#dont even ask what is this just scroll or nod along

[stormoflina]

This is how the LFC squad would react to you explaining what osmosis is (you can also think of whatever your specific area/beloved topic is)

Trent: He would nod along for the whole time, focused and very serious, then make the most generic, NPC statement like. "I have always been a big admirer of osmosis." When you would go ??? he would then actually give up, have a laugh at himself, then ask for an easier explanation, because he's also generally interested in whatever you have to say.

Virg: He would hear you out, pat you on the shoulder and say, "that's great! 👍🏼 😃". Then leave.

Cody: Very thoughtful listener. Would actually get a pen and paper and start making notes, meanwhile complementing your intelligence.

Darwin: "???😁"

Macca: Laughs awkwardly. Gets red in the face when he would mispronounce osmosis and you correct him.

Mo: He would definitely know what osmosis and would be happy to engage about it.

Domi: "Osmo-what?"Starts laughing, because "it's a funny sounding word."

Ali: He knows what osmosis is and will let you know that. Tries to correct you on one thing, looks it up on google, then apologies for doubting you.

Jota: Knows what osmosis is, just doesn't really give a fuck.

Harvey: Doesn't know what osmosis is, and also doesn't really care.

Curtis: Also starts laughing at the 'osmosis', but then quickly apologizes to not hurt your feelings. Willing to listen to you talking about it, despite having absolutely no clue what is even going on, because he feels bad for laughing.

Joe: Has a oOH! moment when you mention osmosis and he can vaguely recall it from his studies.

Endo: Asks polite questions about osmosis.

Klopp: Invented osmosis.

[asahicore]

bad news first - sjy (m)

this work contains smut - minors please do not interact pairing. jake x fem!reader synopsis. From the moment you'd met at eight to the day he moved to South Korea at fourteen, you and Jake were inseparable. But after years of being apart, you've come to terms with the fact that at twenty, you and Jake just aren't what you used to be. That is until you get a text from him, and all of a sudden, he's back by your side, doing his year abroad at the university you study at, and all your feelings for him float back up to the surface. genre. college au, childhood friends to ???? to lovers, painful mutual pining, one bed trope..... a sprinkle of angst (my hand slipped) but mostly fluff i promise and smut (mdni!!!), also i made sunghoon really weird in this and idkw, this is set in scotland.. edinburgh uni rep!! word count. 23k author's note. everybody say happy belated birthday to @zreamy.. happy belated birthday zo!!! being 22 years and 6 days old is cooler than just 22 years old anyway.. hope you like it bestie... if you dont... well theres a building on campus thats 17 stories high sooo.. enjoy! i hope everyone else enjoys too, since this is a bday fic for zo she couldnt beta read so i had to raw dog this so if its terrible.. not my fault! lmk what u think!! i also made a playlist for this, do listen along!!

“Alright kids, good news or bad news first?”

You looked at your teacher, then at the boy next to you, then back at your teacher. “Bad news first,” you said in unison.

You were only eight, but you were both wise enough to know that hearing good news second would assuage the blow of whatever these bad news were. Miss Dawson sighed as she crouched in front of you. “The bad news is your bus driver is on strike and won’t be coming. The good news is that your parents have been informed and are coming to pick you up soon.”

Following her instructions, you headed to the gymnasium and sat there silently among the other kids. Not many kids in your class rode the bus home, and the ones who did seemed to have drivers not on strike, so it was just the two of you. You were used to that, though - over January and February, you had made a sort of silent pact to stand and wait for the bus together. You sometimes shared snacks, but you never spoke. For some reason, you felt at ease with this boy, even though you didn’t know much about him. You had heard he had moved to Brisbane just at the start of this year, all the way from South Korea. You were pretty sure his name was Jake.

You handed him one of your Twix bars. Then he spoke. “I thought a strike was when you did really well in bowling.”

“Same,” you replied, mouth full of chocolate and caramel. “I’m not sure why that would keep the bus driver from picking us up.”

Jake looked at you with wide eyes, distress clear in them. “Do you think he went bowling instead of picking us up?”

This made you frown. “That’d be really rude.”

“It would. I always make sure to go bowling on the weekends, ‘cause if I missed school that’d be rude to Miss Dawson.”

You nodded your head in fervent agreement. “For sure.”

That weekend, his mum called your mum to ask if you wanted to go to the bowling alley with them. From then on, for the next six years, you were stuck together by glue. 

--

Twelve years later, Jake’s name appearing on your phone screen has become such a rare sight, you don’t believe it right away. It takes you a few seconds of intense squinting at the letters to actually realise your eyes aren’t deceiving you.

jake.sim15 hey y/n!! you go to edinburgh uni right?

You type and delete three different responses before settling for a simple yeah, I am! what’s up?, hoping you sounded nonchalant even though you very much felt chalant. You thought that whatever you sent wouldn’t be as weird as taking forever to answer such a straightforward question. 

As you wait for Jake’s reply, you scroll through your previous shared messages, noting with sadness that for three years in a row, the only instances you’d texted were to wish each other a happy birthday or when he reacted with a fire emoji to Stories of your dog, Milo. Before that, your last conversation was to congratulate each other about getting into your top choice universities and to discuss plans for your respective futures.

Futures that used to include each other, you think. His reply appears at the bottom of your screen before melancholy can fill your heart.

jake.sim15 i applied to go there for my year abroad next year annnnd i got in !! heh

You shoot up straight from your seat on the lounge chaise you’d been sunbathing on, a loud “Oh my God!” involuntarily escaping your mouth. 

“What? What happened? Is everything okay?” Chaewon asks frantically, rushing over to your side. “Oh,” she says when she sees your phone. “It’s a text… from a boy?” 

This makes Yunjin, previously unbothered by your panic, rise from her seat and take off her sunglasses. “A boy? Show me,” she demands, snatching your phone from your hands before you can protest. Upon seeing the texts on your screen, she lets out a loud gasp. “It’s not just any boy! It’s the one and only Jake Sim himself.”

“Give that back!” you plead, hand reaching for your phone, but Yunjin is already walking away.

“And he’s coming to Edi this September, apparently. He says he’s sorry for not saying anything earlier, but he was waiting for an answer up until now.” She scoffs. “Leave it to our uni to tell someone they’re in less than two months before term starts. Oh, you’re the first person he’s told, Y/N! After his parents. How cute,” she coos, protesting when you snatch your phone back from her. “Hey! I was reading that.”

“Those are my texts, Yunjin. I’m the one who’s meant to read them.”

She shrugs. “You would’ve told us anyway.”

“What are you going to reply?” Chaewon asks. With the both of them hovering over your shoulders and watching as you type a response, a sort of stage fright comes over you, making you send what might be the most unoriginal reply known to man.

“Awesome? Seriously, Y/N?” Yunjin reads, disproportionately disgusted with you.

“That’s a lot of exclamation marks. It almost makes it look like you don’t mean it,” Chaewon says.

“I do mean it!”

“Well, he seems to like it. A smiling-with-teeth emoji is a good sign, right?” she asks in an attempt to make you feel better.

“He has automatic caps off. That man is run-through,” Yunjin says, shaking her head as she walks back to her sunbed.

“You were excited about him texting me just a second ago,” you reproach.

“Yeah, before I found out he was a whore.”

“Yunjin, you know we don't slut-shame here!” Chaewon exclaims. Before Yunjin can say anything even worse in response, your phone starts ringing, and Jake’s name appears on your screen. “He’s calling you?” Chaewon gasps, making Yunjin sit up with a start for the second time in less than five minutes.

“This man is insane,” she remarks with all the seriousness in the world.

You run away from your friends, finding refuge in the outside kitchen area out of earshot. They don’t need to hear your conversation with Jake. You love them, but they can be weirdly unsupportive in moments like these.

“Hey, Jake,” you greet, hoping he doesn’t notice the breathlessness in your voice. It was because you had just ran, of course - you didn’t want him to think you were so nervous about talking to him after such a long time, you could barely breathe. Because you weren’t. At all.

“Hey, Y/N!” he replies, and the excitement in his voice makes your heart melt. “I hope it’s not weird that I called, I just thought it’d be nicer than texting, is that okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine, it’s nice to hear your voice,” you say before you can really think about it, and cringe at your own words. Years without talking and the world’s worst line is the first thing you say to Jake. Thankfully, before you start excruciating yourself, a chuckle pours out of Jake’s throat and blesses your ears.

“It’s nice to hear your voice, too. What are you up to?” 

“Oh, I’m on vacation with my friends. One of them has a rich aunt who owns a villa in southern Italy, so we’re just chilling by the pool right now.” 

“You always wanted to go to Italy! That sounds so nice,” he says. Your breath catches gently in your throat - he remembers, you note.

“Yeah, it really is. What about you, how are you spending the summer?”

Jake tells you about the local bookstore owned by a grandpa that’s always had a soft spot for him and that gave him a part-time job for the summer. “I’m trying to save up as much money as I can before I leave. If I treat you to a meal, will you show me around the city?” he asks, and you can hear the grin in his voice. It makes you realise how much you’ve actually missed him.

“You don’t need to treat me to a meal, I’ll show you around anyway.” 

Still, he insists, and you find yourself giving in quickly - because it’s Jake or because free food is on the table, you’re not sure. Probably both. 

You and Jake get to talking, but fitting years and years of catching up into one conversation is an impossible task, and before you know it, when you check your phone, you’ve been talking for over an hour. Yunjin is angrily waving at you, pointing at her stomach to indicate hunger like a caveman who’s just learned how to communicate. You apologise to Jake, telling him you have to go, and plan to meet during fresher’s week before you hang up.

A few hours later, you get a text from him saying it was nice talking to you and jokingly asking whether Yunjin was satisfied with lunch. It’s innocuous, but it opens a gate for more texting, which leads to long, rambling voice messages, which leads to late-night phone calls that remind you of when you were fifteen and still kept in touch. When August fades into September, you feel like you’ve got your best friend back. 

You remember why you were so in love with him at fourteen.

--

You see Jake before he sees you.  

Among the throngs of people, you manage to spot the dark, messy flop of hair on his head weighed down by a nice pair of wireless headphones. After a thirteen-hour flight from Seoul, a four-hour layover in Frankfurt and a final, two-hour flight to Edinburgh, he looks rightfully exhausted, using what looks like the last of his energy to spot the exit and the airport bus stop. Even wearing a simple denim jacket, white tee and grey sweatpants, he’s so gorgeous you forget what you came here for, until he almost walks right past you without seeing you. You put yourself in his path and hold your hand-written banner up, making yourself as obvious as you can as you call out his name. 

When he sees you, he stops dead in his tracks for a second, someone almost running into him before he remembers the crowd behind him. His tired features break out into a bright smile that has your heartbeat speeding up so much, you think it might run out of your chest. 

He had told you not to come, that it would be late for you and he didn’t want to bother you, but you had managed to get the information of his arrival before he forbade you from picking him up so you did it anyway, wanting to surprise him. After years of being apart, rather than waiting another day, you wanted to see him as soon as possible.

Jake briskly makes his way to you, dropping his bags next to him on the floor as he engulfs you in a hug, warm and tight as if he’s trying to make up for all those years. You hug him back as if someone would appear out of thin air and take him away from you again.

“This was the longest day of my life, I’m so happy to see you,” he says when he pulls away, and you’re so happy you can’t even say anything back, resorting to giggling and lightly swatting non-existent dust off of his shoulders. 

As you wait for the bus, he tells you about every trivial thing that happened to him on his trip, from how expensive a sandwich is at the airport to the German kid sitting in front of him that kept turning around to stare at him on his second flight.

“How did you know he was German?” you ask, amused.

Jake pauses. “Just vibes.”

Conversation on the bus is slightly disjointed as you jump from topic to topic with random pauses here and there before one of you finds something to talk about - but it’s okay, you hadn’t expected for the two of you to be as easy as before. It’s more awe at seeing each other after such a long time than awkwardness. Even though you’d caught up over summer, there was a world of difference between speaking on the phone and actually sitting next to him. You notice things like the shine of his hair, the creases that form on the sides of his lips when he smiles, or, unfortunately for you, the veins that run along his forearms and hands - things you hadn’t noticed previously thanks to the sometimes questionable quality of the front camera of his phone. Once in a while, your thigh brushes against his, and it reminds you that he’s really here. Even that he’s real, at all. 

In a tragic turn of events, Jake lives in the student accommodation you used to live in in first year, and coming back to it two years later is slightly traumatising. His three-person flat is in a different building as your old one, and you marvel at how it somehow still smells the same - like dusty, decade-old carpeting and the permanent stench of students’ dubitable cooking. He’s the first one to move in, which makes the place slightly eerie, but it means that you’re not bothering anyone by unpacking Jake’s stuff and cooking Shin Ramyun the previous tenants had left behind at 11pm. 

Your late dinner was meant for you to take a small break, watch a couple episodes of Friends which Jake had been shocked to learn you’d never watched, and you had been shocked to learn he was a die-hard fan of (since one year ago), then get back to unpacking. But the ramen sends an already exhausted Jake into a food coma so intense, he falls asleep on your shoulder five minutes into the second episode. 

You let him sleep as long as he needs, turning the volume down on his laptop and stifling your chuckles as much as you can. You feel like a cat has fallen asleep in your lap - you are now obliged by law to stay still until Jake wakes up. It’s not until an hour later that Jake’s uncomfortable sleeping position forces him awake, lifting his head off of your shoulder with a grunt. He looks around himself, at his room that’s not quite familiar to him yet, then at you, eyes still scrunched with sleepiness as a grin blooms onto his lips.

“Sorry,” clearing his throat of its grogginess. “What time is it?”

“It’s almost one a.m,” you reply, and his eyes go wide.

“You should’ve woken me up! Does your shoulder hurt?” he asks, much more alarmed than he should be, and it makes you laugh.

“It’s all good. But now that you’re awake, I should probably head home.” 

“I’ll get you an Uber,” he says, already pulling out his phone. 

“It’s fine, Jake, my place is a ten-minute walk from here. I live just up the road.”

Jake’s fingers on his phone pause as he looks up at you. “Then I’ll walk you home.” He lifts a finger in warning when he sees you start to protest. “And don’t fight me on this. You did so much today, it’s the least I can do.”

As much as you love the idea of spending more time with Jake, even if it’s just ten minutes, you still don’t want to bother him when you know how tired he is. “It’s really safe around here. I can just text you when I’m home, if you’re worried about me getting kidnapped or something,” you say, taking his jacket from his hands and placing it back on his desk chair.

He grabs it back, putting it on before you can take it from him again, and rummages through one of his suitcases for a black, woolly scarf. Neither of you speaks as he wraps it tight around your neck, even though the early September weather isn’t cold enough to warrant it. His hands stop briefly on the scarf and a small smile spreads on his lips. You hope he doesn’t hear your sharp intake of breath when your eyes meet. “It’s not about that,” he says simply, voice low and unlike you’ve ever heard it before. You don’t think his voice had quite finished cracking when he’d moved away back then. 

Suddenly, he steps away, grabs his keys, and heads for the door. “Let’s go!” he says, voice back to its usual cheery tone. You don’t find it in you to question him, so you just follow him out, welcoming the night breeze that cools down your burning cheeks with open arms. 

The walk to your place is mostly done in comfortable silence, but it still goes by too quickly for your liking. You keep your hands in your pockets to prevent yourself from doing something stupid, like reaching out for Jake’s hand that swishes back-and-forth as he walks. Instead, you bury your nose in his scarf and relish in the unfamiliar but comforting smell that his cologne has left behind on the fabric. You hug goodbye when you reach your flat, and you have to remind yourself to let go. He insists on you keeping the scarf. “My mum packed me, like, three, so you can have that one.” 

“Your mum still pack your things for you, does she?” you ask, tone playful.

“No-” he says, voice slightly whiny, before he realises you’re just teasing him. “Whatever,” he chuckles, ruffling your hair. You hope the streetlights aren’t bright enough for him to notice the flustered look on your face. The both of you stand there awkwardly for a second, before he lets out another chuckle. “Right. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” you beam.

“Okay,” he says, but still doesn’t make a move to leave. “Okay. Yeah. I’ll be off then.” He gives you one last smile then turns around, burying his hands in his pockets, and you watch as he walks away.

“Get home safe,” you call out after a few seconds. 

He pivots on his heels, and, with a wave of his hand, says, “I will! Go inside.”

“Good night!”

“Night, Y/N!”

When you walk into your living room, Yunjin is sitting on the couch, arms crossed over her chest, gaze trained on the wall opposite her, one lamp lighting the otherwise completely dark room. She looks like a detective in one of those bad cop shows.

“Gosh, what’s all this for?”

“You’re back awfully late,” she says, neither looking at you nor answering your question.

“Yeah, I was with Jake,” you shrug, heading into the kitchen for a glass of water. She abruptly gets up from her seat, following you into the other room and staying close behind you.

“And?” she demands, mouth way too close to your ear and making you start.

“And what?” you ask. 

“What do you mean and what?!” she says, clearly agitated. “I want to know everything!”

“There’s nothing to say, really. He seemed happy I picked him up from the airport, then I helped him unpack. He lives in Riego, by the way.”

“Ew.”

“I know, it was awful going back there.”

The two of you stare at each other as you drink your water. “Well?” she asks.

“What?”

“Is that it?”

You fill your glass again to take it into your bedroom. “I don’t know, we just ate and watched Friends.”

“You hate shows with laughing tracks,” she states like it’s an accusation.

“It wasn’t actually that bad,” you reply, shrugging.

She tuts. “Love will do ugly, ugly things to a person.”

“You’ve been in a loving relationship for the past two years.”

“This isn’t about me. Can we talk about how you’re still in love with the same loser from when you were ten?”

“I was fourteen, and don’t call Jake a loser when you haven’t even met him.” You ignore the roll of her eyes. “And I’m not. Not anymore. I’m just happy to have my friend back.” Yunjin gives you a look. “Okay, maybe I’m still a little bit in love with him. But it’s so little, it’s barely there.” Her expression is unchangingly unimpressed and you can’t help but throw in the towel. “Alright, fine. I still love him, what about it?”

“You’re pathetic.”

“I know that, no need to remind me.”

“Are you gonna do something about it?”

“My patheticness? I’ve tried, didn’t really work.”

“No, idiot, about Jake. You should go and get him! It’d be so sexy if you got together as 20-somethings after knowing each other since you were babies.”

“We were eight when we met. And I don’t know if sexy is the word I’d use here.”

“Anything is sexy if you try hard enough,” she says, and you have to laugh. “Anyways, you should confess your undying love and tell him you’ve felt that way since you met.”

“I wasn’t-”

“Guys might not show it, but they probably get all hot for stuff like that. Boosts their ego and shit.”

“Yunjin, I just got my friend back, I’m not gonna risk it. Plus, who knows, I might not actually be in love with him. It might just be my emotions acting up, like, seeing someone I used to like after a while. We’ve both changed so much, once I get to know him more now, I might not even feel the way I used to.”

“Notice how you’ve used the word might twice in ten seconds? You’re just trying to find excuses.”

You groan. “This is why I hate English Lit people.”

“You do English Lit.”

“I know, and I’m the only nice person that does it.” In your head, you add and Jake, but saying it out loud would only make this conversation worse for you.

“What’s that scarf, by the way? Did he give you that?”

You look down at the scarf like it’s a piece of incriminating evidence. “Can you stop grilling me, please? It’s late.”

“You’re not answering my question.”

You sighed deeply. “Fine. Yes, he gave me-”

“It’s not even that cold outside!” she exclaimed in an outrage. “Don’t tell me he also walked you home?”

You pause. “He did.”

She gasped. “He walked you home because he’s in love with you.”

“He walked me home because he’s a good friend that looks after me.”

“He walked you home because he realised how hot you’ve gotten and he wants some of that.”

All you can do is sigh. “Whatever. I’m going to bed.”

“If you weren’t such a coward, you wouldn’t be going to bed alone.”

“Whatever!” you say, shutting the door behind you, shaking that preposterous conversation out of your head. When you get into bed, it takes you at least half-an-hour before you can settle down, but you know your constant tossing and turning isn’t due to your inability to find a comfortable enough position to sleep in. Between your evening with Jake and Yunjin’s pestering, thoughts run wild and incoherent through your head. 

You want to tell her every little thing that happened with Jake tonight, but you’re afraid it might do you more harm than good. She is most definitely the type of friend who will take the smallest action a guy did for you or the most meaningless thing he might have said and turn it into a sign that he has the hots for you, which usually does wonders for your confidence, but right now, you don’t need that kind of delusion. Did seeing your childhood best friend you used to secretly harbour feelings for make you feel some type of way? Of course, but that doesn’t mean you still love him after all this time, after six years of being apart, the majority of those years spent with no contact. It wasn’t like you parted ways with resentment, or anything of that sort, far from it; rather, you drifted apart naturally, as two teenagers with over 7000 kilometres between them would. At first, you’d call frequently and even write each other letters - but as you became more preoccupied with school, friends, and extracurriculars, your phones gradually rang less and your mailboxes became gradually emptier. You don’t even remember who sent the last, unanswered letter. 

Tonight isn’t the first time you replay the moment Jake announced that he would go away, but it’s the first time it’s a bittersweet memory. It used to only be bitter - but now that you’ve reconnected, you can look back at it with fondness, wishing you could tell fourteen-year-old you the hurt would only last so long. 

It hadn’t started unusually.

“So, bad news first, right?”

In your six years of friendship with Jake, this had been the first time you’d really been wary of what he would say next. The look on his face told you that this bad news wouldn’t be as easy to shake off as usual. Your definition of bad news was things like I got grounded so I can’t hang out, I forgot we had a test tomorrow so I can’t hang out, my allergies are acting up again so I can’t hang out.

“I’m moving to Korea next month.”

I’m on another continent, so I can’t hang out.

You remember the words not quite making sense at the time. “Oh? How long are you staying there?” you said, taking a bite of your strawberry ice cream which Jake had insisted on paying for, even though you knew he didn’t get much allowance.

“Forever.”

You stopped chewing, and the ice cream melted uncomfortably in your mouth. You don’t know how long you stayed there, frozen as you stared at your best friend in disbelief. It wasn’t until he lightly shoved your shoulder, only meeting your eyes for a split second, that you remembered to swallow and to say something.

“Forever as in… You won’t live here anymore? At all?”

Jake shook his head. He kept his eyes trained on the vanilla-chocolate ice cream sandwich he’d left in its wrapper. In the blazing hot Brisbane summer, it had probably fully melted two minutes ago. “At all.”

“Oh,” was all you found yourself able to say. For some reason, you hoped that continuing to eat your ice cream would stop you from crying, but to no avail. Hot, salty tears quickly started raining down your cheeks, mixing with the sweetness of your ice cream when they reached your lips. 

“It’s my dad’s work. Same reason why I moved here when we were kids in the first place. They wanted him here then, they want him back there now. We just have to follow,” Jake explained, sounding just as upset as you felt.

“Right.”

“Are you mad at me?” Jake asked, worry clear in his voice, and finally turned to face you. At the sight of you crying, he let out a small oh, tears of his own pooling in his eyes.

You frowned. “Of course not. I’m never mad at you, you know that. I just… You’re my best friend, Jakey. It’s gonna be so lame around here without you.”

“It’ll be lame there without you, too.”

You attempted a smile. “Well, of course. But at least you’ll get to make new friends, see new places. You’ll be in a whole other country, I’m sure you’ll have fun there. I’m gonna be stuck in boring old Brisbane for the foreseeable future.”

“Do you know how offended our friends would be if they heard you speaking right now?” he asked, nudging your shoulder with his.

You sniffled and let out a chuckle. “They’re all great, but… I don’t like them nearly as much as I like you,” you said, staring down at your hands, hoping he wouldn’t realise exactly what you meant by that statement.

A weight was lifted off of your shoulders when Jake answered. “I like you the most too, Y/N.” You tried not to think too much about whether he’d meant it platonically or romantically - none of that mattered anymore. All that mattered was the feeling of his arms around you, his warmth enveloping your whole body, his familiar scent that you already missed. 

You felt him take a deep breath against you before he pulled away. He sniffled and did his best to put on a smile. “Right, enough of that. I’m not leaving until next month, so don’t think you’re rid of me just yet,” he joked, and it helped alleviate the weight on your heart, even if just a little. “You said you had something to tell me? Good news after bad news, and all that.”

