#charity shop worker

[abcd-em]

Talk shop: writing guide for Flash Thompson. How do you approach him, specifically?

WHAT A QUESTION!!!!

Flash, my beloved.

We get horrifically little of him in the MCU, so my interpretation is a lot of extracting and mashing bits of other versions into him. I desperately wish we had more but we make do and I will force him into fic anywhere I can bc he deserves to be there!!!

In both FFH and NWH, there's references to how badly Flash wants to make connections with other people. He's a lonely fucking kid, and at least for me, when I include him into the FOS, that's what makes him exceedingly loyal to those people - which makes him a good parallel to Peter, and I think where a lot of both their tension and middleground can come from when I'm writing them as older versions of themselves.

In a fic I once described them as two cats fighting and that remains true.

Given how much of an act he puts on throughout HOCO, FFH and NWH to make people believe that he's got friends, that he's loved and such, I find it easy to put him and MJ in the same scenes together. It's about the masks, innit.

I think when looking at him in a Post NWH setting he's also SUPER interesting bc he was the outsider to FOS in high school. In my mind, he MJ and Ned all bond in senior year and at MIT. That gives such an interesting dynamic with Peter when they all come back together - Flash is now the one who is intimately aware of MJ and Ned, whereas Peter is the outsider now.

Without the history weighing them down the same way it does for MJ and Ned, there's so much room for PeterFlash to connect on that.

WHEN FLASH IS THE FIRST PERSON TO REMEMBER PETER AFTER NWH THEN YOU WILL ALL SEE!!!!!!!!!!

[silentsketching]

In the wake of the targeted attack on aid workers in Gaza, I want to support the World Central Kitchen with my Threadless Artist Shop. 10% of proceeds from all of my designs will be donated to World Central Kitchen.

[wowitsverycool]

legitimately if you think copyright law in any way benefits individual artists over corporations you are. not a fool because that would be very mean to say about someone that's just trying to live in the hellworld nightmare fuckshow that is capitalism. but you are solely mistaken imo

[targaryenluvs]

we can send in ideas you say 👀 dark! Cory with a reader who’s not so inclined to behave and listen to him, being bratty, turning him away, embarrassing him in public ….. his frail ego would shatter (and who knows what he’d do to her 🫣🫣)

TEMPER TANTRUM

pairing: president!coriolanus snow x fem!bratty!reader

summary: you were the daughter of one of the richest couples of panem. everything you’ve ever wanted, handed to you. coriolanus had a short temper and you were stubborn. who knows what could happen?

warnings: arguments, bratty reader, public scenes, punishments, kinda smutty, fingering, not proof read i’m lazy

a/n: stand up and fight back to that rude bitch babe

they’d messed up your order. again.

you’d ordered three dresses, all pink and one was too small. you’d already returned it multiple times but apparently the shop owner was incompetent. did he know who you were? the first lady of panem deserved nothing but the best and this imbecile couldn’t even do his job.

you’d give him another chance you figured. “soreen!” you shouted out as you heard the pitter patter of footsteps on the floor. “yes mrs snow?” you sighed, “pull the car around please. we’re going down to the genevieve store.” she nodded before scurrying away to arrange your mode of transportation.

the car ride was smooth, much to your relief. you needed at least one thing to go right today, and the car ride helped boost your morale as you pulled up in front of the aforementioned store. “here we are mrs snow.” your driver spoke as he promptly exited the vehicle to open your door, “thank you phillip.” he tipped his cap to you before shutting your door, “i’ll be waiting ma’am.”

the store was quite large, for someone who hadn’t been there before it was quite easy to lose your way. but you knew exactly where you were headed, walking a path of determination as you reached the front desk. a young lady, clearly disengaged from her job sat filing her nails at the desk. “what do you want?” your face twisted into a disingenuous smile, this was going to be fun, you thought. you cleared your throat as you placed your handbag down with care.

“mrs y/n snow, here for adina?” the girl looked close to tears as a string of apologies fell through her lips, “let me go get him, again, i cannot express my apologies mrs snow.” you’d already turned around to sit at one of the many chairs strewn about.

adina was frantic.

he sure as hell wasn’t expecting the first lady of panem, in his store, by herself. nonetheless, he quickly nodded along to her explanation of her dilemma, the dresses, the sizes, the unresponsive customer aid line.

you’d walked out of the store were five new dresses, all free of cost. a successful day in your eyes. the whisperings were there, of how the last store clerk who’d kept you waiting went out of business. or how the cook whose meal caused you to choke had his hand cut off. mistakes were made in the process of the workers bending over backwards to produce the upmost quality service for the presidents darling wife.

who was known for her own expensive tastes.

and god help anyone who kept her waiting.

the dress was for a charity event that night. coriolanus of course didn’t want to go, but it was seen as beneficial to his own cause to be seen out and about, especially at a high profile event. whereas you on the other hand? you’d ordered three new dresses, five now, two new pairs of heels and that jewellery set you’d been eyeing up for a while.

coriolanus wanted to get through the night, that was it. the office was as stressful as ever, his secretary was out sick, so a fill-in took her place, stuttering every time he spoke to her and messed up his meetings of the day. but since marrying you, coriolanus knew nothing was ever easy with you.

you prided yourself on your unpredictability. to keep people on their toes. you loved being able to stick out from the rest, keep people guessing. and most of all, you loved being seen, admired. you were never one to be tame, coriolanus knew it. you always tested his patience and temper.

but this?

you’d worn a burgundy gown, off the shoulder, floor length and a v-cut too low for his likes. the one dress out of five he’d disapproved of. you’d disobeyed him purposefully, coriolanus hoped you’d grow out of old habits, but again they die hard.

the eyes were on you like vultures, his wife.

he’d deal with you later, just get through the night.

“and that dress! it’s certainly, something.” you didn’t know the girls name, but her face seemed familiar. “why thank you! coriolanus had picked out some others but then again what do men know about women’s fashion?” the woman’s slack jaw caused you to giggle, “well aren’t you fiery! the president has a lot on his hands with you.”

you tossed your hair behind as you took a sip from your glass, “well i’m sure if he can handle a whole country,” you leaned in before whispering, “he can try his best to handle me.” coriolanus saw red. one night, without your antics was all he’d wished for. the dress and your behaviour had sent him over the edge.

“miss.” coriolanus acknowledged the woman as he grabbed a hold of your hand, “president snow! how nice it is to see you here, and your donation! how splendid.” coriolanus’s charm seemed to switch on instantaneously, “anything for the, good cause.” coriolanus couldn’t give a flying fuck about the cause let alone remember what it was. “it’s time for us to go.”

you had an image, pristine and clear. a lovely woman, kind and respectful. at times naive but overall a caring wife. your slick words, which charmed any man or woman, your striking beauty and sweet personality.

but at your core you, like your husband. couldn’t care less, it was one of the reasons you got along so well. it was all a facade and coriolanus was the only person who knew the real you. much to his chagrin, the real you was a total bitch. a smooth talker with a pretty face who got everything she wanted. you’d never wanted to marry him in the first place, so it seemed to be your personal mission to embarrass the poor man.

“if you’re tired then head on home love. i know you need your hours of sleep, cranky without them!” you made him sound like child without his favourite toy, unable to go on until he had it again. “sweetheart, you know we go home together. now come along.” his tone was nothing like the fake warmth it mimicked, you were on thin ice. “yes i know, honey, but you’re not incapable of returning home without me now are you? i’m sure the driver remembered the directions for you.” you pinched his cheek. pinched. his. cheek.

you may as well have started praying for your soul.

so he left, alone.

you had no clue as to why you wanted to stay. it’s not as if there was someone actually worthwhile to engage in conversation with, but you just wanted to be out of the house. you had to soak up your time outside while it lasted you assumed. coriolanus wouldn’t be letting you out anytime soon, especially after what you’d said that night.

the door slammed shut as you hung up your coat next to corio’s. you took a deep breath in before exhaling. it was going to be a long night.

“did you have fun?” corio was sat in a large, plush, arm chair, swirling a drink in his hand. you could only wonder how many he’d had in the hours by himself. “i did.” your voice was gentle, the house quiet in the dead of night. but the large mansion echoed, he would’ve heard you anyways.

“hm.” he feigned interest in your response. all he wanted was to put you in your place. “corio?” he turned to view you, whilst you walked over before situating yourself on his arm chair. but as soon as you did his glass clattered onto the side table as he rose up. “we’re going to bed.” you weren’t sure if he’d snap if you protested, your feet were aching and you found it best not to argue.

you should’ve known it wouldn’t be that easy, which is how you ended up fully exposed whilst coriolanus was fully dressed. “please.” you’d been on your back for the last, ten? twenty? “please what?” coriolanus liked to put you in your place, it was one of his favourite things to do since you forgot it so often. “touch me.” his hand slipped into your panties, fingers sliding into your already soaking hole as you clutched onto his shoulders.

he’d been teasing you for what felt like forever and you felt you were finally done with it. “close your eyes.” he whispered as his fingers slid out, eliciting a whine from your throat, but you listened, closing your eyes, wondering what he’d do.

it’d been a minute since corio spoke and you were feeling restless. on one hand you could wait for him to speak up, allow you to open your eyes. on the other, you opened them to peek at what he was doing and he dragged out your punishment.

and to your right lay your husband, asleep. “corio!” you groaned out before shoving his shoulder, “you didn’t think i was going to fuck you tonight? after the shit you pulled? you have fingers, use them.” and coriolanus fell asleep soundly to your attempts to finish off without him.

now that, would teach you a lesson.

[cosmicpuzzle]

Occupations Signified by each Planet 👩🏻‍💻💼💰💸

Sun: Politics, entertainers, military and army commanders, directors, Government officials, public servants, ministers, Prime Ministers, Presidents, Governors.

Moon: Nursing, babysitters, chefs, coast guard, navy, real estate agents, kindergarten teachers, import export, restaurants, clothing, grocery shop.

Mars: Dentist, surgeon, butcher, real estate builders, mechanical/civil engineers, cooks, bodyguards, army, military, airforce, chemists, mechanics, hair cutters, fabrication, marital arts, firefighters, masseuses.

Mercury: Accountants, bookkeepers, data analyst, all types of data work, teachers (especially school), consultants, writers, businessmen, traders, astrologers, speech therapist, language translators, bankers, media personnel, journalist, social media manager, mathematicians, computer operators, customer support, lawyers, coders, programmers, minister.

Jupiter: Lawyers, judge, priest, mentors, advisors, coach, sports coaches, teachers, professors (college level), financial consultants, legal counsel, travel agent, preachers, spiritual teachers, Gurus.

Venus: Artist, movie stars, celebrity, musicians, dancers, singers, jewelers, luxury car dealers, sweet shops, marriage counselor, interior designers, fashion designers, textiles, perfume dealers, air hostess, sex workers, makeup artist, brokers, painters, designers, holiday or vacation agents, ambassadors.

Saturn: Manual jobs, masonry, carpenter, iron or steel worker, geologist, servants, oil and gas worker, executioner, mortician, social service, gardener.

Rahu: Technology, programmers, scientist, nuclear management, toxic chemicals, anesthesia, visa agents, advertising, online jobs, online marketing, drug specialists, alcolol dealers, smartphone service.

Ketu: Astrologers, psychics, monks, nuns, medical workers, doctors, pin hole surgeons, charity, social service, mathematicians, clock and watch makers, black magicians.

For Readings DM

[eimids]

Can I request a Alexia putellas x wife reader, like the reader is a billionaire but the team mistakenly thought that the reader is using Alexia for money or fame because of how the reader dress just like simple clothes and the team tell the reader to leave ale alone... Thank you.....

I changed it to girlfriend just cause it fit better with the story line.

But yeah that's the summery

Warnings: panic attack but not really anything else

You had inherited your parents company after their passing. It had something to do with politics so you weren’t really that interested. And you were only 14 at the time. So when you turned 18 you sold the company to the highest bidder.

That’s how you ended up with a shit ton of money. You had so much of it that it was overwhelming to you. You didn’t really tell anyone about your money situation, not even Alexia. When you started dating, it was the year 2022. Alexia had just ruptured her ACL and was at a bar drinking her sorrows away. Not the most romantic place to meet but for you it was perfect. After a year of dating you had finally told Alexia about your money situation. She understood what it felt like to have so much money, so she helped you with managing it. You donated some of it to different charities. Some of them you put on your savings and some of it you kept on your bank account.

You didn’t dress in designer clothing and didn’t appear to others as a rich person although you had millions. You didn’t want anyone to view you differently because of your money. Alexia loved that about you. She loved how you were down to earth type of person and didn't care about money and what others might think of you. You also hated using money. Although you knew that you had enough many to not work anymore at all, you still felt the need to buy the cheapest things available.

You didn’t really meet Alexia’s friends properly due to her ACL injury. You had met some of them quickly after matches but didn’t get to actually know any of them. They always seemed nice and they made Alexia happy so that was the most important thing.

But the thing about her teammates was that they thought that you were some kind of a gold digger. They heard how Alexia talked about buying you expensive gifts and posting you to her Instagram. They knew that Alexia had money and popularity. You could easily gain a status for yourself. They also knew that Ale could be quite naive sometimes and they wanted to protect her.

They started asking some subtle questions about you. Things like where did you work and did you know who Ale was before meeting her. The answers to those questions didn't ease their doubts. You, a coffee shop worker and a huge football fan, didn't have that big of a salary and you of course knew who Alexia was. In fact, that's why you went to talk to her that day in the bar.

"She's using her for money" Jenni Hermoso was the first to say those words out loud. She didn't like you, you were too good to be true for Alexia. Something had to be wrong with you. Was it jealousy or did she actually care about Alexia's feelings getting hurt? We'll never know.

"You can't know that. Maybe she's in love with Alexia, at least Alexia is in love with her. I mean you all have seen how she looks at her and the way she talks about her. She's head over heels for that girl" Mapi tried to reason. She didn't want to think ill of you, but Jenni was good at convincing the others.

"Well yeah that's the point. Ale is in love with her, and she's probably just in for the money. Alexia just talked how she is going to buy y/n this necklace that costs way too much. I mean I even heard y/n once ask Alexia to bye her some earrings. Clearly she just wants attention and money" Jenni tried to convince the others.

The girls kept talking about the situation for a while before Alexia showed up.

"Oh hi, I'm sorry I'm late. Y/n and I went to this fancy restaurant and time just went by" She explained why she was late to the team bonding night. "Oh look at her in this photo, she looks so cute" She showed the photo to the others.

You were sitting there with a gold necklace hanging from your neck. You were wearing a Gucci dress, which you didn't even really want but Alexia bought it to you still. Her teammates didn't know that and were just thought you made Alexia buy it for you.

"Oh that's a nice dress, bet it costs a lot" Jenni stated.

"Well yeah it was quite expensive but I love to pamper my girl. She's just always stressing about money so I want to show her that she doesn't have to" Alexia explained. When she said you were stressing about money, she meant the fact that you felt bad for having so much of it and it made you anxious. What her friends thought she meant was that you were poor.

"Oh could you drive me home? i would call y/n but her phone broke and she hasn't gotten a new yet. I'm probably going to have to buy her a new so I can reach her" Alexia joked.

"Oh yeah jump in" Jenni answered. She shared looks with the other girls to see if they had heard what Alexia said. Now Patri and Marta were convinced.

"Could I come quickly inside to have some water?" Jenni asked. And Alexia said it was fine of course.

They walked to your home which you share with Alexia. It was an apartment in a good neighborhood. You had split the costs of it but obviously Jenni didn't know that.

"Hi baby I'm home and Jenni is me, I'm just gonna head to the shower" Ale yelled to you and left the hallway to the bathroom. You came from the bedroom to greet your girlfriend and her friend.

"Hi Jenni" You smiled to the brunette. She just hummed.

"So what's your deal with Alexia, you just using her for money or what?" Jenni went straight to the point now that she had the perfect chance to ask you.

"What, no, i love her I would never use her for her money" You were quick to reply. You were shocked that she would even suggest that.

"Well you clearly don't have any money as you can't even pay for a new phone or the dresses you wear" Jenni stated. She was getting frustrated.

"No it's not that, she want's to buy those thing, I've never asked for any of them" You answered dumbstruck.

"Yeah Alexia might be naive enough to think that but I'm not. Break up with her before we'll tell her what you really want from her." Jenni just said and left.

The rest of that night you were quiet and Ale was confused of what happened. She didn't push it thought, maybe you just had a long day.

The next day you drove Alexia to prac. You were nervous to get close to the training grounds but didn't want to be weird so that Alexia wouldn't notice.

"Bye love, have a good prac" You said to her as she hopped out of the car.

You stayed for a bit to change the music and just like that there was a girl knocking on the window of your car. You lowered the window so you could talk.

"Umm is everything okay?" You asked the woman who you had identified as Marta.

"I'm guessing you didn't have a talk with Ale like Jenni suggested?" She just said casually.

"No, I'm not using her for her money" You tried to reason.

"Yeah, I guess we just have to tell her the truth" Marta said and left.

You were afraid. What if Ale would believe them There was no reasonable reason why she would but you still got scared. How did you come off as a gold digger? Why did her friends hate you so much that they came up with that?

You made your way back to home where you bursted to tears. You had always hated the idea of people seeing you differently because of money. And when you tried your hardest to avoid that, it was exactly what happened. They thought that all you wanted from your girlfriend was money. You were scared that Alexia would believe them and then she would just break up. All the worst scenarios came to your mind and soon enough you were in a full panic attack.

"Ale we need to talk" Jenni said to Ale immediately after training.

"Um okay? Is everything ok?" Alexia answered.

"Well no, we all have noticed that y/n is most likely using you just for money and you're just too naive to see that" Jenni started. Alexia grew mad immediately.

"Why would you think that? Of course she's not after the money" Alexia replied angrily.

Jenni tried to explain to Alexia why they thought that you didn't actually love Ale. They explained that it was weird that you didn't mention the conversation you had with Jenni the other night.

"You talked to her about this?! You accused her of being a gold digger? What the fuck is wrong with you?" Alexia panicked. She knew that money was a sensitive topic for you.

Alexia tried to call you but you didn't answer so she just ordered herself a taxi.

"Y/n is the sweetest human being and you are here accusing her of something she didn't do!" Alexia yelled.

"You just can't see it Ale, she's using you" Marta tried.

"Fuck you, and just for your information, she has more money than I do" Alexia yelled and left the room.

She impatiently waited for the taxi. The drive home was a suffering experience. Now she realized why you had been so quiet the night before. She hated her teammates for making you think that you would be just a gold digger.

"Baby I'm here" She yelled when she got home. She was nervous when you didn't come and greet her.

She walked to the bedroom where she found you draped in your comfort blanket. So clearly trying to calm yourself down.

"Oh y/n I'm so sorry" Alexia said as she hurried to your side. She knew you loved physical touch so she made sure to give that to you to help you calm down.

"They shouldn't have said any of that, they are all wrong. I know that you love me and you know that I love you. That's all that matters. They don't know anything about you and they were being assholes with even thinking those thing about you" Alexia said. She was being sincere, you could hear it in her voice.

That helped you calm down. You loved Alexia and she loved you.

--

I lowkey hate how this turned out. The anon ask was amazing but I feel like I couln't write it properly.

[gremlingottoosilly]

Gremlin!!!! You can't just drop Mafia!König and leave us there. I'm obsessed, ahhhhhhh!!!!!!

Konig doesn't even talk about it as being in a gang or a part of a mafia family!! For him, it's just the extension of his work in the military - he allows veterans and his fellow retired soldiers to find a new place in life. He supports the community in a way - his refusal to deal with the trafficking and prostitution industry actually makes Vienna a way safer place for refugees...unless he employs you at his under-the-table gun production. Still better than brothels for German payers though. He is just...he can't get his hand off you. Such a good and hard worker, you're the assistant for a job that doesn't exist - he doesn't even keep track of all the faux candy shops and veteran support center he has, the business is losing thousands per month because he doesn't really care about it as long as he can launder money from guns through it. You're such a good worker, he just knows that if he were to employ you as an enforcer for his "trading and protection" services, he'd make triple the money. He can't, of course. Poor thing, so innocent, it would kill you to know what he is doing. But the colonel fucking hates the way you look at him. Not as a lover or a husband - you're too innocent to know about his advances. You look at him with pity, that rotting feelings that he knows you have for him - a retired colonel from special forces, a mercenary with enormous PTSD and struggles with anxiety and anger issues...not a partner material, not for a good girl like you. You see him as a charity project, help for this funny retired spec ops guy who helps you with the job and talks about his military experience. You accept his invitations to the restaurants because he is lonely! How could you not bring him a nice company? It's better than escorts and some shady people who he hands out with...you just want to help him adjust to civilian life, that's all. And you can't really refuse his gifts, he doesn't have a partner or children, so he has too much money to know what to do with it...and if you're a bit drunk, he is a bit drunk, you're both consenting and lonely adults... Konig won't hesitate to make you his wife - even if he'd have to hide his real job from you till the end of times. It's all worth it when he can see your sleepy face on a pillow next to him every morning.

[ronwestbreeze]

take a bow

pairing: geto suguru x non-sorcerer!reader warnings: gore and maybe a little bit of angst summary: you smell like coffee...and geto can't seem to shake it. word count: 6.7k author's note: hiiii ;) as you can tell there will be about five parts to this mini series. nothing more and nothing less. i'm kind of excited for this and i've been really wanting to write for my husband so, i hope ya'll enjoy it! and i will not be doing a taglist for this one. sorry guys!

part 2 | read on AO3

There was a cute customer today.

And you were also sure you hadn’t seen him around before. Then again, you moved to this village two weeks ago, and you weren’t too familiar with the regulars yet. Perhaps he was just one you hadn’t seen until now.

You leaned over the front counter a bit, trying to get a better look at him as he moved down one of the aisles to the far left of the store.

He wore what looked like a school uniform, his dark hair tied up with a few strands framing one side of his face. Even though he was further away from you, you could see he was on the younger side, maybe around your age. Possibly older.

You hadn’t met many boys in your life—attractive ones especially—mostly because you were sheltered for half of your childhood and didn’t go outside. So when you did happen to stumble upon a few of them, you were left wondering what to do or say around them. They were almost alien to you.

It was the same with people in general your age. While you weren’t bad at socializing, you still adapted the best way you knew how.

“You’re being creepy.” Your co-worker, Tohru, said passively while scrolling through her phone. A very busy activity she had been at for an hour now.

“I’m not.” You cleared your throat, quickly looking away from the otherwise oblivious customer. “But you can’t deny that he’s pretty cute.”

Tohru drew her eyes from her phone and glanced toward the newcomer who was now in the snack section. Now it was her turn to lean over the counter, a look of interest inching onto her usual bored mask.

“Damn.”

“Told ya.”

“He’s definitely new. No guy that fine lives in a boring ass town like this.”

You hummed, “I wouldn’t exactly call this town boring—but you’ve been here longer than me so I suppose you have the better judgment over that.” Carefully, you snuck another peek at the customer who was studying the back of a bag of chips. “And if he’s that fine, no doubt someone already bagged him.”

“Ugh,” Tohru grumbled with a defeated expression on her face, “you’re probably right. The hotter ones are always taken.”

“Or they end up being a douchebag.” You added with a snort as you organized the stack of gums on the counter.

“Amen to that.”

“Newbie!”

You jumped with a yelp at the loud voice filling the otherwise quiet store. Glancing over your shoulder, you found your manager, a very old and impatient man, stomping over with a toothpick dangling from his mouth, “Are you pullin’ one on me, kid?!”

After getting over your short shock, you furrow your brows, “Um, pulling what, sir?”

“Where the hell is the leftover food from last week?! I told you to save it in the back storage!”

You gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of your neck, “Oh yeah, some of it went bad so I had to throw it out.”

“We don’t even do anything with them anyway,” Tohru grumbled under her breath which you tried not to acknowledge.

He eats all the leftovers. Despite his shop advertisement promising to send any leftover food to orphanages and charities.

“Look, newbie, I’ve been real lenient because you’re new. And I get it, you're in a tough spot but I ain’t pityin’ you no more! I have no problem tossin’ you the curb, you hear me?”

Your face burned in embarrassment, especially when his loud ass voice carried throughout the store. No doubt the hot guy heard every word by now. “Yessir.”

The old man huffed, “Good. Now stop messin’ around and help the damn customer! Poor boy’s been waiting for you to notice him!”

God, please don’t be him. Please let it be another boy who's been waiting for a while.

You chanced a glance over your shoulder, only to shrivel up when you found the hot customer standing at the counter, watching your interaction with a small absent frown.

Fuck.

“Someone’s gonna be on dishes tonight.” Tohru sang with a snicker as she disappeared in the back along with your manager.

With your face on fire, you went toward the cash register. You cleared your throat and gestured to the pack of cigarettes and the bag of chips, “Will that be all for you today?”

He seemed to have been lost in thought as it took a beat for him to reply, “Sorry, yes, that’s it.”

You nodded, trying not to look him in the eyes. God, even his voice was attractive.

After giving him the price, you began bagging his items while he fished into his pockets to grab his wallet.

You still had yet to look at him.

The last thing you wanted was to get chewed out by your bum boss in front of a guy that you’d possibly never see again. Before you had been dying to have a quick conversation with him, just to keep looking at him for a little longer. Now all you wanted to do was get him out of the store as soon as possible and hide away in a hole, never to be found again.

“Is he always like that?”

You placed his cigarettes in the bag before you realized he was talking to you. Which only made your cheeks even hotter.

“Uh, yeah, he’s usually getting high in the back, or napping.” You shrugged, glancing up at him every now and then, only to find him directly staring at you. Fuck, you were awful at this. “Only ever out front when the shop closes. He’s always the first out the door before anyone else.”

“Mmm,” By then you looked up to find him not too happy about that piece of information. “And he gives you a hard time to add onto that. Don’t you want to quit?”

At that, you smile, “It would be easy, wouldn’t it? I don’t know if you already heard—probably the whole block had heard him—but I’m not really in the best situation to be quitting a job just cuz I hate my bum ass boss.”

This time he looked sheepish, “Yeah, I wanted to pretend that I didn’t hear him, but I guess there’s no point in that. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” You chuckled before handing him his bag. “It’s life, you know? I just have to brave it out until I have a stable income of money. Then maybe I can consider the option of kicking myself to the curb from this trash can of a place.”

The male stared at you curiously, the disinterest that he had worn before was now long gone. He searched your face—for what, you didn’t know.

And then he smiled, “You seem to have it all figured out.”

It was infectious, his smile. Even though it didn’t reach his eyes.

“I wouldn’t say all that.” You returned the smile, anyway, hoping it appeared real enough for the both of you. “But I think it’s going to work out for me in the long run. That I can say.”

The male chuckled as he walked toward the store entrance, “I wish you luck then.”

He waved with another smile which took you off guard a bit. You didn’t have much of a chance to respond back to his wave, nor tell him to enjoy his time in town before he was already long gone.

It was now just you and your blushing face.

The back door opened, “Aw, you didn’t even get his number, did you?”

You glanced over your shoulder to find Tohru pouting at you. You grinned sheepishly, “Oops, guess I didn’t.”

“Tsk, tsk,” Tohru sighed, “You really need to learn how to flirt.”

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Regulars came and went. Your manager was passed out in the back. Tohru’s shift ended sometime before you and booked it out the front door before you had the chance to say goodbye.

Essentially, you had the shop all to yourself. And it was unfortunately horribly boring.

Later in the day is when fewer and fewer customers start coming in. Apparently, many of the people in the village were too cautious about going out once the sun started setting. There were a few rumors here and there, about mysterious deaths all over the village. You weren’t exactly sure how much truth there was to those rumors, all you could do was clock in and clock out and go straight home.

Just because you doubted the stories didn’t mean you weren’t going to be stupid.

You wondered if that hot guy knew about the rumors. It probably would’ve been neighborly to try and warn him.

The sky was filled with oranges and purples as the sun was slinking behind one of the mountains. The evening glow made the shop look almost ominous, especially with the indoor lights off.

You should probably turn those on by now. They would’ve been on throughout the whole day like regular shops but your boss was such a cheap stake with the light bill you had to keep it off until evening fell and you practically couldn’t see in the dark.

Just as you stepped away to turn the shop lights on, the bell above the door rang. You glanced toward the clock and grinned.

You moved back to the front counter and grinned at the familiar newcomers. Two young girls, who looked no older than five, stood at the entrance. “Right on time! Looks like someone’s excited for today’s batch.”

The brown-haired girl—you knew as Mimiko—with the stuffed doll approached the counter first. Standing on her tippy toes enough for her chin to rest on top of the counter, “Do you have any more rice balls?”

“You bet.” You gestured toward the two chairs next to the counter. “Why don’t you guys take a seat over there and I’ll go get the food. It’s a real treat this time.”

“Okay.” Mimiko nodded before grabbing her sister’s hand to drag her over toward the chairs.

“Thank you!” The blonde-haired, Nanako, called.

You sent her an adoring smile, “Of course, hon!”

You moved to the back, passing your knocked-out manager, as you grabbed the box of food in your locker and brought it back to the front counter. Mimiko and Nanako got up from their chairs and bounced over to get a better look, “I actually got these rice balls from this place in the city during the weekend. It’s way better than the crap here.”

“Really?” Nanako looked into the box, her eyes widening, “Wow! Those look really good!”

“Anything for my best customers.” You winked and allowed them to grab what they wanted from the box.

Both girls giggled as they grabbed rice balls and ramen from the box. You smiled and patted both their heads before allowing them to sit back down in the chairs and eat.

You hadn’t known the twins for very long. Actually, you met them on your first day at the store two weeks ago. They had been attempting to steal a few snacks when you discovered them. You couldn’t shake the way they were looking at you when you found them. Scared yet desperate for some food. Mimiko had been clutching her stuffed doll tightly in her hands as if she were about to tear its head off at that moment.

They were expecting you to berate them and kick them out of the store. Maybe your manager or Tohru would’ve done that, but you just couldn’t find it in you to turn them away. They were obviously hungry, so what else could you do but feed them?

