#i asked her how her vacation was (to be nice) and she started telling me a long story about going to church

[thewritetofreespeech]

Night 162: Children

words: 1131 rating: G pairing: Gale x Tav summary: Gale & Tav return from the Reunion for an afternoon of tea and interrogations from his mother.

Ao3 - 1000 Night Series

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Summers in Waterdeep were some of the most beautiful and peaceful in Faerûn. Or so Tav had come to realize.

Baldur’s Gate was nice, with its coves & sunlit ports, but it was nothing compared to the cool breeze off the ocean. The smell of salt in the air. And, of course, the spontaneous evening trips to the shoreline to dip ones feet in cold water and warm sand her husband.

Not that Tav didn’t miss her old home of the Gate. She enjoyed visiting and catching up with old friends. Extending the trip for the party to stop in on the way back to catch up with those who had not been able to attend. The couple had actually just gotten back from their vacation a few days ago, and Gale was regaling his mother on his latest find at Sorcerous Sundries.

“Can you believe it mother?? A real, genuine first edition Arcana Archivist Annals. Practically mint condition!”

“I suppose it helps to know the proprietor, and have his life indebted to you.” Morena remarked as she finished pouring the tea and handed Tav the first cup.

“The 10% educators discount doesn’t hurt either.” The two of women chuckle as Gale huffed and flopped back into his mother’s patio chair with a ‘no one understands me’ sulk.

“And how was the rest of your trip, dear? Surely it wasn’t all books.”

“If Gale had his way….” The man in question glared playfully at her. “But no. It was good to see how the city has grown after the rebuild. It’s odd. It’s all brand new in most cases, but strangely the same. Wyll and his father have done a splendid job of reworking the internal structure of the city as well. He’s done well as Grand Duke.”

“Good to have friends in high places. Not just book shops.” The trio laughed at Gale’s quip this time. Not just at him.

“And there’s…..nothing else to report?” Morena asked inquisitively. Which peaked Gale’s interest.

“No. Unless you want to know more about the weather.” He remarked before collecting his tea. “Is there something specific you wanted to know about our trip, mother? It’s not like you to be coy.”

“Very well. I was hoping while you were away for some time, you might return to tell me your pregnant.” Gale choked hard on his tea and floundered with the fine china for a moment. “I guess not….”

“Pregnant!” Gale replied aghast. “Why would you think we’re pregnant!?”

“Not really thought so much as hoped.” Morena clarified. “I’d very much like a grandchild.”

Gale turned to Tav in a manner for some sort of help, but she was too stunned as well by the conversations to offer any. “We…We haven’t been married that long…”

“Your father and I were married about as long as the two of you when you came into the picture.” The older woman noted. “Besides, it’s not just that. The Dekarios family needs an heir. Surely, you’ve thought about the future of our line.”

Gale shifted from flabbergasted to embarrassed. “Well, I uh….”

“Gale!”

“Well, I’ve been a little busy mother. Saving the world from an Elder Brain and trying not to turn into a mind flayer. Now trying not to get my head blown off by pre-teen wizards. Teaching children does not really rally one to the experience.” Tav had to agree there.

Gale sighed and sat back in his chair again. “What brought all this on mother? This is a lot to…spring on a person.”

“Well, I was thinking about it while you were away and thought I’d ask about your future plans. Neither one of us is getting any younger, dear.” There was a lot of secret conversation going on between the Dekarios kin in that moment as Morena sipped her own teacup. “The two of you should really start thinking about it. Children are a blessing.”

“I agree with Mr. Dekarios.” The people at the table turned as Tara floated onto the patio. Landing delicately on a pillow that was clearly always there for her. “Children are loud, destructive, and impatient little creatures. Like imps, but with better table manners. Or at least one hopes.” The Tressym licked her paw as if to make a point. “You shouldn’t have them.”

“So the Dekarios line just ends with Gale?” Morena asked as a counterpoint.

“Certainly. Better to go out with a bang. Oh, apologies. Was that insensitive?”

Gale groaned and stood up from his chair. “If this conversation is going to continue, I’m going to need something stronger than tea to get through it.” He walked back into his childhood home and straight for the bar.

Tav followed after him while Morena & Tara talk. Her presence in the discussions of their futures seeming not to be a requirement at all. “Are you ok?”

“Hm? Oh. Yes. I’m fine. A little taken aback though.” Gale commented as he inspected one of the bottles and sat it back down. “Don’t worry. I’m not rattled enough to be driven to drink. Just needed to get away.”

“I can certainly sympathy.”

“But my mother….Gods! Springing that on us like that. To force our hands to make a such a decision over biscuits. I never realized she was so cunning.”

Tav chuckle at his remark, but then got serious for a second. “You know….we’ve never talked about it….”

Gale turned to her with an inquisitive, then surprised, look. “Oh…I mean do you want…do you want to….”

She shrugged. “I’m not against children.” What seemed like eons ago, the former adventurer thought about a life long in the future where she would be settled with a family, including children. With everything that happened that dream was lost until she could catch her breath. Now that she had, Tav wondered if it might be time to take that dream off the shelf again. “I don’t think right now. But….yes.”

Gale seemed taken aback for a moment, but only a little. He then seemed to think on it, nod, then gave her a smile. “I feel that way too. Not now, of course. But not never.” The two of them reach out to take each other’s hands. “I quite like that it’s just the two of us right now.”

“I do too.” Tav agreed.

“That is not what I meant at all Tara! You are twisting my words!”

“Your words are already twisted with that harpy’s tongue of yours Morena!”

Gale sighed as he looked towards the open door. “Well…almost just the two of us….”

Tav snickered and squeeze his hand a little tighter. “Come on. Let’s break them up before they say something they don’t mean.”

“Tara just implied my mother was a harpy. I think that ship has sailed.”

[tevatron]

my catholic colleague asked me if my family is christian and when i said no she said "oh, but you seem so nice!" uh oh!

[bittersw33t-lotus]

Romeo and Juliet

Ghosting series pt. 2

Simon “Ghost” Riley x fem! Reader

Cw:mentions of fighting, blood, pregnancy (this is gonna be on the whole series so…), hospital visit, reader is mentioned to listen to rock music :)

A/N thank yall for the love and support, I love yall (platonically of course)😘

part 1 here

It’s been a few weeks since you’ve been living with Stacy and her husband, Jared.

It’s been pretty good, they’ve been kind to you, you been helping around as much as you could, and they’ve been doing a lot to make sure you’re okay and willing to help you with anything.

Jared has been fairly nice and generous. Today is your first check up at the hospital and ultrasound. Jared offered to take you to your appointment, which you accepted since your car battery decided to take a crap right as you returned home from the store the other day, so now you have to wait for it to arrive at the mechanics before you get take it over to get fixed. This leaves you with no independent transportation for at least a week. Luckily Stacy had been able to take you to and from work but today she wasn’t able to take you to your check up due to having to work late. Thankfully, Jared offered to take you to the doctors, to which you gratefully accepted.

On the way there you started some small talk with him. “How long have you and Stacy been together?” You ask him as you watch the trees pass by along with building around the area as he enters the highway.

Jared looks at you for a quick second before focusing back on the road. “Been together for about four years now. Two years since we’ve been married.” He says with a small smile, you’ve seen all the things they’ve done together, so many adventures, dinners, vacations, you would’ve thought they’ve been together for more than that if he hadn’t said anything.

You realize that Stacy seemed to move to marry him pretty quickly, which wasn’t a bad thing, as long as you know that Jared has the best intentions for your sister. It was the same with her last boyfriend, taking any chance she got to up and move in with him at any chance she got.

But you aren’t worried, Jared seems to be a sweetheart, you e seen it over the few weeks you’ve spent here. He always engaged and doing anything around the house he can do. He and Stacy worked like a team. You also saw the way he looked at Stacy like the held all the stars in the sky. You wouldn’t admit it out loud but, you were jealous.

“We’ve been best friends since high school. Of course, she ended up with her boyfriend before I could confess my feelings to her. long story short he tried to have her cut contact with me but with a lot of persuasion she ended up leaving him and we got together in collage shortly after I beat the shit out of him." he chuckled seeming to be a bit ashamed at admitting it, but he wasn’t sorry though.

That took you by surprise, you never expected him be a guy to use violence just by looking at him. He seemed more like a lover than a fighter. Reguardless, you’re glad he stepped in, in any way, just to get that prick away from your sister. "Well, I'm glad Stacy has you. I remember seeing that guy before she moved out and he never gave me a good feeling." You say as the car gets off the freeway on the road that leads stright to the hospital. You can see the street changing to one of a more fancy and modernized road with trees every few feet, fancy black fencing, and lighting.

Jared smiled at you, noticing that your compliment took him by surprise. "Thanks." he says and focusing on driving, a small pause of silence between you two before he speaks up. "If you don't mind me asking, your sister told me a bit about the history between you two and how life was growing up but, how did you meet that guy?" He asks, you feel yourself start to think back on the memories between you and Simon, it was bittersweet and made the strings in your heart tug. "You don't have to tell me; I respect your privacy." Jared is quick to say noticing your face drop a bit.

You shook your head and wave your hand in a unbothered manner. “No, no. It’s alright. I don’t mind.” You say as you look at ahead of you towards the road. “I met him in my freshman year of high school, Simon was a sophomore. I first saw in when he got into a fight, but I didn’t talk to him until a week later when I was put into detention.”

✯Flashback✯

You were making your way to your fourth period, walking through the schools' hallway past others students walking trying to get to their next class. As you're about to turn the corner down the hall, you hear a sudden grunt before a loud metallic bang echos through the hall. A few feet away from you, you see everyone looking in one certain area from the origin of the sound hearing continuos grunts and chatter form other students looking intrigued, shocked and also unbothered with what they saw. You make your way towards the crowd getting a sense of what could be happening which was soon confirmed to be true when you manage to look between the gaps of the crowd to see two guys duke it out. The guy pinned against the locker getting multiple shots of fists to the face you recognized him as Todd Hanes. The renowned senior asshole in school. He always picked and tormented other kids younger, or others who seemed weaker than him.

The other guy punching him had his back turned to you, he had short blonde hair and wore a grey t-shirt that really defined his muscles well. You can see he worked out a lot with the way his bicep flexed as he pinned Todd against the locker. You moved closer to get more of a clear view of the fight and watched as the blonde guy raised his fist and socked Todd square in the face, repeating the action over and over again as your peers around you watching the fight. Todd tried to fight back but to no avail with the fists he received to his face. The students around cheered or reacted verbally to the fight as you heard "ooo's' and a few other words being said as they all watched Todd practically get beaten to a pulp which was much deserved. Todd looked pathetic trying to fight back and ended up shielding his face ultimately giving up on fight back.

it wasn't long before a teacher stepped in and tried to pull the blonde off Todd, whos' face was now battered with his own blood, nosebleed and busted lip dripping blood down his shirt. it took two teachers to pull the blonde off Todd and once they did Todd slid down the locker down to the floor barely conscious and seemingly dazed and confused as everyone stared in shock. You finally got to see the blonde guy's face and immediately, you felt your stomach flutter. He was downright breath taking, his brown eyes look like there was a raging fire in him, he heaved heavy breaths as he stared down Todd, whos' face was all swollen, battered and bloody. Meanwhile he only had a bloody nose.

As weird as it was but looking at him like that really awoken something in you and had your brain go fuzzy with just the image of him. As he was pulled away to what you assume was to the principal's office you watch as the teachers helped walk Todd to the nurse's office supporting him up and walking him over.

After that, you didn’t see the blonde guy. However when you asked your friend about him, they told you his name was Simon, she knew since she had a class with him. But it wasn’t long until you saw him again.

You had gotten Lunch detention for two days, you had gotten the note during you second period after you showed up to your first period late for the hundreth time. You sighed in annoyance and crumble up the paper dreading for your upcoming punishment.

When finalllylunch came by you made you way to the library where lunch detention was being held, where you had to sit there in silence for 15 minutes. Walking through the doors you look around and see how surprisingly full it was, all of the round tables had a few students sitting in every single one of them, all except for the one table in the far corner back. Where you spot Simon sitting at, your heart did a back flip at the sight of his blonde hair that peaked through the hood of his sweater. Seeing that he was the only table with less students, and it would be reasonable to sit at his table instead of the other full ones, you began contemplate on wether you wanted to sit at his table or the table next to him where a group of boys sat, you hardly judged anyone but these guys just by the looks of them seemed to be ones to torment girls just for fun, so the easier option was to sit with Simon.

It was nerve wracking walking into the library seeing so many students in the room, you expected there to be only five but there was almost twenty in here, you feared one little noise could cause everyone to turn and stare at you if you so much as breathed the wrong way.

As you walked and approached the table where Simon sat at you began to notice and take in his appearance, his blonde hair was slicked back, a bandage on his nose, from the fight with Todd, and a bruise, it was odd, it looked to be a fresh bruise on his jawline. It had been over a week since the fight, he wouldn’t have a bruise or to the least bit, just have faint bruising. Did he get into another fight?

Your thought were short circuited when his honey brown eyes move up to meet yours, he stared at you through his blonde lashes. You’re surprised and quickly avert your gaze towards the floor ahead of you before you finally reach the table and pull out the chair adjacent where he sat, sitting down trying your best to make the least amount of noise possible. You can feel his eyes linger on you until he moves his arm out to pick up his pencil and focus on the papers on the table that you assumed was his class work.

You try your best to calm your heart that’s currently beating rapidly, it’s absurd how much he’s had an affect on you just by his appearance and a singular glance he gave you. No way you’re this down bad, you thought.

You quietly settle into your seat and set you bag down before opening it up and pulling out your own homework while you steal a few glances at him, an continue to do so as you “work on your homework,” unaware of how obvious you’re being.

At the end of detention the teacher dismisses everyone as you pack away your papers and pencil back into your binder, slipping the binder in your bag your pencil slipped out and falls to the floor rolling a feet away from you. Before you lean down to pick it up, a hand lowers down and grabs the object, you look up and meet Simon’s eyes as he leans back up and extends his arm out to you with your pencil in hand.

You’re dumbfounded for a second, staring at him like a deer in headlights. You manage to mutter out a ‘Thanks’ before reaching your hand out to grab it from him, trying your best to not show how shakey your hand is. As you grab your pencil you try you best to avoid touching his fingers with yours, but you index finger barely grazed his own before you pulled away and slipped your pencil back in your bag.

“Is there something on my face?” He spoke to you, you couldn’t tell if he was genuinely asking you a question or threatening you right now. You’re taken back by how deep and rough his voice sounded, its wasn’t very deep yet but it sounded like his voice was in the process of getting there.

“Sorry…” You say with a puzzled look on your face.

Simon continued to look at you seeming unfazed. “You kept staring at me, did you need something or you just have a staring problem?” He asks, his voice unchanging from his unfazed tone, along with the blank look in his eyes.

You quickly shake your head and try to think of something, then you remembered how you noticed on his backpack he had set on the table. You saw he had a Misfits keychain hanging on the zipper of his bag so you quickly use that as an excuse. “I noticed you had a misfits keychain on your backpack and thougt it was cool-” You blurt out, you words coming out so fast as you grew nervous, Simon almost couldn’t understand what you said at first.

You see him raise a brow at your response as he looks at his bag that was still on the table, then looks back at you and takes in your appearance, his eyes glazing over your body from head to toe. “You listen to the Misfits?” He asks seeming unconvinced by your words.

You figured he may not believe you possiblywith your outfit and appearance, however he shouldn’t be one to judge, all he was wearing today was a black sweater and jeans. You do listen to rock and metal music, you recently got into it thanks to your friend. So luckily for you, you knew some music and information about the Misfits. You nod your head, “Yeah, I’ve been getting into rock music lately and Misfits were one of the first bands I listened to. They’re pretty good.” You say as a small smile makes its way to your face hoping that he’ll believe you were only looking at his neck packs and definitely not checking him out.

Simon seems like he wanted to say more but shook his head. “Alright then.” He says before grabbing his bag, slinging the strap over his shoulder and walking out the library to wherever it was he was going.

You let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding and take notice of how hot your face felt. Crap, you were blushing. He definitely knows you were checking him out!

After that, you suddenly saw him everywhere, you noticed him in your English class, apparently, he’s been in your class this whole time and you never knew, you saw in the halls between passing periods, and of course you saw him again on your second and last day of lunch detention. There were slightly less kids in the library now which meant a couple of tables were empty. When you first entered you expected to see simon already sitting there but you noticed the lack of his presence, you assumed his days in detention were over which made you a bit disappointed. But at least you still got to see him in English class though. As you took your seat at the same table you pull out your essay you were working on for English class, you were almost done with it, just needed to add any finishing touches. Your essay was about the recent book your class read, Romeo and Juliet. The teacher had the class take a theme or idea of what you thought about what the book would be about and how it could relate to readers universally.

As you worked, you had your head looking down and hyper focused on your paper, too busy to see movement around you and a certain figure approaching your table. It wasn't until you heard a thud against the table that made you jump slightly and look up to see Simon at your table setting his bag down on the table before sitting down across from you, you look around and take notice that there were still a couple of empty tables left for him to sit at but he still opted to sit at the table where you were at, why?

Not wanting to overthink and get ahead of yourself, you thought maybe that because he's been in detention longer than you that maybe this was his designated table that he preferred to sit at. He looks at you as he sits in his chair, you look back down at your paper and tried your best to refocus on your essay but much to your dismay Simon was clouding your mind as your mind went into overdrive with him around, and suddenly you began to struggle to write anything.

As you tried to get the cogs in your head to start functioning again, unbeknownst to you, Simon was looking at you, watching how focused you were seeming to struggle a bit as your brows furrowed and your lips pursed. He takes notice of your paper and from what he can see from his view, he can see the noticeable pictures primted on next to the lettering and recognizes the paper to be the latest assignment in their English class. Writing something about Romeo and Juliet. He wondered if he should ask for your help since he saw how you had two pages done, maybe you can help give him an idea of how the story is since he hardly bothered to read the book and get the assignment done, like with all his other classes.

He debates if he should say something to you but ultimately says 'fuck it' and leans in his forearms leaning on the table to whisper to you with ease and not get caught. "You doin' the assignment for English?" He asks you in a whisper, careful not to get caught talking but the librarian was currently too caught up on whatever work she was getting done on her computer and the soft music she played was loud enough to blanket over his whisper.

you look up at him again and stare at him for a second processing what he's said to you. "Oh yeah, I'm just adding some finishing touches before I submit it." You tell him watching his eyes flicker to you and your paper.

"You think you can help me out a bit on mine? Been having some trouble with it. " He asks you as you set down your pencil seeing that you weren't going to write down anything else for now and focus on talking with Simon.

You look at him a bit taken back on the fact he wants your help. This means you get to talk to him more, perfect! "Yeah, would you be okay if we did this once detentions over? I'm not trying to get caught and have to stay here for longer." You tell him as you sneak a glance at the teacher seeing she's still occupied with her computer.

Simon nods and leans back in his chair. "Yeah, sounds good." he tells you. You try your best to fight back the smile that threatened to break through before you nod and look back at your paper completely not bothered to work with your thought clouded with just Simon.

Once detention was over, Simon gets up while you place your items back into your bag. Once you put everything away you see Simon standing there waiting for you, you zip up your bag and sling it over your shoulder and begin to walk towards the exit of the library, Simon following right beside you. “Were did you want to go?” You ask him as you both walk down the hall.

Simon thinks for a moment before pointing to the hallway to the right. “We can head down to the hallway to the band room.” He said as you look down the hall before nodding your head as you both turn right and make your way through the hallway. You figured that hall would be best to study, there’s hardly anyone in there minus the teachers but some kids go there to be alone, away from everyone else. You assume that’s why Simon wanted to go there.

Once you reached the hallway, you both spot a little lounging area at the end of the hall where the elevator was to go upstairs. Walking up to the table you set your things down and take your seats next to each other but Simon and you still kept a good distance from you. You bring out your papers from your bag, Simon doing the same.

Once you both settle and you look at Simon. “So what exactly did you need help with?” You ask him.

“All of it.” He states nonchalantly. “I haven’t really read the story much, just skimmed through a few chapters so I have a slight idea of what is going on but I don’t know what to write about it.” He tell you and keeps his eyes on the paper avoiding looking at you in case he saw the dissatisfied look in your face, he’s a bit worried you’ll think just he’s asking for your help simply to just copy off you.

“Oh well, you basically just choose a theme in the book and write about how you interpret the idea yourself and how it would make readers feel about it as a ‘universal thought.’ ” You explain to him. “So from the little information you’ve gathered from the book, what do you think one of the themes are?” You ask him.

Simon sighed and thought long and hard about it. “From what I knows is that the two are in a forbidden love story, something about family drama between their families. After the death of the two lovers they the family came together.”

You smile and nod at him, “That’s pretty much what the entire story is about. So write about that.” You tell him as you motion to his paper.

Simon nods and writes down a couple of notes to keep in mind. While he was writing he asked you, “What did you write about?”

You look at him and then at your papers. “It might sound a little silly…” You mumble as you avoid his gaze.

Simon raises a brow. “How so? Either way, I’m not one to judge considering I didn’t bother to read the book all the way.”

You glance at him as you fidget with your pencil. “Well, I focused on reincarnation and how cruel the world can be sometimes. The reincarnation part, I was worried the Mr. Jones would tell me not to include it but he told me to keep it, said it would be interesting since some people do believe in reincarnation.” You explain as you see that Simon seems to have his full attention on you, much to your surprise. “So I wrote about how love isn’t always a fairytale love story, life can be cruel and i believe we’ve lived many lives before our current one, our souls are old and our bodies are a temporary thing. Romeo and Juliet never got their happy ending due to some petty drama between her and Romeo’s families that ultimately caused them their happiness and eventually their lives. But I like to think that, reincarnation is a thing, their lifetime may not have been kind to them but maybe their next will be. They’ll find each other again and get to live the life they deserve.” You explain and as you do, Simon listens to every word, he watches you as you explain watching you ramble on about your thoughts of the matter, he watches the way your eyes dart between looking at him and then around the room, you lips moving with every word. Unbeknownst to you and Simon, he was falling in love with you. "I believe soulmates are a thing, Romeo and Juliet are soulmates and soulmates always find their way back to each other in every lifetime, romantic or not everyone has a soulmate." You explain as you glance over your papers.

"How do you know you've found your soulmate?" Simon asks confused on that part.

You then turn to Simon as you both stare at each other for a period of time. “You ever meet someone and within the seconds of your first interaction you feel an immediate connection with them, like being around them just feels… right?” You ask him.

That question made something switch in Simon in his mind as he looks at you. “Yeah… I think I know what you’re talking about.”

✯Flashback end✯

You arrive at the parking lot as you finish telling Jared how you met Simon, of course a shortened version of your story, just the main things. “But yeah, after that day we started hanging out more and more and eventually we began dating a little before I graduated high school.” You tell him as you Finnish up your story, Jared turns the car into the parking lot quickly finding an empty spot.

“He seems different compared to you. I guess opposites really do attract.” Jared chuckled as he sets the car in park and turns off the car.

“You could say that, I guess.” You say, considering your current situation with Simon.

You step out the car and Jared follows behind you as you both enter the hospital building. “I’ll be in here for a bit. You don’t have to stay, you can do your own thing and I’ll let you know when my appointment is over.” You tell him as you close the car door, Jared doing the same.

He shakes his head as you both make your way to the building. “It’s fine. I don’t mind, besides I figured you need as much support as you need.” Jared says giving you a small smile.

You return one back and nod accepting his offer before you turn to the assistant at the desk. “Hi, I’m here to see Dr. Raven for my check up.” You tell the woman as she nods looking up on her computer to check.

“Prenatal check up for y/n l/n?” She asks you as you confirm it with a nod. “Alright, Dr. Raven is currently still with her patient but she should be done in the next ten minutes. Feel free to sit in the waiting room and she’ll be with you shortly.” The assistant smiled at you as you nod back with a smile.

“Thank you.” You mutter as you head over to the lounging area and sit in a chair seeing other woman in the room, some by themselves, some with a relative or another male which you assume may be their partner but you’re not quick to assume. You notice Jared looking a few pamphlets displayed on the wall picking up a couple of pamphlets before sitting down in the chair next to you.

He begins to read one, you can see it’s about baby development, another about how pregnancy affects the woman during and after pregnancy, and the last one for expecting fathers. You’re a little confused on why he’s reading, possibly to pass the time but there are magazines laid out on the little table next to you that he could read. He notices your confusion and points to the pamphlet before speaking. “It’s good to know this stuff, ya know be prepared,” He said as he skimmed over the information.

You him and nod your head. “That’s good.” You reply back as you examine the pictures on the pamphlet.

You can tell there’s something else he wants to say as he takes a deep breath. “Uh… Stacy and I are planing to have kids soon in the near future, kinda thought this would be a good opportunity to read up on this for when the time comes.” He says as you notice his smile becomes wider at the thought of it.

You look at Jared and raise your brow in surprise. “Really? That’s great.” You say as Jared nods continues to smile.

“Thanks. We decided to wait till we settled down, and now that we’re getting there we decided it was time.” He says.

You didn’t think your sister would ever want any kids, you took her as the type to be childfree and live her life being single and on her own. But now that she has Jared by her side, she’s really changed, in a good way of course. “That’s amazing to hear, looks like my baby will have a cousin soon.” You say as you feel your bag vibrate and a chime sounds, opening your bag you fish out your phone and read the screen seeing there’s a message from Stacy.

Stacy: How’s the check up going?

You: Still in the waiting room, just got here but it’s shouldn’t be too long.

You send the message and revive a reply a few seconds later.

Stacy: Oh, well let me know how my little niece or nephew is doing, make sure you follow whatever your doctors says to keep you and the baby healthy. Also when you come back I have a surprise for you ;)

You look at the message a bit confused but smile a bit excited for the surprise.

“Yn.” A voice calls out to you, you look up to see a nurse with a clip board in hand scanning around the waiting room looking for you.

You stand up letting yourself be known, “Right here.” You say with a smile.

The nurse looks at you and offers you a kind smile. “Perfect, Dr. Raven is ready to see you.” She says.

You nod your head and look at Jared, “You okay with waiting out here?” You ask him as he looks up at you and nodded.

“yeah, I’ll be waiting out here.” Jared says and give you a reassuring smile and nod. “Good luck.”

You smile at him before making your way towards the nurse feeling anxious and antsy for some reason. You didn’t know why you felt like this but then again, you’ll be seeing your baby for the first time at least through a screen until the big day you deliver the baby.

As you walk through the halls with the nurse leading you through. You spot a couple in the distance, the woman with a noticeable bump as he husband smiles at her as the walk into a room with his hand around her waist leading her into the room. You feel a emptiness overcome you as you suddenly feel your body grow cold, if you didn’t feel alone before, you definitely felt it right now. You imagine what could’ve been if Simon wanted to stick around, how these visits would be less lonely and filled with more joy then the melancholy feeling you were experiencing right now. He would’ve been able to see your growing baby, see your bump grow bigger over the month before you finally get to meet them and live the rest of your lives as parents.

