#hopefully it's worth the effort <3

[14dayswithyou]

💖 Day 3.5 is now available! 💖

For the last couple of months, only Server Boosters had access to the 3.5 update... Buuuuut now it's available for everyone to play in the 14DWY Discord — and soon itch.io once I'm happy with the QA and state of the game — so please don't feel pressured to join unless you want to!!

The full devlog + even more screenshots are under the cut ^^

What's been added to the 3.5 version?

📺 Streamer Mode!

I've been told that it's difficult to stream and monetise age-restricted videos on YouTube and Twitch, so I added an option to remove the sexual content and strong language used in the demo.

Now y'all can invite Ren into your bed for cuddles without putting your streamer career on the line /silly /lh

This won't affect the 18+ rating or dark themes/elements of the game, however! Although Streamer Mode will prevent you from seeing any "gruesome" CGs in the future, most of the core elements of the game will still be tied to the choices and decisions you make. So you won't miss out on the overall experience by using streamer mode!!

⚙️ Custom Pronouns!

It only took me one entire year to get around to it, but you can finally choose your own preferred pronouns (or use a set of pronouns instead)... At the cost of being able to change them mid-game ^^;

Since the original pronoun screen wouldn't update until a new scene was displayed, I temporarily disabled the feature. But once I find a workaround, I'll bring it back!

💗 Choose how others perceive you!

You can now choose how the cast and narration perceive you! Originally, the narration was kept strictly gender-neutral (outside of pronouns and genitalia picked by the player), but this will soon change in future updates.

For more clarity: you don't get to choose the words specifically, but you can choose between masculine, feminine, and androgynous terms!

📋 Separate top and bottom genitalia!

You can now choose your tatas and pps separately! >:3

Alongside that, you can also choose your preferred body type!

I removed the "both" genitalia option because a few players still assumed it was an obscure version of "intersex". That wasn't my intention and I don't want to mislead anyone, so I took it out for now ^^;

I also didn't want to include a screenshot of the new genitalia choices in action (because it's NSFW), so y'all get the same character menu screen for the nth time instead lmao

📱 Relationship Screen Overhaul!

You can now change your own status for more immersion, and long-term Server Boosters will eventually be able to submit and use their own icon within the game as well!

Stalking finding your friends has now become easier by using "Buddy Maps"; a new app that allows you to see the location of all the cast members!

I want to offer players more incentive to check the relationship screen since they tend to miss the status updates, so hopefully this might help ;v;

It also says it "updates every few hours" so folks don't go overboard and check every 5 seconds to see where Ren is gdsghf (also keep in mind that he's a hacker lol)

🖤 Additional Scenes Update!

Day 2 received a brand new CG!!!!! Originally, I planned on only adding a few CGs sporadically throughout the game, but it didn't feel right to leave Day 2 so... empty... so I added a brand new CG to (hopefully) make things feel more balanced and natural!

If you decline Teo's offer on Day 3, Leon will now call and try to convince you to reconsider. However, players are still allowed to decline, and if they do, they'll reach a dead end.

After listening to feedback on itch, I changed some of the dialogue during Days 1-3 to make it seem more consistent! They're only small changes though, so it's honestly not worth looking for sdgjssga

🎶 Updated BGM and SFX!

I wanted to try out a different style of music to see if it fits the vibe of 14DWY more! The BGM features more acoustics to suit the "beachy" theme of Corland Bay, though I made a conscious effort to include piano elements as well to stay true to the original!!

I figured it'd be better to give players a live example before I make a poll (to see if they prefer the change or not) and publish it to Itch.

Some new SFX have also been added, though it's very minimal and honestly not that noticeable.

How to download and play the update?

(warning: clicking on the following links will open Discord!!) To download the Day 3.5 update, simply join the 14DWY Discord server, verify your age, and visit the "14dwy-updates" channel!

Alternatively, you can also wait until the update is publicly released on Itch to play it as well!! (It normally gets released shortly after a round of QA testing/getting feedback from the server, though I may release it earlier if I feel like it hehe ^^)

Enjoy!!

[jk97]

Unprofessional Attraction | THREE

♡ pairing - yunho x afab!reader ♡ word count - 23.6K ♡ warnings for this chapter - fluff, ANGST, and explicit content (mdni), teacher/student relationship, some other members are featured, drinking alcohol, bigdick!yunho, pet names (angel, pretty, sweetheart, etc.), possessive/obsessive/toxic behavior, cunnilingus, hickeys, fingering, praise, unprotected sex, creampie(s), jealousy, blackmail ♡ A/N - I’m soooo sorry this took me forever to write (it’s so many words ahhh 🫠) but hopefully this is worth the wait. The next part will be the finale of this series. This also isn't beta read so I apologize for mistakes ahhh. I love ya’ll, thank you for your patience friends, STREAM GOLDEN HOUR ♡

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

“You could at least try a little harder to pretend you want to be here with me, ____.”

Wooyoung’s antsy fingers pinch at the straw of his drink while he watches you thumb away at your phone. Going back and forth with your friends in the group chat about Jongho’s upcoming recital is the only thing calming your nerves this afternoon. When you had agreed to his ruse, you didn’t realize you were signing up for public humiliation. Those two words might be a bit dramatic, but sitting together in the dead center of the campus food court has you immensely anxious either way. This is entirely way too public…

You don’t mean to offend him with your embarrassment. It’s not like Wooyoung isn’t handsome; in fact, that might make things worse. It helps draw in too much unnecessary attention from other women, and it feels as though there might as well be a spotlight circling your table. Luckily, Yunho has a lecture through the next hour today, so you’re not too concerned on that front. Regardless, your first fake date with him is starting to be nothing short of awkward. 

“You can’t even look me in the eyes?” He inquires further.

“I’m sorry,” you find it within yourself to apologize, placing your phone face down on the table and sliding it away. To offset your anxiety, you put new effort into inspecting your food and preparing to finally eat it. Anything to just keep busy. “This is just a little out of my comfort zone.”

“Pretend I’m Mr. Jeong if that makes it easier,” he suggests, but his tone hangs on the edge of condescension. It’s not all that intentional, but he’s poking the bear. “I have access to the grade book all the same, you know.”

With narrowed eyes, you try to let his wisecrack roll off your shoulder, “That’s not a very funny joke.”

Continuing to avoid his eyes, Wooyoung watches you put all your attention into eating the meal he’s bought you so that you both can pretend to be on this lunch date. He was gracious enough to offer to pay for any meals you share moving forward, as long as it would make things easier on you while being a part of his plan. That’s what a real boyfriend would do anyway, right? Though, right now you’re not treating him like a boyfriend— you’re treating him like some kind of dirtbag with an open wallet. He can feel his own appetite slipping away slowly but surely.

“What are you both anyway, fuck buddies?” He asks a little too bluntly.

It might be a bit muffled, as your mouth is stuffed with food, but you still manage to retort, “That’s none of your business, actually.”

His increasing annoyance is evident by the deep exhale he tries (and fails) to suppress. Wooyoung doesn’t want things to be so tense, but you’re not exactly making it easy. He supposes you might gain some sympathy for him if he explains his troubles. You seem like a genuine person despite any contempt you might hold for him right now, so he figures you’ll be understanding. He needs to make conversation in some kind of way, anyway.

“How about I tell you a bit about my situation then?” He finally offers. You hum to let him know you’re listening, so he continues, “She and I were together for the last three years, but then she broke up with me a few months ago. And over something so stupid, really.”

“Go on,” you encourage, swallowing the bulk of food in your throat.

“Well, I need a master's degree to get the specific job I want… After telling her, one of her friends got in her ear about how me staying in school might hold her back after we graduate next year.” Wooyoung tries to sound indifferent to her friend’s heavy influence on her decisions, but the look behind his eyes, as he glances around to see if she’s in the area, says otherwise. It’s full of bitterness and hurt. “She wants to travel for a year before getting a job, and they told her I’d stress her out too much with a long-distance relationship. She took that to heart, for whatever reason.”

Would it be a lie if you said you didn’t support a tiny bit of actual pity towards Wooyoung? Probably. Knowing what you know now, you ponder more about the tight situation between you. He’s an intelligent guy, and you’re sure he knows exactly what Yunho is to you with the way you get touchy about his name even being mentioned. That’s why he’s using someone else’s happiness to retrieve his own once more. While that’s not exactly just, you’re aware that love makes people do crazy things. Moreover, you know you in particular can’t judge anyone after doing what you’ve done to achieve Yunho’s attention.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” is all you can reply, but it’s genuine.

Before you can process what’s happening, Wooyoung suddenly reaches across the table and links his fingers with your free hand in an act of endearment. Your cheeks prickle with heat, not from being charmed, but from more humiliation. This is embarrassing, suddenly having to do public displays of affection with someone you don’t even like in front of whoever is looking hard enough to notice.

“Don’t turn around, she’s here with a friend,” he mumbles, and then an affectionate smile tugs at his lips. It looks fairly genuine… He is much too good at looking charming on the drop of a dime. “Do you think it’d be too corny if we wore some matching outfits a couple times?”

You hesitate for the briefest second before squeezing his hand with false affection and leaning forward on your elbows to seem more interested.

Nobody is close enough to hear you reply, “Are you trying to win her back or get her to block you? Because I honestly can’t tell.”

“It’s just a little joke. Laugh a little, I beg,” Wooyoung pouts. 

He leads your connected hand to fondle his cheek, trying to inconspicuously guide you through the motions. If Wooyoung didn’t know any better, he would assume you’ve never been on a date in your life. His hopes were much higher than this, as you’re much too pretty to be this stiff when it comes to showing affection. It almost has him second-guessing whether he’s right about you and Yunho being involved more than just sexually. Much to his surprise, your hand finally relaxes against his face, and he revels in the way you even stroke his skin with your thumb. The timing couldn’t be more ideal, truly. He can sense the attention of his intended audience, and the corners of his mouth curl into a subtle smirk of approval. 

“That’s perfect. Keep going.” 

“Don’t push it, please.”

For the rest of that week, Wooyoung insisted on repeating these kinds of daily rendezvous. This request also accompanied another for walking each other to class when applicable. He knew he couldn’t always time it right for when she’d be present, but he had his workarounds. He was fairly knowledgeable about a few of her friends’ class schedules, and he made it a point to walk with you on paths that would often intersect with those who he knew would inform her of his behavior instead. Occasionally, he would ask you to show up to school a little more fetching than usual, with prettier clothes and makeup. Wooyoung also made a point of concealing her identity from you, for reasons unbeknownst to you. He failed to tell you any more details about her after your first date, and that included basics as simple as her name. Several possibilities were considered when you finally identified this as a problem. The rational explanation would be that he doesn’t want you approaching her on your own time and taking things into your own hands. A particular irrational explanation starts infiltrating your thoughts with the more days that pass by bearing no evidence of progress:

“I’m starting to believe this ex of yours doesn’t exist.”

Your snide remark about his secrecy started as a joke. 

“I have nothing to gain from lying to you.”

His terse reply didn’t necessarily extinguish the conspiracy behind your jest. After consistently being told not to look in certain directions for nearly two weeks, and no updates on her position, it became harder to believe his words. Despite everything, you do as you’re told and pray that his ex breaks through sooner rather than later.

I’m sorry.

It seems as though those two words haven’t stopped coming out of your mouth ever since you stepped foot in Yunho’s home this evening. 

It begins with apologizing profusely for asking to come over on such short notice. Your complex’s Wi-Fi went out due to the wintery mix storm slamming the town tonight. Wooyoung’s been trying to lay it on thick the last few days and make your presence more than known to his ex, anywhere and every way that he can. Consequently, with a lot of your free time being taken away by him, you found little time to put towards important assignments due at the end of this week. The lack of Wi-Fi is the absolute last thing you need to happen right now. 

Yunho doesn’t care about your abrupt presence at his door or even the way you track slush past his doorstep. He's more concerned about how you drove in the middle of a huge storm so late into the evening with no care for your safety. Over and over, you find new things to apologize for that make no sense to him. Another set of frazzled apologies comes from your mouth for keeping him up late after an hour or two passes. Yunho can’t help but genuinely laugh at this one.

“You do realize what day it is, right?” He inquires. The clueless look on your face makes him sit up, “It’s Saturday, ____. The day you typically come over and spend the night. I actually texted you about it earlier today, I didn’t know if you still wanted to or not since you were so busy last Saturday.”

This epiphany makes you immensely bashful and draws many more apologies out of you for your poor memory and lack of communication. How could I have lost time so badly that I forgot to reply to him about something we do so routinely? Under your stressful circumstances lately, your days are running together, and there’s just too much on your plate to appease everyone. Yunho visibly sees the shame blanket you from head to toe, and he hopes he didn’t come across as if he was upset with your behavior. In fact, he’s more concerned than anything.

Your lover can hear you type much faster after this brief exchange and he scoffs. Surely you don’t believe he’d willingly let you make haste of your work so you can disappear for another week or two… he groans internally when he realizes that’s exactly what you’re doing. He doesn’t understand why you’re so self-conscious and sheepish tonight, but he’s not going to press it. Instead, he rises from his spot on his couch and creeps over to where you’re seated at his table. His hands find the slopes of your shoulders and thumbs rub comforting circles into your muscles.

“You know you’re not going home tonight, right?” He questions after a moment of being nosey and peeking at your screen.

“And why not?”

The abrupt feeling of Yunho’s large palm skating up the skin of your throat before pushing your chin up to meet his gaze above you makes a chill run up your spine. His eyes are warm and concerned, yet stern.

“Because I said so,” he says point-blank.

Whether it be because of the terrible storm still slapping at his windows, or maybe even the fact that he hasn’t seen you outside of a classroom in quite some time, he knows this succinct answer suffices just as well those do. The subsequent pout on your lips to him is seen simply as an invitation to kiss them, and he does just that. You don’t even try to argue any further. It may not be your best work this semester, but it’s not too much longer after that when you finally submit everything due before its midnight deadline.

After briefly disappearing to his room to rummage through his dresser and change into something more comfortable, you eventually join him on the couch. Tonight’s position of choice has your head using his thighs as a pillow, cheek squished against his soft sweatpants as he spends endless minutes massaging the tense muscles of your back and shoulders with his fingers. He smells so good… that lavender and musk mix has you closing your eyes every handful of seconds just to breathe him in. Even if he can’t see your face, it’s obvious that you’re not paying attention to the movie he has on the TV, so he suggests that maybe you both should move to the bedroom so you can be more comfortable. You assure him that you’re more than comfortable right where you’re at, and that’s the truth.

Despite laying so peacefully with him, in what should be a moment of sedating intimacy, your mind is still reeling with things that need to be accomplished in the next few weeks. Every time you mentally check off something on your list, there are several more things added after, such as your three final exams, Yunho’s final paper, returning your textbook rentals, finally figuring out your ceremony dress, picking up your guests’ ceremony tickets–

“Are you going to attend my ceremony?” 

Yunho hears you mumble this randomly after a while of sitting in comfortable silence. You’re sure he doesn’t need a ticket as a teacher, but the thought of having to get them brings you back to earth and reminds you of his presence.

“That was the plan,” he confirms, but hesitantly adds, “Unless you don’t want me there. I don’t want to make things awkward.”

The way you’re acting lately has him questioning things like this, now that he thinks about it. You immediately dispel his apprehension with a displeased grunt.

“No, I… really need you there.”

Yunho’s hand falters slightly in its kneading. He’s grateful that you’re unable to see his face with how you’re lying because the apples of his cheeks are taut from the overjoyed smile threatening to break through his lips. It’s one thing to be admired or adored by someone, but it’s another thing to be needed. He doesn’t hear that word often, if at all, but hearing it come from your mouth makes it even more monumental to him. That’s something he could get used to. Yunho hums in understanding, wordlessly confirming that he’ll be present. Following along the topic of graduation, he decides to ask something present on his mind recently.

“Have you thought about what you want to do after graduation?” 

“Career-wise or celebration-wise?”

“Whichever… or both.”

You close your eyes to think. Nothing immediately comes to mind in terms of celebrating, but you’re sure your friends will be holding parties to attend. Putting that aside, you turn over and decide to open up a bit about your impending employment.

“I had a great internship last semester that I put my all into,” you divulge, “They wanted to bring me on full-time, so I asked if they could hold the position and wait for me to finish my degree this semester. Lucky me, they agreed.”

“Already set up for success right after you leave that stage… You’re amazing,” Yunho marvels. “I suppose I’m just as lucky too, huh? I get to watch you shine, front row.”

There’s a brief moment where you peer up and match his fond smile that’s already beaming right back down at you. When you reach up to caress his cheek, Yunho leans into your touch as if it’s second nature. The further you both dive into this relationship, it feels as though maybe you’ve finally found an additional frontline cheerleader.

“Mhm, something like that,” you tease. When he turns to kiss your palm in his form of congratulations, you sigh. Your hands have been tainted by someone else’s touch, and here he is blindly showing them genuine affection. Before you can help it, another apology comes out, “I’m sorry I’ve been so busy lately, Yu.”

“Why do you keep apologizing tonight for things you can’t control?” The gentle, unsuspecting laugh he lets out makes the guilt sitting in your chest about Wooyoung just a little bit heavier. “It’s finals season, I know how it goes.”

When your hand returns to your chest, your gaze falls just the same. He’s right, albeit unknowingly. With those words, you can finally accept that you have no control over your current situation at all. No matter how hard you try to convince yourself that you’re guiding this blackmail ship forward, you’re just not. In any case, you still feel like you’re doing what’s best for Yunho's future. Tonight’s tornado of apologies have all been unconscious overcompensation. As much as you feel like you need to, you know you shouldn’t have to apologize for your shortcomings when they result from such unmanageable circumstances. You’re doing your best, even if your best isn’t enough just yet. 

Yunho can’t figure out what it is about tonight, but you seem like your head is a bit more in the clouds than usual. You’re here with him physically, but he can tell you’re somewhere else mentally. However, he acknowledges that he could be reading into things too much since it’s been a while since you both have spent time privately.

“Hey, stargazer, everything okay?” he finally asks in a soft voice, gently tugging on your cheek to bring you back to the present.

“Sorry—yeah, everything’s alright,” you reassure him. There’s something behind those soft eyes you’re giving him that makes him question your answer, but he keeps those concerns to himself and simply nods. “Thank you for being so understanding. I’ll make it up to you when this is all over with, I promise.”

You’re no longer talking about school with those words. He’ll probably never truly understand how much weight that sentence holds, but that’s okay. For the rest of your time with him tonight, you pretend that none of your problems exist outside his home. He deserves your unwavering attention tonight, at the very least. 

On the first day of the following week, Wooyoung requests your presence in front of some familiar dormitories. It’s been quite some time now since you’ve been on this side of campus, considering you moved into your current apartment around the end of your junior year. The nostalgic feeling you get when meandering your way to your meeting place doesn’t do much to alleviate the anxiety you regularly get every time Wooyoung brings you somewhere so populated.

“What are we doing here again?”

“I heard she’s swinging by here today to drop something off for a mutual friend,” he explains while his eyes still scope the area for her presence, as usual. 

You busy yourself with playing on your phone, keeping your head down and yourself hidden for as long as you can manage. This place, while technically not as densely populated as the dining space you frequent, has too many opportunities for lurking gazes. This particular set of dormitories sits on the side of campus that encompasses a good amount of academic halls and the largest campus library. There are plenty of teachers and students walking to classes or accessing the library, and even more lingering outside within the surrounding courtyard despite the frigid weather. Wooyoung had insisted on holding you by your waist for the time being as well, citing something about how “normal couples warm each other up”. You just want this to be over with as quickly as possible before too many people can see you both standing so close together. 

“Hey, ____,” Wooyoung hums after a while, catching your attention quickly.

“Hm?”

Before you can even fully look up from your phone, Wooyoung’s head dips down and seeks out your lips. Shock is an understatement; the feeling of your heart seizing in unison with your limbs makes you feel like you might as well be flatlining. This cannot be—

“Relax,” he whispers before deepening this kiss, interrupting your thought as his tongue enters your mouth. 

Reluctantly, you do as he says and try your best to relax while kissing him back. Over and over, you remind yourself this is supposed to be putting on a show in front of his ex. You try to allow yourself to fully slip into the role you have been forced to play. Your hands find purchase on his jacket, albeit uneasily. For someone who’s making your life so much more difficult, you can’t deny he’s at least a decent kisser. This moment feels like it lasts entirely too long, but eventually, Wooyoung pulls away and you watch his eyes dart around somewhere behind you. 

“She’s gone now,” he sighs, “Pretty sure she saw that though. Nice job.”

“Don’t ever do that without warning me beforehand again,” you scold him in a voice low enough for his ears to hear only. Wooyoung rolls his eyes, though he follows up with an apology. Even though it seems genuine, it does nothing to quell the immediate guilt that washes over you the moment you go to swipe saliva off of your lips with your thumb. The nauseous feeling stirring in your stomach over simply kissing someone else other than Yunho begins to build up and feel unbearable, “Can I go now? I’m supposed to meet with a teacher during their office hours soon.”

Despite the tremor of uneasiness in your voice, Wooyoung believes your lie without question. That uneasiness doesn’t depart your system for the remainder of the day even after removing his presence, and you decide to call it quits early instead of attending your final class. This feeling of guilt, almost as if you cheated while in a relationship, has you more saddened than frustrated tonight. To make things easier to deal with, you repeat the same phrase about you and Yunho in your head over and over.

It’s okay, we’re not together yet.

While you cook yourself dinner–

It’s okay, we’re not together yet.

While working on your final paper–

It’s okay, we’re not together yet.

Yunho’s failure to text you back that evening before going to bed makes that fact easier to swallow. It’s the truth, so it shouldn’t be so hard to digest, right?

Yeosang does not expect much when he asks you out of the blue the next day to come and spend time with him after school. His roommate is gone for the week to visit family and he’s all by his lonesome. For the majority of the month, he’s become used to you declining in favor of completing overdue work. He’s not used to you being so behind on your work, and it doesn’t quite make sense to him when other times you say you’re even busier throughout the day. You look a bit more drained than usual when he Facetimes you that afternoon to suggest it, but he figures he wouldn’t be that upset to hear another no if you need the rest. 

The answer was yes, for the first time in a while. 

As luck would have it, the imaginary shackles on you had been released for the day, and having time to yourself for an entire weekday almost felt strange. Your personified migraine had texted you early in the morning informing you he’d be out of town for the day to attend some seminar that you didn’t care enough to remember the details of. Yeosang doesn’t do a good enough job concealing his shock the moment confirmation comes from your mouth, and you feign offense.

“I'm being punked, right?”

You scoff, “I don’t like the way you’re acting like this is bizarre, loser.”

You both know that’s a fairly accurate word considering your disappearances these last couple of weeks. His broad smile at your usual banter makes you feel cherished and missed, and it’s comforting for him to know you still have such a sense of humor even through your fatigue. He’s secretly been concerned for your well-being, but he didn’t want to seem meddlesome. Eventually, you go from two faces on a screen to you perched at his kitchen table. Yeosang insisted he cook you a nice homecooked meal when you mentioned to him in passing how much you miss eating his food. His back might be turned away, but he’s still actively engaging in discussion with you over the controversial love triangle taking place on the dating reality show he has you catching up on with him tonight. Toward the end of an episode, it takes you a few minutes of rambling to realize your best friend has grown silent while he cooks. Behind your back, he’s busy ruminating over thoughts of love triangles when he decides to finally uncork the bottle he’s been keeping closed in an attempt to have a peaceful evening.

“Can I ask you a question?” Yeosang calls out suddenly over the sound of oil popping in his pan.

Your eyes stay glued to the television, but you hum in consent, “What’s up?”

“Is it true that you’re dating Wooyoung?”

Wooyoung.

His name is a burden to you these days; the syllables of it only bring you discomfort. Hearing it mentioned on a day when you almost felt like you could get away from him draws a long beat of silence from you, though Yeosang doesn’t turn around to confront such silence. He allows you the time to answer however you’d like to if you would even provide one. Even though he was somewhat putting you on the spot with such a question, Yeosang is still your best friend at the end of the day. He’s not the kind of person to pressure you or give you a hard time about your private business, despite the times he rags on you in jest. 

The truthful answer is right on the tip of your tongue, begging to be shouted, but you don’t have the strength to say such a thing yet. Instead, you inquire, “Who did you hear that from?” 

You don’t mean to, but you sound a bit miffed when asking. Until this point, you had hoped your fake relationship with Wooyoung wasn’t too obvious to those who don’t pay close enough attention, but the feeling of failure is now pooling in the depths of your stomach. You should’ve known better. 

“When someone begins getting close to the TA who’s in charge of their grades, I guess it’s understandable that there would be some rumors… Some people in our class are saying you’re together now,” Yeosang explains, voice as calm as ever while he continues to push around the meat in the pan. “I overheard those speculations and I didn’t really believe any of it at all. Unlike them, I know you’re already seeing Mr. Jeong.”

Yeosang pauses to allow you a chance to say any words you wish to insert if anything. Being amongst speculations of wooing someone to raise your grades is the least of your worries, and you honestly couldn’t care less if people believed such silly things in the last semester of your college career. At this moment, you are much more concerned about Yunho catching light of such rumors, or really anything regarding you and Wooyoung in the same sentence reaching his ears. It didn’t seem that way when you were both in each other’s presence a few days ago talking about your future, and you’re sure that he would’ve confronted you about such things if he could. Still…

“I’m not dating Wooyoung, nor would I even think of doing that for my grades. You know me, Yeo.”