So you took the leftover food from the storage and gave it to them. They were pretty tight-lipped about their home situation so you didn’t push. But it was pretty clear that they didn’t have a lot to eat, wherever they lived.

“Let’s make a deal.” You had said to them that day. “You guys come back at around five o’clock every day and I will feed you some stuff we don’t need. Hell, I’ll probably even cook and bring it over every now and then. As long as the two of you eat.”

They looked hesitant. The brown-haired girl—she told you her name was Mimiko—spoke first, “Will you really do that for us?”

You smiled softly at her, “Of course. You guys are hungry, right? Why wouldn’t I want to feed you?”

Her twin, Nanako spoke next, eyes cast down, “Most of the people here are scared of us. Because we’re different. So they ignore us whenever we do ask for food.”

You frowned, your heart breaking at the time. Of course, you had some questions about why a bunch of adults would turn a blind eye to two little girls who looked no older than five. You seethed at the thought that the only one willing to help them was a barely surviving sixteen-year-old, who couldn’t even make minimum wage.

Instead of crying for them—which you were definitely close to doing—you patted their heads, “Well, I’m not scared of you. And I don’t care if you’re different. Come back tomorrow and there will be food for you guys. Okay?”

The two girls were stunned at your kindness like it was foreign to them. But they both nodded, hints of a smile making its way to their lips. “Okay!”

“But you also have to promise not to steal anymore so you don’t get in trouble.” Mimiko pouted but you attempted a stern look. “I’m serious, girls. And we’re going to pinky promise on it.”

You held out your pinky. Reluctantly, the two girls took it. Giggling when they fought to cover your own pinky with their little ones.

After your pinky promise, Nanako’s nose scrunched, “You smell like coffee.”

You laughed and cleaned up the trash from their meal, “I get that a lot.”

And since then, the twins have kept coming back every day, after five o’clock. Sometimes you wonder where they went before that. Did they go to school? Did they have any parents taking care of them? Did they even have a home?

You supposed none of that was any of your business in the end. But sometimes you couldn’t help but worry.

If you had a big enough space that wasn’t one small box, then you’d take the girls home with you in a heartbeat.

Once Mimiko was finished with her rice ball, she walked over to you as you were counting through the cash in the register from today’s productivity. “Can I help?”

“Sure,” You hummed trying to find something for her to do. “Do you think you could stack those new packets of gum for me and place them in this small box?” You handed the little box which she took instantly. “Go get your sister to help if she wants, okay?”

Mimiko nodded and took the gum packets and the box back to her sister who was just finishing up her rice ball. You made a mental note to buy some coloring books for them in case they got bored. Sometimes they like to stay a little bit longer after they finish eating, to keep you company. And you enjoyed their presence. It was better than staring at the ceiling for hours on end, waiting for a customer to enter even though you knew they wouldn’t come. And then got done with their little task quite fast. Yeah, you definitely need to get those coloring books.

Thankfully, just in time as you heard your manager shift in the back, the two girls made their leave. Waving goodbye to you with the promise of returning tomorrow.

Sometime later your manager came from the back and left the shop, grumbling about you closing up.

And another hour after that, you leave the shop. Hoping to see the twins again. And maybe—even though it was probably impossible—you hoped to see that hot customer again.

It was delusional, you knew this.

But it didn’t hurt to hope.

“Ugh, why are you eating that shit?” Tohru made a look of disgust at your bag of coffee beans. “Now the whole place is gonna smell.”

That was what you were greeted with upon entering the shop the next morning, “Good morning to you too, Ru. And don’t you think it’s a lot better than cigarettes and booze?”

Surprisingly, it was pretty crowded which was a first for you ever since you started working at the shop. Of course, it was a bunch of older people—middle-aged to elderly—but it was busy, nonetheless.

You went around the counter as an older woman locked Tohru into a conversation, “Did you hear what happened to that little boy? Oh, what an awful thing, I can only imagine what his parents must be feeling right now.”

“It’s that demon terrorizing our home again.” An elderly woman standing in line shivered

A man huffed, “I tell you exactly what’s causing all of this. Those no good—”

You didn’t bother to stay and hear the rest as you made your way to the back to throw your bag into one of the lockers. It was the same old thing. A horrible incident happens at night—a few people die—and people are going on and on about the town being haunted. Something about some demon going on a killing spree in the dead of night. To be honest, you thought it was some sick weirdo having the time of his life and the people haven’t realized it yet.

“Gotta buy some new locks.” You mumbled to yourself as you shrugged off your jacket.

“How was your night?” You glanced over your shoulder to find your manager sitting in the office, the door wide open as he smoked.

“Good, sir!” You offered a friendly smile as you closed your locker. “My mattress was uncomfortable but all in all, I can’t necessarily complain! And what about you, sir? How was your night?”

He grunted but never gave a response, which wasn’t unusual. He never offered to talk about himself, even on his good days.

You nodded, took your bag of coffee beans, and joined Tohru back at the front.

“—This is the fifth incident this week! When will enough be enough?!” This was an older man scowling this time. Next to him was a woman—whom you had to guess was his wife—trying to push him out of the shop as he began his rant. “We need to hunt those monsters down! How many more have to die?!”

You watched the couple leave with a small frown, “Wow, it’s never been this bad before.”

Tohru sighed tiredly, “Yeah, they’re pretty fired up this time around. I wonder how much of this is gonna mess with my precious sleep schedule.”

You hummed, noticing the usual dark bags under her eyes.

“Hi.”

A bag of chips was placed on the counter. Both you and Tohru looked up to find the hot customer from yesterday standing at the counter with a friendly smile sent your way.

Your face both burned with being taken off guard and the fact that he was addressing you directly, “Oh—Hi! Welcome back!” Quickly, you manned the second register while Tohru sent you a side glare. You returned his smile, “To be honest, I didn’t think you were still here.”

“Really?” He raised a brow as you checked his item out. “How come?”

“I don’t know if you’ve noticed but the town’s kind of haunted.” You chuckled as you stuffed his chips into a grocery bag, giving him a sheepish smile, “Scares the tourists away. I should’ve probably warned you about it yesterday, sorry about that.”

He chuckled as you handed him his bag. This time he wasn’t wearing the black top he had on yesterday. The baggy pants were the same, just this time around he wore a white button-up. “Fortunately, I’m not afraid of many scary stories, but I appreciate the warning.”

“How brave of you.” You chuckled, ignoring the subtle glances Tohru kept sending you while attending to her own customer. “I can’t necessarily say the same for myself.”

“Don’t you live here?” His eyes twinkled as he tilted his head, “I’d say you’re a lot braver than me, you know. Tonight’s my last night here.”

You shook your head, ignoring how your chest fell slightly in disappointment at the new piece of information, “Then many would say you’re one of the lucky ones.”

“Oh yeah?” He hummed, his eyes never wavering from yours. Wow, he really loved making eye contact. You couldn’t figure out if that made him even hotter or a bit intimidating. And he was so nonchalant about it too, hand in pocket, stance somewhat relaxed. “What would you say? You count yourself unlucky then?”

The bell above the door rang, “Welcome in!” You called the new customer before replying to him. “Well, to be honest with you, I feel like I’m the luckiest girl alive. It’s not so bad here, you know, despite the obvious flaws of the shop and this town. I’m just grateful to at least have a job and a roof over my head. It’s not perfect but it’s everything I need right now.”

He was observing you again. Tohru was far too distracted with the other customers to notice and make fun of your bashful facial expressions. Or how you were practically malfunctioning on the spot from the way he kept looking at you.

“You know,” He leaned on the counter with a smile turning into somewhat of a smirk, “I’ve never met someone as optimistic as you. I almost think you’re unreal.”

“Don’t we all,” Tohru commented as she made her way to the back. “Your turn to man the front counter, newbie. The last customer nearly made me pop a vein.”

“Sure thing, Ru!” You called, trying to ignore how hot your face was at the moment.

Of course, the hot customer saw this and gave a soft laugh, “I didn’t mean to sound like I’m making fun of you, I promise. It’s endearing. You wouldn’t have a hard time finding someone to marry, that’s for sure.”

Steam was probably coming out of your ears at this point.

“I-I-uh, thanks?” You searched the store to try and distract yourself and prevent further embarrassment. Only when you didn’t find anything, you smile sheepishly, “I-uh, I think it’s a little too soon to be thinking about marriage—uh but thanks for the compliment?”

You watched as his nose twitched, raising a brow, “You smell like coffee. Like a lot.”

“Yeah,” You gulped with a nervous smile, “I get that a lot.”

Another laugh left his lips. He was far too amused now. Meanie. “I’ll see you around.”

With that, he left the store. The bell rang in his wake. You watched him go through the window. He waved to you as he passed. And you waved back.

Once he was finally out of your sight and you out of his, you groaned and dropped your head onto the counter, “I’m such a loser.”

The back door opened and Tohru poked her head out, shaking her head disapprovingly, “Yeah, you can’t handle all that man.”

“Shut up, Ru.”

You were the exception, not the rule, Geto Suguru realized a block away from the store.

He’d never really met anyone like you. It was so rare. Pure. So unheard of in this world.

But it didn’t change how the world was. A bright light like that would be snuffed, almost instantly. You would become exhausted at some point, smiling so genuinely like that.

It would make your fall much harder. Much, much worse.

More curses wreaking havoc through villages. More curses to swallow down, leaving the bitter taste of vomit in his wake.

You, Geto decided, were just like everyone else in the end.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

He wondered if he would ever stop hearing them clap.

Around the late afternoon, your manager sent you out to pick up a delivery of chips that apparently couldn’t make it. Something about a mix-up with the trucks—you weren’t entirely clear on the details. But your boss was pissed about it and you were left with driving to the city to retrieve the box of chips. The only thing you didn’t like about it was the fact that the drive to the city took almost two hours.

You just hoped you’d make it back in time to meet up with the twins.

So half your day was spent rushing through the city, trying to track down that missing shipment of chips, bringing it back to your car which was almost towed because you happened to park in the wrong place, and then driving back to the village while the sun was beginning to set.

The drive back wasn’t as bad as the drive to the city. But you arrived back at the shop twenty minutes past five. Which wasn’t too bad but you were still late, nonetheless.

“Sorry, I’m late!” You called as you entered the store from the back with the box still in your hands. “I got coloring books this time, hope you guys like to draw!” You brought the box to the front, expecting to find the twins.

Only you stop and find Tohru and your manager there instead. Tohru stared at you in confusion, “Who are you talking to?”

You blushed in embarrassment, “Um, sorry, I thought you were…” Quickly, your mind raced. “Did you guys happen to see two girls walk in at around five—that’s what the coloring books were for, yeah, yeah, that makes sense.”

“Two girls?” Tohru frowned, appearing even more confused. “Did you hit your head or something?”

Just as you were about to quickly explain what you meant, your manager blew out another puff of smoke, “She means those unlucky twins.” At this, you furrowed your brows, opening your mouth to ask what he meant, only for him to continue as if you had already asked the question. “Those two have been poisoning our town ever since they killed their parents. It’s about time they get what they deserve.”

Your eyes widened, heart, falling to your feet, “W-What does…what happened to them? What do you mean get what they deserve?”

“Oh yeah,” Tohru said while hoisting herself up to sit on the counter, “now that you mention it, there were two girls that came in here. They didn’t stay for long, some of the villagers barged in and took them. I think they mentioned taking her to the old temple or something like that, I don’t know, I had a headache and they were all being annoying. They went on about them being the cause of all the deaths happening in town—whatever that meant—”

The box fell from your hands onto the floor, spilling the bag of chips. Your heart thundered with panic and disbelief, “You…You just let them take them?” Surprisingly, your voice wasn’t quivering like the rest of your body. Instead, it was full and firm with distraught. “They didn’t even do anything! They’re children! They’re—oh my god, they’re just babies!”

Tohru rolled her eyes as if you were the one being dramatic and unreasonable, “Dude, relax, they’re probably not going to do anything that bad to them. Maybe send them off to another village. Look, who cares? At least there won’t be any more deaths—hey, where are you going?”

You ignored her, threw off your work apron, and jumped over the counter. “This isn’t right! None of this is fucking right!”

“Hey, you still need to clean your mess up—hey!” Tohru’s voice became further and further away as you bolted out of the shop and ran through the street, heading further into the village.

Tohru had mentioned something about an old temple. You quickly searched your mind until you remembered there was a temple on one of the hills. You always passed it whenever you went jogging on your days off. Yes, you knew exactly where they were.

Running wouldn’t get you there fast enough, you soon realized. So you thought quickly. In front of a flower shop, you spotted a bicycle sitting at the front. Quietly apologizing to whomever this belonged to, you took the bike, got on, and pedaled your way up the hill.

In your haste, the world was silent to you.

All you could think about was those poor girls. All you were worried about was saving them before the townsfolk did something that no one could possibly come back from.

The world was silent to you.

You didn’t see the people running by in terror, even when you nearly ran into an older man who had dashed out into the street in a fit of panic. You didn’t see the smoke in the part of the village you biked through. You didn’t see the blue flames consuming the houses and the people around you until there was nothing but burnt ash left.

This chaos was nothing but white noise.

The world was silent to you.

You ignored the large shape flying over you, spewing the blue flames onto another part of the village.

All you cared about were those girls. Mimiko and Nanako.

You should’ve brought them back to your home. You should’ve taken them in. You should’ve pressed for more information about them. You should’ve known that they didn’t have anyone taking care of them.

You should’ve known. You should’ve done more.

“My god,” You gasped, fear tearing at your heart as the temple finally came into view. “have I failed them?” There were no flames consuming the temple. Strangely enough, it was the only place that wasn’t on fire.

When you were close enough, you jumped off the bike and dashed for the entrance. You slammed into the double doors, attempting to pull it open. Only they were locked and wouldn’t budge.

You backed up, not willing to give up. Not willing to let those two die for this fucked up town. And with all your might, you kicked the doors open, causing them to slam against the walls inside the temple.

“Mimiko! Nanako!” You called as you entered, searching around for the two girls.

Smoke filled your nose and caused you to cough just as small voices responded back to you. Calling your name with childlike desperation. It sounded like it was coming from above you. Like there was a second floor.

The stairs were on your right. You dashed for them, skipping two steps at a time until you made it to the second floor. Until you made it into the first room you spotted. Until you found them both locked in a cage together. Beaten and bruised and scared out of their minds. Until you found the two bodies lying in a puddle of scarlet right in front of the cage.

You didn’t rush toward the cage right away. Struck frozen at the sight of the blood. At the sight of the two bodies. It made the once quiet world around suddenly become loud.

There were screams outside of the temple. There was smoke, so much smoke.

Then there was the blood.

Blood.

Blood.

Blood.

There was a small call of your name, snapping you out of your frozen shock. The two girls were pressed against the cages, Nanako reaching through the bars for you…

“I’m coming, it’s okay.” You said, finally snapping out of your shock before rushing over toward the cage. You ignored how your shoes were stained with scarlet as you walked through the puddle.

You tried at the cage for a bit until you roughly yanked it open, breaking the lock that kept it closed. Both girls ran out of the cage and hugged your waist, nearly knocking you over. Their sniffles were muffled in your sweater as you ran your hand through their hair in an attempt to comfort them.

“It’s okay, I’m gonna get you out of here.” You promised while glancing over your shoulder at the bodies. “Nanako. Mimiko. What happened to them?”

Mimiko buried her face further into your waist while Nanako spoke, “Everyone thought we were the ones behind the deaths so they took us and tried to make the man kill us. But he didn’t, he saved us!”

You nodded as you both listened and led them out of the horrific room. The three of you went down the steps. Just from looking through the wide open doorway of the temple, you saw the flames hitting the village had gotten so much worse. What had caused this, you had no clue, nor did you have time to stop and wonder where it all had come from.

Mimiko tightened her hold on your hand, forcing you to stop, dozens of steps away from the front door, “The man told us to stay put and that he would take us away from here.”

On your right, Nanako nodded, “He said the curses won’t hurt us and that we’re special.”

You let go of their hands and turned to face them, your back to the entrance. Carefully you knelt down in front of them, “Okay, slow down. Before I even think about touching the curses part, I just need to know what man are you guys talking about. There wasn’t a third body in that room.”

“They mean me.”

At the sudden voice, you spun around to find standing at the entrance a male. A familiar one at that.

The same male who had bought chips from your store. The same male who had that gentle smile on his face—similar to the one he wore now but colder. The same male who had laughed at your fumbling and embarrassment just a few hours earlier.

“You.” Was the whisper that fell from your lips.

He stepped forward and instinctively pushed the girls behind you protectively. His brows raised at this and he chuckled.

“Mimiko. Nanako.” His voice was slow, silky, and calculated. “It’s time to go. Those people won’t hurt you anymore. Just as I promised.”

You watched him warily but the girls after a beat started toward him, surprising you. Mimiko was the one who stopped while Nanako went to the male’s side and grabbed his hand. She looked at you and then the male. She then grabbed your hand and tried tugging you forward, “Can’t she come with us?”

Something flickered across his face and instantly disappeared in the next second as he smiled, “Why don’t you two wait for me while I talk to the nice lady?”

You didn’t let go of her hand right away, “Mimiko.”

She looked at you and smiled reassuringly despite one of her eyes being swollen shut, “It’s okay. He’s a nice man. He saved us, remember?”

With that, she followed her sister out of the temple. The male didn’t move from the doorway. The blue flames were menacing in the night, his shadow tall. The heat was just as overwhelming as the smoke.

“Who the hell are you?” You finally muttered.

He started walking toward in slow leisurely steps, “A sorcerer.”

Instinctively, you wanted to back away as he got closer. But you stood firm, “And you were the one that killed those two people upstairs?”

“Yes.” He was now in front of you with very little space left between the two of you. The obvious question was at the tip of your tongue but you never voiced it. Yet he replied anyway, “I’ve decided it’s time I’ve stopped serving non-sorcerers. All they’ve done is create more problems for people like me. I figured I cut the problem down from the roots. For all of us.”

There was no smile on his face now. No traces of the friendly face, of the sheepish boy you met back at the shop. Just someone else entirely.

He leaned forward, staring at you with that same look he had back at the shop. Like he was trying to see right through you. Accusatory. Blame.

“What good are you to me?”

You glared now, clenching your hands into tight fists, “It sounds like you’ve already made up your mind. I don’t see a point in proving a damn thing to you.”

He stared at you for a moment longer and then smirked. “Too bad you’re human.” He turned and walked back to the entrance. “I would’ve liked you a lot. I do like you a lot. But if my new world is going to be without non-sorcerers…”

The curse flew past Geto and into the temple. It was large enough to cause irreparable damage to the temple. It was deadly enough to crush any target in sight. Even your screams were swallowed whole in seconds. That’s how efficient it was. That’s how easy it all became.

Geto didn’t look back at your body. Nor did he watch you get killed by his curse. Instead, he continued out of the temple with a few more curses following him at his tail.

“There are no exceptions.” He muttered to himself.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

He wondered if he would ever forget that coffee smell.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Hours later, once the flames had long settled, you sat up in the rubble. Some of the most severe wounds were nearly done healing. But the only pain you felt was the tight twists in your stomach.

You were starving.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Your sweater had been burned off and your skirt was ripped as you dragged yourself away from the ruins of the temple. Saliva dripping from your mouth that you tried to ignore.

For a while, you kept going. Pushing yourself through what used to be a lively village. But now it was filled with ruins and dead bodies alike.

You kept your composure thought. Especially when you pass fallen body parts, scattered along the streets.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Eventually, you made it to the store, just on the outskirts of the village. The same one you worked at. The one place that had your coffee beans.

The bell above your head rang as you lugged your way over to the aisle where you knew the coffee beans were. Ignoring the calls of your name—which was just background noise to you.

You were hungry. Really, really hungry.

Just as you found the coffee beans, you grabbed one of the bags and tore it open.

“You know you’ve been fired, right?”

For some reason, your hand never reached into the bag to grab a mouthful of beans and tossed it in your mouth. Instead, you just stared down into it, saliva dripping from your mouth as Tohru continued her taunt.

“Boss’ pretty pissed with you taking off like that. And now I’ve gotta miss my concert because of you.” In the corner of your eye, she sneered, “I hope it was all worth it.”

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

“Risking your job for a bunch of girls you don’t even know. What did you even try to do?”

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

“Hmm, judging how quiet everything is, my guess is they probably finished the job.” Tohru sighed and leaned against the shelf, “Well, at least I can get better sleep.”

The bag of coffee beans fell from your grasp and spilled onto the floor.

Tohru gasped, looking down at the mess, “Hey! You fucking idiot! How many more messes are you going to leave for me to clean?! Ugh, you’re such a brat—hey, what the hell is wrong with your eyes?”

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Fuck it.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

The next morning, the shopkeeper was found dead in his office. Half of his face was gone, along with a gaping hole in his chest, where his heart should’ve been.

The girl was behind the front counter. Missing a leg, her organs spilling out of her abdomen. Blood everywhere.

It was a horrid sight.

At least, that’s what you heard.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

You wiped the blood from your mouth.

“I’m done lying to myself.” You mumbled. A giggle left your lips. “What the hell is the point?”

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

Applause.

With that, you took your final bow.

“Things will be different this time.”

[pitchsidestories]

Dublin Girls II Katie McCabe x Reader

masterlist I word count: 2250

a/n: we combined two requests here which were Katie McCabe fluff and the Reader having dyslexia. Enjoy ! ❤️

Dublin, 2015

“Katie, your teammates have arrived.”, Fiona, Katie McCabe’s coworker at Nando’s yelled at her. It turned out that her statement was not even necessary as Denise O’Sullivan rushed in to hug her Irish teammate excitedly:”Katie!” “Hey, girls!”, the midfielder beamed as she looked into the faces of the other young female football players. Amused you noticed out loud, being one of her teammates at club and country:” My girl looking like a glaced donut, we really need to get her out of here mates.”

“Wait. I have two minutes left. My boss is going to kill me if he hears I left earlier again.”, your girlfriend quickly replied.  Hopefully Denise glanced at the brunette:” Can we at least get some Nando’s before we go back to our hotel.” “Do we look like the church? Is this a charity restaurant?”, Fiona scoffed. She reacted with a defeated sigh as the older woman noticed all the players were doing puppy eyes on her:” Okay, fine, what do you hungry girls want?” Those girls were one of Fionas soft spot which was an open secret by now even though she pretended to be annoyed by them whenever they came in.  Slowly Katie shook her “Just give them whatever’s left over.” “Hey, she asked us whatever we want.”, Ruesha Littlejohn protested laughing. Unimpressed she stated:“We’re not making fresh food for you at the end of our shift.”

“With alcohol everything tastes delicious anyway. Also, Katie, I need to introduce you to someone later.”, you winked secretive at your girlfriend. “Who? Can’t believe you all had drinks without me.”, the midfielder pouted. Immediately Denise added: “Not much.” “Yeah, sure.”, Katie snorted in disbelief.  With a look on the clock Fiona confirmed:” You can go now Katie.” “Thanks. See you next week.”, she waved at her co-worker before joining her Ireland team.

When they reached their hotel Ruesha closed her eyes, devouring the food she was holding in her hand:” Oh my god, this is so good.” “Only drunk people would say that about cold chips.”, Katie commented chuckling. Eyerolling the blonde told the brunette:“Oh shut up and start drinking!” “I wasn’t offered anything yet.”, Katie pointed out. A cheeky smile was on Denise’s face as she was handing her a beer bottle:”Here.”

Impatiently you guided your girlfriend to the hotel room you two were sharing:“Now let me introduce you to her.” “To whom ?!”, expectantly she was looking around the area, there was no one in sight. “Can’t tell you who because she has not got a name yet.”, you answered, picking up a small kitten who seemed surprisingly comfortable in your arms, as if she knew she was in save hands.

Katies jaw dropped at the little fur ball you were holding and reached out a hand to pet her; “Oh my god. Who are you? What are you doing here?“ “This is a little girl with no home so I thought maybe we could take her with us… I’ll just get more shifts at the coffee shop.“, you explained, having everything planned and calculated already. But Katie just raised her eyebrow at you; “Seriously? You found her and took her with you?“ “No, I asked the hotel manager and he said she was homeless.“, you defended yourself with a laugh. “Poor girl.“, Katie grinned, scratching the kitten behind her eyes. Looking around the hotel room, she added; “Are you trying to keep her in here?“ “Yes, until we go home.“ You pointed over at a blanket and a bunch of hotel towels rolled into a cat bed and a makeshift litter box. “You’re really a lucky kitty.“, Katie laughed, stilling petting the little cat. “She’s.“, you agreed.

A forceful knock on the door and Rueshas voice interrupted you; “Girls, let’s go!“ You sat the cat down while your girlfriend opened the door just wide enough for your teammates face to appear in the gap. “What are you up to, Rue?“, Katie asked excitedly. Ruesha grimaced at her as if Katie said something particularly stupid, so Denise explained; “We’re sneaking out on to the mens pitch!“ You didn’t even have to see your girlfriends face to know that her eyes got big at the thought of the much nicer pitch. “The one with the perfectly cut grass?“, she asked. You grabbed Katies jacket and shoved it into her hands; “Yes. So what are we waiting for?“

“I’m in.“, Katie smiled brightly as you let the door fall close behind you. “Who’s got a ball?“, you asked. Denise held one up with a wink; “I came prepared, don’t worry.“ You gave her a mischievous smile before the four of you snuck out of the back entrance as quietly as possible. The mens training pitch was not far from your hotel but it was locked and surrounded by a fence. One by one, you climbed over it, landing on the soft artificial grass.

The moon was bright enough to light up the field. With a sigh, Katie let herself drop to the ground and felt the grass with her hands; “They are living the life, huh?“ With her arms crossed in front of her chest, Ruesha stated; “I think we should play here. They can have the muddy dirt pitch we usually play on.“ “That sounds like a fair deal.“, you laughed, helping your girlfriend off the ground to finally play some football. Denise shrugged; “But only for us. They’d kick us out immediately if they saw us here.“

As if the blonde knew what was about to come a man shouted at them:” What are you girls doing? Get off the pitch!” “Oh shit.”, you mumbled under your breath. “Hurry, girls!”, Katie cheered her teammates on. With a glance back Ruesha observed cheerfully: “We’re faster.”  “Shit. My ball.”, Denise cursed. Because you knew how much the football meant to her you patted your friend’s shoulder before running back:” Wait, I’ll get your ball.” “No, fuck the ball. We need to go.”, your girlfriend shook her head.

Triumphantly you picked the football up from the grass while walking back to your teammates:” Got the ball!” “Run. He’s coming.”, Ruesha warned you.  The tension got too much for Denise who dramatically turned her back to not see what was happening in front of her: “Oh, no, he’s running faster.” “Come on, you almost made it!”, the brunette clapped her hands for you. Amused Ruesha caught you, so you did not fell over your feet:” We got you.” “Thanks for saving my ball.”, Denise threw a grateful smile at you. With a huge grin on your face, you replied: “You’re welcome.” “That was close though.”, Katie remarked while putting an arm around your hip as you were walking back to your hotel.

London, 2023

It was a grey and rainy autumn day in London when you returned to Katie and yours home, you could not help but to beam at what you were seeing, your cat being asleep on the defender’s upper body, that peaceful moment between them was definitely a little light on such a day: “Katie, what are you watching?”  “Just a video.”, the captain of the Ireland women’s national team tried to wave it off. Still your curiosity was awakened by her reaction, which is why you took her phone to see for yourself:” Wait, someone filmed that moment?”

 “Hey! That’s mine.”, Katie protested. Lovingly you nodded into the direction of your cat:” Look how small the little missus was.” “She literally fits into the palm of your hand when you found her.”, the defender cooed over your little furry roommate. The pet being one of her soft spots since the day she joined your household. Winking you commented:” And now look at her majesty laying here in all her grace and length.” “Acting like she owns the place.”, Katie noticed smiling. “Oh yes.”, you giggled. More serious your girlfriend continued, reminiscing about the time eight years ago: “But I do miss this time.” “Oh, you miss your shifts at Nando’s and not earning enough money with just playing football.”, you teased her. The defender looked up to you: “That’s not what I said.”

You rolled you eyes with a fond smile; “Yeah, I know what you actually mean.” “Our shenanigans?”, Katie replied, making sure that you were both talking about the same thing. “You‘re still doing shenanigans in club and country.”, you interjected, laughing. Now it was your girlfriends turn to roll her eyes; “Yes, but not like that.” But she couldn‘t suppress a smile either. You sat down at the edge of the sofa and tilted your head; “True though.” “Those were some good times.”, Katie reminisced. Softly, you patted her thigh; “Yes, but we also came a long way since then.” Laughing, your girlfriend agreed; “We did.” You let out a shriek as Katie pulled you towards her all of a sudden.

Your cat had abandoned her spot on top of Katie and lazily watched you two from her scratching tree. “Excuse me?”, you protested, your head pressed to your girlfriends chest. Katie let out a laugh and shrugged; “She doesn’t want to snuggle with me anymore, so you have two.” “You‘re such a softie when you’re not receiving yellow cards.”, you remarked while you reluctantly moved to find the most comfortable spot on top of your girlfriend. “Hey!”, she frowned but a smile tugged on the corners of her mouth. You lifted your hands in defense; “Just saying.” Playfully, the brunette narrowed her eyes at you; “I‘ll show you how tough I am.” “Should I be scared?”, you answered, more of a challenge than a question. “Of course you should be.” “I‘m not.”, you stated plainly. “Why not?” “Because you’re not scary, love.” “I‘ll show you how scary I can be on the pitch then.”

You laughed; “Will you score another banger at our next game?” ”Do you want me to?” ”Yes.” Your girlfriend acknowledged your answer with a nod; “I‘ll score one for you.” She winked at you. “How do you make clear that the goal is dedicated to me?”, you wanted to know while thoughtfully drawing small patterns on your girlfriends sweater with your fingertip. Confident, like she was waiting for you to ask that, she suggested; “How about I steal the ball out of the goal and run away with it?” “I like that one.”, you grinned. “As a tribute to our adventures at the national team.”

