#because they literally play with the athletes emotions without giving it a second thought and it shouldn't be accepted
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essentialthyme · 10 months ago
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jordan is getting her bronze back!
I just googled it and saw the USA is appealing the decision, and it's the USA, so yeah, there's a huge probability they'll accept, and honestly? They should never have taken away Jordan's bronze: it was a fuck up and Ana should have been awarded an additional bronze, and both of them should have gotten a public apology from the COI, FIG, and the CAS (brazilian acronyms -shrugs-) for messing with the emotional of the athletes in such an irresponsible manner, like, the fact that the resolution of this situation has been this huge mess... ugly, in all fronts
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no-psi-nan · 3 years ago
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The Most Dateable Dudes in Saiki K: Survey Results!
With 119 votes from viewers like you, we can finally crown the most dateable dude of the Saiki K main cast...
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Congratulations to Kuboyasu Aren for being the most dateable, and to Nendo Riki for being a close second! 
Fun fact: Nendo was actually ahead for most of the voting time!
Of course, we can’t leave out the rest of the Saiki K dudes, so here’s the lineup:
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More statistics and voter comments under the cut! Thanks everyone for playing, and to everyone with the laugh-out-loud quotes: stop being funnier than me wtf.
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From the main cast...
Saiki Kusuo (16)
he's just like me fr. we wouldn't date we'd just be in a qpr.
He cares
Give coffee jelly and best boifriend
im aroace and so is he so we can just not date eachother
He'll settle for the most average bitch: me.
I'm personally too old to date these high schoolers but Saiki is genuinely the most fun to hang out with, plus he's such a giving and caring person that he'd be a great partner to someone he could trust and that could make him feel human again. It's not saikis fault he exudes capybara vibes.
He's respectful and I like how he doesn't really have expectations for anyone. I would like to play a video game with him at some point in time or just read books in the same room without talking.
Because i love him (though aren is a close second)
He is really considering and caring even if he hides it. He can revive time for any objects and thats a huge help with cleaning and healthcare. And he never judge his friends so thats a huge anxiety relif. And he is ace
I love Saiki!!! Yeah!! Love that guy!!!
Will have no huge problems as his friend and in his proximity, will be in proximity often. focused on me and my problems while trying to escape from dating. Every day a new adventure
Saiki Kusuo (without powers) (2)
without his powers kusuo is just a little guy. so horribly out of touch in a way that isn't obvious but EXTREMELY funny + less psychic fuckery means i don't have to worry about the negatives, and it's not like i was going to expect anything like that from any other partner. plus we're both aspec. it will be a lavender marriage, except neither of us have a secret gay relationship on the side
Nendo Riki (24)
im aroace and he is too and i want to hang out
Himbo. Enough said.
Listen, I'm a kaido stan but the answer is literally nendo. He can cook. He's good w/ animals & kids. His face would scare away creepy guys. His brain is so empty it makes more room for ~love for friends~. All he had to do was get a haircut and the entire class found him irresistible. When love expert Imu told saiki her vision of the perfect man he literally pictured nendo before she mentioned a perm. Wake up people.
NO EXPLANATION NEEDEAD HE'S LITERALLY THE BEST. you just gotta keep it a secret from him 'cause he thinks dating is only for the bad stuff. or explain to him that it's not just for the bad stuff
The lesser of 10 evils
Best Boy ever
The propaganda posted yesterday was very convincing. Also he's genuine and kind
good cook, loyal, friendly, has personality, himbo
he would treat me well i think
hes the only one with the emotional maturity. Saikis too angsty. Kaidous wayyy to angsty. Hairo maybe, but hes never gonna have a good work life balance, he'll put his training over you being his partner. idk whod ever pick toritsuka. kuboyasu was literally in a gang, im gonna give him a bit to learn how to be a functioning member of society. saiko is a bitch. satous boring as fuck, i love him but not as a date. akechi has never learnt how to talk normally in his life, love him but that doesnt make him dateable
Nendo
Kind himbo
Big heart himbo who can cook
He's just gorgeous and manly, he's peak male performance
i was told to put him
is it not obvious?
nendo beloved, no thoughts
I need a weird guy in my life. I need a guy who will lick door handles with me.
tbh honest the most normal. He's only undatable bc he's gross but idk. kuboyasus a close second maybe
Can cook, loves animals, is athletic. The whole package except for his haircut.
he is kind :)
Kaido Shun (10)
He's super sweet, shy, throws himself in to protect people, and he's a chuuni dork and I think that's a feature not a bug 😌 Also his studious nerdy side is cute. I will stand by this.
I might be choosing kaidou bc I'm a lesbian and he's the most femm guy ngl
He's absolutely adorable and I feel like he would be reliable.
He be cute
idk bro i just like pathetic dudes. i feel like he'd be fun to play video games with and bond over our terrible moms lol
Least likely to cause me physical or psychological damage over the course of our relationship. He's so awkward with romance dates would probably just be LARPing Jet Black Wings, seriously doubt anything romantic would actually happen and y'know what I'm cool with that. I wanna rp as my edgy middle school OCs too cringe culture is dead
We have similar levels of goblin- I'd say saiki but that is the most aroace guy I've ever seen. Love to be in a qpr with him tho 👍
he's so pathetic <3
Hairo Kineshi (13)
i feel like this isn't even a question like??? He's the obvious right choice. He'd treat you right
he's nice :)
hes not my fave BUT hes the most normal if you don't count satou, and satou is a little TOO normal so itd be boring. also hes hot and popular and he would put a lot of effort into the relationship
Drinks respect women juice (unlike some), not stuck up nor unattractive
He's break my heart w the most motivational speech ever +_+
He's a good guy, he'd never lie, and would be his partner's biggest cheerleader.
Hairo is the most likely and reasonable option to choose out of all the Saiki K men. We all know how Saiki reacts to others trying to date him. Nendo's oblivious, and Kaido is very kind but hes not ready for romance. Toritsuka is.... Toritsuka. Saiko tries to buy people. Aren is too much of a try-hard. I can't really imagine how Touma or Satou would be relationships. Hairo is the most respectful and compassionate man in Saiki K. He listens to people and speaks whats on his mind (even if its a little blunt). He can be much but thats ok
he's the most normal and least worst
he is so supportive and even if hes rlly intense he would be such a good bf
he's nice. & hot i guess (if you're into that)
He is the most considerate and seems to be the most ready for a relationship, though the bar is very low.
Toritsuka Reita (3)
;) i love me a man who is Awful (im gay)
Kuboyasu Aren (31)
hes not too much of an idiot (unlike nendou, kaidou(im sorry lmao), saiko) + he respects women (unlike toritsuka) + i dont headcanon him as aroace (unlike akechi and saiki) + hes not boring (im sorry satou) (+ i dont deserve hairo tbh)
Side characters think Saiki is bland, Nendo is so ugly that nobody will give him a chance (:() , Kaido has his whole chuuni side to him which is annoying for most (:(), Hairo is Hairo, Toritsuka is Toritsuka, Saiko would probably be third place because of his money status but he is still insufferable to a lot of people, side characters know that Satou is bland (though that could be a good thing who knows, he is my 2nd place) and Akechi would just talk and talk and talk which most people would find annoying. Kuboyasu is pretty good at masking his delinquent side nowadays and has become just an average guy who isn't bland. Some people also prefer bad boys, so there's that I guess.
He could drive me around with his motorbike and could wrestle with me, that's really all i need in life. If powerless Saiki could still ride a motorbike he'd be my second choice, because we actually have a lot in common. Or maybe that's not a good thing…
who else tbh
he's a badass
Can start shit and hide behind him.
Season two episode two where he gets a fake love letter he admits his loyalty to love and care about his spouse forever and is willing to just drop school to marry them. Also he's really handsome and strong and good at art
Loyal. Will beat up anyone who decides to look at me in a bad way.
With how he reacted to one single (fake) love letter I don't doubt the fact that he would take care of his s.o. very well
Seem like he would be fun to hang around without it being absolutely insane...i think...maybe...
LOOK AT THE DUDE!! mans was ready to marry and be loyal to a woman his whole life over a single love letter absolute husband material I tell ya plus, he's trying to be good
He would be DEVOTED to his partner. He's cute. Also bisexual.
Big and buff and kind
An all around good guy. Has proven he isn't afraid of commitment and sacrifices for a life together,  even dropping out. Is more than capable of protecting his partner, and also understands that his fighting lifestyle could put undue stress on his partner and their relationship and is willing to fully stop for them. He is respectful and has basic notions of what is and isn't socially appropriate, more than can be said about other members of the cast. He isn't desperate, or a pushover, a relationship with him is unlikely to be average to the point of boredom and he isn't excessively embarrassing to be with in public.
He’d make a genuine effort to be a good bf and make you happy. also weirdly i think he's the most normal one
Aren is a kind and loyal person, to his friends, his family and especially his lover. Aren doesn't need to constantly rely on people to become a better person, we've already seen from when he first appeared that he showed great discipline and restraint when he was trying to move on from his old delinquent life. His lover doesn't have to worry about about him 24/7, knowing that Aren can restraint himself and stay out trouble, he only ever really gets into fights with people that are awful. He always looks like he gives strong hugs and is very handsome.
He's hot n would treat me right. Need me a man that can kick someone's ass for me
hnnfg,,;,
Hes respectful but can also kick ass. He drinks his respect women juice everyday.
deeply dedicated to his potential partner + great at violence
H e's a dedicated and passionate guy.  He's someone who's actively trying to better himself, and personally I find that really admirable and kind of attractive dldhldhskd.
Remember that time when someone sent him a (prank) confession letter, he was so nervous and serious it was so funny and cute. Honestly all I could think about at the time was that I would love to date a guy who would take the relationship seriously, but still be nervous that I can tease him a lot lol.
The only con with Aren that I can think of is his background, realistically I dont think I want to date someone who has gang relations (not v sure. been a while since i read the manga, i dont remember if Aren was really in a legit gang or just a delinquent gang sorry. if he was in a legit gang, id be more scared).
Uhh other dateable characters I like are Nendou, Saiko Metori and Teruhashi Kokomi. Tbh Nendou's would be THE BEST boyfriend. But the reason why he's second place to me is bc he's too tall for me. Seriously. I'm 5ft and a half. I dont see what you guys see in 6ft men. I am Not craning my neck to kiss or even Look at my man. So sorry T_T
I also really enjoyed seeing Saiko slowly redeeming and becoming nicer and caring towards the end of the series. Honestly so heartwarming. I like him. Would date him actually, despite the attidude. I've dealt wih worse lol.
As for Teruhashi, honestly she's the one I can imagine what it's like dating her best. I can go on for much longer here but I already think my response is too long T_T. Just uhh yk if theres a girls section I maybe would pick her lrbrkrbkdndm.
Because I might get along with him better than anyone else. We also have the same goal of spending our lives loving one person.
Saiko Metori (1)
no one else is gonna vote for him <3 actual answer: he's cute he's rich and i can fix him
Satou Hiroshi (11)
the rest are insane i think. i love  them but if i were to date any of them there would always be something.  second best option would either be kaido or kuboyasu i think
Least bad option, and dating him  seems like a guarantee for a good relationship.
he's just a normal, nice dude who  won't drag you into insane situations or get you arrested or whatever
Respects women.
Satou? Nice normal dude, Ideal nice  quiet life with him and a nice simple romance that I want :)
not much will happen, you get  together, go on average dates, meet family, live average lives, over all  it'll be ok, a break up will probably be just as average too
normal. just a guy
He is the most normal out of them  LMAO (I love the others so so much but holy hell dating any of them would be  atrocious askdjksjd)
Idk man he's just a guy (not  blorbo)
I'm gonna sound like Saiki but he's  average and we have common interests. Not a lot of drama but life's not  exactly dull around him either. He can care the conversations but he'll also  let you ramble on.
Bro is the only man thatd treat me  right
Akechi Touma (7)
I need someone to ramble more than me... Also I need someone to deduce what happens next in some fanfictions that isn't finished yet because I can't wait and doesn't have insane deduction skill. I mean Kuusuke can do it but Kuusuke might kill me so no. Also I need more Akechi ramble, I like those, got me interested in blood-type personality pseudo-science influence in japan, and since Akechi asked people to not harass him because of his blood type, it would mean that he is likely not type A (+and-). His purple eyes also implies that he has actually some supernatural skills, since traditional folktales associate this with eyes colored purple. It is also a deep dark purple. Interestingly, his pupils dilates whenever he goes into rambling mode. This is to be noted, people in sknpn dilates their people when they're furiously crazy (see Kurumi). Crazy Akechi? I am all here for it. Also he would be useful if I want to blackmail someone, so I would of course try my best to be on his side. I am not the brightest person in the world, but I am not stupid either. Next would be Kaidou. Kaidou is a totally relatable dude, since I have the same weight and same height as him (159cm and 45kg). Kaidou has a normal caring mom, who is overbearing but very well care about him genuinely. He is the only mom who Kusuo has never say anything negative about (Midori being a ""capitalist pig"", Kurumi being ""an idiot""). I would do anything to have his mom as my mom, though my mom is good enough, just a little bit more physical. Kaidou is also basically as weak as me (sadly), and would share a passion for hating sport. I am interested in drawing his fantasies and would happily be with him, since he is a sweet, pure, genuine person. I think I should end this here since there're more comments and questions to answer below I suppose.
He can info dump on me as whitenoise to combat my tetanus. I could Info dump back on occasion. I think it would be fun. Plus he's good with bugs.
I dont want to date him im an adult i just want to be friends with this dude thats all
I have problems
is datable meant to mean for everyone? cause this answer kinda hinges on the fact that me and him have two flavors of neurodivergence that i think  would complement each other but thats just in my specific case. which is weird because im also aroace i just think wed get along?? i would give him a litol kissy on his head and then we'd go on wikipedia dates or something. i wish Akechi Touma was real because i absolutely would question my romantic/platonic attraction over him (something not a lot of people irl can claim ive done for them)  But if this question means datable in the sense of like, ideal guy i would recommend to others? it would probably be Nendo. hes sweet and doesnt have as much baggage (for lack of a better word) as the others. He would treat you right and hes tall which i guess is a characteristic people are interested in, no judgement to them of course lol
 Best of the Rest
Matsuzaki the Gym Teacher (24)
well matsuzaki is a nice guy and also i rewatched his introduction episode a few days ago so
another man who would treat you right
He's hard working (seemingly runs PK academy himself), cares deeply about his students, stable career
trustworthy, athletic, honorable
I wouldn't date him personally(see age), but he has good intentions
hes athletic with a stable job and idk i just get the vibe hed treat me right, y'know?
Im an introvert, he got my back
dilf. sorry the stubble and the lines under his eyes got to me.
He's cool and I like him.
you know. miss saiki close second
would NOT date him personally as i am not interested in people with DILF energy but he seems like a very good partner. go king shit.
he's neat
Respectful dude
himbo
dilf
He's cool.
look i just have issues
dilf energy
dilf
Similar reasons to Hairo; he's the most mature one and is very respectful, even if it does get lost in translation sometimes.
Id date Matsuzaki. Honestly dont know if we would be compatible but I really do like honest dudes. Remember that one time when some kids pranked him with a confession letter, and he really waited for someone to show up and rejected them kindly. Dude. I was like. Woah. That. That was genuinely so cool. That was genuinely so attractive. What the hell. I would love to date someone like that. I would also consider the mangaka, though honestly I feel like we are too similar it would almost be looking at a mirror (despite looking like complete opposites T_T). Hey maybe it would work out? But like. We could also be besties.
Kusuke Saiki (17)
Alright hes the worst and I want to study him
My taste in men is horrible
The insanity
He be psycho
Anime Kusuke, just to state. HES SO. AND FOR WHAT. thats it thats my truth
The mad scientist tm aesthetic
Brains?? rich?? idk man
He'd actually be awful to date he's just insane and I like that in a man
get married. high risk high reward. i am a lesbian though and if he was a lesbian mad scientist he would be extremely hot. but as is I'm just all about planning my divorce outfit and attempting to dodge certain death
Korosensei from Assassination Classroom (17)
I was going to choose Kusuke, because I've slowly realized that he's my blorbo, though he's trash. He's smart and I like passionate guys,,, if we could, redirect it a bit maybe. But then I saw Korosensei and all bets are off. Reaper form is hot, and as a teacher he's just so caring, and again, the passion for me.
Alien boy that likes teaching, what is there not to love?
Everyone else I either didn't know, didn't remember enough about to know if they were safe, or knew to be DEFINITELY not safe. Don't know much about Assassination Classroom, but my sister read the manga so I asked her if he was a decent person and she said yes. Asked if hanging out with him risked damage to my physical or mental health, she said as long as I was a good guy I'd be fine (and possibly benefit mental health?) so. He's probably good.
Korosensei is literally the ideal guy
Process of elimination
I uh,, I um, well, ya know ?
with or without tentacles he's still care for you and it wouldn't be as overbearing as the other options. I was originally going to choose Kusuke but I don't want to end up a lab rat
Shiragami Fudekichi (Mangaka of Silent Cyborg) (12)
I'll be honest here: I should have voted for Mr. Matsuzaki, but Fudekichi is really, really good-looking. I can be very shallow.
he's a mood
Could draw you.
Introverted artist thats says no to women objectification? Yes please. And he is a great artist and writer that even has a team of helpers and thats really impressive, u know?
hes pretty
he looks a little pathetic and i think its funny
Chono the Magician (7)
i want to roll him up into a ball and shoot hoops with him
i think itd be funny
Only one without any obvious terrible flaws preventing him, and he does seem to have both a stable job and a good amount of creativity and loyalty.
Nice dude! Has his life together!
He's sane
Kuniharu Saiki (6)
im about to embark on the greatest "i can fix him" project of all time
Kuniharu is hard-working, even if he is quiet useless. He is very loyal, and to be fair he does manage to provide for his family in the end with his shameless shoe-licking. He seems like the type to be devoted also my hands are tired. He is weak and won't be able to hurt a fly, and sweet person with questionable litterature skill. Nonetheless he is an admirable enough person, who enjoys the lovely domestic environment at his house rather than focusing on his career. Focusing on his career for money, etc would probably end at best as a normal divorce, in the workacoholic society that they live in. Thug-smile Shirigami is my scond choice. Young, successful and the best trait: he is so funny lmao. Just look at his passive aggressive doings towards Kuniharu. How could one not respect this man lmao.
There must be a reason why he bagged a baddie
he'd lick my boots 😜
idk i just picked the person i knew it's been a hot minute since i watched the ol saik
The sniper Saiki summoned (6)
he does a good job :)
snipers are hot
gun
Ike-san the Magician's Assistant (4)
He just chillin ya know
Arguably the most fuckable on this list
 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ seems nice
Iguchi Takumi (the new teacher from Reawakened) (4)
my standards for men are: is not a pathetic creature or a creep
He seems nice ig, even if he looks a lil creepy he's got his heart in the right place.
Because Kuniharu is a taken man, and, though sweet, a tad pathetic. Iguchi Takumi is prejudged as a pervert every day by society and still he doesn't let it get in the way of providing the best guidance he can to his students. He is fair, not a pushover, not over strict, gives second chances and forgives children easily for the mistakes children usually make. He's patient, respectful, has never been condescending to the students, goes up and above in his dedication to his work. These are all qualities of a high quality man. He works in his true passion, and I bet he'd do his very best to maintain a healthy work/life balance if he finds someone to share his life with. His students would probably go first, but a man with such ironclad priorities is also respectable and admirable.
Rean Kuboyasu (3)
Dilf.
I like Matsuzaki and mr. Ike but rean seems to be in the healthiest marriage of the show. Him and his wife kicked ass together, taught their kid what they know, then all turned to the straight and narrow path as a family. A tattooed family man who can ride a motorcycle and saves kittens on the side of the road.
 Aren gotta get it from somewhere
The Café Mami Manager (2)
He seems like a nice guy. The others are all a bit quirky for some people, especially Kuusuke, Makoto and Aren's dad
Can deal with cockroaches. A little emotionally unstable but who isn't. Plus perpetual sweets and coffee shop dates. I wouldn't mind working with him in his business or being a girlboss taking care of the bills so he can maintain his business.
Kuniharu Mannequins (2 for the price of 1) (2)
They can't backtalk
Other (2)
Kokomi Teruhashi – she’s pretty
Mr. Kaidou – Wooed Mrs Kaidou and also works a high end job.
The sumo wrestler Saiki summoned (1)
WRESTLE MEEEEE!!!
Peanuts Ueda (1)
No Votes
Makoto Teruhashi
Takahashi (classmate)
Nendo Sr
The magician Saiki summoned
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lubdubsworld · 4 years ago
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⋆⋆✵ Perfect Imperfections ✵⋆⋆
Chapter 1
Genre : Arranged Marriage AU! Angst! Explicit Sexual Content.
Rating : 21+
Warnings : Ableism , Chronic disability. OC has limited use of her left leg, Emotional infidelity? Mild Cheating ( nothing very physical.. a kiss or so )
Summary : Marrying Jungkook is a mistake. Falling in love with him? Definitely the worst exercise in masochism .
~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter 2
No one tells you how easy it is to imagine yourself in love with a beautiful man. Especially when you don’t have a clear understanding of what love actually is. 
When I met Jungkook, even knowing he was in love with my sister hadn’t done much to douse the flames of hope and attraction. He was a lot of things that other men in my life weren’t. Kind without being pitying. Concerned without being overbearing. He took care of me without making me feel helpless. And there was always such a thin line between these things that I found myself impressed by his ability to toe the line so well.
Jungkook took care of me without making me feel like a burden and I suppose, some part of me had assumed that this could, in due time turn into love. But I was clearly wrong.
Jungkook and Liza had been kissing in the hallway of their hotel room and someone had taken pictures. My father and his had managed to get them taken down but the news was already out, spreading like wildfire . My phone began ringing sometime around eight in the morning and hadn’t stopped. It was now a little past one in the afternoon and I felt queasy, despite the assurances that it was all being taken care of.
It was the pity in everyone’s face that I couldn’t bear.
I wasn’t hurt. Angry, yes? Upset? Of course. But I wasn’t hurt because there really was nothing to be hurt about. Jungkook didn’t love me. He was in love with my sister . He had made it clear, through his words and his actions, over and over again. At this point, I could see this debacle as nothing more than a possible way to get out of the marriage. Perhaps, my father would approve of a divorce?
I glanced at the article again.
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The photo is just so annoyingly clear, I thought with a grimace. If it was a little blurry, I could convince myself it wasn’t him and her. But it was clear. That was my husband with his lips locked with my sister’s. Against my better judgment, I read the article again. It was a gossip column, of course there would be nothing good in there. But sometimes curiosity can be a persistent thing.
I felt my skin crawling as I realized that the phrases were all pretty true. There was no gossip here. Just plain facts.
And then my eyes reached the end of the article.
Of note is the fact that Jeon Jungkook’s wife is disabled and perhaps the virile young man is merely looking for pleasure he can’t find in his own marital bed.
I swallowed, quickly exiting the page and tossing the phone on the bed, away from me. I stared out of the window of our bedroom, the large doors left open to let air and sunlight in. There was a tall sycamore tree right outside out bedroom and the branches almost reached in and I stared at the rustling leaves, trying to scrub my mind clean of the words I’d just read.
But it was impossible.
It wasn’t something I hadn’t thought of. The stark difference between me and Jungkook, physically. He spent five days a week in the gym and they were right. He was a young man with healthy sexual appetites.
I’d never cheat on you. Jungkook’s voice from a week ago still echoed somewhere inside my skull.
I sighed, playing with my wedding ring.
I wasn’t a virgin when I married Jungkook. Hadn’t been one , when I got into the accident either. My then boyfriend, a tall strapping lit major had been a very sexual guy as well and our libidos had matched pretty well. But I’d been an athletic nineteen year old, able to bend like a pretzel at his whim and there was just endless time and endless stamina and just a whole lot of attraction . We had spent hours, exploring each other the way college kids do. Weekends in bed spent trying every possible permutation of sex positions and kinks and I’d discovered all the things I liked. All the things I didn’t.
But then the accident had happened and well, when you’re in crippling agony, sometimes sex takes the backseat. I’d been focused on my recovery, on making sure that I came out of this at least with the ability to walk and I’d succeeded. Burying the part of me that craved a man’s touch, it wasn’t easy but it was necessary.
And then Jungkook had happened.
Sex with Jungkook hadn’t been difficult. Not really. I wasn’t completely crippled after all but it was also nowhere near as exciting as it could be with someone who had full use of her legs. I knew that. It was kind of obvious. But I hadn’t dwelt too much on it because to be honest, Jungkook hadn’t looked like he’d minded. He had seemed to enjoy himself .
But then reading about how he probably hadn’t enjoyed it definitely stung.
Worse yet, probably half the country was reading it with me. I felt nauseous. Did no one think that they should have left the last part out of that article? It was terrible enough without adding that bit about me.
A faint buzzing made me turn to the bed.
I glanced at my phone as it rang, my father in law’s name prominent on the screen.
Showtime, I thought with a grimace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“I suppose it was too much to hope for , expecting that boy  to keep his dignity. This is outrageous.” Mr. Jeon’s loud voice rang through the foyer of the house and I flinched, gripping the edge of the futon as Sana jumped a bit . She sat next to me, holding my hand carefully. Moral support I supposed but I was feeling entirely too blasé about the whole thing. None of this was unexpected, I thought miserably and I wasn’t feeling up to pretending otherwise.
“I still wish they’d talked to me about this.”
My brother in law’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. The man looked like he’d been dragged through hell and back and I felt a pang of genuine sympathy. He looked wrecked and it was obvious she was in love with my sister. Resentment coiled thick and deep inside me. Resentment and envy.
With no effort at all she had charmed both the Jeon brothers, I thought bitterly.
Jeon Jihyun looked absolutely stricken at the thought of losing his wife.  
“I’ve asked Lisa to take the first flight out. She called me this morning, hysterical. It was something done in the heat of the moment. She .. She’s very apologetic. I believe her and I’m willing to forgive her. We’re…. We’re thinking of starting a family together. ” He said softly and my stomach turned.
I felt my skin go ice cold as I wrapped my arms around myself. Shivering just a bit, I lightly squeezed Sana’s hand. She looked at me in askance and I had to swallow to get my voice out, throat dry. The words made me want to retch. I could imagine how Jungkook would take this news.
“Can you get me my shawl? It’s in the green room.” I said hoarsely.  She bowed before moving away from me and when I looked back up, Jihyun’s gaze caught mine.
“This must be hard on you.” He said softly and I flushed, staring down at my knees.
“Not like I can run from it. Literally or figuratively.” I smiled without mirth.
“Jungkook is …he’s just confused. He needs some time to sort himself out. I’ve asked him to take a break and come back to Seoul after a couple of weeks. The separation would do him some good.” Jihyun said quietly and I sighed before nodding. What else was I supposed to say to that anyway? There wasn’t much I could do, my influence on things almost nonexistent at this point.
“Are you going to give the boy a break, Jeon?” My father demanded, staring at Jungkook’s father who sighed.
“Yes. I’ve been trying to get these damned reporters off our back. They’re all over the place. And yes, I think Jungkook should stay in Japan for a while.  We’re starting a new distribution branch there and I wanted him to scout places and possible vendors. I’ll tell him to hash out all the details before coming back.”
His phone rang again and he excused himself . I watched him leave the room, trying to make sense of his words.
How long would it take to build a whole branch in Japan? I had no clue. But it could hardly be done in a few weeks, could it?
“That’s.. That’s a long time.” I said hesitantly and my father frowned.
“is that a problem?” he asked.
I sighed. There was no point keeping this to myself. I was supposed to go to the doctor’s tomorrow. And well, it would be better if they heard it from me first.
“I.. I’m pregnant.” I said quietly.
The silence that followed was deafening. I stared at the carpet, not able to bring myself to look up at them. I could guess, what I’d find there. It was what I always found in people’s faces.
“Oh, sweet child.” My father’s sigh made me look up and there it was. The pity. I felt sick to my stomach. Sana returned, settling the hand knit shawl over my shoulders and I wrapped it tight, before glancing at her in some desperation. She smiled reassuringly, settling next to me and gently taking my fingers in hers. The warmth grounded me for a second and when Jihyun growled, I stared at him.
“I… I didn’t know. Fuck, I’m going to kill Jungkook. This fucker…” Jihyung swore and my father sighed, clearly thinking hard.
“you can’t be staying alone now.” He said softly, sitting up and cracking his knuckles, and I swallowed. I wouldn’t bear it if they tried to take me back home. I had hated it there.
“ You must come back home with me.” He said softly but I quickly shook my head.
“ No.. No I won’t. I … Please.” I begged, the mere idea of going back to my childhood home a nightmare. My mother would kill me with just her sharp and vindictive words. I was in no shape to put up with her verbal and emotional abuse. It was one of the things that had made me agree to marry Jungkook in the first place.
“Well, you can’t stay here by yourself.” My father protested. I’ve been by myself my whole damn life, I wanted to scream.
“I’ll be fine. I have Sana and the others to help me.” I said tiredly. My father shook his head before turning to Jihyun again.
“Is Namjoon still working on his book?” My father asked him and Jihyun frowned. The name elicited a tug in my memory and I turned to stare at my father, confused.
“You remember him? He used to tutor you when you were hi High School.”
I had a brief flashback to dimples and almond shaped eyes. I remembered him vaguely. Very vaguely. But nowhere well enough to want him to live with me, alone or not.  
“Dad…” I protested but he held a hand up to silence me, nodding at Jihyun .
“Namjoon? Kim Namjoon? ” He shook his head. “ I’m not sure. Why?”
“I think it would be good if he moves in here. His father was telling me that he was looking for a place to stay, now that he’s moved back to Korea. ” My father said softly, staring at me and I stiffened.
“Father…” I began desperately and my father shook his head.
“Don’t argue. He was a dear friend of yours. I don’t think you should be alone at a time like this. And I think Jungkook would approve. Like Jihyun said, the kid needs some space to sort himself out. Let him finish whatever business is going on in Japan.” My father glanced at Mr. Jeon who looked at me with guilt.
“I owe you an apology , on behalf of my idiot son.”
I looked away, not sure what to say to that. I hated the man quite passionately. Jungkook wasn’t perfect… far from it. But this man had taken a sledgehammer to my husband’s mind and heart at every turn. The disdain, the condescension, the sick way he favored his brother over him, the way nothing Jungkook did was ever good enough. It had all taken a toll on my husband. I had watched it chip away at Jungkook’s self confidence, at his mental health.
“I think more than anything, you owe an apology to your son. You knew he was in love with Lisa and yet…. You forced him to marry me.” I said quietly and the room went eerily quiet. My father rounded on me , eyes blazing.
“Leah!!! Apologize, now!” He roared and I looked away.
“You’re all the same. Ungrateful and entitled.” Mr. Jeon said sharply, before turning to his son. “ I’m leaving Jihyun-ah. Tell me when that wife of yours get home. I want to talk to her.”
He shared a half hug with my father before stalking off and my father grabbed his jacket as well.
“I’ll leave as well. Your mother is being quite hysterical. Apparently, all her friends are hounding her about the article.” He sighed and I nodded , watching him shrug on the jacket before nodding at Jihyun and then following his friend out to the front doors.
Jihyun stayed standing , watching my father’s form disappear through the door before turning to me.
“ Are you alright?” He said quietly, moving to kneel in front of me. Sana stood up, bowing before leaving and I watched her disappear into the hallway leading to the kitchens. Jihyun’s fingers wrapped around mine, brushing my knees and I stared down at him.
“The question is, are you alright?” I brushed the hair off his face. He sighed.
“No. No I’m not. I’m angry and jealous and very much filled with resentment towards my brother.” He said honestly and I laughed, tugging on his hand and patting the seat next to me. He straightened before moving to settle next to me and I leaned on his shoulders, sighing as he wrapped on around me, the warmth of his body comforting .
“Are you going to give your marriage a chance?” I asked carefully.
“She told me she was going to break things off for good. We.. We’ve been talking about it. Starting a family, making this work.” He said quietly. I nodded. It was understandable. Unlike Jungkook and I , Jihyun had a responsibility. He would need a son and even though people liked to act like they didn’t care much about gender, like they didn’t care much about having children , it was sort of an unspoken rule. First son of the house ? You had to have a male heir to carry the family name.
I wondered how that conversation had gone between Jungkook and Lisa. It didn’t really match the photo I’d seen.
“I suppose Jungkook probably put up a fight. He genuinely wants to end up with her. He… He tells me often that he loves her and can’t love anyone else. ” I wondered if I ought to feel embarrassed or insulted.
But the truth was, I was numb to a lot of things that had once hurt quite a lot..
The conversation with Jungkook about my pregnancy had definitely cleared things up for me. There was nothing there worth salvaging. Chasing something that wasn’t real , that was foolishness. Especially when I had a very real baby to think about. A child that counted on me to make the right choices.
“I don’t think he did. She spoke to me last night and said that he agreed. Of course that was before the article came out. I’d like to think she didn’t lie to me but I’m not sure.”
I sighed, settling in closer to his chest. He was warm and firm, solid and reliable. I wondered if it would have been easier, if my father had just married me off to Jihyun instead. Jihyun and I …we were alike. We had been friends , even from childhood. Had watched with fond adoration as our younger siblings had fallen madly, wildly in love. Jungkook and Liza had been drawn to each other from the first. Inevitable.
Jihyun and I were more carefree. We didn’t feel things that intensely and perhaps that was why we could sit here in the calm of the afternoon air, quiet and introspective when we ought to be furious and raging.
“ Should we run off together? You and i?” He said suddenly making me laugh.
“Very much incapable of running.” I reminded him with a grin and he squeezed my shoulder .
“I’d carry you.” He said simply.
“Where would we go?” I asked curiously, indulging the fantasy for just a few minutes.
“Somewhere far away. Maybe India? There’s so many people there and we could get lost in the crowds.”
“That does sound appealing.” I smiled and turned to look up at him. His face inches from mine, not as handsome as Jungkook but strong featured and kind. “ But I’m not alone anymore. I have a child.”
His gaze dipped to my lap.
“Yes. Jungkook’s child.” He said thoughtfully.
“No. Mine. Nobody else’s . Just mine.” I said quietly. Jihyun’s gaze softened. He pressed a quick kiss to the top of my head.
“I’m sorry.” He whispered, echoing his father’s words.” On behalf of my idiot brother, I’m sorry.”
And where Mr. Jeon’s words hadn’t made any sort of impact, Jihyun’s made my heart clench and ache in the worst way. Self pity was something I loathed but sometimes, being handed the short end of the stick at every turn in life makes it impossible to not feel sorry for yourself.
Tears stung, welling up in my eyes and spilling over my lashes like water bubbling out of an aquifer.
I blinked slowly, not bothering to wipe them as they traced a path down my face, dripping into the fabric of my shawl. In a moment of clarity I wondered what Jungkook must be going through now. Nothing good for sure.
It definitely said something, that I still worried for him. Sighing, I let Jihyun hug me closer. I would take advantage of his kindness for a few more minutes. It had been a while since someone had held me like I mattered.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I called Jungkook that evening.
It wasn’t an easy choice but my heart ached and my mind raced with unanswered questions. I didn’t want to get lost in my own thoughts so I didn’t overthink it. We were still married. I was allowed to call him.
He picked up on the third ring.
“Where are you?” I asked quietly and Jungkook’s groan made my face heat up a little.
“I… Leah?” He sounded groggy. I glanced at the time. It wasn’t late.
“Are you sleeping?”
He didn’t reply for a few minutes.
“I’m sorry about what happened. We.. We didn’t do anything else. It was just.. it was a kiss. Just that.”
“Are you still in the hotel?” I asked quietly ignoring his words.
“ For tonight, yes. Dad wants me to stay with a friend of his. I’ll be going over to their place tomorrow morning.” He replied .
Silence followed for a few seconds.
“Namjoon is moving in tomorrow.” I said stiffly.
Jungkook didn’t respond for a minute or so.
“Yes. Father said it’s a good idea. And I agree. You shouldn’t be alone while I’m here. He’s right. Hyung’s a nice guy. He’ll help you out.” Jungkook said softly.
“Liza came home. She wanted to talk to me.” I said quietly.
Jungkook didn’t reply and I sighed.
“I told her I wasn’t going to talk to her before I talked to you. I don’t… I don’t want to say anything to her that I haven’t already said before. But I still want to know your thoughts on all this. Your plans, that is. I take it you weren’t happy with her ending things.” I said stiltedly.
Jungkook didn’t reply for a few seconds.
“Things between us ended a long time ago, Leah. It was over when we both agreed to marry other people. Maybe even before that, I don’t know… I … I guess I just didn’t want to acknowledge them.” He said quietly. “ She’s different, now. Even that kiss felt so wrong.  She’s moving on. I’m glad in a way. She deserves better than me. She deserves someone like hyung. He’s better than me in everyway and-”
God I wanted to strangle him.
“So why did you kiss her?” I snapped. “ If you’re so generously letting her go why would you…” I stopped.
“I didn’t kiss her. She kissed me. It was barely for a second.” He muttered. “ whoever it was must’ve been videoing us for a while.”
