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writers-hes · 1 year

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The Metalhead is in Steve Harrington’s Clothes (e. munson x reader)

SYNOPSIS: “Just be yourself,” you told him and he wanted to laugh at your innocence. “Please, darling, that’s like, the worst advice,” Eddie said, plopping down beside you. or Eddie’s girlfriend’s dad is his hero and he should’ve listened to you in the first place. REQUESTED: yes WARNINGS: none that i know of WORD COUNT: 5.2k+ helpful links: navigation | master lists | rules and guidelines | tag list | fic recs

A/N: Special shoutout to @omgvirtualcupcakecollection-blog for this incredible request! I hope I did it some justice.

(gif not mine)

When Eddie first asked you out on a date, you were apprehensive. He’s been trying to figure you out for months—a new girl from Los Angeles, California who moved to Hawkins, Indiana for senior year. Why? He first saw you in the hallway, a quiet girl who didn’t seem too shy. Your clothes were a mish-mash. Boots and a floral skirt? He’s surely never seen that around Hawkin’s before. You liked to keep to yourself but still managed to join the music club. Everybody says you’re good at everything—piano, guitar, vocals, and bass.

He sat in, trying to see if you’d be as good as they claim and wow—you were amazing.

You were so effortless in everything you did and there were no traces of bragging or anything like that. You even smiled at him when you saw him looking at you.

“Hey, sorry but…is this right?” Eddie found himself asking. He plays a tune and you listen intently.

“May I?” you asked and he extended the guitar to you. You play the same tune. “You’re starting very well but you kind of used a higher chord register,” you moved your fingers and Eddie watched. “Try playing it at a lower chord like this,”

“Makes more sense. Thank you,” he says, taking his guitar back. “I’m Eddie,”

“Hi, Eddie,” you greeted, telling him your name. “You’re good at playing the guitar. Who trained you?” you asked, sitting down beside him.

“My uncle,” he replied. “and then self-taught. What about you?”

“That’s impressive,” you nodded. “I’m uh, classically taught but my mom and dad taught me everything that I needed to know,”

“What else can you play?” he asked. “I can only play the guitar but I’be been wanting to learn more,”

“Piano, guitar, and bass,” you said. “I’m trying to learn the drums but people at home complain because it’s so loud,”

Eddie chuckled.

“Are you free after school?” you asked him, trying to make the first move. He was your first friend—or maybe the first person who decided to know you and he seemed trustworthy enough. Eddie raises his brows. You beat him to it.

“Depends on who’s asking,” he replied. “Is it you?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “We have a small music studio back home and we can do a session there. The driver picks me up and we can go there together and drop you off wherever,”

“Your parents won’t mind?”

“They’ve been telling me to make friends for weeks now. I think they’ll be glad,” you chuckled before faltering. “I mean, we’re friends now, right?”

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded. “You’re pretty cool,”

“Meet me at the main door?”

“Okay,”

The bell rings and students fill the hallways, everyone excited to go home. Eddie was more excited to play the guitar with you. He was skipping to the main door, pushing everyone aside until he saw you.

“Eddie!” you called. He smiled and jogged towards you. “Come! The car’s waiting for us,”

You grabbed ahold of his hand and guided him to a nondescript black car.

“Hey, kid,” your driver greeted you as soon as you opened the door. “Going home?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “This is Eddie, he’s coming home to play the guitar. Eddie, this is Leo,” you introduced them to each other. Eddie gave him a shy smile and a wave while Leo nodded.

“Mom’s not home. She left last night to go to LA. So, it’s just me, Leo, and Grace at home. They’ve been taking care of me since I was little. They’re like my second set of parents,” you told Eddie, who was sitting tensely beside you. “Do you want anything for dinner?”

“Anything is fine,” he says, too shy to make a request.

“Did Grace cook something?”

“Roasted chicken, I think,” Leo replied, studying Eddie through the rearview mirror. “Is Eddie joining us for dinner?”

“Are you joining us for dinner?”

“If I’m not going to bother…” he answers honestly. “But it’s fine, I can eat dinner at home,”

“No, it’s fine. I insist you join us,” you said.

“Okay, then,” Eddie smiles.

The car stops in what seemed to be the biggest house in Steve Harrington’s gated community. Jesus Christ.

“The studio is in the shed. Come, I’ll show you! Leo can bring our things,”

You held Eddie’s hand again, his guitar and bag secured on his body. You gave him no time to look around the house but took him to the backyard instead. There was a pool and a shed beside it. You opened the door of the shed and Eddie’s mouth almost goes slack.

The studio was lined with wooden panels all over, shelves of memorabilia on display. There was a vinyl player and a shelf of vinyl somewhere on the side, an array of expensive musical instruments littering the area. Is this what kids in Los Angeles do? Casually have a studio in the backyard of their mansions?

“My family loves music. My dad, mom, and I spend most of our time here. My dad taught me the bass and the guitar while my mom taught me how to play the piano. It’s like we have our own little band,”

You take him to a beautiful guitar hanging on the wall.

“This is my guitar,” you told him. “My dad gifted it to me on my 16th birthday. You wanna play?”

Before Eddie could say yes, you handed him your guitar. He strummed a few chords and it was the most beautiful thing ever. It had the most beautiful sound. You played your bass along and played with him in silence.

You didn’t notice the time but you spent the rest of the day teaching each other songs, laughing at jokes, and talking about Hawkins. You liked hanging out with him. He was honest, funny, and was always respectful.

Leo dropped Eddie off at school while you talked to your mom.

“Is dad there?” you asked over the phone.

“Yeah. He says hi,”

“I made a friend today, mom,” you told her. “His name is Eddie and he loves music as much as I do. He’s great,”

IT’S BEEN MONTHS SINCE YOU first met. Eddie was still Eddie and while you heard about the mean things everybody seemed to say, Eddie didn’t care. Hawkins wondered why someone like you spent so much

time with somebody like him but you were just so similar.

In the few months that you’ve been with Eddie, you’ve been best friends. When you were sick once, he brought you chicken soup. He took you to the trailer park where he introduced you to his Uncle Wayne. He showed you his black and red guitar that he like to call “My Darling.”

It’s been months since Eddie asked you for help in the music club and everyday, he wonders if you’re feeling the same way. You were his best friend and there was nothing in this world that he would not do for you. He was wrapped around your finger and you didn’t even know it.

“Eddie,” you called. You were both in the music studio. He was strumming along to an unfamiliar tune. “What are you playing?”

Eddie stills in his seat.

“Just…just some song that I’m working on,”

“Can I hear it? Will you play it at the Hideout?” you asked eagerly. It was a different melody—softer and more intimate? You wondered if he wrote it for a girl. He’s been looking at the cheerleader’s table more frequently. Your heart feels heavy. You’ve had a crush on Eddie since the first time you helped him with guitar. You just couldn’t say it because he was your best friend.

You would just jeopardize your friendship with him.

“S-sure,” he nodded, maybe you’d get a clue of how he was feeling. “It’s not yet finished but you know,”

Eddie strums his guitar and you are transported to so many memories with him. The song had no words to it yet but it was perfect. It was calm, like how falling in love sounds like and you found yourself nodding along.

“This is like the first draft, so,” Eddie trailed off.

“It’s good,” you encouraged. “You have a crush, huh?”

“How did you know?”

“You literally just played about it,” you told him. “Who is it?”

“You don’t know her,” Eddie lied, his eyes everywhere but you.

“Is it…me?” you teased, half-joking. “Is that why you don’t wanna tell me? You know, it would be okay to tell me if it’s me,” You said, hoping, wishing that it was you.

“How did you know?” Eddie asked, his eyes wide.

“It’s…me?” you clarified. You stood up at Eddie’s silence, your comfortable position on the couch long gone. “Are you shitting me right now, Eds?”

“No,” he replied. “I’m being honest,”

“So…you’ve been crushing on me?” you asked. “Eddie, if this is a fucking joke to you, it’s cruel.”

“No, I’m being honest! I, I like you a lot . Like, I joined the music club because I wanted to know you; stayed for you. It’s not a joke. You don’t have to like me back or anything, I—“

“I like you too, Eddie,” you replied, a smile on your face.

“Now you’re shitting me,” Eddie laughed. How could you like him back? You were eons away from each other. You were—are—his dream girl and how could have things be so easy?

“I’m not!” you argued, laughing off the nerves.

“If you’re not, then you’ll allow me to take you out on a date,” he proposes and you blush.

“Deal,” you agreed. “Tell me the details and I’ll be ready,”

Eddie left the house that night, a skip in his step. The coolest girl in Hawkins liked him back. Maybe things could be this easy.

“Leo says that a boy has been picking you up. Is it Eddie?” your father asked. It was your nightly phone call with your parents.

“Yeah,” you told him through the phone. “He asked me out on a date today.”

“And…?”

“I said yes,” you told him. “You’ll like him dad. He’s so cool,”

ONE DATE CAME AFTER ANOTHER. Your first date was spent in a record store in a city outside Hawkins. He told you to get a vinyl that you’ve been dying to get while he got a tape of his favorite’s band’s latest album. He took you to ‘Hawkins’s Treasures’ which consisted of his favorite diner and a novelty shop. Eddie bought everything your eyes focused on. He probably spent his whole monthly allowance but it was worth it anyway.

One day, Eddie woke up with a smile on his face—a realization of something that felt like a prophecy; felt like the truth. Eddie was humming as he prepared himself a cup of coffee, a coffee mug of his uncle’s cradled between his hands. Eddie was one hundred percent sure that he was meant to be your boyfriend. How he got to that conclusion was well beyond him. (Everything he did always went back to you somehow.)

That afternoon, Eddie calls your house, hoping that it was you who would answer. You didn’t set up a meeting with him today but he was hoping for you to have him pick you up so he could finally ask you to be his girlfriend. Your phone rings three times before someone picks it up.

“Hello?” an unknown but familiar voice answers. He wasn’t sure if it was Leo but it was worth the shot.

“Hi, Leo. It’s Eddie,” he starts. “I was wondering if I could talk to Y/N?”

“You can but this is not Leo. This is her father,” the voice replied. “Let me call her,”

Before Eddie could speak, he could hear your dad call for your name. Jesus Christ—how bad is it to mistake your dad as Leo?

“Hi, Eddie,” he hears your sweet voice drip all over his phone. “My dad said you were looking for me?”

“Yeah, I,” he swallows. “Do you want to meet up? Today? I have something to ask you…”

“Hm…around what time? I have to be back before dinner,” you told him. Eddie looks at the clock on the wall. It was two forty three in the afternoon. That was enough time.

“Can I come pick you up at three thirty?” he asks.

“Yeah,” you replied. “Pick me up?”

“Yeah,” Eddie replied. “See you,”

“See you,”

Eddie parks in front of your driveway at three fifteen. Unknown to him, your father was looking through the window.

“Your boyfriend’s here,” he grunted.

“Dad! He’s not my boyfriend,” you told him. You laughed at the scene in front of you—your dad in his ratted band shirt, tattoos littering his body. His hair was tied in a low pany tail, a pout on his face.

“Just be here before dinner,” he reminded you. “Mom’s cooking,”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Should I go out now?” you asked him.

“Maybe in eight minutes. You don’t want that Eddie boy to know that you’ve been waiting for him,” he said. “Be safe, okay?”

“We’re not doing anything!”

“I’m just saying! He’s a teenage boy, you’re a teenage girl. Does he know?”

“No, not yet,” you told him. “Maybe soon,”

Your dad watched as you paced impatiently in the living room. He smiled. You reminded him of his youth; going on dates and trying to downplay your excitement. In some ways, you were thankful that your dad was not as strict as some parents. He’d let you go on dates, experience life, and all of that. He was the fun parent and your mom was the stricter one. You had a dumb smile on your face and you didn’t care if your dad saw it.

“Okay, okay,” your dad sighed. “Get out of my house before I change my mind,”

You beamed.

“Okay! I’ll see you tonight. Bye, dad!” you kissed your dad on the cheek before running out. He watched as Eddie opened the door for you, a smile on both of your faces. Young love.

It took two dates for Eddie to ask you to be his girlfriend and you agreed. It took two months of bliss to finally have your parents ask if they could meet them. It was a shared dinner, one of the weekends when you’re dad was home.

“I’d like to meet this Eddie boy,” he suddenly said, putting his utensils down.

“Really, dad?” you asked eagerly. “You’re gonna love him. I swear. You know he learned to play Master of Puppets in like, two weeks? And he’s such a good songwriter too,”

“Yeah. Your mom and I have been talking about it and well, it’s about time we meet that boy who’s been keeping you so busy,” he replied, taking mental note of your adoration for this boy named Eddie Munson. “I’ll be here until next week, do you think we could meet him then?”

“Yeah. I’ll ask him,” you nodded. You were elated, the two most important men in your life are finally meeting and you were so excited because they had the same interests. It was how you found yourself in Eddie’s trailer, telling him to meet your parents.

“Come on, Eds,” you said. “My dad is going to love you,”

“What would I even do?” Eddie asked.

“Just be yourself,” you told him and he wanted to laugh at your innocence.

“Please, darling, that’s like, the worst advice,” Eddie said, plopping down beside you. Upon the sight of your slight frown, he sighed and kissed the crease. “Okay, I’ll be there. I know you really want me to and I’m doing this for you, okay?”

“Okay,” you beamed, pecking his lips quickly. “Thank you, baby.” He could’ve swooned but he was too busy worrying. How would he impress your father? It was so obvious that his opinions mattered the most to you. What if he decided that Eddie wasn’t worth the trouble? That you were way to good for him? He probably could never handle that—you were one of the blessings that Eddie was always grateful for.

His desperation leads him to the bedroom of Steve Harrington. He arrived there, all anxious, telling Steve that Eddie badly needed his pretty boy clothes—because all he wore were plaids, t-shirts that probably passed as Satanic, and his jackets. He needed Steve Harrington’s cashmere sweater or whatever it was that he had. He needed to impress your dad.

“I have these light shirts that you could probably wear with your jeans,” Steve said, showing Eddie a red and white stretch polo shirt that was passable enough. “I don’t have anything darker since they’re all in the wash,”

“That’s fine. I’ll take this,” Eddie said.

“You need anything else or…?”

“No, this is okay, I think. Wait, should I tie my hair up or should I put it in a bun?” Eddie asked.

“A bun will probably hide the length of your hair better,” Steve offered. “Like, a neat bun. You could prepare here tomorrow, you know? Like, I’ll call Robin over so she could fix you up and we’ll drop you off,”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s good. Thanks, man,” Eddie said, meaning every word.

Three knocks on your door and you were zooming down the stairs but your dad beat you to it. He opens the door to find…Eddie? You had to slow down your pace and cock your head to the side. Even your dad had his hands on his waist in confusion. This couldn’t possibly be the same boy he saw months ago. He had a beat up van, unruly hair, and clothes but now he was presenting himself with a tight bun with a few stray hairs, someone else’s shirt, and his one pair of pants without tatters.

Eddie on the other hand, wanted to faint. Right before him was the frontman of one of his favorite bands ever, Zilch. Oh my God, oh my God because this was the worst time to dress up like a preppy boy and Oh my God, oh my God because your dad is quite literally his hero? It explains why you were so well-off. He always wondered, with the rest of Hawkins—noble family of another country, crime family, or maybe real estate tycoons? Now, he knows. You’re the daughter of his hero and he was dressed like Steve fucking Harrington. His finest cashmere shirt felt so itchy on his skin, he just wanted to probably crawl somewhere and be buried along with his ratty shirts.

“Dad,” you called. “This is Eddie, my boyfriend. Eddie, this is my dad,”

How was it possible that the girl of his dreams and the man he always wanted to be were right in front of him?

“H-hello, sir,” Eddie stuttered both from embarrassment and anxiety. He should’ve believed you when you told him to be himself. Now, he’s probably cemented as a preppy school boy your father will never like.

“Eddie Munson,” your father greeted, extending his hand towards him. He took note of Eddie’s rings and his tattoos peeking. There are traces of the Eddie that you told him about but still, no Eddie in plain sight. “Come in. We prepared something special for you,”

You waited for Eddie to come in before following your dad.

“Why are you dressed like Steve?” you whispered.

“Why didn’t you tell me that he’s your dad?” he whispered back. Oh. He wanted to impress your dad so bad that he had to pretend to be someone else. Your hand found its way to his and he visibly relaxed.

“Don’t worry, Eddie,” you said. “He’s going to love you. Just be yourself,”

Eddie walks into your dining room. Despite being here for months, he never truly got inside your home. It was always the music shed or the pool but never inside. He understood now. Your house was lined with multiple awards and memorabilia.

Eddie was greeted by your mom and you all sat. He felt like he was being scrutinized and he was—Jesus Christ he just wore the wrong shirt and took the wrong advice. Why didn’t he believe you again?

“Eddie, I would appreciate if you don’t tell anybody that we’re the parents,” your dad started. “I value the privacy of my family too much that’s why we bought a house here. We wanted our daughter to live normally until she chooses to be introduced to the public and she hasn’t done that yet. It would be a shame it someone leaked something,”

“Dad,” you warned him. Eddie was visibly sweating.

“Y-yes, sir,” Eddie stuttered. Oh God.

“Well, that’s good then,” your mom spoke. “Hi, Eddie welcome to the family,”

Your mom was excited. Eddie was the first guy you talked to them about. Your first serious boyfriend that you actually really liked and in your mother’s eyes, he sees a kind boy.

“Welcome,” your dad chirped. “Help yourself to everything, Eddie. We want you to feel welcomed,”

“Thank you, sir,” was Eddie’s meek reply.

“Our daughter says you have a band?” your father asked and Eddie wanted to swoon. Your father, Zilch’s frontman, was asking about his band. Albeit that it was because he wanted to know what his daughter’s boyfriend is up to but still, he was asking.

“Corroded Coffin, sir,” Eddie replied. “We play at the Hideout once a week,”

“How did you two meet?” your mother asked. Obviously, she knew how you met. She just wanted to hear it from Eddie.

“She taught me how to improve my guitar,” Eddie replied. Your mother caught the fond smile on his face. “I was having trouble playing and she helped me. We became friends and she took me to the music shed, ma’am,”

“Oh, Eddie! Stop with the pleasantries,” your mom chided. “You can just call me by my name or something. Ma’am makes me feel old,” she laughed.

“What’s your intention?” your dad asked.

“Oh my God, dad!” you scolded. “Eddie’s nervous as it is. Don’t make it harder for him,” you reached for Eddie’s hands once again.

“Good intentions, sir,” Eddie replied. “I really like your daughter and uh,—I know that your opinion about me matters but I mean well,”

“So, you didn’t know about us…?”

“No, sir. We bonded over our love for music and well, your daughter’s just really good so we play together,” Eddie said. He was being honest. It was what drew him into you—your passion for music, your voice, and everything you do. There was never a moment in his life when he thought that the only reason why he was dating you was because of the fancy things you have. It was all you.

“You any good, though?” your father asked. “I mean, how are you with your guitar? I heard you learned Master of Puppets in two weeks. That’s pretty impressive,”

“Right, dad?” you chimed in. “He’s good with the guitar. He could probably match you in a jamming session or something. He’s that cool,”

“Would you like to play?” your dad asked. “Not today, of course. Maybe tomorrow when you’re more comfortable,”

“Really?” Eddie asked, starstruck. What did he do to deserve this? He didn’t want to assume but if your dad wanted to jam with him, that must mean something, right?

“Yeah,” your dad nodded. “You’re the first boy our daughter ever brought home and we really want to get to know you,” You smiled. Your dad’s tough guy act was starting to soften up and you could feel Eddie get more relaxed too.

“We’ve been wanting to meet you for so long. Sometimes, when you pick her up, I have to restrain her dad not to scare you off,” your mom replied. “But Leo told us that you’re a good guy and we trust Leo. That’s why we wanted to learn more about you,”

“All we hear is Eddie, Eddie, Eddie,” your dad added, making you groan. “Eddie’s so cool, Eddie’s good, Eddie took me out on a date,”

Eddie chuckled at your dad’s impersonation of your voice. It was hyperbolic how pitchy it was but it was funny.

“She speaks very highly of you,” your mom said. “She’s a good judge of character so we trust you, okay?”

“Thank you,” Eddie replied. “It really means a lot to me.”

And it did. He was the resident Freak of Hawkins. He was so scared coming in today and now, the heavens blessed him with an angel and your parents’ trust.

“You know my band, Eddie?” your father asked.

“Yes, sir,” Eddie replied. “A big fan, really,”

“Really?” your father asked. Usually, when people say that they’re big fans, they were just ways to impress him. “Favorite album?”

“Zilch Collaboration CD#1,” Eddie replied. Your dad’s eyebrows raised in surprise. His collaboration CD’s were usually gatekept by the fans. There was no way in hell a fake fan would know about them. “I had to go to Indianapolis to get a copy of it when I learned about it. My uncle got me my first Zilch tape when I was about fourteen? It was his birthday gift for me,”

“Oh,” was your father’s reply. “I’m glad that you liked it. It’s my favorite too. I made it with my bandmates on a whim after our first album. We were so high on adrenaline that we buried ourselves in the studio and just wrote and wrote. We asked so many musicians to collaborate with us and they did. We released it, no promo, no announcement, no anything. We just wanted to release something else other than rock. It’s more like a mixtape in that sense, you know? There’s ballad, pop-rock, metal, and all that. Really liked it. You know, there’s a special edition for that? It was never released but it’s like a secret kept among us bandmates,”

You were happy. Your dad and Eddie were finally bonding. It didn’t matter if you were just listening to your mom, dad, and Eddie speak. They looked so comfortable with each other. You were eating in silence when Eddie’s voice called your name. You didn’t know what they were talking about now. You were just happy.

“She’s the kindest person I know,” Eddie said. “I’m basically the Freak of Hawkins but she didn’t care. I’m really grateful for her,” You looked up to see Eddie’s soft eyes on you.

“Her and her mom are quite the same in that aspect. I didn’t have friends in high school too. I mean, you probably know my story already. Single mother barely making ends meet for my siblings and I but my wife helped me out of that shell,” your dad said. “Like mother, like daughter but in the best way,”

The dinner came to an end. Your mom and dad obviously liked Eddie very much.

“Come back here tomorrow in more appropriate attire, Eddie,” your father said from the couch. You were walking him to his van. “Don’t forget the packed food for your uncle,”

“Yes, sir! It was great meeting the two of you,” Eddie said. When you closed the door, Eddie looked at you with a glint in his eyes.

