#but then i see people whose first games are forgotten land or something and im like. :00

[flamegodess]

Happy Birthday, Emma! 💕

I wish you a wonderful day full of surprises and presents @fullmetalscullyy ! You are an amazing person that makes this world such a lovely place and also your fanfics make the fma fandom a better place! You are so talented and kind and friendly and Im so happy we're friends!

I wrote a fanfic for your special day😅 I hope you like it❤️

Thank you @royal-mustang and @hawk-queen for checking it😘

Seven Minutes In Heaven

The moment the bottle stopped spinning made Riza gulp. Even though she was very skilled at hiding her emotions(and too mature to act like that because of a game!, she scolded herself), she couldn't mask her nervousness, nor hold back from biting her lips. The bottle was pointing to her and Roy. Next to her, Rebecca was grinning mischevously, truly enjoying the situation. After all, this had been her plan.

It all started one sunny afternoon when Riza and Rebecca were chatting animatedly in the garden of the Hawkeye house. Riza's father was away so she made the most of it and invited Rebecca over. The subject, the two girls were so focused on, was no other than Rebecca's birthday party. She wanted to celebrate her 16th birthday by inviting her friends (and mostly Jean) to her house for one hell of a party, as she had mentioned.

So right now, the brunette and the blonde were writing the guest list.

"Should we invite Clara as well?" Riza asked while shaking the piece of paper to make the ladybug, that had just landed on it, fly away. "She invited you to her party, it would be nice to-"

"No way. Have you seen the way she looks at Jean? It’s a big no."  she added before Riza could say anything else and crossed Clara’s name with the red pen, shaking her head.

"You invited the whole area, Becca. I think that's it. "

"Hmm... I didn't invite your father's hot apprentice in fact."

"Yeah, and you won't. "

"But-"

"Becca!"

"What? Jean will come, I need a partner for you too, Ri."

"Wha-"

"And don't deny that you like him. Every damn time we talk about him, your face turns pink. Even now. "  Rebecca replied satisfied and Riza crossed her arms and frowned, realizing that nothing in the world could change her best friend's mind.

"You're delirious anyway. The sun is up and it's summer, of course my face turns pink easily. And even if it was like you said, that doesn't mean that he likes me too. "

Rebecca rolled her eyes. How could she be so blind? Riza couldn't stop herself from smiling. Last night he had entered her bedroom instead of his because he had mistaken the rooms in the darkness. Or at least that was his excuse.

They had talked till long in the night and the next thing she could remember, was waking up next to his warm body. Yeah, she liked him and a part of her hoped he liked her too. They had become really close friends during the last years and Riza couldn't imagine her life without him in the big and hollow house.

So Rebecca invited Roy too and to Riza's nervousness, he accepted. She tried to tell him a few times that "it was totally fine if he refused" or stuff like that but Roy had grown to like the kids that lived around the area.

Aaand he liked Riza too and couldn't think of letting her go alone to that party where so many boys would be present.

At said party everything was going perfect. Besides the fact that Rebecca was trying to light up a spark between Roy and Riza. And that's when she said the devilish sentence.

"Who wants to play seven minutes in heaven?" she had been careful to place Roy exactly on the opposite side of Riza who hadn't even had a chance to say a word about being against playing the game. Rebecca's puppy eyes and the "do it as a birthday gift" made Riza obey. Anyway, what were the chances of her and Roy being chosen? They were a lot of people sitting around the bottle after all.

Before Rebecca could spin it, Roy lifted one eyebrow to Riza which she answerd to with a roll of her eyes.

Good. The game was going well. Even Becca got to spend the 7 minutes with Jean. Riza was afraid of thinking what they have done there, but knew that Rebecca would fill her in the next day probably.

The third round,  Rebecca spinned the bottle again and... And it pointed perfectly to Roy and Riza.

"YES! FINALLY" Rebecca shouted and held both Roy and Riza's hands to guide them to the closet.

"Becky, I'm sure Roy doesn't want this either... Right, Roy? "

"It's not that I don’t want it, I mean, if it makes you feel uncomfortable then of course we won't do this-"

"Uncomfortable is not the word-" Riza interrupted him but before she could finish her sentence, Rebbeca pushed them into the closet.

"Just get in there already. And make the most of those seven minutes." she whispered and winked before locking the door.

It took them a while to get used with the darkness. A dim light was coming from under the door. Even though they were separated only by a wall from the rest of the party, it felt like they were in a totally other world. The laughter and the music seemed to be far away as Riza could hear only her heart beating. Damn this was so awkward.