You’re sure Yeosang can feel your eyes gazing over at him now, boring anxious holes through his back. You know he can hear the uneasiness plaguing you, making your words waver.

“I understand, I do. It’s just…” Yeosang pauses once more to find the right words that don’t sound so accusatory, “Hongjoong told me he saw you both on each other on his way to class the other day. I figured I’d simply ask you about that before I come to any conclusions, that’s all.”

Several beats of silence pass before you feel like you’ve finally drowned deep in this ocean of stress you’ve been trying to keep afloat in.

“Yeosang, I’m in over my head and I can’t handle this anymore.”

Yeosang finally ceases his stirring and peers over at you the moment the last syllable leaves your lips. This is the first time you’ve both met each other’s eyes since he began cooking and his gaze is undeniably the most concerned you’ve seen him give you in years. He can’t help it when he can so clearly hear the hurt in your voice. He knows you’re a bit more reserved these days when talking about your relationship with your teacher, and he understands that it could be out of respect for his privacy. This moment doesn’t seem like a situation where that’s applicable anymore.

Navigating this situation all by yourself is draining. 

These last months in college are supposed to be nerve-wracking in an exciting way, finishing finals and prepping yourself to walk across the stage for your diploma. You’re supposed to be anxious about what to wear and how to do your makeup for your ceremony, about how you should smile when the ceremony’s photographer tells you where to look as you grab that fake symbolic roll of paper. Instead, you’ve been running yourself dry trying to appease a man who’s threatening to ruin one of the best things to happen to you thus far in life. You just want to be happy. Yeosang was right in warning you about playing with fire when pursuing Yunho, but it all still hurts so fucking badly.

“I want to help you ____, but you have to be honest with me,” he stresses, “I’m concerned about you. Tell me what’s wrong, please.”

You’re uncomfortably silent for a moment, eyes glued to his while contemplating his words. At last, you decide to broach the subject of all your mental stress. If you trusted anyone to help you navigate this situation, it was going to be him. This was no longer something you could handle on your own. 

“I’m being blackmailed by Wooyoung.”

The words don’t even sound real coming out of your mouth when you finally betray the promise of silence you made to Wooyoung.

Yeosang’s brows draw together even closer in concern, “What?”

“Wooyoung found out that Yunho and I are together,” you confess further, words running out as quickly as you can think to say them, “And now he’s forcing me to date him to make his ex jealous. He wouldn’t stay quiet otherwise, and it’s all my fault, Yeosang. It’s all my fault.”

Your best friend pushes his pan away from the eye of the stove and makes haste over to where you’re sitting. He knows you better than you know yourself sometimes, already sensing you crumbling before you can realize that you’re finally breaking down. All of the pent-up stress over the last couple of weeks was finally taking its toll. 

“I thought it would be over quickly, but it doesn’t seem like we’re making any progress,” you sputter, putting your head in your hands and pressing your palms to your eyes. The last thing you want to do is cry over a man who doesn’t deserve your tears. “He won’t even tell me who she is. I can’t handle this anymore, I just can’t.”

Yeosang’s arms wrap around you to ground you before you can allow yourself to descend further into your breakdown. Very few times has he seen your foundation be shaken so badly by something. You’re one of the strongest people he knows, and it takes a lot to disintegrate the fortitude you hold. He knows he can help you build it back later, he’s your best friend for a reason. For right now, though, he’ll let you get everything out that you’ve been holding in and dealing with by yourself. He knows you probably had your reasons to keep such things inside and away from him.

“He kissed me yesterday and I felt so guilty for the rest of the day, like I betrayed Yunho,” you tell him, and before you realize it tears are finally brimming in your eyes.

“Be kind to yourself, ____,” Yeosang hums while he holds your face in his hands. “You didn’t do that because you wanted to, it’s okay. You don’t have to deal with this alone anymore, okay?”

Hearing those words for the first time since this all began allows a veil of peace to cover you and you nod, finally accepting your need for help. Yeosang promises you that he will do whatever he can to find out who Wooyoung has his sights set so heavy on without interfering enough to throw things out of kilter. His help could be the only chance you had at getting this charade to end faster, even if it meant riskily trying to nudge things along behind Wooyoung’s back. You were no longer satisfied with being patient, and you now realize you don’t have to settle for that anymore.

While you might’ve gained some peace that night, around 2 AM that morning, there is no peace to be found in the home of your lover.

Yunho’s been staring at his ceiling for the last hour, unable to sleep even though he knows he needs to be up in a handful of hours for work. He had tried to push this situation plaguing his thoughts out of his mind all day yesterday, but his brain does its worst on nights when he’s left to his own devices and his thoughts spiral. At least tonight it’s not for self-sabotaging reasons like he’s prone to. 

He allows himself to close his eyes and relive the moment when he saw you and his assistant kissing on his way to a multi-department meeting at the library. The moment he recalls the way your hands were clutching Wooyoung’s chest, he grimaces with unadulterated resentment. For the entirety of yesterday, he felt numb. He went through the day simply going through the motions, lacking any of his usual charisma and cordiality amongst most people he crossed paths with throughout the day. He was able to put on a mask for his students at the very least. How is one supposed to act when they see their girlfriend kissing another man? That’s when he has to remind himself:

She’s not my girlfriend.

At least, he doesn’t know if you are or not, since you haven’t said it out of your mouth yet. This is exactly the kind of bothersome bullshit he was so worried about weeks ago when he realized the severity of his feelings for you. He should’ve had the conversation with you earlier to see where your head was at, but he put it off for so long under the excuse of being afraid of scaring you off. He wonders if maybe you think he’s not serious about you enough since he’s never brought it up first. And sure, he knows you both aren’t technically together right now, but you could’ve at least let him know that you’re seeing more people than him, right? It hurts a little more that it’s also his assistant of all people.

He turns onto his side in a huff and buries himself deeper under his blanket. Yunho wishes he hadn’t fallen for you so hard. It’s hard enough to deal with his feelings as things are now, especially with the circumstances, but the introduction of competition might just drive him insane. She’s a grown woman and she’s allowed to do whatever she wants, he reminds himself reluctantly while closing his eyes once more, but again—a heads-up would’ve been nice. He doesn’t even know how to approach this situation moving forward. How is he supposed to look you in the eyes today during class?

The answer is that he doesn’t. 

If he can help it, he actively avoids those engaged eyes of yours while he goes on for an hour about pragmatics. He doesn’t even look over at your side of the room. It’s not until the mid-class break that he takes multiple swift glances over at you chatting with Yeosang about something that’s got you enthusiastic. That smile on your face while excitement physically pours out of you makes his eyes soften. He wonders if you’re discussing graduation, as it is coming up in some weeks now. Then, he remembers that he wanted to take you away or do something relaxing to celebrate since you seemed to not have existing plans. Would that sway you back over to his side, if he planned something nice and spoiled the surprise early? Before he can even finish that train of thought, he finds himself finally meeting your eyes while you briefly let yours wander around in the middle of a sentence. The sneaky flirtatious wink you send his way makes him clear his throat bashfully and adjust his tie.

Yunho spends the remainder of class discussing the final paper and offering to read any final drafts that people would like feedback on, as long as they’re submitted by a specific date. He knows he’s probably shooting himself in the foot by putting that kind of work on his plate so close to the deadline, but he genuinely wants people to do well on his final and he knows there are quite a few seniors in this particular class section. The least he can do is make sure those of you end your college careers with a satisfactory grade to finish off your transcripts. He did very well with his midterm evaluations as well, so he wants to do the same for his finals. 

When class ends, Yunho finally takes notice of how Wooyoung has been leaving as early as everyone else lately. He could’ve sworn Wooyoung used to stick around to ask him questions, and often times he even departed after Yunho had already departed. He also notices that you are nowhere to be found now even though Yeosang is still present, seemingly already having fled the room for one reason or another. He doesn’t want to think about if he’s been so oblivious to these kinds of things up until this point, but the thought of you and Wooyoung rushing to meet up after his classes sticks with him for the rest of the day.

Yunho can admit he’s a bit toxic sometimes. 

It happens in moments of weakness where he lets his selfishness outweigh anything else. He reasons to himself that this isn’t one of those situations as he stands in front of your apartment door late into the evening of that same day. He had called you and asked if he could come see you at your place, which rarely happens. While it caught you by surprise, and you were in the midst of work, you were still as welcoming as ever. He knows you’d never say no. He’d never admit it aloud, but he’s not solely here just to see you—he’s here to be a bit nosy. 

It’s freezing outside, so when you finally open the door he’s scrambling to get inside.

“That was fast,” you marvel. 

When you wrap your arms around him and pull him into a hug, your shivers and giggles are like white noise in his ears as his eyes sweep the room. He doesn’t notice anything out of place, nothing that would make it seem like anybody other than you had been present here anytime soon anyway. His cold hands slide up the slope of your back to cup the sides of your face, and he offers you a sweet closed-mouth smile before briefly pressing his lips to yours in greeting.

“Yeah, traffic was pretty non-existent,” he hums.

“I made soup since it’s so frosty,” you glance towards the kitchen as your hands go to unzip his jacket for him, “Are you hungry?”

“If you’re cooking, always.”

Tonight, Yunho takes things slow. 

From graciously eating your cooking to cuddling on your couch, he builds up the intimacy minute by minute. It’s something he’s been craving from you lately, that feeling of intimacy and domestication. He’s more than willing to indulge you when grow aroused by something as innocent as him mindlessly drawing shapes on your thighs with his fingers, slowly shifting them inside your pajama shorts when you whisper, “I want you to touch me.”

“I’m already touching you, baby.”

You push his hand just a smidge lower, whining, “You know what I mean.”

When things finally move to the bedroom, Yunho fucks you nice and slow, and it feels much more intimate than any of your previous times together. Slow, steady rolls of his hips into yours like he’s intent on showing you every ounce of love he holds for you in his body if he’s unable to say it outright himself. Nothing inherently strikes you as odd about the way his demeanor is different tonight. In fact, this kind of pure intimacy is something you’d been curious to experience from him. It almost makes you feel like you’re officially together. Sure, sex is naturally intimate, but this? This feels different. 

His hands go from holding yours beside your head so affectionately to passionately gripping and kneading the plush skin of your sides and thighs like they’re fresh dough. It’s like he’s trying to solidify that this is reality, that you’re truly here in his hands and not someone else's. Grip strong enough to dig deep into the tissue and make you moan, but gentle enough not to leave bruising marks. Truth be told, he’d rather leave marks of where he’s been in less covert places. That’s why his mouth subconsciously finds its way to your neck before you feel the gentle drag of his teeth on your skin. It’s too quick to even be considered a warning.

“Yu, wait–”

You begin to tell him he can’t leave hickeys in such open places, but Yunho quiets you by sucking your skin anyway. The first one is on the tender skin just under your jaw, right where he can feel the pulse of how fast your heart is beating with his tongue. The desperate whine you let out when he finally lets up with a quiet pop! of his lips off your skin encourages him to put another on the column of your throat. You’ll probably throw a fit later when you see how bad these are and complain about the trouble of covering them up, but he really couldn’t care less. 

When he finishes off the second hickey, he kisses his way up to your lips so sweetly as if he didn’t do something so obviously possessive. As if he didnt do something so mischievous which’ll draw questions from your friends and get you flustered trying to explain. These marks are warnings as much as they are bites of love. You throw your arms around his neck and arch your back, itching for more than what he’s offering. It doesn’t matter that it still feels euphoric, those long drags of his cock against your walls just to fill you up again—it’s too slow. The breathy laugh he lets out against your lips draws a pout from your own. 

“What’s wrong pretty girl, don’t I make you feel good?” Yunho asks in a whisper, deep chocolate eyes holding your gaze while he continues to roll his hips at his leisure. He doesn’t like that he needs a bit of reassurance right now, but he wants to hear it so badly. When you nod with fervor, it’s just not good enough for him, “Tell me, angel. Tell me how good I make you feel.”

“You’re everything I crave, Yu,” you oblige him breathlessly, hands scratching at the sensitive nape of his neck while you arch again. For the first time this evening, Yunho’s hips falter in their steady rhythm. He’s quite caught off guard by your choice of words; it’s as if you know exactly what he needs to hear more than he does himself. “Nobody could ever make me feel like you do.”

“Yeah? This pretty pussy needs me, huh?”

There’s that word that he now loves so much: need.

“More than you know,” you gasp when he pushes his hips into yours as deep as he can manage, obscenities bubbling from within your chest.

Even though you both have had sex many times since this all began, this part still feels fresh. The way he manages to reach new depths inside of you and stretch you out to his heart’s content feels fresh every single time. Yunho’s thrusts begin picking up some speed finally and whines claw at his throat.

“My sweet, needy baby… You’re the only one who gets this, ____,” he admits, voice trembly while he drags his lips against the sensitive skin of your jaw, kissing his previous artwork, “It’s all yours, okay?”

In a perfect world, he’d love to hear you say the same back to him, but he’s snapping his hips too roughly now to allow for words. The way you begin begging for him to give you more of himself makes up for it. Bitten-off moans tumble from your lips as the coil in your stomach grows tighter and tighter, and it makes his cock throb and ache for release. The way you’re chanting his name has his eyes fluttering up in bliss. There’s no doubt in his mind that you want him, mentally and carnally, but the real question is if he’s not enough to satisfy that want. Yunho doesn’t have time to let his mind wander off into that kind of insecure territory. His brain becomes fuzzy as he becomes eager to feel you cum stuffed full of his cock, and then see his own paint your sweaty skin. Those familiar heavy pants he lets out against your lips make you simper.

“Getting close?”

“So close,” he nods, hissing when he feels you clench at his answer, “H-hah, oh fuck.”

“Wanna cum inside?” You offer this so shyly against his lips that he nearly doesn’t hear you talking altogether. When he offers you an absentminded ‘huh’ in response, you giggle and move to speak directly in his ear, “Want you to cum inside.”

Something behind Yunho’s eyes changes when you pull back—those blown-out pupils of his with little hearts swimming in them zero in on yours with a look you can’t quite put your tongue on. You cross your ankles behind his back to emphasize your words, to show him you’re serious.

“Really want me to fill you up, pretty?” he rasps. When you bite your bottom lip and nod, he offers you a lopsided grin, “Use those fingers and catch up, then.”

You don’t need to be told twice, one hand moving from being around his neck down to your clit to rub quick circles that’ll push you over the edge together. He’s never cum in you ever since you both started having sex, but he’s feeling overwhelmingly possessive today and it might just subside if he sees his cum leaking from your cunt onto your sheets. It’s now the only thought screaming at him in that fucked-out head of his. Your mouths connecting in a messy, sensuous kiss is the final push he needs.

Yunho’s fingers wind deep into your sheets with as much strength as he can muster while he buries himself inside you, pelvis to pelvis, pushing you deeper into your mattress. The throb of his cock and the broken moan he lets out while he finally cums trigger your own orgasm. The moment you lock your legs around him to keep him in place, your walls flutter and squeeze his cock to help milk him dry. He makes a note somewhere in the lusty haze of his mind that he just has to get you both to cum at the same time like this again at another point in time because the way you’re practically squeezing every last drop from him while you fall apart is nearly making him whimper repentance for how sinful it feels. When your legs let up on their grip, he gives you a few shallow thrusts before finally pulling out. Focusing on catching your breath is hard when he’s gazing so heavily at the mess he’s made of you. 

“Don’t stare...” Yunho doesn’t even realize he’s been fascinated with watching the way his seed spills from your heat until you poorly block it with a self-conscious hand. Only then does he finally look up and find you flustered, the pout on your face growing more prominent by the second, “It’s embarrassing...”

“God, you’re so fine,” he coos. The jolt your body produces when he takes his fingers and pushes what’s been wasted back into your sensitive hole makes him laugh. “Even prettier like this too. Let’s get you cleaned up, pretty baby.”

Yunho hadn’t originally planned on sleeping over—it is a weekday after all, and he has work tomorrow morning. After showering, though, his willpower is tested. He loses nearly all his self-discipline to leave like a responsible man when you use this irresistible voice the moment he steps foot back into the room, humming honeyed words while holding his briefs behind your back to keep him from getting dressed.

“Can’t you just wake up early to swing by your house and get ready?” You eventually pout up at him when he looks as if he might change his mind. With the way your gaze is focused on his attentive eyes, you can’t see the way his cock is already twitching back to life again at your pleading eyes, the same ones you use on your knees between his thighs. He’s so thankful for that. “This is why I said you should leave some outfits over here just in case.”

“I know, I know. I should listen to you more. Can I please have my underwear back now?”

“Are you gonna stay? Please?”

He chuckles before finally conceding, “I can’t say no when you ask me so nicely, can I?” 

You nearly fall apart at the way he pulls your face up by your cheeks with firm fingers before planting a kiss of surrender on your lips. Yunho doesn’t even remember why he’s over your house anymore, now only focused on getting his underwear back from your hands before you can see him getting hard all over again. He has enough sense to know that a second round will surely be much longer than the previous one, and you both need to sleep soon if he wants to wake up early enough. Lucky for him, you’re much too tired from a full day to stay up too much longer anyway.

It’s 8 AM when Yunho’s phone starts chiming with an annoying tone he set specifically to force his awakening. That grating sound is also your punishment for persuading him to spend the night. He’s slow to turn it off specifically for that reason, and a lazy smile stretches across his face when he hears you groan. Success.

“You’re so annoying,” you murmur. You instinctively search for your phone on your nightstand to glance at how early your lover has you suffering, then slowly slide yourself out of bed to go blindly search for a bottle of water. 

Yunho screws his eyes shut and open a few times to regain his vision before flipping over and patiently awaiting your arrival. He gave himself a fairly decent buffer on the off chance you decide to stay awake and eat breakfast with him. At least, that was the plan until something happened that immediately changed his brain chemistry. Yunho’s eyes swivel towards your phone when it vibrates a couple of times on the nightstand. It really wouldn’t have been a problem had he not seen and recognized the name on the screen. Against his better judgment, he picks it up gently. He sees two older notifications from the prior night and the two new ones now piquing his interest. 

[Wooyoung: Don’t forget lunch tomorrow]

[Wooyoung: Usual place]

...

[Wooyoung: Good morning]

[Wooyoung: If you get on campus by 10 let's do breakfast instead, they’ll be there. lmk]

His eyes constrict to slits almost instantaneously. 

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me… 

He doesn’t care that it's petty, he swipes each of the message notifications and deletes them with a pool of satisfaction boiling in the deepest pit of his stomach. You were too busy with him last night to notice his other messages anyway. If he could delete those messages permanently, he would. Realistically, there was no way he could keep you from eventually meeting up again with Wooyoung, but maybe distracting you enough to be late could be worth being a bit late to his own obligations. He’s extra needy on purpose this morning, immediately seeking out your attention the moment you groggily slip back into bed after chugging water. Feeling his warm hands grope your butt just makes you groan in that special kind of annoyance that naturally comes with waking earlier than need-be. When his fingers travel to fiddle with the elastic of your panties, an indirect request of sorts, you muster enough energy to nudge him weakly.

“S’too early, Yu,” you pout without even opening your eyes and bury your cheek deeper into your pillow.

“I know, I know. I have to leave soon,” he acknowledges. Still, his hand dances its way into the fabric. He watches you shudder when his middle finger pushes against your clit experimentally. His brow lifts when you open your legs. He licks his lips eagerly before murmuring, “You don’t even have to do anything, I’ll take good care of you. Go ahead and rest, okay?”

The hum you let out, signaling him to do as he pleases, has him gently working your panties down your legs and tossing them on the floor. He spends all the time he can, all the way until the last few minutes before he has to leave, with his face buried between your tired thighs. Always a starved man when it comes to your greedy cunt, the one that he confirmed last night needs him oh so much, he french-kisses his way into a sore tongue and a stiff jaw. 

“Mhm, that’s it,” he talks directly to your heat, holding open your lips with his thumbs while watching the way slick, cum, and spit seep out to sully your sheets, “Gimme another one.”

Sleepy whines and garbled whimpers of his name have him rutting his hips against your bed. He would touch himself if he could, but his hands are too busy massaging your tense thighs in rhythm with his aching tongue lapping at your clit. The friction isn’t enough. He supposes his poor underwear will just have to suffer from precum leaking out his deprived cock, drenching the fabric the more he gets aroused. Each orgasm he’s able to pull from you drains your body of its energy more and more until you’re a meek puddle of fatigue splayed out on your mattress.

Yunho doesn’t remember what number orgasm his mouth finally parts from your core, but at some point, he finally reminds himself that he’s a man with responsibilities who still has to go home and change into his work clothes. He also needs to take care of this painful hard-on quickly when he gets somewhere private. Self-admittedly, this all was as rewarding to himself in fulfilling it as it was to you receiving. Seeing you absolutely spent and on the verge of (hopefully) deep sleep puts a shameless smile on his face. 

He’s still a gentleman above anything else, taking the extra time to clean your skin and the mess he’s made of your cunt with a wet cloth before lovingly redressing you in your undies. He doesn’t even know if you can hear him after a certain point, but he still tucks you back in and whispers sweet nothings that he’ll overthink about later when he’s in his office after remembering why he was here in the first place. He even apologizes for ruining your sheets, again. The timid, fleeting kiss he leaves on your temple is followed by him carelessly saying, “Love you.”

The moment those two words tumble from his lips his eyes grow wide, and he waits with bated breath to see if you are even the slightest bit awake to hear his blunder. When you show no signs of stirring, Yunho releases all air caged within his chest and decides it’s best to leave quickly before he can make a fool of himself any further. You don’t hear from him for the rest of the day.

-

“I see… so she does exist,” you mutter sarcastically.

At the end of the week, following your shared linguistics lecture, you and your best friend convene at a table deep in the back of the library. Yeosang had spent a good amount of his time in the last few days covertly asking questions about Wooyoung to random acquaintances in hopes of getting bits of useful information about him or his ex. He was finally able to give you her name and class year, but he came up short otherwise.

“I wasn’t able to get any of her socials, I didn’t want to seem like I was pursuing her. However, I do have another idea,” he says, hands motioning for you to hear him out after he sees your spirits drop, “I was told she’s in Hongjoong’s capstone class and–”

“Oh brother,” you groan and sink further into your seat. 

If Yeosang’s words days ago were anything to go by, Hongjoong was already convinced you were dating Wooyoung, so asking him for his ex-girlfriend’s number is surely just going to cause prying questions. You’re fully convinced that he probably won’t even consider giving it to you because he might think it’ll lead to drama. 

“I know. Just hear me out,” Yeosang leans forward and lowers his voice, “I honestly don’t think it would be hard to get him to tell you. If you can come up with a plausible reason why you would need to reach out, I think he wouldn’t hesitate too much.”

“Which would be?”

“Well, I don’t know anything about her other than that she’s in a sorority. You can figure something out from that, right?”

You couldn’t deny that this was definitely a useful piece of information. Yeosang watches you purse your lips while you toss around some of the logistics in your head before nodding with some renewed optimism.

“Which app do you think I should start on?”

“I’m sure the majority of our sororities have IG pages to promote their activities. That’s probably your best bet,” he recommends, “I can help you search in between finals prep–”

“You’ve done enough, I can definitely handle that part,” you interject with a reassuring smile, “Thank you for even getting this info. I appreciate it, Yeo.”

While things definitely looked more positive from this conversation, there was an odd feeling lingering in your stomach over the next few days. From his time at your home through the weekend, Yunho’s communication and presence were lacking a bit more than usual. While it made things easier for you to see Wooyoung when requested without fear, it didn’t make things any less disappointing. Knowing he’s still there for you even through all of this mess was the only thing keeping you afloat, so it’s troubling when that disappears out of nowhere. Nevertheless, the end of the semester was creeping up faster than even you realized, so it makes sense that his schedule is being affected. Moreover, his job is what you’re doing this all for anyway, right? Even without his presence, you’d silently root for him in the shadows if it meant that December ended with you both together. 

In the meantime, you push these feelings to the back of your mind and give yourself a break from being so worrisome. With this charade moving deeper into its timeline, it’s time-sensitive and imperative to ask for his ex’s phone number from Hongjoong in an effort to contact her. Wooyoung might be intent on keeping you from meeting her, but he’s severely underestimated the fire in your belly when it comes to getting what you want. You’ve played along with his shenanigans long enough.

Hongjoong’s brows furrow while he shoves a few of the fries in his mouth from a meal you asked to treat him to this particular Monday afternoon.

“I should’ve known you wanted to see me for ulterior motives,” he takes a swigger of his soda with pursed lips, “Buttering me up with free food for my connections, huh?”

“I didn’t remember until just now, I promise,” you lie, trying to remain composed. You’re not exactly the best at lying to your close friends and this time is no different. “If I knew about anyone else having her number I would’ve asked them. I wouldn’t lie to you, Joong.”

His eyes examine your body language keenly before scoffing, “I’m still caught up on how you didn’t tell me that your mystery man was Wooyoung all this time. That was a lie by omission.”

“I am not dating Wooyoung, I already told you this.”

“Then why do you suddenly want his ex’s number?”

You swallow the nervous lump in your throat and offer him an easygoing smile that you had practiced a plethora of times before even leaving to meet him.