“Oh. Right. I forgot about that.”

You thought for a second. Today was the day you had planned to confess your feelings to Jake - you’d only told him you had good news to share. But what was the point now that he was leaving? If he felt the same way, it would only make his departure that much harder, and if he didn’t, it would ruin your last moments together. It just wasn’t worth it.

Jake tilted his head, waiting for you to speak. In a split second, you made yourself forget your disappointment over having built the courage to tell him how you felt only for it all to fall through, and resolved to make the most of Jake’s last month here. You wiped your tears and mirrored his small smile as best you could. “Um, it wasn’t anything much. My mum made those cowboy cookies you like.”

Jake’s head fell back as he groaned in anticipation. “If she wasn’t happily married with three kids, I’d marry your mum. Let’s go right now.”

You laughed. “There’d be a bit of an age gap there.”

“We’d make it work,” Jake joked, throwing his arm around your shoulders as you walked towards your house. He beamed down at you, his bright, boyish smile that you loved to bits, and you beamed up at him as you grabbed the hand that hung off your shoulder in your own.

You walked as happily as you could. “Do you even speak Korean?” you suddenly asked.

Jake halted abruptly in his steps, a gravely offended look on his face. When you looked back at him in confusion, he rolled his eyes and started walking again, pulling you with him. “It’s literally my mother tongue, Y/N. I speak it every day at home.”

“Oh, right.”

At the time, you thought nothing could come between you and Jake. Not anyone, not anything, neither distance nor time. But they did. A week after he’d left, a boy from your class you’d talked to maybe once or twice asked you out on a date. You weren’t sure why, but you said yes. Then you said yes to being his girlfriend, even though you didn’t like him all that much, and you even said yes to reducing your texting with Jake because it made him jealous. When you’d broken up with him and wanted to catch up with Jake and apologise for your absence, you’d found that his new school in Seoul was a lot more demanding than yours in Brisbane, and he had to spend most of his evenings in academies if he wanted to get into a nice university. It’s when you learned that he’d be staying in South Korea for college that you decided to leave Australia too. Brisbane was a lot less fun without him there - why bother staying? You couldn’t go to him because of the language barrier and the cost of university there. If you were to essentially uproot your life, might as well go somewhere you could get a scholarship and understand the people around you. 

It seemed insane that someone you had thought would be by your side for the rest of your life, someone that was part of your most cherished memories, had been reduced to someone you casually texted once in a while. It seems even more insane that now that you’re finally done essentially grieving your friendship with Jake, he stands in front of you again, six inches taller but still donning those puppy-like eyes and smile of his.

For your sake, you just hoped you wouldn’t be as in love with him at twenty as you were at fourteen.

--

The next day, you show Jake around campus, which wouldn’t normally take more than ten minutes, but takes double that time because of the sheer amount of people there. Between the Societies Fair taking up most of the square, the tour guides leading freshers, walking slowly and taking in their new campus, and the pizza and drinks stands, freshers’ week always turns campus into what feels like the busiest place on Earth. You try not to let it hit a nerve for Jake’s sake, who’s clearly ecstatic at all the activity, but you like this place a lot more when it’s quieter. You walk through the Fair, laughing as Jake marvels at all the different clubs and societies at the Uni. 

“Gardening Society? Dungeons & Dragons Society? Wine society?” he exclaims, astonishment growing with every passing stand.

“And this is only the first day. They also have a Taylor Swift Society.” He grabs a flyer from about every society, even though you know he’ll join between two to zero of them. 

When you walk out, there’s a girl handing out samples of shampoo and conditioner, and you let her give you one, more out of politeness than anything. 

“These are so useless,” you start, and Jake chuckles, unaware of the incoming rant. “I had that job of distributing them last year, and we would get a tip if we gave them all out. So naturally I put a bunch in my bag, but then I had to use them for like two weeks.” You sigh. “First of all, my hair did not like it. And second, the ratio is so off. There’s way more conditioner than shampoo when it should be the other way around, so you have to condition your hair even though it’s not properly clean. So stupid.”

“Sounds terrible,” Jake says, laughing. “Is that why you’re not doing it this year?”

“Oh… Not really. I dated the guy that takes care of this promo stuff, so it would’ve been kinda awkward…” you trail, immediately wishing you could backtrack on conversation. Talking about your ex with Jake wasn’t on your to-do list for today. Or ever.

“You dated your boss?”

“The manager, yeah, I guess. He was only 24, though, don’t worry.”

“I’m more worried about the power imbalance than the age gap there.”

You shrug, looking down at your shoes. “It’s not like he was that high up.”

“So, what happened? Why did you break up?”

“Well, he acted like our four-year age difference meant he could treat me like a little kid. It was nice being taken care of at first but then I realised how condescending he was and dumped him.”

“How long were you together?”

You pause. “Two weeks,” you admit abashedly, making Jake chuckle. “At least he didn’t waste my time and showed his red flags early on.”

“Any boyfriends since?” he asks, and you wonder whether you’re making up the unsure tone of his voice. As if he’s curious, but doesn’t want to show it too much. You hope you’re not making it up.

“A few, but they never last very long with me,” you say, a meek smile on your lips. “Furthest I got was three months.”

“And why didn’t it work out with three-months-guy?”

“He started comparing me to his mum a bit too often.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah, I ran out of there without looking back.”

“Well, it’s nice to see you’ve got high standards. I would hate to see you date just any loser.”

You want to say, High standards or issues?, but you don’t want to make it weird, so you play it cool instead. “I would never. I have a mental checklist with everything a guy needs to have for me to date him.”

“A checklist? I have to hear about this.”

You sigh, debating whether you should tell him about it. Would he notice it’s based on him? Would he notice the only person that could tick practically every box was none other than him? Jake gently elbows your side, goading you on. When you look at him, he’s got a shit-eating grin playing on his lips, and you give in. You look off into the distance as you start listing your requirements. “Well, there’s all your basics like funny, taller than me but not too much, ‘cause I don’t want neck cramps, smart, takes uni seriously, has plans for his future, easy to talk to, not emotionally stunted and can actually have a vulnerable conversation. It’s also a bonus if he has a nice face.”

“How much of a bonus?”

You think for a second. “It’s more a dealbreaker than a bonus, actually. Nice smile is a must, definitely.”

“Okay. Got any more specifics?”

“I do have some particular ones. It’s nice if he’s a reader, but it’s terrible if it makes him think he’s better than everyone or if he tries to sound smarter than me. I like it if he has experience, I don’t want to have to teach him everything. But obviously I don’t want him to still be in love with his ex. Guys and their first loves, I swear… I also don’t really like picky eaters.” You look over at Jake and take a double-take. He’s typing away on his phone, but because of his privacy screen protector, you can’t see anything. You huff. “I also don’t like it if he has those protective screens on his phone. What’s on there that’s so important that I can’t take a peek? What are you even doing?”

The sweet sound of Jake’s giggles erases any trace of annoyance that you felt seconds ago. He turns his screen towards you, showing the list of mostly ticked boxes that he’s written up. “See? I check most of these,” he says with a proud smile. “Guess your standards aren’t that high.” You don’t tell him that your standards are high, he’s just that amazing. 

You do your best to look only amused at this even though inside, you’re all but freaking out. “Which are you missing?”

“Well, I clearly own a privacy screen. And I don’t have much experience. Not nearly as much as you, by the sounds of it,” he admits, somewhat sheepish. “But other than that, I’m practically the perfect man for you.” He looks down at you with a smile so bright, it makes you wish you had brought sunglasses. It takes everything in you not to scream right then and there. Yes, Jake, you are the perfect man for me, but I wish you wouldn’t say it like it was a joke.

You let out a stiff chuckle, and, rather than saying something stupid and possibly damaging, shift the conversation to him. “What do you mean by not much experience? Have you not dated anyone?”

Jake sighs. “Nope, not anyone. I went on a few dates, you know, went through a few talking stages and all that, but it never went much further. There was always something…” He glances at you then. “Missing.”

“I know that feeling,” you say with a chuckle, and he laughs too, a breathy sound.

“I don’t have a checklist to pinpoint what it is, though.”

You smile. “You should try, it might help.”

“I just… I guess I’m like you in that I also have high standards. But it made me not even want to give anyone a chance, especially since I knew it wouldn’t end up anywhere.”

“Don’t tell me no one has ever managed to reach the great Jake Sim’s standards?” you ask, trying to keep your tone light.

Jake smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “Of course someone has. She’s the whole reason I have standards in the first place. It’s not my standards I compare people to, it’s her.”

Jealousy has never made you feel as sad as it is right now. “And… it didn’t work out between you?”

Jake looks at you, eyes searching for something in yours but seemingly not finding it, and so he turns his gaze away. You don’t know why you feel so disappointed. “Nope,” he says, popping the ‘p’. “She didn’t feel the same way.”

Whoever this girl is, you can���t believe how stupid she is for passing up the opportunity to have Jake Sim. “That’s… It sucks, I’m sorry,” you say. You don’t think spitting on this girl would make him feel any better, so you keep those thoughts to yourself.

“It’s okay,” he says with a small smile. “It was a while ago already.”

“Doesn’t sound like you’re quite over it, though,” you say, and you’re surprised but glad to see his smile widen.

“That’s true.” His eyes meet yours again. “I don’t think I’ll be over her anytime soon, either.” You have to look away to shield the pain that flashes through your eyes from him.

Pretending you don’t have feelings for your best friend and that you’re okay with him being in love with someone else is like riding a bike: even after years of not doing it, it only takes a few minutes for you to be able to do it perfectly again. Muscle memory, if you will. So you sigh dramatically and throw your arm around Jake’s shoulder, slightly pulling him down to your level. “Don’t worry. We’re going to have so much fun this year, you’ll completely forget about her. Promise. She doesn’t know what she’s missing. Yeah?” 

He smiles down at you. You want nothing more but that glint of melancholy in his eyes to be gone. “Yeah.”

--

Jake is only half-glad to see you haven’t changed much from your childhood and early teenage years. You’re still just as pretty, just as warm; it’s still as comfortable to be around you. You’re also still as dense.

Then and now, he did everything he could to make his feelings for you very, very obvious. Either you’re completely oblivious, or the idea of dating him is so horrifying to you, you understand but pretend you don’t. He really hopes it’s the former. 

He arrived in Edinburgh just a bit over a week ago, and you’ve seen each other almost every day. Out of those times, there isn’t a single one where he hasn’t tried to send something your way - something that says, hey, what if we stopped being friends and dated instead? Wouldn’t that be cool? Can’t you see how desperately I love you?, but you never latch on. The ball’s in your court, and he wants you to throw it back, but it’s been feeling more like a boomerang that always hits him right in the face when it circles back than a game of catch.

But he’s reminding himself not to be too greedy. Even if it’s just as friends, at least he has you back, so he’s satisfied with that. For now.

His first class of the year is on the following Tuesday morning, a ninety-minute seminar specifically made for exchange students called Discover Scotland. (He has Mondays free, resulting in a three-day weekend, which you and your 9am Monday tutorial are very envious of.) As interesting as the English Lit courses he’s taking seem, it’s this one he’s most looking forward to - except for the one class he shares with you, of course. Not even because of the seminars themselves, which will be about all sorts of topics on Scottish culture and history, but because of the coursework, as crazy as that sounds. It consists of a singular project, not due until the very last day of the semester, in which he has to travel to at least three different places in the country, research its background and provide a detailed account of his experience there. It can take any form: a written report, an in-class presentation, a podcast, anything. He could even film a TikTok if he wanted. Jake knew that being part of the Arts & Crafts club for two years in a row back in Seoul wasn’t for nothing - his scrapbooking skills would finally have their time to shine. 

That afternoon, he practically snatches you as you come out of your lecture, giving you little time to say bye to your friends, and makes you take him to the biggest stationary store you know in the city. If he wants to ace this project, he will need supplies. Many, many supplies. And it’s more fun shopping if you’re with him. You seem happy following him around the store, and when he asks you if you want to come on his trips with him, he can pretend it’s because you seem so excited about his project and not because he had thought of you accompanying him as soon as he heard about it.

As you stand in line at the till, you tell him that if he wants to start his project now, you could go to the beach together. You raise your eyebrows at him when he snaps your head towards you. “There’s a beach here?!”

“Did you not look at a map before coming here?” you ask, amused.

“I guess I didn’t…” he says, distraught at the new information. It only lasts a second, though. “Okay, let’s go now.”

“Now?” you echo, and he nods. “But-” you start, but are interrupted by your thoughts. “I guess there’s no reason not to. The weather’s nice and it’s not like I have any uni work yet. Let’s go,” you agree, looking up at him with a smile. You’re so pretty he almost forgets to look away, until the employee calls Next in a bored drawl. 

An hour later, you’re at the beach, barefoot on the sand and ice cream in hand. Strawberry for you and vanilla for him, he notes with a smile. Really not much has changed, he thinks. From the sand, to the water, to the promenade along the beach, Portobello is worlds away from the beaches back home in Australia, or those of Jeju Island. But it’s still nice, and because you’re with him, it’s even better. You’ve been walking around for an hour, splashing each other with water and mercilessly ruining sandcastles left behind before he realises you technically came here for his project. He writes down things he doesn’t want to forget on his phone and snaps a few pictures, sneaking a few of you when you’re not looking. He wants to tell you how beautiful you are with your hair blowing in the wind and the way the chill bites at your cheeks, but he keeps it a secret between him and his Notes app. 

Even though he lives two stops further down, he gets off from the bus with you, containing his excitement as best he can when you invite him up for a cup of tea. “Depends. What tea do you have?” he asks, trying and failing to play it cool. He’s just grateful he doesn’t have to come up with an excuse to spend more time with you.

You roll your eyes playfully as you unlock the front door to your building. “I can make you hot chocolate, Mister Tea-Is-For-Old-People.”

He chuckles. “Actually, I’ll have you know I started drinking tea at uni.” When you turn around to look at him, a surprised look on your face, he nods proudly. “Mh-hm. I got addicted to caffeine very quickly into first year so I started drinking black tea for the sake of my heart,” he explains.

“God,” you say breathily, sounding mildly horrified. “A caffeine addiction sounds intense.”

“It was, yeah,” he says, laughing as he follows you into your flat. 

Yunjin and Chaewon are sitting at the living room table, watching an episode of what he thinks is Gossip Girl, and they greet him as normally as these two can, but he wonders what the knowing look they exchange is all about. He’d met them the previous weekend when you had all gone for drinks together, along with Jay, Yunjin’s boyfriend, and they had all but grilled him on his relationship with you. He hadn’t thought much of it, chalking it up to your friends feeling protective of you, and truthfully, he was just happy to get to talk about you. But now, he was wondering if you had told them anything about him that made them so curious about him. If you did, he hoped it was something positive.

He stands awkwardly in the kitchen, chatting with you as you boil the water and get cups out, but he can feel their gazes burning the back of his head. Clearly, whatever conversation he’s having with you, he’s also having it with them. “How do you take your tea?” you ask.

“Um, three sugars and lots of milk, please,” he says, smiling innocently when you slowly turn to look at him, a mix of disapproval, disgust, and offence on your face. 

You sigh deeply. “I mean, I’ll do it, but I’m not sure that’s even tea anymore.”

“You’re one to talk, Miss Caramel Frappuccino,” he says, recycling your bad joke from earlier.

“At least I don’t claim to be drinking coffee when I order a frap,” you argue. “And this is how you battled your coffee addiction? You’ll be getting another kind of heart problem, Jakey.” He doesn’t know if you even notice your use of his old nickname - the first time you’ve used it since he’s been here - but you don’t make a big deal of it, so he doesn’t either. Not outwardly, at least. Mentally, he’s running laps around your small kitchen.

Jake laughs it off. “I thought I came here for tea, not a health check-up,” he says, smile growing wider at the sight of yours. 

“Right, sorry,” you say, giggling. “I’ll make your tea just how you like it,” you add in a sweet voice. Jake knows you’re just doing it as a joke, but it still manages to make butterflies erupt in his stomach. 

His tea tastes even sweeter that day.

--

A few days after your impromptu trip to the beach, you’re waiting for Jake outside of his class. He heard of this donut shop he “absolutely needs to visit” and is dragging you along with him - well, “dragging” is a big word considering you’d follow him anywhere. You got here a few minutes early, not needing much of a reason to leave the library, so you scroll through your feed until Jake calls out your name. You’re only mildly surprised to see Jay leaving the classroom behind him.

“Y/N! Can you believe that Jay and I are in the same class?” he says excitedly as the two boys walk toward you. You feel like a dog owner being greeted by their over-enthusiastic dog after a long day (about three hours) of being apart.

“I can believe it, actually. You two do the same degree.”

You exchange quick greetings with Jay before the three of you start heading out. As you walk, Jake throws his arm around your shoulders so casually, it almost throws you off balance. Physical contact always came easy to him, but there’s something about him doing it next to someone else that catches you off guard. It reminds you of walking somewhere with Jay and Yunjin as they discretely held hands. It makes you feel like it’s not the three of you, but Jay with the two of you. Like you and Jake come as a pair rather than as two individuals. 

All of that from a simple arm around your shoulders.

Jake asking you in a very unsubtle whisper whether Jay can come with brings you out of your head and back into the conversation. “Yeah, of course,” you say, smiling. It’s not a bad idea to have Jay along: hanging out with someone else might snap you out of your delusion.

Most of the walk to the shop is done in laughter as Jake and Jay realise how much random stuff they have in common, from their peanut allergies to the embarrassing Harry Potter phase they had as fifteen-year-olds. Grassmarket is really busy on Friday afternoons, and there’s a bit of a queue of other donut-enjoyers in front of the boutique, but you don’t mind. The sun is shining down gently on the square and it gives you time to choose your donut out of the ten or so flavours available. In the end, you go for white chocolate and raspberry, while Jake chooses Biscoff and Jay, tiramisu. 

“My friend Sunghoon would love this,” he says after taking a hearty bite. “He goes crazy over tiramisu. Like a cat with catnip.”

Jake chuckles, mouth full of Biscoff. “That’s funny, I also have a friend named Sunghoon who loves tiramisu back in Seoul.”

Jay punches Jake’s shoulder, eyes wide in amusement and shock. “Bro, that’s crazy. You have to be lying at this point,” he says, but Jake shakes his head fervently. 

“I promise I’m not. I’ve even saved his number with the tiramisu emoji.”

“There’s a tiramisu emoji?” Jay asks, already over questioning the existence of Jake’s Sunghoon.

The conversation circles back to the courses you’re all taking this semester, and Jake tells Jay about Discover Scotland and the trips he’s planned so far. “Well, if you really want to discover Scotland as a student, you need to go on a night out in Glasgow,” Jay says. Going by the look on Jake’s face, Jay’s idea seems to have struck a chord in him.

“Y/N?”

You nod, finishing your mouthful of donut before speaking. “Yeah, Glasgow’s really fun. We should go,” you say, laughing when the two boys high-five in victory. Between the train, the drinks and the club entry, going out isn’t a cheap ordeal, and getting to and fro also takes a while - even so, the smile on Jake’s face makes it worth it. 

He wipes some raspberry jam from the corner of your mouth, shooting you a wink, and you want to disintegrate right then and there, become one with the bench you’re sitting on and never have to face him again. The conversation resumes as Jay tells Jake about all the best places to go out in Glasgow, but you don’t hear a word - the feeling of Jake’s thumb so close to your lips takes away your ability for coherent thought.

“It’s decided, then. We’re going out tomorrow night,” Jay loudly announces. “Let me gather the troops.”

That’s how you find yourself in line for the club the next day, already tipsy from pre-drinking on the train and at the pub. It’s still warm enough for you and the girls to wear as little clothing as you want, but Jake insisted on giving you his flannel jacket anyway. If not for the warmth it brings, you’re glad to have his scent enveloping you.

The five of you work exceptionally well together. You, Chaewon and Yunjin have been a given since you met in first year, and Jay and Yunjin went so well together that he was but a natural addition to your little group. Jake’s only been here for over a week, but it’s like he’s always been around, and you couldn’t be happier about it. Him and Jay hit it off immediately, and although the girls needed some time to warm up to him (it’s not everyday that you meet your friend’s ex-best-friend she’s practically always been in love with; you understand why they might’ve been wary at first), they now tease him just as relentlessly as they do Jay. He takes it like a champ.

For a little while, you watch your friends speaking over each other, bickering over nothing, a smile on your face. Two pints of cider and some of Jay’s fancy vodka have made you more grateful than ever for them - if you drink too much in the club, you’ll be hugging them and crying about how much you love them. You’re not sure what that might look like around Jake, so you decide to keep yourself in check for the night. 

It takes about thirty minutes before you manage to get into the club. It’s not coat check season yet, so you head straight to the bar. “Sunghoon said he’d meet us here,” Jay says, lifting his head to spot his friend in the sea of drunk students. “Oh yeah, there he is! Hoon, hey!” 

You hear a loud “Jongseong!” being shouted from somewhere in the crowd, but you’re not sure who Jay is waving at until a boy whose face is mostly eyebrows is standing - well, standing as best as he can, with the copious amount of alcohol he’s obviously already consumed - in front of you. He gives Jay a hug and the three of you a nod of his head, a lopsided smile on his face. When he turns to Jake, his eyebrows lift first, then his face breaks into a wide grin.

“Jake, my man!” he shouts, taking a stunned Jake’s hand and bringing him into a hug. 

“Sunghoon? What the hell are you doing here?” he asks, chuckling and frowning in confusion. 

“I’m just partying, man! Same as you!”

“No, I mean here in Scotland, you dumbass!”

“You two know each other?” Jay asks, looking back and forth between his two friends.

“Jake’s my man!” Sunghoon exclaims, unhelpful and stumbling as he throws an arm around his man’s shoulders. Jake shoots you a distressed look but you just laugh at him.

“This is Tiramisu Sunghoon I told you about,” Jake says, helping Sunghoon stand up straight.

“God, what I would do for a tiramisu right now,” Sunghoon says, looking at Yunjin like she might relate. She chuckles awkwardly.

“I have no idea what he’s doing in Scotland, though. Hoon, I thought you were going to NYU for your exchange?”

Sunghoon pauses to think for a second, looking like he’s never heard of NYU in his life. “Oh, that! Yeah, I did an online orientation thing and… it did not go well. Let’s just say there’s someone in New York City who wants me dead,” he says conspiratorially. You all stare at him but he gives no further explanation. On your right, you hear Yunjin whisper what the fuck under her breath. “So I transferred here instead!”

“I didn’t know you were an exchange student,” Jay says, still looking just as confused.

“Yeah, man! But anyways, let’s not talk about uni right now. I’m on a bender, day three, baby! Do not talk to me tomorrow,” he says, chuckling until the smile suddenly drops from his face. “I mean that.” You look around yourself, glad to find everyone is just as baffled as you. “Let’s party!” Sunghoon cheers, intoxicated grin back on his lips. Jake and Jay follow, but you and the girls stay back for a second, taking in everything that has just happened.

“That. Is the most beautiful man I have ever seen,” Chaewon blurts, staring blankly at the spot Sunghoon stood in a second ago.

“Yeah, he also seems to be a raging alcoholic. And he’s what, twenty-one?” Yunjin says, a scowl on her face. 

“I could fix him.”

“Okay, let’s go,” you say, grabbing your friends by their wrists before either of them can say something worse.

Feeling generous, Sunghoon buys shots for all six of you, and you quickly down them before heading to the dancefloor. On your way there, a group of sober-looking girls hand Chaewon a giant, still almost full jug of red liquid, something that costs at least twelve pounds here. They say they’re leaving and don’t need it anymore, smiling as you profusely and astonishedly thank them. You look at your friends, mentally weighing the risk and drugging possibility this might present, but shrug and pass the jug around after taking hearty sips anyway. It tastes so much like fizzy cherries that you wonder if it even contains any alcohol, but sure enough, twenty minutes later, the three of you are spinning around on the dancefloor, screaming the lyrics to your favourite pop songs at the top of your lungs. Jake at a club is a completely foreign sight to you, and you can’t stop laughing at all the silly moves he pulls. 