I had to remind myself that in the grand scheme of things, this little detail made no difference.
“Right.” I sighed. “ So, you won’t be home for a while?”
“Six weeks at least.” He said quietly.
I tried to keep the disappointment down. I still wanted to see him, just to make sure he was okay. But I knew that was just the pregnancy hormones talking.
“Okay.” I said simply.
“How are you? Did you go see the doctor?” He asked softly and the question surprised me. I was half sure he had forgotten.
“No, not yet. Maybe in a couple of days.” I scratched at a small stain on my skirt. Lime juice and baking soda, I thought absently. That should get the stain out.  
“Its pretty late. You should go see the doctor, Leah. I.. I looked stuff up. They say you have to be on pre natal vitamins, folic acid and iron supplements  and you have to have  a balanced diet. I called Sana earlier and told her to speak to our doctor and get a diet chart for you. She said she’ll do it soon. So , please take care of yourself.”
Jungkook sounded entirely serious and as always my brain felt muddled, unable to process why he did the things he did. He had looked things up about the pregnancy and that implied some sort of interest, didn’t it? But ….. he had also kissed my sister so what was I supposed to do with this?
“I’ll call you.” I said shakily, drained. I was done for the day.
“Right.” He said softly. “ Namjoon hyung will be there tomorrow right? Should I talk to him? He could take you to the doctor.”
“No.. That’s fine. I’ll manage.” I said quickly.
“You’re sure?” There was genuine worry there.
“Yes.” I sighed.
“Alright.”
Silence again. I exhaled shakily.
“Should I hang up?” I asked quietly.
“Yeah. Good night. ” He breathed.
“Good night, Jungkook.”
Click.
I stared at the wall, gently lowering the phone and placing it on the bed next to me.
She deserves better than me, his voice echoed in my head.
Well, so did I.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Namjoon looked nothing like the twenty one year old college student I’d seen a decade ago. I knew he was a successful novelist and I’d read all his books. They were mostly philosophical or commentaries on life and emotions. I enjoyed the way he wrote : melancholic and deep but also clear and easy to understand. It was like staring at a particularly deep pool, being able to see all the way down to the bottom because of how clean the waters were. But once you put your feet in, the depth  always surprised you.
“That’s a lot of books.” I laughed, gripping the edge of the door frame as I watched him stumble under the weight of a crate full of bound books. Namjoon’s messy brown hair peeked over the top, and when he adjusted the huge load to stare at me, I caught sight of his handsome face stretched in a dimpled grin, eyes glinting.
“Research.” He grunted, straightening himself up and I watched the flex of his muscles as he carefully moved to place the crate down in one corner of the large bedroom that I’d had cleaned for him. It was on the west wing of the house, parallel to my own bedroom that I shared with Jungkook . Namjoon had spent three years working as a professor somewhere in Indonesia. And I knew that he’d spent a year backpacking all over Scandinavia. I stared at his tall strapping figure, watching him set up his writing space carefully, sorting out boxes and electronics.
He had driven here in his Range Rover and I knew all his clothes were still there in the back of the car.
“Should I ask the footmen to get your clothes?” I asked and he glanced up at me, frowning.
“Footmen?” He looked confused and I rolled my eyes.
“Namjoon…” I said chidingly and he grinned again.
“I keep forgetting you’re filthy rich. Makes me wish I should have beaten Jungkook to the game and bagged myself a rich wife.” He winked. It was a joke but there was no mistaking the hint of interest in his eye. Or maybe it was just wishful thinking on my part. Being married to Jungkook had definitely made me question the attraction I held for men so it felt good, having someone as handsome and whole and successful as Namjoon look at me like that.
“I’ll ask them to get your clothes. You should shower and settle in. We’ll meet for dinner tonight.” I said quickly and he nodded.
“You’re going to be okay heading back to your room? Let me know if you need help.” He pointed at my feet and I nodded. It was sweet of him to offer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dinner was surprisingly not awkward at all. Namjoon had a lot of interesting stories to share and I found myself clinging to ever word in rapt attention. He spoke about all the folklore he’d run into in different places, how he thought that no matter the culture, there were always some common things you could find in every one of them. He also talked a little about his next book, which he hadn’t named yet.
“It’s about second chances. Forgiving and moving on.” He said, taking another bite of his braised pork and moving to make another lettuce wrap.
“ Heavy stuff.” I said thoughtfully. “ Most of my writing is commercial. I just try to sell stuff to reluctant people. It’s not much but it keeps me occupied and it’s always nice to make money that you can call your own.”
“It’s because you don’t write for yourself. When you start writing for yourself, you can truly be who you are.” He said firmly and I nodded in agreement.
My writing in college had been vivid and bright and filled with life. But after the accident, it had turned grey and gloomy. The words seemed to drip with loss and longing and  I didn’t enjoy it, because it was a reminder that I was no longer the vibrant, attractive fulsome girl I once was.
“Maybe that’s what I’m afraid of.” I smiled. “ Being who I am. I would rather pretend I’m at least a little alright.”
Namjoon stared at me, thoughtful.
“You used to run track.” He said softly and I grinned.
“You remember.” I said, pleased.
“Of course I do and you were captain of the volleyball team as well. You used to organize all those hikes and treks and stuff.”
“Yes I did. I loved the outdoors.” I stared out of the window.
“Loved? Past tense?” He tilted his head. I stared at him, shaking my head.
“What kind of question is that.” I shook my head. “ Look at me. I’m not trekking anytime soon, considering how the last time ended.”
“You can still go out.” He frowned. “ When was the last time you went somewhere?”
I shook my head.
“Oppa…”
“Listen. You know me. You’ve known me for more than a decade. Do you honestly think I’m going to let you rattle around this old house like a ghost when you should be out there taking in all the sunshine you can get?” Namjoon placed his chopsticks down and linked his fingers together, staring at me.
I stared at him, and it was definitely there. The concern, the affection. Not that different from when I was sixteen and struggling to understand what pathos meant.
But now there was a definite undercurrent of attraction. Back then it had been childish, the wild crush of a teenager on her hot tutor but now, now I knew that he was so much more than just a hot guy.
“I’m pregnant.” I said softly, more a reminder to myself than anything else.
Namjoon grinned.
“We’ll steer clear of horse riding and alcohol. Anything else you can just let me know.”
“Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack.”
“I think I’m getting one now.” I deadpanned.
“Because you’re nervous.” He grinned.
“Because your dimples look too adorable.” I retorted.
He laughed.
“I’ll talk to Jihyun and we’ll go see your doctor first. Then we’ll go out and have  a nice picnic.”
“Namjoon, I can’t…”
“You don’t know that.” He said firmly.” You don’t know if you can or can’t because you’ve never tried. Listen I love picnics and I love going out and I want company. I’m agreeing to be stuck with you for a while and the least you can do is  give me company at a picnic. You know how big a loser I’d seem like if I went by myself?”
It was like I was sixteen again getting brow beaten into things by a tutor who just hated the idea of not getting his way. I shook my head fondly.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fourteen weeks. Three and a half months.
I stared at the ultrasound, feeling a multitude of things, not all of them good. The baby was growing well and I had all my prescriptions filled. Namjoon had offered to come with me but I had refused. It was too intimate and he was still a stranger. I did take a photo of the ultrasound and sent it to Jungkook.
/Jungkook called me back almost at once.
“You went to the doctor?” He asked, sounding a little breathless.
“Were you running?” I asked, surprised.
“Not really. I’m supposed to be meeting one of the vendors for lunch and I thought I could walk to the restaurant but its farther than I thought.” He huffed.
“Everything’s fine. Baby’s due in July.” I said quietly.
“Summer. That’s good.” He replied. “Right?”
I hesitated. What did that mean? What did it matter when the baby would be born?
“Because winter would mean it being too cold . Summer we can take the baby out and stuff without worrying too much.” Jungkook said softly.
Oh.
“How’s work?” I asked awkwardly. The non conversation was getting tedious. There was just so much to talk about and it was obvious that both of us weren’t in the mood to actually ask or answer anything worthwhile.
“Did dad say something?” Jungkook asked quickly and I frowned.
“No. Why?”
“He wants me to join hyung in the corporate office. Leave the smelter units.” Jungkook sounded subdued and upset and I felt sympathy well inside me.
“Join him? As what?” I asked quietly.
“Head of the marketing department. I’ll be reporting to Seokjin hyung.” Jungkook had clearly started walking again, breath coming in little exhales.
“You don’t want it?” I asked confused, not sure if this was a good or bad thing.
“I mean… I have a degree in Business and Finance. Hyung’s the CEO , I was hoping I’d be the CFO.” Jungkook sighed, “ But I suppose I should be grateful he didn’t disown me altogether after what happened earlier.”
I stayed quiet and so did he.
“We need to talk . When you get back. You … I know you don’t like sharing about what you feel but you owe me an explanation.” I said firmly.
“I know. But I meant what I said when I left. I’m going to be there for you and the baby. You’re still my wife. That’s not going to change.”
I ran my fingers over the ultrasound.
“Did you also mean the part where you said you can’t stand me.” I said bitterly .
Jungkook didn’t reply.
“I… You know I didn’t. That was just something I said on impulse. I’m sorry. You’re… You’ve been nothing but good to me. And honestly, just the fact that you’re carrying my child is proof that I can definitely stand you.” He sounded just a little hoarse.
I bit my lips, staring up at the door when I heard a knock.
“Leah? I’m going to have some tea in the garden … You wanna come with?” Namjoon’s voice rang through the room and I froze.
“Oh.. Oh.. yes. I’ll be down.” I said quickly, nodding . Namjoon pointed at the phone and gave to thumbs up before moving back out.
“Was that Namjoon hyung?” Jungkook’s voice came over the line.
“Oh… yeah. Yeah, he’s… he wants me to have tea with him in the gardens.” I said awkwardly.
“That’s nice.  You should go. Get out of the house once in a while.” I didn’t know what to say to that so I stayed quiet.
After another minute or so of silence, Jungkook cleared his throat.
“ I got that form you sent in for me to fill, about my medical history. I’ll fill it up and mail it to the doctor’s office. Is that alright?” He asked hesitantly. “ If not I can fly back home. If they need me in person or something.”
I frowned a bit.
“They don’t need you in person, Jungkook of course not. Mail it, that’s fine.”
Another pause.
“This is really happening huh? A baby. We’re having a baby.” The exhaustion in his voice was palpable and I wondered.
“Yes. We are.” I said simply, not having anything else to elaborate on. It was happening. I was torn between pleasure at having something to look forward to and guilt at forcing Jungkook into a role he wasn’t ready for. But , for better or for worse we were married. The child was his. It would be a Jeon.
“ I’ll do better.” He said quietly. “ With the little one. I’ll be better.”
Tears these days, sprung up out of nowhere I thought miserably, furiously swiping at my face.
“Leah?” His voice came over the line. “ Leah are you there?”
“I need to go.”
“Alright.”
“Take care of yourself too, Jungkook.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Loneliness .
It’s such an odd sort of feeling. Sometimes you get used to it so much, that you forget all about it.
It stays , a part of you that doesn’t make much of an impression on you until one day, suddenly it becomes unbearable,
Until you get a glimpse of what it’s like to not be lonely.
And then suddenly it’s like a deep chasm of longing and desperation just opens up inside you, craving love and warmth and company with a hunger that feels like it can never ever be satisfied.
I’d never paid much mind to the fact that my life revolved around myself, my writing and the flowers in the garden. Not until Namjoon had come, demanding to be felt and seen and heard .
 Namjoon hadn’t joked about not letting me rattle around the house. Our days were spent sprawled on the lawns of the Jeon estate, each of us occupied with our own writing . Namjoon typed away on his laptop while I preferred my leather bound notebook. It was oddly soothing, lying there on the clean cut grass, the sharp blades rubbing against my bare legs, as I leaned back against a tree trunk, watching Namjoon’s furrowed brows as he wrote.
Namjoon had changed in a lot of ways and yet he was still somehow just as I remembered, focused and often lost in his own head. He was a contemplative man and seemed to spend as much time reading as he did writing.
“There’s a poetry club that meets every Tuesday in Gangnam. Would you like to come with me?” He asked casually, about a week after he’d moved in and I considered it. The paparazzi had finally stopped hanging about the estate and Jungkook had called the previous night with a ETA for when he would be back.
Four weeks at most, he had said firmly and I wasn’t sure if I was feeling all that excited for his return anymore. Days spent with Namjoon were more exciting. He included me in every little thing and I was addicted.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this was probably wrong. Namjoon was sweet and kind but I was still married. But on the wake of that thought came the bitter reminder that there was nothing between Jungkook and I. He was in love with someone else. Why should I deny myself the joy of Namjoon’s company over a relationship that really wasn’t a relationship at all.
Namjoon treated me as an equal, teased and flirted like there was nothing wrong with the two of us living like this, together and away from the rest of the world and I liked it. It made me feel like perhaps happiness wasn’t such an abstract, unreachable thing after all. That perhaps I could find happiness like this. In friendship and mindless conversation with a man who didn’t see me as a burden.
“I’d love that.” I said with a smile, letting my fingers knit together with his.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Scorned wife getting even? We spotted the recently cheated on Mrs Jeon getting cozy with a strapping, buff hottie in a private restaurant last Friday and we can’t help but wonder if perhaps the reclusive lady is trying to get back at her husband by flashing her own boytoy.” Namjoon read cheerfully from his phone, looking way too entertained as he showed me the zoomed photo of us holding hands over the dinner table .
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“That’s quite the description they’ve put for you.” I grimaced, sipping my chamomile tea slowly. My father and Mr. Jeon had reacted with their usual anger, threatening to sue the gossip rag for libel but it was pointless. They would keep being intrusive rats. There was nothing much to be done beyond enduring them.
“My agent’s losing his mind. He’s been at me trying to get me to agree to book signings and public appearances and he’s pissed that this is the way I get introduced to Seoul’s High society. Poor guy.” Namjoon chuckled and I felt guilt churn.
“I’m sorry, Namjoon. I really didn’t think they’d be following me. I mean… usually they’re only tailing Jungkook but I guess with the whole thing with Lisa , they’re just looking for ways to make things worse.” I said hesitantly.
Namjoon hesitated, staring at me for a few seconds.
“We never really talked about how things are.” He said quietly. “ Between you and Jungkook, that is.”
I ran the edge of my chopsticks on the brim of my soup bowl.
“ There’s not much to say. He’s…. He’s still sorting things out. With my sister.” I smiled a little. It ached a lot less, I realized with surprise.
“They loved each other deeply.” Namjoon said softly. “ that sort of thing doesn’t go away that quickly.”
I nodded.
“Of course. And I’ve been …understanding of that. I like to think.”
“But its unfair to you. You deserve to be loved too. Fully and well .”
I leaned back to stare at him.
“Are you offering?” I laughed, teasing.
Namjoon didn’t smile, leaning forward instead.
“Depends. Will you ever consider leaving him, for me?” He said seriously.
My heart turned over inside me.
“Namjoon…” I choked out and he reached out and lightly touched my palm.
“I know how marriages work with people like you, so I think I should draw boundaries now, if I want to keep myself safe.” He smiled a bit.
“I’m pregnant. With his child.” I swallowed and Namjoon’s brows went up.
“I thought it was your child. Yours and no one else’s.”
I felt torn, staring at him and wanting to say that I didn’t consider Jungkook as the child’s father, not in the way most people did. But I also remembered my husbands determined voice, the way he kept insisting that he wouldn’t neglect the child.
“Its not about Jungkook or the child, Leah. Its about you. You married Jungkook knowing he was in love with your sister and that tells me that you listen to your parents. You don’t want to stand up against the rules set by our parents and I don’t fault you for it. But I can’t let myself fall for you, knowing you’re going to be bound by your obligations to yurr family.”
I shook my head.
“Don’t fall in love with me.” I said easily. “ You’re right. My family comes first. And whether I want to be or not, I’m bound to Jungkook for life. So don’t fall in love with me.”
He smiled and nodded.
“Alright then.”
“Do you want to move out?” I asked bitterly and he looked genuinely surprised.
“What?”
“You clearly think I’m trying to seduce you or something when really, I-“
“Hey. Hey, Leah…no. No alright, that’s not what I meant. These two weeks, it was amazing. I love your mind and you’re easily one of my favorite people on this planet. We’re friends. And we’ll stay friends no matter what but you must know why I said what I said. You’re a beautiful woman and I’m a lonely guy.” He smiled a bit, “ I just don’t want to make it hard for myself when you want me to leave.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jungkook arrived back in Korea on a cold, rainy morning and against my better judgment I let Jihyun and Lisa drag me to the airport. It was some kind of publicity stunt, that much I could fathom but I didn’t know if Jungkook was in on it. I hadn’t spoken to him in a few days, he had been busy wrapping things up with the new branch in Japan.
It was another bad day for my leg and I found myself leaning heavily on my sister, her arm wrapped around my waist as we walked over to the waiting area. I could already identify a few men with cameras staring at us discreetly. Paparazzi . I saw them move their cameras down to the now obvious curve of my stomach and I swallowed. I could already imagine the articles wondering who the father was : Jungkook or Namjoon.
“You alright?” My sister asked worriedly and I nodded, not looking at her. Lisa hadn’t been discouraged by initial refusal to speak to her, keeping at it till I finally caved and let her visit me at the estate. She didn’t love Jungkook anymore, she insisted . It was over. They were over . She wanted to give her marriage a chance. Very sweet and nice, that. And it was obvious that she wasn’t lying, what with the way she and her husband kept
Jihyun and Lisa had made amends with each other and it annoyed me that they seemed to be madly in love with each other all of a sudden. Like the past couple months hadn’t even happened. I stared down at my wedding ring feeling stricken. Was it unfair that I resented them for this? Why hadn’t the two of them thought of this, of breaking things off and moving on before the damn wedding. And then maybe Jungkook and I would have had a real marriage too.
Bitter and hormonal was definitely not a good combination I thought with a wince, fingers splaying on the curve of my lower belly. It was so odd, being pregnant. The extra weight somehow foreign but also …so soothing. The last scan had shown that I had an anterior placenta and that meant that I may not feel movements for a while. I didn’t mind, having found comfort in just tracing my palm over the bare skin of my stomach.
“There he is.” Jihyun’s voice made me look up and ure enough there he was.
It wasn’t the longest we’d been away from each other and yet, I felt my heart leap at the sight of him. He truly was a very handsome man, I thought miserably. And no matter what people said, it was infinitely more difficult to hate your husband when he looked that good.
Jungkook’s eyes caught mine first and I saw the way his gaze dipped straight to the curve of my bump. Even from the ten feet between us , I saw hi lips part in surprise , eyes going wide. It probably hadn’t felt real to him till now, I thought biting my lips as he carefully handed his bags over to the two chauffeurs who had rushed to help him.
Jihyun wasted no time in bounding over and hugging his little brother tight.
I glanced at the man who had been taking photos, pleased to see the surprise in his face. Was he hoping that the CEO would punch his little brother in the face ? Idiots. Lisa stayed by my side and I exhaled shakily.
“ Dad told me something and I want to know if its true.” I said quietly.
She didn’t reply.
I took a deep breath, still watching the two brothers embrace each other, Jungkook’s face buried in Jihyun’s shoulders. I could see him shaking just a little and I felt my gut clench.
“He told me that …that you never told him that you wanted to marry Jungkook. That when he suggested Jihyun you agreed at once.”
She looked away.
“Lets talk about this later.” She said quietly.
“Does Jungkook know?” I demanded. “ Because he spent that first month of our marriage cursing our father out for forcing you to marry Jihyun. Forcing. And dad says that he did no such thing. So what is the truth.”
Lisa didn’t respond.
“Jungkook  knows.” She said finally, “ I told him… the truth. When we were in Japan.” and I laughed in disbelief.
“Was that before or after you kissed him?” I snapped and she looked genuinely pained.
“Leah, I never meant to hurt you or Jungkook.” She said shakily.
“My God.” I shook my head. “ I always knew you were a selfish, greedy person but I didn’t take you for being a liar and a deceitful coward. ”
She stared down at her feet.
“Yes. I’m greedy..”  She whispered “ And you may not understand it now but I did it for you and for Jungkook.”
She moved away and I watched as Jihyun pulled away from Jungkook, still holding his arm as he held a hand out to Lisa. The smile on her face seemed genuine as she took her husband’s hand and I shifted my gaze to mine. Jihyun and Lisa walked away to their car and Jungkook stepped closer to me, his face stoic and impossible to read.  
“Leah.” He said quietly, dark hair falling into even darker eyes.
I didn’t reply, merely stepping up to gently press my palms on either side of his face.
“Welcome back.” I said softly, before reaching up and kissing him full on the lips. Jungkook’s entire body went stiff as a board at the gesture but he didn’t pull away , thankfully. It felt cold and impersonal and barely lasted a few seconds but hopefully the man had gotten a few good shots. I closed my eyes for effect, running my thumb over the clean shaven curve of his jaw, before pulling away slowly.
I peered over Jungkook’s shoulder, just to make sure and sure enough, the man was moving closer to get better angles. I smiled a little. Good. That should hold these vultures off for a while. I turned back to Jungkook and his eyes followed my gaze catching sight of the man with the camera and his entire body seemed to go stiff with anger.
“Why did you do that?” He growled and I bit my lips.
“You know why.” I made to turn away but he gripped my arm, hard. So hard that I winced.
“What are you doing?” I asked panicking, glancing at the man who was still watching.
“Since when did you start pandering to those pigs?” He whispered angrily and I flinched.
“Your father wants to introduce you to the Board of directors this weekend.” I whispered quietly, “Most of them read the news Jungkook. The last news about us can’t be about you cheating on me.”
“That’s my business. And I’ll deal with it. We’re not doing this, Leah. I’m not putting on some kind of act just to please my fucking father.” He looked furious and the taut line of his jaw made me flinch.
“I’m sorry.” I said quickly, guilt churning inside me. He was right. I shouldn’t have done that without talking to him about it but I knew that the scandal with him and Lisa wouldn’t go down well with the Board. And the Board generally had a direct say on who got hired to top managerial positions.
“I just want you to get that job.” I said softly and he stared at me, stiff body relaxing marginally.
“Let’s just go home. Yeah?” Jungkook said tiredly and I bit my lips.
Less than fifteen minutes since he came home and we were already at odds with each other.
The most ill suited couple in the universe, I thought with a grimace as he stepped right next to me and wrapped a hand around my waist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I had a very terrible tendency to forget taking my pills. So I generally left them by the bedside table. Stepping out of the shower, I found Jungkook sitting on my side of the bed, examining the bottle carefully. I tugged on the white t shirt I had on, suddenly embarrassed because it was Jungkook’s
I’d asked to borrow a couple over the phone,  simply because I no longer fit into my own and the ones I’d ordered weren’t here yet. Jungkook had agreed but still, it felt awkward when he was wearing the exact same t shirt himself.
He turned around when I moved to the vanity to put on moisturizer for the night and through the reflection I saw his gaze linger on my attire.
“Aspirin? Didn’t know that was part of pre natal vitamins?” He said seriously and I blinked., surprised. I turned around to stare at him, licking my lips nervously.
“How much research did you do?” I asked, genuinely curious and he flushed.
“I had a lot of free time. “ He said defensively. “ These six weeks.”
I frowned, before turning back to grab the small pot of night cream from the draw.
“My blood pressure is a little elevated. My mother had pre eclampsia with my sister and they just want to be careful.”
“Pre eclampsia?” Jungkook’s voice was fraught with nervousness and I turned back to see him almost white as a sheet.
“Jungkook…I.. its nothing serious.” I said hastily and his jaw went even more taut.
“What do you mean its not serious? Do you even know what it is?” He demanded.
“Do you?” I snapped back, annoyed at being treated like I was an errant child.
“I know that it’s the leading cause of maternal death during birth.” He all but shouted and I flinched.
“Okay…that’s only in extreme cases.” I held both my hands up. “ it’s a bit too premature to be panicking over that.”
Jungkook opened his mouth, as though to argue but then seemed to calm himself down.
“When’s your next check up?” He asked casually.
“This weekend. But its okay, Namjoon is-“
“I’ll come with you. I.. I want to come with you.” He said quietly.
I stared at him, feeling too awkward to outright refuse.
“You have the meeting with the Board. This weekend.” I said softly.
“So?” Jungkook shrugged. “ I’ll just tell them your appointment and health is more important to me. Besides isn’t that what you wanted? The reason you kissed me at the airport? You want the board to think we’re happily in love. I think that would be an excellent way to show them that. ”
Jungkook stared at me , head tilted curiously, daring me to deny what I had old him myself.
Sighing, I nodded.
“Alright.” I managed a weak smile. “ You can come with me.”
“Namjoon hyung left today, you said?” He asked casually.
I nodded.
“I should send him a bottle of his favorite wine for taking care of you so well. You look good.”
“He did it because he wanted to. Because he enjoyed it.” I retorted, his words rubbing me just a little wrong.
Jungkook smiled although it was more of a smirk.
“I’m sure he did. But I’m here now. And I did promise you that I’ll be there for you.”
“For the baby.” I said sharply, not liking the way he looked. The things he seemed to b implying.” You promised me you’d be there for the baby.”
“And right now, said baby is inside you.” He grinned now and I felt my pulse quicken at the sight. Jungkook didn’t smile with me. It wasn’t something that happened. At all. “ So I’ll have to take care of you.”
I stared at him, biting my lips.
“What are you doing?” I demanded. “My sister told you she never wanted you so now you want to start fucking me again?”
It was cruel. A terrible thing to say and I regretted it at once.
The smile faded.
“What?”
“ I…fuck Jungkook.” I groaned.
“is that what you think of me? Need I remind you that you were the one who came to me all those months ago? I never…. I would never force myself on you, Leah.” He looked like he’d been stabbed and I heart clenched.
“Jungkook , I…”
“I’ve been honest. Through all of this I’ve been honest to you. I lied to your sister, I lied to my father and fuck I even lied to myself. But I’ve been honest with you , Leah.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?!” I cried out, despairing. “ You were in love with my sister and –“
“And she wanted to marry my brother.” Jungkook yelled, standing up and turning to me, eyes blazing. “  All along. Know what she told me Leah? That it was never supposed to be me. That five years of us being together…it was because she was in love with my brother and she couldn’t bear the thought of being alone. She started dating me to make him jealous and when she saw that I spent so much time with Jihyun she stuck around . So she could spend time with him.” He shook his head.
I stared at him, horrified.
“Jungkook….”
“I thought I could never feel more pathetic than when I stood there listening her tel me how she never felt a single thing for me. But wow…. Thank you for proving me wrong. Because right now, standing here begging you to let me a part of the child we both made knowing you only see me as some kind of pervert just looking to get into your bed….” he shook his head,” I feel worse. I feel dirty.”
My throat went dry.
“You know what?” He moved to the closet and to my horror he grabbed a bunch of his clothes and a small suitcase. “ I’m going to go get a Hotel room.”
“What? No… Jungkook, wait!” I rushed to his side, grabbing his arm but he threw my hand off quickly.
“Ask Namjoon hyung to move back in. Better yet, tell dad the truth. That you think I’m disgusting. That the thought of me being in your life makes you sick. Tell him you want a divorce and-“
“It’s a girl.” I exhaled sharply.
Jungkook went completely still.
I swallowed, my heart racing so fast I couldn’t catch my breath.
I took a deep breath and moved to lightly touch his back, fingers splaying on the broad expanse of his shoulder blade .
He turned around at that and my heart lurched at the tear tracks down his cheeks. He looked wrecked.
“ A girl?” He whispered.
I bit my lips, nodding.
“We’re having a little girl.” He looked a little shell shocked.
“Yes. And hopefully, she isn’t as dramatic as her father.” I said softly, grabbing the dozen or so t shirts he’d pulled out of the closet and pushing them back into the shelves.
Jungkook didn’t protest, still staring into space, probably just taking the news in. I felt awful for one second because I hadn’t even cared all that much when the technician had told me.
I closed the closet door and moved back to the vanity trying to process all that had been said in the last five minutes, only to feel a headache come on. I would think about it tomorrow.
I finished braiding my hair when Jungkook’s voice came from the bed.
“If you don’t want me to intrude into your space you can tell me. I’m okay with only getting information about the baby.” He said quietly.
I stared at myself in the mirror.
I turned to him slowly. i took a deep breath, considered that what i was going to say would likely change everything between us. But i had to. 
I’ve always been honest with you Leah, He had said and I decided that perhaps he deserved some honesty in return.
“I think I’m in love with Namjoon.” 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author’s Note : these two are such a mess istg. 
ooh i don’t have a taglist for this so please comment if you wanna be on it. 
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13uswntimagines · 4 years ago
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Love You or Lose You (Alpha Soran x Omega Reader)
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Request: This is the first part to the Prequel for Playing with Fire. Its right after the 2016 Olympics, and R missed the PK instead of Christen. Things have been rough with her Alphas and she just needs a fresh Start. Barca might be the start she was after, but her mates might not like that too much... Especially when she leaves in the middle of the night. 
Basically 4000 words of Lindsey and Emily being idiots, R being sad and Preath and Kellex being worried. 
The air was heavy in the locker room, pressing into you like an anvil settled on your soul. You could remember a time when you had felt at home here. Like you belonged here.  
A time when Lindsey and Emily had actually loved you, and you didn’t feel like an unneeded (or wanted) burden on the national team (more like your family). 
You shook your head, tucking your frame tighter into the small locker that belonged to your most dominant alpha, pulling a leftover sweater tighter against your face. 
No. The locker that belonged to Lindsey. She wasn’t your alpha anymore, she had said so herself, but your inner omega still cried out for her and Emily nonetheless. A fight didn’t change the marks on your neck, or what your inner animal knew to be true. 
Yet it changed everything if the unbearable pain ripping through your chest was anything to go by. 
Another sob left your lips, muffled only slightly by the heavy material of Lindsey’s sweatshirt that smelled distinctly like both her and Emily. It did little to ease your instincts, but you would take whatever you could get right now. 
There was no reason to hold back your tears, there was no one else there to see them anyway. No one who would come looking for the source of the distressed pheromones you were emitting. No one to care that you were falling apart. It didn’t matter that you were all in the same city. 
They were all too busy trying to process their own issues from the loss. The loss you knew fell squarely on your shoulder. If only you had made that PK, none of this would have happened. 
You shuttered at the mix of emotions trickling down your mating bond. Lindsey’s anger and Emily’s clear frustration. You gulped pushing against their emotions with an overwhelming wave of your own. You willed as much calm as you could muster down the bond-forming a little barrier between your omega and their alphas, and shoved your own despair as far away from it as you could. 
The block wouldn’t hold forever, but it would do the job for now. Bonds were a bitch to shut down completely, and a permanent block was going to have to be something you figured out later. 
Your inner omega growled, digging her claws into your brain. While the human side of your head got why you were doing this, your animal side was loath to deny your alphas the privilege of your deepest emotions. Especially when she thought they could fix it if they knew. 
You let out a little whimper at the sound of the door, tucking yourself tighter into a ball as footsteps approached.
“Hey, Kid just thought I’d let you know your Uber is here,” 
You peeked out at the kind voice, semi soothing scent, and worried eyes of the athletic. You tried to smile at the woman, but you knew she wasn’t fooled. She knew you too well for that. 
“Thanks Bailey,” You sniffled, easing into a sitting position and turning to fully face the woman, and running a hand through your wild hair (only making it messier than it was before). 
“I’m gonna miss you kid,” She said, and you could tell that she wanted to say more. But both of you knew it wouldn’t change anything. The deal was done and you couldn’t find it within yourself to regret it. 
“I’m gonna miss you too, but you know I can’t stay,” 
She nodded, she would have left too if she was in your shoes. Barça was making lemonade out of rotten lemons. 
You took another gulping breath into Lindsey’s sweatshirt before shoving it into your backpack, and standing. Your eyes strayed towards the other lockers around you, landing on several items of clothing left by your friends. 
“Doesn’t mean I have to like it,” She grumbled under her breath as she headed towards the door. 
“No, it doesn’t,” You breathed out, heading towards the various lockers instead of the door. 
Leaving here would be like leaving a part of your soul behind. Your fingers traced over the wooden panels that outlined each locker. You only paused twice. Once outside Emily’s locker to steal a coveted Virginia soccer t-shirt and again at Tobin’s taking a re-inc sweater that you knew Christen wore more than Tobin and a LFG t-shirt that smelled distinctly like Kellex. 
The quad (as the national team called them) were your team moms, and their scents all comforted you. They would make whatever apartment you ended up in in Barça feel like home. 
Bailey raised her eyebrow at you as you stuffed the items into your backpack. You just shrugged. “they won’t miss them anyway,” 
It was true, and even if it wasn’t you were sure Chris would still back you up when she found out exactly why you left. 
You paused at the door, taking one last glance around the room, looking for some sign to stay. You rubbed your chest when another wave of negative emotions from your mates passed through your bond. 
You cleared your throat and shook your head at Bailey’s raised eyebrows. The weight in your chest told you that you were making exactly the right move. 
She sighed, leading you towards the loading bay where your Uber was waiting. 
“Thank you… for everything,” You said softly, pulling the older omega into a tight hug. She knew you meant more than walking you to the car park. She was there for you when no one else was, and you would be eternally grateful for all she had done for you. 
She held you for a long moment, rocking you side to side before pulling back to hold you at arm's length. “You got it, kid. Be safe and text me when you land alright?” 
You gave her a nod and a tight smile. “Look after them?” 
She rolled her eyes. If those two idiots had done anything even close to what they had done to you to her, she wouldn’t have been nearly as forgiving as you seemed to be. 
Then again you were also moving to Spain. 
“Of course,” She said, shoeing you towards the car. 
She would make sure they were very informed on how you were doing. 
****
Christen knew that there was something wrong. Very wrong. Before her phone even dinged. She could feel it in her bond with you. The torrent of emotions that had suddenly shifted into a calm she had never felt from you before. 
The bond the two of you shared was a special one, forged the moment she had laid eyes on you (even more special than the one you shared with her mates). The second your small, skittish form had entered the dining hall (tucked carefully under Emily's arm) her omega had claimed you as its pup, and you latched onto her quiet calm nature without a second thought. 
She knew you almost as well as your mates knew you, and the bond you shared (while different) was nearly as strong. And therefore your bond with the rest of the quad was also relatively strong. 
For an unknown reason, it was keeping her awake. It was like her omega was waiting for a sign, something to tell her that you were safe and sound. 
She practically jumped out of her skin at the ding of her phone, fumbling to unlock the screen and find the message you had sent her. 
She froze when her alpha shifted against her, inadvertently jostling the two omega’s attached to her other side. 
“Wha- appened?” Tobin mumbled, nuzzling into her stomach. Christen sighed at the wave of soothing scents that Tobin let off, trying to calm her nerves even in sleep. 
“Shh, baby bear is texting me. Go back to sleep,” Christen said, scratching the alphas scalp gently with one hand and pulling up the text with the other. 
She blinked at the bright screen once, twice, three times. 
It was five words, cold and emotionless. It reminded her of the call marines made to their parents when they went to boot camp. 
Landed in Spain. I’m fine. 
She couldn’t help her sharp intake of breath at the singular line, or the anxiety that suddenly engulfed her heart (immediately jolting all 3 of her mates awake). 
Before she could even blink she was moved onto Tobin’s lap, and Alex and Kelley cuddled tightly into either side of her. She could feel their concern flowing down their bond, and their efforts to comfort even though they had no idea what had caused such a strong response. 
“What’s up with baby bear?” Tobin said, gently rocking from side to side. 
Christen’s mouth opened and closed several times as she tried to parse out what emotions were hers, what emotions were coming from her mating bond, and the irritating calm that was coming from her bond with you. 
“I…-I don’t,” She stuttered, unable to skate the feeling that there was something very bad behind the steadfast wall you had thrown up in your bond. 
“Give me that,” Kelley half growled, pulling the phone out from Christen’s loose grip. 
She didn’t like to be woken up in the middle of the night, and she would kill your mates if you were texting Christen because of something stupid they did. You had sent them way too many texts like that already if she was honest.
“What the fuck?” She breathed out when her eyes landed on the words. This was so much worse than Soran being dumbasses. 
“What?” Alex asked, yanking the phone away from Kelley. 
Be nice,” Tobin chastised lightly, leaning over to read the words that had sent her most dominant omega mate into a tailspin. 
She frowned at the bright screen, trying to remember the last time the two of you had really talked. Had you mentioned moving to Spain in passing? Had she just blown it off? 
A charged silence hung between them. They all knew you were taking the loss hard, and that you and your mates were struggling to work your way through the slew of emotions that came with it. But they never imagined it would come to this. That you would literally flee the country. 
“This is a joke right?” Kelley asked, her voice cracking. 
“It’s gotta be,” Alex mumbled in disbelief. You were her cuddle buddy, her baby bear. You couldn’t have left the country without saying goodbye first. 
“I’m going to find out,” Christen said finally, taking back her phone. 
She bit her lip, pressing your contact picture and holding the phone to her ear. It rang once and then went voicemail. She frowned, shaking her head at her mates, ending the call. Maybe you accidentally pressed the wrong button. 