Your eyes met and you were reminded of the moment on the mens football pitch in Dublin eight years ago. ”Did you know that Denise still owns the ball I saved for her?”, you asked. Your girlfriend grimaced at the sentimentality of it; “Sounds like something Denise would do.” ”It‘s cute!”, you defended her. Katie shook her head; ”We really were some troublemakers. And sometimes we still are.”

At the next Arsenal game, you jumped into the open arms of your girlfriend: “That was a stunning goal, Katie!” “Hope you liked the celebration as well.”, Katie smirked. Excited you nodded: “I did.” “Me too.”, she admitted.

After the match Vivianne wanted to know from both of you:” What was the story behind Katie’s goal celebration?” “Long story, Viv.”, the defender replied nonchalantly. The forward kept pressing:” Will you tell it at your wedding?” “Maybe I’ll.”, your girlfriend answered. Curiously Steph intervened: “Who said wedding?”  “Of course, they’ll get married. They’ve been together forever.”, Beth laughed. Her girlfriend shared her opinion:” Exactly.” “Guys.”, Katie rolled her eyes at your teammates even though they all were very dear to her heart as you knew.  Still giggly Beth shot back: “It’s legal in Ireland.” “I’m aware of that.”, the defender said.

Later in your bed, the cat between the two of you, you turned to look in your girlfriend’s eyes:” Katie, you’re so quiet?” “Hm?” “Are you okay?”, you asked her a bit worried. Quickly she reassured you: “Of course.” “Good, I’m glad our teammates did not scare you.” “Why would they scare me?”, Katie glanced confused at you. Taking a deep breath, you added: “With the wedding talk?”  “Beth and Viv are just so in love.”, the defender scoffed but her love for them shine threw anyway.  Winking you reminded her:” That’s young love, sweetheart.” “Unlike us. Maybe it’s time to get married. I mean I’d love to call you, my wife. It also has some other benefits.” , your girlfriend grinned. Automatically an eyebrow of yours went up: “Like?” “Tax benefits?”, Katie snorted. You fell into that:” And your mum stop asking when we’re getting married?” “Good joke.”, the defender exhaled deeply. You thought out loud: “Oh right, she’d move on from that straight to children.”

“She’s so annoying. I didn’t know I’d be held to the same hetero-normative standards when I came out to her.”, your girlfriend sighed dramatically. Calmly you took her hand in yours: “Honestly, we already have a found family in London. But I’d like to marry you on our own terms.” “I’d like to marry you too.”, Katie said in an honest tone. You began to blush:” But you’ll have to proofread the invitations because you know with my dyslexia.”  “Don’t worry about it. We’ll let them get done somewhere.”, the defender kissed your cheek which turned even more red.

Grateful you thanked her, enjoying the company of her and the cat and the thought to celebrate your upcoming wedding with the friends you made along the way at Arsenal aswell as in the national team.

[marvelslittlewhore]

Bonding

SUMMARY | You and Rafe have more in common than you both thought.

-requested by anon

PAIRING | rafe cameron x adopted!teen!reader

WARNINGS | drug consumption, yelling, arguing, hurt/comfort, soft!Rafe, fluff at the end

            ◃◦--------------●--------------◦▹

You have been living with the Camerons for a few weeks now, still getting used to yet another family who grantly took you in. You're related to them, but not by blood. Your so-called mother met your stepfather when you were just a toddler, both quickly bonded over the fact that they're drug addicts.

You were only 6 when you got ripped out of your home and thrown into the system, going to family after family, everyone claiming you were too much to handle.

Now you were a teen and the system surprised you one day when they told you they found some of your relatives.

"They live in the Outer Banks. Ward and Rose Cameron already await you with open arms." The social worker told you with a smile while you only sighed, slumping in your seat before her desk. Great, another family who are 'oh so happy' to get to know you.

Now here you were, sitting in your room at Tannyhill and it was just how you expected. Ward did seem like a nice guy all until the papers were signed and the social worker left. He showed you your room and since then you were just air to him. A charity case to show off at events or the country club, to let everyone know what a good guy he is and how generous for finally getting you out of the system.

You hated it. After all these years of being thrown back and forth from family to family, you were now stuck here, adopted by someone who doesn't even acknowledge your presence when entering a room.

At least his kids, or your new siblings you suppose, talked with you and showed you around the Outer Banks.

Wheezie is funny and very smart. You both had a movie night once every week or sometimes you would go shopping with her, loving to just listen to her rambling or gossiping about school, sometimes she even asked you for advice.

Sarah took you several times to the Chateau where you got to know the pogues, they're a chaotic group of friends but it's nice feeling included in something.

And then there was Rafe. You don't really talk much, just the usual small talk when you would go to the kitchen to get water or when he passed your room, peaking inside to ask if you want to join him by the pool.

            ◃◦--------●--------◦▹

One evening you got home late, stumbling through the door, high as a kite, and didn't notice Ward standing there with his arms crossed until you kicked your shoes off jumping in surprise when you turned to face him, placing a hand on your chest.

"Where were you?" he asked, his tone laced with anger.

"Out." you simply shrugged, about to walk up the stairs when Ward turned you around, grabbing your chin in one hand and examining your face.

He scoffed with a smile, letting you go harshly, making you stumble a little before he snapped at you. "You're grounded!"

"What?!"

"You heard me. For the next two weeks you won't leave the house except for school," he said crossing his arms.

"But I bet I still have to go to that stupid midsummer event, right? Have to keep up your reputation?" you laughed mockingly.

"What are you on about?"

"As if you don't know! I'm nothing but a charity case to you, a trophy you can show around and live on your act as the generous Ward Cameron, so no one knows what an actual asshole you are!" you screamed in his face, pointing a finger at him.

"You better watch who you're talking to you brat!" he shouted back.

"You're pathetic. Doing everything for another dollar in your pocket as if you don't have enough already!" you waved your arm in the air.

"Alright, you just earned yourself a month of being grounded! There are rules and as long you're under my roof and care you're going to follow them. Unless you want to end up like your mother, pregnant and as an addict."

"Fuck you!" You flipped him off, stomping up the stairs and to your room, slamming the door shut before throwing yourself on your bed burying your face in a pillow.

You never wanted to be here in the first place. You screamed into your pillow in frustration before the tears started to fall, sobbing quietly.

When you heard someone knocking on your door you ignored it at first, groaning when the knocking continued and shouted. "Leave me alone!"

It didn't stop and you sighed, wiping your face before going to answer the door. "I said leave- oh, it's you."

Rafe stood before you, hands in his pockets and lips pressed in a thin line. "Hey, I- uhh, heard what happened downstairs." he coughed awkwardly. "I just wanted to see if you're okay."

"Perfectly fine." you said with a sarcastic smile, about to close the door again.

"You want some company?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

You were about to turn it down but decided against it, nodding your head you stepped to the side, a silent invitation for him to enter.

You walked back over to your bed, sitting on the edge of it, and patted the place next to you. He sat down next to you, rubbing his hands over his knees.

"So, what happened?"

"I thought you heard it?" you raised an eyebrow with a small smile on your face.

"Yeah, okay, you got me." he chuckled. "You know, Dad gets angry fast, you shouldn't take it seriously."

"Don't worry, he's nothing but a clown to me." you both laughed.

There was silence for a moment before you sighed, looking down at your hands, fidgeting with them.

"I just feel so out of place, not only here. I feel like this everywhere. I know it sounds stupid...but...I just want to feel loved and appreciated. There wasn't a single family where I felt at home." You told him, tears already forming in your eyes again. "I know I can be a lot to handle, at least, that's what I've been told my whole life..."

The tears you tried to hold back started to flow down your cheeks. Rafe straightened, slightly panicking at seeing you cry. He reaches behind you, soothingly rubbing your back.

"Shh, it's okay. C'mere." he pulls you more into his side.

He continued to hold you while you soaked his shirt in your tears, but he couldn't care less right now.

"It'll be okay, and hey, don't you know how much Wheezie and Sarah love you?" he asked and you pulled back to look at him, wiping your tears away, sniffling.

He wanted you to know that there are people who love and care for you, himself being one of them. He related to you more than you'll ever know. Being the oldest he tried to be a role model for his sisters, failing miserably, but he still did so much to get his father's attention, receiving nothing in return, not even a pat on the back.

"Really?" you asked, eyes big and filled with hope.

He nodded. "Really, trust me. You're not out of place, you just need time and that's totally valid after all you've been through." he noticed the confusion on your face since you never really talked with anyone about your past. "I've done some research," he admitted and you nodded.

"Thank you, Rafe." You smiled, still sniffling a little.

"Don't mention it, kid." he smiled, reaching a hand up to ruffle your hair. "Now, how about we go and watch a movie? Wheezie had been nagging my ear off about some new horror movie."

"Sounds perfect. I'm grounded anyways, so I don't have any plans." You shrugged making him laugh again.

            ◃◦--------------●--------------◦▹

Taglist

For everything:

@lokigirlszendaya @buckymydarlingangel @superlegend216

[slvt4lanadelrey]

Flirty Stranger | Wednesday Addams

Warnings: swearing, Tyler

Wednesday x Galpin!fem

"That'll be 3.99 please, sir." You smiled polity at the taller man infront of you, he sniffled a smile; slamming a five dollar bill into your hand. You gritted your teeth, Lucas was always an ass.

You pressed down on the till, it slamming open; the coins and loss change jiggling when it did. You received his change, handing it to him with a smile.

"Have a nice day." It was a rule at the coffee store: be polite, smile and just be an averagely good person.

Lucas smiled back, placing the money onto the edge of the tip jar.

"Do you want my chaple change, Galpin?" Your nose flared, fingers wrapping around the counter of the table. This was a repeating game with the boy; he had some sick pleasure from you begging for his money. Today though, you honesly couldn't care if he got you fired. You'd burnt the tip of your finger in boiling water, an absolute fiend demanded that you got their order wrong, four times. Your older brother, Tyler, had stormed into the store late for his shift which somehow led to your dad shouting at you for not waking your brother up in time. Fair to say your day was horrible, and all you wanted to was dive head first into a book.

"I don't want, nor do I need your spare money, Lucas." His smiled dropped, eyes casting into a dark gaze.

"I think you miss spoke? Did you mean, Yes sir?" You could have sworn by the amount of times you'd gritted your teeth you wouldn't have any by the end of the shift.

"No. I did not miss speak."

He coughed, the coins teasing the tip jar.

"You know that job is a privilege, not a right." Another person entered the coffee shop, walking into the line that only consisted of Lucas.

"Are you being rude again?" The women asked, pressing her cold finger into Lucas' back. Lucas shrugged the finger off, face drifting into fear at the sight of the girl infront of him.

"No. No Wednesday, we- she was only.." he stuttered out, his fingers finally releasing the money into the jaw. He collected his coffee, sprinting out of the store without a second look.

"Evening. May I have a coffee?" You stared at the girl, her eyes cold and hooded when they looked at you. She was dressed in Nevermore uniform, which meant she had some sort of power.

"Obviously, this is a cafe?" You retorted, eyes tired. Your shoulders were sagged, aching from your bad posture, your eyes were dry and begging for a finger to run into the wisk lids.

"Black. No sugar, no cream."

You hummed, pouring the rich beads of bean's into the crusher. Within moments the coffee was done, steaming in the air. You cupped the lid, pressing it down onto the cup. You slid it onto the counter, telling the girl infont of you the price. She handed you the money, precisely.

"Here." She slipped a hundred dollor bill into the cup, nodding solemnly. You groaned, rolling your eyes. Your fingers dipped into the cup, pressing the bill into her chest.

"I'm not a charity case." She frowned deeper, hand holding the bill.

"I did not imply such a thing. I am measly complamenting your abilities of making an admirable coffee. Is that a crime?" The girl infront of you asked, speaking in such a formality you almost cringed.

"Look, it's nice and all but I'd rather you go on with your day. Makes my life easier." The girl carried on to frown, placing the bill once again into the jaw. The same action played out; you pulled the bill out, she placed it back in.

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Why are you so stuborn?" You mocked, rolling your eyes.

"This surely isn't allowed as a worker, your being deliciously rude." The girl commented, standing slightly less tall; almost like you had drained the energy out of her.

Your eyes drooped, sighing out in frustration.

"I'm a barista, I'm literally serving coffee to pay my phone bill. I don't owe you anything, I'm not a slave, I shouldn't have to beg you to give me a tip- I don't want a tip. You've payed your bill, so leave."

Wednesday shifted on her feet, her tongue rolling over her teeth.

"Fine." You sighed out, thankful that she finally gave you the space. Then, her fingers wrapped around your belt loop; tugging you forward. She slid the note into your pant pocket, turning around before you could object.

You stared at the open space she once took up. Another customer taking up the empty space within momemts.

"Hi, Ma'am, how may I help you?"

---

Days went by, Lucas didn't harass you. Atleast not at work, at school was a different topic. You eventually learnt the ravens name; Wednesday Addams.

The door bell rang, in walking someone dressed all in black. Instead of coming straight to the till they went to table three. The smaller girl slid into open row, placing her hands on the table and locking them together.

You sigh, Wednesday sitting tall on the chair. You picked up your note book, walking towards the argumentative girl.

"What can I get you today?" You asked, smile plastered on your face. Your pen etched into the paper below it, awaiting the girls answer.

"Mm. My usual." She tucked herself further into the seat, glaring up at you.

You groaned, placing the book down on the table, resting your hand on it.

"Do you really think I can remember that?" Wednesday looked at you, fantom smile dancing on her lips.

"I bet you've remembered every detail of my face." She stated proudly, daring you with a smirk.

"Is that so?" You leaned down, your body tumbling over hers. She nodded, her finger tracking up your arm.

"I've remembered yours."

You hum into the air, smiling like you just won the lottery. You pulled back, your frame casting a shadow over Wednesday's small one.

"What's your name again?"

The question knocked the air out of Wednesday, sucking all of her confidence out.

"Uh. Wednesday Addams."

Your tongue rolled over your top teeth, then sucked your bottom lip into your mouth. Humming to fill the deafening silence.

"Wednesday? That's new. Do you still want that black coffee?" Wednesday clenched her jaw, moving her wandering hand away from you.

"Maybe your number would suffice." She muttered, her eyes still undressing you. You nodded, writing something down on your notepad.

You slid it over, not missing the way her eyes sparked and she almost groaned when the piece of paper was in her hands.

Nice try :) I'm not that easy <3

"That coffee will do, I guess." She groaned, staring at the paper in defeat. Her posture deflated, falling into a soulless sight.

"Fantastic"

Your shift dragged like always, your day seemingly never ending. The Raven haired girl that sent a nerve down your spine stayed, all day.

"Miss Addams, this cafe is closing." You mumbled out from under the counter, your hands cleaning up the beans you spilled earlier that day. Wednesday shuffled towards you, feet stopping when they came face to face with yours.

"May I walk you home?" She asked, standing taller with the suggestion. You was on your knees infront of her, staring through messy hair.

"Why?" You stood back up, placing the beans into the trash, wiping your hands free of the dust that built up on your open palm.

"Its dark, we never know what monster that lurkers outside the door." She said it in such a way that made you guess for what creep would be waiting for you. You nibbled on your bottom lip, staring at the girl who was similar height.

"I think that if any creep tried to have me they'd have to put up a fight. Plus, your the stranger." You noted, walking through the store with a cloth in your hand; wiping down the tables.

Wednesday followed closely after, following you like a lap dog.

"I don't have to be. If only you'd tell me your number. I've been told that I am a gracious date planner." She nodded, proud of her words; rethinking her previous conversations with someone.

"You've been on a date?" You laughed, mocking the implication. She shuffled on her feet, her fringe slightly frazzled at the tiresome day.

"Well no. But- but I assume I would be, I'm a bit of a perfectionist." You stared blankly at her, knowing she was eventually going to tire you down.

"No."

She blinked, her fist clenching around her skirt hem.

"And why not?" She all but whined, sounding like a toddler who wasn't allowed ice-cream, she may have well stomped her feet and screamed.

"Because I don't have time." You mumbled, pushing your lose hair out of your face. You brushed past her, not missing the way her fingers touched yours in a hope to grab your attention; when it didn't work she groaned.

"You can't possibly be that busy? Granted, you have school, maybe an after school activity? Then homework, coming here for- well awhile, then your free to spend your day." Wednesday thought, labeling your whole day.

You hummed, leaning over the counter. It was just like the first time you met, her standing infront of the counter, staring at you through dark eyes.

"I wake up at six, get dressed, plan my outfit and leave for school, I end school at three. I have rugby practise after school for two hours, then I have to come here. I leave her at eight, sometimes nine. After work I have to clean my whole house, cook for my dad and older brother, by then it's about eleven. Sometimes I can fit in my homework, other times i just do it in my breaks. After eleven, I have my shower, then I sleep and repeat my day." Wednesday placed her hand onto the counter, her face riddled with thought.

"Well. Give me your homework, so your break will be free and I can take you on a date, sound adequate?" You laughed, smiling at the girl who was dead serious.

"Why are you laughing? I did not state a joke." Wednesday muttered, pressing herself more into the counter. Your faces were inches away from each other, a daring smile still on yours.

"Uh huh. Your cute, Wednesday." Your finger brushed her fringe, making sure it was in the right place. You hummed seeing the same face that you saw a week previously.

"I'm not a cheat thought, nice try." You leaned forward, kissing her cheek before pulling away. She was left stuck, lost in the mist of your fruitfully perfume and flawless actions of physical touch.

"Care to leave now? I really need to get home before my dad does." You slipped out of the apron, pushing all of your lose hair out of your face; dragging the back of your wrist across your forehead, wiping away the steamed sweat.

"I'll be back." You didnt doubt her in anyway, automatically assuming Wednesday hadn't been told no often in her life. She stormed out of the store. Finally after a while you was left to breath, sighing into the dead silent cafe. The bell rang, Tyler barging through the door.

"Was that Wednesday Addams?"

[domjaehyun]

pairing. johnny x fem!reader

genre. fluff, mild angst, smut, soulmate!au, college!au (they’re grad students, though)

word count. 30k

contents. explicit smut (soft dom!Johnny, not exactly submissive but not super dominant either!reader, public sex, slight exhibitionism, nipple play (receiving), fingering (receiving), oral (receiving), unprotected sex (she’s on the pill), praise)

notes. this is one of my commissions, requested by someone who would prefer to stay anonymous, and i just want to say thank you for your charity donation and your incredible patience with me! i would also like to dedicate this to my love, my bestie roxie, whose birthday it is today! (read: the day i initially tried to post this) positive feedback is always appreciated, as are donations! enjoy your read!

i. “i think that possibly, maybe i’m falling for you.” - landon pigg, falling in love at a coffee shop.

“Can I get a matcha latte with soy and honey?” You hear a familiar voice ask at the register, and you turn to see the middle-aged woman that comes in every Tuesday and orders the same thing.

“Matcha with soy and honey?” Soyeon mumbles, confused, and the regular’s face twists briefly into discomfort before she points over your co-worker’s shoulder directly at you.

“Can she make it?” The woman asks hopefully. “She knows how I like my matcha.” 

“Sure!” Soyeon says immediately, all too eager to switch places with you for the time being. You two swap spots and you shoot the woman a welcoming smile as you start her drink.

“I was hoping you’d be here,” She says, relieved.

“Of course I’m here,” You reply with a smile as if it were obvious. “Who else would make my honey matcha mix?” She smiles good-naturedly and moves aside so Soyeon can continue taking orders. Before long, her drink is finished and you hand it to her with a smile and a napkin wrapped around it. 

“You’re the best!” She takes a sip of her drink and her eyes slide shut in bliss, a content smile curling her lips. “For you.” She offers, handing you a five dollar bill. 

“Thank you,” You reply gratefully, pocketing the tip. “See you next time!” She waves as she makes her way out of the café​. 

“What is so special about her matcha?” Soyeon asks curiously, looking at you from over her shoulder.

“It’s really just a regular matcha but with honey drizzled in,” You explain, and she nods in understanding.

“You always know the best ways to make drinks taste even better.” Soyeon turns to you, showing you the now-finished cake pop you were working on. “Is this good?”

“Perfect.”

“Dope.” She places it in the display window and leans up against the counter with a loud sigh. “What a day, huh?”

“...You’ve been working for an hour, and only have half a cake pop to show for it.” You snicker, and she frowns at you.

“I have taken twelve orders!” She says defensively, and you snort.

“And made zero of those drinks.” You point out with a wry smile, and she narrows her eyes at you.

“It’s my first week,” Soyeon whines, and you pat her shoulder comfortingly.

“I know.” You assure her. “I’m teasing.” 

“Good.” She fakes a dramatic sniffle before pushing herself off of the counter. “Back to work!” She chirps, clapping twice and rushing off to the back room, mumbling something about checking inventory.

“There’s no damn inventory to check,” You mutter, rolling your eyes, “because I just did that this morning.”

“Do that often?” A voice calls out from behind you, and you whirl around to see a tall, very handsome guy standing by the register with a small smile on his face. At your look of confusion, he gestures to the air around his head. “Talk out loud to yourself?”

“Only when the voices in my head get too loud,” You joke before freezing. What a ridiculous thing to say.

To your surprise (and relief), the guy laughs, his eyes crinkling cutely with amusement. “We’ve all been there.”

“Yeah.” You’re damn near breathless with relief and also with astonishment at just how handsome he is. Something about him, however, feels…familiar in a way you just can’t seem to place. “Can, um, can I get you anything?” 

Duh, you dolt, you scold yourself, that’s why he’s here.

“Yeah,” He chuckles, no doubt amused by your floundering. “Can I get a large iced Americano?”

“Sure,” You say immediately, thankful to have something to do so you don’t just stand there looking stupid. You set about making his drink and search your brain for something to say to pass the time. “Do you…come here often?” You stop short and stare blankly at the floor, willing the powers that be to have drowned your voice out so he didn’t hear you. When you peek over the espresso machine, he’s staring at you with an amused expression, his eyebrow raised in intrigue. “I ask because, uh…I work here–”

“Right.”

“–so I come here often–”

“Of course.” He’s only getting progressively more amused the more you talk and part of you just wants to shut up already, but you’re helpless as words spill from your lips. The only plus is that he seems to be getting a good-natured kick out of your fumbling, and his smile is very warm and inviting. You make eye contact briefly, and it feels like time stops, that oddly familiar feeling tugging at your subconscious thoughts again before the moment passes and you drop your gaze.

“—and I don’t ever see you, so…yeah.” You finish lamely, staring down at the complete Americano as if you could jump inside and, if you’re lucky, drown in it.

“My friend told me about this place, so I thought I’d give it a try.” Tall Cute Guy smiles as he hands over his card and you charge it, waiting for the machine’s sound of approval before you hand over his drink. He leans forward conspiratorially as you hand his card back, and you find yourself leaning in too, ears trained on his voice when he whispers, “I think I’ll be coming by more often.”

“Yeah?” You say, mentally slapping yourself at the embarrassing amount of hope in your response.

“Yeah,” He agrees, leaning back and finally taking his card from your hand, your fingers brushing against his briefly. You suck in a sudden breath at the way your stomach floods with butterflies, and when you look up from your hands, he’s watching you with a curious, wondrous expression. He felt what you felt; he had to have felt it, what with the way he’s staring at you, both of you frozen in the moment. 

“Cool,” You mumble as an afterthought, and that winning smile is back on his face like it never left. “Was it your ever-so-charming barista that swayed you in our favor?” You joke, and he smiles even wider than you thought possible.

“I think that could be a factor,” He teases playfully, and your lips curl up into a nervous smile. “The voices in my head are really hyping this place—and the charming barista—up right now.”

“Tell them I said thank you,” You chuckle, and he nods resolutely.

“Will do.” He raises one—large, you manage to notice—hand in a wave, saying, “I’ll see you around?” You send a wave back just before he turns around and exits the store and promptly collapse against the espresso machine in exhaustion.

“That was really something,” Soyeon drawls, amused, and you exclaim in surprise, whirling around to face her. 

“How much did you hear?”

“Damn near all of it,” She answers with a mischievous smile.

“What happened to checking the inventory?” You ask accusingly.

“Pretty quick of a task to do when your co-worker’s already done it that morning.” She beams at you and you narrow your eyes back at her.

“You suck.” You ball up the rag you use to wipe the tables and throw it at her, laughing when it hits her square in the chest.

“You love me!” 

“Unfortunately.”

“So what was his name, anyway?” Soyeon asks, and you turn to look at her in dismay. “Don’t tell me you didn’t get it.”

“…I won’t tell you.” You mumble, embarrassed, and she groans in anguish, clapping a hand to her forehead.

“You’re unbelievable.”

“You guys should have been there,” Soyeon whispers loudly, nudging you with her foot from across the table. “I’ve never seen her so flustered!”

“Man, I wish I’d seen it,” Soojin huffs, and you glare at her. “Sorry.”

“I don’t blame you, though,” Soyeon continues, blowing a bubble and popping it loudly enough to attract the negative attention of the table next to you. “He was fine.”

“Would you keep it down?” You whisper emphatically, and Soyeon rolls her eyes. “This is a library!”

“You’re gonna get us kicked out again,” Yuqi says worriedly, and Soyeon hesitates before slumping in her seat and raising her hands in surrender.

“Fine,” She mouths. Her bored gaze scans the room as you and Yuqi return to your coursework and Soojin starts rifling through the Cosmopolitan magazine she picked up on the way in.

“Hey, look,” Soojin pipes up excitedly, smoothing out the magazine on the table. “‘10 Tricks to Make Him Head Over Heels.’”

“Just what you need,” Soyeon teases you, and you stare blankly at her until she blows a raspberry and sits back. “You know I’m right.” Her gaze trails up and away from your table, looking for something to occupy herself with, before she gasps loudly, making the three of you jump.

“No way,” Soyeon breathes in surprise, and you look up at her, half-annoyed and half-curious, before setting your pen down in defeat.

“What is it?”

“More like who is it,” Soyeon replies with a devilish smile, and that tugging feeling from earlier returns, twisting and pulling and spilling hope everywhere as you hang onto her next words. “It’s your loverboy from the coffee shop.”

You swallow thickly before following her gaze to a spot behind you and, sure enough, there stands Tall Cute Guy, searching the bookshelves for something. You can’t manage to look away for some reason, the pulling, almost aching sensation only lessening when you watch him, so you sit there, fully pivoted in your seat, staring dead at him.

Unfortunately for you, he must be able to feel you staring two holes into the side of his head, because he turns to look around the room, his eyes landing on you after what feels like moments of waiting. His face lights up in recognition and he smiles widely, raising a hand in greeting, and something about the crinkle of his eyes unlocks a distant nostalgia in you, a longing for something you can’t quite place.

You lift your hand to return the gesture, giving him a small smile before turning back around to face your friends.

“He is fine,” Soojin whispers, and you roll your eyes.

“He’s staring at you,” Soyeon sing-songs quietly, and you whine in protest, wishing your notebook could tuck you in its pages protectively like a bookmark and close on you, shielding you from any prying eyes.

However, no such miracle happens, and you’re left to helplessly trail your gaze after Tall Cute Guy as he makes his way back to his table which is just out of sight enough that you have to crane your neck slightly to get a better view of him. 

For what feels like hours, the two of you play eye tag, with you watching him until he looks up at you and then promptly looking away, only to repeat the cycle in a matter of seconds. After your sixth round—yes, you were counting—Soyeon growls in frustration and kicks your foot none too gently under the table.

“Ouch, damn it!” You hiss, and she glares daggers at you. “What?”

“I can’t sit here and watch you two stare at each other on and off for another second.” She huffs, sitting up in her seat. “I’m going to get some food.” 

“I’m coming!” Soojin chirps, closing her magazine. 

“Me too,” Yuqi adds, and you stare at her in betrayal.

“Et tu, Brute?” You whisper for emphasis, and she laughs, squeezing your shoulder gently.

“It really is painful to watch you, y’know.” She says sympathetically, and you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. “D’you wanna come?”

“No, I’m about to outline this essay while the reading is still fresh in my mind.” You mumble in defeat, pulling your laptop out of your bag, and she nods in understanding.

“Bring me back some chicken!” You whisper loudly at their retreating backs, and Soyeon turns to face you, shooting you a thumbs up of understanding.

“Soy garlic?”

“Yep!” You nod to emphasize your point, and she salutes you before turning around and exiting the library with your two other friends. You peek over at Tall Cute Guy’s location to see him poring over a book, a thoughtful expression on his face. 

Just as you’re looking away, he looks up and, after scanning the room, makes eye contact with you for what feels like the millionth time this evening. He looks around at your friends’ now empty seats, and shoots you a puzzled look. You pantomime an eating action, and he nods, the corner of his lips quirking up into a smile as he returns his gaze to his book.

You’re finally getting somewhere with your essay outline, thank the universe, and you decide to peek at Tall Cute Guy as a reward of sorts, only for your face to fall when he’s not in his spot. His bag is gone, too, so you figure he’s left for the night.

You’re swallowing a dejected feeling that, frankly, shouldn’t even exist, when a hand holding a drink appears out of your peripheral vision, startling the everloving daylights out of you, and it’s all you can do to swallow your yelp of surprise, eyes darting up to the owner to find—

“Hey,” Tall Cute Guy says in a low voice, smiling down at you like you’re an old friend he hasn’t seen in a while. 

“Hey.” You reply, at a loss for words. 

“This is gonna sound crazy,” Tall Cute Guy chuckles, running a hand through his hair, “but have we met before?”

You try to hide the way your face falls—did he really forget you that quickly? Swallowing your disappointment, you smile up at him.

“We met at the cafe earlier.” 

“No—of course I remember that,” Tall Cute Guy chuckles, almost in disbelief, and you absolutely can’t hide the relieved sag of your shoulders. “I mean before today.”

“…Not that I know of,” You reply slowly. I would definitely have remembered a face like yours.