You’re shaking your whole body to a Nicki song from the early 2010s when you suddenly feel a hand on your hip. Before you can turn around and slap whoever this random man is that thinks he can touch you, a familiar voice whispers it’s just me in your ear, and you simultaneously relax and tense up knowing that Jake is standing right behind you. “There’s a creep staring at you,” he explains, lips and breath gently tickling your ear as he speaks. You look around the room and quickly notice a man standing in a corner, drink in one hand and the other in his pocket, unmoving as he eyes you with a smirk so slimy it makes your stomach turn. To avoid his gaze, you turn around, but you’re not sure the sight you’re met with is much better for you.

Jake peers down at you, eyes slightly glossed over and cheeks flushed from the alcohol, jaw locked in annoyance. He glances at the guy in the corner, who you assume is still staring when you feel Jake’s hands brush along your sides until they reach your waist. His gaze returns to your face as he brings you a step closer to him. Reflexively, you wrap your arms around his neck. 

“Is this okay?” he mouths. All you can do is meekly nod. You watch as his eyes deliberately scan your face, going down and down. Time stills when they reach your lips and stay there. It’s like someone has put the booming music of the club on mute, and the only thing you can hear is your heart loudly beating in your ears. You suddenly feel very sober.

You swear Jake’s face is slowly inching its way towards yours when you’re abruptly taken away. Yunjin has grabbed you by the forearm, leading you and Chaewon to the bathroom as she chants “Bathroom break! Bathroom break!”, clearly unaware of the moment she’s just interrupted.

Because of the queue for the girls’ bathroom and Chaewon’s decision to console this random girl who was in the middle of a breakdown, it’s not until half-an-hour later that you emerge back into the crowd. You spot the boys at a table, two empty shots each in front of them and all three with a beer in hand. They will not be happy checking their bank accounts tomorrow morning. 

“Y/N! You’re back!” Jake calls out happily when he spots you, and you can tell right away that he’s much drunker than when you left him. His whole face is flush, his eyes don’t open quite all the way, and a lopsided smile won’t leave his lips - even like this, he’s so pretty that you want to grab his hand and take him somewhere it’s just the two of you. 

Chaewon gets drinks for the three of you and then you’re dancing again. It’s already one am at this point, and the remaining two hours until the club closes, fueled with alcohol and good music, go by in a flash. Before you know it, the DJ is playing All of Me by John Legend and the lights have been turned on, clear signs that you’re overstaying your welcome. The few people that have made it to closing time stumble out of the club and into the street, heading for either the nearest subway stop or the next party of the night. Since there are no trains at this time, your group walks to the close-by bus station, listening to Jake and Sunghoon grumble about how the clubs in Seoul don’t close until at least five or six and how trains run all night there. 

The bus is already at the station when you get there, and the driver doesn’t seem too pleased about having six mildly drunk kids get on his bus, but he’s probably used to questionable people taking public transport at this time of the day anyway. Physically, Sunghoon is sitting across from you, but mentally, he’s off somewhere far, far from this bus. With his head against the window and mouth wide open, saliva pooling at the corner of his lips, he looks like he’s any second away from obnoxiously snoring. Jay and Yunjin are sitting somewhere you can’t see them, probably eating each other’s faces; she once told you they had their “most mind-blowing sex” when both a little drunk, and much to your dismay, you haven’t been able to get that piece of information out of your head since. Chaewon is on the phone to her long-distance bestie Sakura, for whom it’s a nice eleven in the morning right now. 

This means that you and Jake are left alone, both of you still tipsy and not tired enough to fall asleep. You drop your head on Jake’s shoulder, and not only does he let you, he also takes your hand in his, interlacing your fingers and placing them atop his thigh. Clumsily, because he now has to use his left hand, Jake slips his phone out of his back pocket and shows you the photos he took all evening. As the night progresses, they get blurrier and blurrier, so much so that towards the end, you can’t tell what he was even trying to capture, and you laugh at how inappropriate some of these would be to submit in a university project. 

When he softly says your name, you don’t raise your head, simply humming to let him know you’re listening. You close your eyes, cherishing the way your name sounds on his lips. It’s his tone, tentative and vulnerable as he tells you there’s something he’s been wanting to ask you, that makes you look up at him. He, however, won’t meet your eyes, and settles his gaze on the window, even though it’s so dark outside you can’t make out a thing.

“How come you never replied to my letter? I know it’s been ages, but… I still find myself wondering about it.” The question is softly asked and you know he by no means wants to hurt you, but it still feels like a punch to the throat. You hadn’t remembered who it was that had sent the last letter, while he’d been wondering all these years why his words had been left unanswered. 

He seems set on not looking at you, so you rest your head back on his shoulder. Your hand is still in his. “I’m not sure, Jakey. I’m sorry,” you say, aware it’s not a satisfying answer. You’ve thought about why you and Jake had stopped talking for hours on end; you’ve discussed it with your friends and your mum, looked at it from all sorts of angles, tried to come up with real reasons other than time pulling you apart. But now that Jake himself is asking you about it, the words don’t come easy. You’ve theorised that you were afraid putting effort into sustaining your friendship would only hurt you in the end, because it was just that - a friendship. You could fool yourself into thinking you were okay only being friends with him when he was with you, that putting your feelings aside was worth it since you could at least spend time with him. But now that he was away, you didn’t have that anymore - it just hurt. So what was the point? And how could you phrase all this without betraying your feelings for him?

“Our letters were so sparse anyway back then, even our texts and calls were getting less and less frequent… And whenever I had a new boyfriend, I’d get into the same argument about being too close to you over and over again, even though you were literally on another continent.” 

“You know, I always felt sorry about that.”

“About what?”

“Those boyfriends of yours. I felt like you waited for me to leave before you started dating-”

“It wasn’t like that!” you exclaim, lifting your head again. Finally, he meets your eyes, gaze softening upon seeing your affronted expression. “It wasn’t like that,” you repeat, relaxing your tone. “If anything, they were the ones that waited for you to be gone. I'm sorry I let their jealousy get to me.”

Jake smiles, the tenderness in his gaze making your whole body turn to jelly. He squeezes your hands. “It’s okay. I just… I felt like I was always in the way of your relationships, even after I left.”

“You don’t have to feel sorry about that. They should’ve had more trust in me.”

He pauses, gaze dropping down to your intertwined hands. “I would’ve been jealous.” When his eyes find yours again, there’s something in them that you quite can’t place. It creates a ball of nerves that pull at your stomach. “If I were dating you, and you had a guy friend you were as close with as we were back then, I’d be jealous. You know, I’d assume he had feelings for you. And that you might have feelings for him, too.”

Because I did, you think. I did, and I still do. You try to communicate that thought to Jake, but telepathy works especially bad when one has as much alcohol coursing through their veins as you do right now. So instead, you say the opposite of what you’re thinking, turning away from Jake to avoid his gaze. You watch the dribble of saliva trickle from Sunghoon’s lips. “That’s not a great view of male-female friendship.” 

Jake’s retort comes immediately. “But we were different, right?”

His words echo through your head until they make even less sense than they did initially. Different from what? From who? You’re not sure - but you like the idea of you and Jake being different, special. You especially like the idea of Jake thinking so. So you look at him and smile. “Right.” 

Slowly, his grin fades and turns into a worried expression. “Y/N?”

“Mm?”

“We’re still different now, aren’t we?”

You want to wrap him in your arms so tightly neither of you can breathe. You settle for running a hand through his hair and pinching his cheek. “Course we are.” Your whole being relaxes when his face breaks into a smile again. 

--

The next morning, you wake up to Yunjin plopping down on your bed unceremoniously, shaking you awake, and asking you if you want anything from Snax Café. On one hand, you’re grateful that she thought of you and that in thirty minutes’ time, you’ll have the greasiest sausage wrap and hash browns known to man in your hand; on the other, you’d like to think that she knows you well enough to know to order your regular from there without asking. But that’s probably the hangover talking.

You stumble out of bed, thanking last night’s you for having remembered to take headache medicine before crashing. Even if your stomach is very upset with the copious amount of alcohol it needs to rid your body of, and your throat is begging for water, at least your head doesn’t feel like it’s been split into two. As Yunjin barges into Chaewon’s room just as she had done yours, you head for the kitchen to get yourself a tall glass of revitalising tap water. You’re only mildly surprised to find Sunghoon passed out on your living room couch - it takes you a few seconds to remember that the three of you took pity on him when you learned he lived over an hour’s walk from the station, so you let him spend the night on your uncomfortable, cold leather sofa. While you down your glass in three gulps, you hear Yunjin shaking Sunghoon awake and asking him loudly if he wanted something from Snax.

“Fuck, I’d kill for a Snax right now,” he groggily says before he’s even opened his eyes. When he does, they dart around the room until they land on Yunjin, who's crouching in front of him. He looks like he thought her question was asked in a dream and not in real life. He also looks like he's not quite sure where he is, or who Yunjin is. It isn’t until Jay comes wobbling out of Yunjin’s bed to the couch opposite Sunghoon that the memories seem to piece back together in his head. The three of you watch him like he’s an unstable mental patient and you’re his doctors. 

“No need for that, I’m ordering it on Deliveroo.” He nods his head and goes back to sleep for the time being. 

Just as you’re about to text Jake, your phone rings with a call from him. His raspy morning voice as he asks you whether you slept well makes you want to put your head in an oven heated at 200 degrees Celsius. However, you resist the urge, and answer him with a smile, then ask him the same question.

“I slept pretty well too. I’d have slept in longer but one of my flatmates decided to have a Sunday fucking brunch and his friends are so loud. Can I come over?”

You’re very aware of the other people in the room, especially of Chaewon who has just walked in and is eyeing you suspiciously as if to say, Why are you smiling so hard at ten in the morning? You know the girls would jump at any opportunity to tease you about Jake, and with the added presence of Sunghoon in the room, you can’t have that. So you stifle the giggles bubbling in your throat and answer as nonchalantly as you can. It also gives you the chance to reflect on why Jake Sim asking you whether he can come over makes you want to giggle like a giddy schoolgirl so much.

(Maybe it’s because when it comes to him, you’re still the giddy schoolgirl you used to be.)

“Yeah, of course. I was going to ask you if you wanted anything from Snax, actually.”

“Snax? What’s that?”

“Oh my God, Jake, am I about to introduce you to Snax right now?”

Twenty minutes later, the six of you are sitting around your small living room table, all varying amounts of tired, dehydrated and famished as you dig into your breakfast. Given your current levels of energy, it’s fairly quiet; plus, the food hits such a spot that it’s hard to talk and eat at the same time. Jake eats like he’s never had a breakfast wrap and hash brown in his life. It’s an endearing sight if you’ve ever seen one. 

You spend the afternoon together, watching movies curled up in your bed, and you try desperately not to think about the implications of that - except that’s hard to do when Jake is right next to you, legs and arms ever-so-slightly brushing against yours, his warmth so close yet so out of reach. You purposefully let him pick movies you’ve already seen so that you don’t have to focus on anything but your own thoughts and the faint but dizzying scent of his body wash. The both of you had an innumerable amount of sleepovers as kids, so this shouldn’t feel weird, but it decidedly does, probably because you’re much more aware of him now in a way you weren’t before.  

As hard as you try to figure out what exactly he meant by “different,” you draw a blank. The only way you’ll understand is if you ask him, and you’re far too scared to do that. You don’t want to seem so hung upon a singular word he used when he was tipsy. It might be slightly dramatic, but you felt like some sort of balance had been restored since Jake was back in your life - the problem was it made you scared to do anything that might threaten this newfound equilibrium. It at least seems like different means a good thing to him, and that’s enough for you. 

You look over to him when the second movie comes to an end. He’s sleeping peacefully, lashes caressing the skin under his eyes and cheeks looking rounder than usual. It’d be so easy to reach a finger out and trace the line descending from the top of his forehead to his chin, gliding along the bump of his nose and feeling the plumpness of his rosy lips, but you settle for drawing that line with your eyes instead.  

You don’t think you’ll be able to fall asleep with him next to you and your heart beating so loudly in your ears, but you find yourself waking up a few hours later, the sun already starting to set. Jake is already awake, scrolling on his phone, one arm casually behind his head as if being in your bed is as comfortable to him as being in his own. When he sees you’ve woken up, his honey-coated smile washes warmly over you, and he makes a joke about how he keeps on falling asleep when he’s with you. “I feel that at ease, I guess,” he says, and you hope you’re not making up the small blush that spreads over his cheeks. 

--

Semesters are always a short and intense affair, but this one passes by even quicker with Jake by your side. Before you know it, it’s midterms already, and you and Jake have travelled enough for him to complete his project and make another one just for the hell of it. He had scoured the internet for the cheapest train tickets and most noteworthy sites, planning trips that lasted anywhere between three hours and a day for the two of you. All you needed to do was follow and trust him, which was the easiest thing anyone could’ve asked of you. 

You’ve gone back to Glasgow, during the day, this time, as well as St. Andrews and Aberdeen. You’ve practically visited every loch and castle in a one-hour train ride radius of Edinburgh, and Jake has more lined up for the second part of the semester. He’s even said that your trips should continue being a thing next term, and you couldn’t have agreed faster. With every new destination, every train ride spent looking out a window or laughing about everything and anything, any odd Scottish food you try for the first time, you somehow fall for him a bit deeper. You didn’t know your love for him could bloom any more than it already had - but Jake is the gift that keeps on giving, and, unwillingly or not, he always finds new ways to make your heart speed that much faster.

Attentionate, affectionate, sweet Jake who always makes sure you’re comfortable wherever you go, always gives you his jacket or tucks your hair behind your ear to prevent it from falling in your face. Who, as time passed, grew more touchy, would hold your hand, ruffle your hair, pinch your cheek, which was simultaneously devastating and elating. Who, you could tell, started to linger more, both in his touch and in his gaze. Questions of does he love me back or am I seeing what I want to see? nearly drove you mad. 

--

“I feel like at this point the only way she’ll understand that I like her is if I kill myself and write in my suicide note that it’s her fault for not loving me back.”

Jake has been pacing back and forth in Jay’s living room for approximately twenty minutes, with no end in sight. At least he’ll have gotten most of his ten thousand steps of the day in.

Jay sighs heavily. “Okay, I really don’t think you need to go that far.”

“Sounds romantic to me,” Sunghoon says, mouth full of salted caramel popcorn.

“I hope you never get a girlfriend,” Jay retorts, looking at his deranged friend with a scowl. He turns back to his (slightly more) normal friend and gives him a sympathetic smile. 

“I mean, I told her we were different. Different. That we weren’t like regular friends. I tell her she’s pretty every chance I get. I give her my jacket all the time, even though this country is fucking cold. I’ve even given her a t-shirt of mine, sprayed with my perfume and everything. And don’t get me wrong, I do it ‘cause I love doing that for her-”

“Simp,” Sunghoon snickers.

“But what the hell else can I do? Like, she has to be ignoring it on purpose at this point.” 

“You could always, you know… tell her?”

Jake scoffs, fixing his friend with a derisive look. “Wow. What a great idea, Jay, I never thought of that one before!”

A popcorn lands right on Jay’s cheek. “You’re so clueless, man,” Sunghoon says, a shit-eating smirk on his lips. As if he knows any better.

Jay looks back-and-forth between his friends, an expression on his face like he’s been disparaged. “Sorry, I didn’t know being straightforward and honest was such a bad thing. It would just make things a lot clearer for the both of you.”

“But… I’m scared,” Jake says. 

“Man up!” Sunghoon suddenly yells, punching the sofa next to him, making his friends jump. “How can she ever figure it out if you don’t tell her?”

“You were on my side just a second ago, man, what are you doing?” Jake asks, confusion written all over his face. Sunghoon’s eyes dart back and forth between the two boys, retreating into silence as he stuffs his mouth with another handful of popcorn.

“Just ignore him,” Jay says. “But for once, he did say something that makes a modicum of sense. You think you’re being really obvious, but you might not actually be. Which could be a good sign, you know. I heard girls were super aware of a guy liking them if they weren’t into him, but being totally oblivious if they did like him.”

“Where did you hear that?” Jake asks, an eyebrow raised in suspicion.

“...Instagram Reels,” Jay reluctantly admits, frowning at Sunghoon who bursts into laughter. 

Jake holds the bridge of his nose between two fingers like his head aches. “You’re both so useless, I’m never coming to you with my problems ever again.”

“I’ll pretend I’m not offended by that.”

“I’d rather you didn’t, anyway,” Sunghoon says. He’s smiling but Jake genuinely can’t tell if he’s joking or not.

“But seriously, if you think you’ve done everything, then just do one last thing that’s so obvious she can’t misinterpret it,” Jay says.

“Like what?”

“Like kissing her, or some-”

“Kissing her?!” Jake echoes.

“That’s wild, man,” Sunghoon uselessly butts in.

“It’s just an example, calm yourselves,” Jay says. “Or, again, just straight up tell her how you feel. It’s what I did with Yunjin, and it worked.”

“You and Yunjin are dating?” Sunghoon asks, bewildered.

Jay shakes his head at him. “Where the hell have you been, bro? We were literally cuddling on the couch the other day.”

“I just thought you were really good friends, or something.”

Jake groans, holding his head in his hands. Sunghoon was of no help whatsoever, and Jay was so on point that it annoyed him. Confessing was the only solution - but Jake was so afraid of being rejected and losing your friendship that he had barely entertained the thought. But he had found the courage to do it once, and even though his planned confession had fallen through back then, he could get himself together and do it again. 

It was the day he had told you he was moving to Korea, which he himself had learned that morning. Originally, he’d texted you because he had news to share - good news. Or at least, he hoped they were good. He hoped the soft, lingering looks you gave him weren’t a figment of his imagination but rather the confirmation he needed that you liked him back. He hoped that like him, you cared too much about your friendship to make the first move into something else; that by confessing first, you’d be relieved of that responsibility; that his wish to hold your hand and kiss your forehead wasn’t one-sided. 

He decided not to prepare anything - just a couple sentences that he’d rehearsed over and over in his head. Declarations of love, bouquets of flowers, chocolate and couple keychains, all that could wait until after you’d said yes to being his girlfriend. He didn’t want to win you over just once, he wanted to show you every day how much he loved you. Fourteen-year-old Jake was absolutely head over heels for you; so imagine his disappointment when, as he was getting ready to meet with you, his parents called him downstairs, a tone to their voice Jake wasn’t familiar with, but that couldn’t mean anything good. 

“Your dad’s job is sending us back to Seoul next month,” his mom announced, not beating around the bush. He felt everything quite literally crumbling down around him. His friends in Brisbane, his school, his hobbies, but above all, you. He’d lose it all. And what was the point now in telling you how he felt? If you felt the same way, it would only make his departure that much harder, and if you didn’t, it would ruin your last moments together. It just wasn’t worth it.

What he had planned to be good news turned into the most awful ones. The thought of it happening all over again makes twenty-year-old Jake shudder. But he wouldn’t let himself be trapped by time again - sure, in seven months, the academic year would be over, and he would go back to Korea. But that didn’t mean that those seven months should be spent in agony, or the following ones either, for that matter. You would make it work. What was long-distance to someone who loved someone else as much as Jake loved you?

But he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself. He has to start by really resolving to do this, and in the off-chance that it actually goes in his favour, he’d start worrying about long distance then.

First, he has a trip to plan.

--

You should’ve known that a trip to the Scottish Highlands in the middle of November was a risky choice in terms of weather. The day started off nicely enough - no sign of rain when you woke up or as you watched the sunrise through the train window. Clouds turned the sky a bright white at first, then increasingly greyer and greyer. You feel the first drops of rain after lunch as you walk around a small village. By four pm, it’s pitch black and storming like you’ve rarely seen before. You head into a pub to grab a drink as you wait for the rain to subside, but subside it does not. You end up ordering fish and chips, one each, although one serving is enough to feed three. Even after taking your time eating, the bad weather does not let up. The last train, which is meant to be at eight pm, has been cancelled. Luckily, there’s an inn right across the road from the pub; you have no choice but to spend the night. 

The inn receptionist is sitting so low on her chair, you can barely see her over the desk until you’re standing right over it. Her face is hidden by a book and it’s only when you say hiya that she seems to realise you’re there. You had never heard of the book or of its author, but you recognized the cover design as that of those romance novels with repetitive plots and weirdly misogynistic love interests your mum and every other middle-aged woman was obsessed with.

Her smile widens as she looks between you and Jake. “Hi there. One room for the lovely couple?”

“Oh, we’re not-”

“Yes, please,” Jake interrupts, smiling down at her, then at you. “It’ll be cheaper if we share a room.”

“Our only room with two single beds is already taken, I’m afraid. One double bed okay for you two?”

You feel like you’re about to faint, so you’re glad Jake is there to answer. “Yeah, of course.” How the idea of sharing one bed with you is so okay to him, you’re not sure - granted, you’ve done it before, but this feels different. For all intents and purposes, this is a hotel room you’re staying in. And you’re staying in it with Jake. 

You try to calm your breathing as the receptionist guides you to your room, chatting casually with Jake on the way there. As she unlocks the door for you, she informs you that check-out must be done before eleven in the morning tomorrow, then bids you good night and leaves you to it, still wearing that smile you swear has mischievousness to it. The door clicks shut behind you, and it’s just Jake and you again, together in this small room until tomorrow morning. Your chances of survival are very, very low. 

Your room is a humble one, consisting of a desk, a cupboard, two armchairs, a small, separate bathroom and the infamous bed. Every surface seems to be covered with wood, from the ceiling, to the walls, to the old-fashioned furniture. Only the floor is a soft, beige carpet. Especially with the darkness outside, it makes for a gloomy room until you turn on the lamp by the entrance; it casts a warm, golden light in the room, one that would make you feel at ease if it wasn’t for Jake’s presence next to you. The implications of being essentially trapped in a barely-lit room with him are heavy on your mind, especially when he looks this gorgeous with his hair still damp from the rain and the soft lights playing on his face. 

His voice brings you out of your thoughts. “Right. Do you, um, do you wanna shower first?” he asks, setting his bag on one of the armchairs.

“Oh. Yeah, sure.” There has never been such an awkward tension between the two of you, but you know you’re not doing anything to ease it. You hope a shower will help you get out of your head and make you relax.

You feel the tension leave your muscles under the hot water, but your stomach is still in knots. You’ve never been this nervous around Jake before; back when you were fourteen and again in these past few months, you’d gotten so used to dealing with your unspoken feelings for him that you could almost forget about them when you were with him. They’d come back to you when you were alone and dwelling on the moments you’d spent together, on his words and actions you desperately tried not to read too much into but always ended up doing anyway. But right now, they’ve floated to the surface, becoming as obvious to you as a stain on your skin you can’t rub away. You’re scared Jake will notice it, and, in the worst case scenario you often thought about, would run away and never speak to you again. 

At least the raging storm outside would make that a bit harder.

When you step out of the shower, you curse yourself for not having worn more comfortable clothes on this trip. You definitely can’t wear these jeans and button-up sweater to lounge around. Thankfully, the inn provides two long bathrobes that you could wear over underwear and your tank top, but you wonder where on the scale of inappropriate this would be to wear with Jake in the room. He’s seen you in short pyjama shorts before, but this, like everything else that would usually be normal between the two of you, feels weird today. 

You wrap the bathrobe around yourself, tying it in place around your waist, and decide that it’d only be weird if you made it weird. And if Jake found the sight of your bare legs weird, then he was the weird one.

The scene you’re met with as you walk into the room makes you want to retreat into the bathroom immediately. Jake is lying on the bed with his upper half against the headboard, one leg extended and the other one bent, resting his head against one palm, using his free hand to scroll through his phone. His t-shirt has ridden up slightly, putting the waistband of his Calvin Kleins into view. Worst of all, when he sees you, his face breaks into a grin. 

Your stomach twists when he gives you a once-over, letting his gaze linger on your legs. “Did you bring a bathrobe with you or was it included?” he asks with an annoyingly handsome smirk.

You roll your eyes. “Yes, I bring a bathrobe with me wherever I go,” you say sarcastically. “Now shut up and go shower, you stink.” Reverting to insults is always the solution when you’re internally freaking out.

“Yes, ma’am.” 

He takes so long in the shower that by the time he comes out, you’ve dozed off in bed. As if you were a child, he wakes you up with a boop to the nose, crouching next to the bed and smiling at you. His wet hair falls on his head like that of a movie star in a shower scene, which you find extremely unfair, and his cheeks are red from the warmth of the water. 

“It’s still early. Do you wanna go grab another drink?”

“In our bathrobes?” you say, laughing. “Nah, I don’t really feel like drinking anyway.” Read: I’m not sure what I’ll do with alcohol in me.