She pressed your contact photo a second time. 
Again it rang once and went to voicemail. It definitely wasn’t a coincidence this time, and she would bet anything that the boring automated greeting that came on instead of your goofy one wasn’t a coincidence either. 
She sighed, waiting for the beep. “Hey kiddo, um I got your text and I thought we could have a check-in maybe? Call me back when you can,” She paused, unsure of how to finish. She didn’t think anything she said would ease the ache in her chest. “we love you,” 
“Call Lindsey,” Tobin said firmly, an order lurking just below the words. If you weren’t going to give them answers, then your alphas better be ready to explain what the fuck was going on. 
*****
Lindsey didn’t quite know what she expected when she picked up the phone, but it wasn’t a very annoyed Christen Press on the other side. 
Well, maybe she expected it a little bit (she knew you would go to the quad after the argument. You always went to the quad), but she never imagined the words that would come out of your team mom’s mouth. 
“Whoa, slow down. She said she’s where?” Lindsey said, sitting up off of Emily’s shoulder where she had been leaning. 
“Spain, she said she landed in Spain,” Emily could barely make out Christen’s worried voice through the phone over Lindsey’s low growl. 
“There’s no way!” The more dominant alpha barked, baring her teeth just slightly. 
Maybe she had said some things she shouldn’t have, but you wouldn’t just run off to another country without telling them. She pushed down her hurt and settled for frustration instead. 
Emily scooched away from Lindsey slightly, rubbing her ear. “Babe, if you’re going to be this loud at 3 am, at least turn on speakerphone.” She felt odd, her bond unusually unbalanced. She could feel the torrent of emotions running through Lindsey, but your side of the bond was silent. It had never been silent before. 
The two of you had known each other since you were in diapers, and your bond reflected that. She should have felt something. While you weren’t always outwardly expressive, you felt everything deeply, and vividly. You were the fire to Lindsey’s flood, and for your usual smoldering flame of emotions to just be snuffed out felt wrong.  
The two alphas shared a look before Lindsey gave in and gave a short nod, pressing the little button. Emily had just as much a right to know what was happening as she did, but she still didn’t like being ordered around. 
“You’re on speaker Chris,” Lindsey grumbled. She wrapped an arm around Emily and pulled her closer.
 “What did you two idiots do to our baby bear?” Christen’s voice came out in a growl, the sound low and dangerous. 
Lindsey stiffened, her alpha bristling more than it normally would at the tone. “We didn’t do anything.” 
Emily nuzzled into her neck, trying to help her settle the mix of anger, pain and shock flowing through their bond. Just because she couldn’t feel you, didn’t mean that you couldn’t feel them. 
You were not some innocent party here. Lindsey hadn’t meant all the things she said, but then you had said some pretty hurtful things too. 
Tobin’s voice through the phone was low and clear, holding an air of dominance she rarely let out. “Watch who you’re growling at.” 
Lindsey gulped. She was never very good at controlling her emotions, especially when things went wrong. It was easier to respond with anger than to admit she was vulnerable sometimes. But she really didn’t want to have a fight with Tobin, not when they both knew she would lose.  
“And don’t give us that bullshit!” Both alphas winced at Kelley’s tone. The Omega had the parental tone of disapproval down to an art. She could have been one of their parents, scolding their irresponsibility for mating you before any of you were older than 21 (Emily’s mom had been angry enough to make up for your parents’ lack of care). Emily was sure her mother had used the exact same tone. 
“We had a fight,” Emily sighed, leaning deeper into Lindsey. It was more than a fight. It was an explosion of stubborn communication that had ended in you walking out. 
“A stupid fight. We’ll call her and have it all patched up by tomorrow,” Lindsey added, pinching the bridge of her nose. Why were omegas so frustrating? 
“She left the fucking country. I don’t think getting her back is going to be so easy,” Alex said, and both women could practically hear her eye roll. 
All six of them knew how stubborn you were, and getting you to listen was going to be far from a cakewalk. 
Lindsey huffed. “Camp is in like 2 days. If worst comes to worst, we’ll just talk to her there.” If you wouldn’t answer their phone calls, then they would just corner you at camp. You weren’t good at maintaining the silent treatment when they were both in front of you. And Lindsey still wasn’t convinced this wasn't more than an overblown tantrum. 
“She put a block in our bond Linds,” Christen said sternly, trying to break through the more dominant alphas shell. 
Sure the three of you had had arguments before, but whatever this was, it was fundamentally different. 
Lindsey frowned. You would never do that to Christen. The two of you were too close for that. At least that’s what she thought. 
“We’ll get to the bottom of it. We promise,” Emily said softly, already pulling out her phone. Now hopefully she would be able to get you to answer on the other side. 
“Good luck, you’re going to need it,” Tobin grumbled, hanging up. 
If those two idiots didn’t fix it, she was going to let Kelley unleash her wrath on them. 
Emily bit her lip as she pressed your contact picture (a photo of the two of you with bright 4-year-old smiles covered in brownie batter). It rang 4 times before going to voicemail. 
Emily could imagine you staring at the screen, debating on whether or not you should answer. It hurt a little that you had declined instead. 
She swallowed down her tears, glancing sideways at her still frozen mate. 
“Hey babe, um I know we’re not really talking right now, but um. Christen called and we’re worried. Please call me or Linds back,” she worried her bottom lip, wondering if she should add more, but the time ran out before she could. 
“Damn it,” she huffed, tossing her phone onto the nightstand. She hadn’t told you she loved you. 
Lindsey smiled sadly at her, rubbing her back soothingly, and pulling out her own phone. 
Her thumb hovered over a photo of the two of you cuddled up in one of your famous nests. She smiled wistfully down at it. How had this gotten out of hand so quickly? 
She pressed the button, holding the phone up to her ear. It didn’t even ring before it went to the robotic voicemail. What happened to the one that had you giggling because they wouldn’t stop kissing your neck? 
She didn’t have time to think it through before the beep sounded. She cleared her throat. 
“Hey, um I heard you were in Spain. What’s that about? Call me back,” she too tossed her phone down. 
“I can’t feel her,” Emily mumbled after a few minutes. Lindsey sighed. 
She closed her eyes tightly with a sigh and began to feel for your presence in the bond. If you weren’t going to answer them, then she was going to make sure you knew how unhappy with this situation she was. 
Her eyebrows furrowed when she was met with a wall of unsteady calm. It was like it was pulsing like your inner omega was pacing behind it trying to get through. She focused on the wall you had created and gave it a little push. 
She smirked when it bent a little bit to her will. “I think I got it,” 
She pushed back harder, the wall you creating molding around her alpha as she tried to reach your omega. She was almost there, she could almost touch your omega. One last push was all she needed. 
But just as she went to give it, a blast of calm shoved her backward. 
Her eyes blinked open at the ping of her phone and she scrambled to pick up the device. 
It was two words. No caps, no punctuation. A simple “fuck off” that they could practically hear reverberating in their heads. 
“What do we do now?” Emily asked softly. 
Lindsy’s smirk widened. 
“We call her until she answers us again.” 
327 notes · View notes
ah-ga-seven · 4 years ago
Text
Till’ The End of Summer - Chapter 13
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>> series masterlist <<
Pairing: Choi Yeonjun x Reader
In a Nutshell: College!AU, Rich Kids, Friends to Lovers, Fuckboy athlete Yeonjun, Overprotective Best friend Soobin, contains all of TXT and other Idol cameos, Omnipresent perspective.
Synopsis: You and Yeonjun are caught up in a cat and mouse game because of unspoken feelings and endless pining for each others’ attention. With the summer break approaching and lots of college parties, will you finally get a chance to explore your feelings for each other; even though the world and Yeonjun’s reputation makes things complicated?
Word count: 11,5K
Genre:  Angst, Fluff.
Warnings: Heavy angst.
A/N: NOT the final chapter.
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“Yeonjun…” his name came out like a whisper. You didn’t know what to do or say. You couldn’t fathom the betrayal and hurt that he must be feeling right now. 
“No, there has to be some type of explanation to this. She wouldn’t do this. Why would she? She practically raised me.”  He wasn’t listening, just rambling. Trying to make sense of why he heard her voice on the other end of the line.  
All of you stayed silent, looking at him with concerned and horrified facial expressions.
“Why would she do this. It doesn’t make sense.”
“Hyung…it does kind of explain why you could never find anything. She’s an in-house maid, she could have erased all traces and-”
“No, shut up. She wouldn’t do that.”
“Yeonjun maybe-” Mia tries to talk but Yeonjun cut her off too.
“No, no. Stop. I don’t want to hear it. This woman, she’s the one that sat with me at night so I didn’t have to eat dinner alone, she bathed me, fed me, read me bedtime stories. It can’t be her.” He didn't know who he was trying to convince. Maybe himself?
Yeonjun wasn’t stupid. He knew what it meant when she answered the phone, but he couldn’t accept it. How could he ever trust anyone ever again if this turned out to be true?  
He turned around on his heels so he didn’t have to face you guys, getting lost in thought as he pursed his lips together while running his hand through his hair. He was trying incredibly hard not to cry, until the thought of almost losing you crossed his mind, making a tear escape anyway.
He threw his head back, wiping the single tear from his eye, not wanting to break down in front of all of you. He needed to stay level headed and think rationally. But why was it so god damn hard for him this time when he always managed to pull through?
“She knows how much I love y/n,” he mumbles to no one in particular, but you all heard it and suddenly your heart wrenched in your chest.
He really does love you.
Even though your relationship was far from, well…a relationship. Yeonjun never shied away from expressing his feelings out in the open. Ever since he realized he loved you, he basically never shut up about it to the people around him; even under these circumstances.
You watch him with sad eyes. You didn’t get time to process what happened to you literally minutes ago, but none of it mattered anymore.
You had to set your feelings aside to be there for him.
You’ll heal from it some other time…right?
“Maybe getting to her would cause your breakdown? Meaning you won’t go for the CEO position in the future. You told us she’s the one who told you to come back here, maybe it’s because she didn’t want you to ruin her plans…” Mia says trying to piece things together, and Yeonjun hated to admit it; but it made perfect sense.
Lita knows that if he lost you, he’d completely break down and lose focus. He'd lose the will to succeed because he wouldn't have anyone left to live for.
He’d rather die than have anything happen to you, and maybe that’s dramatic, but it was no lie.  
You got up from your chair and walked over to him. You hold onto his forearm before moving in front of him to announce your presence in case you’d startle him, and when his eyes landed on you his pained facial expression completely disappeared.
It’s like you were a remedy to his broken soul. Every time he laid eyes on you, touched you, or kissed you, he healed a little.
You don’t say anything and just wrap your arms around his waist, pressing your cheek against his chest. His heart was beating fast as he wrapped his arms around you to hug you back. He needed this. He needed you.
All you wanted was for him to be okay. For everything to go back to normal and to take away his pain but all of this was just too fucking crazy to wrap your mind around.
He rested his chin on top of your head and closed his eyes in solace as he sighed. Giving himself a second to breathe before he untangled himself from you without making eye contact.
“I have to call my mom,” he mumbles without emotion.
You look at him a little puzzled, as did Soobin and Mia who gave each other  looks of confusion at his suddenly changed attitude.  
He always does this. He always pushes his emotions aside in the blink of an eye and gets back to business as if it’s nothing.
Yeonjun disappears into your bedroom with his phone as he closes the door behind him. The closed door was enough for all three of you to understand to give him space, and so you did.
With a heavy head and a heavy heart, you sit down at your dinner table again, not feeling Mia and Soobin’s worried eyes on you as you bury your face in your hands. Soobin scooted closer to you and rubbed your back in warming up and down motions to assure you of his presence and Mia, who was sitting across from you, simply grabbed your hand with both of hers.
You sit like that in silence for god knows how long. You were trying to piece things together and process everything that has happened to you and then it hit you.
Every decision Yeonjun has made up until now was to protect you from the unimaginable which somehow became imaginable.  
And suddenly you felt bad for hating him. You hated him for loving you enough to let you go in favor of your own wellbeing. But God knows you did not think of any danger of this caliber.  
It was only months ago that your meaningless crush on Yeonjun got the best of you. If someone from the future would’ve told you that this would be the outcome of pursuing him, you’d probably punch that person in the face for being ridiculous, yet here you are.  
Completely and utterly broken, afraid, tired, and still in love.
And despite everything, you’d still choose to be with Yeonjun if you got to hit the re-do button.
Yeonjun emerged from your bedroom and as you heard the door creak open your head immediately snapped into his direction.
His face held an expression you couldn’t quite read, so you sigh. You bite your lip in anticipation as you watch him pull out a chair of your dining table, waiting for him to sit down and speak up.
“My mom didn’t believe me at first.”
“What? Why?” Mia asks with big eyes.
“Well, can you blame her? She has worked for your family since you were born hyung, this is a big accusation.” Soobin says as he tries to comfort Yeonjun by patting the hair that had grown out in the nape of Yeonjun’s neck. His eyes closed at the physical comfort and he leaned into Soobin’s touch for a split second. The sight was endearing, yet extremely sad.
“She told me she’s letting her people look into it. We can’t contact the police or talk to anyone about what happened. We’ll have to keep a low profile and return to our regular lives so we won’t raise suspicion. My mom will keep me updated and send security to keep us safe in the meantime. They’ll be on guard from tomorrow morning, we won’t even notice they’re here.” Yeonjun explains as if he’s leading a business meeting. All that was missing was a PowerPoint presentation. “Also, that’s evidence,” he says pointing to the cracked phone and the knife in the middle of your dinner table. “We need to put it somewhere safe and make sure no one else touches it.”
The three of you look at him a little dumbfounded.
“What do you mean by her people?” Soobin asks.
“Private detectives,” Yeonjun answers as If it’s nothing.
Private detectives, security, assassins, betrayal. What in the fuck has your life turned into? The things people would do to get to the Choi’s fortunes baffled you, and once again you were at a loss for words.
“Yeonjun, that’s a lot to process,” you say rubbing your forehead as the pain returns. Your hangover never really left you and now it was replaced with a whole new one.
“So, if we have security starting from tomorrow morning…what about tonight?” Soobin asks looking from you to Mia and back to Yeonjun.
“I suggest I stay with y/n. You stay with Mia.” Yeonjun says with a straight face.
You stare at him and make eye contact, and just before you wanted to say something, he interrupts you; knowing what you were going to ask him.
“Please don’t ask me if I’m okay y/n, I’m not.” He sighs as he avoids eye contact, playing with his fingers to distract himself from all of your eyes on him. “I’ll completely shut down if I let myself feel right now. I need to be level headed. I’ll deal with it later.”
Later. It’s always later with him, but when will later be too late?
You all stay quiet for a short while. Your minds going into overdrive and suddenly you felt crippling anxiety wash over you as the memory of that man trying to break your lock comes back to you.
Yay, another trauma to add to the list.
“What if he comes back…” you say in a whisper. Your voice cracked in fear and Yeonjun’s eyes darted to yours. Immediately heartbroken as you pulled your knees up to your chest. Hugging yourself to feel something warmer than the chills running down your spine at the thought of not feeling safe in your own home.
“I’m not leaving you,” Yeonjun says with determination in his eyes.  
You all had school tomorrow, and if you all had to act as if nothing happened tonight, the four of you would need at least some sleep.
After going over the game plan once more paired with a lot of convincing that you’d be alright with just Yeonjun being here, Soobin left with Mia.
Aside from everything, you were glad they left together so they could talk and hash a few things out. Even though you didn’t know what your dynamic with Yeonjun would be like once the two of you were alone together, having more people in your apartment would only make you even more restless than you already were.
The truth is, you had no idea how to act around Yeonjun anymore.  
Too much has happened and too much was weighing down on the both of you to be able to talk about it; so when you closed your front door, you froze before turning around.
He was on your couch, furiously typing to what you assume to be his mother and you know better than to ask about it, so you just awkwardly make your way over to him.
“Uhm…I still have a few of your clothes here. You could shower and change if that makes you feel any better,” you say as you look at him, anxiously waiting for him to look back at you.
He lifted his head from his phone and stared at you, and then at his surroundings as he only now noticed that Mia and Soobin had left already.
His furrowed eyebrows relaxed as he laid eyes on you, and his shoulders fell in relief as he nodded.
“Yes, thank you. I’ll go do that,” he says with a soft smile and an almost too polite tone.
It was as if you were strangers. The tension in the room was noticeable so you averted your attention on the box filled with his stuff next to your front door.
“I-it’s in there.” You stutter as you get up. Silently retrieving it to hand it to him.
You were going to send his stuff back to him, figuring your relationship was basically doomed in the past week.  
He held a neutral facial expression as he took the box from you. His fingers lightly ghosting over yours as he grabbed it from your hold. “You packed my stuff?” he asks as he sets the box aside on your couch.
He wasn’t hurt. In fact, he completely understood. But in some way you wanted him to be hurt.
You wanted him to show you any other emotion than the stoic expression he was holding now.
“I…well, y-yeah.”  you avoid his stare out of insecurity, and he seemed to notice.
“Hey, shhh. I don’t blame you. I get it, really,” he says as he got up from the couch, getting to eye level with you.
He gave you a faint smile as he caressed your cheek with his thumb.  
The Yeonjun you fell in love with would litter your face with kisses to make sure you felt reassured. He’d hug you tightly. Try to make you smile and hold you until you felt better. But the Yeonjun in front of you just turned around, grabbing the box again before he made eye contact once more. “Go to bed, don’t be afraid. I’ll be sleeping on the couch so nothing can happen to you okay?”  
You nod absentmindedly, avoiding his eyes.  
He gave you one last look before he made his way over to your bathroom and locked the door. By doing this he created a distance he hadn’t created before and suddenly you felt hollow.
'Oh my god, he locked the door.' you think to yourself.
He’s distancing himself from you because he’s in pain. But he wouldn’t tell you that with actual words because he didn’t know how.
And if he broke down now, he wouldn’t stop.
You stood there in the exact same spot for at least another 30 seconds. Listening to him turn on the faucet of your shower.
There was nothing you wanted more at the moment than to join him. Massage his sore muscles, and hold him close to be his security blanket but you can’t. And even if you could, you don’t know if you should.
After chugging down a glass of cold water while staring at your front door in paranoia you reluctantly made your way to your bed.  
You were tossing and turning, trying to hear if Yeonjun already finished getting ready for bed.
When you heard the faucet close and the door of your bathroom unlock, something inside of you hoped that he’d change his mind and crawl into your bed with you, but after 5 long and agonizing minutes of waiting, you gave up on the probability of him doing so.
You hated this.
You hated that he was so close, yet so far, and you hated even more that you were the one who created this distance.
The two of you never got to really talk, meaning he was just being respectful and mindful of your wishes. He was trying to give you the space you asked for but after tonight, you weren’t sure if space was what you needed.
You bite your lip, contemplating if your next move was the right one to make but after a full hour of not being able to fall asleep because of your overthinking ass, you figured you had nothing to lose.
You get out of your bed with your duvet wrapped around you like a cape and make your way to your living room silently, dragging your feet on your wooden floor.
He left a light on in your hallway, which you were happy about because you were able to see his sleeping form on your couch in the warm yet dimmed light.
He was lying on his back. His arms were crossed over his chest and his body faced your front door so he’d be able to see if anything were to happen.
As you got closer to him, you study his facial expression.
His lips were slightly parted and he was breathing slowly. He must’ve been completely exhausted to be able to sleep under these circumstances and you purse your lips together, noticing how his face still held a pained expression even in his sleep.
You unwrap your blanket from yourself and pull it over Yeonjun’s sleeping form as carefully as you could and tuck him in a little.
Your initial plan was to cuddle next to him on your couch, but given how peacefully he was sleeping you decide against it.
Instead, you move a piece from his grown out bangs away from his eyes and kiss his forehead before you got up, ready to walk back to your room until you feel a hand taking a firm hold on your wrist.
You look back in shock, feeling like you got caught. It took everything in you to suppress a yelp and when you made eye contact with him, he chuckled lowly.
He wasn’t asleep at all. In fact, he was struggling with the exact same thoughts. 
He opened the covers for you, pulling you down with him without a word and you gladly accepted the invitation.
You nuzzle your face in the crook of his neck as you rest your hand on his chest. He made sure you were completely covered by the blanket as well, and held on to your waist with one hand as the other patted your head in slow, comforting strokes.
Your lashes fluttered closed in solace and he sighed, looking down at you before he kissed your forehead.
The action made you look up at him through your lashes and when you notice his lingering stare you quickly look away, resting your cheek on his chest as you sigh contently.
The cliches were all true. There really is nothing compared to feeling at home in someone’s arms,  and for a moment you forgot about all the trauma and heartbreak.
You kiss his neck, feeling yourself doze off as he kept playing with your hair.
“Yeonjun…” you whisper.
The sound of your voice surprised him. He frowned as he looked down at you, halting his movements.
“Hmm?”
“Just so you know. I never stopped loving you.”  
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Being in a lecture hall at 9 AM as if nothing had happened last night was literal torture.
You had to hear Mr. Davis ramble about stuff you already knew about, but he took attendance so there was no way you could skip out on it without failing his class.  
Though you had gotten a good night’s rest, it was hard to concentrate with everything going on and it was even harder to concentrate knowing you were being watched.
Yeonjun’s mom wasn’t playing when she said that you’d all get personal security as quickly as dawn came. They followed you around disguised as regular college kids and kept their distance. In some moments you forgot they were around but when you looked over your shoulder in the lecture hall as you felt a pair of eyes on you; the reality of things hit you again.
The lecture hall was filled with at least 200 students, so no one would bat an eye at their presence. They blended in perfectly, which was both reassuring yet scary because anyone with malicious intent could be doing the exact same thing.
You kept looking around the lecture hall with suspicion, completely zoning out and not paying attention. Mia, who was sitting next to you was dozing off, so you nudged her to keep her awake.
“You didn’t sleep?” you ask as you move a piece of her hair from her line of sight.
She sighed, shaking her head as she fixes her posture.
“No, Soobin and I stayed up all night to talk and once we fell asleep it was 5 AM,” she whispers.
“Did you…work things out?”  
“We talked, we’re nowhere near how it used to be but we agreed on working through this.”
You smiled to yourself. Good. They were both miserable without each other, and even though there were a lot of things left unsaid and unresolved, you were glad things were slowly going back to normal.
“How about you? Did you and Yeonjun talk about it?” She asks looking over her shoulder to see if no one was paying attention to your conversation and you catch yourself doing the same.
“No. I didn’t know how to, and he made it obvious that he didn’t want to talk about it.”
“Well, he’s going to have to sooner than later.”  
You nod in agreement. You basically haven’t solved anything with Mia, but it was nice to have her to talk to about all of this. Sort of? There was still a lot of communicating to be done but first, this whole Lita situation had to be fixed.  
“We never got to have that conversation back in your apartment either,” Mia says as she reminisced back to the moment your lives turned into an action movie.
“We will, soon.”
“Ladies!” your professor's voice bounced off the walls loudly and you immediately knew you were being called out for talking in his class.
“If you want to talk so badly you should’ve just joined the debate team,” he says clicking his tongue, and suddenly everyone's’ eyes were on both you and Mia.  
So much for keeping a low profile...
“Sorry.” You both say in unison.  
Just before Mr Davis was about to continue his lecture he made eye contact with you and stopped in his tracks. “Wait, y/n right?”
You frown in surprise, and so does Mia. “Yes, that’s me.”
“Stay after class, there's something I need to talk to you about.”  
Your eyes dart to Mia’s but she just shrugs, equally as confused as you are. You simply nod at your professors’ request and just like that he continues his class.
For the remaining half hour of the lecture, you were starting to wonder why he’d want to see you after class. When the lecture ended, you waited for most of the students to exit before you approached him on the stage with Mia trailing behind you after you asked her to.
Your invisible security guards waited outside of the door, and luckily Mr. Davis didn’t notice.
“I’m sorry Mia, this is a private matter.”  
Mia gave you a look but you just nodded that it was ok. You were dying to know what was going on by now.
“I’ll see you at lunch,” she says, and you nod as she walked out.
One of the security guards left with her, trailing behind her in the hallway and the other still stood at the entrance of the lecture hall. Watching you and Mr Davis while also skimming his surroundings with his eyes.
You take a deep breath and face your teacher. “You wanted to see me, sir?”
“Yes. Yes, I did.” He walks over to his desk and retrieves a stack of papers from his drawer and you immediately recognize the front page.
It’s the research paper you wrote right before summer. It is the paper you finished writing in the cafeteria when Soobin basically forbid you to date Yeonjun after he came over to your table to flirt with you. The irony of it all was off-putting.
You totally forgot about it. That paper resembled a new beginning in your life somehow, but why would your teacher want to talk to you about it? Was it that bad?
“Did I fail it?” you ask with concern evident in your eyes, but your teacher just gives you a look of confusion and starts laughing at you.
“Fail!? y/n this is the best paper I’ve read in my career as a teacher, that’s 20 whole years.” He says as he sat down on the edge of his desk, giving you a warm smile
Your eyes widen in surprise. “What?”
“Yes, in fact. I sent it to a former colleague at Brown University, and they were so impressed and intrigued by your hypothesis that they want to fund your research.”  He exclaims excitedly.
“I don’t….I don’t think I’m following sir…”  
“They want you to spend a semester there, so you can carry out your research. Your return depends on your work tempo and the development period. They’ll provide a living space and take care of all of your expenses. This is huge. y/n. None of my students have gotten an opportunity like this. This is quite the offer and to be blunt. I think you should take it.”
Your mind goes into overdrive.  
This is huge. Absolutely huge. A prestigious University like Brown had enough faith in your research to invest actual money into it. How did this happen?
“This…is a lot to take in,” you say a little dazed as you rake your hand through your hair.  
“I know, I will send you an email with all of the details. Give it a good thought and let me know by the end of the week. If you decide to go, you’ll leave as soon as possible. I’m so excited for you! You have no idea how big this could be for your future. This could re-write a lot about what we know about neuroscience. It’s groundbreaking.”
He gave you a pat on your shoulder as he started to pack his things into his briefcase. Leaving you with your graded paper in your hand as you look down at it.
You scored a 100.
A hundred? How did this even happen?  
It took you a full minute to collect yourself before you were able to walk out of that lecture hall.
You silently made your way outside, taking a deep breath of fresh air before sitting down on a random bench to think things through, but when you heard the door open behind you with your designated security guard nonchalantly standing beside the door as he tried not to disturb you, you scoff in annoyance.
This had to stop. Quickly. You wanted your life back as soon as possible.
You swallow harshly as you stare at the large document in your hands.
Would you be able to leave everything behind for half a year or longer by yourself? Would you be able to leave your friends? Gyu, Tae, Hyuka, Mia, Soobin…Yeonjun.
You couldn’t imagine leaving him out of all of them. Even though Soobin and yourself haven’t spent more than 1 week apart since birth it wasn’t necessarily him you were worried about.  
It was Yeonjun. What would this mean for your relationship? And what kind of partner would you be if you decided to leave him behind in the midst of the hardest time in his life?
He needed you and you needed him. But you also knew that you couldn’t let an opportunity like this go for the sake of an undefined relationship with someone who caused you more harm than good.
This was a lot to think about but then it hit you that you didn’t even have the freedom to think.
You checked the time on your phone and realized you were running late to the only class you shared with all 6 of them; Advanced English.
It’s a class that mixed both different years and majors, and all of you applied for it during that picnic before summer, just for the hell of it. All of you wanted to share at least one class together and it was the only available option.
“Shit,” you huff under your breath before you quickly grab your things and make a run for it. Your security guard had trouble following you unnoticed like this, so he decided to keep an even larger distance.
As you make it to the classroom, it was already completely filled as you were the last one to arrive. Your shadow stayed outside, sitting down at an individual study booth where he could keep an eye on things, and you couldn’t be more glad that he didn’t follow you inside.
You apologize to your teacher for being late and make your way to a random table, avoiding the one your friends were sitting at.
All of their eyes darted to you in confusion, but Yeonjun and Soobin looked at you a little worriedly.  
“Is she ok? Did she not see us?” Taehyun asks as he cocked his head to the side.
“She had to stay behind in our other class, maybe she’s upset?” Mia explains, shrugging her shoulders.
“Stay behind? Why?” Soobin asks raising his eyebrow as he looks at you with concern.
“I don’t know. Mr. Davis asked me to leave before he spoke to her.”  
Beomgyu sighs. “He’s a dick. I hope he didn’t yell at her. He was my guidance coach last year”
“He’s only a dick to people who don’t do shit in his classes,” Hueningkai states rolling his eyes, which earned him a hard punch to his upper arm from Beomgyu.
Yeonjun watched you closely as Gyu and Hueningkai bickered as background noise. He could tell you were stressed by the way you were tapping your heel on the floor while you keep clicking your pen on your notebook. He sighed, closing his books as he grabbed his stuff.
Since the class was about to start, people were looking at Yeonjun for suddenly switching seats. You had no idea what was going on until you hear the chair next to you being pulled back.
Your eyes meet and your anxiety vanishes. He sat down without a word, taking your hand under the table while intertwining your fingers together in an attempt to calm you down.
He didn’t know what had you so out of it, but he figured being hunted by some unknown man commissioned by his housemaid was enough to have you lose your mind.
A few girls seemed to notice Yeonjun’s sweet actions which made them audibly swoon at his loving gesture, which made Taehyun, Beomgyu and Hueningkai gag a little while Mia and Soobin just gave each other knowing looks.
He rubbed those comforting circles into your hand and kissed your temple quickly before averting his attention back on the board.
Luckily this class was followed by a lengthy and desperately needed break. When your professor dismissed you all earlier than expected, your friends make their way to your table just as quickly as Yeonjun turned to face you fully.
You weren’t sure what to tell them yet, but you knew they had questions as to why you were late.
“Hey? Are you ok? Why did Mr. Davis make you stay back?” Soobin asks as he sat down on the corner of your table.
Beomgyu started to randomly play with the ends of your hair, Mia stood beside Yeonjun and Hyuka and Tae stood beside you waiting with anticipation.
You got up, clearing your throat. “Uhm, he wanted to talk to me about the paper I handed in before summer.”
“Oh no, did you fail?” Beomgyu asks with sad eyes.
You shake your head, pulling the report out of your bag, placing it on the table so all of them could look at it.
“A 100!?” Taehyun gasps.
“Wow. You fucking nerd.” Beomgyu says rolling his eyes. “This is why you’re down? What’s wrong with you.” Hueningkai adds as he gently nudges your shoulder.
Yeonjun looks from the paper to you with big and proud eyes. He gives you a tender smile as he caresses your cheek. “This is incredible. I’m so proud of you,” he speaks with sincerity.
You bite your lip as you nod absentmindedly and force out a smile.  
“Can we go have lunch. I’m starving.” Taehyun says as he walks out of the classroom first, followed by an equally hungry Beomgyu and Hueningkai.
As they left Soobin turns to you. “Ok, so what’s really wrong.”
“Nothing. The whole being followed everywhere thing is just getting to me I guess.”
“I’m so sorry.” Yeonjun says as he avoids eye contact. His tone was somber, and suddenly you feel bad.
“Hey, look at me,” you say as you tug on his chin. “None of this is your fault. You can’t blame yourself for what’s happening. This is out of your control, do you understand?” your tone was stern as you spoke to him. You talked to him as if you were trying to make a child understand something but it was necessary.
You needed him to understand.
He bit his lip, wanting to disagree with you but Soobin jumped in to back you up. “She’s right. Don’t beat yourself up over this. Everything will be okay.”  
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You had one more class left for the day but you decided to skip it, not being able to focus on anything else other than the life-changing decision you would have to make soon.  
You desperately needed to consult someone about this and even though things weren’t quite the same between you two, the only person you can confide in about something like this was Mia.
Soobin would be too emotionally involved, and even though Mia is too, she’d be more rational about things.  
She was on your couch, reading the email Mr. Davis sent you and her eyes widened right before she started yelling.
“WHAT!? BROWN! THIS IS HUGE!?”
“I mean don’t get me wrong, our school is great…but it’s no Brown University.”  she gulps with enlarged pupils.
You sigh, relieved to know that she’s excited for you, but then the inevitable question came up.
“How long? Like a few weeks?” she asks with an excited twinkle in her eyes.
You shake your head. “More like a few months…6 to be exact.”  
And suddenly her smile falters. “Oh…”
“Yeah…oh.” You say mimicking her as you sit down next to her.
“I- well…that’s a lot to think about,”  Mia says with a pout. It was finally clicking to her why you were so out of it earlier today.
“I know…” you say as you stare into distance, losing yourself in your thoughts once again.
“What’s holding you back?” Mia asks as she studies you. You look back at her with sad eyes and without a word, she could already guess what you were about to say.
“Yeonjun?” she assumes and you nod in response.
“It just doesn’t seem right to leave him in the midst of all of this.”
“Y/n…don’t you think distance might be exactly what you need from him? If you are meant to be, it’ll be. And if you think of it. Maybe time apart is what you need. This is the perfect opportunity to heal individually and come back as better people…so you can be better together.”
Well. She has a point there.  
“It’s not like I want you gone, fuck no. I’m gonna miss you so much and I’m pretty sure Soobin will fall apart without you but…y/n this is a once in a lifetime type of opportunity.” Mia says as she wraps an arm around you.
You sigh, moving into her hold to hug her. She’s surprised by the action, not thinking you were ready for that yet, you know; given everything that happened, but you desperately needed a hug right now. Mia tightened her hold on you and sighed.
“You’ll be okay. And we’ll all just be a phone call away.”
A single tear escapes from your eye and you let go of her, wiping it away while trying to contain your emotions.
You know you have to go. You really do. But what you don’t know is how to tell Yeonjun.
“Will you help me write the email to Mr. Davis? I’m going to tell him that I’m going.”
Mia gave you a weak smile, wiping away the watery remnants of your tear away from your cheek. She sighed, scooting closer to you.
“Of course.”
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“Hyung, pass the ball,” Taehyun says with a raised eyebrow as he watches Yeonjun dribble the ball absentmindedly for over 30 seconds.  
They had practice, and even though Yeonjun wasn’t feeling up to it at all, he knew he had to go. He had to live his life like he normally would and basketball practice was one of those ‘normal’ things.
Yeonjun snapped out of his thoughts and passed the ball to Taehyun before looking over his shoulder to watch one of the security details on the benches.
A lot of people came to watch during practice, so it wouldn’t be noticeable, but Taehyun has the wit of a mind reader, therefore he immediately caught on to who Yeonjun was looking at.
“Who’s that?” Taehyun asks as he passes the ball back to Yeonjun. He swiftly caught it, looking at Taehyun with wide eyes. “Ehm, don’t know. A scout maybe?”  
Taehyun narrowed his eyes at Yeonjun and sighed. “I know you and Soobin are keeping secrets from the rest of us. We’re not dumb hyung, or at least I’m not.”
Yeonjun sighed, rubbing his forehead. “Just trust us. Once all of it is over we’ll tell you.”
“Once what is over?” he tried again.
“Taehyun.” Yeonjun’s voice was strict, it was a clear warning for Taehyun to stop asking questions but the younger one wasn’t quite having it.
He rolled his eyes, dropping the ball as he walked off to a different teammate.  
The last thing Yeonjun wanted was to create a distance between all of them but he had no choice. The fewer people knew, the better it’d be.
Soobin stood in the corner, watching them closely, and approached once Taehyun walked off in annoyance.
He sighed, patting Yeonjun on the shoulder which made Yeonjun jump at the unexpected touch.
“Oh, sorry. It’s just me.” Soobin speaks as he fixes a piece of Yeonjun’s hair, which made him smile at Soobin softly.
“The boys are getting suspicious,” Yeonjun states as he eyes them from afar with his arms crossed.
“Yeah, this morning Beomgyu asked me why we were being secretive,” Soobin says doing the same.
“Beomgyu did?”  
“Yeah…”
“Well then it must be fucking obvious cause he’s oblivious.”  
Soobin chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, they’ll understand once we-” he got cut off by the buzzing of Yeonjun’s phone. Soobin watched Yeonjun carefully as he looked at the caller ID.
“It’s my mom,” Yeonjun says with big eyes.  
Soobin lips form an ‘o’ as he steps closer to check his phone. “Well, pick it up?”  
“Wait, come with me to the dressing rooms,” Yeonjun says as he drags Soobin with him.
Meanwhile, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai were watching them run off together from the bleachers.
Hueningkai’s eyes followed them as he raised his eyebrows in confusion. “First they don’t talk to each other for a week, and now they don’t talk to us.”
“I don’t know what’s going on with them either,” Beomgyu says as he clings onto Taehyuns arm while resting his head on Tae’s shoulder. “I just want all of us to get along like we used to.”
Taehyun pouts. “Then let’s find out what’s going on with them.”
As the boys kept speculating about the situation, Soobin and Yeonjun had locked themselves in a dressing room; making sure that no one was around before Yeonjun answered the phone, putting it on speaker so both of them could hear clearly.  
“Mom?”  
“What took you so long?” His mothers’ voice was clear and calm, yet cold.