"I'm sorry about this situation... " she started apologising, being grateful that it was too dark for him not to see the blush on her cheeks.

"You don't have to apologize, I mean, it's not such a bad situation... But if you feel like that I can totally get it."

"W-What? No, it's not like I don't want to be stuck with you in a closet- Okay, I didn't say that... I'm just.. " She realized she was rambling nonsense and prayed he would stop her and say something.

"Riza, calm down, we are not going to do anything we don't want to. Okay?" He asked and she knew he was smiling warmly at her.

It was in that moment that she realized that her and Roy locked in a closet, with the pressure of doing something, was a rare chance. Yes, they could always meet during the night in one of their bedrooms... But... Today's situation felt different. Maybe...maybe they really needed a little spark for things to catch on fire.

"Roy." she said and closed the space between them. "I think we have less than five minutes left and...And I think this is the right time to tell you that... I like you. A lot."

She didn't look him in the eyes. She wanted the earth to swallow her whole and never face him again.

All of a sudden, his arms embraced her and pressed her body against his.

"I like you too, Riza." He replied and nuzzled her hair. She couldn't tell whose heart was beating faster as her head was pressed against his chest. "I wish I could have told you first."

"Don't worry, I probably looked too traumatized the moment Rebecca locked us in here.” She replied and he huffed amused. “It's not such a bad game you know..." she confessed and looked him in the eye. His eyes were the first part of him she had fallen for. Even in this darkness, his black orbs were shining.

One of his hands moved from her back to her cheek and she stood on her tiptoes for their lips to meet.

Roy felt like he had forgotten all the skill he had in kissing girls and let his lips brush against hers messily, but gently.

Riza couldn't tell what she was feeling, but something was certain: it was all so natural. She felt like kissing Roy was a natural thing to do at that moment and she couldn't believe she had been so nervous around him. He was the boy she loved, the boy she trusted and the one who also was her friend.

His lips lingered a second more on hers and then they parted. It was then when they both realized that the door of the closet was wide open and that everybody was starring at them.

[thenamesseven]

Warnings: The usual, bit of language and mentions of fights and torture.

                               --------------------------------------------

“Do you trust me?”

Did you trust him? Maybe getting in the car with Jooheon hadn’t been the smartest idea you’ve had, acting out of pride to hurt others, in this case Wonho, never worked the way you wanted. You’ve never been so scared in your whole life, being in a car that descended down the road at more than 160 mph was some kind of extra close death experience that you never wanted to go through again. Your eyes were glued to the road as Jooheon, amusedly dodged cars zigzagging dangerously close to the edge, one wrong move and the both of you would get out of the road and straight down the bridge, into the sea.

“Jooheon…” Your brain wasn’t functioning, you were gripping the edge of the leather seat so hard that you were sure your nails would leave marks there

Jooheon chuckled, shaking his head “Not so confident now, huh!?” He wasn’t making fun of you, he looked genuinely happy right there. Like a child whose parents had allowed him to play with his toys after a long time of being grounded. “Tell me (Y/N), do you trust me?”

“No!?” You shouted even when the both of you knew that was a lie, if you didn’t trust him you wouldn’t have gotten into the car with him.

“Too bad! You better close your eyes then!”

Do you know those moments when somebody tells you not to look at something but that only makes you want to look at it even more? Well, that’s exactly what happened in that moment, as soon as Jooheon proposed to close your eyes, your brain did the exact same thing and opened them wide enough for you to realize what he was planning to do.

You’ve done and seen so many things in your life that you have always said that surprising or scaring you was a pretty difficult thing to do recently but right there, when your eyes landed on the slightly opened bridge the car was going to, you almost peed on your panties.

“Have you ever done this?!” Jooheon rolled down the windows, the wind hitting both of your faces hard

“No! You’re fucking crazy!” You shouted back, your eyes closed as you kept your back pressed against the leather seat.

“Open your eyes (Y/N)! You’re going to feel fucking free!”

Those words definitely got your attention. It has been so long since you’ve been trapped in this world, in the dark streets your boss owned that freedom was something you had forgotten about a long time ago. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to be the owner of your own life, it was just you were too deep in the mafia, too deep in the dark business to pull yourself out of it so in order to not make yourself suffer more you simply gave up on trying to be free.