“I’m reaching out on behalf of a mutual friend about possibly being commissioned to make the graduation stoles for their sorority. That’s all.”

Yes, through hours of snooping and finally finding her Instagram, you discovered that she is a die-hard sorority girl for one of the smaller sororities on your campus. You had almost talked yourself into simply contacting her there, but as luck would have it, her messages were turned off for strangers that she doesn’t follow back. There was no doubt in your mind that she would never follow you back if you tried that route.

“You sure you’re not trying to stir the pot?” Hongjoong inquires playfully, eyeing you with an elvish grin. You groan in annoyance. “I’m all for a little mess sometimes, but I don’t like being the gateway.”

“Come on Joong, it’s nothing like that at all. I didn’t think you would be so difficult to ask about this… You’re supposed to be my rock—”

Your heart is threatening to break out of your chest when he holds up his free hand to quiet you with a roll of his eyes. Then, with his other hand, he finally scrolls through his phone to find said information.

“I’ve heard enough, please stop being so dramatic,” he sighs. His thumb stops swiping as soon as he sees what he’s looking for in his class’ group chat, and he hands you the phone reluctantly. “Under no circumstances do you tell her who gave this to you.”

“You know I love you the most, right? Even more than Yeosang!” You smile and he matches it sarcastically.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you liar. I love you too.”

While Yunho’s impromptu visit might have subdued his anxiety briefly, he knew it wouldn’t be a permanent fix. He spent some time away from you under the excuse of helping other people prepare more for the final paper deadline approaching, but that only made things worse. The longing he feels these days is stronger when he realizes you could be spending the valuable time he’s avoiding you by seeing Wooyoung instead. It’s embarrassing really, being so envious of someone younger than him. He shouldn’t be letting some university student get under his skin so easily, but there’s too much he’s given of himself to you to just be calm and collected about things. 

These things swirl about in his head while he’s seated alone at the bar’s counter, patiently waiting for his friends to finish playing Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who pays the tab tonight. It was fairly evident that it had been a rough start to the month for Yunho from his mood, so his best friends were intent on treating him tonight. Today and the next were the university-designated study days for finals. Seonghwa personally coaxed him out of hiding by stopping by his home and offering to drive. He knows Yunho has a hard time saying no when confronted directly. As karma would have it, it was looking to be an expensive night for Seonghwa unfortunately, marked by the heavy groan Yunho can hear come from behind him when the two finish.

When he finally joins Yunho at the counter, he searches through his wallet for his credit card while asking, “Which beer do you want?” 

“I need something stronger tonight,” Yunho states before flagging the bartender down himself.

Nowadays, he’s more favorable to something light and bubbly like beer because it’s easy on his body and the buzz is manageable over a longer period of time. He can’t remember the last time he drank pure liquor… It had to have been New Year’s Eve or some other holiday that’s usually burdened by alcohol. Yunho’s not remarkably sensitive to liquor and he’s by no means a lightweight, but tonight he’s truly done a number on himself. Three Long Island Iced Teas and a few extra shots of rum have him loose and on stage in front of many eyes doing what he does best: singing. Singing karaoke duets with Seonghwa always makes him feel like a college student again, bringing him back to the days of their music classes.

When the next hour comes around and several more shots enter his system, the second phase of his inebriation hits: heartache and depression. Distractions are wonderful until they’re not, and his throat hurts from doing too much falsetto. He keeps thinking about how he’s supposed to show you this side of himself eventually, serenading you like a cheesy romcom just to hear your pretty giggles telling him that he actually sounds like an angel, and those thoughts make him sad. On top of that, his social battery is depleted entirely and now all he can think about is going home. Distancing himself for the last several days is finally coming to an end, as you’re the only person he can think of to call since he doesn’t want to ruin his friends’ time by asking Seonghwa to take him back home. While booking an Uber ride would’ve been the smarter idea, Yunho’s too lovesick to pass up on a moment to hear your voice right now.

So, while Seonghwa is busy using the bathroom and San is distracted by an attractive woman who’s gone out of her way to challenge him to a game of pool, his hazy eyes manage to find your contact card in his favorites before calling you. You take a bit longer to answer than usual, but the moment he hears that familiarly sweet ‘hello there, handsome~’ come across his speaker, he physically melts into a heap on the counter. You can overhear the loud music coming through the speaker clear as day and figure he must be at the bar tonight with other teachers since they’re all essentially off tomorrow. Calling you of all people while with his friends is risky, but you understand why he’s being so reckless the moment he opens his mouth.

“I need to see you, please,” Yunho drawls, his free palm pressed to his forehead to ground himself, “Drank too much, wanna go home.”

“Where are you, Yu?”

Yunho’s heart feels like it’s ready to take flight at the way you ask this with no hesitation and how he can hear you already shuffling to grab clothes. Maybe your feelings are as strong as his afterall.

“At that dumb bar near campus. Hwa drove me,” he sighs, and you can practically hear the drunken pout stuck on his lips. “I’ll just send my location… Can you come, baby? Please?”

“Of course, I’ll come take you home. Sit tight, I’m leaving now.”

When you do finally arrive, Yunho lets his friends know that he ordered an Uber to go home, and successfully convinces Seonghwa not to walk with him outside even though his steps feel leadened. 

“Go back to karaoke,” he waves him off with an anxious smile, “I’ll let y’know when I get home.”

Parking so close to the entrance might’ve been a bit daring on your part, but you expected Yunho to have some trouble walking too far with too much distance. To offset the risk, you’re donning a black face mask with the hood of your jacket pulled over your head, and you figure that should conceal any particulars about you enough for any lurking eyes. Yunho’s surely more operational than he sounded over the phone, and even though his feet are slow on his way over, he slides in easily enough and even buckles himself in. From there, you focus on leaving the area before either of his friends gets curious enough to look outside.

The drive is comfortably silent. You keep the music low and drive a bit slower than usual to make sure he doesn’t feel too dizzy during the trip. Yes, you care for the man dearly, but the last thing you need is his vomit in your passenger seat. With his head resting idly on the cool glass of your window, he tries to relax his mind and settle the stuttering of his heart. He doesn’t know why he’s so nervous to be around you right now.

“Overdid it tonight, huh?” You ask him after a while to make sure he’s still conscious. 

“I don’t ever drink this much,” he replies with his eyes still closed, “M’so sorry for bothering you so late.”

“You didn’t bother me at all. Go ahead and relax, we’re almost home.”

His call was perfect timing actually, as you were just wrapping up exam prep for the day. Usually, you don’t take study days seriously, but with this being your last semester you figure giving your all includes taking advantage of the academic liberties that are offered by your university in exchange for not having to go to class. He was on your mind tonight as he always is, and even though the moment is unconventional, you appreciate him finally calling you at all. That’s all you can think about for the remainder of the drive to his home.

This is so embarrassing, he mopes internally. Yunho feels extremely vulnerable with every lug of his feet up his steps to his door. He’s not sure he ever wanted you to see him in such a state either—liquored up and liable to say anything lingering in his chest without inhibition—but it’s too late to worry about those things now. 

“Thank you for coming,” Yunho sighs upon entering his abode, shrugging off his coat and kicking his shoes off to a place he probably won’t remember tomorrow. 

His throat is dry and itching for something else, anything other than liquor. You know better than anyone that he needs to be drinking water right now and flushing his system as well. Closing his front door, you follow suit with your shoes and jacket.

“You don’t have to thank me, sweetheart,” you assure him with a smile, “I’ll go get you some water.”

However, before you can slip past him, Yunho’s warm hands gently clasp around your cheeks. Your back hits the door as his sticky liquored lips squish against yours in an affectionate kiss. Much to his dismay, after only a few seconds of gratification you manage to pull back enough to talk.

“Water first, kissing later. Okay?” You chide with a giggle. 

Yunho makes a whiny noise in the back of his throat in place of a ‘no’ before stealing your lips once more. This time, his arms fall to wrap around your torso. There’s something desperate about the way his arms squeeze the air out of you as if he loosens them even in the slightest bit you might slip right from his grasp. That’s how he’s felt for some time recently like you’re slipping away right into someone else’s arms. Somewhere deep down in his intoxicated subconscious, he’s able to acknowledge the feeling of his heart slamming against his chest from pent-up anxiety of seeing you again, touching you again… and maybe lack of oxygen. Yeah, perhaps that’s what this intense feeling is building in his chest is, a blatant lack of oxygen. Breathing is just not something present in Yunho’s impaired mind. 

You, you, you, you, you!

All he wants to do is think about how he loves you more than you know.

He feels like he’s suffocating, but his brain won’t let his limbs move to breathe, lost in the thoughts and desperation of just needing to be connected to you. Just then, when he feels like he’s about to nearly pass out, you find the strength within yourself to push him from you hastily. The way you gasp for air lets him know that he was inadvertently suffocating you as well. His arms finally release their intense grip and a flurry of apologies tumble from his lips.

“M’so sorry,” he offers one last time, words running together, “I just missed you so much.”

Yunho’s head falls and rests in the crook of your neck while embarrassment floods his cheeks. 

“It’s okay, really. I missed you too,” you tell him, lungs settling while you card your fingers through his hair soothingly. He’s so fragile at this moment and seeing this side of him makes your heart melt. You could never be mad at something like a little stolen oxygen. “Let’s get you settled in first though, okay?”

“Please le’me stay like this for a couple minutes…”

He’s a bit dizzy, and your fingers lovingly massaging his scalp are making his heart feel ready to burst out of his chest. It doesn’t matter that he’s older than you, or that technically he’s an authoritative figure in your life. You’re always so soft with him, so attentive to his needs, and tender in your touch. You even came and picked him up while he was a mess, with no hesitation. For some reason, in Yunho’s inebriated mind, he’s so sure that a positive answer to this next question will finally solidify your loyalty and how you truly feel about him. 

“Can you stay with me tonight?”

There’s a moment of silence where you’re unusually still, and Yunho can practically hear your answer before you even open your mouth. Mentally, you’re battling with yourself because of premade morning plans with Wooyoung interfering with his request. Normally, you’d never decline to spend some extra time with him, but you’re not sure if blowing off Wooyoung last minute will have some consequences. Yunho’s the most important thing to you, but which choice proves that the most? 

“I have some important obligations in the morning, Yu,” you mumble a moment later, unable to outright say no. It’s hard, but you figure the best way to show him his importance to you is to put his career first, ahead of your feelings. 

In the crook of your neck you can feel him inhale, and for a second, he’s so still that you could’ve believed that he’d passed out. You’re just about to call his name when you feel him begin to tremble and snivel, and alarm bells begin blaring in your head. Lifting his head with your hands gently, you gaze up at him in panic.

“Hey, hey, what’s wrong?” You comfort him softly, thumbs on either side of his face wiping away fat tears that begin spilling down his rosy cheeks. “I’ll stay, I will. I’m so sorry baby.”

“I can’t do this anymore, ____.”

You’re no longer worried about the warm tears spilling onto your fingers as you are the immediate tightness in your chest at such simple words. Simple, but hurtful. The last time you heard that kind of sentence, it was followed by a breakup. The pang in your chest at the realization that this is what’s probably happening makes you feel sick. Nevertheless, you wouldn’t blame him if your behavior over the last few weeks ended up being the final straw for him, and if leaving him alone drunk was the cherry on top. Your diminished communication and sudden lack of availability with obligations you could not explain… and who knows what he’s heard about your increasing closeness with his TA, if anything. You ponder if maybe that’s why he has been acting differently recently, how perhaps the rumors had finally gotten back to him. It’s hard to meet his eyes while you try to prepare yourself for words you figured you hear eventually but still never built your confidence up enough for.

“Look at me, please,” he requests. It takes a moment, but you find it in yourself to do as asked. The way Yunho’s glazed-over eyes only hold dejection when you meet them lets you know something is seriously wrong. You’ve hurt him, you just know it. You’re not sure what to expect, but it surely isn’t him following up with, “I love you so much, it’s beginning to hurt, ____.”

Yunho didn’t expect this genuine divulgence that he had finally found within himself to reveal to be met with annoyance of all things. The way your brows crease and the corners of your mouth downturn throw him for a loop.

“I know you’re drunk but you really shouldn’t say a serious word like that so easily,” you chastise him in a soft voice. 

The gentleness of your tone doesn’t change the fact that you mean that statement wholeheartedly; he’s never used that word with you when sober, so why now? You don’t want to be made a fool of when these drunken words get taken back when he’s in his right mind tomorrow. Being drunk doesn’t excuse playing around with your feelings like that.

“I mean it. I do love you, so much. Not gonna pretend to be so casual about things anymore,” he retorts. While his voice still has that intoxicated twang in it, it’s now alarmingly firm.

That sudden tone and the way his face remains determined to make you understand him make your heart stutter. In the context of romance, ‘love’ is a word you haven’t heard from someone in a long time. To be fair, it’s a word you haven’t offered to anyone you’ve dated in a long time either. How long has it been since you met someone worthy of a word that powerful… You’re at a loss for words. The increasing tightness in your chest with the more you take in the situation won’t let up, and you wonder if he can feel your anxiety through the trembling of your hands still caressing his wet cheeks. 

Yunho doesn’t mind that you don’t say it back, he may be intoxicated but he still knows he’s coming on very strong right now. Instead, he adds, “You don’t have to say it back, but I can’t handle not knowing what I am to you anymore. I can’t tell how you really see me.”

The way your face immediately only offers confusion at that final statement is involuntary—his complete obliviousness to how you feel about him, about everything you’ve done till this point, is just baffling. Despite any impending consequences of being involved with your teacher, you’ve given this man so much of your time, your adoration, your body—what is there to question? When you finally take your hands back and place them on your temples, Yunho senses your frustration. He begins to feel bad when he realizes too much liquid courage may have made him go a bit too far.

“Yunho, I thought it was pretty obvious that I want to be with you. I’m just waiting for graduation to say it officially,” you explain. “I– We’ve been dating for 3 months, for Christ’s sake.”

You try to remind yourself that he’s intoxicated and that maybe you should treat this situation with a bit more grace. The next question he throws out completely shatters that mindset.

“Then why did you kiss him?”

The immediate mortification you feel at that string of words hits you like a sledgehammer, and the silence that consumes the room following this question is deafening. Yunho’s eyes hold your shameful stare before you finally become physically uncomfortable, and you avert your gaze sheepishly. Yes, you had considered he might catch you in the act sooner or later, but did it have to be the stupid unwanted kiss of all things? This is not something you had readied yourself enough to be confronted about. It’s something you wish you could’ve taken to the grave if possible.

The lack of an immediate reply to such a simple question has him pressing his palms to his eyes because he feels himself needing to cry again. He’d do anything to turn off those leaky faucets behind his eyes for good right now if he could. Crying over someone he had no business falling for in the first place is exasperating because he knew better. He’s sure he’d be able to compose himself more than this if he wasn’t so drunk as well, but it’s too late for those kinds of thoughts now. Everything is out in the open, all the way down to the intensity of his feelings for you, and there’s no turning back.

“It’s not what you think, Yunho,” you finally offer after taking some seconds to sort out your thoughts. The thing is, there is no other viable option at this point: it’s either tell him the truth or lie and break his heart further. You would never consider doing the latter. “I want to explain, but this isn’t the best time—”

“You can be honest, I promise I can handle it,” Yunho interjects. He runs his hands through his messy hair, trying to mellow himself out and prove that statement, but his insecurities start to get the best of him. Words begin spilling out of his mouth without much thought, “Is it because we can’t go out like normal couples? Am I not giving you enough attention? I know it’s tough right now but—”

“No, no, of course not! None of that matters to me in the slightest.” 

“What is it about him, then? If it’s something I can fix or do better, I will. I promise,” he tells you earnestly, but his face already looks defeated. He still can’t even say his name. Seeing him so distraught and broken like this over your actions is like a stiff punch in the gut. The last thing you ever wanted to do was make Yunho feel like he’s not enough.

Instead of answering, you ask him, “Do you trust me?” 

As much as he should be inclined to say no with everything he’s seen, or the way you won’t give him straight answers, he just can’t say no.

“Of course I do.”

“Then I’d really love for us to have this conversation in the morning when you’re sober,” you insist, hands seeking out his for comfort and reassurance, “Please, Yunho.”

“And what happens if I wake up alone again?”

There it is. The hint of pessimism screaming at him in the back of his mind slipped through. He remembers the last time you left with no word and how it sent him irrationally spiraling. He just needs that final bit of reassurance.

“I’d never do that to you again, okay? I love you too much to hurt you like that. I promise.”

Yunho's left mute at this reply, damp lashes blinking repeatedly as his brain struggles to compute that you just said three very pivotal words he’s never heard from anyone else he’s ever dated. After not immediately reciprocating his sentiments earlier, he didn’t really ever expect them to come from your mouth anytime soon. 

“You…love–”

It happens way too fast, the wave of nausea that consumes him with how overwhelmed he begins to feel. Pulling his fingers away from yours, he clasps a clammy hand over his mouth and stumbles off toward his hallway bathroom in haste. This, of course, is not the ideal response you’d like to get back after fully confessing your feelings to a man. You try not to take it to heart and finally go to grab some water for him while he’s emptying his stomach in the bathroom.

The night comes to a close not too long later with you both burrowed in the blankets of Yunho’s bed, and he falls asleep against your chest faster than your brain will allow you to join. How lucky he is to have alcohol easily lull him to sleep after such a mess, you muse. You suppose this is as good of a time as ever to sort your thoughts and words for your explanation tomorrow. That and the possible consequences following you finally revealing the truth. While Yunho might seem mild-mannered and easygoing on a day-to-day basis, you are now aware of just how sensitive he is as a person inside. He feels with his whole heart, and he keeps certain things locked inside of him. You want him to feel comfortable enough to share those things with you as a partner. You want him to trust you wholly with his entire heart, but you suppose that begins with being entirely honest with him first. He’s more than enough, and you want him to believe that. Before you can let your mind wander too deep into the territory of that subject, your eyes finally feel unbearably heavy, and you fall asleep with your fingers curled around his own a little more securely than usual.

One thing Yunho prides himself in is not being prone to heavy hangovers, and this morning is no different. From his first couple years in college, he had learned that lots of water, sleeping in, and a good meal was the cheat code to his body’s ability to survive a night of binge drinking. This was partially thanks to his first roommate who was a Nutrition Major, because if he couldn’t discourage him from drinking he could at least aid him in recovering from it. Aside from you forcing him to drink a few water bottles before he could sleep, throwing up the prior night and purging most of it helped a lot as well, of course.

You’re not in bed when he stirs awake, but he can hear miscellaneous noise coming from another part of his home and smell the third element of his cheat code in progress. When he finally ambles out of his room and into his kitchen after chugging the bottle of water left on his nightstand, he finds you cooking something with what little groceries he has stocked in his fridge. The sound of him pulling out a chair at his table tears your attention away from the stove.

“Good morning,” you hum. He seems fully coherent, which makes things much easier on you. “How’s your stomach?”

Yunho rubs his bleary eyes with the back of his hand while yawning, “Much better… What time is it?”

“Around eleven, I think.”

“I thought you had something to do?”

“I canceled,” you tell him, “You’re more important.”

Earlier, while Yunho was still passed out, you found some time to slip away and call Wooyoung to raincheck. You’re not entirely sure if he believed the performance you put on about coming down with something last minute, but it didn’t matter. The least he can do is give you a day off of this charade. You move the food you’ve been working on off of the stove’s eye and turn off the heat before snatching up his mug of coffee and joining him at the table. 

You look different this morning, the way your eyes lack any of their usual whimsy or humor, and how you sit yourself to his left with body language more reserved than normal. Your stress is palpable, and that doesn’t help settle the sad feeling beginning to manifest in his stomach when he realizes the conversation that’s about to begin. Nonetheless, he decides to prepare himself for the worst.

“I promised you an explanation,” you sigh, “So let’s talk.”

Messily relaying this story to Yeosang first helped you a lot with finding the confidence to make things more concise if a moment like this were ever to happen. You were able to tell Yunho the full extent of Wooyoung’s actions without getting as emotional as the last time. Even though you were trying to be truthful, you ultimately decided not to tell him about trying to connect with Wooyoung’s ex behind the scenes, as you didn’t want to give him any false hope if things happened to fall through. When you finish spilling anything left lingering in your guts about the entire situation, there’s an unbearable silence that settles over the whole room. Yunho’s eyes are trained on his coffee, finger circling the rim of his mug while he lets his mind run wild. The guilty feeling that washes over you feels heavier and heavier with every passing second of him not replying.

“I’m really sorry,” you finally break the silence with a final apology. “It’s my fault for being so pushy in your office that day. This wouldn’t have happened if I had just taken no for an answer.”

“You have nothing to be sorry for, ____,” Yunho tails your sentence quickly. The tension in your chest finally dissolves when he speaks, and hearing his caring voice is really all you can ask for right now. He reaches a gentle hand over the table to cover yours for some well-needed comfort, before offering you a soft, sober smile, “I don’t want you beating yourself up for decisions we made together. I’m a grown man who makes my own choices, don’t forget that.”

When Yunho dares to ask how far Wooyoung has made you go for him physically, you assure him the worst has only been that kiss. 

“I’m not going to pretend like this doesn’t fucking suck,” he groans, brows furrowing at the thought of being so stuck between a rock and a hard place, “I would remove him from class if I could. Seeing his face is going to piss me off even more than before.”

“I understand. The semester ends in a couple of weeks though… I know it might be a lot to ask for from you to deal with, but it won’t be too much longer,” you offer resignedly, though it’s not much of a consolation. Optimism is the only thing you have worth giving him at this point. You’re only optimistic yourself while banking on his ex wanting to meet with you. When he goes from frustratedly rubbing his eyes to running a hand through his hair, you feel the need to add, “I’d understand if you don’t want to deal with that though.” Yunho turns to you, his expression one of sheer incredulity.

“You really believe I would willingly let someone like him end our relationship?” The teasing lilt in his voice is refreshing to hear, even if it is a serious question underneath. He reaches his hand over and holds your chin while assuring you, “You can’t get rid of me that easily, okay?”

“That sounds more like a threat than a promise,” you chuckle.

“Maybe he should take it that way, then.”

For the remainder of the week, Yunho tries to bear through the new knowledge that Wooyoung is somewhere on campus turning you into a puppet for his own gain. It hits harder on the days when he texts you in an effort to check in on things but is met with radio silence. He was made aware that Wooyoung preferred you off of your phone when with him, but goddamn was it annoying. For your sake, he tries to keep these kinds of grievances to himself. He knows he needs to be supportive if he can help it. During this time frame, you also secretly began your effort to contact Wooyoung’s ex-girlfriend. Getting left on read with your first message was to be expected. It took her a full day before she entertained you by replying back, even if it was a little snippy. Regardless, her replying at all was a step in the right direction. She opened the door and you planned to slip your way in as best you could. Between Yeosang asking for updates, his ex contacting you sporadically throughout the days, and Yunho checking in occasionally to make sure his assistant isn’t causing you problems that he’s more than happy to fix, you decide it’s best to keep your phone face down and away from Wooyoung when you’re together this week. Even if you want to keep up with your friends to pass the time, it’s just too risky.

“You haven’t told him anything, correct?” 

Wooyoung asks this out of the blue when you both convene for breakfast on Friday. You find it funny how neither of them can say each other’s name, but you suppose Wooyoung is a bit more cautious these days to keep you from getting an attitude. You’re much too tired to even entertain such a question, but you don’t want to cause any suspicion by choosing not to answer.

You yawn after muttering, “No, why?”

“He looks at me differently these days,” he muses, pushing his fork into the plush of his lips, “It’s giving me bad vibes.”

“He has a lot on his plate with finals that you can’t help him with. I’m sure the stress is overwhelming. Cut him some slack.”

Picturing Yunho trying to give Wooyoung the evil eye when they cross paths everyday has you turning your head away, suppressing a smile to keep from laughing at the end of your sentence.

“You know better than I do,” he acknowledges with a nod and leaves the conversation at that.

Yunho begins losing a bit more of his resolve that same day when he catches Wooyoung rushing to meet you out the door after class, calling out your name right in front of his face. He doesn’t particularly care for the carefree tone of his voice, and he feels like doing something so openly is too cocky for his liking. His fingernails rake at the material of his slacks irritably from behind his podium as he opens his mouth.

“Wooyoung,” Yunho calls out before he can consult his better judgment. 

When his assistant spins to face him, Yunho finds himself at a loss for words. He didn’t really think this part through. His eyes flicker to you, who’s waiting patiently by the door for your puppetmaster to join you, then back to Wooyoung. That’s when he makes the executive decision to steal him away from you for the next hour or so. He deserves that satisfaction at least. 

“I wanted to discuss some things about my schedule regarding final papers next week, and then submitting final grades,” Yunho exhales while clasping his hands together. 

He throws in a free and easy smile to twist the knife because his assistant loses all joy in his face at his words. The brief glance you exchange with your teacher as Wooyoung reluctantly ambles back to his station holds a world of emotions, conveying everything words cannot. The gratification he receives from simply seeing you nod and smile while departing alone for the day gives him everything he needs to complete his day with renewed composure.

Mondays generally suck for Yunho, but this final one of the semester is absolutely atrocious.

