and pull out a set that isn’t too over the top, and won’t make you look like a rat. Once you’ve slipped into those, you freshen up and wash your face, trying to make yourself seem a little bit more alive afterwards and not like you had an 8AM class today. You’re successful, to a degree, but you’re a little tight on time so you can’t really dwell on it. Feeling your stomach rumble as you grab your bag and key, you can only hope that this exhibition has free food.

x — x — x

“Ah, y/n! You’re here! You… you look nice.”

You were so busy staring at the large, shiny building before you that when Taehyung’s voice rings out in greeting, it startles the hell out of you. You don’t even register what he says before you’re pointing with eyes and mouth wide open, “Your exhibition is in there?!”

His expression of surprise melts into one of amusement, a laugh tumbling from deep in his throat. You don’t even notice the way his cheeks are flushed ever so slightly as he meets your gaze.

“Fancy, right?” he says, wagging his brows. “Some loaded alumnus who actually enjoyed his university experience practically donated it to them. So now they use it for, uh… for most exhibitions.”

“For the best ones, you mean,” you say, your grin widening when he scratches the back of his neck, bashful and blushing. “But yeah, damn. I was expecting it to be nice but I wasn’t expecting it to be this nice.”

Taehyung laughed again, clearing his throat. As he takes a moment to collect himself, you let your eyes scan over his form. The second you do so, you feel a foreign flutter in your stomach, heat flushing to your face. There is truly no other way to describe his choice of outfit for today except for painfully boyfriend. Perhaps on anyone else it would look a little less than presentable, but on Taehyung’s model-esque form the loose chestnut pants and an oversized leather jacket over a boldly patterned shirt work wonders. How does he look so effortless yet so…?

If you’d attempted to wear something like that you’d end up looking like the local court jester. Perhaps you should just make peace with the fact that God has favourites and Kim Taehyung is clearly one of them.

“It, um. It started a few minutes ago, shall we head in?”

Taehyung offers you his arm, a gentlemanly move that completely contrasts the boyish grin on his face. Ignoring the sudden sensations in your abdomen, you make a show of curtsey-ing before you take it, eliciting a laugh from your company as the two of you head to the entrance and the full exhibition experience begins.

As soon as you enter there is someone by the door, who seems to be at the very least taking note of how many people enter, a table with flyers and booklets beside him. Taehyung parts from you only to move over and grab a few, brandishing them as he returns with a bright grin.

“Here is all the information about the event, madame,” he says, with an extremely exaggerated air of grandeur, presenting one of the flyers with a flourish. You take it, unable to help your soft snort.

“I would have thought I had something better, what with the very artist behind the event accompanying me,” you say, grinning when you see his cheeks turn an endearing pink as he flashes a bright, boxy smile.

“True,” he returns, folding the other flyer and slipping it into the pocket of his jacket. “You can’t ask a flyer questions in real time. Anything that crosses your mind, you can ask straight to the source.”

“Oh? Then, may I enquire as to what the theme of this exhibition is?” You’re enjoying the playful air that drifts between you now, unable to rid your face of the smile currently displayed on it even if you wanted to.

Taehyung’s eyes flick to you, a lopsided smile tugging his lips to accompany the sly accent to his gaze. “Ah, a tough one right off the bat. I think telling you straight-up would be too easy. Let’s see if you can try to guess it as we walk through.”

You turn to him with an affronted look, having expected him to easily supply you with the answer. Taehyung is a little cheekier than you remember. You snap your mouth shut, cheeks heating when you notice he has offered his arm to you once more. Taking note of the other people in the room walking around in a similar manner, you slip your arm through his and try to ignore the way you feel your ears light on fire.

“Okay, you’re on,” you respond, if a few moments too late. He doesn’t comment on the delay, simply sending you a smile that you can’t quite decipher the emotion behind. You don’t get to dwell before the two of you are off, beginning on your journey through the building and starting on your tour of the exhibition.

You’d kind of always known that Taehyung was talented, considering he managed to make such a name for himself on campus in such little time with such ease. Hell, he’s well-known enough to have made it onto the list of suspects for the muse of your poem. Still, this knowledge is only compounded the further into the building you go and the more of the exhibition you see. Taehyung is truly talented, the images blown up and displayed on the wall each capturing a certain emotion that you don’t have a name for, yet is so familiar that each time you see a new one it gives you pause. Viewing his works, seeing into this part of him and witnessing this bit of his soul he has bared, you can’t help but feel a slight sense of kinship.

It’s something that rests in the space between your lungs and diaphragm, something that tickles but also something that aches. You do know this feeling, so familiar yet so out of touch and far from the tip of your mind’s tongue. You do try to guess the theme of the exhibition as you go, throwing out the occasional dumb guess to elicit a laugh— he always laughs, and it always makes you smile— but you don’t quite manage to pin it.

“The five senses,” you shoot into the dark, standing before an image that has made you stop and stare for a good five minutes now. It’s not quite black and white, and it’s not a particularly unique image— but something about the composition, something about the movement in the two hands that are so close yet so far from actually touching, speaks to that hidden part of you. The way one of the hands simply hangs, unbothered and neutral, but the other, the one slightly closer to the foreground, has fingers ever so slightly outstretched, reaching but never quite committing to the movement and the unspoken consequence of the hinted action.

Of course, you know the answer even before Taehyung says it. He laughs, hands in his pockets, “Nope, ddaeng.”

“This is hard,” you whine, without much heart behind it. The smile stays on Taehyung’s face.

“Whatever. You’re smart, I know you can guess it. It should be easy, for you.”

The compliment catches you off guard, and you have to turn away so that he doesn’t see your cheeks warm. The two of you had parted when you caught sight of the snacks table; you’d been prepared to abandon him and make a beeline over, but Taehyung had surprised you by marching over himself and coming back with a loaded plate. He’d confessed with a sheepish smile that he hadn’t had lunch, and really you were in no place to judge since you hadn’t either. By this point in your journey, though, the plate is almost empty. There’s only two tiny cupcakes left and you’re letting the rest of the things you scarfed down settle before you go in for more.

Perhaps it was a little dangerous, coming here with Taehyung. He looks so fine, even while shoving sweets in his mouth, that you spend about the same amount of time looking at him as you do at his artworks. It takes all of your willpower to tear your eyes away every time you catch yourself looking at him and admiring the truly boyfriend fit he has donned for this occasion. Every so often he will simply stand before one of his works, scrutinising it with a fresh perspective and ever-criticising eyes, and the sight of it will make something nameless and foreign well within you. You don’t quite know what to do with it, so you ignore it. Or at least, you try to.

It feels a little too similar to what you know of yearning. It leaves you confused.

You stop not long after in front of another piece, this time a combination of three images that act as separate snapshots of smaller parts of a larger image. You admire the way he has set it out, revealing not too much but just enough that the viewer gets a sense, a feeling, but isn’t confronted with the message. It allows everyone to take their own sensation from it. You like that a lot about his works— he doesn’t tell people what to feel as they view his images, but merely hints, prompts and nudges. He sets the stage and allows people to take what they need, see whichever bits draw their eye most and spell meaning from elements of their choosing. He’s talented, you find yourself marveling again, so incredibly talented.

But still, you can’t put a finger on what the theme is.

By the time you make your way completely though the exhibition, having doubled back at a few points to look again at a select few of the pictures, you’re still no closer to guessing. It has you deep in your thoughts as you stand outside, waiting for Taehyung to return from thanking one of the guests who had recognised him for coming.

“Guessed it, yet?”

You turn, pinning him with a look that you hoped didn’t look as dumb as it felt. “Leave it with me,” you say. “I’ll figure it out eventually.”

At your words, Taehyung laughs— it’s one of the full-bodied ones you’ve come to enjoy, where he throws his head back a little and shakes his hair back into place after. You have to snap yourself out of it before he catches you staring.

“I’m sure,” he says, unable to keep the cheeky grin off his face. It does slip ever so slightly though, just for a moment, as you watch a thought cross his features. “By the way…”

You tilt your head, waiting for him to continue. You feel an odd combination of at-peace, and unsettled. Holistically, this is the most at-peace and relaxed you’ve been in weeks. However, when you take a moment to tune into the inner machinations that make up your being… something in this exhibition has reached into your insides and fiddled around, moving things where they shouldn’t be and touching things that aren’t meant to be touched. It’s odd, and you acknowledge that it gives you quite a bit of cognitive dissonance. Even so, you’re calm enough that you have no trouble being patient while you wait for Taehyung to continue and say what he seems so nervous to say.

“Um, I know I initially only asked you about coming here, to the exhibition…” he begins, reaching to rub the back of his neck in what you recognise to be one of his nervous ticks. “But, I actually have these vouchers I won in a competition a while ago for a paint-and-sip session that are about to expire, and I was wondering… would you like to go? Now, I mean. Since they actually kind of expire tomorrow. Unless you’re busy, because if you are that’s—”

You decide to put him out of his flustered misery, reaching to nudge his arm. “Of course, that sounds fun! Plus, you were right the other day; I could really do with the chance to relax. Thank you, for all this. I really appreciate it.”

It takes a second for your words to register, but when they do the most blindingly bright smile spreads across his face; he’s practically beaming at you.

“Of course,” he says, with barely a moment’s hesitation. “I’m really happy you agreed to come— I’m glad you said yes to the paint-and-sip, too, because it’s one of my favourite places. Come on, let’s get going. If we get there at just the right time, we can get a really good seat, hopefully by the window.”

The journey continues, Taehyung leading you through the city while chatting easily all the while, a stunning twilight cityscape backdrop and the gentle glimmering surface of the river meandering through buildings providing the perfect scenery. If you had a little more faith in your artistic ability, you might try and paint the image you see now; Taehyung in the colours of dusk, soft and natural against the bright lights and harsh lines of the metropolitan landscape. But alas, you aren’t as talented as the man besides you, and you don’t even want to think of how it would turn out if you attempted to paint such a thing. You quickly throw the thought from your mind before it can linger and get up to more trouble than it’s worth.

“Here we are!” Taehyung’s cheer breaks you out of your stupor, bright smile directed your way once more as he stops in front of a large establishment with long strips of window and a colourfully sewn awning.

‘Brush & Bar’, the cursive, neon sign reads above the door, flickering between soft pink and peach orange. It’s an interesting aesthetic the place has going on, but when you look over and catch sight of Taehyung once more it suddenly makes sense why he likes it so much. The style of this place is very similar to some of the more outlandish things he tends to model around campus. Before your reverie lets you remain abandoned outside, you hurry to follow after the ashy-haired boy, grabbing the back of his jacket when you almost trip over the door frame. He spares a look over his shoulder to make sure you’re okay before he continues, moving towards the counter and smiling with more charm than you can personally handle at the staff member there.

It’s a woman, who you suspect is in her mid-thirties, and she is pretty enough that it takes you by surprise when she rolls her eyes heavily at Taehyung’s approach.

“You again, boy?” she asks, though it sounds more rhetorical than anything and you catch the slightest tinge of humour accenting her words and it soothes your hackles. “Don’t you ever get sick of hanging around here?”

“Nope!”

She cracks a smile, lines appearing at the edges of her eyes. “Well, I suppose that’s a good thing. We’d miss you an awful lot if you ever stopped showing up here.” Her eyes flick ever so slyly to you, and then back. “Say, is today the day you’re finally gonna make good on those vouchers you won? I know you said you were waiting for the right chance to ask that g—”

“Yes!” Taehyung cuts in loudly, eyes wide and cheeks flushing darkly. “Yes, yep! I brought the vouchers! They do expire tomorrow after all!”

The woman, Bora as you now see from her nametag, simply smiles, something sly about the action intriguing you. Taehyung clears his throat, reaching to scratch the back of his neck sheepishly. “So, um… I will use them now. Is the window seat free…?”