“Oh my God,” he breathed, tackling you in a hug. “You knew how big of a fan I was and he’s your dad? And my sweet, sweet girlfriend is you? I did something so right, huh, baby?” he asked, his arms never leaving your waist.

“Yeah,” you laughed. “I told you you only had to be yourself. Did you have fun?”

“Yeah. I spent my night with my baby. Of course, I’ll have fun,” he replied. “Oh, my God. I just couldn’t believe it,” he said, peppering your face with so many kisses, making you chuckle. “I’m the luckiest man alive!”

“Eddie! They’ll hear you,” you told him, sobering him up.

“I hope you don’t think that I’m only with you because of all this,” he said. “I know how it might look like, but I swear on my life—“

“I know, Eddie,” you told him. “I know,”

Your assurance was enough to Eddie. Maybe it was all the adrenaline but Eddie didn’t care anymore. He wanted to tell you what he’s been dying to tell you. Maybe it was your parents’ obvious approval that served as an ego boost or an encouragement, either way he didn’t care. Thumpthumpthumpthumpthump. All Eddie could hear was his heart racing and he knew that if he didn’t tell you, he’d combust. So, he stood nearer, his toes against yours, arms tighter around your body. Oh my God. Oh my God.

“I love you,” he said, three words that held more bearing than anything he’s ever said before. “It doesn’t matter if you feel the same. I mean—it does, it really does but if you aren’t there yet, then, that’s okay,” He shyly smiles down at you, pink tinting his cheeks.

“Eddie,” you smiled. “You love me? I love you too,”

“You do?”

“Yeah,” you nodded. “And stop being so shy about it,”

“Okay but only because I love you,” he said.

A knock on the window broke you from each other, your father glowering at the sight of the two of you so close together. He liked Eddie but he didn’t like seeing his only daughter be so lovey-dovey with her boyfriend.

“Hey! There are adults here!” he exclaimed. It was teasing but it was still enough for Eddie to break away from you and give your dad an apologetic smile.

“That’s my cue,” you said. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“8:00 am. Sharp,” he said, kissing you one last time before running to his van with his take-out like a madman.

Sounds of electric guitar and drums play heavily from your music shed. You walked in to see your dad playing his drums while Eddie played along with his ‘Darling”; a blck and red guitar that your dad seemed to also like.

“That’s what I’m talking about, Eddie! Take it away!” your dad shouts over the music, encouraging your boyfriend, who, after a few weeks, became like your dad’s mentee. You watched from the door as Eddie took the guitar solo of Metallica’s Master of Puppets. The first shreds were okay but he had to pressure himself into perfecting it in front of your dad. Most importantly, he wanted to impress you. So, so, so bad because he didn’t want you to think he was lame.

But he wasn’t.

In your eyes, he hung the stars in the sky. He was so…understanding when it came to you. A pinch of the brow, a little sigh…he knows everything about you. He’d always help you out in whatever way, opening doors for you, listening to you talk about your day—hell, he’d even use another voice to talk to your stuffed toys. He’s always heavy metal in front but in reality, he was made for you.

“Hey, hey!” your dad roared, after Eddie’s guitar solo. “Good job, Eddie!”

“Thanks, sir!” Eddie said. He looks at you by the door and smiles. “May I…?”

“Fine, fine. Leave the poor old man alone and go,” your dad rolled his eyes. Eddie laughed apologetically before allowing himself to be dragged by you.

“Having fun with my dad?” you asked. He nodded, his arm around your shoulders, pulling you in closer.

“Yeah but I’ll have more fun with you,” he said. “So, where are we going next?”

“Out of here?”

He nodded and opened the door for his van. He got in to rev it up and he drove into the sunset. He’e never thought he’d feel this way before—happy and contented; all because of you. A/N: Don’t forget to reblog, leave notes, and request more fics!!! TAGLIST: @rayodesol97 @moistmocca @munsonology @sadbitchfangirl @bebe0701 @tayhar811 @aol19 @eddiesprincess86 @undeadgirlsworld @rosemarythl @rosemary_thl @eddiethesexy @sister-cirice @weaslyslut01 @himynameisjeff @captainweirdo42 @alyisdead

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taegularities · 2 years

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Heyyy Rid💜~~ hope you doin greatt✨💜~~...So yea here's my ask for 'RUINED YOU'

jungkook and oc meeting taehyung after like 6 months,

oc doesn't know about jungkook and taehyung' plan ( yknow 👀 back to square one i seriously want them to go back ahhjsjjsjskks )

taehyung stucking a strand of hair behind oc's ear while she was glancing his lips (obviously taehyung saw👀), “I can see how much you want to taste me.”

Them going back to taehyung' place “Come over here. No, don’t stand – crawl.”

I know you'll write much much better than this 👆😂

fic: ruin you pairing: bf!jk x reader x fwb!tae warnings: sexual tension, unprotected sex, choking, hair pulling, oral (m. rec.), dom!taehyung, kinda threesome wc: 625 a/n: hey love, i'm doing okay, hope u are well too !! so with the ruin you request – i changed it up a little, since 6 months later, tae finds a!oc (from ruined) and wouldn't even think about going back to ry!oc 😭 that was the main point of ‘remedy’ actually !! so i made this drabble take place when their escapades were still ongoing <33 also, i missed those guys

ask my character! (no more drabble requests, please!) <3

–

"Uh... when you said it'd be okay for you to do that again, you meant it, huh?" you ask, eyes fixated on Jungkook, because you won't dare to look at the other man present in the room.

He looks amused, a thumb on his lower lip.

"I won't be offended if you say no," Taehyung tells you. The pout doesn't fit his alluring stance... the fog in his eyes.

"I mean, judging the last time..."

"She's just shy," Jungkook argues, planting a palm against the small of your back, "I do think she wants it."

Taehyung steps closer, eyeing you up and down; hunger is already dripping from his gaze as he asks, "Yeah? Do you?"

His voice is deep and tempting. Miserably inviting. Kim Taehyung is a powerful man, and he seems to know.

Close enough to feel his hot breath fanning against your cheek, Taehyung raises a hand.

Long fingers opt for your loose hair strands, tucking them behind your ear gently and cautiously; like you're made of glass.

Your stare drops to his mouth, and he notices; traps his lower lip between his teeth. And when he speaks again, his tone is anything but gentle and cautious, "Say you don't wanna taste me."

You're baffled and still, unable to mutter a single word. Your focus darts to Jungkook for a moment, and he nods; and as you swallow the lump in your throat and look back to Taehyung, he adds, "But it's written all over your face that you want to, baby."

Drenching your guts and your words in courage, you inch closer to his body. He’s dressed in dark slacks, sporting a white shirt. Fresh out of the office, tugging along with Jungkook.

And now you're all here; in your room, clothed for a movie night... not expecting this.

That is, until you’re not clothed anymore at all, but bare on your king sized bed.

Drooling and gasping, sighing when Taehyung sets his girthy length free. Jungkook’s body lingers next to yours, attentive eyes following your movements.

“Come to me, kitten,” Taehyung beckons with an ocean deep voice; his gravity pulls you closer almost unnoticeably.

You get on your knees, creeping closer, ready to get off the bed and bruise your knees on the ground.

But Taehyung clicks his tongue, shakes his head, and scolds, “No. No need to stand. Crawl.”

He uses your obedience well, you notice. Keeps enjoying your pliant nature: a steadfast grip around your hair; hooded eyes looking down; lips parted when you swallow him whole.

The tears trailing down your face are an artwork; the moans you elicit delicious; your ass an absolute treat when he finally bends you over and enters you slowly.

Then proceeds hard.

Pushes your body forwards, a hand around your neck, leaving you begging for air.

Which doesn’t get better once Jungkook’s shaft penetrates your mouth.

The whole affair passes nearly wordlessly, though the room is filled with sounds too lewd to secure you a place in heaven anymore.

And when everything is said and done, your pussy battered very much like the last time, you feel your mind shift. Dozing off, your limbs aching, your body covered in sweat.

“C’mon,” your boyfriend whispers, patting your thigh.

He grabs your arm and pulls you up carefully; turns on the shower and leads you under it.

Despite the prior intimacy, Taehyung doesn’t join you both. Instead, he awaits his turn and your return, alone in your room, staring at a ceiling that doesn’t belong to him.

He might not know you thoroughly, but the feeling after the closeness you just shared is undoubtedly new and strange to him.

And when you return with Jungkook in tow, happy and smiling, he thinks he has a hunch why.

what did i need bullet points for, this is a whole ass proper drabble smh

#writing a full smut scene would've taken me a day so i hope there's a bit i could leave to ur imagination 😌#taehyung smut #jungkook smut #bts smut #*ryamc #*amc #fic: ruin you #notes for rid 🌹#l0mljeonjungkook

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shamelesslymkp · 2 years

Text

I posted 4,848 times in 2022

1,253 posts created (26%)

3,595 posts reblogged (74%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@beatrice-otter

@lupinerage

@magnesiumflare

@ltleflrt

@tanoraqui

I tagged 1,551 of my posts in 2022

#i eat fic for breakfast - 774 posts

#fic recs - 774 posts

#schrödinger's content warnings - 774 posts

#via:pinboard - 773 posts

#queue me up scotty - 773 posts

#just talk to your therapist mkp - 69 posts

#nona the ninth spoilers - 49 posts

#fandom ate my soul (fanart edition) - 20 posts

#ho shit how do you talent - 20 posts

#current events - 14 posts

Longest Tag: 140 characters

#i suppose it's nice that other people are feeling validated by this post but literally it is one of the most upsetting and infuriating takes

I sent 1 gift in 2022

My Top Posts in 2022:

wake up babe new pain scale just dropped

Discernible

Distracting

Distressing

Disabling

(Wish I Were) Dead

16 notes - Posted February 13, 2022

he is wearing BOOT SOLES as PAULDRONS, this KID

(@kedreeva, mkp's znation liveblog, take 2)

19 notes - Posted May 17, 2022

Was trawling back through my AO3 history and I started deleting deleted fics, which reduced the page count by like, 20 before I’d even gotten a 200 pages back from the oldest entries, so this is your reminder to check out and regularly use @nianeyna‘s ao3 downloader!!

(all gods bless you for sharing that, for serious, especially the pinboard functionality as apparently I AM a fandom dinosaur which is hilarious and somewhat inspirational at the same time)

(I am having some difficulties now finding and downloading the stuff I missed because it isn’t bookmarked on Pinboard from the AO3, only from LJ or whatever, which is why I started trawling my history in the first place and huh it looks like for the first few years I only left kudos when my head had been practically blown off, unlike my current categorizing system of ‘seen - tried, didn’t like’, ‘kudosed - read, liked’, ‘pinned to pinboard - read, liked enough to re-read’, ‘bookmarked on ao3 - read and holy shit i need a quick link to this fucker so i can read it again immediately on demand, and/or oh hey! series!’)

(I’m trying to make use of some other Python utilities I found for scraping my personal AO3 reading history but uh. I keep running into problems. u_u)

24 notes - Posted March 16, 2022

D&D as Disability Metaphor

N.B. Most of the ideas herein about spell slots/cantrips and mana/health points were sourced from various tumblr posts; please reblog with links if you have them! Also reblog with additional links to those tumblr posts about forks and knives!

In this metaphor, YOU are a D&D/RPG character!

Your CHARACTER BUILD reflects your strengths and weaknesses.

First: you have your basic STATS – INT, CON, WIS, DEX, STR, CHA – these are primarily determined by your baseline nature and your early nurture. (e.g., you may be born with a certain facility for learning, a natural sense of balance, perfect pitch, etc., or you may have spent much of your life playing sports and building strength and dexterity, or have been forced by circumstance to become Very Good at identifying people’s true motives and/or playing the part you need to play in any given situation, etc.)

Secondly: You have your basic ADVANTAGES and DISADVANTAGES. These are primarily determined by your baseline nature but can be affected by nurture and change over time just as you do!

For example, you may be vision impaired – any task requiring good vision will have you at a natural disadvantage that can be mitigated by the use of an accessory or tool. So long as you have your accommodation, your natural disadvantage is entirely or partially nullified – instead of a negative 3 to skill checks involving vision, you might have a modifier of only negative 1 or even zero!

Another example:

You might be autistic or have other sensory processing issues that mean certain textures are ILLEGAL – any time you’re required to interact with that texture, you have to roll a WIS save to see how it impacts you.

On a bad day (in the metaphor, you roll a 1), you might be completely incapacitated for a time. On a good day, you might be able to use a positive modifier from a learned skill like DISTRESS TOLERANCE or DISENAGE to overcome the badness and only be partially incapacitated, or maybe not even incapacitated at all, just inflicted with a DEBUFF of some kind for a period of time. (This gives you a negative modifier for future skill checks and saving throws until the debuff expires or you take a LONG REST.)

On any given day, your disability (physical, mental, developmental, etc.) may give you a GENERAL DEBUFF that affects your skill checks and saving throws.

For example, if you have bipolar disorder and are in a depressive episode, you might have a negative 1 modifier to any social interaction, even if ‘normally’ you have a plus 3.

Or you might have chronic migraines and be having a debilitating headache that actually precludes the use of some skills/spells/actions at all – you might be incapable of leaving a dark room or of using your computer/phone.

Thirdly: In general, you can think of your overall capability to COPE as mana points, stamina points, spell slots, or anything similar. SPELL SLOTS is the easiest metaphor, just because of how the magic system is structured.

You have a given number of SPELL SLOTS on any single day, although a DEBUFF might reduce your baseline of slots for the day or a BUFF might actually give you an extra one! These spell slots correspond to the energy needed to perform various activities/tasks. The more difficult the task, the higher level of spell slot is required. BUT! If you’ve already used your third level spell slot for the day and need to “cast” another third level spell (another difficult activity), you can sacrifice multiple lower level spell slots in order to do so, with the disadvantage of having fewer slots left until your next LONG REST.

Some activities don’t drain you at all and can be done at any time (in this metaphor, they can be considered CANTRIPS). Some might even return used spell slots! (Think of this as taking a SHORT REST.) CANTRIPS are typically less effort or are of such benefit that they cancel out the level of effort required. They vary wildly based on the individual. An example for one person might be listening to an audiobook or taking a hot shower, while a different person might consider both of those first level spells.

Finally: The final part of this metaphor switches genres a little bit, so bear with me. This doesn’t tend to happen in the most well-known tabletop RPGs, but you’ve probably seen it in other popular media. Sometimes, you’re completely out of spell slots / mana / stamina, but you’ve got something you absolutely HAVE to do – either because it’s a necessity for your survival, or because you simply care about the thing so much that you’re willing to borrow against your future self.

In this kind of situation, you can ‘borrow’ spell slots from your future self (meaning you use it now, and therefore don’t have it available to use the next day), or you might start using your own health points in place of the missing mana.

Think about in fantasy media, when the magic user runs out of magic in the FINAL BATTLE and starts sacrificing their own life force to continue powering the spell. In some circumstances, they might drain themselves so completely that they can never use magic again, or it takes them years to recover. Similarly, a person with CFS who pushes themselves too hard one day might end up bedbound for days, weeks, or even months following.

Another example:

Someone with a torn ACL who stresses it during the healing process might find that it never heals completely/properly, permanently affecting their athletic ability.

TL;DR – D&D is actually a great extended metaphor for both short-term and long-term disabilities and how they impact a person’s life!

But it does. Uh. Require some background in RPG terms and tropes in order to fully understand it. If the person you’re trying to explain the concepts to is completely unfamiliar with RPGs, you may be better off with sticking with something more basic like Spoon* Theory (or the Unified Cutlery** Theory).

Citations etc. under the cut.

*See Christine Miserandino's spoon article here: https://butyoudontlooksick.com/articles/written-by-christine/the-spoon-theory/. Learn more @thespoontheory

**Unified Cutlery Theory, very overly simplified: Spoons = Energy, Forks = Things That Make Your Spoons Worth Less, Knives = Something You Need Help Addressing Or It’ll Make Things Worse

See @jenrosess' original post here: https://www.tumblr.com/jenroses/635100154258735104 and the update including knives here: https://www.tumblr.com/jenroses/635100154258735104/sheepscot-cipheramnesia-jenroses-have-i

(Apparently there are two competing Fork Theories? The one I'm used to is the one referenced above.)

***Mana and spell slots metaphors are really hard to source, y'all, so if you have links please add them in your reblogs!

71 notes - Posted December 5, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

testing something

525 notes - Posted October 22, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #oh my god i know why the number 1 post is number 1 but also i'm still dying #that's just #objectively possibly the most hilarious post for it to have been

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irish-urn · 2 years

Note

Hello, Dasey fan here. Also, huge fan of your works, but this is specifically about the music you use in the fics. After reading Kick at Darkness, I immediately went to listen to Aim and Ignite and IT DID NOT DISSAPOINT! Can you please drop a playlist. I see ya'll talking about music here, so I very respectfully ask for a full playlist! Obvs you don't have to but just a few suggestions work too! Freaking love Fun now, because of you would love to see what else you like. Thank you :)

WOW, aw!! Thanks for being a fan; that's super sweet. I, uh. I am also really surprised that people are actually complimenting me on my music taste; most of my friends/family think it's mediocre at best.

First things first: I do have a playlist for kick at the darkness 'till it bleeds daylight, and if you really want it, I can drop the link here. BUT: it's not really a Dasey playlist; it's specifically for that series. By which I mean, every song is like, 'Hey, this is how I think Derek/Casey feels in this particular moment/day/week/month.' The flow/transition between songs is 'eh' at best BECAUSE some songs have a couple of days between them, some have months, some are for weeks of time, others are for very brief moments— the first few in particular are kind of jarring because Derek is feeling a lot of emotions while Casey is in New York. But! if you're really interested, I can totally post the link; and if you have questions, I will answer them if it's not too spoilery.

(Because it's literally a playlist for the ENTIRE series, including all the stuff I haven't written yet, AND the future stuff.)

SECOND THING: If you like fun., I DO have music recs. :D

So, after fun. disbanded, the lead singer, Nate Ruess did a solo album — I personally am not a fan, but you may be. What I do really like is what Jack Antonoff did — he's currently a music producer (he's worked with Lorde, Carly Rae Jepsen, and Taylor Swift on her "Taylor's Version" albums), AND he's Bleachers. I very much enjoy Bleachers. He did this thing where he made an album, and then asked a whole bunch of artists to cover the songs, so there's a second album of their covers, and some of those are very cool. (It's not on Spotify, but there's this version on YouTube of Mitski singing "Let's Get Married" and it's lovely.)

If you like fun., and Bleachers, I also recommend WALK THE MOON and Jukebox the Ghost. I am partial for WALK THE MOON's first two albums, but there's nothing wrong with their latter ones, and I personally like the newer Jukebox the Ghost albums over the earlier ones, but that's just me. I have a friend who likes the opposite. *shrugs*

Hope any of those work!!!

#asks #music #if you want particular songs by those artists to start you off i can do that too!#feel free to ask; i am only a little bit scary

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graymoon2-archive · 2 years

Text

better

sapnap x reader

masterlist

secret cupid masterlist

summary- finding out that your boyfriend cheated on you on valentine's day is not a fun experience, but maybe it’s for the better…

warnings- tw yelling and swearing. this is based a lot off puppy princess :D also sorta a hs/college au? hhhh its not a super major plot point

pronouns- they/them

song rec- puppy princess by hot freaks

a/n- hi hello so i took part in @allywritesforfun’s “secret cupid” fic exchange! i am @bunarise’s secret cupid! she asked for sapnap or dream, so here we are! i combined this with another idea i had sitting on my wip list for months so it worked out nicely :)

1.6k

“there they go again,” sapnap said, motioning his head in the direction of you and your boyfriend.

dream rolled his eyes, swiping his sponge halfheartedly across the dish he held.

rain pattered on the restaurant’s roof, dripping down the small window above the sink. there was another window that showed into the dining area.

“you’re down so bad it isn’t even funny.” he scoffed.

“they just know me as their goofy friend” sapnap muttered.

“yeah, you seem to have that effect on people.” dream sighed.

“shut up asshole” sapnap said, flicking water at dream

“what? i’m not wrong” he said, rolling his eyes again.

“i wish i was someone else” sapnap sighed

“i mean you can definitely get rid of the boyfriend,” dream said, looking pointedly at sapnap.

“what? what do you mean?“ sapnap asked.

“dude, he was making out with some cheerleader at the game. weren’t you there?” dream sighed. sapnap dropped the plate he was washing, eyes flashing in anger. the plate smashed against the sink, a loud crash echoing through the kitchen.

“he what” sapnap growled. he turned when he heard a loud sigh.

“sapnap, go wait tables. i don’t want any more broken plates this shift.” the manager said, rubbing her temple with two fingers.

“yes ma’am” sapnap said, grabbing the waiter's apron and a notepad. you walked by the kitchen then, heading to the bathrooms. sapnap stopped in his tracks, staring at you. he looked like a deer in headlights, and he sure as hell felt like one.

“hey sap” you chuckled awkwardly, waving your hand a little. he snapped out of his trance.

“oh, hey y/n!” he said a little too excitedly. dream sighed from the kitchen. you smiled and rubbed your head awkwardly, walking to the bathroom. sapnap let out the breath he had been holding, shoulders dropping. he went to the nearest table

“what can i get started for you?” he asked, pen at the ready. the two girls smiled at him.

“you’re sapnap, right? y/n’s friend? i’m em, that’s wren” the brown haired one said. she had small streaks of purple through her hair, matching the sweatshirt they wore.

“oh, uh, yeah.” he said, scratching his head. it gave him a little comfort that they knew him as your friend and not your boyfriend’s friend.

“mm yeah they’ve mentioned you.” the second one- wren said. she twirled a strand of her curly hair around her finger in boredom.

“oh, really?” he asked, eyes widening in surprise. em chuckled.

“all good things” she clarified.

“they trust you a lot,” said wren

“uh, on that note, can you tell them something?” sapnap asked, an idea suddenly striking.

“sure?” em asked, looking at him skeptically.

“look, their boyfriend is an ass. he cheated on them at the football game. and if he knew i told y/n, he’d beat the shit out of me” sapnap rushed, biting his lip.

“oh my god” they breathed in unison.

“just please tell her. and don’t mention me”

“yeah, no problem” nodded em, eyebrows set in anger.

later, you had come back from the bathroom, and sapnap was stuck with waiting on you and your boyfriend.