“I just…” He trails off, turning to lean against the table you’re sitting at. “I can’t shake the feeling that I know you from somewhere.”

“Can I be honest?” You ask softly, and he looks over at you expectantly. “Neither can I.”

“Great,” He exhales in relief, laughing quietly. “It’s not just me.” 

“Nope,” You reply, popping your lips on the ‘p.’ 

He stands there, shifting his weight from foot to foot for a moment. You drum your fingers lightly on your laptop.

“Well, do you wanna—”

“Do you mind if I—”

You both stop short, laughing nervously, and you gesture for him to speak.

“I was gonna ask if you would mind if I sit here.” He says slowly, pointing at the unoccupied chair beside you, and you shake your head immediately, pushing your stuff over to make room for him.

“It’s all yours.” You reply, and he settles down in the chair, his long legs stretching out under the table. “Something wrong with your old spot?” 

“Nah,” He answers, looking over at you with a grin. “Voices in my head told me to keep you company.”

“Well, damn,” You chuckle. “I owe them another thank you.”

“You can give it to me, and I’ll pass it along to them.” He responds, wiggling his brows playfully and when you laugh, you can’t shake the feeling that this has happened before. Before you can dwell on the thought for too long, Tall Cute Guy clears his throat pointedly and pushes the drink on the table closer to you. “I got you this, by the way. Seemed like you could use a pick-me-up.”

“Really? Oh, wow, thank you.” You mumble, stunned, taking the drink. Shock fills you when you realize that whatever he ordered looks suspiciously like your regular order, and you look up at him. “How do I know you didn’t do anything to this drink?”

“Do I look like that kind of guy?” He gasps in mock hurt, clutching his chest.

“You can never be too careful.” 

“Very true,” He agrees. “It’s boba—they sealed the top, not me.” He points out, and you nod. He has a point. 

You stab through the plastic covering with the straw he passes over to you and take a tentative sip, eyes blowing wide when—

“It’s my order.” You mumble, surprised.

“Yeah?” He asks hopefully.

“It’s—it’s brown sugar boba milk tea—how did you know my exact order?” You stammer, and he shrugs with a small smile, the first hint of shyness you’ve seen from him all day.

“I just got a feeling that this was something you’d like.” He answers, and you sit back in your chair, taking another appreciative sip and chewing the boba, swallowing them before regarding him again.

“So, Mr. Boba Expert,” You begin, and he snorts in surprise. “Do you have a name, or should I keep making up titles for you?”

“It’s Johnny,” He supplies with a widening smile, and you give him your name, reaching a hand out to shake his—why the hell did you go in for a handshake? He looks down at your hand in mild amusement before reaching out and taking your hand in a firm handshake (during which you attempt to think about anything other than how his hand easily dwarfs your own). “What are you working on?” He asks, jerking his chin towards your laptop which has fallen asleep.

“Essay for one of my Literature classes.” You answer, mindlessly scribbling on the trackpad to wake it up. The screen lights up once more, and you save your work before turning your attention back to Johnny. 

Johnny. You turn his name over in your head like a rock you’d find at the beach, studying the ridges and spots, syllables and inflections. Rolling it off your tongue in your mind, you’re almost mesmerized by the simplicity of it all, the lack of complexity surrounding the perplexingly familiar male in front of you.

“Don’t mind me, then,” He reaches into his bag and pulls out a book, flipping it open to a bookmark which he places on the table, and starts to read. You can’t get a good look at the book cover without making it obvious, so you turn your attention back to your laptop, finishing up your thesis. After a while, curiosity starts to eat you alive, and you turn to face Johnny, propping your cheek up on your fist.

“Yes?” Johnny hums without looking up, and you let out an amused scoff.

“You’ve got, like, a sixth sense for that, I swear.” 

“Maybe. Maybe it’s the voices in my head.” He responds with a wry smile.

“Well, tell them to quiet down for a second; I have a question for you.”

“Shoot.” He replies simply, and you lean forward, peering at his book cover.

“What are you reading?”

“A collection of love poems by Pablo Neruda,” Johnny answers, and you make a small sound of comprehension. “Wanna hear one?”

“Sure,” You agree, and he beams at you, scooting his chair closer to yours and setting the book flat on its spine so you can see the pages. 

“This one is called ‘If You Forget Me,’” Johnny murmurs, and begins reading the poem aloud to you. His voice is a soothing hum that almost fades into the background and gradually, your eyes trail from the words on the page to his hands and up to his face—you swear you could count each of his eyelashes—where you falter, mesmerized by his handsome features. It takes you a moment to realize when Johnny stops reading, and yet another moment still to realize that he’s watching you watch him. 

When you do finally catch on, you can’t seem to move away, intrigue keeping you rooted in place as Johnny studies your features before settling on gazing directly and plainly at your lips. You don’t know how long you two sit there, far too close for strangers, but you do know that it startles both of you when your phone’s ringtone sounds out in the previously silent library. 

As you fumble for your phone, you avoid the disapproving stares from other students and answer the call, ducking down to dodge the glares being shot your way.

“Soyeon, is there a reason you called instead of texted?” You mutter.

“I didn’t feel like typing.” You can hear her defensive pout, and you sigh in defeat, massaging your temple that’s not pressed to your phone. “We’re pulling up in front of the library with your food and a desire to go home.” She explains, and you groan, hurrying to pack your stuff up.

“An earlier heads up would be appreciated.” You gripe, closing your laptop with a loud noise, whispering an apology to your fellow library patrons.

“Sorry,” Soyeon huffs petulantly.

“I’ll be right out.” You mumble quietly, and you two bid your quick goodbyes before you hang up and turn to Johnny, apologies written all over your face. “My ride's here.”

“No worries,” Johnny assures you, leaning back in his chair in a relaxed slouch. “Have a good night—get home safe, alright?”

“Okay,” You smile, shouldering your bag. “Thanks again for the boba.”

“No problem.” He mirrors your smile and you offer a small wave before turning on your heel and power-walking to the exit. You rush towards Soojin’s black Jeep and climb into the backseat next to Yuqi.

“Your face is so sour, it’s like we interrupted something.” Soyeon teases, her eyes widening slightly when you stare blankly at her. “Did you and Loverboy talk or something?”

“Yeah,” You grouch, taking your bag of food when she offers it and sitting back in your seat as you take a sip of the boba. “Or something.” 

ii. “this is the start of something beautiful.” - ed sheeran, this.

“Dear, remember I have to leave early today,” Ms. Adams reminds you, and you nod, smiling up at her from your seat as you check in library books. “You’ll be fine to train the new hire, right?”

“Yep!”

“Excellent—I always know I can count on you.” She says warmly, waving goodbye before disappearing around the corner. You keep checking in books for…well, you don’t know how long it’s been, but it’s apparently been long enough for almost half the library patrons to clear out since you started scanning. 

You get up to stretch your limbs and head to the back room, settling down in your favorite chair and pulling your laptop onto your lap. Your progress into working on your essay is interrupted by a tentative knock on the door. 

“Must be the new hire,” You mumble, getting up to answer the door. To your surprise, you’re met with—

“Johnny?” You say, confused.

“Hey! I didn’t know you worked at the library.” He smiles good-naturedly at you and you can’t help but match it.

“Yeah; Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.” You answer. “You’re the new hire?”

“Sure am,” He smiles wider, puffing out his chest slightly, and you can’t help but laugh at his proud expression.

“Well, come on in.” You invite, stepping to the side to let him into the back room. He follows after you readily and slips his bag off his shoulder, placing it in the chair you gesture to. “I’ll walk you through the training in a second, but I’m assuming you know the Dewey decimal system, right?”

“Oh, yeah,” Johnny assures you. “Dewey and I go way back.”

You snort in amusement, and a sheepish grin overtakes his features.

“That wasn’t very cool, was it?”

“Oh, don’t worry, Johnny,” You reply with a teasing lilt, heading for the main library area. “I never thought you were cool.”

“Hey!”

“So those are the basics, really,” You finish off your explanation after what feels like ages of you just talking, and admittedly, your jaw is starting to ache.

“Seems painless enough.” Johnny nods slowly in understanding before clicking his tongue. “I got this.”

“Great!” You chirp.

“Are you still working on that essay?” Johnny asks curiously, and you sigh.

“Yep. It’s due this Friday.”

“I see, I see. Well, do you want me to reshelve these books,” Johnny pats the pile of books you checked in earlier, “while you work on it?”

“That would be amazing,” You admit, relief taking over your body as you shoot him a quick thumbs up and make your way back to your laptop. After an hour of just straight working, you jump in surprise when Johnny comes into the back room.

“Sorry,” He chuckles, hands raised in apology. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It’s okay,” You sigh, relaxing against the back of your chair. Johnny sits at the table, taking the seat to your left, and pulls out his laptop. The second he opens it, music starts playing—loudly—and you both jump in surprise. 

“Shit, sorry,” Johnny mumbles, trying to find out where the sound is coming from.

“No worries,” You say, trying to hold back a laugh, and Johnny finally turns off the music, smiling sheepishly at you. “That’s a good song,” You comment, wanting to ease his worries.

“You know that song?” He looks surprised, and you can’t help but snicker.

“Pretty much everyone knows Coldplay.”

“Okay, true,” Johnny agrees, and you smile, leaning back in your seat. “It plays at, like, all the parties, anyway.”

“It really does,” You laugh, and his eyes light up.

“You go to parties?” He asks curiously.

“I go from time to time, yeah,” You answer with a small shrug, and he chuckles, leaning back in his chair.

“Did you hear what happened at the party on Saturday?” He asks, grinning mischievously.

“What, when that guy got the brilliant idea to try and do a keg stand and almost broke his wrist?” You laugh, and Johnny snorts loudly in amusement.

“That ‘guy’ is my friend, Taeyong—and he actually fractured it.” He informs you and you stop laughing abruptly, embarrassed.

“Sorry.”

It’s Johnny’s turn to laugh now, and he waves you off dismissively. “Don’t worry about it; I thought it was funny as hell.”

Sighing in relief, you shift in your seat to angle yourself more towards Johnny who, you can’t help but notice, is already facing you, his whole body pushed away from his computer.

“I have a question,” Johnny breaks the momentary silence, and you look at him with your eyebrows raised expectantly. “How have we been off each other’s radar this whole time? I mean, we're even in the same field of study!”

“Maybe we met at a party and forgot?” You supply, but Johnny shakes his head immediately.

“I would remember if I met you.” He says earnestly, and you try to ignore the way your cheeks warm up from the unexpected compliment.

“Yeah?” You want to smack yourself for how…simpering you sound, but it’s already out and there’s no taking it back.

“Yeah. You know the voices in my head?” Johnny asks, his lips turning up in a wry smile, and you nod with a laugh. “Haven’t shut up about you since we met.”

You blink at him, stunned. “Did you just indirectly tell me you haven’t stopped thinking about me since we met?”

“It wasn’t that indirect,” Johnny corrects, grinning as he rests his elbow on the table and chin in his hand, smiling contently as he watches you. “I’m not embarrassed.”

“Clearly,” You mumble, trying to conceal the nervous giggles bubbling up inside of you as he studies you without an ounce of shame. The unfamiliar tingle of vulnerability floods through every bit of you, anxious warmth spreading as you seem to channel every bit of nervousness you expected Johnny to feel. “Y’know…I haven’t stopped thinking about you either.” You mumble, and he raises an eyebrow in intrigue.

“Oh, yeah?” He moves closer just enough for you to notice but not enough to encroach on your space. “Cute.”

“Don’t let it get to your head.” You mutter, narrowing your eyes at him in a joking manner.

“It’s already up there.” He replies, grinning as he taps his temple with one finger.

“Oh, boy.” You can’t help but laugh, and his face brightens as he watches you.

“Very cute.” He hums, and you splutter in surprise, waving your hand at him dismissively.

“Shut up.”

“Make me.”

“Oh, you’re one of those?” You raise an eyebrow.

“One of those…?” He waits for you to finish.

“Brats.” You finish, and he bursts out laughing, his laughter only building when you look at him with narrowed eyes. “What’s so funny?”

“I’m far from a brat.”

You let out a skeptical hum. “I dunno…If it looks like a duck and talks like a duck—”

“You want me to prove it to you?” It’s his turn to raise his eyebrows, and his voice drops lower as he takes on a serious yet suggestive expression, and you yelp in alarm, waving him off in surrender.

“That’s fine—you’re fine, don’t prove it!” You exclaim, and he starts laughing all over again. This time, you can’t help but join him. “You’re a menace.”

“I know.” 

“What are the chances of us watching something I wanna watch?” Soojin whines, and Soyeon huffs.

“I wanna watch this, though.” She says, gesturing to some cheesy rom-com on the screen.

“We should just take a vote.” You suggest, but Yuqi shakes her head.

“There are four of us…what if we tie?” She points out, and you lean against the wall, exhaling loudly.

“Then I won’t vote. Yuqi, be the tiebreaker?” You offer, and they pause before shrugging. “Great. Be right back.” You head to your room and grab your favorite blanket, coming back just in time to catch Soyeon sulking while Soojin smiles brightly.

“I swear, you two bicker like you’re Tom & Jerry.” You snicker, setting up your spot on the couch.

“We wouldn’t bicker so much if Soyeon didn’t pick on me,” Soojin says pointedly, staring at Soyeon accusingly.

“I don’t pick on you—”

“Okay!” Yuqi cuts them off with a loud clap. “Can we start the movie? Our food is gonna come soon.”

“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.” Soyeon mumbles. “Hey, wait—speaking of: how are you and Loverboy?” She wiggles her eyebrows at you suggestively and you narrow your eyes.

“His name is Johnny. And we’re fine—wait, why did food remind you of Johnny?”

“Because he’s a snack,” Soyeon blinks at you like it’s obvious. “Duh.”

“…Can we evict her?” You ask. “I seriously think we should evict her.”

“Aw, come on, that was funny!” Soyeon complains.

“It wasn’t.” You, Soojin, and Yuqi pipe up in unison, looking at each other in surprise before laughing.

“Great, you’re bonding over my misery.” Soyeon gripes, and Yuqi throws a pillow in her direction.

“Are not, you big baby.” Yuqi laughs, and a knock on the door halts any further discussion. “I’ll get it!” She hops up, rushing to the apartment door and opening it. Out of sight, you hear distant voices and Yuqi’s chirpy, “Thank you! Have a nice night!” She rounds the corner with four bags of food, looking more than a little overwhelmed.

“Come put it here,” You urge, moving to help her, but she manages to set the bags down just in time before she drops them. Going through the bags, you each pick out your respective orders before collapsing back onto the couch.

“Can we start the movie now?” Soojin asks excitedly, and Soyeon gestures at the screen, where the title screen of ‘She’s The Man’ is displayed. 

“Go ahead.” She replies, grumbling slightly, and you all settle into your spots as the movie starts. As expected, however, less than twenty minutes into the movie, you’ve paused it and are now just lying on the couch talking to each other.

“You know what’s so strange about Johnny?” You say, and Yuqi looks up at you, chewing her food in slightly puffed-out cheeks. “We both have this very weird feeling that we’ve met before.” 

“Well, maybe you have,” Soyeon answers. “Like, at a party or something.”

“We definitely haven’t,” You reply, screwing up your face in thought. “Johnny says he’d definitely remember that.”

“Ooh, did he, now?” Soyeon teases, and you groan, kicking the air in her direction.

“Yes, he did,” You reply, fighting down the smile that threatens to reveal itself at the memory of Johnny that day at the library. “I still can’t believe he got a job at the library, like, shortly after we met…what a weird coincidence.”

“Maybe it’s not a coincidence.” Soojin says slowly. “Maybe it’s the universe trying to tell you something.”

“Pfft, yeah, right.” You snort dismissively, shooting her a skeptical look. “What message could that be? That we’re destined for each other or something?”

“Well, maybe you two came into each other’s lives for a reason!” She defends, and you pause at that, looking up thoughtfully.

“Okay, I’ll go with that for now.” You agree, and Soojin smiles, pleased with herself as she takes another bite of her food. “Okay, enough about me, uh…Soyeon!” Soyeon looks up from her food, mouth practically bulging with food and her expression like a deer in headlights. You two blink at each other. “Okay, never mind.” You say, and she looks back down at her food. “Oh, yeah—Yuqi, how’s that code you were trying to beat last night? Did you figure it out?”

“Yeah, I forgot a stupid semicolon in the middle of the function I was using to loop through my array.” She announces proudly, and you and Soojin look at each other and back to Yuqi.

“I’m gonna pretend I know what that means,” You say cheerily, and Soojin nods in agreement.

“I hate when that happens,” Soyeon groans, and Yuqi and she share a look that you and Soojin assume is one of understanding.

“Yeah, me too.” Soojin sympathizes, and Soyeon looks over at her with a blank expression.

“Didn’t you just say you don’t know what that means?” 

“Well, yeah, but I wanted to be a part of it, so I made a joke.” Soojin mutters, slightly grouchy, and you nudge her with your shoulder.

“It made me smile,” You comfort her, and she smiles at you.

“Can we finish this movie so we can go to bed? I’m sleepy.” Yuqi complains, gesturing at the paused screen, and you all mumble your agreement.

“Yeah, next person to pause the movie has to do dishes for the next three days.” Soyeon says, and you grimace. 

“Deal.”

iii. “and i dreamed last night that you loved me.” - omara portuondo, si llego a besarte.

You’re in the kitchen, finishing up the meal so you can eat it, and you’re so focused on what you’re doing that you don’t notice when Johnny comes up behind you, resulting in a violent flinch when you feel his presence out of nowhere.

“Hi, beautiful.” His voice is low, a murmur as he wraps his arms around your waist. “Didn’t mean to scare you,” He chuckles, pushing past your hair to press a kiss to your cheek.

“Did too.” You mumble petulantly, your heart still racing.

“Didn’t,” He assures you, his hands unwrapping from around you to hold your waist. “I just missed you.”

“Well, the damage is done,” You huff. “My heart’s pounding.”

“Oh, yeah?” Johnny’s voice has a playful lilt to it, and you don’t catch onto his intentions until it’s a moment too late and his hands are spinning you around to face him. 

“Wh—Johnny—”

“I’m making it up to you,” He replies innocently, and brings you closer to him, pressing your head against his chest before starting to sway you two from side to side rhythmically.

“There’s no music.” You point out, and he shrugs.

“Don’t need it.” 

“I would argue that you do.”

“Well, I would argue that you should stop arguing and embrace this little moment we’re sharing.”

“…Fine.” 

“Great.” You can feel his smile as he presses his lips to the top of your head in a fond kiss. “Heads up!” He chirps before leaning down, dropping you into a low dip and laughing as you yelp.

“Johnny!” You exclaim in a hushed voice.

“Why are you whispering?” Johnny snickers. “We’re all alone,” He hums the last part, teasing you, and goosebumps erupt on your skin. “Which means I can do this,” He chuckles, leaning in and gently bumping the tip of his nose against yours before standing you both up.

You laugh in delight as he spins you and only laugh harder as he presses loud, obnoxious kisses to your face. He pauses when his lips are hovering over yours, and you swallow the excitement and nerves building in your throat.

He leans in to kiss you, his lips just barely brushing against yours, and—

You sit straight up in bed, breathing hard. The entirety of your body is warm and buzzing with anxious energy as you look around your dark room as if Johnny could be lurking in the shadows, waiting to jump out. 

He is doing no such thing. 

What is most jarring to you, however, is the overwhelming feeling of déjà vu. You just met Johnny the other day, so why did your dream feel so goddamn familiar?

You begin to realize that something weird is going on…and you’re going to figure out what it is.

“You had a horny dream about a hot guy you met,” Soyeon says slowly, flipping her French toast in the pan. “That’s not abnormal.”

“First of all, it was barely horny. But, no, I’m so serious—it felt like it had already happened.” You explain, stressing the last couple of syllables. “I feel like you’re not getting me.”

“You’re right,” Soyeon agrees, turning to face you with her hand on her hip. “I’m not getting you.”

“Before it got a little…frisky,” You try to recount the memory as carefully as possible, “I just felt this overwhelming…calmness? Like I—I felt…”

“Calm?” Soyeon supplies unhelpfully.

You blink at her impassively. “Safe.” You answer finally, brows furrowing thoughtfully. “I felt safe.”

“That sounds soft as hell,” Soyeon mumbles, balking when you glare at her. “Soft in a good way! Like…domestic.”

“I’ve never felt like that before.” You mutter, looking down at your hands. “Vulnerable but, like, okay with it.”

“That sounds like love,” Soojin chimes in as she makes her way into your now-crowded kitchen. “Who’s in love?” She asks curiously, peering at both of you.

“No one!” You exclaim. She looks at you for an uncomfortably long time. “We were talking about a dream I had–”

“Where she was in love,” Soyeon snickers, dragging out the word. “And horny.”

“I was not–it was barely horny–”

“Aw, with Johnny?” Soojin coos as she and Soyeon bulldoze over your voice like you’d never even spoken, and you slump in your chair, crossing your arms and pulling out your phone to glower at its bright screen.

“Yep,” Soyeon answers smugly, reaching for another piece of bread. She looks from the bread in her hand to the mix she made for the French toast and back at the bread before sighing loudly.

“What’s wrong?” You ask.

“Made too much mix,” She mutters.

“That’s what you get for teasing me.” You smile to yourself, and she glowers at you.

“Shut up. Do you want French toast?”

“Nope.”

“Fuck. Soojin?”

“Hm?” She looks up from her phone with a start.

“Want some French toast?” 

“Nah, I want something salty.” 

“No one’s gonna help me eat this?” Soyeon complains.

“Help you eat what?” Yuqi comes into the now very crowded kitchen, drying her hair with a towel.

“Made too much French toast,” Soyeon grumbles.

“I’ll eat some.” Yuqi offers, and Soyeon brightens up, turning back to the stove and continuing to cook. “What are you guys bickering about now?”

“She’s in love with Johnny,” Soyeon says far too casually, pointing back at you with her thumb. Yuqi turns to you, mouth agape, and you growl under your breath.

“I am not in love, damn it!”

“Then why are you having romantic dreams about him?” Soyeon shoots back.

“I don’t know!” You groan, rubbing your face in a failed attempt to calm yourself. “I don’t know.”

“Try not to read into it too much,” Yuqi says comfortingly. “Maybe it was just because you’re starting to like him?”

Resignation looms over you like a thundercloud, rumbling and hovering threateningly, and you sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. 

“It feels like more than that, but…I got nothing, so I guess I’ll leave it alone.” You mutter. 

“That’s the spirit! Now, Yuqi, come get your French toast.” Soyeon beckons Yuqi closer, and Yuqi approaches eagerly, plate already extended.

“You should make French toast more often.” Yuqi hums pleasantly after taking a bite of one of the pieces.

“I can’t,” Soyeon shudders. “The mix-to-bread ratio is going to make my hair fall out.”

“You’re so dramatic.” You laugh.

She shrugs. “Just like you.”

“Wha—rude!”

The library is at medium-full capacity, people spread out in the main area, and the comforting smell of books surrounds you, bringing a smile to your face as you head to the front desk to check in for work.

You’re signing the timesheet when you hear shuffling behind you and you look over your shoulder to see Johnny standing behind you with his phone out and a small frown on his face as he studies it.

“Hey,” You say after a moment’s hesitation. Seeing him in person is making the dream from the other night push to the forefront of your mind again, and butterflies flutter frantically in your stomach as you make eye contact.

“Hey,” Johnny replies, meeting your gaze for a moment before his brows furrow slightly and he looks back down at his phone.

“I’m done signing in,” You inform him in a small voice, handing him the pen. “It’s all yours.”

Johnny clears his throat. “Thanks.” He moves forward and takes the pen from your hand only to drop it in surprise when your fingers touch slightly. “Sorry,” Johnny’s apology comes out in a breathless, nervous chuckle as he bends down to pick the pen up.

You decide to write his odd behavior off, deciding that maybe you’re just projecting your nerves onto him, and head to the back room lounge, taking a seat in your favorite chair at the table. 

Johnny walks in a moment later, pointedly avoiding eye contact, and your brows furrow in confusion as he pulls up a chair to the same table and sits down, all without turning his head in your direction.

“How was your weekend?” You ask softly, and he finally spares you a glance, albeit a bewildered one.

“It, uh…it was good.” He answers finally. “How was yours?”

“Good,” You reply, nibbling your bottom lip nervously. The silence that follows your statement is thick and overbearing, and that cloud that loomed over you this past weekend slowly starts to manifest above your head once more. 

“Johnny.” You say, not in the mood to beat around the bush. 

“Hm?”

“I know why I’m being weird…why are you being weird?” You ask plainly, and you watch as he reaches up and rubs the back of his neck, eyes shyly moving to look at you before looking back down at the table.

“…I had a dream the other night,” Johnny breaks the tense silence, and your brows raise in intrigue. “You were in it.”

You swallow thickly in an attempt to soothe your now dry throat. “What, um…what were we doing?”

“We were in the kitchen,” Johnny answers slowly, and you could swear your heart stops beating for a second. “You, um…you were cooking dinner, and I came in the kitchen and—”

“I think I had the same dream,” You cut him off quickly, cheeks blazing as you recall the romantic turn that it took.

Johnny’s eyes widening, he sits forward in his seat. “No way.”

“Way.” You confirm, and he laughs in surprise, running a hand through his hair. 

“But it didn’t…feel like a dream.” Johnny explains. You remember the incredibly safe feeling you had that night, as well as the feeling that— “it felt more like a memory.”

“Yes!” You sit up straight in shock. “Exactly; it felt like I’d been there before.” 

“Well, I’m glad I’m not alone,” He laughs, relief plainly on his face. “What do you think it means?”

“I don’t know.” You sigh. “I really don’t know. It might not mean anything,” You say, regretting the words the moment you see Johnny deflate slightly. “Got any ideas?” You immediately try to remedy the situation, and a bit of the light returns to Johnny’s eyes.

“Do you know about soulmates?” Johnny asks, and you freeze, blinking down at your hands.

“Kinda,” You reply slowly. “I know that the theory is that some people have a soulmate, and some people don’t…and that there are a bunch of different ways to be linked to someone.”

“Yeah.” Johnny opens his phone again, scrolling through it for a moment before his voice breaks the silence again. “Do you believe in soulmates?”

“Kind of,” You mutter.

“What do you mean by ‘kind of?’” You can feel Johnny’s curious gaze practically boring holes into the side of your head.

“I think they might exist,” You answer simply, idly fiddling with the zipper on your pencil case. “I don’t think I have one, though.”

“What makes you say that?” Johnny sounds almost defensive, and you can’t deny that it takes you by surprise. Shifting your gaze to meet his, you’re met with his furrowed brows and his heart-shaped lips curved into a slight frown.

You decide then and there that you don’t like seeing him frown.

“I just…I don’t know,” You laugh, but it’s hollow. “I feel like there’s a one in a million chance that someone has a soulmate, and I just don’t think I’m that one. I don’t think I’m that lucky.”

“I see.” Johnny nods thoughtfully. “I was doing some research earlier,” He says, showing you his phone for a moment. You shift closer to read over his shoulder, and you see the word “soulmate” in the header, immediately piquing your interest. “Do you want me to send it to you or should I read some of it out loud?”

“Uh, both.” You stammer. You think back to the day you two met and how he read a Pablo Neruda poem to you; his voice was low and soothing and was a breath of fresh air with the security and comfort it gave you.

“Okay.” He looks at you with a small smile, and the butterflies in your stomach seem to return with a vengeance, fluttering around in a frenzy. You avert your gaze after a moment of solid eye-contact, and heat flares up all throughout your body when you can still feel him looking at you. 

“Read,” You huff with a laugh, nudging his arm with your shoulder. “The words are on your phone, not my face.”

“Maybe your face is nicer to look at.”

“Johnny—”

“Alright, I’ll stop,” He laughs, turning his attention to his phone. “But only because you sound cute when you whine.”

“I wasn’t whining.”

“Sure, you weren’t.” His voice drips skepticism, and you narrow your eyes at him. “I’m reading!” He defends himself before you even get the chance to scold him, and a laugh slips from you before you can stop it. 

As Johnny starts to read the article, you zone out almost immediately, instead focused on the way his voice wraps around you like a tight, warm hug. Every dip and raise in his inflection feels like you’re being gently swayed from side to side, and you don’t think you ever want it to end. You think back to the dream you had; how domestic it had all felt, how safe you felt—it was like no harm could come to you.

You think, for a moment, that there may be an echo of that comfort that resides solely in Johnny’s voice, and how this man sitting next to you has managed to make you feel safer in a matter of days than anyone you know ever has.

Your name being called snaps you out of your reverie, and you jolt slightly, turning to look at him.

“Did that make sense?” He asks, and your mouth goes dry. He raises an eyebrow in amusement. “You didn’t hear a word I said.”

“I didn’t hear a word you said,” You admit sheepishly, and his eyes crinkle, a mischievous glint to them as he smiles teasingly at you.

“What were you thinking about?” He asks with a lilt that suggests he already knows, and you balk, looking in a far corner of the room you two sit in as if it holds a suitable distraction.

“Get your head out of the gutter,” You huff, and he wiggles his brows at you with a cheeky grin. “It was just about your voice.”

“My voice?” He sounds surprised, and when you manage to look at him again, his expression is thoughtful. His eyes slide over to meet yours and his eyes get that cheeky little twinkle again, his lips curling into a smug, toothy grin as he leans closer to you, bending down to maintain eye contact when you duck your head. “So you like my voice, huh?”

“I’m gonna get you fired, Johnny.” It’s an empty threat and he knows it, the poorly restrained smile curling your lips serving as a clear indicator that you’re joking.

“Don’t interfere with a man and his money.” He warns you, narrowing his eyes right back at you and pointing a threatening finger at you.

“You’re about as threatening as my childhood teddy bear.” You huff dismissively, and have to clap a hand over your mouth to muffle the laugh that bursts out at his offended gasp.

“I can be threatening!” He exclaims defensively.