“Okay, no worries. Um, I think I saw they had board games in the lobby?”

Your ears perk up at this. “Ooh, what kind of board games?”

Putting jeans on underneath his bathrobe, Jake slips away for a minute and comes back with Monopoly, Uno, and a deck of cards. “They didn’t have much for two players,” he says, dumping everything on the bed. 

You already knew that anything would become fun if you did it with Jake, but you definitely didn’t expect to spend almost five hours just playing Monopoly and card games with him. Neither of you stays put for very long, always switching from sitting criss-cross to laying on your stomach, making fun of the other’s bathrobe even though you’re wearing the exact same thing. You make each other laugh as you make up your own nonsense rules and disregard the laws of your games, attacking the other ruthlessly for a couple extra points or coins. Jake even makes you go get snacks from a corner store that’s miraculously still open because you lose the first round of Uno. 

After some time, Jake lets out a loud yawn, which in turn makes you yawn too. He checks his phone to find that it’s close to midnight already. “Time for bed?” he asks, and your nervousness that had finally dissipated as you played came rushing back. 

You nod. “Yeah, sounds good.”

The two of you clean up before brushing your teeth. Even that, with Jake by your side, becomes a silly affair as he pulls faces in the mirror and nudges your hip with his. You stay behind to use the toilet, and when you come back out, Jake’s already in bed, bathrobe tossed on one of the armchairs. This means that Jake is just casually in a t-shirt and boxers, waiting for you to join him in bed. Luckily, his back is turned to you, so you quickly take off your own bathrobe and slide under the sheets, careful to keep your distance from him. The sheets are cold underneath you, and you know it’ll take a while before your body heat warms them up - although you feel very hot and bothered because of the man lying next to you. 

“Gosh, I’m really sleepy all of a sudden,” he says, words distorted by a yawn. You only hum in response, and he reaches for the lamp to turn it off. Just like that, you’re in complete darkness, and Jake’s body is mere inches from your own. 

It’s eerily quiet for a while, and when you’ve managed to slow your heartbeat and regularise your breathing, you start trying to fall asleep. You toss and turn, unable to find a comfortable position until Jake’s low, sleepy voice breaks the silence. “Can’t sleep?” he asks, and you freeze.

You sigh. “No. I’m sorry for keeping you up,” you say guiltily.

“It’s okay. I can’t really sleep either. It’s a bit cold in here.”

You pause. “Right. Yeah, it is,” you say, even though you feel like you’re sweating buckets. 

The room plunges into silence again, long enough for you to think Jake has fallen asleep. You feel something cold against your foot, only realising as it slides up your calf that it’s his foot. “Jake!” you whisper-yell, withdrawing your leg as he bursts into giggles that warm your heart. “Your feet are so cold,” you say in-between chuckles.

“I’m cold all over,” he whines. “Have they not turned the heating on yet? It’s already mid-November.”

“People are used to the cold here.”

“Well I’m not. Can we cuddle?” he suddenly asks, and he must somehow feel the way you freeze in place because he stammers out a justification straight away. “For, I mean, just for warmth, you know. I don’t think I’ll sleep otherwise.”

His foot finds yours again and you can’t help but laugh. “Sure, fine,” you say with a sigh as if you were doing only half-heartedly for his sake. As if this was some big sacrifice you were making, and not something you’d daydreamed about one too many times before. 

Your heart is beating a thousand miles a second when you scooch closer to Jake, his hands finding your waist as easily as if they’d been there a hundred times before. He pulls you in much closer than you had expected, holding you tightly against his chest, one arm for you to use as a pillow and one hand resting on your lower back. You try to calm your respiration so that he can’t hear how short of breath you are, but based on his own breathing, he seems to be out in five minutes. It takes you longer to fall asleep, every shift of his body sending shivers down your spine, but you manage to relax after some time, letting his warmth envelop you as you drift off to sleep.

--

The feeling of waking up with you in his arms is so unreal, Jake thinks he might still be dreaming.

He looks down at your peaceful sleeping face and can’t stop the smile that spreads on his lips. Jake always thinks you’re pretty, but this is a sight he particularly wants to commit to memory. He watches fondly as the bright sun rays of the early morning hit your face, making you scrunch your eyebrows and bury your face deeper against him. You grunt softly, and when he feels you shifting and stretching your legs, he pretends to fall asleep so you don’t catch him staring. It seems like you’ve raised your head, chin tilted towards him - if he’s lucky, you’re watching him “sleep” just like he did seconds ago.

He contains a smile at the joke that forms itself in his brain before shooting his eyes open, catching you off guard during what you thought was a private, secret moment. 

“Shit!” you yelp, practically jumping off of him and rolling onto the other side of the bed. He bursts into laughter, proud that his little prank was effective. Before you can scold him, he makes his way to you, wrapping an arm around your waist and bringing your back against his chest. He thinks he feels your body tense; but then you bring your hand over his, swiping your thumb back and forth against his skin, and you relax in his hold. “You’re so annoying,” you complain, but your voice is tender, almost weak.

He buries his face in your hair, trying not to be too loud when he inhales there. “Sorry,” he says, the smile evident in his voice. “The opportunity was right there. Caught you staring, huh?”

“You’re such an idiot.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” It’s quiet for a few minutes, and Jake is more than happy to enjoy this moment in silence, but there’s something burning the tip of his tongue. It’s been there for a while now, but he thinks he’s finally found the right moment. “Y/N?”

“Mm?”

“There’s something I couldn’t tell you last night, but I feel oddly okay saying it right now. Are you listening?” 

“I am, yeah,” you say gently, voice so soft it caresses his skin and draws goosebumps from it.

His chest expands and falls with a deep, shaky breath. With your back right against it, he’s scared you’ll hear that his heart is beating faster than it should. “Bad news first?” he says with a nervous chuckle.

“Uh-oh.”

“There’s no roundabout way to say this, so here goes, I guess.” He takes another breath. “I’m in love with you, Y/N.” You tense in his embrace, and he waits for you to say something, anything before he continues.

“Oh,” is all you say. He hopes it’s a good oh - even if it isn’t, he doesn’t let it deter him.

“Yeah. I really debated telling you this… I know you might not feel the same way. But I also know that if I don’t say anything and make the same mistake twice, I’ll beat myself up over it for the rest of my life.”

“The same mistake?” you ask, looking at him over your shoulder.

He gazes down at you tenderly, pushing hair away from your face with a gentle hand. “I already felt that way back when we lived in Australia. I was about to tell you but when I learned that I was moving, I didn’t wanna risk ruining the little time we had left together.”

The look on your face both breaks his heart and patches it up again. “Jakey…” you say, voice just a whisper. You turn around to face him and bury your face in the crook of his neck. The fact that you’re not saying much is making his stomach twist in agonising stress, but he takes it as a good sign that you’re still holding him tight and not running away.

“I think I’d be the luckiest guy on Earth if you felt the same way,” he says, hopefulness clear in his voice. 

And then he finally hears the words he’s been dying to hear all these years. “Of course, I feel the same way, Jake,” you say, eyes meeting his. “This isn’t bad news at all, it’s like, the best possible news ever.”

It takes him a few seconds, but when your words sink in, a bright smile graces his features. He feels tears coming up - tears of relief that you feel the same way, of sadness that it took the both of you so long to get here, of happiness that something new might start - he’s not sure. Perhaps everything at once.

“Of course?” he echoes, smiling wildly. “It wasn’t obvious to me.”

“Oh, gosh,” you murmur, burying yourself into him once more. “I can’t believe this is actually happening.”

He tightened his hold around you, bringing you to him as close as physically possible. “Me neither.”

The feeling of you tangling your bare legs with his and bunching up the fabric of his t-shirt in your fist awakens something in him - he had been in his head, thanking the heavens that you loved him back, reeling from his belated confession, but he was now very aware of his body. And of yours. He was reminded of Jay telling him to kiss you - although he hadn’t needed to go there to reveal his feelings to you, it was still a possibility. It was even more so now that he knew you felt the same way. 

He tries to be subtle as he brushes a hand up your back to the nape of your neck, gently grazing his fingernails against the skin there. He has to suppress a self-satisfied smirk when he feels you squirm under his touch, lifting your head to fix him with a scolding look. Your stern expression fades as soon as his eyes fall on your lips, however, and you quickly mirror his gaze. His lips part, and he feels his whole body shake as he takes a deep breath in. Who knew that you’d share your first kiss on a random Sunday morning in the fuckass middle of nowhere in Scotland?

Maybe you take pity on him, or you recognise the effort put into being the one to make the first move, or, as he’d like to think, you just really want to kiss him - either way, you’re the one who closes the gap and presses your lips to his.

Your lips. So soft, so delicate against his, absolutely perfect. It’s a simple, tentative touch, but he’s craved it for so long that it makes his head spin. He frowns, despite himself instantly needing more than this feather-like feeling of your lips brushing against each other. His mind tells him to calm down and take it slow, but his body takes over, urging him to grab the nape of your neck a little harder, to hold you a little closer to him, to kiss you a little stronger. Thankfully, you let him do all of this and more, hands finding purchase in his hair and returning his intensity tenfold. 

He doesn’t know what’s better - the fact that you’re kissing him or the kiss itself. The way your lips move against his is intoxicating; it wraps itself around its mind and leaves no room for thoughts that aren’t of you. You seem to want him as desperately as he wants you, to have waited for him as long as he did for you, and this is what drives him crazy. You press your body against his and he sees stars; you let out a moan against his lips and he kisses you deeper, ready to do anything to hear that melody again. 

Unfortunately, the only melody he gets to hear is that of his phone alarm, informing you that it’s quarter to eleven and that you have fifteen minutes to leave. Check-out at eleven am had sounded nice yesterday; now, he would stay in this dingy inn his whole life if it meant he got to keep kissing you. 

The both of you reluctantly break apart, bursting into giddy laughter when your eyes meet. As said before, Jake always thinks you’re pretty, but with your pupils blown and your lips plump from kissing, this might just be the prettiest he’s ever seen you. 

“You know, I like you a lot, but I’d like you even more if you could stop time,” you say.

He looks down at you with a smile, pushing away the strands of hair that had fallen on your face. “Sure, I’ll learn how to control time for you.”

“Thanks, Jakey.” You peck his lips, lingering, and he closes his eyes to savour your sweetness. 

“Anything for you, baby.” His eyes widen at the nickname slip, but you erupt into giggles.

“Baby?”

“Would you look at the time, we really got to go,” he says, detangling his limbs from yours. He pauses for a second. “Baby,” he repeats, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead before bouncing from the bed.

You get ready together, and the mundane tasks of stripping sheets from a bed and packing bags become the funnest things he’s ever done. You’re all over each other, attacking the other with kisses and hugs; Jake doesn’t think he’s ever felt quite this happy. 

And this is only the beginning.

--

There’s a glint in the receptionist’s eyes when you check out of your room, as if she knew something you and Jake had been oblivious to all along. It’s the only one in town, so you go back to the little pub for a full breakfast with eggs, hash browns, haggis, and sausages. You get coffee so strong you think you might not sleep for the next four days, while Jake drinks tea that is equal parts sugar, milk, and actual tea.

From the moment you leave the pub to the moment you arrive at your doorstep, Jake’s hands barely leave yours. When they have to, like when you’re searching for the perfect seat on the train or when the controller checks your tickets, they’re back together within a minute, like two magnets that can’t stay apart for too long. The rain has long subsided, leaving place to a bright blue sky and wet blades of grass that shine in the sun. 

Now that your mutual feelings don’t need to be kept secret, you tell each other about everything you had to go through, like you pretending your good news was your mum having baked the cookies Jake liked and him seeing your new boyfriends every two months on your close friends story. He tells you about all the hints he’s dropped, causing you to facepalm over and over again. It feels like two friends catching each other to speed on all the latest gossip, except the topic of that gossip is you.

The juxtaposition of your familiarity with Jake with the novelty of behaving like a couple, of not having to hold back with your touches or gazes or words, is nothing if not jarring. But you have a feeling you’ll get used to it in no time. 

As you unlock the front door to your building, you don’t ask him if he’s coming up - to you, it’s a given that you’ll be spending the rest of today and every day after that together. So when he doesn’t follow you, staying still on the threshold, you turn around with a questioning look on your face. 

“There’s something I need to do this afternoon,” he says, taking both of your hands in his.

“Can’t I come with?” you say. Jake wavers for a second, but sadly, he stays firm in his decision.

“Sorry, baby, it’s a surprise. I’ll be back at seven with takeout?”

You can’t possibly be mad at him when he calls you baby and offers food in the same breath. “Only if you bring takeout.”

“You only love me because I feed you, don’t you?” he asks, a smile on his face.

“Yup,” you reply. You’re standing on a step, so you bend down to kiss him - you intend for it to be a peck, but when your lips touch, you’re unable to pull away. You let yourself get lost in the feeling of his lips on yours, in the warmth that takes over your body and makes your brain all fuzzy. 

A loud, affronted gasp from behind you makes you jump from Jake, and when you turn around, Chaewon and Yunjin are standing in the stairwell, staring at you with wide eyes and gaping mouths. 

“So this was a sexcapade?” is, much to your horror, the first thing Yunjin says.

Thanks to Chaewon, neither you nor Jake have the time to dwell on this sentence as she comes running down the stairs and pounces on you. You don’t know how a woman so small can have such force, but her hug is so tight you can barely breathe, let alone hug her back properly. “I knew you could do it!” she exclaims. When she pulls away, she seems so moved, it looks like she’s about to cry. “You finally popped your Jake cherry,” she whispers, but it’s loud enough for Jake to hear. A bark of laughter escapes his throat.

“Okay, thanks, guys,” you say, escaping this awkward situation and going up the stairs. “I’ll see you later, Jake!” you yell over your shoulder. The girls seem to be on their way out, and you’re more than happy leaving him to deal with them on his own. God knows you’ll get the worst of it when they come back. 

As soon as you get to your flat, you make a beeline for your bedroom, plopping on the bed. You’re the same person, and this is the same room. But something within you feels entirely different, like a scar that you had been carrying around had, without you even noticing, healed so well you could barely see it anymore. You lifted your hands in the air, looked at the back of them, then at your palms. They were the same old hands that had been with you your whole life, and you were almost shocked that there wasn’t something utterly different about them after having held Jake’s hand for so long. Just to be sure, you sniffed your right hand, but it didn’t smell any different, either. But you still felt Jake’s hand on yours, like headphones you’d been wearing for hours and still felt on your ears after taking them off.

Yunjin and Chaewon are back from their shopping half-an-hour later; they got you a chocolate fudge cake from Tesco to congratulate you. “You guys are acting like this is my birthday…” you say, eyeing the cake greedily as Chaewon cuts it into three equal parts (even though it says serves eight on the packaging). 

“This is more important than your birthday, Y/N,” Yunjin states as she pours oat milk into three cups of Earl Grey tea. “This is, like, the moment of a lifetime.”

“Are you saying a girl’s importance depends on her having a boyfriend?”

“Yes, Y/N, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Especially when said boyfriend is the guy she’s been pining after for all of her teenage and adult life.”

You sigh. “Well, he hasn’t exactly popped the boyfriend and girlfriend question yet.” They both turn to look at you, an annoyed look on their faces. You stand up straight, uncomfortable under their gazes. “What?”

“Usually, I’m all for clarity on this issue,” Chaewon starts. “But isn’t it pretty obvious here?”

“You’re still gonna have to tell us everything in minute detail, but Jake’s already told us what happened. He had no qualms referring to you as his girlfriend, so I really don’t think this is something you need to worry about. What you should worry about is when and where you’re going to hop on that dick.”

Chaewon bursts into laughter, and you can’t help but follow suit. “Gosh, Yunjin, you really do have a way with words.”

“I know. This is what having a Jane Austen hyperfixation at fifteen will do to you.”

Following Yunjin’s orders, you tell them about the events of the previous day and this morning over tea and cake. They ooh and ah and gasp in all the right places, ask you very specific questions and even make you draw a picture of the room you stayed in. You’ve talked to them about Jake so many times that there’s only so much to say now - but still, you talk for hours on end, deviating off-topic so often you end up talking about something else entirely. 

You’re in bed reading for your Middle English Literature class when the doorbell rings. It’s seven on the dot, so it can be no one else other than Jake. It’s been mere hours, but you’ve missed him enough to last you for weeks. 

He brought takeaway from the Indian place you’d raved about a hundred times but hadn’t brought him to yet. Somehow, your heart grows even fonder as you watch his reaction to the food, the raise of his eyebrows, the widening of his eyes, the excited shimmy of his shoulders. When you ask him about his afternoon, a wide smile breaks out onto his face, like a lightbulb illuminating a room. Without a word, he scurries to your room, bringing back some sort of book with him. He hands it to you  with a shy smile and curious eyes, eagerly anticipating your reaction. The cover reads Y/N and Jake in his clumsy but endearing handwriting, with the date of his arrival in Edinburgh and an em-dash scribbled underneath. “I haven’t booked my flight home yet, so I’ll add the second date later,” he explains. 

When you flick through it, you’re met with photographs of you and Jake on all of the trips you’ve done so far, as well as the various adventures you got up to in the city. There’s even one of you sleeping in the library at two am during midterms when you had forgotten about one of your essays, due at midday. Jake had come with coffee and words of encouragement, and now he could brag that the high mark you got was thanks to him. It’s not only photos - it’s also ticket stubs, receipts, stickers, and even a dried flower you had found pretty on your trip to St. Andrews. He’s also written quite a lot, from diary-like entries about what you got up to that day or songs that reminded him of you. 

“You misspelt right here,” you say, pointing to a sentence that reads This is the café write next to the hotel where the last Harry Potter book is said to have been written!!! under a photo of you drinking a massive cup of hot chocolate. The more you look at the typo, the more it makes you laugh, until you have tears brimming in your eyes.

Thanks to Yunjin’s messiness, pens and pencils are strewn over your coffee table. Jake, flushed red in embarrassment at the small mistake, snatches a pencil and aggressively erases write, spelling it correctly the second time around. “This is the level of today’s English Lit undergrads,” he murmurs under his breath. His frown disappears when he looks at you and he laughs along.

You continue looking through the album until you land on a page titled Why I love Y/N. From top to bottom, left to right, it’s filled with Jake’s tiny handwriting. You can tell he put effort into making it neat. There’s a singular photograph of you, one that dates from the first days after Jake’s arrival when you were walking around in the Meadows, the park right next to campus. The sun shone down on you and you smiled brightly at Jake behind the camera.  

You’re not a quarter through reading when tears swell in your eyes, rendering your vision blurry. You wipe them away before they can fall and stain the page. Jake has detailed every last thing he loves about you. It can hardly get cornier than this, but the fact that he wrote this about you makes your heart so full, you’re afraid it might explode in your chest. It ranges from basic things like the way she makes me laugh or her pretty face when she falls asleep in the train (or anywhere, for that matter) to more you-specific things like the strict pastel colour-coding she uses for her notes and her perseverance when eating spicy food even though she can’t take it. He mentions things about you that you didn’t even know, and that feeling of being known in-and-out, of being really seen by someone else only brings more tears to your eyes. Your favourite line comes at the end - the way she makes any place feel like home. A proper sob pushes past your lips at this, and Jake, who had been watching you with an anxious smile, rests a palm on your knee and inches closer to you.

“Why are you crying, is- Did I write something bad?”

You shake your head fervently. “No, no, Jakey, this is… It’s perfect. I’m just…” you trail, letting out a half-sob, half-chuckle. You look at him with a smile before pulling him into a tight hug. “I love it so much. I love you so much.”

You can feel Jake relax against you. “I love you too, baby. I’m glad you like it.”

You pull away after a small while, and turn the next page over. It’s a picture of you over breakfast this morning, with words WE’RE DATING!!!! written underneath it, and those simple words make you so happy, your cheeks ache from smiling. But every page after that is empty. Jake scratches the back of his neck. “I, um, I thought we could fill the rest out together. I debated just doing it myself and giving it to you at the end of the year, but I thought it’d be more fun doing it together.”

“It would. This is such an amazing idea,” you say, flicking back through the pages.

“I thought of it because of that project I had. When I started working on it, all the photos I wanted to include were of you, but I wasn’t sure how much my professor would appreciate that… So I decided to make one more personal. One for us,” he says shyly, shrugging like it’s no big deal.

“Thank you so much, Jakey.”

He smiles. “It’s no worries.”

“Did you do it all this afternoon?”

“I had started it before, but I added it most of today, yeah. Which, by the way, awful timing. I wanted nothing more than to spend today with you.”

Your heart leaps. You’re not sure you’ll ever get used to hearing such words from Jake’s mouth.

Sometime later, you’re laying in bed with Jake between your legs, watching the most recent animated Spiderman movie. With the tips of your fingers, you draw random patterns on his forearm, and if it wasn’t for his occasional chuckles, you’d think he had fallen asleep. You chat for a bit after the movie, but you find that after such an emotionally-packed day, you’re ready to call it a night fairly early. But when the lights are off and it’s just you lying against Jake’s chest, his fingernails grazing your scalp and his familiar, comforting scent clouding your judgement, all thoughts of an early night are thrown out of the window.

You shouldn’t feel so nervous - you had fallen asleep in his arms last night, and it had gone well. Really well. 

“This is different from yesterday, isn’t it?” Jake suddenly says, breaking the heavy silence with a low voice. It’s like he read your mind.

“Yeah,” you whisper against his skin.

No other words are needed. You brush the tip of your nose along his neck until you reach his jawline, pressing soft kisses there and delighting in the increasing shakiness of his breath. The feeling of your lips meeting is so intense, so all-encompassing, that you don’t know if you’ll be able to handle anything more.

This is still new territory, but you’re both so eager to discover it that it makes for a messy kiss, lips moving against each other ravenously, tongues beckoning moans from the other. It’s a kiss that somehow leaves you breathless and breathes oxygen back into your lungs at once. 

In a matter of seconds, Jake has flipped you on your back and is hovering over you, one hand holding him up and one hand free to roam your body. He slips it underneath your t-shirt, brushes it along the side of your waist, his touch leaving behind a trail of fire blazing on your skin. It’s so distracting, you can’t even kiss him back properly anymore. Jake doesn’t seem to mind. At first, when he starts pressing hot kisses to your jawline and your neck, you think he’s giving you a respite - but when he gently sinks his teeth into the skin there, leaving marks that will later remind you tonight wasn’t a dream, chuckling as you squirm and whine under him, you understand that this is anything but a respite. 

You curse your earlier decision of not wearing a bra, because it gives you no preparation whatsoever to the sensation of Jake brushing his thumb against one of your nipples. With a loud gasp, your back arches off of the bed, which only aids Jake in raising your t-shirt up over your breasts. 

He takes a minute to admire the sight of you panting and half-naked underneath him. It makes you feel shy, and you want to do something so that he stops looking and starts doing, but his gaze holds you in place. His pupils are blown with lust, eyes raking over your body and taking everything in. You have a hard time wrapping your head around the fact that it’s you he’s looking at with those eyes. 

His soft lips attach themselves to your nipple while his fingers continue their work on the other one. You’ve never felt this sensitive, never felt this on edge, like you might fall apart at any second even with so little simulation. Your core throbs, impatiently waiting to be tended to, but you’re already trembling so hard from Jake’s attention to your breasts that you don’t know what will happen to you once he actually touches you down there.

“You doing okay, baby?” he asks, the rasp in his voice making you want him impossibly more. You grip his hair and he looks up at you, a tender smile on his lips. You nod your head yes and he laughs. “Yeah? You want more?” You pause at his question. You do want more, but is it worth your sanity?

It takes you a second to decide that it’s worth that and more. You nod again. 

Jake seems to have sensed your hesitation. He tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I am. It’s just a lot.”

His expression of worry softens into a smile. “I’ll take it slow for you, love. It’s a lot for me, too.” He leans in to press soft kisses to your cheek, and some of the tension in your body diffuses. Whatever happens, Jake will be there to take care of you. “But it feels good, right?” he asks, lips moving against your ear, sending shivers down your spine.

“So good, Jakey,” you reply shakily.

“Good.”

You can tell that Jake really does want to take it slow - his movements are more deliberate, gentler. But eagerness, both yours and his, soon takes over, and a minute later, he’s trailing kisses down your body until he reaches your lower stomach. Your breath quickens as he hooks fingers underneath your leggings and underwear, sliding both garments down your legs and leaving you bare to him. You think the feeling of his lips on the fleshy parts of your inner thighs is what might actually do you in, make you lose your sense of reality forever - but then his tongue darts out against your clit, a barely-there touch, and your whole body flatlines. 