“what can i get started for you?” sapnap asked, knees weak as you smiled at him. your boyfriend was giving him a dirty look.

later, he came back for the plates. he stood in the kitchen, watching through the window as you and your boyfriend left for the rest of your date.

your boyfriend was an asshole.

sure, you should have figured that out by now, but it took hearing that he cheated on you for you to figure it out. you threw your phone on the bed in anger, fuming at the message em had sent you. your phone started buzzing, muffled slightly by your sheets. it was him.

of course.

you picked up the phone, answering the call. you knew if you didn’t answer he’d just call again.

“babe please, i'm sorry,” he apologized, trying to thaw your frozen heart. but you were fed up.

“no, you aren’t sorry. you never have been and you never will be” you spit, getting ready to hang up.

“y/n, please, let’s discuss this.”

“oh yeah? you wanna discuss how i found out you cheated on me? on VALENTINE’S DAY? there isn’t anything to fucking discuss. we’re done.”

you hung up the phone, slumping face down against your pillow. tears streaked down your face, salty drops hitting your pillowcase. you sniffed, grabbing a tissue. your cat jumped on your bead, running her head under your hand.

“hey socks” you said to the cat “wanna watch a stupid romcom?”

she purred, and you took that as a yes. you grabbed your remote, turning on netflix. your phone began to buzz again. this time it was sapnap.

“that was awful. they always act kinda strange around him. i hate it man.” sapnap sighed, flopping on dream’s bed. work had exhausted him.

“did you tell them?” dream asked, eyebrows raised.

no, but i asked wren and em to so he doesn’t beat the shit out of me.” sapnap replied, rubbing two fingers on his temple.

“sap, maybe you should check on y/n” dream said, motioning to sapnap’s phone.

“what do you mean dude?” sapnap asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

“look at em’s story,” dream said, turning his phone around. a black image with white text showed.

“if y/n doesn’t answer you right now it’s probably because they just broke up with their boyfriend” read the text.

“what makes you think they’ll answer me?”

“they always answer you, idiot.”

sapnap’s mouth formed a round o.

“stop opening and closing your mouth like a fish and call them”

“y/n?” sapnap’s voice called through the phone softly.

“hey sapnap” you say, pushing pause on the movie.

“you doing okay?” he asked gently.

“not really, no '' you say, voice cracking. you had already cried your eyes dry, and you had a bad headache.

“want me to come over?” he offered.

“that’d be nice,” you said quietly, biting the inside of your lip.

“alright, i’ll call you when i get there”

sapnap hung up, grabbing his keys off dream’s table.

“simp” dream called as sapnap ran out the door into the pouring rain. he jumped in the car, driving off to your house. he made a quick stop at dunkin, getting you a hot coffee. he somehow had your favorite order memorized. he jumped back in the car, putting the coffee in the cupholder. he already had chocolate and snacks in his car in case someone ever needed some, and now was the time. he pulled up in front of your house, grabbing the bag with snacks and the coffee. he got out, shifting the bag to knock on the door. water dripped off his hair down his back. your mom answered the door.

“hey sapnap” she smiled, opening the door. he waved hello, walking to your room. he knocked gently on the door.

“come in” you called. he walked in, shutting the door behind him.

you sat up, pulling your earbuds out. you brought your legs out from underneath you, standing to meet him.

“hey” you smiled weakly. he set the coffee and snacks down on your nightstand, wrapping his arms around you tightly.

“you’re soaking wet,” you say, holding him at arm's length. “and shivering, '' you added. you patted the bed, grabbing the spare blanket and wrapping it around him. he was too stunned to speak, climbing on the bed with you. he took your hand gently, rubbing the back of it with his thumb.

“i’m sorry about him. he was an asshole. you deserve better.” sapnap mumbled.

you had just noticed the coffee sitting on your table, staring at the sticker that told what he had ordered.

“what’s wrong? did i get your order messed up?” he asked, looking at the coffee in concern.

“no, you got it perfectly right.” you say in awe. “i can’t believe you remembered”

“well, yeah. who wouldn’t?”

“he never did,” you mumbled. you turned to him, looking in his eyes. “he didn’t know anything. my favorite color, my favorite movie, my best friend’s name. he never cared enough to ask”

“green, the notebook, and em” he ticked off, smiling a little.

“you’re incredible,” you say, smiling. your nose crinkled when you smiled

“i uh- i’m not really” he stuttered

“no, you are. i never knew you cared so much” you said, taking his other hand.

“i always cared,” he said, smiling sheepishly.

you pulled him into your arms, enveloping him in a warm hug. you buried your head in his neck, water from his hair dripping down your back.

“you’re so much better than he ever was, and i can’t believe it took me so long to realize.” you muttered. he turned, looking straight into your eyes. you smiled, corners of your eyes forming little lines. he stared in awe, taking in the sight before him. you. your watery eyes and the little lines when you smiled, and the way your nose scrunched up when you laughed. he found his eyes trailing to your lips.

“can i kiss you?” he asked suddenly, without thinking. he regretted it instantly, thinking he had fucked up your friendship.

“wait sorry that was-“ he began to apologize; you cut him off, kissing him firmly. you pulled back a bit, smiling against his lips.

“happy valentine’s day” you breathed. he kissed you back, wet hair dripping on your pillow.

reblogs are appreciated! (seriously what do you have to lose)

tags- @allywritesforfun @cr3scentm0on @pixviepie @dukina

happy valentines to everyone! especially you bun (except fuck you because my fyp is fnaf now /j)

240 notes · View notes

hottielindholm · 3 years

Note

hey can we get some buddie fic recs? only if you feel like it obviously.

Ok off the bat I’m gonna tag people I read from every time they post smth @evanbucxley @hmslusitania @littlespooneven @fangkinkdiaz @cinematicnomad @finduilasclln @evcndiaz @werewolfdiaz @vampirebuckley

★ underneath my scars by woodchoc_magnum

Post 5x01 "Panic", in which Eddie struggles with his panic attacks, Buck helps him through it, and they find their way to each other.

★ Strong and Able by middyblue (daisyblaine)

Or, things Buck has made: a bench; a cutting board; a skateboard; a safe home; a dinner; a family.

Kicks and Giggles by alexmercer

“The laughing gas,” Buck moaned, sounding mortified. “Please don’t tell me I did anything illegal.” Eddie raised an eyebrow. “Do you usually do illegal things on laughing gas?” “I stole a dog once,” Buck admitted. “Ah. Then it’s a good thing I told you that we couldn’t stop to pet every single dog we saw.” ~ While still under the effects of laughing gas after a trip to the dentist, Buck ends up running his mouth a bit and saying a few things he might have normally kept to himself, much to everyone's amusement and Eddie's delight.

look into your heart and you'll find love by soyxunxperdedor

It starts after Eddie’s Abuela breaks her hip.

Not an auspicious start, and certainly not a sexy one, but after Buck introduces him to Carla he’s so damn grateful he barely waits for the door to shut behind her before he’s crowding Buck up against the kitchen counter and dropping to his knees.

-or-

Eddie falls into a friends with benefits relationship with Buck, and then he just keeps falling.

The Heart of Christmas by elless

After coming out to his parents doesn’t go well for Eddie, Buck is determined to give him the perfect Christmas.

★ I Hate Accidents (Except When We Went From Friends to This) by morganofthefairies

“You should just move in,” Eddie said one night. They were already laying in bed, Buck’s face half-buried in his pillow.

“Where would I sleep, Eddie,” Buck deadpanned, sleep heavy in his voice.

“Here,” Eddie said, not entirely sure how Buck missed that part. “The same place you’ve been sleeping.”