“Sure you can,” You hum, patting his hand comfortingly. “Just not to me.”

“You’re something else, you know that?” 

“Sure do.” You answer, unbothered. “Now what was the article saying?”

“Oh, yeah!” He sits up straighter. “It said that soulmates exist over several lifetimes, and that—”

“Several lifetimes?” 

“Hush.”

“Sorry.” You mutter sheepishly.

“It’s okay. They exist over several lifetimes, getting reincarnated with a new body and the same soul and, therefore, the same link. Sometimes,” Johnny looks back at his phone for a moment, “these past lives and select memories may manifest as dreams—” He looks at you pointedly. “—that serve as guides to help the souls find each other in their current lifetime.”

“…Wow.” You mumble.

“Yeah.” He lets out a low whistle. “I mean it’s not definite, but I don’t think it’s a coincidence. That could also explain how I guessed your drink order the other day.”

“Mhm,” You hum distractedly, your mind racing. The notion of having a soulmate is almost laughable to you, because you have a hard time believing you could be that lucky. 

However, as you look at the hope shining in Johnny’s eyes as he observes you and note the growing feeling of excitement in your stomach, you think there may be some truth to it.

iv. “i keep getting this dizzy feeling, this dangerous feeling.” - chungha, roller coaster.

“Ah, fuck,” You mutter to yourself. The book in your hand scrapes uselessly against the top shelf you’re trying to put it in, just ever so slightly out of reach. “Johnny?” You whisper into the aisle, hoping your voice is just loud enough to get his attention but quiet enough to avoid the wrath of the students in the library. “Johnny?” You try again a bit louder. After no response, you sigh and turn back to the shelf, only to flinch at Johnny’s sudden appearance, a startled yell ringing throughout the library. The resounding shushes make you wince, thankful to be concealed in the aisle.

“Sorry,” He laughs.

“You scared me,” You exhale slowly, and he smiles apologetically.

“What’d you need?” He asks, and you hand him the book you’re holding.

“I can’t put this in its place,” You say, frowning, and he mimics your expression playfully.

“Poor you,” Johnny teases. “You’re too short—”

“I’m not short,” You argue. “This bookshelf is unnecessarily tall.”

“Okay!” He puts his hands up in surrender before reaching up and putting the book away. 

“Thank you, John.” You huff, and he raises an eyebrow.

“John?” He asks curiously.

“It’s a nickname.” You explain slowly, raising your eyebrows back at him.

“You must like me,” Johnny chuckles. “I mean, if you’re giving me a nickname.”

“Mm, you’re alright, I guess.” You hum, turning back to the bookshelf.

Johnny snickers and leans down so his lips are by your ear, his hand resting on the small of your back. “That’s it?” He muses softly. “Just ‘alright,’ yeah?”

“Yeah,” You say slowly, refusing to let on how he’s affecting you. 

“You’re difficult,” He murmurs, and a thrill runs up your spine as his lips graze your ear. “What’s it take to please you, hm?” His comment’s underlying message doesn’t go unnoticed, and you freeze halfway through grabbing a new book. 

“Very funny, Johnny.” You mumble.

“Who’s laughing?” He asks curiously, voice hushed as his fingers dance along your lower back. “I genuinely want to know.”

“You want to know how to please me, Johnny?” You press, turning your head to face him slightly—he doesn’t move back, resulting in your lips barely an inch away, so you turn back around. “What could you possibly mean by that?”

“What do you think I mean?” He dodges your question and you roll your eyes.

“Stop being evasive.” You huff, and his responding chuckle has the hairs on the back of your neck standing up, a buzz of excitement running through your body.

“So you like when I’m direct?” He asks, and you, against your better judgment, nod. “Then here you go.” He lets the lobe of your ear slip between his lips in an almost-kiss before he murmurs, “I think you should thank your lucky stars that we’re not alone in this library right now.”

“Yeah?” You want to sound challenging, but all that leaves you is a breathy mumble.

“Yeah.” His fingers press into the skin of your lower back before he pulls away. “But you’ll see what I mean later—after all, we’re closing up together.” When you whip your head around to face him, he lifts his eyebrows suggestively before heading out of the aisle, leaving you to stare at his back in stunned silence.

Sneaking a glance at the time, you jolt when you see the numbers 11:15pm staring back at you. Whatever Johnny meant by seeing what he meant would be coming much sooner than expected—in about 45 minutes, to be exact. Every time you cross paths with Johnny, it seems as if he’s already been looking at you, his unwavering stare making your skin tingle with anticipation and excitement. 

Once the last group of patrons starts packing up to leave the library, you start to prepare to close up for the night. You breeze by Johnny in a random bookshelf aisle, only to yelp when he wraps an arm around your forearm and tugs you towards him so you crash against his chest unceremoniously.

“Johnny!” You whisper loudly, and he chuckles, gazing down at you fondly. “I need to do a sweep of the library,” 

“Wait for just a moment, yeah?” He murmurs sweetly. “I wanna talk to you.”

“Talk to me or stare at me like you’ve been doing all night?” You ask pointedly, and he smirks.

“Something you wanna get off your chest?”

“Yeah,” You huff. “Stop staring at me.”

“Is it bothering you?”

“I wouldn’t ask you to stop if it wasn’t bothering me.” You reply, staring up at him with an unimpressed expression.

“Maybe I don’t want to stop.” He shrugs, moving closer to you, and your throat dries up as you realize just how close you two are. You can smell the mint gum he’s chewing, the fresh linen scent of his clothing, and you could count each of his lashes if you tried hard enough, you think. “Maybe I like looking at you.”

“Why?” You furrow your brows, frustrated, and it’s Johnny’s turn to look unimpressed.

“Why?” He echoes, looking at you pointedly. “Because you’re gorgeous, maybe that’s why.” He takes an experimental step toward you and smiles mischievously when you step back reflexively. “Maybe I like watching you bustle around the library.” 

“Are you flirting with me?” You ask incredulously.

“I have been for ages, but I’m glad you’re all caught up now.” He replies patronizingly, and you roll your eyes. 

“Ages—Johnny we’ve known each other for, like, what? Three weeks, maybe?” You laugh in disbelief, and he smiles innocently, stepping closer to you again. It hits you, when the backs of your shoes hit the bookshelf behind you, that he’s been deliberately stalking towards you, backing you into a tight space with ease, and his lips curl into a sneaky smile when you both realize you’re exactly where he wants you to be.

“First of all, it has been three weeks—cute that you’re keeping track.” He teases, holding up one finger as you go to defend yourself. “Second of all…don’t tell me you don’t feel this, too.” His voice lowers to a suggestive murmur, and you avert your gaze immediately, his eyes too intense to handle.

“Johnny…” Your voice is quieter than you expected, your supposed warning sounding more timid than authoritative.

“Plus,” Johnny continues without acknowledging that you’ve even spoken, “I think we’ve known each other much longer than that…don’t you?” When you don’t respond, dazed and unmoving, he takes the opportunity to put one hand by your head and lean down so you’re face to face.

“You’re staring again,” You complain, and he chuckles quietly.

“This better?” He drops his gaze to your lips, and your eyes widen in a panic.

“No, it’s not!”

“Sorry,” He coos unapologetically. “Gotta make sure I don’t miss.” Before you can ask what the hell he means, he moves closer and seals his lips over yours.

Johnny’s kiss reveals far more about him than you expect it to—namely, the amount of restraint he’s been exhibiting these past couple of weeks. He starts slow, with careful movements of his lips against yours, not yet daring to up the ante until he’s sure you won’t back out. 

It’s not until you clutch the fabric of his shirt and pull him closer to you that he allows himself to let loose a bit and indulge in his fantasies. He brings you even closer to him with a guiding hand on your hip, his thumb slipping under your sweater to stroke the bare skin there. He angles his head just a bit more to the side so he can part your lips better and ease his tongue into the mix, and your content hum only spurs him on further. 

He steps forward confidently, backing you up towards the bookshelf, and nips at your bottom lip, tugging it between his teeth gently. You sigh his name, syllables laced with desire, and there’s a shift in the atmosphere so sudden—yet deliberate—that it’s practically palpable. Johnny grips your hips tightly and presses himself against you, roughly pushing you up against the bookshelf behind you, which gives slightly under the sudden added weight of you both, but that’s the least of your worries as Johnny groans wantonly into the kiss.

“Been thinking about doing this for ages.” He admits shamelessly, his hands pushing their way under your sweater to the underside of your bra to caress your breasts, greedy, eager fingers seeking out, finding, and pinching your nipples through the thin fabric concealing them. The appreciative sound you let out in response, though partially swallowed by Johnny’s searing kisses, drives Johnny one step closer to insanity. One hand abandons your breast to snake behind you and deftly unhook your bra, returning to your front so he can push the undergarment above your breast, an air of triumph about him as he grins into the kiss. 

Large hands cup your breasts, kneading the supple flesh as Johnny’s knee nudges itself between your legs and he breaks the kiss to travel down your neck to your chest, his mouth alternating between leaving addicting kisses and nipping so roughly it draws out weak whines from your buzzing lips.

He slips a hand between your legs, caressing your inner thighs before stroking along the seat of your pants, the heel of his palm pressing against your concealed core just enough to be pleasurable but not enough to relieve any of the tension rapidly growing between your legs. 

His mouth, however, is on a different mission as he kisses wet spots around your nipple, trailing his tongue around the areola teasingly before looking up at you curiously. He huffs in amusement when he sees your frustrated frown and takes your nipple into his mouth, eliciting a whine from you. You cover your mouth with your hand only for Johnny to tug it away from your lips.

“I wanna hear you,” He says, his gaze pinning you in place. If you weren’t certain you were about to have the issue handled, you would have to have a moment of embarrassed silence for the way warmth blooms between your thighs, arousal starting to stain a damp spot into the seat of your underwear.

He drops down to his knees so he’s level with your chest and sucks your nipple, tugging it with his teeth gently and chuckling at the appreciative hiss you let out. He swirls his tongue around the raised bud, sucking on it and letting it slip from his lips with loud, wet sounds repeatedly.

Your brain feels like it’s working overtime, your mind straining to hear the whereabouts of the other patrons of the library, and when you move to peer around the bookshelf, you’re relieved to see the last of the patrons exiting the library, the door shuttling quietly behind them. Your glimpse of their retreating back is short lived, Johnny pushing on your shoulder so you’re flattened up against the bookshelf once more. 

He sponges kisses across your chest, moving to repeat his actions on your other breast, while his fingers unbutton your jeans, clumsily yanking them down to your mid-thigh so he can slip his hand into your underwear, tracing circles around your clit teasingly.

“Fuck,” You gasp when he catches it between two fingers and pinches it gently, your hips involuntarily canting upwards towards his touch.

“Fuck—step out,” He grunts distractedly, now more focused on peeling your jeans off down to your ankles as he dots languid kisses to the swell of your breasts. Once you step out of your bottoms, he hooks his fingers in your underwear and makes them follow the same route as your pants, dropping them on the floor carelessly before returning his gaze to your now bare core. He spreads your legs wider, hungry eyes roving over your bare thighs and glistening pussy, and groans under his breath as one hand moves, possibly subconsciously, to palm his length through his pants. “So fucking pretty,” He murmurs in awe, and your face floods with heat. “Can I have a taste? Hm?” He’s lilting like he’s teasing you, but his eyes look as if they’re pleading with you, the desperation so raw and pure that it forces a nod out of you before you even know what you’re doing.

He drapes one of your legs over his shoulder and brings his face closer to your core, pressing experimental kisses up your thighs and watching your reaction as you squirm under his touch impatiently.

“Johnny,” You complain quietly, your voice cracking as it attempts to sound out above a whisper, and he nods, attaching his mouth to your core without any further pressing. 

“So wet—” You’re not even sure he’s talking to you, his eyes half-lidded and glazed over as he mumbles into your pussy, groaning in bliss as he drags his tongue up your folds in slow, heavy, purposeful strokes. He laps at your arousal before he reaches up and spreads you open for him, focusing the tip of his tongue on flicking your clit back and forth rapidly. A loud exhale of surprise slips out of you, and he gently tugs your hood up so he can devote his actions to stimulating the small bundle of concentrated nerves.

“Please,” You find yourself gasping, eyes rolling back as your head tips back to rest on the bookshelf. “Please, please, please.” You don’t even know what exactly you’re begging for, but you know that what Johnny’s doing feels incredible, your hips rolling up to meet his mouth with every movement, and you don’t want him to stop.

“S’good, fuck,” He moans wantonly, partially slurring his words, before sucking your little bundle of nerves into his mouth and humming around it, sending delicious vibrations up through your body, the sensation buzzing deliciously and dizzying you. He’s so engrossed in your clit, laving over it with his lips and tongue, that you don’t notice his free hand moving towards your entrance until he breaks away from you to stick two fingers into his mouth, loudly sucking on them before pulling them away. A string of clear saliva trails between the and his bottom lip, the connection breaking when he brings his hand between your legs and presses the slick digits into you slowly. 

His eyes watch you in wonder, eagerly drinking up every micro-expression you make at the feeling of his slender digits moving inside of you. He curls his fingers towards himself and starts to stroke along your inner walls teasingly and experimentally until he locates the fleshy patch of nerves that makes you gasp loudly. 

“There we go,” He mutters triumphantly, grinning as he starts to fuck his fingers into you while he returns the attention of his mouth and tongue to your folds and clit. With his wide, fat tongue devouring every bit of arousal your pussy leaks out, his nose nuzzling against your clit in an almost-just-not-enough rhythmic movement, and his skilled fingers stimulating your g-spot, it’s only a matter of time before you climax, and you do so loudly, an uncharacteristic whine falling from your desperate lips as you buck your hips towards his face, lips, tongue, fingers, everything. 

His fingers don’t stop pistoning in and out of you, his mouth falling away to press hot, wet kisses to your stomach as he smoothly and deftly finger-fucks you to the edge of another climax, this one building so intensely that it feels like your legs are going to give out.

“This time, say my name.” It’s a wonder you can understand him, his words almost completely slurred as he watches in adoration as your pussy takes his fingers. 

You oblige—you were probably going to do that, anyway—and whisper his name loudly, your voice cracking on the last syllable into a plaintive whimper when your second climax rolls over you, wracking your body like ocean waves. Only once your body’s stopped reflexively moving to meet him in your orgasmic state does Johnny remove his fingers. He stands up and starts freeing his length from his pants and boxers with one hand while the two fingers previously inside of you get stuffed into his mouth, his eyes gazing intently into yours as he licks and sucks them clean of your arousal.

You watch in awe and mild fear as he strokes his length, his large fist pumping up and down slowly, and rubs his thumb into his slit every time he reaches the reddened head of his cock.

“Please tell me I don’t have to go hunt down a condom.” He half-grunts, half-laughs, and you nod in a daze, still wondering how the fuck you’re going to fit all of him inside of you.

“Pill,” is all you can think hard enough to say, and his shoulders sag in relief, moving towards you and nestling the head of his cock between your thighs. 

“You ready?” He asks gently, and you nod, feeling more at ease when his free hand links with your own and squeezes encouragingly. “Deep breath.” He urges softly as he pushes into you, and you suck in a loud breath, whispering swears under your breath as the feeling of his length filling you up leaves you breathlessly. “Good girl,” He coos, and you moan weakly, your voice cracking pathetically as he pulls out slightly and starts to thrust into you, building a rhythm that has you digging your nails into his hand to keep from crying out.

“Johnny,” You whine, dragging the syllables out as he fucks into you, and he groans in response, his free hand gripping your hip to steady himself as he delivers long, deep, hard strokes.

“So tight,” He hisses, his head falling forward as he bites down on his bottom lip. When he angles his hips just right so they hit a spot that has you unable to contain your moans any longer, you tug on his shirt to pull his lips to yours, the passionate kiss silencing your pathetic whimpers into his mouth. You can taste yourself on his tongue and it only adds to the heat of the moment, reality sinking in as you realize with a thrill of excitement that he’s fucking you—while you’re almost completely nude—in your campus’s public library, the doors not yet locked to ward off anyone who might want to enter.

“So good,” You gasp out desperately as he kisses the corner of your mouth. “Feels so good.”

“Taking me so well, look at you,” He praises, and you can feel whatever’s left of your self-control slipping away at the compliment. “Nice and deep, yeah? That’s how you like it?”

“Fuck—yes,” You stammer, slipping your hand between your legs to massage your clit and urge on your climax. “Johnny, I’m gonna–”

“Good,” He grunts, his brows furrowing in concentration. “Come for me, yeah?” 

Your clit practically aching with the pressure of your impending climax, you fall apart around him with a far too loud cry of his name and a string of expletives you’d rather not repeat. The release is nothing short of bliss, the coil wound tight in your belly finally snapping and filling you with pleasure that makes your jaw drop in ecstasy. You’re so engrossed in your orgasm that you only notice Johnny’s close behind you when his hand on your hip grips you with almost bruising strength.

He speeds up to a rapid pace, the unmistakable sound of skin slapping against skin resounding throughout the large library, and lets out a long, low groan as his head tips back and he releases into you, his climax only heightened when your walls flex and squeeze around his length, an involuntary shudder of pleasure traveling up his spine.

He comes to a stop, bottoming out in you, and hesitates, both of you catching your breath. After a moment, Johnny pulls out of you slowly and you cringe slightly at the sudden empty feeling. “That was—”

“Exhilarating,” You finish with a laugh, and he laughs with you, running a hand through his hair. 

“You know—…never mind.” Johnny starts but trails off as you bend down to put your jeans back on.

“What is it?” You ask curiously, and he looks down at the floor before looking back up at you hopefully.

“After we get all, um, cleaned up…I know this diner that’s still open, if you’re hungry.” He offers, and you smile warmly and nod.

“I’d love to.”

“So, Soyeon—you’ve met her, I think; she works with me at the café—is studying computer science.” You explain, and Johnny raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“Oh, that’s so cool,” He comments, and you nod with a smile, proud of your friend.

“It is! She wants to be a software engineer, which is fitting, in my opinion.” 

“Why do you say that?” Johnny asks curiously.

“She’s hopeless with machines and equipment; she’s a disaster at the café with the drink machines.” You chuckle fondly. “Literally just the other day, she got milk foam all over the counter because she couldn’t work the frother.” 

“Yikes,” Johnny winces sympathetically. “Good thing she has you, then.”

“Very true,” You agree. “Soyeon’s kind of a spitfire, really; spunky, sarcastic, and very dramatic. She and Soojin, another one of my roommates, bicker all the time; Soojin’s a sweetheart, a little spacey, but she has her fiery moments, you know? She’s going into nursing, and I can’t envision a better field for her—she’s just so caring and attentive. Then there’s Yuqi—wait, I’m sorry,” You pause, sheepishly laughing. “I’m just kind of rambling, aren’t I?”

“I love it,” Johnny assures you, paying rapt attention to you. “Go on, tell me about Yuqi.”

“Okay,” You say slowly, eyeing him to give him a chance to change his mind. When he raises his eyebrows expectantly and gestures for you to continue talking. “Yuqi is in computer science, too, but she wants to be a full stack developer.”

“I don’t know what that is,” Johnny admits, and you lean closer over the diner table, beckoning Johnny closer.

“I don’t really know, either.” You confess, continuing when Johnny grins, clearly amused, “I used to know, I swear! It just…slipped my mind temporarily, is all.”

“I’ll keep your secret,” Johnny promises, acting out zipping his lips shut and locking them. The gesture is far more endearing to you than you think Johnny’s aware of, his silly yet sincere reaction bringing a fond smile to your face.

“Yuqi’s probably the most responsible out of the four of us,” You say thoughtfully. “She’s almost always the voice of reason, but between you and me? That girl is a chaotic little devil when she’s got a couple of drinks in her.” You whisper, and Johnny laughs, his eyes crinkling cutely as he does.

“That reminds me of my friend Taeyong; he’s chill, a little quiet usually, but place him in a house party, and he…” He trails off, shaking his head in amusement.

“And he…does keg stands and gets himself injured.” You finish for him, and Johnny snickers.

“Exactly.” 

Your waiter comes up to your table with your orders, and your eyes light up as you reach to relieve him of your plate, an excited smile on your face as you stare down at your cheeseburger. When you look up at Johnny, he’s holding his phone up aimed at you, and you pause, lost. 

“Did you just take a picture of me?” You ask curiously, cocking your head to the side in confusion when he nods. “Why?”

“You just looked so happy,” He explains with a fond smile. “I wanted to save the memory.”

“Do I at least look good in it?” You ask hopefully, and he leans forward, beckoning you closer to him.

“You look beautiful.” Johnny says earnestly, and you freeze, not expecting such a sincere compliment.

“Maybe it’s the post-sex glow,” You joke, lowering your voice slightly, and Johnny chuckles.

“You know, I was just thinking about earlier, actually,” He says, and you raise your eyebrows in surprise.

“What were you thinking about?” You ask before you bite into a French fry.

“How we kind of…did this whole thing backwards.” He laughs sheepishly, gesturing between the two of you. “I was supposed to ask you out on a date before…the library,” He explains, and your face warms as you recall what took place less than an hour ago. “In my defense though, there were…extenuating circumstances.” He adds, and the edge to his attentive gaze raises questions in your mind.

“Oh, really? Like…?” You prompt, your voice trailing off as his gaze, far more intense than it has been since you set foot in this diner, unnerves you. You feel undressed and vulnerable all over again and you’d be lying if you said you weren’t thinking of scenarios involving Johnny, yourself, and being bent over this very table.

“Do I need to elaborate?” He questions, speaking slowly and deliberately, and you realize quickly that he’s probably got similar thoughts swimming around his mind. You shake your head, picking up a fry and eating it to avoid his probing gaze. “Noted.”

The thoughts and desires you’re experiencing are getting to be a bit overwhelming at this point, so you scramble to find something else to change the topic to. “So—what do you like to do? Like, in your spare time—I’m guessing photography is up there,” You say, gesturing to his phone on the table.

“It is,” Johnny confirms with a nod. “I have real equipment, too—cameras and stuff like that—but I make do with my phone most of the time. I also really like poetry; I go to a lot of open mics and poetry readings in my spare time.”

“Oh, yeah! Didn’t you read me a poem by Pablo Neruda the day we met?” You recall, and his eyes light up happily.

“You remembered,” He says, pleasantly surprised, and you nod, smiling. “Pablo Neruda is my favorite poet.” He says, and you hum thoughtfully.

“What else? I want to know more about you,” You urge him, sitting forward as the desire to get to know the male sitting in front of you builds and builds until it’s impossible to ignore.

“What do you want to know? That question is always so hard to answer,” He chuckles, a hint of nervousness creeping into his voice.

“You know what? It really is. I don’t even know why I asked it, because I never know what to say.” You can’t help but laugh at yourself and Johnny thankfully joins in.

“I feel the same way,” Johnny assures you. “Like, where do I start?”

“Yeah! Like, how deep am I going?” You agree emphatically. “Do you want to know my favorite color or, like, what keeps me up at night?” You say, half-joking, half-serious, and Johnny snorts loudly in amusement, the sound causing you to join him in laughing.

As the two of you sit there in the diner, snickering to each other about various little things, you can’t help but think that you could get used to this.

“Johnny.” You say flatly, not looking up from your laptop.

“Mm.”

“Johnny.”

“Mm.”

“John.” You finally turn to look at him, rolling your eyes as you take in the sight of him. He’s got his elbow on the table and his chin in his hand as he stares at you with glazed over, dreamy eyes and a dopey smile on his face.

“You know that you haven’t typed a word since you opened your laptop, right?” You ask, sighing loudly, and he blinks slowly, gradually rousing himself from his zoned-out state, and shifts his attention to his laptop, typing for barely ten seconds and returning to his previous position. “What did you even write?”

“My name,” He answers simply, turning his laptop towards you. You look at his screen and at the document open to see—

“Johnny, you didn’t even finish your name.” You laugh incredulously. “You typed ‘Johnny S.’ and left it at that.”

“She’ll know whose paper it is,” He defends himself. “There’s only one Johnny S. in the class.”

“Whatever,” You sigh, fighting back the amused smile that’s curling your lips. “Why are you staring at me?”

“I would like,” Johnny says slowly, turning your chair to face him, “some attention.”

“You realize you would get more attention if you let me finish my paper instead of just staring at me the whole time I’m trying to work…right?” You point out, and he wrinkles his brows thoughtfully.

“I’m more of an instant gratification kind of guy.” He replies with a teasing wiggle of his brows, and you roll your eyes, the snicker bubbling up inside of you escaping before you can restrain it. “See? You like it.”

“Shut up,” You mumble with a smile, turning your chair back to face your laptop. You can still feel Johnny looking at you, so you reach over and press two fingers to his cheek, gently pushing his head so he turns back to face his laptop. “Work.” You urge him, and he sighs in anguish so loudly that it garners several shushes and a few lingering judgmental stares from surrounding students. 

He does start to type again, thankfully, and the two of you work in a comfortable silence until—

“Are you serious, Johnny?” You half-groan, half-laugh as the sound of a snack wrapper crinkles beside you.

“I got hungry!” He retorts defensively, reaching in the bag and pulling out six individually packaged mini Kit-Kat bars, lining them up on the table neatly. “They’re matcha flavored,” He announces proudly, and you nod.

“That’s great, Johnny.” You say, and he smiles, clicking his trackpad a few times before standing up.

“Be right back—I printed something.” 

“Okay,” You whisper back, and he disappears around the corner. As you type, your gaze keeps drifting over to the matcha Kit-Kat bars, and you give into temptation, leaning over and taking one from the row. You unwrap the treat and pop it into your mouth, chewing quickly and stuffing the wrapper in the bottom of your bag. You swallow not a moment too soon as Johnny rounds the corner and comes back to his seat, sitting down and looking over the papers he just got from the printer.

You think you’re in the clear for several peaceful minutes until he reaches for a Kit-Kat bar and hesitates halfway there, his hand suspended in the air. He looks at the Kit-Kat bars and around the table before his eyes land on you, narrowing suspiciously as he points an accusing finger.

“You stole one of my Kit-Kat bars.” He says in surprise, and you look over at him as casually as possible.

“I did no such thing.” 

“You stole my snack!”

“I did not steal your snack!” You say in the exact tone someone who stole someone’s snack would use if they were trying to deny stealing someone’s snack.

“I had six Kit-Kat bars out here.” He points to the four snacks, and you look at them thoughtfully before shrugging and returning your attention to your laptop.

“Maybe you had five.” 

“Are you gaslighting me?” He gasps dramatically, and you snicker despite yourself.

“No.”

“…Fine. You definitely stole one of my snacks, though, which is one thing—but now you’re lying about it.” 

“I am not lying.” You lie.

“You know, I actually brought out six so I could have three and you could have three.” He admits, and you shift your attention to him out of the side of your eye. “But I don’t share with liars.”

You roll your eyes, your brows furrowing before you give in. “Fine.”

“Fine?”

“I stole one of your Kit-Kat bars,” You confess, and he raises his eyebrows, not surprised. 

“I know that.”

“Okay, great.” You reply, frowning. “…Can I have another one?”

“Hm…” Johnny taps his chin with a pensive look on his face, and you want to roll your eyes but exercise restraint, figuring you attract more flies with honey than vinegar. “Fine. But only because you look so cute when you pout.”

“I’m not pouting!” You whisper defensively, and he rolls his eyes.

“Sure, you’re not.” He says sarcastically. “I’ll trade you—a Kit-Kat for a kiss.”

“We’re in the library!” Your hushed response is as indignant and disbelieving as can be, and Johnny looks around as if it’s the first he’s hearing about your whereabouts.

“No one’s looking.” He points out.

“Someone could see us.” You whine quietly, and he blinks at you expressionlessly.

“So?” 

“You’re just gonna ask for more later.” You complain, and Johnny shrugs, taking a sip of his iced coffee.

“Not my problem.”

“You suck.”

“Less complaining, more kissing. You would have had your Kit-Kat by now if you just kissed me, you know.”

You narrow your eyes and lean over towards Johnny, the male meeting you the rest of the way and pressing his lips to yours in a brief kiss. You move to pull away, but he catches the back of your neck, pulling you back in with a low murmur of, “I know you can do better than that,” and swallowing your hushed yelp of surprise as he parts your lips with his tongue, the pink muscle flicking at the inside of your mouth. Your begrudging façade melts away as he nibbles at your bottom lip gently, and you hum contently into the kiss. He finally breaks the kiss, resting his forehead against yours and blinking at you with heavy-lidded eyes that, if you’re honest, make you want to skip the homework and pull him into a private study room.

“Can I have the Kit-Kat now?” You ask, and he chuckles.

“Baby, you can have the whole damn bag if you keep kissing me like that.”

“Why are you wrinkling your nose?” Johnny laughs, pulling you closer to him. Your legs tangling together under the covers, the two of you lie in his bed comfortably as a playlist of Johnny’s choosing plays quietly. 

“It smells like sex,” You huff, grimacing, and Johnny rolls his eyes.

“You’re so dramatic.”

“I have a sensitive nose!”

“Oh, really?” He asks, grinning mischievously as he leans in. “Well, your sensitive nose should learn to appreciate the scent of making love.” He wiggles his brows suggestively.

You lift your head up from his bare chest and stare at him blankly. “‘Making love’ sounds so cheesy,” You shudder, and Johnny splutters indignantly, propping himself up so suddenly that it sends you slipping off him to land on his mattress with an “oof.”

“‘Making love’ is romantic!”

“It’s cheesy.” You stick to your guns, and he playfully narrows his eyes at you.

“Would you rather I say ‘fucking you into the mattress?’” He raises an eyebrow, and you yelp in alarm, covering your ears.

“That’s just bad.” You frown disapprovingly.

“Well, what do you suggest, Little Miss Picky?” He asks, and you pause to think for a moment. 

“You could just call it ‘having sex,’” You suggest, and he rolls his eyes.

“Where’s the passion, the emotion, the love?” He complains, and it’s your turn to roll your eyes.

“It’s implied!”