Your reaction eggs Jake on, who, more confident now, takes the sensitive bud in his lips and alternates between sucking and licking motions. A knot ties itself embarrassingly quickly in your stomach, a knot that tightens and tightens as Jake flattens his tongue against you, licking up your juices from your entrance to your clit; a knot that threatens to come loose when he slides a long finger inside of you. You can’t take more than thirty seconds of this.

“Jakey,” you say, voice practically a moan. Your brain is fuzzy and it takes a distressing amount of time to form a simple sentence. “Can you come here?”

“Is something wrong, baby?” he asks breathily, sliding his finger out of you and coming back up so that his face is right above yours. 

“No, just… I want you.”

Any trace of worry on Jake’s features dissipates as he cocks an eyebrow, one corner of his lips tugging up into a smirk. “Is that so?”

This kind of boldness would usually have you rolling your eyes, but here, it only makes your core throb more violently. It’s almost humiliating how much you want this man. It’s definitely humiliating, how easy it is to swallow your pride and play into his game. “Yes, please,” you say, eyes pleading with him.

He smiles almost giddily before burying his face against the side of yours. “My baby’s so polite,” he says, pressing a kiss to your cheek. “I’ll give you whatever you want.”

“Take this off, then,” you say, grabbing the bottom hem of his t-shirt. 

“So she says please and gives orders,” he jokes, quickly obliging anyway. 

Not once in your time apart had Jake posted any sort of beach trip or pool photos, so this was the first time you saw his bare chest. God, was it one for the history books. You trace the defined lines of his muscles with a finger and wonder how he had managed to get even more perfect. He lets you marvel at him for it, clearly proud that you’re gawking so shamelessly, but your mind drifts back to more urgent matters when he presses himself into you, his clothed cock, hard and hot, brushing against your folds. “Fuck,” you sigh, bucking your hips into his to feel him over and over again.

It’s so much, but it’s not enough; Jake instantly gets your message when you hook your fingers under the waistband of his boxers, pulling him to you and kissing him feverishly. Your lips don’t part as he slides his boxers off, and you drink up the nectar that are his moans as you take him in your hand, pumping him a few times.

“Condom?” he asks, but you shake your head.

“I’m on the pill. And even so… I usually always use a condom, but I don’t want to now. Not with you.”

Jake closes his eyes as he takes a deep, stabilising breath. “I feel totally normal about that. Not crazy at all.”

You giggle, and he opens his eyes, a wide smile gracing his lips before he bends down to kiss you. “You ready for the night of your life?” he asks against your lips. “It’s gonna last five minutes, tops,” he says, making you laugh again. “I’m sorry, baby, I can’t do anything about it. I think I could’ve cum just from eating you out.”

“That would’ve been hot.”

“Really? We’ll make it a challenge for next time, then.”

When Jake plunges into you, it’s unlike anything you’ve ever felt before. He fills you up, slow inch by slow inch, until he’s buried to the hilt inside you. You both need some time getting used to the feeling - Jake drops his head in the crook of your neck and lets out a sound between a grunt and a moan, something you’ve never heard from him before. You grab onto his shoulders, fingernails digging into his skin as you try to tether yourself to him. You hold him so tight that he has no choice but to let his body rest on top of yours, his arms coming to circle your waist and bring you even closer. 

His movements start out halting, the pleasure so overwhelming that it makes it hard for him to move steadily. In time, he falls into a torturously slow rhythm, but it’s the perfect kind of torture, the kind that has tears brimming in your eyes. It’s so hard to take, and yet you want more. You’re brought closer to the edge with every thrust of his dick into you, especially as he picks up the pace and lifts your hips to meet his. The new angle has his tip brushing against that spot deep inside you that makes it hard to breathe. 

You can tell he’s just as close as you when he loses that steady rhythm he had found, his motions growing more desperate, harsher, quicker. Conscious of your roommates, you slap a hand over your mouth to muffle your moans as your orgasm washes over you, your whole body on fire, so sensitive that the few more seconds Jake needs to come undone himself drive both your body and your mind into overstimulation. Even the feeling of him pulling out, drops of hot liquid dripping out of your entrance, is too much and makes you let out a small, tired whine. 

Jake peppers your face with kisses as he holds your waist tightly, brushing his thumb back-and-forth on your warm skin, sticky with sweat. “You did so well, baby. So good for me.” You think you might be ready for a second round if he keeps talking to you like that. “I love you so much.”

You sigh deeply, as if you were just told disconcerting news. “Okay.”

“Okay?!” he echoes, looking up at you with an outraged expression on his face.

“I’m sorry, I love you too, I just- I’m not used to this yet! You can’t just tell me you love and expect me to be normal. You have to warn me first.”

“Can I just warn you now that I’m going to tell you I love you every time I get the chance?”

You sigh. “I guess.” 

“Can I tell you now?” he asks, and you hum. “I love you.”

“I love you more.”

Jake tuts. “I highly doubt it, but whatever makes you happy.”

You hold Jake close to you, one arm around his shoulders and the other hand playing with his hair as you come down from your high. You think he might’ve fallen asleep, and you’re close to drifting off yourself when he speaks. “You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this. Not just the sex, although that has been on my mind for a while now,” he says, making you laugh, “but all of this. Being together, getting to be in your arms like this, kissing you whenever I want. Calling you my girlfriend.”

“Me too, Jakey. I waited so long I didn’t think it would ever happen.”

Jake chuckles. ��How stupid were we not to have noticed we felt the same way?”

“Very stupid. I think we felt so sorry for ourselves that we were stuck in one-sided love, that we didn’t even realise the other was going through the exact same thing. But at least we’re now.”

“At least we’re here now.” You and Jake yawn at the exact same time, making you burst into giggles, giddy with sleep and love.

“Let’s sleep, baby,” you say.

Jake hums, burying himself deeper against your body. “Sleep well, my love. I’ll be here.”

--

After years of pining after each other, you and Jake find it a bit hard to keep your relationship to yourselves, or your hands off of each other.

At the beginning, all of your friends had been happy for you, but that quickly went away when your and Jake’s honeymoon phase never died down and the PDA just kept on going. If the glue you were stuck with previously was metaphorical, this one was pretty close to being real. Superglue kept you together, your moments together rarely spent without some sort of physical touch. Yunjin fake-gagged so often, you were afraid she might actually vomit one of these days. It took Sunghoon two weeks longer than everyone else to clock you and Jake had started dating.

This meant that in private, there was truly no holding back. Jake back-hugged you any chance he got, to the point you started to think he was more koala than human - although that’d imply he saw you as a tree. Make-out sessions were a particular favourite of yours - how could they not be when your boyfriend’s lips seemed to have been carved by God himself, soft and plump to the heavens, like they were made to be kissed. Really, you were just honouring God’s will when you kissed Jake.  

The goodbye that comes at the end of the year is not an easy one, and the month spent at home before you fly to Korea seems to never end. But you get there eventually, and as nice as it is to catch up with Jake’s parents after so long, you feign sleepiness after lunch as an excuse to get some time alone with your boyfriend. Ironically, this “time alone” is spent so intensely that you do end up falling asleep afterwards. 

You have to admit, you really did a number on your boyfriend this time - what can a girl do when she missed her boyfriend this much? Jake is still passed out when you wake up from your nap, so you slip out as discreetly as you can from his embrace and get out of bed. You head for the closet first and swipe the comfiest looking sweater of his that you find there so you can stay warm as you look around his room. A pang of melancholia hits your chest - most of the pictures and objects on his walls and shelves are parts of his life you weren’t around to witness. Friends you don’t recognize, places you’ve never heard of, phases you’d never known he’d gone through. But then you see the frame on his desk, a faded photo of the two of you at ten years of age, eating ice cream on the bench outside of your house. Milo is sitting at your feet. Jake’s family hadn’t adopted Layla yet. You realise that even if there’s whole parts of your life you didn’t get to share with each other, nothing could touch your memories, or your future.

You want to go back in time and tell fourteen-year-old you that no matter how painful it might seem at the moment, it will all be worth it for the sight of Jake Sim slowly drifting into wakefulness, patting the bed next to him, and noticing you’re missing with furrowed eyebrows. When he opens his eyes and they settle on you, a sleepy smile will grace his dazzling features, and he’ll say, “Come back to bed.”

You’ll be even more in love at twenty than at fourteen.

permanent taglist: @zreamy @sunghoonmybeloved @lalalalawon @sd211 @w3bqrl @raikea10 @wntrnghts @moonlighthoon @4imhry @rikisly @loves0ft @iamliacamila @theboingsuckerasseater9000 @chaechae-23 @baekhyuns-lipchain @hyuckslvr @vernonburger @amorbonbon @fluerz (ask to be removed/added!)

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[leonw4nter]

Silver Screen

RE2R!Leon x F!Reader modern AU (The 300 followers special!)

You walk into the room, an iPad opened to the latest installment of the fanfiction series you’ve been following for quite some time carried in the nook of your arm and salted caramel boba tea in the other. Setting the sugary drink on the table beside your spot on the couch, you temporarily put your iPad down to get into a comfortable position in the small pillow and blanket nest you’ve made for yourself. With a pleased sigh and an excited grin, you take a long sip of the beverage before finally picking the iPad up and have the coziest time of your life.

You were having a solid few hours of the coziest time of your life until you heard some soft sniffling coming from somewhere in the living room along with the faint pads of feet against the wooden floorboards. You look up, your eyes finally focused on something else other than pixels that formed words on a bright screen. There, you see him: your roommate Leon whose face is in his hands, ears red, and what seems to be muffled crying– no, sobbing as he walks around in circles.

Concerned for your friend and roommate, you get up from your place and walk up to him. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

You place a hand on his broad back, patting and gently stroking it back and forth. Leon finally lifts his head up, wiping off his tears with the sleeve of his dark green sweatshirt.

“This author was not playing around, ended up crying.” is all he said which prompted you to try and hold back a giggle. So he’s been reading fics too, you think to yourself.

“Can I read it?” you ask, to which he nods and fishes his phone out from the pocket of his plaid pajama pants.

“Lemme find it real quick,” he responds. He’s still sniffling, the waterline of his eyes occasionally brimming with a new batch of salty tears before he blinks them away. He finally finds the fic he’s been reading, handing you his phone while he walks over to the kitchen to grab himself a glass of water to stop hiccuping.

“You sure you’re fine?” you call out before you read.

“Yeah! Fic was just really… it was just something!”

You start reading the fic, your eyes trailing on the words on the screen. The words seemed familiar so you guessed that Leon had stumbled on a fic you’ve read before. Wrong! It was your fic, a fic you finished updating around last night. No wonder it was too familiar. You stared at the phone in your hand with wide eyes like a deer in headlights, a child caught with a jar of sweets in her hands when she shouldn’t have been eating sugary things. Your gaze drifted to Leon in the kitchen, who was still somehow trying to control his breathing while chugging down water like his life depended on it. He didn’t seem to notice the sudden drain of color in your face so you continue to scroll down, checking if he left any likes or reblogs or comments on your work. Another bombshell dropped: he’s the top reader of your work and the one that’s been keyboard smashing in the comments, along with the… soulful, emotional reblogs. His account is the one that’s religiously kept up with whatever you post, whether it be new fics or just random vents. BiohazardBard, the sweet account who comments nice stuff like “Don’t worry about us, take some time for yourself! U got this!!” and reblogs with tags like “UEIXGOFQWV CRIED SO HARD U DONT EVEN KNOW IEWBRXXR”on angst fanfiction is your roommate and also your crush.

You stand there in silence, mouth ajar as you continue to stare blankly into his phone, unable to process the fact that he’s aware of your online persona but he doesn’t know that it’s you. You exit the app and turn his phone off, walking over to him in the kitchen and give him pats to his shoulder to really make sure that he’s okay. If he’s calmed down then you’re not– internally, that is.

“That fic uh… it truly was something,” you sympathetically say. “Guessed that the part where uh- she leaves him was the one that got the water works going.”

“Oh um nope, it’s the part where things were slowly spiraling down. Got anxious for them then just full-on bawled when shit hit the fan,” he explains with a sheepish smile. “This fic is just bars, I love it so much actually– Might print a copy of this to take to work when I can’t be on my phone.”

To have your fics reblogged and your account be compared to the unburned version of the Library of Alexandria is one thing but to hear your number one dedicated reader say that to your face? After a breakdown? Nothing will ever top that and he doesn’t even know he just ugly-cried in front of the author he keeps up with.

“Imagine someone coming up to the front desk to be like: “hi someone stole my bike” or something and they call you over and their resident cop is just red as hell and all slobbery,” you joke.

“Shut up! I’ll try not to cry, I’m going to build immunity,” he half-jokes before taking another gulp of water.

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

You lay awake at night, staring into the dark nothingness of your room. Your feelings are all convoluted– joy, fear, embarrassment, amusement, excitement– and it’s hard to pinpoint what is ruling over you. Finding out that the man whom you’ve been hinting your feelings for is obsessed with your writing? In complete adoration with the products of your mind and skill? Hopefully he doesn’t suss out on your more romantic and sappy fics, inspired by real-life events you experienced with him (with more romantic and glittery bits). It doesn’t take even a minute to decide that you’ll be keeping this secret from him in order to not make anything weird between you two. Leon already seemed embarrassed after having been caught sobbing like that by a mere set of pixels on screen so you decided that this would be best for both of you. Unable to sleep due to the combined combination of boba tea and adrenaline, you sit up and reach for your phone because reading a fic or two before bed doesn’t hurt, right?

─────────────────────────────────────────────────────

It’s been a few days after the little “incident” and Leon’s been more open with showing you some fics he enjoys, occasionally giving his own reviews and recommendations for you. He’s still the same guy that keyboards smashes on your comments and on his reblogs, which makes you giggle since you know who’s been sending you that. He finally came home from a long day of work only to do some more work outside of office hours, catching up on reports that some absent cops left behind and was handed over to him. Making himself a cup of coffee, he stretches his arms and hands before typing away on his dingy laptop for the next 3 hours. A few hours later, you hear some giggling coming from him so you bring your head up and spot his head once again buried in his hand, ears red but from giggling this time. He swings his legs, accidentally nudging the leg of a chair so he yelps a bit, which tugs a little chuckle from you. His ears pick up on the jolly noise coming from you, his face glowing when he sees you smile (or are you just seeing things?). He asks for you to come over to him and points at something on the screen of his laptop.

“Thought you wanted uninterrupted time for work,” you ask.

“I’m on a break, I think I deserve it,” he confidently says. “Anyways, take a look at this. Starting from here until here.”

You expected that you’d see another fic of yours but it was from another account’s instead, which disappointed you a slight bit but not that you minded too much. You finished reading the lines, the corners of your lips tugged skyward with a subtle splash of baby pink tinting your cheeks.

“Damn, that’s sweet,” you comment. “Gosh, I want what they have.”

“Me too. Like, hey God I’m still here ya know! I’ve seen what you’ve done for others!” Leon adds on.

Um, hey Leon! I’m literally right here! Do you need glasses? I’m right beside you!

Since you two were having a nice moment sharing fics and fic lines, you decided to show Leon some lines from fics you love.

“Take a look at this one,” you say as you hand him your iPad. “His description of her had me clawing at walls and biting my fist.”

Leon takes the gadget from your hands with care and places them beside his laptop, reading the lines. He reads in silence and it appears that he’s going over the line again and again.

“Who wrote this?” he asks.

“Uh, scottfree.”

“I don’t think I’m getting out of this scot-free,” Leon jokes. “Pun intended.”

“And why is that…?”

“Because I wrote that.”

You look at him in confusion, two neurons in your brain making a very, very, very slow connection in this moment.

“You’re scottfree?! And also BiohazardBard?!,” you exclaim. So he’s also scottfree, the writer whose lines you’ve screenshotted takes up about a third of all images on your phone. Amazing.

“How do you know I’m BiohazardBard?!?!,” he exclaims even louder as he gets up from his seat.

“Because um– the fic you cried over some days ago is mine! And I saw your account name and profile and I found out that you’re one of my loyal readers!”

He looks like he’s ready to wither away into nothing, become dust and probably get sucked in a vacuum cleaner.

“God that’s embarrassing,” he quietly mumbles. “Tell me: is that fic the first fic you’ve read from me? My other account, I mean– the one where I post fics.”

“Scottfree? Um, no… I’ve read like– quite a lot, actually.”

He stares blankly at you, unsure on how to absorb the information dumped on him. He’s only got a half-asleep half of a brain cell now since the rest of them were allocated on getting those papers done with the other half of the remaining brain cell, which he thinks is now gone.

“While we’re at this, um. You must know that the descriptions I write for the love interests are usually what I wished I could say to you or how I’d describe you. When he’s telling her how magical it is to be around her presence? I’ve daydreamed one too many times about really saying that you,” he quietly confides in you. “If I want to write another story, I hope I could write it alongside you.”

They really weren’t playing with slow-burn romance where both of them are too shy to confess their feelings. It’s happening to me right now! I’m in the confession part of the story!

“I guess it’s a writer thing for writers to include parts of someone they like in their works because I did the same thing for my works, actually. If I wanna come up with a real sweet line, I just think about you and I wish that I’d say these to you. Maybe I’ll wish that whatever I write the love interest to say, I’ll hear you say them to me too and uh… manifesting is real I guess, I dunno,” you awkwardly laugh. “Guess the feeling’s mutual, huh.”

“Yeah. Wow, this is… this is amazing. Real amazing,” Leon softly says.

“Mhm.”

“So…”

“So… what now…?”

“I guess this makes as mutuals in terms of accounts and feelings," the blond grins.

NOTE - Once again, thank you to the lovely 310 people who decided to follow me and keep up with whatever I post :)) I first came up with this while I was washing my cats' bowls and I intended for it to be a drabble but I just decided to make it a fic in the end. Still working on other reqs rn so expect some more posts in the coming days <33 If your usernames are somehow the same as the usernames that I made up for this fic then I didn't mean that and it's just a coincidence 😭🙏 Also y'all gotta hear me out on Francis Mosses from That's Not My Neighbor, he's cute :3 Judging from my mlist, I'm not sure if I love RE2R Leon hmm I'm not too sure 🤔 Anyways, that's all and thank you for reading my fics!!!!!!!!! I <33333 UUUUUU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The dividers are made by @benkeibear , the images are made by me (sourced from Pinterest).

[suugarbabe]

Hey bub, im back again (so sorry 🙏 dont feel pressured to write any of these pls). Hows your October going??

I have (another 😭) request my love. I was scrolling tiktok and it was one of those slytherin react videos but its gave me another idea.

What about around the time of the yule ball reader just walks up to ( Mattheo/Theo/Enzo ) who's conversing in the hall and just straight up pulls him by the tie and kisses him then walks away. Just super unprompted and out of no where (theyre friends though, like part of the 🐍gang). Hes just speachless, going between shocked, confused, extatic and back to shocked. Maybe reader throws something about going yule ball shopping together the next day before she leaves but he hadnt even asked yet.

Anyway darling, thanks for your amazing fics and i tell you when i saw that we'd become mutuals i nearly dropped my phone x

I'm on an enzo kick so that's who it's gonna be 🤭

You had made the decision earlier that day. You knew what you had to do in order to get him to ask you to the Yule ball. You had went over the plan with Pansy earlier and at first she had laughed. But when she saw you were serious she wholeheartedly agreed that it was the only surefire way to get his attention.

There had been a couple of opportunities to come up to him earlier in the day, but he had mainly been alone. You knew that if it were going to make an impact, he had to be surrounded by his friends.

Which is how you found yourself walking up to Enzo while in the middle of the conversation with the rest of the boys. At first none of them really noticed you coming toward them, too engrossed in whatever they were talking about.

When you finally reached them, you didn't even give any of them time to greet you before you reached out for Enzo's tie, grabbing it close to the knot by his neck and pulling his down into a searing kiss. You expected him to freeze up, not know how to respond, but you were pleasantly surprised.

Barely a second after you pulled his lips to yours his hands were on your waist, you ran your tongue along his plump bottom lip, him immediately granting you access to his mouth to further deepen the kiss.

For a good twenty seconds you were full on making out with Enzo Berkshire in front of the rest of your friends. When you finally broke away, Enzo was short of breath, eyes searching your features for any explanation.

Instead of giving him one you simply straightened his tie while stating, "Meet me at Gladrags this weekend so you can help me pick out my dress for the ball, okay?" Enzo was at a loss for words, the most effort he was able to give was a simple head nod. You smiled sweetly at him, giving him a pat on his cheek, "Good boy." And with that you walked away.

As you did so you heard the the other boys start to chatter, hearing thumping that you were assuming was them patting Enzo on the back.

"For fucks sake, Enz, when were you gonna tell us you finally asked her to the ball? Let alone started snogging her like that?" Mattheo was clearly proud of his friend in this moment.

Enzo just shook his head, "I, erm, I haven't asked her yet. But, erm, I'm going to catch you lads later I need to do something." Enzo then stalked off, taking on a light jog to catch up with you to discuss the details and properly ask you to the ball.

[tsukiasaurus]

haikyuu boys with a chubby!s/o

includes: tsukishima, bokuto, osamu (ft a sprinkle of atsumu) ushijima (tendo makes an appearance)

lots of fluff!! some angst in tsukki’s, but that cant really be helped mans a jerk sometimes. TW FOR NEGATIVE BODY IMAGE. this WILL have mentions of a bad relationship with food, so PLEASE read with caution if that effects you.

reader is gn, but is called gorgeous

kind of a self indulgent blurb tbh

seeing you insecure is one of his least favorite things. seeing you cry is the worst. putting them together? oh boy, he’s ready to fight

=============================

tsukishima spots you eating with hinata and kageyama, stuffing a meat bun into your mouth with a smile. the boys had brought home another nationals win, and you were all having a get together at daichi’s place. tsukishima sits down across from you, smirking.

“god, y/n, you’re such a fatass.”

the words leave his lips easily, and you want to spit out your food. you notice everyone’s eyes on you, and you try and get the meat bun down as fast as you can. you know tsukishima can be a jerk with his little comments, but there was no remorse after this. even after being together, his comments would still sting, even though he didnt mean for them to. but what did change was his apology afterwards if he noticed that he hurt you.

you dont speak for the remainder of the party. you just sit on the couch, scrolling through your phone. you were waiting for tsukishima’s apology, but it never came. surely he had seen your reaction.

“y/n, you ready to go?” tsukishima’s voice cuts through your thoughts. you nod silently, walking home with him.

it doesnt hit him until you’re in bed before him, facing the wall in one of your pajama shirts. not his. usually when the two of you come home from parties, you spend some time together. getting into bed, tsukishima moves to pull you close, hands on your tummy where they usually rest. you tense.

“hey, what gives?” tsukishima asks, propping himself up on his elbow. “you dont wanna cuddle?”

you shake your head, blinking back tears. tsukishima is about to flop back down when he hears a sniffle.

“y/n?” he asks, voice softer. “are you okay?”

“no.”

your voice sounds so broken, making tsukishima sigh softly. he gently wraps his arms around you.

“i’m sorry for what i said.” he says gently. “i didnt mean to hurt you. i was going to apologize sooner but dumb and dumber pulled me away.”

you sniffle again, wiping your eyes. “it’s fine.” you mumble.

“love, its not fine.” tsukishima sighs. “you know i love you more than anything in this world. i never mean to hurt you with my comments. i know your weight is a sensitive subject for you, and i’m sorry. if you want, i can sleep on the couch tonight.”

when you don’t respond, tsukishima goes to grab the spare blanket and pillow for when he makes a particularly snide comment and you dont want to speak to him. you sit up, looking at him. your cheeks are streaked with tears and your nose is slightly red.

“don’t go.” you say softly. “i love you.”

tsukishima gets into bed, pulling you close. he places a gentle kiss on your forehead, closing his eyes.

“again, i’m sorry for hurting you, y/n.” he says softly. “you’re absolutely amazing and perfect, and i cant believe that you’d love a jerk like me. i’m so thankful to have you in my life.”

you thank the alcohol for letting tsukishima be slightly more open with his emotions. he never spoke like that unless he was drunk, but he showed his love for you in different ways, like sharing his strawberry shortcake with you.

there are two constants in tsukishima’s life: his love for strawberry shortcake, and his love for you.