Thought of your memory with Simon, talking to him about Romeo and Juliet you found it amusing with how your life had played out, almost like the story, life didn’t play out the way you wanted with Simon. Life really can be cruel.

꧁————————꧂

Taglist

@leehoonii-i @blackhawkfanatic @kylies-love-letter @natashamea18 @demonking-69 @thegreyjoyed @nobodycanknoww @andoraamore @leonsgirlie @blarba-girl @going-through-shit @thychuvaluswife @nicolebarnes

[glow-worms-are-believers]

A little of that who-shot-John (dp x dc)

Constantine was nursing a nice Scotch Whiskey as he sat in his new favourite pub, when walked in a very familiar face. Red hair, stunning violet eyes, and pink lips that were just begging to be kissed. 

Jasmine, Constantine remembered her name belatedly. They’d had a fling while he’d been on a case in the states and the woman had been half the reason Constantine had had any fond memories of the trip coming back. 

What were the odds of them meeting back again on his side of the pond? Fate was clearly at play here, nudging him back onto the beautiful woman’s path. 

Constantine downed his drink and turned towards Jasmine, as he raised his hand to wave her over, when the door opened again and in walked another very familiar face.

Crystal eyes and soft black hair, the man who walked in had Constantine nearly choking on his spit. Because that was Daniel, ie the other half of the good memories from the states.

“Fuck,” Constantine mumbled under his breath as he turned away from the two. What the hell were these two doing here together!

As he tried to make himself look smaller, he tried to obscure his face with his empty glass, while his mind whirled for a plan to get out of there and fast.

“John!” Came Jasmine’s voice, and Constantine closed his eyes, pained, before he steadied himself and fixed a smile on his face as he turned around. He could still salvage this. He could.

“Jasmine!” He said back as if he’d just recognized her, as she approached him. Daniel hadn’t seen him yet, but by the curious glance he was sending Jasmine, that wouldn’t hold true for long. “What are you doing here?”

“Me and my baby brother are on a vacation to celebrate my getting my diploma,” she said with a brilliant smile.

Constantine could feel a pit form in his stomach. “Baby brother?” He repeated weakly.

“Oh, let me introduce you,” she said before turning back. “Danny!”

Constantine could feel his battered soul withering away as he watched Daniel make his way over to them. 

“Johnny!” Daniel exclaimed joyfully. “Is that you? What are the odds!”

“Haha, yeah, those are some crazy odds,” Constantine said through his gritted teeth.

Jasmine turned towards her brother - her baby brother! - with a confused little frown on her face, even as she kept her smile. “You know John?”

“Boy do I,” Daniel said with a sly wink in Constantine’s direction that had the man wishing he could teleport.

Constantine laughed weakly as he tried desperately to figure out how to steer the conversation elsewhere, but it was too late.

“Oh?” Jasmine let out, still confused, and it was like watching a car accident in slow motion. “When did you meet?”

“Last summer,” Daniel said, “I told you about him, remember?”

“No,” Jasmine said dubiously. “The only guy you told me about was-“

Her head turned so fast, Constantine could almost hear the crack.

“John,” she started calmly. “Tell me this isn’t what I think it is.”

“Depends what you think it is?” Constantine tried for relaxed and knew he had missed by a mile.

“Jazz?” Daniel said, as he frowned confusedly.

“He’s the guy I told you about.”

Daniel’s eyes widened before narrowing to slits as he fixed his gaze on the magician.

“John, would you care to explain?” Jasmine asked, icily calm. 

Had Daniel’s teeth always been this pointy? 

Constantine gulped.  “Not really, no.”

Jasmine's eyes flashed a neon green.

“That,” Jasmine growled, “is the wrong answer.”

[bookshelf-dust]

healing

billy hargrove x gn!reader

word count: 5,445

warnings: swearing, smoking, mentions of past trauma (starcourt), slight sexual innuendos??

a/n: hi! remember when i made you do a poll for my 1k celebration? and one bed with billy won? well this is that fic! i'm sorry it took so long to get here, but school was kicking the ever loving shit out of me. anyways, i really hope you like it. it's a little different than other fics i've written, but i think that's a good thing. just for context, this is post the end of season three, with billy and hopper being okay and jopper being in full swing. i think that's all i wanted to say. thanks again for 1k followers. that's still so wild to me. i love you. and billy loves you too <333

————

November 1985

“No.”

“What do you mean no? You just fought an interdimensional being, don’t you want a vacation?” 

Lucas wipes both hands down his face, flopping down on the arm of the couch beside where Max sits with El between her knees, tying off one of the two braids she’s trying to make. 

“Max, can you help me? Please?” Lucas has been arguing about this for fifteen minutes. 

She rolls her eyes, but looks up from her work nonetheless. “Billy.”

The man in question crosses his arms, locking eyes with the redhead. “Maxine.”

Max finishes Eleven’s braid and she hops up to join Will where he’s working on a puzzle. Joyce brought it home from work a few days ago, and it’s been spread out on a card table in the corner of the living room since then. Will couldn’t watch The Golden Girls with Joyce from the kitchen table. 

“Just come with us, Billy. We all know you hate it here. It’ll give you a chance to get away for a little while.”

Except that’s not totally the truth. He doesn’t hate it here. Not with you around. 

“There’s a pool.” Will looks up, a little shyly, from the puzzle, fingers flipping around a single piece. “At the place Robin found.” 

Billy nods, and it’s enough to make Will smile at the acknowledgment. 

It’d been Steve’s idea, after everything that happened in July. He thought everyone going on a trip together might be a good idea. Go a little ways out from home, calm down. 

You and Billy started going to school, though Billy is still working. He found a job at a record store across the street from Melvald’s that opened after the mall went to shit. It definitely wasn’t his first choice, but it works. And he’s slowly fixing up the Camaro. 

Steve had offered to pay for the repairs in full, considering he did most of the damage when he rammed the side of it, but Billy couldn’t handle that. So far Max has only convinced him to let Steve cover the really expensive parts. It hurts Billy more than he’d care to admit—having Steve Harrington give him money. 

But he can’t lie, going somewhere away from Hawkins, even just for a couple days, sounds really nice. It’s the group part that’s bothering him. He’s still not used to everyone wanting him to tag along, but apparently major trauma brings people together.

There’s the slamming of car doors, and footsteps running up the driveway before the door swings open, Robin bursting in with a stack of movies in her arms. She’s followed by Dustin and then Steve, bags and keys being tossed every which way. 

Billy doesn’t see you for a moment and starts to worry maybe you aren’t coming. He’s already supplying excuses for having to go home, but Steve left the door ajar, and after a moment, there you are. 

You look sleepy, footsteps the quietest of everyone else as you carefully push the Byers’ door shut behind you. He watches as you accept a hug from Eleven, overhears her ask, “how did your test go?” 

He’s happy to hear you tell her it went well. It’s only after you’ve looked at her and Will’s puzzle and snapped a few more corner pieces in that you make a beeline for the open spot on the couch beside Billy. 

When you’ve settled, your knee bumps against his. “Hey.”

He looks at you, a little grin playing at the corners of his mouth. His arms are still crossed, thumb playing with the pendant resting on his chest. A chest surprisingly covered by a sweater, though the sleeves are pushed up. 

“Hey. Glad your test is over?”

That sound of his voice makes you smile, and he’s never been so grateful for something, even if it’s just an expression. “Yeah.”

You glance down at the new tattoo on his arm, a dark colored snake wrapping around the skin covering his elbow. You run your thumb across the tail that flicks across his forearm, and Billy relaxes into your touch. 

“You have work today?”

Billy shakes his head. You’re glad he had the day off. And you’d tell him so if it weren’t for the sudden bombardment. 

Lucas is suddenly standing in front of you, having returned from the kitchen where you think he and Dustin may have been cleaning out Joyce’s fridge. 

“Holy shit, thank god you’re here. I need you to convince Billy to go on vacation.” 

You glance at Max, assuming she’s already tried. She looks rather annoyed. “Lucas, would you sit down?”

The boy looks at Max, and she glares at him. Clearly he knows better and sits down next to her. 

“Billy doesn’t have to do anything he doesn’t want to do,” you finally say. 

The man in question turns to face you. You have to lean your head back some because of how close he is. 

“Are you going?” he asks, voice quiet and thick with something you don’t know that you’re supposed to notice. 

“Y-yeah. I was gonna. Robin only went on about it to me for an hour over the phone last night. I just think it might be nice to get away for a little while.” Billy doesn’t break eye contact with you, and while it makes you a little nervous, it tells you he’s listening.

“And I can watch Max for you if you really don’t want to go. Just make sure she doesn’t kill Lucas or anything.” Max snorts at your response, though Lucas looks at her in panic, already calculating how best to prevent that sort of situation. 

Your gaze softens and you fight the urge to reach out and run your thumb across Billy’s cheek. 

Please come with us. I want you to go. I want you there, you think. But it’s not what you say. You don’t know how badly he needs to hear it. 

“You really don’t have to go, Billy. Not if you don’t want to.”

“But there is enough space, man.” Steve stands behind the couch, handing El a scrunchie he retrieved from her bag. His voice is calm, informative. “If you decide to go. There’s plenty of room, and we’d be happy if you did.”

Billy could make some smartass remark. But he won’t. He knows that Steve is being honest, and that he’s not trying to be a dick. It seems that witnessing the guy who beat the shit out of you almost die not even a year after he moved to town really brings you together. 

Billy gives an acknowledging nod. “I’d be very happy if you did,” Eleven says. She loves having Jonathan as an older brother, really she does, but Billy lets her play with his hair. And in her books, that really ups the scale. 

He smiles at her, and El considers that a win. 

You notice him shift next to you, and then he’s leaning forward to whisper in your ear. “Come with me?” He cocks his head in the direction of the door. 

He gets up, assuming you’ll follow him. You always do. 

When you’ve shut the door, you move to the porch swing. It’s your favorite spot out here, and Joyce says it makes her happy to see someone use it. She used to sit there with Will in the mornings after Jonathan left for school and read to him. She did the same with Jonathan, but he was a much more fidgety kid, wanting to find something else to do. 

Billy lights a cigarette, and you watch where he fidgets with the ring on his middle finger. 

He’s standing a little ways away from you so as to not breathe the smoke directly in your vicinity, but you wish so badly that he was closer. You like having him close. The weight of his body next to you, the warmth, how solid his arm feels when it’s pressed to yours or when he slides down on the couch some and it's more so pressed to your side. 

“Which part of it are you worried about?” you ask him. 

He shrugs. “You really think they want me there? You think Max wants me around?” “Billy, I know she does. And I know that voice in your head is telling you that it’s a pity invite, but it’s not. And, besides…” you trail off, but he’s not having that. He needs you to reassure him. 

“Besides what?” 

You look up at him. “I want you to go. And yeah, I’ll be sad if you don’t go, but that shouldn’t sway your decision either.” You push your feet against the concrete porch a little harder, and the swing responds to the movement. You move quicker, now feeling very pleased with yourself. 

Billy almost laughs at the child-like look on your face, but you look so at home on the swing that he holds it in. A grin escapes nonetheless. 

“Say that again.” He stubs out his cigarette in the ashtray either Hopper or Joyce have left outside. He’s watching you again. 

“What?” He’s not gonna let you go all shy on him now. He needed to hear that. He needs to hear it. 

“You know what.”

“I want you to go.”

“Then it’s settled. Need to get out of this shithole anyways.”

————

The place Steve found is about two hours from Hawkins, with three bedrooms, a shockingly luxurious pull-out couch, and bigger common areas than you’ve ever laid eyes on. Excluding the ones in Steve’s house. In short, the rental is like Hopper’s cabin, if Hopper’s cabin were updated and substantially larger. It feels like the kind of place rich people have to take weekend trips. You’d rather not find out how much Steve is paying for the lot of you to stay there. 

Robin takes you on a grand tour while everyone else explores the backyard. Dustin is already determined to climb a tree. One of the rooms has two sets of bunk beds, dedicated to the four boys. “To ensure no cootie-spreading,” Robin proclaims. 

She and Steve will share the couch, with Max and Eleven in the smaller bedroom. 

Robin stops at the end of the hallway. “Which leaves…” 

You and Billy. 

You and Billy Hargrove.

Sharing a room. 

Sharing a bed. 

Speaking of, the man in question brushes past you, setting his bag on the floor at the foot of the bed. Robin takes that as her queue to leave and gives you a thumbs up on the way out. You hope she can feel your death stare on the back of her head, and she knows it, being quick to run down the hall. 

“So we’re roomies, huh?” Billy says, gathering his hair at the base of his neck. You hadn’t even realized he had a tie on him, and it takes him finishing off a lazy bun to realize it’s a blue scrunchie. You have to bite your lip to keep from saying anything. 

“I can sleep with Max and El, if you want. Or–”

That crease between Billy’s brows forms. “Why would you do that?”

You’ve gone all warm. You’d have to sleep in bed with him. And you sit next to him all the time, but this is different. Isn’t it?

Maybe it’s not so weird. You’re just friends. It’s like a sleepover, right?

“I don’t know, you might not want to sleep together or something.”

He cocks a brow, but you catch the double meaning of your words just in time. “You know what I mean, Billy.”

He sits on the end of the bed, and reaches out for you. You move towards him slowly, but the moment you’re within his grasp, Billy spreads his legs and grabs your waist, slotting your body between them. 

“You can go if you really want to. If you think I’ve got cooties or somethin’ and you don’t wanna share a bed with me.”

You snort, and Billy drinks in the sound, knowing he’s the one that made you laugh. 

“I don’t think you’ve got cooties.”

You realize in that moment that his hands haven’t left their spot on your waist, never straying anywhere else. The weight of them on you is enough to keep you focused on him, and he seems to acknowledge that. 

“Then what is it?” he asks, in that low drawl you fear could get out any answer he wanted from you. 

You hesitate, but say it anyway. “You don’t think it’ll be weird? Sleeping in the same bed?”

Billy fights the urge to rest his forehead against your stomach. He wants to tell you he’s wished you were in his bed on more than one occasion. Sometimes he just wishes you were there so it wouldn’t feel so cold, so he’d have someone to pull him out of his thoughts before they eat him alive altogether. 

“No, I don’t think it’ll be weird.”

You nod your head, and try to move back from him. 

Billy whines. “Uh uh. Nope.”

You go to put your hands on your hips, and they graze Billy’s on the way. He grabs hold of them. “You don’t want to have a sleepover with me?”

Billy’s looking up at you with those watery blue eyes, and you know this is a battle you’ll never win. 

“Really?”

He lets out a breath of a laugh, and your eyes fall to his neck when he tosses his head back. 

“Yeah, baby.”

Baby. 

It feels like every cell in your body has been sent into overdrive, like you can’t compute a single coherent thought. All because Billy called you “baby”. 

And if he’s being honest with himself, he feels the same way. He hadn’t meant to say it. It’s just that he calls you “baby” in his head all the time, and it just…happened.

“I’d love to have a sleepover with you, Hargrove.”

“Mhm. Thought so.” 

This time he lets the laugh out, and it’s a beautiful sound. The kind of sound you’d commit unspeakable acts to hear again. And this time, he does let his forehead drop to rest on your stomach. It surprises you, but you’re not mad about it.

“Oh, fuck off,” you say, and you can feel his chuckle against your skin.

When he quits, you find yourself just standing there, find your hands moving around his back. He’s always so warm. You rub your hands up and down his back, the denim of his jacket rough on your fingertips. 

You feel him shift, feel his change in position, the hard press of his chin against you. Billy is looking up at you, and you know he’s hoping you’ll return his gaze. His eyes bore into yours, and you hate to think of what you must look like from this angle. Clearly he doesn’t mind. 

You push a curl behind his ear, a shockingly perfect ringlet that’s too short to be contained like the rest of them. 

Billy would be taken aback by the gesture if it weren’t for the fact that you always go this easy on him. Like you know he’s healing, in more ways than one. 

“We can’t stay here forever, you know. I wanna go look around.” 

“Yeah,” he laughs. “I’m sure it’s riveting.” He lets you go anyway, following you down the hall to the rest of the cabin.

————

Your back rests on the base of an oversized chair, one that’s surprisingly comfy, your body in between Robin’s legs. She’s sitting next to Steve, watching you moderate El, Lucas, and Will play Twister. Dustin’s already out. 

“Right hand blue.”

“You’re kidding right?”

“Sinclair, have you never played this game before?”

Lucas scoffs, trying to reach the blue on the other side of the mat without toppling into Will. Max went with Billy to the store, but they should be back soon. You have a sick feeling they’re taking advantage of having been given Steve’s debit card. 

“Yes, I’ve played the game before. If you’re so good, why don’t you get down here and show us how it’s done, Harrington?”

“Yeah, Harrington, why don’t you show us how flexible you are?” Billy’s voice makes you look up from where you’ve been mindlessly twisting the spinner on the board around with the tip of your finger. 

He stands just inside the living room, holding the door open with his leg. He kicks it shut once Max has made it in. She heaves the paper bags she’d been holding up and onto the counter. Steve rises to help unpack them. You follow on instinct, handing the spinner to Robin instead, and Dustin is quick to take Steve’s spot before Mike can. 

Billy won’t let you take anything from him, but he will let you help figure out what the hell to do with all of it. “Do I even want to know how much you both spent?” you ask. 

He gives you that fucking smile, and you know you don’t. “Max said she wanted to have a spa night–whatever that means–with El, so we sort of split up. I’m sure Steve’ll live.” 

“For your information, Lucas,” Steve continues, clearly not ready to let the quips towards his limberness go, “I was the captain of the swim team.”

“What’s that got to do with being flexible, dingus?” Robin directs the two remaining players, the young boy in question having just busted his ass. 

“Swimming is an art form, Rob. You gotta learn to respect it.”

You choke on a laugh, and Billy is quick to rub your back while he chuckles into your shoulder. 

“Something funny over there?” Steve questions. 

You straighten, trying to wipe the smile from your face though it’s to no avail. “Nope, Steven. I’m sure you’re just incredibly stretchy. Like Mr. Fantastic.”

His brow furrows. “Mr. Fantastic?”

Dustin snorts, elbow deep in a bag of chips, and you quickly realize that you probably shouldn’t have given him an opening, but you don’t exactly regret it either. 

The lot of you spend the rest of the night in this fashion, playing games, eating way too much food, taking turns smacking the top of the television so your movie will keep playing. 

It feels like home. It feels safe. You wish it always felt this way. 

————

You’d just finished brushing your teeth when you hear the bedroom door click shut, hear footsteps you can tell are in search of you. 

You peek your head out of the bathroom and Billy grins at the sight of you in pajamas, a smear of moisturizer on your forehead you’ve yet to rub in. 

He squeezes in the small room, about the same size as his at home, to join you. There’s something about this moment, the domesticity of it, that makes your heart swell. It feels like something you could get used to, getting ready for bed with him. Neither of you have to say anything, you just do your own thing, but having him be there, having his presence–it’s more than enough for you. 

When you climb into bed, you try and read for a while, the sounds of Billy washing his face comforting you. You find it easy to read even when he does get in with you, the mattress sinking underneath his weight, the sheets rustling as he moves around experimentally, trying to get comfortable in a bed that isn’t his own. 

You feel odd though, reading when he’s right there, so it isn’t long before you close the book and slide further into the covers with him. Billy’s quick to turn on his side, wanting to see you like this. 

He watches you yank the blankets up to your chin, looking at him over a blur of fluffy white comforter. “It’s fuckin’ freezin’ in here,” you tell him.

“C’mere then.”

You burrow further into your pillow, fearing you know exactly what he’s going to suggest. “Huh?”

“You’re cold. You always whine about me being warm or somethin’ and I’m telling you to come here.”

“Billy.”

“Stop.” He lifts the covers up some, untucking you from them, and he wraps his arm around your back, tugging you into his side. 

Suddenly you’re pressed against him, having slid across the sheets easier than you’d have imagined. 

He’s let go of you, his arm hovering over your back. “You want me to hold you or no?” 

“Yeah.” 

Billy lets his arm drop against your side, his fingers splaying out over your back. He rubs his hand up and down your spine, hoping it’ll warm you up. “This okay?” 

“Yes.” 

He nods. You’re looking at him like he’s something special.

Billy realizes, in that moment, that that’s how you’ve always looked at him. Even before. 

He also realizes that your hands are tucked under your chin and your legs are curled up and into you like you’re afraid of making any contact with him. 

“You can loosen up, you know. It’s just me.” 

You let out a breath of a laugh, and he can feel it against the skin of his neck. 

“It’s okay, I promise. You can touch me.” Billy has this feeling that you’re afraid of hurting him. He’s sure you’ve noticed that he’s wearing a shirt to bed, something he never did before. And he thinks that you’re worried he’ll break. 

“You’re sure?”

“Wouldn’t have said so otherwise.”

He watches you unfold your hands and stretch your arm over him, hooking it around his hip. You want to rub up and down his side, but you’re nervous. 

It’s just me. 

“Do they hurt at all?”

Your thumb skates up a little further, and you don’t have to tell him what you mean. 

“Not all the time,” he says, voice low and thick with drowsiness. “At first, yeah, like hell. Now it’s just sometimes. They can feel a little tight, or just bug me. Depends, I guess.”

You nod, feeling brave enough now to slide your hand up a little further. Your touch is light, barely there. You close your eyes, trying not to think about when it happened. How he’d screamed. 

He can tell when you’ve calmed down some, because your arm relaxes and you hug him a little more firmly. You scoot in a little closer, close enough that your noses would touch if you tried to make them. 

“Goodnight, Billy.”

He makes the move, dragging the tip of his nose across your forehead. He kisses the top of your head, and you grin so wide you feel like a kid in a candy shop. 

“Goodnight, baby.”

————

When you wake up, you almost don’t want to disturb him, but you know you should get out of bed.

Billy is sprawled out on his stomach, having separated from you at some point during the night. His tank top is rucked up from the tossing and turning of sleep, and you look away when you catch a glimpse of pink skin. It doesn’t feel like your place to look. 

You wander out of the room, carefully shutting the door behind you. You make it down the hall, and find that Robin seems to be the only other one awake. You should’ve guessed. She told you once before that her body doesn’t seem to let her sleep in. 

Steve is still passed out on the pull-out couch, completely covered by the blankets. The only sign of him is a tuft of messy hair against the light colored pillow case his head rests on. 

Robin waves at you from her perch at the kitchen counter, a bowl of cereal in front of her. “Want some?” she whispers, pushing the box in your direction. 

You fill up your own bowl, having a feeling that Robin is about to ramble. 

“Sleep okay?” she asks. 

“Mhm. You?”

“Fine. Though, y’know, Steve is a horrific bed hog. Seriously, he was half on top of me the whole night. I might have to bunk with Max and El.” 

You laugh, and Robin takes that as her queue to ask what she’s been pondering since she woke up. 

“Was it okay? Sleeping with Billy? Well, not like that. Well, I’m assuming not like that, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but I just meant like actually sleeping? Please stop me.”

You grin at her. “Please breathe, Rob.” She does, over exaggerating her inhales. “And it was fine.”

“Okay, good. I was kind of worried you’d be frustrated with my matchmaking tendencies. I just really want you two to be happy. And he seems so calm when he’s with you, and I realize I’ve just told you that I’ve been pushing you two together and I–”

You wipe milk from your chin, having almost spit out your cereal. “Robin, sweetheart, it’s okay, I promise. I know about your matchmaking tendencies. But I think we’re just friends, right?”

“Just friends, my ass.” You hadn’t even seen Steve get up, but he’s reaching for the fridge and pulling out a carton of chocolate milk. He really can’t say anything about Dustin’s eating habits when he has the exact same diet. 

“Oh my god.”

“Listen, I’m just saying, there’s been something going on between you two since before the world went to shit. I don’t know why you two tiptoe around each other like it’s not obvious that you’re in love.”

“Steve!” you exclaim. “Seriously, what the hell? I’ve been up for like twenty minutes and you two are schooling me on my love life?”

“Or lack thereof,” Robin says. 

“Okay, damn. You know what, I’m going back to bed.” 

Steve pushes your bowl back towards you when you attempt to get up. “No, you’re not. I’m just saying, there’s no sense in avoiding this. You both clearly feel a lot for each other, and I don’t see any reason to avoid it when you could be together.” 

He’s being vulnerable with you, his big brown eyes boring into yours and trying to convey how serious he’s being. 

“Just think about it, okay? There’s no harm in talking about how you feel with him. And don’t say that you don’t feel anything, because that’s a goddamn lie.”

————

Billy’s had his swim trunks on all day, but he hasn’t done more than sit in the shade by the pool while everyone else makes a mess and plays ridiculous games in the water. 

It’s killing him to watch you in there from time to time, swimming around or sitting in the shallow end. You told him once that swimming calms you down. 

It’s not until after dinner, when everyone has moved inside for the most part, though there seems to be the plotting of a water balloon fight out front, that he’s brave enough to head for the pool. 

You follow him out there, see him contemplating the water. 

“Whatcha doin’?” 

Billy drops the cigarette he’d been smoking, snubbing it out. “Thought about going for a swim,” he tells you. 

“That sounds nice.”

“Mhm.”

“I can go back inside, if you want.”

Billy turns to face you. “No. No, I want you to stay.” He wants you to see. He can’t explain why, but he does. 

“Okay.” 

He takes a shaky breath, hoping you don’t catch it. You do. You always do. 

“I just…wasn’t ready for everyone to see.”

“I understand, Billy.” 

You know what he’s really saying. He wasn’t ready for everyone to see. But he’s ready for you to see. 

“I can get in first, if that helps. And I won’t look if you don’t want me to,” you say. 

“That helps, yeah. And you can look. It’s okay.”

He watches you wade in, watches the way your swimsuit changes color as you tread water. 

Billy takes another deep breath, and he’s pulling his shirt off. He’s quick though, diving straight into the deep end, knowing he needs to get it over with. 

When he comes up, his hair is sticking to his forehead, and he flips it out of the way, giving you a glimpse of the broad pink scar on his chest. 

He meets you halfway, and you think he’s in a serious mood until he’s splashing you like a child. 

“You motherfucker!” 

You get him back, and he’s laughing. 

Billy is laughing and he looks so pretty in the last of the day’s sunlight, beads of water sliding over his collarbones and down his arms, and you feel like you could die. Like seeing him this way is enough. You don’t need anything else.

You try to return a particularly aggressive splash, but he catches your waist, pulling you up and over his shoulder. 

“Billy!”

“What?” His voice is teasing. He tosses the rest of the way over, your laughter fading out into the water. 

You come up, a brilliant smile on his face. Billy’s sure if you stood close enough you’d be able to hear his heart beating. 

When you’ve both gone quiet, your eyes drop to the scars on his sides, the way they stretch across his skin, mean and twisting. Some spots are darker than others, and while it hurts you to look at them, you know it must hurt him even more. But he looks just as beautiful as before, if not increasingly so. 