Bobby raised an eyebrow when Buck updated his address on all of the necessary paperwork, but Eddie wasn’t entirely sure what the big deal was.

~~~~~~~

Buck and Eddie had always been unconventional. Neither of them gave it much thought – they were just them. Buck and Eddie - partners, best friends, co-parents – just as entangled in each other’s lives as any actual couple in the 118.

Or, the story of how Buck and Eddie went about their relationship in entirely the wrong order.

Without You, I'll Never Be Home by The_Forgotten_Nobody

“Right, well…” Eddie rubs the back of his head. “If you want, you’re free to spend the night at ours. I know you’re probably gonna be tired still and I thought that, uh, it might be nice. It didn’t seem right letting you go home alone after everything you did.”

After the tsunami, Eddie invites Buck to stay with him and Christopher.

★ Two Minutes For Roughing by ok_thanks

They trade for a winger after Buck’s second season. When he walks into the dressing room a few days later, Buck freezes in his place.

Chim and Bobby are huddled in the corner, openly staring from their stalls.

“Who the hell is that?”

Bobby simply shrugs. “Eddie Diaz. New winger out of Dallas.”

or: the hockey AU that literally NO ONE asked for

How to Find Home by wilddragonflying

Inspired by this post on tumblr

Buck's been on his own since before he joined the 118; never really had a territory, never had a pack, but that changes the day he meets Eddie Diaz.

It just takes a while for them to realize it, that's all.

5 'platonic' terms of endearment (+1 that definitely means more) by coupe_de_foudre

“Shut up, darling, it’s nothing. Now get gone, my son is waiting to hear how the pirates found the purple dinosaur.” He laughs again before pulling his phone away from his ear, hanging up the call with an achingly soft smile at his screen.

Ana chews her lip, looking away.

Is it weird that her boyfriend has never called her ‘darling’ but calls his best friend that?

We Really Should Stop Meeting Like This by GeraskierIsCuteNGL

Buck doesn't know how much time passes before he hears his door opening, Eddie calling out his name in search of him. Buck reluctantly gives away his location, heart in his ass as Eddie ascends the steps. He can practically hear the raising of Eddie's eyebrows when he takes in the spectacle. Buck tries to turn his head to catch a glimpse of him but it feels too much like he's pulling a muscle.

"I'd say this isn't what it looks like, but I don't think anyone would believe me," Buck says, laughing to fend off the heat in his cheeks.

"So this is what you meant by stuck. Honestly, I was expecting to come in and see you halfway in the washer because you got curious enough to see if you could fit."

In all fairness, that's something Buck has done before.

"Surprise?"

★ how to peel oranges by iphigenias

“Buck?” Eddie’s voice is scratchy when he answers the phone and Buck instantly regrets calling. He pulls it away from his ear, notes the time in the top left corner—1:47, fuck.

“Shit, sorry,” he says. “I didn’t even think about the time. Just—forget it, Eds, fuck.”

“Hey.” Eddie’s voice is still rough but clearer, more distinct. “I’m awake now so tough shit, tell me what’s going on.”

Buck laughs, humourlessly. His legs are tangled and sweaty in his sheets and it’s definitely too hot to be wearing sweats and socks to bed but he can’t bring himself to move. He swipes at the damp on his forehead. “What do you think?”

There’s a pause. “Do you wanna tell me what it was about?”

“Not really.”

“Okay.” On the other end of the line there’s some rustling, like Eddie’s getting out of bed, then a yawn. Buck takes the sound and tucks it in between his palms, a benediction. “Do you wanna hear about Chris’ book report?”

Five conversations Buck and Eddie have on the phone + one time they hang up.

Sweet Summer Heat by waywardrenegades

It’s July in LA, there’s a heatwave, and Buck is fucking upset.

★ Actually, Truly by MilenaDaniels

Isabel calls to tell them Eddie's been shot on a Thursday afternoon and by lunch on Friday Helena and Ramon are landing at LAX. When they land, they learn Eddie's already home recovering and has been for two weeks.

----

Or, Helena (and Ramon) tries to find a way back into Eddie's life and doesn't know what to make of finding Buck around every corner she turns.

Diaz Family Dinner: Spaghetti Thursday Edition firstdegreefangirl

“Know what we’re making tonight, kiddo?” Buck stands back up, ruffling Chris’ hair, but Eddie doesn’t think he’s been spotted yet. He’s not trying to hide, but he stays in the doorway, lingering on the edges of the moment until he’s taken it all in.

“Yeah, it’s Thursday,” Chris rolls his eyes, like it’s the most obvious answer in the world, and Eddie tries not to laugh at Buck’s affronted expression. “We’re making spaghetti!”

Buck is the catalyst for the latest Diaz family tradition. Helpful that he's part of the family, before any of them realize just how much.

The Long Road to Boning by redinblack

Happy weewoo day, everyone, here's a fic that I wrote to help me get through the last 3 days of waiting. It was supposed to be pure smut, but apparently I'm incapable of not giving context (of like 5k words).

Have fun. (No cheating and no character bashing happens in this fic. Ana and Taylor are both out of the picture before Buddie happens.)

#buddie fic rec #buddie #911 #911 fic rec #buddie fic #**#asks #anonymous #i only went ten pages into my bookmarks cause im lazy

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blouisparadise · 3 years

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Today’s rec list consists of bottom Louis fics that take place in the country, the Midwest, or any rural area. We hope you enjoy. If you do, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word. Happy reading!

1) Save A Horse | Explicit | 2400 words

Louis goes to a rodeo with Liam, and gets a lot more than he bargained for. Featuring bull rider Harry, obnoxious t-shirts, and one hell of a night.

“Come on Jackson ain’t you been practicin? It ain’t fun for me if I always beat you,” the boy drawls out, voice slow and thick like molasses. “You comin out tonight?” he asks, nudging him with his elbow.

“Not tonight H, me and Liam are going to grab something to eat,” Jackson replies, the blush returning to Liam’s cheeks.

“What about you, what’re your plans for the night darlin’?” Harry asks, crooking an eyebrow in Louis’s direction.

Louis, who is the epitome of outgoing and confident, is at a total loss for words. He starts to say something but freezes, Harry now raising his other eyebrow and smirking, awaiting Louis’s response. “I uh- I’ll probably just go home,” Louis manages to stammer out, and what the fuck? Who is this man and how has he turned Louis into an introvert in a matter of seconds?

2) Gunsmoke | Explicit | 6527 words

Harry 'Gunsmoke' Styles and his boys Liam, Zayn, and Niall are all traveling cowboys who come across a small town on their journey to nowhere. They hang out at a tavern where Harry meets Louis, a cute and fiery bartender, and they may or may not fall in love.

3) Hey I Heard You Were A Wild One (If I Took You Home It'd Be A Homerun) | Explicit | 12106 words

Harry came to the bar to forget. Louis gives him a night to remember.

4) This Land Is More Than Dreams | Explicit | 12878 words

Louis is a student taking a gap year, travelling through the States. His plans change when he meets a cute cowboy-wannabe in one of the towns.

5) Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy | Mature | 13356 words

Harry owns a farm and Louis rides horses (and pretty boys sometimes) for a living. Harry hurts himself by being clumsy before he gets to ride a horse with Louis.

6) Manifest Destiny | Explicit | 15210 words

Louis is a Pony Express rider and Harry runs a station along the trail.

7) Baby Blue | Explicit | 39439 words

Harry Styles takes his time coming out to greet them. Louis only knows what he’s seen on file and what he’s heard them talking about, but he fully lives up to the image he had inside of his head.

He saunters down the front steps of the farmhouse in his Levi’s, brown snakeskin boots curving out from underneath the denim Louis’ sure he had specially made. He’s got on a plaid button-down tucked into the jeans because of course he does, curls spilling out from either side of his cowboy hat around his sunglasses and country-tan skin.

“Harry Styles,” he drawls, extending a hand to Louis’ manager, “Pleased to meet ya’ll.”

8) I Ain’t Gonna Fence You In | Mature | 40645 words

Louis Tomlinson is a 18 year old city boy who is forced to spend his summer before his senior year at his aunts farm. There, he meets Harry, a 19 year old country boy his aunt hired to help around the farm.

Maybe the farm isn't the worst place to fall in love?

9) Boiling Blood Will Circulate | Explicit | 42420 words

The wait isn’t long before something starts rustling in the bushes. Harry takes aim, squeezes the trigger, body moving unconsciously. They’re motions he’s done a thousand times before, and his body knows how to do it without the input of his brain now. It’s what makes him such a good shot.

He misses. The shot misses.

Something howls in the woods, a pretty clear indication that Harry hit it, but there’s no telltale sounds of a big body dropping, no animal charging out at him to take him out before he can finish the job.

Something does turn and run, though. “Fuck,” Harry spits out, scrambling to his feet and slinging the rifle back over his shoulder, giving chase. He’s not going to lose this hunt.

The trail of blood goes on longer than Harry thought it would. He doesn’t know how long he runs for, but his muscles are burning, chest heaving with exertion, until the trail just - goes dead. No more blood, just like that.

“Fuck,” Harry says.

10) Your Touch Shouldn't Make Me Feel Like This | Explicit | 48883 words

Uni AU in which Alpha Harry has been in love with his omega friend for the longest time and one motorbike trip to the countryside with Louis made him realize that he could no longer hold back his feelings.

11) For the Sake of Propriety | Mature | 52360 words

Louis Tomlinson is the caretaker of an estate that is not truly his, and when his Uncle calls upon him to take it back, Louis knows he will soon be out on the streets with four overly zealous sisters to care for. His only solution: wed the eldest two off and pray for the best. When an even better solution unexpectedly presents itself in the form of the charming Mr. Styles, Louis is faced with a difficult choice. But as with all things in the regency era, reputation very well may threaten to outweigh the fleeting matters of his heart.

12) Through The Wheatfields And The Coastlines | Explicit | 52855 words

“You’re not from around here, are ya?” Hot Cowboy asks, tracking his little lamb with his eyes. Louis frowns slightly, having thought he was doing pretty well at not sticking out like a sore thumb. It’s not like he’s not from around here — it’s not his first summer he’s spent at his grandparents'. But he supposes that the Manhattan city lifestyle that he’s used to is always going to shine through.

“I’m visiting family for the summer,” Louis explains, cheeks a little pink. “Trying to get some work done without distractions.”

13) The Bachelor | Explicit | 53953 words

The one where Harry dates six other guys and still falls in love with Louis Tomlinson.

14) Apples Always Fall (As I Do For You) | Mature | 54609 words | Sequel

Louis is staying at his Aunt's farm in a small town in Minnesota for four months. To deal with the boredom that sets in a week into his stay, he starts working at the local apple orchard, owned by twenty six year old Harry Styles.

Louis quickly finds himself falling in love with the orchard, and he finds a family in Harry's friends Niall, Liam, and Zayn.

He also starts to fall in love with Harry.

Falling in love with him turns out to be the easy part.

15) Such Good Luck | Explicit | 66025 words

An Edwardian AU where Harry is a young aristocratic lord and Louis is a working class dairy farmer. Secrets are a necessary part of their relationship, but Louis has one that could topple their whole world.

16) Given a Chance | Explicit | 173511 words

Five years after One Direction took their last tour, the last thing Louis Tomlinson ever expected to happen while on a tea run at the local Piggly Wiggly was to run into his ex-boyfriend and ex-bandmate Harry Styles.

The odds of them ever running into each other again had to be super slim, right?

Wrong.

What happens when you mix ex-boyfriends with a large serving of Small Town America? Will Louis and Harry be able to set aside their differences, or will Louis be able to stay breezy as fuck in the wake of Harry’s arrival?

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

#bottom louis #top harry #larry #fic recs #country au #midwest au #rural au #blp fic recs #blp

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sunnydaisy1 · 3 years

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Supply cupboard

STILES STILINSKI X READER

A/N: did i watch 2 and a half seasons of teen wolf within 2 days. Yes, yes i did. Do i regret it? Absolutely not. Anyway yeah here’s this piece, the Stiles’ inspo is flowing and honestly how can it not, this man is gorgeous. Hope you enjoy! (also please if you have any thomas tmr or stiles fic recs send them my way i beg of you)

Stiles closed the door of his jeep shut, eyes meeting yours as you clambered out the passenger side."Okay here's the plan- we walk in, head to my dad's office, find the files, take photos and then get the hell outta there. I told him I was at Scott's studying and he said he was finishing with an arrest across town so we should be fine." He said and you nodded, grinning, "Simple and effective, just how I like it." Stiles winked and you both walked towards the station doors, eyes flickering around in nervousness. Stiles sauntered up to the reception, resting his forearms on the desk as he put on his charming smile. "Hiya, I left some homework in Dad's office yesterday can I just go in and grab it?" The women sitting there looked behind Stiles, raising her eyebrows at me before returning her steady gaze back on the freckled boy. I tried to give her my most innocent and angelic smile whilst Stiles replied. "Oh..uh y/n and I are studying together today." She narrowed her eyes at him, "Be quick Stiles." He grinned at her and slapped the desk, "Thanks!" before grabbing your hand and tugging you in the direction of the Sheriff's office. Stiles let go of your hand when you entered the room, instantly searching amongst the piles of paperwork on his Dad's desk for the correct files about the recent murders. You busied yourself with searching through the papers in the cabinet, heart pounding against your ribcage as you scanned each manila file. "Ah!" Stiles exclaimed and you walked over, watching as he pulled out his phone to take photos of the documents he uncovered. A loud pair of footsteps sounded down the hall, heading in your direction and you both looked up at each other simultaneously, eyes wide with fear. "Stiles quick put them back!" You whispered, helping him to shove the pages back into somewhat of a pile. "The supply cupboard come on y/n!" He whisper-yelled at you, pushing you towards the tiny cupboard in the small room joined to his father's office. Stiles tugged the cupboard door shut, peeking down at you in the darkened light. "Do you think he saw us?" He asked, soft breath fanning over your face as you faced him, chests pressing up against each other. "No but he'll hear us if you don't shut up." You stated, pressing forward into Stiles a bit more as a large metal basket dug into your back. At that moment, you watched through the grate at the top of the door as one of the officers placed some paperwork onto the Sheriff's desk. You both held your breaths, watching in anticipation as the officer glanced at his watch before walking back out again, letting you exhale in relief. "Stiles dude stop poking me." You whispered, nudging the flannel-clad boy in annoyance. Stiles furrowed his dark eyebrows, confusion clouding his face, "what? i'm not doing anything." Both your gazes dropped at the same time, before flicking back up to each other. Stiles shifted his feet in embrassment, his face visibly burning red even in the dark lighting of the cupboard. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to formulate some words in his brain, when you giggle, clasping a hand over your mouth to muffle the laughter. Stiles shoots you a look, "I can't help it y/n stop laughing!" You grin up at him, "Really Stiles, I'm flattered, honestly. But as much as your dick is enjoying this situation, I however am not. So let's get the hell out of here before..." At that second, the cupboard door was wrenched open, revealing a fuming Sheriff, hands on his hips. "Oh..hi Dad." Stiles says, giving the man a salute. "What the hell do you two think you are doing in here?" The older man asks, hard gaze flicking between his son and cringing companion. "Just getting some uh...paperclips." You state, reaching behind Stiles to grab a pot of metal paperclips by his shoulders. Stiles grins at his Dad, nodding, "for the uh english project we got set today." The pair of you walk out the cupboard, Stiles holding a pack of paper in front of his crotch, tapping his feet on the carpet acting totally inconspicuous. The Sheriff glances down at his son before his eyes flick to the ceiling, seemingly asking for help. "I don't even want to know." He states before turning his gaze on you. "Y/N, considering that I still somehow think you're the more normal one in whatever this is." He gestures roughly in your's and Stiles' area. "Could you please take my son home before I strangle the pair of you." You grin cheekily up at Noah, "Sure thing Sheriff." You walk back into his office, tugging Stiles who was stood close behind you, pack of paper still held in place. "Leave the paperclips on my desk y/n." Stiles' Dad announces, and you sheepishly place them on the wooden surface. "Stiles. That means the paper too." The freckled teen glances at you before clearing his throat and awkardly placing the paper next to the pot of clips, not turning around to meet his father's eyes. You place yourself in front of Stiles slightly, pushing him behind you as you both slowly head out the room. "Absolutely lovely to see you again Sheriff, great pleasure, really was." You ramble, before the pair of you speed walk back down the corridor and out the station, faces similarly wincing in embarassment. Once you are back in Stiles' jeep and he is pulling out the parking lot, you burst into laughter, reflecting back on the situation that just occured. "Hey, totally not funny y/n. I think I just mentally scarred my father for life." Stiles' says, his own lips twitching up into a smile despite his words.

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lemonjoonah · 4 years

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Wrapped Together (M)

Pairing: Namjoon x Reader Word Count: 18K Rating: M Genre: Christmas AU, Romance, Drama Warnings: Protected sex, oral (m. rec.), referenced illness/death of parent, swearing, classism. Summary: Despite your best efforts to keep your head down, to self-preserve and endure what will no doubt be the worst Christmas of your life, you are still roped into volunteering for the hospital's annual gift wrap fundraiser. The enticing factor that lured you out? The promise of a new shift partner, Kim Namjoon. Though your first day together starts off with a slight miscalculation of his skills for wrapping, he soon becomes your essential ally in the fight to get through this lonely holiday season.

| Secret Santa Collab | My Masterlist |

A/N: A big thank you to @kimtaehyunq for asking me to join her Secret Santa Christmas Collab, this was my first collab ever and I absolutely loved it. And of course to my beta readers @m00nchild-shi and @ladyartemesia thank you for helping me gain the courage to post this. I hope that this fic is able to bring a bit of comfort to those celebrating the holidays a little differently this year, so please enjoy!

...

-5 Weeks Until Christmas-

Amidst the chatter of the office, a dull rumble reaches your ears and vibrates the desk beneath your fingers, waking you from the repetitive haze of your hundredth call report. The moment of confusion switches to frantic action when your brain finally catches on and recognizes it as your own personal phone. Scurrying through your purse, you nab it just in time, but after checking the caller ID you desperately wish you hadn’t.

You knew this call was coming, you’ve dreaded it since you felt the first freezing snowflake on the tip of your nose, when you heard the first carol blaring over the radio, and saw the first tacky inflatable gracing a lawn on your street. It happens every year, like clockwork, though this will be the first time she’ll be enlisting one and not two. Unable to put off the dreaded moment any longer, you answer, accepting that if you rip the band-aid off now and decline her invitation to join the wrapping fundraiser, it’ll be one less uncomfortable moment later.

“Aunt Emma, hey it’s been awhile.” She’s not exactly your aunt, but you’ve known her ever since you and your mother settled down here ten years ago. With little other family nearby she was one of the few you and your mom could always count on. Making your task to turn her down all the more difficult now.

“My dear, how are you holding up? I’m so sorry to do this but I'm calling with some rather unfortunate news.”

“Oh?” You exclaim, careful not to sound too hopeful that you might be free of your heavy burden.

“Yes, well it’s regarding the wrapping fundraiser. I wanted to put you on the same shifts as myself or Maria. I didn’t want to have you alone, since, well, you know... but there are so many rookie volunteers this year. And with you being part of the organization for so long, I was hoping you work with one of them instead for the evening shifts? It’ll just be you and him, do you think you could manage it?”

“I-I uh...” Now this is something you had not expected. You spent the past few weeks worrying about how you might have to work side by side with pitying glances, condolences, and referenced scripture from the usual staff. Any thoughts and prayers for your loss would likely turn you into a pool of tears. Not something you want to happen in public, or private for that matter, but if you are partnered with a newcomer, one who knows nothing of your past, maybe... maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. “I can do that.”

“I knew you could! I’ll put you down for the weekday evenings from the seventh up to Christmas. You’re off work at four, right? I’ll send you more details later, but do you want me to be there to introduce you to the other volunteer?”

“No!” You blurt out, insisting in a volume far louder than necessary, but you can’t risk her acting on the offer. Introductions when done by Emma are dicey at best, with one solid breath she has the capacity to share every bit of your sad history, leaving you exactly where you’d rather not be. “I’m sure we’ll be fine. No need to put yourself out like that, you can just tell me their name now and save yourself the trip.”

“Thank you dear, always so considerate. One second let me just grab that for you...” She pauses on the phone line, as you look around your office in worry, not wanting to get in trouble for taking a personal call on the clock. “Ah here it is. You’ll be working with Kim Namjoon...”

...

-Less than 3 Weeks Until Christmas-

After finishing work you head off to the mall for your first day on wrapping duty. It should be a relatively quiet night, since the majority of the crowd typically disperses at this time, heading home to be with families for dinner. Your own sits in a paper bag on the passenger seat of your car. A solitary meal as you battle the rush hour traffic. Finishing off the last of the salted fries with a lick of your fingers while you secure a parking spot.

Flipping down your visor you scoff when confronted with your appearance, your makeup melted off thanks to the struggles of your earlier shift. You dab and blend a fresh blot of concealer on the dark bags beneath your eyes, determined to erase any evidence of your doleful days and sleepless nights.

The rented store space is already set up, with a long table propped up right at the entrance. Dressed with a variety of paper and ribbon and looking particularly festive. The other volunteers give you a brief greeting and run down before they leave and pass the duties off to you. With them gone you take a seat, looking down at the selection you have to offer this year, trying with all your might not to focus on the empty chair beside you, one that is usually fill by your-

“Hi, sorry I’m late...” Your gaze flicks up from the table, startled to find a giant of a man. Greeting you with a smile warm enough to melt your frozen expression.

“H-hi,” You stutter out, staring at his handsome face framed with light brown locks, feeling as though you’ve seen it before, but can’t quite place where. “You must be Namjoon?” You ask, running through the list of actors and singers in your mind but coming up empty on who he reminds you of.

He nods, before confirming your name too, and launching into the reason behind his tardiness. “The traffic was not in my favour today.” He gestures to the table and the vacant seat behind it. “May I?”

“Of course.” You quickly scoot the folding table over so he can slip by the barrier that separates you from the mall. He takes off his coat to reveal a whole suit beneath, though he soon disposes of the jacket and tie too. You try not to gulp as he rolls up his sleeves in front of you, his arms flexing as they reveal themselves.

“Pretty quiet?” He asks looking around the mall.

“It usually is around now, give it an hour or two.”

“Have you been doing this long?”

“A few years...” You mumble, not wanting to dive too deep in that well, you quickly turn to pin the question on him instead. “What prompted you to volunteer? Did Emma enlist you during her recruiting effort?”

“She did, I found her posting the flyer at my workplace.” Namjoon chuckles. “But I’ve seen you all set up here before, and since my usual Christmas plans with my family have changed, I thought I’d join you all instead.”

“Oh, so you’re not spending Christmas with them?”

“No, they’ve gone to visit my sister and her family in her city this year. I unfortunately have a few work commitments I can’t get out of to make the trip in time, but rather than just mope about at home I thought I might be of some use.” Namjoon smiles again, his fingers folding the corner of the wrapping paper in front of him. “What about you, any plans?”

“No, I usually spend it with my mom, but she won’t be with me this year...” Or any year going forward, you consider while you give him a weak smile. She was the very reason you joined this organization all those years ago, when Aunt Emma was making her rounds and signing up everyone she could at the hospital, you and your mother were there for an appointment, your mom offered up both of your services lending you to a tradition that would extend for years through her treatment, remission, and the final return.

“So we're in the same boat?”

“I guess so.” His grin is so contagious, despite the differences in your situation you can’t help but agree.

Your first client of the evening comes forward and drops a small pile of kids toys in front of you both . “Thank god you're here. If I bring these home unwrapped my kids won’t hesitate to spoil the surprise.” You divide the presents between you and Namjoon while the mother keeps talking and flicking through the different styles of paper offered. “At least if they’re wrapped I can say I saw Santa at the mall and he gave me these early. They are so hard to fool these days.”

“I take it you’ll want the Santa stickers?” You ask pointing to a closed box behind you, hidden away from the wide and prying eyes of young children passing by.

“Yes, thank you so much!”

“No problem.” You assure her while putting the last piece of tape on the stack of video games. Though when you look over to check on Namjoon you find that he has barely even started. He cut off a sheet entirely too big and is attempting to fold it around the boxed animatronic pet. Your eyes stare at the state of the poor paper unable to look away from the crumpled carnage. But the shock soon turns to amusement over his determination to salvage the mangled sheet, and you find yourself biting your lip in an attempt not to laugh. Luckily the woman in front of you hasn’t noticed but once you're finished with yours, you reach over for the assist.

“Here, I can take over that one. Could you do the ribbon for me?”

Namjoon nods opening his mouth in an embarrassed grin. He does manage to secure the strand around the package but loses the spool before he can cut it. The red ribbon rolls all the way to your foot, before you stop it with a tap on the sole of your boot. Namjoon winces, while you let out a chuckle before bending over to hand it back to him, and finish wrapping the other present.

The attempt at a ribbon curl unfortunately goes the same as the package before it, with him completely at a loss and using the wrong edge of the scissor blade. Trying to save him you make another suggestion. “If you want you can always use the premade sticker curls.”

Namjoon nods and places them on the two packages along with the vibrant sticker of a cartoon Claus winking as he delivers the warning, ‘Do not open ‘till Christmas, Santa’s watching.’

As you load up the presents into a bag, Namjoon takes to the cashbox, looking expectantly from the client with his dashingly dimpled grin.

“Oh right.” She comments with an awkward smile. Opening her Gucci bag and matching wallet, the corners of her lips turning down when she rifles through several triple digit bills unable to find any smaller denomination.

The stand is by donation only, but the implication has always been that one should compensate the fundraiser for the service provided. You can usually tell when someone intends to leave no payment at all, and unfortunately you know this act all too well. She’ll apologize and say that she has to run to the bank and get some cash, but you’ll never see her again. Namjoon, unfamiliar with this ploy, continues to give his eager smile, and to your utter shock she submits, handing him a hundred dollar bill.

Namjoon thanks her profusely as she melts too under his gaze muttering, “Not a problem.” Before walking off clutching her now wrapped gifts.