***

bokuto is a people person, through and through. he loves the attention, and he cant get enough of the fans swooning over him. until you came along, he was nearly overwhelmed by all the attention.

with you in his life now, he wasnt sure how he survived before. having someone in his life that was a constant, seeing him at his lowest points and helping lift him up, was honestly so crazy to him. he loves you more than he loves volleyball, and thats the love of his life.

after a particularly good game against shiratorizawa, bokuto is flocked by attractive looking fans. before he can even get to you to receive his post game you-did-amazing-kiss, he was pulled in several different directions for questions. you didnt really mind it if you were honest. dating bokuto came with him talking to fans before going to kiss you after a game, and you were fine with that.

a few attractive girls walked up to bokuto, giggling at him, asking for pictures, the usual.

“oh bo, are you single? i would love to date you!” one of the girls said, swooning in front of bokuto.

“i’m sorry ladies, but i’m taken! i’m dating y/n and i love them!” bokuto was proud. he was so proud that he can call you his.

“y/n??” another girl cackled. “but bo, you’re so strong and muscular and attractive! how can you be dating someone thats so fat??”

fat. the word echoed in your ears as the girls all turned and giggled at you. you were a bit chubby, sure, but it only bothered you sometimes. like now, when you looked at all of the thinner girls and figured that bokuto would be happier with them.

“i’ll see you at home kou!” you call, giving bokuto your best fake smile. “i’m gonna make us some dinner!”

bokuto knew that something was wrong, that he needed to stop you, but he got pulled back to do an interview.

when he finally gets home, he finds you looking in the mirror, tears streaming down your face as you look at yourself. to you, you look hideous. a chubby stomach, too thick thighs. you hate it.

bokuto walks up behind you and hugs you tightly. it takes him a moment to realize that you’re crying, so he rests his chin on your shoulder.

“whats the matter bub?” he asks sweetly.

“i’m too fat.” you whimper. “there’s so many other people that are more attractive than me. you can do so much better.”

bokuto is shocked. you’d never brought this up before. what happened that made you feel so negatively about yourself? you’re wonderful!

he finds himself laughing in spite of himself. him? find someone better than YOU? no chance.

“little owl, you’re one of the most gorgeous human beings i have ever met. loving you has been such a privilege and i’m honored to be your boyfriend.” he says, wrapping his arms around you. “you are the light in my life on dark days. you make me smile like nobody else can. your brain being mean is not a reflection of that. you have some chub, so what? you’re so beautiful and wonderful and i cannot believe you’re mine.”

by the time bokuto is done, you’re crying even more. he takes this as a sign to take it up a notch. he knows that you might not be crying from sadness anymore, but you aren’t smiling just yet.

“are you insecure about this?” bokuto asks, gently holding your tummy. “this adorable thing? what about this?”

he goes around, gripping your thighs, your arms, and even your butt. by the time he’s done, you’re laughing. you turn around and hug bokuto, who you have just realized has not taken a shower yet, and smile.

“thank you kou.” you say, softly kissing his cheek. “i love you so much.”

bokuto smiles, returning your kiss. he’s happy that you’re smiling again, and makes sure that you know that he’s not above making an ass of himself just to see you smile.

***

osamu’s love language is service and gifts. he loves making you food, letting you try new menu items before he puts them out, and is generally just a big foodie (duh). it’s natural that he’d have a slightly bigger partner because of his time working at onigiri miya. he’s gotta have someone comfortable with eating some of the concoctions that he makes.

you sit on the kitchen counter, swinging your legs happily as you watch osamu cook. he’s in his element, humming along to the soft music that he has playing. he’s making you a new dish to try, slightly nervous because he’s the most excited about it.

“okay love,” he says, placing a plate next to you. “go ahead.”

you pick up the rice ball, which is shaped like an actual ball and covered in a sweet dark sauce, and lift it to your lips. you sigh, content with how absolutely delicious it is.

“baby this is amazing!” you say, noticing osamu’s nervous expression.

osamu sighs with a smile, kissing your temple. “can i take a picture for the onigiri miya instagram page?” he asks against your skin.

you pose, smiling sweetly as you hold up the newest menu item. osamu snaps the picture, uploading it with a smile.

“you’re so adorable.” he says, hugging you. “still cant believe you’re mine.”

you smile, pecking his cheek. it’s weird, being doted on like this. you know that he and atsumu have been super competitive all their lives, and you knew that osamu almost never got the girls. it was always atsumu. you never knew why; he was such a sweetheart. he always took care of you, made sure that you never went hungry, gave you kisses and snuggles, and give you pleasure that you didnt even know you could experience.

osamu’s phone buzzed on the counter, dozens of notifications coming from people commenting and liking the post. you glance over, reading the first comment you see:

osamufan81615: wow, i cant believe how big y/n’s gotten! lay off the food my dude XD

you freeze, opening your phone to look at the comments. you notice that a few of the comments are harsher than usual, and all of the mean comments are directed towards you. more specifically, your weight. you find yourself getting lost in the comments, nearly getting physically sick at how rude some people could be.

osamu was observant. he watched your entire aura change as you scrolled on your phone. he took it out of your hands, wrapping his arms around you. he scooped you up from the counter, walking with your legs wrapped around his waist until he sat on the couch.

you cant help but sniffle, rereading some of the comments in your mind. you go to move off of osamu’s lap, but he holds you tighter.

“don’t listen to ‘em.” he says softly. “you are so amazing and so much more than whatever weight you are. you’re mine, and that’s all i could ever want. i love you as you are, and dont let some idiots get ya down.”

he strokes your hair, trailing his hand down your back just how you like. the two of you sit silently for a bit, your head on osamu’s shoulder.

“love you ‘samu.” you mumble quietly against his neck.

osamu’s phone buzzed with a text, undoubtedly from atsumu. osamu pushed his phone away until atsumu called him, making osamu groan. you giggled.

“what do ya want, ya pest?” osamu groaned.

“do ya see how they’re treating y/n in the comments on your most recent post??” atsumu all but yells. “i’ve been replying to comments for the past 15 minutes telling ‘em to lay off.”

“i have. i’m letting them get their 15 minutes of fame.” osamu replied. “i’m comforting y/n right now because the comments are getting to them.”

“i told one of them that they look like their family tree is a circle.” atsumu said, a smile clear in his voice. you couldnt help but laugh.

“thanks bro.” osamu said, a smile on his face as well. “i’ll let you keep harassing em, i got more important matters to attend to.”

hanging up the phone, osamu leans over and kisses you. he peppers kisses on your neck, leaving goosebumps in their wake. you shiver, gasping when he sucks on your neck.

“how about we go upstairs and i help you forget about all those idiots and show you how much you mean to me, hm?”

you cant help but nod. the new menu item is put up the following week, and osamu really drives home the fact that you are perfect just the way you are by letting you ride him for hours the night of the menu’s new debut.

***

ushijima wakatoshi. a strong, stoic man who barely speaks two words on the court unless he’s really riled up. dating the top ace in the country comes with long nights where he stays out after winning a big game, being stopped on the street, and countless interviews. it also came with him worshiping the ground you walked on.

“toshi, what do you think of this one?” you ask, opening the dressing room door.

your figure is hugged by a sparkly red outfit, accentuating your curves perfectly. ushijima sits up straight, eyes nearly bulging out of his face.

“thats the one.” he says.

you cant help but giggle. you were invited to attend a banquet dinner, black tie only, with the team. you had no outfits that were fancy enough for the occasion, so ushijima insisted he buy something for you.

walking to the register, you hold ushijima’s hand with a smile. the cashier made some small talk while she scanned and bagged the items of your outfit.

“i do have to say, im a very big fan of yours wakatoshi.” she said, giving a sweet smile to your boyfriend. “congratulations on your big win.”

usually, whenever you two went to the store together, the cashier would make a big deal out of talking to ushijima. this lady was a very pleasant change.

“thank you, miss.” ushijima replied with a smile.

later that night, you walked into the banquet, holding ushijima’s hand with a smile. there were photographers everywhere, and you were almost blinded by the flashes of all the cameras.

sitting down at a table with tendo and goshiki, you give them both a smile.

“hey boys.” you greet.

“hi y/n!” goshiki says, sitting up straight. “you look wonderful tonight!”

you smile. “thank you tsu.”

goshiki has had a thing for you for so long, that you’re sure if you werent dating anyone, he’d be trying to get with you. ushijima places a hand on your thigh, rubbing it with his thumb gently.

as the evening progressed, there were more and more interviews being done. ushijima was being interviewed by a taller, attractive woman, who was clearly flirting with him.

“so, wakatoshi, whats your workout routine look like?” she asks, smiling as she pushes some hair behind her ear. “i know a hunk such as yourself has to have a staple in his routine.”

“i enjoy running.” ushijima starts. “i also tend to focus on weight lifting when i dont do cardio.”

“do you have a workout partner?”

ushijima nods. “yes, my partner y/n.” he says, a smile growing on his lips.

“y/n?” the interviewer asks, a hint of disgust in her voice. “are they the chubby one following you around tonight? they don’t seem to be that good of a workout partner to me.”

tendo’s ear twitched while talking to you, his attention quickly turning to ushijima and the pest speaking with him.

“they are very encouraging.” ushijima continues. “i enjoy their company while lifting weights.”

“well, maybe you need someone,” the lady clears her throat. “…thinner to help you. y/n is practically spilling out of that outfit they’re in.”

“thats it.” tendo says, getting up.

you heard the entire thing. the woman was set on tearing you down, but ushijima was, as usual, telling her how amazing you were. you were slightly tearing up at the final comment.

tendo grabs your wrist gently, pulling you to ushijima. he knew that ushijima wasnt one for confrontation, but tendo was more than happy to go off on someone in his place. you wipe your misty eyes as you follow.

“actually,” tendo squints, looking at the name sticker on the lady’s jacket. “aiko, is it? i know my buddy toshi here wont say it, but i will. putting someone down because you wish you were in their place is very ugly. ushijima is with y/n because he loves them. all there is to it.”

“this interview is over.” ushijima says, turning to you. “i’m sorry babe, lets go get something to drink.”

you glance over at the lady, giving her a nice smile before you walk away.

“lets go get trashed!!!” tendo yells, allowing a chorus of cheers from the other teammates to fill the banquet hall.

as you can tell, this was a LONG one. lowercase is intended, and this was done while sitting at work, so i hope you enjoy.

and no matter what your weight, you are beautiful and deserve love ❤️

[hearts4golbach]

The Night Shift.

Johnnie Guilbert x Fem!Reader.

Chapter 11.

I poured creamer into my coffee, leaving it darker than Tara's. she was sitting in the dining room on her phone. her hair was up in a messy bun and she didn't have her makeup done yet, but she was just as beautiful, which made me smile.

"my parents grow this, but it's actually really good." I explain, sliding her mug across the table.

"girl, why do you hate your parents so much?" she looked up at me, sipping her coffee.

"they just kind of fucked me up, you know? ive been so sheltered my whole life until imwas finally able to move out. i mean, being sheltered is okay but being too kept up is traumatizing." i explained with a sigh.

"do you even talk to them anymore?" she asks cautiously.

"they still text me almost everyday." i explained, "but its always the same shit."

tara nods, returning to her coffee. "so, you and johnnie!"

"oh, hush. i doubt he thought of it as anything more than just 'kissing the homies.'" i rolled my eyes. "i mean, he did admit i make his life a hell of a lot better." i quoted.

"y/n, you are as blind as a damn bat. drunk words, sober thoughts."

"well, again, he couldve meant it friendly like im one of his best friends." i sighed, "i really dont want to get my hopes up."

"i cant wait until i can say 'i told you so' because best friends dont act like this." she shook her head and opened her phone, showing me the photos of me and johnnie she took. she scrolled through them. i memorized the way johnnies hands clung on to my waist and the way he tilted his head to meet mine. tara was right, friends dont do that.

"i guess youre right." i shrugged. "i have no argument for that, i guess well just have to play it by ear.

"thank you." she said, feeling accomplished.

"whatever, tara." i pursed my lips together.

"dont worry, ladies. the party is here." jake walked into the dining room with his arms in the air. his hair was messy as fuck and he was still in his new years outfit.

"oh my god, you stink." tara joked, plugging her nose as she rolled her eyes.

"i am embracing my natural scent. let me live, tara." he threw his arms down to his sides.

"well, its giving me nose cancer." i went along with tara, but he didnt actually smell bad.

"whatever." jake sassed, sitting down at the table.

"can i fill jake in?" tara asked, excitedly.

i laughed. "this isnt highschool gossip but i dont mind." she nodded and began to whisper in jakes ear. "you know, johnnies not up so you dont have to whisper."

"whisper what?" a tired, raspy voice asked. johnnie walked into the kitchen, also with messy hair and in the same clothes. a mix of eye shadow and eyebags make his sleepy blue eyes more prominant.

"nothing." i smiled, feeling my face heat up. i covered my mouth and looked away.

[thatdeadaquarius]

i swear, i WAS going to leave you alone for the rest of the day. I thought 'oh no, you've bothered them enough for the day, wait until tomorrow' (they did not, in fact, wait until tomorrow) however i had thoughts and wanted to share them with you! 😊

concept: I was scrolling through some of your previous posts for a second time today (still all very cool and awesome btw) and the one about the reader saying swear words without knowing what they are kinda stuck with me.

So lets reverse it! You, the creator, fall into teyvat and CAN speak the common language there, while also still remembering your own native language. and so your native tongue becomes super holy to them (eg. 'omg, the creator is speaking in their holy tongue, lets all listen and nod')

Unfortunately, this has its drawbacks, especially because the majority of the times you speak in your native tongue you are cussing out everyone.

3 potential scenarios have stemmed from my brain because of this.

You getting annoyed at your worshippers and yelling at them, then afterwards they all thank you for blessing them

Swearing so often that the people around you start to pick up on the words and now all of your worshippers are parroting swear words at really important events, while you try and keep a straight face

Accidently teaching one of the kids swear words and then klee starts saying 'fuck' all the time and the adults are all like 'thank you for teaching klee one of your divine words, it truly is a blessing. what does it mean though?' and you're just sitting there like 😅

also thanks for being so nice about my shenhe post :) i love her so much <33

NOO dont worry abt it!! Ill just answer whenever i got the time!! I definitely dont mind multiple asks from the same person dw bby 👍✨️

Here, a cookie for ur time 🤲🍪 PSPSPSSPSPS ITS WORKING THEIR COMING IN, I ALSO HAVE CAKE AND DRINKS!! :D

So this is gonna sound demanding,, BUT SHARE YOUR CONCEPTS AND IDEAS WITH ME ALWAYS YES YES I WANT TO BE THE FIRST TO SEE IT YALL R FEEDING MY SOULLL 🛐

This reverse is so much funnier than the OG way, you have such a BIG BRAIN👏👏

Those scenarios had me fucking laughing my ass off, the BLESSING THEM 😭KLEE 😭 PLEASE-

Also this might be ass writing bc I can’t get rid of my headache rn :/

___________

Look what you've done.

It was so harmless at first, teaching Amber a word or two there bc she was curious abt ur accent,

The reveal that Teyvat's language wasn't your native language.

But that was still manageable, that was still okay

From Amber, to Eula, to Venti, to Kaeya, to Rosaria, to Diluc, to Jean, that information spread slowly but surely

After all, you didn't use it often, no one here in Teyvat even vaguely recognized it (not even a vague similarity from one of the other countries even)

It wasn't like,, shocking to the majority of Mondstadt's residents that you had a different native lang. (nor any of the other countries once they realized you were here, and had a diff native lang.)

I mean, you were the Creator,

why wouldn't there be some ancient powerful holy lang. that only you (or along with some lucky priest/vessel/follower) could understand?

.

..

However, it did become a problem when you, as the human experience dictates, got irritated 

You see, Teyvat isn’t an easy world to get used to, from the elemental reactions, the huge amount of hostile/active flora and fauna, there was a lot of room (even as favored as you were as the Creator) for accidents

You had already had a few mishaps, asking the waiter to bring you some salt bc ur table didnt have any on accident, bumping into the allogenes who wanted to walk around with you that day when they stopped abruptly

...

But now you can confidently say you can pinpoint the inciting incident in hindsight.

You had been traversing Liyue, and of course, it’s very rocky, even the well beaten paths outside Liyue Harbor were littered with pebbles and stones

So bc theyre respectful sweethearts, Shenhe, Xiao, Zhongli, Ganyu and the rest of the Adepti wnated to have a calm brunch at Cloud Retainer’s Abode w/ u <3

On the way up, bc u insisted normal walking was fine- no Xiao you want to see the sights teleportation isn’t necessary right now- nO Shenhe, really, the walk will be good for you, you don’t need to be carried-

Zhongli. 

You are supposed to be a mortal these days, not a 60 meter/feet long dragon- 

WHAM (u were so busy telling them to quit it that u werent watching ur path, aint none of their thousands of years old reflexes good enough to save u from being a clumsy fuck)

and your on ur ass.

“Fuck, ow,” immediately Shenhe has swept you up, Ganyu is rambling nervously, Xiao jumped but hasn’t said anything, but you can feel his worry from how tense he is, Zhongli’s hands are hovering, unsure if he should touch, and Shenhe- Shenhe- you can’t breathe- 

“Fuck guys stop, I’m fine-”

They;re eyes widen, Zhongli looks a little happier?? wtf all u did was-

oh no.

...

Now, everytime you have dinner with any of the Liyue characters they bow their heads, and in unison “Fuck guys stop I’m fine”

...

And it just got worse.

Bc you spent a few weeks in Liyue, and you had a lot of events to attend, little incidents like this happened everywhere

“Shit!” you drop a tea cup

“Damnit” some miner guy in town dropped his pickaxe loudly

You blame Zhongli and Ningguang.

Fuckers wanted to make sure they showed you utmost respect, so they both remembered every. single. word. of your language you have ever said around them.

Between Zhongli’s memory and elegant appearance, and Ningguang’s influence, your cuss words spread overnight

Families are now sitting around their dinner and thanking you for Teyvat’s bounty of food, “Thank you Creator for our meal, fuck guys stop I’m fine.” the kids and everything 💀

Liyue literally has become the most dirty mouthed city overnight, and they look SO PROUD OF IT  😭 😭

u never telll any of them LMAO

It’s a little rough, but I hope u got smth nice outta this, ur idea was so good I didn’t even wanna add anything but I wanted to show my appreciation for sharing those with me lol 

TYSM FOR SHOWING UP AGAIN!!

Cheers,

🌒🌊🌧Aquarius♒️🌌🌘

[luvhughes43]

soccer royalty | trevor zegras x reader

luvhughes43 masterlist🌷

request: Trevor Zegras x Latina!reader where she’s the daughter, sister, and granddaughter of three famous soccer players from Mexico but when her dad retired they moved to the states to raise their family. Maybe shes very private with her life due to how famous her last name is in the Latino community, and when Trevor announces that they’re dating everyones freaking out because he’s dating soccer royalty and he’s just like “huh?” Because she never brought up who her family is. 

note: i know nothing about how soccer works

word count: 0.8k

soccer was in your blood. your father, grandfather, and brother were all accomplished and famous players. when your dad finally retired from the mexico national team, after helping mexico secure their first world cup win, your family name became cemented into the latino community. 

you grew up playing soccer in california, which came to no surprise to anyone. however, after an injury in your freshman year playing for the california golden bears, you were forced to quit the sport. after your injury, you sort of dropped of the face of the earth. you had felt so much pressure from your family, and families fans to be good at soccer, that now that it was all over for you, you were glad to just take a step back.

therefore, when you started dating pro athlete Trevor Zegras, you didn’t rush to tell him who your family was. he knew about your injury, and that your brother was on the mexico national team, but he didn’t know how famous your family was in the soccer world. 

trevorzegras

liked by ynuser, jackhughes, jamie.drysdale, and others

trevorzegras night out🌃🔥

tagged: ynuser

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fan1 BRO IS DATING YN LN???

ynuser ❤️❤️

trevorzegras ❤️❤️

fan2 does he even know who she is…

jackhughes congrats man🔥🔥

trevorzegras thanks jacky wacky

fan3 jacky wacky??😭😭

jamie.drysdale where was my invite??

ynuser you’re coming next time

jamie.drysdale next time where ditching trevy and going out on our own liked by ynuser

trevorzegras jamie.drysdale 🤔

fan4 hard launching yn ln is crazyy😭😭

Trevor sat next to you on his couch scrolling through his insta comments. he read through all the comments talking about your family and how famous you were in the soccer/latino community. 

“hey … yn” Trevor started, tilting his phone so you could read his comments. you froze, completely unaware of how Trevor was going to react now that he knows the truth about your family. “why didn’t you tell me about your family?” he asked, switching over to google so he could search your family name. 

“I was going to tell you I just… i dont know” you trailed off which made Trevor snap his head in your direction and drop his phone on the couch.

“oh baby i'm not upset!” he announced, grabbing onto one of your hands. 

“i just, my whole life i’ve been attached to my familys name and i just… i don’t know. after my injury and everything i’ve just wanted privacy away from it all” you explained, and Trevor nodded along to your every word. 

now that he knew, you explained everything to him. the pressure you felt, the injury, your family's fame. he listened and understood, holding onto your hand the whole time you were talking to him. you weren’t ashamed of your family by no means, you loved them and you loved your community, it was just nice to have privacy. 

a few days later you walked into Trevors room for your weekly movie night. 

“what are you watching?” you asked as you laid down next to him.

Trevor set his phone down but you still heard the audio. 

“are you watching my dads soccer highlights?” you laughed, succeeding in grabbing Trevor's phone from him. on the screen was a twenty minute compilation of your dads “best moments”. 

you laughed again and Trevor huffed, grabbing his phone back from you. “what? he’s good?” Trevor said as he lightly gripped your waist and pulled you in to cuddle with him. 

“you’re cute” you smiled, pulling away to place a kiss on Trevors nose. Trevors smile lit up his face and you felt butterflies rising in your stomach.

“You’re cuter” he replied, pulling you down to place a kiss on your lips, his hands trailing down your sides. 

“mhmm, and by the way my family wants to meet you” you pulled away from Trevor who looked at you with wide eyes.

“they what?” he asked a little frantically which made you giggle.

you hummed in response, “yeah my brother is playing a game in a few weeks and since it’s off season for you…” 

“oh my god i'm going to meet your family,” Trevor said, pulling away from you and sitting up. “AND we’re going to a soccer game? what do i wear to a soccer game? do you think they’ll like me? where’s the game at? okay but what if-” Trevor went off on one of his tangents, nonstop asking you questions about your family, and how meeting them would be like. you answered his questions once he slowed down, happy that he was excited to meet your family.

ynuser just posted !

ynuser

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ynuser trevors first pro football (soccer) game🫡⚽️

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yourbrother trevorzegras so cool to finally meet you!

ynuser yourbrother you have to come up for a hockey game now!

yourbrother ynuser i’m down

trevorzegras yourbrother it was cool to meet you too! loved the game⚽️💯

fan1 trevor meeting the family🔥

jamie.drysdale looking good trevorzegras

trevorzegras had the best time! thank you so much for bringing me! I love your family❤️

ynuser i love you😭❤️

trevorzegras i love you more❤️

[augustrambles]

Could you do a platonic main four and male reader? Probably trying to convince you to join a scheme of theres when you’re hesitant to leave the house, even though you want to participate

a/n: ty 4 requesting!! woohoo male reader❗

male!reader x main four

warnings: underage drinking and use of drugs, smoking, he/him prns

currently, [name] was on videocall with his friends.

"i dont know about this, y'all know how bebe's parties are, you guys are probably going to end up wasted."

"c'mon [name], dont be a pussy like cartman is!"

"fuck you stupid jew!"

"mfm mphrhm hmprh mphr"

"well yeah, but what if i get caught?"

"[name], you are not going to get caught, fucks sake! we've done this more than once so stop being such a pussy, man up, and go with us, UNLESS you wanna be a loser."

"fuck you cartman, but fine ill go then"

"woohoo!"

"we can have a, quote on quote, sleepover at my place so your parents think you're at my house."

"yeah, that'll work"

"kay, talk to yall later."

the videocall ended and [name] placed his phone on the night desk. he was slightly worried about getting caught, but he decided to ignore the feeling.