“See something you like?” Billy says it on instinct. To hide the fact that he’s worried you don’t really like it. That maybe you think he’s gross looking. But he knows that’s all in his head. He fucking knows it. 

“You’re fucking gorgeous, Billy Hargrove.”

You say it with such surety, such admiration, that he can’t even begin to doubt that you mean it. 

He smiles at you. It’s boyish. You’d do anything to see a million more of them. 

He moves towards you, the sky having darkened enough that the outside lights have come on, the lights in the pool too. All that remains of the sun is a slash of deep orange, though the night quickly pushes it away.

Billy’s got you backed up against the wall of the pool now. His hands find your sides.

It’s overwhelming, having him this close. You can feel his breath on your face, see the rise and fall of his chest, the freckles on his cheeks. 

When he kisses you, you think your heart stops. His mouth is warm against yours, and he tastes a little like chlorine, but you don’t care. Your hands find his face, and you’re smiling so hard that he pulls away because he wants to see. You don’t let him for long though, pulling him back, wanting more. He laughs into your mouth, and your chest aches with this feeling.

Eventually you do let go, and when you hold his eye contact, he knows what you’re going to say. He needs to tell you first, though.

“I’m in love with you, you know.”

“I know,” you respond.

He tosses his head back in a laugh, and you press a sweet kiss to his throat. 

“I’m in love with you too, Billy.”

“Damn right you are.”

You snort against his chest, lowering slightly to kiss his scar. His breath catches. He doesn’t know what he did to deserve you. 

“About fucking time!” Steve’s shouting and Robin is yelling, and Max would be making barf sounds if she wasn’t so pleased with seeing her brother so happy. 

“So much for that,” Billy says.

But you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

————

“I’m regretting this, Billy.”

“Stop whining.”

Billy wraps his arms tighter around your back, pressing a kiss to your jaw in hopes that you’ll let him keep doing this. 

“Get off.”

“No.”

“Get off, please.”

“Make me.” 

There’s the sound of a slap, your hand having met his ass.

He raises his head from where he’d buried it in your chest, looking at you drowsily. “You just spanked me.”

And you’d do it again. 

“Didn’t work, did it?”

“No. Shut up and take it.”

By that he means continue letting him lay on top of you, his entire body pressed to yours. It doesn’t matter to him that there’s an entire bed, one that’s made for two people.

You settle for playing with his hair, something he seems to enjoy, and you’d mess with him about the fact that he’s essentially purring if it weren’t for him looking so content. 

He might be heavy, but having Billy Hargrove sleep on top of you isn’t exactly something you just give up. 

He’s never had this before.

Hell, you’ve never had this before. 

And he thinks it’s healing him. More than the salve he puts on his scars, or the physical therapy, or fixing up the Camaro. 

You’re healing him. You. 

————

please let me know if you liked this! feedback is always appreciated!! comments and reblogs mean more than you know. <33

[luveline]

I love your KBD universe, I know that Beth is having a hard time with being the weird kid and I just have to say as a lover of weird things and people I would love to see something where Bethie comes home from school happy to have met someone who LOVES that she’s a little weird!

dad!steve and his weird girls <3 mom!reader, 1k

When you get home from work with the big kids in tow, Steve’s gonna kiss you stupid. With baby Wren gurgling on his tummy and less-baby Dove sitting by his head where he lays on the couch, he’s never been this happy. He’ll be happier when the big girls are home, but for now, he’s snug as a bug, treated by his second youngest to a buffet of affection. 

“Love you,” Dove says, kissing his cheek for the tenth time in the last two minutes. He can’t stop laughing.

“I love you, too!” he says, shifting his hand to give Wren some more room. 

“Love you, dad,” Dove says.

“I know, baby, I know. Thank you for the kisses, you’re so nice.” 

Dove kisses him again. “You’re happy,” she says. 

“So happy. Can I get another kiss, you think?” 

He turns into her. She’s sitting too high to be cuddled; all Steve can do is take in her sweetness. He can’t believe how quickly her babyhood has passed into toddlerhood, and she’s been sort of a nightmare, but she’s also his little girl. She’s your daughter, her sisters’ sister. She was always going to be lovely, and Steve feels it like a loving punch as she noses at his ear. “Daddy,” she laughs, “you’re too warm.” 

“I’m blushing, babe, I’m getting all these nice kisses!” He laughs like an idiot and decides he must hug her, pulling his arm up and scooping her into his chest. 

She groans in annoyance before she realises what he’s doing, “Hug!” she says excitedly. 

“Hug!” he echoes, wrapping his arm around her. She’s starting to look less like a baby and more like a little tiny kid, which he hates and loves at the same time. “Aw, I love you, Dovey.” 

The door clatters open. Wren jumps at the sound, hiding her face in Steve’s neck, to which he gives a good back rubbing. “It’s okay, bubby, it’s just your mommy. Don’t be silly, huh? Just mommy. You’re gonna be happy when she turns the corner.” 

“Shoes,” you’re saying from the door, though Steve can’t see you, he can tell you’re smiling. “Shoes, Beth, then you can tell dad.” 

“Daddy, we’re home!” Avery shouts. 

“I can hear you, babe!” he shouts back, not unkindly. 

“Dad, I have something to tell you!” Beth shouts. 

Steve hoists himself up into a sitting position, two babies in his arms, knowing you’ll know he’s laid down all day from the mess of his hair alone but not trying to hide it. You can do whatever you want on your vacation days, you’d teased. Just make sure you feed the kids.

“Hi,” you say, appearing in the doorway, two balls of energy at your legs that bolt for Steve the second they see him. 

“Girls, I don’t have long enough arms,” he says, trying to cuddle them all, even though it’s impossible. 

He finds himself suddenly relieved of the second youngest. Dove might love her father, but she adores her mother, and she hasn’t seen you all day —she slinks down out of his hold and through the mess of her sisters to grab at you, to which you gratefully receive her, pulling her up to station on your hip. “Hi, gorgeous,” Steve hears you say. Avery pushes him back, climbing into his lap with a happy sigh. “Miss me today? I missed you,” you ask sweetly. 

“What did you want to tell me, Beth?” Steve asks curiously, grinning as Avery makes herself comfortable on his thigh, her arm wrapping behind his neck. He’s happy to see everybody else so happy, even if it’s hectic. 

Beth beams up at him with her brightest smile in weeks. She’s been having such a hard time at school, Steve wondered if he could start homeschooling, coming home upset nearly every other day. It isn’t fair. His relief that she’s had a good day is palpable. 

“Dad, there’s a new girl! Her name is Francesca and she’s got the same birthday as me and guess what!” 

“What?” he asks. 

“She said she likes being weird!” Beth’s eyes glow shiny with joy. “Cos Hilly called me weird, and she said she likes being weird. She said we can be best friends.” Beth hits his knee in her excitement. “She liked me, dad.” 

“Why wouldn’t she like you?” he asks, wondering how old he’ll have to be before he stops tearing up at Beth’s good heart. He blinks quickly to dispel any tears before they can gather. “Her name is Francesca? When did she move? Do you think she wants to come for dinner?” 

Your laugh is a snort. “Steve.” 

“What? Friends come for dinner. Best friends! Did you speak to her mom?” he asks you. 

“I didn’t see her.” 

“Don’t worry, Beth, I’ll speak to her in the morning. We’ll see if they want to come for dinner or go swimming or something.” 

Beth’s smile gets wider, “Really?” 

“Yeah, really!” He gives Avery a little shake. “Did you meet Francesca?” 

Avery nods. “She’s pale and she has big hair. Curly hair, too.” Her voice is a tad scratched, perhaps from the cold out. 

Steve lets his weight fall into the arm, cautious not to squish your baby, a grin on his face to rival Beth’s. She gets the memo and climbs up, claiming that last bit of space under the baby to hug his stomach. He tries to wrap them all up, gurgly Wren, exuberant Beth, and poor cold Avery. “You coming?” he asks you. 

There’s dinner to make. You ignore it, crossing the mess of the living room to flop down on the couch next to them all. Steve lifts his face in that way you always recognise, and is pleased as punch when you peck him quickly. 

You don’t realise how Steve thinks of you, he’d say. Don’t realise he wants another kiss, then another, that you’re on his mind when you aren’t there, and dominate it when you are. He loves his babies, but he loves you too. He wants another kiss. 

“Steve,” you scold lightly, surprised as he presses two kisses to the corner of your mouth. 

“Sorry. Beth, tell me more about Francesca. What did she say exactly?” 

Beth takes a deep breath. 

[coldfanbou]

Happy To Be Back

A little time with Sowon is always nice, so we're going on a date with her, with a slight twist.

Length 2.1K

Sowon X Mreader

Sowon wore one of her nicest dresses, looked at herself in the mirror, and snapped a couple of pictures for her fans. She smiled at herself, excited to be going out after so long indoors. Grabbing her coat, Sowon checked herself one final time before leaving. 

Outside her apartment building, an elderly driver held up a sign with her name. The car was waiting to take her away. These small things made Sowon feel special; she gingerly walked over to the car and greeted the driver before stepping inside. “Good evening!” she said, carefully stepping into the back. 

The driver nodded to her with a polite smile. “Good evening, Miss Sojeong.” The driver shut the door once Sowon had stepped in and walked around the car. He started the drive, making sure to give Sowon a smooth drive to the restaurant you had selected. As they drove, Sowon stared out the window, watching as the shadows created by the setting sun covered many buildings. When the skyscrapers gave way to smaller buildings, she caught a glimpse of the sunset. Since you had come into her life, things seemed to be going her way. She breathed a sigh of relief as she sat back in her seat, eager to see you again. 

Sowon becomes increasingly excited, tapping her feet as the car approaches the restaurant. The vehicle comes to a stop, and the driver walks over to Sowon’s side, opening the door for her. Sowon steps out and looks toward the entrance, spotting you coming out. She smiles and rushes over to you, taking small steps as she moves up the stairs. You extend your arms out, welcoming her into a hug. “I missed you,” she says, burying her head into your chest. Sowon rubs her head against you before peering up and shining a bright smile at you.

“I missed you too.” You plant a kiss on Sowon’s forehead.

“You said you’d see me more often.”

“I know, but I got busy. That’s why I’ll have you for the next few days.” You reassure her.

Those words bring a smile to Sowon’s face, “Really? You promise?”

“I promise, everything is already set. Come on, let’s go inside.” You offer your arm to Sowon, and she takes it, walking alongside you. You walk up to the host stand and give them your name. They quickly check through their book and spot your name.

“Ah, here you are. We are delighted to have you, sir.” The man's voice is welcoming as he leads you to a booth in the corner. 

“How have you been, Sowon?” You ask while looking over the menu.

“I’ve been great. I have some things lined up, so I’m getting a lot of work now. Honestly, things have been going so well since meeting you.” 

“I’m glad to hear that; you deserve it, though. You’ve been working really hard.” Sowon grins and lifts her menu, blocking your view of her. You tell the waiter about your order and focus back on Sowon afterward.

“What have you been up to?” She asks, cocking her head to the side and resting it on her hand. “I want to know what you’ve been doing.”

“Oh, you know, working, traveling to meet clients.” 

“We should go together the next time you're going abroad. I want to spend more  time with you.” Sowon’s whines tug at your heartstrings.

You sigh, “I don’t know, it’s pretty much go there, do business, and head back. It’s not much of a vacation.” 

“It doesn’t matter if it is a vacation. I just want to spend time with you.” Sowon states, staring into your eyes. 

You smirk and sigh, “Alright, I’ll take you with me sometimes. Not always, but some.” Sowon feels satisfied with your answer and leans back. The rest of your dinner is filled with talks about what the two of you have been doing. Sowon explains her workouts and tries to gain some weight while you go over the funnier parts of your work. Your meal was winding down; you paid for it before walking outside with Sowon. The driver pulls up slowly and hurries to open the back door. You laugh and tell him not to work himself so hard as you help Sowon inside. You pat the driver on the back and step inside the car. He drives you to Sowon’s apartment building, where you both head inside. 

Sowon tosses her coat on the couch, leaving herself in her floral dress. She turns around slowly and slowly wraps her arms around you. “Are you going to spend the night?”

“I told you I have you for the next few days.” You press your lips against Sowon’s, your hands moving down her side until they find their place on her waist. You both begin to grin and as you pull away, you see Sowon’s eyes slowly open. “Let’s head to the bedroom.”

“I’d love to.” She replies. You move down, grabbing Sowon and lifting her. She giggles and yelps as you carry her to her bedroom. You crash onto the bed, kissing her again as she gets your suit jacket off you. You pull away from Sowon, unbuttoning your shirt and throwing it to the side before moving back in. You nip at her neck, her soft, smooth skin acting as a canvas as you leave small hickeys on her. You hook your fingers around the straps to her dress and pull them down slowly; Sowon’s moans flow from her lips as she feels your hands squeeze her breasts. “Mmm, harder,” she groans, shutting her eyes. You smirk and pull Sowon’s dress down further, leaving it around her stomach and freeing her breasts; her small brown nipples are already hard. You leave a trail of kisses down Sowon’s neck as you reach her breasts; you kiss each one before attaching yourself to her right breast. Sowon arches her back, raising her chest and wrapping her arms around your head. 

Her other breast isn’t left alone; you pull on the hard nub. It’s enough to make Sowon whine, her mouth shut as she tries to quiet herself. Wanting to hear her beautiful voice, you bite down on her breasts hard enough to leave teeth marks. “Ah! Mmm, keep going…please.” You adjust yourself, gently biting down on her nipple before pulling back. You feel Sowon’s body tense up; she bites her lip and keeps her eyes shut as the pleasure courses through her body. She learned to like the pain you gave her after the first few times. 

Sowon can feel her legs becoming slick with her juices as you tease her breasts. She can feel your hands moving her dress down further, just past her slit. It was hairless, clean-shaven just for you. Your hand snakes down her toned stomach; your fingers quickly become coated in her nectar as you slide them between her slippery folds. Sowon’s moans grow higher as she feels your finger prod her entrance. Her body submits to you as her mind becomes wracked with pleasure.  “I want you, baby,” she mutters. You pause your actions and bring your hand to face, showing Sowon just how wet she is. Her eyes move between your fingers and your eyes. She hesitantly opens her mouth, allowing you to push your fingers inside.  Sowon’s tongue moves around your fingers as she sucks them clean. Sowon becomes intoxicated with the taste, her body becoming hotter as her desires for you grow. 

You back away from Sowon, pulling her dress off and leaving her naked. “I need some help Sowon.” The young woman rises slowly, kissing your chest as she unbuckles your belt and pulls your pants and underwear down. Sowon’s smile grows as she sees how hard you are. She grasps your shaft gently and begins to stroke it. “Ah, Sowon,” you groan. Hearing you moan her name fills Sowon’s heart. You move to lay back on the bed, allowing Sowon more space to work with. With your pants entirely removed, she gets between your legs, leaning down and kissing your cock. Her soft lips start at the base of your cock, slowly moving up to the tip. Sowon takes her time running her tongue along your shaft. She cups your balls, sucking on them softly as she strokes your shaft with her other hand. She watches your reaction, waiting for your praise. Each compliment you give Sowon makes her smile, even as she wraps her lips around the head of your cock. Your moans grow louder as you feel Sowon’s skilled tongue swirl around your cock. She bobs her head slowly, taking in more of you each time. Her lips stretch, and her cheeks hollow as she moves closer to the base. You place your hand on Sowon’s head, pushing her to your pelvis. 

Sowon struggles for a second but quickly recovers, her throat relaxing as your cock forces it to expand. She forces her tongue to move from side to side as you hold her in place. Sowon moves her hand between her legs, mimicking your earlier movement while occasionally slapping her lips. As she begins to run out of breath, you let Sowon go. She pulls back, coughing slightly as she stares into your eyes. She reaches for your cock, stroking it slowly, her delicate fingers wrapped around it. 

“I think I’m going to use them.” Sowon purses her lips and nods, knowing what you mean. She takes your place, laying back on the bed as you reach into her nightstand and pull out a few objects. The first was a pair of handcuffs; you have Sowon’s hands tied to the headboard, leaving her at your mercy. The following two things were nipple clamps with small chains, some of Sowon’s favorite toys. You attach them to her nipples, listening to her moans as they pinch her. 

Finally ready, you spread Sowon’s legs and rub your cock against her folds. She whimpers, “Please put it in.” You tug on the chains, making Sowon moan as her nipples are pulled taught. “Mmm, Master, I want you to put it in,” Sowon moans. You smirk and press the head of your cock against Sowon’s entrance, pushing in slowly and watching as her body accepts you. Sowon throws her head back, moaning loudly as she feels your cock finally push into her. “I-it’s here,” Sowon whispers as you hold onto her hips and move your length fully inside. Sowon wraps her legs around you, wanting to keep you inside. 

You hold onto Sowon’s waist and begin thrusting into her; you watch her hefty mounds jiggle as your bodies meet. You move one hand to the chains, keeping them stretched as you thrust. Sowon’s bouncing breasts gave her pleasure and pain; as they moved, they caused the clamps to pull on her nipples. She cries out, her core tightening. Being unable to do anything besides take your cock, only added to the experience. You let go of the chains and lean down to capture Sowon’s lips; she presses her body against yours, rocking her hips as you drive your cock deep into her slit. Sowon begins to whine as she nears her climax; you knew as much. Her walls clamp down on your cock, increasing your pleasure. 

“Sowon, I’m going to cum.” 

“Cum inside me, cum inside me. Please, I want it all.” Sowon blurts out, moaning as she feels your cock knock against her womb. “I’m cumming!” She yells, her body shuddering and toes curling as waves of pleasure wash over her. You bury yourself inside Sowon and cum right after. She feels your hot cum spill into her, the warmth spreading over her body. You kiss Sowon softly, feeling her hips rock as she grinds against you. She opens her eyes slowly, breathing heavily as she mutters, “I love you.”

You kiss her again and unlock her handcuffs. She wraps her arms around you, her mind slowly drifting off to sleep. You pull out slowly, unhooking her legs. You lay beside the beautiful woman, taking in her form before removing the nipple clamps from her. As she sleeps, you grab your pants and pull out your wallet, leaving the money you owe her on her nightstand. Sowon may genuinely love you, but she was a toy to use for you. You trained her body to respond well, and with a little kind treatment, she fell in love. It was an accident, but you won’t correct it if it meant you paid her less for these nights. If she dedicated herself to you, you might even consider dating her. However, they say never to date prostitutes.

[haologram]

how to be a latin lover ♡ h.js (m)

♡ synopsis: the dreadful semester has started — meaning your summer vacation has come to end, and so has your summer fling…or has it? ♡ genre: summer fling au ; big dummy dumb idiots to lovers ; ta x student dynamics. ♡ pairing: spanish ta!joshua hong x chaebol!fem!reader | side pairings: lee chan x jung haerim (weki meki) ; wen junhui x lee saerom (fromis_9) ♡ word count: 26.8k ♡ rating: 18+. minors do not interact, i beg. ♡ warnings: honestly, a little toxic if you squint. lots of pining. hella slow burn. lots of suggestive commentary but no smut because i'm ass at it (sorry if you wanted some, maybe during the lore drops for this fic later this year i'll add some) and very, very toxic mother-daughter dynamics [official warnings: joshua and y/n are absolute idiots. i’m talking the dumbest mfs you’ve ever encountered, you’ll want to scream at them through the screen.] ♡ what to listen to: otro atardecer - bad bunny, the marías ; get to you - mac ayres ; sky full of stars - coldplay ; brave enough - leehi ; qué locura enamorarme de ti - eddie santiago ♡ a/n: it's finally here! thank you to @camandemstudios for allowing me to be a part of such a wonderful collab (and i promise hoshi will be out by next week!) thank you to @tomodachii , @wqnwoos and @highvern for betaing this stupid behemoth and telling me to stop being a little bitch (no one said that). hopefully i will see everyone soon with the hoshi version! thanks for reading!

Monday, August 29th.

Summer is over.

A sad fate deemed inescapable, despite your sunkissed glow and endless array of swimsuits begging you to stay on the beach – you were forced to return to reality after spending six weeks in Mexico, away from the shackles of your mother's constant nagging and the fall semester of impending doom. Your trip was all-expenses paid, of course – thanks to daddy's big, fat wallet.

You had no worries – your skin was clear, your hair was bouncy, your belly was full of delicious food as you pranced the streets of Puerto Vallarta with your best friend, Lee Saerom. Your father didn't even know he'd footed the bill for her, too. He didn't check the credit card report after you booked your trip – just nodded absentmindedly and waved you off, his voice echoing the walls of the office. "Have fun, honey."

Well? The fun you had…is now here to bite you in your sweet, sunkissed ass.

Summer flings have been your thing since you were eighteen – so since your parents finally let you out of their grasp to 'explore.' Whatever the hell that meant, you didn't know, but you gladly took the plane tickets and went off to wherever they sent you. One year, it was Greece, and your summer sweetheart grew a bit too obsessed with you – leading you to change your number and start using burner phones for vacations.

You covered all your tracks. You didn't even give this guy your social media accounts, you gave him your burner number…you didn't even tell him your last name. Yet, you are so undeniably screwed.

"Hello, everyone!" He scans the room as he takes a sip of his coffee, glancing at the door. "I'm unsure if you all received the email, but Professor Lee won't be in today." He's still scouring faces, taking in new ones and recognizing old ones. He hasn't seen you, and you're sure if you just sink a bit further down, he won't. "I'm Joshua Hong, and I'm Professor Lee's teaching assistant this year. She asked me to review the syllabus with you, in lieu of her absence." He taps the stack of papers on the large oak desk, clicking his tongue. "I'm gonna put the digital copy up on the projector, and you guys can just pick one of these up on your way out. Sounds good?" The class seemingly nods simultaneously, and you find yourself sliding down your chair as he walks to dim the lights. "That being said, welcome to Beginning Spanish Conversation! I took this course last year, and Professor Lee is super nice so you won't have to worry about getting into any scuffles with her."

He's speaking to himself as he connects everything, the home screen of his laptop popping onto the projector screen. It's him and two other guys dressed as the Powerpuff Girls. He giggles to himself before using the laser pointer. "Not that you guys care, but these are my friends." He points to the one dressed as Buttercup, tied to a moving dolly with a sour expression on his face.

"This is Jeonghan. He's another TA on the East Campus, and the secretary of my fraternity! If you ever see me off campus, I'm likely with him and this guy." He points at the one dressed as Bubbles with a tiara on, a guy you recognize but can't seem to place. "This is Seungcheol. He's President of Beta Tau Omega, in case you're wondering where you've probably seen him before." You freeze as he opens his Safari, hoping that comment wasn't directed at you. It opens to the syllabus, and you feel your lips twitch at how cute Professor Lee made it. There is a floral border surrounding the page, and he points the laser on the screen again.

"Okay, so. Again, I'm Joshua Hong and your professor is Lee Hyori. This is Beginning Spanish Conversation, so we'll be learning a lot of vocabulary and common phrases. Enough to get you by in case you're ever stranded in the middle of Guadalajara with no phone and no money." He smiles, and someone raises their hand in the front.

"Are you speaking from personal experience?" It's Jung Haerim, a girl from your World Cultures class last semester.

His smile only grows slightly wider as he shakes his head. "No, and yes. I got lost in Denmark. Copenhagen, to be exact, and I had to flirt my way onto the train. Not as fun as it sounds, trust me." He returns to the screen, carefully going over what the students could expect in the coming weeks. He reiterated that Professor Lee loves pop quizzes, so stay prepared. It was only then when he finally stopped speaking, flashing yet another award-winning smile. 

"Any questions?"

Your hand is crawling to cover your face as people start asking questions, further prolonging your suffering – when you feel eyes on you. Peeking through your fingers, you see him peering at you over the rim of his tumbler. They hold a mischievous glint, and he casually continues answering questions.

Where are you from?

"Los Angeles. I moved here when I was about…nineteen? Yeah." You already knew this.

How was your summer?

"Pretty good, I spent eight weeks in Puerto Vallarta. I got back maybe three days ago, and only then did I find out I got this position." You knew this, too. He probably remembers you.

What's your major?

"I'm a Music major, with a minor in Jazz Studies." He told you this on your third night together, over an IPA and a shared basket of chips and salsa. You burned your tongue on your food that night, you couldn't taste for days.

Oh? Why that?

"I've always been passionate about it. Funny, I took Spanish to broaden my horizons for it. I'll hopefully be a producer after graduation."

Your impatience begins to show as you bounce your leg irritably, and it's almost like he can hear your thoughts. "Alright, alright. I'll literally be here every time you guys are, so save your questions about me. Or, find me after! We can hang, I'm usually at the frat anyway." He shrugs, gesturing to the pile of papers on the desk.

"Syllabus, take one!" His smile is bright as you scramble down the steps, snatching the piece of paper off the desk and just about sprint to the door. You can feel your cheeks heating in embarrassment as you barrel down the hallway, deciding to skip your next class in hopes of drowning in your shame.

You spot Saerom a few feet down the hall, smiling and talking to one of your other friends, Chan. He was rushing that stupid fraternity this year, so if your math was right – you wouldn't be able to avoid Joshua at all this year.

"Saerom, I'm so fucked." You call, and she immediately spins around, a look of discernment on her face.

"Y/N, what are you on about this time? The last time you said that, it was because you left your Dior lip oil in Morocco." She deadpans, and you scoff. "Maybe it's about her classes." Chan reminds her coolly, and you sigh as you slump your forehead against his chest, earning a pat on the back from him.

"For once, the twink is right." Groaning, you bury your face further into Chan's chest. "I've got to transfer out of Spanish, or the University. I cannot be on this campus."

Your words are muffled against Chan's shirt, earning a sigh from Saerom as she places her hands on your shoulders. "Get a grip, Y/N! It's the first day of your last year, it's not the end of the world. You will not see any of these people next semester, trust me."

She's not understanding the severity of your issue, and only when you hear someone stop behind you, do you attempt to explain. "Saerom, you're not listening–"

"Saerom, is that you?" 

She looks up, her eyes lighting up as she gently gestures for you to hang on, pushing past to envelop whoever it was in a hug. You look over your shoulder, eyes wide as you see him looking down at your best friend.

"Shua! Oh my God, it's been so long! How's your mom?!" Shua. Oh, you feel sick.

Your breath hitches in your throat, before Chan's amused face comes into your line of vision as he drapes his arm over your shoulder – effectively hiding you from Joshua. "We'll let you guys catch up. See you later, Saerom?"

He tugs you away without getting an answer from her, and you almost make it out of the hall when you hear your name slip from Saerom's lips. "Oh, Y/N is my best friend! I'll have to introduce you sometime, you'd love her."

You barely catch Joshua's response as Chan makes a left out of the hall.

"I'm sure I will."

Friday, September 2nd.

"So…anything you want to tell me?" 