Bora nods, a fond curve to her lips now as she rummages around behind the counter and takes the offered vouchers from Taehyung to punch holes in them. “Your favourite spot? Of course. I had a feeling you were coming, too, so I’ve already gone and set it up with some canvases and acrylics.”

She hands the vouchers back, and Taehyung slips them into the pocket of his jacket. “Paintbrushes and jars are in their usual place, and I know you don’t normally drink while you’re here but if you’d like some tonight just take your order up to Kyungsoo. Oh! And tonight’s special for snacks is tea cakes, so definitely make the most of that. There are some good ones in the display.”

At the mention of food and alcohol, your gaze had already started to wander on its own— you catch sight of the display of cakes and other sweets and feel your mouth water. Ridiculous, since you were kind of full before, but what can you say, you’re a complicated woman. Lots of layers, not unlike an onion. The thought almost makes you snort.

With a gentle nudge to your arm, Taehyung is bringing you back to the present moment and leading you over to the window, where a medium-sized table has been set up with two square canvases and a basket of paint bottles, palettes leaning to the side. Taehyung instructs you to take a seat, informing you with a smile that he’ll grab some paintbrushes and water for the two of you to use. At his suggestion, while he is gone you open up your phone and search for something to paint. Something that’s not too hard and not too easy. Because your skills are… well, they’re not nonexistent but you’re not about to go around tooting your horn in front of someone with actual art skills and talent. Apparently there is usually an image supplied for each night, but Taehyung says it’s not strict and that tonight is one of the nights where all the patrons just have free reign.

You sort of get distracted part way through the activity, eyes subconsciously seeking Taehyung’s leather jacket amongst the decently filled establishment. It’s really quite nice inside, actually; the walls and general decor are soft and neutral, with pops of colour everywhere that bring each corner and table to life. A lot of the furniture is wooden, natural and polished underneath specks of paint that decorate in layers that tell of time spent well. The lighting is soft with the exception of the bulbs stationed above each table, which are brighter and angled towards where the canvas would be. On one of the walls, the one near the bar, it is completely covered by greenery— vines that, as far as you can tell, aren’t actually fake. A soft, almost jazzy tune filters lightly through the room, complemented by the low hum of chatter and paintbrushes hitting glass. You’re incredibly impressed and, admittedly, you like this place a lot. It has the kind of vibe that just… makes you content.

“Here we go!”

You startle at the sound of Taehyung’s low register, looking over to see him placing a bundle of paintbrushes in between the two of you and a jar beside each of your canvases. He takes his seat across from you, smiling brightly. “Did you decide what you want to paint?”

You hum, turning your gaze out the window for a moment to see if it grants you any inspiration— it’s a gorgeous sight, the twilight sky broken by the outline of buildings with glimmering insides, but it doesn’t help much. You don’t know what you want to paint. Of course, there is this big, expanding feeling inside you, the urge to express it somehow filling you to your fingertips, but what do you do with it? You don’t even know its name.

“No,” you answer, reaching for one of the palettes propped up to the side. “But I’ll be okay. Maybe I’ll just see where the vibe takes me.”

The smile Taehyung gives you at that is softer than most, and he eagerly follows suit in grabbing a palette and beginning to set it up; he squirts a big dollop of white, blinking at it for a moment as though he hadn’t intended to put that much. “There are some pencils and erasers to the side there, too. I prefer the moldable one.”

You thank him for his advice, before realising as he puts his own pencil ever so lightly to canvas that he hadn’t told you the subject of his painting. “What are you going to paint?”

“A secret,” he says, leaning around the canvas to grin at you. “Since I don’t know what you’re painting. Let’s swap paintings after, though. I do want to see eventually.”

That makes you laugh, but you don’t bother pushing further. A surprise is nice every now and then, you know. So long as it’s not the kind that ruins your life as you know it indefinitely.

But you’re here to have fun and relax, so you’re not going to get into that. You’re not even going to think about it.

Taehyung clears his throat, catching your attention immediately. “Right, before we start we should probably order. Did you—”

“No need, my boy!”

Two new figures appear at the side of the table, one a youthful man on the shorter side, the other older and plumper with grey beginning to speckle through his hair. The shorter one places two drinks onto the table, colourful cocktails in a generous glass, and the older laughs before placing down two plates, each with a different kind of cake slice situated neatly in the middle.

“On the house,” the man continues, chuckling at the shocked and somewhat flustered look on Taehyung’s face. “You’ve given us a lot of business so don’t even worry about it. Plus, we heard you were finally making the most of those vouchers so… here’s a little something to start the night off well!”

“...Thanks, Mr Kang,” Taehyung finally manages, shooting them a smile that could honestly give Hoseok’s own a run for its money. “You too, Kyungsoo. Do…. do I wanna know what’s in this?”

He’s gesturing to the drinks, a somewhat fearful look on his face. The shorter man shakes his head, thick brows curved in mirth as his lips twitch into a lopsided smile. “Nope. Tastes good though, so you got nothing to worry about.”

You can’t tell whether Taehyung is relieved or concerned, and so step in to save him a moment of reprieve. “Thank you so much— this all looks amazing!”

Happily, the two men soak in your praise. “I assure you,” Mr Kang says, patting his chest proudly. “It tastes as good as it looks.”

Kyungsoo snorts, but doesn’t disagree. He gives the two of you a small smile. “Right, we should be on our way. You two enjoy yourselves, and if you want refills just come let me know.”

Taehyung nods, thanking them again, and then it’s just the two of you once more.

“Well,” he says, licking his lips and reminding you of a puppy as he stares intently at the slice of strawberry crepe cake, decorated with a generous drizzle of syrup and two fresh, sliced strawberries in a dollop of cream beside it. The other one, a coffee-caramel blend you presume from the heavenly aroma reaching your nose, looks just as good but is nowhere near as successful at capturing his attention. “I guess… let’s begin!”

Whether he meant painting or devouring the food, you end up doing a bit of both. Each mouthful of cake that enters your mouth is announced with an explosion of flavour so rich it lingers long after you’ve swallowed the mouthful down. The drinks, too, are delicious. Fruity but not too syrupy or sugary, you suspect Kyungsoo had used spirits and tempered the fruity flavour with a bit of lemon or lime.

You still aren’t really sold on what to paint, but in the meantime you end up sketching out the flowers that sit on the windowsill a little behind Taehyung. They don’t seem too complicated, and if they end up looking terrible you can just smear the canvas with paint and call it abstract. Of course, part of Taehyung’s shoulder cuts the vase off from view so he’s probably going to end up making an unwitting appearance in whatever mess turns up on your canvas.

Even though neither of you have any idea what Kyungsoo put into those drinks, you’re sure its something strong. Before long the two of you are already giggly, conversation flowing easily as you put paint to canvas and attempt to make something decent. It’s around the time the two of you are almost finishing your drinks that the conversation takes a delightful turn, which consists of Taehyung telling you about his little fluffball, Yeontan.

“Oh my god,” you say, fingers gripping the paintbrush tight as you try to pet the urge to pet a dog that isn’t even here. “He’s so cute! Look at his grumpy little eyebrows!”

Taehyung laughs, having taken a break from painting to show you his dog like a proud parent. He takes his phone back and slips it into his pocket, paint-flecked hand returning to the brush he’d abandoned. “He’s such a smart dog, but he’s also super dumb. Runs into shit all the time. And there was one time that a friend came over and brought a new camera that he hadn’t seen before—”

Taehyung has to pause recounting the story, he starts giggling so hard. It makes you erupt into laughter as well simply because of how contagious the sound is. “He got so mad, he ran in front of me with his little legs and started barking at it like he was trying to protect me. I love that little dog.”

“I love him too and I haven’t even met him,” you giggle, using your pinky (the only finger you’re sure you haven’t gotten paint on yet) to wipe under your eyes. You don’t think you let a tear slip but you’ve been laughing so much you can’t be sure.

Taehyung beams at you from around his canvas, brush held midair. “That’s exactly what Jiminie says.”

That gives you pause. “Wait— Jimin hasn’t seen your dog? But you’ve been friends for ages!”

You catch the photographer smiling as he delivers a few soft strokes to his painting, affection hidden in his tone as he responds, “Yeah, a few years. Since… the last? Second last year of high school? Maybe? It was a wild start to the friendship.”

“Wild?” you echo, intrigued.

“Yeah. What really kick-started our friendship was this one time I came over while Jimin was really upset about something. I can’t remember exactly how it happened but we ended up at some wack university event nearby. It was boring as hell, and somehow we figured the best way to be entertained would be to commit a mild crime and get away with it.”

Once more, the ashy-haired male has to pause his story to get the giggles out of his system, taking the opportunity to sip a little more of his cocktail. You do the same, not one to pass up much of any drink these days.

“Long story short, he ended up streaking across the field and earning himself a title at the university as ‘mooncheeks’ or something equally dumb and funny, earnt himself a bit of a nude legacy.”

You pause, the alcohol beginning to slow your mind just enough that it takes a little longer for you to connect the dot between his story and something you’d shoved so deep in the back of your mind years ago that you’d almost forgotten it.

“Wait—” you smack your paintbrush down, eyes wide as an accusing finger is thrown his way. “That was— he ran into me on the way back! Oh my god I almost forgot, that was you two?!”

Taehyung erupts into laughter that is an octave or two shy of being too loud, having to place a hand over his chest to brace himself. He’s nodding wordlessly, eyes pinched shut, and it’s probably the alcohol making your eyes blur but for a moment you could almost swear he’s glowing.

“Yeah,” he finally manages to articulate, wiping a stray tear or two from his eyes, sniffling. “It cheered him up, though, so I think it’s worth the potential trauma.”

That makes you laugh, another sip of your drink going down. A lot of the spirits must have settled at the bottom, because this one had a little warmth as it went down.

The night goes so easily it’s like a dream, the atmosphere and alcohol in combination with Taehyung’s company making you feel much like you did before this whole shitshow, back when it wasn’t so hard to release the tension in your shoulders or to muster a genuine smile. Taehyung happily gets you a few refills, refusing to let you pull out your card— which is probably for the best because you’re not sure where your wallet is and you’re not coordinated enough to look right now.

You’re on the further side of tipsy, teetering on the edge of pleasantly drunk where nothing makes sense but you’re still somewhat coherent, and everything is funny. Taehyung has almost dipped his paintbrushes in his drink instead of the jar a few times, resulting in a long round of laughter and sore stomachs each time. Eventually, you’d moved his drink to the other side of the canvas and he’d offered you a sheepish smile.

Surprisingly, your painting doesn’t look too bad, either. Currently it has a bit of a blurry, undefined quality to it, but in your current opinion it kind of works for it. Taehyung’s shoulder did end up making a feature and as the two of you talk you find yourself distractedly painting patterns in the ‘leather’, swirls and hearts and hell, even a few triangles. Eventually, you reach the point where you think that you really can’t do anything more to make the painting better in the time you have, so with a contented sigh you place your brush down and instead turn your attention to Taehyung.

Even as he talks to you and wobbles a little in place, he’s still so incredibly focused in his work, in every detail that meets canvas at the direction of his nimple finngertips, that you don’t think you even see his hand shaking while he paints. Which, your hand was— a lot. It’s the main factor responsible for this one squiggly flower stem in particular you can see in your painting.

As you sit there, happily listening and laughing at each anecdote Taehyung offers you about his life, you find your mind wandering a little bit. Back to the exhibition, and the works and even the way you caught him regarding them. You recognise the critical lens that he viewed them through, because it’s one you adopt yourself for your own creations. Something wells in you, an urge to reassure him in case he ever had any doubts about his own talent; you’re far too many drinks in to be in a place where you can stop yourself.