You had stopped shouting and your eyes were opened now, carefully watching your surroundings as Jooheon sped up. The moment the car jumped over the gap, the instant the wheels weren’t touching the ground anymore...That was something impossible to describe with words. Maybe it was the adrenaline of the moment, maybe it was the sight of the other’s cars including Wonho’s, who hadn’t taken the risk of jumping over, staying behind what made you feel unstoppable, like you ruled the world, like you were free. The magnificent feeling went away as soon as it came though, once the car landed on the other side of the bridge roughly Jooheon and you started shouting, not because you have won the race but because the two of you were feeling pure euphoria right now.

“Oh my fucking god we did it! Jooheon you did it!” You shouted, jumping on the passenger seat as if you were a freaking five year old who had gotten onto the best ride in a theme park.

“Of course we would do it, I told you to trust me didn’t I?” He asked laughing, his head tilted back against the seat as he kept driving

“I genuinely thought we were going to die right there” You let out a soft yet happy sigh, the adrenaline softly abandoning your body

Jooheon smirked, driving confidently with one hand as he kept his eyes on the road “Definitely not happening on my watch, doll”

The rest of the ride was silence, your mind was still stuck on the words that had exited Jooheon’s lips. He had sounded so confident about the statement, so brutally honest with you that for a second you truly considered the option of letting your walls down, of stopping this game between Jooheon and you to let him in. This was the first time somebody had so boldly claimed they would protect you, of course you knew Wonho, Hyungwon and IM had your back whenever the four of you were out messing around but they worked for you, Jooheon didn’t and for some reason you truly believed what he said. It was weird for you, even scary to be affected so much by a stranger, you have spent most of your life not trusting anybody, pushing everybody away whenever they got too close to see the real you but as stupid and cliché as it sounds, with Jooheon everything felt incredibly different.

On the driver’s seat Jooheon was about to freak out. The comment had slipped from his lips before he could stop it, his hands gently gripping the steering wheel as he kept glancing your way. You didn’t look mad or weirded out by him, you just looked to be pretty deep in your own thoughts.

People were already gathering around the finish line, cheering for Jooheon. Girls were ready to stick their bodies as close as they could to his, probably in a lame attempt to take him to bed while guys were just willing to become friends with the insane driver by your side. You spotted IM’s face in the crowd and to say he looked impressed would be a total understatement, he looked like he was about to start fanboying all over Jooheon. When he stopped the car, you took a pen you found and his hand, scribbling your number on it, you weren’t flirting, it was just the prize the two of you had established to give before the race.

You opened the door ready to get out of the car before the crowd trapped you longer inside with Jooheon by your side, however, as soon as one of your high heels touched the floor he reached out and grabbed your wrist. Your head turned, looking at him in a mix of confusion and alarm before your eyes landed on the small smile on his lips.

“Do you trust me?” He suddenly asked, his eyes meeting yours.

“I wouldn’t have given you my number if I didn’t, would I?” You asked watching how his smile slowly turned into a grin, his hand finally letting your wrist go “Welcome to the business Jooheon, get your guys ready for work”

--------------------------------------------------

As expected from the chief, he was knocking on the door of the apartment his currently four men who were undercovered lived in, it had been almost two weeks without getting some kind of report from them and even when he didn’t want to admit it, the man felt a bit concerned for them. The guys weren’t injured, they were just passed out in their respective bedrooms after all the partying they did last night. Once they saw you leave with your guys they found themselves being unable to resist the offer of free drinks, money and even girls that had been shoved at them for winning that race, apparently Wonho, the guy who Jooheon had raced against, was a pretty big deal and Jooheon had managed to beat his ass with his girl (as some people had claimed) in his car. Long story short, they were some kind of legend after the stunt they pulled last night.

Shownu, who had been awaken by the awful headache of a hangover, was the first one to hear the second round of impatient knocks on their door. He instantly got tense, they weren’t expecting any visits, were they? Alarmed, he sat up in his bed so quick that everything in the room started rotating, the food he ate yesterday for dinner being dangerously close to go up his throat. Still, Shownu pushed the dizzy feeling away and reached down his pillow to grab his gun, walking out of the room after shaking awake his roommate, a pale looking Kihyun who truly looked about to throw up.

“Who is it?” Shownu whispered looking down at Kihyun

“Do I look like I have fucking X-Ray vision or something, Shownu?” Kihyun was in a really grumpy mood thanks to the massive hangover

“Should we open the door?” He asked hesitating, his hands gripping the gun firmly

“I don’t know but I swear to God if they bang the door one more time-” Their chief did and Shownu had never seen Kihyun snap so freaking fast “That fucker is dead”

Grabbing his gun Kihyun stormed to the door, Shownu didn't have time to stop him before he opened it to face the monster that had dared to wake them up “Listen here, motherfuck-” Kihyun’s words got stuck in his throat when he saw the face of his unexpected boss standing there, awaiting to be welcomed into the house

“Holy shit” Shownu whispered behind him, biting his lower lip extra hard as he walked back into the bedroom to laugh without being caught. He didn't know whose expression had been better, Kihyun’s or the boss’.