“It most certainly is not!”

“Is too!”

“Is not!”

“Is too—y’know what?” You stop yourself, and Johnny looks at you expectantly.

“What?”

“Agree to disagree.” You propose, and he strokes his chin as he considers it. “…Tick tock, John.”

“Fine.” He agrees, and lies back down on the bed, pulling you back onto his chest. “Y’know, you’re the only person I let call me John.”

“Mm, really?” You hum softly, and he nods.

“Yeah. It sounds cute when you say it.” 

“I guess that makes me special.” You smile, and he scoffs.

“I think you knew that already, but I agree; it does make you special.” He presses a kiss to your forehead and you’re so content you could practically purr. The music drops in volume suddenly as Johnny’s phone dings from his nightstand, and you shift off of him so he can reach over and grab it, settling back down when he returns to his spot. “Oh, I totally blanked on that,” He mutters to himself as he reads the notification. “I just got a text from my family friend who’s getting married in about a month and a half—hey, wait; do you want to come with me to the wedding?”

“Really?” You ask, surprised. “Me?”

Johnny gives you an unimpressed look. “No, the other person lying in my bed. Yes, you.”

“Hm…” You pretend to think, stroking your chin much like Johnny had earlier.

“Oh, come on. Free food, free drinks, and time spent with yours truly,” He coaxes you in a singsong cadence.

“You actually had me at the free food and drinks.” You smile, patting his chest gently. “I can’t say no to that.”

“Wow,” He draws the word out as he fakes offense, shifting you and rolling on top of you as you laugh. “I’m hurt!” He huffs, but his widening smile as he leans down to kiss you says otherwise.

“I was kidding,” You assure him, your voice muffled against his lips as he refuses to break the kiss. 

“Too late. The damage is done.” He pulls back just enough to say, lowering his hips down against you, and you swallow a lump in your throat when he asks in a softer, more serious voice, “I want to know how you’re gonna make it up to me.”

“I–well–” You start, but the feeling of Johnny’s length, hot, hard, and heavy, dragging along your inner thigh effectively wipes your mind clean. If you’re being honest, you almost entirely forgot you two were naked, the surprise of the reminder swirling in your now empty mind along with your disbelief that he’s hard again so quickly. “I can’t focus when you’re doing that.” You complain, and he coos in faux sympathy.

“Poor baby.” He taunts, reaching a hand between you two to stroke two long fingers along your slick folds, letting out a soft chuckle when you open your legs wider for him and sigh blissfully. Shortly after his fingers leave your skin, you feel the head of his cock pressed against your entrance and you quietly gasp in surprise.

Johnny mimics your gasp teasingly, the sound cutting off in favor of a groan that slips from his lips when he pushes into you slowly.

“Wait–” You stammer, and Johnny pauses, looking at you in concern. “The wedding.”

“Yes?” His concerned face shifts to confusion.

“What’s the color scheme?” You ask, and Johnny shoots you the most deadpan, unimpressed look you’ve ever seen from him.

“Dark green.” He answers simply, returning his attention to pushing into you.

“Are we talking like a forest green, or an emerald—”

“Can we talk about this when I’m not inches deep inside of you?” 

You close your mouth. “Fair enough,” You agree, and he grins, bottoming out and dipping down to kiss you slowly.

“Great.”

“A wedding?” Soojin and Soyeon say in unison, gaping at you in surprise. You flinch at the volume of their combined voices, quickly looking around the restaurant to see if you’ve caught any unwanted attention. Finding no one, save for one man sitting alone who looks away when you meet eyes, you turn your attention back to your friends sitting across from you in the booth.

“Yeah…” You confirm cautiously, shooting them an uneasy look. 

“You guys, like, just started seeing each other.” Soyeon says carefully. “Isn’t it a little soon for a wedding date?”

“Well, I mean, kinda, but the wedding isn’t for, like, a month and a half. I think the wedding party needed to know how many guests were coming so they knew how to plan.” You explain.

“…I guess that makes sense,” Soojin says slowly. 

“And besides–” Your words are cut off when the waiter approaches, carefully balancing your respective orders in his hands. “Oh, thank you!” You take your plate of enchiladas, Soojin and Soyeon each taking their orders off of his hands in turn. 

“Enjoy, ladies.” Your waiter says warmly, and you smile and nod before he walks away.

“God, this looks so good.” You gush, practically bouncing in your seat with excitement. “I wish Yuqi didn’t have class; she loves this place.” 

“We can always buy her something for later,” Soojin suggests.

“Good idea.” Soyeon agrees, biting into one of her enchiladas and chewing, going to speak until you put your hand up to silence her. “What?”

“Please chew and swallow first,” You say, reaching over and patting her hand. “I promise it can wait.”

Soyeon glowers at you, but thankfully waits until she’s swallowed to speak. “I was gonna ask you what you were saying before the waiter came.”

“Oh, right! I was saying, besides, it’s not like it’s our wedding. It’s Johnny’s family friend’s wedding, and I’m just his plus one.” You explain. Soojin and Soyeon share a skeptical look before looking back at you, and you grimace. “I don’t think I like you two when you’re on the same team; you’re better when you’re bickering.”

“Oh, hush.” Soojin waves you off. “Just don’t go all ‘flight risk’ on Johnny, okay?”

“I– wh–when have I been a flight risk?” You ask defensively, and Soojin stares at you blankly. “When?” You press, and Soyeon sighs.

“With that guy from undergrad, sophomore year—you two unofficially dated for a month and when he wanted to go exclusive, you avoided him for the rest of the school year.” Soyeon holds up one manicured finger. “There was that guy in the band in junior year–”

“Oh, yeah, didn’t he write a song about you?” Soojin interjects, and Soyeon snaps in confirmation, holding up another finger.

“That’s the one!” 

“Okay–” You start, but they continue.

“Then there were those two guys in senior year–” Soojin adds, reaching over and putting up two more of Soyeon’s fingers. 

“I get it!” You interrupt them before they can get a good rhythm going. “I get it.”

“I’m just saying,” Soyeon comments, putting her counting hand down, “that you have a history of running when things get serious. And I may not know Johnny too well—you should let us meet him, by the way—but he seems like a good guy from what I’ve heard from you.”

“He is a good guy,” You echo, a smile creeping onto your face. “He’s funny, kind, charming, easygoing, and he makes me feel so at ease when we’re together.”

“Good! Now that that’s settled,” Soojin says before she points her fork at you, making you raise your hands defensively. “What’s the color scheme for the wedding?”

“Dark green,” You answer. “Like, emerald green, kind of.”

“Do you even have an emerald green dress?” Soyeon asks curiously, brows furrowing as she thinks. “I’ve never seen you with a dress that color.”

“I definitely don't have a dress that color.” You sigh, and Soojin claps excitedly.

“We can go looking for one today! After Yuqi gets out of class.” She says, and Soyeon shrugs.

“I don’t have anything else planned today.” She agrees, and you nod slowly.

“Sounds like a plan—can someone please text the group chat and let Yuqi know? I have enchilada sauce on my hands.” You ask hopefully, and Soojin nods, putting her fork down and picking her phone up. She sets it back down and shortly after, your and Soyeon’s phones ding with the notification.

Soyeon clears her throat and leans forward conspiratorially. “You know, I wonder if I have a soulmate–”

“Soyeon.” Soojin says sharply, and Soyeon glares at her.

“What?”

“Swallow your food.” Soojin scolds.

Soyeon rolls her eyes but, yet again, swallows before she speaks next. “You two are so…persnickety about that, for crying out loud.”

“I didn’t know you knew big words like ‘persnickety,’” Soojin muses with a teasing smile. “And it’s gross, that’s why we care so much.”

“You’re gross.” Soyeon retorts.

Soojin scoffs, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You’re a child.” 

“And we’re back to normal,” You sigh as your two friends stare each other down challengingly.

v. “we were the stormy rain…we were love, we were love.” - esteman, fuimos amor.

Thunder rumbles overhead and the skies are gray with all the rain clouds, and Johnny comes up behind you, resting his hands on the windowsill on either side of you. “I’m sorry it’s raining, my love.” He murmurs, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. 

“It’s not your fault,” You sigh, still frowning, and Johnny places both hands on your hips, gingerly turning you to face him. He leans down so you two are face to face and offers a hopeful smile, moving his head closer playfully until you crack a smile, laughing and pushing on his chest gently.

“If I could move every rain cloud for you, I would.” He professes, and you can’t help but laugh at the absurdity of his statement. “I’m serious! Anything to see that smile I love so much.” His voice softens, lower now, more urgent, and very earnest, as he reaches up to cup the side of your face in his large, warm palm, and a shy, bashful happiness warms your cheeks as you look up at him, believing every word he says.

“You are more than enough to make me smile,” You assure him, and he grins at that, moving his hand from your hip to lace his fingers with yours. He brings your linked hands up so they’re level with his mouth, and he presses a kiss to the back of your hand before leaving softer kisses on each of your knuckles. The giggle that bubbles out of you is timid and utterly smitten as your lover gazes down at you with twinkling brown eyes. 

“Oh, really?” He asks, a secretive edge to his tone, and you nod despite your slight confusion about what he could be getting at. He smiles wider, a glint of mischief in his eyes, and releases your cheek, tightening his other hand’s grip on your hand and heading towards the front door, shushing your confused stammering. He leads you out of the house and all the way to the middle of the street as rain pours down on you both.

“Johnny, what are you up to?” You ask, laughing in disbelief, and he finally stops, turning to face you with a bright smile before pulling you into a tight embrace filled with so much love and warmth that you could almost forget the cold rain seeping through your clothing—almost.

“Kiss me.” He urges, and you cock your head to the side in confusion. “Kissing in the rain is romantic, right?”

“I mean—yes,” You start to answer, but he draws you in closer, his nose nuzzling against yours in a loving gesture before he speaks again.

“Then we might as well put the rain to good use, right?” He murmurs playfully, not giving you a chance to respond before slotting his lips with yours and enveloping you in a slow, deep, loving kiss. You all but melt against him, adoration soaring all throughout your body as you swoon at the antics of your lover, and he chuckles against your lips before pulling back slightly. “Good?”

“Perfect,” You reply in a whisper, biting down on your bottom lip to restrain the smile that threatens to overtake your face.

Johnny gently tugs on your chin, freeing your bottom lip, and smiles down at you adoringly. “Told you I’d do anything for that smile.” He reminds you, and his arm around your waist tightens before he spins you around, eliciting an excited yelp from you, and dips you romantically to capture your lips in a kiss far more passionate and eager than the last. 

“I love you,” You sigh happily when you two part, and he smiles back at you.

“I love you,” He murmurs, and you believe him.

You wake up in a full-body sweat, heat buzzing through your body in an almost electric sensation. You sit up in bed, throwing your covers off of yourself and rub your temples as you recall the dream you just had. That feeling of safety and comfort from the first dream you had about Johnny is just as present in the dream you just woke up from, if not stronger, and you find yourself swinging your legs off of your bed and walking to your window; outside of which, you note, it has started to rain. 

vi. “maybe i’m afraid to fall in love; ‘cause what if it’s not reciprocated?” - pink sweat$, honesty.

“Yuqi, you don’t get it!” You complain, pulling your blanket around yourself tighter. “These dreams—the feeling I get whenever we’re together—I genuinely think there’s something going on.”

“Well,” Yuqi hums thoughtfully, “I think—and hear me out—that you two really might be soulmates–”

“That’s terrifying!” You whine, kicking your legs uselessly. “What if we are soulmates and something goes wrong?” 

“What could possibly go wrong?” She asks curiously, and you throw your hands up in exasperation.

“He could get tired of me,” You stammer. “We could have a fight—a big one—and spend the rest of our lives hating each other and stuck together.”

“You sound stupid.” Yuqi points out, and you whip your head around to glare at her, your friend raising her hands in defense. “I’m just saying; the universe put you two together, so wouldn’t it already have accounted for any arguments you two might have?” 

“Well…yes, but–”

“But what?” Yuqi presses, eyebrows raised skeptically.

“But what if the connection we have right now fizzles out? It’s new right now, and exciting, but what if we’re only coasting on the fact that we might be soulmates?” You tilt your head back to rest on the back of the couch, and Yuqi sighs loudly. “Be less excited to help me,” You gripe sarcastically.

“I’m not upset that I’m helping you,” Yuqi explains, “I’m upset you won’t listen to reason.”

“I am listening to reason!”

“You most certainly are not.”

“Fine—reason with me.” You challenge, and Yuqi pantomimes strangling you, growling under her breath before sitting up straighter and looking you directly in the eyes.

“The universe has put you two together.” Yuqi says slowly.

“The universe has put us together.” You echo.

“Whatever bond you two have will only strengthen as time goes on,” She continues. “Especially if you guys are having dreams of past lives together where you’re very much in love.”

“…Okay, that’s true.” You mutter.

“See?” Yuqi presses, nudging you with her knee. “There’s your sensibility rearing its head.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” You grouch, brows furrowed as you stare at your nails.

“Why do I feel like you’re still freaking out?” Yuqi asks flatly, and you stare at your nails even harder.

“I should clip my cuticles,” You mutter nervously.

“Girl–”

“They’re growing out!” You defend yourself.

“I feel like you’re spiraling.” Yuqi sighs loudly, and you frown deeply.

“I kind of am,” You mumble, and when Yuqi moves to protest, you hold up a hand to stop her. “I’ll sleep on it,” You propose, “and I’ll figure out what to do.”

Yuqi stares at you, her brows furrowed in concern. “Okay,” She acquiesces, raising both hands in surrender. “I just hope you know what you’re doing.”

“I don’t,” You say honestly, “I really don’t. But hopefully, I can figure out what to do.”

“You could always ask Johnny what he thinks.” Yuqi proposes, and you nibble at your bottom lip nervously.

“Yeah,” You sigh. “Thank you for putting up with my ranting, by the way.”

“What are friends for?” Yuqi asks with a smile, leaning in to hug you. Her tight embrace calms your tortured spirits ever so slightly, and you hum contently. “I’m touched you came to me.”

“Soyeon would’ve gotten fed up with me immediately,” You chuckle. “Soojin, bless her heart, would have derailed the conversation almost instantly. You’re the most level-headed friend I’ve got.” 

“Thanks!” She chirps. “You’re, uh, pretty level-headed, too—when you’re not being completely obtuse.”

“Obtuse?!” You exclaim, indignant. 

“What would you call your behavior a couple of minutes ago?” Yuqi asks, an eyebrow raised as she looks at you, unimpressed.

“Conflicted!” You answer defensively.

“You’re pronouncing ‘obtuse’ wrong.” She teases, and you reach behind you on the couch for a cushion to chuck at her. “You can whack me but you can’t whack the truth!”

You pause, your features screwing up in confusion. “What does that even mean?” You ask through an amused snort, and she shrugs, rolling her eyes.

“I don’t know,” She admits. “But it got you to stop trying to hit me.”

“…Touché.”

“Have a good night, Ms. Adams!” You bid the head librarian goodbye as you and Johnny head out at the end of your shifts.

“Get home safe!” Johnny waves in her direction.

“Thank you, dears.” She replies with a warm smile, returning Johnny’s wave, and you smile as you exit the library, Johnny holding the door open for you.

You two walk together up until your paths part ways, and you’re almost reluctant to leave him, frowning as you look up at him.

“I’ll see you soon, yeah?” You say hopefully, and Johnny doesn’t say anything in response, just watching you with a slightly distracted expression. “Johnny?” You wave your hand in front of his face, and he blinks twice rapidly, his eyes refocusing on you. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I just…wanted to tell you something.” He says carefully, and you nod encouragingly, gesturing for him to continue. “I had another dream about us the other night.”

“Me too,” You reply, and he perks up slightly.

“Good, because that’s partially what’s giving me the guts to say this. We’ve been hanging out for a couple of weeks now, and things feel like they’re getting a bit more serious.” He starts, and you balk, your throat drying out immediately, not even remotely expecting him to go down this avenue of conversation. Your thoughts go back to your conversation with Yuqi and your reasoning flies out the window, leaving only your feelings of panic with you.

“Johnny–” Your voice trembles with nerves and, if he hears you, he ignores it, continuing on.

“I wouldn’t even be suggesting something like this so soon if I didn’t genuinely think you were my soulmate–”

“Johnny,” You whine nervously, anxiety rapidly building up inside of you and sending panicked jitters through your body until you’re shifting your weight from foot to foot, shuffling in place awkwardly.

“I really like you, and I was wondering if you wanted to make things official–”

“I have to use the bathroom!” You blurt out, and he stops, blinking in a stunned silence. “Yeah. Like, really badly.” You lie.

“Okay,” Johnny says slowly, and you have to avert your gaze at the look of confusion and budding hurt on his face. “…Is that all you wanted to say?” He asks.

“Um, yeah.” You mumble, adjusting your bag on your shoulder. 

“You didn’t want to say anything about anything I just said to you?” His sadness is audible at this point, impossible to ignore, and it compels you to look back at Johnny, your heart aching instantly at the myriad of emotions written plainly on his handsome features. You see everything—the hurt, the offense, the dejection—but what hurts the most to see, you think, is the lone ember of hope still alight in his eyes, and you have to look away before you speak again.

“I–I’m so sorry, Johnny, I, um–I really have to go.” The words spill from you like vomit, practically ripping themselves free from your throat as it closes up with unexpressed emotion. You can’t even look at him again as you turn on your heel and start speed walking back to your apartment, the sound of your pounding heart beating rapidly in your eardrums. 

If you’d looked behind you, you’re sure you would have seen Johnny’s face fall completely, his wounded heart and pride snuffing out that one ember of hope he’d still had burning, as he stands perfectly still, frozen almost, staring after you and wondering how things could have gone so south so suddenly.

You know for a fact that your heart wouldn’t be able to handle it. So you don’t look back, your path in front of you blurring as frustrated tears build up in your eyes.

“Let me get this straight.” Soyeon mutters, running a hand over her face in a tired exasperation. “Soojin and I specifically warn you not to go all ‘flight risk’ on Johnny, and…you proceed to do just that a matter of days later.”

“Yes,” You say sadly. “Please don’t beat me up about it,” You interject as Soyeon sighs, “I’m doing a good enough job on my own as it is.”

“What even happened?” She asks in a scandalized hush. “Yuqi said she talked to you about it the other day—”

“And when I saw him and all that hope—that vulnerability—in his eyes, everything she said slipped from my mind and I just panicked.” You explain, forlorn. “I didn’t want to hurt him.”

“So in your attempt to avoid hurting him,” Soyeon says slowly, as if waiting for you to absorb her words and your thought process, “you hurt him.”

“I’m an idiot.” You groan, dropping your head in your hands. 

“I wouldn’t say that,” Soyeon sighs sympathetically.

“Really?” You look up hopefully.

“Oh—well—you are an idiot,” She elaborates, and you drop your head back in your hands. “I just wouldn’t have said that.”

“Great.” You mutter bitterly. You look out of the café windows, hoping to find some random passerby to distract yourself from your spiraling thoughts, only for panic and alarm to seize you in its freezing cold, iron tight grip. “Shit! Shit, shit, shit.” You whisper, pacing back and forth in a frenzy as you see Johnny’s familiar frame approaching the café, accompanied by his friend who, judging by the cast on his wrist, you presume to be Taeyong. 

“Is that Johnny?” Soyeon follows your gaze, eyes wide, and you nod, not even knowing what to do with yourself at this point. 

“I was never here!” You whisper-shout, ducking into the back of the café to hide amongst the boxes of supplies.

“Are you seriously hiding–” Soyeon’s incredulous and, truly, you can’t blame her.

“I was never here!” You stress, poking your head back out and just before you duck back in the safety of the back room, you could almost swear you catch Johnny’s eye.

The bell above the entrance rings as the door swings open, and you position yourself behind the curtain obscuring you from the customers’ view to listen in as Johnny and his friend approach the counter.

“Good afternoon!” Soyeon greets pleasantly. “What can I get you today?”

“Can I get a large black tea with boba?” You hear Taeyong ask. “With a milk foam, too, please.”

“Sure thing,” Soyeon replies. “And you?”

“Um…yeah, can I get a large iced Americano?” Johnny requests, and your heart aches at the hollowness to his voice. It’s perfectly polite, as he always is, but the warmth you’re so fond of has disappeared, and your heart sinks as you realize you’re to blame. “Are you working alone today?” He asks, attempting to sound offhandedly curious, and you blanch as you realize that, one, he most likely did see you, and, two, he’s trying to figure out if you’re still here.

“…Sure am,” Soyeon lies smoothly. “Just, uh, little old me working the counter and the drink machines.”

“I hear you,” Johnny, for what it’s worth, does attempt to sound conversational, but the hurt in his voice is unmistakable, only confirming to you that he absolutely, one hundred percent, without a doubt saw you before you ducked in the back room minutes ago. “I hear you loud and clear.” 

You space out for the rest of their conversation, only catching the tail end of Johnny’s and Taeyong’s bickering about who should pay, as guilt practically consumes you whole. You never once dreamed of hurting Johnny, so why the hell are you doing it so much? Your vision gradually clouds with tears and you reach into one of the open boxes on the shelves for a napkin, your fingers instead grabbing a coffee filter. 

“Good enough.” You mutter dejectedly, dabbing at your eyes and cheeks with the filter, supposing that its slightly rough texture and therefore unpleasant sensation can serve as part of the universe’s punishment for your stupidity.

“Have a nice day!” Soyeon calls out, and the overhead bell rings once more. You wait with bated breath to make sure they’re out of sight before you reemerge, but Soyeon calls to you. “Good news.”

“What’s that?” You whisper back loudly.

“They’re gone, so you can quit whispering like you’re on some confidential mission.” She sighs, and you shamefully re-enter the main area, dragging your feet forlornly. “Bad news.”

“What’s that?” You mumble, your mind admittedly elsewhere.

“Johnny definitely knows you’re here and that you hid from him.” She pats your shoulder comfortingly. 

“You heard that too, huh?” You mutter, and she nods.

“Sure did. ‘Loud and clear.’” She quotes his words back at you, and it takes everything in you not to literally wail in anguish. “It hurt watching him; he looked like a kicked puppy.”

“You’re making it worse!” You can’t stop the fresh wave of tears that spill down your cheeks, and Soyeon gasps in alarm, pulling you into a hug immediately as you quietly cry into her shoulder.

“Shit, I didn’t think you were gonna cry,” She mumbles worriedly, shushing you soothingly and rubbing your back in comforting circles. “I just wanted you to realize that your actions have consequences.”

“Oh, trust me, I know that.” You gripe, voice muffled in the fabric of her sweater.

“So what are you going to do?” She asks, clearly expecting and hoping you answer correctly.

“I’m gonna apologize to him,” You respond resolutely.

“When?”

“Tomorrow—at work in the library.”

“Great. You got this!” Soyeon cheers encouragingly, and you sigh.

“I sure hope I do.”

“Good evening, Ms. Adams!” You greet the librarian in a hush as you walk behind the main desk.

“Hello, dear,” She responds warmly, but it fades into the background as you sign your name on the timesheet and can’t help but notice Johnny’s name is missing. Not wanting to raise suspicion, but unable to dismiss your curiosity, you turn to Ms. Adams and lean against the wall as casually as possible.

“Ms. Adams?”

“Yes, dear?” She asks, not looking away from her computer, and you look down at your hand, inspecting your nails as nonchalantly as possible.

“Is, uh, Johnny coming tonight?” You ask, hoping you sound as unbothered as you want to appear. “I just want to know if I’m closing up alone tonight.” You follow up in a rush, cursing inwardly as you realize that your unaffected façade is slipping.

“Mm, no, he’s not, dear.” Ms. Adams answers. “He called today and asked if he can switch his days to Tuesdays and Thursdays, actually.” She continues, and your heart practically drops to the pit of your stomach. “Would you like me to help you close up?” She offers, turning to face you with a concerned frown, and you shake your head immediately.

“No, it’s not a problem,” You answer, waving dismissively. “I was just wondering. I don’t mind closing alone.” You reassure her, and she nods with a pleasant smile.

“Okay, dear.”

As you head to the back room and set your bag down, you can’t help but shift your gaze over to the spot where Johnny usually sits, his absence practically sucking the air out of the atmosphere. 

There’s a sound at the door and you practically break your neck snapping your head up to look, half-hoping, half-wishing to see the tall male in the doorway. Your wish goes ungranted, as it’s just Ms. Adams coming in to get something out of her purse. You smile weakly as she exits the room, trying to conceal the growing ache of disappointment in your chest.

You have absolutely no doubt that Johnny switched his shifts because of you, and you can’t even deny it at this point—you miss him already. You’re not sure if it’s the soulmate bond you two have or just your natural feelings for him, but you feel…unfulfilled. As if you’re waiting for something that never comes.

Sighing, you trudge back out to the main area of the library, heading towards the bookshelves while pushing the cart full of books to be reshelved.

Hey, universe, you think, I could really use a sign of what to do right about now.

However, you aren’t entirely sure you’re prepared to hear what the universe has to say.

vii. “opposed to my heart, i let out hurtful words. i gave you a hard time, and i'm struggling too.” - exo, universe.

“Okay, so run through the signs again,” Soyeon says with a mouth full of popcorn.

You roll your eyes and grimace at the sight but choose not to comment, instead blocking her mouth from your view with one hand as you sit forward in your spot on the couch. “Okay, so—first it was the angel numbers,” You start. “First, I noticed that every time I’ve looked at my phone recently, it’s been 2:22.” 

“What does 222 mean?” Yuqi asks curiously.

“It’s basically a soulmate sign from the universe; it usually means a relationship is coming or that you’re on the right track romantically.” Soojin explains, her words slowly coming to a stop as everyone turns to look at her in surprise. “What? I know about the universe and stuff!”

“Very interesting,” Soyeon mumbles, giving Soojin a suspicious once-over. “Okay, well, that could be a sign.”

“Yeah, but I also was at a café the other day—the one we work at—and I was buying my usual and Eunji was ringing me up, and she said there was a special promotion on that drink, and the total rang up to $2.22!” You continue, and Soyeon raises her brows.

“Don’t you usually get the brown sugar milk tea boba?” Soyeon asks, and you nod emphatically, widening your eyes to make a point. “But–isn’t that drink, like, five dollars? What discount would make it total $2.22 exactly?”

“See?! That’s not a coincidence!” You yell triumphantly. “And—oh, my God, and—I was sleeping the other night and I woke up humming this song I literally haven’t heard in years.”

“What song was it?” Yuqi asks, sitting forward curiously.

“…It’s called ‘John My Beloved.’” You answer slowly. 

“No way that’s a coincidence.” Yuqi responds, and you snap your fingers and point at her excitedly.

“And it was playing on the radio when I clocked into work at the café that same day!” 

“That’s freaky.” Soojin mumbles, and you nod in agreement.

“It is! I also keep feeling like I’m seeing him everywhere, but whenever I try to get a closer look, he’s gone.” You sigh.

“Well, maybe you are seeing him.” Yuqi suggests, and you frown.

“No chance—he’s been avoiding me like the plague since I rejected his confession.” You say.

“And since you hid from him in the café.” Soyeon adds, and your frown deepens as you slump against the cushions. There’s a moment of sympathetic silence before Soojin tentatively breaks it.

“Well…aren’t you supposed to go to that wedding with him next weekend?” She asks, and you nod hesitantly, wincing at the idea of going to such a romantic event with the man who may or may not be your soulmate after you brutally rejected him.

“Well, if he’s not talking to you, how’s that gonna work?” Soyeon wonders, and you shrug.

“I don’t know. I just know that he already RSVPed to it and put my name down as his plus one, so there’s no backing out.” You mumble. 

“Well, why don’t you confess to him again there?” Soojin suggests.

“I would never upstage someone’s wedding!” You exclaim indignantly, and Soojin rolls her eyes.

“It doesn’t have to be in front of everyone,” She answers. “Just pull him aside during the reception and tell him how you feel.”

“Oh…I guess I can do that.” You mutter nervously, and Soyeon reaches over, pulling you into a comforting hug. Yuqi joins in, followed by Soojin, and you all sit there for a moment, embracing each other. “Thanks, you guys.” You say gratefully as they pull away one by one.

“No problem,” Yuqi answers, smiling warmly at you. “Can we continue the movie now? We’re almost done with it.” 

“Sure thing,” You agree, grabbing the remote and pressing play. “No way.”

“What?” Soyeon asks, and you gesture at the screen.

“We paused the movie exactly an hour and eleven minutes in.” You roll your eyes.

“111 means new beginnings,” Soojin supplies helpfully. 

“Thanks, universe! I get it!” You say loudly and a bit sarcastically, looking up at the ceiling. Yuqi follows your gaze.

“What are you looking at?” She asks curiously.

“The universe…” You explain, looking back down at your hands awkwardly. “Like…the sky? The universe?”

“Where else would she look, Yuqi?” Soyeon snickers. “It’s not like the universe is standing specifically in that corner over there.” Soyeon’s too preoccupied with giggling to notice Yuqi’s narrowed eyes in her direction and therefore misses when Yuqi launches a pillow at her, hitting her in the side of the face.

“What was that for?!” 

“Being snarky.” Yuqi sticks her tongue out.

“What are you, a child?” Soyeon retorts, chucking the pillow back at Yuqi.

“Can we play the movie, please?” Soojin cuts the two of them off, and you take the opportunity to press play.

“I’ll get my revenge.” Soyeon mutters.

“Shh!”

“But–”

“Shh!” You whisper, pointing to the television, and she huffs.

“Fine.”

You’re lost in your thoughts, angel numbers and worries running through your mind, when you bump into none other than Johnny, who’s got his attention devoted to a book in his hand.

“Johnny, hey!” You greet slightly breathlessly, and he offers a tight smile in reply, sending an anxious buzz all throughout your body. Your mind is filled with the numbers 222 and, propelled by your faith in the universe, you decide to address your worries. “I’m actually headed to work, so I’ll make this quick,” You speak in a slight rush, and Johnny raises his eyebrows expectantly, a wary expression on his face. “I was thinking about your confession—I haven’t stopped thinking about it, actually—and I wanted to tell you that, um…I accept it.” 