“I had to go somewhere secluded, I was in the middle of practice,” he carefully explains. Yeonjun always had the feeling he had to walk on eggshells around his mom, even in a situation like this. “Soobin is also here by the way.”  
“Oh…well. I’m just going to cut to the chase. Lita confessed.”  
Yeonjun’s eyes darted to Soobin’s equally enlarged ones as his heart dropped. He gulped, as did Soobin. He didn’t understand how Yeonjun’s mother could break the news to him in such an insensitive way.  
He knew how much Yeonjun was hurting because of it, and confirmation would only make that worse, so why didn’t Yeonjun’s mother try to at least make an effort to soothe Yeonjun’s already gaping wounds?
“She did?” Yeonjuns eyes instantly started to fill with tears and Soobin noticed. Putting his head on Yeonjun’s shoulder as he quietly rubbed his back in an attempt to comfort him.
Yeonjun couldn’t wrap his mind around the fact that the woman that cared for him when no one else would, was a traitor. A cold-blooded traitor who was just after their money.  
Was it all a hoax? Did she never care for him at all? Or did something happen that made her turn on his family?  
This was the biggest betrayal of his life. If the one person that actually cared for him was able to hurt him like this, then what about everyone else? This ignited a whole new set of trust issues and yet another traumatic experience to talk about with his therapist and honestly, he didn’t know if he could take it anymore.
“She admitted to wanting to overthrow the company. But she did not admit to being behind the attempted assault to y/n. And since no one got hurt paired with the fact that there is no real evidence, we can’t incarcerate her for that.”
“What!?” Yeonjun exclaims in disbelief. “You’re telling me that we can’t press charges against Lita for trying to hurt y/n?”  
“I’m afraid not…you’re going to have to fly out again to testify as a witness. I don’t want to bother y/n too much so I’ll just have my people call her for questioning, however since you are the sole heir to Choi Enterprises, I’m going to need you there in court.” His mother states as if it’s nothing.
Yeonjun’s mind was spinning. He had too many questions and too little brain capacity to be able to ask all of them at once. He swallowed harshly as Soobin motioned to Yeonjun to give him the phone, and without a thought, he did.
Soobin cleared his throat before speaking, hoping not to be out of line by doing so, but he could tell Yeonjun was having a hard time to collect his thoughts.
“Hello mam, this is Soobin. Uhm, I hope it’s ok.”
“Oh, hi. Yes, of course. Proceed.”
Soobin smacked his lips nervously, instantly intimidated by the sound of her voice yet he decided to speak anyway.
“How do we know for sure if Lita’s minions will stand down now that she got caught? And is she in jail now? I’m not quite sure if I get it. And do we need the security guards? It’s pretty bothersome and distracting to all of us…” Soobin says as he watches Yeonjun stare into nothingness.
He sighed awaiting a response. Soobin laced his fingers with Yeonjun’s to calm him down once more and it seemed to work as Yeonjun’s attention averted back to the conversation at hand.
“We won’t know for sure. But it’d be really stupid of her to try anything now that we’ve caught her. The security details will stay with you all until this is over with, that’s not up for discussion. And yes. Lita will rot in jail. I’ll make sure of it.”
Shivers ran down Soobin’s spine at the scary tone of Yeonjun’s mother. She was beyond reasoning with but could he blame her? A trusted family employee of over 20 years has made the ultimate betrayal. Soobin couldn’t imagine the hurt and anger she must be feeling right now, so he didn’t dare to go against her about the security guard situation.
Yeonjun’s lower lip trembled as he silently took the phone from Soobin again.
“Mom…” his voice was shaky. He sounded lost and scared, like a child calling out for his mother in distress.  
His mother immediately softened at the sound of his voice. Her heart hurting for him as the realization hit her. She had been in overdrive. Lacking sleep and working day and night to make sure Yeonjun and his friends were safe, but she didn’t stop to think about how he’d be feeling in the midst of all of this.
Her mind briefly flashed back to when she confronted Lita in her home office, surrounded by her security and private detectives. She reminisced to the horror on Lita’s face after getting caught for the unforgivable.  
She was so busy with making sure that Lita wouldn’t be a threat anymore, that she completely disregarded the fact that Yeonjun might be having the hardest time of them all.
Even though Lita was a trusted employee, their relationship didn’t go further than business, but Yeonjun was raised by her, and she completely forgot about that.
“I can’t take this…” a tear escapes Yeonjun’s eye. And another one, and another one. Wiping them away was no use as they kept coming, so he just let them fall freely. He silently sobbed while Soobin put Yeonjuns head on his shoulder, letting him weep like a baby as he still held on to Yeonjun’s hand.
His mother fell silent, unable to comfort her son because she didn’t know how.
“I’m sorry Yeonjun,” she says in almost a whisper. “I’m sorry you have to feel this type of pain. I will do everything I can to help you okay? I promise. Once the situation is dealt with I will get you the best team of people to help you with your troubles, I won’t mess up this time. I promise I’ll be there for you.”
Yeonjun sniffed, trying to collect himself to respond but he couldn’t. Promises are just words. Words that have meant nothing in his life.
“I don’t need a team of people mom, I need you,” his voice cracked. “I need this pain to stop. I just need my mother, not a lawyer or another therapist. I just need you. I need a parent.”
Soobin’s heart wrenched in his chest at the plea’s Yeonjun was making to his mother. He couldn’t imagine having this type of relationship with his own parents.
In the moment Soobin made a pledge with himself that no matter how much Yeonjun seems to fuck up, he won’t ever leave him behind. He will make sure to be the rock Yeonjun needs, regardless of his mother actually trying or not.
Taehyun, Beomgyu, and Hueningkai had their ears pressed against the door throughout the whole thing. As silence engulfed the space, the three of them looked at each other with enlarged pupils as shock took over their faces.
They put two and two together individually. Looking at each other with disheartened expressions.
“Oh no…” Taehyun says in a whisper.
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You didn’t know how to tell them.  
You didn’t know how to tell Yeonjun or Soobin individually so you just invited all of the boys over at once to get it over with.  
It was nighttime by now and you figured you’d cook them all dinner given the fact that food always lures them to your place. Hopefully, the sweet taste of your homemade brownies would subside the bitter news you had to break to them.
Mia helped with everything, the table was fully decked out with all sorts of dishes and it was obvious you were overcompensating for something but they had no clue yet.
When they got to your apartment, Yeonjun and Soobin were missing from the group which made you panic a little.  
“Damn what’s the occasion?” Beomgyu asks as his mouth waters, looking at the absolute feast you cooked up for them.
“Uhm, well. I have some news, but I have to wait for Yeonjun and Soobin to tell you guys.”
Mia awkwardly took place at the table between Hueningkai and Taehyun and Tae just stared at you. “Please tell me you’re not pregnant.”
“NO! Oh my god. Tae. No.” you give him a horrified look and pat your stomach.
“Thank god, I’m too young to be an uncle.” Hueningkai sighs in relief as he slouched in his seat.
“Yeah, when you said you were cooking us dinner cause you had an announcement to make I really thought Yeonjun finally knocked someone up.” Beomgyu snickers as he shoved a dumpling in his mouth.
You roll your eyes and look at the two empty seats. “Do you know where they are?”  
Your question triggered a silence so awkward, you’ve never experienced anything like it in your friend group.
Taehyun looked at Beomgyu, and Beomgyu looked at Hueningkai; while Hueningkai looked to Taehyun to take the lead.
“I-uhh…” Tae starts, but he stopped himself. He didn’t know how much you both knew of the situation so he decided against speaking about it.  
“They had some errands to run. I’m sure they’ll be here soon.”  
Beomgyu visibly relaxed in his seat at Tae made up an alibi for the boys’ whereabouts, but Mia – being the hyper-aware one – narrowed her eyes at them.  
The boys collectively agreed on pretending they didn’t know what was going on until either Yeonjun or Soobin would tell them themselves. They wanted to give them; and especially Yeonjun, time to process and didn’t want to push him into explaining the situation to them if he wasn’t ready for it.  
Also, they felt bad for eavesdropping and weren’t sure how to start the conversation even if they wanted to.
The twisting of your lock snaps you out of the moment and suddenly fear takes over your entire body. The trauma triggered by Lita’s minion trying to break your lock last night was the cause of your shocked Pikachu face, but when you see Soobin and Yeonjun in your door opening you relax instantly.
You gave Soobin a key, how could you forget.
“Oh, I didn’t expect you guys here so soon.” Hueningkai comments, which made Gyu and Tae look at him with threatening eyes.
“Where else would we be?” Soobin asks as he walks towards the table. He greeted you with a kiss on your head, and Mia with a kiss on her cheek before he sat down next to you.
The distance between Mia and Soobin was still odd, he’d normally kiss her lips but he played it off well as he slid his chair towards the table while eyeing the food closely.
Yeonjun on the other hand; greeted you with a soft smile while simply petting your head before he sat down on the opposite side of Soobin.  
The atmosphere was odd. Yeonjun was uncharacteristically quiet but you figured it was because of everything that was going on and honestly you couldn’t blame him. His head must be the fullest out of all of you, so you made sure to keep the conversation light and airy.
Your funny group dynamic slowly returned, and before you knew it, it was already time for dessert.  
“I’ll help you.” Yeonjun offered as he cleared the table.
You were in your kitchen, taking a deep breath as you were cutting up the last brownie, prettily putting it on a plate with some red berries on the side.  
As Yeonjun approached with the dishes, he watched you carefully. He put the dirty plates in the sink before he nudged your shoulder softly to get your attention, pulling you out of your concentration of perfectly assembling your masterpiece.
You look up, and you’re met with his beautiful soft smile. His eyes were glistening and he sighed contently. “You went all out,” he comments as he watches you do your thing. “Yeah, maybe I should deliver one to my designated security guard in the parking lot,” you joke under your breath and even though your sense of humor was pretty dark given the situation, he seemed to appreciate it as he giggled. Your heart did a thing at the sound. You missed it. You missed hearing his loud laugh. You missed seeing him happy.
“There’s actually new information I want to share with you and Mia, but we’ll have to wait until the boys leave.”
You look at him shortly before you avert your gaze back on the task at hand. You really didn’t know if the timing was right to talk about your exchange to Brown University but given the fact that you were leaving so soon, you also knew that you didn’t have much of a choice.
Suddenly you felt guilty again for leaving in the midst of all of this, but he’d understand? Right?  
You nod absentmindedly and tell him to sit down with the others so you could start decking the table and once everyone had a plate, you stood at the edge of your dinner table looking at them nervously.
They all give you puzzled looks, while Mia gave you a reassuring nod.
“So…they’re Brownies.”
Soobin chuckled, raising his eyebrow. “I can see that.”
“No well…they’re…brownies for…Brown University,” you explain nervously.
“Huh?” Beomgyu breaks the silence, his eyes darting from the plate to you.
All eyes were on you by now, expectantly waiting for you to continue.
“Remember that paper from this morning?”
“The one you got a 100 on?” Hueningkai asks.
“Yes, well. Uhm. Mr Davis sort of, might’ve sent it to a representative at Brown…and they want to like…fund my research or whatever,” you say avoiding eye contact as you fidget with the sleeves of your blouse.
“Brown!? Dude. That’s…insane!” Taehyun exclaims enthusiastically.  
“God, and here I thought you really were pregnant.” Beomgyu huffs. “But this is amazing!”
“Yes, congratulations sis, you really deserved it!” Hueningkai says with a bright smile.  
You look at them with an elated facial expression, happy that they’re happy for you. But then you turn your head and look at Soobin who has literal tears in his eyes.
“…Soobin?” you lean in to see if your eyes were deceiving you but they weren't. His eyes really were teary.
“Hyung are those tears?” Taehyun asks wide-eyed.
He sniffed, wiping his eyes as he got up from the chair to trap you into a tight hug. “I’m just really proud of you,” he mumbles.  
As you’re trapped in his bear-hug, your nerves fade. “Finally some good news,” he whispers into your ear. And you close your eyes at the solace of this peaceful moment.
Yes, it really is good news. And only now you realize just how amazing it is that you’ve accomplished this all on your own. You finally get to be happy about it now that you’ve told them.
When he let go, you finally make eye contact with Yeonjun and he had an equally proud smile on his face to match Soobin’s.
“This is amazing, y/n. You earned it.” he says with glistening pupils and your heart raced at his sweet remark.
“So, how long will you be gone for? Like a week? Two weeks?” Beomgyu asks as he chews on the fudgy brownie you made them.
Oh…shit. You didn’t tell them how long you’d be gone for.
You shoot Mia a panicked look but her facial expression only matched yours.
“Uhm…”  
All eyes were on you again. They were full of hope, expectation, and pride; and for some reason, you knew you were going to ruin the moment.
“It’s…about a semester-long,” you admit, and all of their facial expressions fall at the same time.
“That’s…six months.” Soobin realizes. It hit him that his best friend; who he’s never been more than a week without, will leave his side for half a year for the first time in his life.
“Damn…that’s a long time…” Taehyun says looking from you to Yeonjun with concern.
You didn’t dare look at him, but you knew that all of them were.
Mia bit her lip as she looked at how sad Soobin had gotten, but her gaze averted to Yeonjun and her look changed from sadness to confusion.
Yeonjun was…smiling.
Your eyes found his as he smiled at you fondly. He’s dying inside, but of course, he wouldn’t tell you that. There’s no way in hell he’d ruin this moment for you.
He had to man up and show his best fake smile because he’d never guilt trip you into not going. The opportunity was too big to let go, and honestly. You being far, very far away from this whole mess kind of eased his mind.  
You’d be safe.  
Without him around.
“What?” he asks trying to sound genuinely confused as to why everyone was looking at him.
“Aren’t you…upset?” Mia asks carefully, which made Yeonjun look at her briefly before looking at everyone’s equally worried facial expressions, including yours.
You expected every possible reaction, except this one, and it lowkey scared you.  
“How could I be upset?” he says with an eye-smile as he breaks off a piece of the brownie, shoving it into his mouth while giving all of you innocent puppy-eyes.
Someone get this man an Oscar.  
You didn’t know if you should be happy or sad that he reacted the way he did. You’d rather have him yell at you for leaving him, that’d be a lot less unnerving than the scarily calm and collected man sitting in front of you right now.
“Hyung, she’s leaving for half a year.” Beomgyu tries to make this clearer, thinking that Yeonjun didn’t understand, but he did, fully.
“I know. Look, I will obviously miss y/n. But what good will it do if I let my emotions get the best of me right now? This is supposed to be a joyful moment. She’s worked for this her whole life guys. Let’s be proud and happy for her. It’s almost like you all want me to freak out?”
Every single one of you was absolutely dumbfounded by his comment. It was mature of him, that’s for sure, but you expected at least some emotion other than this capitalist smile he had on his face.
“Let’s give them some time alone,” Soobin says as he got up. “I will talk to you later.” He states as he passes by you, squeezing your hand in reassurance.  
Your pupils dart from him to Mia and the rest of the boys in panic. Oh no, please don’t leave.
Yeonjun still sat at your dinner table like a robot while the rest of them quickly thanked you for dinner as they left your place, taking their brownies with them.
They all followed Soobin obediently and after Mia whispered in your ear to call her if anything popped off, she left. And you were all alone with Yeonjun.
You turn around on your heels. Making your way to your dinner table again as your heart thumped in your chest.
You carefully approach him, pulling out a chair to sit beside him and you just silently take his hand.
He refused to make eye contact with you, and suddenly you felt like the biggest dick in the universe.
“Please don’t make me say it,” he says.
“Say what?” you squeeze his hand, waiting for him to respond.
“Please don’t make me tell you that I want you to stay, because I do. But I could never, ever be that selfish.”
“Yeonjun….I’m the selfish one.”
His eyes shot up to look at yours. His pupils were dilated, alarmed, and startled. 
“No, you’re not. You’re going. End of story, and when you come back, I’m going to love you just as much, maybe even more than when you left.”
Your eyes start to fill with tears, and he’s quick to notice as he pulled you into his lap, cradling you like a baby.
“Hey, shhh. Don’t cry.” his voice was laced with sadness as he watched you cry. He hated the sight more than anything and tried to wipe your tears with his thumbs.
“Yeonjun, I don’t want to abandon you.” You sniff into his neck as all the tension and nerves of making this life-altering decision get to you.
It’s not like you weren’t coming back, but 6 months is a long time. You weren’t the same person you were 2 months ago, let alone 6.
“You’re not, don’t say that.”
“I don’t want you to hate me,” you mumble as you sniff.
“I could never hate you y/n. Ever.” He assured you of his true feelings as he rubbed your back, trying to soothe your pain as you cried into the crook of his neck.
His cold fingers caressed your cheek, and he closed his eyes for a second. Listening to you cry softly in silence as he contemplated on what to say.
“This is supposed to be a good thing baby…why are you crying.”  
Baby. He hasn’t called you that in a while.
"Because I don't want to leave you."
He was trying his hardest to keep it together, but to be honest he was one push away from a mental breakdown.
He needed you, now more than ever. But Yeonjun would never tell you that, cause you’d stay for him, and he knew it.
“Maybe space is what we need,” he says with a heavy heart, and your tears immediately stopped.
You look up at him. What did he just say to you?
He sighed, tracing his fingers over your lips before tugging at your chin to pull you closer. He placed his lips on yours and kissed you softly, passionately, and lovingly before he pulls away to rest his forehead against yours.
“Let’s be real y/n. Being with me has only complicated things. Maybe we can use these 6 months and try to grow separately before we can be great together…”
Mia said the exact same thing, but if he’s saying what you think he’s saying; then you honestly didn’t want to hear it.
Long-distance would be rough, but it’d be better than not having him at all.
You wipe your tears away with your sleeve and sniff once again, trying to collect yourself before you start to speak again.
“You want to end whatever it is that we have?”
“No…and yes…”
“Why…” you sounded absolutely broken as your voice cracked, it made his heart hurt for you so he sighed loudly. Looking you in the eye with desperation.
“Because I can’t love you the way you deserve to be loved y/n. At least not now. I'm...fucked up.”
You look at him with glassy eyes, shocked to hear his confession. You leaving was just the final straw. He has tried to do this before when he planned to stay back home and work for Choi Enterprises, but this was the first time he said it. With actual words.
“Why? What changed. I thought that-”
“Lita confessed.” He interrupts you before you could make any assumptions yourself.  
“W-what?”
“She confessed, I have to leave for home next Wednesday to testify against her in court. Everything’s going so fucking fast…”
“Next Wednesday? I also leave next Wednesday...” you mumble softly.
His eyes grew big. “You’re leaving that soon?”
You nod, biting your lip, and notice how Yeonjun had trouble putting his thoughts into words so you encourage him by caressing his cheek, nodding at him to let him know that it was ok to say whatever was on his mind; even if it didn’t make sense.
He rubbed his temple in agony before avoiding your piercing gaze as he spoke. “I thought I had enough to deal with when my dad died, but her confessing that she was capable of doing all the things she’s done felt even worse than my fathers’ death. This time it feels like I lost a real parent y/n. I don’t’ know how to move on from this…”
“And this is exactly why I’m not leaving,” you say getting up in a hurry as you frantically start looking for your phone.
He watched you a little startled at your sudden changed demeanor and got on his feet just as quick.
“Hey, hey, hey.” He grabbed your wrists, making you look at him. “What are you doing?”
“Finding my phone, I’m calling Mr. Davis. I’m canceling the whole thing.”
“No, you’re not.” Yeonjun’s tone was serious.
“You are going. You are going to take this once in a lifetime opportunity, and change history with your research do you hear me? You could help so many people with this. It’s your passion. Your dream. And you’re telling me you’re ready to drop all of that…because of me?”
You didn’t know what else to do other than nod. Yes. You were ready to drop it all for him, but Yeonjun just shook his head in disbelief.
“No, y/n. I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For saying what I’m about to say, but you’re not going to ruin your life like this. I won’t drag you down with me. I won’t ever let that happen.”
“So what are you saying?” you looked at him with teary eyes, your pupils darting back and forth before he let go of you.
‘I’m saying that…we need to hit pause on whatever this is.” He couldn’t believe he said this.
He really didn’t. And he felt instant regret as he watched your face crumble.
He wasn’t the only one with abandonment issues, because so were you.
He promised your dad that he’d never break your heart, yet here he was. In your living room, looking at you fall apart, and he was the cause of it all.
“I’m sorry y/n. I love you. I really do. That’s why I’m doing this,” he says as he cups your face in his hands. Tears were also starting to fall from his eyes by now, and you just stood there in his hold. Completely lost and frozen.
“Please don’t hate me,” he whispered as he buried his face in your hair to muffle his soft sobs. He wrapped his arms around you tightly, holding on to you one more time before he couldn’t anymore. He took the chance and kissed you once more. You let his lips ghost over yours before you pull away.
“I could never hate you Yeonjun.”  
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Before you knew it, Wednesday rolled around.
It felt like only yesterday when you told your friends that you were leaving, and today you actually were.
Soobin helped you with your suitcase as the rest of them trailed behind you with long faces.  
They were all there to send you off, except for Yeonjun. He had to leave early to catch his flight back home to testify against Lita in court, and honestly, you were glad he wasn't here right now. Seeing him again after your tearful goodbye was something you weren’t ready for.
The timing of things was just incredibly wrong, and you wished you were able to support him throughout the whole legal process and emotional storm he had to go through back home but you couldn’t, and you both already made peace with it.
You were a single woman again. Leaving to live a different life at a new school.
You both decided it’d be for the better like this since both of you were going to walk different life paths from now on, at least for the next six months. It wasn’t certain if things would go back to normal upon your return in the future and that uncertainty is what hurt you the most.
With a heavy heart, you turn around to face your friends when you arrive at the check-in desk, and without a word, a big group hug is formed.
“We’ll miss you,” Hueningkai mumbles into the hug.
“Even I will.” Taehyun sighs.
You let go of them with a smile, knowing you have to put on a brave face for this to not turn into yet another emotional tear-fest.
“I’ll be back before you know it. And it’s not like I’m dying guys. There’s this thing called the internet. We can still see and talk to each other.” You chuckle as you nudge Beomgyu who was pouting at you and you wrap an arm around Taehyun who was standing next to you.
You avert your gaze from the boys and make eye contact with Soobin who wasn’t the best at concealing his emotions.
He pouted as he sniffed, wiping his eye.  
Mia chuckled. “Are you crying AGAIN?”  
“No. I have something in my eye.”
“Yes. I can see it.” Beomgyu says as he leans forward to look into Soobin’s eyes dramatically. “It’s a dust particle called little bitch.”
“Shut up.” Soobin huffs as he shoves the younger one away, and all of you burst into laughter.
Thank god for that moment of laughter, it took the edge off and made everything a lot less emo.  
You had a long talk with Soobin the night before when he helped you pack your stuff. The hard part was over with, though you could tell he was still struggling to let you go. But he knew that it was all for the greater good.  
You sighed as you walked up to him for a tight hug, and as you let go of each other you give Mia a smirk “Look after him for me will ya.”
“You know I will.” She smiles at you as she pulls you in for a hug as well, and suddenly it got really warm again as the boys wrapped themselves into the hug once more.
You giggle, looking at them one last time before you take a hold of your suitcase.
The check-in for your flight had started, and you were called to move in line.
“Bye guys.”  
You wave at each other as the distance became bigger and bigger, and when they were completely out of sight you’re able to breathe again.
You bite your lip, trying to suppress the urge to cry and run back to them. Run back to your safety net of the people you loved and cared for the most, but you knew you had to do this.
You were excited to start a new adventure, but you wished you didn’t have to sacrifice so much to be able to do it.
Your phone buzzed in your pocket as you sat at your gate, lost in thought while you waited to board the airplane.
Your eyes widen when you saw his name pop up in your notifications and quickly open your messenger app.
[Yeonjun, 10.43 AM]: Good luck on your new journey and have a safe flight. I wish I could be there to send you off but just know I’m thinking of you. Always.  
[Yeonjun, 10.44 AM]: Take care y/n. I love you.
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Chapter 14 - The Finale  
285 notes · View notes
guudak · 5 years ago
Text
andante, andante
pairing: jungkook / oc genre + tags: college au, f2l, alcohol, pining word count: 7,522 The aftermath of your best friend singing that ABBA song, clumsily flirting with you and then drunkenly professing his love to you multiple times in the same night.
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“Is he ok? Namjoon, what’s he doing?” 
“He’s severely hungover,” he explains to you, propping an arm on the windowsill. His hand gestures. “This is his remedy.” 
You look out the window again, overseeing the frat’s backyard, and down below at the deck - is the person you sought. The gales shake the trees, you can hear it howl, and not to mention the downpour of rain that had you soaked to the skin through your jeans between your sprint from the bus stop to here. You look back at Namjoon, disbelieved. “What, sitting in a hot tub outside in the middle of a hale storm?”
“Erm, well, not the storm bit. That was just unfortunate. Sitting meditatively in a hot tub though, yeah. He does that a lot, moreso when he has something on his mind.” He peeps a discreet eye at you while you claim a seat on the ledge. Your arms cross, huddling your oversized cardigan over yourself as you glance back at the mop of matted black hair on the deck. Jungkook is sitting very still, laying back, eyes closed and his neck craning upwards towards the gloomy sky. A breath of air expels from your nose when you imagine how cold the rain must be. 
“I really wanted to talk to him in person … I don’t know, do you think I should have waited a few days?” You turn to Namjoon who shakes his head. 
“It’s good you came here. I think it would have left him to assume the worst and overthink otherwise, and you know what he’s like - better to confront him sooner than later. He’s been in a kind of sad, mopey daze since this morning.”
Your lips purse together as you mull this over. “I don’t necessarily want to confront him about it now, not if he doesn’t want to yet. I just want to see him and … make sure he’s ok. Because you know, that … overthinking thing he does.”
The upward lift of Namjoon’s lips is soft, the same kind of softness that’s perceptible in his eyes. The look reminds you of Jungkook’s own gentle demeanour. “I think seeing you here will disorient him a litte, but I think deep down he’ll be relieved. ” 
He invites you to sit in the warmth of the lounge downstairs while you wait. The house of Beta Tau Sigma is cosy, and your favourite visits are always during the winter period when they’d decorate the interior, reminding you very much of the setting of a classic Christmas movie. Alas, however, it isn’t winter, and there are still strewn cups around and a broken lamp on the table in front of you; consequence of the party they hosted the previous night.
You’re surprised Jungkook remembers. He’d been so far-gone yesterday, yet you woke up this morning to four successive texts from him -
i’m sorry
im so so sorry.
can we talk
please
You’d thought over a tactful reply; taking into mind Jungkook: despite the calm, rational front he has - is emotional, an individual with a soul as sensitive as they come. You had to be careful with what you said, but soon after aborted all efforts when you’d found yourself backspacing each time. You prefer face-to-face conversation, and for something like this - you couldn’t possibly venture any other approach that would be befitting. For anyone else, perhaps. But Jungkook isn’t just someone else. He’s your best friend.
You check the text in reply that you’d left for him from two hours ago, which is still left unread.
 hi jungkook i’d love to talk
are u ok
Sleeping it over had dulled the shock from the night before, as hearing it from him had been a double whammy for both your head and heart. You hadn’t known what to think, hadn’t known what to say.
In his tastefully tipsy state he’d been very happy. The chirpy go-lucky sort of happy that made you coo. Tipsy Jungkook is sweet and endearing, more affectionate and made it his mission to pull you with him to the karaoke machine. You’d been friends with him long enough to know that he could sing. He’s a soft singer; has a voice that could be lullaby to late sleepy evenings, it’s one you’d heard snippets of because he did it without conscious thought; he hummed in the car, while waiting in line - one of his many mannerisms that makes clear when he’s in his head.
“ABBA? Good choice,” you’d commented, after he jabbed the numbers on the remote. He budged over so you could sit beside him on the armchair. So cramped and close that you moved to drape your leg over one of his, and he welcomed it. “Not their most popular song, but definitely one of their most soulful. That’s a good one, it’s one of my favourites,” and then he stilled. 
At the cease of his movements, you’d found your spine straightening just slightly, as if on guard, but for what you hadn’t been sure. You were about to ask him if he was ok, only to be taking the brunt of his bright puppy eyes that smile at you.
“Me too,” he’d said, with that characteristic gentleness shining in his orbs. 
A few hours later, he’d morphed from sweet boy-next-door with the angel voice to himbo football jock slash and quote “pussy-whisperer,” courtesy and words verbatim of Park Jimin, who vibed with Jock Jungkook like a long lost brother. 
The amount of girls that suddenly flocked to him and sat on his lap had you reeling in hysterics to the extent that you had to bury your face in Hoseok’s shoulder. Even when Jungkook’s on the football team, you’d never thought of him once as a jock. Didn’t they say all jocks are athletes, but not all athletes are jocks? He’d never lived up to the greasy college stereotype. Turned out maybe some alcohol was missing in the mix. Was this what you were missing? Who knew he had it in him?
“How many have you had, man?” Hoseok had asked, and Jungkook grinned, mouth lop-sided, before then thwacking him solidly on the back. 
“I’m good, thanks for asking, man.” 
“That wasn’t what I - ok,” Hoseok winced, clutching at his shoulder blade, and exchanging a bemused look at you. 
You were alert to the sliding gaze of Jungkook on you. He slid into the chair close beside you, and you propped your elbow onto the counter. Head resting in your palm, you’d anticipated it.
“Hey, cutie.”
And there it was.
Your mouth twitched during your attempt to stifle your laugh, but you were eager to play along. You straightened, not shy to look him direct in the eyes, even when his own wandered to your midriff. “Hey.”
A moment’s pause, before he let out a wistful sigh. 
“Holy shit, I love your boobs.”
Hoseok spat into his cup, a succession of coughs after.
“No, I’m just saying, from a non-biased, impersonal point of view …” He made a vague, rounded motion in the air with his hands, “- they’re really nice. I’m saying this objectively.”
“Objectively,” Hoseok wheezed. You aimed a calculated kick at his ankle.
“Thanks! They’re not much but they’re cute, I grew them all by myself.”
Jungkook hummed in acknowledgement, a critical eye on you and his head bobbing solemnly. “You did a good job.”
“Oh my God,” Hoseok was crying; head ducked, full-blown tears of laughter, ears pink and slapping the countertop. “I’m not drunk enough for this.”
“Yours are pretty neat, too,” you told him. 
He looked down at the outline of his chest. “You think so? I’ve been working out but they could do with a bit more volume.” 
Hoseok was doubling over, desperate to leave but at the same time rooted to the spot, thumping his chest to stop himself from choking. “I can’t take this anymore. I’m gonna die if I stay any longer. See you, guys.”
He left, leaving you alone with Jungkook and a few others in the kitchen. “You alright?” you asked, and he nodded again, smiling tiredly and head lolling a little to the side.
“Did you like the song I sang for you earlier?” 
“You sang it for me? How sweet of you,” you cooed, cuddling up to his side. “You know, if you wanted to touch my boobs, if you asked I think I’d be ok with that.”
He seemed hesitant. “You’re bullshitting.” 
“Ok, maybe I am a little,” you chuckled, feeling the rumble resonating from his chest. 
“Seriously,” he murmured, and for a millisecond, you swore you detected the tone of the Jungkook - not this Jungkook who was a confident force, but the one you were most familiar with, “I think I’d -”
Jimin’s voice boomed above the stereo, “Jungkook! It’s your turn! Get your ass back here!”
A heavy sigh was drawn out from him as he slid his chair back. Though, he waited for you to lift your head from his chest before doing so. 
“See you.” He winked at you before following Jimin’s ongoing calls. Though, more of a wink and a half. He never could wink properly with just one eye, both had to be involved.
Then came the finale.
The most recent drunken Jungkook phase - one you’d never witnessed beforehand. If there was anything you could have concluded, it was that beyond his sober level-headed exterior, he must have a lot of pent up anger. Jungkook in drunken phase three transitioned between a three colour spectrum of moods and you’d barely caught up. 
Exhibit one -
“The ocean is so important!” he cried, literally cried as he began bumbling about blue whales and the sheer plastic in the ocean, morosed how the first piece of plastic ever produced still hadn’t decomposed. 
It was no help that Namjoon enthusiastically joined in - the fucking nerds, until Jungkook started bawling and knocked back the salt shaker on the countertop mistaking it for a shot of tequila. 
You’d panicked and dragged him to the nearest bathroom to wash it out of his eyes. The seconds that followed afterwards, was you rubbing his back while he sobbed and puked the hearty contents of his stomach into the toilet.
Exhibit two - 
“If any dude is giving you a hard time, chances are - you’re hotter than them. And on top of that, they made you cry, making you a better person than them!” he proclaimed. Once you’d helped him clean up, he’d bumped into Ola - a girl you recalled was in his media class, and was crying outside of the door of the bathroom you and Jungkook had been in. 
She’d sniffled her way through a story about a boy she’d been talking to for six months, and Jungkook was as revved up as his ocean speech while he pep-talked her about how heartless the guy was; that he gave good guys a bad rep; and that she simply deserved better. Of course, you’d agreed with him. It sounded all too familiar to something you’d said in the past, though who could blame him for adopting your mannerism of speech when he’d spent so much time with you?
Exhibit three -
“Hey, Chad! Why the fuck do you hate poor people?!”
You were mortified. “Jungkook! Literally, where did you get that conclusion from?!” 
“He plays lacrosse and owns a golf cart!”
You groaned, yanking at his arm away from Chad - captain of the boys’ lacrosse team, and who’d also fortunately passed out on the couch, otherwise Jungkook for sure would have had his face beat in. Though, you’d like to think that Jungkook would win, for sure, but you promised sober Jungkook that you’d take care of drunk Jungkook. 
So that was that. 
By now you’d contracted a stress-induced migraine, by which your own best friend was accountable for. And you thought - by God, did he have to deal with this every time you went to a party together while you’d run rampant? This had been an eye-opener, and you should definitely be considerate next time because drunk people were babies, and not in the cute way either.
And finally: exhibit four.
“Hey.” 
You endured all the pet names, had endured being called the Apple of his Eye, Angel Face, and his Compass Star, because flirty Jungkook had been throwing pet names around all night. You’d seen and heard it yourself. But nothing would have prepared you for what he’d say next. 
You glanced at him, just a second to look away from your phone screen. “Yeah?” 
His eyes drooped, form slouched, and head atop his folded arms on the countertop. It was just after midnight, and the kitchen was a quiet lull, besides you and Jungkook who were sitting together; and then there was Jimin and Taehyung, and Seokjin by the sink in their own private conversation … and whatever it was that Taehyung was doing. Admittedly you hadn’t been paying much heed nor did you endeavour to find out.
Body curling into himself; Jungkook looked so much smaller than when he stood to his full stature. 
“I’ve got it bad,” he mumbled, wistfully, “real bad. So bad - I’m doomed bad. End of the fucking world baaad.”
Your hands rubbed at his nape, tender fingers toying with the longer hairs there. He’d been growing it out, and he looked good. You tucked a tuft of hair behind his ear. “What makes you think that?” 
Again - the glossy puppy eyes that gazed up, contemplating you like you’d fallen from heaven. 
His smile was meek, as shy as the drawling voice that spoke, “I … I really think you’re my soulmate. I don’t like saying it too much but I … like, love love you, but we’re only best friends. Someday you’ll date for real - instead of flings, I’d have to accept it. I don’t think I’ll be ok, but I will be, jus’ will take time to get over you. Have done it a few times before. I’ll be ok.” 
Your hand stilled, fingers still tangled in his locks. 
Rendered motionless, like air had been punched out of you from the stomach, unable to bring yourself to salvage the words. Breathless, all you could bring yourself to do was to weakly call his name. 
He hadn’t heard you, and he yawned, leaning into your touch. His body trembled with his giggles. “One time, you were sooo drunk. You were so drunk, don’t think you remembered - blacked out. You flirted with me that whole evening. After that … after that I became obsessed with you forever.”
It was with a sinking stomach when you’d realised that you couldn’t recall that night at all. 
Gulping, you peered down at the mop of tangled hair on the countertop, wishing for nothing else but to properly see his face, but it was half-hidden where he’d snuggled into his arms. 
“Jungkook?” you whispered, gently moving away the hair that flopped over his eyes. “Jungkook?’
No reply. Just steady, heavy breathing.
No reply, because he’d fallen asleep.
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It’s a splitting headache that rouses Jungkook from heavy sleep. One of those slumbers where he wakes up groggy, as if he hasn’t rested at all despite it being hours since. He tries to get up, but to no avail. His limbs are leaden heavy, and he collapses back onto his bed within seconds of mustering the strength to hoist himself up.
There are a series of knocks on the door but what’s the point of knocking when Jimin barges in anyway. He snickers seeing Jungkook: a sad, spectacular heap on the bed with a bitching hangover to boot.
“Oh, how the mighty have fallen.” 
“Shut up,” Jungkook drawls, barely recognising the cadence of his own voice. He throws an arm over his face, brow tightening as he shuts his eyes to recall anything that happened hours prior, but even that’s too much of a Herculean effort that his brain isn’t willing to commit to at nine in the morning. Hangovers are not worth the night before for this - this is a different kind of hell. 