Saerom is standing next to you, placing forks next to slices of cake. The two of you had missed three birthdays on your trip, and you'd invited said birthday buddies over for a celebratory movie night to make up for it. You'd bought a cake on your way home from your first Organic Chemistry lab, and Saerom had set up the apartment with the small gifts you'd brought back from Puerto Vallarta.

To your luck, Saerom had pulled you aside while you were cutting the cake to talk to you.

"Uh, no? I skipped Spanish today? I used the last of my face wash?"

She rolls her eyes, crossing her arms as she turns to face you. "You were never gonna tell me that you slept with someone this summer?" 

"I don't know what you're talking about? Obviously, you knew I'd find someone." 

You try to hold in the heat of embarrassment, but Saerom's like a dog with a bone. "Right, of course. How would I, your best friend, not know that you, my best friend, slept with a guy over the summer?" Soonyoung, Junhui and Nagyung were playing Mario Kart on your television, and couldn't hear the conversation being had in the kitchen. You felt your cheeks warm as you stared into the cake, a bit of chocolate frosting smeared on your knuckles. "Sae, it was just some random guy I met when you slept in. Why does this matter?" "It matters…" She huffs, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, and you give her a look of get on with it. "It matters because he's my cousin, Y/N."

Your grip on the spatula tightens. You can feel your stomach drop, eyes wide as you look back at her. "He's your what?"

"I'm not mad at you, if that's what you're thinking. I'd never be mad at you for that…even if it is weird for me." She says quietly, and sighs as you feel panic set into your skin. "I just…Why didn't you tell me? I transferred to this university for you, I tell you about all my hookups, and I had to find out through him that you guys were sleeping together for the last three weeks of our vacation?"

"How could I have possibly known the two of you were related? Better yet, why does it matter? It was just a stupid fling, Sae. I'm not trying to marry into your family, God." You mumble, placing the spatula in the sink and covering the rest of the cake with the plastic lid. "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't think it would come back to bite me in the ass." "It doesn't. I thought you already considered me family, Y/N. It seems I've been under the wrong impression for a while." Her eyes are cold as she moves the cake slices onto a tray, and you feel taken aback. "What the hell does that mean?" "What the hell did you mean? As if marrying into my family would be so fucking bad? We're a great family. We're loving, open, and honest. Nothing like you, it seems!" 

You gape at her, before you feel a bit of anger claw at your throat. "Saerom, I didn't think I'd ever see him again! Of course I'm going to hope he doesn't expect anything more from me, because I can't handle that. I want a career, I want to own my parents' businesses after graduation. I can't let a guy tie me down, no matter who he is to my friends. You have to get that." Her eyes are hurt, contrary to the furious tug on her brows. She knows what you want out of life, she always had – at least, what you would let her believe. Your parents had expectations, and you, as their only daughter, had to fulfill everything. Taking over your father's companies, inheriting your mother's properties, continuing the bloodline. It was all on you.

God forbid a girl have a little fun on vacation.

"It's always about you and your career, isn't it?" She mutters, grabbing the tray and walking towards the living room. She stops in front of the doorway, looking over her shoulder. "I thought I could trust you, Y/N. It seems that being a Risk Analyst may not be my perfect fit, after all."

You kind of hate that this is happening.

No, scratch that. You hate that this is happening. You don't even really understand what just happened, or how Saerom could have possibly interpreted what you said as something bad. Despite these horrible circumstances, you knew that Joshua couldn't possibly be a bad guy. Granted, you'd skipped your Spanish class twice now, doing everything in your power to convince Chan to enroll into it so you wouldn't have to face Joshua alone. You even said you'd pay his stupid fraternity dues if he got in, no matter how bad you hated Beta Tau Omega.

Joshua was sweet on vacation, but everyone has their vacation persona, and their normal life characteristics. At home, you were serious, studious, and even slightly uptight.

On vacation, you were…flirtatious, unhinged, a bit wild. You took shots from strangers and stayed out in clubs and bars until the wee hours of the morning. You'd play games of chicken with cute guys, letting them kiss you in bathrooms and put their hands up your skirt.

Joshua did none of that, he didn't indulge your behavior. At least, not right off the bat.

He'd caught your eye at a restaurant, speaking perfect Spanish to the waitress. He looked…refreshing. Sweet, different from your past romances. He looked like someone you'd actually date, but you were on vacation and you weren't looking for a long-term, potentially long-distance boyfriend. A quick fuck, a cum-and-go, if you will.

You'd bought him a mimosa, ignoring his line of vision as you befriended a few girls you'd met at the pool of your hotel. Saerom decided to sleep in that morning, and almost every other time you managed to catch Joshua alone – she wasn't in your presence. Maybe that was the universe protecting the both of them, while scorning you.

He'd sent a glass of white wine to your table, also avoiding your gaze and continuing his breakfast conversation with his friends. Jeonghan and Seungcheol, now that you can put a name to the faces. You didn't bother then, it didn't matter.

Not until now, of course.

You remember walking past his table on your way to close out your check, slipping your name and burner number on a napkin. You remember his friends teasing him, even hearing one of them give a low whistle. You remember said burner phone buzzing in your pocket less than an hour later, and meeting up with him that night at a salsa club down the beach.

You also remember cuddling on a hammock with him, pointing out stars you'd memorized as a kid because you wanted to be an astronaut. You remember him kissing your fingertips as you talked about your life back home, leaving out details of where you lived, where you went to school and who your parents were. You remember his eyes scanning your face, lingering on your lips as you sighed, voicing your unhappiness.

You had truly opened up to a stranger faster than you had anyone else. Even Saerom didn't know you felt this way about your life. How could she? She was under the impression that you loved it, you loved feeling important, you loved the money your lifestyle was funded by. That you didn't care about your parents' emotional absence, and the overwhelming amount of nannies being rotated in and out of your childhood in place of them.

Some things are better left unsaid, you remind yourself. You have to remind yourself that this façade needs to be upheld. You have to make your parents proud. You have to.

Right?

You're still standing in the kitchen when Nagyung appears in the doorway, her voice soft as she calls out to you. "Y/N?" You jump, a hand to your chest as you look up. She apologizes, "Sorry! It's just…the movie is starting. Are you coming?" "Yeah, sorry. I'll be right there." You gesture at the mess of cake crumbs and frosting, and she gives you a quick smile before scurrying back to the living room. You turn to wash the spatula, your mind just reminiscing as you grab the soapy sponge.

"So you're going to take over your father's business?""Yeah, I'm an only child, so I don't have much of a choice. If I don't take it, it just goes to the highest bidder. In my mind, it wouldn't be the end of the world if that happened, I'd get to pursue my own path."

"If you think that, why are you taking it over? Why not tell your parents that you have dreams you want to pursue? I know it's easier said than done, but office jobs are not good for the soul in my opinion." He spoke confidently, his fingers twirling your hair.

"I'd be ungrateful, I'd be throwing away hundreds of properties and investors. I'd be throwing away this lavish life I live, funded by my father's money. I'd be throwing away a secure future…and I'd be letting them down."

You didn't want to be an astronaut anymore. You'd long let that dream go, along with an eight-year-old you that had posters of Yi Soyeon and constellations plastered all over your room. You remember your mother standing in the doorway of your bedroom when you got your first poster of a supernova, a glass of Merlot in her hand as she sighed. "You'll never be like them, you know? Going into space…eating peanut butter on crackers and floating. It's not possible." She had been right, anyway. You had put all of those posters up in your attic, along with your rocket models when you moved for college. The only thing you kept and brought with you to University was the orrery your last nanny gifted you for your fifteenth birthday. It sat pretty on your desk in your room, mocking your every move.

You were getting a business degree. You were majoring in Marketing. You're taking Spanish for the same reason Joshua did, to broaden your horizons, and make business boom. To feed the greed that festered in your parents, and give them what they want.

But…unbeknownst to them, you were also majoring in Physics. You wanted to give yourself the sliver of hope that they wouldn't actually want you to take over the firms, that you'd get to continue your education and get your doctorate. That you'd be a plasma physicist and watch everything happen in real time for space research, without having to leave Earth's surface.

Delusions, all of it.

"Welcome. You missed the first fifteen minutes." Soonyoung scoots over, offering you the lit joint between his fingers as you sigh. Taking it, you plop down on the couch cushion, your leg draped over the armrest. "Takes time to have a clean house, Hoshi." Saerom glances at you from her spot on the floor, her eyes unreadable as she blinks. She frowns slightly, returning her attention to the television. You can tell she feels uneasy about the entire situation. She's probably asking herself how she didn't catch on, or why she didn't ask.

And the truth is, you're kind of glad she didn't. Had she done so, you probably wouldn't have slept with him. You probably would've found out they were family and completely ghosted him, or at least told him that you were her friend. You would've let him down much more easily, instead of leaving Puerto Vallarta without saying goodbye and throwing your burner phone in the garbage at the airport.

Everything would have been different, you would have acted differently.

Nonetheless, you can't dwell on the past. You can't keep skipping Spanish, and you can't let your grades slip over some stupid summer hookup. What you can do is pretend it didn't happen. Pretend you've never seen him in the nude, pretend you don't know what his lips feel like. Pretend like he didn't affect you deeper than he did, because it wasn't just sex.

And you hate that it wasn't.

Monday, September 5th.

"You love me, Lee Chan!" You'd done it. You'd convinced him to join your class so you wouldn't be subjected to Joshua's nonexistent wrath alone. Seeing Chan leaning on the wall next to the door was a sight for sore eyes – even if he was trying to subtly flirt with Haerim.

"Y/N, you're going to scare the hoes!" He speaks through gritted teeth, allowing you to envelope him in a tight hug. "Ugh, you've saved me from a world of misery." "You're so needy." He mutters into your hair, making you pull away with a smug look on your face. "Well? Why is everyone out here?" "Professor Lee isn't here today. We're waiting for Joshua to get the door open." Haerim speaks as she locks her phone, shoving it into her pocket. She eyes you up and down, noticing the slight frown on your lips. "Why did you skip twice already? The semester just started." Grimacing, you make up a lie. "Prior commitments. Couldn't miss 'em." "Right…" She gives you a look of discernment before fishing her phone back out of her pocket. "I'm gonna skip, actually. You still have my number, right? Can you forward what you guys do today?" Upon seeing your nod, she gives you a lazy smile and worms her way through the crowd of students forming around the door. Everyone is whining and complaining, but you're now searching the hall to see if you can also make a run for it…

"Hey! So sorry, guys. Professor Lee just called me." A slightly disheveled Joshua appears behind a group of girls, holding up a set of keys. You look away, meeting eyes with Chan – who is squinting at Joshua as if he knew him. "Is that…Isn't he the Vice President of Beta Tau Omega?"nk

"Leave it up to one of my best friends to befriend the enemy." You scowl, before looping your arm in his to tug him into the classroom. The front few rows are already filling out, with Joshua regaining his composure at Professor Lee's desk. You and Chan make a beeline for the back of the classroom, taking the last two seats in the third row.

"I'm rushing this year, I need to know my higher ups." Chan whispers back, and the two of you whip your heads towards the front of the room at the sound of Joshua clearing his throat. "Sorry again, everyone. Unfortunately, a late start will be followed by a quiz." He winces as a collective groan follows his announcement, and you feel your stomach flip. You don't know enough Spanish to pass this class by the seat of your pants. You barely retained how to introduce yourself from high school. "Don't worry, since this is the first quiz of the semester, I'll go easy on you. Just some general conjugation, and it's to see where you fall on the scale." Joshua speaks confidently as he walks around the room, handing stacks of the quiz to the first person in the row. You feel your eyes glued to the floor as he holds the stack out for you to take, and you hate how your hand shakes as you do so.

What you hate even more?

"Nice to see you in class, Miss Y/N." He whispers, before crossing his arms behind his back and walking down the steps. Chan snickers next to you, earning a smack. "Not funny!" You grit, whacking him again with the stack of quizzes.

"Once you are done with your quiz, I will grade it. You may then leave for the day, because I really do not have the energy to think of anything else to be done." He's rubbing his temples, and you hear a few people sigh in relief.

"Easy money." Chan whispers to himself, before clicking his pen and beginning the quiz. You glance down at it, your lip tucked behind your teeth. The quiz seems standard – a few conjugations, a few multiple choice. One short answer at the bottom, asking you to describe what you did over the summer in Spanish.

"Fuck." You mumble.

You can't lie to yourself, you probably fucked yourself over by skipping those last two classes. They probably reviewed, took notes. Maybe even engaged in actual conversation with each other, with Professor Lee…with Joshua.

Nonetheless, you feel your skin crawl when you notice that you've spent so much time agonizing over this, that you're one of the last students left. Chan finished at some point and you didn't notice, because now he's waiting by the door for you. You feel your throat tighten, forcing you to zero in and just scribble an answer at the bottom of your quiz.

Grabbing your backpack, you fling it over your shoulder before trekking the steps, noticing Joshua giving you a warm smile.

"Miss Y/N." He greets, taking your paper. You give him a tight nod, before spinning on your heel to leave. You're barely two steps in the right direction when you hear him again. "Ah, ah, ah! We need to speak, Miss Y/N. Turn around." You're semi-grateful that the classroom is nearly empty, because you know you look embarrassed as you turn back around. "Yes, sir?" His smile drops as you stand in front of him, and he taps his pen on your quiz. "You missed two classes consecutively. Per the syllabus, you can only miss six classes per semester, and we don't accept late work. You can't excel in this course if you're not physically here, you know." He's not being a douche. You know he's not, but you can't help and slightly bristle.

"I had other matters to attend to, sir. I'll be on time for the remainder of the semester."

This doesn't seem to satisfy him, and his brows furrow slightly before he shakes his head, sighing. He turns your quiz over, the capital C minus grade in red ink. 

"I know you don't want to be here, it's clear in your attitude. However, if you intend to pass this class, you have to show up. My tutoring hours are on the syllabus, revisit them and send me an email when you get a chance so we can get you back on track."

Your mouth opens slightly, and Joshua gives you a rather stern look. "Don't. I'm trying to help you." "Yes, sir." You mutter. He tilts his head towards the door. "You can leave." Huffing, you storm out of the room and nearly shove Chan out of the way when you reach the door. "Woah, hey! Don't kill me, Y/N!" He grabs your elbow, and you groan loudly. "Dude, what's your deal?" Chan asks, taking hold of both your shoulders as the two of you round the corner out of the hallway. 

"My deal, Chan, is that I fucking slept with the TA over the summer! That's my deal, dude!" You throw your arms up in exasperation, and a lightbulb seems to go off in Chan's head as his mouth forms an O-shape. You lean against the brick wall of the building, slowly sliding down and covering your face with your hands. 

"You..fucked Joshua Hong." He speaks, and you let out another groan, similar to that of a goat. "Yes, Chan. I fucked Joshua Hong in Puerto Vallarta in a random villa on the beach." "Spare me the details, will you?" He grimaces, running a hand through his hair. He squats next to you, making you look up at him with his hand. He gives your look of defeat a laugh, a concerned smile remaining on his lips as he touches his head to yours. "Don't worry, Y/N. He won't be anything but professional, I promise you."

"How do you know?" You whine, Chan's smile of concern turning into one of reassurance. "He clearly takes his job seriously, and he could've told the entire frat by now. Joshua Hong banged the biggest chaebol on campus, Kang Y/N. Crazy." You can tell he's trying to make you feel better, but you already knew Joshua wasn't the type to kiss and tell. Tell anyone other than Saerom, of course – but the two of you didn't speak much over the weekend so you felt a bit down in the dumps anyway. You didn't have dinner together or even go on a morning coffee run like you usually did – choosing to rot in your own rooms until hunger forced you out.

"He's Saerom's cousin, Channie." You pout, allowing him to tug you up off the wall and fling his arm over your shoulders. He sighs, resting his head against yours before he speaks. "Well, it can't get any worse than this, can it?"

– ☆ – 

You scribble a reminder on a sticky note to kill Lee Chan for his earlier words – it has gotten worse.

You had forced yourself to review the syllabus upon returning home, especially after your Organic Chemistry professor informed everyone twenty minutes before class started that it was canceled. You then forced yourself to type out a concise and polite email to Joshua Hong, and you forced yourself to press send. 

Ten minutes later, you forced yourself to read his reply.

And now, fifteen minutes after reading it, you were parked in the lot, your head resting against your steering wheel as you repeated some positive affirmations. "I can do this, I can do this. He's gonna be professional, I'm going to fix my hours, and I'll be on my way home."

Hopping out, you make sure to press your keyfob twice to hear it lock. Breathing in deeply, you made your way towards the hallway, seeing a few stragglers still on campus. It was nearly six in the evening, so they were probably also in office hours. Seeing the small office come into view, you stare at the names on the bronze plaques. Wow, you think. How important.

Kim Namjoon…WED. 3PM-7PM.

Jennie Kim…THURS. 4PM-8PM

Joshua Hong…MON/TUES/FRI. 2PM-6PM

Jeon Soyeon…MON-FRI. 10AM-1PM, OCHEM II ONLY.

Sighing, you grabbed the doorknob and twisted, pushing it open to reveal Joshua speaking on the phone. His eyes dart to you, a hand to his chest before gesturing to the table in the corner. You roll your eyes, before shutting the door and flipping the sign that reads In Session.

"Yes ma'am…mhm…I will get that done." Joshua is pinching the bridge of his nose, making you snort to yourself as you sink into the surprisingly comfortable chair in the corner of the room. You set your backpack on the floor, pulling your laptop out and a notepad. Clicking a pen, you fold your hands in your lap, waiting for him to finish.

"Yes, I will see you on Monday, Professor. Alright, take care." He hangs up, taking a moment to process. He blinks twice, before shaking it off and opening one of the drawers. "Good to see you, Miss Y/N. This is the review that you missed on Wednesday, and you missed an oral introduction on Friday." Standing, he holds up a packet. "This is just verb conjugation. I was originally going to use this for extra credit, but seeing as you got the highest grade out of anyone in the morning session, I think it's safe to say you probably won't need it." You're silent as he hands it to you.

"You will have to make up for lost time here, so you can stay for…an hour today, and then you can make up the other two on Friday." He's checking the calendar by the door, taking a pen from his pocket to write it in. "Sounds good?" You don't answer, just nodding your head. He raises his brow at you, "Cat got your tongue?" Grimacing, you glance up at him. "Sounds fine, sir." He smiles a bit, before clicking his tongue. "Actually, just take it. You can go, Miss Y/N." 

He walks to the desk, shutting his laptop. Confused, you look at him. "You want me to go?" "I don't want you to be anywhere you don't want to be, even if it's for your own benefit. You can leave." He nods, sliding his laptop into his bag, zipping it up and hiking it over his shoulder. "I have a prior commitment I can't miss, so consider this a favor." Snorting, you just shake your head as you put your things away. "I don't need any favors from you." You mutter to yourself, and Joshua smiles brightly as he holds the door open for you. "Whatever helps you sleep at night, Miss Y/N. Have a good night." "You too." You grumble, pushing past him to see Jeonghan and Seungcheol leaning against the wall. Seungcheol is holding an extra cup in his hand, and Joshua just lets out a sigh before greeting them warmly. Unfortunately, they're walking in the same direction as you, so you reach into your hoodie pocket for your headphones – but not before you hear a low whistle. "She looks familiar."

You just shove your other hand in your pocket, wondering if they'll keep talking. Does the other one remember you? Do they know you slept with Joshua? Did he tell them? "It's funny to think you'd remember anyone, when you're one of the biggest whores on campus." One of them speaks, and you can hear Joshua laugh lightly. "She's my student, so shut up. Anyway, how'd things go with the new OChem professor? I heard he's a mess, canceling classes back to back." You decide to tune them out as you reach the end of the hallway, not wanting to entertain them as the parking lot comes into view. You can see from where you're standing that there is a ticket stuck under your windshield wiper, and you groan. "Son of a bitch."

Jogging over, you take it off and see that it's not actually a ticket, but a note from someone saying they hit your car. Gasping, you round your car and see a huge dent in your bumper, black paint scraped off and your tail light broken. "Motherfucker!" 

You can hear the trio of men getting closer, hearing the beep of the car next to yours as it unlocks. Scowling to yourself, you take your phone out to call your father. He should know what to do..right? His assistant picks up on the second ring. "Kang Enterprises, Gyuri speaking."

Sighing, you speak to her for a moment. She tells you he's in a meeting, and can't come to the phone at the moment. It's nearly seven at this point, what could he possibly have a meeting about? She says she doesn't know, but that your mother is also at the office and she's available. You reluctantly agree to speak to her, leaning your forehead against your rear windshield.

"Y/N? Why are you calling?" She sounds disinterested in whatever matters you may have, and you feel Jeonghan skirt past you as he rounds to the driver's side. "Sorry," He mumbles, and you scoff before moving out of the way. He grimaces before hopping in, and you can hear Joshua speaking to Seungcheol as he also rounds to the driver's side. 

"Hello, Mother. Someone hit the beamer–" You barely get the words out before she starts responding. Yelling, actually – and so loud you have to pull the phone away from your ear. Joshua is unfortunately hopping into the passenger seat, and he can see the look of defeat on your face. He gives you a sympathetic smile, and you frown before turning away.

You're still standing there as they pull out, but you've put her on speaker now. She's yelling about how irresponsible you are (and let's not forget you weren't the one who hit a car here) and that she can't believe you expect them to send you another. "I don't want another, I just want Daddy's advice on where to take it to get it fixed." "I don't care, Y/N. We'll get another one down there tomorrow. Just…be more responsible, will you?!" 

She hangs up, and you tongue your cheek so as to not cry in frustration. You don't want to drive the car home in this condition, you could get pulled over and then it's worse. Pulling up your messages, you scour who you could call. Chan is at a stupid pledge thing, you're not speaking to Saerom. Sighing, you quickly shoot Soonyoung a text, before calling the local towing company. They towed Chan's car last year when the two of you accidentally swerved into a fire hydrant trying to teach Nagyung how to drive.

Msg From: Soonyoung 🐯

[7:01PM] tf you mean someone hit ur car

[7:01PM] your PARKED car??? i'm literally in the shower, y/n

[7:03PM] ok uhh i think jun is on his way, if you wanna wait for him? if not i can finish up here in like 10 mins

Great.

Wednesday, September 7th.

"Shua." You hear Haerim speak from the front of the room. Your mother had angrily called you last night and said Gyuri would be dropping off your replacement vehicle today, so you were anything but focused until you heard the nickname slip from her lips.

"Haerim." He speaks, not taking his attention away from the corkboard he's putting up on the wall. It has Polaroids of all the students in your class and a few others you don't recognize. They probably took those on the days you weren't here.

"If you don't mind me asking, are you single? My friend drops me off on her way to French with Professor Bae and she thinks you're cute." Haerim is very casual with her conversation, making Joshua laugh lightly as he turns, holding a few thumbtacks between his fingers. "I am single, but I am unfortunately not on the market. Sorry to your friend, Haerim." She shakes her head, about to speak when you hear another person pipe up – Kim Myungjun, a guy you hooked up with at a sorority stoplight party your sophomore year. "How come? Did you get your heart broken or something?" Joshua smiles gently, sticking another Polaroid onto the board. He sighs, before turning back to face the room. "Something like that. I met a girl over the summer. Didn't end very well."

You can't believe your ears, and you can feel your eyes narrow as Chan shifts uncomfortably in his seat. You're willing to ignore it, until you hear Myungjun speak up. "Man, don't let that deter you from finding your soulmate! Love is everywhere, if we let one person dictate our confidence, we give their opinion value. I read that somewhere." Joshua nods, his smile never wavering, when he meets your eyes. His head tilts to the side, but he speaks while looking at you anyway. "I dunno, man. Something about that girl…she was different." Chan coughs awkwardly next to you, and you welcome the distraction as you tear your angry eyes away from Joshua's mischievous ones. You pat Chan's back, offering him a sip of your water bottle when Joshua returns to his conversation with Haerim (and apparently, Myungjun.) "Anyway…yeah. I'm alright for now." You spend the rest of the class with your face hidden behind your hair, studying the stupid Quizlet link Joshua had sent out last night. Professor Lee would finally be in this Friday, and she was expecting all A's across the board that day. You watch the clock on your phone, willing time to go faster with your mind.

The moment the clock strikes noon, you're out of your seat – only to hear Joshua call after you.

"Chan, Y/N, if the two of you could hang back for just a second." He says, as the students shuffle out. You glance at Chan, who has an unsettled look on his face. The two of you take the steps down quietly, waiting for everyone to file out when Joshua holds up the pink Instax camera. "You guys weren't here for class photos, so I just wanted to get those out of the way. Professor Lee uses them to remember names." Chan engages quickly, and you feel your phone buzz in your pocket.

Msg From: Jang Gyuri (K. Ent.)

[12:05PM] Miss Y/N, I am outside with your new vehicle. It seems I am on the West Campus.

Shit.

The panicked look on your face doesn't go unnoticed by Chan, even as he's blinking away the effects of the camera flash. "Are you okay?" "Gyuri is here, and she has my keys." You respond, clicking away on your phone when Chan covers the screen, wiggling his eyebrows at you. "I'll get them for you! Please, please, please—" "You're only asking because you think she's pretty." You roll your eyes, and Chan flashes you a mischievous smile. "Correction, I think she's beautiful. C'mon, I literally do everything for you!" "Fine, fine. Only because you make me feel guilty." Chan beams at you as he hitches his bag over his shoulder, the both of you completely forgetting this meant you'd be alone with Joshua. He calls over his shoulder that he'll wait for you in your new car, making you snort.

"You can stand right here." Joshua points at the small piece of tape on the floor. You grimace, sliding your bag onto Professor Lee's desk and fixing your shirt. "Your necklace is twisted," He speaks again, and you feel around for it.

"Here…can I?" He sets the camera down, and you give him a rather sour look before agreeing. "Fine." "No need to act like this, Y/N." His breath is minty, and it's softly hitting your skin as he works the clasp to the back of your neck. Your grandmother gave you this necklace. He knows, you told him about it tipsy off a mango margarita.

"She got me this on my tenth birthday. I have never taken it off.""She believed in you.""What a shame, right?"

His fingers linger on the glittering pendant, before centering it on your blouse. "Ready?" "What did you mean by different?" You blurt, and his eyes widen as he reaches for the camera. "What?" "You said I…nevermind. Just take the picture, I have somewhere to be." You force a smile, and Joshua gives you a questioning look. He positions the camera, but sighs. "Too forced. Just relax, Y/N."

Huffing, you soften your face, letting your cheeks reach your eyes as you smile gently. "Much better." He whispers, taking the photo quickly. You blink a few times, before reaching for your bag. "And Y/N?" "What!?" You gripe, and he smiles. "Not everything is about you, pretty." Rolling your eyes at the slight lurch in your stomach. Pulling your bag over your shoulder, you stop as he huffs. "Wait, it came out wrong. Can you stand here again?"