“Taehyung,” you begin softly but seriously, with minimal slur. He doesn’t stop his motions, but you see him pause for the briefest moment before humming in acknowledgement. “Taehyung, I have to tell you…”

You’re figuring out how to best word your impression of his works and his talent, but you must take longer than you thought because Taehyung lets out a soft huff, giving you a smile that you can’t quite decipher.

“Don’t worry,” he says, flicking the paintbrush back to rest the wooden stem on his knuckles. “I already know I’m not the muse. You don’t have to worry about convincing me.”

For a second, all you’re able to do is blink. Taehyung simply goes back to his painting, expression neutral and his soft hum brushing your ears beneath the soft melody floating from the speakers. You realise quickly that you don’t know what to say to that, and that the full implications of his words haven’t really sunk in yet. He must have noticed that you’d been trying to go around and convince all the suspected subjects that they aren’t the muse of the poem… you feel oddly ashamed, for some reason. Your cheeks feel hot, and not just from the alcohol flush.

“Done!”

Taehyung’s voice breaks you from your reverie, his cheery smile greeting you once more. “All finished?”

You nod, offering a smile of your own and taking the opportunity to say what you wanted to earlier. “Yep. I’m excited to see yours, you’re so incredibly talented, Tae.”

His smile turns shy at that, a bashful laugh tumbling from his lips as he does his best to clean up his area. You do the same, standing up for the first time in a while and having to reach out and stabilise yourself on the table so you don’t fall. The drinks hit you a little harder than you first thought!

“Thank you,” he finally mumbles a few moments later, collecting the brushes. “I’m excited to see yours, too.”

You let out a short laugh at that, knowing that whatever you threw onto that canvas isn’t going to be able to hold a candle to what he made.

Quicker than you can keep track of, the two of you finish tidying and then before you know it you’re saying your goodbyes to the staff and stepping outside. You shiver at the unexpected breeze that greets you, people along the other side of the street huddling together. It’s a windy night and the breeze carries a bit of a bite.

“Oh, right,” Taehyung starts in place, offering his canvas to you. “Careful, it might still be a bit wet…”

Somewhat mindlessly, you swap paintings with him, smiling brightly before your gaze is drawn to the side. By nothing but absolute chance, it passes over the line in front of a bar popular with students at your university, and you almost blink and move on before your eyes halt in familiarity. At the hands of nothing but stupid luck, there is someone you recognise over there. Yoongi stands, face indicating a loud complaint before it even leaves his mouth, and there are a few others around him that he seems to be with who are laughing as they wait in line.

Your head feels so messy, like the wind has managed to get inside your skull and fling everything about like leaves on the autumn breeze. You’re so distracted in the moment that you don’t see it as Taehyung follows the direction of your gaze, and his expression drops. When you jerk out of your reverie, it’s just in time to see his eyes flicking from your painting, to his, and then back to you.

You’re about to peek at his painting and fill the silence with a compliment, but he beats you to it. Something is different about his expression, and not just because he’s no longer under the warm light of the paint bar. The glow you’d noticed so easily earlier seems to have dimmed a bit.

“Did you figure out the theme of the exhibition?”

At his question you startle, gaze flicking to the side as you try and figure it out on instinct on the spot. You’d completely forgotten to think about it, and considering you spent about as much time looking at him as you did his works while at the exhibition, you can safely determine you’re still nowhere closer to the answer. “Ah… no.”

As though drawn like a magnet, your gaze ends up over in the direction of Yoongi for the briefest second. You struggle to tear it away.

“It’s anaxiphilia.”

Even through the inebriation slowing your thoughts, his words reach you immediately. It’s as though your heart has turned to stone and dropped straight through your chest. That unspeakable, unknown emotion wells and bubbles within you, swelling to twice, thrice its size and blocking words before they can even reach your throat. Your eyes are on Taehyung again, but his are still centred where yours had been— had he also noticed Yoongi? You didn’t know they knew each other...

“Oh,” you finally manage, swallowing down that nameless sensation. Taehyung’s gaze slowly slides back to you, dark eyes full of so much… something, you think it would take you years to unpack and familiarise yourself with it all.

For a second, the two of you stand with your gazes locked, both of you too deep in your own thoughts to do anything about it. Taehyung is the one that breaks the spell.

“Well, it’s getting late, I shouldn’t keep you out any longer… There is a bus stop here, and tons of ubers in the area…” His eyes flick away as he talks but return as he murmurs this last bit, “Thank you for coming today. I hope you had fun.”

“Of course I did,” you rush, finally finding your voice amongst the shambles in your head. “Thank you for inviting me, Tae. I really… I really needed this. Thank you.”

He nods, smiling at you, but you notice it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“Please get home safe,” he says, and you nod immediately, making his gaze soften. “See you later.”

“Bye! Thank you again!” you wave, Taehyung turning quick and already a decent way down the street after his farewell. He offers a wave over his shoulder and you catch it just in time before you turn back, gaze unconsciously seeking out the familiar figure across the road. Distantly, you observe that Yoongi is no longer in line for the bar and has switched to the bubble tea place a few stores down.

Taehyung’s exhibition and it’s theme swim through your mind, a sudden impulse welling within you in response that spurs your legs into a motion. You’re about to go across the road in a sudden spurt of something like bravery, but for some indecipherable reason, you stop before you can get more than a few feet. You turn your head, gaze thrown over your shoulder, eyes seeking without an explicit goal in mind.

You catch sight of him just before he rounds the corner and disappears from view— even from the back Taehyung presents a handsome figure, but in the split-second you manage to view him, the most notable things about his retreating form is the slumped curve of his shoulders and the lowered angle of his head. He’s gone before you can blink leaving you for good this time with nothing but your messy head and the one thought that swims to the surface that says after seeing him glow in happiness for the better part of the evening, sadness doesn’t suit him much at all.

Clutching the painting, your turn back to the front and try and focus on the present for just a minute or two, like whether you’re going to catch a bus or uber it home, but each time you start a new thought it always brings you back to the odd mix of guilt swirling deep in your gut. There’s something else there, the familiar hollow pit of yearning, but for once… you can’t quite tell who it’s for.

a/n: thank u so much for reading! i really hope it was worth the wait and that you look forward the future parts as fox rain begins to slowly draw to a close!! pls let us know u liked it w a like and rb and screaming in our inboxes is always ALWAYS welcome!! thank u !! love u !! <3

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sevlgi · 4 years

Text

never been yours

requested: yes

group: red velvet

pairing: seulgi x fem!reader

genre: angst, questionable fluff

contents: college!au, best friend!seulgi, based on huh gak’s empty words mv.

warnings: none

synopsis: It’s so painful to be in love with Seulgi when you know she’ll never be yours.

a/n: this mv and and song were both so beautiful, I hope I did them justice! please request more drabbles based on mv’s, this one was so fun to write.

word count: 3.3k

You once thought love would be beautiful.

It is, but it’s not beautiful in the way that most think it is- soft smiles and touches, sweet words and tender glances. People think love is butterflies, the kind of fluttering in your stomach that makes you blush and makes your cheeks hurt from smiling.

Even you thought it would be like that once. You thought love would be the thing that made you smile when you cried, the best thing to ever happen to you.

And you’ve had plenty of those moments with Seulgi, in the very beginning of your feelings for her, back when it was just a simple crush. You’ve laughed together in art class, exchanged smiles that lingered too long to be just between friends.

She has been your light in the darkness, the person who never fails to make you smile. She’s the one you’re in love with, the one you wish could be yours.

But now that you’re in deep, painfully in love with someone who’ll never feel the same way about you, you know that love isn’t beautiful in that way at all.

Instead, love is being so so so close to someone but still feeling hundreds of miles away. It’s clutching on to memories of good times that might have been just a dream, and feeling empty when you’re by yourself.

It’s watching the love of your life slip just out of your grasp. It’s smiling painfully at your best friend who’ll never feel the same way about you, and it is the sound of crystal shattering on the concrete floor.

Love is something that has never been yours, just like her.

“Y/N, happy birthday!” Seulgi laughs, throwing her arms around your neck in a hug that’s more of a squeeze with how tight it is.

You can’t stop the grin tugging at your lips as you let your hands linger on her waist for a little too long, pulling back to admire the way her smile crinkles her eyes into crescent shapes. She’s so beautiful. “Thank you. You didn’t have to get a gift…”

“Of course I did,” your best friend scoffs as she takes a seat across from you. It’s too hard to find time for an actual birthday celebration when both of you are busy students in college, so you’re settling for a lunch together outside of campus. To you, anything’s perfect as long as it’s with Seulgi.

The murmur of chatter around you in the restaurant is mere white noise as you stare at the pretty blue box on the table between the two of you. “Come on, open it.”

You’re too gentle with it, fingers tugging too lightly at the white ribbon tied in a bow on the top that Seulgi just laughs and takes it from you to unwrap it herself.

Inside, resting on black velvet, are two bracelets, matching ones made of delicate silver with pink crystal shapes. “You like them? They’re for us,” Seulgi tells you, observing you.

“I…” They’re perfect, you want to say. Like you. “Of course, they’re so pretty.”

She smiles again, that adorable scrunch of her nose making you feel warm and sweet inside. “Thank god! It’s long overdue, we deserve something like this. You’re the best best friend anyone could wish for, you know?”

“Of course,” you laugh, but it sounds empty even to you. “You’re perfect too. The perfect best friend.” Not just best friend.

“We’re going to be best friends forever, you know,” Seulgi continues, motioning for you to hold out your hand. Chills run up your spine when her fingers brush against your skin as she rolls your sleeve up. “You and me. We’ll never be apart.”

You try to mirror the sweetness in her grin. “Yeah. Never.”

The words are bittersweet in your mouth, and the taste of jjajangmyeon can’t mask it. The two of you might never be apart, but Seulgi will also never be yours, not in the way you want her to be.

Does the silver of the bracelet feel like ice against her skin too?

You head to the student center on campus after lunch to play games, joining a few other of your friends. They give you their little presents and coo over the matching bracelets you wear.

Sooyoung and Yerim are sweet, but you’re transfixed on Seulgi, who always seems to shine the brightest to you. “Yah, Y/N, pay attention to the game!” your friend Sooyoung nudges you. She’s the one on your team, insisting that you and Seulgi have too much chemistry to be fair. “What’re you staring at?”

“Sorry,” you mumble, returning to the game of jenga on the table in front of you.

Yerim laughs lightly beside Seulgi, who smiles at you comfortingly, teasing, “Sooyoung-ah, don’t give her such a hard time. She’s helping me win!”

“Am not,” you manage to protest. “You’re not that important!”

Holding a hand to her heart, your best friend makes an offended face. “And here I thought I was your best friend. I’m hurt!”

Despite how ridiculously fake you know Seulgi’s expression is, you catch yourself wanting to apologize. Thankfully, you’re saved by everyone looking to the entrance, where two boys stand. One waves at your friend group, and Sooyoung waves back.

“Who’re they?” you ask, not liking the way the other one smiles at Seulgi.

Yerim waves them over. “The one who waved is Kyunggu, he’s in one of my classes. His friend, I don’t know, but the more the merrier, right?”

You don’t respond, the smile barely hanging on when Kyunggu’s friend introduces himself as Doyoung and ends up sitting next to Seulgi. He talks so easily with your best friend, conversation flowing as easily as when she talks to you.

It’s there again, the bitter taste of jealousy coating your tongue and forcing the smile off your face. You can’t muster up even the fakest smile, earning you a few concerned glances from your friends.

You have to remind yourself, Seulgi isn’t yours. She’s just a best friend, and Doyoung is just a new person she’s being friendly to.

It hurts to remind yourself over and over again.

“I don’t know, he’s just so sweet and cute!” Seulgi continues, mostly ignoring the food in front of her. Usually, you’d be happy to listen to her ramble, but not when she’s going on about Doyoung. “He’s a perfect gentleman.”