Johnny says nothing, his expression unreadable, so you focus instead on the book in his hands before you continue, the silence quickly becoming unbearable. “I’ve been seeing signs from the universe and they’ve pretty much been telling me that I made a mistake when I told you I wasn’t ready, so—well—now I’m telling you that I am ready and that I think you’re right about us being soulmates.” You feel like you’re rambling, so you force yourself to stop there, tentatively looking up at Johnny when he still doesn’t speak.

You’re not sure what exactly you expected from him, but it definitely wasn’t for his face to be a mix of unimpressed and offended. You blanch at his stony expression, opening and closing your mouth wordlessly before you finally speak. “I’m done now.” You say, wordlessly indicating that it’s Johnny’s turn to speak. When he looks away from you and half-scoffs, half-laughs in disbelief, worry settles in your chest, your bottom lip slipping between your teeth as you nibble it anxiously. “Johnny, please say something.”

“I don’t even know where to start.” He says slowly, his voice flat and guarded. “I mean—first of all, I feel like I deserve something more than an accepted confession that you decided to ‘make quick,’ as if it’s something insignificant you can just say offhandedly.” He sounds almost incredulous, hurt plainly written on his face, and your heart drops in panic. “Secondly—I just—nothing you said just now made it sound like you want to be with me, y’know.” He pauses to laugh in disbelief, clearly offended. “You say the universe has been sending you signs and that you made a ‘mistake’ when you rejected me. Maybe stop looking at this as a mistake to be fixed and realize the gravity of the situation.”

“I do realize the gravity of–” You start, but Johnny silences you with a look. 

“I don’t accept—I don’t know—whatever that was,” He chuckles humorlessly, and your face warms instantly with embarrassment and hurt, and you pray that your eyes don’t start watering at least until he walks away. “I’m sorry, but you didn’t even apologize—how could you think that was even an okay response to my confession?” He asks in confusion, stammering for a moment before continuing on, “I think you should take some time to yourself and think about if this is really what you want, and, if it is, come find me and try this again—preferably with more time and preparation than a brief, rushed exchange, with some indication that you, I don’t know, actually care about me, and—and preferably with some sort of apology for not only rejecting me, but also completely dodging me. Yeah, I saw you that day in the café.” He says, his voice accusatory.

“Johnny, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to–” You try to say, but Johnny shakes his head dismissively.

“I have class right now. See you around, I guess.” He mutters, stepping around you and continuing down the sidewalk. You stand there in silent shock, face heated, and tears finally trailing down your cheeks. You wipe them away in a hurry and look down at your phone, noting, with a sad sigh, that it’s 2:22pm.

“I’m sorry about the paper paycheck,” Ms. Adams says with a frown. “Payroll messed up the direct deposit for this pay period, but it should be fixed by the next payday.”

“It’s no problem,” You assure her, smiling comfortingly as you take the check from her hand. 

“I just need you to sign here.” She places a clipboard on the desk and presses a finger to an empty line. “It’s just to confirm we gave you your paycheck.” She explains as you quickly skim the words.

“You got it,” You say, quickly signing your name on the line. You notice the blank spot under your name and realize that Johnny’s name is supposed to go in that space. You frown to yourself, thinking back to the last time you two spoke, which was nothing short of disastrous, and how you conveniently have yet to cross paths again in a whole week and a half.

As if the universe is watching and laughing, you hear Ms. Adams greet someone you can’t see, and your mouth dries as her words register in your head.

“Hello, Johnny! Sorry for the inconvenience with the paper paychecks.” She says, and you slowly turn around, realizing there’s no way to slip out unnoticed. Johnny’s standing a couple of feet away from you, waiting to approach the desk, and he’s looking past you to speak to Ms. Adams.

“Don’t worry about it,” Johnny comforts her with an easygoing smile. “I was coming in to work, anyway.” His gaze moves from behind you to looking directly at you, the ease of his smile slipping slightly as some of the warmth leaves his eyes. He looks uncomfortable more than upset with you, the tall, usually confident male shifting his weight to one foot and rubbing the back of his neck as you two look at each other wordlessly.

“Hi, Johnny.” You mumble nervously, offering a small wave as everything in you screams to avert your gaze.

“Hey,” He greets you just as quietly, shifting his attention to the desk behind you. “I, uh, gotta sign that, right?”

“Huh? Oh…yeah. Yeah, you do.” You answer, handing him the pen. You notice with a pang of sadness that he deliberately avoids touching your hand when he takes the pen from you. “See you later, Ms. Adams.” You bid the elderly woman a goodbye as you move away from the clipboard, and she smiles, waving at you. “Bye, Johnny.” The sadness and unease can’t help but creep into your voice, your face feeling warm and the backs of your eyes stinging as you blink rapidly in an attempt to will away the building urge to cry.

You’re halfway to freedom, the library door in sight, when Johnny calls your name, and you turn hopefully, looking to the left of him in the hopes to conceal the tears that are about to come.

“You’re still coming with me to the wedding this weekend, right?” He asks carefully, and you sniffle as discreetly as possible, nodding with a strained smile.

“A promise is a promise.” You answer, and he nods. If he notices you’re about to cry, he politely chooses not to comment, instead looking down at the floor.

“Cool. I’ll pick you up around noon.” He says.

You shoot him an awkward thumbs up. “Sounds like a plan.” You turn on your heel before he can say another word and speed walk to the exit, the urge to cry thankfully fading. What’s left, however, is a residual discomfort settling deep in your bones and a building uneasiness.

How the hell are you going to get through this wedding with him?

“You got this,” Soojin assures you as you turn and inspect your appearance in the mirror anxiously. “Just take deep breaths and remember that it’s just for a couple of hours.”

“This is going to be the longest day of my life,” You moan in anguish, and she coos sympathetically, coming up behind you to wrap you in a hug.

“I know, I know,” She sighs sadly, resting her head on your shoulder. “But it’ll be over soon, and then you can come home and tell us all about it if you want.”

“Thanks,” You mumble dejectedly, and sigh before releasing her and tugging at the neckline of your dress.

“Oh, stop, you look beautiful.” Soojin assures you, swatting your hands away gently, and you both jolt at the sound of the doorbell ringing. “Oh, it’s noon already?” She mutters in surprise, and you swallow thickly.

“I guess so.” You say quietly, and Soojin looks at you, sympathy and worry written all over her pretty features, before surging forward to hug you tightly once more.

“You got this!” She whispers loudly, and you nod half-heartedly. “If all else fails, text me!” She offers as you head to the front door. 

You shoot her a thumbs up, wipe your slightly sweaty hands on your dress, and open the front door to see Johnny standing there, looking extremely handsome in his suit and emerald green tie.

“Hey,” You smile nervously, and Johnny doesn’t respond for a moment, staring at you with a dazed expression on his face. “…Johnny?”

“Sorry.” He apologizes, blinking several times before he looks more like himself. “You look…stunning.” He compliments, and your smile starts to feel a bit more genuine.

“Thank you,” You say bashfully. “You look very handsome.”

“Thanks.” He smiles, albeit a bit shyly. “You all ready?”

“Yep! Let’s go.” You say, stepping into your heels and grabbing your purse. You step into the hallway and shut the front door behind you, the locks sliding into place as Soojin locks the door from the inside for you. You two walk down the hallway to the elevator and wait quietly, the ding of the arriving elevator breaking the loaded silence. 

“You first,” Johnny offers, gesturing to the open door, and you give him a small smile.

“Thanks.” You step into the elevator and Johnny’s hand drops to the small of your back in a reflexive comforting gesture, his palm hot against the fabric of your dress and setting off a full-bodied warmth and a tentative flurry of butterflies. As if he can feel it too, he removes his hand the very second you’re steady in the elevator, the movement so quick it feels panicked, and averts his gaze entirely as he presses the button to the lobby.

I’ve definitely got my afternoon cut out for me, you think nervously.

viii. “in the end, it’s you.” - astro, always you.

The ceremony is beautiful, the bride a vision in white as her teary-eyed father walks her down the aisle, and the tension lessens between you and Johnny enough for him to squeeze your hand comfortingly when a few tears spill forth.

You don’t entirely feel like admitting to Johnny that the reason you’re crying is not just because of the emotional ceremony, but also because of your worry about the situation between you and him and that you may have fucked up your shot at ending up with your soulmate.

The reception is fun and loud, the personalities of the eclectic newlyweds shining through in the latter half of the event with the upbeat music playing and the overall din of excited, eager chattering amongst the guests. The dance floor is packed with enough people dancing on their own that it feels natural to go in alone, letting the crowd conceal you from Johnny, who’s standing off to the side laughing with some of the groomsmen.

You lose yourself in the music, dancing until your feet are sore—which is quicker than you may have liked, due to the height of your heels. You make your way out of the throng of dancing bodies, sitting down in a chair at an empty table and slipping your heels off partially to give your feet a chance to breathe. 

You’re massaging one of your heels when you hear a tired but happy sigh beside you, and sit up to see the bride sitting next to you with a content smile on her face.

“Congratulations,” You say with a warm smile, her joy infectious.

“Thank you!” She’s breathless, presumably from all the dancing, and she laughs quietly. “It almost doesn’t feel real, y’know?”

“Yeah, I bet,” You agree, chuckling.

“Excuse me for asking, but you came with Johnny, right?” She asks, and you nod. “He and my family go way back; he’s always been such a chill guy, y’know? Really makes people feel at ease when he talks to them.”

“He’s great,” You echo, pushing an unwilling laugh past your lips. The furrow in the bride’s—Hyuna’s, you think, Hyuna is her name—eyebrows comes and goes so quickly you could almost have missed it, and she turns towards you more, cocking her head to the side curiously.

“I don’t mean to pry,” She says carefully, “I really don’t. But that ‘he’s great’ didn’t sound too convincing.” She finishes, and you look at her, balking internally as her questioning eyes search yours.

“He is great,” You assure her in a rush. “I just…think I may have messed up with him a bit.”

“Oh?” She asks curiously, leaning back in her seat as her expression shifts to sympathetic. “He’s a pretty forgiving guy.” Hyuna assures you.

Your laugh is hollow. “I don’t know if he wants to forgive me after what I did.”

“Damn,” Hyuna winces, letting out a low whistle. “What’d you do?”

“It’s no big deal,” You rush to dismiss the topic. “It’s your special day, and I don’t want you worrying about some random guest’s problems.”

“Hm.” She hums thoughtfully. “Did you bring me a wedding gift?” She asks out of the blue, and you grimace uncomfortably.

“…No, no one sent me the registry.” You answer slowly, feeling embarrassed, and she hums again, as thoughtful as before.

“Well, then, for my wedding gift from you, I want you to tell me what’s wrong with you and Johnny so I can try to help fix it.” Hyuna says with a wry smile, and you laugh in surprise, not expecting her words.

“Well,” You start, “Johnny and I think we’re soulmates. He confessed to me, but I freaked out and rejected him, and then it was awkward, and then the universe gave me a bunch of signs—I’m talking angel numbers and strange coincidences—that we’re meant to be together, so I went and confessed to him, but he said my confession didn’t seem sincere enough and felt forced—which, to be honest, it kind of was; I was really nervous and I missed him. Anyway, he turned down my confession and said he wanted me to be sure before I confessed, and now things are really up in the air.” You explain, the words spilling from you in a rush. You realize that you’re not even looking at Hyuna, your gaze instead fixed on one of the name cards on the table, and shift your gaze to look at her sheepishly.

She looks pensive, brows furrowed in thought, and she doesn’t speak for several moments. The music from the dance floor does surprisingly little to conceal the silence growing between you two, and you look down at your hands, fiddling with the clasp on your purse.

“We’re soulmates, you know.” Hyuna finally speaks, breaking the silence. “Hyojong and I.” 

You can’t contain your surprise, gaping at her wordlessly. She laughs good-naturedly at your expression and nods to confirm her words further.

“How did you know?” You ask, the words coming out far more urgently than you mean for them to.

She looks off to the side thoughtfully, a content smile curling her lips. “I think…I think we just kind of knew. We met in a supermarket one day—he bumped into me and dropped a whole container of grapes, and, when I was helping him pick them up, we made eye contact and he smiled, and…I don’t know, it just felt like I was—”

“Home,” You two finish in unison, and she looks back at you with a growing smile. 

“Yeah.” She says softly, and her gaze shifts to look elsewhere. You follow her gaze this time and see that she’s looking at her husband, Hyojong, who’s joined the small group of groomsmen Johnny’s talking to. “I know it sounds sudden, but I mean it; I really just knew. It’s less of a loud confirmation from the universe—no glowing light or disembodied voice, you know? It’s more of a feeling. When you’re together, everything feels right…like you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be.”

“Huh,” You mumble quietly, still watching Johnny with the groomsmen. “I think I get it.” As if Hyojong can sense her looking at him, he turns, the newlyweds locking eyes from across the room, and his face lights up as he smiles and waves at Hyuna. You look at Hyuna, who’s smiling fondly and waving back, and back at Hyojong before you feel the urge to shift your gaze to Johnny. 

He’s already looking at you, a small but inviting smile on his lips as he lifts his glass up to you in a silent greeting. You can’t help but smile back, the music fading into the background as you look at each other and practically feel the hope between you two.

“You might want to try again,” Hyuna murmurs in your ear. “Weddings are peak romantic environments.” She nudges you with her shoulder lightheartedly, and you swallow the lump in your throat, looking back at her briefly before nodding.

“What if he rejects me again?” You ask nervously, and Hyuna looks at you, then Johnny, then back at you with a secretive smile. 

“I have a feeling he won’t.” She says with a knowing grin, and you nod again, this nod more intent than the previous one, and slip your heels back on before standing up. You don’t miss the surprised lifting of Johnny’s eyebrows as you walk towards him, your eyes on him and him only. 

“Hey,” You say, looking him directly in the eyes.

“Hey.” His smile is even more inviting up close, filling you with hope and all the resolve you need. 

“Congratulations,” You say to Hyojong, and he smiles with a polite nod.

“Thank you,” He replies, and you return the gesture before looking back up at Johnny. You realize that the music that faded into the background earlier wasn’t fading because of your own budding cinematic moment, but because the DJ was making an announcement, the man saying something about “slowing things down” before a slower song—you recognize it as ‘I Won’t Let You Go’ by GOT7—starts to play.

“Do you wanna dance?” You ask Johnny, and surprise flashes across his expression briefly, quickly replaced by a tentatively playful smile.

“Yeah,” He agrees, and it feels like a weight lifts off of your shoulders as he downs the rest of his drink, sets it down on the table behind him, and offers his arm to you. You take it and you two walk to the dance floor, turning to each other before you link your hands behind his neck and he mirrors your actions, his hands clasping together against the small of your back.

“Are you having a good time?” You ask tentatively, and he nods, smiling.

“Yeah, it was great catching up with my old friends.” He answers, and you smile, relieved he’s in good spirits.

“Was the champagne good? I haven’t tried it yet.” You question, and he gives you a funny look.

“I had ginger ale,” He says after a moment of silence, a hint of amusement in his voice. “I drove, remember?”

“Oh. I mean, I could’ve driven us back,” You reply, shrugging.

“Nah, don’t worry about it.” He dismisses your concerns with a soft shake of his head and a reassuring smile. “Are you having a good time?”

“Yeah,” You assure him, smiling. 

“I saw you talking with Hyuna earlier.” He comments casually, and you swallow as you remember why you called him onto the dance floor to begin with. “Girl talk?”

“Something like that.” You murmur quietly, looking down at his tie and studying the thread work. You feel an anxious breath swelling up inside of you and you let it out slowly, bracing yourself for his reaction to your next words. “They’re soulmates, y’know.”

“Really?” He muses softly, and you nod, still not looking at him. As if the word triggers a shift, his arms tighten ever so slightly around your waist, pulling you closer to him, and you feel hope building inside of you, empowering you to place your head against his chest tentatively. He stiffens for a moment, and you lift your head immediately, an apology already on the tip of your tongue, but he gently presses your head back down on his chest, his hand lingering for a moment against the side of your head like an almost-caress before he brings it back to his other hand and pulls you in even tighter. You feel him sigh and wish you could look up to place the emotion he’s feeling, but he pushes your worries away when you feel the warmth of his cheek against the crown of your head. 

“Yeah, Hyuna told me.” You say, your mind and body now hyper-aware of every movement he makes on even the smallest of scales. “Did you not know?”

“I had my suspicions.” He answers thoughtfully. “Something about them just makes sense on a level that I can’t really explain. It’s also—well…never mind.” He trails off, and you frown, bringing one hand from around his neck to play absentmindedly with his matching dark green pocket square on the breast of his suit. 

“It’s also what?” You press carefully.

He doesn’t respond for a moment, and you almost resign yourself to not receiving a response, instead letting the soft rise and fall of his chest soothe you as he breathes. 

“It’s also the way they look at each other.” He explains finally, and you hum in acknowledgement as you process his words. “Something about it feels so sure, so comfortable. It’s like they’ve known each other for lifetimes.”

It’s like the way we used to look at each other, you think, but you keep that thought locked up tight in your chest. However, the way that Johnny’s holding you, like he’s scared to lose you—no…like he refuses to lose you—fills you with a reassurance and emboldens you to heed Hyuna’s advice, silently praying with the universe for a more favorable outcome than last time, because, truthfully? At this point you’re not sure you can even take another rejection.

“Johnny?” You say nervously, picking your head up from his chest and looking up at him with a worried frown.

“Mhm?” He looks back at you with curious eyes and, if you’re not mistaken, there’s hope twinkling in them. 

“I am so sorry.” You apologize sincerely. “I’m sorry for everything; how I responded to your confession, how I tried to confess to you, for avoiding you and just for how I’ve been acting in general,” Your words come out a bit hurriedly, and concern furrows Johnny’s brows as he moves to speak. “Just—wait one second, I really want to say this.” You request, and he nods in understanding, wordlessly allowing you to continue. “I was really scared, you know.” You explain. “I never—I mean never—thought I would be someone lucky enough to have a soulmate. So I was waiting for some sort of sign, I think. Some sort of grand gesture from the universe to tell me that it would be okay to fall recklessly, that we were meant to be together forever in this lifetime…and the next ones after this.

“I was talking to Hyuna earlier, and she helped me realize that there is no grand sign. It’s just a feeling you get, and…Johnny, I have never felt more at home in this world than when we’re together. Even right now, with the awkwardness going on between us—I feel so safe when I’m with you, and I think that’s what this whole soulmate thing is all about.” Your voice cracks on the last syllable as tears fill your eyes, and Johnny reaches up, almost without thinking, to wipe away the first tear that falls.

“I don’t wanna sound corny or anything, but I get it now, I think. Love is scary. It’s a sacrifice of sorts, and it happens very much on purpose. It’s a purposeful choice that you make every day, where you choose to reveal the part of yourself that you don’t let other people see…and you choose to let someone in and let them tinker around in there, choosing to trust that they won’t hurt you. So, I guess,” You let out a small, nervous laugh as another tear falls, and you avert your gaze, “what I’m really trying to say is that I truly believe you’re my soulmate, and even if, by some fluke of the universe, you’re not, that I still would like to, uh…let you in and let you tinker around. And maybe, if you forgive me and still feel the same way, you could let me in, too.” As your last words leave you, you can’t help but feel an immense weight lifting off of your shoulders, an exhilarated smile coming to your face as you laugh breathlessly. 

It takes you a moment to realize that you’re not looking at Johnny, your gaze actually trained unwaveringly on his shoulder, and you tentatively shift your gaze to his face, your heart in your throat. “I’m done now.” You announce in a small voice, and Johnny chuckles, the sound so fond that you feel you could collapse against his broad chest, trusting entirely that he would catch you.

“Can I say my piece now?” He smiles down at you playfully with his brows raised curiously, and you nod quickly, laughing despite your nerves.

“Please.”

He doesn’t say much. “Great,” He murmurs, and he’s dipping you low and pressing his lips to yours so eagerly and fervently that it takes your breath away. His arms wind around your waist so tightly that you couldn’t move if you tried—not that you want to, anyway—and you wrap your arms around his neck even tighter, a small sob of relief escaping you as he presses kiss after kiss to your uncontrollable, unwavering, positively radiant smile. 

“I would be honored to love you on purpose,” He says through a brilliant smile that rivals your own. “My heart is open for you, whenever you’re ready to head on in.” He jokes, and a giggle bubbles up inside of you like the champagne you have yet to taste, leaving you positively drunk on ecstasy as you laugh in delight. It’s not really that funny, but you’re so damn happy that you can’t stop, your laughter spurring Johnny’s own, and you two stand in the middle of the dance floor, laughing, swaying, and very, very in love.

“I’ll get it!” You announce when you hear the doorbell ring, springing up from the couch and heading for the door. When you open it to Johnny’s tall frame in the doorway, you smile at him and lean up to press your lips to his in a quick but sweet greeting kiss. “Hi,” You murmur against his smiling lips.

“Hi,” He replies warmly, moving in for one more kiss before straightening back up. He peers past you briefly before he leans closer and whispers, “Can I be real with you?”

“Always.”

“I had to hype myself up in the mirror before I left to come here.” He confesses, and you raise your brows in surprise.

“Why?” You can’t help but laugh fondly.

“I need the approval of your friends,” He whispers back emphatically, and you roll your eyes, an amused smile quirking the corners of your lips.

“You’ll be fine,” You assure him. “Wanna know how I know?”

“Yes, please.”

“Firstly, you could probably charm a houseplant if you put your mind to it.” You say truthfully, and he snickers. “Secondly, I made them promise to be on their best behavior. Thirdly, and possibly most importantly—you brought the food,” You finish, taking said bags of food from his hand and smiling, “and we love food.”

“Okay…” Johnny says more so to himself before perking up. “Okay. I got this.”

“You sure do.” You assure him, patting his chest comfortingly before dropping your hand to link it with his. 

“Stop hogging your boyfriend!” Soyeon calls out loudly from the living room and you roll your eyes, tugging him after you. “Come to mama,” She says excitedly, rubbing her hands together, and you stop short, glaring at her in offended disbelief. “Why’d you stop?” She complains.

“What did you just say?” You say carefully, and Soyeon’s brows furrow as she looks at you with a confused look on her face. As if something clicks into place, her eyes widen in alarm and she puts her hands up defensively.

“I meant the food!” She explains quickly, and you pause, embarrassed.

“Oh…right. Sorry…that’s my bad.” You chuckle sheepishly, leaning forward and placing the bags of food on the coffee table. “Everyone, this is Johnny.” You say proudly and turn to Johnny, nudging him gently with your elbow. “Say hi, Johnny.”

“Hi,” He gives a small wave, smiling politely. “Soyeon…Soojin…and Yuqi.” Johnny looks at each of them in turn before turning to look at you expectantly. “Right?”

“Ding, ding, ding!” Soojin says happily before reaching into the bags on the table in search of her food. You head towards the couch, Johnny in tow, and settle into your favorite spot, patting the space next to you invitingly. He sits down and drapes his arm over the back of the couch and around your shoulders, relaxing slightly when you lean against his chest.

“Hey, now that there’s an odd number of us,” Yuqi says, gesturing to the five of you, “I think we can actually vote on a movie this time.”

“I didn’t even think of that,” Soyeon pauses her rifling through the bags of food to acknowledge Yuqi. “I propose we watch something to make Johnny feel comfortable. Like, uh, an action movie or something.”

“I’m actually a rom-com fan.” He admits sheepishly, and Soyeon pauses, pleasantly surprised.

“You’re gonna fit in just fine, Johnny.” Soojin says with a comforting smile, and Johnny chuckles, unable to hide his relief.

“So, I hear you’re into photography.” Yuqi says, attempting to make conversation.

“Oh, yeah, I dabble.” Johnny replies casually, shrugging. 

“Great! That means you can help whenever we need to take Instagram photos,” Soyeon insinuates with an innocent smile which widens when Johnny nods readily. “You’re a godsend; Soojin’s a terrible photographer.” She jabs her thumb over her shoulder in Soojin’s direction, and Soojin splutters indignantly.

“I am not! Maybe you’re just not very photogenic.” She retorts defensively, and Soyeon stares at her with a deadpan expression.

“I’ll flip all this shit over right now.”

“If you do, you’re cleaning it and buying us new food.” Yuqi threatens, and Soyeon sits back in her chair, rolling her eyes. 

“You’re lucky I hate cleaning,” Soyeon mutters petulantly. “And buying things.”

“You love buying things,” You correct, “just not with your own money.”

“You got me there,” She chuckles, apparently already over her spat with Soojin.

“How does ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ sound?” Yuqi proposes, gesturing to the television with the remote. 

“I’m down,” You agree.

“Me too,” Johnny echoes.

“Sounds good,” Soojin and Soyeon say in unison before turning to look at each other in surprise.

The four of you sit in stunned silence, Johnny looking around at each of you questioningly.

“What am I missing?” He chuckles curiously.

“We never agree on a movie on the first try.” Soyeon says, letting out an incredulous laugh. “Maybe Johnny’s a good luck charm.”

“He’s my good luck charm,” You interject, shuffling closer to him. “Get your own.”

“Sure thing,” Soyeon replies easily. “Johnny, do you have hot, single friends?”

“I do,” He agrees, nodding with a smile, and Soyeon smiles mischievously.

“I will snag one.”

“Good luck with that,” Soojin snorts in amusement, and Soyeon turns to look at her suspiciously, her right cheek bulging slightly with food.

“What does that mean?” Her voice is a bit garbled from the bite she’s just taken, and Soojin grimaces.

“Oh, God.” Yuqi mumbles, rubbing a hand over her face in exasperation.

“Maybe work on chewing with your mouth closed like a polite member of society before you try and snag anyone.” Soojin replies with a taunting smile. 

“I know where you sleep.”

“I know where you sleep!”

“Well, bring it on!” Soyeon exclaims dramatically, and you sigh, rubbing your temples.

“This is their best behavior?” Johnny murmurs in your ear curiously, not even trying to hide his amusement.

“I think,” You say carefully, making sure he can hear you over Soojin and Soyeon as they start to go back and forth, “that they forgot about that.” 

“I see.” He chuckles. “At this rate, I don’t think we need a movie.”

“Don’t let them hear you say that,” Yuqi chimes in as quietly as possible from her spot on your other side. 

“Seriously,” You agree. “They like you as it is right now; don’t test it.”

“Noted.” He nods with a serious expression, and you chuckle. You catch Yuqi’s eye in your peripheral vision, and she makes a point of gesturing to Johnny with her eyes and offering you a silent thumbs up of approval. You beam proudly and turn towards Johnny, tilting your head up to speak quietly in his ear.

“You passed the vibe check.” You inform him, and his smile mirrors your own as he turns to look at you.

“Yeah?” He can’t hide his excitement, squeezing you in closer to him. 

“Told you you’d be fine,” You remind him. He presses a kiss to your temple, his lips lingering on the spot as he hums in acknowledgement.

Even with the chaos of Soyeon’s and Soojin’s background bickering and Yuqi’s visibly dwindling patience, you feel nothing but bliss and relief as your two worlds unite comfortably.

ix. “i’ll go wherever it leads me to you.” - saya, take me on.

Your music is playing on the speakers in the kitchen, the melody of ‘Take Me On’ by SAya filling the room, and you hum along pleasantly, slowly stirring the pot of chili soup you’re making. You feel Johnny before you see or hear him, the lifting feeling in your heart spreading through your body until you feel practically as light as air, and you feel about as giddy as a schoolgirl with a crush as his arms wind around your waist slowly, his lips pressing a kiss to the crown of your head.

“Hi,” He sighs happily into your hair.

“Hi, John.” You smile and turn your head up towards him for a kiss, your smile widening when he meets your lips in a short, sweet peck. “Sleep well?”

“Like a baby,” He answers easily, swaying you two from side to side gently as you return your attention to the soup you’re making. “I missed you when I woke up.” You can hear the frown in his voice without even looking up, and you snicker fondly.

“I was wondering when you’d wake up,” You reply. “You’re just in time, though—the soup’s almost done.” You inform him, and he makes a sound of interest, leaning down and opening his mouth expectantly. “It’s hot, Johnny.” You laugh, and he furrows his brows.

“I’ll blow on it!” He promises, and you roll your eyes playfully before offering him a spoonful, taking it from the top of the liquid in the hopes that it’ll cool down faster. He blows on it far too quickly before taking the spoon into his mouth, his face screwing up in pain as he swallows and exhales repeatedly and rapidly. “Hot!”

“If only you’d had some sort of warning, perhaps,” You say sarcastically, both amused and concerned. He barely unwinds himself from you as he reaches for a cup from the cabinet and leans over to fill it with tap water, shooting you a playfully wounded look as water runs into the cup. He takes a few desperate gulps, audibly swallowing several times before setting the cup down with a sigh of relief. “Better?”

“Much,” He answers, his pleasant smile back on his face. “Before I almost burned my tastebuds off, I did actually taste it,” Johnny says, bringing himself down so his face is by yours.

“Mhm, and?” You press, expectant and hopeful as you wait to hear his reaction.

“It’s delicious!” He chirps, and you beam, relief flooding through you. ”And it’s my favorite,” He adds, squeezing you tighter.

“Yeah,” You echo, feeling slightly bashful.

“You’re too good to me,” Johnny sighs dreamily, kissing your cheek with an obnoxiously loud sound before straightening back up. “I’m not complaining, though—by all means, keep it up.”

“Aren’t you charming?” You remark drily, and he pulls you away from the stove, turning you around to face him and smiling down at you.

“Very,” He agrees with a wiggle of his brows. There’s a moment of comfortable silence, and then Johnny speaks again. “Y’know, I find it so much easier to be in your apartment now that your friends know and approve of me.” He comments.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah; I was kind of worried they wouldn’t like me.” He admits sheepishly, and you move to turn around, an indignant exclamation on the tip of your tongue, but he holds you fast and firm.