“Uh...Good morning chief” Kihyun muttered, a blush creeping up his cheeks as he tried to come up with words that would get him out of this embarrassing situation.

The chief looked at him, raising one of his eyebrows “Listen here motherfucker?” He asked crossing his arms on his chest, staring down at him “Good morning to you too, Yoo”

At this point both were able to hear Shownu howling in laughter in the bedroom. “Want some coffee? Please come inside, we were still just sleeping”

“Yeah you better get a shower too cause you reek of hangover” Kihyun visibly gulped as the chief walked inside the apartment, sitting down on their worn out couch while he made a straight line into the shower.

Shownu hadn't exited the bedroom yet since he was probably getting himself ready, apart from trying to forget their boss face when Kihyun addressed him as motherfucker so he wouldn’t laugh in his face as soon as he greeted him. Jooheon, still unknown to the situation walked out of the bedroom in just his boxers, scratching the back part of his head as he made his way into the living room.

“Are you guys working or partying?”

The voice of the chief made him stop dead on his tracks, Jooheon forcing his eyes to open a little bit more to see if he was hallucinating or still dreaming. However, the face of the chief staring right back at his mostly naked figure told Jooheon this was happening for real, he couldn't care less though.

“Morning chief” Jooheon yawned, sitting on the couch besides him as he leaned his head back.

“Where's Minhyuk? We need to talk” He replied looking around the apartment

“Right here” He plopped himself down onto the couch next to Jooheon, who seemed to not have any intentions of getting up to put some clothes on.

It took around ten more minutes to get the “meeting” started, while Kihyun finished his morning shower, Shownu prepared some much needed coffee to wake everybody up as Minhyuk and the chief engaged in a conversation about the recent events. Jooheon on the other hand was deep in thought, trying to decide what he should say and shouldn't. In the end, he decided to say everything that was in his mind.

“I think they're not entirely guilty” Everybody choked on their coffees. Jooheon had four pair of eyes on him, awaiting a reasonable answer. “She doesn't act like a criminal, she isn't like we used to be”

“Jooheon, don't pull this bullshit on me when we have multiple clues incriminating her”  The chief said seriously, truly not happy with what he just heard.

“I see it in her eyes though” Jooheon insisted. He really couldn't tell what it was but there was something in the way you looked at him, the way you smiled and laughed last night when he jumped over that bridge, the way you enjoyed those brief moments of freedom what gave away that you probably weren't your own boss. But obviously, his judgement wasn't enough to proof whatever thoughts were running through his mind.

“I swear to god Jooheon, don't get cheesy with one of them” He scolded, looking at the officer “I know you have to win her trust, become friends and shit but do not cross the personal line” He looked into Jooheon's eyes “Because once you cross it, limits become blurry and you'll have a hard time distinguishing your true life with the fake one”

“Maybe it would be better if one of us approached her instead of you” Shownu intervened, truly worried about his friend.

“You think I can't do my job?” Jooheon asked frowning

“He didn’t say that” Minhyuk quickly replied “But dude, we're not blind...She's pretty hot, has killer legs…”

“I'm not trying to get laid Minhyuk”

“But Shownu is right” Kihyun said, leaving Jooheon’s side of the argument too. “Maybe it's a better idea if we became closer to her, you know?”

Jooheon's sighed, rubbing his face tiredly with one of his hands “Are all of you truly convinced I have feelings for her?” When nobody answered, Jooheon's eyes opened wide. He couldn't believe what he was experiencing, was he that good of an actor? “For real? What the fuck guys, I barely know her? She's our target?” The guys shrugged, Jooheon shook his head, standing up as he tossed a piece of paper on the coffee table in front of them “Well she trusts me though, seems like I’m the only one doing a good job here”

With that, leaving everybody stunned, Jooheon walked into his bedroom to get dressed since he felt like going for a walk to get some fresh air. Honestly, the atmosphere in the apartment was becoming so suffocating thanks to their bullshit.

Before exiting the apartment, Jooheon poked his head back in the living room “If she calls get the details of the meeting, she wants to do some business with us” He said, being cocky still feeling mad about their accusations. “You are welcome chief”

He made sure to close the door as loud as possible when he walked out.