“I’m sure he is.” It feels like you’re forcing the words out. “Are you going to date him?”

Seulgi looks out the window with a dreamy expression on her face, chin resting on her palm. “Maybe, if he asks me out. Do you like anyone yet?”

I love you. “No.” You stab at the rice in your bowl with your chopsticks. I love you I love you I love you. “It doesn’t sound all that interesting to me. Love’s overrated.”

“L-love?” she sputters,, face growing redder. “Who said anything about love? I just like him, that’s all.”

You roll your eyes, avoiding meeting Seulgi’s eyes in case she can see the lie. “Sure.” Like a spell had been cast just by saying his name, Doyoung appears at the entrance to the cafeteria, and you hate the way your best friend lights up at the sight of him.

“Doyoung, over here!”

He smiles at the both of you, but you don’t miss the way it’s different when he smiles at Seulgi. “Hi. Can I sit?”

“Can you?” you mumble under your breath, but you plaster on a fake smile when he looks at you. “Of course. Want me to grab you a chair?”

“That’s really nice of you,” he grins back. There’s logically no reason to hate him; he’s perfectly nice and a great fit for your best friend. But it hurts, and you press your fingers to your sternum when you walk away to try and quell the feeling in your gut.

The two of them are already laughing together when you walk back with the chair, Doyoung looking perfectly natural in your chair. He offers to vacate it for you, but you tell him it’s okay when it’s not.

It’s not okay for you to be feeling like this, not when he’s nice and sweet and everything Seulgi looks for in boys. It’s not okay for you to be feeling like this about your best friend, but you can’t find it in you to walk away from her.

You’ll do anything not to lose her.

Seulgi brings you along to a hangout with Doyoung, Kyunggu, and some of their other friends a few days later. They end up deciding to play basketball, and Seulgi, being the bubbly and charismatic girl she is, plays with them while you sit on the sidelines.

You hate how adorable she is when she grins and claps happily after scoring, hate the butterflies in your stomach when she laughs and waves at you.

If this is love, you don’t want it. You don’t want to feel this way ever again, don’t want to feel the emptiness in your chest when Doyoung’s hands skim over Seulgi’s waist.

But you can’t find it in you to say no to her, even when she invites you to another hangout at Doyoung’s dorm the next week. It’s just playing video games together, and Doyoung is incredibly nice when he offers soda and snacks to both of you.

You manage to enjoy yourself when you’re playing, but you can only smile painfully when they put on music and dance together after the game’s over.

If only you could be in Doyoung’s position, the one dancing and laughing with her, you know you’d give Seulgi the world. But there’s no way she could ever feel the same way about you, so you can only hope that he gives her the world in your place.

Because that’s what she deserves, even if you won’t be the one to give it.

Seulgi slips away, piece by piece by piece, like sand trickling through your fingers.

You don’t mean to let her, even amidst the business of college. You mean to hold her as tight and close as you can, invite her for lunch whenever you can and go over to her dorm to just talk together, but all of a sudden, she’s always busy.

She can’t have lunch with you because she’s hanging out with Doyoung, or she can’t come over because she’s already at his dorm.

It hurts every time, like little glass shards being stabbed through your skin, but you always smile and wave her away.

You see her at the park one day, a lone figure sitting on a bench with golden leaves drifting down around her. Of course you lift your hand and open your mouth to shout for her attention, but she’s suddenly joined by a tall, short-haired figure.

She was never yours, but she feels so much farther away all of a sudden, and you hate it. You hate all of it, the urge to kiss her whenever you see her, the way you can’t stop smiling even at her dumbest jokes.

There’s no point to any of it, not when you’ve loved her for so long. It’s not something you just forget, and even though it hurts so much, you don’t think you want to forget, either.

Art class without Seulgi is no fun, and not just because you feel empty without her by your side. The room is so much quieter when there isn’t her laughter echoing off the walls, her silly jokes that always make you smile.

Doyoung’s in the class too, but he’s so much harder to ignore when Seulgi isn’t there to distract him. He tries to talk to you, but conversation is so stilted that he gives up.

Even your painting reminds you of her, the burgundy red you chose the same color as her sweater the day she promised to be your best friend forever. The brown is like her eyes, glittering golden under the light, and the pale pink looks like the crystal on the bracelet that you don’t have the heart to take off.

You stare at that painting for longer than you should have, and the sky is dark by the time you’re strolling in the hallways on your way back to your dorm.

It’s not rare to see couples on the benches at this time of day, but something makes you stop to stare at the two on the bench a few feet away from you.

Your heart seems to break cleanly into two when you realize who they are- Seulgi, delicate hands on Doyoung’s neck as he kisses her, eyes fluttering shut.

All feeling seems to escape from your legs, and you tumble to the concrete floor, back against the rough wall of the hallway. You’re numb to the slight pain in your knees, only feeling the sour feeling in your nose and the hot tears welling up.

You try to hold in your sobs so that they don’t hear you, staring at the ceiling in a futile attempt to push the tears back. Your fingers tremble as you unclasp the bracelet on your wrist, the metal clasp finally releasing with a click.

It feels like you’re treading on your own heart when you drop the piece of jewelry to the ground, a piece of crystal shattering immediately. But the thought of the same bracelet on Seulgi’s wrist as she kisses Doyoung makes you run, the image of shattered pink crystal on concrete burned into your eyes.

You cry for what seems like days when you get to your dorm. It probably is days; your roommate doesn’t question you when she sees the tears spilling over, just hands you a pillow for you to muffle your sobs into and closes your bedroom door once you disappear inside. She brings tea and food occasionally, but you can’t find it in you to eat.

The buzzes of your phone fill the silence, punctuated by the occasional sob, but you ignore them. You consider flinging it across the room when you see messages from Seulgi, but decide against it in favor of just crying your feelings out.

You don’t know why it hurts so much, why something that’s supposed to be the most joyous thing in the world is the most painful feeling to you. Every tear that slips out burns your skin, and every rattling sob only pains you, but the crying is therapeutic. Maybe.

But of course, fate is never in your favor; mere minutes after you manage to calm your tears, your roommate knocks to tell you Seulgi’s here.

You barely bother with makeup to cover the redness of your nose; you can’t disguise the swelling of your eyes anyway, and it doesn’t matter. Seulgi would never feel the same about you, not when she has a cute boy to kiss, so it doesn’t matter how you look.

When her eyes widen in shock and concern at the sight of you, you almost regret it, but you can barely muster up a smile for her as the two of you head out of the dorm in favor of strolling through the halls.

It’s silent at first, a kind of awkwardness hanging in the air between the two of you that you’ve never felt before with Seulgi. Finally, she breaks the silence by whispering, “Were… were you crying?”

“Yeah.” You’ve never been one to lie to her, not when it’s always so easy for her to see through you. “Don’t worry though.”

“How can I not?” There seems to be a sob building up in Seulgi’s throat, and you turn to her to confirm it. She’s staring at your wrist, bare of the bracelet you shattered nearly a week ago, and there are tears glimmering in her eyes. “Y/N...”

Sticking your hand into the pocket of your jacket, you hide your wrist so that Seulgi’s forced to meet your eyes again. “It’s nothing. Seriously. Just… concentrate on your boyfriend and be happy.”

“My boyfriend?” Seulgi repeats, eyebrows furrowing. Realization dawns on her just a few seconds later, mouth opening in a soft ‘o’. “Y/N, it’s not what you think!”

You can’t stop the scoff that slips out, the roll of your eyes that only brings more tears to Seulgi’s eyes. “So, you were just kissing Doyoung as friends? That’s what friends do now?”

The brunette shakes her head so fast that you don’t know how she isn’t dizzy already. “It’s not! I… I thought I had feelings for him, and that’s why I let him kiss me…”

“And what? You don’t have feelings for him anymore?” you sneer. You don’t mean to sound so bitter, but you also can’t deny that it’s how you feel. You’re so, so bitter that Seulgi isn’t yours, that you can’t be the one to kiss her under a full moon and have her hands on you. “Isn’t he ‘so sweet and cute’? Isn’t he the perfect gentleman and everything you ever wanted and-”

Everything happens in a flash; Seulgi’s hands are suddenly fisted in your shirt to pull you forward, and her mouth is on yours as you stumble. She doesn’t kiss like you thought she would, lips soft and tasting like sweet vanilla sugar.

No, Seulgi kisses you hard enough to bruise, all lips and teeth and tongue. Even when you relent, your own hands resting on her waist, her hands are still scrunched in your shirt so hard that her knuckles are white.

It ends too quickly, leaving you gasping for air, but Seulgi pulls back to almost shout at you, “He is, but it felt wrong. It felt so wrong to kiss him, when you’re the one I’m in love with!”

“Wh-”

“No, you’re going to let me talk,” she demands, her eyes shining with a fervency you’ve never seen before. “You think I haven’t noticed? You’ve been acting so tortured, so caught up in your own world! Even Sooyoung and Yerim noticed, on your birthday. Hell, even Doyoung noticed!”

Even Doyoung- “But most of all, I noticed,” Seulgi says, the words sounding uncharacteristically harsh. “I notice everything about you, Y/N, because I love you, and I think you love me. These past few months weren’t just hard for you, they were hard for me too. It hurts me to watch you destroy yourself like this just because you aren’t brave enough to tell me how you feel!”

“I…” Your brain seems to be short-circuiting, Seulgi pushing you up against the wall. The usually carefree girl looks desperate, the tears shining in her eyes maybe more angry than sad. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I just… I never thought you loved me back.”

“Because I hide it better than you.” There seems to be tears slipping down your cheeks too, the taste of salt on your lips. “Because I wanted to see if you would fight for me! I want to be yours, but you’ve never made a move.”

You gain enough control of your limbs to be the one to tug Seulgi toward you this time, pressing your lips together again. “Then why didn’t you?” you breathe out, the words soft as you’re mere inches away from her. “Why didn’t you make the move?”

“I was scared too, dummy,” she admits, biting her lower lip gently. You don’t ever want to move from this position, your hands cupping her face and hers linked behind your back. “We were both scared.”

“Maybe we shouldn’t have been scared,” you laugh lightly. “We should’ve just made a move. And you can be mine now, if you want.”

Seulgi smiles again, tugging you so close that your bodies are flush. “Yours.”

And when you kiss again, it isn’t hard at all, not like before, but the gentleness with which you handle each other will stay much longer than a bruise.

Because you’re determined not to let go of her again. Because Seulgi is finally yours, and you’re hers, and maybe you were wrong that she was never yours.

Maybe she always was.

335 notes · View notes

joshuas · 4 years

Text

lucky

♫ pairing: Lee Minho x Reader

♫ genre: college/university student!au, slice-of-life, crack, fluff

♫ word count: 3.8k

♫ warnings: Nil of note!

♫ summary: Let’s just say that Minho playing hard to get is not a good combination.

♫ a/n: The third addition to my Christmas oneshots! This is a slight continuation from my Felix oneshot. Written on three hours of sleep, so I hope it’s at least satisfactory ;-;. Enjoy!