He flicks the faulty picture onto the desk, and you quickly position yourself in front of him again. You clear your throat, smiling again as you move your hair to your face – when you see him smiling tenderly behind the camera. "Why are you looking at me like that?" "Hm?" He snaps the photo, taking it as it prints and covering it with his hand from the light. "Nothing, you look a lot nicer when you smile." You don't reply, waiting silently to see if the photo develops nicely. He doesn't speak either, before flipping the photo. You're smiling back at him, and he holds it up. "Satisfied?"

"Yeah, whatever." You shrug, and he nods. He hands you your bag, and gives you a warm look. "Have a good day, Y/N." You hesitate, but take your bag. "You too."

– ☆ – 

"Hey, Shua."

He looks up to see Saerom standing in the doorway of his bedroom, her arms crossed as she drags the tip of her shoe against the hardwood.

"Hey! What are you doing here? And if you say you're here to see any of these perverts, I'm going to escort you out myself." She just laughs, shaking her head as she enters his bedroom. It's a bit larger than the others, and she flops onto his bed. "Why did you tell me you slept with Y/N?" Joshua chokes on his spit, coughing harshly in his desk chair. Saerom looks slightly amused as he regains his composure. "Just right out with it, huh?" "Well, she's my best friend. I don't know how I didn't know you were in Mexico, too. I literally watch your Instagram stories." Saerom pouts, and Joshua laughs. "Maybe because I like to live in the moment? I don't document every part of my life, Rom." "I mean, yeah, but still. And how did you guys even have time to meet? I was with her all the time." Saerom wails, making Joshua just shake his head. "She did mention she was on vacation with her best friend. She never mentioned your name, and we also hung out mostly at night. I'm assuming if you guys didn't share a room, you wouldn't have been able to notice, anyway." "We never share a room when we go on vacation together. We like our privacy." She rolls her eyes, and Joshua smiles knowingly. "I know, I was there with Cheol and Han, and I practically begged the front desk to get me one of the beach villas. I did not want to share a room with them, or whatever girl they managed to tag team."

"As your cousin, this is a weird conversation to have. As Y/N's friend, I feel awkward. We fought a bit, and I can't really talk to her knowing that you guys…did it."

"You're so…Okay." He snorts at her theatrics, before opening his laptop. He sees the photo he took of you in the corner of it, your smiling face peeking out at him. He shuts it quickly, having forgotten he took it with him. The photo developed after you left, so it's not like he lied.

"Anyway, she's such a cold person normally. It's hard to get in there." Saerom sighs, and he feels a pang in his chest. You'd opened up very quickly with him, but Saerom didn't know that – nor did she need to. "I guess it works, though, she can be personable when she wants to. Can't believe she wants to own that big ass company her father has. I'd cry myself to sleep if I had that much pressure on my shoulders." You're living such a double life and your best friend doesn't even know it. How can you hide those things from her? Do you fear being judged, or being seen as less than? Someone who can't handle the pressure of being the golden child, someone who can't hold a candle to her parents? Someone who disappoints.

"Yeah, me too."

Saerom keeps talking about you, but he can barely hear her. His phone is open in his lap, and he's staring at the message thread with your burner number.

Msg To: Y/N (PV)

[06/29] hey, this is joshua. [06/29] you left your number at my table.

Msg From: Y/N (PV)

[06/29] hi handsome ;) [06/29] are you free tonight?

He had been free.

He remembers the stupid white dress you wore when you met him at the salsa club. He remembers the confidence radiating off you when you asked the bartender for your drink. You made it evident you didn't need him, that you weren't looking for anything serious – but you slowly dropped the act. You let him in just a bit, you danced with him and you let him walk you down the beach to your hotel room.

You were the one who asked to sit on one of the hammocks on the beach. You were the one who asked him about himself, wondering what his own life was like. You encouraged him to dig deep and tell you his darkest secrets, assuring him you'd share your own as well.

Your life was much more intense than his. He was studying music, he was living it, breathing it, enjoying it. He wanted that, more than anything, and nothing was going to get in his way. But you…you wanted so much more than what you were told you could have.

You wanted to be more than your parents. You wanted to explore, you wanted to live. He remembers how sweet you were when he told you his dreams. how gentle you were when you voiced your opinion on them. He appreciated your honesty and your kindness, and he enjoyed your presence.  You…were more than just the intimacy. More than just the makeout sessions you initiated, including that night in the hammock. More than the way you made him chase you just enough. About as much as one can for a vacation fling, anyway.

"...And she makes the best bolognese, Shua. You'd love it." Saerom sighs, making him nod quickly. "I'm sure." "Anyway, I gotta go. I was supposed to pick up dinner, so I can extend the olive branch." She chuckles, getting off the bed. "I'll see you around, Shua." "Bye, Rom. Be safe, let me know when you get home." "Will do." Saerom exits his room, closing the door behind her. He opens his laptop, fishing the photo of you out of the corner and shoving it into his wallet. He should feel weird about keeping it, but that means a perfectly good photo is going to waste! It'll be safe in his wallet.

Unlocking his laptop, he sighs as he sees his email pinging him.

From: YNKANG@SNU.EDU

Subject: Office Hours

Sent: 10:32PM

Hello. I hope this email finds you well.

I am not able to attend Friday's office hours. I will also not be able to attend office hours next week, as I have prior commitments I must tend to. I know it is rather unorthodox, but would you be available tomorrow? I do not have classes after 1PM and I frankly don't need a language class to tarnish my perfect record.

Let me know if this works for you. Thanks.

Best,

Kang Y/N

010-1230-1995

Thursday, September 8th.

From: JHONG@SNU.EDU

RE:Subject: Office Hours

Sent: 11:21PM

Thank you for reaching out. I understand prior commitments can make attending office hours difficult. 

I am not able to promise availability for Thursday. Jennie Kim has the office, she is the TA for Professor Lee Chaerin in French II. This being said, I can accommodate in two ways.

I can give you an assignment to be turned in on Friday. You will have to come by the classroom to retrieve it. Or, you can get a study room in the library and I can offer two hours of my time for your use. Please email me back before 10AM if the latter is your choice.

Best,

Joshua Hong

010-9999-8212

Bad idea, Y/N.

Very, very bad idea.

You should have gone to pick up the stupid assignment. You should have picked up the stupid, fat packet he was going to torture you with to make you regret being a douche to him despite basically making the guy fall in love with you over the summer.

Instead, you suffer here. You suffer inside these four walls, with a freshly showered Joshua Hong standing in the doorway, his friends bidding him goodbye. Jeonghan and Seungcheol peer in, their eyes twinkling with something devious – making Joshua roll his eyes as he shut the door with his foot.

"Sorry about that, they're nosey." He's holding a basketball under his arm, backpack hiked over his shoulder as he walks around the room to settle at the table.You haven't spoken yet, just eyeing him down. "Your hair is wet." "Damp, not wet." He corrects you, opening his bag for his sweatshirt. "It's freezing in here, Jesus Christ." "Maybe wear a proper shirt next time." You roll your eyes, opening your laptop to see the digitals you had developed from your vacation. Saerom took a lot of them – you drinking out of a fresh coconut, you wearing a pretty pink dress to the beach, you in a new swimsuit you bought specifically for the trip. There were photos of the two of you together – one a little girl took of you having a picnic on the beach, another of the two of you getting matching tattoos on your ankles.

And one you took of Joshua.

You were sitting on him, right after the two of you woke up in your hotel room. The photo was taken from an odd over-head angle, but his smile was wide and so natural. You were making him laugh, you remember.

"Come on, just one picture!"

"You literally just pinched my leg to wake me up, give me a second!""God forbid a girl wants to wake you up. Come on, I leave in two days!"

You'd lied, you left that night. You dumped your burner in the airport trashcan, not bothering to read the few texts he'd sent you only moments earlier to your arrival there. They were gone forever – and you hadn't felt guilty then, not really. You knew you'd miss him a bit, you knew yourself that much.

You wouldn't have missed him at all if you knew that you'd see him again…for sixteen consecutive weeks. And possibly for the rest of your time on this campus. And possibly, the rest of your life, since you were best friends with Saerom.

The pictures haunt you a bit, you notice.

You're staring at them in silence, feeling a bit of anxiety crawl up your throat when you hear Joshua clear his own. "I brought a few assignments, in case you don't want to do…this." He gestures to the room, and you just shake your head.

"Paying for the class, I might as well try and get along with you." You mutter, clicking your tongue when the photo of Joshua comes back into circulation. "I'm going to the vending machine, do you want anything?" You abruptly get up, grabbing your wallet out of your bag and stalking to the door. He looks up at you, a soft look in his eyes as he shakes his head. "I'm okay." Nodding, you retreat to the vending machine down the hall. You're staring at the ground as you walk, fully expecting to have an uneventful trip not even ten feet away.

However, it seems that even that can't go right for you.

"Hey. You're Y/N, right?" Your head snaps up, seeing Seungcheol and Jeonghan at the vending machine. Your eye twitches a bit, and you clear your throat before nodding. "And you are?" Jeonghan gives you a knowing look, but entertains you. "I'm Jeonghan. This is Seungcheol." With pursed lips, you nod. "Uh, nice to meet you. You guys are in…Beta Tau, right? My friend is rushing it." You stand awkwardly, and Jeonghan gives you a slight smirk. "Yeah? Good luck to your friend, Y/N.' "Yah, don't be like that. Did you want the vending machine? We're still deciding." Seungcheol tugs Jeonghan back a bit, and you quickly feed in your change, pressing the buttons to get what you want. In your frenzy, you get two bottles of jasmine tea.

"Say, Y/N. How was your summer?" Jeonghan asks gently, and you feel your shoulders tense before you glance over with a scowl. "Is it really on your mind that much? I fucked your friend, so what?" "Wow, no need to get so feisty! Kitty has claws." He smiles, elbowing Seungcheol, who just pinches the bridge of his nose. "Whatever, man. God forbid a girl has fun on her summer vacation." You turn on your heel, walking back down the corridor and hearing Seungcheol scold Jeonghan behind you. You nearly rip the handle off the door of the study room, seeing Joshua standing in front of the whiteboard with a textbook draped open in his hand. He looks back to see your furrowed brows, and the two teas in your hand.

"Are you alright?" "Did you have to tell all your friends that we slept together? Because I didn't tell anyone. I didn't even tell my best friend, you told her. I'd appreciate if you would stop ruining my fucking reputation." You slam the bottles on the table, and Joshua gives you a surprised look. "What the hell are you talking about, Y/N?" "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Joshua. Your stupid friend just cornered me at the vending machine, asking me all these stupid questions like he knows something about me. Newsflash! He doesn't, and neither do you!" You sit with a huff, and Joshua's ears are slightly red as he tongues his cheek. He glances down at the textbook in his hand, closing it and sliding it onto the table. You don't bother looking up at him, hearing the jingling of the door before he speaks. "Excuse me."

The door shuts behind him, and you look up to see that he didn't take any of his things. Meaning that he'd be back, after doing God knows what, and you'd have to deal with it. Sighing to yourself, you rub your temples, wondering how things got like this.

The semester just started. You didn't have time for this.

Silently, you begin to pack up your things. Your laptop goes in the designated slot, your extra tea gets packed snugly into the front pocket. You click your tongue, about to get up when the door opens and Joshua emerges with Jeonghan in tow, looking like a kicked puppy.

Your brows nearly reach your hairline as Jeonghan shuffles forward. Joshua gives him a hard look. "Apologize."

Sucking his teeth, Jeonghan gives you a once over before speaking quietly. "I'm sorry that my assumptions and behavior made you uncomfortable, and it won't happen again." The hand gripping your backpack loosens a bit, and Seungcheol pops up from behind Joshua with a sheepish look on his face. "I'm also sorry, Y/N. I know this is an odd situation for the two of you, and our instigation doesn't make it any better." Your jaw is a bit slack, and Jeonghan looks at Joshua. "Can I go now?" "Did you hear her accept your apology?" He asks, and Jeonghan sighs. "I guess not." Blinking, you just give Jeonghan a thumbs up. "You're…you're good, yeah. Uh, don't worry about it. You either, Seungcheol." You look over Joshua's shoulder to the older man, who smiles in response.

"We'll get going, then. We've got a party to plan." Seungcheol says warmly,  and Jeonghan turns on his heel to exit the room. "I don't want to hear this shit from you guys again." Joshua mutters, all but slamming the door after them.

"You didn't have to do that." You mumble, and he looks at you with a scoff.

"Yes, I did. Whether we slept together or not is none of their business, and the only reason they know is because they were there. I don't need that being spread around campus or them being douchebags to you." He grabs the textbook again, uncapping the dry-erase marker before glancing at you. "Sit down, you've got me for two hours." You don't like the slight flutter in your stomach, or that your body involuntarily does as he says. You silently unpack your bag again, and he finishes writing example problems on the whiteboard. Feeling your stomach a bit uneasy, you uncap the tea to take a sip.

"Conjugation is very important. When I was grading your quiz, I noticed that was your biggest problem. I don't know how you got a B, really, when most of that quiz was conjugations, but I digress. Can you do these for me?" He holds out the marker, an expectant look in his eyes.

"Sure."

Friday, September 16th.

It'd been a little more than a week since you met with Joshua in the library.

And since the two of you officially acknowledged that you'd slept together. What you didn't know was, while he was having his own feelings about the history that weighed the two of you down, he wasn't going to force you to return his affections. In fact…he even felt a bit silly, liking you so much off of three weeks of getting the full experience of…well, you.

Better yet, he wasn't even going to tell you there are any residual feelings on his end. If he knew anything, it was you and your type. If he came off too strong – flowers, a date, chocolates and the like, he'd scare you off even more. You were skittish, like a deer, and he had to either slowly gain your trust…

Or irritate the living hell out of you every chance he got.

Subtle flirting, double entendres, maybe the occasional lingering look. He knew that if he wanted a chance, and man did he want it – he was going to have to work for it. No problem, though. You were definitely worth the wait.

"So, as you can see, the proper conjugation is hablar, not hablando." His laser pointer is steady at the bottom of the projector screen, and he looks up to see half of the class staring intently and the other half jotting down notes. You were neither of the two – your head was resting on Chan's shoulder, eyes low. He cleared his throat, your head jumping up and a wince crossing your features.

Joshua knew Chan was really no threat. The fraternity really liked him, and he was set to move in this weekend. According to Chan's Instagram story, you'd been at his dorm the night before helping him pack up. Saerom had also been there, and Soonyoung – another Beta Tau member. You had been holding a can of Red Bull and in one of the following videos, you were shotgunning another.

"Any questions?" He calls out, and Haerim shoots her hand up. "Yes, Haerim?" "Since this is a conversational class, how would we ask someone out? Or, for their number?"

The classroom fills with childish snickering, and Joshua just smiles as he shakes his head. "Well, I-" "I don't think this is an appropriate question, to be honest." Your voice is heard from the back of the classroom, and Haerim turns in her chair, a wicked smile crossing her lips as Joshua rounds the desk, perched on the edge of it. "And why not, Y/N?" She asks, and Joshua can see you shift uncomfortably in your chair.

"This is Beginner Spanish Conversation, not Coffee Meets Bagel. Flirt on your own time, at your own pace." You scoff, and Haerim's smile only grows wider. It's like she knows something about you, and Joshua notices you begin to bristle slightly. "Why are you so uptight about it, Y/N? It's just a question." "I'm paying for this class, as is everyone else. I think I'd like to appreciate my money's worth by learning something I'll actually use." "Alright, ladies. Honestly, Miss Y/N is partially correct. This is not Café y Rosquilla, but I do think that this is…a learning moment. Asking someone out does involve conversation, you know." Joshua attempts to diffuse, but he can see your subtle annoyance at his siding with Haerim. "So, for example, if I wanted to ask out…" He looks around the room, before a flash of diablerie crosses his eyes. "If I wanted to ask out Miss Y/N, I'd have to make conversation. I'd say…eres muy bonita." "Yeah?! What else?!" You hear Myungjun shout from the far left side of the room, and you can feel Chan's knee bumping yours. You scowl at him, earning a smile as he hides in his hoodie. "I'd say…" Joshua scans your face, and he knows you're probably embarrassed. Embarrassed, but enjoying his subtle attention. He pushes off the desk, pacing in front of the students. "Hm, I'd probably say I like her dress, or me gusta tu vestido."

He watches you cross your legs, tucking the extra fabric of your black dress under your thighs. "Okay, but how do you ask her out!?" Haerim interrupts excitedly, and Joshua is on the first step of the stairs before he catches your eyes again.

"You don't just ask someone out flat out like that. You build repertoire, you make conversation." He rolls his eyes playfully, and you think you're about to get off without any further embarrassment when you hear Chan speak up next to you. "How much repertoire can you even build at this point? Psychology says it only takes two minutes to decide if you like someone." Joshua sees you gape at Chan, before pinching his bicep. Chan pouts in your direction, rubbing his arm as Joshua holds back a laugh. "Psychology also says that there are five components to figuring out if we will have a crush on someone. Physical attraction, proximity, similarity, reciprocity and familiarity. Miss Y/N is very pretty, so physical attraction is checked off. Proximity is also checked, as we see each other three times a week for this class." "What about similarity?" Myungjun pipes up again, making you sink lower in your seat. Joshua is enjoying making you squirm a bit, and he steps up a few more. "Hm, I think that's something I'd have to figure out. Tell me, Miss Y/N, do you enjoy…long walks on the beach?" Your eyes are full of fire, and you'd be almost scary if he didn't notice the way your lip wanted to twitch into a smile. Haerim shouts for you to answer the question, making you send her a scornful look – and she just sticks her tongue out at you like a child. "I do…enjoy long walks on the beach."

"What a coincidence, so do I! Now, we have a similarity. Miss Y/N is familiar, because again, I do see her quite often. Now, it's about reciprocation. This is when you ask the question, this is when you try and make a move." "Shua, how do we make the move!?" Chan asks, and you kick his shin, about to tell him to shut up when Joshua finally reaches your row. He's looking you dead in the eyes, his hand gently wrapping around the edge of your desk. He leans forward, and you can hear the stupid woo-ing of your classmates. "Señorita Y/N, ¿le gustaría salir conmigo?"

Somehow, this all feels like some stupid romcom for the both of you. The class is egging you both on, and Chan is next to you with the most idiotic smile you'd ever seen. You huff, the class is now chanting for you to agree to said…"fake" date.

"No." You say quietly, and Joshua feigns pain. He holds his hand to his heart, a pained expression on his face. "You wound me, Miss Y/N."

He turns to the class, all of which are giving you the dirtiest look ever. "Now, now. This was just an example, don't look at her like that." He scolds, and the class turns back to face the front as he barrels down the steps, checking his watch. 

"Shit, it's already ten past noon. You guys are free to go, and if any of you are taking Psych with Professor Seo Jungkwon, tell him I fulfilled his lecture for the day." This earns a laugh from the class, except you. You're angrily stuffing your laptop into your bag, the class eagerly exiting the room. Chan is holding your arm, apologizing most likely, but you don't seem like you want to hear any of it. By this point, Chan looks a bit like a kicked puppy as he quickly takes the steps down, with you following slowly behind him.

Chan is out the door by the time you make it to the last step, and the classroom is empty.

You arms are crossed as you approach the desk, where Joshua is quietly shutting down the projector. His eyes don't meet yours as he disconnects the machine from the wall, winding the cord up to tie together. "Y/N." He calls gently, and you huff angrily. He bites back a smile.

"Why do you insist on embarrassing me? The first week, it was you running your mouth to my best friend. Last week, you practically held Jeonghan at gunpoint to apologize to me. Today, it's putting me on blast in front of an entire classroom with people I will continue to see for the rest of the year."

"Oh? Was it embarrassing?" He's nonchalant as he looks up, tucking the wrapped cables behind the projector. Your eyes are narrowed, and it seems you've caught onto his little game. "Do you get off on this or something? Knowing you fucked one of your students?" "Hm, not necessarily. And none of what was done was done to embarrass you, per say. It's just decent honesty, and we both know you deserved an apology for Jeonghan's behavior." He states matter-of-factly, making you purse your lips. "What about your behavior? You asked me out in front of all these people!" You gesture to the empty room, and Joshua gives you a small smile. "And you rejected me in front of all of those people. The way I see it, it's a teaching moment."

He's on the same side of the desk as you now, resting against it as you complain. HIs smile seems to be getting under your skin, because you grab his shirt by the collar, pulling his face close to yours before you speak through gritted teeth. "Use someone else as your stupid guinea pig. I don't want to be with you, Hong." You're holding him so close, your lips just barely brushing his. He can't help but scan your face quickly, his hand reaching to brush a stray curl off your face. Your eyes follow his fingers, feeling them tuck the hair behind your ear before he swallows carefully. You can feel your stomach flip slightly as his hand drops, ghosting over your hip as he pushes off the desk, making you slightly stumble back. His fingers grab you gently, pulling you flush to him before his nose is touching yours. "Tell me you don't want me," He whispers, his breath hitting your lips making your lashes flutter closed as you press your lips to his. A whimper escapes his throat as he kisses you back, his grip tightening as your hand lets go of his shirt, your palm resting against his stomach as your other hand holds his waist. The kiss is slow but desperate, your tongue licking into his mouth in the way that drove him crazy over the summer. 

He can't help himself, his hand moving to tangle in your hair, moving his lips down your jaw and exposed neck. A sharp inhale from you as he reaches one of the many sweet spots he'd discovered, a soft whine sounding in his ears making him feel dizzy as he nips at your skin. Pulling back, he holds your face close to his as he speaks again. "Tell me you don't want me, and we can stop this right now. I'll be nothing but professional for the rest of the semester."

He can tell that wasn't what you were expecting. Your eyes are wide and full of mixed emotions, but overall, they flash with a bit of fear. "I…" Your hands move to rest on his hips, a frown on your lips as you let go, and he does the same. His arms cross with an expectant look on his face, and you grimace.

"Stop embarrassing me in front of people, and if you don't have a good reason to talk to me or be near me, don't engage at all." 

He gives you a nod, his smile reappearing as he reaches to wipe your lip gloss from his lips. "That being said, I'm guessing you will not be attending office hours tonight?" Huffing, you look away. "No. I have to help Chan move into the frat house with you and your hooligan friends."

"So I'll see you tonight anyway." He speaks with a grin, and you tongue your cheek. "Leave me alone, Joshua."

You spin on your heel, but his arm is on your elbow before you can walk away. He pulls you back, pulling you into a hug, pressing his lips to your hairline as you hesitantly wrap your arms around him. He speaks against your hair, "One more. For the road."

"Joshua." You groan, trying to hide the giddy feeling spreading in your stomach. He smiles at you, planting a kiss to the tip of your nose. "Just one, and I'll let you slam out of here like we were arguing."

You roll your eyes, but let him slot his lips with yours, the minty taste of him still lingering from the previous kiss. This one is much gentler, the warmth of his body against yours comforting as he pulls away with a chaste kiss. And another. And another.

"You said one." You grumble, swatting at his side to make him let you go. He smiles, his thumb coming to wipe at your lips. Your lipgloss is gone entirely, just glitter remaining. "Mmh. I'll see you later." "Whatever." You pull away from him, and he watches as you slam your way out of the classroom, a few students from your class still lingering in the hallway catching his eye. They look questioning, but he just shrugs as the door closes. He sighs as he looks around the empty lecture hall, a glimmer on the third step up calling his eyes. 

Making his way towards the steps, he sees the gold plating of a seven-pointed star, a message engraved in the back. 

For my brightest star, Y/N.

Picking it up, the diamonds mock him.

He feels slightly stupid to think this is fate, while knowing that once you realize it's gone, you'll be panicking. It seems nothing is really going right for you these days – your car being hit, fighting with Saerom, not being able to stand your ground against him…and now your necklace is 'gone'. He wants to be selfish and say it's because you're being a bit of a jerk to him.

So he'll believe that.

– ☆ –

"Chan! It's not here!"

Your hands feel disgustingly dry, having practically ripped apart every cardboard box you helped him pack. You'd managed to haul everything from his dorm to the fraternity house a few blocks down, having begged Saerom and Soonyoung to help you steal a flatbed from the construction majors. The three of you were helping Chan unpack a box of his underwear when you swiped your hair back from your neck, not feeling the chain of your necklace on your skin.

The four of you had stopped unpacking the moment you started panickedly patting yourself all over, and even standing up to shake off your shirt and hair. Now surrounded by a few of Chan's blankets, you were doing all but ripping up the carpet in the bedroom to find your cherished gift.

"It's not in the hallway! Going downstairs!" You hear Saerom call, and Chan is emerging from the bathroom with his flashlight on. "I swear you had it on when we fought earlier."

"Fuck, what if it fell off there?" You squeeze your eyes shut, trying to remember if you felt anything off after leaving the room. People stared at you as you barreled out of the language hall, you kissed Joshua…

You kissed Joshua.

"I'm pretty sure I had it on when I left! Remember, I even changed clothes when I got home so I wouldn't dirty my dress helping you move. I swear I felt it!"

At this point, you're shaking your hair out once more and Chan is throwing ripped cardboard into the hallway, hitting a passing Joshua. "Ouch!"

"Shit, sorry!" Chan winces, and Joshua scours the room, before his eyes land on you. Your hand is gently patting at your chest, where your necklace would usually sit as you shake out your sweater. He gives Chan a look, making him look back at you. Joshua glances at the cardboard boxes on the floor, and Chan gets the hint.

He clears his throat, garnering your anxious attention, "I'm going to take these down to recycling, and I'll check outside, okay? Just keep looking in here, it's gotta be somewhere."

Your eyes are slightly wild, and you just nod as you begin to shake Chan's blankets. A pair of underwear falls out, making you huff as Chan exits his room. Joshua leans on the doorframe, watching as you move around calculatedly. "What's got you so frantic?" You look over your shoulder, now squatted over a pile of shirts. "Why is it any of your business?"

He sucks his teeth, hands resting in his hoodie pocket. "Maybe I can help you? Ever think that I'm not out to get you like some sort of Boogeyman?" Your shoulders sag in defeat, and you just beckon him into the room. "Shut the door." You mutter, and he does just that before squatting in front of you, his ringed fingers splayed across the shirts in your hands. 

"Shake these off." 

"For?" He asks, but takes the first one and does as you ask. You feel a tear threaten to escape, but blink rapidly as he takes the next shirt. "Just do it." He does, but by the fifth shirt, he looks up at you. "You know…if you tell me what you're looking for, I may be able to help further." He says it like he knows something, and you just roll your eyes as you move onto the stack of Chan's sweatpants. "I lost my necklace, okay? I can't find it."

Stopping his movements, he smiles at you. "Hm, any idea where?" "No." You sigh, shaking off another pair of pants. A dollar bill floats out of the pocket, but neither of you bother to touch it as it floats down to the carpet. "I think you're wasting your time looking in here, actually." You look at Joshua, who is now moving to stand up. Scanning his face, your eyes narrow. "Where is it?" Stretching, he extends a hand to help you up. You scowl, getting up on your own as he shrugs. "Come on." He walks towards the door, flinging it open as two of the members run past with a basket full of eggs. "You better not be throwing those in here!" He barks, and their giggles only get louder as they barrel down the stairs.