Today, he’s had the worst technical difficulties in both of his morning lectures with no valuable help from the University’s IT department. One of his biggest pet peeves is not being taken seriously when he’s working, especially as a younger teacher, and it seems that they put his issues on the back burner all morning since he’s not one of the elderly professors. Regardless, he made things work even through the giggles of some students. It’s his final class before exam week begins, the least he can do is end his spiel of encouragement towards the final paper deadline on a good note.

If things had ended there, then he would’ve had a decent rest of his day. Spilling hot coffee all over his white button-up that he rarely ever even wears puts a permanent grimace on his face for the remainder of the morning. He tries his best to dab it out with water when he gets a free moment during his lunch break, but he’s one hundred percent sure he made the liquid spread much worse. Coupled with him not even being able to put his tie back on properly in an attempt to fashion it in a way that hides the stain, he’s exactly three seconds away from deciding to go home for the rest of the day. 

He decides to work through lunch in his office instead so he can end the day early once he’s finished. At least this way nobody could see how much of a mess he is today. But, after a while of Yunho holing up in his office and hiding from the rest of the world as long as he can manage, his phone vibrates with an unexpected call from San. He presses the answer option reluctantly and puts it on speaker.

Before he can even say hello, San’s voice is already excitedly asking, “You on lunch?”

“Something like that,” he chuckles weakly, and San can hear the clicks of his mouse in the background. When he hears San ‘tsk!’ in disapproval of him working, he sighs, “You know me, work’s never done. Shouldn’t you be teaching a class right now?”

“Bathroom breaks are important for everybody.”

“And you decided to call me during yours why?”

“Listen, I know you told me not to make any unannounced visits to your classroom but,” San pauses to laugh at the foolishness of what he’s about to say. “But, it seems that your student has done this to me today instead. I suppose that means today is fair game, right?”

Yunho’s hands pause their movements as he filters through his mind what exactly his friend might be referring to. When he finally recalls that line from their conversation on the day his friends briefly met you, his face pales. San adds that you seem to be dressed oh-so-pretty today and Yunho’s brows crease, not only in irritation at him talking so liberally about you but in confusion. Yunho’s prolonged silence at what should be insignificant information is duly noted in San’s mind. 

Truth be told, San did not call Yunho just for shits and giggles. A few days ago, during a shared lunch break, Seonghwa had come to him secretly about Yunho’s recent behaviors:

“You can’t be serious Seonghwa,” San laughs wholeheartedly at his friend’s implications. “Yunho is a bit desperate these days, but he’s not that desperate.” 

“You can’t say I’m being delusional.”

“That’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m just saying that it probably isn’t what it seems like.”

Seonghwa rolls his eyes so far back that it almost hurts, “Enlighten me on why he’s being so secretive when I ask then.”

“You asked him about her directly?”

“Not exactly… but I asked him about dating someone,” Seonghwa leans back in his chair and sighs, “He told me nothing. Barely even got a peep about where he met the woman. A Tinder match has got him so quiet? It just doesn’t make sense.”

“And you think it’s his student because of what exactly?”

“I didn’t say anything at the time but I saw a glimpse of his phone a month or so ago,” Seonghwa snaps his fingers while he tries to remember the details, “That night we went to that fancy lounge uptown, remember?”

“And?”

“When he was using the bathroom, he left his phone face up on the couch. I didn’t mean to pay too much attention to it, but it lit up with a text and I recognized the name.”

San pushes the food around in his Tupperware with pursed lips while he tries to rationalize this revelation. Seonghwa does have a point… Why in the world would you have been texting him at 10 PM? San’s a pretty laid-back teacher himself, but none of his students have his personal number. All teachers do things differently though, he knows this. Still…

San lowers his voice to ask, “What did the message say?”

“I didn’t see that part,” his friend continues, the disappointment in his voice making San snicker, “He came back too quickly. I mentioned it in passing though, and he said they text occasionally about her schoolwork.”

Seonghwa uses his fingers to put air quotations around that last word; as if he’d ever believe a student is texting their teacher close to midnight about “schoolwork”. He’s slightly offended that Yunho thinks he’s that much of a fool.

“That’s not that implausible—”

“I’m calling bullshit. She’s at the very least got a crush on him and he’s playing into it,” Seonghwa states plainly. 

San resumes eating his lukewarm leftovers, humming, “I really don’t think he would risk getting fired over hooking up with his student. We barely even see him flirt with people outside of work… Anything beyond that just isn’t him. You know this.”

The conversation didn’t last much longer than that, and San had effectively convinced Seonghwa to simply mind his business at the time. He ponders for a second if he should have a serious talk with Yunho about the repercussions that could come to him if Seonghwa’s speculations were true, as he obviously doesn’t want to see one of his best friends lose their job. San may joke around a lot about these kinds of things, and he’s overly flirtatious with a numerous amount of people that may or may not include younger women, but he knows he’d never cross the line and put his job in jeopardy like that. 

It’s always been complicated. Yunho is an exceptionally loyal person and a hopeless romantic, but very few people get to see that side of him. San has seen plenty of women attempt to pursue him with both good and bad intentions, and Yunho has difficulty deciphering sometimes. That being said, when his friend is head over heels for someone, there is nothing he won’t do. There have been plenty of times when Yunho has done some stupid things because of stupid impulses when it comes to women he falls hard for. Don’t get him started about when he had to talk him out of getting a tattoo just because a girl he fell for told him she preferred “bad boys” when turning him down. He feels with all of his heart, and that’s honestly something San admires about his friend. 

He supposes while he has him on the phone, he should push the boundaries to see how he replies. 

“She’s been outside of my class for nearly half an hour,” San continues in a nonchalant voice, stoking the fire, “I was wondering if I should invite her to join in on the lecture, maybe chat—”

Unfortunately for San, Yunho’s already having a bad enough day, and he doesn’t need his friend joking about trying to pick up his woman. 

“Do not bother her,” Yunho interrupts him in a voice with a steely edge that makes the instruction come out slightly more bitter than he intends it to. He immediately regrets letting that kind of emotion slip through and becomes bashful, quickly sputtering a playful jab at his friend instead, “Getting a girl’s attention without buying her a drink first? That would be an amazing feat from you anyway.”

“Getting a girl’s attention at all recently would be an amazing feat for you too,” San quips back with a laugh, but he makes a mental note of this peculiar reaction. It surely doesn’t help extinguish Seonghwa’s conspiracies planted in his head. “Anyway, my class ends in half an hour, so I’m sure she’s just waiting for a friend to come out.”

At that suggestion, a thought crosses Yunho’s mind that makes his stomach churn. 

“San, tell me something. Do you have a student named Wooyoung Jung in your class?”

“I do indeed, how did you know?”

I’ve got to be losing my mind… 

That’s the only explanation Yunho can come up with as to why he’s speed-walking from his building in the middle of campus to the one that hosts San’s class a handful of minutes away. It’s brisk out, evident by the sharp chill of early December running down his back with every quick stride, but it’s a perfect excuse for why his cheeks are so red. He’s not flustered, he’s just cold… of course.

The moment he spots you rocking back and forth on your feet in front of San’s lecture hall, patiently thumbing away at your phone, his chest aches. You’re dolled up today just like San alluded to, wearing a pretty dress that he’s never even seen you in before. Coupled with some makeup and your hair done charmingly, he gets flashbacks to when you both went on your very first dinner together. This doesn’t fare well with Yunho’s mood.

The tap he does on your shoulder startles you enough to elicit a squeal, and that shock doesn’t change even when you realize it’s Yunho beckoning for your attention. 

“I– What are you doing here?”

When Yunho’s brows furrow in offense at your question, you wince. You don’t mean to sound like the last thing you want to do is see him right now, but this is not the best time for him to be showing himself. The last thing you need is for him and Wooyoung to cross paths outside of the classroom with you directly in the middle. Nevertheless, you don’t even get an answer to that query. The moment your arm is snatched and your feet drag while your captor hauls you away from your waiting spot, you internally scold yourself about how you’re probably the easiest kidnapping victim ever. To be fair, he’s a lot stronger than he looks.

“Wait, I have a date with Wooyoung–” 

“I do not care,” he snaps back.

He doesn’t bother responding to any more of your attempts of chiding him, eyes too busy following the signs that guide him to where the nearest restroom is. When he stumbles upon an unoccupied handicapped restroom, he sighs in relief and pulls you in before closing and locking the door. 

“What is wrong with you?” You sputter in a dumbfounded, hushed voice. 

Yunho’s face is splotchy, and he’s visibly agitated while his eyes dodge between your outfit and your face, “Why do you look like that?”

What a silly question, truly. 

In his mind, the problem lies within who you’re looking so beautiful for, and not the fact that you look beautiful at all. Yunho rarely gets to see you as it is, but this prick’s got you dressing up for him? Surely this isn’t necessary, because you’re beautiful enough to make anyone jealous as you already are. In his eyes, anyway.

“I just told you I have a date and I needed to look nicer,” you argue. Before he can muster up another pointless question, you fold your arms across your chest, “Right now is really not the time to be jealous.”

“I’m not jealous, I’m annoyed.”

“Then why are we here, Yunho?” His eyes finally shy away from yours when you motion to your surroundings. He hates it when you use his first name like this because he knows that often accompanies the tone of displeasure. The last thing he wants to do is upset you. You sigh, “Can’t you hold out just a little longer?”

“Dressing up so pretty for him doesn’t help me feel any better.”

“Making a scene about it doesn’t necessarily help anything either, does it?”

You’d snicker at the shameful silence that follows that statement if the situation wasn’t so genuinely distressing to him. He’s genuinely upset, you get it. You’d never admit it out loud, but a piece of you likes seeing him like this: wound-up, needy, and protective. The roles were reversed not too long ago about Wooyoung particularly, so seeing him show that same yearning and agitation when the tables are turned, even if it’s in terrible circumstances, makes you feel validated. Still, you do what you can to ease his mind for now.

“You’re too handsome to be this envious, love,” you murmur sweet nothings. He remains silent, letting those words swirl around in his head while you reach out to fiddle with the kink in his tie until it’s fixed. His lip juts out when you chuckle at the stain sullying his shirt underneath. Your eyes gaze up at his fondly before you add, “How many times do I have to tell you that I’m yours and yours only before you start believing it?” 

Yunho soaks in every syllable of that soothing voice of yours while his eyes settle on your glossy lips when they talk. Anything not to look at those eyes that could surely make him get on his knees and apologize profusely for causing a scene. He’s so predictable sometimes, you muse. You’re sure a kiss or two to help settle his jealousy before you have to leave won’t hurt anyway.

Just as you predicted, he can’t help himself, and the feeling of his impatient hands grabbing at your waist and his lips slotting over yours ignites this fire inside the pit of your stomach. Your butt hits against the counter of the bathroom sink and your hands try to find purchase on his blazer.

“Reminders never hurt, right?” he breaks briefly to mumble before slipping his tongue into your mouth. You indulge him, falling victim to that sinful mouth of his as you always do.

And, sure, maybe kissing you should be enough to quell such intense feelings inside of him, but it’s just not. The thought that Wooyoung also has the ability to kiss you whenever he wants to enhance whatever convoluted plan he has going on makes it almost insignificant. Instead, his hands haphazardly drift under the hem of your dress, because he’s the only one allowed to touch you like this. He hopes so, anyway. 

His warm fingers drag up the soft skin of your inner thighs with no hesitation, and your hands grapple onto his blazer tightly when he reaches the apex to stop briefly at your clothed cunt. Yunho swallows the surprised yelp you let out into his mouth when he begins to rub up and down, pressing on your clit through the cotton and feeling how damp you already are just from kissing him. God, it never gets old, the way he turns you on so easily. You shudder when he tugs your panties to the side and drags his lips in wet kisses from your lips to your ear.

“I’m gonna be late, Yu…” you complain, voice airy and whiny when his thumb rubs at your clit.

“I’m really sorry,” he murmurs while kissing the shell of your ear, “I’m just really pissed off today. You understand, right, angel?”

He punctuates that statement by finally slipping two fingers into your sopping cunt.

Yunho’s a mess. 

He stares at himself in the mirror behind you while his fingers busy themselves with pushing in and out of your cunt. How did he get to such a point, experiencing so many intense emotions over someone he never should’ve fallen in love with in good conscience? How did he end up in this bathroom with his fingers evoking such sloppy noises from between your legs? He stares at how flushed he is in the cheeks with your glittery lipgloss smeared all over his lips and beyond. This is beyond silly…

Yunho swears he’s not actually such a jealous person, he swears, but the current circumstances are doing a number on his mental health. He deliberately curls his fingers up against that plushy spot he loves to find within you and watches tremors travel through your back. Aside from some tiny gasps and whimpers that are barely audible unless you’re close enough to hear them, you’ve learned your lesson on being quiet in these situations, and you keep your lips pressed together tightly. The way your knees are buckling and your hands are clutching onto him for dear life—yes, this is just what he needs. He’s never felt such an intense need to see someone cum in his life.

“Do you want more?” Yunho suddenly breathes against your ear, pressing a loving kiss on your warm skin before pulling back to look you in the eyes, “I’ll do whatever you want me to, even if you just want me to stop.”

As God is his witness, he means every word. He’ll get down on his knees and suck an orgasm from you if you want him to. He’ll hold you against the wall and fuck any word other than his name out of your head if you want him to. To be honest, deep down he just wants to see if you’d blow off your date with this nuisance—even for just a few minutes—to let him satisfy you. Those shiny eyes of yours innocently blinking at his inquiry could make him melt on the spot. You don’t know how much time has passed since you got dragged in here, or how much time there is left of Wooyoung’s class, but your hands move faster than your brain when considering these things as a problem. 

His fingers slip out of your core and into his mouth the moment your hands drop to fumble with his belt hurriedly. There are no words spoken, and the only sounds filling the quiet air of the bathroom are Yunho’s belt buckle coming undone and clattering against the floor tiles once his pants are shoved down. He pushes down his underwear and quickly fists his cock while you turn to bend over the sink. It doesn’t take much to get him hard because seeing you so wet and ready for him to stretch you out with no care for anything else turns him on to the highest degree. 

After tugging your panties down what he deems is enough, he doesn’t even bother teasing and prods at your hole so eagerly that it’s almost embarrassing. The soft gasp you both share when Yunho’s tip fully slips into your cunt by accident makes your stomach manifest butterflies. 

Your hands grip the edges of the counter while he continues pushing forward, mouth agape and brows drawn together while watching the way the tight skin stretches around him and sucks him in greedily. When you finally feel his thighs meet yours, you release a deep breath you didn’t even know you were holding heavy in your lungs. 

“You’re so wet, slipped in so easily,” he huffs, giving you an experimental thrust to see all your arousal coat his cock again before he bunches your dress around your waist in his hands. “Gonna be good for me and stay quiet, right?”

“I should ask you the same,” you whisper, giving him a coy gaze through the mirror. 

The smirk tugging at his lips in place of laughing is followed by a knowing nod, and you close your eyes when he finally begins moving his hips. Yunho has no intention of purposefully rushing things to get you back to your obligations any quicker than him bringing you here. Even so, he isn’t going slow or taking his time like he treated you the last time you had sex. No, this is an exceptionally needy fuck today, with hasty, desperate thrusts that make his eyes flutter closed and chest feel heavy with noises of arousal just begging to creep out. He just can’t help himself; Yunho swears your cunt was perfectly crafted just for him. 

When he feels your knees buckle after one particular angled thrust, he groans lowly, “Right there, angel?” 

With a nod of your head, Yunho's hands move from your dress to your hips, fingertips digging deep into the plush skin while he reciprocates that previous thrust over and over and over until you’re gripping the sink spout to maintain some of your sanity. 

“I need more Yu, please,” you beg him in a whisper, cock-drunk eyes meeting his own in the mirror, “More, more—please—harder.”

You want nothing more than for him to just grab a fist full of your hair and make a mess of your sopping cunt—to ruin your makeup and send you back out to Wooyoung looking like a mess. You crave that pure and raw act of Yunho showing him who you truly belong to. Knowing your lover, he wouldn’t decline the opportunity to assert his dominance in this situation, but you have enough self-control to keep those desires to yourself. He’s giving you enough to handle anyway, firmly pressing your stomach to this counter with strong hands and settling on a brutal pace to satisfy your request. The sounds of skin slapping skin echo amongst desperate pants and gasps from you both every time he bottoms out just as fast as he pulls back.

The steamy air of the bathroom is interrupted when your phone begins ringing on the counter. You know it’s probably Wooyoung finally out of class and wondering where you are. You can’t blame him, as you had explicitly told him you’d be waiting for him outside the classroom. 

Even so, you can’t seem to care enough to remove your focus from Yunho, your unwavering eyes still locked on his own through the mirror as he continues snapping his hips into you quickly. Yunho would be lying if he said this attention didn’t go straight to his head. He knows you shouldn’t ever have to prove it, but the reassurance he feels from seeing your devotion to him in real time makes his chest tight with adoration. The way nobody else matters to you right now, and how he’s the center of your attention, chips away at every inch of jealousy he was feeling earlier. 

Yunho’s hands abruptly pull you off the sink by your arms and up against him. This new position with your back arched and you on your toes has you seeing constellations, and you know you probably aren’t going to last much longer with the way he’s also heaving just behind your ear. When one hand of his moves down to rub sticky circles on your clit, you presume he’s close as well. Yunho feels like he’s going crazy, mind spinning with thoughts of if you keep squeezing him like this, he might just accidentally cum—

“Inside,” you whimper, “Please.”

He finds himself groaning against your skin, teasing you by breathing, “Going on a date with another man’s cum in you’s kinda rude, no?”

“Don’t care, please, please.”

As usual, how can he say no when you beg so cutely? He did say he’d do whatever you want, after all. Your eyes flutter closed and you focus on the final sounds of Yunho’s soft grunts and your shaky exhales mingling in the air while he ruts up into you quickly. It always seems like he knows your body better than you know yourself these days because his hand covers your mouth before he gives the last few sharp thrusts that precede him finally spilling into you, and he successfully stifles the desperate moan you would’ve let fly out once you fall apart in his arms. 

“Quiet– Oh fuck, that’s it,” Yunho hisses, letting out a soft moan at the way you struggle to stand while your legs tremble and your cunt milks him for all he’s worth. He’s dangerously too addicted to this feeling already; you should’ve never introduced something so heavenly to him. He can’t stop his hips from beginning to buck again in messy strokes, intent on fucking you through your orgasm even if he’s sensitive himself. Watching the way you bite down on your lip to keep quiet as told, he whispers well-deserved praises in between kissing your skin, “Taking it so well, sweet girl. You really were made for me. Shhh, I’ve got you.”

Yunho only stops himself when your body becomes pliant in his arms, fully surrendering to fatigue and overstimulation. He waits patiently until you can put your weight back onto your feet before finally releasing his grip. When he finally pulls himself out, he’s not quick enough to step away, and his seed spills from you onto his pants still pooled around his ankles. The handful of curses spilling from his mouth at his fuck-up has you shushing him in between breathless laughs. 

“I’m an idiot,” he groans.

“Yes, and that’s exactly what you get for dragging me in here.”

Yunho spends a handful of minutes using wet napkins to make his pants look a little more presentable while you do the same with the mess you’ve both made soiling the insides of your thighs. He doesn’t even try to hide the satisfied smirk tugging at his lips while inconspicuously watching you try your best to get his cum to stop seeping out of your core. There’s just not enough to properly clean up, and he finds this just as gratifying as getting you here in the first place. To be fair, you were the one who told him that you didn’t care. On that note, he goes to grab your discarded phone and ushers it your way eagerly. 

“You should call your date and let him know you’ll be wherever very soon,” he insists, “I’m sure he’s waiting patiently.”

“Rushing me out after throwing such a fit is crazy,” you mutter while pulling your panties back up. You’re sure he’s just obsessed with the thought of his cum making a cameo on your date.

“A man can’t change his mind?”

As you stand in front of the bathroom mirror, quickly dabbing at your neck with napkins to clean any smeared lip gloss, Yunho leans against the bathroom wall and tries to decide how long he should wait in the bathroom before leaving after you. Between watching the way you apply a fresh coat to your lips and entering post-nut clarity, he’s a bit too scatterbrained to think about this critically, but he’s brought back to the moment when you finally spin around with a sigh.

“Do I look okay?”

There’s a bit of anxiety hidden in that question, evoked by the fear of looking disheveled or being perfumed with the smell of sex, but those thoughts are quickly extinguished when he gives you those eyes that look as though he’s falling in love with you all over again. Maybe it’s that special afterglow that sex grants, but to him, in this moment you look even better than when you enter this bathroom with him. You’re exceptionally beautiful at all times, and he doesn’t even have to answer that question for you to know his thoughts. After planting a quick peck of farewell on his cheek, Yunho stays hidden away against the wall out of view of the door so you can finally leave and call Wooyoung. He’ll hold off on teasing you about the little limp in your walk until you see each other again in private.

The following day, you find yourself seated alone at the familiar table tucked away in the back of the library, the very spot where you and Yeosang often retreated for private discussions. Wooyoung’s ex was supposed to be seated in front of you 10 minutes ago. I’m giving her 5 more minutes before I leave. She was the one who finally asked you to meet with her after a bit of cordial back and forth, so being late to her own plans didn’t necessarily make you as sympathetic to her situation as before. You suppose you should give her a little more grace, considering this is your only opportunity to try and put an end to the madness of Wooyoung’s chasing. Still, you’re a busy woman who needs to prepare for your first exam tomorrow.

“____?” 

A soft voice emerges from behind you that has you craning your head to seek out its owner.

“Hello,” you greet her, and your eyes follow her as she ambles around the table to set down her bag to settle in across from you. “Didn’t know if you were still going to show up.”

“I apologize for being late,” she sighs, embarrassment blossoming on her cheeks. With her first question, she wastes no time delving into the purpose of your meeting, “So, how long have you and Woo been dating?”

Due to her Instagram page being locked down, you hadn’t seen very many pictures of her before this meeting. You were only able to get glimpses of her in a scarce amount of posts on her sorority’s page that included all sisters. In person, she’s exceptionally beautiful, and you expected nothing less of someone being so heavily pursued. Your blatant staring and lack of reply to her question have her glancing at you quizzically.

It’s a bit surreal at first, but it finally sinks in that sitting in front of you is the very person of Wooyoung’s desires. An involuntary giggle escapes you at how silly this situation is, as you were never really prepared to be confronted by the very girl Wooyoung kept you from knowing this whole time. She was merely a faceless hindrance to your life, to the point of even doubting her existence at one point. Your reaction doesn’t fare well with her, and she’s noticeably bothered at being laughed at. 

“I’m sorry, that was rude of me,” you offer a genuine apology before leaning onto the table on your elbows and admitting truthfully, “Not too long at all, just about a month.” 

Still, way too long, you’d like to add. Even though she visibly relaxes at this revelation, you can see a conflicting look flicker behind her eyes.

“I still don’t really understand why you contacted me,” she sighs, but the look in her eyes just doesn’t correspond. 

You’re sure she knows exactly why you reached out and exactly what you want to say; surely she already knows she is all Wooyoung wants. During this conversation, you had planned to tell a series of half-truths. She didn’t need to know how you got wrapped up in this mess, but you figured it’d be helpful to admit that Wooyoung only thinks of her when he’s with you. Maybe you’d give her some empathetic spiel about how you “think” he hasn’t moved on from his feelings for her, and make it a bit emotional on your end. Despite those words dancing on the tip of your tongue, ready to give your best performance, you realize that she looks as if she wants to do your job for you. So, you play into it and let her take the wheel.

“You look like you want to ask me something,” you observe, “I’m all ears.”

Sitting up a bit more erect in her chair, she meets your eyes head-on.

“I’d like to ask you if…” But, her voice falters before she can get to the tail of her request. 

You wonder if it’s a pride thing that’s keeping her from being honest with herself. She wants him back, you’re sure of it, but she’s the one who broke things off initially. Maybe she’s embarrassed, you muse. You suppose you could gently guide the conversation, posing the question she hesitates to voice herself.

“Do you want me to break up with him?” You ask forthrightly.

“I do,” she finally confesses, “I was hesitant about rekindling our relationship, but you reaching out to me made me feel more confident that I should ask. I’m so sorry.”

Feigning indecision is easy, and pretending to fight your feelings about the situation is the cherry on top. It wouldn’t be believable if you gave up too easily, so the uncomfortable silence is more than necessary. The false front is believable enough because she cuts into the tense silence before you can even respond.

“I made a mistake and I would just like a second chance with him. I know I’m asking for a lot from you, and I want him to be happy, but I can’t pretend that I don’t still love him anymore,” she rambles on, trying her best to be authentic, “We were together for quite some time and—”

“I’m aware,” you finally interject. When she downcasts her eyes, you perch your head in your palm and sigh, “Wooyoung is still in love with you as well. I don’t want to be with someone who’s still caught up on someone else anymore. You understand?”

The way her eyes light up at this revelation makes yours soften. Even though Wooyoung’s actions may be maddening to you, you can tell he genuinely brings her joy. They both truly love each other.

“I don’t know how to go about this,” she admits after a moment of thought.

"Just tell him you want him back. He'll probably end things with me right away," you say bluntly. You feel it's best to give her a gentle nudge to act sooner rather than later, though. So, you add, "I think he’s been planning a trip for us after finals, but I'm sure he'd rather go with you. Please, do it soon."