--------------------------------------------------

If the sound of Wonho kicking your bedroom door opened wouldn't have woken you up then his panicked words and loud tone (that could be considered as shouting) would have definitely done the trick.

“He's coming!”

You, dressed with only an oversize shirt and some panties, bolted out of your bed keeping your bed sheets against your exposed skin so he or whoever was coming wouldn't see more than they needed to. Your heart was pounding against your chest, your vision a bit blurry thanks to the abrupt way you had been awaken and your ears had never heard so well. All your senses were at their maximum, getting your body ready to defend yourself.

“Who's coming!? What the fuck are you doing here!?” You were frozen on your spot, not really knowing what to do or how to handle the situation. Wonho seemed like he was about to shit on his own pants, the fear making him unable to tell any details about whoever was frightening him.

“Y-You have to get dressed” Wonho stuttered, looking out of your bedroom to check the hall.

“Hoseok! What is going on!?” You shouted incredibly frustrated, trying to get some answers.

He didn't have more time to explain, as soon as Wonho opened his mouth to say something your eyes spotted his shadow on the white wall of your corridor. Your heart stopped beating, your blood stopped flowing and every single emotion in your body was replaced by fear.

You gulped loudly when Doyoon, your boss, walked into the bedroom. He was dressed as usual, wearing one of those expensive yet immaculate suits along with his favorite black tie that matched his shiny shoes. His hair was gelled back, his eyes as dark as ever and a small smile on his lips that signaled bad news were coming for you and Wonho.

“Ah, seems like he came here to warn you” He scoffed a little, two incredibly big men standing by his side to protect him in case you and Wonho tried to do something pretty stupid “Or did he sleep here?” He took a step forward, you didn't move back attempting to show him no fear, Wonho stepped back though. Big mistake. "Ah sweetheart" His eyes landed on yours, getting closer and closer, making your heart beat faster. “Missed my company? Is that why you're screwing idiots?” His hand grabbed your chin, not letting you look anywhere but him “Is that why you're playing with strangers!?”

You didn't see the slap coming. In fact, you realized he had hit you due to the sound his hand made when it met your cheek, the pain took a little to arrive thanks to the shock, a couple of tears appearing in the corners of your eyes. Wonho looked down, his hands turning into fists as he stayed on his place. If he intervened and try to make him stop both of your punishments would be worse, the both of you already knew how this game went.

“And you” Doyoon turned to Wonho, his eyes sharp and his hands already prepared to deliver another blow “I can expect her to be a whore, to crave the attention a bitch needs but you?” Wonho received a punch, his jaw made an awful sound that probably indicated the bone was broken “Are you one too!? Why the fuck didn't you say anything!?”

“I-I don't know what you are talking about” Wonho whispered in such a fragile tone, that a six year old would have sounded much stronger and confident.

“The fucking AUDACITY OF THESE GUYS!” Doyoon turned around and threw one of your lamps across the room, breaking it against the wall. You glared at him, what the fuck was wrong with the guy? “First! They break in the fucking club! And then you!” He gripped your hair before you could dodged it, pulling your head back hard enough to make you groan in pain “You decide to not only race with one of them but to also win him and humilliate us! Your own fucking team!?” He kicked your knee from behind, making you kneel down infront of him “Did you forget who you belong to? Do I need to remind you?”

“I-It was my fault, I should have said something” Hoseok interrupted your staring competition with Doyoon, catching his attention. You weren't going to let Wonho take the beating when you had been the one messing around with Jooheon though.

“I told him to keep the secret, I told all the guys to keep quiet about it” You stared up into Doyoon's eyes, seeing the rage your betrayal was causing him to feel “So you wouldn't fucking ruin everything” You smirked, knowing you just signed up for a good beating.

Doyoon smirked back, his hand yanking your hair a little before letting her go “Take (Y/N) back to the base, she needs to learn a lesson tonight”

“N-No” Wonho reached out to get to you but Doyoon was already holding him back so he wouldn’t be able to grab you “Please it was my fault too, take me, I should have said something”

“You’re taking me to the other guys so you can all tell me about her new boy toy, might play with him for a little too” Doyoon looked at you being picked up by his men, they held you tightly so you wouldn’t be able to escape “After all, the streets are mine and everybody must play by my rules”

--------------------------------------------------

You had lost track of time in the base. After fading and gaining conciousness more than once staying awake and aware of what was going on had been an impossible task. Once again, you had been used as a beating sack which they could hit, kick and punch as much as they wanted to. Once again, you had went through that psychological torture that attempted to control you and pull you back into submission. Once again, you had been tossed into an alley when they were done, when you were more similar to a corpse rather than a living person.