Jimin places a glass and a jug of water on his bedside table. “Good morning to you too, sunshine.” 
“Thanks,” he replies. He at least has enough strength to reach for the glass. When he sits up a hand goes instantly to knock against his temple, as if it would stop whatever invisible vice it is that’s squeezing and hammering at his brain from all directions. He notices Jimin’s narrowing scrutiny on him. 
“You remember anything from yesterday?”
“Honestly, not really. Just some bits here and there.” 
“Blacked out, huh.” If Jimin hesitated it’s only for a split second, he stuffs a hand into his hoodie pocket for his phone. “There’s something I wanna show you. Not sure if you’re gonna like it much.”
“Can’t be that bad,” he says, but Jimin proffers a look, and Jungkook frowns. “... Right?”
Jimin licks his teeth in a way that makes Jungkook’s stomach drop just slightly.
“Famous last words, bud,” is all he replies.
 /
The slide of the back doors from the kitchen is what jerks your head up, followed by the sound of feet pattering on tiles. Suddenly, there’s a rise of anxiousness. Until you drum into your head that, no , this is nothing for you to be anxious about. There are the natural nerves budding that stem from confrontation, and you think this may be it.
Towel around his shoulders and dampened hair swept back, Jungkook doesn’t notice you at first when he appears by the doorway. He walks, gazes ahead like his legs are functioning on autopilot - but when he does notice you, he could have skidded. The way he halts and how his body almost springs backwards into the kitchen as soon as he sees your form huddled on one end of the couch, and how Basil - the frat’s cat, is curled by your lap, peacefully asleep and indulging in the soft stroke of your knuckles on his head. 
His expression mirrors a man who wants so desperately to sink into the floorboards. Or to dash back into the hale storm and fully immerse himself head to toe into the hot tub’s waters and never surface again.
The first few seconds of silence is heavy. As if you’re both still trying to process the presence of the other. It’s an uncomfortable silence you’re not accustomed to when with Jungkook. He’s always leaned more to the quiet side of the spectrum; introverted, introspective. But silences had always been comfortable, even when you two clashed. 
You endeavour for eye contact but he’s suddenly so transfixed on a shadow upon the wood flooring. 
“Hey,” you begin, quietly, like the walls are listening in on you. It’s enough gentle encouragement for him to peer up. He hides his hangover well but the mirth, the glint; the starry eyedness that reflected in his orbs from the night before is absent, and no amount of hot tub therapy could conceal the physical and mental exhaustion. 
“Hey.” He sounds almost breathless, smothers the tremor in his voice with a cough. “You’re … you’re soaked.”
“So are you.” Your tone is apologetic, “Sorry I came on short notice, I messaged you but I don’t think you saw it.”
He winces. “Right - sorry. My phone died. Haven’t checked it since.”
You muster a small smile. “I thought as much.” 
Another breath. Another nervous lilt in his voice. “I’m sorry. Not just the phone thing but everything I said to you last night.” 
You sigh. “Don’t be. It’s just … I’m surprised you remember what you said.”
He takes a breath, bicep flexing when he rubs anxiously at his nape. “I don’t,” he admits. “Jimin told me. It’s in this video he took last night of Taehyung eating cake off the floor, you could hear my voice in the background.” 
“Ah. That explains it.” Your lips pursed. “Did you mean what you said?”
His eyes round and flash to yours. He chews his lip, throws a glance at his feet. “... Yeah,” he whispers. 
“Not just the alcohol talking?”
“No.”
You’re quiet, continuing to stroke Basil who’s still fast asleep beside you.
“Sor—“
“Stop apologising,” you snap. You didn’t mean to, but his shoulders tense, and it makes you wallow in guilt that only he out of everyone has been able to make you feel. You haven’t thought this through and now you’re here you’re saying all the wrong things and asking all the wrong questions. But you remember it’s him, and recollect yourself. “Jungkook - it’s just … it’s just a lot to unpack.” 
You peer up, his nod is slow, but he gets it.
He’s tired, you see it clear as day. See it in the trudge of his walk, the dim in his eyes, and neither of you talk on the way up. Not until you reach his room. 
Despite your protests, he insists you help yourself to his draws for a spare change of dry clothes. It’s with that thought when you realise you still have yet to return several shirts to him with the promise of them all being washed and folded; washed and folded they are, but you never have been great at remembering to give them back. Putting it into perspective - maybe it is a little weird. Weird for two people who fall under the label of best friends. But then again you borrowed clothes from your own roommates all the time to the point you sometimes forgot whose is whose. It isn’t weird. Right? 
While Jungkook goes for a brisk shower, you peel off your soaked clothes, hang them over a spot on his clothes rack. His room is mostly devoid of personal touch, though there are a few photos of his high school football days and some of him and his friends pinned to a board. Otherwise, he’s never had much interest for interior decoration, but he likes his room clean and uncluttered. 
There’s a knock on the door a few minutes later. “Are you …?”
“Yeah,” you say. “I’m done.”
The door cracks open, and Jungkook appears, adorned in another change of clothes. His hair is still damp, fluffed at the patches that have managed to dry and his cheeks are pink from the heat of the shower, but he’s less rugged than earlier. Still tired, though. So tired that you don’t question it when he makes a beeline for his unmade bed and collapses face-first into his pillow. You perch on the edge, pulling his duvet over him. 
He wriggles closer to the wall, like he’s making more room for you to sit. You appreciate the gesture and shuffle closer. Outside, the wind still howls.
“You should dry your hair properly,” you murmur, fingers at the damp ends of his nape. 
“Yeah … prob’ly should,” he sighs, muffled where his mouth is buried in his pillow.
You came here to talk about yesterday night, but maybe it’s a conversation for another time. You out of everyone should know how strenuous it is to have a heart-to-heart while being victim to a hangover that gives you the same capacity as someone half-dead. 
You’re staring blankly at the wall, so occupied with the whistle of the winds, so lost in the strands between your fingertips - that when you peer down you’re met with half-open shining eyes, and a lazy blinking gaze directed upwards at your face.
“Yes?” 
“Nothing,” he murmurs, like clockwork, and buries half his face again into the plush of his pillow. It’s enough time for you to catch the shy tilt of his lips before they hid again. It’s almost ironic, how you’re the one next to him while he nurses a hangover when it’s always been the other way round. Here, he’s so vulnerable. Your mind wanders to the possibility - what if it was the other way around? An alternate universe where it was you who serenaded Jungkook with karaoke and confessed. 
In whatever reality, you imagine him to confront you in the way you did now. Perhaps approached it a little differently, would perhaps be a little gentler, but he would never give you the cold shoulder.
For now, you both pretend there’s been no drunken confession. Best friends, like how it’s always been, and you’ll discuss it all when the time comes.
At some point you’re lowering yourself next to him; your head on the same pillow, and your bodies beneath the same blanket. He’s warm. 
And it’s peaceful, as comfortable as it always has been. 
“Oh my God, where the hell’s your shirt? I haven’t seen you swim once so far,” you scoff, and Hoseok pulls a sour face.
“You’re talking big for being the one in the string bikini.”
You look at him in disbelief. “Yeah, but I actually used the pool?”
“Scooch over, babe.”
Your eyes roll skyward as he plops beside you on the loveseat. It’s another weekend, another frat, another party, another excuse for Hoseok to walk around without a shirt because there’s a pool. Correction: a further excuse for hoards of frat boys to walk around without a shirt, but at this point you’re desensitised to it.
The music booms, a dull vibration you feel through the ground. 
Kappa Omega is infamous for their extravagant parties (at least, as extravagant as college parties can go). Compared to others it’s vastly over-the-top, with most of the guys getting in through connections just like how their college applications got past admissions, but it is what it is. They’re not all bad people, they hold parties for fundraisers but sometimes it can’t be helped not to feel sour when you see what they blow their money on. The Kappa Omega mansion is so big that you’d spent a good portion of the beginning of the night lost.
“Lucky bastards,” Hoseok mutters. He’s said that several times this evening. He’s only here for the booze and the cheese tray. He pops open another beer, chucks the bottle opener onto the low table in front of him, besides the cheese tray he stole from the kitchen. “Which frat party was it again when you blacked out and dived into the pool fully clothed? I can’t remember anymore.” 
“We don’t talk about that, thanks,” you utter, wrapping your long cardigan tighter around your torso. “Have you by chance seen Jungkook around? I thought he’d be here by now.”
He looks up, mid-way from tipping back his beer. “Yeah, I saw him some time ago.”
“What, where?”
“Sat with some food by himself somewhere.” His arm gestures vaguely. “He looked a little sad. You know, in signature Jungkook fashion, you know how he gets sometimes.” 
Your form slumps. “Right,” you murmur. It’s been over two weeks since the last time you saw him. Not that it’s unprecedented. He has football among other commitments that strung him away for days and sometimes weeks at a time, and you had your own as well.
Be that as it may, somehow it feels like the both of you are drawing the whole thing out. Not purposely, but definitely unnecessarily. Neither of you brought it up in your messages to each other either, and it hit you recently that, well - you miss him. You’ve seen him around campus, but never for too long. Nothing more than fleeting sightings of him and his disheveled hair in a half-pony while he rushes to class after football practice; a hand usually holding onto a snack while the other held onto the strap of his half-open duffel bag, but you only had time to exchange a wave and a look that held promise of your next meeting. The fact remains that you miss your best friend, and it would kill you for your friendship to be awkward because of what happened. You had every intention to talk to him tonight in person, and no dallying or delays this time.
Hoseok’s eyes squint your way. “What’s going on between you guys, anyway. You guys a thing or what?”
You sigh, “That’s the thing, I have no idea yet.” 
“Yet.” His lips purse, contemplating you. “He really likes you, you know. So, like, go easy on him.”
Your eyes narrow. “How long have you known, then?”
“As if it was hard,” he scoffs, sitting back. “Guy wears his heart on his sleeve. You have to be thick as a brick not to notice.”
“Wow. Thanks,” you deadpan.
He stabs his fork into the blue cheese. “You know why him and Yerim broke up?” 
“Oh no,” you morose, frowning, “don’t tell me it was because of me. I talked to her after they broke it off and she said it wasn’t.”
“Not entirely. But I think she was bending the truth a little so that you wouldn’t berate Jungkook about it. She’s a cool girl, really nice and a good sport. Knew you two were close and accepted that like a champ. But -” and he pauses for emphasis. A pause which is seconds too long, and then finally he puts his fork down, clutches one of your hands in both of his, and waits for you until you’re hanging on to his every breath while he chews and swallows the remaining in his mouth. He resumes, brightly, “it’s not my story to tell. So you better go and find him.”
You shove him. Harder this time - enough that he topples over, and he cackles obnoxiously. 
“Prick,” you laugh, but rise to your feet. Your gaze spans the backyard, the pool. You spot a hot tub, but it’s filled with other students who are laughing and raucous. 
“Ok, I’m going,” you announce, glancing at Hoseok who’s still very much captivated by the cheese tray before him. It does look really good. “See you in a bit.”
“Yeah, yeah, bye.”
 /
The problem with knowing so many people, and having the same friends as those people - is that in situations where you try to pull yourself away from yet another drinking game you’re taken by the elbow by someone else. Having all of your mutual friends congregated in one domain that is the Kappa Omega House has made your search for the ever-elusive Jeon Jungkook a grand Pain in the Ass. He’s like gold dust. You’ve texted him but you’ve yet to receive a reply.
“Hey, have you seen Jungkook?”
“I saw him at the front porch a few minutes ago?”
“... Seriously? I’ve literally just been there.”
You even scrambled over a balcony and leaped over a hedge when you tried to get away from Chad’s third invitation to join the game of chicken fight in the pool (a parkour stunt that you like to think would put Peter Parker to shame). You give yourself a quiet moment to catch your breath. 
It’s then you realise you’re in a part of the backyard you swear you haven’t been in before. You can presuppose why. It’s dimly lit, less people, and the boom of the stereo is still loud, but is more of a distant noise in comparison to the other parts of the house you’ve been in. Like what the hell, how big is this place? 
“Sooo, you’ve found him yet or what?”
You hear the voice before you see the face. 
Unbelievable. So you cross paths with shirtless Hoseok for the third time and yet haven’t so much as had a hair’s glimpse of Jungkook. 
“Nope,” you reply, quite miserably, hands stuffing into your cardigan’s large pockets. You feel for your phone. He still hasn’t seen your message. At this point you’re one teetering step away from letting go of the remaining wisps of your dignity and yell his name through a megaphone with a hope he'll come to you instead … you’ve probably done that while drunk before but you’re nowhere near tipsy now, and that’s besides the point. 
Behind you, Hoseok hums, quite serene. When you look back you see he’s lowered his back onto the grass, his eyelids shut.
Eyes scanning this part of the backyard, it’s a different ambience to the atmosphere by the pool. More relaxed. There are students either sat or lying on the grass in small groups, their conversations a low murmur with the occasional twinkling sound of someone’s laughter rising above it. There’s a slabbed stone pathway that leads further up the grass, which then disappears behind a tall row of hedges, and with that you find yourself on your feet again. 
“As much as it pains me to leave, there’s only so much of you I can take in one evening before I go crazy,” you tell Hoseok, who’s unbothered reply is no more than a lazy thumbs up from his spot on the grass.
It gets darker the further away you are from the house, but you’re led by the quiet warm-white glow of the lawn lights that highlight the path. It calms your mind to a lull that puts you at peace, something you desperately sought after your hopeless goose-chase just minutes prior. 
The waters of a hot tub glow blue up ahead. You skid to a stop when you come closer and see someone’s in there; shoulders immersed and their head just above the water’s surface. What’s the phrase? When you stop looking for something, it finds you? That’s probably not how it goes, but it doesn’t matter. After futile searching, hedge jumping and greasy frat boy dodging, you finally found him. Of course he’d be in a place like this.
His eyes are dazed, mesmerised by the ripples in the water that his smallest movements create. He hasn’t yet noticed you coming.
You pad closer. “... Jungkook?” and like a switch, his spine straightens, goes rigid as a ramrod at your voice. He’s blinking, head shaking side to side as if to snap himself out of the trance that clouds his head. 
“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” you exasperate.
He blinks. “You … you have?”
You scoff, amused at the way his brows knit. “Yeah,” you sigh, stopping so your forearms can lean on the sides of the tub. “May I join you?”
After a beat of hesitation - “Of course you can.” 
You shrug your long oversized cardigan off of your shoulders, and double check that your phone is still in the pocket before you chuck it in a heap on the bench. You secure your footing on the step, eyes intercepting his own. His Adam's apple bobs when the rest of your body comes into view, and you shiver at the breeze but warmth engulfs you the second you’re in contact with the bubbling water.  
“Feels good?” he asks, and you sigh contentedly, leaning back.
“Yeah.” If you really wanted to, you could fall asleep right here, right now. “What is it with you and hot tubs? Always knew you had a thing for them but never asked specifically why. Or does it just feel good?”
“Mainly that. The guys on my team use the excuse that it breaks up the lactic acid in your muscles after training, but it just feels good when you’re sore.” 
“Huh.” When you crack an eye open, he’s already looking at you. 
His lips purse. “Did you want to talk?” and when you nod he sighs, wearily. “I wanted to, honestly. But I … I guess I never felt ready to hear what you’re going to say.”
You frown. “What do you think I’m going to say?” 
“I don’t know. That you don’t feel that way about me, which I’m fine with. I was never meant to let it slip, but I ended up saying all the things I didn’t want you to hear yet. And while I was drunk, of all things.” 
You consider this, broach your tone carefully. “Were you ever going to tell me?” 
His eyes avert to the water. “... Eventually. It would have been after graduation. No step three beyond telling you, no secret ploy to get you to fall in love with me, I only would have wanted you to know how I felt. I’d leave you alone and we’d finally move on with our lives. And what better timing than after graduation? But that’s not how it turned out, did it?” He laughs, but it’s with rueful discomfort.
“How long?”
He exhales. “A while.”
“I see.” You think hard for a second. “Even when you were with Yerim?”
He gnaws on his bottom lip, but you can tell he’s honest when he replies with, “Yeah. But I never pretended she was you.”
“Of course you didn’t, you’re not that type of person.”
At last, he does smile at that, and seeing the tilt of his mouth settles a warmth in your heart.
Part of you wants to ask what happened between him and Yerim, but you think perhaps it’s for the best you don’t know, at least now. It’s not your business nor his obligation to tell you.
Before you could dwell too much on your oncoming words, you continue barging forward or you’ll chicken out from what you’re going to say next.
“Jungkook,” you begin. “What if I said yes?”
A pause. 
“What do you mean?”
“If you asked me out, and I said yes.”
He’s so bewildered he looks as if he’s just been slapped. Suddenly, something more serious shadows his features. “You know I’d never want you to date me just because. I’m fine with rejection, seriously, I’ll get over it. But I don’t want you to settle for less than what you want. You deserve someone you want, and if I’m not that person, that’s fine. You deserve -”
“Last time I checked, you don’t get a say on what it is that I do and don’t deserve. Who I deserve is for me to decide, so stop cutting yourself so short because you’re more decent than most of the guys I know.”
He shifts, looks away. “So what are you saying?”
“Should we try it?”
“What if it doesn’t work out?”
“Then it doesn’t work out,” you say, simply.
“But then it’ll be awkward.”
“You telling me that you became obsessed with me after I flirted with you for one evening while I was drunk already made it awkward. Not like we have anything else to lose.”
A breath of air expels from his nose in a chuckle. “Oh, ouch.”
“Jungkook,” you sigh. “It’s so easy to be around you. If it doesn’t work out, then it doesn’t work out, but how are we supposed to know how it’s going to turn out if we don’t even give it a chance? It’s going to be awkward either way but we’ll figure it out. Like with all the other crap we’ve gone through. I’ve been with enough guys to know that guys like you come far and few between, I trust you enough to want to do this. You’re one of those few guys I know I can trust, alongside Hoseok. Even though he can be a real bitch sometimes.”
Jungkook doesn’t rebuke you, but he laughs. It’s a sound you’ve never been more relieved to hear. 
“So what do you think? I don’t want to force you into it. If you don’t want this, I’m fine with it. If you do, I’m fine with that too. Everything on my end is fine, so what about yours?”
If him confessing happened a year, or maybe two years earlier, you don’t think you would have confronted it in the way that you’d done now. You understand why Jungkook wanted to bide his time. You’re stubborn, fiery, and don’t think things through in the way that Jungkook does. If this happened two years ago, you can imagine you’d have yelled at him on impulse, asking him why, why he let it happen.
But there’s a very particular fondness you’ve honed for your best friend that has unfurled in the years of your friendship, to the point you couldn’t possibly imagine yourself putting blame on him for his feelings. It seems being friends with him has really mellowed you. While Hoseok is the friend you’re most similar to, your other pea-in-the-pod, Jungkook is the friend who balances you out. Someone so different to you, yet someone who still knows what makes you tick.
He’s a friend who doesn’t judge, but yet is always first to call you out whenever you’re out of line. A friend who waits until you’re inside of your dorm building before driving away. The type of guy who pays for dinner and doesn’t expect you to pay him back. A friend who makes sure you’re back home safely when you’re drunk, puts a glass of water next to you and watches over you to make sure you don’t choke on your vomit in your sleep.
Finally, after careful consideration, he nods. He nods, finally.
“So we’re doing this then.” You crack a smile, and he finds it difficult to suppress his own.
“Yeah,” he whispers. “Yeah, I guess we are.”
With an unchanging temper, as still and as serene as waters below the turbulent surface - Jungkook is your anchor, he always has been. The anchor that tethers your feet to the earth when the elements threaten to topple you over.
In the blue glow, you shuffle closer forward on your knees. 
“Can I kiss you?” you murmur, and he chokes on his saliva, spluttering. You smile sheepishly. “Sorry it’s weird, you don’t have to let me if that’s going too fast. I just … I want to see what it feels like.” 
He hesitates. “Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.”
He mulls it over, but it doesn’t take much thinking. He stares at you, hard. But then you disrupt the stillness with a disarming smile, and unable to resist, he beckons you over. “Come here.”
It’s odd to straddle his lap at first. In the same way it is when you’re getting on a bike for the first time or any kind of first. He doesn’t make any first move, it’s you who he waits to initiate. 
The path of your fingers trail slowly upwards, until they’re splayed against his chest. They remain there, and you detect the quick pattering of his heart, the rise of his chest. His breaths are deep but they’re controlled, and he feels sturdy beneath you. 
Jungkook is stupid handsome, with the body to match. But that’s not what swells your heart. It’s not what pushes you to move further forward in his lap and finally press your mouth to the seam of his lips before you could think twice.
It’s how tenderly he gazes up at you. With the same sincerity and adoration he’d shown the night he’d confessed drunk. His eyes, an opening to his soul which is a whole other wonder. 
When was the last time someone looked at you like that? 
The kiss is soft. No sparks, no butterflies on your end - not yet, but somehow it still feels right. Like missing pieces that have finally fallen into place. Warmth and love spills from him. It saturates your body to the very tips of your ears, all the way down to your toes, like a slow, spreading glow. It feels good.
When shy pecks don’t become enough anymore, you get needy, touching and grasping for more of him. His palms press against your lower back, massaging the skin there, and eventually your mouth parts pliant for him. 
“Oh,” he croaks, his head leaning forward so his cheek brushes yours. You can’t see his eyes, and you attempt to move but he curtains the planes of his face with his hair. 
“What’s wrong?” you ask, having to strain to catch his whisper. 
“I’m embarrassed.”
You chuckle, warmth spreading from the spot on your ear that his lips hover over. “How come?”
“Like, there are probably bricks softer than my dick right now. And … I really, really don’t wanna jizz my pants in a Kappa Omega hot tub. I would have hit my lowest point in life if I do.” 
“Oh my God.” You’re almost crying, shoulders shaking with how hard you’re laughing. 
“Please, I’m so serious right now. I’d never be able to redeem myself.”
“Would jizzing in an obscenely expensive hot tub be so bad?”
“Yes,” he emphasises. “Really bad, actually. Have you heard of that guy who ejaculated in a swimming pool and accidentally got twenty girls pregnant?”
“That sounds like fake news. There’s no way. Sperm aren’t homing torpedoes, Jungkook. They’d be unviable as soon as they’d be in the water. But if you want me to move back, I’ll move back.”
His face is taut, like he’s trying so hard. “Yes, please.” His eyes go stern, but there’s a nervous jitter you feel with the skin beneath your fingertips. “And just because I think it’s worth mentioning, I don’t think we should have sex straight away.” 
“Oh. Right. I see,” you deadpan.
It’s his turn to cackle at the dead-set, disappointed look on your face. “What’s with that?”
Your eyes roll. “You know I’m kidding.” You brush the hair out from his eyes. “Jungkook, will you wait for me?”
His expression softens, and he hoists you until you’re pressed impossibly closer.
“Of course I will. However long it needs to be.”
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a/n: when jk says you flirted with me the whole night and i became obsessed w you forever, yea that was from b99
originally posted on ao3! thx for reading!!! <33 
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samwrights · 5 years ago
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Pining After You pt. 2 [hc]
Anon requested a part 2 to Pining After You featuring Tendou, Iwa, and Bokuto 😍😍😍 this one has slightly mature themes so please read with caution!
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Tendou;
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Tendou must have some ridiculous masochistic side to be so ridiculously head over heels for you.
Which he totally does but we ain’t here for kinks.
Being Tendou’s best friend was really easy for you, even if no one else really wanted to be, he was funny and kind and you really didn’t mind his quirks and oddities.
For the last three years, he was practically glued to your hip. He’d walk you to class, platonically holding your hand before telling you that he would see you at lunch or be back to walk you home from school.
Literally everyone in the third year, and probably second as well, knew that Tendou loved you. Like hardcore in love with you.
He knew the basics like what your favorite color was, your favorite foods, movies you loved. He also knew your fears, and declared to try to protect you from them, even if they weren’t fears in which he could do that.
Tendou even knew more intimate details, like how you preferred to hold hands with your right one or that you always needed a blanket over your feet when the two of you cuddled up and watched a movie together.
Homework and study dates were surprisingly your guys’ thing. Whenever you felt the need to get out of the house, a trip to a local coffee shop was a must—Tendou knows your order by heart. No matter how complicated it may be.
Dinner dates were also a big favorite for the both of you. Being in high school, it was hard to afford the finer things in life, but when you could splurge on a nice meal, you and Tendou were all for it. Complete with purposely ordering different meals so you could share with the other.
Literally, all of Shiratorizawa was confused as to how you two weren’t already dating???
“It’s platonic, and it’s rather cute.” Was always Tendou’s response.
“No, you idiot, it’s one sided.” Probably Semi Semi said this, but everyone has said some variation of it.
When it came to asking you about this relationship, you were so goddamn oblivious you swore that even Ushiwaka wanted to ram his head into a wall for Tendou’s sake.
“What do you mean we’re dating?? He doesn’t like me like that?? He’s always held my hand and walked me to class since the first time we ever talked??”
💀💀💀 RIP TENDOU.
Poor boy laid it on so thick that you literally couldn’t even tell.
Y’all were a lost cause.
N e ways, the two of you are walking home from one of your dinner dates on a Saturday night, holding hands and shit.
Tendou, in a very Tendou Satori fashion, stops everything he’s doing, letting go of you when he knows that you aren’t walking forward without him.
“We graduate next week.” His voice is kinda off, no bubbly chirp or teasing drawl.
“I know, Satori, we’re in the same year ya dork.”
“And we’re going to be going away to Uni.” Okay, Tendou playing captain obvious? Weird.
“Tendou, we’re going to the same university, we decided this two years ago.” The collective pronoun sends a pang through his heart and, whether it was out of love or pain, he was unsure.
He had never been so unsure of anything in his life. Not loving you, no. He would never regret that.
“What would you do if I kissed you right now?”
ASDFHGKSLWNTI.
Despite all of your intimate moments, Tendou never put his lips anywhere near you, a vow you never knew he made to himself. He couldn’t—not without agreeing to throw himself off the deep end.
“Wait, what?” Instead of asking the question again, Tendou takes a step closer to you, closing the gap by wrapping his arms around your waist. You respond by reaching up on your tiptoes and holding his cheeks in the palm of your hands.
“I’ve always loved you.”
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Iwaizumi;
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My baby Iwa!! I’m gonna destroy him :-)
He questions himself every single day, how and why the fuck he fell in love with someone on the “meme team���.
The meme team being you, Makki, and Mattsun.
By second year, the three of you were so tight knit, it was natural that you would always be at their practices and matches.
Everybody thought you were dating one or both of them because of how protective they were of you.
You were an absolute joker. Sarcastic, dirty, walking troller—he has no idea how his crush even started.
Yes he does. It started with jokes during second year, when he overheard you saying that if Makki got a service ace during practice you’d suck his dick.
You were joking, your friends knew you were joking, but Iwaizumi went home that evening, wondering if you had followed through with it and couldn’t help but be jealous.
This went on for nearly everyday for a year, slowly killing him on the inside. The laughter that bubbled past your lips when you were with them, the way you would smile in pride when they scored a point. His favorite was when your friends would pick you up and carry you chest to chest when they won a match, parading you around with your ass juttng out just a little bit as your legs wrapped around their torso.
Why couldn’t he be the one carrying you? The reason you were smiling and laughing? He hated that he wanted to be the reason.
One particular practice, Iwaizumi had enough of it. His game was off entirely—every spike he made was either out of bounds or blocked by his teammates.
One of his spikes accidentally hit you in the face.
ASKLRNGKFOHMYGODHEHITYOUINTHEFACE.
Immediately, he rushed over to your side, his face redder than a cherry as he stuttered out an apology. “I am so sorry, are you—“
But you were laughing. That angelic, chime of a harp that was your laughter slowly transitioned into a bellowing guffaws. Why were you laughing?! Your nose was bleeding! “If you wanted to talk to me so bad, you could have done literally anything but that.”
Makki and Mattsun are in the background howling like hyenas.
Ever the gentleman he was, Iwaizumi walks you towards the athletic trainers office, trying to ignore what you had said to him moments ago. But you weren’t gonna let it go, hell no.
“An unforgettable first date.” You tried again, knowing full well your fellow third year was always staring and gawking at you. He wasn’t exactly subtle.
“This isn’t a time for jokes, your nose could be broken.” But Iwaizumi was loving the attention right now. Although, he couldn’t help but feel that you were treating him the same way you treated your friends, causing his envy to rise again.
“It’s only fair. I broke your heart, you break my nose.”
“What???” 💀💀💀
“Bro, you’re so obvious. Good to know our plan to make you jealous worked.” It. Was. PlaNED?! Iwaizumi was a murky, muddled mess of emotions—angry, jealous, embarrassed were only a few he could name off hand.
“So you knew.”
“You’re not exactly subtle, baby.” The pet name succeeds in flustering Iwaizumi even more, even as the two of you sat in the trainer’s office with an ice pack over your nose.
“So why didn’t you ever say anything?”
“I wanted to tease you.” The salacious grin on your lips doesn’t go past him this time.
“I’ll show you teasing.”
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Bokuto;
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Bokuto weakness #38: you.
This particular weakness, Akaashi noticed, sent Bokuto through a wave of emotions, rather than immediately switching into his emo mode. Perhaps he would never understand it, but he was still able to discern which part of the wave Bokuto was in.
If his sole focus on you, Bokuto would be overwhelmingly touchy no matter who he was in contact with. Unfortunately for the setter, that usually meant him but he was used to it by now.
From what Akaashi could gather, it was because all he wanted was to physically touch you in some way, shape, or form and he had no way of doing so, so he settled on touching everybody else.
He would start getting loud—louder than normal, louder than thunder. Perhaps Bokuto thought that his volume would somehow transcend other noises in the vicinity and make you hear him, wherever you were. Didn’t matter if he was in the classroom or at the gym, he wanted to be heard.
When he decided that you didn’t, Bokuto’s emo side would come out. His mind would begin to spiral, thinking of how he would never have a chance with you and he was forever cursed to never have you by his side. Unfortunately, Akaashi could only fix this during matches, as you were present as a member of the cheerleading squad.
“Bokuto, she’s watching you.” Whether you actually were or not didn’t matter, because Bokuto would immediately bring his A game. He could never look to see if you were, because he was afraid that would make his feelings obvious for you.
It was when Akaashi wasn’t there that served to be the problem, as nobody could stop his spiraling.
It came as no surprise to him that he developed a crush on you. You were happy, upbeat, and didn’t have a mean bone in your body. Everyone else thought it was just because you were a cheerleader, but Bokuto wasn’t shallow.
It was your kindness that drew him in like the warmth and glow of a candle, or like having a hot chocolate on a cold, winter evening. Bokuto wanted that warmth in his life. But he also knew it was an unattainable dream since he didn’t even know how to strike up a conversation with you.
It wasn’t until the Fukurodani sports awards ceremony that was held at the end of the year to commemorate and celebrate all of the school teams that he had even been closer than 10 feet to you.
The event was held every year as a send off to the third year captains, with the cheerleaders walking, arms linked at the elbow, with each captain to present them to the school in addition to the celebration of their achievements. In every cheerleaders free arm was a bouquet of flowers that they were to give to their respective partners.
You just so happened to be paired up with Bokuto.
He swears up and down that his heart stopped multiple times that night, or he thought the entire event was a figment of his imagination.
“Being presented by second year cheer squad member, [lastname] [name], is captain of the Fukurodani Volleyball Club, Bokuto Koutarou!” He deadass didn’t know you were only a second year
The smile you gave when everybody began clapping for him made Bokuto melt. Like a proud girlfriend.
“Congratulations, Bokuto.” You handed him the bouquet while the two of you were still on the stage, the principal listing off the volleyball team’s accomplishments.
He couldn’t stop the word vomit from coming you.
“Will you go on a date with me?” He didn’t know how to start a normal conversation, so he just skipped straight to the point. By now, the principal’s announcements had stopped, the venue had gone quiet, and everybody in the room had heard Bokuto’s question.
...
The silence was deafening and all he wanted to do was bury his head in the nearest trash can. Why why WHY DID HE JUST SAY THAT—
“Pick me up at 8 on Saturday?” The volleyball team, his team, began slow clapping until every sports team had joined in with various screams of support coming from voices he wasn’t familiar with.
Unsure of what to do with himself, he started poking your cheek. “Is this real life or am I dreaming?”
You could only laugh before dragging him off the stage so the principal could continue with the ceremony. “It’s very real, Bokuto.” The warmth that he was desperate to feel suddenly filled his chest like hot wax.
“I didn’t think you even knew I existed.” He blurts out.
“What, you think it’s a coincidence that I was your partner for tonight?”
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Wanna see a specific character? Or a different head cannon? Want to see a whole story?
Send in requests!
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bluemoon-writer · 6 years ago
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Childhood Friends AU: MariKim Headcanons
In which Kim and Marinette are absolutely, 100%, ride or die friends and you can fight me on this
Part 2        Masterlist
their parents are best friends (I have many head cannons about this here)
-so they grew up together
-Kim knows Marinette is the sweetest person in the whole world
-they both have pretty busy schedules with Kim doing every known sport and Marinette doing everything else
-so they don’t hang out as much as they used to, but their families still get together once a week
-their parents are SUPER close, so they see each other as extended family of sorts
-meaning it’s damn near impossible for someone else to change their opinions of each other. Marinette will never think of Kim as stupid and egotistical, Kim could never be convinced that Mari is cowardly and weak.
-growing up they spent most of their free time together. They went to the same schools and were in the same class until they were nine (I don’t know French school years so I’m just using ages for now)
-then bad luck hit and they were put in separate classes for a couple years
-but, it was the same school, so they still ate lunch together.
-it actually made them closer for a while, since they were in different classes they would meet up at the end of the day and give each other a play by play of everything that happened that day. They didn’t keep any secrets from each other
-(well, Marinette kept one about a certain rich blonde)
-when grades started to actually mean something, they began studying together
-either Marinette would go to Kim’s for dinner and to study (and play video games) or Kim would go to Marinettes
-Kim didn’t have dinner at home for a month once bc he didn’t feel like walking all the way to his house before he could eat when Marinette’s is right there
-when Marinette started getting into fashion she started by designing clothes for Kim, because his fashion sense was atrocious
-she was only six though so her designs weren’t that great either, but Kim would still try to make and wear all of them
-many blankets were sacrificed for his cause
-now, after many years of practice, all of his athletic clothes and sports uniforms are made by her.
-sometimes he’ll model outfits for her
-before she started crushing on Adrien, the only pictures of models she had up were those of Kim
-Kim has also spent some long Sundays acting as a clothing dummy
-Kim is the sole reason Marinette didn’t trip and die as a child. Even as a kid, Marinette had a tendency to get absorbed in thought and Kim’s quick reflexes stopped her from walking into traffic numerous times.
-one year Kim bought her a gymnastics mat to put at the foot of her staircase in case she falls down the stairs
-Kim’s really protective of Marinette, though he doesn’t express it, bc he’s not the best with communicating emotions.
-his one weakness is Chloe, she’s been his crush since he was eight years old, and was, though she’ll deny it, his first kiss.
-he’s shocked on the first day to see Chloe being mean to Marinette
-Chloe wasn’t like that when they were kids and Marinette never told him about her being mean so he’s confused
-His crush on Chloe starts shrinking that day, though it doesn’t go away completely until Dark Cupid
-Kim, despite his dumb jock stereotype, is pretty smart. He looks out for Marinette without seeming like he is
-and tho he doesn’t think he needs looking out for, Marinette looks after him too
-this mostly involves making sure he doesn’t forget things, which he does often
-Kim once came to class in his swimwear, but luckily Marinette had brought his sweats when he forgot them
-once a month Marinette sits down with Kim and makes a detailed schedule of the month for him
-he always makes her schedule in time for them to hang out
-Marinette keeps a copy of the schedule and goes to every single one of Kim’s home games for every sport he plays. She tries to make it to his away games and tournaments too, but sometimes they’re not in Paris and she can’t leave the city
-she also sits through some of his practices, though she usually does homework or works on her designs
-Kim doesn’t mind, it just makes him happy that she cares enough to be there
-He tries to get her to join a team so that he can go to her games and cheer for her like she does for him.
-she turns him down, but does start working out with him before class MWF.
-He’s disappointed, but happy to spend more time together, and jazzed about exercising together when he realizes how jacked Mari is
-he playfully pouts that she’s been working out without him
-he is genuinely sad that she doesn’t join a team tho, bc sometimes he feels like he doesn’t do as much for her as she does for him
-Mari supports in everything, even the stupid dares and bets he makes
-Kim asks if she thinks he can run to the Eiffel Tower faster than a car, she doesn’t hesitate to say ‘Absolutely’
-the entire class disagrees
“Marinette, don’t encourage him anymore!”
-Alix ends up challenging him to actually do it
-Marinette tells the class to meet at the front of the school at 4:30, right at the beginning of rush hour.
-Kim wins of course
-The only bets Marinette doesn’t throw all of her energy behind supporting Kim are the ones that are impossible or ones that would get other people hurt
-when one of these occurs Marinette just challenges Kim to a better challenge
“I bet if I get a trampoline I can jump to the moon!”