"hey mom, i'm going to stay over at stan's house tonight, ok?" he said to his mother as she nodded. "alright hun! make sure to come back at nine tomorrow!" she yelled back as he let out a "mhm"

he left the house and began walking, scrolling on his phone. him and stan were sort of close, not neighbours, but on the same street, so it wasn't a long walk.

knock, the sound of one was heard. he waited for a few seconds until he was greeted by stanley. "hey man!" stan said, fistbumping [name]. "kyle's already here, kenny and cartman are on their way." he informed

"alright, that's fine." [name] said, he walked to kyle as they started a conversation, stan joining in aswell. it was around 8pm. "question, when's the party starting?" [name] asked

"i think at 9, cartman and kenny better hurry their asses." kyle replied, resulting laughs from the other two boys due to his remark. at that moment, a knock was heard. "i'll get it." stan reassured

he walked up and it was cartman and kenny, they came to the house together. "speak of the devil" kyle said as he and [name] walked up the door. the 5 boys now left stan's house walking to where the party was being held at, bebe's house

they made conversation, about diverse topics such as school drama, celebrities, and the small fight between cartman and kyle here and there. the usual, basically.

"hey, we're here" kenny said, pointing to the house who you could literally hear music blasting. it was quite obvious there was a party there. the boys went up the door, kyle knocking. it was opened by a half drunk bebe.

"hheeeyy.. weelccome! ccome inn." she said, obviously dozing off of whatever type of alcohol she was drinking. cartman and kyle went first, then kenny, then [name] and stan.

the party was absolutely wild, there was strong smells of alcohol, smoke and drugs. [name] went up to clyde and craig, seperating from the group. craig seemed to be drunk, but clyde was wasted. "dude!! you're here, hey!" clyde said, before being dragged away by some girls playing truth or dare.

[name] looked at craig. "i didnt know you drink" he said to him, craig shrugged. "i dont, im just drinking today for fun." he replied, taking a sip from his beer. "wheres tweek? didnt he come?" [name] asked.

"he did, but he got too shaky because of all the noise and left. i wanted to acompany him home, but then he said something along the lines 'no, i want you to have fun' so here i am."

"i dont think you were supposed to take that literally, but alright"

[name] then walked away from craig, going to his previous group of friends. stan and kenny were both drinking, not drunk, since they barely had a few sips, but i dont think it'll stay like that until the end of the night. cartman was eating chips, which nobody else was eating. kyle was just there, not drinking or eating, just there, probably finding something to do.

"hey dude, you want a sip?" stan offered, [name] seemed to be hesitant at first but nodded. stan gave him a can of beer, it tasted.. good? surprisingly.

the night passed and not much changed.

except that [name] was fucking drunk as hell.

"[name], a-are you sure you dont want water?" butters asked, clearly being concerned for the man's health being. "naaahh, im okayy, thfank you" he said, body almost falling over. he was walking towards kyle and stan, wanting to join the karaoke, but then he bumped into a familiar girl,

wendy testaburger.

they bumped into eachother, "ew. you fucking smell like a skunk" she said as the room went quiet for the first time that night. "well fuck you, you smell like a wet dog at gym every day but you dont see me saying shit. keep it to yourself" [name] responded, clearly offended.

"pfft- i know YOU arent talking. you smell like you pissed yourself since first grade" she remarked, getting a few ooh's by the crowd. "that may be the case, but at least people like me. wasnt your ex so tired of you he used chat gpt to talk to you? lmaoo"

stan looked to the wall, trying to stuff in his laugh as kyle was giggling for everyone to hear, with the others. "BAHAHAHHAHA" was cartman's loud ass laugh, of course, there was also laughs across the room.

"oh fuck you" she said, heading towards him. she had a grin on her face. "cmon wendy, you know im joking" he said, laughing. "yea yea, go ahead drink some more you whore" she rolled her eyes in a sarcastic way as [name] followed her.

they always had very offensive fights like the one that just happened right now, but they always giggled or laughed it off. seems like a toxic relationship, but hey, this is south park, what ISNT toxic..

stan walked to [name] who had just left wendy with bebe, "dude you're gonna get in trouble if you continue fighting like that with wendy" he said, the two boys walking over to their group of friends. "hey, calm down, me and wendy are super close, doubt she would beat me up like she did to someone in here.. cough cough cartman cough." [name] said, receiving a giggle from kenny, stan and kyle and a deathstare by cartman. "shut up (insert insult)"

"alright man, just warnin you." stan said, taking another sip of the drink in his hand. [name] went to serve himself another cup of his drink, leaving the others alone.

"hey kyle, what hour is it?" kenny looked at kyle, who was on his phone. kyle was mostly on his phone at that party, mostly there because of his friends. "its 11:43" he said, replying to kenny. kenny simply nodded, "its early" he said.

stan called kenny, "hey dude, isnt that one of the girls you slept with??" he pointed to a white girl with pink highlights. "oh shit, it is, imma be right back yall" he said, going to the girl without looking back. "hes defintely not gonna be right back.." cartman rolled his eyes, continuing to eat.

"where the hell did [name] go" kyle asked and stan responding with "he went to get a drink, pretty sure" he looked into the kitchen, not seeing anyone there. "yeah, but he isnt at the bar or the kitchen" kyle noted

"maybe if we're lucky he got kidnapped" "oh shut up fatass" kyle punched cartman on the arm. "hey! dont tell me to shut up you stupid jew" he 'hmph'-ed at the jew

"ehh, hes probably coming back soon anyway" stan said, deciding not to worry about it. "yo kyle, you wanna go karaoke again? theyre making a competition now" stan asked kyle and he nodded, putting his phone in his pocket. "hope you lose" cartman said.

. . .

"its 3:40, we should probably get going now" kyle said, as the party was already more empty than before and less chaotic, plus [name] had arrived, and they were all now waiting for kenny. "yeah, but i am NOT carrying nobody, ok?" cartman said, giving an side eye to a drunken passed out stan next to him.

"not like your fatass could anyway" kyle rolled his eyes. "oh shut the fuck up" cartman said. at that moment, kenny had arrived, zipping back his parka, and covering his head. "dude, i love girls"

kenny said, an insipirational moment. "wow, i wouldve never guessed." [name] said, rolling his eyes. "but we should for real get going now, i'll carry stan." he said. "no, its fine, ill carry him" kyle said, already picking the passed out boy already. [name] shrugged with a 'if-you-say-so' look on his face

they all started to walk back to stan's house, kenny mentioning how good that sex was, [name] talking about how they met someone there who gave them a bit of smoke, cartman complimenting the food and karaoke.

"dude, you cant say the n word in karaoke.." [name] said, looking at cartman seriously. "oh cmon, it was a song, i didnt mean it in that way."

"cartman, you were singing call me maybe."

. . . ( that was a reference btw )

stan was lying in his bed, still passed out, as the other boys were currently lying in their sleeping bed. "goodnight yall" [name] said as the others whispered goodnight aswell.

[arkangel9]

Part 2

Varadha and Deva had mostly gotten over their laughter when Varadha's stomach let out a growl. He checked the time.

Ah no wonder. Its been around 7 hours since I ate.

He looks over at Deva and assumes that the youth is just as hungry as him. Deva doesn't seem to be a man of many words. Most of his replies were smiles not that Varadha was complaining.

Dei I'm hungry. I was thinking to grab some lunch but if i go to the cafeteria and the Dean sees me . He'll shove a gun up our asses.

Deva nods solemnly before standing up from the door and dusts his pants.He stretches his legs before slumping down onto his bed and running hands through his air.

Varadha decides to treat the man to a pizza for going along with his charade, as a token of appreciation for the man's dedicated ad libbing to save his ass.

Deva I'm going to order some food. How do you feel about pizza.?

Deva contemplates for a moment before replying.

Anything spicy will do for me.

Varadha barks out a laugh at the answer and moves to sit on Deva's bed so that he can order.He had already chosen his pizza now all that was left was to add Deva's.

I am not really familiar with this. I'lll just eat whatever you buy .

Fine Veg or Non Veg.

Deva looks at him offended that that was even a question

Non veg

(yo look i am a vegetarian and i cringed writing these lines.)

Varadha scrolls through the options before placing the order. He gets off the bed and stretches cracking his back before going to order the things that had gotten displaced due to their charade. Deva retreated to a corner and started setting up some sort of stand.

They both get caught up in their work and both jolt at the sound of Varadha's ringing phone. He picks up and its the delivery boy saying he left the package at the reception. He clicks the phone off after thanking the boy.

I think you should go down stairs. I dont think the Dean would take it kindly if he found me who was supposed to be at death's door springing downstairs to grab pizza.

Deva nods and moves to the door, closing it on his way out. Varadha looks around to figure out a way to eat without dirtying their beds. He eventually drags two chairs and unfolds the foldable table in the corner. Deva walks in carrying 2 pizza boxes and an additional parcel. Varadha pats the chairs and Deva sets the pizza down shooting a quizzical look at the 3rd package.

That's just the uh cake. I like eating cake after ah stressful days. you know what i mean.

Why was Varadha embarrassed . eating cake was normal. Deva simply gave him an oddly fond look before settling in. He surprises Varadha when he asks the question.

So how old are you.

20 but I'm turning 21 in a few months. you?

Deva swallows the pizza in his mouth. Varadha had already ordered the pizza with extra spice but the man still had used 3 packets of chilli flakes in the pizza.

I turned 21 awhile ago.

They finish the rest of their meals in silence. Varadha moves to dispose of the boxes when he returns he finds that Deva has cleaned up the crumbs and put the chairs and tables in their original places. Varadha looks at the time and decides to read abit of the novel he purchased last month. he stretches out on the bed and doesnt notice when he falls asleep again. He sees that its dark out by now due to the lack of flight . He feel around the bed for his glasses and the book to safely remove them to the beside table but his search is futile. He shifts and catches a glimpse of the glasses and the book already on top of the table with something sticking out of the book in the middle. He grabs the book and flips it open and sees that a piece of cardboard had been placed where he had left off.

Warmth fills Varadha's heart. He can see a Deva's sleeping form rising and falling with each breath. He's damn lucky to get such a nice guy for a roommate

***(guys im not a telugu person. I am in fact A MALAYALI if u didnt guess from the chali comedy so if i attempt something like telugu food or google translated telugu pls dont be toomad)

[itzynabi]

late night adventure

summary: in which eve forgets the code for her dorm and gets taken out

set: late april 2022

word count: 1.8k

warnings: mention of food and i think that's it

an: another mediocre scenario from me. i've been working on this one for some time so i'm glad for it to finally be out. i dont know anything about seoul's geography so bare with me. feedback and reblogs are much appreciated 💘

eve’s masterlist

“Unnie, do you remember the code to my door?”

“What?” Sooyoung asked.

Eve shifted from her position on the floor against her apartment door. She finished a practice for glassy and just got home, but forgot the code to the door. After trying to guess it, she succumbed to her fate and just called Sooyoung.

“My door. The code. I’m locked out,” she explained.

“Why didn’t you ask your members?”

“When I left the company building, they arrived for their dance practice and they’re not going to be checking their phones.”

Sooyoung hummed. “Okay. I’ll come fetch you.”

Eve blinked. “I didn’t ask you to fe–” cutting herself off, she shook her head. “I just need the code. I know you know it because I know I told you.”

There was shuffling on Sooyoung’s end of the call. “Don’t worry, I’ll come fetch you.” She pulled the phone away from her ear and started speaking to someone near her, her voice muffled. “It should take about twenty minutes to get there.”

“Ahjumma, is your hearing okay? I just need the code, you don’t need to fetch me.”

“Do you have a change of clothes in your bag?”

“Wha– yes, I do, but that’s not what I need. I nee–”

“I'll call you again when I’m five minutes away,” Sooyoung said.

Eve blinked her eyes really fast. “Okay. Bye, I love you.”

“I love you too, bye.”

They hung up, Eve standing in the hallway, wondering how life turned into this.

“Were you guys having a date?” Eve asked from the backseat of Sooyoung’s car.

In the front was Sooyoung, who was driving, and Jung Kyungho, Sooyoung’s boyfriend. She was quite surprised to also see him in the car when Sooyoung picked her up.

“It wasn’t a date,” Kyungho answered. “We were just spending time together.”

“Was it a romantic time?”

He nodded. “Yes.”

“Then it was a date,” Eve said.

Sooyoung shook her head. “No, it wasn’t a date.”

“Date or no date, I’m sorry for interrupting your night. I don’t really know why I’m even in the car right now, all I wanted was the code to my dorm.”

Kyungho waved her off. “No, no, no. It’s okay. Sooyoung can be stubborn.” He checked something on his phone. “Have you had dinner yet?”

Eve squinted her eyes as she thought, trying to remember. “Would a chocolate bar count as dinner? Because if so, then yes,” she said with a smile.

He shook his head. “That won’t do.” He placed his hand over Sooyoung’s on the gear shift. “Jagi, let’s go get dinner. She only ate a chocolate bar, which is not a meal,” he directed that part to Eve, who raised her hands in surrender. He looked back at Sooyoung, continuing, “And she ate lunch at… what time?”

“Two thirty,” Eve answered, causing Kyungho to groan.

“At two thirty! We need to get her food!” He insisted.

“Okay, okay,” Sooyoung conceded. “I was going to agree earlier, but you just kept talking. What makes you think I’d let her starve? Her brother would kill me.” She turned to face Eve as they approached a red light. “What do you want to eat?”

“Um…” Eve thought. “Oh! There’s a restaurant I’ve been wanting to try, let me just find it.” She pulled out her phone, scrolling through her open tabs on Google. “Rolling Rice Kitchen Hongdae.”

“What do they sell?”

“Rice, I think.”

Kyungho started laughing. “How can you want to go to a restaurant when you don’t know what they sell?”

“I saw a photo of the food and it looked nice!” She defended herself. “I’m sorry I didn’t cross analyse the menu. Next time, I’ll know what to do. Is there anything else I should make sure to check?”

“Do they have meat?” Kyungho responded, playing along with Eve, who rolled her eyes and groaned.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “We can find out if the driver takes us there.”

They both looked to Sooyoung, who had been ignoring them ever since Eve said the restaurant name.

“Driver-nim,” Kyungho started, “please take us to the restaurant. My curiosity has been piqued.”

“Please, driver-nim,” Eve added. “It would mean so much to us if you took us there.”

“Alright, alright!” Sooyoung said. “I thought there was only one child in this car, but there appears to be two.”

“So are we going?” He asked.

She rolled her eyes. “What’s the address?”

Eve rattled off the address as Kyungho put it in the GPS. When they arrived at the restaurant, they were seated at a table and a menu was given to them shortly. They all ordered similar dishes and a plate of bulgogi kimbap to share.

“Didn’t you already eat dinner?” Eve asked, taking a bite of her food.

Sooyoung nodded. “It’s rude to make someone eat by themself.”

Kyungho made an agreeing noise as he reached for another kimbap. “That’s true. We’re eating for your benefit.”

Eve squinted her eyes at them. “I’m not going to say anything because I’m enjoying my food too much.”

They continued to eat in silence, only talking to decide who would eat the last kimbap (Eve ended up getting it because she was the reason they even went there.) When they were done, Kyungho paid after having to fight Eve’s hand away from offering her card to the waiter. They gathered their things and soon left after that.

“Are you colourblind?” Sooyoung asked. She was in the backseat with Kyunho as Eve offered to drive home after eating. The traffic light had turned green and she found fault with the fact that Eve took more than half a second to start driving again.

“The light just turned green,” Eve argued. “Just for that, I’m not moving. Hopefully, you’ll have learnt your lesson by the next green light.” She pulled the key out the ignition, crossing her arms over her chest.

There weren’t that many cars on the street, otherwise she’d have no choice but to drive. Sooyoung started kicking Eve’s chair in protest, Kyungho trying his best to get her to stop. The light soon turned yellow, then red, meaning Eve couldn’t drive.

“Well, I can’t go anywhere now,” she commented, scratching her head.

Sooyoung groaned. “You’re a headache.”

“I love you too.”

When the light turned green, Eve waited five seconds before driving off. Kyungho gave her directions to Sooyoung’s apartment. Upon arrival, they all excited the car and rode the elevator up to her level, soon entering her apartment unit.

“Go to my room and sleep there,” Sooyoung told Eve when they arrived, speaking quietly to not wake her dogs. Kyungho slipped past the two to find blankets.

“Why?” Eve asked.

“You’re a guest,” Sooyoung explained.

Eve looked from Sooyoung to the hallway leading to her room. “I don’t want to.”

Sooyoung groaned as Kyungho brought out blankets for the couch. “It’s too late for me to debate with you, just go.”

“Where are you two going to sleep?”

“On the couch.”

Eve gasped, nearly falling over. “How could you do that? You can’t do that! Maybe you might survive, but Kyungho oppa is too old to be sleeping on your couch.”

Kyungho looked up from laying the blankets on the couch. “I almost swore at you,” he said.

“Oppa, how old are you?”

“Thirty-eight.”

“Wow, he’s basically a senior citizen. Your boyfriend is a senior citizen and you want to force him to sleep on the couch? That’s so cold.”

“Nabi, just go sleep in my room.”

“You’re not even couch heighted,” Eve argued, sitting on the couch. “Your legs will dangle off the edge. I mean, the entire reason you brought me here is because you wanted me to sleep nicely, right?” She waited for Sooyoung to nod before continuing, “And it would make me sleep nicely knowing you’re sleeping nicely. In your bed.”

“You really want to sleep on the couch?”

Eve nodded.

“You’re not going to complain about any back pain in the morning?”

“I most definitely am and we both know that.”

“You’re going to be comfortable here?”

“Totally.”

Sooyoung sighed. “Fine. I’m letting you sleep on the couch.”

“We both know I was gonna sleep here anyway.”

Kyungho watched in confusion as Sooyoung helped Eve put the blankets nicely on the couch and set up the pillows. When Eve went to the bathroom to change into comfier clothes, he tapped Sooyoung’s arm.

“Why did you let it go so easily?” He asked. “She should sleep in the bed.”

“Nabi is more stubborn than me,” she explained. “When she says she doesn’t want to do something, that means she’s thought about it probably a thousand times before coming to her decision. And convincing her to change her mind is a hassle. It takes three hours to get her to keep quiet and stop arguing, then another hour to say your piece. And what you say in that hour is very important because she will stop listening the second she hears something she doesn’t like.” Sooyoung sighed. “If it weren’t so annoying, I’d be in awe of her.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. And it’s already going to twelve, I don’t have it in me to debate with her.” She pointed at the watch on her wrist as she spoke.

Eve soon reappeared in sweatpants and a baggy shirt. She put her bag against the couch and got in the covers.

“Are you going to watch me until I fall asleep?” She asked the couple watching over her from in front of the TV stand.

Kyungho cleared his throat, slowly beginning to walk away. “No, I’ll get ready for bed now. Goodnight, Nabi.”

“Goodnight, oppa. I love you.”

He stopped in his tracks, shocked. A heartwarming smile crept onto his face as he replied, “I love you too.” He walked down the hallway, disappearing behind the door to Sooyoung’s room.

“And you ahjumma?”

“I’m just making sure you don’t end up rolling off the couch,” Sooyoung answered.

Eve chuckled. “I’ll be fine. I promise. You must go to sleep. I’ve already bothered you enough.”

“I wouldn’t say you bothered me,” Sooyoung joked. “What time do you need to leave tomorrow?”

“Seven in the morning. I told my manager to pick me up at a convenience store nearby, don’t worry. You can sleep and be with your boyfriend.”

Sooyoung groaned. “Oh, you’re so annoying.”

“Only for you.” Eve blew her a kiss.

Sooyoung chuckled, shaking her head. “Goodnight, Nabi.”

“Goodnight, unnie,” Eve replied. “Oh! But before you go to sleep, I have to ask you something. You brought me over because you forgot the pin to my dorm, right.”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes as she walked away. “I love you.”

Eve laughed as she responded, “I love you too, ahjumma!”

tagging: @seolboba // @ateezivy // @ateezjuliet // @cafemilk-tea // @smh-anon // @alixnsuperstxr

©️ kim nabi

[your-local-baguette]

Julian loki x reader

Warnings: none just julian being the sweetest

Authors note: this is my first time making a julian oneshot. So might and probably will be oc

Summary: oneshot in which you spend a sweet and soft evening with your boyfriend, you went with him to japan.

A speaker was blasting music in the shared apartment of you and your boyfriend. You sang along with the lyrics, it was one out of a millions voice, this one melodious voice was yours. It your version of the version blasting, you loved listening to your own voice, that how confident you were.

You chopped onions in awfully even bits, the sound of the knife hitting the board felt like it was matched with the song. You scraped the knife against the cutting board, the now cut onion bring pushed in a frying pan with layers of beef, pasta, cheese and tomato sauce. It was your version of a lasagna, yes, cooked in a frying pan, it might sound weird but its actually very delicious and you dont even close the frying pan with a glass covering. It was also one of your boyfriends favorite, congratulating him after playing against the blue lock members. The door opened to a someone you knew oh too well, but some people were with him. You stopped your activities to greet your champion, his face lit up at the sight of you, he hugged you tightly while your arms were around his neck. When you tried to back away he held you a little tighter, whispering in your ear" im sorry, i didn't tell you." You backed away booping his nose, " its fine" you said not whispering this time. " Welcome! Make yourself feel at home. Dinner should be ready in thirty minutes" you said taking off the coat of julian shoulders. They nodded, while you hang his cpat properly, you heard a small sniffing sound" you cooked your frying pan lasagna" " yup!" You cooed at your turn popping the p, walking back to the kitchen. His teammates seemed to already to like the ambiance here, you lowered the music a little. " That doesn't sound like nicki minaj, who's version is this?" One of his teammates asked" it's my version" you answered without a second thought preparing the table in advance. You took out some bris and vegetables, cutting them in even bits and placing them on the table. Right after this you took off your apron revealing a much oversized shirt, the owner, julian, recognized it. You went to you and julian shared room to get your laptop, sitting next to him at the dinning table, so you could keep an eye on the cooking dinner. He seemed to be having fun with his teammates, you were glad. Suddenly the volume of the music, the google assistant of your phone now speaking. " Youtube as sent you an important notification. Would you like for me to read it?" The robot questionned" no" you answered clearly so the robot would process your answer easily. The music went back to its original volume, your boyfriend yook hold of your phone typing the pin code quickly, all your notification popped up. He scrolled till he saw youtube, his teammates didn't care and kept talking as an occupation before he dived back in with them. He froze at the notification, you turned your gaze to him, he started smiling whispering the news into your ears. You smiled and nodded thanking him with a peck, he couldn't help but extend his smile.

...

He waved to the last of his teammate, after the door was closed again, his eyes laid on you. He gave you an invitation to picking you up, not verbally of course, you nodded before he effortlessly picked you up bridal style. Carrying you to your shared bedroom, he finally could have his alone time with you and snuggle into your warmth. He laid on top of you, burrying his face in your neck, enjoying the feeling of your fingers running up and down the back of his neck. He waited all day to be able to feel this welcoming warmth, even tho he liked football, you were his world so if he didn't have you welcoming him back home after a match or pratice, what was the point to going the next day. He didn't know, you were his main motivation, you whispered sweet nothings in his ear. Earning a blushing mess hiding in the crook of your neck, words of praise was one of weaknesses, you were his strength as much as you were his weakness. But he was glad either way, because he didn't love eith his mind or heart, he loved you with his soul.

His head left the crook of your neck and your gaze wondered on his even features, he left a soft and loving kiss on your lips. Soon after you both fell asleep, both in an slumber as deep as your shared love...

[comfyswitcherblanketfort]

You’re Home

we need a little levity, yeah? dont judge me its excessively self indulgent

CW: geraskier, modern au, roommates, pre relationship, domestic fluff, geralt doesn’t realize jask is home

________________

Jaskier had a blissful morning off work. He turned his alarm off the night before, changed his sheets, and even remembered to set the blinds how he liked them before going to bed so he would wake up to a soft sunny glow instead of blinding direct sunlight. His lie-in would be peaceful and comfortable come hell or high water. 

Only in the morning, he woke in confusion, reaching out to slap at an alarm he thought was going off but was totally silent. As he blinked awake and ran his hands through his messy hair, he realized Geralt was playing music. Loud music. His roommate wasn’t usually a morning person, let alone a loud person in general, but then again Jaskier usually got his music playing first. Looking over at his clock once again, Jaskier realized it wasn’t all that early in the morning anymore. 