He leads you to his bedroom, leaving the door ajar for you to close as you enter. 

Your eyes scan the bedroom – it's very…serene. It's bigger than Chan's, and the bed is right under the window. There is sheet music pinned up to a corkboard above his desk, a few guitars propped up against the wall. His walls are covered in photos of him and his friends, and you spot one of him and Saerom as kids pinned higher on the wall than the rest. There is a small bookshelf, with a Bible and a few candles on top of it.

You're standing at the foot of this bed when you feel his hands on your neck, making you jump slightly. "Relax." He murmurs, the cool metal of your necklace making you shiver slightly.

"I found it on the steps in the classroom. Your clasp broke, so I took it to my friend in town. She's a jeweler, and she fixed it. I have the original clasp, in case you wanted to keep it." He holds up a plastic baggie, no bigger than the palm of his hand. You turn to look at him, your hand ghosting around for the star that hands in the middle of your chest.

"I should have texted, or emailed, at the very least. I just figured, I'd see you anyway—" "Thank you." You interrupt, your arms instinctively enveloping him into an embrace. You squeeze slightly, his own hands hovering over your back before touching you gently. "You're welcome." Without moving away, you speak into his sweater. "I'm sorry I've been such a douche to you lately."

He laughs a bit, his chest moving against your cheek. "Yeah…you have been. I'll send your parents an invoice for emotional damage." His fingers are rubbing circles in your back, and you hate that he knows you joke about your parents' emotional unavailability. Biting back a laugh, you push off him. Your hands linger at his sides, and he tilts his head.

"I meant what I said, you know." He states, and you glance up at him with a quizzical look on your face. "What?"

"That if you don't want to do…whatever this is, I'll leave you alone. I'll be professional for the rest of the semester." He gestures between the two of you. You don't look as taken aback as you did in the classroom, but a scoff does escape your lips as your arms fold across your chest. 

"Okay? What does that have to do with now?" He steps a bit closer, making the back of your knees hit his bed. You sit out of instinct, watching as he runs his hand through his hair. He's so handsome.

"It has everything to do with you, and your general existence. Your best friend is my cousin. You're friends with Soonyoung, Jun and Chan, and they're all members of my fraternity. You're a student in a class I assist, we're going to be around each other no matter our feelings about each other." He's not really giving you an out of this conversation.

"I know you don't like that I told Saerom about what happened between us during the summer, and I want to apologize for telling her in the first place. It just slipped out, and I am sorry." He speaks sincerely, and you blink up at him before scooting slightly back on his bed, crossing your legs. He takes this as a sign to continue.

"I also want to say that what happened between us doesn't have to mean anything to you, at all." He shifts uncomfortably, making your eyes narrow. "I know it was just a fling, and I'm probably just confused about my feelings." 

You hate the way tears prick at your eyes, before he spins his desk chair out, sitting down and leaning forward.

"I wanted to ask if you want to be transferred out. I have the transfer form ready, there is a spot in Professor Yoon Mirae's class. She said she'd gladly take you if that was the case." Your head snaps up at this, his eyes boring a hole into the pictures on the wall. "You…want to transfer me out?"

He stares at his fingers, toying with one of his rings as he replies. "I think it would be best for you. It only meets twice a week, and you'd probably get along better with Somin." He looks up at you, and you don't know what expression is on your face for him to immediately soften. "You don't want to?" "I think you…" You swallow thickly, scooting towards the edge of his bed, moving to stand up. "I think we need to forget that anything even happened between us." You whisper, and you can see hurt lace his eyes before he clears his throat, looking away from you as he nods. "Right." "I don't want to hurt you, Joshua." You fake confidence, noting the way he blinks rapidly, before standing up. "You're not hurting me, Y/N. We fucked over the summer. It's not like we dated."

You wince at his use of words. "Yeah, but–" HIs hand pushes the baggie with your clasp in it into your hand, "Don't worry about it, Y/N. I'll see you in class on Monday." Your fingers instinctively close around his, moving to squeeze his hand before he pulls it away. You stare up at him, feeling your face slightly burn in humiliation. You know that he's sensitive, and that the kiss earlier today probably meant a lot to him. Why is he acting like this? Like you didn't open up to him and tell him everything you couldn't even tell your best friend, like you didn't sleep with him for three weeks straight before leaving Puerto Vallarta.

You remember Chan's words…something something forming a crush in two minutes. 

What can happen in three weeks?

"Was that all it was for you?" You ask gently, watching as he turns away from you. "I really don't want to have this conversation right now." He mumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose and walking towards the door. He tugs his hoodie off, the white muscle tank showing off his broad shoulders. Shoulders you dug your nails into that summer, and you can see the remaining faint lines from you trailing down his back. 

"Was it just sex?" You ask again, and he sighs. "No. It wasn't."

He hangs the hoodie up on the hook behind the door, and you take a step to him. "Then why are you acting like this?" He turns to look at you, eyes wide with incredulity. "Me?! Why are you acting like this? For almost a month you couldn't keep your hands off me, you couldn't stop talking about hating your life here, and suddenly, through whatever force of the universe, we're both stuck in this life that you dread. Excuse me if my best effort isn't enough for you." Eyes narrowed, you can feel your stomach bubble with a bit of anger. "There's no way you're the same guy I fucked for three weeks, Joshua. We were on vacation in a foreign country. I was telling you everything about me because I wasn't worried about ever seeing you again." "No, you did that because you're a liar." He mutters, making you suddenly feel a lot smaller than usual. "I am the exact same person I was then, Y/N! I'm not like you, I can't just flip-flop between two personalities. I can't lie to everyone that I care about just because I'm too afraid to stand up to my parents. You're doing yourself a disservice." 

He's breathing heavily, and you can feel the tears threatening to spill from your eyes. Your pride is stronger, though, and you let out a humorless laugh. "I'll see you on Monday."

You shove past him, throwing his door open and slipping out before you slam it with all your might. You see Jeonghan carrying a basket with Chan's name on it down the hall, his eyes wide as you storm past him.

"Are you o-" "Fuck off." You spit, not bothering to swing back into Chan's room for your stuff. Saerom could bring it home, or leave it there, you don't really care. All you really know is that this place has got to be the most suffocating you've ever felt.

Wednesday, October 12th.

It'd been almost a month since you'd last spoken to Joshua.

You weren't in class the following Monday, having instead driven out to one of your mother's properties. You stayed the weekend there, and only drove back in the middle of the night on Tuesday. Professor Lee emailed you, and so did Joshua – though his was very much a copy-paste email. You didn't seek him out, you didn't speak to him. He didn't even attempt to make eye contact, almost always being the first to exit the classroom. You didn't even really talk to Chan or Saerom since you'd helped him move into the frat house, and you could tell they were growing worried about you.

Especially Saerom, as she heard Wherever You Will Go by The Calling play through your speakers almost everyday since. You played this song the first time the two of you went on vacation together, you were nineteen and your grandmother had just passed away that past November.

You didn't have time to worry about their feelings, though, as you parked your car in the lot, Chan silently unbuckled his seatbelt. It was nine-forty-six in the morning, and the two of you sighed simultaneously. "Want to take the long way? We've got fifteen minutes." You check your watch, and Chan gives you a slight nod. "Sure." The long way was walking around the language building into the technology hall – and Chan decided now would be a good time to update you on how Jeonghan and Seungcheol had an ongoing prank war with Mingyu and Wonwoo. It apparently wasn't going to end this weekend, and the reason? Beta Tau Omega was notorious for holding the best Halloween ragers. They held the largest one every year, with the other frats on campus stumbling to be pre-game parties and sororities simply giving up and going to the parties instead of hosting. The problem here was sourcing – Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Joshua planned the party every year, including the random Jell-O wrestling and drinking contests. The liquor was never-ending, and the clean-up after was a mess (and at the hands of the newest members.)

This year, Mingyu insisted that he and Wonwoo could plan an even better party than the trio – hence, facing the wrath of practical jokesters Seungcheol and Jeonghan. Joshua insisted he wasn't involved in this, and would help either duo with the planning if necessary.  

"Are you even listening?" You hear Chan snap his fingers in your face, and you blink at him. "Yeah, sorry. Planning?" He begins to speak again, allowing you to loop your arm with his and rest your head on his shoulder when you look up – and see Joshua leaning against the wall, twirling a strand of Baek Hyejin's hair. She was the Organic Chemistry TA, you got your labs graded by her. She was always very sweet.

You can feel eyes on you as you and Chan walk in lockstep down the stairs, and you see Joshua staring at you as Hyejin speaks to him. Nodding along as if he's listening, as if he cares. You scoff inwardly, shaking your head as you force your eyes forward, ignoring the sinking feeling in your stomach.

It doesn't even matter. You don't like Joshua, and you wouldn't date him, either. You had too much to lose.

Seeing as you drove down to one of the properties, you met with your mother, as well. Your Saturday was spent in your mother's office, designing a new building with her to place on one of her newest properties down south. "You're going to manage this one first. The other tenants don't know you yet, and you'll have to ease into getting them to like you."Your father wasn't around the entire weekend. Your mother sighed repeatedly over dinner, before ultimately abandoning her plate at the table and whisking herself away with a bottle of Merlot. You didn't ask many questions, but you do remember walking by her study before going to the guest bedroom and hearing her on the phone, presumably with her sister.

"I wonder when she's going to get married. He can't be some random guy…do you still keep in touch with the Mins? Maybe Yoongi is willing this time." You hadn't even graduated yet, and she was already trying to pawn you off. Your father had stated strictly that he didn't want you to marry until you were firmly situated within the companies he owned, and your mother constantly bickered against it. No one ever asked you what you wanted.

Not that it mattered, anyway.

"...And so, Mingyu had to wash flour out of all his bedsheets. I think we'll have to get a new washing machine." Chan sighs as the two of you turn into the language hall, and you grimace. "You probably will, that shit sticks like glue." "Yum, gluten patterns." Chan laughs as you shiver, walking into the classroom. Somehow, Joshua is already there, making your grip on Chan's arm tighten a bit. He gives you a concerned look, but allows you to pull him slightly closer to you as you climb the steps to your regular seats in the corner.

"Good morning, everyone!" Joshua calls with a smile, and you hear the majority return the greeting as you and Chan situate yourselves. Crossing your legs, you face forward to see Joshua holding up a three-page packet. "There is a quiz!" A collective groan echoes the room, and Joshua gives a sorry grin. "I know, I know. However, it is an open-note quiz! Feel free to use your notes, and there is no time limit, even if you go over the noon end of the class. Take your time, and you can leave right after you're done." The class just fills with murmurs as everyone begins fishing through their bags for their notebooks, but you made no effort to do so as Joshua began walking around to distribute the papers. He hands two to Chan, who passes you yours and you notice the way Joshua's eyes linger to Chan's jacket on your shoulders before going back down the steps.

"I'll be grading these tests over the next two days, and I'll submit your grades by Thursday night. That way, we can review on Friday and you can attend office hours later that day if you're not satisfied with your grade or just feel like you need a little more help. Sounds good?" He asks, and earns a resounding yes from the class.

Time seems to be dragging on as you carefully read and re-read every question, hoping that your lack of notes won't fuck you over. You remember Chan giving you shit last week for only taking notes on your laptop – and you probably should have listened to him when he told you. Why? Because now you're without notes and you're possibly a little more than screwed, you've only been studying for your other classes.

Your 'how hard can it be?' mindset was now biting you in the ass.

You glanced up to the clock, seeing that there was fifteen minutes to noon – and three students remained aside from you and Chan. Clearing his throat, Chan inched his notes closer to the edge of his desk, making you kick his foot to move them back. He huffed, closing the notebook and standing. He tucks it into his backpack before hiking it over his shoulder, whispering that he'd meet you at the cafe as you'd planned last night. You nod, blowing him a joking kiss before hearing Joshua clear his throat.

The two of you look up, seeing the assistant with a raised brow, beckoning Chan towards the front. Chan gives you a small smile, before making his way to the front. You can hear them whispering at each other, and another two students stand up. You can feel a bit of nervousness sinking into your stomach as the last student stands as well, her bag on her shoulder as she drops her test on Joshua's desk. They chat for a bit, and you hate how you can hear his smile.

"B plus, way to go, Jiwoo. Keep this up, you'll get an A on the final!" He cheers, and she gives him a thumbs up before prancing out of the room. You feel small in the giant room, and Joshua sighs as he leans back in his chair. His laptop is out, and you assume he's going to start inputting grades.

Instead, you hear soft music flowing from the laptop as he starts moving around, grabbing the broom from the corner of the room. "Let me know if it bothers you, I'll turn it down." He speaks, and you just wave him off without looking at him.

You're staring at the stupid question for five minutes before huffing, not knowing why the difference between the subjunctive and the indicative mood even matters for this class. (Yes, you do. You're just being stubborn because you don't know the answer and it bothers you.) "Having trouble?" Joshua calls from the front, a smile on his face as he texts someone back on this phone. Probably Hyejin.

Probably planning a stupid date at a stupid restaurant where they'll order stupid dishes. Probably staring at each other like idiots and liking each other so much that nothing seems to satisfy their carnal needs–

You stop scribbling on your paper, blinking at your sudden train of thought. Why do you even care? Why does it even matter who he's texting, and what he's doing after this? Why? "Y/N?" He calls gently, and you look up to see a worried look on his face. "You okay? Thinking kind of hard, aren't you?" You huff, grabbing your bag by the strap and slightly crumpling your paper as you grab it. Your anger seems to radiate off you as you rush down the steps, nearing the desk with a sour look on your face. "So much for taking my time, huh?" He gives you a small frown, holding his hand out for your quiz. "I wasn't rushing you, just asking if you're alright. Your face was scrunched for twenty minutes." You know it was. You can still feel the tension between your brows as you rub it gently, a pout on your lips as you hand him the paper. "Yeah, well…your job isn't to stare at me. See ya."

"Hmm, but I like staring at you." He hums, uncapping his pen with his teeth as you make your way to the door. "Have a good day, Y/N." You hate the sing-song of his voice.

– ☆ –

The cafe had been super packed, so you and Chan decided to take your drinks to go. Unfortunately, Saerom was holding a study group at the apartment, so your only option was Chan's room at the frat house. You begrudgingly let him try to cheer you up as you sulked up the stairs to his room, holding your drink as Chan carries your bag for you.

"You know, one of the brothers thought we were dating? They asked me after I left Spanish earlier." He ponders aloud, and you snort. "Yeah, I can see why. I do get…pretty affectionate." You reply sarcastically, taking his hand in yours for extra emphasis.

He rolls his eyes as the two of you reach the top floor, and he fishes his keys out as you continue to tease him. "I'd never date you, you're a snotty-nosed brat. I bet you don't even know how to kiss." He sticks his tongue out at you, making you gape.

"I may be a snotty-nosed brat, but I'm a great kisser. Not that you would know, you've never felt the touch of a woman." You bite back, making him gasp. "I have too felt the touch of a woman! You literally took my-" He cuts himself off, looking over your shoulder down the hallway. You furrow your brows, looking over to see Joshua whispering sweet nothings in Hyejin's ear as he hugs her, and her giggles as she brushes her nose against his.

"I'll see you later?" He mumbles, eyes low as he nearly kisses her. She giggles again, before placing her manicured nail on his chest. "Bye, Joshie." "Bye." He smiles, letting her spin out of his arms, watching as she walks down the hall to the stairs. Only then does he notice that you and Chan are standing there, and his face flushes lightly. "Hey, guys. Sorry you had to see that." "Don't be." Chan nods awkwardly, his hand finding your hip to pull you into his bedroom. You grimace in Joshua's direction, before skirting into Chan's room. Chan lingers at the door, before sighing, and entering his room.

"Don't be upset, Y/N." He murmurs as you kick your shoes off, setting your drink down on his desk and shrugging off his jacket. "I'm not upset." You mutter, grabbing your bookbag and pulling out your laptop.

"I can tell you are." He sighs, slipping his shirt over his head, and opening his drawer to reach for a new one. "He's just our TA for a little longer, then we'll both pass the class and get the hell out of there." You look over your shoulder as he pulls a new shirt over his head, rolling your eyes. "It doesn't matter. He's gonna fuck who he wants to, so all I can do is the same." "Y/N, I am only a man." He gives you a warning look, and you snort. "Not you, you rabid dog." "Hey! I've gotten better! I even invented a stroke, I call it the helicopter." He moves his hips in a circular motion, making you shriek out a laugh. "You're a fucking freak."

"I'm just saying, I'm available. If not, I heard that Myungjun is still into you." He shrugs, taking a sip of his drink. You wrinkle your nose, taking a seat on his bed. "Hell no. He likes to talk about his hookups, I don't like blabbermouths." "Then you're fucked, Y/N." He smiles, taking a seat at his desk. "But, I have a proposition." "Chan, if it involves your dick anywhere near me, I'm going to kill you." "You liked it the first time!" He throws an eraser at you, and you snicker. "I didn't know any better then. Anyway, I see the way you look at Haerim. You're not slick." You wag your finger at him, and he flushes lightly.

"So my plan is, I let you act a fool in here and make it seem like we're fucking, and you have to help me get Haerim. Tit for tat." He points his pen at you, and you scoff. "That is so not tit for tat! Haerim is a distinguished young woman, she'd never go for a gremlin like you." "Hurtful!?" He slumps in his chair, making you snicker. "I appreciate your help, Channie. But really, I don't care. It's his life." You shrug, and Chan knows you're lying. "I'm gonna get some water, I'll be back."

You hop off the bed, smoothing your skirt as you open the door. "Can I also steal snacks?" You ask, and Chan nods. "Go for it, Seungcheol buys them." He snorts, and you give him a grin as you close the door behind you. 

You take a deep breath as you brace the stairs, hearing a few of the frat brothers speaking quietly in the den. Peering over the banister, you see a card game strewn on the coffee table, with Jeonghan, Seungcheol and Joshua holding cards. They're all dressed comfortably, and Seungcheol has an ice pack on his knee. He looks up, seeing you peering over the banister. He doesn't speak as you smile at him, only returning it as you continue down the steps. You make it back down to the first floor, giving them a curt nod as you walk past them into the kitchen. "Gentlemen." "M'Lady." Jeonghan replies without looking up, and you look over his shoulder to see that he's got a dirty deck of cards, and he's about to win. "Don't mind me." You skirt into the kitchen, grabbing two cups out of the cupboard and helping yourself to the ice machine. You mind your business as you move around, grabbing a bag of chips and a packet of Gushers, before you see a woven basket on the counter with an assorted amount of condoms. You grab a rope of them, holding it between your teeth as you tuck the chips under your arm and the glasses in your hands. You move back across the den, once more greeting the men. "Gentlemen." 

Joshua looks up to see why your voice is different, seeing the blue foil packet reflecting the light. Seungcheol snorts, "Have fun, don't be too loud. Minghao is sleeping across the hall from you." "Will do, Cheol." You reply, carefully trekking the stairs. You can hear a soft Ow! What'd you do that for!? as you reach the top floor, hearing the front door slam. You put the cups down on the windowsill next to the stairs, and look over the banister to see Seungcheol and Jeonghan snickering. "Did he leave?" You call, and Jeonghan gives you a thumbs up. You rip the top condom off the thread before tossing down the rest. "Thank you, Beta Tau Sluts!" 

"You're welcome!" Seungcheol calls back, catching the condoms before they land in his drink. You grab your drinks again, carefully opening the door with your elbow and Chan looks up to see you. You set the glasses down on his desk, holding up the condom between your fingers.

"Use this with a really special girl, I just pissed off the Vice President of your frat with it." You snicker, and Chan just shakes his head. "Get in here, idiot. We need to study, or OChem is going to eat us for breakfast." "Oh, me first!"

Friday, October 14th.

Joshua put in grades the night before, and you were one point shy of a B minus.

You pretend it doesn't bother you.

Chan was sick, so he'd texted you that morning asking to take notes for him. You took the opportunity to invite Haerim to sit with you – and talk him up. Luckily, there wasn't much talking to do – she already thought he was very cute, but didn't make a move because she thought the two of you were together. You were honest about the past between you, and she just snorted, admitting she'd done the same with a friend of hers.

Msg To: Channie ♡

[10:33AM] mission haerim x chan is a go! [10:33AM] i gave her ur number so…don't fumble.

"Hello, everybody." Joshua calls from the front, and you and Haerim snap your heads up. He starts setting up the projector after everyone replies to his greeting, and she glances at you. "I wonder who broke his heart over the summer." She sighs, and you nod.

"I don't think she meant to." You shrug, your heart warming a bit at the memories. You really regretted it, of course – and it bothered you that it didn't bother him more. You'd been spending a lot of your nights just thinking about it, about him, about opening up to him.

"Well, I hope he heals. She definitely messed up, I've heard he's an absolute sweetheart." She nods, and you smile tightly. "Yeah, he is. His cousin is my best friend. Saerom?" She nods again, "I have Psych with her." "Alright, we're reviewing today." He sighs, and you notice how tired he looks. Eyes are a little swollen. Maybe Hyejin dumped him.

You don't like the giddy feeling you get at that thought.

The review goes by quietly, with Joshua's voice growing more and more tired as he speaks, and he wraps the class up with almost thirty minutes to go. Students walk by and say they hope he feels better, and he just nods at them. You linger, telling Haerim you need to talk to Joshua about office hours, and she leaves without a second thought.

The door closes behind her, and you clear your throat.

"Sick?" You ask, holding out a bag of cough drops. You'd bought them that morning, after Saerom complained of sore throat. He glances at you, and the bag, before shaking his head. "I'm good." Frowning, you step closer to him as he puts his laptop in his bag. "Then what's wrong?" Your voice is gentle, and he stiffens at the sound of it. "Nothing is wrong, Y/N. Thank you for worrying, but I'm fine."

He looks up at you, his eyes lightly rimmed red. You go to speak, but he pulls his bag over his shoulder, moving away from you. "I'll be at the house today, Chan is sick. If you need to talk." You say, before spinning on your heel to leave.

He doesn't respond, only turning away with a frown. "Have a good day, Joshua." "You too, Y/N."

– ☆ –

You were standing in front of the Beta Tau house, waiting for someone to come open the door. Jun was at a study session with Saerom and Soonyoung was out teaching a class, so you were at the house alone. Hearing the doorknob jingle, you look up to see a sleepy Seungcheol opening the door.

"Hey, Y/N. Come in, Chan is in his room." He yawns as he opens the door wider, and you just shake your head in amusement. He and Jeonghan had stopped being a problem after Joshua called them out, and it wasn't long for you to figure out they were friendly based on their treatment of Chan. Very brotherly…very…teasing.

"Hey, Y/N." Jeonghan gives you a curt nod as he stands in front of the mirror by the stairs, giving himself a once over before turning to Seungcheol. "I look okay?" "Yeah." He nods, and you look at Jeonghan over your shoulder. There is a silver packet sticking out of his pocket, "Might wanna tuck that in a little further." You call, before turning back around and trekking the stairs.

"Thanks!" He calls, shoving his hand in his pocket with wide eyes. Seungcheol laughs as you reach the top, before you hear the door open and close with Jeonghan's departure. "Boys." You roll your eyes, before reaching Chan's door. You carefully open the door, trying not to let too much light in.

Chan is draped across his mattress, a fever patch plastered on his forehead. There are half empty bottles of electrolyte drinks all over the floor, and a bowl with Jeonghan's name printed across it. You look inside, seeing broth lingering. 

They're taking care of him.

"Y/N?" You hear him croak, and you almost coo. "Oh, Chan. You're a mess." You set the bag of goodies down on his desk, fishing the thermometer out. "Open." You command, peeling the patch off his forehead and sticking the thermometer in his mouth.

You pick up a bit before the thermometer beeps, and you stare at the numbers. "Pretty mild, you've got a 101° fever." You grimace, shaking the thermometer off before skirting around to unpack the bag.

"I'm going downstairs to make you some tea, okay? I'll be right back." You mumble, before peeling the plastic off another fever patch and sticking it to the back of his neck. He shivers a bit, but nods as he closes his eyes.

Exiting the room just as carefully, you sigh. Taking the stairs quickly, you spot Seungcheol on the couch, "Hey." "Hey. He took some Advil a bit ago, and we've been alternating." He informs, and you can feel warmth spread across your chest. "Aw, you guys really care about the pipsqueak." "He's a good kid." Seungcheol nods, taking a sip of his water before eyeing the ginger root in your hand. "Cutting board is in the bottom cabinet, to the left." "Thanks." You smile, making your way to the kitchen. You see Joshua standing against the dishwasher, arms crossed and eyes closed. There is a popcorn bag in the microwave, likely his. You don't bother to say anything, just quietly opening the cabinet and retrieving the stone cutting board, rinsing it with water.

"He's also thrown up everything we've given him the past twelve hours." Joshua murmurs, his eyes still shut as he nods. "Oh. Sounds like viral gastroenteritis." You sigh, opening the drawer for a knife as the microwave beeps. He doesn't move towards it, but fills a pot with water for you and puts it on the stove. He watches silently as you slice up the ginger root, your shoulders tense.

The water starts to heat up, and you move to find a mug and honey. "Here." Joshua pulls one out from behind him, water droplets still on it from being freshly washed. You take it, "Thank you." "Can we talk when you're done? I'll be in my room." He murmurs, and you nod slowly. "Yeah, sure. I just need to feed him, something is something." He nods, opening the microwave to pull out the bag. He turns, opening a cabinet to retrieve a bowl and pour the popcorn in. He gives you a tired nod before exiting, and you peek around the corner to see him hand the bowl to Seungcheol, who thanks him quietly.

You sigh, forcing yourself to focus on the task at hand. You strain the boiled ginger tea, pouring it over three cubes of ice and a hefty amount of honey. You clean up quickly, and organize things in the kitchen before exiting again, a spoon in your hand in case they didn't give you one for the porridge you bought.

"Good luck." Seungcheol smiles at you, and you give him a soft laugh. "Thanks, I'll need it." 

Trying to get Chan awake proves to be most difficult once you get back to his room. He rolls over lazily, and you have to prop him up so he can drink the tea. You also carefully prepare his porridge, even going as far as spoon feeding him.

"It's so bland." He whines, and you just shake your head at him. "It's supposed to help your stomach, Channie. Just eat." He gets halfway through the bowl before he decides he doesn't want anymore, asking you to just leave it. You nod, putting the lid back over the top and choosing to clean up the mess in his room. Bottles, plates, cups, all in your arms as you exit the room once more, carefully walking down the stairs.