“People have already been to the moon, but I bet you can’t jump to the second floor in the courtyard”
-Kim gets caught up in the adrenaline of challenges and sometimes goes too far
-he uses Marinette as a bit of a judge to see when he going to far
-so he really wants to support her more
-Hes ecstatic when she runs for class president
-he loudly supports every plan she has
-when she eventually opens an online commission store, Kim tells literally everyone he knows
-he hands out business cards to members of rival sport teams and tells them to go fix their uniforms
-before she started making money off commissions Kim would sometimes buy her supplies with his allowance
-one time Kim was at her house playing video games with Tom while Marinette was making a dress and she panicked bc she was almost out of the thread she was using to embroider it
-Kim ran and got more in ten minutes flat
-from then on whenever he was over at her house he’d take inventory of her supplies and run to get more of whatever she was close to running out of
-her parents like for her to work at the bakery a few times a week, which is inconvient when she’s in the middle of a big commission or project
-so sometimes Kim will cover them for her.
-he steals a pair of buggy pink pajama pants Marinette has, though they’re tight on him, pulls on one of Toms old T-shirts, that is much too big for him, and a black rain coat. He clips two pieces of string to his hair and then heads to the bakery
“Hey dad! I’m here to help!”
“Uh, Kim? What are you…wearing?”
“Kim? No, I’m your daughter Marinette! Don’t you recognize me? See, I have ponytails and everything”
-Tom just sighs and puts him to work, but not before making him remove the fake ponytails
“Can’t risk them falling into the dough, thats a health violation.”
-Marinette always bakes Kim a shit ton of sweets when he does this, even though he always leaves with more pastries than he can carry.
-She vows to go to more of his practices bc she feels like she could do more for him
-they really love each other
-but, the class hasn’t realized how close they really are
1K notes · View notes
daisukissed · 5 years ago
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【 Okay, Gamer 】
❧ pairing: kozume kenma x gn!reader, slight kuroo x reader if you squint hard enough
❧ synopsis: who would've thought you'd meet the love of your life through fortnite?
❧ genres: fluff, e2l (the enemy phase being 5 seconds lMFAO), one-shot
❧ warnings: guns, shootings, violence all the stuff you do in a battle royale if that needs a warning???? oh, and cursing.
❧ word count: 2k-ish
❧ a/n: purely self indulgent hehe the things i'd do to game with this guy 🥴
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Your fingers move swiftly across your controller, pressing the combinations of buttons that have been ingrained in your brain from muscle memory. Your eyes shift from left to right, focusing solely on the screen of your TV as you scan the large platform for the person who shot you earlier.
Gaining another shot from the right, you immediately toggle your left stick towards the sound of the gunshot, aiming for the pink haired player not far from you.
"SHIT!" You throw your controller out of frustration, seeing it bounce a few times on your bed before making its way onto the floor with a large thud.
"I'm knocked down by the tree, the enemy's literally at 15 health." You groaned through the microphone, picking up the controller back up as you hear a soft hum in reply.
You could see your partner making his way towards you, building up floors and ramps skillfully as he avoid the shots made by the other player earlier.
It doesn't take much time for your teammate to kill off the female character, various items of different colors dropping from her death to which he gathers immediately.
"Oh my God, you're really out here looting and healing first when your teammate is literally seconds away from dying?!" You yell, feeling more and more frustration pile up as you see your health bar becoming shorter and shorter.
"It's your fault that you got knocked down."
Your grip on the controller got tighter than before as you take a deep breath, holding in all the numerous curses plagued on your mind as of now.
"Username 'applepi', I swear to God if you don't get your ass back here and revive me, I'll come and haunt you in real life."
You hear a exasperated sigh from the other side of the call before seeing a purple and black skeleton running his way to the tree you're currently residing in.
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The rest of the game went out just as bad as the start of it. He would fire shots aimlessly and pointlessly to attract enemies nearby, solely because he knows it'll piss you off. Of course, you can't just back down from his childish antics so you pay him back by following him everywhere and anywhere, stealing any weapons and materials he got on his sight.
"Hey, there's someone coming over towards your left."
"You already did that trick, try again next time."
"No, I'm serious-"
Bam!
And he's down.
"What the fuck?"
You couldn't help but obnoxiously snort at the sight of your teammate falling down to his knees, only being able to crawl and nothing else as he watches his health bar dwindling into nothing.
"Pfft- See! I-I fucking t-told you but you wouldn't even l-listen!" You stammer in laughter, clutching your stomach in pain. Tears are starting to form in the uppermost corner of your eye, your cheeks beginning to feel sore and chest heaving up and down uncontrollably.
"Shut up and revive me." The player behind your laughter said in an unamused tone. You could hear the aggravation behind his sighs, the sound of what seemed like a device or some sort being put down forcefully followed behind, leaving you in fits of blissful giggles.
Oh, how sweet that karma is by your side.
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Top 3.
That's all it takes for the endless banter between you two to cease.
Your body is tense, not wanting to move a single inch from your spot, afraid that it'll wreck the whole game if you put any attention to anything else besides the ongoing match. Your hands are clammy, layered with sheets of sweat between your palm and the black controller you're gripping at, holding it tight as if it's your only hope in winning the game.
You rapidly toggle the small joystick, trying to aim for the player in front of you as you furiously press buttons to shoot and evade at the same time, taking a few shots in the process.
Pressing the R2 button a few more times, you finally knocked your enemy down, shooting them in the head to truly end them.
The green health bar located on the bottom side of your television has about a quarter of it left, causing you to move away from the enemy's sight, searching for a secluded place to refuge in.
Switching your shotgun into a red and white bandage, you heal yourself up, anxiously waiting for the timer to count down to zero to finish healing, hoping that no one comes to ambush you in the meantime.
Your heart thumps against your chest, caused by the surge of adrenaline through your body.
The timer ticks down to six when you get shot, all your remaining health diminishing in one go along with your energy and enthusiasm.
You see your shooter immediately make his way to your teammate, greedy for kills, leaving you to watch your character slowly die in all fours. You think it's a stupid mistake that they didn't finish you off but you're thankful for the chance given.
"Applepi, revive me!" You order frantically, your hope of winning the game slowly decreases as you see your fellow teammate's health at half, the sight of him frantically moving backwards to create distance between his two opponent tells you that he's having a hard time.
"We'll both die before I have the chance to revive you."
An aggravated sigh left your chapped lips as you watch one of the players close in on him.
"Well, you can't beat two players all on your-"
Before you can finish your sentence, soft party music suddenly booms from your speakers, a large blue banner with the writing 'Victory Royale' displaying on your screen. It is as if the gods above and he himself are playing with you, proving you wrong before you could even try.
"What did you say?" The male asks in fake innocence and you might be dreaming but you think that you can hear the slight smile in his husky voice.
You let out a small groan as the game cuts off to its loading screen, the voice chat between you and the quiet male ending.
Trying to fight off the disappointment growing in your heart, you take off your blue headphones, finally setting your controller down after what seems like hours.
Blinking the tiredness of your strained eyes, you give the in game menu a final scan.
As if all the negative emotions that you felt were never there, you hold back a smile, feeling a budding hope when you make out the words in front of you.
Applepi sent you a friend request!
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You learned a lot of new things about your new friend.
You learned that his real name is Kozume Kenma, he's a year older than you and goes to Nekoma High, the school a few stops before yours.
You learned that he has blonde hair and ebony roots, along with gold slit eyes and small pupils that makes him resemble a cat.
You also learned that he uses the username 'applepi' because he loves apple pies, he's a quiet person in general, not just in game but in texts as well. Sometimes he surprises you, getting chatty and affectionate at rare times.
You screech out his name, the boy being mentioned having to wince at the loud sound from his headphones. You run around the grassy platform, avoiding the player coming for you at all cost due to your lack of good weapons.
Kenma watches you for a while, contemplating whether he should just leave you or actually save you.
He opts for the latter, he always does.
Rushing in with a stronger weapon than yours, he jumps through bushes and cars, avoiding anything that seems to block him. Turning left from the rocky road, the blonde male immediately shoots at a purple character near yours, focusing on aiming at the small figure faraway.
"You suck, Y/N." He points out, controlling his skeleton-like character to run towards you after finishing the last blow.
"Yet you always play with me anyways." You argue.
You know you hit the mark when he doesn't give you any sort of response.
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Your lips curl up into a soft smile as you hear the boy you grow more and more fond of talk about today's practice.
You don't know how or when it happened but the hectic calls while gaming are slowly replaced by a more ordinary and intimate one instead. Insults about the other party's skills turns to subtle compliments and childish banters turn into curious questions about one's life.
You would be lying if you said you didn't like the change.
"So this Hinata guy just spikes without even looking at the ball?" You ask intriguingly, genuinely interested at the dynamic duo he had been telling you about.
"Uh-huh, he's amazing."
You let out a small giggle at his response.
He doesn't notice but the tone of his voice always seems to change when he's talking about the things he's passionate about. Whether it be the new game he started playing or even volleyball, when he played an intense match. It's a minuscule change but you notice it anyways.
A slight click of the door opening followed by one or two footsteps can be heard from Kenma's room, a sly voice resonating throughout the walls.
"Ah, is that your Fortnite girlfriend you're calling again?"
You can vaguely recall the voice belonging to Kuroo Tetsurou, one of Kenma's teammate whom you shared a few conversations with before, much to the blonde's dismay. Feeling a slight cringe upon hearing the tall athlete's words, along with a hint of envy, you choose to stay quiet as they talk.
"It's not. Get out of my room, Kuroo." The cat-like male spit out, black eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.
Kuroo's lips twitches up into a infuriating smirk, knowing full well of the ticking time bomb in front of him. He does as he was ordered to, stepping his foot out of his childhood friend's door.
Not before dealing a blow though.
"If you don't ask her out soon, I might just go and steal her, you know~?" The clever male goads before escaping out of the room.
Upon hearing those words, Kenma's mind goes into a havoc, his heart dropping down into his stomach.
He knows that you and Kuroo have been texting as well lately, the said man mentioning that he is in fact, quiet interested in you.
What are you bothered of anyways? People can get close to her however they'd like, he thinks, yet he feels all these negative emotions swirling around his head when he imagines you going out with the suave boy.
"Fortnite girlfriend?" You inquire, breaking his train of thoughts. You can't help the slight bitterness in your tone when you speak, though you're sure it goes unnoticed by the person you're speaking to.
"It's nothing, just ignore what he said."
Not satisfied with his answer, you push more, "Well, shouldn't you really ask her out? We can't let Kuroo be a step ahead of you, can't we?"
You try your hardest to play it as a joke, masking your jealousy with a cheerful and joking tone.
It is exactly this that gives Kenma the final push, giving him the last ounce of courage and guts that are needed to say his next line.
"Then Y/N, would you like to go to the cat café I mentioned about together this Saturday?"
Your mind short circuits, incompetent to form words and your eyes widen by a tenfold. To say that you are shocked would be an understatement
You can hear Kenma beginning to take back his words, scared that he's putting you in a difficult place or making you feel uncomfortable but before he can finish his words, you cut him off with a stuttered and loud 'yes!'
The Pudding Head smiles slightly at your agreement and before arranging his plans with you, he opens the messaging app on his phone, immediately texting the number one contact.
Kozume Kenma
I did it.
Kuroo Tetsurou
Took you long enough.
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mangamushi · 4 years ago
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Thoughts on Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa
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FUKUMOTO Nobuyuki, 11 volumes, published from 2003 to 2006 in Big Comic Original (Seinen)
Saikyou Densetsu Kurosawa (Legend of the strongest man Kurosawa) follows the story of 44 years old construction worker Kurosawa as he realizes he spent most of his life without any meaningful connections with anyone nor any special achievements. He decides to change his life so that he can become proud of his own accomplishments and efforts, and earn respect and appreciation from the people around him.
(spoiler warning)
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So I’m currently binging Fukumoto manga, after having them on my “plan to read” list for several years…I started with Kaiji, but initially the first manga of his that caught my interest was Kurosawa. The themes of it are right up my alley, and I like main characters that are not teenagers or young adults.
Kurosawa has a sequel, Shin Kurosawa: Saikyou Densetsu, which is a direct continuation. I’ll mostly be focusing on the first part here. 
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The art is typical Fukumoto style. Odd at first, definitely not the prettiest nor the most impressive out there, but it does the job and I really grew to like it. He doesn’t hesitate to give exaggerated features to his characters, and I actually find the deliberate ugliness of the character designs refreshing. It certainly fits the story of Kurosawa, makes the characters very expressive and works well with the often comedic tone. 
Although the art looks simple, Fukumoto can deliver very intense pages when he needs to. 
His forte is in his use of narration combined with the picture, rather than in the drawings alone. He is a master at using a narrator’s comments or the character’s thoughts to raise tension and make the manga flow better.
 Kurosawa is definitely written with a lot of heart. Both the manga itself and the titular character, feel very genuine. Kurosawa is very flawed and very human. He is rough but powerful, his desires are simple, and he is straightforward in his reactions, to the point that his impulsive nature and lack of social restraints put him in trouble, especially when it comes to women...
There are a few instances however where he comes close to harassing women, which is played for laugh, which I disliked. Those scenes made me less sympathetic towards him as he actually deserved the repercussions of his actions here.
But besides those chapters, Kurosawa is overall a likeable character, easy to sympathize with and to root for as we see him at a low point of his life.
He is clumsy in his interactions with his coworkers, which, coupled with his hot-temper, often leads to misunderstandings and prevents him from getting closer to them despite his best efforts. I actually found Kurosawa’s failed attempts at achieving popularity reminiscent of Watamote. The beginning of both series, in which a pathetic main character fails repetitively at gaining the appreciation of their peers through outlandish strategies, elicits the same mixture of pity, second-hand embarrassment, and amusement.
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Kurosawa also gets into a fair number of fights. While those fight-focused chapters were not bad, I was personally less into them.
Drawing literal fist-fights in not what Fukumoto’s best at. His character’s postures are somewhat stiff, which he compensates for with heavy use of speed-lines. It is okay-ish, but I want read a fight scene, there’s plenty of fighting manga out there that can do a better job. 
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 I like Fukumoto more when he writes more psychological battles, like in his gambling mangas. Of course, psychological elements and strategies where not totally absent from the fights, but it was nowhere as much as in his gambling manga. Sometimes I think Kurosawa was a bit too lucky in the fights, as he is not a very athletic person nor someone with a lot of experience in fighting. It did not feel very convincing to me.
Besides, it is through these battles that Kurosawa gathers allies, a reputation and respect. But most of his opponents are teenagers, even middle-schoolers ! Granted they are very scary teenagers, but I still fail to see how a 44 years old man throwing hands with teenagers is such a praise worthy thing...
 I think I prefer to see Kurosawa fight and struggle to improve his life in a less literal way that actual physical fighting.
I haven’t read that many of Fukumoto’s works yet, but I feel like an important theme in them is perseverance/resilience. He puts his characters through a lot, but they tend to have some form of resistance that shines through as admirable. Kurosawa’s will to fight and to push back against adversity is sometimes the only thing he has left, and it is extremely important.
However, that is not an innate ability that comes to him easily -at times Kurosawa hides, flees, cowers. He hesitates, and he needs to think things through before he actually decides to fight.
Fukumoto: You know how protagonists in shonen manga do things like jump in to stop their classmate from being bullied without thinking about how they might get beaten up themselves? I always felt that wasn’t real. So with Kurosawa, I wanted to make a manga that shows hesitation, and how it actually isn’t so easy to defend people like that.
(Excerpt from this interview)
I like this kind of manga where characters reflect about what is the right decision to take and on how they should be living their life. And how the reader has access to their inner turmoil and thoughts. 
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 His strength is often born from sheer desperation and desire to survive. It is when he is cornered that he can manage to act and fight even when the odds are against him. He has to make do with the very few tools and options he has, which leads him to elaborate unconventional tactics to win over his opponents. 
Having cornered underdogs characters winning over more powerful, but less desperate, opponents seems like a running theme in Fukumoto’s manga (cf. the made-up E-card Game from Kaiji, in which The Slave is the only card that can win against The Emperor, precisely because it is so low that it has nothing to lose anymore).
In a way, one could argue Kurosawa follows a formula reminiscent of classic shounen manga: a character who is below average at first rises to a heroic status through willpower, effort and after fighting a string of opponents. However, there are major differences that set Kurosawa apart, besides the older characters and more adult setting (Kurosawa’s worries are grounded in reality: growing old alone, financial problems...) Kurosawa does not provide escapism and dreams. The story begins with Kurosawa as a single old man, and ends with him an even older still single man. He does not become an amazing fighter through power boost and magic training like a shounen character might.
He does want to dream big, but all things considered, his achievements are fairly modest. He is not saving the world or becoming hokage.  At most he is just helping some other marginalized people from his neighborhood.  
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Even if he puts his life on the line to fight, what he accomplished will fade into oblivion at some point.
But, even so, his efforts and struggle are still admirable.
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Besides, Kurosawa is not about friendship, at least not the kind of friendship you find in shounen manga.
In Fukumoto’s manga, people may stick together for survival, they can share intense emotions when put through the same ordeals, but it’ll rarely turn into true companionship. Kurosawa is alone from the start, and while he does connect with other people throughout the story, in the sequel those relationships are left behind as he leaves on his own to start a new life. 
Fukumoto: My protagonists, on the other hand, are always alone – not only do they not have followers, they don’t even have friends. (laugh) [...]  I can’t do manga where the characters readily make friends that they risk their lives for. I started out by drawing short human drama pieces, but even then – partially because I wasn’t doing long-term series, but – they weren’t generally stories about friends.
I was kind of expecting Asai, one of Kurosawa’s coworker, to have a bigger role, but that didn’t happen. (I liked the part where he tried to comfort Kurosawa after he got humiliated so I was hoping for more!)
The story isn’t very cohesive or straighforward, it just follows Kurosawa’s life, who wants to change but lacks a clearly defined goal or road to follow. There isn’t one big coherent plot, instead the story goes in different directions, shifting from one genre to another from chapter to chapter. Kurosawa even admits it himself !
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The quality of the chapters and different arcs is in my opinion rather uneven. 
 There are some really powerful scenes, notably the very end of the manga which is very touching. Kurosawa successfully leads a group of homeless men to defend themselves against some delinquents who were threatening them, but as a result of his injuries, he is implied to die. (The sequel manga reveals he actually just goes into coma for 8 years). It is bittersweet ending as he finally achieved something and is surrounded by human warmth.
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                  Shin Kurosawa, the sequel, is similar to the first part, though slightly more light-hearted and focused on humor (even though Kurosawa’s situation technically worsens!). It seems to be less liked than the first part for those same reasons, but I personally enjoy Fukumoto’s humor and his more slice of life-y mangas. It has many genuinely funny moments. Once in a while there are still some chapters that feel deeper/more thought provoking, as Fukumoto likes to reflect about society, life, and humanity in his stories.
For anyone looking for other manga with similar themes, I can recommend Furuya Minoru’s excellent Wanitokagegisu . Both feature very lonely adult men who wish to turn their life around, and oscillate between humor and psychological drama.
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jiminrings · 5 years ago
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uu abt homebound au, what goes on with racer! hobi and jk?? i guess this is kinda a request? thanks ilysm :")
homebound: koo’s pov
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a lil homebound special that’s in jungkook’s pov and u get to see what’s going on in his noggin :D
glimpse: kook’s a protective best friend, hobi is a hyung that he never knew he needed, aND he just needs y/n as his forever emotional support shoulder :D
wordcount: 3k
notes: aHHHHH first of all i love you too!!!! write that down pls
this is a spin-off because earlier, i made a drabble from a request about jimin and y/n’s tough love relationship as crew chief x crew member!!! i loved making that piece they r so dynamic :D
read homebound the fic!!!
it’s not easy being jungkook
ugh yeah he kNOWS he’s handsome and talented and charismatic but gOd this is getting out of hand now
he has to save your ass
AGAIN
well not literally your ass,.,. it’s your thumb this time
he’s met you like what?? two months ago and you’re already a handful!!! LOOK AT YOU
“g-googie pLEASE just h-help me i can’t do it mYSELF!!!”
if only two months ago, jungkook was pulled from basketball practice and shoved into the empty-looking gymnasium AND sat in the front instead of the back right next to you
if only he hasn’t opened his mouth and told that he liked your softball uniform aND coincidentially found a fellow athlete that lit rally only joined sports for the uniforms.,.,..
if only he didn’t reciprocate by saying that he joined basketball for the fluffy warmers.,.,..
HE WOULDN’T BE HERE RIGHT NOW
he wouldn’t deal with you calling him urgently and sAying it’s of a great emergency and that he had to sprint from the other side of campus grounds to where you were
you wouldn’t be right here sat on the ground, hand outstretched for him to mend as he’s only giving you a sCOWL of disbelief
ok fine
jungkook doesn’t regret you being his best friend but he dOES regret having a weak spot for you
“didn’t i specifically tell you NOT to play softball and take it easy for awhile???”
“b-but-...”
“and now someone was being a big dummy and then dISLOCATED her thumb and she’s made ME run all the way to the field because she’s tOO scared to pop back her dislocated thumb and wants ME to do it for her!!!!!”
you are Insufferable
u really are
he can’t help but feel agitated ok
he’s just so stressed and he almost got a near-flunking store at the calc test awhile ago and he studied!!! he studied for THREE hours and he was about three wrong answers away from being failed!!!!
meanwhile you sleep at that class and you bARely even studied because last night you were just calling him up to ask if you were down drinking some shots with you and then yOU pass????
also also!! his basketball coach has been extra tough on him lately and he isn’t even doing anything wrong!! he passes the ball and how come it’s HIS fault that the one he’s passed it to doesn’t make a score???
how is it hIS fault that this guy was an utter dUMBASS
on top of that, the pit crew training is taking a massive toll on his body and this particular time,, it’s jungkook’s only few breaks
and you just hAD to dislocate your thumb and be scared shitless of popping it back
hold on
are you uh.,...
are you crying
jungkook’s flustered a tON because uhHHh he’s not exactly the best person when it comes to these things
there was one time when jungkook added so much wasabi underneath your california maki to the point that you were CRYING
and sue him he didn’t know what to do
everyone in the restaurant thought the two of you were a couple and now there’s a LOT of angry stares aimed towards jungkook and that makes him sweat a little
that one buff guy who’s chopping the squid even sTopped what he was doing and that makes kook audibly gulp
jungkook was a tiny bit intimidated and so he did the next big thing
panickedly threw the packet of tissues to your face :D
lmao he’s gotten a lot better since then
“okay, okay, i’m sorry for yelling at you :((“
god he should know better
i mean you are in physical pain already and you don’t need him yelling at you now, do you??
after all jungkook did have this one big splinter on his thumb when he was doing something stupid aND although you were angry and amused, you didn’t yell at him
ok fair
he’s setting his things down and he had to coax you to give him back your hand because u retracted it when he yelled
“on the count of three, okay?? one, two....”
you’re already wincing and jungkook has to be swift with this when he doesn’t want to prolong your pain
aLTHOUGH this reminds him of how you have to distract him from the pain when he has you pluck out some of his eyebrow hair so they don’t form a unibrow
“two.... you’re still not — two.,..., you’re the one who’s supposed to adjust not me...,.,. t- yO IS THAT MIN YOONGI???”
“wHAT WHERE-“
pOp!!!!!
that shit hUrts
min yoongi is an especially good trigger point for you because jungkook, cannot, and especially cannot stress to how you have a crush on that guy sO bad
he’s a racer ok sure
ehhhh his skills are so-so
honestly he doesn’t even know if this yoongi guy is actually great at racing,,, maybe it’s just his family name that gets him where he’s at ya know....
“don’t joke with me like that! i’m telling you, jungkook — one day i’ll work with min yoongi.”
he snorts at that as he’s holding your hand up, checking to see if there’s any bruising or the sort
he wants to make sure nOw that you’re okay and not have anything else pop up later because he doesn’t want you ruining his alone time again
“yeah. mhmmm. sure you will.”
uGh where would you be now without jungkook
what was LIFE before jungkook
you’re that grateful for him
jungkook’s been avoiding you a liTTLE and you’ve been noticing it but you just didn’t prod into it
the dish was that he thinks he likes you
it’s just this roulette going on in his head
do i like y/n OR have i just been so starved from affection and companionship that i immediately the nearest person to me as someone i love?????
aha it’s the second option :D
you and jungkook fight a lot tho that’s no surprise
it could be over on the most stupid things ever for discourse and well as sensitive as you were, jungkook was even mORE sensitive
one time he cried when not only you gave him the silent treatment, but also literally pretended that he was iNVISIBLE and even got some people in on it
yeth it was a petty fight over stubornness and a sorta petty solution bUt it did give you some peace
what made it even worse was because you befriended these new guys!!!
the kim line!!! jin and namjoon and taehyung were quite the eye-catching trio over on their department and you kNow that jungkook was annoyed by them
actually they were very likeable and jungkook’s just annoyed at them for no apparent reason
and when you ignore jungkook for the whole day AND have the kim line over on your lunch table,,,
when kook offers you a tray of the best batches for your cafeteria food and even a fresh cold carton of chocolate milk,,,,
then pretend you didn’t even hEAR him nor SEE him when he was holding up the tray for you,,,
he absolutely cries because w-why are you :(((( i-i-ignoring me :(((( please d-don’t :((((
fighting and crying has been at an all-time low ever since that particular one
he was so frustrated that he didn’t even notice jin patting his back and he bARELY even knows jungkook
namjoon’s acting as a shield so no one could see that this guy was absolutely Losing it
taehyung’s trying his best to shove some tissues underneath jungkook so he could wipe them down
but this time
tHIS time
it’s jungkook who doesn’t know what to do
it’s you who’s crying so painfully that he’s sure not even the kim line could help try and fix
“he’s just sO — yoongi is uNBEARABLE!!”
oh it’s him again huh
jungkook wasn’t sure at first on how he’d process the news that yeah sure the two of you were the ones chosen to be the victors of the program
but it meant that the two of you were gonna work for different teams and now that just doesn’t make any sense.,...
sure he’s happy because he gets to work for jung hoseok!!!! the racer he’s in awe with and thank god because he didn’t want to work with-
ew he’s shuddering
min yoongi
yOU’RE the one who’s working for him and well!! you should be happy!!! why are you CRYING
jungkook was so nervous meeting hoseok for the first time
he wanted to please everyone so bad it wasn’t even funny :’)
he’s bought four boxes of donuts for his fellow pit crew members alone
hoseok was special special
he gets his OWN dozen and on top of that, kook even made him a crepe cake
from s c r a t c h
that was the most time-consuming jungkook’s ever spent in making food and he is pOsitive that he doesn’t ever want to subject himself to that again in his life
( with the exception for jung hoseok of course hehe )
jungkook’s kinda burnt himself on the pan atleast three times and he was a sweaty mess by the end of cooking it because again
wHO has the time to make crepe cakes????
deadass even bought a lil cooler with him just because he wants to impress his boss even more :)))
:))) tiny lil ice cream cups :)))
“hi!! nice to meet you, i’m hoseok!! why are you holding tHAT big of a bag??”
jungkook was starstruck for sure because wow jung hoseok was kIND???
normally being famous and being kind don’t exactly belong in the same sentence
but uHHhh his idol is right here in front of him being polite and cool and not coming off as snobbish??? wow
“for you, sir — uH sir jung?? uHm-...”
“oH! no, no-...”
“ho — sir???”
hoseok was just meant to tell him that it’s cool to drop the sir thing because he’s working with him not for him
poor kook was so nervous that he called his idol a hoe :(((
“aH, calm down!! it’s okay!! lol you seem cool anyway!!! you can just call me hobi-...”
that sounds SO precious omg
jungkook was about to bow again for the nth time but then hobi over here added something to his sentence
“... -hyung”
bROTHER??
now listen
hobi doesn’t have a brother in his family and gOd something about this younger guy in front of him,,,
he’s read jungkook’s forms and he’s younger than him and he’s iNTIMIDATINGLY large but he just looks so innocent y’know
it reminds him of nemo in a big vast ocean but maybe that’s just because he watched finding nemo last night and was emotional
but look!!! jungkook!!!! he wants to protecc this guy from the world and he looks so eager too!!!!
if you squint hard enough u could see jungkook’s fists in his sides clenching from being so happy
anyway
“hey, hey. c’mon, don’t cry now you’re gonna get uGly!!!!”
okay that did not help
jungkook’s rubbing circles on your back as you try to recollect what happened awhile ago at work and how yoongi was an absolute asshole
he’s tough on you and you don’t know why!!!
on top of that, your crew chief jimin is aLSO tough on you and you don’t know why either and it’s just!!!! why does everyone hate me!!!!! when i am just!!!!! bREATHING!!!!!
“want me to put in a good word for you for hobi-hyung? he could pull some strings then work for him instead... with me..... the people are a LOT nicer too...”
hobi knows about jungkook’s friendshio with you and he wasn’t really bothered to how his pit crew member is best friends with a pit crew member for his main rival :D not really :D
in fact he was even endeared!!! asked a lot of questions too because jungkook hOW do you contain yourself?? you’re so competitive and you’re not even the oNE who’s racing between us two???
“oh that’s easy hyung!!! y/n and i just kinda trashtalk each other for every game, then on free days we’re all cool!! :D”
“is that.... is that healthy..,.,.”
hobi wants to take you under his wing if that was possible
your contract and perhaps min yoongi are the only variables stopping you
he’s never said this to anyone but he dID make a semi-empty joke to yoongi once that y/n will also be working for him next season before he could even blink
and yoongi normally looks stoic but hobi swears that he must’ve flipped a switch aha :D
he looked sO infuriated and angry at the mention of your name and “working for me” that he actually thought yoongi would lunge at him
“it’s okay i guess :(( don’t wanna give up just yet :((“
“mHmmm okay whatever you say, sport :))”
jungkook praises you a lot for your dedication because if that was him?? he would’ve bitch-slapped yoongi in a second and quit right then and there!!
he cares for you!!! a lot!!! no one could ever take up your spot as his emotional support shoulder
he’s perfectly content with his job that he’s in!!!
hobi teaches him about things he’s never known before
practical life lessons too!!!
jungkook’s now equipped with the knowledge of how to make bread taste like french toast wITHOUT even making it like french toast
he now knows how to drift!!! like aCTUALLY drift!!! :D
hobi even taught him some tips about making the best use out of your car’s gas and how to nOT cower when it’s blinking that you’re about to run out
aHA jungkook’s still a little bit panicked whenever he sees the light blinking but then he’d remember hobi in his mind looking at him dead-straight
“you’re one of the buffest guys i’ve ever known, and you’re rattled at a tiny light blinking at you?”
you could still go for 50 km tOps with a blinking gas notice on!!! you’re nOT gonna believe jung hoseok the racer??
sigh
jungkook may be content with his job rn
but of course he’s still looking out for you :D
you’re much happier and giggly these days,,, yoongi and his character development being the causes for it
but every now and then aha :D
jungkook likes to relish over the fact that yeah yoongi may be over him in terms of seniority :) but that’s hIS best friend that he’s dating :)
he may just want to spook the guy sometimes
yoongi’s minding his business as he brings over lunch to kim kradle again, chopping up your cheesy tonkatsu for u when he makes the mistake of lifting his eyes
jungkook’s casually munching on his own meal that yoongi’s aLSO bought for him :D giving the older guy a thumbs-up and it makes yoongi smile
right before when jungkook’s eyes flicker from him and to you and his thumb is nOW resting daintily on his neck as he wiggles his eyebrows
g-gulp
yoongi will take care of you for sURE
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gongju-juice · 5 years ago
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2. Once Upon a Southern Night
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Adopted Cousins
Warnings: Some language mah bois. . .that goes for the rest of the series, minor assault incident because men are trash
The following week of school was quite exciting. People from all over the school were interested in your story. Amelia had gotten you acquainted with her friends—jocks, nonetheless—but they were fairly easy to get along with and you weren’t the type to stereotype.
History was even better. You could really flex your skills in your class, and not feel worried that you’d be rebuked. And Pre-Calculus and Chemistry wasn’t even as hard as you originally thought it would be. All in all, things were great. 
Since your first day, you hadn’t spoken to Jasper or any of the Cullens once. Sometimes you thought the tiny one, Alice, would smile at you behind your back as if she knew some big secret you didn’t. But she didn’t intimidate you, and neither did the others. Rosalie did seem a little off, but you figured that it had to do with the ridiculous number of boys confessing to her every week. And as for the others—Emmett and Edward—they seemed pretty normal. Though sometimes you wondered why Edward seemed to be so annoyed all the time, or why whenever you passed by him in the hallway, he inexplicably smirked from ear to ear.
One day, however, you had to sit at Amelia’s table without her. There was David, Mallory, Tyler, and Sarah. They were all the best athletes in the junior class, and you lowkey felt out of place being the only one at the table who didn’t play a sport.
“How was Psychology?” Mallory asked, digging into her leafy salad. She was a broad shoulder girl, whose athletic frame was large and unlike the “skinny-fit” girls you saw on tv. 
You nodded. “Pretty good. We learned a lot about the brain and its association with fear.”
You began stirring your gumbo. Since you were a kid, you never liked eating school lunches anyway. And in addition to that, you obligated your mom and yourself to prepare only southern style dishes to remind you of home.
“Hey, Y/N,” David called, nudging your shoulder. “Do you think you could help me with math? All of this theta, alpha—whatever this shit is—it’s giving me a headache. Could I maybe come by your place tonight and get some help?”
You smiled hesitantly. You didn’t mind helping him, but you weren’t exactly about to let some boy you hardly talked to come to your house without your mother’s foreknowledge. Besides, what was wrong with tutoring on campus?
“We can do it at the school library,” you suggested. “Make sure you bring your things though. You’ll need your calculator, a pencil, and some paper.”
He grumbled lowly to himself, but you thought it best not to inquire after him. Instead, you continued sipping at your food. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw movement at the Cullen table. 
At the end of the day, you walked to your locker and grabbed your things. The thing about Forks High School was that everybody seemed to automatically shift to their cars, in race to leave out onto the empty streets of the town. 
You made your way to the parking lot to drop some of the things off at your car—the brand new pale yellow Volkswagen Beetle your mom bought for your sixteenth birthday. It’d arrived in Washington State on campus just an hour before you had to leave your first day of school.
You turned around and began heading towards the school. . .but where to go? You forgot where the library even was. Was it nearest the front entrance or the side? You decided to go to the side, not knowing that the ramifications of your actions would forever change your life.
“Y/N!” a voice called, and you whirled around on your Oxford heels, thankful it was only David leaning on the brick wall behind you.
“Ah, David! I must’ve been going the wrong way, wasn’t I? I bet it’s better to go to the front entrance. Well, we’re here now. Might as well keep going,” you giggled anxiously.
You reached your hand for the door handle, only to have your hand forcefully snatched in the grasp of his.
“We don’t have to do it in the library,” he said quietly, a sinister grin on his face. “We could do it in your car, inside the bathroom, if you’d like.” He leaned in closer. “Or we could do it right here.”
You tried to politely pull your hand from his only to realize that he was not talking about tutoring. He grabbed your shoulder and pushed you against the cold door, the backs of your thighs touching the metal. You struggled to push him off, but he was much stronger. 
“I’m serious, David! This is not what you want! You’ll get in serious trouble, and I don’t give you consent or permission to touch me like this in any way!”
He smiled down at you. “Touch you. . .like this?” His fingers crawled down the sides of your skirt until they ripped down the material to the concrete.
You screamed, but suddenly he was gone. Jasper had him pinned up against the opposite wall, David’s feet dangling inches from the group. 
“I will fucking kill you,” he said angrily. “If you ever touch her again. If you even look at her, I will personally rip your throat from your insides and make you wish you were never born.”
David nodded hysterically, his features contorted in terror. “Anything you want, man! Please—I won’t ever do it again. Just please put me down, please!”
Edward and Emmett appeared by Jasper’s side and forcibly lowered the quarterback from the wall. Emmett locked him in a choke hold and pushed him forward while Edward made a barrier of himself so that Jasper could not pursue.
“Are you okay?” Alice asked frantically, her golden eyes staring into yours. Rosalie pulled your skirt back up around your hips, but the cloth was ripped at the zipper and couldn’t be reattached. Tears were streaming down at your eyes at that point, but you nodded, too lost for words to reply. 
“She needs some new clothes,” Rosalie warned, guarding your vulnerable form with her body. You stared at your pathetic skirt. It was a cute little plaid design you found while shopping at a thrift store in Port Angeles on your way from the airport.
Jasper took the leather jacket from his shoulders and handed it to his sister carefully. She tied the thing around your waist on top of the skirt so that it held it together. Then, they led you to the office.
Within three minutes, a squad car showed up. It was the police Chief, Charlie Swan, a man with a thick black mustache and chocolate dark eyes. He took one look at David before hauling him in handcuffs.
“This is the second complaint we’ve had against you this month,” he announced through gritted teeth. “Except this time, we’ve got witnesses. You had such promise kid, but all you want to be is a sex offender.”
David cried in protest before he was thrown in the back of the car. 
“Are you alright?” the Chief asked. “You’ll have to come by the station for questioning and a full police report. . .do you think you’re in an okay mental state to do so?”