♫ skz christmas oneshots: 1 |2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

“Playing hard to get is the best way to gain their affections,” Jisung advised his older friend, Minho, sipping at his iced Americano. “Yah, who are you to give love advice. You haven’t dated anyone.” Another boy, Hyunjin said, rolling his eyes at Jisung, “Hyung, I just think you need to be honest about your feelings.” Hyunjin nodded at Minho, leaning back in his chair. “No, no. They need to know he’s flirting with them - drop some pick-up lines, write them a song, be as cliche as possible. People like that. My mum said that my dad fell for her using this method of romancing.” Another one of Minho’s friends, Changbin, attempted to convince him. “You’ll scare them off if you tell them your feelings straight off the bat. Be cool and cold - it’ll pique their interest. Only then can you be all touchy-feely with your emotions.” Jisung countered, dismissing the other boys’ advice. Minho had called the boys for an ‘emergency’ meeting at the local cafe, luring them over by paying for their food in exchange for ways to confess his feelings to the person he admired. “Are you sure playing hard to get will work?” Minho raised his eyebrows at Jisung, contemplative. “Almost 100% sure, hyung! You won’t regret doing it. Y/N’s gonna love you.” Jisung beamed reassuringly. “By almost 100%, you mean like 30%. This isn’t a drama. Y/N literally only knows you in a school setting. How did you meet again? Oh yeah, you’re both accounting majors. Don’t you think it’ll be weird if you abruptly change your demeanour towards them?” Hyunjin questioned as Minho dismissed him, “It’ll be fine. Just you wait. Everything will sort itself out way before the holidays.” “Your call, hyung...” Hyunjin said, tone doubtful. “Seriously? Is no one going to listen to my advice?” Changbin said, incredulous. Jisung patted his back, “Just quit while you’re ahead, Changbin hyung.”

“Y/N and Minho, you’ll be partnered together for this assignment. Remember, it’s due on the 20th.” Your professor handed the two of you an assignment sheet as you exited the lecture theatre. “So... Minho, do you want to catch up later to work on the assignment?” You asked as the two of you walked through the courtyard. “Oh! Y/N, of cour—.” He cleared his throat, lifting his head high, “I mean. Sure, I’ll have to check my busy schedule and get back to you.” Is he trying to be pretentious or something? Forcing a bright smile, you patted his shoulder, “Great! I’ll see you tomorrow in class. Bye!” You shook your head, sighing as you walked away. Why can’t you just be cool, Y/N?

[21:38] (Y/N) hey, i was wondering if you wanted to meet at the cafe closest to uni for our assignment? [21:56] (Y/N) or... not?? i know you saw this message, minho... it’s not like it accounts for 30% of our GRADE and yk it would be nice if we could work on it and do well in it. just a suggestion though. it’s your call. “Hyung, you can’t say that! Seriously, this is the sixth revisit we’ve made to this text. Isn’t your whole brand just ‘playing it cool?’” Jisung snatched the phone off Minho, sighing as he settled next to Hyunjin on the couch, typing away. As soon as you sent the message, the whole dorm was in a flurry - Minho grabbing his phone as quick as he could to type out a reply whilst Hyunjin and Jisung (mostly Jisung) workshopped his texts “I don’t understand why he can’t just be himself. Haven’t you seen literally any movies? This’ll backfire majorly.” Hyunjin sighed, exasperated. “Hyunjin, do you want to be put in the air fryer for twenty minutes at 180 degrees?” Minho raised his eyebrow at the taller boy, daringly. Hyunjin sighed defeatedly,

“No, hyung.” “Good. How are you going with the text, Jisung?” Minho clapped his hands, spinning his desk chair to face Jisung. “Okay. How about you just... don’t reply and show up tomorrow?” Jisung said, his tone as if he had said the most enlightening statement in the world. Hyunjin scoffed, “There’s a difference between playing hard to get and just being plain rude.” “Well, I don’t see you suggesting anything.” Jisung defended. “Because this whole idea of workshopping Minho hyung’s texts and getting him to play hard to get is stupid. Why can’t you just be nice to Y/N and respond properly?” Hyunjin said exasperatedly. “I’ll just say ‘sure. i’ll meet you at 12.’ and be done with it.” Minho said, ignoring Hyunjin and looking at Jisung for approval. “Make sure that when you meet up with Y/N you maintain your cool demeanour. Actually... maybe we should tag along. It’s not that we don’t trust you, hyung,” Jisung hurriedly explained, “it’s just that... we don’t trust you.” “And that it’ll probably be entertaining!” Hyunjin added, smirking slightly. “Alright, you guys can come. Only because you’ll see how much I’ll crush this. Just make sure that you’re not in their line of sight.” Minho said, smug, shrugging his shoulders. “Five dollars, he doesn’t crush it,” Hyunjin said, watching the older boy exit the room. “Deal.” Jisung slapped Hyunjin’s hand.

You sighed, looking down at the time on your laptop. 20 minutes late... really? Does he think that this whole assignment is a joke? “Hi! I was wondering if you wanted to order anything?” A man with a dimpled smile approached you, holding out a notepad. “Oh! Yes. Um, I’ll have a chocolate th-“ “We’ll both have a chocolate thick shake, Chan.” You turned around, looking for the person that interrupted you, your eyes landing on Minho approaching your table. “Uh- okay! I’ll have your orders ready in a bit.” Chan gave the two of you a small smile as Minho sat opposite you. “So... I don’t really mean to pry into your personal life but is there a reason why you’re so late?” You asked tentatively, looking over at Minho as he distracted himself with his laptop. A long silence pursued as you fidgeted with a stray thread on your jeans. “Okay... you’re just not going to answer my question? That’s cool. That’s fine.” You looked at him, astonished by his coolness. You coughed, directing your attention back to your assignment. After a good thirty or so minutes of working solidly (and in forced silence), you leaned back against your chair, looking quizzically at the man in front of you. Dressed simply in a pastel cardigan, eyebrows scrunched from focusing so hard as he typed away furiously at the keyboard, occasionally nudging up the cat-eye glasses that decided to slide down his nose. Biting his lip in thorough concentration, he ran a hand through his glossy brown hair.

It kind of reminds me of really rich chocolate? Chocolate is nice. I like chocolate. Wait. What am I doing? I don’t like Lee Minho. You like Lee Minho, not me. Your gaze wandered, eyes matching his slightly concerned dark brown ones. You looked away, heat radiating from your cheeks. Clearing your throat you stared hard at the table, “So... have you figured out what format you want to present the assignment in?” Minho opened his mouth to speak, only to close it a second later, contemplative. “Well... we should probably assign roles, right? Seeing as both of us have just done preliminary research. If you want, you can do the write-up and I can focus on making it presentable and in a speech format...” You suggested. Silence. You rolled your eyes, annoyed, “Okay, seriously? Can you stop being a jerk for like one second and actually cooperate with me to get this assignment done? You haven’t spoken to me this entire time!” You exclaimed, exasperated. Minho’s eyes shifted from softened and sorry to a blank expression. “I’ll only talk to you if you...” He stopped, frantically looking around and stopping short of the flyers on the notice board, “Participate in the university’s Christmas art contest and beat me!” He pointed at a random flyer on the wall, describing the details for the event. “Seriously? That’s what it’ll take for you to talk to me?? Why can’t you just talk to me without doing all that?” You said, incredulous. Minho raised his eyebrows expectantly at you. “Fine...” You threw your hands up in defeat. “Perfect. And hey, may the best artist win.” Minho smirked, shaking your hand.

“You did not crush it,” Hyunjin said bluntly, laughing as Jisung reluctantly gave him what he owed. All three of them had congregated back at the dorm, brainstorming their next course of action. “I don’t know how you’re going to beat her, hyung.” Jisung sighed. “Excuse you, I can do art!” Minho defended. “Um. Hyung. There’s a reason why we aren’t majoring in art.” Hyunjin stated. “Well, then. What are we going to do?” Minho rubbed his face wearily. “Does it matter if you compete in this? You did say to Y/N that you’d talk to her if she beat you and there’s high chance of that happening, seeing your portfolio. Or, you know, you could just drop all of this and talk to them normally.” Hyunjin reasoned. “We’re in too deep for you to back down now, hyung. If you want to impress them, I think your best option is... taking up the art lessons that the art department are providing.” Jisung pushed, dismissing Hyunjin’s voice of reason for the five hundredth time. “Art lessons? I don’t need those.” Minho scrunched his nose in disgust. “Oh trust me hyung, you do.”

Sighing, you opened the door to the art workshop,

Why has my life come to this? Wait. Why do I even care so much for him to talk to me? It’s not like I... like him. That’s ridiculous. I could just do the entire assignment yourself and never speak to him again. I should leave. Art lessons. You’re really going above and bey— “What are you doing here?” You stopped short of entering the room, staring straight ahead at the man in front of you. In your direct line of vision was... Minho... making a newspaper crown with the word “VICTORY” taped onto it. You shook your head, trying to clear him and your thoughts. Putting on a fake smile, you sat beside him, “Sorry for being so rude. I was just... surprised to see you here. You must be really sure that you’re going to win!” You chuckled awkwardly. Before Minho could reply, a voice rang out across the room, diverting your attention, “Alright! Welcome to the annual art workshop. We’ll be focusing on pottery and sculpting these next two weeks, so...”

Well into the lesson, you and Minho were finally handed your clay and given free rein to do whatever, “So, do you know how you’re planning on presenting the assignment?” “We shouldn’t talk about the assignment here,” Minho said, staring at his clay. “Okay well, where else can we talk about it? You don’t want to talk to me outside of this place and you even made me participate in this stupid competition even though I physically cannot do art.” You exploded, exasperated. You sighed at his lack of reaction, grabbing your stuff and placing yourself on the opposite side of the room. You glared at him, Fine, Lee Minho. We’ll do it your way... for now.

“They can’t do art!” Minho grinned, dancing around the dorm room. “Wait, that’s great!” Jisung exclaimed, high-fiving Minho. “That’s not good, though— if they’re worse than you then you’ll never be able to talk to them,” Hyunjin stated, seemingly confused at the others’ ignorance, voice drowned out by their gleeful celebration. “Well if they’re so bad- that’s gotta be good, right? How- how’s the art going?” Jisung asked. “Uh-“ Minho averted his eyes, “really well.” “You learnt a lot?” Jisung asked, not too dissimilar from a parent asking their child how their day was at school. “Yeah, it was really... inspiring. I felt like Leonardo DiCaprio.” Minho said proudly. Hyunjin scoffed, “Don’t you mean Leonardo Da Vinci?” “Ugh, this guy- plebeian. He pretends that he knows art,” Minho scoffed, laughing with Jisung at Hyunjin, “No, I mean Leonardo DiCaprio.” “Come on man, when it comes to art, Minho knows best. After all, I’ve paid over $100 for his lessons.” Jisung placed his pityingly on Hyunjin’s shoulder. “A good investment. I won’t let you down!” Minho said smugly, nodding his head. “When all this backfires on you, don’t come crying back to me.” Hyunjin threw up his hands defeatedly, walking out of the room.

I can’t believe Lee Minho. I can’t believe he didn’t do this assignment. I can’t believe he’s pushing all this work onto me! He has enough time to do freaking art classes for an art competition, but not to spare two words to work on the group assignment. Group, being the keyword!! It’s probably because he thinks he’s soooo handsome. Wait. Not handsome! He’s not handsome- he’s ugly. Wait. Not ugly. I like his hair. Oh, and the way his eyes sparkle when he smiles. Oh, and don’t get me started on his build. Who wouldn’t be jealous of his jawline? ...Ewwww. What am I thinking? Lee Minho, I hate you for infiltrating my thoughts. You are a horrible Scrooge that refuses to do this assignment and I refuse to give you the time of day by thinking about you. Not that that would matter anyway with how you ignore me. Staring at your phone for the fiftieth time, you looked at all the unread messages you had sent Minho regarding the assignment. You were genuinely concerned with how he thought he was going to pass this course if he wasn’t going to do any work. Not that it matters - once this was over, you would go your separate ways. Sighing, you turned back to your laptop, pulling up a PowerPoint since he who shall not be named decided he was too good to work on the assignment. I better get a good grade on this or God so help me and Minho when I murder him.