Underscoring the word please to her might come across as begging, but at this point, you are beyond caring. Going your separate ways after closing this conversation feels like a hefty weight lifted off of your shoulders. In the end, you’ve done what needed to be done in terms of setting the stage; now it was time for her return to the spotlight as the lead. 

The next morning, you awaken to a text from Wooyoung finally breaking your arrangement off. He doesn’t go into any specifics of what happened, but at any rate, you don’t need or care to know. As far as you’re concerned, he’s fully evaporated from your life the moment you delete his text thread. You find that your coffee and breakfast taste better than normal with one less weight of stress hanging over your head. Exchanging many [Good luck!] texts with Yunho has him subsequently requesting to meet with you after today’s exam. That is how you ended up dawdling around your favorite aisle in the campus bookstore just before lunch. You had decided to turn in your textbook rentals early and put all of your faith in your notes for these next few days. The only other thing really lingering over your head was to finally turn in your final paper for Yunho’s class before midnight.

You start to get a bit impatient when Yunho fails to show up after your proposed meeting time, and you wonder if maybe he’s in the wrong spot. With calculated steps, you begin to roam the nearby shelves, reluctant to call out his name too many times in such a quiet place. There are only but so many aisles he could be in within this store anyway. After a couple of minutes peeking into different empty aisles, you finally decide he’s simply just late. You venture back to your original aisle and decide to browse in the meantime; this is the last time you’d ever be stepping foot in this place, so it couldn’t hurt to chew over a last-minute purchase. No matter how frequently this aisle has seen your presence in the last few years, you never fail to find something new that piques your interest. Unfortunately, today’s mark is a small book with the prettiest spine, and it sits just out of your reach on the top shelf. Being unobtainable only makes your curiosity even more inevitable.

Stretching every muscle in your body as far as it’ll give to try and at least graze the spine fails; there’s just no use, and it seems appealing to simply give up. The moment you finally fall back on the heels of your feet, you can feel the sturdiness of a chest slyly pressing against your back while reaching for that very same book just out of your reach. 

“You should really be more aware of your surroundings,” Yunho’s smooth voice hums next to your ear after feeling you freeze up underneath his presence. He plucks the book from the shelf with ease and sighs. You can feel his breath fan out on your neck and even smell the mint on his breath when he adds a playful jab, “Short stuff.”

“And you should really be more punctual,” you quip back, trying your best to ignore his proximity. 

He’s dressed casually today, charmingly sporting a comfortable pair of jeans and an oversized sweater since classes are officially over. If you didn’t already know who he was, a simple glance would have you thinking he was a student himself.

“Oh c’mon pretty, at least I’m here like I said I’d be, right?” He reasons excitedly while offering you a toothy grin that’s way too cute for your liking. The gentle tap of the book on the crown of your head has you scrunching up your nose, and he sets it aside. “You sure this section is private enough?”

“One hundred percent. I used to sit here in my free time when I wanted to read books without buying them,” you admit, adding, “No cameras over here either.”

Yunho eyes you curiously. You're practically glowing today, evident to him by the smile you can’t seem to keep off of your face even when you feign annoyance at his tardiness. He presses a hand to the shelf ledge behind you while the other finds solace in his pocket with his belongings.

“What’s got you so happy today?”

He’s torn between whether you’ll say something about already being rid of one exam, or maybe your spontaneous rendezvous with him here has you that giddy. Your eyes gaze back into his expectant ones and you find yourself finally able to relax for the first time in many weeks. 

“It’s all over, Yunho.”

Normally, a sentence like that would seem ominous, but the wide stretch of your lips has his poor heart shooting into his throat. It’s the way your eyes are lit while saying his name that really gets him. His pocketed hand finds its way to your cheek and his thumb skims the apple of your cheek. This kind of smile is something he hopes he can evoke from you on his own in the near future.

“I really missed seeing you this happy,” he confesses, “You look like you can breathe again, ____.”

Something about the way those soft chocolate eyes of his are openly admiring every inch of your face, committing this kind of happiness from you to memory, has you shrinking back in shyness and averting your gaze.

Eager to move the spotlight off yourself, you inquire, “So… why’d you wanna meet up here?”

Oh, that’s right…

Yunho’s decision to drive to campus today mainly stemmed from the fact that you would already be here. He didn’t want you to have to go out of your way just for him to see you, especially after an exam. A clandestine meeting in the bookstore, which you assured him beforehand would be devoid of many students, seemed like a feasible option. He moves to wrap his arms around you, pressing you against his chest in a firm embrace. You don’t hesitate to wrap your arms around his waist.

“It’s going to be a very busy week for me with grading final papers all by myself,” Yunho begins tentatively. 

His eyes close and he focuses on slowing down his heart that’s beating a bit too prominently in his chest when your ear is pressed against it. There are a lot of emotions coursing through him today, many he can’t quite decipher, although he supposes maybe that’s just everything he’s been feeling throughout the entire semester coming to a head: love, jealousy, desperation, angst, and more. Even amongst the newfound happiness blossoming within his chest at such a detrimental obstacle being overcome, anxiety is still the most overwhelming feeling consuming him. It’s a bit nerve-wracking inching closer and closer to the final moments where he can confidently say you’re his with no repercussions. He’s been reflecting on how things will change between you both when finally crossing over this hump, and how things will flourish sans the threats to your futures. He doesn’t want to get too ahead of himself, though.

“Continue,” you encourage him, “I’m listening.”

“I just wanted to see you in person before I have to disappear, and tell you that I know you’re going to do amazing on your exams,” Yunho’s gentle voice imparts. He lowers it further to add, “I’m very proud of you and…”

When he trails off, you turn to plant your chin on his chest and peer up at him with coy eyes, “And?”

“And… I love you,” he whispers, eyes flickering up for the briefest second to confirm you’re still in solitude. 

Your gentle laughter at his neverending caution is like music to his ears. He’s still learning how to comfortably say those words without being fearful of not hearing them back. The feeling of his arms letting you go in favor of his hands holding either side of your face steals the opportunity to return his words of adoration. Instead, you put those unspoken words into the kiss he doesn’t hesitate to initiate. When you reach up and pull him by the back of his neck, deepening the kiss and encouraging him to let go, he feels his nerves finally melt away for this moment and this moment only. Yunho pulls away before he can get too lost in the feeling of not caring where you both are, and the way you’re led to chase his lips has heat prickling your cheeks.

“You know, the store’s nearly empty… Might even just be me and you,” you hum. Yunho’s eyes don’t leave yours, even as he feels your hand mischievously skirt down his chest to tap at the belt buckle under his sweater. When your fingers dare to dance further down to the crotch of his jeans, he finally takes hold of your wrist. “Oh come on, are you still nervous?”

He shakes his head confidently, “Just think it’d be more fun to reward you once your exams are over. Making you wait a lil might be fun, no?”

“You sure you can go a couple weeks without it?” You taunt him with a cock of your head. “All that stress while grading finals adds up, no?”

“Is this coming from the same woman who spent two weeks away from me in the arms of another man before I knew about it?” He immediately counters, eyebrows dancing with mischief. “I’ll be just fine. You, on the other hand, are a needy little thing it seems.”

“Don’t make me consider going back,” you warn him.

Yunho’s eyes find the ceiling as he inhales a deep, frustrated breath. Provoking him like this is unfair and dirty. If he were a man with no self-control, he’d have half a mind to have you in this aisle on your knees, putting that mouth to better use than spouting such nonsense. For now, he simply purses his lips and nods curtly. 

“That’s okay, be that way,” he concedes in a voice low enough for your ears only, “Because the next time I get my hands on you…” 

He trails off while palming your ass through your leggings and squeezing to his heart’s content. The yelp you let out at his fingers sinking in a little deeper than usual makes a pleased smile tug at his lips. He’d say a lot more, let those lewd thoughts entering his mind go freely for once, but the sounds of feet shuffling not too far away shut him up just as fast as he could think to say them. You both separate abruptly and face opposite shelves. How disappointing…

Yunho clears his throat before finally sighing, “On that note, I look forward to receiving your paper tonight.”

“I look forward to you reading it, Mr. Jeong,” you hum, and he can hear the smile lingering on your words. It’s been quite some time since he heard such formalities come from your mouth. “I hope it ends up being worth the wait. You did help me craft it, after all.”

Behind you, his warm chuckle is followed by him laying a comforting hand on your head. 

“See you at graduation, ____,” he whispers. 

When he departs, being left alone doesn’t feel so lonely for once.

♡ taglist: @yeos-bunny @sharksandminhos @sannieluvrr @txt-yaomi @thisisntmyrightera @oreoqueen @jadeneliz @atinism @uarmytess @nopension @aaaaajonghooooo @tmtxtf @ateezallday @bloomyroses @shingene @likexaxdaydream @innsomniacshinestar @st4rhwa @eixila @sunflower-png @jadeneliz @witchlaughwoo @ashlurrr @justthattheatregirl @bts-army380 @trivia-134340 @marvelous-llama @uarmytess @hyukssunflower @ateez-atiny380 @dazzlingstarrs @fxckinmingi @348kg @moonlightgrleric @kirilunimimi @tvxqnnie

[waldau-archived]

hii i would like to request a fake dating scoups x reader au where the reader falls first but coups falls harder <3 thank u!

here you go anon, hope you like this :)

reset — choi seungcheol | 2,008 words | fluff, hurt/comfort

cheol brainrot go brrrr

gender neutral reader. warnings: none.

technically speaking, the party’s going fine.

despite how much you want to hate it, it’s going the way parties do. there’s music, there’s alcohol, there’s your own corner if you want to tune out the sound of everything else, and there’s seungcheol’s friends. he’s spent at least half an hour introducing you to everyone — you’ve met a lot of them before, but there’s still some new ones. there’s always new ones.

and even though they’ve been nothing but polite to you, engaging you in conversation and making an effort to learn more about you, you can’t shake off the feeling that this isn’t really where you’re supposed to be.

you don’t know who you were kidding when you agreed to be his fake date for the party. he’s already had a ton of people hanging onto him throughout the course of the night. you’re not sure why he even bothered asking you. he could have asked his manager to find someone that would actually match with him, and maybe create a big splash if it made it to the news.

instead, he’d asked you out.

it won’t make a difference in the news, anyway, he’d said, like he wasn’t aware of the way he shattered your heart with those words. like it was common knowledge that nobody could even imagine the two of you together. like it wasn’t worth anyone’s time or imagination, most of all his.

suddenly, you find the sounds in the room too loud to bear. it’s not the first party you’ve been to, but it’s the first one where you’ve felt truly alone. you’re glad you haven’t touched your drink yet.

no one’s really paying attention to you exclusively, and you’re okay with nodding along and throwing in an occasional response here and there. but then it’s not okay, anymore. you shouldn’t have to be here in the first place, on this stupid fake date you agreed to because of your little crush on seungcheol.

okay, maybe it’s not just a little crush. but the point is that you shouldn’t have to be here hurting your feelings in order to spend a little time with him.

you excuse yourself under the pretense of having to take a call and head towards the balcony. joshua, one of seungcheol’s closest friends, comes up to ask you if everything’s okay. you’ve been friends with him for long enough that he can tell when you're fine and when you're not, but you give him a look that hopefully conveys you want him to let this slide.

“seungcheol mentioned this isn’t really your thing, so let him know if you want to go home. i know he’ll be okay with that.”

you nod wordlessly, words of gratitude stuck in your throat. what seungcheol tells you is true — joshua is just too damn perceptive.

you feel like you can finally take a better breath when the door shuts behind you, separating you from everyone else. the cold air makes you feel better, even if it’s beginning to seep into your skin because of the outfit you’ve worn.

it doesn’t matter, though. you need a bit of a reset.

somehow, it hardly takes four minutes before you feel someone behind you. and it’s not just anyone.

“do you have a death wish or something?”

you choose not to grace him with an answer.

“hey,” seungcheol prompts when you don’t reply. “what’s up?”

“shouldn’t i be asking you that?”

seungcheol steps to your side and looks at you. even though you’re gazing down at the empty road sparsely dotted with streetlights, you can feel his gaze pierce you.

“do you want to go home?” he asks softly.

it hurts. he shouldn’t be this considerate to you and then not like you back. it can't just be one without the other.

“i don’t know, do you?”

he sighs. “okay. i don’t know what i’ve done wrong, but i can tell you’re not comfortable right now. are you done for tonight?”

you shake your head. “i don’t want you to leave because of me. it seemed like you were having fun back there.”

“and you weren’t,” he replies, reading between the lines.

“it doesn’t matter, okay? it’s not your fault i’m not having fun.”

“that’s not how this works,” seungcheol stresses, stepping forward to grip your arms and recoiling a bit. “you’re cold.”

you shrug. another thing that’s not gone well today.

seungcheol takes off his jacket and hands it to you without any hesitation, but you don’t take it. you can’t keep living in your little daydream, living on moments where you think he might love you just a bit more than he would a friend. one of you needs to break the cycle, and if it’s going to be you, you’re prepared.

“seriously, what is wrong with you?” he asks, soft but sharp. you finally look him in the eyes. he has that gaze — the one where it looks like he knows exactly what you’re thinking about. it scares you sometimes, the way he’s so accurate. he must have picked up something from joshua over the years.

“nothing’s wrong with me, cheol,” you say, slightly bitter. “just because i don’t want your jacket doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.”

"you're right, i'm sorry," he says, taking a step closer to you. "i shouldn't have said it like that. but...it's not just about the jacket. at first i thought i caught you on an off day, but you seemed fine till we got here. i don’t know what happened after that. are you hungry? did someone say something to you? do you need me to punch anyone?”

you give him an exasperated look. “you’d punch someone if i asked?”

“in a heartbeat. i thought you knew that by now.”

“and if i was wrong?”

“you’re never wrong when it comes to things like these. and i’d forgive you even if you were.”

"you're too trusting, you know that?"

"well," seungcheol says, lowering the jacket. but it's still in front of you, still on offer. "you're my best friend. i think you have some privilege."

you hate the earnestness in his voice as much as you love it. “i know. sorry.”

“don’t apologize, sweetheart. tell me what’s wrong, and tell me how i can fix it. i’ll do anything.”

“it’s…nothing you can do,” you say, turning away from him. it's most definitely not in his control, but it’s not your fault for loving him, either.

“how will you know if you don’t try?”

“you just know some things, cheol. trust me on that.”

“yeah? like i know you’re hiding something from me right now? something that’s eating my best friend up, and i don’t even know what to do to help?”

again. those two words. they tear you up from the inside just as much as they hold you together. you can’t help the sharp feeling in your throat which indicates tears might be on the way. you're just frustrated at the unfairness of it all. if only life was a little kinder.

seungcheol, ever perceptive, notices immediately. “sweetheart? it’s something i did, isn’t it? something i said?”

you shake your head, not wanting tears to well up.

“don’t lie to me,” he says, draping the jacket over your shoulders and pulling you into his embrace. you push him away, even though you whole body wants nothing more than to be with him.

“please tell me?”

you take in a breath, the cold night air stinging your nose. “you said something.”

“what was it?”

“you said it wouldn’t make a…difference, if i was your date,” you say, focusing so much on not crying that your voice is barely audible to your own ears. “you said it like no one would care if we were together. like it wouldn’t affect you in any way. like i’m just…your best friend. and no one can see me as anything more.”

seungcheol sucks in a sharp breath. “can i hold you? please?”

you almost refuse, but decide otherwise. you’ve spilled out your mind to him, anyway. the least you deserve is a hug from him.

“i’m so fucking sorry,” he breathes into your hair, his arms looped around your waist and holding you close to him. “i didn’t— i’d never say something like that. that’s not what i meant when i said it.”

“then what did you,” mean, you mean to ask, but your breath gets swept away when he presses a kiss to your head.

“it’s just…everyone knows how close we are,” he says, hand gently running up and down your back. “i thought people wouldn’t bat an eye if they assumed we were dating, you know. i know people who already think we are. or…that we should.”

you look up at him at that. he looks serious about what he’s saying, but also shy, like he doesn’t want you looking at him when he’s speaking.

“people?”

“some of my close friends.”

that's news to you. “so you don’t mind…people thinking we’re a thing? or thinking we should be?”

“of course not,” he says, holding you with one hand and tracing your cheekbone with the other. you fall for him just a bit more, right there. “anyone would be lucky to have you. i’d be the luckiest guy to have you.”

he just says things like that, and it makes you wonder if he really means them. so you decide to push him this time, and see where it goes. and blame it on your nerves and the drink you never had if things don’t go well. “would you?”

“want to have you?”

you nod, breath trapped in your throat.

“yeah,” he breathes out, leaning forward and tucking his chin in your shoulder.

you swear your world stops for just a second. you’re hardly even aware that he’s leaning on you now.

"yeah as in?"

“i’d like you to take you out for a real date. if you’ll let me.”

you pull away to look at seungcheol. he’s blushing, but he’s not looking away.

"if i'll let him, he says."

"well?" seungcheol lifts a hand to fix your hair.

“this isn’t a joke?”

he steps back and rubs his face, probably in an attempt to brace himself for whatever he wants to say. it doesn’t work. you like him like this, you think. with his hair messy and his eyes shy.

“of course not. i’d never joke about something like this. especially when it’s you.”

you should be the one who's shy and blushing, and yet there's nowhere else you'd rather look. “what made you…”

seungcheol takes your hands. they're a warm contrast to your cold ones. “i’ve been wrestling with it for a while, and i never told you because i didn’t want things between us to be weird. but i couldn’t keep faking it after i saw you tonight. you look so good, it’s been killing me.”

you shake him off to loop your arms around his neck and pull him down to you, feeling a bit braver. “so if i told you i wanted to leave right now…”

he swallows loud enough for you to hear. “we’d be out of here right now.”

you stand on your tiptoes to bring yourself to his height and place a little kiss on his nose.

he pouts. “that’s it? that’s all i get after confessing to you?”

“i don’t want our first kiss to be in front of an audience, cheol.”

seungcheol smiles. “fair. but i don’t know how much longer i can wait now.”

“you’re going to have to ask me out for real, you know.”

“but you haven’t told me you like me back yet,” seungcheol says. you can hear the whine in his voice and it makes you laugh a bit.

“you need to hear me say it?”

“of course i do! i've spent weeks thinking about tonight.”

“aren't you lucky, then?" you tease.

“the luckiest,” he says solemnly.

it's your turn to blush now.

taglist: @bookyeom @wootify @strnsvt @cloudycaramel @thepoopdokyeomtouched @minnieminshi

[starlost-mochi-x]

how skz loves you - maknae line

pairing: ot8 maknae line x reader

summary: how skz maknae line would love you.

genre: fluff, non-idol! au, crack

a/n: comments are appreciated <3

han ♡

Han shows his love through his energy and enthusiasm. He’s always coming up with fun ideas to make you smile, whether that’s a spontaneous karaoke session, a silly dance, or a surprise outing to your favorite place. He’s incredibly supportive, always cheering you on and reminding you of how amazing you are, especially when you’re doubting yourself. Han loves to share his world with you, often sending you funny memes, songs that remind him of you, or little voice notes just to say he’s thinking of you. He’s also very affectionate, constantly giving you hugs, back rubs, or just leaning his head on your shoulder. Han is the type to remember every little detail you share with him, from your favorite snacks to your biggest dreams, and he makes an effort to show you that he’s paying attention. His love is like a burst of sunshine—warm, bright, and full of joy <3

felix ♡

Felix’s love is shown through his warmth and nurturing nature. He’s always checking in on you, asking how your day went and genuinely wanting to hear all the details. Felix loves to bake for you, often surprising you with your favorite cookies or a new recipe he tried out just for you. His hugs are legendary—warm, tight, and comforting, as if he’s wrapping you in all the love he has to offer. Felix also loves to give compliments, always finding ways to make you feel special and appreciated. Whether it’s complimenting your outfit, your smile, or just the way you are, Felix is always reminding you of how much you mean to him. He’s also incredibly thoughtful, often doing small things like bringing you a blanket when you’re cold or making sure you have everything you need before he goes to sleep. His love is gentle and kind, making you feel safe and cherished <3

seungmin ♡

Seungmin shows his love through his reliability and quiet acts of service. He’s always there when you need him, whether it’s helping you with something or just being a listening ear after a tough day. Seungmin might not always be the most outwardly affectionate, but his love is clear in the way he consistently puts you first. He remembers the little things, like how you take your coffee or what kind of music you like, and he’ll make sure those things are ready for you without even being asked. Seungmin also loves to offer practical support—helping you with tasks, offering advice, or just being a steady presence in your life. He’s the type to send you reminders to take care of yourself, or to leave you a cup of tea on your desk when you’re working late. His love is dependable and strong, making you feel cared for in a quiet, meaningful way <3

jeongin ♡

I.N shows his love through his youthful energy and genuine care. He’s always eager to spend time with you, whether that’s playing games, going on adventures, or just hanging out and chatting. I.N loves to make you laugh, often coming up with funny stories or playful jokes to see you smile. He’s also very thoughtful, often surprising you with little gifts or notes just to let you know he’s thinking of you. Despite his playful nature, I.N is incredibly attentive—he notices when you’re feeling down and will do everything he can to cheer you up, from bringing you your favorite snack to planning a fun outing to distract you. He’s also very affectionate, always giving you hugs, holding your hand, or leaning on you when you’re together. His love is pure and sincere, making you feel cherished and adored in a way that’s both sweet and heartwarming <3

a/n: i put a lot of thought into this hahah... hopefully its worth it <3

[thedeathdoctor]

Won’t Let You Get Away (1/?)

Pairing: Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x GN! Reader

Summary: Ghost falls hard for one of 141′s new recruits

Warnings: there’s no smut in this one it’s just fluff and exposition

A/N: Just sat down and wrote this because i need to get back into writing again. Gonna be a possessive Ghost x reader fic hopefully because that’s like crack to me rn. Will probably get pretty dark & into some trauma in later chapters so heads up now if you aren’t into that. May or not edit this later for coherency but I am not doing it now. :)

From the day Ghost first met you, he knew you were going to be his undoing. Happy, bright eyes looked directly at his own, unafraid to see the person underneath the skull mask and fearsome reputation. Ghost no longer kept up with the mythology surrounding himself as doing so would take entirely too much time away from him, time that he preferred to spend training instead. Even after working with him for some time, most soldiers still preferred to train their eyes to the bottom of his mask, unable to fully meet the cold gaze of their Lieutenant.

You had to have heard the stories. There was no way that you’d make it all the way to 141 without being told at least one about its shadowy Lt. Sometimes, during R&R at base, Ghost could hear some of the grunts whisper incredulously about him and still, when he turned to face them, hardly anyone would allow themselves to be caught staring at him.

Given the way that most tended to leave him alone as if he were an apex predator, your kindness surprised him. A high level of respect accompanied the title of Lieutenant, and you managed to inject a sense of warmth into your conversations with him. While he was used to being feared, he felt genuine admiration from you, something that he hardly received from anyone else in 141.

You had asked him to help you train, and your willingness to admit your own weaknesses impressed him. You were an excellent sharpshooter, but when the enemy was up close, you struggled at hand to hand combat. It especially didn’t help that you simply weren’t as big as many other soldiers. As huge as your spirit felt in your body, it just didn’t have the mass that you felt you had. So, in order to improve, you asked the largest guy in 141 to practice with you, the Lieutenant.

The two of you trained hard, sometimes at odd hours, but you wanted to feel competent in any situation. Defending yourself, even in the depths of fatigue was worth being awoken at 2 or 3 am for impromptu training. Despite feeling groggy and discombobulated, you put all the effort you could give into all of your sparring sessions. Slipping out of holds became easier, and you learned that with the right timing, you could use his mass to your own advantage in a fight. Even when you failed and ended up with a face full of dirt, you got up and brushed yourself off, sometimes even cracking a joke before trying to analyze where you could’ve done better.

He couldn’t help but grow fond of you, and this scared him deeply.

[pink-amethyst-tarot]

What to expect in love in 2024

take a deep breath, chose one of the images (or more than one, if you feel called), and go to your pile

You know what is best for you, only you can truly decide your future

P I L E 1 ~ P I L E 2 ~ P I L E 3

Pile 1

Death, Nine of Wands, Queen of Pentacles (Reversed), The Hanged One, Page of Wands

Bottom of the Deck: Seven of Cups

There is a relationship that you have been in that has caused you a lot of distress for a very long time (for some, it may have been years), but I am seeing that relationship coming to an end. I think that it may be because of someone's infidelity and not feeling like you are yourself when in this relationship. I kind of feel myself letting out a sigh of relief. I've been there, I was at a point where, I had already mentally and emotionally checked out of the relationship, so when it was over and I finally got away, I just felt relieved. It's like you have felt trapped with this person for so long, feeling trapped, but now you are on a journey to a new life, with bigger and better things for you. You have a so many opportunities now that this relationship is over. This is your year to find who you are again and get to know yourself. I'm rooting for you, and I think it's going to be such a healing year for you.

If you would like to know more about your own personal situation, you can see this post on how to book a reading with me.