“Johnny,” You say, amused, “who in their right mind wouldn’t like you?”

“Some people might think I’m a lot to handle.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re a lot. Also, I’m a lot, so my friends are obviously used to it.”

“You’re not a lot,” Johnny protests, and you roll your eyes with a laugh.

“You have to say that; you’re my soulmate.”

“Yeah, I am,” He sighs dreamily. “I’m still getting used to that, you know; it’s so exciting.”

“It really is,” You agree, nodding. “I still find it kind of hard to believe that the universe picked me out of billions of people. Like, I never even win those scratch-off lottery tickets,” You stammer, Johnny laughing fondly as you continue, “and yet, I have a whole ass soulmate.”

“Yeah,” He hums thoughtfully. “What was the word you used that day at the wedding? Lucky?”

“Yep; but I’m feeling very lucky right about now.” You smile.

“Oh, yeah? What a lucky coincidence,” Johnny comments casually. “I’m also very lucky.” He moves so you can see his face and looks at you expectantly. When you remain silent, confused, he rolls his eyes and shakes you gently. “Ask me why.”

“Why are you lucky, Johnny?” You ask, playing along, and his smile widens. 

“I am lucky because I have someone as wonderful as you loving me.” He answers, and heat blooms in your cheeks as you avert your gaze shyly. He ducks down so you two are looking at each other once more before he says, “I am also very happy.” He blinks at you pointedly until you catch onto his silent urging.

“Why are you happy, Johnny?” 

“I am happy because I get to love you for the rest of our lifetimes,” He replies, moving his lips to your ear and whispering, “entirely on purpose.”

“You are so…” You trail off, shaking your head and laughing in mild disbelief.

“Romantic? Sweet? Lovely? Charismatic?” He supplies, and you blink up at him wordlessly.

“All of the above,” You answer, and he grins, leaning down to press his lips to yours once more. “Now let me finish the soup, please.” You carefully turn yourself around in his embrace to give your attention to the soup once more.

“Only if I can stay right here,” He reasons, and you shrug.

“Go ahead.”

The vibrations of his chest soothe you as he hums along to your playlist and sticks to his word, staying put right behind you and pressing small kisses to the top of your head.

x. “oh, i know i belong to you.” - eric nam, the night.

“Johnny, are we almost there?” You ask curiously, laughing as you tentatively walk forward.

“Yes, stop being so impatient,” Johnny laughs with you, keeping one hand firmly placed over your hands, which are cupped over your eyes. “And…we’re…here!” He announces proudly, removing his hand from your hands, which you remove from over your eyes.

You blink a few times to adjust to the lighting outside, your eyes finally landing on the blanket laid out on the grass under a tree, a smile coming to your face when you turn to face Johnny and he holds up a picnic basket excitedly.

“Surprise!” He’s practically bouncing in place, excitement radiating off of him. “I got your favorite,” He says, opening the wicker basket and letting you look inside to see the familiar packaging of your favorite order from the Korean barbecue chicken store you and your roommates always go to. 

“Oh,” You say softly, smiling so widely you’re surprised the sound even makes it out undistorted.

“And I got your favorite drink,” He adds, setting the basket down on the picnic blanket and reaching into it to pull out your order from the café you work at. You stammer uselessly for a moment, looking at his happy, proud expression and beaming so brightly you fear your cheek muscles will start to ache. “Did I do a good job?” He asks hopefully, and you can only nod vigorously, cupping his face and pulling him down to your height, standing on your tiptoes to kiss him sweetly. 

He wraps his arms around your waist immediately, holding you tightly as you two stand there kissing, humming appreciatively as you two part.

“You did a wonderful job, Johnny.” You assure him sincerely, and he puffs his chest out proudly.

“Awesome. Let’s eat before the food gets cold.” He urges, walking you both onto the blanket and releasing you so you can both sit down. He hands you your food and a fork and takes out his food, opening the lid and promptly spearing a piece of chicken and taking a bite. You do the same, closing your eyes happily as you chew, until the feeling of eyes on you makes you reopen them to see Johnny watching you expectantly as he chews. “Good?”

“Perfect,” You correct, and he smiles proudly, eyes crinkling as he returns his attention to his food. The two of you eat in a peaceful silence, surrounded by the sounds of nature and people casually passing through the park you’re seated in, before Johnny speaks.

“I have another surprise,” He announces, covering his food back up and springing to his feet.

“Wh-Where are you going?” You laugh. 

“I gotta get the other surprise!” He explains, turning on his heel and dashing to the edge of the sidewalk where his car is parked. He opens the door to the backseat and sticks his head in, presumably looking for said surprise.

“Johnny–”

“Got it!” He exclaims, emerging from the car and shutting the door, the car beeping as he locks it on his way back to you, and you see a metal box in his hand, your head tilting to the side curiously.

“What is it?” You ask, confused, and Johnny sits back down, opening the box. You peer inside curiously to see a few envelopes and a notebook and look up at him questioningly.

“It’s going to be,” Johnny explains, “a time capsule!” At your still lost expression, he adds, “I thought that, in the next lifetime, if one of us is—or both of us are—skeptical about soulmates, we can write our future selves letters right now explaining everything. That way, it’ll be easier to find each other.” He finishes with a bright smile, and you feel your lips curling up into a smile that appears entirely out of your control.

“That’s such a good idea,” You praise him, and if you thought he looked proud before, it’s nothing compared to now. 

“I know, right?” He chuckles, pulling out the notebook and neatly tearing out a page, setting it on his box of chicken before handing you the notebook and a pen from the box. “You can lean on the notebook,” He offers, and you chuckle, adjusting yourself so you can write better.

“What a gentleman.” You murmur with a smile, and he grins. You two fall back into silence as you write your letters to your future selves, and you finish before Johnny, lifting your head to see him still bent over his paper. “I’m done,” You announce, leaning forward and plucking one of the envelopes from the box. You fold your letter up and place it in the envelope, writing your name on the front and sealing it before placing it back in the box.

“Done!” Johnny sits up and takes an envelope from the box, putting his letter inside and sealing it, writing his name carefully on the envelope and setting it down beside yours. “I was also thinking that, uh, we could write each other letters—like to our future selves, too.”

“You’re so romantic,” You tease, nudging him with your knee, and he smiles, showing the first hint of bashfulness you’ve seen from him all day as he rubs at the back of his neck.

“Thanks.” He chuckles shyly. You remove another sheet of paper from the notebook in your lap and hand it to him before hunching over your paper and starting to write, silence befalling you two once more as you focus on writing.

Dear Future Johnny,

This might be confusing to read, and hopefully you’re not alone when you find this, but I’m your future soulmate. In the lifetime I’m writing this in, that fact was very hard for me to grasp, so I can only hope you—and future me—can handle this better than I did.

I—past me, the one writing this—love you, Johnny. To be perfectly honest, I love you so much that it’s actually a little scary. I know the universe picked us out for each other, but I will make the conscious decision to love you every day that you let me, for years and lifetimes and future existences to come. 

I’m going to keep this short, because the idea of writing this letter was kind of sprung on me and I don’t have all the words I want to say to you, but I hope we find each other soon in your current lifetime and that every moment we spend together is filled with love and comfort and happiness.

A worrying thought pushes to the forefront of your mind as you’re sealing your letter to future Johnny, the question practically burning inside of you while you write Johnny’s name on the front, doodling hearts around his name absentmindedly.

“Johnny?” 

“Hm?” He doesn’t look up from his paper, still writing.

“What if we don’t find each other in the next life?” You ask, worry creeping into your voice. Johnny looks up at you with a concerned expression, gesturing for you to elaborate. “Like—what if we never make it back to this spot exactly? What if we’re not even born in this area—this country, hell, this continent—” Johnny silences you by reaching his arm out for you to come sit by him, and you do just that, letting him embrace you and kiss the side of your head.

“I don’t think the universe would let that happen.” He answers confidently, and you look at him to see that he’s already looking back. “I think we’ll always find our way back to each other.”

“Yeah?” You mumble, already comforted by both his words and the absolute faith he has in them.

“Yeah.” He confirms.

“You’re just on your game today,” You chuckle. “I mean, with the date, and the time capsule and letters—” You crane your head to peek at Johnny’s paper, which he covers immediately.

“Be patient, nosy.” He teases, and you smile and nod, bringing your food into your lap and continuing to eat as he finishes up his letter. “Okay, I’m done.” He says, relieved as he places his now sealed envelope with your name in the box.

“Are you gonna bury it?” You ask curiously, and he nods before a frown makes its way to his face. “What’s wrong?”

“I forgot a shovel.” He answers, sighing.

“It’s okay!” You comfort him, squeezing his hand and nudging his side with your shoulder. He leans into your touch and a smile slowly replaces his frown.

“Yeah, I can just bury it some other time, right?” He asks, and you nod encouragingly.

“Exactly. Now, if I were you, I’d finish my food before the ants get to it first.”

“Ew.” He shudders, and you snort in amusement.

“Exactly.”

xi. “swear i feel you in my memory; i think i’ve seen you in my dreams. maybe you and i have history, but i don’t think you know me.” - sarah barrios & eric nam, have we met before?

You’re out on a walk with your dog, strolling through your neighborhood, when suddenly your dog freezes, her whole body stiffening. Before you can even hypothesize what she’s picked up on, she’s pulling you after her towards a grassy area in the park across the street that, if you’re being truthful, feels oddly familiar. 

“W–What are you up to, you silly girl?” You laugh as your dog continues practically dragging you forward on her leash. She’s a girl on a mission as she reaches the grassy area and sniffs around the large tree. “Did you just really want to pee here or something?” You mumble, confused, but she only creates more questions in your mind as she sniffs at the ground and starts frantically digging. “What on Earth could you be looking for?” You mutter to yourself, genuinely baffled because she’s never really been the type of dog to love digging holes. 

Shortly into your dog’s digging frenzy, you can hear her paws scraping against something that’s most definitely not dirt or anything natural, and you move closer to see what she’s found, your brows furrowing in confusion and surprise as something metal glints back at you. You crouch down and dust off the item, eyes widening when you make out the words “Time Capsule” printed clearly on what appears to be a metal box.

You pull the box out and set it on the grass, gingerly undoing the latches and opening it. You see four letters, two of which, to your complete and utter surprise, have your name on them in two different handwritings, and the other two are addressed to “Johnny” in the same handwritings.

“What the hell?” You mumble in confusion, sitting down on the grass in front of the capsule and picking up one of the letters with your name on it. “I don’t remember writing this.” You trail off nervously, staring down at what is unmistakably your handwriting. “And who is Johnny?” You open the letter with trembling hands and your heart in your throat, not sure what to expect.

Dear Future Me,

If you’re reading this, then congratulations! You found your way back to the Time Capsule. I don’t know how you found this spot again, but if you had help, make sure you give them a big thank you.

You pause to give your dog a kiss and she sits down as if she’s completed her job, settling her head in your lap.

This letter was written by you, but you from the past—a past life, to be exact. I’ll keep it brief, as I’m writing this on a date with our soulmate and want to get back to spending time with him.

“Soulmate?” You mutter, amused. “There’s no way I have a soulmate.”

I know you must be thinking that there’s no way we have a soulmate. But we do. The odds are a million to one, and we just so happen to be one of those ones.

“Holy shit.”

If you found this and you haven’t found your soulmate yet, he can’t be too far behind. The universe will always find a way to bring you two together.

“Hey—down, girl!” You hear a male voice call, and a ball of white fluff launches itself at your dog, your shriek of alarm going unnoticed by the two dogs who sniff each other’s behinds and promptly start playing with each other, restricted only by your respective grips on their leashes. “Sorry about that, she never does this.” The male apologizes, and you raise a hand to your brow to shield your gaze from the sun as you look up at him.

You’re pretty sure you’ve never seen this man before, so why does his smile feel like you’re coming home after an incredibly long journey?

In a moment of what can only be divine intervention, you open your mouth and blurt out, “Johnny?”

His eyes widen almost imperceptibly before he looks at you with mild confusion. “Yes; have we met before?”

“Yes, but—well, it’s kind of complicated.” You mutter, laughing under your breath. “But I think these are for you.” You reach into the time capsule and hand Johnny the letters with his name on it, watching as his brows shoot up into his hairline. 

“What the hell?” He mumbles, moving to sit down beside you. For the first couple of moments as he reads, you take the opportunity to finish reading your own letter from your past self.

I’m genuinely hoping with all my heart that this letter helps you not be as foolish as I was in this lifetime; let Johnny in. Let him love you. I promise you won’t regret it. 

Finally finished, you fold the letter back up and put it back in its envelope before returning your attention to Johnny. To your wonder, you can’t help but study his handsome features as he reads, from the slope of his nose to the flutter of his lashes to the heart-shaped pucker of his lips, and his large, broad stature with large hands that, if you’re honest, aren’t exactly helping you pay attention to the situation at hand.

You’re drawn out of your daze by Johnny calling your name almost experimentally, and you feel a tingling rush of…fulfillment throughout your body as you realize you love the sound of your name in his mouth and want him to say it again and again and again.

“This is unreal,” He laughs, and you can’t help but join in, shrugging as you’re at a loss for words.

“What did your letter say?” You ask, and he clears his throat, looking back down at the letter.

“Dear Future Johnny,

“This might sound crazy, but I’m writing this to you from one of our past lives. You might think this is some kind of fluke, but I promise you it’s not. 

“If you haven’t already, you are about to get the opportunity to fall for the love of our life all over again, and I hope it’s every bit as exciting as you want it to be. She’s strong, smart, funny, kind, beautiful, and all yours to love.

“I’m hoping you didn’t stumble upon these letters alone; if you did, just hang tight and wait for our soulmate; the universe will bring you two together soon enough.

Be patient with her; if she’s anything like our love in this life, she’s hesitant to love and scared. Love her with all of your heart and show her she’s safe with us.” 

Johnny finishes reading, and you rub at your cheeks in the hopes to dissipate some of the warmth that built up while Johnny read out the compliments about you from past Johnny.

“You have a very nice reading voice,” You mumble shyly, and he grins.

“Thank you. So,” He draws the syllable out. “Soulmates, huh?”

“Guess so.” You say softly, nibbling at your bottom lip to mask the excited smile that threatens to grow. 

“Then I guess we should get to know each other a little bit better, yeah?” He chuckles, and you nod, the gesture far too eager for your liking. “Wanna get something to eat and hang out?” He asks as he stands up and reaches a hand out to help you up. 

You murmur in agreement and take his hand gratefully, an unexpected gasp slipping out from you as a storm of butterflies builds up in your stomach almost instantly. 

When the feeling has ebbed enough for you to focus on reality, you notice that Johnny’s eyes are glazed over slightly as he regards you and it makes you wonder—has he just had the same experience as you?

“You alright?” Johnny asks with a warm, curious smile.

You return his smile. “Never better.”

xii. “my answer is you.” - exo, my answer.

To My Love,

I practiced what I’d write here, but I think my nerves are making me forget everything. So I’ll just say some things I know to be true. 

We are soulmates.

As sure as the sun will rise and set, I will love you.

I promise to be your safe place in every lifetime we spend together.

You may be scared, and I get it. The universe works in mysterious ways. I promise to be by your side through it all.

I will choose to love you in the little ways and in the big; from knowing your boba order, to wiping your tears away, to slow dancing with you in the kitchen, and everything in between.

Every day I find something new I love about you, like the way you sound when you laugh at my jokes or the way you tie your hair back.

We go together well. I love making dumb jokes and you love laughing at them. I’m calm when you panic, you’re responsible and grounded when I’m in my devil-may-care moments. We balance each other out, I believe, and the universe gave us to each other as a blessing.

If you get scared again, I will wait for you in this next lifetime and every one after that. 

I am in love with everything that you are, have been, and will ever be.

I can’t wait to fall in love with you all over again.

See you in the next life,

Johnny (your soulmate)

You smile widely as you reread the letter you pore over every time you need a pick-me-up, so enamored with your lover’s words that you don’t hear him padding up to you from behind.

“I was wondering where you ran off to.” Johnny murmurs, voice hushed due to the late hour.

“Was just reading your letter to Future Me again.” You sigh happily, leaning against the edge of the windowsill. The moonlight that had previously illuminated the page you were reading is now gracing the floor, shadows of the swaying trees outside dancing in the light. 

“Again? It’s so cheesy,” Johnny shudders with a laugh, moving closer to you and opening his arms for you. You step into his embrace, his warmth and comforting scent surrounding you as he sighs blissfully, holding onto you like he’ll never let go. “I’m way more composed now,” He sounds petulant and you snicker.

“John.”

“Hm.”

“Are you pouting?”

“No.” He lies.

“You are a grown man.”

“All I’m saying is that you could get way smoother lines from me now.” He defends, and laughter spills from you before you can stop it.

“Johnny, I don’t need ‘smooth.’ I like you rough around the edges. It’s more vulnerable and touching that way.” You explain, looking up at him and resting your chin on his chest. He looks down to meet your gaze, a smile slowly creeping onto his face.

“Okay,” He relents. He looks up and past you to the window and you follow his gaze, looking out to see that it’s started to rain. “Hey,” Johnny murmurs excitedly, grinning when you turn to look at him. “Wanna go out and kiss in the rain?” 

“Really?” You laugh, surprised, and he nods, slipping his fingers between yours and pulling you towards the front door. “At least let me change out of my slippers!”

“I’m being spontaneous and romantic!” He whisper-yells back at you. 

As he pulls you out of the door, you whiz past the analog clock on the wall, catching, at the very last moment, that it’s 2:22am.

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[malebodyexhibit]

Nacho Business (a Next Door Boy tale)

When Brent and I took that photo together, we hadn’t switch bodies just yet. In Sierra Vista, there were not many opportunities to be hired in well-paying jobs, especially as a Latino American. So when Brent offered me a job and didn’t hesitate to stand beside me as equal human beings, I accepted with a smile on my face.

Brent was the manager of the gas station and had worked his way to the top since he was teen. He was a good leader and spent many hours at work and many more at the gym. He knew he looked good, but it was part of his image. 

I was hired to many stay in the backrooms. In this conservative part of town, I as a brown-skinned resident had to avoid intimidating the sensitive customers. But my work ethic and leadership skills didn’t go unnoticed by management. Brent gave me more responsibilities and eventually I was assistant manager. We handled the store well. Of course, matters of race always deferred to him. If a customer couldn’t converse with me without dipping into casual racism, Brent stood up to the plate and shouldered the responsibility. Not only was his race a help, but also his charisma and built body. He could smooth talk any woman down.

Eventually it came to light that Brent was skimming money off the top of business. Higher ups came down harder than a heatwave in the desert. They gave him an ultimatum: resign or face a lawsuit.

Brent tried his hardest to fight back. He claimed he was the face of the store. No one would shop there when a Mexican was in charge. And I realized his kindness was a mask. He saw me nothing more than my race.

 But the owners of a multi-billion dollar franchise wouldn’t passively let a racist prick steamroll them with threats. They offered me the position of being the face of the store, and when I accepted, they forced the agency Next Door Boy to do a permanent swap of me and Brent.

I didn’t think they meant I would be the literal face of the store. I wore Brent for over a year now. I take more time off after becoming him. I love heading to the gym and bench pressing a fuck ton of weight. I get compliments from guys all the time. I never liked Brent’s douche bag tats, but it helps with picking up the ladies. With my managerial skills, I managed to get the store into top shape. I donate money to various charities around town. It’s my aim to reduce the racial troubles around here, and while I get to reap the benefits of the white lifestyle, I still try my beset to help Brent in my body.

It’s really despicable what they did to Brent. They practically wiped his mind clear. He lost most of his mathematical talent, literacy, and confidence. He acts the part of the uneducated, timid Hispanic worker. I try my best to help him. We go out for drinks and hang out playing pool. He gets crap occasionally for being Latino, but I manage to protect him. He practically worships me since he only vaguely knows he used to be me. He had begged me for his body back, but it’s out of my hands. I catch him checking me out when I change into my employee uniform, but I don’t think he’s gay. He must be dreaming of these biceps or the six pack abs he worked so hard on. A few times he tried to lecture me on how to run the store. I told him it wasn’t his business. A few of the other employees jokingly tell him “nacho business.” They don’t mean it maliciously, and I find myself saying it too. I feel maybe I’ve lost myself in this white hunk. Maybe I will  ask the company to give Brent his intelligence back. That way I don’t feel so guilty.

[vanya-evergreen]

THANK YOU FOR 100 NOTES ON HOW TO REMEMBER.💖💖

I am over come with joy by how much people have been enjoying it! I was working on the next part when I noticed haha!

So in celebration I give you a small look into the next chapter 🥳

*it might change a bit in the final draft!*

“Welcome the 9 pm GBC News, we are currently following batman and robin while they pursue-” Click

You were hanging upside down on your coach, clicking through the local news channels trying to find the best view of the chase. Your laptop was discarded besides you. It’s open to an article about Dick Grayson ‘soaring through’ the annual charity ball on the chandler when he first was adopted into the Wayne family. There were multiple other browsers open, all on the Wayne Family and their lucrative businesses and charities, along with their scandals too.

You said you would do your research.

Your attention was taken away from this ‘research’ as a new alert about Batman and Robin chasing some nameless villain, who had kidnapped some poor boy, on founders island came up. No new station could find a good angle, you were annoyed.

“Damn you!” you toss the remote to the other side of the coach, quickly you flip yourself around and get off of the coach. You mumble about how they do it on purpose, they were trying to make you read their shit article. You had to wait for social media to do its thing of supplying you with clips of your favorite heroes (well not absolute favorites). Your apartment was nothing to overlook, always seems to have been updated without you knowing. It always had the latest tech, or trendiest look. You have been rich for 7 years now and still can't seem under it.

You walk over to the floor to ceiling windows, looking down you see people walking home or to a club, taxis and cars driving in opposite directions. Slowly the news faded to the back of your mind.

Nights in Gotham were always busy, especially near Old Gotham. It was rich with history and culture, and also money too. When you first woke up in this world you wanted to visit every place possible. You went to museums, office buildings, the GCDP nearby, and shops you had never even heard of. You used to stand out on the corner of the street watching the luxury cars pass by, while your ‘Assistant’, Val Miller, carried bags from the toy store you frequented, or the candy stores you couldn’t help but indulge in. Yo had never really had a childhood, but looking back you weren't as grown as you thought. You looked up at the neighboring building, the neon lights danced in your eyes. There was one that always caught your eye.

You went into that office building, or what you know as Wayne tower, once. You were dressed like a typical kid or preteen, you wouldn’t stop looking at all the expansive interior. The front desk workers thought it was the funniest thing that a kid was excited to be there. They gave you a small tour of the base floor level and let you answer some calls. It was great for you. You were just a kid when you came here, and even now you are just a kid. Everything was new and shiny to you.

This place is a far cry from your home near the east end of gotham. There was a high rate of villain bases and criminal activity in your area. While it wasn’t the safest environment for you as a child, it is what you knew. It’s where you learned to survive, how to live. So you tried your best to protect your small place of peace, your shabby second floor apartment. Full of splitters waiting to happen and ready to cause a concussion at any moment, it was far from ideal, but it had running water, gas, and occasional heat. You lived with your mother, she was a brilliant flash of light in the darkest corner of Gotham, but she wasn't alway there for you. While she wasn't the perfect mother, she did what she could with what she had for the both of you.

[rebouks]

I'm gonna be the realest with you rn and say that I haven't read Somnium (yet?) and I'm just following FIB as you upload, so I caught myself wondering what Oscar's job is! I'm not completely clueless though: I checked some older posts and from what I saw, I assumed he's a hacker and worked for a criminal gang? But what about now? Just a freelancer? And what about Courtney? What does homegirl got going for her? Tbh I'd love to know the profession of all your sims! Pls don't mind my lazy ass :')

Haaah! I can't say I blame you tbh since it's quite an investment at this point (still worth it imo tho LOL) but yeah, it's hard to catch up sometimes skjkdj <- me currently tryna catch up on a bazillion stories omg

Let's cover as many as we can! lmk if I miss any tho 🙈

But yessss.. Oscar is a freelancer programmer at the moment! He's VERY good at it but moved away from his naughtiness on that front for the most part 🤭 it works really well for him since he's not too great with structure and can work from home! (his office still SUCKS tho ;-;)

Courtney - Stay at Home Mom! She used to work at a garden centre and she's had a million n' one jobs before that too, she doesn't know what she wants to do 🙃 she'll think abt it some more when the kiddos are all old enough for school tho probs...

Ivan - Mechanical Engineer - haven't thought abt this one too much, I imagine he works at some kinda factory looking after/fixing all the machines tho idk 🤔

Bruno - Landscape Gardener

Noah - Artist! He has his own gallery now too and he scouts/stocks other peoples work as well as his.

Aspen - Yoga Teacher - kinda casual tho since Noah makes enough for both of em n' then some.

Sidney - Retired A&E Doctor! Still works the odd shift to help out tho cos she can't help herself.

Alton - Retired Charity Worker (FOR THE TREEEES! 🌲)

Alma - Semi Retired Medium/Tarot Card Reader

Mack/Kobe - Mechanics (still own their lil garage in the Harbor)

Darien - Accountant (a very GOOD accountant & only slightly dodgy these days, plenty of legal ways around the law u kno 😉)

Wyatt - Unemployed! Man's got enough money to last several lifetimes but messes with a lot of stocks, he'll tell people he's an Investor)

Brynn - Stay at Home Mom! She's quite social tho, I can see her getting a job in a cafe or smth when the kids go to school just for fun)

Tilda - Seamstress! She works with a slightly eccentric woman in her shop in the Bay

Tristen - Pizza Boy/Lifeguard! He works with Kara in a cute lil takeaway in town at night, but by day he picks up shifts as a lifeguard on the beach, especially in spring/summer 🌊 He has his own place now!! 🏠👀

Mia - Paramedic! She works a LOT

Suzie - Dog Sitter/Groomer - she has her own grooming station in the garage/outhouse so basically works from home!

Miya - Mixologist!

Rhys - Photographer - he's mostly done weddings/events in the past but he's working toward doing more projects of his own since he has a studio now! 📸

Tommy - Psychiatrist (Still doing his residency tho)

[queer-crip-grows]

Right-to-buy council houses without specifically only releasing housing that already had a replacement built was of the most notable ways of the *many* that Thatcher et al screwed the UK.

I’d love to have a law put in place that landlords either have to sign contracts to provide housing under council house-type contracts with rent controls to people on housing benefit etc, or sell to the local council at compulsory purchase prices.

Same for all the houses not being lived in - use to house people under contractual controls, or have to sell to the council housing central fund.

Personally I’d start converting all the office units that are no longer needed because so many people are working remotely now into housing too.

Same for the huge city centre shops - I’m not sure if the pattern repeats elsewhere, but I live near Glasgow and the city centre has basically died since Covid. No one is renting the huge retail stores and the place is full of unhoused folk, which is a fucking scandal. So convert them into housing; let the buildings see use, and let those folks get off the streets. Pets and kids specifically allowed too - get families out of one-room shelters and into proper homes of their own.

I’ve heard that there would be issues putting in water infrastructure, but given the place is literally crumbling already and usage in so many areas is so low that having workers digging up the streets to install water lines wouldn’t cause enormous disruption, the time to do this is *now*. Build rainwater catchment and purification systems on roofs too - we get so much rain in the UK it’s kind of ridiculous not to use it! Some of that could go directly to drip irrigation in gardens, but plenty could go right into the houses/flats too. And of course this would provide tons of jobs in construction, architecture, planning etc etc.

Install gardens and green spaces around the place while you are doing this - offer some at low rent, or to buy cheaply, to market gardeners, but specifically put spaces in for communal gardens with the idea of offering allotments and encouraging people to grow their own food.

Put solar panels on every roof and integrate spaces for smaller wind turbines amongst the houses too. Huge storage batteries in basements to make the new blocks as low-footprint and self-sufficient as possible power-wise.

It would be a *fantastic* opportunity to create genuinely accessible housing - office buildings and shops already have lifts and wide corridors ideal for wheelchairs and other mobility devices, so keep that in the design when creating housing. There is a hidden epidemic of houselessness amongst disabled people and older folk with mobility needs, so create low-rent council housing that specifically fits those needs there.

It would regenerate the areas - all the smaller shopfronts not suitable for housing conversion would fill up with people offering the things people in residential neighbourhoods need, with a guaranteed payer base. People on low incomes *use* all of their incomes on necessities, so small businesses selling those necessities will do well. Offer small businesses low rents to provide those necessities. Any that don’t fill up, offer to charities and use for council staff offering the aid and advice people transitioning into housing actually *need*.

Carers are generally low-paid - so this would be an opportunity to offer them cheap housing close to a huge client base in the new accessible housing. No need for low-paid, mostly-female workers to dash constantly between clients in cars. They could walk to work and walk in between clients, who would also no longer be trapped in inaccessible homes, so people who are not actually bedbound would hopefully be less housebound.

Put rooms in the blocks for communal and co-op activities to reduce isolation - with the lifts and wide corridors, even people who are functionally housebound are likely to be able to make it to a room in their own building, and even quite young children could get to those places safely on their own if their parents are working. Wraparound childcare, paid and informal, near where folks actually live.

City centre areas that are now largely dead other than unhoused people, with limited and decreasing zero economic activity taking place and a decreasing incentive for businesses to set up there rather than in out-of-town retail parks people need to drive to, would become vibrant communities with every incentive for businesses to set up there, particularly for the small businesses that still employ the majority of people.

It wouldn’t take a lot to extend this model to transform those out-of-town business parks that are currently largely empty either; nothing says the businesses that are still there would need to move, and they would have a huge new pool of potential employees living within easily walkable distance, though there would need to be oversight to make sure places like Amazon didn’t attempt to buy them up and turn them into company housing. There would need to be a little more investment to provide green transport links like electric buses and trains so that it would be easier for small businesses to move in to provide services, but given the tax income that would result and the reduction in pollution the investment would probably pay itself back within a decade or so.