You nodded. “But can I go home first? He broke my skirt.”
He reflexively looked at your waist which resulted in Jasper hawking him down. 
“Of course. And if possible, bring the skirt back with you in a plastic bag. It’s evidence.”
The siblings escorted you to your car, where, interestingly enough, a crowd had formed.
“Thanks, you guys, I don’t think things would’ve turned out as fortunate as they did if not for y’all.” You looked up at Jasper’s warm honey eyes. “And I thank you most of all, Jasper. You turned out to be my savior tonight.”
He gazed back at you, and you felt a flood of emotions you couldn’t explain. 
“It’s my pleasure,” he said, “And you’re welcome.”
“Do you need someone to drive you home?” Alice asked, her hands squeezing yours. “Besides, we all have to come to the station anyway. I can ride with you.”
“Oh, but I couldn’t trouble you—”
“It’s okay, I’ll drive the boys to the station while you and Alice run home,” Rosalie said, pointing to her beaming red BMW. 
You weren’t surprised that when you arrived at the station your mother was there. She immediately pulled you into her arms, her crushing embrace enough to suck the air out of you. 
“My baby!” she cried, holding your cheeks. “What would I do if something ever happened to you! I should’ve put you in those jujitsu classes like you asked last year. I’m so sorry I put you in this terrible situation!”
You shook your head and pried her off of you. “Mom, Mom! It’s okay, I’m alright. Jasper and his siblings handled the situation just fine. Please calm down.”
Beside her, you realized Dr. Cullen and his wife stood by their children. They appeared to be such a charming family, but it was strange how they all had the same amber colored eyes though they were not all related.
“Jasper, I should reward you handsomely for this! That’s it, I’m ending my shift early. You all can come to our house . . .it’s about time we tell the news to Y/N anyway.”
“Y/N,” Dr. Cullen said, extending his hand, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
‘Finally,’ you wondered. “And you as well. Mom talks about you quite a bit at home.”
Esme hugged your shoulders just as tightly as your mother did. She smelled very good, like warm citrus and berries. “I’m glad you’re okay, sweetheart. If you ever need to talk, we’re here for you.”
You finished the police report, and everybody climbed in their cars headed home. What news your mother had in store for you, you had no idea. But no matter how much you begged her to tell you, she wouldn’t tell you. 
Your mom ordered pizza—a meal just for you since the Cullens declined and she wasn’t going to eat anyhow—and you sat quietly at the dining room table. It was all so awkward considering you were the only one eating and since it had not been long since you were literally assaulted. 
Jasper sat quietly at the other end of the table, his eyes trained on the vase of flowers on the center of the table. You really wanted to tell him your appreciation in private, but since your departure at the car, he had not made eye contact with you.
They made conversation quietly, but it all felt like meaningless hum in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps they were waiting on you to say something first.
“So. . .what is it that you wanted to tell me?” you asked your mom, biting the inside of your cheek. You hoped it wasn’t anything bad, you weren't sure if you could handle anything else.
Your mom smiled reassuringly. “I know you’re probably freaking out, but I promise, it’s nothing to worry about. You know how you’ve always wanted to have siblings or cousins of your own?”
You gasped, rising from your chair. “Are you finally adopting again!”
Everybody at the table laughed. She shook her head.
“No, even better. The truth is, I actually have a family you’ve never met before.”
Your brows scrunched together. “Really? Who are they? And I mean, why haven’t we ever met them?”
She sighed. “Well, the reason is quite complicated. I’ll tell you about that later. But the thing is—Carlisle is my younger brother.”
“Wait what?!” you shouted. “He’s your what?!”
“That’s right,” he grinned, “Carmine’s my sister. So I guess, in a way, that makes me your uncle.”
“Wow,” you breathed, “So you’re my adoptive mom’s brother who has adopted kids who are my adopted cousins.”
Everybody again laughed at your reaction. Your cheeks were hot with embarrassment, but for some reason, you didn’t seem as tense as you were before. You got up to hug all of the Cullens—your new family. You finally had people and loved ones to call your own; people you could trust and stood up for you when you couldn’t stand up for yourself.
When you finally got to Jasper, your heart rate soared. How lucky you were to have such an intelligent, kind, and strong person in your life! But secretly, there was a twinge of regret inside you. This feeling you felt for him—it was a crush. Cousins weren’t allowed to have crushed on each other.
“Something the matter?” he teased with a little smirk.
“Of course not I—”
He gently wrapped his arms around you and pulled you in close. He was cold and firm like a giant teddy bear left untouched on a bed. You wanted to hold him tighter and transfer your warmth to him, but just as quickly as you had the thought, the hug finished.
“We have so much to talk about!” Alice exclaimed. “You’re into the vintage aesthetics, aren’t you? There’s a lovely red dress I’ve been saving in my closet specifically for you!”
And with that, Rosalie and Alice whisked you away upstairs where you three began a wonderful, life-long friendship.
Okay but mad Jasper is a vibe.
Part One    Part Three   Part Four
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cvrnelivs · 5 years ago
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— ( harry styles, cismale, he/him ) &. * — meet ( cornelius ‘ oliver ’ edwards ) ! ( he ) is ( twenty five ) years old and has lived in st. helens for ( two ) years . when they’re not helping the town prepare for halloween , they work as a ( baker ) . around here, they’re known to be ( idealistic ) & ( intuitive ) yet ( unpredictable ) & ( destructive ) and apparently their favorite fall activity is ( visiting the farmer’s market ) . safe to say it really wouldn’t be halloweentown without them !
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hiya! i am kt &+ underneath the read more is a LOT of info about my bb, cornelius/oliver. ** insert clown emoji but make ‘em yee-haw ** if you’d like to plot you can reach me on here or at space cowboy#8536 on discord !! <33 v excited to interact with y’all and your bbs !!
( DISCLAIMER : THIS IS LONG - WOW !!! just felt a lot of muse !!! apologies !!  ) 
𝖘𝖙𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖘
name: cornelius oliver edwards.
nicknames: ollie, ol, lee !! literally whatever - “hey, you” dkjfgn
gender: cismale. pronouns: he, him.
age: twenty-five.
birthday: june 27th.
zodiac: cancer !!
orientation: pansexual / panromantic.
occupation: baker // aspiring filmmaker.
languages spoken: english & french.
𝖎𝖓𝖘𝖕𝖎𝖗𝖆𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓
- PINTEREST - featuring his wardrobe, his home, his aesthetic, some character inspo and olive, his german shepard pup !!
- SPOTIFY PLAYLIST - what oliver is currently listening to !!
personality type: INFJ-T / THE ADVOCATE
moral alignment: chaotic good
style-wise: oliver is v stylish, but isn’t overly flashy by any means. he’s intuitive in the sense of what works and what doesn’t. willing to explore the latest wardrobe craze, but also just likes what he likes and likely won’t venture out unless pressed by another to do so. post coming soon for his wardrobe !!! they say that the cancer man’s clothing is selected to reflect “ sophistication over flash “ but kdgjn i’ll let ya’ll be the judge of that. he’s v much harry inspired clothing wardrobe, but also tones it down with some casual looks, especially with being in the bakery and getting his hands dirty in creative aspects !!
𝖇𝖆𝖈𝖐𝖌𝖗𝖔𝖚𝖓𝖉
   oliver was born in kent, england. he’s the youngest in his family of three, having an older brother and sister w/ two loving parents. when he was nine, his family packed up and moved to southern california, where they resided until oliver left for college on the east coast - his family trading off between living back in england and on the west coast throughout the year. upon moving to a new country at a young age, oliver truly found himself via escaping into various books and movies. often attempting to write his own and would force encourage his siblings to act his skits/plays out for his parents enjoyment. growing up, oliver also enjoyed playing all types of sports ( his parents kind of threw him in hoping he’d make friends ), but when it came down to it, athletic abilities-wise, there truly wasn’t anything that he wasn’t ‘ good ‘ at, and that’s simply because he’s always been such a competitive individual / as well as a perfectionist. that competitive/perfectionist energy caused him to go home and practice a skill or trick for hours in order to be able to come back the next day and whoop everyone’s asses. throughout highschool ; oliver was a v dedicated student. although he’s a bit reckless and loved to goof off, he was always acing classes and applying himself. he genuinely cares for others, you could’ve seen his ass volunteering at a soup kitchen with his mom on sundays and what not, as well as take part in various clubs and sports ! just SOFT and sportythings.
   post-high school, oliver attended NYU double majoring in film & television and dramatic writing. despite his extensive and well received portfolio, oliver has always been a perfectionist and overcritical of his work, unwilling to share his projects with anyone until he deems them to be ~ perfect ~ himself. after graduating, he spent a year traveling, trying to find a bit of inspiration around him and taking up odd jobs to get some $$ of his own, dog walking, attempting his best at being a handy man, etc !! he moved back home to socal, and eventually made his way up to st.helen’s after he was sent a job posting for the bakery in town !! although he knows he doesn’t want to pursue a career in baking forever, he’s enjoying his time while trying to find a bit more muse for his future film&writing career.
   overall, oliver can come off as a bit reserved, and distant whether that be a result of his untrusting nature of others, or simply unfamiliarity. it takes a bit of time before he feels comfortable to share his true opinion / commentary / only doing so when he feels secure to do so. he’s not necessarily unfriendly, just a bit distant / lost in his thoughts. which varies, as with most ppl ofc, upon person to person and his level of comfortability among them. despite his often lack of conversation, he abhors an uncomfortable silence to settle and will fill it with nonsense to simply avoid the feeling altogether. so, if you ever want to catch him rambling, just making him uncomfortable dkjfngdf. he definitely approaches most things with a bit of ‘ tough love ‘ . he doesn’t mind getting into a quarrel or two if he knows its worth the outcome he’s envisioned. oliver will tell others when they are fucking up, and if they are throwing a punch as a result - catch him leaning into it, which explains his bout of reckless antics. he can come off as a know it all, when it comes to advice giving, but more so because he thinks he’s really good at analyzing others and situations they are in, not necessarily because he’s lived through them himself, he’s just rather intuitive and able to empathize quite easily with others despite his verbal admittance of it. when it comes down to this binches reckless bits, he just feels so intensely that he ends up numbing himself in the aftermath of it all ( especially bc he’s definitely not sharing those feelings with the people around him ), therefore he’s willing to put himself into harms way in order to get a bit of that - happiness / pain, it doesn’t matter to him as long as he no longer feels overwhelmed by numbness. so, if ya see him with some scrapes and stitches ~ mind ya business. but he’ll likely try to drag somebody else into it, and make it seem like it was their idea. but if he is truly comfortable with somebody, he walks a fine line of won’t stop talking, especially if it’s an interest of his, and comfortable silence.
𝖕𝖊𝖗𝖘𝖔𝖓𝖆𝖑𝖎𝖙𝖞 & 𝖍𝖆𝖇𝖎𝖙𝖘
he is a CANCER, therefore in this essay i will..... kidding but here’s some fun cancer info i saw that applies to my bb !! at first he appears to be wistful, sarcastic ( maybe a lil crabby ) , shy, distant and mysterious. this personality remains if he isn’t completely comfortable around somebody. but overall, that’s just his facade, his ‘smokescreen’ of sorts to scare off the world from his outwards persona. underneath that layer ( makes me think of shrek metaphor with onions // don’t mind me ), BUT he’s gentle, kind and affectionate ( if you manage to make it to that level * bell dings * ) !!! overall, oliver is a sensitive soul, a bit emotional although he’d rather d*e than show that to others. likely will internalize anything that can hurt his feelings / a low blow and will do something chaotic as a result later on bc of it. very polite, and a little worldly, he is truly the epitome of old-school gentlemanly manners. chivalry coming as a second nature to him !!
that was getting ramble-y, so continuing HERE. but when it comes to romance, as per the cancer man, the concept of love is a mystery, one that oliver is trying to attain. however, his shyness and innate distrust of others make it difficult for him to allow himself to fall in love. his guard is always up when it comes to his emotions, and it’ll take a bit of prodding before he’s willing to speak up on what’s desired from him. he’s v picky when it comes to finding the “ partner of his dreams “ - but he’s def willing to throw himself into the romance of the situation, i.e. buying flowers, riding white horses, and slaying metaphorical dragons. the traditional side means that he will shower his partner with thoughtful gifts, wine and dine them in the best restaurants, and try to grant their every wish. he will take the garbage out, fix that wobbly shelf, navigate on road trips, and kill more so trap and release bugs for his partner, and most important of all he will do it all without being asked. his loyalty and keen attention to the needs and wants of his potential partner. so basically, more so willing to showcase through actions than speak on it. it’s the little things, right ??!?!?! he def cherishes not just the act of being in a relationship, but what it means to become one with another person in mind, body, and soul.
prides himself on being able to make a mean cup of coffee, likely the worst person to watch a movie with bc he knows exactly how it’s going to end after only watching five minutes of it, he has a godawful sense of direction, will walk in circles for fifteen minutes before even raising a question about it/noticing ( but he refuses to acknowledge it. )
his house, car, workspace, junk drawer, closet….you name it - it’s organized, practically sparkling. often times arranged by color, and / or style. nothing is ever out of place, and if it is - there’s trouble brewing. but, more than anything, if he’s visiting somebody’s place and it’s messy, he will spend a solid thirty minutes picking everything up before doing whatever it is that was intended.
likes : reading, flowers, handwritten notes/letters, deep cleaning, baking, curating soundtracks for his film projects, watching the history channel and true crime docs and playing / watching hockey !!
dislikes : artichoke, clutter, sandals ( fkjgh ), unrealistic plotlines in movies &+ burnt coffee.
habits : smoking cigarettes - although he’s been meaning to quit. likely has a severe caffeine addiction, although he’s now normalized having six cups of coffee throughout his day. he’s an early riser, no matter how little the amount of sleep he’s received, he’s always the first to rise - for his early morning runs !!
strengths: creative, insightful, inspiring, convincing, determined and passionate, decisive, altruistic, intuitive !!
weaknesses: sensitive, extremely private, perfectionist, low-key always needs to have a cause / purpose, can burn out easily !! 
overall : oliver truly strives to be kind, and genuinely wants for everyone to get along. treat people with kindness and the like. he has the best of intentions, but often times that can get a bit muddled with the way he goes about things due to his bit of chaotic energy / as well as his often points of getting lost in his thoughts. he won’t realize he’s been quiet for the last three hours unless it’s mentioned to him. he will do anything to lighten a dark mood, and will sacrifice / throw himself under the bus if its needed. however, he also is the type to cause the dark mood depending on the day. wahoo! his more reckless antics increase when he’s feeling a bit emotional !! but he’ll likely try and convince somebody to propose the idea so it’s not on him. 
𝖗𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖔𝖒 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖉 𝖈𝖆𝖓𝖔𝖓𝖘
in an attempt to throw himself into the town’s traditions and what not, after moving to st. helen’s oliver decided it was upon himself to put on a very spooo0ooky haunted house! so, catch him converting his home into a haunted house for the month of october !!! nothing cheesy either !! it’s more a psychological scare dkjgn with some gore elements !! EnTeR iF yOu DaRe !!!
he bounced around playing sports growing up, but favored ice hockey and field lacrosse out of them all.
HE WANTS TO JOIN A BOOKCLUB PLEASE !!!!!!!! or at least have some casual moments of silence with another reading. plz and tysm.
he is a vegetarian ! he has been since his freshman year of high school and has no plans on eating seafood/meat ever again.
he loves fancy wine ~ he’s cultured. visits seb’s winery v often !!!
he can play the drums !!
he collects vintage matchbooks and the stickers off of various fruits ( he puts them in a little notebook - can be found on his bookshelf ).
saves handwritten notes and letters from pals.
he loves to garden !!!! he has a specified rose shearing hat.
to make things a bit simple, he has all of harry’s tattoos !!  might add more along the way !! stay tuned, folks !!
𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙𝖊𝖉 𝖈𝖔𝖓𝖓𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖎𝖔𝖓𝖘
honestly, i am so up for anything !!! please accept this ramble of ideas thrown below.  if you have any other ideas, lmk !!!! <3333 :’-)
( 2 / 2 ) - BFFZ : the z for an added emphasis dkfjgnd. somebody who likely has a key to oliver’s house, they can enjoy one anothers company as well as the bouts of comfortable silence. you know how best friends are but kdjfngd still !! whether they are likeminded or polar opposites that just flow ~~ down for anything !! even a trio of sorts ?!
( 0 / ?? ) - MUSE(S) : somebody that he often strikes inspo from for his short films and what not !! or has starred/he plans to have them star in his future compilations of sorts !! can be simply from their own ideals, their look / ~vibe~ dkfjgn // whatever !!
( 1 / 1 ) - RIDE OR DIE / CHAOTIC COMPANION : it would be wrong to say one is the more likely the bad influence over the other, although oliver may just be. these two find themselves bounding into, well hell, ( i guess??? ) together. playing on one anothers impulsiveness and if one ends up in the back of a police car, the other is handcuffed to them. and yet despite the length of their potential injuries, they find themselves thinking of something crazier to subject them to the next time around.
( 1 / 1 ) - GUARDIAN ANGEL / GOOD INFLUENCE : with ollie being a bit chaotic in nature, he needs somebody that is likely going to steer him clear from all the ideas that’ll bring him to the brink of disaster. he’s impulsive and in that desperate attempt to feel again, he’s very likely to bring a bit of mayhem upon himself. so while they may be worrying and attempting to talk his ideas down, he’s trying to get them to go along with his plan. it may be rare that he actually takes their advice, but when he does it seems to be for the best.
( 0 / 1 ) - PARTY FRIEND : these two know how to have a good time together. despite the amount of alcohol they are throwing back and the shenanigans they find themselves in as a result, this is a time where they also find themselves confiding in one another. if you look at their camera rolls, it’s likely they have tons of embarrassing and unflattering videos and pics of one another, in between their sob-worthy confessionals and venting/rants. these two trust one another, and although they love getting wreckT together, they find themselves discussing very raw and personal details. likely the only person oliver confides in, simply bc he’s completely plastered.
( 1 / 1 ) - SIBLING-LIKE RELATIONSHIP : these two have a love/hate relationship, very sibling like filled with pranks, competition, teasing and playful banter. however, when it comes down to it they have so much love and respect for one another. they know that no matter what happens they will always have one anothers back and be supportive of the other. truly a pure content filled relationship.
okay quick mention, ENEMY PLOTS ?!?!?!?!?!? i would live for one. i can’t imagine oliver being hardcore nasty, but i’d like to see whatever version comes out for this. so let’s get it djfngjakdfg maybe they just hold different viewpoints on the world and what not and clash, anything really !!! v open !!
( 1 / 1 ) - MENTOR - oliver needs a bit of structured or unstructured guidance, all depending on what their deemed mentor is wanting to impart on him, a bit of wisdom or slight chaos. kdjfgn he’ll take anything !! life advice in any and all aspects. maybe they come into the bakery, or maybe they help him with his garden. who knows, i certainly don’t know how they met, but we’ll figure it out ?!?!
RANDOM LITTLE IDEAS : maybe they’ve heard of one another in town, but haven’t quite met yet! or maybe they see each other around all the time, but have yet to introduce themselves to one another but low-key maybe in some online forum for the town together ?! who knows some fun things kdjnfg i AM OPEN !
ooh maybe a slowburn of sorts ?! something spicy to wreck ollie’s and my life with.  dkfjgn we can base this off of chemistry !!! :’-) 
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cherwd-pen · 4 years ago
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-1/2- hihi! could I have a male haikyuu matchup pls? i’m 5’5, she/her w long dark brown hair w front half of my right side dyed white, green eyes & tanned skin! im super bubbly, loud, naturally v flirty + my love language is physical touch. i love working out + im a huge foodie - m stubborn + impulsive, love rain/storms, coffee + pda. i’m emotional, super confident + bold, giggly, goofy, energetic + observant. i ramble but im a gd listener, a night owl, v playful + love teasing! ~
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a/n: umm miss ma’am put the friendship in the bag right now!😡also this is mega long oops imma oikawa kinnie🙄so sue me
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▸ your sweetheart is . . .  OIKAWA TOORU
▸ your song is . . . I THINK HE KNOWS BY TAYLOR SWIFT
▸ other love letters from . . . TANAKA RYUONOSUKE & MIYA ATSUMU
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— my reasoning
its literally so perfect; the zodiacs (cancer/taurus) the mbti (ESFP/ENFJ)
the confidence of two mbti extroversts and the emotional intelligence of two feelers almost eliminates fights and lets both parties immerse in the outgoing habits
taurus’ are natural authentic romantics while cancers are tender so love is clear to everyone and will never be a dull unwanted moment
his intuitive (xNxx) brings the inner thoughts and visionary/big picture thinking into the relationship while your sensing (xSxx) brings the detailed/realistic and in the now thinking
— dating
you both met in his second year when you went with your friend to the boys gym to meet up with their boyfriend who happened to be on the team
tooru was just wrapping practice up when you both walked in
most of the team found it entertaining to see an almost carbon copy of their captain giving him the same treatment as he does to other girls
you shocked the hell out of tooru and he ate it up like a starved man
it didn’t take long for your both to get together after weeks of flirty and friend dates
plz yall are the actual power behind the school - smart as hell, beautiful, and with just enough individuality to be so similar yet different
since your also athletic you help the team practice despite not being the manager
the team is so tired of yall taking over during practice it aint funny no more like you run them ragged for fun
almost all of your dates are going out to cafes, working out, picnics, or staying in watching a new documentary tooru finds or listening to you talk about whatever
there’s also a standing competition on who can find the most outrageous date idea or spot and currently you’re winning-
this relationship isn’t without faults and sometimes tooru can be overly sarcastic, invest himself too much into volleyball, be stubborn or flirt too much with others
likewise, you can flirt a little too much with others, be too stubborn even when wrong, or take things to heart more than needed
you both actually fight rarely but any fight lasts at most 3 days before one of you cracks and apologizes - its a healthy balance who does it first
tooru isn’t the best person at comforting someone but he is just as observant if not more than you so you always can trust that he’s got your back and will not stand for someone truly hurting you - “no one can bully them but me!” kinda goofy deal
your also in luck because he’s actually funny without meaning to be. i hc that tooru is the subtle funny in the same way tsukisima is so prepare to be teased, gently bullied, and literally have to play fight a tall ass big baby
he deadass marries you while in argentina and now 2 whole countries know yall are together, but really he adores you so much
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hachichimitsu2 · 6 years ago
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A Comprehensive List of Stan and Kyle Moments (I UPD8 AS I GO)
A Comprehensive List of Stan and Kyle Moments (I UPD8 AS I GO)
Hello. Yes, you heard me. Here are all the scenes that legit scream out “STYLE” in South Park, whether these scenes are too far of a reach or not. I mostly compiled this out of my very own convenience, and hopefully this’ll help you a whole lot too. This is extremely text heavy, so I’ll put this under “Read More”. I haven’t played any of the games, so I won’t be including it here at this time, so if you guys know any good moments from the games, please let me know and I’ll add it to the list.
Cherokee Hair Tampons:
- The entire goshdarn episode.
- Stan being concerned and distraught over a dying Kyle breaks my heart. He was even bawling next to Kenny.
- Stan willing to donate his kidney to Kyle, even if it’d hurt a lot.
- Stan knowing that Kyle ate a bean and bacon soup half an hour ago shows that he’s been by Kyle’s side for quite some time now.
- Stan holding onto Kyle while they were at Cartman’s house.
- “Dude, you’re my best friend. I don’t want you to die before I do...”
Super Best Friends:
- Yeah, um, this episode...is gay.
- Stan and Kyle entering the episode with ice cream cones while Butters and Cartman wondering where they got them from. It’s assumed Stan and Kyle were hanging out with each other off-screen.
- I think Kyle being convinced that he’s not “really happy” through brainwashing is parallel to Stan being convinced that he’s “depressed” by the Church of Scientology.
- Stan trying to help Kyle escape with him, not even mentioning this plan to Kenny, Cartman or even Butters.
- Stan and Kyle looking at each other with longing looks while dramatic music plays in the background. Ah yes. I am...not even joking...this legit happened.
- How to Find Your Boyfriend 101: “OH MY GOD! THEY KILLED KENNY!!” “Y-you bastards...”
- Stan pleading Kyle not to kill himself and to hold his breath while being there for him.
- The ending where they call each other Super Best Friends and both proceed to beat up Cartman when he teased that they should make out.
Cartmanland:
- Stan comforting a distraught Kyle.
- @belovedhomosexuals mentioned that canonically, Stan helps Kyle with his hemorrhoid cream, and IM-
- Stan doing everything he can to get back at Cartman for Kyle’s sake.
- Stan demanding the doctor to wheel Kyle out to see Cartman in misery.
Asspen:
- “YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW HEATHER!!” >:(
- Kyle not wanting Stan to do the K-13. He doesn’t want him to die.
- Kyle holds a polaroid photo of the both of them. How cute. Does he bring it with him wherever he goes?
The Biggest Douche In The Universe:
- Stan not wanting to go back to Colorado without Kyle and does all he can to convince him that John Edward is a fraud.
Follow That Egg:
- They are dads.
- They take care of their egg really well.
- “As a matter of fact, it is the nicest hat I’ve ever known”
- They’re the reasons gays could get married.
- Stan getting jealous of Kyle being paired up with Wendy. It does seem like a reach I have to admit, but if you’re a Stylendy fan, then this one’s for you.
Return of Chef
- The iconic beginning “flashback” where they both look at the sunset together.
Smug Alert:
- Stan and Kyle meeting in the parking lot in the beginning when Kyle was helping his dad give fake tickets.
- Kyle being moved away from South Park has Stan write a song to get Kyle and his family to come back.
- The cute hug in the end.
Fantastic Easter Special
- Stan, out of breath, asks Kyle for help in protecting Snowball
- Kyle helping him out anyways even though he was busy with fingerprinting.
- Cinematic parallels of Kyle killing Jesus and Stan killing that alien in Pinewood Derby.
Imaginationland Trilogy
- Kyle calling Stan in the morning regarding the “dream.”
- Stan and Kyle, unsure of the notes, both trying to recall the Imagination song. It was cute.
- Stan being distraught when ManBearPig got a hold on Kyle. (I swear, I’ve used the word “distraught” for over 1948388 times now)
- Kyle communicating through Stan telepathically with his Imagination.
Guiltar Queer O
- The whole episode.
- “I know...I need you.”
- The whole episode was literally as if they went through a break up.
- They’re both in sync when playing, right up to their tongues up.
- “Oh, so the gallant knight now comes to rescue me from the bowels of mediocrity! Oh, thank you, your royal lordship!” (Foreshadowing for SOT?)
- Stan thinking of Kyle as he’s “driving”.
The List:
- Stan doing all he can to prove that Kyle is a handsome mf. Another episode that screams Stylendy rights.
You Got F’d in the A:
- Kyle being so happy to see Stan dancing back to the Orange County kids.
- It’s canon that Stan can dance well while Kyle doesn’t have rhythm whatsoever. Wouldn’t it be a cute idea for Stan to teach Kyle how to dance?
You Have 0 Friends
- Kyle pleading Stan to water his crops.
- A short detail but if you noticed when Kyle announced that they made an FB account for Stan, he only added himself as Stan’s friend. This means that Kyle legit “friended” himself in Stan’s profile and didn’t bother to add Kenny or Cartman to Stan’s friend list.
- “Yes. WE’RE REALLY GREAT FRIENDS STAN!!” :D
You’re Getting Old:
- Oof. Yeah....
- Stan obviously loves Kyle a whole lot, but him seeing Kyle slowly turn into a turd probably did break his heart little by little. And when I mean by probably, I mean massively.
- Kyle shouldn’t exactly be demonized for not being able to handle Stan’s cynicism. Because I think it’s ok to admit you can’t handle such emotional drainage even if coming from your SBF, but do mind that him leaving Stan was most likely NOT easy for him. It’s kinda sad that they’ve slowly drifted away since then. BUT NO I REFUSE TO LET THAT HAPPEN ;-;
Assburgers:
- “Fuck you Kyle! You’re a piece of shit...Kyle, I love you. You’re a piece if shit though, fuck you...! I love you...”
- Stan immediately going back to Kyle when he’s feeling “better”
- That McDonalds Exec. literally narrating Stan and Kyle’s current rocky relationship and not believing every second of if.
A Nightmare on Facetime:
- “WILL SOMEONE GET ME A CHARGER OVER HERE!!’
- Kyle bringing and guiding Stan through the iPad.
Ginger Cow:
- Jokes aside, when Stan was asking Kyle about Cartman’s farts, he was really sweet and understanding to him. He genuinely wants to understand why Kyle likes Cartman’s farts so much and knew something was up by the way Kyle was hiding things.
- I also like how he was not afraid to call Kyle a dick. I think a good level of transparency is needed in a healthy relationship. That’s just how they roll.
- Stan helping Kyle cover up in the end....though it did backfire.
Black Friday Trilogy:
- “DID KYLE KNOW ABOUT THIS?!” “Kyle thought of it.” ;-;
- Stan being grounded and Kyle apologizing at the other side of the door was peak gay angst level.
- “That’s just how Xbox people are...” D:
- Ok now for something sweet. In the deleted scene, Stan was showing Kyle how the playstation controller works and...wow.......what cute babies.
Prehistoric Ice Man:
- “Oh my god! They killed Kenny!!” *looks at Kyle* “What? I’m not talking to you anymore.”
- Them fighting and arguing was so adorable. Their voices were so squeaky and cute in this episode.
- “First one to die loses.” SOGKEKGKRI WHAT MORONS
- Stan and Kyle kind of awkwardly trying to start the fight reminds me of Tweek vs Craig.
Mexican Joker:
- Stan angrily sending Cartman to the detention center after hearing about him sending Kyle there.
Band in China:
- “kyyyyyyYYYYYLEEEE :D DUDE YOU’RE BACK!!”
- Stan making a death metal band because a.) He hates living in the farm and b.) He misses Kyle so hard.
Britney’s New Look:
- Another Stan and Kyle episode where they both realized how so far in the wrong they’re in, and they desperately want to fix it.
- Stan and Kyle giving up in the end and joining in the chant.
The Death of Eric Cartman:
- Stan offering Kyle money so he could buy milk for lunch.
Two Guys Naked In A Hot Tub:
- “You can't just hang out with your buddy Kyle all the time. People will think you guys are, you know, funny.”
- When Kyle walks over in the end, Stan proceeds to complain to him how he had the worst night and they both go to Kyle’s house to hang.
The China Probrem
- In the beginning, Stan telling Kyle to refute Cartman’s racist sayings and got overly concerned when Kyle said he couldn’t do this anymore.
- Stan going in Kyle’s room to talk about moving on from what they’ve witnessed.
- Stan holding Kyle’s hand to run away in Kyle’s dream. Kyle waking up and crying when Stan wasn’t around to comfort him.
- Stan and Kyle crying in each other’s arms and telling each other “I love you”.
- Small detail but when they were leaving the attorney’s office and the attorney and the kids were crying altogether, Stan put a hand on Kyle to comfort him as they were crying.
The Mystery of the Urinal Deuce:
- Stan appearing in Kyle’s living room suddenly.
- “Well dude, maybe we're just super badass. Have you thought of that?” Yeah I know Stan was trying to cover up what he just did by saying that but still.
Cartman Gets An Anal Probe:
- Stan helping Kyle save Ike.
- “Hahaha you farted.” WHAT GROSS DORKS
- Kyle telling a speech to the aliens and Stan remarking how beautiful it was.
A Very Crappy Christmas:
- Kyle calling Stan in the middle of the night to get the guys, and Stan answering all sleepily is so adorable.
- Stan and Kyle voice acting together.
- Stan and Kyle doing the stopmotion animation together.
- Stan and Kyle laughing when they had Stan voice act Cartman to say the “ham” line.
Fun With Veal:
- Kyle taking care of a sickly Stan despite being a bit of a germaphobe.
The Snuke:
- Stan coming over to a sick Kyle’s house immediately after school has been suspended.
Crack Baby Athletic Association:
- Stan not being afraid to call out on Kyle.
- Kyle snuck into Stan’s room and Stan was listening to him unfazed.
Quintuplets 2000:
- Them trying to do gymnastics.
Pee:
- Kyle getting disgusted after hearing Stan talk about how it’s normal for people to pee in pools and in the shower.
Butterballs:
- Kyle calling Stan out in the bathroom, and they have this long ass stare. Kyle knowing that Stan will be jackin it in San Diego.
Bike Parade:
- Stan making Kyle laugh.
Proper Condom Use
- Stan and Kyle playing with a Jennifer Lopez doll and roleplaying.
- “SCREAM FOR ME BITCH!” “AHHHHHHHHH”
- Stan and Kyle in the same car with their cute big heads protruding.
World War Zimmerman:
- Stan and Kyle playing football.
The Scoots:
- Once again, Stan and Kyle playing football.
City on the Edge of Forever:
- Stan saving Kyle in his dream.
- Stan and Kyle sitting a bit closer to each other than usual in Stan’s dream.
Grounded Vindaloop:
- The tetherball date.
- Stan and Kyle saying “fuck you” to Kenny.
Clubhouses:
- Stan reading Bebe’s note, and Kyle being unfazed about it later in the episode. It was never defined whether he was informed the note came from Bebe.
#REHASH:
- Stan and Kyle being called grandpas by the little kids.
Tegridy Farms:
- When one of Ike’s classmates blew smoke in front of Kyle, Stan got extremely defensive about it.
Raising the Bar:
- Stan informing Kyle that it isn’t cool to continue on with “Fatty Doo Doo”.
- Stan checking up on Kyle as he’s sitting alone and listening to him lament about how the bar has sunk so low because of people.
Go Fund Yourself:
- *looking at Kyle’s ass* Boy this is the life huh.
Truth and Advertising:
- Stan and Kyle fist fighting for real, and Tweek and Craig looking at them concerned since they rarely ever fight like this.
Conjoined Fetus Lady:
- Stan preparing to catch Kyle if ever he fails to catch the dodgeball.
Stanley’s Cup:
- THEIR YOUNGER SELVES PLAYING HOCKEY!
ManBearPig:
- Stan’s head on Kyle’s lap. It’s so beautifully rendered.
Board Girls:
- “Wow, you are really into board games.”
A Scause for Applause:
- Kyle confronts Stan about cutting the bracelet by saying Heidi Turner saw him with super glue.
The Death Camp of Tolerance:
- “KYLE! KYLE! YOU HAVE TO KEEP MAKING YOUR MACARONI PICTURES!!”
South Park Bigger, Longer and Uncut:
- Stan getting jealous that even Kyle is amazed at Gregory.
Cartman Join NAMBLA:
- Stan and Kyle putting their face against the glass.
Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics:
- Stan and Kyle making fun of Shelly behind her back.
Raisins:
- Kyle coming to visit Stan with the gang after the whole breakup.
- Kyle wanting Stan to be happy again by bringing him to Raisins.
- Kyle being annoyed over Stan being distraught over Wendy. Jealous?
Mr. Jefferson:
- When Stan hears a knock on his window, he assumes it’s Kyle.
- Stan and Kyle being good caretakers of Blanket.
- Stan and Kyle sleeping with Blanket.
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keichanz · 6 years ago
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Move Your Body || pt. 1
Hi, friends. First off, I want to say that I really wanted to finish and post this before Sunday, but obviously that didn’t happen, so I decided to go ahead and post the first part of my new AU because...well. Just continue reading. :) 
Secondly, some of you may know this, some may not, but today, the 28th, is also my birthday. Yep, I turned the big 3-0 today, and lemme tell you I am not thrilled about it lmao. 
Some of you may also know that recently I created a Ko-fi and that I’ve been struggling a bit financially wise. 
This fic is a great, big, fat thank you to all of you who have supported me through Ko-fi and also for those of you who didn’t, but were there for me anyway with your encouragement, kind words, and emotional support. I can’t begin to tell how how much it meant to me that you guys didn’t hesitate to donate, and I am not lying when I say it literally brought me to tears. I cried from your generosity, and I cannot thank you enough for helping me out. This month has been a bit rougher than most, and I am eternally grateful to every single one of you. I wanted to give you something in return, and I thought, why not post this AU early. It’s small, and I know a lot of you are looking forward to the next chapter of You Rescued Me (it’s in the works!), but I hope this will suffice.
Having all of you as friends, as followers and readers, is the best birthday gift I could have ever asked for. I’m so damn blessed and grateful to have all of you in my life and i hope you all know that I appreciate and love you all from the very bottom of my heart.
So thank you again for being there for me. You can all bet your asses I’ll be the first one to jump on the chance in helping in any way that I can if ever one of you need support. Because you have mine, guaranteed. 
Note: I know fuck all about choreography or being a producer, so for the sake of this story, pretend everything in factual and accurate lmao.
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Inuyasha was lounging in his office and puffing idly on a cigarette while poring over some of his old routines in hopes of sparking some inspiration when he heard the music.