If you feel called to tip, you can on c@sh@pp at $oddlycozycottage or on p@yp@l at @oddlycozycottage

Pile 2

Six of Swords, Eight of Cups, The Emperor, The Hanged One, Page of Wands

Bottom of The Deck: Two of Cups

I wrote a song that I love very much because I know it's a song that I wrote for my soulmate (I haven't met them yet but hopefully soon). "I walked a long road, not knowing it lead to you". That's the line of my song that comes to mind when I look at your cards. You both have done so much to become better for yourselves and for each other, whether that was a conscious effort or not. You have had to leave so many things and people behind and you have your heart broken over and over again. In the coming year, you are going to meet your person and all of that will have been worth it. When you meet your person, you will see that everything that you have been through, every lesson that you have had to learn, was for a reason and you will see that it was all worth it. This person is mature and understanding so you don't have to worry about them not seeing you; not understanding you. This person gets you more than you can comprehend. You will let go of your old ideas of what love is and what love can be when it comes to yourself. This person wants to make long-term plans with you. They want to write letters to you and spend hours talking to you on the phone. This person can't wait to fall in love with you. Please know that this person wants to marry you and after like the third date, they will have the ring picked out! I hope that doesn't scare you. I'm just so sure that it's you. It couldn't be anyone else because no one else could be this perfect.

Channeled Song: my song isn't uploaded anywhere so I can't post it but another song I can add is Dear Soulmate by Laufey

Dear, Soulmate, do you think of me cause I do // Do you have blue eyes? Or are they brown like mine? // Do you have a sister, too? // Dear Soulmate, one day I'll give this song to you // Dear Soulmate, I can't wait to fall in love with you //

If you would like to know more about your own personal situation, you can see this post on how to book a reading with me.

If you feel called to tip, you can on c@sh@pp at $oddlycozycottage or on p@yp@l at @oddlycozycottage

Pile 3

Queen of Wands, Nine of Pentacles, Knight of Wands, Seven of Wands, Six of Pentacles

Bottom of the Deck: Two of Pentacles

I'm getting that you are so happy being single and independent! You do well on your own and you like what you have accomplished since you have been single. You're worried that if you get into something serious, you will fall out of balance in your life. I think that may come from a past relationship that was not fulfilling to you and that person may have weighed you down in a lot of ways. There is someone who is coming in (and they are coming in fast, might I say) and they aren't what you are afraid of. They will actually help you maintain that balance that you've cultivated in your life as they mold your life with theirs. You're being called to not fight this or to push this person away. This person is very giving and they just want to give you all of their love.

Channeled Song: Silver Springs by Fleetwood Mac

time cast its spell on you // but you won't forget me // I know I could have love you // but you would not let me// I'll follow you down to the sound of my voice will haunts you // you'll never get away from the sound of the woman that loves you//

I feel like this song is an omen, pretty much saying to not mess this up. Don't be such a guarded person that you keep the good ones out, too.

If you would like to know more about your own personal situation, you can see this post on how to book a reading with me.

If you feel called to tip, you can on c@sh@pp at $oddlycozycottage or on p@yp@l at @oddlycozycottage

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. THESE READINGS ARE FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. no guarantees are implied. These readings are not a substitute or replacement for any professional help or services. My readings are not a substitute for any form of professional legal, medical/psychiatric, relationship, religious/spiritual or financial/ business advice nor consultations. You should always see a professional legal/trained adviser for help in any matter. I am not responsible for any decisions/ actions you take.

[wbtsan]

THE 9TH MEMBER - CHAPTER 1

synopsis. nabi (aka you) has been training for just over 3 years and when you heard you were going to debut, you were super excited to meet your members. although, you were taken aback when you heard that your members were all boys.

pairing. female!reader x ateez!members | tags. the most tiniest angst ever, members angry, nothing else (i think) | genre. fluff | wc. 510+ | masterlist

author note. ahh my first ever series on this blog !! writing this was super fun and i loved all of it !! my mistakes for posting this really late, i recently got my dream job and have been focusing on it! do not worry, i will slowly make my return to writing soon <3

networks. @newworldnet @illusionnet @starlit-network

when you first got news of getting accepted into this new company, you couldn't believe your eyes. all this hard work and effort seemed like it was worth it after all.

"we have a slight problem." your manager says. uh oh. this is going to turn very bad.. "as you would've known we don't have much girl trainees here at the company and since we were aiming for a 5 member girl group, we've decided to do something you probably won't like."

"me!? in a boy group?! b-but, im a girl! wouldn't it be weird if a girl - who is not a boy - is in a boy group?" your face dropped at the sudden announcement. not being able to debut was probably a way better choice than having to debut with boys. "look, we know this came as a shocker but, its really beneficial for you!" your manager tries to say happily. "tomorrow, you'll be meeting the members. trust me, they're really nice!" the staff tries to say before you groan annoyed as you stormed off. "why am i debuting in a boy group? wouldn't i be hated at? wasn't it better if i just debut solo? why am i going to debut with random boys?!" you thought.

-

"what?! a girl?" hongjoong says in shock. over the last 5 years, it's always been just the 8 of the boys together. but now that nabi will debut with ateez, that means there'll be more pressure on hongjoong. from reproducing the songs to recording all of nabi's parts, he gets annoyed over this. "why are we having a girl in our group!? do you not understand the pressure ill be put under!? i have already worked long hours for us to come this far, wouldn't it just be a waste if we have to remake ALL our songs?" hongjoong angrily says. "calm down hongjoong, im sure she'll be a great addition to our group." seonghwa calmly says, trying to calm him down. "exactly! i think having a girl will be a great addition to the team plus, it'll be really good for you guys to have a new friend!" the manager says.

hongjoong sighs before accepting his fate. "fine, but if she isn't what you say she is, then im going to make her first day her last." he says before storming off. the members rub their forehead in devestation as the meeting room stays quiet. "well, how are we going to deal with a girl?" mingi says. "no idea, but we need to give it some time. if we rush her into doing stuff, she'll get uncomfortable and then we'll get in trouble." seonghwa adds on from mingi's statement. "plus, ive heard there were some trainees here who are snitches. hopefully she isn't one of them." wooyoung mentions. "well now that we're talking, you guys will meet her.. tomorrow!" the manager says. "TOMORROW!?" the guys say together. "yes yes, bit of a shocker but im sure you'll be fine!" the members sigh in annoyance before the manager leaves them, the room filling with silence again.

tagging : @taz-97

[moodymisty]

Could I request maybe something to do with Starscream and jealousy? Your writing is SCRUMPTIOUS and ooouuhh yk it’s such a good color on him <3

[ 𝕸𝖔𝖔𝖉𝖞𝕸𝖎𝖘𝖙𝖞'𝖘 𝕸𝖆𝖘𝖙𝖊𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖘𝖙 | 𝕬𝖔3 ]

Author's Note: First Transformers post on the blog! I was considering keeping it all on ao3 but if people want to request some, who am I to stop them. Anyways, Starscream is a jealous knob and I love him for it. I hope you enjoy this, it's in Screamer's pov so if that's not what you wanted, feel free to send in another request.

Summary: You accidentally fall asleep inside of Knockout's altmode, and Starscream gets jealous.

Relationships: (TFP)Starscream/Fem!Reader

Warnings: You are a friend of the Autobots captured as a potential bargaining chip, Starscream has a crush but he's also a fucking moron, Jealousy, References to Shockwave's horrific science 'experiments' from the books and other media

Word Count: 1357

The human is missing.

Starscream paces the halls of the Nemesis searching for the only organic that's stepped foot in the massive ship, and keeps coming up empty on each pass. He feels like he's scoured the place seven times over, each one more infuriating than the last.

On this latest one- conveniently avoiding Soundwave halfway through- he notices a distinct lack of a certain bright red mech when he returns to the medbay for the third time, standing in the middle of the massive room and looking around. His wings rise and lower with his shoulders, barely containing his irritation.

It's in this silent, boiling contemplation that Starscream decides to take the hit to his pride and comm the medic. Hopefully he's gotten sight of you, and that can take this annoying weight off of Starscream's chest. Other than himself, he's the only other Decepticon that has had responsibility over you; As Starscream has left you in his watch multiple times.

He's put a lot of effort into catching you and keeping you alive as of yet, the last thing he needs is to find you trapped somewhere or being prodded by a morbidly curious Vehicon.

Though once he gets his servos back on you, you're going into the cage he threatened to put you in. He thought being nice might loosen your lips a bit, but that hasn't been the case. He still has yet to get any information as of yet from you; At least nothing of worth.

Thankfully Knockout answers his comm quickly, and the seeker instantly starts blowing the medic's audials to Cybertron and back.

"Knockout! The human is-" The medic cuts him off, eager to silence the seeker's screech as well as avoid disturbing his current company.

"Relax, Starscream. She's with me."

Starscream's sharp talons curl into fists as he hisses out a reply. Passing Vehicons look at the Air Commander before quickly picking up pace and scurrying by- and Starscream closes the door with the press of a button and shuts himself in the medbay for a bit of privacy to air his troubles without prying optics.

"You took the human off the Nemesis?"

His voice is seething, venomous, and Knockout resists the urge to audibly sigh over the commlink.

"You wanted me to keep an optic on her, so I am. And I wanted to take a drive, so she's with me." Starscream opens his mouth to once again try and scold Knockout for not only bending his directions but being a condescending aft about it, but he gets cut off before he gets the chance.

"And I might not be winning any awards, but I'm not in the mood to be Shockwave's runner up for 'cruelest scientist in the galaxy' or returning your little bargaining chip to you in pieces. So I wasn't leaving them with that freak or Soundwave."

Starscream has never had good morals. Never claimed to. But while he's unfathomably upset that his potential bargaining chip is now out of confinement and in an unknown location, he isn't going to say that Knockout's reasoning is unstable.

The thought of being anywhere close to the depravity of Shockwave doesn't exactly fill the seeker with much good emotion. Neither does his effort going to waste with your offlining, he quickly adds at the end in order to avoid any sort of misconstruction within his own processor.

He sighs.

"Have you at least managed to obtain any sort of valuable information out of her?"

Knockout makes a negative noise.

"She powered down not long after we left. She's been recharging since."

Right, humans need daily recharge.

What a hindrance, Starscream thinks. He doesn't remember ever seeing you do so however; So more than likely, you've been running on empty for quite awhile. Still pacing in the medbay like an idiot, Starscream only stops when the medic speaks up with his normal, annoying nonchalant tone.

"You know, she's actually not that bad for a human," Knockout continues. "How about you just lock her in the medbay from now on instead of loosing her all the time?" Starscream goes to bite back but doesn't manage to think up anything worth saying, and instead throws his hand outward as if hitting something invisible.

If prompted Starscream would absolutely proclaim that having an organic inside of his altmode or even in his servo is disgusting. They're soft, malleable, and not far weaker. How Knockout as vain as he is can deal with it he doesn't know.

What he also doesn't know, is why he's so damn upset about it. He shouldn't care, you're occupied away from him if anything he should be happy to not have to deal with any organic idiosyncrasies for the time being.

However anytime since flying with him for you had been a clearly stressful experience, and Starscream hadn't cared in the slightest. Why would he?

But for you to fall asleep in Knockout must mean you trust the mech even just marginally more than him enough to succumb to recharge.

Not surprising; As you seem to like the medic. The two of you get along decently considering circumstances and differences. He makes you laugh, which pisses off the seeker to a monumental degree. Even he himself doesn't get why.

The only time you've truly smiled in Starscream's presence is when you're actually looking at Knockout.

The seeker has been nothing but courteous to you considering you are nothing but a prisoner, why do you choose enjoy and recharge in the company of some snobby, over-buffed medic instead of him?

With a sound made from Knockout's end, Starscream quickly realizes he's supposed to answer questions and stammers out a reply.

"I will, consider it. Now, return the human to the Nemesis something stupid happens."

Knockout sighs and agrees, making a U-turn and beginning to make his way back with you still asleep against the passenger door. The entire time Starscream paces inside the medbay, all the way until the medic returns with a human in his grasp. Starscream watches intently as he plops you unceremoniously onto the large dissection table. You scoot away from a spot of dried energon and stand somewhat close to the edge, but not close enough that one wayward bump could be your demise.

"I didn't think I would have to say 'No using the human as an excuse to go for a drive', but here we are."

Knockout gives the seeker an unimpressed look.

"While you are technically my superior, I will say that you might want be a bit more polite given I can just tell Megatron what you're up to."

While Starscream glares at him, you look up at Knockout with a surprisingly placid expression. You look in better spirits, as far as they can both tell. The recharge seemed to have did wonders for the overall health of their little captive. Useful, given you needed to be alive for the Autobots.

"Thank you for the drive, Knockout."

You smile at him, and the medic looks at Starscream with a snooty, condescending smirk.

"See, Starscream? An attitude adjustment goes a long way in keeping your little prisoners compliant." Your smile turns a little bit more confused and worried, but less than it probably should given circumstances.

Meanwhile, the seeker wants to do nothing more than to throttle Knockout by the neck cabling.

The two of you are rapidly becoming closer, and he's already thinking of the ways to try and stop it. He tries to come up for some sort of valid reason in his own processor as to why he so vehemently wants to, but comes up empty other that that you should be this way with him instead.

"Just- Keep the human locked in the medbay until they either decide to speak, or the Autobots come looking." He turns around, intent to leave until he hears a small human voice that halts him halfway through the entryway.

"Bye, Starscream."

Knockout has to resist the urge to keel over laughing, at the way Air Commander Starscream goes rigid, wings frozen high in surprise as he scurries out of the medbay.

[valorant-drabbles]

I am in dire need of more iso x reader so bad

Can I ask for Iso x cold! sniper! reader Can be platonic or romantic if it's okay (・∀・)

So reader has been part of the protocol for a while before iso (they joined just after gekko) and she's still a lone wolf then enters Iso. They would always coincidentally bump into each other and reader would just nod at him and walk past him even though Iso tries to strike up a conversation. (also reader is prone to getting hurt all the time whether it's on a mission or just a normal everyday fistfight with strangers)

One mission Iso and reader were both in the same team, timeskip to team entering battle, so reader pushes Iso out of the way and takes a hit resulting in reader being critically injured so when they got back to HQ Iso confronts them

Thanks for requesting! I will say, this was a little tough considering I don’t know much about Iso’s personality aside from what it says on the wiki. I apologize if this is ooc! Hopefully I did him justice!

Gender-Neutral Reader written, but input whichever gender you prefer/identify as if you’d like!

Summary: Lone wolf Reader keeps their distance from everyone- even from the newest recruit, Iso. Despite his best efforts to be friendly, conversations are avoided or cut short. But one fatal injury on the battlefield is the final straw, before Iso decides that he’s had enough of the ‘stand-off-ish’ façade, and demands answers. Does the reader actually give a shit or not?

Warnings: Some cursing, critical injury (nothing graphic), near death experience, possibly ooc Iso?

Word Count: 2.3k

Cold Shoulder

Reader x Iso

| Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |

~

When Iso initially joined the Protocol, he was expecting to be treated with an air of caution. He was, quite literally, an assassin. And to boot, one that had been requested to target one of the Protocol's agents; Omen. Many were still skeptical of him- and he couldn't exactly blame them. For all they know, he could've joined Valorant to make his job easier to finish.

It had been a fair few weeks by that point. Some of the agents had come around, seeing that Iso wasn't just out for blood and, in fact, was seeking haven within their walls. His skills in the field proved expert, proving further to any doubters amongst VP's ranks that he was worth the risk; the myth incarnate.

Though he was far from the most impressive in the field. As arrogant as Iso could be, even he couldn't doubt the abilities of his fellow agents; with Reyna and Chamber both being most fascinating to him. The empress herself, and the expert marksman... could there be a more intriguing member to be drawn to?

Yes, actually.

Expert sniper rivalling even Chamber's ability, Y/N was incredible to witness on the battlefield, and Iso very quickly found himself drawn to his fellow agent. Swift, precise, seemingly always appearing at the right moment to save someone's ass; hell, even Yoru couldn't help but be grateful for Y/N's sharp eye.

Unfortunately for him, Y/N was notorious amongst the agents for being one of the coldest people there, keeping to themselves when not on a mission; even proving a tad short-tempered at times as well. They had quite the record for starting fights with certain agents-- okay, yes, it was Yoru, and yes, it was very much warranted.

Yet... Y/N intrigued him still. As a result, he did his very best to get on their good side. Complimenting their aim after a particularly close call, offering to grab them some coffee on cold mornings... he'd even tried to strike up a conversation once or twice. To no avail, sadly. But it didn't stop him from trying. He was nothing if not persistent.

"Y/N!" Iso raised his hand in greeting, as he spotted you across the hall, supposedly heading his way. Another chance, he thought- maybe he'd get some progress today. Y/N had noticed the newest agent greeting them, and nodded firmly in recognition. Did Iso... just get acknowledged? That was a first with you! It excited him a bit more than perhaps he might've thought.

"I saw you in the shooting range earlier... looked like you were having a competition with Phoenix. Heard you wiped the floor with him, good job." Iso started as you approached him. You gave a small shrug in response, hands in your pockets as your sniper rifle hung off your back. "It wasn't much of a challenge. He was too distracted with trying to impress me to... well, impress me. It was finished rather quick."

That didn't surprise Iso in the slightest. Phoenix did have a slight ego, always feeling the need to try and impress the newer agents in hopes of gaining their respect. So far it'd only really worked with Gekko and Harbor... and that was enough for him to do it even more frequently.

Before the assassin could open his mouth to add anything to the conversation, he found himself being brushed by rather quickly by you. His eyebrows knit together slightly in frustration as he turned just as you passed, reaching out to grab your shoulder.

"Y/N, wait-"

"Don't touch me." You scolded coldly, your tone enough to startle Iso into retracting his hand immediately. He cursed himself internally- why had he done that? He must've broken a boundary by touching you, even if it was innocently. Fuck.

"I'm sor-"

Slam went a door in his face. Your door. To your room. Had he been standing in front of your door this whole time...? God, how creepy he must've come off, he thinks. How come things always went to poorly when he tried to talk to you...?

Sighing heavily, he ran a hand through his hair, with the sound of his lone footsteps echoing down the now-empty hall. With an air of defeat, he resigned to go to his own room for the night. Maybe he'd have better luck with you tomorrow...

---------

A few days had passed since Iso's failed conversation attempt, and things with you were still as barren as ever. It frustrated him to no end, but there really wasn't much else he could do.

All too soon came the day when you and Iso were sent on a mission together. You seemed as indifferent as ever, whilst Iso saw it as another opportunity to try and win some form of your favor. But god, was he ever trying hard not to come off as overbearing.

The team was ordered to defend B site of Pearl, one of Iso's favorite spots out of all the locations the Protocol would send them; primarily because you were in your element. Staring down B Main with an Operator set up, waiting, watching... It'd be a lie to say that Iso wasn't staring. Your focus and intensity was... fascinating to watch. Iso was positioned at B Screen, meant to watch the side of the pillar that was out of your range. Emphasis on 'meant' to watch... As he was far too busy watching you in action to actually focus.

A bullet from your classic shot past him, jolting him out of his daze as he caught your glare. "Iso, focus. They could be rushing us any second." You scolded. As a result, Iso's face grew a fine shade of red out of embarrassment. You'd definitely just caught him staring, now he was completely thrown off. God. Could this mission get any worse, even though it barely started?

As if on cue, the mirror agents had rushed by the box atop B Ramp. Your heart dropped for a moment as you saw an enemy Chamber quickly set up from behind the box, scope aimed directly for Iso's head. Goddammit.

"Iso!" You shout to him, panic evident in your voice, which was... definitely new. Your tone was usually so monotone, empty, uncaring- but the second you saw your teammate's life in danger-

You were moving before you knew what was happening, abandoning your operator at your position as you ran forward. You'd managed to grab his arm, forcefully yanking him down as a bullet whizzed past, missing Iso by mere milliseconds. Now disoriented, Iso was shaken by his shoulders, meeting your steely gaze.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?! Aren't you supposed to be some kind of... myth or some shit? Where is your head at?" You hissed at him, causing Iso to swallow the nervous lump suddenly in his throat. Why was he so off his game today? Was it solely the fact he was put on a mission, at the same site as you? Was it--

Bullets began raining through the screen they were ducked behind, relentlessly. That was an Odin in action, easily- the inaccurate bullet holes said that much, since they were shooting from so far away-- though before you could properly assess the situation and form a plan, or even call for backup- you felt a searing pain in your shoulder. A pained hiss escaped from you as you instinctively pushed Iso away. Then another bullet, then another-

Before you could take more hits, you found Iso in front of you, sending his shield forward to stop anymore bullets from reaching you.

Throwing you into his arms, Iso took a running start and slid into B hall, where your operator was, setting you down by a wall. "Sage, I need backup at B site immediately!" Iso shouted into his coms, as he positioned himself at your Operator. His eyes bore into your soul as you felt a strong dizziness overtake you, the sound of the gunfire becoming a ringing in your ears.

"Don't you dare die on me, Y/N."

The last thing you remember is Iso firing your Operator, and the sound of the Odin stopping.

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

You awaken to the dim lighting of the infirmary, and a soreness throughout your torso. Moving to sit up was painful, forcing you to move slower as you got a feel for your surroundings. Looked to be about 3AM, based on the deafening silence. And the clock on the wall was a helpful indicator as well. Duh.

You rubbed your face, still feeling completely drained and exhausted. Looking down at your torso, you see nothing but a few new scars, presumably from where you'd been shot. A shoulder shot, one to the side, and one just narrowly avoiding your stomach. Any more bullets and you'd look like swiss cheese.

Once your senses were fully awake, you became acutely aware of another presence in the room. Your eyes shot towards where you sensed this presence, expecting to find Sage or maybe even Skye-

"Iso?"

Iso had been sat in a chair nearly, eyes closed resting, with a single earbud playing music into his ear. Usually he'd have both in and completely tune everything out after a mission- something you'd noticed the first few times you'd gone on a mission with him. A little thing to notice, you thought to yourself.

At the sound of your voice, though a tad hoarse from having just woken up, Iso's attention was directed to you immediately. His eyes widened in both surprise and relief, as he tossed his earbuds aside, and slid his chair over to your bedside. "Oh thank god. You've been out for days, I was starting to think Sage lied to me when she said you were stable." His voice was drenched in relief.

"You told me not to die on you. So I didn't. Just following orders." You started, earning a slight glare from your fellow agent, who didn't seem too pleased.

"Uh- no. No more of that." He interrupted you before you could say anything else, holding his hand up, as if to tell you it was his turn to speak. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion. "No more of what-?" You prompt slowly, not entirely sure why he seemed so upset. You were fine, weren't you?...

"This... whole thing you do!" Iso gestured vaguely at you, trying to find the proper words to convey his frustration, but it only left you more confused- and a little irritated.

"What are you talking abou-"

"You pretend not to give a shit about anybody, you give everyone the cold shoulder- you make it clear you don't want to associate with any of us. And then, for some reason, you basically throw yourself in front of an Odin to save me? Risked your life for someone who you've only ever pushed aside?" Iso's eyes narrowed at you as he speaks. You feel a strange nervousness twinge in your chest.

"Sage had to resurrect you, Y/N. You literally died for me! I just... don't understand what your deal is!"

You didn't notice until now, but... Iso was holding your hand in both his own. His voice was wavering, but he dared not subject you to anything further than that to show his fear.

You find yourself averting your gaze, noticing there's a single lilac on the table next to your bed.

"I... I apolog-... No. I'm sorry, Iso." You correct yourself, your usually-tense shoulders shifting to a more relaxed position, despite your mild discomfort at being called out like this. Had you really been so cold towards the other agents?

"Listen, I-... Don't exactly have an explanation that'll satisfy you." You admitted softly, causing Iso's gaze to soften in return. Sighing, you continue. "I've always... worked on my own. I never found a need to make connections with the people I happen to work alongside, because I know that... one of us is inevitably gonna leave, or die. It'll cause more grief than anything, getting close to people, only for them to be taken in the blink of an eye. I've been through my fair share of loses... and I'm just sick of how terrible it feels. It's better for me to just get by without getting too attached. Nobody gets hurt that way."

"I don't think you're thinking about this right at all." Iso piped up quietly, though there was an air of understanding laced in his words. "I was a fixer, Y/N. I worked solely on my own, like you. If I crossed the wrong kind of people, anyone I cared about could become weapons to be used against me for blackmail. It was only after joining the Protocol that I started opening up to others. After all, Valorant has promised to protect me from my employers, so any connections I make within Valorant are... safe. This is the only place I feel like I can make friends that won't be used against me, I guess." He wasn't able to keep his cheeks from reddening. Admitting all this was new for him, but... he thought that if he shared his own experience with you, maybe it would provide you the comfort you need to do what he did.

The silence in the room was heavy, and yet... it was oddly comforting to you. You actually had someone who understood where you come from. A small smile found its way onto your face, as you allowed your gaze to meet Iso's.

"I guess despite my best efforts... I ended up caring about someone after all. Some idiot who almost got a bullet to the forehead." You couldn't help but smirk faintly as you flicked Iso's forehead, causing the man to flinch in response. He shot you a slight glare, though no malice could be detected behind his eyes. He let out a sigh, shaking his head slowly.

"You're... never gonna let me live that down, are you, Y/N?"

"Nope."

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Part 7

reblog and comment plz <3 i read every one of them and love them all

also here's the masterpost

Damian knew Phantom used echolocation to locate this ravine in the first place, but the question was whether Damian could try the same thing. Damian hugged the walls of the cliff face, keeping his body flush against the surface, and lurking around corners and behind obstacles. The coast was clear.