“So, Y/N, how are you going with your project? That looks so... interesting!” Your art lecturer stopped, staring at your attempt to sculpt a snowman. “Please. I know it’s trash but don’t tell Minho. Apparently, I need to beat him at this art contest to speak with him.” You rolled your eyes, staring at the boy across the room, as he stared down his clay on the pottery plate. “Oh? Sounds like he’s playing hard to get!” The lecturer laughed. “Hard to get? No. He’s just being rude.” You scoffed. “That’s how I won over my husband! Trust me, it works. Make sure you contact me when you guys get married.” Your art lecturer teased, walking away. ...what? He can’t be playing hard to get... he’s just being rude, right? No one would go to such extremes if they were playing hard to get. He’s probably just pranking me for his friends. Gosh, guys are such jerks (not really, I love some of y’all). Anyway, focus Y/N. You need to beat him to talk to him about the assignment. A commotion at the door shook you out of your internal monologuing, as you observed a guy with orangey hair alongside his friend (or lover, I can’t tell) come and harass him about making them a... life-sized present?? “...you’re an art major right? This’ll be right in your ballpark.” The boy clapped Minho on the back before leaving, their friend/lover hot on their heels. “But I’m an accounting major.” Minho sighed, putting his head in his hands. Wow. Sad backstory. His friends don’t even care about what he does. Whatever, I don’t pity him or anything. Then again, I could help him, allowing us more time to work on our assignment together... Steeling yourself, you tentatively approached a stressed Minho, “I may or may not have overheard your conversation with your friend. Are you okay? Do you need help?” “Really? You’d do that for me?” He asked genuinely before clearing his throat, “I mean. That’d be cool. We can do it at my dorm.” You gave him a small smile,

“Okay. Oh! And while we’re at it, we should discuss the project.” You grabbed your stuff before rushing after a speedy Minho.

“Hey, Minho hyung. How’d it go with— oh! Hi, you must be Y/N. I’m Hyunjin. Minho’s talked about you a lot.” Hyunjin smiled, welcoming you into the dorm. Another boy cleared his throat, staring pointedly at Hyunjin, “Uh- no he hasn’t. We don’t know anything about you, Y/N. And Hyunjin, don’t you have an end of year formal to plan?” The other boy said, eyes wide and pointedly staring at him and the door. “Um... okay.” You stared at them wildly until Minho dragged you to his room. “It was nice to meet you, Y/N!” Hyunjin called out.

“So, I have a cardboard box from the computer set up Jisung bought for his studio. All we need to do is wrap it.” “Okay, let’s do that.” You grabbed the wrapping off the table before wrapping the box mindlessly. “Don’t do that! It won’t look aesthetically pleasing.” Minho leaned over, delicately plucking the roll off you, your heart beating fast as your fingers grazed against each other. Get a grip, Y/N. “Seriously? Aesthetically pleasing? If you put half the effort you’re putting in your art project and this into your assignment that is due tomorrow. We’d top the class.” You said, exasperated. Minho froze, looking at you like a deer in headlights, “It’s due tomorrow?” He asked incredulously. “Didn’t you see any of my texts?” You asked, equally as incredulous. “I kinda... blocked you?” Minho rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Oh my— you really— I— wow. Minho. Good luck with this. I can’t believe you! You are so- so... irritating!” You sighed, done with him. “...wait so, are you leaving?” He asked tentatively. “No! Because I’m a decent human being and I’ll feel guilty since I already said I’d help you.” You said, angrily grabbing taping the wrapping paper to the box. “Wait! Don’t do it that way.” “I think we’re way past the point of you telling me what to do, Lee.”

“That’s an interesting snowman.” Minho sauntered up to your display, his artwork— apparently, not his sculpture but a now ruined life-sized present, as you waited for the judges to approach you, not too dissimilar from a kid at a science fair awaiting their judgement. “Oh. So you’re going to talk to me now? I’m sorry; the results aren’t out yet. I haven’t beaten you yet.” You turned away from him. “Wait—“ “Ah, hello number 34 - Y/N? Explain to us what we have here.” A judge approached, looking at your ‘snowman’. “Here we have a snowman. Although it looks... unique, it represents the fact that as an individual snowflake, every soul is unique. Not all snowmen look the same— some have big carrot noses, some have miniature heads, some aren’t even made of snow, and are made of clay that has somehow collapsed in on itself. It is basically a metaphor representing how our society functions.” You explained quickly, making things up as you go as Minho stared at you, bewildered. “Wow, that was so powerful. Thank you, Y/N. Now onto you, young man. What do we have here?” “Um- well. It’s a life-sized present. It’s slightly ruined because it was just used by someone to proclaim their love of someone else’s pick up lines?” Minho raised his eyebrows, confused by his own experience. “Wow. This is— wow. I love it. Everyone! I think we have a winner here.” The judge called everyone’s attention over. “No, no! I refuse to win!” Minho said worriedly. “Oh, you’re just being humble.” The judge smiled patronisingly. “No! I’m serious because if I win, I’ll never be able to speak to the person that I like because I was stupid enough to think I could play hard to get.” Minho exploded, an awkward silence pursuing as the crowd slowly backed away, as the judge quickly placing a first place ribbon on before scurrying back. As the crowd dispersed, people talking amongst themselves as they had done before, Minho cleared his throat, stepping towards you, “Y/N—“ “I guess this is it, then. You know, I finished the assignment for you, by the way. It was submitted last night.” You forced a smile, looking away from the man in front of you. “Wait what? I already handed in the assignment as well. Last night I finished it all.” Minho said, confused. “No! You did it last minute so I don’t trust your submission but now our professor is going to be so confused. One of us has to take down the submission.” You blurted out, panicked. “Well... why don’t we go to the University cafe and read over each other’s to decide which one’s better. As well as that, you can tell me more about yourself, personally.” Minho proposed tentatively. You sighed,

“One problem. I can’t and shouldn’t be talking to you.” You said, raising your eyebrows at him. “Okay, I know I suck at playing hard to get. Like really really suck. But now I know not to follow Jisung’s love advice. Truth is, you really intimidated me. I was nervous that if I acted like myself and confessed to you normally, I would make a fool out of myself and you wouldn’t like me back.” Minho explained. “You- you’re an idiot.” Leaning forward you pressed your lips to his before quickly pulling away. “I think. You playing hard to get did work.” You said quietly, a small smile on your face. “Wait, so you like me too?” He said quickly, incredulous. “Lee Minho, you infiltrate my thoughts nearly every second of the day and I used to resent you for that. Although, I don’t really think it was resentment. I like you, Minho. I like you a lot... especially your hair?” You said quickly. He smiled, pulling you in for another kiss, this time longer, your heart soaring, as you pulled back, intertwining your fingers with his. “As much as I enjoy doing this, we should probably get back to the cafe and fix our assignment.” You said, leading him towards the exit. “Oh, yeah! I forgot about that.” He commented sheepishly. “You’re lucky you have me, then.”

➳ part four? | masterlist!

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jumoonjae · 4 years

Text

Feelings

Pairings: Reader x Hyunjae x Q

Genre: Angst x Fluff

Warnings: None

Summary: A story of a love triangle (not really)

Having a guy as your best friend can really be tricky sometimes because when you're both single, you spent almost every time together and you somehow unconsciously developing feeling for him. It get worst when you enrolled to the same college right after high school. It was okay at the first two or three semester, you had each other by your side through thick and thin, knowing more every little thing about each other just like the back of your hand which resulting you to fell harder for him. Your biggest mistake was you were sure he'll never slip off from your finger.

But he did.

And you let him.

You felt the painful prick inside in every flesh of your heart just by the sight of his beautiful glimmering eyes every single time she walks by. You swallowed the pain that is in the form of a thorn and pretend you're not affected by it at all, and you thanked heaven for blessing you with the art of hiding your true feeling for him. You even encourage him to make a move on her just to make you facade more believable.

What a fool.

Because it was the only way for you to keep him as your best friend at least, just to keep him close to you even if he doesn't like you the way you like him. But how wrong you are.

He made a move to talk to her and she seems to be interested too. But then again who doesn't, Changmin is one of the most talented and charming person in the campus, everyone loves him even the lecturer. In no time, they were together, they were lover and you had to watch every single day he hold her like the way you always crave for, the affection, the looks and the kiss. But you smiled anyway, each time you met his eyes, or hers. She became your friend too, you couldn't hate her at all.

“I’m fine.” You lied one day when he hesitated to run straight to her or stay with you by the time she came into the view at the cafeteria.

“Go ahead spend time with your girlfriend.” You said nudging him with a smile.

“I’ll call you tonight.” He ruffles your hair with an apologetic frown which you shake your head to and he run to her while she waved at you so innocently and you waved back with the sincerest smile you could pull even when your heart dropped down to your stomach leaving it's place painfully empty.

He didn't call that night. Or texted. The frequent chatting and long conversation between you two started to die down until he barely contact you anymore. You missed him, but there's nothing you could do to have him back. There is nothing you can do.

Each day he spend his free time with her and barely had any time with you anymore. but you didn't want him to feel bad so you started to hang out with other people even if its never the same like when you're with him, it will never be the same. but you need to accept the fact that you couldn't keep him for yourself anymore, you want him to be happy even if its not with you, even if his happiness breaks your heart.

You need to let go because all those late night conversation that you both been sharing, all his problems that you can't fix for him, all his inner battle that never seems to settled. You think maybe she could help to put it to ease because you know you can't. if you could, you wouldn't have heard the same ranting every night. So you keep your distance with him just so you wont break his relationship, so you wont take away their happiness.

“That’s nice.” You heard someone spoke from your back as you done putting up the pictures you took as told by your mentor at the bulletin board where all the art student displayed their work. You look back and saw a tall guy admiring your work and you step back a little to stand next doing the same thing. It was the picture you took at the Han river during your night walk alone.

“Is this yours?” he asked pointing to the picture glancing at you then back to it.

“yeah.” You answered simply, looking at the still picture of the city lights taken by the bridge with blurry passer by.

“It feels so lonely, but peaceful at the same time.” He spoke and you smiled looking down, it was true what he said, you felt so lonely but is somehow made you feel calm that you thought maybe letting him go was the right thing. He's never been yours from the start.

“I'm Hyunjae by the way.” He held out his hand and you look up to his face which had the sweetest smile on that made you smile back and took his hand.

“I’m Y/N.”

Hyunjae took no time to be your friend, he was easy to talk to and you love his company. Slowly, you manage to bury your feeling for Changmin deeper day by day and Hyunjae did so much to replace him. Somehow he did it, he didn't have anything in common with Changmin but you like the challenge of knowing him anyway, it was always new thing every day, a pleasant surprise.

“Y/N.” Hyunjae chirped startling you in the process and he laugh at the way you flustered making you hit his shoulder lightly.

“What are you doing?” He asked taking a seat next to you at the cafeteria.

“Nothing, just editing these.” You pull the side of your laptop a little to show him your work and he lean over to take a closer look.

“You really are a talented photographer.” He complimented making you pushed his shoulder bashfully.

“hey i was wondering.” He leaned back to his seat pondering with his words, looking down to his hands while you paid full attention to him.

“I've got ticket for next week music festival.”

“Really? I didn't manage to get mine though, they've sold out weeks ago.” You frowned

“I got two ticket you know. So.. maybe.. you want to come with me?” you laughed at the way he adorably dragging his words and he grinned sheepishly.

“I’d love to.” You smiled and he did too staring into your eyes for a while before looking away bashfully. He had completely filled the void and help you put back you heart into its place, ready to love again. But you wait. You wait for it to heal perfectly so you can love Hyunjae with all of it without having Changmin ever crossing your mind anymore.

“You’re going with who?”