You groaned when your sore body hit the concrete, thousands of cuts getting your skin full of blood. Your lower lip was probably broken and you couldn't even see propertly thanks to the pain, stain of tears decorated your cheeks. Your clothes had been cut too, leaving you half naked for other's eyes. It was moments like this, when you were laying down behind a dumpster when you begged to whatever God was up there to take you with him, to end your suffering and give you a better life.

It never came though. No matter how strong the pain was your body always went through it, maybe it was the will to live until the day your boss was locked down what gave you the strength to keep yourself alive in such harsh moments, even when a small part of your mind knew that would never happened.

Tonight what kept you alive was something different, it was a fortuite encounter, perhaps something that fate wanted to happen what made Jooheon witnessed how you had been thrown into the alley. At first he didn’t know it was you, Jooheon was still too mad to get himself into trouble but the reminder of him being a police officer and the moment he swore to protect everybody was what made him aproach you.

When his eyes landed on you, Jooheon’s brain stopped working. He looked back out but the car was already gone and mentally started swearing to himself for not paying attention to such details. When his eyed landed back on your barely breathing figure, he rushed to your side, kneeling down besides you.

“(Y/N)” Jooheon’s voice shook, he was visibly agitated not knowing what to do. You shook your head when you heard him, beliving this was a twisted trick your brain was pulling to make fun of your stupidity. “Oh my god doll, what happened to you?” He asked, hands in the air not knowing what to do ”Who did this (Y/N)?”

“Get out of here” You muttered with the little strength that was left inside your body, your lungs struggling to breathe

“I can’t leave you like this! (Y/N) you look more dead than alive!” He whispered, reaching down inside his pocket to grab his phone. He was going to take you to his place, take care of your wounds and then let you go if you wanted to but there were zero chances of him leaving you alone in the alley.

“No hospitals” You quickly said when your eyes landed on his phone, Jooheon smiled a little, nodding

“I know idiot, we don’t want to get arrested now, do we?” He kept the phone close to his ear, sighing as he glanced down at you “(Y/N) don't fall asleep, keep looking at me, mhm?” As you nodded with your eyes closed, Kihyun picked up the call.

“Jooheon where are you? Chief is still here waiting for-”

“I need you to pick us up, quick” He simply said, sending the location

“Us?” Jooheon could almost see the confused frown on his friend's face

“Me and (Y/N), she needs help”

[jae-daddy]

Holic (6)

Jaebum AU

one / two / three / four / five / seven /  eight / nine /

Characters: Im Jaebum x Reader

Genre: Drama, Romance, Mature

Plot: After your older sister bails on her wedding day, Jaebum and you tie the knot. You weren’t always so bad, at one time you were kids who were true friends, but I guess time is a horrible thing.

a/n: help tried to make steamy

You were fifteen years old when everything between Jaebum and you changed. He had always been a little shithead, but he was also your friend. Something happened and you both were never the same again.

You stood outside of Jaebum’s house, hiding behind your parents as they talked.

The adults were saying their farewell to each other, as the kids stood idly beside them, trying not to show their sadness. You couldn’t bring yourself to look up at Jaebum, whose gaze you could feel on you.

You didn’t want to see him leave. He was such an important part of your life, just the mere thought of him not being there sent chills through you.

Your parents stepped away from you and went back into the house leaving the kids behind. The three of you stood there at the bottom of the steps that led to Jaebum’s old house. You didn’t move from your spot and kept staring at the ground.

Your sister said her goodbyes first, being as gracefully as ever, leaving after a quick hug. You stayed the back, awkwardly rubbing your arm, still refusing to look up.

Saying goodbyes weren’t really your thing. Actually saying anything emotional wasn’t much of your thing. You didn’t talk to people unless it was small talk or a sarcastic banter battle.

“Y/n,” Jaebum’s soft voice pulled you out of your thoughts. You finally looked up from the rocky cement to find his warm brown eyes focused on your red face. The spring breeze rushed through your hair, warming up your hands, but your heart felt cold.

“Will you stay if I ask you to?” You whispered, tears pricking your eyes.

Jaebum took a step towards and stood close to you, as a sad sigh left him. You felt his heat envelope you, as the smell of clean laundry and something that only Jaebum carried surrounded you.