You look to Namjoon in disbelief while he locks the money away in the cash box. Only breaking the silence when the client is fully out of earshot. “How the hell did you do that?!”

“Do what?” He raises an eyebrow completely oblivious to what he just achieved.

“She... she... you got her to donate, and such a large amount. How?”

“What do you mean how? People give that much all the time don’t they?”

“No, they don’t!”

“Oh...” He gives you another of his knee weakening smiles. “Sorry I assumed, I guess I’m just used to it.” He scratches at the back of his neck looking down at the table.

“Used to it? Where on earth do you see, do you get used to, that kind of generosity?”

“Through my job I suppose?” His grin turns to a look of embarrassment. “I work in art procurement, currently under contract with the museum. I seek out collectors and convince them to donate or loan out their assets.”

It would seem that getting people to open up their wallets is practically his profession. “Well... looks like manning the cash will be the perfect job for you.” That smile of his is a dangerous weapon, and one you would be remiss not to use in the fundraiser’s efforts. Though it still leaves one question unanswered. “But I have to ask...” Your previously concealed giggling comes to the surface. “Why on earth would you volunteer for a holiday wrapping station if you don’t know how to wrap?”

A blush reaches his cheeks. “Last year when I was here... I left with far more than I was expecting, and feeling as though I should have given more. So I figured if I couldn’t be with my own family, I wanted to do this instead.” He starts habitually folding a paper scrap. “And maybe I’d learn a useful skill-”

When a streak of red is left on the paper trailing behind his finger you jump to interrupt. “Is that...”

“Fuck.” He mutters pulling his index close to examine it. “Yeah, those scissors are sharp, didn’t realize I drew blood though.”

You immediately start rummaging around in your bag. “I know I have a couple in here, one second.” You pull out a small box of bandages and peel apart the papers to reveal the adhesive.

“You carry band-aids in your purse?” Namjoon asks, with a raised brow.

“You're the one who cut their finger trying to make a ribbon curl.”

“It wasn’t a criticism, sorry I just thought it was... nice.” He holds up the injury and you're careful to wrap the strip around it.

“Yes well,” Your face heats up as you catch yourself lingering. “Try to stay away from the scissors unless absolutely necessary. I’d rather not have to make a trip to the hospital.”

“That would be counter productive wouldn’t it?” Namjoon laughs outright.

...

Despite you being the only one to wrap you both manage the evening surprisingly well, pulling in a record donation amount.

“You must be good at your job,” you mutter with a smirk, as you finish counting the lockbox. “I’ve never seen people so happy to part with their money.”

“I only showed them how good of a job you did,” Namjoon explains. “I’ve never seen someone put so much care into wrapping.”

“First impressions for a gift can be important too.” You justify as you secure the cash in a deposit bag. “They put a lot of care into selecting the gift, why shouldn’t I exemplify that?”

“Even the gift cards?”

“Especially the gift cards. I have to make them memorable somehow don’t I?”

“True.” Namjoon concedes, with a small frown. “Listen I’m sorry if I didn’t make a good first impression on you myself. If you want I can call Emma and we will find someone else to help you.”

“No, I enjoyed working with you. It just caught me off guard that you didn’t actually know how to wrap. If you get bored of handling the cash I could try and teach you if you’d like... you said you wanted to learn right?”

“You’d be willing to show me?”

“Definitely, though let's stick to the premade ribbon curls. I’d rather not have to use anymore band-aids if I can avoid it.”

After pulling down the gate and locking up the station up behind. Namjoon accompanies you to the bank to drop off the deposit before you part ways for the evening, with you going out one exit and him another.

The sudden blast of cold air forces you to huddle in your coat, and crank the heat the very second you step into your car. As the windows to thaw and frost retreats, you spot your tall wrapping partner waiting at the bus stop.

“Now why would he...” You’re left perplexed judging from the description of his job and quality of his attire you assumed him to drive some sort of flashy car, never would you think he would take public transportation.

You drive over and stop right in front of Namjoon, rolling down the window. “Where do you live?”

“The Swan Estates, but if you don’t leave near there that’s fine I don’t mind bussing home.” Namjoon looks down the road. “It should be here soon.”

“It’s no problem, I pass by that area on my way home.” You reach across the car for the handle opening the door. “Come on get in. It’s too cold to wait for a bus.”

Namjoon nods, and eagerly hops into the car holding his hands close to his vents with a sigh. “Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. I didn’t think to ask, I just assumed-”

“That I could drive?”

You nod giving him a sheepish grin this time.

“As you saw earlier I’m rather accident prone. I think it’s safer for everyone if I leave the driving to others.” He chuckles looking out the window. “What about you? When not rescuing people from cold transit stops or wrapping disasters, what do you daylight as.”

You grimace at the question knowing your answer is nowhere near as impressive as his. “I’m a phone-rep for Interlude Shipping, I work in their tracking department.”

His reaction is not the usual glazed expression you get when you reveal that you work in a call centre, but a look of awe. “You must be so busy this time of year, how do you have energy for volunteering too?”

“I’m used to it.”

“Do you like it there?”

“It’s... a paycheck. I needed a full time position with benefits right out of school and that was what was available. I would have preferred something else but...” You stop yourself, scolding how much you almost revealed. Finding it far too easy to talk to Namjoon. He doesn’t pester you to continue but lets your abrupt end linger in the silence until he points out his house within the estate. “So I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Namjoon nods in agreement with his dimples on full display. “Looking forward to it. Thanks again for the ride.”

After he leaves your car another nervous giggle you’ve been holding in finally escapes you. Three weeks working with this kind, considerate and downright gorgeous man. Though there’s no ring on his finger, he has to be attached to someone. Men like him don’t walk around single for long. Your shoulders fall at the thought, despite the fact that you have no intention of forming an attachment at this time... it’s still too soon.

Before you even pull out of Namjoon’s driveway, your phone vibrates from the cup holder you stashed it in. Aunt Emma’s name popping up on the display. You press the green button to accept and put her on speaker while you pull out onto the road.

“Hello my dear, just checking in to see how the first night went?”

“Good, no great actually. I think you’ll be happy with the result.”

“And your partner? Everything working well with him?”

“Yeah,” You confirm looking up in the rearview mirror taking one last look at Namjoon’s house. “He’s really nice, we already have a system in place so I think we’ll work well together.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. I was worried at first, wondered if I had made the right decision-”

“You did!” You encourage her, not wanting her to change her mind, and make another switch.

“Great, so we’ll carry on as is then. I’ll message Maria to let her know, I think she’s still on shift at the hospital though...” Aunt Emma mutters to herself. “Speaking of which I had to stop by there today and guess who was asking about you?”

You freeze in the front seat of your car, unable to say his name, but that doesn’t stop your chatty Aunt from continuing on despite your silence.

“That Jackson, such a nice young man, it’s a pity you-”

“Aunt Emma, I’m so sorry but I should go. ” You cut her off unwilling to listen to her disappointment over your own personal matter. “It’s getting late and I have work in the morning.”

“Oh of course, no problem dear. Call me if you need anything.”

When you arrive at your cold and empty apartment. The silence greets you with the usual punch to your gut, just as it has for the past eight months. She should be there to say hello and ask you about your day, just as she always had. But all that’s there to welcome you is the stack of dusty Christmas decor boxes thrown in the corner of the living room. Unwilling to spend another minute alone you sulk off to bed, ready to put another day behind and start the next. But for the first time in a while, you are actually looking forward to a fraction of the never ending cycle.

...

Whoever said Christmas time is the most wonderful time of year, clearly never worked a customer service job. They’ve never been yelled at for four hours straight, gone to lunch, and then endured another four. With a couple weeks still left until the looming deadline of Christmas you can only imagine what you’ll have to listen to in the coming days. The woes of a parent trying to track down their child's number one gift... it’s enough to send chills down your spine. Just once you’d like to find someone happy on the other end of the line, someone who didn’t need something from you, someone who called just to say hi, and indulge you with a friendly chat.

With the last call of the day done you throw on your coat, and bolt out of the office before anyone else. Elated by the fact that you have somewhere else to be, happy that someone else is expecting you. Namjoon beats you to the station today, chatting with the other volunteers as they leave. One of them pats you on the arm and delivers a sad smile, you seize with fear and the worry that they had discussed you, but when you find Namjoon beaming without a hint of concern the weight lifts and you can once again forget your loss for now.

“Hey, how was work?” He asks.

“Good... good.” You cover with a smile not wanting to drag him down. He doesn’t look convinced his eyes narrow and the corner of his lip twitches, but you reciprocate before he can confirm. “How about your day?”

“Quiet, I’ve spent the past few months alongside the curators putting together an exhibit and with it finally finished all that’s left is to wait until it’s over.”

“So you had to stay here for Christmas only to wait for it to end? That’s too bad.”

“There are a couple other tasks I have to attend, an auction, and an event for the patrons, but the tear down on the 24th is pretty important, some of the lenders will want their pieces back in time for Christmas.”

“That’s such a miserable deadline for so much work. Why would they ask you to give up your Christmas Eve to do that? Surely it can be done after the holiday can't it?”

“Not this one, it’s ‘The Gift of Christmas’ Past’ exhibit,” Namjoon explains. “Many people were good enough to donate their family heirlooms for the majority of the season, but come the actual holiday, it’s time for them to return home.”

You just about fall off your chair in awe. You’ve seen that exhibit advertised everywhere, even been tempted to go yourself, but the thought of going alone has prevented your attendance. “I had no idea, that’s such a popular exhibit, you worked on that?”

“I did, I even helped come up with the idea for it.” Namjoon beams, with a small amount of red rises to the surface of his cheeks. “The curators at the museum have been more than accommodating. I never thought I’d get the chance to step into their roll myself. I was lucky to be given the chance, so you can understand why I had to stay and help them once it’s finished. Of course it’s given me some other opportunities I would never have had in the past too, like the ability to help you here.”

You nod still looking at him in admiration, while in your mind a further divide falls between you. As friendly as he is to you, it’s obvious that he’s way out of your league. Even if you wanted to pursue something more with him, someone of his status... really it’s a wonder he even looks in your direction, let alone chose to volunteer at this tiny holiday wrapping station.

Your conversation is interrupted by a mall goer with a bag of gifts. Namjoon helps as best he can, supplying you with tape as he learns over your shoulder. Loaning you his finger to help you knot the ribbon around the gifts. With a sizeable donation left in Namjoon’s care you are both left alone at the table again.

Between clients you do your best to show him how to wrap the small boxes and ready cut paper at your disposal. Though his folding has improved, his use of tape can be considered... excessive. “You shouldn’t need more than three pieces on a present like this.” You chuckle as you catch his hand before it can apply the seventh piece of tape.

“But your packaging looks so durable compared to mine. How is it supposed to hold together if not for more tape.”

“Years of practice with tighter folds and better adhesive placement.” You analyze his work. “You might be an up and coming art curator but wrapping is my craft.”

Namjoon laughs and grabs a fresh sheet along with the scissors.

“Should I go fetch my band-aids?” You ask, gazing at the sharp implement with trepidation.

“No I’ve got this, I’m ready to earn my redemption.” Namjoon folds the paper several times before cutting a rounded edge. “Wrapping might not be my forte, but this I mastered long ago.” He opens up the paper grinning madly as he reveals a perfect snowflake.

You giggle at the innocence of the piece in question. “That is quite impressive, when did you become such a proficient?”

“I’d say I peaked at eight. One evening when it was just my sister and I, we covered my whole house with them. Every surface, every window, plastered with paper snow. Though my parents were less than enthused I like to think of it as my first full art show.”

“What on earth possessed you to do it?” You ask, trying to imagine the look on his parents as they returned home to the indoor flurry.

Namjoon looks up with a heavy expression, for such a lighthearted story why does he look so wary to tell you “A mutual fri-”

But as chance would have it he is once again interrupted by another coming to your station. When the post dinner rush hits you hardly get another chance to chat.

...

-2 Weeks Until Christmas-

The week passes in much the same way as the past two days, but with each evening session Namjoon is able to improve upon his wrapping skills a little more. To the point where you are comfortable to leave him alone for a few minutes to man the station.

“You’re sure it’s all right if I just run to the washroom for a minute?”

“I’ll be fine.”

“I could put up the be back in five minutes sign if you-”

“Go, I can hold down the fort... just leave the band-aids.” You are ready to let out a big sigh when Namjoon holds up his hands in defeat. “Just kidding, I promise, now go.”

You hurry off as fast as you can swearing when you find a line up. By the time that you are finally able to return you find Namjoon finishing up with an attractive woman and her single gift. You smile at her as you join him behind the table, she pauses, caught off guard for a moment but then hands him the donation along with a slip of paper.

Namjoon opens it as she walks off. Blushing profusely before throwing it in the trash along with the wrapping scraps.

“What was that about?”

“Nothing... she just must have gotten the wrong impression.”

“Did she give you her phone number?”

Namjoon nods looking down with guilt.

“And you're not going to keep it? She was gorgeous.”

“What? No, of course not.”

“Right, I assume that wouldn’t go over well with your girlfriend.” You speculate, seeking to figure out his status once and for all.

“No girlfriend.” Namjoon mutters.

“Boyfriend?”

“No boyfriend either.” Namjoon smiles. “I just wasn’t looking to get her number.”

You look at him in disbelief. If she wasn’t good enough, there’s no way in hell you could ever dream of being with him.

...

The drive home in the evening is rather quiet. Namjoon’s fingers drag across his lips as if in deep compilation.

“Any big plans for your couple days of freedom?” With Aunt Emma’s team working the weekend that gives both you and Namjoon some time off, but unfortunately apart.

“What? Oh yes, I suppose.” He answers as though you dragged him from a stupor. “I have an auction to go to tomorrow for work.”

“Buying art for the museum are you?”

“Not exactly in the market to buy. But if you're not busy you should come along, I would love some company.”

“Not because you would love a drive?”

“No, not at all, I was planning on booking a car tonight. I could come pick you up on the way.”

You shake your head. “No, if we’re going together I’ll drive. No need to waste your money on something like that. What time should I pick you up?”

“I’ll have to double check and get back to you but likely late in the morning?” You nod in agreement as he pulls out his phone. “What’s your number?”

You give it to him and your cell vibrates in your pocket as he sends off a text a second later, leaving you with his own.

“So I guess I will see you tomorrow now then.”

“It’s a date.” Namjoon smiles as he gets out and leaves you in the car.

You snort in disbelief, staring after him while he runs off to the front door of his house. No, there’s no way, he can’t be serious, it’s not a date, date. The phone vibrates again, reminding you of the unread message he sent, prompting you to look at it before you drive off home.

This was the only phone number I actually wanted. See you tomorrow, - Namjoon

...

You lie in bed caught between denial and anticipation for what’s to come in the next day. Every moment that excitement bubbles up inside, you are forced to push it down with the weight of scepticism. Namjoon was looking to distract from his lonely Christmas, you are just the band-aid to his superficial wound, but would that be so bad? Haven’t you been using him the past week in the same manner, a mode of distraction? The only difference is the depths of your injuries. While his might be a simple cut repaired by time, yours is a laceration straight to the heart, damage that will soon bleed through a flimsy bandage, but at least you can hide it for now, you can conceal the extent of your misery and enjoy the comfort that is him for the holiday. Ripping that band-aid off won’t hurt, not compared to the damage that has already been done.

You look back at your phone smiling at his message, confirming that this is what you want for now, when to your surprise another comes in.

KNJ: Are you awake?

You double check the time, 12:23 a little late for a friendly chat isn’t it?

YN: Yeah, everything okay?

KNJ: That depends, what are your thoughts on Hallmark Christmas movies?

You pause in confusion, questioning his motives for such an odd query. Coming up dry you can give him the most truthful answer you can.

YN: They’re chestnuts.

KNJ: Chestnuts? 🤔

YN: Palatable only when thoroughly roasted. 🔥🔥🔥

Your phone starts ringing a second later, the caller Namjoon. You pick it up to hear him laughing on the other end. “I’ll have to remember that. You up for burning a film? I could use another open fire, there’s a pretty horrible one on their channel right now.”

“I’m sure I could spark an ember of criticism. How bad are we talking?”

“There’s a made up country, a town that looks like it exists solely for the purpose of celebrating Christmas-”

“And let me guess, a prince?”

“You know it?”

“Nope, just following the trend of tropes.” You grab your earbuds and venture out to the living room wrapped in your blanket, a beverage in hand, and ready to turn on your own TV. With one bud lodge in your ear to listen to Namjoon the other is free to take in the cringeworthy dialogue. “My god why were you watching this?”

“Couldn’t sleep, and I thought this would also help put me in the Christmas spirit, but I can’t stop laughing at how bad it is.” Namjoon chuckles deeply as the heroine stumbles over a mere pebble and falls into the hero’s arm.

“I don’t think you have any right to laugh at that part.” You join him in laughter. “You two appear to have some similarities.”

“Wait, so does this make me the clumsy lead and you the dashingly perfect love interest?”

“Oh most definitely, I’ll be saving your Christmas.”

“I suppose you are pretty perfect.”

You’re thankful that Namjoon isn’t there to see your response, silently choking on your glass of water, followed by spilling your sip all down your shirt, further emphasising your next point. “I’m not perfect.”

“Well you should let me see that side sometime, or I will continue to feel like this poor woman who is confronted with someone way out of their league.”

Namjoon thinks that you're out of his league? “No, I’m sorry but in order for me to save your Christmas based on this movie I have to play the perfect hero.” Of course the leading lady swoons in her prince's arms. “I just wish the characters had more depth, I’ve read kids books with a wider emotional range.”

“Me too. And the timing,” Namjoon scoffs. “It’s always so perfect. They always meet at the perfect moment and latch on immediately only to have everything work out in their favour, and it all claims to be a Christmas miracle, it doesn’t work like that.”

“That sounds like someone’s been scorned before on Christmas.”

“Not scorned no. More like a missed opportunity, one that I’ve regretted for a long while.”

“Anything I can help with?” You ask. “As the supporting lead that is my mission is it not?”

“Maybe, I’ll have to think about it. Unfortunately my dilemma isn’t so easy to solve.”

“I don’t think anyone's dilemma’s are ever as easy or clear cut as theirs.” You yawn as you lay down on the couch and watch the pitiful drama unfold. “Their world is perfect and always has their back through some sort of mystical power or being.”

“I think people in the real world call that god...” Namjoon chuckles.

“Yeah well, our god is a shitty writer if this is what their creations come to expect.” You murmur, stifling a yawn.

“Is that a crack in your shining armour I spy?”

“No, just commentary.” Though your own internal defences are askew, and the longer you watch the more you understand why. It’s jealousy, jealousy of how quickly they overcome any tragedy, and how they do so with a picture perfect life, as if the creators left all the negative emotions, the realistic impacts of trauma, on the cutting room floor. If only you were that perfect love interest that Namjoon wanted you to be... maybe you can keep the facade until the end of the holidays, at least one of you can have a better Christmas for it.

All you have to do is continue ignoring the most painful parts, a practice you are well versed in considering the boxes still looming in the shadowy corner, still unmoved after all this time. You know nothing good will come from unpacking them, there is no comfort inside, the only thing that could help is long gone, the story which your mother used to read to you every Christmas before you moved here. You’ve hunted through those boxes so many times while she was still here with you, but now that she’s gone you don’t even have the desire to look, nor the strength to store them away.

...

You wake hours later with a loud crumpling sound in your right ear. Your bud still in place, and your call time continues to count past the 7 hour mark. “Namjoon, are you there?” You inquire with a groggy yawn.

“Fuck... yeah, did I wake you?”

“It’s fine, sorry I fell asleep.”

“Don’t worry I did too. But unfortunately I seem to have lost an airpod at some point in the night.” The rustling continues as he chats to you. “I refuse to lose another to this couch, it’s taken so many from me already, you’ think I would have learned by now.”

“Oh, then this is a regular occurrence for you? Chatting up women until you fall asleep,” you scoff.

“No! God no, I just usually fall asleep listening to music and then my cushions eat them when I lower my defences.”

“I leave you to battle it out with your sofa, but what time should I pick you up?”

“Eleven okay with you?”

You double check the clock, ensuring you have enough time for a shower and to look presentable. “Yeah that works. I’ll see you then.”

...

You pull into the packed parking lot of a large warehouse. With Namjoon looking dapper in a blazer and peacoat. You yourself are glad to have chosen to dress a bit classier than your usual garb for a Saturday afternoon. When he said it was for work you couldn’t risk dressing down.

But there is still an air of confusion about your reason for being here. If he’s not attending to buy something for the museum or a client, why is his presence required? The items up for auction are not exactly what you expected, with the majority of it being furniture and woven rugs. You tilt your head in confusion as Namjoon eyes up an old wooden desk.

“Sorry,” He mutters, seeing you as he comes to from his distracted state. “I have a personal weakness for such items.”

“Don’t be, but is that why we're here?”

“No, although it is tempting.” He nods over to a collection of old black and white sketches on the wall across from you, graphite scenes of the city from long ago judging by subject matter and the yellowing of the paper behind the frame. “They’re the real reason we’re here. When I heard of this estate sale I knew that some of those works would likely come to market. I’m here to find out who buys them, and hopefully see if we can secure a possible loan for the museum in the future.”

“So how do you do it? How do you convince them to part with such pieces other than that dangerous smile of yours?”

Namjoon humours you, flashing his most coveted weapon. “Many of the artworks found at estate sales like this, they’ve fallen into disrepair. They often haven’t been cared for, likely kept in some musty room where the humidity damages them. The museum has a team of top rated and highly respected conservators who would be able to properly preserve it and slow any further deterioration, and in exchange for their services we ask for a short term loan of the art.

“A win-win.”

“I like to think so, but some people are rather protective of their investment. It can be a tricky negotiation which I have been on both sides of when I worked for the private sector.”

“Which do you prefer more?”

“Definitely the public. The museum doesn’t pay as much, but the audience and notoriety far greater. I really hope that I can continue my work with them once my initial contract ends.”

“I assume securing this for them will help in that goal?” You nod to the pieces, admiring the sought after collection.

“One can only hope. Who knows, maybe I’ll get my Christmas miracle like the movies promised.” He jokes, putting his hand on your shoulder and leading you on.

While you and Namjoon continue to look around at the lots up for bidding, he proceeds to fawn over the wooden art and furniture, taking pictures and looking up the makers.

You can’t help but enjoy his interest, watching his eyes go wide and his mouth gasp when he’s found something which intrigues him. “Have you ever purchased something for yourself at one of these?”

“A few things, tables, chairs, and books too. It’s a great place to find unique pieces, or things lost to the past.” He gives you a shy smile. “Is there anything you’d like to look for?”

A possible item springs to the forefront of your mind. “Do they have any books here now?”

Namjoon grins at your request and leads you over to several crates filled to the brim with books. All the copies inside look to be older editions of epic novels, nothing like what you hope to find. Your heart sinks as you let out a sigh of disappointment.

“Can I help?”

“Nah, I think I’m out of luck. I was looking for a kid’s picture book. I briefly met someone at the wrapping station who found a copy second hand, must have been at a sale like this. I was hoping I would have the same success, but that seems like a bit of a far reach.” Had it not been their gift to someone else you would have made them an offer for it or even gotten their name at the very least, but you were so distracted at the time... all you can see and remember to this day was the book in front of you.

“I’m sorry-” Namjoon starts with an unnecessary apology, it wasn’t his fault that you lost the favourite book of your youth, that you missed the chance to give your mother one last glimpse of the pages with you before she passed.

“It’s fine,” You cut him off not wanting to dwell on the loss or risk deteriorating that perfect cover right here in front of him, in front of everyone, when he has something important to attend to. “Should we go find seats before they start the auction?”

Namjoon nods, seeming to examine your eyes with careful study, but he will find no tears, no dampness there, those are locked away tight. He escorts you to a seat near the back. “This way we can get a better view of those bidding without looking out of place.”

The auction lots pass by with many remaining silent. Namjoon points out several antique dealers to you that are snapping up many of the pieces. But the rest of the buyers all appear to be waiting for the same prize that Namjoon is.

“Do you have any favourites to win?” You whisper to him as the collection is carried into view.

“I’m hoping for anyone I’ve dealt with in the past.” Namjoon nods in the direction of a middle aged woman dressing in a fur trimmed coat and strands of pearls draped around her neck. “Mrs. Coleman already has a few works in one of the exhibits, and Mr. Roth over there.” He turns to a man wearing a tweed jacket and a sturdy wooden cane in hand. “Is one of the most notable patrons of the museum.”

Silence falls in the room as the auctioneer takes up the gavel again and describes the works. Many around you sit up a little straighter as Namjoon’s eyes dart around at those he thinks might attempt to purchase.

The bids flood in, with very few gaps for breath as the numbers are rattled off. It takes only two minutes before the going price is more than your annual salary. You lower yourself, pooling in your seat as the extravagant wealth is thrown around you.

Once the pace slows, Namjoon's face highlights his concern, his eyes glancing back and forth between two people, the older lady in mink he spoke of before, and an unknown man with a cell pressed to his ear.

As the wooden hammer drops so do the corners of Namjoon’s lips.

“And sold to the gentleman on the phone number three-two-eight, number three-two-eight for sixty-five thousand.” The auctioneer announces.