Clearing his throat, he let out a high-pitched click, projecting it as far as his voice could carry. Immediately, his sensitive ears picked up the echoes coming back in layers. While the sound he sent was singular, the echoes came back in staggered waves, with layers of different pitches and tones and brief silent spells over the course of a millisecond.

This echolocation was useless!

Damian weighed his options. He could approach the surface, but there was no telling if Skulker had a vessel nearby where he could lick his wounds. The worst thing he could do was just hand himself on a silver platter to the creep. On the other hand, he doubted a flashlight would be very useful at the very depths of the ocean.

He still had to try.

Damian’s backside tingled with a light pressure, a feeling he’d come to associate with his lateral line. He armed the wrist ray on his left hand, and grabbed the Anti-Creep Stick with the other. Scanning the ravine revealed no other sirens or fish, but a slight stirring caught his eye.

Damian squinted at the crevice on the opposite side of the bark, not quite sure of what he was supposed to be looking at, until his nose caught the smell. There was definitely something there, but it didn’t smell like another siren the way Phantom and the teenage girls did.

An octopus then?

Octopodes were intelligent creatures, beautiful examples of the ocean’s biodiversity.

But Phantom needed sustenance, and he couldn’t afford for Damian to be picky. However, he put away the bat regardless. He wasn’t so cruel as to bash its head in to death. No, he would make it quick.

Damian unsheathed his claws, and coiled up his tail. Hopefully it wasn’t one of the poisonous varieties. He truly did not want to test Phantom’s immunities at the moment. Like a tiger waiting to leap, Damian kept his body still, and scrutinised the rock for the slightest deviation in colour…

There! Damian pounced. The octopus’s colour returned to its natural yellow pallor. His hands wrapped around its bulbous head. Score! Now to kill it. Sorry octopus, your sacrifice will not be in vain.

However, the mollusk was not about to give up without a fight. Suckered tentacles slapped at Damian’s face. The slimy skin of its head allowed it to slip out of its grasp. As Damian went to activate the wrist ray, a cloud of ink spurted right into his face, and he lost track of it.

Dammit! Damian let out some uncouth words under his breath, and banged his hand on the rock.

Hunting for food was difficult. Theoretically it should’ve been simple. Find something edible, kill it, bring it back, but everything Damian found was either too small to be worth the effort, or too big to risk his life. Multiple times Damian was forced to dive around corners or into claustrophobic cracks as ocean behemoths crossed his path. He couldn’t even find a patch of seaweed or algae this deep into the trench.

He was running out of options as the sun began to set above. Damian was starving himself, and it was getting frustrating. His body was not adapted to thrive in these waters, or maybe it was, and he just didn’t know how.

Either way, the exhaustion of the hunt began to take its toll on him. Far from providing for Phantom’s recovery, he had only wasted his own energy for nothing. Each failed kill, each accumulated bruise left him more and more anxious. That was why when he spotted a lone anglerfish creeping up from the depths, Damian decided to challenge it.

She, for male anglerfish were absolutely tiny satellites to the females, drifted into the twilight zone where Damian caught sight of her. She was almost half his size, and her teeth seemed as big as his fingers Her lure glowed brightly against the darkness of the deep ocean, as little fish wandered closer to the ‘sun’ and got chomped for their troubles. She was truly beautiful.

Hiding behind a small shelf, Damian aimed the wrist ray. The gills should allow him to subdue her quickly. Then securing the kill should be easy.

Damian waited. Just a little closer…

Then he fired.

The light of the shot was almost blinding. When the glare faded, Damian saw not a dead anglerfish, but a very much alive one dashing away. No! Damian sprung into a sprint after her. This may well be his last chance to get anything edible. He had to give chase.

Thankfully he’d gotten a lot of practice the last few others. As the anglerfish tried to round a corner, Damian grabbed its tailfin with his claws, digging in to try and slow it down.

Instead, the angler swerved to the side. Its powerful muscles slammed Damian against the rocky wall. Damian cried out in pain, and his grip loosened enough for the angler to get away.

Damian groaned. Not another one.

Damian lay there, dizzy from pain and exhaustion, watching morosely as the scraped scales healed themselves before his eyes, taking up valuable energy that he did not have to spare. Night fell. Without light, the next few quarries would be even more difficult, if not impossible. What he would do for Alfred’s cooking right about now. He would never make trouble at the dinner table again, if he ever got out of this alive.

His lateral line spiked up again, but Damian just felt tired. Sighing, he readied himself for another beating. How the might have fallen…

He noticed a beam of light shining from around a corner. Hushed voices followed. They were speaking Atlantean! Damian’s heart soared. He didn’t know they were this close to Aquaman’s territory! He knew there were a small number of settlements in the Pacific, but he never expected to stumble into one of them!

“Over here, I require assistance!” He called out.

The whispers rose into rushed conversation he couldn’t make out. Soon he found a light being shined on him, and two Atlantean soldiers, a man and a woman, pointing their spears at him. What?

“State your business here, siren.”  The venom in the woman’s voice was palpable. Belatedly, Damian realised it was hasty of him to assume good relations between the two ocean peoples. However, this was his last shot.

“Please, my companion is injured and requires medical assistance. I swear on my name that we do not mean you harm.” Damian pleaded, with complete earnestness. He even added a whimper at the end to make himself look more vulnerable, more childlike and unthreatening, even if it was beneath him.

The man laughed. “Hah! I’ve heard that one before, punk. But if you think you’re gonna pull one over us easily, you’re shit outa luck. Your kind’s not welcome in these waters, now scram.”

Damian’s mouth gaped open. Did these people have not the slightest compassion? He often criticised his father’s habit of picking up strays, but deep down he knew that that trait was a quality of his character, and not a flaw. These Atlanteans could not even be bothered to spare him a glance outside of telling him to leave. Their eyes did not hold compassion, or sympathy, or even pity, only hardened wariness, and contempt.

“Please, I beg of you.”

The soldiers bared their spears at him. “I said scram, siren! Go back to your pod and stay there.”

Damian gave them his best glare as he turned tail and swam.

Only, he stopped once he turned a corner, but was still in earshot.

“Damn sirens, sinking to new lows. What next, a baby?” The male soldier muttered, his voice trailing off as the two returned to their patrol.

Patrolling soldiers meant an outpost, maybe even a settlement. And that meant food, medical supplies, and weapons. Damian knew a golden opportunity when he saw one. If these miscreants would not grant him the aid requested, then who was Damian to decide he didn’t need permission?

And so Damian stalked them closely. He trailed behind the duo of soldiers a dozen or so metres away, using his lateral line and nose to keep close track of their movements. A sense of calm quelled the ever present instinctual fear of being out in the open, as the familiarity of stalking targets washed over him. He almost didn’t have to try, with how terrible their situational awareness. If he were in king of the ocean’s shoes, he’d be very disappointed with his underlings’ performance.

Perhaps he’d have to snitch on them to Aquaman once this was all over. That would be suitable revenge.

The soldiers unwittingly guided him through the ravine, finally ascending. Above the cliff shelf, about two hundred metres away, stood an Atlantean settlement. Looks like he managed to catch them at the end of their route. Excellent.

Damian estimated the town’s circumference to be around ten kilometres, judging by parallax. He could just spot scores of Atlanteans going about their day, kicking their legs about to swim in a way that seemed so clumsy after seeing Phantom zip through the waves. The buildings stretched out from the flat sandy planes to jutting out from the sides of cliffs.

What was more important was the fields. Huge fields full of leafy plants he had never seen before. Along the cliff face, vines weaved between stone supports bearing strange fruits.

Damian grinned.

Now, all he needed to do was infiltrate.

[lcvernat]

Medicine | Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader

Request: any chance you can write about reader cancelling Nat on a date for no apparent reason. Confused, Nat shows up a y/n’s house and finds her miserably sick with a horrible cold or something? y:n says shes fine but Nat insists on taking care of her? Just pure fluff 💕💖

Word Count: 1.6k

Content Warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, so so much fluff, mentions of the flu/painkillers

A/N: 2 fics in 2 days? it's a christmas miracle!!! i hope you enjoy this anon and i'm sorry for the wait <3 i've heard on tiktok about a terrible flu going around so if you've been hit by it i am so sorry and hope this fic helps somewhat <3

Flu season this year was a bitch. Clearly, you had committed some heinous crime in your past life to deserve this. Your body was aching; every time you swallowed it felt like shards of glass were digging into your throat, your nose was so red and runny you could likely pass for Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, you were constantly coughing so hard you felt like you were going to ascend, and the headaches and earaches were torture. One moment you were burning up, the next you were freezing.

Tissues, empty water bottles, and an empty packet of painkillers scattered your bedside table. You couldn't even bring yourself to go buy more painkillers because it felt like someone had shot you in every nerve in your body every time you stood up. This was hell.

To make matters even worse, you had to cancel on your date with Nat. You were left with no choice, really, but you still felt horrible because it had been in planning for so long - having an Avenger for a girlfriend wasn't always ideal because you could rarely find a time when both of your schedules aligned to go out. And of course, the one time you both were free, the universe decided to stick a massive middle finger up at you and punish you for no apparent reason. Probably for something your ancestor did 400 years ago.

Your stomach rumbled, breaking the silence in your bedroom. You had no energy to do anything other than stare blankly at your ceiling, occasionally interrupted by a coughing fit. It was like you were on your death bed (it really felt like you were). But hey, at least your stomach had rumbled, hopefully that meant your appetite was coming back. Your gaze moved to your bedroom door, and you mentally calculated the distance between your bedroom and the kitchen, trying to see if you have the effort to get food right now. A hallway, a flight of stairs, some more walking, and then the kitchen. It didn't seem that hard. You could do this.

"Okay, Y/N, you've got this," your voice was so raspy and hoarse from both disuse and your aching throat, but you still decided to attempt to hype yourself up. You moved your body so slowly, wincing every time a shot of pain went up your spine. It took you approximately 5 minutes longer just to reach the top of the stairs than it normally would have. In your sickened state, the stairs looked way longer than usual. You sighed, maybe you should just give up. Was soup really this worth it?

Your stomach rumbled again. Okay, maybe it was. Very, very slowly, wincing every step, you managed to make it downstairs and to the kitchen. You grabbed some canned soup, poured it into a pot and set it on the stove. As you were busy making yourself some tea with honey whilst waiting for your soup to heat up, the doorbell rang.

You really were not in the right state to converse with someone right now. You looked like you'd been dragged through hell and back, because that is how you currently felt. So, the only option was to just ignore whoever it was, until it rang again. And again. And again. And then the person started banging on the door.

Good god. This person was desperate. No, you didn't want to buy their girl scout cookies. Shuffling over to the door, you huffed before swinging it open. "I am no-" You stopped speaking, your mouth agape as your gaze bounced between the face of your girlfriend and the gun that she was currently clutching in her hands.

She looked worried. Very, very worried.

"What happened? Are you okay?" Natasha pushed passed you and into your house, scanning her surroundings as if she was expecting a murderer to pop out of a hiding place. She slowly put the gun into her back pocket when she considered the coast clear.

"I'm fine?" You raised an eyebrow in confusion before a coughing fit overtook you, forcing you to bend over until it subsided.

Natasha hurried back towards you, concern etched into her features, "First you cancel our date, then you don't answer my texts, and then you take years to answer the door? I thought something had happened! I was worried sick!" She tried to pull you in for a hug, but you sidestepped her and shook your head.

"Bad idea."

"Are you sick?"

"Nah," you waved her off, "just a cough, but I don't want you to catch it. I'm fine."

"You don't sound fine. Or look fine, for that matter."

"Wow, thanks," you shuffle your way back to the kitchen, continuing on with your task of making yourself some soup and a cup of tea with honey, trying your hardest to ignore the aches in your body.

"You're sick. I know you are. Let me take care of you," Natasha followed behind you, her tone worried but also leaving no room for argument. The redhead was determined to take care of you, and your protests were definitely not going to stop her.

"Really, I'm fine," your body clearly hated you and took that exact moment to have a sneezing fit, so your statement couldn't of seemed more false if you tried. After the sneezes had subsided and you brushed the tears from your eyes, you looked up to see Natasha holding a packet of tissues in her outstretched hand. You weren't going to ask where they came from, but you were grateful and took them anyway. "Don't you have Avengers duties to do or something?"

"You're more important than that," she stepped closer to you, and you couldn't help but smile at her. "Let me take care of you."

You finally give in to her, desperately wanting to be in the safety of her arms and to let someone take care of you. You nod slowly, and she closes the distance between you two, pulling you into a hug and wrapping her arms around you tightly.

"You're going to get sick."

"Don't care, what hurts and what can I do?"

You bury your head in the crook of Natasha's neck, so your voice comes out muffled, "Everything. Literally. I've ran out of painkillers, my head hurts, my ears also hurt for some reason, my entire body hurts basically. My throat feels like nails every time I swallow. I am dying."

"Alright," Nat says softly, "let me carry you back up to bed. I'll bring your soup and tea up, and then I'll go to the shop to buy you more painkillers. I'll make you a hot water bottle, too, that usually helps with the aches."

"You're the best."

"I know," Natasha pulls back and kisses you softly on the forehead before scooping you up bridal style. You don't even complain, you wouldn't have the energy to walk back up the stairs yourself anyway. Though, you couldn't help but notice that you feel better already, it was like she was the medicine you needed all along.

"I feel like a princess right now. Even though I don't look like one," you tried to laugh, but it came out like more of a croak, and it hurt your chest, so you stopped.

"You are a princess, and you always look like one."

When you finally get back to your room, Natasha places you down gently on your bed and pulls the covers up to your chest. She tries to kiss you on the lips, but you move away from the redhead, still not wanting her to catch any of your germs. She glares at you before grabbing your face in her hand, forcefully planting a kiss on your lips and you pout when she pulls away.

"You're going to get sick."

"Don't care," she clears your bedside table, putting all the tissues into the bin and grabbing the empty water bottles and empty painkiller packet to bring downstairs, "I'll be right back up with your soup and tea."

Natasha does indeed return a few minutes later with a tray, a bowl of soup and a cup of tea sat on top of it. You sit up, smiling gratefully at her as she hands you the tray. "You are the best servant ever."

She rolls her eyes, "I love you too, moya lyubov. I'll just head to the store really quick to get you more painkillers, and I'll make you a hot water bottle when I get back. Then we can lie in bed all day and watch movies, okay?"

Your stomach warms at her words, and it definitely isn't because of the sip of tea you just took. "Are you really sure you aren't afraid of getting sick?"

Nat shakes her head, "If getting sick is the result of taking care of the love of my life, then so be it. If we can't go out for our date, we can still have one here. Okay?"

You nod, smiling so wide your cheeks start to ache. Natasha returns the smile, leaning down to give you yet another kiss, all thoughts of germs be damned. "I'll be as quick as I can,"

"I love you,"

"I love you more,"

"I love you most,"

"Not possible!" She retreats, closing the door behind her before you can offer a retort. You feel oddly lonely now that she's left, like a part of you is missing every time you're not around her.

Your phone pings with a notification then, and you pick it up from your bedside table to check it. It's from Natasha, 'Did I tell you that your raspy voice is really hot? Get sick more often', you roll your eyes and set your phone back down.

Despite feeling the worst you think you've ever felt when sick, you feel oddly better now that you know you have Natasha to take care of you. Maybe she really was the medicine that you needed all along.

tags: @sheneonromanoff @olicity-boo @r4nd0mgir1 @tigerlillyruiz @dj-bynum3718 @lovelyy-moonlight

dm me, send me an ask or reply to be added to my taglist!

[seiya-starsniper]

Could I humbly request a Dreamling 1 or 19 for the Soft™ fic prompt meme 👉👈 

1. slow dancing or 19. ‘it made me think of you.’ 

I somehow managed to fit both prompts in here 👀 👀 

Sorry for being slow about this one friendo, work’s been kicking my butt lately but hopefully this was worth it! <3 

Fic could be considered a companion piece to this fill, since I'm such a sucker for weddings ahaha.

—----------------

“Please welcome the newly wedded Gadlings!”

Hob pulls Dream excitedly through the entrance to the ballroom as soon as they’re introduced. They’re both flushed with excitement (and wine from the Dreaming) as they wave at all of Hob’s friends from his current life.

The crowd for their wedding reception is sizable, not nearly as large in attendance as their wedding in the Dreaming, but still large enough to cost Hob quite a bit of money in food and alcohol. He doesn’t care. The glowing and easy smile on Dream’s face is worth far more than any worldly currency.

“And now,” the DJ announces once they’ve reached the center of the room, “it’s time for the newly wedded couple’s first dance.”

The lights dim everywhere except for where they are standing. Hob pulls his husband (his husband) flush against his own body and wraps one arm around Dream’s waist, the other settling into his open palm. They move easily together once the piano intro begins to play, and Lionel Richie’s voice echoes throughout the room.

My love There's only you in my life

“You’ve always had a strange sense of humor,” Dream says, brow raised in amusement as they sway and step easily around one another. Hob knows Dream’s body like he knows his own breath, and it is little effort for him to step back and easily maneuver Dream into a quick twirl.

“Excuse you,” Hob says with mock offense as he pulls them back together. “Endless Love is a classic wedding song.”

“Is that so?” Dream asks, eyes literally glittering with stars and mouth turned up in a challenge.  

Hob nods assuredly. “It was Diana’s Ross’s best selling single,” he says, diving into his encyclopedic memory for music. Dream’s expression lights up as he continues to talk.

“Couldn’t escape this song on the radio back in the 80’s,” Hob continues. “It was nominated for a lot of awards. too. You could say it’s one of the defining songs of the decade,” he adds, then wrinkles his nose. “Film’s absolute shit though.” 

“You say that about many films,” Dream notes, probably remembering the time Hob had given him a twenty minute mini-rant on the origins of Tears in Heaven. Or maybe it was Can’t Help Falling in Love. Come to think of it, most of Hob’s favorite records were tie-ins to terrible movies. 

“Yes, well,” Hob shrugs before he pulls Dream closer to him. “Sometimes great music is made for shit films.” 

“So I take it ‘Endless Love’ is not on the list of your ‘must see films’, then?” Dream huffs, tilting his head playfully towards Hob.

“Not even close,” Hob grins before he leans and captures Dream’s lips with his own. The crowd around them erupts in applause and cheers.

When they pull away, Hob twirls Dream once before, before he tilts the Endless backwards into a dip. Dream’s back arches beautifully, and it steals Hob’s breath for a moment before he remembers to pull Dream back up. When their bodies are pressed together once more, Hob dips his head and admits a secret against Dream’s ear.

“I also may have picked this song because I’m a sap,” he whispers, grinning as he feels Dream shudder beneath him. “It made me think of you a lot, you know.”

“Did it?” Dream asks, pulling his head back to meet Hob’s gaze. 

Hob nods as he begins to mouth the next verse, his focus solely trained on Dream: 

And love, I'll be a fool for you, I'm sure You know I don't mind 'Cause you, you mean the world to me

“I think I’m beginning to see the appeal,” Dream says before he kisses Hob once more. 

[omorimodreverie]

Reverie Dev Log - 2024 January + February

Overview

January and February saw ups and downs in activity, but overall significant progress was made. The start of the year was initially slow due to breaks, but activity picked up slowly. You may have noticed that there were less promotional posts or updates in general during this time, as we were focused on development. Thanks to these efforts, though, we’re fairly optimistic that this will be the final dev log for Chapter 3.

As for me (Stahl) personally, I have not been able to do much this time round as I have been busy (hence lack of public updates), but this time round invaluable progress was made by others in the team.

Quick rundown:

First round of playtesting has been done - This was a very rudimentary one aimed at finding basic bugs

NPCs are now mostly finished, and our writers are now working on flavor text and side writings

Portraits are all done and implemented

Battles have been planned out in more detail

Various organizational changes

Extra writers and RPGMV members have been recruited

Updates

The first round of playtesting is complete! This one was rather rudimentary, containing only basic story points. The aim was to test progression and to fix major bugs, both of which we’ve now finished. There are still some major aspects missing, like flavor texts and quests but vital components to main progression like cutscenes and maps are completed and being tested. Hopefully, this round of playtesting should wrap up soon, and more will follow. 

Minor and Side contents

There’s still a lot of design decisions to make, mostly regarding seemingly minor aspects of the game that actually take large amounts of resources. A lot of thought must be put into whether these features, like flavor text and shops, are worth the amount of time needed to make them, and if so how much. 

Due to this chapter being a real world section and story centric, the remaining gameplay would be left to mostly side quests. This is an interesting challenge, as unlike base Omori, Sunny is not familiar with the city like back in Faraway town, meaning it’s more challenging to find opportunities to give him quests. 

As for Reverie specific side content, battles won’t completely be abandoned in the real world. They’ll be taking forms in various challenge battles found throughout the city. For a rough idea, think of the Jackson poster found in Hobbeez from the base game.

Miscellaneous Changes

Another thing yet to be done are tweaks to previous chapter content. They will mostly affect quality of life, but some will also be major gameplay changes. Here’s some examples of planned changes (not exhaustive):

Picnic allows the player to change difficulty mid game (Trust me, later dream world chapters will feature major difficulty spikes and players may get stuck)

Hit Rates on equipment changed, mostly heavily nerfed. This makes evasion buffs actually relevant (and also, 300% hit rate is just silly).

Some skills entirely changed (e.g. Spaceboy Preserve will change into another Attack skill instead).

In game info to indicate that emotion influences Enemy AI very strongly in reverie compared to base game.

Conclusion

Overall, development on chapter 3 is reaching its later stages, reaching the first round of playtesting. This should hopefully be the last dev log in relation to Chapter 3 development.

As thanks for reading this far, here is a remade portrait of real world Sunny! It’s a bit more softer than the previous one, and the proportion has been improved as well.

[waywardxwords]

Chapter 3 - We'll Always Have Atlanta (Taking Chances)

Summary: After a random encounter introduces you to Dean Winchester, you can't shake the magnetic pull you feel towards him. For years, you've felt like everything in your life is under control--a promising career, financial stability and no real responsibilities. Dean's a hunter; it's his life and job. But somehow when you meet, your worlds are flipped upside down and you have to decide if it's a chance worth taking.

Chapter Warnings: Slight language, teeny bit of fluff, some good, old dramatic tension

Pairing: Dean Winchester x female!reader

Word Count: ~3k

[1] [2]

The Blind Pig was a small hole-in-the-wall sports bar, but it sure did have a lot of patrons. Thankfully, your flight had gotten in when it was supposed to without any delays, but that had you settled in at your hotel by five o’clock and ready to meet Dean by six. You had pulled out your laptop to try and get some work done, but your eyes kept pulling to the numbers on the nightstand. 

6:02. And then again at 6:04. By 6:07, you couldn’t take it anymore. So you headed the short distance from your hotel to The Blind Pig and settled on a barstool at the bar. 

“What can I get you?” The bartender interrupted your thoughts as he dried his hands on a small dish rag. 

“A Jack and Coke, please,” you answered in an effort to calm your nerves. “And a glass of water,” so hopefully you wouldn’t get too ahead of yourself. 

The bartender nodded and grabbed a glass. Every time the front door opened, you couldn’t help but turn to see if it was Dean. But it was still only 6:45, and you knew he had a long drive. 

Just as your drink was set in front of you, you heard him clear his throat behind you. “Hey, Atlanta,” the nickname brought a smile to your lips and a shiver down your spine as you turned towards him.

“Dean,” you couldn't help your smile as you stepped down off of the stool and paused for a moment. Without thinking, you reached out and put your arms around his neck in a hug. He hesitated, but only for a moment. His arms snaked around your waist and you relished in the way his hands felt on the small of your back. 

“It’s good to see you,” he seemed honest as the words came from his mouth. You couldn’t place his scent, but you were drawn to it. It was woodsy, almost; as if he had just come from a cabin in the middle of a forest. But it was mixed with the smell of leather and peppermint, like the little round red and white candies. 

“It’s good to see you, too,” you pulled back, though you hadn’t wanted to. 

In pulling away, you were forced to meet his gaze and you found yourself lost in his eyes and the freckles that dotted his skin just under them, just like the first time you met. 

“What’re you drinking?” He slipped the leather jacket off of his shoulders and tugged the sleeves off at his hands as he pulled himself onto the barstool next to you. 

“Jack and Coke,” you answered as you, too, sat back on your barstool. “I don’t usually go the liquor route…” you trailed off a bit. 

“Back to breaking the rules, I see,” he quipped. The familiar smile you had gotten used to the last time you were together found his lips and you couldn’t help but match it. 

“Yeah, well. You’re a bad influence,” you teased back with a slight nudge. 

Even though he had seemed like the Dean you met a month ago, his demeanor shifted for a moment as he took a quick glance around the bar. He seemed to study almost every patron with an intensity that surprised you. What is he looking for? You wondered. Or who?

You cleared your throat as you swirled the amber colored liquid in your glass. When you glanced back up, his gaze was on you again. “Everything okay?” You asked him gently. 

“Oh, yeah,” he shook his head and smiled. “Sorry, just a little distracted.” You were both interrupted when the bartender appeared before you. “Hey, how’s it goin’?” Dean asked as he glanced behind the bar. The bartender nodded in response. “Could I get a Coors, bottle’s fine.” 