“You know I can’t even if I wanted to,” he held your wrists, as his eyes meeting yours. “But I can make a promise.”

You watched as his lips turned into a small smile.

“A promise?” You asked, meekly. Jaebum’s smile grew as he held your hands in his.

“I promise I will come back to you.” His words made your heart feel lighter, as more tears escaped you.

“You promise?” You peered into his eyes, your eyelashes wet from all the crying.

“I promise.” He placed a soft kiss on your forehead.

You grunted as you pulled at the plant, but ended up falling on your ass. The plant mockingly stayed in its place, not even swaying at your attempts.

You heard light laughter behind you, as you saw Jaebum make his way towards you. His hands were rolling the sleeves of his business shirt, as he took long strides that led him to stand above you.

“Need help?” He asked, with a mocking smile.

“Don’t mind if I do,” you replied, simply, instead of being mulish.

He moved in front of you and tried to pull at the plant. After a few tries, he ended up beside you with a terrified yelp, falling on the soft green grass beside you.

A little giggle escaped your lips, as you saw Jaebum’s face contour between terror, defeat and surprise.

Slowly, your giggles grew into a tummy aching laugh. Tears began streaming down your cheeks, as you remembered Jaebum’s horrified look over and over again.

You pointed at Jaebum and laughed harder as he brushed the dirt from his palm, frowning.

He looked over at you, his frown slowly starting to dissolve and turn into a chuckle, as he saw you dying from your laughter.

His lips whirled into a loopy grin, as his eyes closed into tiny slits of joy. He grinned widely, light laughter leaving him, as he watched your laughing face.

This was the first time Jaebum had seen you laugh so freely since you were kids. He realised how much he had missed it, and how badly he wanted to see it again. He cherished your face so free, not hiding behind a pretence of a heartless princess.

He watched as your hiccups began dying down, and you wiped the tears that escaped your eyes.

“Come on, you little demon,” Jaebum patted your back. “Let’s try it together.”

You both got up and counted to three, as you held the plant.

“One, two, three!” And then, you both went flying through the air with broken leaves in your grips.

You sighed in frustration and threw the leaf at the plant.

“Why is this so hard?!” You pouted angrily, cursing the plant.

“Why are you even gardening all of a sudden?” He asked you instead, turning to look at you. You cleared your throat, not wanting to reply.

But when he nudged your side, you crumbled and groaned.

“Fine. I read somewhere that it’s good for relaxing. I’m hoping it will help stop the nightmares.” You muttered looking at your hands.

Jaebum pursed his lips in deep thought, before studying your uneasiness.

“What exactly do you dream of?” His voice came out careful.

“I’m getting kidnapped,” you blurted out, the fear that squeezed your heart tightened, as you took a deep shaky breath. “Again.”

The last part was barely above a whisper as it left you. It was almost as if you had just breathed it, but Jaebum seemed to hear it loud and clear.

“Again?” He asked, surprised and serious.

You nodded, chewing your bottom lip. “It happened when you went to New York with your family. My parents covered it up from going out to the public, the kidnappers are in jail, but that doesn’t change the fact that it happened.”

“I didn’t know-” You cut off his pity party before it could even start.

“It’s okay, my parents didn’t realise too,” you turned to face him, with a wickedly bright smile. “Not until three days later, when I wasn’t ready for my sister’s birthday party.”

You removed your eyes from Jaebum’s pitiful ones and looked at your palms dark with dirt instead. You began rubbing it together to clean them, watching as the dirt circled together then fall down at once.

“Maybe,” you took a deep breath, trying to lighten up the heavy mood. “We should try wetting the area around it, and then pull it out.”

Jaebum turned to you, his normal-lazy smile slowly coming back.

“To soften the soil,” he added, nodding.

“I’m a genius, I know.” You rolled your eyes, before pushing him to go fetch the hose.

He reluctantly got up, and you made your way towards the stubborn stub. It was prickly and had pretty white flowers, but it wasn’t what you wanted.

All it was, was a stubborn little plant in your greater scheme of a tiny strawberry farm.

“Hey, so like this?” Jaebum called out making you turn around to face him. You were greeted with a spray of cold water hitting you blank on your face.

You tried to save yourself by holding your palms in front of you. You tried to protect your self from Jaebum’s cold attack, as a loud squeal left you when the water soaked your clothes.

“Jaebum!” You tried to be mad but failed as a small giggle left you. Jaebum stopped and put his hands on his hips. He took in the work he had created, as you stood there, water dripping down your back.