“Shit.” Namjoon mutters under his breath.

“What, what happens now?”

“Now we have an anonymous buyer who I have no ability to meet or advise.” He sighs, hanging his head, with his fingers dragging across his mouth again.

“I’m so sorry.” You whisper as he nods next to you taking several deep breaths. Your hand reaches out to his arm and he turns to you with a small smile.

“It’ll be fine, I’ll figure something out, but I might as well make the most out of my time here.” With the auction now over he rises from his seat and approaches one of the museum's patrons with an outreached hand. “Mr. Roth, good to see you, you’ll be attending the final night of the exhibit I hope, and who is this with you...”

While Namjoon continues to make pleasantries and exchange business cards you keep your eye on the sketches watching as they are rolled behind the desk and packed away in crates. You approach the area where one of the clerks is recording and distributing the information for the now rightful owners, with a mob of bidders descending on him for their newly purchased items so they might leave as soon as possible.

It would seem that this business too is feeling the crunch of Christmas. A flurry of paperwork is exchanged in haste passing from one hand to the next, until one signed receipt of purchase escapes his notice and falls to the ground in front of you. Picking it up you wait for the crowd to clear, giving the clerk a chance to recover before you approach with the lost sheet, setting it on the desk before him. His confused gaze soon changes to outright shock over his loss when he realizes what you’ve returned.

He thanks you profusely, causing you wonder how much strife he would have encountered had you not been there to return it. “No problem, you look like you have a lot on your plate.” You smile politely, attempting to soothe your fellow casualty of the Christmas rush. “I just have a question for you though, if that’s okay?”

“Not at all how can I help?” He agrees, his stance far more relaxed than it was with the horde a few moments before.

“My friend, he was hoping to get in contact with the purchaser of those sketches there, on behalf of a museum. I don’t suppose there’s any way we could get a hold of them, is there?”

“I’m sorry but not at liberty to divulge that ma’am.” Your rising hope falls, you knew it would be a long shot but you didn’t want to leave without trying. “However... if there’s a phone number or information regarding the museum’s interest I can include that in the paperwork to send off along with the purchase.”

“Really? You would do that?”

When the clerk confirms, you immediately turn on your heel and take a step in Namjoon’s direction before bumping into his solid chest, not realizing that he had already come to find you.

“What are you doing-”

“Getting you that miracle.” You grab one of his business cards from his hand, and turn back around to give it to the clerk who tucks it into the envelope along with the other documentation. “Thank you.” You smile at the clerk who returns the gesture.

“And you said I have a dangerous smile?” Namjoon mutters as he leads you away with a chuckle. “What did he say exactly?”

“That he would include it with the paperwork for the sale. I just hope they will reach out and call you.”

“Me too.” Namjoon smiles, but it doesn't quite appear to reach his eyes. “Shall we head out. I think I’m done here.”

The drive home is rather quiet, the weight of Namjoon’s gloom hanging in the air and he makes no attempt to hide it.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, just trying to figure out where to go from here,” he groans. “Those sketches were going to be the start of something new for me. I know the buyer might still come through but I’m not going to hold my breath. I need to keep searching for what comes next, I’m just a little lost, but I’ll find my path again soon.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“Sometimes it is, sometimes life will drop it right in front of me and other times I will have to search for it, but that’s a problem for after the holidays.” Namjoon looks out his window at the lights which start to come alive as you drive home. “Are you ready for the big day?”

“Christmas?” You give a nervous laugh, “No, I haven’t even put up any decorations.”

“Why not?!” Namjoon asks in alarm.

“Just haven’t really felt the need this year. There’s no one there to enjoy them but myself.”

“Which makes it all the more important to put them up.” Namjoon sits up in his seat, his whole persona changing. “I could help you if you’d like?”

You wince over the quandary. With your decorations sitting in your living room under an inch of dust it might arouse some confusion, and his heart would likely sink if he knew how long they actually rested there for. “I’m not sure I’m quite ready for it yet. Maybe another time?”

...

-1.5 Weeks Until Christmas-

Work continues to degrade as the countdown progresses. The only thing getting you through the shifts is the thought of Namjoon’s help at the stand. But as soon as Christmas is over, you wonder if your friendship will go the same way as the festive season, cast aside like the wrapping of the gifts you tended to in the weeks prior.

After a few days of busy shifts you’re both thankful to make it to another close. But when you are packing up the station Namjoon’s phone starts to ring. He looks down in confusion at the number without a contact attached. “Do you mind?”

“No, not at all.”

He grins as he answers the phone pacing further back into the vacant shop space and away from the sounds of the echoing mall. You continue to count off the deposit, and roll the wrapping paper. Trying your best not to listen, to give Namjoon his privacy, however you can’t help but notice the happiness in his tone, spotting his dimples from across the room when you sneak a glance. When you grab to move the last box of bows Namjoon ends his call. Tears glisten in the corners of his eyes accompanied by the widest smile you’ve ever seen from him.

“That was- that was the buyer.” He explains as he comes to help you with the final box, taking it from your hands and placing it on the back shelf. “He wants to meet with me this weekend.”

He’s so close, vibrating with an overwhelming delight. His arms move around you as though he is about to pull you in for a gracious hug. You start to congratulate him as he embraces you, “Really?! That’s gre-” only to be cut off when his lips come for yours instead. Once the shock evaporates, you start to appreciate the heat of the moment, the warmth of his skin, the softness of his mouth. Your hands reach up to his toned shoulders and neck pulling him down, diminishing the space between you. Breathing him in like this with your eyes closed, nothing else matters in the moment, nothing other than his firm chest pushing back against yours, his hands on your waist gripping at your shirt.

With a deep sigh and a bite to his own lip he pulls back. “Sorry I just-”

“Don’t, don’t apologize.” You cut him off this time.

“I can’t even begin to thank you.”

“I hardly did anything.” You laugh at the extremeness of his appreciation, though a small part of you dies when you realize his kiss was nothing more than a gesture of gratitude.

“That’s not true...” He responds, giving you his wide eyes and a shy smile.

On the drive home your companion can barely contain his delight, breaking into random smiles and laughter as he informs his coworkers of the success via text.

“There’s this event...” Namjoon starts, as you pull in front of his home. “At the museum on the twenty-third, a week from today, I was wondering if you’d like to go with me.”

“Next Wednesday? But we have a shift at the wrapping station.”

“I spoke to Emma a few days ago and she agreed to cover if we both wanted to go.”

“Emma, making a change so close to Christmas? I don’t buy it. What did you offer her in return?” You ask with a critical gaze. The woman runs such a tight schedule, only something great or important would have prompted her to agree.

“My next year of service.” Namjoon confesses, he looks down at his feet as though he might buckle from the embarrassment.

“Next year? You already promised to work it?”

“If you want me there that is. I’ll practice more in the meantime, I promise I won’t leave you to all of the difficult packages.” Namjoon chuckles. “But what do you say, will you go with me?”

“Ye-yeah I would love it’s just...” You stutter trying to come up with a good excuse but your brain draws a blank leaving only the truth. “I don’t know how well... how well I’ll fit in there.”

“What? No, why would you think that?” Namjoon places his hand on your leg while you drive. A move which causes the both of you to pause in reaction and him to retreat. “Trust me when I say you belong there more than anyone else.”

You nod your head and give him a small smile, wishing more than anything his hand would return. “I’ll come if you want me there. What’s the attire?”

“Semi-formal, and don’t worry about driving I’ll pick you up.”

...

-2 Days Until Christmas-

You stand in front of your mirror, wearing a dress which fits your shape perfectly, but stretches your pocket book significantly. The price tags hanging down from the zipper taunt you, tempting you to rip them away, to commit to the indulgence. Even if it’s only for a night, the payoff in the end might be worth the overpriced lace. You give in with a snip of the scissors and a swallow of guilt, letting the printed cardstock hit your bedroom floor.

You’ve spent the past couple of hours leading up to this moment in a fit of stress cleaning, disposing of the dust bunnies. Now at least if Namjoon comes over after... you won’t be completely off guard.

The phone on your bedside vibrates with a new message.

KNJ: Just pulling in.

YN: Be right down.

Sliding your shoes on and grabbing what you need, you leave your empty apartment with a growing smile on your face. The moment you can see the car from the buildings foyer both Namjoon and the driver exit the vehicle, though Namjoon is quick to wave the driver back to his seat, choosing instead to hold the door for you himself.

The thoughtful gesture is made more appealing as if it gives you a full view of your date in his dark three piece suit, his hair tamed back framing his handsome face, whose gaze appears to be giving you the once over for you too.

“You wrap up nice.” Namjoon jokes.

“Of course, I couldn’t embarrass you now could I? Have to land that first impression.”

“You would never. Besides I’m sure my colleagues will be fascinated to know who has enough courage to teach me how to wrap.”

“And how do you plan on introducing me to those colleagues of yours? As your date or your teacher?” You laugh.

“I was actually hoping I could introduce you as my girlfriend.”

“Your girlfriend for tonight?” You panic, not expecting this development. “Wait, is this one of those fake dating scenarios? Did you tell them you had one and then-”

“I think we’ve been watching too much Hallmark.” Namjoon laughs and shakes his head. “No this is not one of those scenarios, but I’ll take whatever form of companionship you are the most comfortable with.”

He gives you the stare of a man who is looking for more, but you know he won't need you once the holidays pass. His loneliness is temporary, yours is permanent. You’d rather not get your hopes up only to have them lost as he fades away in the cold gloom of January when his family returns. “Let’s see where it goes.”

Upon arrival Namjoon leads you through the massive doors by hand, taking your coat and checking it. The main hall just off the entrance is filled with patrons and staff all mingling and drinking while dining on tiny hors d’oeuvres. You look at the crowd with apprehension.

Namjoon’s fingers interlace with yours again, a grip clearly intended to give you confidence. “I’ll introduce you to some of the staff first.”

Several people congratulate Namjoon on the exhibit as he passes, he responds giving them a brief thank you as he ushers you through the crowd. Stopping at a small group of two, who greet Namjoon with a warm welcome.

“Thank god you’re here, people have kept asking for the brains behind the exhibit.”

“And why didn’t you answer them.” Namjoon smiles before turning to introduce you to them, following up with the man who just spoke. “This is Eric Nam, a curator who I worked on the project with.”

“Don’t pass the torch, we both know it was your idea, I just helped put it into motion.” His coworker smiles gazing at you. “And you must be the one Namjoon has talked so much about.”

The heat rises to your face as you look to Namjoon who confirms the statement with his own embarrassment. “Thank you Eric for sharing that with her...”

“No problem, it’s the least I could do for someone who gave you the insp-”

Namjoon coughs and shakes his head, cutting off his verbose friend.

You're about to question your partner himself when the other colleague of his starts asking you questions. “What do you do for a living Ms....” You remind her of your name while Namjoon spotting refreshments wanders off with a whispered promise to get you both a drink.

“I-I work for Interlude Shipping, in their tracking department.” You explain clasping your hands together in an attempt to settle your nerves.

“Oh, how nice...” The false quaintness in her tone is matched with a smirk as she takes a sip of wine. “Maybe you can help me find out if my sister’s present will arrive in time tomorrow.”

“Valerie...” Eric growls.

“What? I’m merely curious about her employment.” She smirks at him before continuing to her inquisition. “How long have you worked there? Did you have to get a degree for your role?”

“No,” This is exactly what you were afraid of coming here, you just didn’t think the judgement would be coming from someone who works with Namjoon. “I started there right after high school. I didn’t have the luxury to go to an elite school to work in a place like this.”

Eric comes over and claps you on the back. “Neither did Valerie; she just has family on the board.” Giving a coy smile to his coworker who scowls and stalks off without another word to you. “In fact you’ve actually done more work here than her in the past month. I hear you’ve been helping Namjoon secure the collection we’ve been after?”

You nod looking off after the departed curator, worried as to what impact your interaction could have with Namjoon’s position here.

“Don’t worry about her. She’s just bitter that Namjoon didn’t ask her to accompany him here.”

“Oh, does she- do they-”

“Fuck no, but if she’s not everyone’s first choice she’s not happy.” Eric gets in a little closer. “You don’t have to worry about Namjoon looking elsewhere, if he’s at all hesitant it’s just because he’s a little cautious with you.”

“Why would he be cautious?”

“Why would who be cautious?” Namjoon asks, handing you a drink as he appears by your side again.

“Mr. Roth, that man should be careful. I heard he had hip surgery recently.” Eric responds, cutting in with a lie to cover your discussion. “It's good of him to still join us tonight, but enough about that, why don’t you go show her the exhibit before it gets too crowded in there?”

Namjoon offers up his arm in agreement. “I suppose we can get started on the tour, if you’d like.”

“Yes please,” You answer, threading your arm through his. “Thanks again Eric, it was nice meeting you.”

“You too, I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”

The stand next to the entrance bears all the names of those involved in the creation and a countless list of those who loaned out pieces to make it possible. “There’s so many involved, how large is this exhibit?”

“Not too big, you’ll see why there’s such a long list soon.”

When the door opens you find yourself in a hallway amidst what you can only describe as a snowstorm. The walkway, made to look like an alley set adrift in snow, with flickering lights and paper creations hanging from the ceiling. “Did you make any of those?” You ask, grinning as you squint through the flurrying beams.

“No, I left those to the talents of the students who came by on school field trips. It didn’t take them long before we had enough.”

“Find any new prodigies?”

“Several.” He answers, before pointing to the mounted photos on the wall. “But these works here are some of my favourites.” The pictures are framed to seem as though the viewer is looking in through the pains of a window to happy holiday scenes. From unwrapping presents around the tree to the busy crowds of your very own mall, each image sets out to draw from you a sense of nostalgia.

“I can see why.” You find yourself lingering on the last of the photos by an accredited local photographer, savouring the display as much as you can, worried that it might end too soon.

“Don’t worry,” Namjoon whispers, taking your hand in an eager urge to press on, “There’s plenty more to look at.” He points to the end of the hallway, where you find another door, though this one is dressed with a knocker and wreath looking as if it’s the entrance to someone's home.

You open the door to reveal a series of rooms connected by one long hallway. The first you step into you washes over you with warmth and comfort, the sound of a cracking fire surrounds you while the light of fake embers flows from the side. Set up through the room are tables of items from old to new ranging from Christmas tree ornaments, and household decorations to handwritten cards. “All of these-”

“Were loaned by families from the region, they gave a piece of their history and traditions up for most of the season so everyone could enjoy it. Over here we have...”

You could spend hours sitting and admiring in this room alone, but more than anything you want to push on more to see Namjoon’s excitement in sharing it with you. Each room features a different spot of the home. A chilly shed with vintage toboggans and sleds, a kitchen, stuffed with cookbooks and the smells of baking featuring countless cookie cutters of every shape and size.

The next room is a little unusual and different from the rest, throwing you off for a moment, when the distinct scent of pine hits your nose. In the centre you find what look to be the replication of a massive trunk, and above false branches twinkling with lights. All round in a circle you find toys in glass cases spanning generations, when it hits you. “Are we under the Christmas tree?”

Namjoon gives you his coveted dimpled grin. “Yeah, do you like it?”

“I do. I can’t believe you managed all of this.” You exclaim hurrying between each display like a kid on Christmas morning. From wagons, and Rubik’s cubes, all the way to Furbies and gaming systems he has the whole collection of popular toys throughout the years.

Namjoon beams with pride once you’ve circled the entirety of the fake trunk and the presents beneath it. “Only one room left, but I think you’ll like this one the most.”

You're ushered into the next, a dimly lit space, a bed with a quilted cover stands in the centre, and on the walls you find countless story books, pinned open to so their stunning art is on display, papering the room with climatic holiday scenes and loveable characters. In one you find Scrooge meeting the ghost of Christmas past, in another you witness the Grinch save the sleigh from a perilous fall. Namjoon was right, this is without a doubt your favourite. While people filter in and out, you take your time looking at each set of pages. Your pace slow and steady, until you reach the special story that stops you entirely, the book you lost long ago, and have been trying to find ever since. Drawn on the pages before you is a little blue koala, with a pale purple nose, round ears, and a smile that lights up his face as he cuts out dozens of snowflakes. Namjoon stands behind you with a hand on your shoulder as you gaze at the book you know to be titled ‘Koya’s Christmas.’

You take a deep breath, while trying not to bend to the tears that threaten to break from your eyes. Focusing your attention instead to seek out the owner of the book, but unlike most there is no nameplate attached to this desirable artifact. “Namjoon, who loaned this? Is there any way I could contact them?”

When he gives you a sad smile, your gut clenches over the possibility that this might be a similar issue to what happened at the auction, a lender who wishes to remain anonymous. The only difference here being that you’ll fight Namjoon for the information if you have to. You’ve already let this book escape from you last year, you refuse to let it happen again. “Please, I’ll-” Just when you are about to plead with Namjoon’s integrity, another memory of your past walks into the room, but this one unfortunately has more tragic ties. “Shit,” you whisper, shifting to put your date between you and the newcomer.

Namjoon catching the change in your expression immediately reaches out in concern. “What? What’s wrong?”

“There's someone I know just over there,” You nod in the direction behind Namjoon. “I’d like to avoid him if I can. Sorry, it-it’s complicated. ”

Namjoon puts his hands on your shoulders, eyeing a path the closest exit without letting go of you. “Do you want to leave?”

“If that’s okay?” And just when you thought you were free, when you were ready to make a break for the door. The man in question, spots you and calls out your name.

You turn to face him, trying your best to keep your tone even and your lips pulled into a smile. “Jackson? Hey, it’s good to see you.”

“It’s been so long, not since...” Thankful he stops, not dragging up the subject you wish to avoid.

Namjoon moves closer, moving his arm from your shoulder around your waist, a comforting and protective gesture. “Dr. Wang... I had no idea the two of you were acquainted.”

“You know him?” You ask Namjoon, your concern rocketing over what else your date might become privy to.

“Dr. Wang was the phone bidder. I invited him here tonight to see the work we do.”

“The exhibit was impressive, I can’t wait to see what you have planned next.” Jackson confirms.

“I should go and let the two of you discuss-” You ready to step away when Namjoon’s hand grabs yours and Jackson calls your name again.

“No reason for you to leave, we should catch up.”

“May-maybe later?” You plead with him fighting back the tears, pushing down the memories his presence drags up. “Sorry I just, I need to go.”

You pull your hand free and race to the exit.

“Wait.” You can hear Namjoon call behind you. Though you continue to proceed out the exhibit and towards the closest exit outside, breaking into the cold evening air, only to find that he still followed. “Let me call for the car and we can go together.”

You stop in realization that your running will not deter him, he’ll pursue you unless you give him a reason otherwise. “No you should stay, this is your big event, I won’t ruin it for you.”

“Not without you.”

“Please Namjoon,” you beg, adamant that he return. “I don’t belong in there, I don’t fit in and I never will. Even when I try...” The ghosts of your past have a way of finding you and destroying your facade.

“I’ve told you before you belong in there more than anyone else-”

“That’s not true. I can barely keep myself together. I can’t, I can’t go back in, I'm sorry.”

“I don’t understand, what does Dr. Wang have to do with it? Did he hurt you? Did he-”

“No! No, he did nothing of the sort. Jackson was always very kind to me. Don’t let me affect your plans or any arrangement, you should go back and talk to him, I just can't be there.”

“You think I’m going to just drop you for him, especially when he makes you so uncomfortable? No, I’m leaving with you.”

“Fuck, just... please listen to me. He is a good man, he’s a good doctor, you would be foolish to give up this chance.”

“A good doctor...” Namjoon pauses as a grimace hits his face. “Does he have something to do with your mother?”

“How-How do you know about that?”

“I didn’t mean to pry, I swear. It's just, when I was first talking to Emma about you, out of concern she opened up about your past... about your mother, about your loss.”

“She told you?” Aunt Emma, you should have known she would do something like that, god forbid at least one person not know your history. “Then all of this, these past few weeks were they all out of pity?” You should have known, there was no way he would like someone like you. It was all out of sorrow for what you’ve been through.

“Not pity no, I like you, I like you a lot. When Emma said you were pushing her and so many others away... I concealed it out of fear of losing you too. I wanted you to open up about it until you were ready. I was just trying to help you get through this.”

You look up at the museum, drawing a distressing connection between Namjoon’s daily life and you. “Why? You think I’m some abandoned project you rescued from a deceased’s estate? One for you to mend, and later show like an achievement? You should have just left me where I was, instead of breaking me further.”

Namjoon’s hands immediately pull back from you. “I never meant to hurt you. Only help you move on, you can’t deny that you are frozen in place. You have so much more potential, but you're living in denial.”

“I live there because it hurts less...” You snap back in fury, as he exposes your painful flaws. “I live there so I can work, so I can help others.”

“But what about you? When will you let someone help you?”

You step away unable to answer his question, turning your back on him you race to the sidewalk to hail a nearby taxi, refusing to let him see a single tear fall.

Once home, you crawl into bed after throwing the dress to the floor. This was so far from the evening you had hoped it to be, with you instead left alone to ruminate on Namjoon’s words. Despising all the evidence he laid bare against you, turning it over again and again in your mind until your morning alarm startles you out of your stupor. Signalling for the last shift before your break for the holidays.

...

-Christmas Eve-

It’s finally here, the worst of all days at the call centre. With your eyes heavy from a lack of rest you take a seat at your desk with an extra large coffee in hand. On your computer you have this morning's team email pulled up, and attached to it a list of de-escalation tactics. You’ll need them today because if people don’t get their package by the end of the routes this evening, there’s no hope for tomorrow morning.

The call board on your phone is already lighting up like a Christmas tree, but you know those little embers to be fuelled by wrath, fury and unkept promises of delivery dates.

You try your best to remain calm during the egregious conversations. Offering up tips and tricks to parents who are worried that this will be the year that their child gives up on Santa because your company failed to deliver.

Your lunch break can’t come soon enough. But when you finally check your own phone it’s littered with texts from Namjoon. Messages of concern, apologies, and the hopes that he will still see you at the wrapping station tonight. He even sent a picture of your abandoned coat and promised to bring it along.

Fuck, you had completely forgotten about you wrapping shift together. Just one more night, then you can put it all behind you again. If you can just keep your cover for a few more hours then it’ll all be over and Aunt Emma will have what she was promised.

You send Namjoon a quick message confirming that you will be there, but not promising any more before you head back to your desk.

The calls get progressively worse with several people using foul language and demanding to speak to your supervisor, you try to talk them down as best you can knowing any call passed on to the higher ups will reflect poorly on your efforts.

Until one woman calling in search of her package finally wears you down, insulting you, your profession, even your family.

“Ma’am I’m sorry but if you continue to speak to be in such a way I am well within my right to disconnect the call.” A desperate bluff, your superiors would rather them end the call than you, you’ve been penalized for it before, and you’ll be damned if it happens again. But unfortunately she calls your hand.

“You will not! I have spent hours on the line trying to reach anyone. The shortsightedness of your company and staff is all too apparent.”

“It’s the holiday sea-”

“I know what time of year it is, but it seems your staff doesn’t realize Christmas is tomorrow!”

“You ordered your package past the guarantee date, we could not insure-”

“Now you listen to me, if there was any form of intelligence in that office you’d be working hard to ensure that all packages make it out before tomorrow morning, but instead you just sit on your ass fielding phone calls and giving excuses so you don’t have to actually go out and do honest labour. You must be the biggest disappointment to your family, not even having a proper job. How can you go home and face them knowing you've left so many without their gifts?”

With the woman's last insult, something inside you finally snaps, giving you the freedom to do what you’ve dreamed of for so long. “I don’t,” you pronounce, building up to take your final shot at both her and your employment. “Now if you’ll excuse me I’m going to let you go, as I’d rather not listen to your nonsensical bitching. So merry fucking Christmas to you ma’am, I suggest you go spend it with your own family if they’re willing to put up with your pompous ass.” You hang up the phone and pull off the headset, refusing to answer the next blinking light that comes on to replace it.

You just sit there looking at it denying the next caller their chance at verbal abuse, and your company's lax policy to protect you from it. The chatter of apologies continue to echo around you as your coworkers press on, but after the years of abuse you can no longer hold it in. Your company always said that this position was a stepping stone to greater things, that opportunities would come you just had to wait a little longer, but after being shackled by circumstances, and no forthcoming higher step to take, you refuse to press on any longer.

...

You pull into the mall parking lot, far too early for your slot at the wrapping stand, with the contents of your desk now stationed in the trunk of your car. Taking refuge in the women's bathroom cleaning your face of the tears you shed on the way over as you try not to think too much about what you’ve just done. After refusing to concede and admit to any wrong doing you quit, telling them to shove their shitty policies right back where they came from.

Namjoon was right... and with the mall closing early tonight you’ll only have two hours with him, two hours to smooth the tension over and allow for an amicable goodbye while maintaining your cover.