“Coming right up,” there was an awkwardness in the air as the bartender walked back to the cooler to retrieve the beer and silence set in.  

“So,” Dean started, his hands folded on top of the bar as he leaned forward a bit on his elbows. “How often do you come to Kansas?”

You took a sip from your drink, hoping for some liquid courage to get you through the normal uneasiness that comes along with getting to know someone. 

“Well, it varies. We just opened an office in Salina, but typically I work from home in Virginia,” you explained. 

The bartender set Dean’s bottle of beer in front of him and he nodded in thanks. “Virginia? I thought you were from Atlanta,” his response even further showed how little you knew about one another. 

“Oh, I was just connecting in Atlanta. Flying out of Richmond is painful, there aren’t really many direct flights,” you found a drop of condensation on the side of your glass and couldn’t help but smooth your finger over the bump of water. 

Dean nodded as he took a pull from his beer. “What do you do for work, again? Project management, right?” It was somewhat impressive to you that he remembered that; but then again, you remembered almost everything he had shared when you met.

“That’s right, for a health insurance company,” you answered. 

“Do you like it?” He asked, as he turned his head a bit to catch your gaze once more. It was impossible to suppress the way you choked on the sip you had just taken of your drink. 

“Like it? Work?” You asked incredulously. Dean seemed a little confused by your answer but smiled anyway. “Does anyone like what they do, Dean?”

He shrugged and took another drink of his beer. “I don’t know, how’s that saying go? ‘Love what you do and you’ll never work another day in your life?’ Something like that.”

“Ha,” you chuckled and took another sip of your drink. As the liquor’s level got lower in your cup, your nerves seemed to go with it. “Yeah, well, that’s not the life we’re living over here. What about you? You love what you do? …traveling, mechanic? Or exterminator, or something?” You smirked, still unsure what that meant exactly. 

Dean nodded with a smile but avoided eye contact. “Yeah, it’s a business that’s been in my family…for a while,” he explained somewhat carefully. Finally those green eyes found your gaze once again. 

“That sounds interesting,” you mused. And it really did. You had never heard of either of those being jobs where one would travel. 

“It’s more on the exterminator side,” he cleared his throat. The look on his face seemed more serious as he explained. “We do the jobs that people really don’t wanna do.” 

You nodded as you tried to follow, but you had zero clue. “I read an article about a massive boa constrictor living in a lady’s attic once. Those kinda jobs?”

“Sort of,” he answered, but didn’t seem willing to offer up more information as he shifted the topic. “Working on cars is just something I do for fun, mostly. But if I can make some money out of it, then great.” 

The sounds of the bar sunk in around you. It wasn’t that you weren’t excited by being near Dean again, because you were. But you couldn’t help how different everything felt. As the feelings swirled around in your head long enough to make a milkshake out of them, Dean caught on. 

“You okay?” When you found his eyes again, you noticed the small worry lines indented just outside them. It took just one look for you to realize he had caught you in the midst of your thoughts. 

“It’s fine,” you smiled, but a quick glance back to your liquid courage gave you what you needed to continue. “It’s just that this feels so different than it did in Atlanta. You seem different.” You emphasized. 

A slight chuckle fell from his lips. He, too, looked back to his beer (though you weren’t sure if it was for courage, or just to gather his thoughts) before he spoke again. “Atlanta was different. Less complicated,” he offered up. 

“But Kansas is complicated?” You asked as you tried to follow. 

“I’m complicated,” he filled in the blanks as his lips found the opening of the glass bottle once more. 

“Ah,” you nodded, as your finger smoothed over another drop of condensation on your glass. “Complicated as in…married? Kids? …ex-convict?” You snuck in the last one with a serious side-eye. 

This time, he couldn’t contain the chuckle and he laughed. “No, no. Nothing like that. Definitely not married, no kids. And no convictions, or charges even, for that matter.” His words eased your thoughts. 

You nodded in hopes that he might continue, but there was a hesitation there. Still, you let it linger. You had learned that sometimes if you let the silence hang open long enough, they might just take you up on it. 

He cleared his throat and emitted a sigh. “Atlanta was…” he paused to consider the word choice. “…amazing. Truly, it was incredible. Life is complicated for me, but in Atlanta, when we met that day,” he shook his head and a smile pulled at his lips once more as he reminisced. “It was like we could be ourselves, without having to look over our shoulders or put up a front.”

You hadn’t really thought about it that way, and now that you did–you wondered if that was why you had been so drawn to Dean in the first place. But it felt bigger than that; different.

“I honestly never thought I’d hear from you again…” his voice dropped a bit softer and his eyes moved back to the bar in front of him. “Why did you call?” He turned back to you once more.

This time, you were in the hot seat. He had every right to ask. “I’m not sure, to be honest,” you started slowly. For a moment, you wondered how much you should open up to him. Again, you didn’t know him. But in the same breath, you felt too tired and too old to be playing games or skirting around difficult conversations. “You know what, Dean?” It was your turn to sigh. “Screw it, full transparency?” You hesitated only long enough for him to nod. “Something about meeting you was so different. Remember how I told you I had all these rules for myself?” He smirked, but nodded once more. “Well, when I was with you–I broke just about all of them. And I know that probably sounds stupid, but that’s a big deal to me. I didn’t even feel bad breaking them. I just felt free.” The discomfort of being completely honest with him settled in the pit of your stomach as you took a breath. Your eyes watched him closely for any kind of reaction.

Dean smiled as he took another drink from his beer. This time, you noticed the smile met his eyes and it sparked the Dean you remembered meeting a month ago.

“That’s a damn good answer,” Dean nodded as he looked back to find your gaze once more. “And for the record,” he nudged you gently. “It’s not stupid.” The feelings of discomfort were replaced once more with bubbles of anxiousness and hope–like maybe you hadn’t made a mistake, after all. The ice clinked around your nearly empty glass. “You wanna take a walk? There’s not much, but there are some cool Christmas lights up in town.” Dean nodded for the door.

Old you would have warned you that this was still not the best idea; would’ve reminded you that you didn’t know Dean, and walking around a strange town at night with a near-stranger was dangerous and dumb. But at that moment, you didn’t care.

“Let’s do it.”

Both you and Dean had your hands shoved in the front of your jackets’ pockets–the chill of the late November air bit at any piece of exposed flesh. 

“Your favorite movie of all time is Speed?” Dean asked incredulously as his breath fogged in front of his face. Your steps were slow and carefree as your eyes wandered the multicolored lights strung around the center of the town.

“I don’t have a favorite movie ‘of all time’,” you air-quoted him, but quickly made the decision to return your hands to your coat pockets. “It’s just a good one! Don’t you remember the days they played that movie on FX over and over and over again on weekends? It was always on!”

Dean shook his head with a laugh. “I guess so, I don’t really remember. I didn’t watch a whole lotta TV growing up.” He answered. You noted that, for maybe a future question.

“Alright, alright,” you moved on with a roll of your eyes. “Favorite band?” 

“I don’t have just one,” he answered quickly. Another mental note that the man must love music and know his favorites. “Metallica, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin,” he said. “Those are some of the best.”

“Those are some good ones,” you hummed as you continued your walk. “I grew up on country and alternative rock, mostly. But I sure did love the boy band era.” The look on his face caused you to laugh. “Oh, come on. What girl in the 90s didn’t?! New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys, N’SYNC…”

“Okay, okay,” he waved you off. “Enough of that crap. I haven’t listened to any of that shit so far, not happening now.”

Your feet stopped moving. Dean slowed to a stop before he turned to look at you, that some look of concern across his face.

“You’ve never listened to any of the boy bands?!” Your voice practically squeaked. Dean rolled his eyes and turned back to walk ahead. You hurried your steps to catch up to him, and without thinking, you looped your arm through his. “Oh, we gotta change that.”

“Sweetheart, did you not hear the part where I said it’s never gonna happen?” A playful smile turned up one corner of his lips as he looked down at you. In your closeness, you realized how tall he really was–at least six feet–and your throat suddenly felt very dry.

“Never say never, De,” your voice was soft but you matched his smile. As you looked back to the path in front of you, you realized the two of you had circled back to the Blind Pig parking lot. You cleared your throat and pulled your arm from his. He blinked a few times and cleared his own throat before he glanced down to his boots and then back up at you.

“You, uh, you got a rental car? Or need a ride?” His eyes grazed over the parking lot filled with ten or so cars. 

“Yep, that’s mine there,” you pointed out the red Honda CR-V. Dean made a face again with a slight scrunch of his nose, which made you laugh. “I know, I know. It’s a soccer mom’s dream.” You rolled your eyes. “What do you drive, anyway?” You folded your arms across your chest and prepared to tease him for rocking a beat up truck or his work van.

Dean, proudly, leaned against a sleek black car that looked classic and well-kept. It was one of those moments you thought you might have to pick your jaw up off of the pavement as your eyes widened.

“This is your car?” You asked in amazement as you took a step closer.

“Hell yeah, that’s Baby,” he gleamed as his eyes traveled over the shiny black coat that almost glistened in the glow of the streetlights.

“You would name your car,” you laughed softly as your eyes followed his gaze. You did feel a tiny bit impressed, though.

“Did you just try to offend me?” He narrowed his eyes at you with a smile. “Ain’t gonna work, sweetheart. This car is my pride and joy.” He looked back at you as he leaned against the driver’s side door. 

“It’s a beautiful car, Dean,” your eyes danced over the Impala before the wind blew gently against the side of your face once more and caused you to shudder. A quick glance to Dean realized he had felt it, too. “Thanks,” you started softly. “I appreciate you driving all this way to see me.”

He took a careful step closer so he was just in front of you. Suddenly, you didn’t feel as cold anymore. “Thanks for calling,” his voice reverberated in your ears as he spoke. You enjoyed how his voice was seasoned–gruff and experienced–but still had a way of making you feel warm inside. “How long are you in town for?” His eyes darted to your hairline and, without processing, he reached up to brush back a strand that had blown free from your hair tie. You followed his eyes and shivered again.

“I have some meetings tomorrow, then I leave early Wednesday morning,” you answered.

Without hesitation, he spoke again. “Can I see you again?”

A smile stretched across your face–one that you were sure met your eyes. “Are you asking me out on a date?” You bit down and pulled your bottom lip between your teeth.

He couldn’t help but smile. “I just might be.”

“Hmm,” you hummed, somewhat teasingly. “I think I could agree to that. But one condition.” Dean nodded with a slight roll of his eyes, playfully. “No more awkward first-time-seeing each other shit. I really had fun with you. I felt like we were in Atlanta all over again.” 

Dean nodded with a quick glance down to his boots, then back at you again. “Yeah, okay, I can make that deal.”

You put your hand out in front of you for Dean to shake on it. Dean took one glance down at your hand, but then back at your face with a small smirk. Slowly, but strategically, he leaned down and captured your lips with his in a soft, sweet kiss.

“See you tomorrow, Atlanta,” he murmured as your lips parted.

A/N: Thank you so much for all the likes, comments and reblogs on the last chapter! It was very much appreciated. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy chapter 3! :)

Chapters will be posted on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Preview of the next chapter:

A quick glance at the clock on the wall made you inwardly groan–how could it only be 11:23 in the morning? Work days were known to drag on, but this was overkill. You figured it might have something to do with the fact that you were just hours away from seeing Dean again. It had taken you far too long to fall asleep the night before; you couldn’t stop thinking about that damn kiss.

The way his lips felt against yours…the way it made you feel inside…

The buzz from your cell phone distracted you and shook you from your thoughts.

Dean

Hey, Atlanta.

You didn’t think you’d ever get tired of the nickname. Another buzz caught you off guard.

Dean

Or should I say, Hotlanta?

The text made you laugh out loud, which would have been fine had you been alone somewhere. Instead, colleagues that you hardly knew because you worked remotely all turned to look at you.

“Sorry about that,” you said softly as you excused yourself from the cubicle you had borrowed for your time in the office. You stood in the hallway as you typed out a response.

Hi, Dean…you’re ridiculous, but that still made me laugh anyway.

You nibbled on a pesky hangnail that had formed on your thumb as you waited for his text back.

Dean

I do what I can. You still up for dinner tonight?

You hurriedly typed back before you hit ‘send’ and shoved the phone in your back pocket to head back to your desk.

100% yes! I can leave here at 4, but I’m driving to you this time. Just send me the address and I’ll meet you there!

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The Bunker - Criminal Minds

Chapter 11: The Bolt

Summary: Spencer Reid wakes up in a locked bunker to find half the current BAU and two of its departed members unconscious on the floor. The old team is back together but the reunion is not what any of them would have wished for. An Unsub from their past has decided it's time they all stop keeping secrets, even if it means exposing them by force.

Hotch and Derek have been pulled back into a world they tried to escape. Emily, Rossi, and JJ are doing their best to keep it together. Spencer is falling apart.

AKA a found family is reunited and forced to go through the most nightmarish version of family therapy imaginable.

Set months after the end of Criminal Minds: Evolution. Evolution referenced, but not necessary to understand the story.

Chapter Summary: Spencer has a plan. Derek wants to talk.

Read chapter 11 on AO3 or under the cut. Please check AO3 for content warnings. All comments and reblogs are extremely appreciated <3 I would love to know what you like about the story :)

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10

He twisted the bolt, gripping it with all the meager strength he could muster. For the first time, he was truly glad that the others had refused to let his muscles atrophy into nothing, despite his protests.

His finger tips had developed calluses over the past five food delivery cycles since he’d started working the thick, entrenched bolt loose. It was spot welded, but water had dripped onto it and anointed it with blessed rust.

In stolen moments, when nobody was paying enough attention to wonder why he lingered just that little bit longer at the sink, he worked away at it.

Now, as they all slept, he gave it one final twist.

Then it was his.

The rusted, two inch long, half inch thick bolt sat in his palm looking entirely not worth the effort. It was brittle, but it had a surprisingly sharp edge on the bottom.

It was fine. It was good enough to serve its purpose.

Now, it was all about the timing.

The next delivery would be soon after they all woke up, if everything went to schedule. They had built their sleep cycle around it, so it resembled something like breakfast.

He had to make his move when he knew she’d be watching.

Quick enough that the others couldn’t stop him. Effective enough that she would have to intervene immediately, without having time to gas them.

A shuffling sound from somewhere to his left alerted him that one of the others was awake.

Just in time, he deftly slid the bolt into the hole he’d created in the elastic waistband of the scrub pants the Unsub had dressed him in. The years of practicing sleight of hand as a child had payed dividends throughout his adult life.

“What are you doing?” whispered a groggy Derek, leaning against the empty door frame of the tiny, prison-like bathroom.

“Just needed some water,” he whispered back. “Couldn’t sleep.”

It felt like they were meeting in the dead of night, like it should be dark. It reminded him of the whispered moments they used to have in dark motel rooms on cases when neither of them could keep the nightmares at bay.

Derek folded his arms over his chest. “I’m glad I got you alone for a second,” he said, glancing backwards to where the others soundly slept. “I want to talk to you.”

He sat down on the closed toilet lid like it was a chair. Spencer considered dodging past him, but instead he leaned back so he was sitting on the edge of the low sink. It almost felt like they had privacy.

“What’s up?” asked Spencer, like they’d just run into each other at the water cooler at work.

Whatever Derek had to say, hopefully he would get it over with quickly. He wanted to care, really. He did. But he had more important things to focus on than trying to conjure up his absentee feelings for a heart to heart.

“I just wanted to say… You know I love you, right?” he said, nudging Spencer's leg with his foot. “I know I’ve been kind of a dick, but it’s just because…” he looked out at the grey concrete and the solid steel door. “Well. You know.”

Spencer softened. Something close to sympathy crept its way through the invisible glass bubble that was separating him from the rest of them, and he almost felt it for real. “I know,” he said. “Me too.”

“Good,” said Derek. “Because I’m worried about you, pretty boy. You’re really freaking me out.”

Spencer stared at him blankly. “I think you have bigger things to worry about right now, man.”

Derek huffed. “Maybe. But I’ve got a bad feeling. I mean, none of us are really okay right now. I get that. I know I’m not. But you’re being weird, even for you. Do you realize you’ve stopped quoting statistics at us? You’ve been in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds and still quoting stats at me,” he said. “I don’t like you being this quiet.”

“I don’t have any good statistics for this situation,” he said. “Do you really want to hear the chances of us being found alive after so long?”

“It’s not just that,” said Derek. “It’s like a part of you has shut off. I’m worried. I’ve seen you do some reckless, self-destructive shit over the years, especially when you get it into your head that it’s the only way to protect other people.”

Spencer’s mind raced. Could he tell what he was planning? What was he getting at?

“I’m fine,” he said. “I mean, not fine, but you don’t have to worry. It’s like you said, withdrawal has screwed up my neurotransmitter levels, and the lack of vitamin D and iron aren’t doing any of us any favors. But I’ll be okay once we get out of here,” he explained, trying his hardest to sound reassuring despite his complete inability to believe for a single second that he was ever going to be okay again.

Derek smiled tightly, straining to keep his voice light, even as his nails dug into his biceps. “I want to believe that, pretty boy, I really do. But the thing is, I think you were pretty fucked up before we ever woke up in this godforsaken bunker, and that you’ve probably been seriously depressed for a long time, because the thing is, happy people don’t do heroin. And I think if we get out of here, you fully intend to go right back to shooting up.”

He sounded like he was speaking to one of his kids. Spencer had been there once when his son had come home from kindergarten crying because another boy pushed him, and Derek had sounded exactly like this when he tried to talk his son through how to handle the situation.

“What’s your point?” he asked.

He hadn’t intended to sound petulant or sarcastic, but even he could hear how it came across.

Derek grit his teeth. When he spoke, he forgot to whisper. “My point, is if that’s the only future you’re capable of imagining for yourself right now, you might not be motivated to do everything in your power to keep yourself safe.”

Spencer stood up straight.

He knew. Derek knew.

“Whatever happens, Derek, you have to know that I am doing everything I can to get you out of here. To get all of us out,” he said calmly, stepping towards the doorway and the main room.

Derek put his arm across the exit, blocking him in.

“Give it to me, Spencer.”

"Give you what?" he shot back.

"Man, I saw you. You might be quick, but I know what to look for. Just hand it over."

The sound of the others stirring caught both of their attention. “What’s going on?” came JJ’s voice.

As soon as Derek turned his head, he took his shot.

He ducked under his arm and darted into the room, pressing himself against the corner farthest from the half-awake group.

Derek cursed and swung around to face him. The others scrambled to their feet.

“What’s going on?” repeated JJ urgently.

“You’re the one who said it first,” pointed out Spencer, still focused on Derek. “We need to do something extreme.”

“We doesn’t have to mean you, Spencer,” he said, stepping forward.

“Then who? You? I don’t have kids waiting for me to come home to them.”

Four sets of eyes widened in shock and comprehension.

“What are you doing, Spencer?” asked Emily, raising her hands and taking a step forward.

Faster than the rest of them could get to him, he pulled out the bolt, pressing the sharp, ragged end to his wrist. “Stay away!” he shouted.

JJ lunged for him. He pressed harder, ready to move, but Derek grabbed her and hauled her back.

“Everyone calm down!” yelled Derek.

“Spencer, what the fuck are you doing?” shouted Emily, who for the very first time since waking up in the bunker, looked like she was about to fall apart.

He glanced up at the camera. “I wanted to time this better,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “Emily, I’m sorry,” he said, meeting her eyes.

“I know what you’re trying to do,” said Hotch, putting a hand on Emily’s shoulder and as she clasped her hands over her mouth and fought back tears. “This isn’t the way, Reid. We don’t even know if they’re watching.”

“No, but it’s close to the next delivery and she likes to time them for dramatic effect. Have you noticed that? I’m willing to bet she is watching. Besides, I’m on camera now. We won’t have another shot at this.”

Rossi raised his hands. “It doesn’t need to be you. I’m a lot older. I’ve got less on the line.”

“Nobody is doing anything,” said JJ furiously. “This is ridiculous! Don’t you fucking dare, Spencer, or I swear to god I will never forgive you.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again. “There’s no time to discuss it.” He glanced up at the vent, afraid he had already waited too long. “This instrument is imprecise, but if I do it right I'll have three to five minutes. That number goes up if you put pressure on the wound. She won’t have time to knock you out if she wants to save me, so someone is going to be coming into this room. Be ready for it." He took a ragged, steadying breath. "She’s not going to let me die. It’s going to be alright.”

He shot one last guilty look at Emily. This was cruel on all of them, but after everything, it felt like it was cruelest on her.

“You promised me you wouldn’t do this to me,” she said through silent tears.

“I’m sorry,” he said one last time.

He pressed down on the bolt, driving the sharp edge into his wrist hard, and dragging it up his forearm in one swift and violent motion. No hesitation.

Somewhere, a vast distance away, he heard screaming.

He was utterly transfixed as dark, shining red came pouring out of his arm.

After a small eternity, there were people, grasping at him, pulling at his body. The waterfall on his arm was covered by a pair of strong, dark hands, holding his skin together like Atlas held the world.

Oh.

Oh.

There it was.

All those things he hadn’t been feeling, there it all was.

The edges of his vision darkened. All around him there was noise, but he couldn’t extrapolate meaning from any of it.

All that existed in the world was the unyielding, crushing hopelessness that came rushing into his body with every drop of blood that rushed out.

Had this unbearable, all encompassing sadness been with him the whole time?

He’d been telling himself the same thing that he told the rest of them. He was doing this because somebody had to.

He was doing it because he had the least to lose.

He didn’t really believe she’d let him die if she could help it, and if she couldn’t help it, then at least he’d given them a chance. It was a noble sacrifice.

“Hang on, Spencer,” came a voice from somewhere above him. “Just hold on.”

“I’m sorry,” he said again.

As consciousness slipped away from him, he finally understood that the awful truth.

He realized that he didn't really want to wake up.

[storm-priestess]

▪°•○♡ DETAILS ON YOUR NEXT ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP ♡○•°▪

(all pictures taken from weheartit)

○ Pile 1 ○

this person challenges you career-wise, as well as regarding your self worth

they will make you question why you let others treat you like shit, most likely at work, school, or in friendships

I'm getting that they give you pep talks, hype you up and remind you that you deserve to be respected and loved

very power couple vibes, albeit not super romantic, there's a lot of affection here

they'll support you through all the late nights stuck at the library or working overtime, cheering you on

this is extremely sweet :')

they like sending you messages when you're apart, letting you know that they're thinking of you <3

I can't get over how powerful this is, they truly help you see your inner light. whether this relationship lasts or not, you'll carry their influence with you forever and will never regret the time you spent with them, if only bc they helped you climb out of a dark space

they really, really care about your well-being, almost forcefully

VERY mulan and li shang vibe, although I get the sense you're a bit more nervous and self critical than mulan was in the movie

they're just so invested in you knowing your worth, it's beautiful

○ Pile 2 ○

whirlwind romance vibe, but I feel like your intentions are a bit mismatched. one of you is more interested in the romance and intrigue of it all, the other just a fun time

this could be on-and-off again, with one of you clinging onto the relationship a bit more emotionally than the other

a tendency to cling onto the other, trying to coerce them into putting more of themselves into the connection

regardless, this is a really fun time you guys have

towards the end things may get a little messy, but alongside the bomb sex the spontaneity permeates the rest of the relationship and you guys genuinely enjoy one another's company

I feel like it starts rather abruptly, and hinges on physical attraction to get the ball rolling. then you start texting, meeting up for casual dates/sex, etc, and then one of you catches a bit more intense feelings… (the other is still invested, just maybe not as… obsessed might be too strong of a word, but you get what I mean)

it does seem a bit unbalanced, but if you're honest about what you want out of the relationship you have a stronger chance of getting it. I do see evidence of effort coming from both sides to keep the relationship going, so hopefully you guys can find a peaceful balance that satisfies both of your needs

○ Pile 3 ○

this feels very different from the first two piles… I think this is more for just one person, or a small group of you. it feels like a personal reading

you're the enigmatic one in your friend group. you do what you want to do and are so charismatic that others follow you (not in a cultish way lol, they just love the fun that you incite. it's very sweet)

you've recently moved on from an ex or a crush that you pursued and their rejection bruised your ego a bit. you've just about recollected the rest of your diminished spark and are setting out anew, possibly determined to focus on yourself from now on

but you're met with a bunch of options… you've gained a lot of romantic attention and people are starting to come forward, or at least flirt a lil bit, shoot their shot, slide into dms, whatever

you're just focusing on your friends for now tho, no intentions of jumping right into a romantic relationship….

but it finds you. you don't even have to try

some of you… may realize things about your sexuality. you're attracted to a wider variety of people. that, and/or one of your close friends starts to look mighty interesting…

this is a deep connection. not just a fling or a gateway into discovering the depth of your sexuality, but a really beautiful pairing that means a lot to both of you

you might be at a party and drunkenly kiss your friend, only to laugh about it and carry on

but it becomes less funny later on

you won't be able to stop thinking about it

either that, or you're just hanging out with your friends and have a realization

regardless, this catches you completely off guard

this is really, really special

there's a lot more under the surface here, but it's not for me to convey. things are meant to unfold naturally from here on out. you also probably won't be able to get anymore information on this from other sources (pacs, youtube vids, etc). it feels a bit like the universe is wiping the dirt off their hands and being like 'there. I told you. figure the rest out yourself.'

take it one day at a time guys <3 everything will work out fine