“You’ll pay for that,” you muttered, as you lunged at him. You won the hose, thanks to the element of surprise. Jaebum shrieked as you returned the favour, showering him as he tried to get away from your reach.

“Give that back!” He laughed, trying to get it off. You both began struggling over the control of the hose, which resulted in you both getting more drenched with every passing second.

A raspy laugh left you, before Jaebum took your wrists that gripped the hose, and held them behind you. You felt the beads of water run down inside your shirt, and sliding down from your hair.

Droplets of water slipped off Jaebum and landed on your cheeks as he towered over you. He hands pulling you close, attempting to hold you in place.

Jaebum’s wet hair stuck to his forehead, as a wide wicked grin of sheer joy adored his lips.  

When you tried to free yourself from his grip, his arms roughly pulled your body against his. Holding you closer to him, making it impossible for you to move.

Your laugh instantly sobered up when you realised how close Jaebum was to you. The warmth of his body, and the nostalgic smell of Jaebum with a hint of cologne wrapped around you, as heat escaped from his skin and hid into yours. His breath fell over your cheeks, making your cheeks flush with nervousness,  as your eyes locked with each other.

You could see the two moles above his eye that always made your heart flutter. You saw the little kink in the corner of his eyebrow, that he got when you were kids.

You had mistakenly hit him with a paddle during an intense game of ping pong.

It was barely visible now, but it was there, and it crinkled slightly with his slightest smile.

Your breath got caught in your throat as he leaned in closer, and his eyes gleaming with something you couldn’t understand.

You felt his grip on your wrist tighten, as your chest pressed against his.

You gasped in return, welcoming the pain of his searing hold on your wrist.

Jaebum’s gaze dropped to your lips before meeting your eyes again.

Despite everything that has happened; your past, and the reasons for why you were here today, you wanted the kiss.

You really really wanted to kiss Jaebum.

You rose a little on your tippy toes and inched closer to Jaebum.

“Y/n,” Jaebum breathed, his voice dark and low. His eyes searched your face looking for something, as his eyes lingered on your lips before meeting your eyes once again.

For the first time in a very long time, a real smile lightly danced on the corner of your lips. Jaebum noticed and his eyes swirled with tenderness, as his lips reflected your loving smile.

“Jaebum!” A voice called out pulling you out of your trance. You both to jumped away from each other and turned to Cynthia running towards you. “I got a fork!”

Your heart that had forgotten how to beat a few seconds ago, was beating fast, as the real world slowly caught up with you. Your cheeks burned brighter, as Jaebum’s gaze burned in your mind.  

“Thanks, Cynthia,” you gave her one of your classic smiles and took the fork of her. “I can handle it from here.”

You turned away from them, trying to hide your uneasiness.

You avoided Jaebum’s eyes that refused to look away from you and stared at the garden instead. You began digging around the prickly-white-flowered plant when someone began pouring water over it.

“We should still soften the soil first,” Jaebum said, before bending down next to you.

“And, y/n,” His melting brown eyes gazed softly into yours. “If you ever get those nightmares again; I’m less than a door away.”

You stood outside your old apartment feeling nervous as you talked to Jihyo over the phone.

“Are you sure I can go in?” You asked for the fifth time.

“Yeah, its fine,” Jihyo answered, her patience holding strong. “I ran it by them yesterday, that you’ll come to collect a few things.”

You hung up your phone after saying goodbye, and turned to see the familiar white door of your old apartment. You lifted a hand and briefly knocked on the door, holding your breath.

“Coming!” A voice called out, it sounded strangely familiar.

The door opened to show a man a few years older than you on the other side.

“Hi, I’m Joshua.” He said, holding up his hand. You shook it, introducing yourself before going inside.

You told him you forgot a few files that you kept somewhere, and began making your way towards the bathroom.

Once inside, you stood on the bathtub and lifted the secret section of the roof up. You grabbed your files and got off the tub.

You were about to leave when you saw something glint from the corner of your eyes.

You looked between the bathtub and the vanity to find a photo frame.

Your lips parted as a gasp left you, and betrayal washed over you.

You picked up the photo of the boy and girl and made your way to the living room where Joshua sat, looking anxious.

You snorted as you saw the guy rubbing his hands together, the worried look evident on his face.

“Treasure hunts were always my favourite. Especially if the price is so rewarding,” your lips curled into an ugly smirk, as you held up the photo.

Joshua’s lips parted in terrified shock as his eyes travelled to the photo of a couple on their wedding day.

A photo of Joshua and your older sister on their wedding day.

not edited