He’s already waiting for you, with your coat in hand, when you show up. The look of pity that you never wanted to see grace his face directed at you. “Are you okay?”

“Fine... I just would prefer if we didn’t talk about last night. I’m sorry for what I said, and now I just want to let it all go if that’s okay with you?” You smile up at him extending the olive branch.

Namjoon nods looking down at the floor as his hands habitually fold a scrap piece between his fingers. The silence between you is drowned out by the carols echoing down the emptying halls of the mall.

“Didn’t expect it to be so slow.” Namjoon mutters after what seems like an age with no one coming to the stand.

“On Christmas eve? Yeah generally people are home by now, spending time with their-” You force yourself to stop, unable to say a word which will bring sorrow to your heart and loneliness to Namjoon’s.

“I’m sorry I can’t do this,” Namjoon interjects. “I want to talk about last night, I need to talk about it.”

“Now is not the time.”

“There’s no one here but you and me. It’s just us, the mall is closing, it's our last shift, if not now when?”

“Anytime but now. The last twenty-four hours have been the worst in my life since-since...” You take a deep breath burying the wave of sadness and regret back down in your chest refusing to let it out. “Please, just forget it okay?”

“Not until you stop shielding yourself like that.” Namjoon scolds you. “I’m tired of you living in fear that your tears will erode your cover, and that your anger will tear it away entirely. I’m tired of you thinking that people will only appreciate you if you maintain this perfectly wrapped state. You might think it’s pretty, that it’s convenient for everyone else, but you are only keeping others out.”

“Maybe I keep it on so that you won’t be disappointed in what you find when it’s discarded. A sad woman, with no direction, no dreams, unable to cope with loss, and I suppose I can add unemployed to the list now. Is that what you want to see? Is that what you want to find?”

“That’s not all you are... and as for your job, I’m sorry but fuck it. It’s about time you moved on to better things, that place was only holding you back, you deserve so much more.”

“No I don’t, do you want to know why I worked there? Do you? I took that job to make sure she got the care she needed. I promised her when she got better I would quit and find something else, but she never did. But if I leave now I’m accepting the fact that she’s gone... that she doesn’t need me anymore, because I couldn’t do enough to keep her here.” The first tear falls breaking through the long standing divide.

“Staying there wouldn’t have brought her back. Tormenting yourself by remaining frozen in place, won’t bring her back. It’s Christmas for god sake and you are being kind to everyone else but yourself.”

“This isn’t Christmas for me. If it was, she would be here... not you. I’m tired too. I'm so tired of looking at her chair and- and-”

Namjoon wraps his arms around you pulling you forward as your emotions tear through the shroud. He moves you to the back of the vacant store sitting you among the boxes. “I’ll be right back okay?” You nod, while he tugs the table in and drags the gate down to indicate that you are now closed. When he returns his eyes too are starting to redden. His hands brush through your hair, the side of his palm pressing on your cheek and catching your tears. After seeing one of his own fall you crush yourself against his chest, clinging harder to him than before. His lips touch the top of your head, his hands rubbing on your back and arms as he waits, waits for you to be the first to pull away. The lights for every other store shut off around you the music lowers, all that’s left is the retreating chatter of those going to celebrate the eve of Christmas, and still you hold on to him.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been a very good substitute.” He whispers, encouraging you to finally lean back and admit your denial, accepting his efforts to help, when you yourself wanted to do the same for him.

“Don’t say that, it was never going to be a happy holiday for me, just something I needed to get past. But for you, I at least wanted to make yours better, I’m sorry I wasn’t a very good one either.”

“You never were a substitute. You were the one I wanted to spend the holidays with. A different Christmas than usual but no less enjoyable.”

“That’s sweet of you to say.” You smile, but you doubt it’s true. “I suppose we should go...”

“What about all the supplies?”

“Emma will come by in a few days to collect it all.” You grab the small donation from the lock box and seal it in the plastic pouch, while Namjoon rummages through his own bag. “Do you still want a ride home?”

“If you're offering, I would love one.” The flap of his satchel closes as he stops his search and instead goes with you to the bank and finally your car. You hadn’t checked the forecast for tonight so finding your car buried in a few inches of snow comes as an unexpected sight. At least with Namjoon’s help cleaning it off is a quick task.

Once inside you both warm your hands on the sputtering heater, changing them on the wheel as you continue to thaw your fingers while you drive.

“Do you have any plans for the next couple of days?” Namjoon presses, though hesitant in his tone.

“Maybe look for some jobs, and take a good long nap?” You answer with a dark chuckle, still preferring to miss the entire holiday if you could. “You?”

“No, nothing in mind. But if you wake up and want to come over, you're more than welcome to spend it at my place.”

You return both hands to the wheel as the road becomes more difficult to drive on, your tires slipping here and there on the ice beneath the snow. “I’ll think about it, though depending on how much snow we get tonight we might both be stranded at home.”

You pull through the neighbourhood gates and up Namjoon’s driveway. With the car stopped he once again dives into his leather bag and pulls out a thin rectangular gift he looks to have wrapped himself. Dressed as per usual, with far to many pieces of tape, he hands it over to you. “I know this won’t make up for everything, but I want you to have this. Consider it a very belated Christmas gift.”

“Belated? But Christmas isn’t until tomorr-” You take the present and succeed in pulling back the wrapping to reveal the book that you were reunited with just the night before. “Oh...” You look up from the cover to find the return of the sad smile on his face you saw in the museum. “But if this is late then, last Christmas, it-it was you? You were the one at the stand... with this?”

...

-One Year Ago-

You are counting down the hours and minutes until the mall closes, until you can pick your mother up from her doctor's appointment and head home, to your promised tradition of putting up the decorations. The past few weeks have been so busy, with work, volunteer shifts, and her treatments at the hospital, you’ve made it all the way to Christmas eve with the tree and ornaments still packed away in boxes, sitting in the corner of your living room since December first.

Aunt Emma is currently taking your mother’s position at the cashbox, thanks to the scheduling of the last minute check up. You light up your phone again checking the time, only an hour left.

“You can head out if you want my love,” Aunt Emma offers while swaying and humming to the carols. “It’s quiet enough for me to manage myself.”

You grin embarrassed by your desire for a hasty departure. “No it’s fine. I’m still waiting for the phone call to say she’s done, otherwise I’ll just end up waiting at the hospital.”

“Suit yourself.” She stands up to look down the halls of the mall. “Oh, I think we might have someone, he’s heading this way. He’s cute too, you should give him your number and put that mother of yours at ease.”

“Aunt Emma, I don’t need your dating-” You look in the direction she was speaking of losing the rest of your words when you find a tall beaming man coming closer to your station.

“If you need me I’ll just be in the back fetching more ribbon.”

“But we have plenty.”

“Doesn’t hurt to be prepared.” She waves herself off when he makes it to your table.

“Hi,” He greets you with the warmest smile and an even tone. “I was wondering if I could get these wrapped together?” He holds up a bag of gifts which he hands over to you.

“Of course. Any preference on paper?”

“Whatever you think is best, it’s for my mom. Just a bottle of her favourite perfume and something a little more special.”

You open the bag to find a small box containing the fragrance, and the other what looks to be a kids picture book. But what initially seems to be an odd choice for his mother, slams your chest with nostalgia when you see the cover and read the title.

“Koya’s Christmas.” You laugh with delight, you can’t stop yourself from smiling when you examine the artistry. The memories it brings back is enough to make your eyes well with tears.

“You know it?” The man asks, looking pleasantly stunned.

“Know it? I had it memorized as a child. I loved it so much I couldn't bear it when it was packed away at the end of Christmas each year.”

“Me neither, I flat out refused to let it go, I read it year round to the point where our old copy is currently falling apart on the shelf. Even made snowflakes to put in my windows like he did.”

“That’s right, that scene was one of my favourites. May I?” You gesture asking him for permission to look through it. He nods just as excited as you by the concept of something so sentimental. As you flip through the book you recall the beautiful storyline of a koala living in Australia, one who is so upset that they must celebrate Christmas in the summer, never getting to have a while Christmas described in the songs and shown in the movies. But once Koya talks to the leaves in the trees, and the other small animals of the forest, the realization hits that none of them would be able to stay there if it was cold enough for snow.

You are so close to tears when you reach the page where the little koala realizes it’s more important to have friends for the holiday than the frozen flurries. Proceeding to stay up all night cutting out perfect snowflakes to hang in the windows for all to enjoy at the family's Christmas Eve party.

“Where did you find a copy? I’ve looked for so long, I lost my own in the move here.”

“I actually found it by chance, amongst a bunch of rare second-hand books at an auction.” The man itches at the back of his head. “Sorry, I can’t be of more help in locating another.”

“No it’s fine. I’m just glad I got to see it again. I’ll have to tell my own mom that I was lucky enough to see a copy, she loved it as much as I did.”

You quickly wrap the two gifts in the one sheet as requested. Handing it back to him before you can be tempted enough to make an excessive offer of your own on his mothers gift.

“Thanks again.” He hands you two twenties for the donation. “My mom usually helps me with the wrapping but I didn’t want her to see this, you’ve made her Christmas.”

“I’m glad I could help.”

When he walks off you notice that he makes several glances back to you, holding a smile each time.

“So did you get his number?” Aunt Emma pokes her head back out from the stock area. “Maybe his social media, his dick-dock or whatever it is you kids do these days?”

“No, I did not get his tiktok.” You answer, unable to contain your laughter. “I was distracted by-” You’re ready to defend yourself when your phone starts vibrating on the table, the screen lit up with the number of your mother’s doctor’s office. You answer it, excited to share your account of the book. “Hey mom, you all finished? You’ll never believe what I just wrapped-”

“Sorry dear this is Laurie, I’m just calling on behalf of Dr. Wang’s office. We were hoping you could come by as soon as you can, the doctor would like to meet with both you and your mother before she leaves for the day.”

“Y-yeah, I’ll be right down.” You hang up the phone taking a deep swallow of fear, the moment of happiness and nostalgia vanishing with the prospect of the news to come. It’s never been a good sign when they’ve wanted to meet with you both in person.

Aunt Emma catches on in an instant, pushing your coat on your shoulders and your purse in your hand. “Go, I’ve got this. You give your mother a big hug for me, and I’ll stop by soon to see you.”

...

While you try to relive, to pull back and hold on to, that moment from a year ago, Namjoon nods confirming your suspicions.

You mentally kick yourself for not recognizing him, for not remembering a single thing about him except your connection with the book. But after everything you had gone through, in that night alone, the devastating news regarding your mothers health had blacked out everything else. You took her home that night, trying not to cry, trying to be strong for her. Helping her into bed for some much needed rest, leaving your previous plans boxed up in the corner... where they remain to this very day. And the year only got worse leaving your mind engaged elsewhere, far from the man with the kind smile and similar taste in literature. “I’m sorry, I can’t believe I didn’t recognize you sooner.”

“No, it’s fine, it was a while ago, and I’m the one who should be sorry,” He whispers. “The moment I stepped outside that day, I realized you needed it more than my mother needed a second. I went back, but you were already gone. I was selfish though, rather than leaving it with another, I wanted to be the one to give it to you myself, I wanted to see you, to talk to you again, and so I kept it. I even put it in the exhibit on the chance that you might find it. When I met Emma at the museum and found out that you’d be doing the fundraiser again it seems like fate, but then I heard about what had happened since I saw you last. I realized how foolish I had been, how I had stolen your chance to share it with her before she passed.”

You reach up to your face attempting to wipe away the tears before Namjoon can see anymore, but he catches your hands before you can hide your grief.

“When you saw the book that day, you have no idea the impact it had on me. Watching you react, your emotions so close to the surface. You didn’t care where you were, what you were doing, all you could see was the memory in front of you. I wanted to create that for everyone.”

“Then the museum exhibit-”

“Was a result of my meeting you, my breakthrough idea which got me a chance to curate was thanks to your reaction. I was going to tell you when we were there, why you deserved to be there more than anyone else, but everything fell apart so quickly.”

“I’m so sorry, I never intended to ruin your night. I just-” You take a deep breath, finally letting out the words you’ve been holding back. “I was scared. Jackson was one of my mother’s doctors, he was always friendly and kind to the point where my mother would joke that he would make the perfect son-in-law. We even went on a date, but when she passed... it was difficult, painful for me to see him again. Finding him there last night, I was so worried you would learn about what had happened, and that you would look at me with the same pity he did, so I ran.”

“You didn’t ruin it, I deserved what you said for not being more open with you about what I knew. I was scared of losing you. So no more running, no more hiding okay?”

You give him a nod, unable to speak through the tears as you gasp between sobs. He hugs you across the cars divide. “Now will you please come inside? At least for a bit. It’s Christmas Eve and I can’t let you go home like this. I have the snowflakes up and everything but we both know it’s not enough without someone else to see them with.”

You shake your head, now laughing despite the tears, “You really know how to reel me in.”

“I’m just admitting that I don’t want to be alone on Christmas,” He looks at you with a raised brow. “And I don’t think you want to be either.”

...

Namjoon’s house is the very opposite of your apartment, filled with warmth and light, wooden furniture and plants in every corner. The Christmas decorations bring another layer of himself into the fold. As promised, his window pains are full of snowflakes and the sills... you squint at several small blue lumps perched beside the glass. Moving closer you recognize them as clay koalas made by the skill and hands of a much younger age. Namjoon catches you staring at one position in a dozing state. He takes it off the ledge and hands it to you to give a better look.

“Careful with that one though,” He points to another figure stationed in the corner. “It’s ears like to fall off.” He rolls the round bit of clay out of position chuckling as it exhibits the trait.

“Did you make these?”

“When I was a kid. My mom held on to them.” Namjoon muses as he continues to fidget with the figurine. “She dropped off a box of decorations before going off to be with my sister and her family.”

“I’m glad she did.”

“Me too. But even with all the trimmings and decor here this year doesn’t feel quite normal.” He replaces them both in their rightful positions of honour and gestures to the massive couch behind you. “Make yourself comfortable,” he insists, before wandering off to the joint kitchen. “Is there anything I can get you to drink?”

“I’ll have whatever you're having.” You take a seat on the monstrous cushions, which ease you in before swallowing you in comfort. Making it easy to see how this beast of a sofa has eaten several of his several earbuds.

“Beer okay?”

“Perfect.”

He comes round with the drinks and takes a seat beside you. Turning on the television he lets it play with low volume in the background so you might continue your conversation if you wished, but at the same time eases the pressure from you if you’d rather not.

You smile down at your beverage as the overly dramatic film plays out. Your mind still lingering on the damage that you might have caused with your hasty departure the night before.

“Have you talked to Jackson since, is he still going to loan the sketches?”

“He wants to, he sent me an email today saying so...” Namjoon pauses taking a sip of his drink, swirling the contents around in the can. “He asked if you were okay too. I haven’t responded yet, I wanted to talk to you first and get the full story, rather than speak on your behalf. But it’s clear he has feelings for you, if you told him how you felt, I’m sure you could still work things out if you wanted to.”

“No, I don’t think it’s feelings but his concern. He’s just too good of a person not to worry, and I’m sure his own guilt has a place in there too. Jackson and I never would have worked out, we went on that date, we didn’t have much in common, there was nothing there that I wanted to pursue, not like my time with you.”

Namjoon’s eyes perk open as he smiles. His arm reaches around, pulling you in to lean on his side and shoulder. As the strained plot plays out before you.

“Why do you insist on watching these.” You ask as your eyes become heavy after a few minutes. Leaning into Namjoon more he lays back putting his feet up and sliding you down with him to do the same. Your head now resting on his chest the deepness of his voice carrying down to your ear.

“They’re like the snowflakes-”

“A paper thin plot full of holes?”

“Funny and true, but not what I meant. I know they are by no means real, but they have this way of adding to the feeling of the season. I didn’t realize how much of a tradition it has become for me and my family until this year, when watching them alone just felt wrong. The movies were an excuse to sit down with them, to talk and laugh. The other night when I called, it wasn’t that I couldn’t sleep, I just wanted to spend the time with you.”

“But why me? You could have anyone, even Valerie seems to-”

“Why would I want anyone else when you helped me achieve something I’ve long dreamed of? You may think this cheesy but at the end of all these films, when everything comes together wrapped in a perfect bow, that’s how I’ve felt in every moment with you.”

“You’re right, very cheesy, but not unwanted.” You look up at him from his chest finding only sincerity in his face. “Now if we’re to continue in this similar Hallmark course of action, I do believe this would be the part where you kiss me again.”

“But I’m just the clumsy lead,” Namjoon jokes. “I’m pretty sure that’s your-” You lean in doing just that, cutting him off and pushing him against the couch as you kiss him. His chest quaking with silent laughter soon turns to rumbling groans as you fulfil the expectation of your role. “Though this would also be the part where I tell you we should wait before giving into temptation.”

Your nose scrunches up in displeasure over the notion of such abstinence. “Then let's omit that line, and go off script for the rest of the night.”

Namjoon takes his turn, flipping you over to push you down onto the plush cushions, where you sink under his weight. “Gladly,” he growls, his mouth trailing down your neck pulling on the collar of your sweater to seek further in.

Desiring the same you discard your own knit garment, before moving on to unfasten the buttons of his shirt, pushing it back until he is forced to tear his hands from the sleeves himself and whip it down to the ground.

Sliding between your thighs he wraps your legs around his back and picks you up off the couch. With an arm wrapped around your waist, he continues to kiss you while you squeal from being lifted into the air.

“Bedroom?” You ask, excited by the possible prospect.

He nods, looking up at you with a smirk. “If that’s okay? I’d rather not risk losing you to the couch too.”

You giggle at the notion, while Namjoon heaves you up again to get a better grasp, his mouth tucking into your chest. He fumbles for the door now behind you looking as though he might break it open if the knob won’t turn to his grappling grip. You reach back to assist and push it open. The cool air of the room hits you, causing you to cling to Namjoon’s warmth.

With two more steps you’re lowered onto the bed, where he grips the waist of your pants, unbuttoning and tearing them down your legs. Laying on the edge of the mattress, you watch as Namjoon kneels down between your legs. His hands glide up your bare legs and pause at the tops of your thighs massaging them as he asks to go further. “May I?”

You take his fingers and press them down on the dampening fabric. Namjoon groans and dips the tip of his index below the material peeking inside to find the warmth of your cunt. It’s a pity it’s so dark in the room, you would have liked to see his smile.

But it seems you're not alone in this desire, as Namjoon gets up and reaches over flicking on the lamp beside his bed. “No more hiding, I want to see you, all of you.”

“I want that too. I want you.”

He smiles kissing you with both hands before rolling over and pulling you on top of him. You return the favour by taking off his pants and boxer briefs releasing his erection. Running your fingers down the soft skin of his shaft, curling them around the base. Tilting his cock towards your mouth you take the tip, teasing your tongue on the rim of the head. Namjoon groans in delight, thrusting his hips up, you take it again as far as you can manage, enjoying his reactions to your tongue trails downward, tracing the swelling veins of his dick. With another drag of his cock you release him with the pop of your lips and he reaches down to grip your arms, breathing heavily with closed eyes.

“I thought you said you wanted to see me?” You chuckle at his undoing.

“I do, but I also want to last.”

“Condoms?” You ask, continuing to stroke his cock while you adjust to straddle his thighs.

“In there.” He mutters, pointing to his bedside table breathless and helpless to your touch. Only looking up when you have to free him to reach for the box and unwrap its contents. His own hands help you to roll it down his shaft.

You guide yourself down on his cock while Namjoon arches against his pillow and mattress. His fingers tracing up your stomach and ribs. You reach back to unclasp your bra just as he reaches your chest, and lean down into his touch.

With his firm grip you rock your hips clenching on his dick and grinding your clit on his pelvis. The louder he gets the faster you move, trembling as you chase your own high and pivoting down further. When Namjoon’s hands grip your hips pressing you into him the pressure becomes far too great pushing you over the edge, sending waves of pleasure through you until you collapse on his chest. He holds you in place as he thrusts from beneath, gasping as your climax continues, coaxing you to clench down on him, straining his thrusts until he comes.

Dotting the side of your face and neck with his lips at a soft and slow pace, he succeeds in forging another smile in your still gasping lips. He tilts you off and beside him in your blissful haze so he may dispose of the filled barrier. When returning to your grasp you cling to him and he you, dragging the covers up and over the both of you.

“I could get used to this.” You whisper, curling into his warmth. No longer afraid of the emotions that the holiday will bring. Glowing over the prospect of not facing Christmas morning alone, but wrapped together with Namjoon in the sheets of his bed. “Maybe even consider it a new tradition?” You joke with him looking up to witness his smile.

“If that’s a tradition...” Namjoon whispers, coming in for another kiss. “I plan on celebrating Christmas everyday for the foreseeable future.”

#bts smut #namjoon smut #namjoon x reader #kim namjoon #bts x reader #rm #bts fanfiction #bts fanfic #bts christmas au #bts angst #bts fluff #bts wrapped together

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yunojeyes · 3 years

Text

Like a fool

Who knew that it would be Baekhyun's lucky day today?

Pairing : Byun Baekhyun x Taeyong's sister!reader

Genre: fluff

Masterlist: here

Fic recs: YuuYuu2

a/n: Please note that all of this is fictional and the personalities of the characters are made specifically for the story! Please do not copy the story and post it elsewhere or on Tumblr!

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

"You know, Mark really looks like his dad like the exact copy" Taeyong said as Mark nodded his head confirming the fact. "Y/N noona, taeyong-hyung's little sister is also the exact copy of him just as a female and like her eyes are a little sharper while hyung's are like boba" Mark said as Ten, Taeyong, Taemin and Lucas laughed nodding their heads. "Ah really? that makes me so curious, do you have a picture of her?" Baekhyun asked as Taeyong nodded while taking out his phone to look for your picture. "Guys, we'll tell you if Taeyong's sister is as pretty as they say she is" Kai said to the camera as comments filled with anticipation started piling in the live's comment section.

"Look hyung" Taeyong said as he showed his phone to his hyung, Baekhyun's breathing stopped for a while, taking in your sharp features. Your smile so wide that the apples of your cheeks caused your eyes to turn into a crescent shape. "wow" Kai said as he looked at your picture, "guys, she's really pretty like out of the world pretty" Kai said facing the camera as Taeyong shrugged, smug and proud of his parents for giving him such a beautiful little sister.

"How old is she?" Baekhyun asked while zooming into the picture. "She's born in 1997, only 2 years younger than me" Taeyong said as Baekhyun nodded his head, his heart beating ten times faster at the thought that he had a chance as the age gap was not too big. "Yo hyung, to be honest the first time I met y/n, I was intimidated by her like not only cuz she's crazy beautiful but because her resting face is just like Taeyong hyung’s like uh like she just looked so cold looking, like a ice princess" Mark said with his eyes widened. "Yeah that's why she's single hahaha" Ten said as they all but Baekhyun who had a small lovestruck smile on his face laughed.

" She rarely has crushes, I think her only boyfriend and only crush was in 3rd grade when a boy confessed to her with mint ice cream and a cat doll" Taeyong said laughing at the memory. "What? She doesn't have a boyfriend? Don't a lot of guys ask her out?" Baekhyun asked genuinely shocked that someone like you would be single.

"Yeah she has a lot of guy friends, well like friends in general but she's rejected a lot of people" Taemin who's your close friend said, "There were many times where the staff or like the dancers or even the music producers fall for her and confessed but she rejected them all." As soon as Taemin finished his sentence, Baekhyun's heart seemed to drop. "But she told me that once she likes someone she'll like really love them you know" Lucas said remembering his last hangout with you and Win Win in the Wayv dorms.

Baby Lee is calling you...

"Oh it's y/n!" Taeyong said as he took his phone back from Baekhyun putting you on speaker. "Oppa" you said with a raspy voice from your afternoon nap, "yah why's your voice so raspy, don't tell me you just woke up" Taeyong said as you let out a raspy laugh, heating up Baekhyun's cheeks and ears in the process. "I came home late last night oppa, I had to attend my grand opening" You said rubbing your eyes.

OMG SHE SOUNDS SO HOT

OOMF SHE BE MAKING ME FEEL SOME TYPE OF WAY

WHAHSKJDJA THAT WAS SO HOT NGL

DAMN ARE ALL LEEs JUST HOT

PURRR MS MAM

LOVE ME, CHOOSE ME PLEASE

FACETIME! FACETIME!

"FaceTime" Kai read out from the tablet, "hey turn on your camera sis" Taeyong said turning his camera on, "fine" you said turning on your camera with your puffy face on screen. Baekhyun's smile widening as he saw your puffy face, imagining that that would be the face he'd wake up to if you would give him a chance. "Y/nnie this is Baekhyun hyung, Kai hyung and the rest you already know" Taeyong said as he moved to camera to show their faces. "hello" you said waving at the camera while placing your phone down on your vanity, removing the hair tie from your wrist before gathering you silky hair to tie it up.

"Baekhyun hyung has a crush on you and he's wondering if he could take you out on a date" Taeyong said as he made a mischievous face causing Baekhyun’s eyes to widen in shock at the fact that Taeyong would out him like that and smacked him while yeeting out of frame to hide his red face. You giggled, "why not? It's about time I get back into the dating scene anyways" you said as you applied you moisturizer. "WOOOOO BAEKHYUN HYUNG GOT A DATEEE" were shouted from both sides of the room making Baekhyun's face unbelievably redder.

"I’ll ask Yong-oppa to send you my number, I'll text you a wink to let you know it's me, anyways class is starting soon so I gotta go, see guys" you said waving at the camera as they all waved back except for Baekhyun who was staring at the wall with a smile on his face. "Your welcome hyung" Taeyong said as they all laughed congratulating Baekhyun on his chance to be her first actual boyfriend.