He shrugged and made to scroll through his phone a bit before he gave in to the urge to pee and actually got up. After a few Green Day songs Scotty Doesn’t Know came on and Jaskier smirked. Of course, Geralt would be a grungy emo child. About halfway through the song, Jaskier thought he heard Geralt calling for him, but upon putting his phone down and tuning in, it was Geralt singing along. In the five or so months they’d lived together and years of knowing each other, Jaskier had never heard Geralt sing. He thought Geralt was one of those weirdos who just never sang. 

Seizing the opportunity, Jaskier stealthily climbed out of bed and pulled his sweats on before poking his head out of his room. The song changed to Pressure by Paramore and Geralt’s voice continued crooning along if a key or octave lower than Miss Williams. He had a lovely voice, a little gravely like his speaking voice, but still clear and strong. Jaskier found himself grinning as he tiptoed down the hallway toward the kitchen/living area. 

It sounded like Geralt was making breakfast during his concert, lost enough in his music that he didn’t notice Jaskier leaning against the archway watching him dance as he whisked eggs. American Idiot came on next and Geralt definitely spilled some eggs on the counter as he jumped and flailed his arms around yelling along. Jaskier’s heart almost hurt it was so cute, he wanted to kiss Geralt on a normal day, but the cute aggression may actually get him in trouble this time. I Just Wanna Live by Good Charlotte was next and Jaskier couldn’t take it anymore. Geralt dancing around their kitchen like a club in 2004 was just too much for his heart to take, let alone how much his cheeks hurt from smiling. 

Instead of saying anything, Jaskier just calmly walked into the room and sat at their little breakfast bar, resting his chin on his hands and waiting patiently for Geralt to notice him. He watched him with the stupidest smitten grin on his face for at least two more songs, doing his best not to giggle or give himself away now that he was in clear view. 

Geralt finally turned away from the stove in the middle of The Kill by Thirty Seconds to Mars and froze like a deer in the headlights. His eyes nearly bulged out of his skull and the plate full of a massive omelet almost fell right out of his hands. 

“I didn’t know you could sing,” Jaskier mused, entirely unwilling and incapable of wiping the smitten smile off his face, still just staring back at Geralt. 

Blinking and slowly setting the plate down on their counter, Geralt finally found some words, “You’re home.”

Jaskier nodded, “Mind pouring me a cup of coffee? Since you’re right there?”

Squinting but doing as he was asked, Geralt poured him a cup of coffee and even added his favorite creamer without prompting before setting it in front of him, “We don't need to talk about this… do we?”

“Talk about what?” Jaskier pauses just long enough to see Geralt relax before he grinned and muttered, “You’re adorable and you sound nice,” into his coffee. 

Geralt’s nose scrunched up as he cut into his omelet and muttered, “Not adorable…”

“Oh, I beg to differ! That was extremely cute!” Jaskier laughed as Geralt folded his arms on the counter and bent down to hide his face in his arms, “I mean it!”

“Stoooop Jask,” Geral groaned, not able to hide the little laugh as hard as he tried. 

“Absolutely not. That was cute and I will never tell you when I have a surprise day off again,” Jaskier insisted, reaching across the counter to steal a bite of his omelet as he spoke. 

Still talking into his arms, Geralt’s muffled voice sounded downright miserable, “How long were you there?”

“Since Pressure? American Idiot? A long time.”

“You’re evil.”

“And you’re a fantastic cook. Can I have this if you’re just going to be very cutely embarrassed?” Jaskier reached for Geralt’s plate as he asked, not even caring if Geralt responded and hell-bent on stealing his food regardless. 

“No,” Geralt snatched the plate out of his reach before he could grab it, earning him Jaskier’s full-power puppy eyes, “I’ll make you your own. This one has tomatoes in it anyway.”

Jaskier made a mental note to sob over a bottle of wine to Yen about how absolutely fucked he was, but he smiled and let himself enjoy it anyway. Geralt even started humming quietly as he cooked another omelet. No other lover would do for Jaskier, regardless of whether or not he ever told Geralt how he felt. 

[himbos-hotline]

Day two of the fics. I dont think ill get them done by the deadline [I think my cousin has given me wooping cough?]

But let me kiss your lips [so I know how it felt.]

DAY: 2->Please open the door before I freeze to death." WARNING: Drinking, Being left in the cold FANDOM: AEW [professional wrestling] SHIP: Kenny Omega/”Hangman” Adam Page” WC: 1888 words

Read on ao3:

Everyone keeps telling Adam that it's a bad idea to let Kenny back into his life and sure he knows that. He rolls his phone between his hands, pressing the warmth of the machine against his palms as he sits at the back of the Dark Orders locker room dressed in an itchy Christmas jumper that Uno made and Adam didn't have the heart to tell him its a size too small and bringing a rash up just over his shirt collar. He itches at his neck distractingly as he someone squish into his space. He looks over as Alex rests his head against his shoulder. Adam looks over at him, trying to read the look on Alex's face through the fluttering of dark eyelashes. "You're itching too?" Alex tilts his chin up to show Adam the ring of annoyance flashing up against Alex's skin, winching but nodding along. "Uno tries, ya can't fault him for that. Even if it does itch like fuck."

"Ha, yeah." Adam chuckles back, voice feeling just a little distant off in his mouth. He taps his phone screen and stares down at the blank screen, sighing he lets it darken again and rocks onto his hip to pocket his phone into his back pocket. He looks over at Alex and chuckles a little, throwing his hands up slightly defensively. "What?!" Adam says, punctuating the syllables as picks at the plastic cup that Anna left at his feet a few hours ago. The beer is flat and warm in his mouth when Adam raises the plastic to his lips but he swallows it anyway, watching the brown liquid pool into the cracks in the plastic.

"You're waiting for Kenny to text you." Alex says, trying to yell over the music that plays through the speakers.

Adam finishes his beer to ignore the allegation. Alex sighs and beckons Adam closer, reaching around his side to grab his phone. Adam squawks a little, the sound getting louder when Alex taps Adam ass a little like his old gym coach. Adam shudders at the memory and angles his head down against Alex's temple to watch what he's doing. "one-six-eight-three" Adam watches his friend type before tilting the screen out of Adam's line of sight. "What the hell are ya doing?!" Adam's voice raises louder than he anticipated and he smiles apologetically when Anna raises her head from the top of the couch and scowls. "It's fine!" He mouths, shuffling off Alex.

Adam doesn't get his phone back until the end of the party. John throws up a crumpled up napkin at the back of Adam's head to get his attention "How drunk are you?" Adam sways a little unsteadily when he gets asked that question, so he scoops up the napkin from the hood of his jacket and chuckles a little breathless. "We'll get you an uber home." That's how he ends up in the back of an uber, his hood covering his eyes and scrolling lazily through the pages of his home screen staring at an app that Adam hasn't seen before. He huffs and flicks his eyes upwards as Alex simply texts him "Dating app."

"Oh" Adam says out loud, swiping the text away. He smiles a little sweetly at the driver when he looks up at Adam through the rear view mirror, furrowing his eyebrows before the light above them turns green. Adam thanks him three times as he's scrambling to get his stuff out the car, mentally cursing himself for not fixing his porch light sooner. He fumbles in the darkness with his keys, pink fingertips pressing against the chilly metal of his keychains. He glances down at the snow gathering just outside his front porch and sighs as the front door finally creaks open. Adam wrestles with his boots, leaning against the doorway. He tosses his phone onto the couch and pads through his house, he lights the fire and settles into what he wants to be a quiet night.

His quiet night lasts about an hour.  He's halfway through trying to redecorate his animal crossing island for the third time before his doorbell goes, startling him. He glances up at the clock on the wall, lips pressed into a thin line before his doorbell rings again, louder than the crackling of the fire. "I wonder who that could be huh Tex?" He asks, reaching down to ruffle his dog's ears. The dog tilts his head against Adam's palm, tongue licking against the tips of his fingers. "I guess, there's only one way to find out." Adam reasons, huffing as the doorbell rings a third time, trilling through the house. Adam moves slowly through his own house, glancing over into the darkness of his kitchen before pushing open the living room curtains, rolling the soft fabric between his fingers.. He stares at the figure as they sway unsteadily on his front porch, he follows the slope of their shoulders, before sighing. "Nope. I'm not opening the door." He mumbles, a little too loud because the figure at the door whips its head around fast enough that Adam flinched backwards, slamming his back into the couch.

He watches the curtains flutter in front of him as Adam mumbles curses under his breath, sighing when Tex curls up on his chest. "I ain't gonna let him in, it ain't fair, how'd he even know I was home hmm?" he whispers against his dog's curled fur, letting it scrub against his cheeks when he raises his head. He hears him knock again and something small and scared rolls around in Adam's chest. "It is cold though.." His voice trails away a little as he squirms off the floor, leaning his head back against the couch cushions, for a few moments Adam listens to the crackling of the fire, letting his head roll to the back of the picture frame, eyes trailing over the inscription against the cork. "He's Canadian, he can deal with the cold...right?"

Tex whimpers, brown eyes staring into Adam's as he licks at his nose. "Yeah, it was pretty silly of me t'say.." He hears the door knock again, weaker than before and Adam is careful to move Tex onto the couch. "You stay there." Socked feet press slowly into the stained hardwood floors of Adam's entrance way and he stares at the white painted wood, tracing the chipped paint with his eyes. He swallows, trembling hands reaching out to stroke against the door handle.

"Please let me in." The voice behind the door sounds pathetic, trembling and Adam tugs his hand back, pressing it against his chest. "Please let me in before I freeze to death?" Kenny's voice hiccups at the end and the small lump in Adam's chest knots deeper against his ribs, he feels his lungs press against his heart and he swallows.

Adam shifts the door handle, listening to it pop and the door slowly slides open. The window and a small dusting of snow settles on his front step before Kenny even steps into Adam's line of sight. He blinks into Adam's green eyes, lips a soft blue at the corners, fingertips a brilliant pink just under the nails. Adam barely manages a smile as he steps aside, allowing Kenny to step in. He hears the jingle of Tex's name tag as Kenny pats his head. There's the popping of Kenny's knees when he kneels down and Adam locks the door.

"Stop looking at me like that." Kenny says, warming his palms against the fire. There's nothing in his voice, no anger. Just numbness but he looks away from Adam nonetheless to stare into the fireplace, letting the flames melt the sadness in his eyes.

Adam feels something in his face change and he frowns. "Like what?"

"Like you're...upset to see me. Like you wanted me to just..stay away."

Adam kneels besides Kenny, stoking the fire. "How did you know I'd be here?"

Kenny chuckles a little, swallowing the dryness that's building in the back of his throat. "You always come home for Christmas..." Kenny rubs his palms together and Adam shifts from his place beside his old friend, reaching to grab the blanket off the back of the couch. "Something happens, you go home..."

Adam pretends to not notice the way that Kenny's eyes mist up slightly or the way he flinches when Adam moves a little too fast to wrap the blanket around his shoulders. "I'm sorry." Kenny whispers into the crackling of the fireplace, soft enough that it almost disappears up the chimney with the smoke. Adam looks at him, tucking the blanket tighter around his shoulders.

"None’a that now. Just get warm."

Kenny shuffles closer to Adam and his curls tickle Adam's nose, just a little. He breathes in the smell of Kenny's cheap body wash and stares into the flames with him. "I'm sorry too." Adam tells the fire.

"Yeah." Kenny tells the burning pine, rubbing his fingers against the back of Adam's hand. He looks up through his eyelashes when Adam's phone chimes, breaking whatever moment was building just behind their eyes. There's a flash of confusion and then the slow growth of realization across Kenny's face. "Is that-?" Adam's cheeks flush, scooting across the floor.

"Alex downloaded it on my phone.." Adam mumbles, twisting his phone around between his hands, pressing the front of it against his palm as he sits on the floor. "I wasn't really gonna use it, it don't really feel like..."

"Something youd do?" Kenny mumbles, smiling a little when Adam nods, chuckling a little breathlessly. "You were never good at the whole dating scene.."

Adam nods again, "I should just get rid'a it." He whispers, talking more to himself than to Kenny. He looks up, watching as Kenny squirms under the blanket, legs stretching out in front of him. "its uh.." Adam listens to the sound of the world outside the two of them, picks up the distant sound of snowplow, "Stay the night."

Kenny blinks at Adam, flicks blue eyes across Adam's reddening face. He smiles and Adam smiles back, shuffling back into Kenny's side. "Okay." He whispers against the curve of Adam's neck, breathes fire warm and smoke soft against the stubble on the underside of Adam's jaw as his teeth sink just a little into the bone.

"Okay." Adam whispers back, fingers slowly wrapping around the hem of Kenny's shirt collar. He presses his lips against Kenny's and smiles gently as he leans into him.

The fire highlights the tips of Kenny's curls as he rests his face against Adam's neck, thumb rubbing slowly against the rash on his collarbone. "What happened?"

Adam chuckles, slumping against the front of the couch, watching how Kenny slides his leg to lay across his. "Uno and Christmas sweaters."

Tex scampers into the kitchen, ball in his mouth and Adam feels the familiar weight of his dog against his legs, Kenny's head against his chest. "Can I see it?"

Adam kisses Kenny's forehead, tucking the blanket around the two of them. His eyes soften and he shakes his head. "Tomorrow." He smiles, feeling Kenny breath out against his chest. People keep telling Adam it's a mistake to let Kenny slide back into his life but, how can something bad taste so sweet? 

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

TAGGING: @debbiechanclub @12daysofchristmas @itsnoosetome @santa-omega @yugiohio @daddywrasslin @punks-baybay @jacedoe

[pfft-me]

Rise Leo x Female Reader

So Im back at it again with the one shot. Again I chose to go with female reader, but i can also do gn and male readers. Again forgive me for any ooc in regards to Leo. I had also written this at like 2 am. I also have a headcannon that the turtles like to bite. Like at random times their gums start hurting so they usually have matching chew toys. I also picture reader as a diamondback terrapin.

April

Leo

Draxum

I hid under my sheet in the comfort of my dark and cool room. I hadnt seen the outside world for some time, though its not like I can anyways. After a butched mission with the boys I hadnt even thought of anything else but hiding. We had been fighting Draxum for what feels like 100th time, and he had gone to attack April. I pushed her out of the way and was caught instead of her. The gang was threatening Draxum but apparently he didnt care as usual and injected me with some ooze. All I remember was gagging because I could feel the stuff go through my blood stream. Draxum had been cackling but stopped because I hadnt mutated like he wanted.

"What, why arent you mutated?"

I shrugged "maybe you had bad ooze" Raph and Leo then start to beat up Draxum for touching me. I suddenly felt sick and didnt want to be there. "April take me home!" I whined as she pat my back.

"Hey babe are you ok?" Leo touched my shoulder triggering something in me. I pushed him away and started feeling dizzy "Babe?"

I fell unconscious after that and woke up in bed. I knew I was different. I could physically tell that I was and with some knowledge of how the ooze works thanks to Donnie. I mustve been mutaed to a turtle. I thrash and turn in bed not wanting to be awake, but alas my stomach betrayed me. I sat up letting my eyes adjust to the darkness. I grab my phone wincing as it turned on. The screen was full of messages from the boys and april. Along with some other friends and family. I just scrolled through the messages not bothering to answer since I wasnt in the mood. I walked into my living room, flicking on the small fairy lights around the room. It was more comforting than the actual light. A new message popped in from Leo asking if he could come over. I sighed sending him a quick "sure, bring food" I quickly call up April hoping to feel a bit better.

"Hey girl! Its been a while are you ok?"

"Ive, ive been better" i spoke softly. My throat hurt a bit and my body was overall sore. "Did you bring me home?"

"Yeah I did, and no i havent seen you since then, also did you mutate?" I nodded but realized she wouldnt see me. "Ill take that as a yes. Nami do you think you can look in a mirror?"

"I dont want to. Im scared. Shit Leo is coming over, April what do I do?! Hes gonna freak out!" I started panicking.

"Hey, hey, hey, he loves you! No matter what you look like and I mean you did fall for him and hes also a turtle" she laughed causing me to chuckle. A knock came from my window alerting me that he was here.

"I have to go, thank you"

"Anytime!" With that we hung up.

The knocks came again and my name was faintly spoken. I took a deep breath and walking into my still dark room. The fairy lights in the living room gave it a small glow just enough for me to see. I peek through the curtains a bit and there Leo was. He held some italian food making me smile. I slowly opened the curtain, letting him in, but hid behind the cloth.

"Babe what wrong? Why is it so dark in here?" He walked into the kitchen, quickly putting the food down on the counter. I walked up to the door frame my body still partially hidden. "Nami?"

"I, you, you love me right?"

He quirked his non existent eyebrow "of course I do. Come here and eat" he motioned with his hand for me to come closer.

"Leo, im not the same"

"Uh clearly," i winced a bit at his sarcastic remark. He noticed me pulling back into the room and sighed. He walked over placing his hands on my shoulders, then slid them down my arms, causing me to shiver. He took my hands into his and kissed them. "Im sorry," i blinked at him "im sorry I couldnt stop Drax from doing this to you. I know that this change is huge and you wont have a normal life anymore. Youll have to go into hiding like the rest of us and if im being honest. I couldnt stop feeling guilty. When you pushed me away I knew i triggered the mutation. Im so so sorry. I sometimes think about how i shouldve never asked you to be mine"

I pull my hands away and grip his biceps "dont you ever say that! Dont you ever wish anything but for us to be together! I love you! You love me! Something like this isnt gonna change that. Sure my body is sore as hell and i really need to bite something, but that besides the point" leo smiles at my last comment. "Actually seriously why do i have the need to bite so bad right now" i massage my jaw a bit.

He laughed and pulled out a green chew toy. I look at him unimpressed "it happens more than you think. We each have one and I thought youll may need one too. Why do you think I always bite your shoulder?"

I took the toy from him and bit into it. I hummed and continued to bite it as Leo pulled me into the kitchen. He pulled me into a hug as I happily chewed on the toy. "Youre so cute oh Mi gosh and look at your shell, so beautiful!" He brushed his hand against my shell causing me to pull away. "Oops"

"It super sensitive, even more so now dang it!" I pulled some pasta out of the bag and dug into it.

"Hey that means you can now train with us sometimes. We can help you get used to being totally awesome like moi" he flipped his non existent hair.

"Imma speak with Donnie first"

He groaned "my not so awesome brother? Why?"

I shrugg "just to do a quick physical"

"Hey! Im the medic in the family let me do the physical" he laid his head on my shoulder

I giggled "you get too physical if you know what i mean" i fed him some pasta and watched he ate it with a pout. He hummed then remained quiet as I occasionally would feed him. I could feel his eyes burning into the side of my head. I felt him shift a bit to kiss my neck, causing me to flinch. "Yes?"

"Nothing, youre just really beautiful" if i were human i wouldve been flushed red, but I guess having green skin helps with that. "Can we just cuddle? I dont want to share you just yet" he wrapped his arms around my waist. "Aw honey youre so small"

"Shut up Leon, lemme eat" i moved on to the next dish. "I will bite you"

"Ooh please do, ouch" i bit down on his shoulder , of course not super hard, but just enough to quench my need. "Oh its not that bad" he then preceeded to bite my shoulder. I shivered letting out a weird rumble.

"What was that?" Leo bit me again and the sensation happened once again "leo stop tell me"

He laughed "its an equivalent to a cat purr when theyre happy or well needy" he smirked at me and I just shoved his face away "hey come on~ Im educating you here"

"Teachers don't flirt with students" i stuck my tongue at him.

"But boyfriends do flirt with their girlfriends" he kissed my cheek.

"you are being needy and touchy. Whats up?" I look at him with worried eyes.

He just shrugged "i havent seen you in a while. I just miss having you around is all. I love you a lot"

I smiled softly, pecking his beak. "You are such a loving turtle~ How could i ask for anything more?"

"Of course im the best turtle, strongest hero, dashing brother, loving boyfriend, and-"

"Greatest champion. My champion" he flushed red hiding hia face into my neck causing me to chuckle "never change Leo, never change.

[bridgyrose]

How about this:

Instead of Penny, there's an army of Ruby clones guarding Mantle.

Ruby paused as she caught the glint of a white cloak out of the corner of her eye. She turned towards the alley way and put her hand to the shaft of her scythe she carried on her back, fingers gently tapping her weapon. Normally this kind of paranoia would be backed by a sarcastic remark from Yang or Weiss, or even something comforting from Blake, however the empty Mantle streets and the statues of grimm put her and the rest of her friends on edge. Something didnt feel right about Atlas anymore, not that the blockade or billboards with Ironwood's face talking about curfew made her feel any more at ease. 

“Did you see something?” Jaune asked. 

“I thought so, but maybe its just my eyes playing tricks on me.” Ruby lowered her hand back to her side, eyes staying on the alleyway. “I never expected Mantle to be so… empty.” 

“That’s because its not supposed to be.” Weiss made her way to one of the sabyr statues in the road and tapped it with her rapier. “Mantle has always been busy since my grandfather started refining dust. Though, I cant imagine what would cause everyone to make these statues and then stay out of sight.” 

Yang shrugged. “Maybe its a new holiday?” 

Weiss took a step back as the sabyr statue in front of her collapsed into dust and ash, spreading across the street. “Doubtful.” 

“Then all the more reason to get to my old friend’s place,” Maria said as she hobbled past the kids. “Maybe he’ll have answers for us about what’s been going on here.” 

Ruby nodded and continued to follow Maria, still on edge as the street lights turned on one by one. Every step echoed around the quiet streets, shops and homes were all boarded up with a few people peeking out through the windows as if they were waiting.

 Then, sirens started to blare and the street lights went red. Sabyrs rushed through the streets as a few gunshots echoed in the night, the few Atlesian soldiers stationed around Mantle quickly overwhelmed by the grimm that swarmed through the streets. 

Ruby quickly grabbed her scythe from her back and readied herself along with her team. “Alright, lets take out these grimm before we continue.” 

“Got it!” Blake yelled as she rushed forward with Yang to start taking on the grimm. 

Ruby took a few steps back and started to take pot shots at the grimm as she directed Weiss where to put her glyphs. She gave a small nod to Jaune, who directed his own teammates to make sure the grimm were taken care of swiftly. Between Nora’s hammer, Ren’s speed, and Oscar holding the line, the grimm were taken care of quickly. The kids relaxed for a moment until another wave of grimm came barreling down the street. 

A few soft giggles started to fill the streets along with white petals as a few figures dashed through the streets and sliced through the grimm. One stopped and stared at a particularly large grimm and a bright, silver light washed over the streets, freezing the grimm in its tracks and destroying the smaller ones. 

Ruby and her team pulled back as they watched seven of the white cloaked figures finish taking on the grimm and the grimm lights finally turned off. Silence fell over the group as the figures turned around to look at them, each one with a familiar face and eyes. 

“Why do they look like you, Ruby?” Weiss asked.

“I… I dont know…” Ruby sheathed her weapon and took a breath to calm herself. “Who are you?” 

The white-cloaked Rubys turned to her and looked at her curiously. One of them finally spoke to her, the voice still sounding more like hers. “What are you doing here? You should be patrolling Mantle like us.” 

Qrow paused as the wind started to shift around them. “I dont like what’s going on. James is going to have a lot to explain.” 

A few scrolls started to ding with notifications and one of the Rubys looked at hers. A smirk crossed her face as she grabbed her white scythe and disappeared in a flurry of petals. One by one, each Ruby did the same as the petals started to swirl around the real Ruby and her friends. The storm of petals started to grow larger and larger until it suddenly dropped with each Ruby appearing in a cloud of petals and slamming their scythe’s into the huntsmen in training. 

Ruby watched as her team quickly became overwhelmed by the onslaught of white-clad Rubys, her teammates quickly getting cuffed and knocked out. Soon, it was her turn to be slammed to the ground and cuffed, one of the Rubys standing over her with a grin as she pressed a foot to her back. 

“Dont worry, we’ll take you back to Atlas and make sure you’re protecting Mantle just like the rest of us. The general will take care of the rest of those criminals and the Ace-ops will make sure Miss Schnee makes it back to her family.” 

Ruby had wanted to argue, but quickly found a boot slamming into her face, her vision darkening as she heard an airship make its way over and the sound of the other Rubys giggling as they rushed off.