Changmin voice raised a little when you told him you're going to the music festival with Hyunjae. Its been a while since you both get to spend time with each other, you were finally feeling genuinely fine by it now that you have Hyunjae by your side. Its already the music festival week and Changmin probably didn’t want you to feel left out so he ask you to come along with his girlfriend. But when you said you already have a date, he was a little mad making you wondering, giving the sparks of feeling for him that you buried deep down a light. A dim light, but enough for it to slowly crawling back to the surface, but you ignore it.

“Why?” You asked, still walking a step ahead from him to the cafeteria.

“Since when do you became close with him?”

“Just recently, wait. It think its been two months.” You shrugged and he exhaled.

“Do you like him?” He asked suddenly making you stop on your track stepping a little to the side before turning back to look at him questioningly. You were actually asking him mentally ‘Are you jealous?’ but another word came out instead.

“He's a nice guy and what's wrong with that?”

“Be honest, you hang out with him just because i started dating aren't you?” you were taken aback a little by his words. It was true at first, you were hanging out with Hyunjae so you didn't feel empty anymore. But when time passed, he's been growing so much in you and you're started to fall for him.

“What? No Ji Changmin, as far as I could remember I have the right to date anyone I want my friend.”

“What?” He raised his voice again and you hissed at him playfully rolling your eyes.

“Hey.” You heard Hyunjae from the back snaking his hands around your waist pulling you close to him until your back touches his front and you look up to him instantly with a big smile.

“Hey you.” You coos ignoring Changmin who was crossing his arms on his chest in annoyance by the sight of Hyunjae hands casually touch you.

“I’ll pick you up tonight at eight okay.” He smiled sweetly making the butterflies inside you to rise full with pride.

“Alright I see you tonight.” You touch his shoulder trailing your hand down to his chest as he peck your cheek before letting him run to his friends. You look back to Changmin who was raising his eyebrow.

“What?” you chuckle continue walking to the cafeteria.

“I don't like him.” He stated

“that’s not nice Changmin, you barely know the guy.”

“its just been two month and he already being touchy with you and you let him kiss you.”

“It just a peck Changmin. Stop being over protective.” You shake your head trying to laugh him off.

“And besides, two month is enough even for us to sleep together.” You shrugged making his eyes widen in pure shock at your words.

“You what?!”

“I was just kidding you idiot.”

It has been full three month since Hyunjae first talked to you and you decided to confess to him. Your feeling for him was crystal clear and you had no doubt about his feeling for you. He had untie the tight knot that was constantly pulled every time you saw Changmin with his girlfriend until you felt nothing but happy for them.

In those three months, Changmin had slowly fades from you even when he was right in front of you or when they were standing in the same room, the first who catches you attention was no longer Changmin, it was Hyunjae. You were lying if the feeling for him had completely gone, but your feeling for Hyunjae were much more prominent and you were happy

“Are you going to the trip to see the cherry blossom?” Hyunjae asked when you both were having lunch at your usual spot at the cafeteria.

“I think so.” You answered still checking the picture you took leaving your food untouched.

“Yah, enough with the camera.” He whined attempting to take the camera away from your hand but you saw what he was going to do and turn your back on him with a giggle.

“Wait, I need to delete some picture first or else I’m going to forget which one to delete.” You reason out stopping him from taking it away.

“let me see then.” He leaned his chin on your shoulder and you showed it to him one by one.

“No don’t delete that, its beautiful.” He pointed out at the picture of the blurry crowd you took while you both was walking down the Itaewon streets and you looked to your side until your lips almost brushed his cheek, but he backed away just enough to give you space to turn your body.

“Its kind a blurry don't you think?” You showed a few picture with the same scenery until your head bumped into each other when you lean in trying to show him and you both laughed. his hand caressed the spot where his head had bumped.

“You always took a blurry picture and its nice, its your style, or signature.” He said while patting your head and you smile at him, thanking him for his sweet words.

“You want to go with me?” He asked again since you didn’t answer him yet, and you chuckle looking up to him, he was smiling like an angel waiting for you to answer.

“Who else am i going with.” You smiled and he smile back giddily crushing you with his bear hug.

“But why did you sounds like i am the only option? What about your friends?” he asked pulling his body away for a little with a frown.

“If you want me to go with them, then i’ll go with them.” You shrugged making him whined.

“no. I was just asking.” He pulled you back to his hug and you giggled ruffling his hair.

“I’m planning to take my mom’s car so we wont have to rush the bus and trains.” He let you go, pulling your food closer to you gesturing you to start eating and you complied by placing your camera on the table.

“What? Its going to more exciting taking trains and bus with other students don’t you think?” you suggested, imagining you taking picture of people having fun in the train.

“Hadong is a huge place, the last bus going to leave at six. You think its enough time? Besides i want to watch the stars from there, they said the sky is the prettiest there during the night.”

“We can spend the night there and catch the bus next morning.” You suggested making him stop mixing his rice looking at you all flustered.

“What?” you teased bumping your shoulder into his.

“If you okay with it then why not.” He scratch the back of his head nervously and a big smile creep on your face just by the sight of his giddiness. You turn back to your food and ate in silence with him doing the same. He really had been growing so much in you.

Far back from the corner of the cafeteria, there stood Changmin witnessing everything that tug something painful inside of him. He shake the feeling away and walked to the opposite side of your spot sitting with his back facing you and Hyunjae trying so hard to ignore the growing pain inside of him.

The long ride to Hadong was fun just like you imagined, all the students starts singing out of no where using anything as an instrument and you had a good laugh when some of then cracking the most stupid joke. You took some picture here and there and the result came out well. You and Hyunjae took extra clothes just as planned to spend the night and you really excited to see the whole thing.

It was beautiful, the place was filled with pink cherry blossom blooming beautifully and the way the flower flew when the wind blow just like a snow. Cherry blossom snow. It really felt like a movie with you standing under a cherry blossom tree with Hyunjae holding your waist while you taking picture. He will rest his chin on your shoulder everytime you show the result to him. If you had to describe how your feeling for Hyunjae, you will call it a blooming cheery blossoms.

“watch your step, there’s plenty of rocks and pebbles along the way.” He said handing you your twisted potato after helping you settles on the bench not far from where you both were standing.

You both walked until the end of the cherry blossom path where you saw a river and there's a kayak booth which you pull Hyunjae sleeves running a little in excitement, wanting to give it a try with Hyunjae giggling while being dragged by you.

But a voice stopped you from running, it was a familiar voice. You look back to see Changmin and his girlfriend rushing to both of you.

“What in the hell are you doing?” he huffed annoyingly at you not even sparing any look to your boyfriend and you were offended by the way he spoke.

“What does that supposed to mean?”

“you missed the bus.”

“And you're not?” You spat back annoyingly taking a step forward, your eyebrow twitched and he scoffed at your response thickening the tension between both of you.

He was beginning to get into your nerve since you started to date Hyunjae.

“We were there at the bus but he insisted waiting for both of you.” His girlfriend explained and you couldn't help to feel bad for her.

“We were planning to stay the night.” Hyunjae stepped forward pulling you back closer to him and you noticed the frown on Changmin's face when he did that. Was that jealousy? Had he figured that he had feelings for you too? But Hyunjae's grip on your arm pulled you out from that thoughts and you look back to him pressing your lips into a thin line, forming a smile.

“We will take the first bus tomorrow morning.” You said to Changmin's girlfriend trying to assure her by rubbing her arm and she nod with a smile.

“Okay where are you going to crash for tonight?” changmin spat with his annoying tone that really got into your nerve.

“I’ve booked a place for us, but i'm sure they have more place.”

“We should stick together.”

“Fine.”

For the first time in your life, you feel annoyed by Changmin's presence where he constantly interfere any attempted affection that you and Hyunjae trying to make while he trying to show off his own with his girlfriend which end up annoying her too.

“We should stop by the store first.” Hyunjae suggested and you nod while waiting for the bus to the motel.

“I'm tired, can we just go straight to the motel.” Changmin whined and you rolled your eyes shooting him an annoyed look and he just shrugged.

“you two can check in first, they had some place for barbeque at the garden by the hotel and we were planning to have one while watching the stars.” You told his girlfriend and she looked excited.

“So romantic.” she coos and you lean your shoulder to Hyunjae who was smiling at you.

“They said the night sky are the best here.” He throw his hand on your shoulder pulling you closer to him letting you snuggles to his chest.

“You can join us if you want.” he suggested to Changmin and his girlfriend which you shot him a look with a frown.

“What? Its going to be fun and i can get to know your best friend more.” He whispered and you melted at the way how hard he tried to get close to your best friend.

“Thank you.” You caress his hands with your thumb smiling up to him and he smiles back like he always did.

The night went well, but the conversation was mainly between you and Hyunjae while Changmin and his girlfriend seems to fall into silence only talk when being asked. You stop Hyunjae from trying to get close to Changmin by snuggling with him under the blanket where you brought just for the occasion while watching the stars.

You admired him while he was admiring the scattered stars up in the sky, looking at it like he was in love with it just like you're in love with him.

“Y/N can you walk me to my room for a while?” Changmin snaps you away from the most beautiful view and you sighed. He was tipsy from drinking a little too much and you could tell.

“Its okay, I'll clean this up and meet you at the room right after.” Hyunjae said helping you getting up and you nod letting him peck your forehead before leading Changmin into the building.

“Are you going to sleep with him?” Changmin asked suddenly after you both were inside the building.

“Yes.” You answered in a heartbeat even if you don't know whether Hyunjae is having the same idea with you, but you admit it anyway just so Changmin will stop bothering you.

“If i told you not to would you listen to me?” he stop walking making you stop turning your body fully to face him.

“Why?”

“Because I love you.” He said, petrifying you with his words, it was the word you had been waiting for years, a words that you always pray for so he will uttered it to you one day. a word that you’ve been dying to hear.

But that was before, that was you dream before Hyunjae and you were glad that it doesn't affect you like the way you thought it will be.

“I know you love me too. I know you love me since so long and i'm sorry for pretending that i didn't see it.” He took a few step closer to you but you didn't flinch. There were disappointment, but it doesn’t matter to you anymore. you didn’t care why he didn't do anything about it and keep it to himself. but you were curious.

“Why did you date her if you knew?”

“Because i thought i didn't feel the same way.” You exhaled at his answer looking down not knowing what to say or what to do with that information. But then he lift your chin with his index finger and leaned closer to kiss you.

You let him kiss you not knowing there's a pair of eyes that has been witnessing everything. When you kissed Changmin back, he shut his eyes only to see you smile to the kiss the moment he open his eyes. Couldn’t bear the pain in his chest anymore, he walked away from the scene.

“Changmin we had our chance.” You slowly push his body away from you, pulling yourself away from the dizzying kiss. It put your mind into a great mess, that your mind keeps buzzing like a static radio. but when other thing was blurry and hazy, one thing that stood out so clear, just like the picture you always took. it was your feeling for Hyunjae.

“Y/N please.” He took your hand placing it on his chest.

“You had your chance in all those years to confess but you didn't.” You let go of his hands holding your own.

“I'm not blaming you entirely because its my fault too for being a coward. But we had our chance Changmin, and we blew it.”

“and i'm in love with somebody else.”

“i’m in love with Hyunjae.”

“He saw us kissed.”

“No.”

“He just left.”

“You asshole. It was intentional wasn't it?”

“I just had to.”

“Hyunjae.” You called softly after entering the room that you both shared. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down to his hands. Nervousness starting to creep inside you by the sight and the silence from him. You stood there by the door looking down at your feet, hands fidgeting with the rim of your dress.

“You should sleep, we need to catch the first bus in the morning.” He said standing up with blanket on his hands walking to the couch just right next to the bed without looking at you. But you didn’t budge, still looking down like a kid getting scolded by their parents for causing a big trouble.

You bit your lips hard when tears starts to brimmed in your eyes. You didn’t even dare to blink, not wanting the tears to fall.