original work of: @yunojeyes

#nct #nct fluff #nct au #nct 127 #wayv #nct dream #exo #exo fluff #Baekhyun fluff #Baekhyun imagine #superm #superm imagine #superm fluff

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princecharmingmendes · 3 years

Text

Heart by Heart | Chapter VII | Raul Mendes

*secret agent AU*

Y/N and Raul have been friends ever since they could remember. And falling in love with your best friend can be pretty tricky and messy 99% of the times, add that to the fact they're constantly risking their lives side by side on the field since they're both secret agents, and the best team that's ever existed. Perfect recipe for disaster.

Oh hi, this is the seventh chapter of this series, you can find the first ones here. I can’t believe we are already halfway there! Please read the warnings on this one, if you don't feel comfortable with the contents listed on the "warnings" section, please read something else, there are a lot of other works on my masterlist and on the "fic rec" hashtag on my blog. Please give me some feedback and I hope you guys like. Happy Reading!

previous chapter | masterpost | next chapter

*Word Count: 5.5K+

*Warnings: cursing, jealousy, , man who can’t take a hint, angst (if you squint!), things might get hot in this (not smut though, sorry guys!). And Raul fluff, that’s a very important warning.

Please don’t read it if any of this subjects make you uncomfortable, feel free to check my masterlist for other writings.

*Posted: August 12th, 2021.

-*-

Raul was nervous.

Y/N knew he was anxious about something the moment he stepped foot into her apartment. They’ve known each other for so long, they’ve spent so much time together, that she was able to tell his fidgeting mannerisms and stiff shoulders from miles away. But under their current situations, him being this nervous could be a bad sign. He could’ve been discovered or something like that, which meant they’d have to leave the building in seconds and run as far away as they could.

Before she could stop herself, her eyes roamed all the expense of his body, looking for bleeding or any potential injury she could find, but none could be detected. Raul had left an hour ago for a morning run, Janet decided this was their day off since they’ve been working like crazy, so she forbid them from working on anything. So when he left after having a late breakfast with her, she wasn’t even worried about him being in danger, but seeing him all nervous was making her tense.

“Hi, doll” he said trying to sound casual but his voice sounded almost mechanic.

“Hey” she greeted from her spot on the couch, carefully placing her bookmark between the pages of the novel she picked up the other day “is everything okay?”

Raul dropped his keys and phone by the door as he nodded, moving behind the counter on the kitchen to fill a glass of water for him as he used that to calm himself down a bit “yeah, I just- do you want to go out tonight with me?”

“Uh, sure, is that all?”

Raul seemed surprised at that “So, uh, you’d go out with me? Just the two of us?”

“Of course, we’ve done that before” she said still trying to understand his reaction. Was he asking her out on a date? And if he was, wasn’t it obvious she’d go?

“Yeah, I know, but this is different, I think we both know things changed between us, sweetheart, and this could be a chance for us to forget our reality for a second and just let things happen, maybe?” the normally confident, borderline cocky demeanor he normally carried around was gone. His body language showed clearly an almost shy side of him that Y/N wasn’t aware existed.

And she did know what he was talking about. They’re always close and intimate, he’s a very touchy kind of person and that’s definitely his love language, so that wasn’t knew. But spending the night and waking up cuddled to his chest was new, different in a good way, and that left her crush into growing by the second. It was getting harder to ignore, and honestly, Y/N didn’t have it in her to avoid it that much anymore.

“Yeah, I’d like that” and with that his face lit up completely and she flashed him a bright smile.

“Yeah?” he asked as he approached her, pressing a kiss to her forehead as she nodded “good, saw this really nice restaurant by the docks, it’s Italian”

“Oh great, what time do you want to leave? Just so I can get ready” she said looking up at him as he stood up to his full height.

Raul starting pulling his shirt off as he moved to the hallway leading to her bathroom “Seven works for you?”

“It does it’s perfect, I only need to help Celine out, but I’m having lunch with her to do that” Y/N replied as she forced herself to focus on the book in her hands and not the perfectly designed muscles on his abs as he leaned on the doorframe to the bathroom.

She heard Raul chuckled as he closed the door, not locking right after. Y/N would need a few hours to get herself together if she wanted to survive this ‘date’.

-*-

She ended up spending most of her afternoon with Celine and trying to calm down. If Celine noticed, she didn’t express anything, maybe too worried about her little mission tonight, but she was a good distraction. Trying to explain the best use for all of the equipment she receive and discussing the plan over and over again. Then she was told to leave and rest, boss’ order since it was their little day off.

Y/N got back to her apartment at around 5 p.m. finding Raul napping on her couch, the little fluffy blanket she had cuddled close to his chest. She had to hold back a coo not to disturb his sleep, and physically stopping herself from playing with his hair or caressing his face. So she decided to shower while he rested, so when he was up he could have the bathroom all to himself.

Before leaving the bathroom, she peaked her head outside of the door to check if Raul was still peacefully sleeping on the couch, which he was. So she took that to her advantage as she crossed to her room with only a towel wrapped around herself as she tried to figure out what she could possibly wear. She only packed really basic outfits, and sure, she didn’t really need to dress up and Raul’s seen her with every single type of outfit, so if she got all dolled up it wouldn’t be the first time or actually impactful.

But bless Y/N from weeks ago from deciding to throw a delicate sundress amongst all the gear she brought in her suitcase. It was a backless dress, with spaghetti straps holding the sunflower dress on her body. She felt pretty and comfortable in it, and it was enough to convince her this was it. A soft knock coming from her bedroom door brought her back to reality as she ran her hands down the front of the dress nervously.

“Yeah?” was all she said.

“Can I come in?” Raul asked before actually opening the door, only doing so after getting her consent “oh wow”

“What?” she felt a little self conscious under his gaze, she knew she’s been out with so many beautiful woman and she hated this stupid insecurity rising in her chest, but she could really help it.

All of her stupid questioning and anxiety were quickly washed away when she looked at him, finding Raul speechless and still staring at her, mouth slightly agape.

“Shit, you’re gorgeous, holy fuck, come here, doll” he said as he offered her his hand, which she gladly took as he pulled her closer, twirling her around blowing a low whistle “you’re so ducking beautiful, I love this dress on you”

Y/N shook her head giggling “oh stop it”

“I’m serious, baby, you’re just so perfect, sometimes I don’t even believe you’re real” as his praises slipped out of his lips she felt her face getting hotter and hotter.

“Oh God, you’re such a sap” all she could do was cover her face with her hands.

He gave her million dollar smirk pulling her hands away to look at her properly “only for you, sweetheart”

Y/N shook her head “I still need to put on some makeup” she warned him and he nodded, placing a kiss to her forehead.

“Take your time” he then added “I’ll change real quick and I’ll wait for you to finish getting ready, yeah?”

“Okay” was all she mumbled before she saw him leaving her apartment to walk down the hall to his.

She grabbed her little bag of makeup items deciding to do something a little bit nicer than her very basic everyday routine. Y/N padded her way still barefoot to her bathroom, propping herself up to sit on the sink and get closer to the mirror, placing her items nicely next to her. Just as she decided what she was going for, she heard Raul coming in. She let him know she was in the bathroom and she wouldn’t take long, but to her surprise, as she was prepping her skin, he slipped into the bathroom silently.

“Is everything okay?” she asked quietly looking at him through the mirror.

He was standing right behind her as he lifted his hands to place them in her waist, moving her hair to one shoulder to another, placing a gentle kiss to the newly exposed skin. Y/N felt a shiver run down her spine as she fought to keep her expression as neutral as possible, but he was making it hard. His cologne making her feel lightheaded, add that to his soft touches and eyes locked with hers through the mirror.

He was wearing a silky black button up, with the first few open, most of his chest exposed, his silver chain peaking through. His classic tight black jeans and his curls as perfect as ever. Raul looked like a fucking dream and being so gentle she felt like this was a dream, and it it weren’t for the cold of his rings against her slightly heated skin, she would be sure this was just her mind playing tricks on her.

“Yeah, just like watching you get ready” he mumbled placing another kiss to the place where her shoulder and neck met, making her let out a soft sigh.

Y/N trapped her bottom lip between her teeth as she met his gaze through the glass “you’re a little shit, you know that?” and he only chuckled lowly in his chest, shaking his head “let me finish so we can go!”

“I’m not stopping you” he said with a teasing tone and his smirk, but leaned away from her exposed skin, his hand never leaving her waist “but I guess I’ll behave cause I’m a good boy

“Of course you are” she chuckled, shaking her head, as she got back to her work.

She carefully applied a few items of makeup not wanting to look like it was too much, and every once in a while, she glanced back at Raul that stood patiently behind her. His thumb rubbing slow circles at her waist from time to time as he watched every move attentively. He smiled gently at her when he noticed her staring, a slight blush coating his cheeks.

“You look so pretty, doll” he admitted at she leaned forward to apply some mascara “so so pretty”

Y/N giggled shaking her head “did you hit your head or something? What happened to you today? You’re clingier and sweeter than ever”

Raul chuckled “I’m just enjoying my day off with my best girl, that’s all, I’m just happy and glad we got to do this” and with that she almost turned into a puddle “and just wanted to remind you how pretty you are”

“Thank you, darling” she meant it and she turned her head to place a quick kiss to his cheek, feeling her face heating up considerably “almost done, only a little highlighter and lipgloss”

Raul nodded as she finished applying the products and setting with a spray, before turning around to climb out of the counter. But before she could jump to get off, he had his arms around her waist to pick her up and carrying her to her bedroom as she squealed after laughing at him. He carefully placed her back on her feet at the bottom of her bed with a smile on his face.

“There you go”

Y/N laughed patting his chest softly “thank you” and then she turned to grab her shoes and her purse “do you think I should grab a jacket?”

“It’s probably better since it’s by the waters and we might need to walk a bit to reach the place I have in mind” he said with a shrug as he bit his lip “you can take mine, the leather one by the door”

“Are you sure?” she asked turning to fully face him completely ready, and she swears she saw his breath hitching.

“Yeah yeah, of course” he was quick to nod and she smiled at him in response.

“Okay!” Y/N practically hoped to the from door to grab the look, throwing it over her shoulders without actually putting it on and she waited for him.

Raul trailed behind her like a trained puppy chuckling, extending his hand towards her “you’re absolutely gorgeous”

“And you’re insanely pretty” she added as she interlaced their fingers letting him pull her closer to his body, his warmth radiating through his opened button down and the soft material of her summer dress.

“You think so?” Raul asked with a smirk and she nodded trying to hold back a laugh with an eye roll “good, pretty enough for you?”

Her eyes widened as she realized that behind his smirk he was actually curious, maybe even a tiny bit insecure, which made zero sense to her“Are you kidding me? You’re literally like a model of something”

“Thank you, sweetheart” he smiled genuinely, placing a kiss on her forehead before pulling her towards the door “now come on, promised you dinner”

-*-

The ride to the docks was pleasant, with him goofing around and singing horribly off tune to whatever song come up on the radio (and even though he would never admit it alive, he actually had a pretty decent singing voice, while Shawn was the singer, Raul wasn’t bad himself at all). He had his hand gently placed on her thigh, not high enough to make things weird, instead it was a comforting weight keeping her grounded and lightheaded at the same time.

They couldn’t park next to the restaurant, having to find a spot on the parallel street alongside everyone else who wanted to venture on the stores and diners. Raul was quick to hop out of the car and open the door for her, to which she just laughed and kissed his cheek as a thank you, locking her arm with his as they walked around the block.

The place he picked was a small cozy restaurant, looking all warm and homey as soon as the stepped foot in it. They were quickly whisked away by the host and walked to their table as they sat on a booth by the window, watching all the boats and movement from the street. Y/N sat across from him so they could both have enough room to feel comfortable.

“This place is so cute” she was the first to break the silence that installed as the walked in.

“You liked it?” his shoulders relaxing as she nodded her head cheerfully.

She looked around before turning back to face him “I loved it, never could’ve imagined we’d be in a place like this under this circumstances, but I’m glad we are”

“Me too, I wish I would’ve asked you out on a different situation, maybe a few months ago” he said scratching the back of his neck looking anywhere but her face “and I know this isn’t a proper date and stuff, but I think it’s a great start so we could figure out where to take this, but if you want it to be a date it’s fine by me! It’s just- I-“ Y/N couldn’t let him get into his head, so she gently placed her hand on top of the one he had resting on the table.

“Hey” she called softly as he finally looked at her, so she shot him a small smile “we don’t have to label anything for now, yeah? We don’t need to worry about this right now, we have other stuff in our heads, okay? We have all the time we could ask for and I don’t mind waiting a bit longer”

Raul smiled at her and brought her hand to his lips, pressing a kiss to each knuckle (an old habit of his, it started when she punched a guy in middle school for bothering Peter, he kissed each bruise and swollen knuckle he could, saying she was so brave and so strong) “yeah, I’m normally not his nervous, and I know I technically don’t need to be, it’s just you’re too important to me for me to fuck things up”

“You won’t, don’t worry, yeah?” she offered and he nodded “now, let’s discuss an important matter, what are we having?”

“Great question and I have no fucking clue” he admitted and she laughed at him.

They ended up picking a plate for them to share since it was a big portion as the talked, and time seemed to fly around them. They’re always so easy going, conversations flowed so naturally and it felt so right, they both ended up forgetting why they’re so nervous to begin with. This wasn’t a date date, it was just an excuse to understand where they stood and how they wanted to proceed, and they’ve known each other for years, it’s not like they had to make amazing first impressions if they wanted this to work.

They decided against ordering dessert since Y/N claimed she saw an ice cream shop down the block and that she was pretty much stuffed anyway. So Raul payed the bill against her protests, but she ended up giving in with a promise she’d be the one to buy their ice creams. They walked hand in hand down the small street that was surrounded by people, and as she claimed, there was this beautiful ice cream shop.

They placed their orders as she paid and he grabbed both of their treats, and ended up deciding to just eat outside on the light breeze to watch the boats and the water. They walked to the end in the street, leaning into the small wall that kelts kids from falling or jumping on the water. They’re just lightly chatting about random stuff, recounting old embarrassing stories when she visibly saw Raul’s demeanor change drastically.

But before she could ask what’s wrong or turn around for potential triggers, she felt a calloused hand on the exposed skin of her back. When she whipped her head around to see whoever was standing behind her she was surprised to be met with the man himself. Geonoff Reyes was standing right behind her.

“Oh hello, Y/N, how are you?” his voice made her stomach churn.

“Oh my God, hi!” she smiled politely turning completely to face him, her back now pressed to Raul’s front, unconsciously moving away from the man’s gross touch and into Raul’s warm chest “I’m okay, you remember him, right, love?”

She didn’t need to turn around for Raul to know she was talking to him “oh yeah, hey man, how have you been?” he had an arm around Y/N’s waist in a second, bringing her even closer to him and she went gladly, the weight of him on her comforting.

“I’ve been good, working a lot, trying to expand my business”

Y/N squealed softly in a fake excitement “Oh that��s awesome!”

“Yeah, congrats, man” Raul said with a smile he wasn’t even sure how he managed to fake.

“Thank you, guys, it’s been hard but it’s worth it” Reyes’ said with a smirk on his face “are you guys here on a date or something? I’m not interrupting anything, right?”

“Oh no, it’s okay, we’ve been down here for a while now, but yeah, Raul has been trying to get me to come down here for a while so he made it a date night and I couldn’t really say ‘no’” she explained as she placed her hands on his bicep, holding him in place.

“And are you liking it so far?” his slightly annoyed tone didn’t go unnoticed by Raul, as he glanced at the arm he had wrapped around Y/N as if it was something revolting.

“Oh yes, it’s amazing, really, such a beautiful view” she added pointing to the boats.

“Agreed, but you’re a a better view” Geonoff chuckled at his own flirtations joke and Y/N chuckled softly when in reality she wanted to puke “well, in case you ever feel like it, I own a couple of boats, so I could take you on a ride if you wanted”

Raul almost lost his temper there, but he felt Y/N slightly squeezing his muscle and he forced himself to relax and to keep his cool.

“Oh thank you, but I’m a little afraid, rather be here on land where I know I’m safe” she said with a sweet smile, but she had a bitter taste on her mouth.

“In case you ever change your mind, you have my number” he added with a wink “I gotta get going, have a meeting in my yatch now”

“Have a nice night, man, good luck with your business” Raul forced himself to speak up and Geonoff looked up at him almost as if he had forgotten he was there and flashed him a smile, but not without looking him up and down with disgust.

“Oh yes! Have a great night” Y/N waved politely “Don’t let us keep you from getting to your meeting, wouldn’t want you getting late”

“Good night, drive home safely, yes?” Geonoff said, reluctantly peeling his eyes from Y/N’s figure.

“Of course, I’ll keep her safe, don’t worry” Raul said kissing her hair and she giggled in response.

Geonoff waved before walking in the area she supposed was where he’d climb on his yatch, and only then Y/N noticed the man in suit surrounding him, heavily armed. When he was finally far enough she let ou a breath she didn’t know she was holding, melting completely into Raul’s chest. He held her tighter so she wouldn’t slip.

“Come on, it’s getting late, my love, let’s get you home” Raul said pulling her in the direction to their car.

The whole way home Raul didn’t utter a single word and Y/N was still processing everything, so they both sat in silence, the only noise was coming from the soft purr of the engine and the low music coming from the radio. As he parked oh the garage, they both got out of the car and moved to the elevator almost automatically, still without speaking up, mostly due to possibly leaking some information.

As if he could read his mind, when she started breathing a bit heavier due to the stressful situation and the weird vibe they had between them, Raul quietly slipped his hand in hers, giving it a gentle yet reassuring squeeze. She then left a breath she didn’t know she was holding, stepping out of the elevator as it hit their floor and dragging him behind her like a puppy to enter her place.

“Are you okay?” Raul asked as soon as she locked the door and turned to face him.

She nodded leaving her shoes by the door, alongside her purse and hanging her (his) leather jacket “Yeah, just a bit shocked, you know? Wasn’t expecting him to be there, Celine’s been following him for the thing he had, but we didn’t know he’d have a meeting on a boat”

“Yeah, sorry about that” he mumbled mimicking her actions as he scratched the back of his neck.

“It’s okay, you did nothing wrong, honey” Y/N said finally actually looking at him, noticing the prominent frown on his face, a small pout on his overly pink lips “hey, it could’ve happened to anyone and anytime, you couldn’t have known”

Raul huffed a breath shaking his head as he plopped down on the couch, running a hand on his hair “yeah, but this was one of our only chances to relax for the past weeks and he ruined it everything”

“He didn’t ruin everything” she was quick to stop him, sitting down beside him, tucking her legs under her body as she rested her arm on the backrest of the small couch, stretching a bit to place her hand on his shoulder “I had a lovely time and I honestly can’t remember when was the last time I actually had this much fun on a non-date date”

Raul turned his face slightly to place a gentle kiss on her hand “really? You’re not just lying to make me feel better?”

She gasped feigning offense “what do you take me for?”

“A liar” he stated without blinking, and she was quick to try to get up and make a dramatic scene, but he was faster to wrap his long fingers on her wrist near his face, pulling her back down and in his lap as he laughed “come on, doll, it was just a joke”

“You're an idiot” she said laughing trying to climb out of his lap, but the arm that was wrapped around her waist stopped her.

Raul shook his head “no, no, stay here, sweetheart, and we’ve already discussed this” he said looking pointedly at her, but the small grin playing on his lips gave him away and she shook her head “Yes, I am an idiot, but I’m your idiot”

“I don’t mind that” she said with a shrug and he smiled at her.

“Good thing you don’t” he chuckled, comfortable hand on her back as he drew random shapes on the exposed skin of her back making her shiver slightly “you know, the jacket looked really good on you”

Y/N huffed a small laugh shaking her head“Yeah? Might steal it”

“You shouldn’t announce it, silly, but I have to admit, you could probably steal my whole closet and I still wouldn’t be mad at you” he said turning her in his lap to face him and making her properly straddle him “you look too good in my clothes for that” he added voice slightly lower.

If Y/N had been drinking water she would’ve choked, but she tried to keep her face as straight as possible “you're such a flirt”

He then laughed “Only for you, doll”

“Oh shut up, you literally flirt with yourself on reflexes and might have flirted with the dog we saw earlier” Y/N pointed resting her hands on his chest as she laughed.

But Raul shook his head trying to hold himself from chuckling “well, it’s not intentional, didn’t know you were jealous of my own reflection”

“I'm not the jealous one here, darling” she had a teasing glint in her eyes, but he didn’t even hesitate before admitting, knowing denying would be ridiculous at this point.

“What do you want me to do? Everyone wants you, I can’t help it sometimes” he said and Y/N arched a brow at him “okay, okay, most times, but you’re just so fucking pretty and smart, and talented and good and of course I get jealous”

She was left slightly speechless. Sure he always complimented her, about pretty much everything but they’re normally casually thrown, here and there, but since they weren’t so directly she was able to brush it off with a joke. But never so many in a row and looking her straight in the eye. Y/N looked down, dropping her hands on her lap and fidgeting with her ring.

But then she felt his hand tilting her head slightly up so she could look him in the eye, her whole face burning up, and he smiled so sweetly at her she was even slightly breathless. His hand came to rest on her jaw as his thumb caressed her cheeks gently “did I say something wrong?”

“No, no, no” she was quick to add “no, you’re just-”

His voice was quiet when he inquired “What?”

“So sweet and-” she sighed looking around and shook her head.

“Sweetheart?” his voice was like honey, all warm and making her feel tingly as she looked down at him again and she didn’t know what to do.

Raul was staring at her lips and they’re suddenly too close, she didn’t even notice how close to his face she was, her noses almost touching, and maybe they gravitated closer to each other unconsciously, almost like magnets. But she wasn’t complaining. Her mind having a tiny short circuit and she got lost in his eyes.

He leaned forward a bit more, giving her a tiny eskimo kiss, their lips brushing “Am I reading this wrong?” his voice an octave lower and she shook her head, leaning in the rest of the way.

She caught his lips in a tentative kiss, hands splayed on his chest, not fully confident on it, but all of her self doubts flew out of the window as he sighed happily kissing her back, pulling her even closer to him and keeping her flush against his chest with a hadn’t around her waist. She literally felt like she was on the moon, her head spinning as he enveloped her in everything him.

His hand gently caressing her face, his other one on her waist, his cool rings a stark contrast to the heated skin exposed by the low-cut back of her dress. His smell was everywhere, his thighs under him and the soft fabric of his silky shirt. Raul didn’t hesitate to slot her bottom lips between his two, deepening the kiss and taking control of it.

All this years, all his pent up emotions taste on his tongue as he swept it over her soft glossy lips, and she was quick to open her mouth to him. Bringing one of her hands to tangle on the small curls at the base of his neck, pulling on the soft chocolate curls and he could not hold back the small whine that left his lips and she swallowed it. The soft strokes of his tongue against her making her want to his him forever.

But as if he sensed it, he pulled back placing a long kiss to her lips and trailing his mouth in slow wet kisses down her neck “can't believe I waited this long for this to happen” but Y/N only hummed in response, too lost in the feeling and trying to catch her breath, pulling his hair a little harder and he let out a deep groan “fuck, sweetheart, you’re gonna be the death of me”

She then titled his head up by his hair, before glueing their lips back together, his hand dropping to her exposed thigh and her breath hitched in her throat. But before things could go any further, she heard a strong knock on her door, making her snap her head to look at the front door of her apartment.

“Y/N, sweetie, I need help” she barely recognized Celine’s voice in the fake sweetened tone she used for her cover.

“Oh shit, they must be back from the mission” she whispered as she turned to Raul with wide eyes and he looked completely blissed out “what are we going to do?”

“Honey, is your boyfriend in there? Hope you’re both decently dressed” Celine called with a teasing tone and it didn’t seem fake at all.

Raul held her face in his hand trying to get her to focus and said it in a hushed tone “it's okay, go open the door to her and we don’t have to say anything just yet, we can talk about this later, yeah? Everything’s fine, I just need a second to- uh, you know, calm myself down a bit” he added the last part a bit shyly and she nodded taking a deep breath.

“He's here but we’re decent” she shouted back with a fake laugh as she scrambled out of his lap, leaning down a bit to arrange his curls and cleaning the excess gloss that transferred onto his lips “Coming, darling, you want me to kick him out?” she offered shooing him out of the couch and aligning the throw pillows to make it less obvious.

“No, no, he can stay, it’s just Trevor again” Celine came up with the stupidest excuse she could think of.

Raul nodded to her as he hid behind the kitchen counter, casually grabbing a beer. So she took a deep breath and tried getting herself together before unlocking the door, being met with Celine looking at her suspiciously in casual attire.

“Oh hi, come in” Y/N said as she straightened her dress and pulling the door more open, watching as Celine stared her up and down but not saying a thing about her slightly disheveled state.

Instead she looked at Raul by the kitchen counter and said “Jack's coming with Tom in a sec” and sat down on the couch.

Y/N felt Raul’s gaze on her, but instead she just turned to close the door and then sitting by Celine, trying to ignore those damn butterflies on her stomach.

-*-

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I’ll know.

*I’m sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

*Please do not repost this without giving me the credit, this is a completely original piece and I do not give permission to copy this!

*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo

-🌙

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