Seungcheol sees you, and quickly gets up to take them from you. "Woah, I didn't realize it accumulated so fast. Here, I got it, pretty." He grabs everything in one hand, before taking it to the kitchen. You follow, rolling up your sweater sleeves when he waves you off. "You're a guest. I got it, go." You find yourself floating back into Chan's room one last time, just peeking in to make sure he's sleeping. You call out, telling him to call you if he needs anything, that you'll be here for a bit. He just gives you a thumbs up. You take a deep breath, seeing Joshua's door slightly ajar. You walk over slowly, knocking on the door gently and poking your head in. He looks up from his desk, his laptop open to six different tabs and a drafted email. "Come in."

"Hi." You greet, closing the door behind you. He sighs, rubbing his palms on the fabric of his sweatpants. You inch toward him, looking at his screen. It's full of drafted projects, and the email is addressed to a certain Kwon Jiyong, DMA. You reach over and gently close the laptop, his tired eyes watching you do so.

"What's wrong?" "I'm sorry." He confessed, and you tilt your head. "Hm?"

"I was a jerk to you, the other day." He blinks up at you, and you stand for a moment, thinking back. "You mean when you called me a liar?" You smile, a soft laugh escaping. "I'm not mad anymore, you're weren't wrong. I am a liar." Shrugging, you point to the bed. He nods, and you take a seat. "Whether or not you are one…doesn't give me the right to treat you the way I did. I blew up on you, and I never do that, and it's frankly been eating away at me." He admits, and you nod, trying not to let your eyes go too wide. "Losing sleep?" "Unfortunately." Muttering, he opens the laptop again, typing in his password for the tabs to pop up again. "This isn't helping, either." he spins the mouse all over the screen, and you nod.

"Maybe you should take a breather. Go for a walk, find a muse." You offer, and he looks at you with a pained expression. You think this is the smoothest conversation you've had since your reunion. "Come on, let's go on a walk." You stand, offering your hand. He looks at it, and you wiggle your fingers.

He stands, taking it cautiously as you walk forward, grabbing his sweater off the hook and handing it to him. You open the door, seeing Haerim in the hallway with a bag in her hand.

"Haerim?" You call, your hand tightening around Joshua's, and she jumps. "Shit, Y/N. You scared me." She holds her hand to her chest, before holding up the bag. "I bought him some stew, Mingyu told me he's been really sick." Joshua peers over your head, making Haerim's eyes widen like saucers. "Shua?" "Hey, Haerim." He nods, and only then does she see the tight hold you have on Joshua's fingers. "I can explain–" You start, and she just smiles widely. "Damn, I didn't recognize your game. Respect." She nods, holding her hand over her mouth. You wince as he shrugs, tugging you slightly forward. 

"Text me." She whispers as he walks past you, and you nod quickly. The two of you walk down the stairs, and Seungcheol is now sitting on the couch again – and he gives you a lazy smile. "Damn, Y/N. You've got hella game." You laugh embarrassedly, as Joshua fixes the way your hands are intertwined. He slots his fingers between yours, grabbing his keys off the hook by the door and opening it. "Ladies first." He murmurs, and you wave goodbye to Seungcheol before stepping out into the cool October air.

"Where to?" He asks, closing the door behind himself. You shrug, shivering slightly as you start down the path. "Wherever you need to." 

The two of you walk aimlessly, before you spot the hill you used to visit during your sophomore year, before you finally convinced Saerom to transfer to your university. You'd lay on this hill with Jun, staring at the sky and talking to him about the stars. He was always surprised about how much you knew, but was kept in the dark like everyone else.

Everyone but Joshua.

"Here. I used to come here all the time." You point at the lavender-covered hill, and he lets you lead him up, before standing amongst all the flowers. "Look at the sky." 

You tilt your head up, watching as the evening sunset looms overhead. He does the same, before speaking quietly. "I'm not dating Hyejin." Your head lolls to the side, a knowing look on your face. "I know." You lie, shrugging nonchalantly as you turn back to the sky. "How?" "You like me. Hard to move on so fast." You hesitate, and he inches closer. "Yeah?" "Yeah." You breathe, feeling the warmth of his body radiating onto you. You shiver a bit, and he sighs, tucking you into him. His sweater is open, and he lets go of your hand to wrap your arms around him. He does the same, wincing lightly at the cold feeling of your hands on his back.

"I'm still very sorry, you know." He laments, and you give him a tight smile. "I shouldn't have said any of it, especially not about your parents." He looks down at you, your eyes peering up at him already.

"My parents suck, don't take back what you say about them." You shrug, scanning his face. "I am confused about the Hyejin thing." "Right, that." He sucks his teeth lightly, a slight blush coating his cheeks. "She…asked for my help, and I have a really hard time saying no." "Of what nature was this 'help?'" You make air quotes, and Joshua can see a glint of the green-eyed monster in your demeanor. He smiles, moving to card his fingers through your hair gently. "Making an ex-boyfriend jealous kind of help." "Doesn't explain why you two were about to kiss when Chan and I got up the stairs." You say pointedly, his fingers toying gently with your earring. Another gift from your grandmother, he remembers these, too. A sun and a moon. "Let's just say I could recognize your voice from a mile away." You quirk a brow at him, before scoffing. "You're obsessed with me." "Since I saw you in that white dress." He nods, making you roll your eyes. You bite back your smile, "Can I kiss you?" "You're asking?" He tilts his head, and you snort. "Some of us don't like to assume things." You say with a tinge, and he shrugs. "I know when someone wants me." "I don't want you." You shake your head, a frown on your lips as you run your own hands through his mussed hair, peering over his shoulder to see an empty campus. Odd, for this hour. "Oh, you don't?" He entertains your shenanigans, before tilting your chin up to look in your eyes. "Nope." You pop the 'p', nuzzling your nose with his. His fingers are gently tracing your jaw before he presses his lips to yours. You melt into his touch carefully, his other hand softly holding your hip, squeezing before he pulls away, touching his forehead to yours. You blink up at him, "I don't want you. I need you."

"Did you sleep with Chan?" He asks, a bit roughly as he adjusts his hold on you. His hands move to rest on your back, and you shake your head. "Not recently, no." "Recently?" His eyes widen, and you snort. "Once, three years ago." You roll your eyes, and he nods. "No plans of sleeping with him soon?" "None." You murmur, and he bites his lip, a smile threatening to take over. "Plans of sleeping with anyone else?" "Don't know, there is this one guy." You pretend to think, pulling his hands to the front and lacing your fingers with one, taking him further down the hill slowly. The flower field comes into view, and you look up at the sky to see it's darkened remarkably. "Do you know the story of Altair and Vega?" "The story of Altair and Vega?" He echoes, allowing you to sit him down, plopping down next to him before clearing your throat. You nod, placing his hand on your inner thigh. "For warmth." You roll your eyes, before leaning back on your hands. "It's an old Chinese legend. Altair is the brightest star in the Aquila constellation." You search the sky for it, before spotting it overhead. "There." You point, and he nods. 

"You told me about those three stars over the summer. Vega, Altair and Deneb." He recalls, and you feel your smile take over your face. "You remember that?"

"We can talk about that later." He shrugs, pressing a kiss to your cheek as you nod carefully. "Right…so, out of the three, Vega is the brightest. In their story, Altair is nothing but a shepherd. He herds cows after being abandoned by his family, and he yearns for love. His only love is music, and he plays lovely melodies on the flute."

Turning slightly to face him, you shrug. "Vega was said to be a goddess, from the Heavens that was forbidden from interacting with mortals, but she heard his song and it was love at first sight. She would leave the Heavens at sunrise and sunset to be with him. They even had children together. Her mother grew suspicious, and demanded she return to the Heavens. She did so."

"The shepherd had a beautiful ox with thick skin. Seeing the way his owner yearned for the love of the goddess, he offered his skin as a sacrifice to reunite them. It didn't work." 

"Why?" Joshua asks gently, his eyes still staring up at the stars overhead. "Her mother was enraged. She created a band of stars to separate them. Their love can't be, not the way they want it." You sigh, and he glances at you.

"So what are you saying?" His voice holds no malice, only curiosity. You feel his hand tighten around your thigh slightly, prompting you to remove it and swing your leg over his lap, adjusting yourself to sit on his thighs. He gives you a look of confusion, but you just lace your fingers with his before taking a deep breath. "I'm saying that I'm a coward." You admit with a mutter, not able to look him in the eyes as you blink back the sting of tears. "I'm saying that…I want to, you know. I want to be brave, I want to tell my parents that I'm not their puppet, I want to pursue my own dreams." "What's stopping you?" He murmurs, his thumb rubbing small circles into your skin. "Fear." You sigh. "Fear of failing. Fear of…not being good enough." "Good enough for what? You're smart, you're passionate. You love this." He gestures at the sky, and you look into his eyes, his face blurry behind tears as you whisper just loud enough for him to hear you. "Good enough for you."

He sighs at this, reaching his fingers up to wipe at a few fallen tears. "There is another story in your legend, but in Greek mythology." Your head tilts to the side, and he smiles. "Lyra, means lyre. Orpheus was a musician in mythology, and a renowned poet. He even went down to Hades' hell to try and save his wife." "Eurydice." You murmur, and he nods. "He loved her more than anything, alongside his music. The story of how Lyra came to be, is that Eurydice died. She was bitten by a venomous snake and had long died by the time Orpheus found her. He was so heartbroken, he played the saddest melodies known to man and it affected everyone else just as much as it did him. He loved her so much, he went to the depths of Hades' hell to beg for her back, to live her full life, to enjoy her time."

He scans your face, feeling your fingers trace shapes into his abdomen. "Hades broke the rule, one time. He sympathized with Orpheus, and since they were both mortals, he knew they'd eventually return to him once their lives were over. The catch?" He took a piece of your hair between his fingers, twirling it through nimble fingers.

"Eurydice had to follow him out, and he wasn't allowed to look back at her until they got back to Earth, lest he'd send her right back." He said with a hum, watching as your lips pursed in discontent. "He turned back, didn't he?" "He feared she'd get lost in the dark. Just before they got back, just before they made it, he looked back and the gates to Hades' darkness were shut. He wept for her, for seven days and seven nights outside of those gates, but he never saw her again." He sighed, tucking the strand of hair behind your ear. "He was beaten to death by drunk women four years later, during a celebration for Dionysus. He never moved on, and was deemed a woman hater because he consistently rejected any and every woman for his Eurydice. His lyre was thrown in the river, and Zeus sent an eagle for it. That's how you got Lyra." 

Pointing at the sky, the two of you watch how the sky slowly turns. 

Without looking back at him, you whisper, "What are you saying?" "I'm saying…I don't want you to be Eurydice. Lost forever because I can't let you go." He splays his large hands across your thighs, the cold of his fingertips making you look back down at him. "But, I know that Orpheus and Eurydice deserved a happy ending. And I know that three weeks is a very short time to get to know someone, but I think…I know you better than almost anyone in your life." You stifle a laugh, nodding. "Nobody knows me like you, Joshua. Saerom doesn't even know I'm a double major." "Bad girl, very bad." He scolds you teasingly, before his thumbs press lightly into your thighs. "I want you to be happy. And if it means that this…whatever, we are…is a secret for a while, I'm okay with that." He shrugs, and you glance down at him.

"You know you deserve better, right?" You murmur, and he sighs. "It's either you or that lunch lady from my freshman year that's been after me for ages. Please, please save me." His tone is joking, but the look in his eyes is serious, solemn.

"Are you sure?" Your thumb pads his slight under eye bags, and he leans into it. "Yes, but don't give in to me so easily. I like the little mind games you play."

Snorting, you flick his nose gently. "What, so you want me to keep being defiant?"

"It's kind of hot." He crinkles his nose at the admission, and you let out a laugh. A genuine laugh, unlike your normal ones. "You're so…" He trails off, tilting his head to the side before sighing.

"I'm so what? Annoying? Stubborn? A snotty-nosed brat?" You prod, and he just smiles. "Yes, all of that. But…I don't know. You're so…easy to love."

"You…love me?" The confusion in your voice makes his chest ache. "I can't, uhm, I can't say I'm super well versed in the topic." He clears his throat, seeing your eyes become slightly glossy. "I just…I know that you feel right. I know that seeing you makes me less stressed. Nobody has been able to pull me away from my desk all week, Cheol had to physically drag me out earlier to eat something. I keep thinking back to our first night together, because the stress of some deadlines I have coming up is just driving me mad. But closing my eyes and just thinking about you, and knowing that you're not really this person you've painted for ages, I know. I think I feel closer to you, knowing that you've confided in me to keep this secret of yours, and I'm honored. I want to make you feel…wanted, needed. I want you to know that you are so much more than 'good enough.' If anything, I will never be enough for you, and I could spend the rest of my life working to earn you and your love." You're silent for a moment, taking in his words as your hands ghost over his. You give him a small smile, toying with the ring on his finger. "I should get you home." You murmur, and he smiles as he straightens, placing his hands on your back so you don't topple. "Anywhere you are is home, Y/N."

You don't respond, choosing to give him a chaste kiss. "We really need to get you home, I have to check on Chan." You speak against his lips, and he nods. "Fine, fine." The two of you get up, and Joshua files your lack of response into the back of his mind. Was it too much? Did he cross a line? 

The walk is quiet, but you're holding his hand tighter than you had on the stroll earlier. You're holding him closer, even holding onto his arm with your opposite hand and resting your head slightly on his shoulder. When you reach the frat, he unlocks the door to see Seungcheol and Jeonghan debriefing about Jeonghan's date on the couch. Jeonghan almost calls him over when he sees you float in after him, a loud whoo! from his mouth.

"Shut up!" You groan, gesturing up the stairs. "Chan is sleeping!" "Woo!" Jeonghan cheers again, albeit quieter, and you roll your eyes. Joshua takes your sweater off your shoulders, and you allow him to do so as he hangs them on the rack by the door. "How was your date, Jeonghan?" "Good! She was very sweet, good taste in music." He smiles softly, before glancing between you and Joshua. "Did you…talk?" He clears his throat, and you feel Joshua's hand on your back, his eyes looking up the stairs.

"We can debrief what happened between us…at a later date." You smile, and Jeonghan gives you a knowing look. Seungcheol sips his beer with a smirk, shaking his head as the two of you climb the stairs gingerly. "Check on Chan." Joshua whispers, kissing the back of your neck before turning to his room.

Knocking gently, you open the door to see Haerim watching him carefully. She's holding the thermometer in her hand, shaking it as she sighs. She doesn't startle when she sees you, a warm smile on her face as she holds it up. "Still mild fever." "No vomit, right?" You ask, closing the door behind you. She shakes her head, pointing at the empty stew bowl she brought. "He practically inhaled it." "Traitor, he didn't want to eat the porridge I brought him." You scoff, and she laughs. "How was…you know." She gestures in the direction of Joshua's room, and you feel yourself get a little giddy. She notices the wry smile on your lips, giving your arm a soft smack before nagging you. "What happened!" "He likes me." You shrug, biting back your squeal as she bounces on her toes with a toothy grin. "He likes you?!"

"Yes!" You giggle, bouncing with her, and Chan groans behind the two of you. You both clench your teeth shut, lowering your voices. "I'll update you some other time, okay? I'll be at his beck and call, so don't worry about Chan." Haerim nods, not bothering to probe before she hikes her knapsack over her shoulder. She leans, pressing a soft kiss to Chan's hairline, telling him she's leaving. He nods weakly, squeezing her hand before she pulls away. "Should I get one of the guys to walk you home?" You ask, and she shakes her head. "My roommate's been waiting for ages for me to call her. I'll see you on Monday?"

She walks towards the stairs, and you nod. "See you, Haerim." 

"Chan, I'm going home. Call me, or have one of the guys call me if you need anything." You call into the room, and he groans in response. You snort, grabbing your purse off his desk and carefully shutting the door, sighing as you take a few steps down the hall to Joshua's room. You knock lightly, opening the door when you hear him hum.

He's sitting in front of his laptop again, a frustrated look on his face as he connects a soundboard to his laptop, before feeling your presence. You smile at him, arms crossed before you speak, perching on the edge of his desk. "I'm going home."

"I know, I asked Cheol to walk you because I really need to focus." He says, a bit of sadness peeking through. You nod, "Thank you." "Can you text me when you get home?" His question is more of a demand, but you can see he's not trying to push it. "Yes, sir." You push off the desk, reaching to wrap your arms around his neck as he leans into his computer.

"Don't work yourself too hard, lover." You whisper in his ear, pressing a kiss to his temple before feeling his hand on your wrist, twisting his head to look at you. There's a soft blush coating his cheeks. "What'd you say?" "I said I'm going home." You change your expression to a stoic one, and he almost chokes on his laugh. "I'll see you on Monday." 

"Yeah, for sure." He gives your wrist a gentle squeeze, "Let me walk you out, at least." "Don't kiss me in front of your friends." You warn, and he snorts. Standing, he watches as your arms drape to your sides before you clasp your hands in front of you before walking out into the hallway. You both barrel down the stairs, and hear Jeonghan whining over a bottle of tequila about his date. "She's so hot, Cheol, you don't get it." "I get it, I get it." Seungcheol replies distractedly, his eyes flickering up to you and Joshua reaching the foyer. "Ready to go, Y/N?" He stands, going to the closet to rummage for a jacket. "Yeah, thanks for doing this." You smile sheepishly, and Jeonghan looks up. "Oh, you're going home?" "Yeah, Chan's sleeping and…" You clear your throat, giving Joshua a quick glance. He catches on, "I'm busy. Doing shit. Important, you know."

"Tell us more about how you wouldn't be able to control yourselves, why don't you?" Jeonghan grimaces, and you snort. "This is why you're here, yearning for your date instead of being back at her apartment." "The hell is that supposed to mean!" He pouts, and Joshua snorts as he helps you pull your jacket on. "It means you're a bitch, Han."

"Don't make me tell Y/N all your dirty little secrets, Hong." Jeonghan tilts the shot glass in his direction, making you go wide eyed as Seungcheol returns, a blue and white varsity jacket draped over his shoulders. "Alright, let's scoot. The night is young." He stretches, and you smile at Jeonghan.

"Hope you get the girl, Hannie." You say softly, and his eyes soften. "Thanks, Y/N." "Bye, Joshua." You murmur as Seungcheol steps outside, muttering about the cold under his breath. Joshua looks to Jeonghan, who has his eyes closed, before pulling you into him. "One for the road?" You roll your eyes, "One for the road."

Thursday, December 29th.

The past two months had been a mess. Your parents had continuously dropped by randomly (and they dropped by the night of the Beta Tau Halloween rager), making both you and Saerom annoyed. She'd recently started seeing Jun (which kind of makes you grateful you're not in the apartment for their study sessions, who knows what freak shit they're on) and neither of you could study or rest in peace without feeling like they'd drop by.

Missing the party was the least of your worries, because you knew Joshua wasn't going to be involved in it anyway. He sent you a text from his desk, his guitar needing to be restrung because he couldn't pull himself away from his work. You'd told him to go for a walk.

Message From: Joshua Hong (TA) [11/03] What use is a walk if you're not there to kiss my worries away? You hadn't replied, opting to choose to scream into your pillow like a giddy teenaged girl.

In this time, you'd also managed to sit Saerom down and really speak to her about yourself. You told her that you didn't feel like yourself, and when she asked why, you broke out a bottle of wine and the two of you broke down the last few years of your lives. You admitted that you didn't want any part of your family's business, and Saerom had only given you a softened look.

"Don't pity me, Rom. You know I hate that shit.""I don't, my love. I don't pity you at all."

You'd cried quite a bit, and she'd just watched quietly and wiped your tears as they came. She understood, and she voiced that she thinks she would also do the same – the lying, the escapism, the misunderstandings. She apologized, saying she was sorry that she ever made you feel like you couldn't confide in her – smiling slightly when you said that she was never the problem, it was knowing that you'd be admitting to failure. She understood that, too.

The apartment felt more homey after that – Saerom took the time to go out and buy a few things she thought you'd like – a few constellation posters, a Lego set for you to build together of the Milky Way. She built the astronaut and NASA shuttle herself, placing those in your room when you texted her a few days after she bought them saying you'd had a rough day. She heard you crying in your room, only entering to comfort you when she heard you call her name.

These weeks were also particularly difficult because you'd seen less and less of Joshua. You never considered yourself the clingy type, and the Beta Tau brothers were definitely becoming more familiar with you as the days passed. You saw Joshua outside of class maybe twice, and it was once during office hours and once by going to the house to check on Chan right after Joshua admitted his feelings for you. He'd gotten a lot better, but you'd picked up his assignments from classes you didn't share so he wouldn't fall behind. He'd asked you what was going on between you and Joshua, and you just shrugged.

"We're taking it slow."

"Please don't fuck while I'm still sick, I don't want to hear it."

You and Joshua seemed to have no plans of doing so, it seems. Your schedules did not line up, and you could see him become slightly more stressed every time you saw him. Your classmates noticed something different about him, and you and Haerim just giggled in the back when he'd steal a glance at you. She never said anything to anyone, either.

Once school let out for the winter break (and you disappointedly passed Spanish with a B minus), you did everything in your power to avoid going home. You told your parents any lie you could grapple at – Saerom was sick, you were sick and didn't want to get them sick.

The truth? You just wanted to ring in the New Year with your…boyfriend? You didn't know what the two of you were, and you weren't afraid to admit that to yourself. He was graduating soon, and possibly taking a gap year before continuing his studies. You knew this much through texts – the one thing the two of you did have time for. He sent you voice notes on his way to anywhere, he'd send you pictures of the night sky before going to bed – asking if you could point out any constellations for him. 

Message From: Shua <3 [11:32pm] Are you home? [11:33pm] Before you answer this, is Saerom home? I don't feel like explaining myself, I just want to lay the fuck down.

You snort at his message, giggling to yourself at his new contact name. You don't know if you'll ever get used to it.

Message To: Shua <3 [11:33pm] Saerom went home for the break. Something about introducing Jun to her mom.

His reply is almost instant. Message From: Shua <3 [11:34pm] Open the door, I'm freezing.

From your seat on the couch, you hear Joshua groan behind the door and you laugh. Tossing your phone to the side, you quickly get up and unlock the door. You see a pouty Joshua holding a bag of takeout, eyelashes lightly coated in snow as he enters the apartment. "You hate me." He whines, and you snort.

"I can make you go back out in the cold, if you'd like." You shrug, making him scoff as you carefully unravel his scarf. He closes his eyes as you take his jacket, and yank his beanie off his head with no care. "When do I get my kiss? I haven't seen you since finals, I deserve a kiss."

"It's like, twenty minutes until your birthday. You can't wait?" You roll your eyes, feeling a ball of fabric hit your back. You look down to see his pink glove on the floor, making you scoff out a laugh. "Now you're definitely not getting a kiss." "Oh my Goooood, you hate me!" He pouts, grabbing your arm and pulling you close to him. You shake your head, gently nuzzling your nose to his cold one. "Not one bit." You still hadn't told Joshua you loved him. Granted, the two of you were not dating and hadn't properly seen each other in literal ages – as much as 'ages' can be for two idiots in love. 

"Why are you dressed like this? And why have I never been here before? This place is cool." He looks around, spotting the astronomy figurines Saerom had started getting for you, the walls covered in photos of you together and he spots the photo of you and your parents gathering dust on one of the shelves. He doesn't mention it.

"Dressed like what? My pajamas?" You look down, and he tugs at the seam of your shorts. "Rather…provocative." "Shut the fuck up, it's almost bed time." You roll your eyes, swatting his hand away from the bare skin of your thighs. He smiles amusedly, planting a soft kiss to the tip of your nose, before peppering them all over your face. His lips meet yours lightly, a chaste taste of his strawberry lip balm lingering on your plush lips as he pulls away.

"The bag is just mochi. I already had dinner." He says sheepishly, and you shrug. "I did, too. To be honest, I wasn't expecting company." "I didn't think you'd stayed on campus." He nods, and you sigh with a sad smile. "Don't wanna see my parents." "Right. How's that going?" He asks, pulling you to the couch with one hand. You let him lay down, pulling you on top of him. Your knees hug his hips as you straddle him, his hands resting high on your thighs. "It's…going. I should call them, but I really don't want to–" You hear the doorknob wiggle, tensing in Joshua's hold as you turn. The lock turns, and your muttered whisper of fuck makes all the alarms in Joshua's mind go off. You climb off of him as the door is pushed open, and you can feel your skin heat in embarrassment as your mother scoffs, stepping into the apartment. Joshua carefully slides off the couch, stepping next to you.

"Jesus, she keeps this place a mess." She groans, looking at the bag of takeout on your dinner table. She hasn't seen you yet, placing her giant designer bag on a chair as your father comes in behind her. "All you do is judge the girl, no wonder she doesn't want to come home." He rolls his eyes, but they land on you – standing with beet red cheeks and an equally embarrassed Joshua by your side. Your father's eyes dart to the link between you – Joshua's hand gingerly interlocking your fingers. You don't speak, and he looks at Joshua's eyes filled with slight worry.

"Can you go get her? She's probably holed up in her room, looking at those stupid mo– Who the fuck are you?" Your mother has turned now, her narrowed eyes on Joshua before landing on you. "Who the fuck is that? You said you were sick, and you have company over?" Your throat is dry, and you feel frozen when Joshua steps in front of you, shielding you from your parents' view. "You must be Y/N's parents. I've heard a lot about you, I'm Joshua."

He extends his hand, and your father eyes it before taking it, shaking it firmly. "Nice grip you got there, son." Your mother scoffs, tugging her scarf off her neck with a visceral anger. Joshua can feel you cower behind him, your fingers gripping onto the back of his shirt. "Joshua what? What do you do for a living?" He clears his throat, watching as your mother walks around the apartment without taking her shoes off, taking down stuff from the walls. "Joshua Hong. I'm a producer." He lies through his teeth, and your mother scowls as she sees the Lego version of the Milky Way hung right by your bathroom. She takes it down, tossing it carelessly on the couch.

"A producer? You won't make much money." 

"That's enough." Your father speaks up, and sees you peer at him from behind Joshua. "What are you to Y/N? Boyfriend?" "Not allowed!" Your mother announces, her hands now occupied by your opened mail. Bills, bills, a credit card statement, bills…and your summer internship at the Korea Astronomy and Space Institute.

"I am…her boyfriend." Joshua whispers, losing a bit of confidence as your mother angrily walks back to your foyer. "What's this?" She holds the acceptance letter up, your eyes shutting closed as you see it in her hand. "Fuck." You murmur behind Joshua, and your mother begins to read it aloud.

"Esteemed Miss Kang, it is with great pride that we award you with the July KASI internship studying plasma physics." She crumples the paper slightly in her fist, and your father pries it from her hold as you step out from behind Joshua, and she really lays it on you.

"We told you from the start that these silly little dreams about space and stars were not going to happen. You are the sole heir to the companies, the properties, you have to continue the family business. Don't you care about that? Don't you care about paying us back for everything we've given you, and continue to supply you with? Don't you get that this is not an option?" She's not yelling, but her words cut deep as you nod slowly, the words tumbling out before you can stop to think about them properly. "I don't care." Your mother looks taken aback, and you feel your stomach flip as you clear your throat. "I don't care about properties, or companies. I don't care about money, or marrying for wealth. I…" You breathe in shakily, and Joshua instinctively puts his hands on your shoulders, an act not unseen by your mother's beady eyes.