Normally he wouldn’t care and would just ignore it, the probability that it was one of his instructors coming in for the midnight lessons his studio offered more than likely. Less likely it was one of their students wanting to get in some late night practice, but still possible. They needed express permission from himself in order to do that, and since neither Sango nor Miroku had run it by him to get that authorization, Inuyasha doubted any of his instructors’ students actually had the balls to sneak in without consent. So that ruled that out.
Inuyasha frowned and looked up from his desk, pinching the cig between two fingers and exhaling. He cocked his head, ears twitching as he tried to determine where exactly it was coming from, and when he did his eyebrows shot up in surprise. The music was not coming from the first or second floor, suggesting it was either one of his friends or a student, but instead the soft notes of a vaguely familiar hip-hop song were drifting up from directly below him.
The Taisho Studios building was made up of five floors, with the ground floor being the first. That one was Sango’s studio where she held her lessons, teaching those interested in how to dance in various styles and offering kick-boxing lessons as well. Miroku instructed his clientele on the second floor, where he offered various unique exercise regimes that was basically Zumba but with his own personal flare.
The third floor, however, was reserved for his use only, the top dog’s private studio where only a select few ever saw the inside, and those usually consisted of celebrities looking for the best of the best for their music videos. Inuyasha instructed those lessons himself and charged top dollar for his services. Everyone knew it was off limits and he kept the door locked. The fourth floor consisted of his spacious office and gym, also available to Miroku and Sango whenever they wanted since they weren’t just his instructors, but also his valued friends. It was conveniently located right below his top floor condo so whenever Inuyasha was working late, he could just drag his ass upstairs and bam, he was home.
Wondering who had the balls big enough to use his private studio without his permission, Inuyasha abandoned his work and strode to the door, cracking it open and sticking his head out into the hall. The music got louder and Inuyasha surmised whoever it was must have left the doors wide open so as far as he was concerned that was an open invitation to go see who it was and then kick them the hell out.
Glancing over his shoulder and eyeing the desk littered with paperwork and his open lap top, Inuyasha snorted, shrugged, and promptly decided he needed a break. His deadline wasn’t for another month and he wasn’t being very productive tonight anyway so Sesshomaru can just kiss his merrily dancing ass and deal with it.
Sticking his cig back between his lips, Inuyasha forwent using the elevator and instead wandered casually down the hall, going into the stairwell and then abruptly vaulting over the railing and dropping to the third floor. The entrance to his studio was right across from the elevators and staircase, so when he opened the door he found himself staring directly into it—and the person brave enough to utilize the spacious room without his knowledge.
For the second time that night Inuyasha’s eyebrows rose in surprise and without even being aware of it he padded across the hallway. His footsteps were masked by the music coming out of the Bluetooth speakers and they were facing away from them. Curious despite himself, Inuyasha leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms, golden eyes silent observing as a little smirk quirked his lips.
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Kagome released an undignified squawk as she stumbled forward for the nth time that night, the toe of her shoe catching on the hardwood floor and throwing off her balance. Windmilling her arms, she managed to catch herself before she face-planted onto the hard floor and resisted the urge to stamp her foot like a child and scream her vexation into the empty studio.
Dammit, why couldn’t she get this? Sango had made it look so easy when she’d shown her earlier, and after a couple of tries with her instructor’s guidance, Kagome had been able to more or less command her body to execute a smooth hip roll without looking like a twerking imbecile. Now for some reason she was unable to smoothly transition into the dance move she wanted without nearly falling over and needless to say she was getting frustrated.
Grumbling under her breath and wishing she had her friend’s tall and slender physique, Kagome stomped over to the table where her phone sat and paused the song in order to once more bring up the choreography. She hit play for the hundredth time, studied closely the two men and one woman flawlessly busting out move after move without fault and she promptly scowled before tossing her phone back on the table with a rough exhale.
Closing her eyes and tilting her head back, Kagome frowned and allowed her mind to wander, vaguely noting the faint smell of cigarette smoke that had been present earlier had suddenly gotten stronger. What was she even doing, anyway? She’d never been the most coordinated of people and was oftentimes called a klutz. She wasn’t graceful and she wasn’t even athletic, so really, this was a waste of time. She knew if she carried this out she would only end up making a fool of herself so why go through the trouble?
“Because,” Kagome answered herself with a deep sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat, “I’m too damn stubborn and my stupid pride won’t let me quit.”
“You make it sound like that’s a bad thing.”
Kagome gasped and spun around, hand over her pounding heart and blue eyes wide with a combination of surprise and embarrassment. Her gaze landed on the lounging figure in the doorway, casually puffing away on a cigarette as he regarded her silently.
Well, that explains the odor of cigarette smoke, Kagome mused while aloud she said, “Jeez, you scared me. I didn’t know anyone else was here.” She paused and then frowned when his words registered. “What?”
The man said nothing and just continued to stare at her, cig tucked between his lips, expression unreadable. He was...damn, he was attractive, Kagome secretly admitted, feeling a blush creep up to color her cheeks a soft pink. Donned in loose fitting black jeans that rode low on his hips and a plain white t-shirt that contoured very nicely to a toned chest and stomach, a backwards ballcap was pulled on top of a head of short, shaggy silver hair. His eyes looked to be a stunning golden color and when he lifted a hand to pinch the cig between two fingers, Kagome noticed two things: the talons tipping each finger, instantly giving away what he was, and the black tattoo starting at his wrist that crawled up his arm to disappear into his shirt sleeve.
Kagome’s breath hitched and her heart skipped a beat. No wonder he’s so attractive, she thought dazedly, glimpsing a flash of fang as he parted his lips and tendrils of smoke drifted up toward the ceiling. He’s not human.
What was that saying? The most beautiful things in life are often the most dangerous, or something to that effect. Kagome was inclined to believe it, suddenly feeling very flushed and where was her water bottle?
“Tenacity and pride,” the man continued, studying the fag between his fingers with an air of boredom. “By themselves they don’t do much good and more often than not just get you into trouble, but put them together and success is pretty much guaranteed in the performing arts industry.
“So I guess you could say,” he said and took a drag of his cig, “they’re requirements in our world. Stipulations if you wanna get anywhere in life.”
Kagome shook her head. “Um, our world?” she repeated, utterly lost.
The look he gave her was deadpan. “Dancing, babydoll.”
Ocean eyes widened in understanding and her flush darkened as she sheepishly averted her gaze, fidgeting where she stood.
“Oh, I, um,” Kagome faltered, clearing her throat and for some reason suddenly feeling like a child in front of a grown up about to confess to being naughty. “I’m...not a dancer,” she finished lamely and winced, twisting the fabric of her shirt with her fingers in a nervous habit.
Inuyasha raised a dubious brow at that declaration. “Alright,” he allowed, nodding slowly. “So suppose you tell me what the hell you’re doing in my private studio then, playing music and dressed like that?”
Kagome blanched and jerked her head up to stare at him with wide-eyes. “P-private?” she squeaked and looked so terrified Inuyasha briefly regretted telling her that. “Oh god—I’m so sorry, I didn’t know! Er, my dance instructor Sango told me I could use her studio tonight to get some practice in, but when I got here it was locked and I...found this one and it was unlocked...”
Looking very uncomfortable with a red face and shifting nervously from foot to foot, Inuyasha felt his face soften slightly as he watched her and he released a quiet sigh around the cig in his mouth. It had been unlocked since he was in here an hour before trying out some moves for the new routine he was working on and he’d planned on locking back up before he went upstairs.
So ultimately it was his fault since he’d left the doors unlocked, and as such it wouldn’t exactly be fair to be angry at her. It also appeared she didn’t know who he was, which admittedly was a bit surprising. Everyone knew everything above the second floor was off limits unless given permission and it led him to believe she was a fairly new student of Sango’s.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized again and gave an awkward half-bow, biting down on her lip as she finally met his eyes. “I’ll, um, leave if you want me to. I really didn’t know...”
Inuyasha considered her for a moment and then shook his head. What was the point if she was already here? “Nah, don’t worry about,” he muttered and took another drag on his cig, watching as she visibly relaxed and offered him a timid smile.
Cute little thing, ain’t she? he mused idly and racked his gaze down her lithe form. She says she’s not a dancer, but she certainly had the body to be one. That damn shirt hid most of his view, but from what he could see of her legs—
“Are you an instructor?” she asked him, tilting her head. “I haven’t seen you around before.”
Inuyasha fought against the urge to grin. She really didn’t have any idea who he was.
“You can say that,” he finally said at length, finding himself not wanting to give away his identity just yet. This could prove to be interesting, and who knows; maybe it would spark some inspiration and he’d finally be able to get some results so Sesshomaru would stop jumping down his damn throat with his demands and deadlines.
“Still waiting for an explanation, babydoll,” Inuyasha reminded her and took another drag. Technically there was no smoking allowed in his building, but he owned it and could do whatever the hell he damn well pleased, so whatever.
She blinked. “For what?”
He cocked a brow at her and carelessly flicked some ashes onto the floor; maintenance would clean it up tomorrow morning anyway. “Why you’re here. You said you ain’t a dancer, which is all fine and dandy, but you got me curious.” He shrugged and let the cig dangle from his lips as he crossed his arms again.
Kagome winced and then wrinkled her nose, her face warming up at the true reason for her being here.
“It’s stupid...” she mumbled, staring down at the floor and hunching her shoulders a little.
Inuyasha frowned. “I doubt that,” he told her and had an insane, unexplainable urge to cross the room and wrap her up in his arms. She just looked so small and fragile and he wanted to...protect her? What the—from what?
Kagome looked like she didn’t believe but she took a breath and told him anyway, figuring he had a right to know since this was his private studio. Or at least that’s what he told her, however Kagome figured he was telling the truth because why else would he be here?
“It really is stupid,” she repeated with a sigh and a fleeting grimace crossed her features. “My college was holding an event the other day out in the courtyard in front of the student activities building, and since my friends and I had nothing better to do, we decided to go and see what it was all about. Turns out it was a DDR competition and they were using a giant white board as a screen and extension cords to hook the game up. Anyone was welcome to play a round and enter some friendly competition, and even though I’ve never played before in my life, I gave it a try.”
She paused and crossed her arms, her nose scrunching slightly in a little pout that he found completely too adorable. “Of course I failed miserably at it, but I laughed it off because it was just for fun anyway. But then this extremely rude and universally not liked rich bitch laughed way too hard about it and snarked that I would never win any contest with those moves.”
Inuyasha cocked a brow at her, his tone disbelieving as he drawled, “You’re here because of a game of DDR?”
She scowled at him and had the good grace to blush. “No. If you let me continue, I was going to say the purpose of the entire event was to promote an actual dance competition where you have to come up with a new dance to a song of your choosing. It has to be at least one minute long, an entry can have up to four people, and all of the moves have to be completely original.”
“Sounds fair,” he commented.
Kagome nodded. “So after humiliating me in front of dozens of people, this bitch flips her hair, pops her chest out so everybody notices her fake boobs, and loudly declares that it’ll be a piece of cake winning the competition since ‘nobody worth while’ has entered. And oh my god, I got so heated, and just to spite the cocky bitch, I stared her right in the eye as I entered despite the fact that I cannot dance worth a good goddamn.
“And so now,” Kagome shrugged and held up her hands helplessly. “Here I am, sneaking into private studios at midnight and pretending like I know what the hell I’m doing.” She offered a wavering smile, her face still red but her blue eyes were bright.
Inuyasha nodded again and whistled low. “I see,” he murmured. “Good on you though, for not letting her cow you like that. I take it this isn’t the first time she’s given you grief.”
Kagome sighed and pinched her nose. “Since I started college three years ago. We’re in the same major.”
“Which is?”
“Nursing.”
He looked surprised. “So this bitch walking about like her shit don’t stink wants a career that dedicates all of her time taking care of and thinking about someone else other than herself? Is that what you’re telling me?”
“I know,” Kagome said drolly, her expression one of dry exasperation. “Trust me, the irony is not lost on me.”
“Damn,” Inuyasha muttered in bewilderment, shaking his head.
Kagome grunted in agreement, wrinkling her nose.
He bit back a chuckle. “Alright. Now lemme ask you this, babydoll,” Inuyasha suddenly said, flicking more ashes onto the floor and when her inquisitive blue eyes met his, he continued. “You said earlier that your stubbornness and pride won’t let you back down. Is that still true?”
Kagome blinked in confusion, brow furrowing slightly. “What...?”
“Is it?”
Amber eyes bore into her own and Kagome shivered. “I...yes,” she answered, barely above a whisper.
He nodded. “One more thing.” Pinching the nearly gone cancer stick between two fingers and lowering it from his lips, Inuyasha looked directly into her eyes and exhaled smoothly.
“Do you want it?”
Kagome opened her mouth. Closed it. Looked adorably confused. “Do I...do I want what?”
Inuyasha was silent for a moment as he studied her, and then he answered roughly, “You have to want it, babydoll. Spite is a great motivator, but it’s not enough if you want real results. If you don’t want it bad enough, if this is all just a game to get back at some snotty bitch with fake tits, then you’re wasting your time and might as well leave right now. I don’t give my time to quitters.”
Kagome gasped and shook her head, her heart pounding at what he was implying. “What do you—”
“Do you want it?”
The intensity in which he’d asked that single question gave Kagome pause and suddenly she knew exactly what he was referring to, what he wanted to hear her say. And it was amazing because she did want it; she wanted it with a desperation that surprised her because when she’d changed into her workout clothes and left her apartment at 11:30 at night to practice dancing in an empty studio, she hadn’t truly thought that she would get anywhere and thought for sure she’d end up giving in and backing down.
But then suddenly this man appears out of nowhere, starts asking her questions about pride and tenacity, somehow wheedles out the real reason why she’s here and her ambition roars back to life. No, it wasn’t just spite that made her agree. True, she wanted to prove that bitch wrong, but she wanted to prove to herself even more that she could do this and do it so well she’d leave everyone wondering if she was the same clumsy Kagome that tripped over air and fell up the stairs.
“Yes,” Kagome answered honestly, squaring her shoulders and straightening her back. Nodding, she repeated herself, her voice strong and ringing with resolve.
“Yes, I want it. I want it.”
Inuyasha’s eyes flashed and he nodded once. “Good.”
Then with that he started toward her, his strides purposeful and Kagome watched him as he approached the table behind her and stabbed out his cigarette in the ash tray she’d failed to notice before now.
Then he turned to her, crossed his arms, and leaned back against the table.
“Let’s see it.”
Kagome balked. “What?”
“Show me what you got, babydoll. Dance for me.”
Kagome blushed and swallowed thickly, her mouth suddenly feeling dry as her heart kick started in her chest.
“Why?” she whispered although she suspected she already knew why.
Instead of answering, Inuyasha grabbed her phone and woke up the screen, ignoring her protest. “What song?”
Kagome made a half-hearted swipe for her mobile and huffed in aggravation when he held it away from her. “Song?”
He cut his eyes to her with an annoyed frown. “What song are you going to be dancing to?”
She blinked. “Oh. Well, I was thinking maybe Girls like You by Maroon—”
“No.”
“...Excuse me?”
“No,” Inuyasha repeated and scrolled through the songs on her music app. “It’s not a bad choice, but it’s too...soft for what you need. If you wanna win this competition you’re gonna want something with a real shock factor, something totally unexpected that’ll knock their fucking socks off and have men and women alike panting and wanting a piece of that.”
Kagome made a face and muttered, “I don’t really care if I win this thing. I just want Kamlyn to eat her words and maybe get her to stop harassing me every goddamned day.”
Inuyasha shrugged. “Then consider it a bonus because when I’m through with you it’ll be guaranteed. Now,” he said and browsed her music again with a contemplative frown. “From what you’ve told me about this Kamlyn wench, it’s safe to assume her dance is not going to be kid friendly. That means you’re gonna hafta knock her performance outta the park with something sexier.”
Kagome blanched. Sexier? Oh god. She was anything but sexy and she really didn’t think she liked where he was going with this...
“You’re taste in music sucks,” he commented idly when still he saw nothing after a few more minutes of scrolling. She must have had over five hundred songs on the damn thing and yet none of the titles he glimpsed were appropriate for what he had in mind. He uselessly scrolled for another minute, gave up, and decided he’d have better luck with YouTube. They’d have to discuss what song she’ll use at a later time, but for now he’d just use a random bop with a suitable rhythm and he searched for the first one that came to mind.
“It does not,” Kagome fired back petulantly and crossed her arms again. “If you’re gonna insult my music then you can just—”
Inuyasha tapped the screen and seconds later the rest of her words were abruptly cut off by a steady, thrumming beat pumping from the speakers around them. The music ebbed and flowed, giving off a suggestive and sultry energy that can often be found in strip clubs. The lyrics followed shortly thereafter, soft, sexy, and alluring.
Kagome’s heart stopped and for the second time in as many minutes the color drained from her face. Oh no. Nooooo no no no no he couldn’t possibly want her to dance to…to something like that?
As the crooning lyrics abruptly turned into obscene moaning sounds, Inuyasha set her phone on the table and crossed his arms before nodding his head behind her, a wordless gesture to get on with it.
Oh good lord he did. Fervently Kagome shook her head, her eyes pleading with him to choose another song while inwardly cursing every perverted songwriter that decided it would be a good idea to create something like that. It was too embarrassing, too…too suggestive, something she wouldn’t even do in the privacy of her own room, let alone in front of a very attractive man!
Inuyasha frowned at her adamant refusal and explained, “I need to see what I’m working with here, babydoll, and in order for me to do that, you need to show me. This is just to give me an idea on where to start, so just pretend I’m not here and let the music take over. Close your eyes if you need to and let everything else just fade away.”
Blushing furiously, Kagome bit her lip and hesitated, dropping her gaze to stare down at the floor and clutched the hem of her shirt, wringing the fabric in an obviously nervous gesture. She knew without a doubt that even if she did close her eyes she would still be aware of his presence. Even now she could feel the weight of his gaze, staring at her unwaveringly and it made her stomach do not so unpleasant flip-flops as her heart accelerated in her chest.
Didn’t he realize what he was asking of her? Kagome had never considered herself sexy; hell, she wouldn’t even call herself pretty. She was average. She didn’t turn heads, never attracted attention, and she could count on one hand the number of times a guy had flirted with her. (Once, and it was her ex-boyfriend.) Kagome was awkward, clumsy; she knew she was no prize and her confidence level was drastically low.
Simply put, she wasn’t Kamlyn, who, despite being completely fake, was considered one of the hottest people on campus and she wasn’t afraid to flaunt what she had. How could he possibly ask her to dance to a song like this when she had nothing to flaunt?
When the song transitioned into the first chorus and all she did was continue to stand there looking very uncomfortable while avoiding his gaze, it became glaringly obvious that her hesitation went beyond mere shyness so with a sigh Inuyasha swiped up her phone and hit pause. Her shoulders hunched as the music was abruptly cut off and she peeked up at him, biting her lip and looking like she was about to be scolded.
His expression softened, however the confusion was evident on his face as he regarded her thoughtfully. Was this truly so difficult for her?
“Okay,” he murmured. “What’s the matter?” The patient softness of his voice surprised even him and judging by the look that crossed her face, it surprised her too.
She recovered quickly, though, and once more ducked her head, shifting her weight and feeling a flush of embarrassment color her face a soft pink. She really didn’t want to confide in a virtual stranger all of her self-image issues, even if he was trying to help her. Maybe if she gave him just a brief display of her awkwardness and incoordination he would see for himself that the song definitely wasn’t the best choice.
Dearly hoping she wouldn’t regret this, Kagome swallowed thickly and said just loud enough for him to hear, “Um, s-start the song over, please.”
Inuyasha frowned at her unexpected request and he eyed her for a moment, expression contemplative, before wordlessly reaching over to wake up the screen and did as he bade him. A single tap of a clawed finger and the song was starting over, the beginning notes echoing throughout the studio.
Steeling herself, unable to stop her nervous shaking, Kagome took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and started moving.
Right off the bat Inuyasha knew with absolute certainty, or at the least very strongly suspected just why exactly she was so adamant about not using this particular song. It was heavy with sex appeal, the kind that made women grind and gyrate their hips as they sought to turn on every single man nearby, and this girl, this young woman had absolutely zero.
Her movements were stiff and awkward as she attempted to move her body to the music provided like she had no idea where to put her limbs. The look of intense concentration on her face suggested that might very well be the case and it was clear she’d never before used her hips or ass as a method of seduction. They didn’t roll so much as jerk and her knees weren’t at all relaxed but locked which accounted for all the stumbling she was doing. Of course with that damn shirt in the way it was hard to accurately guess, but altogether it was glaringly obvious how out of her element she was, her discomfort not only painted clear as day on her face, but in the stiff way she moved.
After another stumble that nearly sent her sprawling onto the floor, Inuyasha couldn’t take it anymore and he put a stop to her painful performance by pressing pause and he didn’t miss the unmistakable look of relief that crossed her features.  Then she righted herself, sighed, and looked positively defeated as she stared at him, as if she already knew he was going to declare her a lost cause and change his mind about helping her.
If only she knew that watching her sorely lacking performance had the complete opposite and only solidified his decision to help her.
And besides, he always liked a challenge. It was only a bonus that he could use her routine – with her permission, of course – as new material and Sesshomaru would stop hounding him about the damn deadline in a month.
Which reminded him… “What’s your name, babydoll?” he asked as he scrolled through her songs and selected one that would be good practice for what he had in mind.
Kagome frowned at the unexpected question but answered, “Kagome.”
“How long you got until the competition, Kagome?” Setting her phone back on the table, Inuyasha took off his hat and carelessly tossed it onto the table as well before promptly reaching behind him and yanking off his shirt.
Kagome sputtered as her face flamed, eyes going very wide to suddenly be faced with a very attractive, bare chested man. Good god, but this man was a silver-haired Adonis, all sculpted muscle, tanned skin, and those ears were too damn cute. What really grabbed her attention, however, was the wicked looking tribal tattoo wrapped around his left arm that she was finally able to see in its entirety. The intricate design extended all the way up to his shoulder and upon closer inspection it appeared to be a dragon with the head on his left pectoral. It was beautifully done and Kagome was slightly jealous. She’d always wanted a tattoo...
“I—I—uh, a little over a month?” she said, completely distracted by the complete magnificently tattooed male...yumminess that he presented.
Without her permission her eyes tracked the line of silver hair that disappeared into his low-slung jeans. Her heart beat a little faster as the blush on her face intensified and oh my god, he had another tattoo in the delectable V of his right hip bone, what looked to be jagged red claw marks half-concealed by his jeans.
Kagome thought she might faint.
Inuyasha snorted in amusement. This was too perfect. “Good. Take it off.”
That jolted her right out of her avid admiration of his solid abs and she blinked, darting her gaze this with a puzzled frown. “What?”
He withheld a smirk. Checking him out, was she? Then it was only fair he got to do the same.
“Shirt. Off. Now. Unless you’d like me to do it for you?” He cocked a brow at her and had to grin when she squeaked and took a step away from him. “C’mon, we ain’t got all night.”
“But—what—” Kagome stuttered, utterly perplexed and she crossed her arms over her stomach as if that would be any defense to him divesting her of her shirt. “Why?” she finally managed.
Inuyasha rolled his eyes and explained, “Because it’ll only get in the way and I need to be able to see.”
She eyed him suspiciously and narrowed her eyes. “See what?”
He scowled then, getting impatient. “To see why you move like an eighty year old woman with Parkinson’s, now would you stop questioning me and just take the fucking thing off already? You’re wearing a bra anyway and it ain’t like I’m asking so I can ogle your tits or some shit. Christ,” he muttered and rubbed his forehead. She certainly wasn’t kidding when she said she was stubborn.
Kagome flushed. Truth was, she had assumed part of the reason he was asking was so he could stare at her chest but now she felt ridiculous for even suspecting it. She didn’t even think he was that type of man anyway, she was just...nervous. She liked her oversized shirts; they were her security blanket, a shield to protect herself from anyone looking too closely. If she took it off, despite having a sports bra on underneath, she would feel too vulnerable, exposed in a way that had nothing to do with lack of clothing.
Here he was, standing in all his beautiful half-naked glory, sculpted abs, a hard chest, and arms thick with muscle and strength. Meanwhile here she was, plain, frumpy Kagome, with her small chest, soft stomach, and general awkwardness. Standing next to him, she felt like the ugly duckling that got hit with every branch on her way down the ugly tree and he expected her to reveal all of her could-stand-to-lose-a-few-pounds body to him?
Hell no.
Once more avoiding his gaze and shifting from foot to foot, Kagome’s hands clutched the dark gray fabric of her shirt and she shook her head, biting down on her lip.
“Um—I, uh, c-can’t I continue wearing it? Please?”
Even she could hear how pathetic she sounded pleading about something so trivial but she couldn’t help it. She was already feeling out of sorts with the song he was using; keeping her shirt was her last defense. Didn’t he know that?
Scowling, Inuyasha opened his mouth to once again demand she remove it, but then she peeked up at him from under dark, sooty lashes and when his eyes connected with hers realization hit him so hard his eyes widened and his mouth dropped. Kagome winced and immediately ducked her face again, flushing darkly.
...Well, fuck. It made so much sense now. Granted, this whole endeavor just became ten times more challenging, but it was too late to back out now. Besides, he couldn’t in good conscience allow her to continue thinking about herself like that when it was so obviously untrue.
Muttering a curse under his breath that had Kagome daring another glimpse at him, Inuyasha promptly stepped in close to her and ignored her quiet gasp of surprise before knocking her arms out of the way and hooking a claw in the collar of her shirt. Too late Kagome realized what he was going to do and before she could utter any sort of protest Inuyasha swiftly drew his hand down and sliced the garment right down the middle. Stunned and blushing up a storm, Kagome could do nothing as he yanked the shirt the rest of the way off and tossed it carelessly behind him onto the table.
While Kagome stood there with her arms over her chest and berated him for ruining her shirt, Inuyasha finally got his first good look at her and damn did he like what he saw. She was fucking perfect with a flat, trim belly that tapered into shapely hips and sender thighs encased in tight spandex shorts. Her skin was smooth and creamy and his hands suddenly itched to roam over her figure but he kept them to himself; he figured ignoring her wishes and destroying her only cover was pushing it enough as it was and he needed her to trust him.
From what he could see of her chest behind her arms, her breasts were small but that didn’t matter; a push-up bra or corset could do fucking wonders and before his mind had the chance to travel in a decidedly less than pure direction, Inuyasha said four words that promptly drew Kagome’s tirade to a screeching halt.
“Kagome, you’re fucking perfect,” he told her sincerely and perhaps a tad bit impatiently but she refused to hear it, adamantly shaking her head and denying his claim. Frowning he grabbed her hands kept her from hiding herself, tightening his grip when she tried to pull away.
“No, listen to me, I’m serious. You have absolutely fucking nothing to be ashamed of, Kagome. You’re stunning with a fucking rocking body and I’ll say it every goddamn day if I have to until you believe me, but what I see before me is nothing short of beautiful.”
When still she wouldn’t look at him and kept shaking her head, Inuyasha growled and gently grasped her chin in his fingers, tilting her face up and her sharp gasp went ignored as he continued, “Confidence is a key factor in this sort of thing, babydoll. You move the way you do because you don’t have any; you think you’re not sexy and that’s sorta the whole point I’m going for here. If you wanna do this, you’re gonna have to start believing you can and the first step is being confident and comfortable in your own skin.”
Inuyasha suddenly sighed and some of the vehemence left his tone as he said a bit more gently, “Look, you have the physical requirements for this; you’re fit and I’m willing to bet you’re flexible as hell. There’s really nothing stopping you but you and if you really do want this like you told me, then you need to stop this embarrassed shit and either tell me to fuck off and go home, or look me in the eye and fucking commit.  I don’t half-ass things, Kagome; I’m gonna work you into the fucking ground until I think you’re ready and if you think you can’t do this, tell me now. Like I told you before: I don’t give my time to quitters.”
Kagome flinched and he grit his teeth but didn’t take his words back. He wanted to help her, he truly did, but she needed to help him by trusting what he said and doing what was necessary. He may have been a bit too harsh, but he couldn’t help it. Most of the people he dealt with on a daily basis were pretentious celebrities that liked to throw around large amounts of cash just because they could and it was required of him to be a hardass to get through their self-absorbed bubble of fame in order to get to the nitty gritty of things. Most of the time it was received well, but occasionally he’d get the bored up and coming rock star that got too comfortable in their lifestyle and became nothing more than a spoiled brat and they ended up bowing out before any of the real work began. It was a giant pain in the ass and a huge waste of his valuable time, which was why he was so strict on who he decided to take on as a client.
He was one of the most respected, successful, and coveted producers in the whole fucking country. He was allowed to be choosy, goddammit.
Gently sweeping his thumb across her chin, Inuyasha waited to see what she would do, not afraid to admit to himself that he hoped she wouldn’t back out. He didn’t understand his strong desire to help her, not to mention his very strange urge to protect her at all costs, but he didn’t dwell on it. Kagome was different than any of the other woman he’d ever met; she was soft, innocent, untouched by the harsh realities of the world and despite having some evident self-image issues, he suspected that she was utterly breathtaking when she flourished and he wanted so badly to witness that. He wanted to be there when she shined, when she made that bitch Kam-whatever eat her words and that was when Inuyasha decided he was going to do something he’d never done before in any of his client’s routines. 
Of course he needed to get her to agree to it first, but he was confident he could wear her down even if she did disagree at first. She may be stubborn, but he was as bullheaded as they come and was oftentimes told he didn’t know when to give up. It was one of his best qualities that contributed to his popularity among producers and he wasn’t afraid to let anyone know.
Now if only Kagome had half that confidence...
Inuyasha was already cooking up a few ideas while he waited for her to make her decision when finally, finally, Kagome lifted her head, those beautiful ocean eyes locked with his, and the cautious hope in them was nearly his undoing. Without even realizing it his expression softened and he gave her that last push she needed to make her decision.
“Trust me, Kagome,” he murmured and daringly brushed his thumb across her bottom lip, watching the flush spread across her cheeks and hearing her breath hitch in her throat. “Just trust me and I promise you won’t regret it. Alright?”
Kagome’s eyes widened and she studied him quietly, her eyes searching his face, his eyes for what he hadn’t a clue, but apparently after another moment she found it because the corners of her mouth lifted up into a small, timid smile, she sucked in a breath, and then she gave a barely perceptible nod.
“Okay,” she breathed and officially sealed her fate.
Inuyasha grinned. “That’s my girl,” he said and had the insane urge to kiss her forehead. “Now let’s get this show on the road; it’s late, I have a meeting at 9 am, and I want to at least go over the basics before we call it a night. Sound good?”
Hardly believing she was actually going through with this, Kagome closed her eyes and nodded again. She could trust him. She could trust...wait a minute, what even was his name?
“What’s your name?” she blurted out as he restarted their practice song and golden eyes cut her way at the question.
He gave her a crooked grin and his eyes flashed wickedly. “It’s Inuyasha, babydoll, but I’m more commonly known as Sha.” He cocked a brow at her and watched Kagome’s face go from blank as she attempted to place his name to instant recognition, eyes going wide and mouth dropping in astonishment.
“Y...you’re...” she breathed, apparently having trouble articulating her thoughts, and Inuyasha chuckled. Usually it annoyed him when someone was so starstruck they could barely speak, but strangely with Kagome he found it completely endearing.
“Yeah,” he affirmed, raising his brows. “I admit, I’m a little surprised you didn’t recognize me. The ears usually give it away.” He wiggled them for emphasis and he caught her quiet giggle.
Her smile was equal parts sheepish and apologetic. “I don’t really watch TV and I’m not really invested in the entertainment world, either.” She shrugged.
Inuyasha stared at her. God, she was so pure he felt as if just standing next to her would somehow taint or blemish her. He’d done some shady shit in his past, and he was by no means innocent now, and for the first time in his life he felt inadequate and quite suddenly wanted to take a shower, as if that would help wash off his sins and dirty deeds.
“Well,” he drawled and reached back to wake her phone’s screen. “After tonight, babydoll, consider yourself invested.”
He hit play and the first notes of their practice song drifted out of the speakers.
Instantly Kagome recognized it and she frowned. “I thought we weren’t using this song.”
The silver-haired choreography shrugged and grabbed her hand to tug her a little closer. “We’re not, but it’s got a good enough melody to use as a practice song. We’ll start with something slow first that you’re comfortable with and then work our way up to faster paced songs that are similar to what you’re gonna use for the competition. Sound good?”
Releasing a steadying breath, Kagome briefly closed her eyes and then nodded, resolute. “Let’s do this.”
He smirked. “That’s what I like to hear. And now, lesson one.”
Without warning Inuyasha spun her around so he back was facing his chest and used his foot to nudge her legs a little farther apart. He slid his hand around to splay across her lower stomach and he felt her immediately tense up. Expected, which was why this was a good place to start.
“When I was watching you dance earlier,” he began and placed his other hand on her hip. “I noticed you were thinking way too hard on how to move, where to put your feet and all that. You need to relax. Let your body think for you, let it move on its own. You kept stumbling and tripping earlier because you were so tense and you were so busy trying to command your body to move the way you wanted it to that you ended up looking like a robot.”
He leaned his face down so his mouth hovered next to her ear. “So breathe, Kagome,” he said and smiled when she released the breath he was sure she wasn’t even aware she’d been holding. “Dancing is supposed to be fun. It ain’t rocket science.”
Reminding herself that she had to trust him – he did this for a living, after all – Kagome did as she was instructed and took a few moments to just breathe, closing her eyes and trying to clear her mind. She was highly aware of his hands on her hip and stomach but surprisingly enough the not so unpleasant sensation was easy to get used to. Her lips lifted into a slight smile as she slowly relaxed, listening to the music, allowing the smooth beat to ease the tension from her muscles.
“Thatta girl,” Inuyasha murmured behind her and squeezed her hip once in approval. “Alright, now listen to the beat...move with it...don’t think about it, Kagome, listen to the song and let it command you, not the other way around.”
“I am,” Kagome huffed, her brow furrowed slightly as she attempted to sync her hips with the beat of the music.
“No, you’re not,” Inuyasha insisted and closed the slight gap between them, stepping in close to press his chest flush against her back and yanking her ass into the cradle of his hips. She gasped, but he ignored it as he said, “You hear it, but you’re not listening.”
With his hands and his own body, Inuyasha moved her the way he wanted her to, guiding her hips from side to side as his own did the same, allowing her to feel and not merely hear what he was saying.
“See,” Inuyasha rumbled in her ear and Kagome shivered, willing her heartbeat to calm and the fierce blush on her face to recede as. “Don’t just listen with your ears, listen with your body. As cheesy as that sounds,” he added and smiled when she released a breathy laugh, gratified when she finally allowed herself to be taken by the beat and let the music command her.
With her eyes closed and so in tune with the melody wrapping around her body, letting it dictate her movements, Kagome was barely aware of Inuyasha stepping back, though he kept a light grip on her hips. She didn’t even understand how, but suddenly it was so easy to move with the rhythm of the beat and soon she lost herself to the notes of one of her favorite songs, smiling now as she danced without a care. It wasn’t a chore, it wasn’t something she felt she had to do at all costs, but a deep desire she hadn’t even been aware she’d harbored.
Standing a few feet away from her, arms crossed and a satisfied grin on his face, Inuyasha watched with half-lidded eyes as she danced like no one was watching, losing herself to the music and even singing along to the lyrics. It was obvious she’d forgotten he was even there, but that was okay. That’s what he’d wanted, for her to forget everything and just have fun, if only for a few minutes.
All right, so he could admit, this wasn’t really a lesson so much as a warm up. He’d caught a few brief glimpses of it earlier when he’d told her to show him what she had, but watching her now, taking in the graceful movements of her body and the smooth way she transitioned each step, it was obvious to him that Kagome was a natural. She knew what to do, or at least her body did; she just needed some fine-tuning, is all, an upgrade to an already seamlessly working piece of machinery. They still had a long way to go of course, but perhaps it wouldn’t be as challenging as he’d originally thought.
He was suddenly really looking forward to the next month or so.
The song ended a moment later and Kagome stood there, legs akimbo, chest popped and shoulders back and her face was beautifully flushed with a bright smile spread across her face. He was gratified to see she didn’t even seem to be that much out of breath either, a testament to her strength and agility, another thing that would make this easier for both of them.
The sound of clapping drew her attention and Kagome turned her head to find Inuyasha standing a little ways a way, a satisfied grin on his face as he clapped, obviously pleased with her performance. Suddenly giddy Kagome giggled and gave an exaggerated bow, sweeping her arms around behind her and she heard his amused chuckle.
“That was great, babydoll,” he praised and ambled toward her. “You’re a fucking natural and with a little guidance from yours truly, we’ll have both men and women drooling after you and you’re gonna show up that bitch Kam-what’s-her-face so good she won’t be able to show her face on campus for fucking weeks.”
With big blue eyes glinting with cautious hope, Kagome peered up at him with a hesitant smile as butterflies abruptly took flight in her belly.
“You really think so?” she asked, for the first time daring to believe that she could do something better than Kamlyn, daring to believe that she could be better, period.
Inuyasha stopped in front of her and smirked arrogantly.
“I know so. Alright, now I’m gonna show you a few basic moves and I want you to follow my lead...”
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Part 2
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