“I’m tired, can you turn off the light please.” He said and you look up to where he already lay down, covering his body using the blanket, his back facing you. You hold your sniffles and do as told leaving the room in pitch black.

“Hyunjae.” Your voice cracked and you swallow hard to make it easier your you to speak.

“I-I am so-”

“I’m tired Y/N. Please, let me rest. Its been a long day.” He cut your words, but not sharp enough. But it still hurts you. It hurts you because you hurt him and you didn’t even know how to explain.

With the help of the lights peeking through the window, you slowly walked to your bag and take your clean clothes and toiletries.

You turn on the shower letting the warm water run down your skin while you stood there looking into spaces not long before you break down, covering your mouth not wanting to be heard by him. It was the longest you ever cried, longer than the day Changmin asked his girlfriend out. It was even longer than when you bid your goodbye to your parents at the airport.

God, how much you love him, and now you’re losing him.

Hyunjae haven't spoke a word to you since the bus ride back to the city and you didn't dare to speak to him either. The ride was awfully silent and you could hear Changmin and his girlfriend giggled from the back seat. You couldn't help to think that they were mocking you both but you know they weren't. You suddenly feels empty without Hyunjae's constantly touching you like he always did when he's being excited over something or just feeling like touching you, or teasing you. He didn't even whined when you too immersed into the picture you took with your camera. You felt emptier than the time Changmin left you.

You didn't blame him for cutting every connection between you two after breaking up with you over a text and let you fall back to the loneliness. You didn't blame Changmin for not even consoling you after he heard the news of your break up with Hyunjae. You blame yourself for being you, you blame yourself for existing, for hurting people who had no other intention but to love you and you deserve the resentment that you get from him. You blame yourself for not figuring out your feelings for Hyunjae and didn't try hard enough to make him stay.

You were back to zero, alone at the cafeteria watching people and love birds walking around then get back to your pictures on your laptop ignoring the painful void inside of your heart.

You bumped into him the day after the break up, you didn't look away when you both walk past each other at the hall, neither did him. But he seems to had those indifferent look as soon as his eyes laid on you and you try hard not to show too much emotion when he's around. But it was hard, because you always saw him even when you’re not looking.

“Y/N, the portfolio that you emailed me. It was perfect. The four season portfolio.” Your mentor spoke when he saw you just about started to pack your things while your other class mate had already left. Its your routine since the break up, so you wont bumping into Hyunjae because your afternoon class always ends at the same time as his.

“It wasn't complete yet Mr Yoon. I was waiting for your feedback for anything that i should fix or re-edit.” You look up to him slinging your bag on your shoulder.

“I’ll send you my feedback later.” He said and you give him a bow.

“Y/N, I was wondering.” Mr. Yoon voice stopped you from turning on your heels and you look at him. waiting for him to finish his sentence.

“have you been fine these day?” He asked leaning his back on the desk, crossing his arm on his chest.

“Yes. Why do you ask Mr.Yoon?”

“I knew you're running a photography blog for a long time, i have to admit it was wonderful and i even think that some of the photo you posted there should have come in with the portfolio. But you recent photo, they seems lonely.” He stop when you looked down. He must have seen your blog update, but you didn't know that it was obvious. He's your mentor and also one of the psychology professor that taught about behavior, of course he could see it.

“I’m fine Mr.Yoon.” you finally look up to him with a forced smile. “Its just life-” your breath hitched and you swallowed hard trying not to choke on your own words.

“Its just life, those ups and down.” You inhaled looking back down avoiding his gaze.

“Don’t let yourself dwell too long in it Y/N. Its okay to look back sometimes, it hard. Even if our shoes don't fit, we had our own obstacle in life, we have our own way to move on. But i hope you'll cope.” You smile to his words before bowing to him as he bid you goodbye.

You went to Itaewon alone that night taking the path that both of you and Hyunjae had been taking, tracing back all the fond memories that you shared. You even went back to Hadong alone on the weekend doing the same thing you did with him, taking picture of empty spot where it used to be filled by him. It was sad. But you need to cope. Once you had your best friend, then you have Hyunjae. But when they both left, you had nothing. Only their memories. But the most prominent one is Hyunjae's. You want to relive them for the last time before moving on.

Its the hardest every time he saw you smiling and laughing at your friend's joke. He missed that and he still want to be the one who make you laugh. He hate you for being happy right after the break up, did you really moved on that fast? Did you really don't have any feeling for him? Or did you really using him to get back to Changmin?

But there were also time when he saw you sitting alone at the cafeteria, watching people walks by with sad eyes before going back to your laptop or your camera leaving your food untouched and it made his stomach sinks in guilt. The sight take him back to the night where he heard your sniffles echoes inside the bathroom that the sound of the shower couldn’t hide.

You loved someone else and its no point to keep you if your heart is unobtainable from the start.

“Hyung, why did you break up with Y/N?” Juyeon asked when he saw you walk into the cafeteria alone with your hands full with books and headphones on. He didn't want to answer that question. He's been dreading to answer when everyone asked, he's tired of hearing people saying that you both look good together and all.

“We're taking a break.”

Its the only thing he could came up with without humiliating you or him. Its sounds like he was expecting you to come back to him, it was an open answer, it was a message for you maybe one day when you heard what he said regarding your relationship, maybe. Just maybe you change your mind and come back to him.

It was pathetic and he know it, but the romance was short, so short that he wanted more. While he was trying to look away from staring at you, he saw Changmin seated a few table away from where he was and he was expecting Changmin to get up and help you with the pile of books on your hand.

But instead, Changmin didn't even look up from his phone and you didn't even spare him a glance, just walking straight to the far corner of the cafeteria settling your stuff on the table, sitting down and played with your phone without looking around.

“Hyung?” Juyeon snaps him away from staring at you and stammered at the younger guy.

“Get back with her if you want to keep looking at her like that.” He stated and Hyunjae just shrugged him off.

‘Weird' he thought, he swears he saw you kissed Changmin back that night. You even smiled to the kiss, but why are you both giving each other a cold shoulder. Why aren't you both together when Changmin said he loves you and he said you love him too. It hurt him when you didn't even denied it, he hate you for kissing him when you were his girlfriend.

He heard your voice in the art studio after helping a random girl who was carrying too much of a canvas for painting she said. He stood there just like the other day when you were talking to your professor.

“Is it true that everybody dies alone?” You asked, you sounded so weak, the light in your eyes faded by each passing day. At first he thought you were still saddened by the way Changmin still with his girlfriend but when he confront Changmin one day.

“We had our chance but I blew it. She's in love with someone else.” -changmin

But that is all what he get from the guy, Changmin still didn't want to talk to him. He started to think that you love him, not Changmin. But he wasn't really sure either, if your relationships mattered to you, you should have talk him out not ignoring him, so he did the same. Ignoring you even how painful it was knowing the truth that you love him.

“Does that scares you?” Kevin asks taking your attention away from the window where you both propped your chin on your palm on one of the table nearest to the window while sitting down watching the sun sets.

“I don't want to be alone.” You whispered under your breath but it was clear, so clear that it hurts Hyunjae at your words.

“You missed him?”

“I do. So much that it hurts.”

“Why didn't you tell him the truth?”

“He saw me kissed Changmin back. If you're at his place would you listen to me when I try to explain?”

“No.”

“I’ve made myself a fool enough by kissing Changmin back.”

“Why did you kiss him back?”

“You know how I feel about him before. It was a dream to kiss him.” you chuckle while Kevin scoffed at your words.

“But the thing is, when i kissed him, i was thinking about Hyunjae as soon as i closed my eyes.” You smiled.

“Its just that, i finally know that love doesn't feel the same way with each person.”

“What do you mean”

“when i was in love with changmin it felt like home every time im with him. Maybe Its because he provides me one when i move back here during high school, he gave me something to rely on when i had no one, or when my brother was too occupied by his baseball. Then Hyunjae came when there’s a hole in my chest, my heart that once there was gone when Changmin left, Hyunjae starts to fill it again, slowly but in a beautiful way. He made me feel alive again. At first i thought it wasn't love because it felt so different from Changmin’s. But i get it now, love doesn't come with one specific shape or sizes.” You sit straight stretching your limbs leaning back to the chair to ease your back.

“Love is an abstract, you can't see it, you can't feel it but you know its there, you know it exist. it changes through times. Its like painting, you put down whenever comes through your mind freely on the canvas, sometimes it look nice and sometimes it doesn't. people might don't understands what we're trying to convey but it doesn't matter, as long as we knew what is it, what it means to us.” You smiled looking down staring at you clasped cold hand before glancing to your friend next to you and he looked disgusted, making you giggled at his expression.

“You are disgustingly in love. Tell him you idiot.” Kevin throw his head back with a grunt and you laugh him off.

“I don't know Kev, I’m just scared. I'm afraid because what I did was wrong. Its wrong kissing someone else just to figure out who do you love. Its pathetic. Stupid.” You exhaled looking back to the dark outside world, wondering what is he doing right now. Who is he with, did he replace you yet, or did he suffers just like how you did. You chuckled to the last thought thinking why would he suffers for the one who treated him just like you did.

“He probably don't like me anymore.” You wanted to say hate, but 'like' probably could hurt less when you said it out loud.

“I never said that.” You and Kevin eyes snaps wide open when you heard another voice instead of both of you echoes from the silence. You know that voice and when you saw Kevin eyes were fixed to someone at your back, you didn't dare to look back.

“Okay imma go.” Kevin took his bag and phone, standing up and was about to leave you, but you manage to get a grip on his wrist.

“Don’t you dare.” You warned but he just smile and wiggled his wrist away from your strong grip and when you let go, he pat your head with an assuring smile.

“This is your chance, don't waste it.” He stroke your hair softly, smiling to Hyunjae with a curt nod before walking to the exit leaving you both in the studio in silence.

“Sorry i didn't mean to eavesdrop.” He said voice coming closer with his footsteps and you still didn't dare to look back. Your body numbed while your heart pounded so hard that you were sure your chest could explode anytime.

“Y/N.” He called softly when he appeared in you peripheral view, kneeling right next to where you were seated, you shut your eyes tight not dare to look at him.

“Sorry I didn't give you any chance to explain.”

“Sorry.” He repeated again but you still too scared to look at him.

“would you please look at me.” You felt his touch on your cold hand and you turn your head slowly, meeting his beautiful gaze. It was different from the past few week where they were cold and uninviting. But right now, his gaze was soft, warm and pleading.

“Hyunjae.” You whispered, holding his hand and he hold yours tighter.

“Can we please start over again?” he said, almost pleading melting you

“Even after what I’ve done?” you tilt your head to the side and he smiles wider bringing his one hand to your cheek, caressing it slowly with his thumb.

“As long as you love me.” He said and if your muscle wasn't strong enough, your heart could probably explode from the happiness.

“I do.” You crashed your body into him so hard that he almost stumbled back but manage to balance his body.

“I love you so much Hyunjae and I'm sorry for being an idiot. You can kiss other girl once and i dont mind.” You pull away, with your hand still rested on his shoulder, kneeling in front of him.

“Why would i want to kiss other girl?” he frowned and you stuttered.

“Just so we can even out or-“ he didn't let you finish by capturing your lips into his own and you kiss him back in a heartbeat feeling his lips moulded perfectly into your own into a long kiss.

“Let me kiss that pretty lips everyday and we're even.” He said after pulling away to catch his breath and rest his forehead on yours and you smiled breathlessly.

"Anything for my amazing boyfriend."

A/N: This was written before ‘Kevin Moon’ and it was meant for Changmin baby but I just cant hurt my Hyunjae, I’m so sorry. Things really had been hard on me lately (mentally) but i’m trying to get back on track (writing). This is not my best work and i am not in the best shape but i hope you enjoyed this one. thank you.

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