"I don't care about being part of a family that is fueled by greed. I can't do it anymore. I hope that…you find another fit." The last part comes out as a bit of a sob, and you cover your mouth quickly. Your mother is fuming, and she turns to your father, who is silently reading the letter in his hands.

"I didn't know you liked plasma physics." He murmurs, and you feel Joshua's fingers squeeze your shoulders lightly. "I didn't even know what you were studying, if I'm being honest." Your father admits sheepishly, smoothing the crumpled edge of the sheet carefully. 

"This is a very hard program to get into. I would know," Your father holds the letter out to you, and you reach to take it, holding the corner gingerly in your fingers. "You would know?" Joshua echoes, and your father nods.

"I applied. I got the June internship for aerospace engineering, my best friend was so jealous." You don't know the last time you saw your father smile. "I'm…proud of you. I know it's a little late in saying that, I've been quite the absent father.I guess, I can't even really say father."

Your mother is tapping her foot, garnering your attention again. "Whatever rebel strike you're on isn't cute, Y/N. I've got investors waiting to meet you, wanting to draw up contracts, to build new properties with your name across the front." Your father sighs, shaking his head as he looks at the two of you again. "Joshua, could you give us a moment?" 

You turn to look at him, your eyes pleading him not to leave. He gives you a sorry smile, squeezing your shoulders before kissing your hairline. "I'll be in your room." He murmurs, and you nod, watching as he walks away, slipping into the only open door in the hallway. He shuts it behind him. 

Your father sighs, leaning against the door frame. "Your mother and I are getting a divorce."

You can feel your eyes widen as far as they go, your mother flushing furiously. "Can I ask why?" "It's none of your business." She grits, and your father scoffs. "I'm selling the company. I'm tired, Y/N. Being in business is not what I want to do." He shakes his head, and you try to bite back a smile.

"It's not?"

"No. I'm donating the money to the Aerospace Engineering program here, actually." He gestures around you, indicating the University. You feel your lips tug into a smile, your father's warm eyes matching yours. "I don't understand why you can't just leave the company in Y/N's name so she can take over when we're both dead and gone. At least it sets up a stable future for her!" "She won't be happy, Bora! That's why I can't do that. Nothing in this life means anything if we're not happy." He groans frustratedly, and you feel almost taken aback by your father's words. He'd always been a silent man – a bit cold, with two friends and love for one thing: baseball. 

And space, you now know.

"This is fucking ridiculous. I cannot leave my investors hanging, and I refuse to hand over my properties to someone I don't even know!" Your mother is exasperated, and you almost want to laugh at how you and your father shrug simultaneously. 

"Whatever." She grumbles, snatching her purse off the chair, pulling it over her shoulder. She gives you a nasty look, "I assume this means you will also bail on meeting the Mins' youngest son? Yoongi has been waiting to meet you." 

"Yoongi can shove it." You shrug, and she just shakes her head in disappointment – but for once…you don't care. She slams out of your apartment, her scarf flung over the back of your couch. Your father gives you a gentle smile, and you return it. 

"I'm sorry for not being a better father to you, Y/N. I should have tried harder." He laments, and you see his eyes begin to gloss over with tears. You step forward, enveloping him in a loose hug. "I think…standing up for me and what you believe in, is a step in the right direction. I haven't been a very present daughter, either."

He laughs shakily, giving you a tight squeeze. "How about you and I get dinner in the next few days? You can even bring Joshua, I kind of like that kid." He mumbles, and you feel your stomach flutter at the mention of your…boyfriend's name. "I'll check our calendars and shoot you a text, okay?" "For sure, kid." He pulls away, softly patting your head. "I'll see you, okay?" "Yeah. See you." You nod, opening the door for him. He leaves with another word, your mother's scarf in his hand as he exits your apartment. You feel a wave of relief wash over you, but bite back your tears as you lock the door and march to your bedroom. Opening the door, you see Joshua flopped diagonally across your bed, phone in his hand.

It's twenty minutes past midnight, and the date reads December 30th.

"Hey, you." He looks over his shoulder, and watches as you pin the acceptance letter to the corkboard above your dresser. You put your hands on your hips, staring at it with a bit more content in your heart. 

"Hey, boyfriend." You say, turning to face him. His ears turn pink, and he sits up. "It just came out, okay? I'm sorry, I know I haven't even taken you out to dinner or anything but I really, really–" You crash your lips to his, pushing him back onto your bed as you straddle him. "Yeah, yeah. No need for explanations." You peel your shirt off, tossing it to the side as he looks at you with wide eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Happy birthday, lover."

Saturday, May 6th.

"Joshua Hong." 

You cheer loudly from the stands as he crosses the stage, watching his cheeks tinge pink as he hears you over the clapping and yelling from his fraternity. He smiles as the photographer takes his picture, before looking up at the stands to find you. You wave excitedly, and his eyes brighten all the more. I love you, he mouths.

I'm proud of you, you mouth back. Wimp.

– ☆ –

"Hey, gorgeous. You a tourist?" You're standing at the bar of the same salsa club you and Joshua danced at last summer when you hear Joshua's voice behind you, and you struggle not to roll your eyes. The two of you only stayed at the graduation long enough to watch Jeonghan cross the stage, before Cheol texted the group and said he was sneaking out. 

The three of them had booked a last-minute trip…back to Puerto Vallarta.

"The city where you fell in love!" Cheol teased as the group loaded into the car, with you sitting on Joshua's lap in the backseat. Saerom was sitting next to you, and Junhui was giggling at the redness of your cheeks as the pair of douchebags teased you to no end. It didn't matter though – you felt Joshua smile into your shoulder as the group pulled into the airport.

"Yeah, I am. Are you?" You played his game, waiting until he finally came into your line of vision with the same baby blue guayabera you first saw him in. Your stomach flutters lightly as his hand ghosts your back. "Nah, I've been here before. Got my heart broken by a cute thing, she looked a little like you." "Alright, that's enough roleplay you weirdo." You scoff, shoving his hand away from you as he laughed, He stepped slightly closer, ignoring your faux annoyance. "Right, right…I know some cool places here, if you'd care to join me." His eyes twinkle something mischievous as the bartender slides you your drink. You take it with a thank you, before sighing and linking your arm with Joshua's. "Do you, now?" "I do. There's some pretty hammocks down the beach, you can see all the stars right now." He glances up at the sky as the two of you leave the club, your shoes clutched in his hand as your toes sink into the warm sand. You smile up at him, "What do you know about stars?" "Someone very special once told me a story about two lovers who couldn't be…and they reside in these very stars." He points at the sky, and you nod. "You know, I once heard a story like that, but they were involved in Greek mythology." You stare up at the sky, when you reach the hammock the two of you shared that first night.

"Really? Was it about Orpheus and Eurydice? I love that one." He smiles as he helps you on, fixing the skirt of your dress to cover your legs more. "Your star-crossed lovers, were they Altair and Vega?"

"So you do know stars." He slides in, and you rest your head on his chest. "I do. Love them, actually." "You're my brightest star." He murmurs, kissing your forehead lightly as his hand maps out the Lyra constellation. "It's so pretty, isn't it?" Looking back down at you, he sees the gloss over your eyes and sits up. "Babe! Don't cry, oh my God–" "I love you." You blurt, watching as his brows raise, his ears tinging pink in the low light of the moon. He lays back down slowly, and you scrunch your face before sitting up and looking down at him. "Hello? Big moment here, asswipe?" "Just a second." He smiles painfully, and your brows only furrow more. "What the hell is wrong with you?" 

"I'm hard." He whispers, making you glance down. "Don't look at it! What's wrong with you!" He pouts as you burst into laughter, your hand resting on his stomach as you muffle your laughter with his shoulder.  "It's not funny."

"You're such a LOSER!"

Pulling back, you wipe at your eyes, catching your breath.

"But you love me too, right?" You ask, peering down at him as he rolls his eyes, smiling widely. He brings you closer to him, his lips ghosting over yours as he speaks softly.

"I love you so much, I'd bring down the stars if you asked me to."

haologram © 2024 || no translations, reposting or modifications are allowed. do not claim as your own. viewer discretion is advised. your media consumption is your responsibility.

[barcaatthemoon]

vacation || jenni hermoso x reader||

i am back with another little fic. this one is smutty. thank you for reading. there's not really a plot to this, just some soft smut.

minors do not interact, 18+

jenni stirred on the hammock beside you. whenever you had laid down and subsquently fallen asleep, jenni had been out in the water with the rest of her teammates. you had snuck away onto the balcony overlooking your private beach area. this resort was nice, and jenni had splurged to make sure that it was the best possible vacation for the two of you.

she had been very clear in communicating to you that after the first couple of days, she would be all yours. a few of her teammates stayed longer than just the weekend, but you didn't mind letting jenni run around and have fun with them. you liked the chance to sit on the balcony tanning or the random shopping trips that jenni would send you on to keep you busy.

"corazon, stay here," jenni mumbled as she pulled you closer against her body. it was then that you realized just how much skin was pressed against your body. you still had your bikini on, but jenni's top had been discarded on her way over towards you.

"i just want to stretch out a little," you told her. jenni huffed, but let you go. no matter how badly she may have wanted you to stay right by her side, jenni never physically held you back. you were always free to make your own decisions, which was how the two of you ended up playing soccer on opposite ends of the world. the distance was difficult, but jenni knew how much you enjoyed helping to push up smaller teams.

you sat up in the hammock to stretch out your arms and shoulders. behind you, jenni's eyes traced the lines of muscle definition in your back. the two of you had known each other for a long time, having played on the same youth teams growing up, and jenni couldn't believe that after all that time, you were finally hers.

"te amo," jenni muttered as she leaned forward to press a kiss to your back. slowly, you could feel jenni sit up behind you. her arms snaked around your waist as her hands fell to your thighs. you knew what was coming, mainly because it had happened every single day since you arrived at the resort.

jenni didn't move her hands until you spread your thighs for her. you could feel her smile against your skin as she pressed her lips against your shoulder. jenni trailed her fingers over your center through your bathing suit bottoms, which did little to nothing as a barrier between your skin and hers. your voice caught in your throat, cut off by a soft moan as jenni started to put a little extra pressure.

"do you like that corazon?" jenni asked you. she knew the answer already, but she liked to watch as your ability to focus melted away. you opened your mouth to tell her how much you liked the way that she was touching you when her fingers finally pushed past the bottoms.

"fuck, jenni," you moaned. jenni was smirking in between the kisses she was placing along your neck. she lifted her head just enough to nip just below your ear. you let out a little squeal and jumped back, placing yourself further onto jenni's lap. this way, it was much easier for jenni push her fingers into your entrance.

"you are so wet. surely it can't just be from this, i've barely touched you. were you thinking about me in your dreams?" jenni asked you. jenni was the girl of your dreams, quite literally. you had spent countless nights dreaming of her, especially since the two of you had been separated. jenni knew that, often teasing you about it on your facetime calls. "answer me, baby."

"yes, you're all i dream about jenni," you replied. your voice was breathy, and each word was a struggle to form. jenni loved hearing you try to speak whenever she had you so worked up. it was somewhat cruel, but you'd take that any day over some stupid showing of strength. jenni was a very dominant lover, but her dominance came with a softness and harmlessness that made you feel safe inside.

"i dream about you too. do you want to know what i dream about?" jenni asked. her fingers grazed over your entrance, spreading some of the wetness that threatened to drip in the space between your bodies.

"yes. yes, please," you breathed out. jenni knew that you weren't necessarily directly answering her question, but she would keep talking. she knew firsthand the things that her voice could do to you. it went beyond simple praises and the occasional teasing degradation. jenni knew how effective it could be to chat you up while she buried her fingers or strap deep inside of you.

"i dream about how perfect it feels to slip my fingers inside of you when you're wet." jenni slid two fingers inside of you with ease before she continued, "you feel so much better than i could ever imagine, always better than i remember. you've got such a greedy little cunt, always taking what i give while you beg for more."

"do you want me to beg?" you asked. jenni shook her head behind you. she placed a soft kiss to the side of your neck, one that felt different than the rest of the kisses. your skin would be marked up so badly that you doubted it'd go away before your next game. your teammates would definitely see it at practice and tease you later, but you didn't mind. there was nothing shameful about having a partner who was madly in love with you, both physically and emotionally.

"not on vacation. here, the both of us get exactly what we want, and i want to feel you cum all over my fingers," jenni cooed. the sound of her voice sent chills down your spine. it wasn't going to take long for you to cum, a fact that jenni knew as she moved her other hand from your hip down to your clit.

"jenni, i'm gonna cum," you warned her. jenni was careful to keep her movements consistent as she felt you clench around her fingers. you came with a small gush and piercing cry that you were sure someone else had to have heard. jenni kept both of her hands between your legs, so your cries of pleasure were free to echo out into the open space.

"that's it, get it out. you did so good for me corazon. i am proud of you." jenni placed a soft kiss against the side of your face after each of her little praises. your body slumped back against hers completely, exhaustion momentarily taking over. jenni carefully withdrew herself and repositioned her hands so that she was holding you. "thank you, corazon. te amo."

"i love you too," you muttered as you turned your head to press a kiss to jenni's cheek. she turned at just the right moment to steal a kiss from your lips, which you were more than happy with.

[think-like-a-poet]

Casual Chappell Roan - LN4

Casual / Lando Norris

A/N: Contains 18+ content.

•Serie masterlist (song x driver)

I know what you tell your friends

It's casual, if it's casual now

"Mate, how many times do I have to say it. Her and me are not dating." You heard Lando say to Max as they drank from their beers.

Your heart breaks everytime those words leave his mouth. Weren't you good enough for more. More than just a casual relationship.

" You okay?" Ria asked you as she placed a hand on your shoulder.

" Yeah, why wouldn't i be?"

She looked at you with pitty, "It is clear you like bim than more then just fuck buddies. Don't let yourself get hurt to much."

"I don't. So don't worry."

Lando and Max walked up to you, their bottles empty. " What are you ladies talking about?"

" Nothing" you both reply. The both don't seem to ask further.

.

The thoughts about you two dissapeared that same evening when you were trying to find a comfortable position in Lando' s mclaren. His mouth had been attached to you since you walked out of there and he couldn't help himself anymore. He had opened up the door to his Mclaren and let you sit in it.

" Fuck, don't stop," you moan out and he lets out a chuckel against you. It vibrated through tour body, making you moan once again. His tongue spread you open, eating you out like he hadn't had food for days. A starved man, only longing for one thing

His finger went to stimulate your clint and your breath hitched in your throat. "So needy for me." It didn't take long before you came all over his mouth and he devoured every last drup.

You weren't able to say something as Lando's phone went over. He picked it up and you tried to get your heart beat to normal. "Hi Mum, yes I am almost there. There is lost of traffic." He lied. Lando was suppose to go and have dinner with his parents, but planned the party right before. Maybe not the best idea.

Lando looked at you, before saying, " Do you have room for one more. I have Y/N, with me ." Your eyes widen. You didn't want to see his parents right after you just,...

"Great, we will be there over 10 minutes." He started his car and you two drove to his parents house.

As the music came trough the radio you both didn't say a word to each other. You were to focused on the road infront of you, ot wanting to neet his gaze. Maybe you should listen to Ria.

Lando parked his car in front of the house and you got out of it. His mother was already standing by the entrance. "Y/N, what nice of you to join us." She hugged you, and you thank her.

"I am here too," lando joked as his cisca went to hug her son. She looks so happy between the two of you and you know what she thinks. Just to bad it isn't true.

" Lets get inside." Lando leads you inside and you see his Father seated at the table.

" good evening." You greet and Adam greeted you in return.

The table was already set for four table and the pans were filled with all kind of foods.

" Taste to"

As you begin eating you picked up conversations with his parents and lando. His hand layed to your tight sometimes out of habit and you know that they picked it up.

" We are going on a family vacation to ibiza this summer. Do you want to join us?" Cisca asked and you feel Lando's eye's on you.

"No thank you. I wouldn't want to interewine if it is a family vacation. You should spent it alone with each other."

His parents look between the two of you and Lando couldn't stop staring at his plate.

Maybe some day you will be together. Over a couple years and you do more then only pleasing each other sexualy. You do on dates, you wake up next to each other. Maybe some day.

-

Tag list: @hiireadstuff @nikfigueiredo @elliott-calls @g-l-o-b-e-w-h-o-r-e

[lustspren]

P.S.T EP. 6 | ‘Til We Meet Again ft ITZY.

length: 14k words ✦

ITZY & Male Reader.

genres: blowjob, oral sex, sixsome, hard sex, handjob, anal, creampie, bit fluffy, voyeur, facial

✦✧✦✧✦✧

"Huh? U.S.A?" Yeji asked, puzzled, standing by the glass door that led to the Jacuzzi, one side of her face illuminated by the sun, "Why?"

Chaery had gathered the girls in the living room for something that in her own words, was something of the utmost importance. They all thought it was something related to her or the group, or something more delicate like some family stuff, but everything had resulted in her telling them what you told her the day of your 'date'. All of them were gathered there, some sitting on the sofa and others, like Yeji, standing.

"Is he going on vacation or something?" Ryujin asked, seeing Chaery while hugging her own legs attached to her body, at one end of the sofa.

"Uhm… yes," Chaeryeong nodded, "but not exactly," she sighed, going to sit on the edge of the sofa with her gaze lost to the floor, "Noze has her eye on him, I think he'll leave with Aespa."

"WHATT?!" they all yelled in unison, with faces ranging from astonished to disgusted.

"Yeah, I know it's hard to believe," Chaery sighed, "but that's what he told me."

"God, he must be fucking stressed carrying all that pressure," said Lia, who was eating a green apple while cutting it into pieces with a knife.

"I'm not surprised Noze has her eyes on him," Yuna said, taking pieces of the apple from Lia as she cut them, "his work is impressive."

"That's true, but has he even seen the girls in person?" Yeji asked, going to sit next to Ryujin, who spread her legs to rest on top of Yeji's thighs.

"Obviously not," Chaery replied, "he's been busy with us all this time, this has to be a manager-nim thing."

"Fuck, I almost forgot he's close with Noze," Yeji clucked, "that's what we get for not pretending to stay stressed and irritated all the time, manager nim realized how helpful he was to us with his services. "

"Now those bitches are going to take him away," Yuna said with a disgusted tone, then spoke with a piece of apple in her mouth, "it's not fair."

"It certainly isn't, but it's not like we can do anything about it," Lia said, eating the last piece of apple, "it's still a job for him, after all, and it would be a great opportunity," they all nodded in agreement. 

"We can't do anything," Yeji reaffirmed, "however, we can do something for him in the meantime..." her face lit up with a mischievous smile.

————————————-

The tide at your job had been pretty flat that week, you took the whole weekend to be home, rest, and hang out with Chaery again on Sunday. This time your date had no interruption or inconvenience, you took her to your apartment, you had a nice lunch, you played board games and you watched random videos on Youtube until the time to take her back to her house came.

The road was undoubtedly a moment that you were going to treasure for many years, driving at night with Chaery, listening and singing your favorite songs, among which Ne-Yo's Because of You stood out. Your eyes were fixed on the road, but every moment you turned to see her you were met by a beautiful and happy face illuminated every few seconds by the streetlights. Few moments in your life had been as happy as that, she made you feel comfortable, she made your heart feel in the place where it always wanted to be, and you didn't know where all that wave of emotions and feelings was going to end, but what if you knew it was that you were willing to do whatever it took to not let it die.

However, the week following your second date with Chaery had started out anything but calm. It was Monday at 8 in the morning when you received a message of what you considered at that moment, it was Lucifer himself going for your neck: Noze, and she told you something that left you completely paranoid and lunatic for the rest of the week. The first had been a message of encouragement, telling you that you had been doing an excellent job and that she was certainly impressed, but the second was that there was one more test to pass.

That was not what made you paranoid, it was the fact that she told you that during that week a mystery client was going to visit the spa, she did not tell you who she was, or what day she was going, she just dropped that bombshell on you out of the blue, so that you could decide how to process and cope with that information.

As expected, you didn't swallow that information well at all. Throughout the week you seemed like a complete lunatic always looking to give the best deals and overexerting yourself with absolutely every single client that came with you. You were sure that it had become something strange for someone, but in your paranoia for not knowing who it was or receiving any kind of clue, you never thought about it.

That same week two separate clients arrived that made your head ache when you came home later. Kim Taeyeon, and Red Velvet's Yeri, both SM idols, labelmates with Aespa. In your head it was them, they had to be, you also thought it would be too obvious from Noze, but that didn't stop you from behaving like the lord of sex himself when the two of them presented themselves before you with their towels wrapped around their incredibly hot bodies. You did not know if they were the mystery clients, but what you were sure of was that they had left your spa room well satisfied and de-stressed. Yeri even allowed you to eat her tits as a thank you.

Friday finally arrived, that day when you knew that all your worries had disappeared and your mind would go to a completely different plane. That morning you did not stop looking at your phone, waiting for the long-awaited message that certainly did not take long to arrive. You got Yeji's text just as you were clocking in at work. She told you to go home as quickly as possible after leaving the spa, and also to bring a backpack with clothes to spend the whole weekend.

At that point you didn't even care if you passed the test or not, you were so stressed and tired that just thinking about spending the whole weekend with your current favorite girls was like a sunny day after the storm. You completed your day satisfactorily, a fairly normal day considering what you were used to lately, where more and more famous idols arrived, and you signed your departure time at the reception before collecting your things and driving directly to the girl's house.

You expected to notice something strange when you arrived, but curiously everything seemed too quiet and in order, you even noticed that the surroundings of the house were better cared for and maintained than before, they had cleaned up dead leaves, bushes and weeds, which before made it look like the house in the middle of a Silent Hill forest. There was also no trash of any kind, and all the walls had had a fresh paint job.

After parking the car and you got out to go inside, that's when you noticed the first big difference. Behind the glass door was a sky-blue rug that stretched in a path and around one of the hallways leading upstairs, suspiciously too similar to the same kind of rug you used at work. You frowned in confusion, and followed the path until you reached the corridor where it turned, meeting a pretty woman with shiny hair.

"Good afternoon sir," Lee Chaeyeon said in a polite and calm voice, dressed almost exactly the way the receptionist at your spa would dress, dark blue button-down scrubs and pants from the same color, "it's good that you have arrived."

"Uh… may I know what you're doing and why are you dressed like that?" you asked with a frown due to the confusion. Chaeyeon's hospitable little smile disappeared for a moment, she sighed.

"Please play along, the girls put a lot of effort into making something nice for you," she said, smoothing her uniform down with her hands and standing upright, hands behind her back. You already had an idea of what it was all about.

"Oh, okay okay," you nodded slowly, and then cleared your throat to face her again, "Good afternoon miss," you said back, and Chaeyeon returned to character.

"You have an appointment with the five hostesses of this establishment," she said, "may I take you to your room sir?"

"I'd be delighted, miss, please," you replied, smiling back at her.

"Follow me," Chaeyeon turned and started up the stairs, and you followed her.

You reached the second floor and immediately turned to take the following stairs to the third, the carpet continued to mark the way up there, you turned through a couple of corridors, until you reached the door of a room that you already had more than familiar with. It was the spa room.

"Are you going to join us, miss?" you asked, when she stopped in front of the door next to you.

"The hostesses did this between themselves exclusively for you, I have no place there," she said with her hands clasped on the pit of her stomach, "besides, I agreed to do this because my little sister asked me nicely, and I see how happy you make her. "

"Thank you so much, I'm sure it meant a lot to her," you smiled.

"Don't you dare leave without saying goodbye to me, okay?" she broke her character once more and grabbed you by the shirt to give you a little kiss on the lips.

"You know I never would," you winked at her.

"Yeah, you'd better," she let go of your shirt, and put her hand on the doorknob to open it wide, "your room, sir," Chaeyeon smiled, and took a step back.

The girls were waiting for you inside, standing side by side in nothing more than a sexy uniform black lingerie set for each of them, and both the bra, panties, and thigh-high stockings were see-through. The door closed behind you, and you were left alone with your five hostesses. The first one you saw was Chaery, who winked at you with a small smile on her face, you smiled back.

"All in us! Hello, we are ITZY," they greeted at the same time, making their typical hand sign before a bow.

"Hi!" you greeted back making a small bow, "thanks for having me."

"Thank you for coming to take our services, sir," Yeji said, hands clasped at her crotch.

"Should I explain what today's session will consist of?" Lia asked, looking at Yeji, who nodded, "Okay, we have a total of 4 stations, first we'll give you a handjob, then a blowjob, then you'll have access to our pussies, and finally we'll end with anal."

"I'm more than happy with that," you replied, scrutinizing the girls' bodies one by one, each one looking utterly hot and irresistible with the pieces of lingerie on.

"Should we start then?" Ryujin asked, clearly eager to get her hands on you.

"Yeah, undress him girls," Yeji ordered with a nod to you, and just like a pride of lions, they began to surround you as they undressed you.

Chaery made sure to take her place in front of you, making sure your eyes were on her as you pulled down your pants and she took off your shirt. You wanted to kiss her, but she stopped you.

"Nuh-uh," Chaery put a finger to your lips, pulling you back a few inches from her face, "you're not supposed to kiss me, darling, not yet at least," she giggled, then knelt down in front of you along with the other girls and they lowered your boxer shorts with a single pull.

"Lie here, sir, face down," Yeji said, the girls stood up, and when she removed the towel covering the mattress, you saw the same damn hole from last time there. It was that again.

"Oh shit..." you muttered, and took a few steps forward to stand next to the bed, you stared into Yeji's eyes for a moment, and she couldn't help but flash an evil smile. You did as you were told, and lay face down on the bed, making sure that your cock and balls had gone through the hole.

"Go ahead girls," Yeji ordered, and you watched as Lia and Chaery crawled under the bed.

"Don't worry darling, we're not like Yeji, we'll take good care of you," Lia said, and Yeji frowned, not expecting that roast. You smiled, holding back a laugh.

You didn't have time to say anything when you felt the first hand wrap around your still flaccid cock, and seconds later, another one went to your balls to cradle and massage them slowly and carefully. You didn't know whose hand each hand belonged to, but you did notice an obvious difference in the treatment they gave you compared to the one Yeji gave you. Despite trying to be careful, Yeji simply could not put aside that rudeness and coarseness that characterized her, instead, Lia and Chaery being the ones who appreciated you the most, made their hands feel as if they were lined with the softest of wool.

The hand around your cock began to move slowly, gradually making it completely hard while the other hand was replaced with a mouth, which doled out little kisses and licks on your balls. You felt how they switched places when you felt a different hand around your cock, but you also stopped feeling the kisses on your balls. Now one hand was holding the base of your shaft with two fingers while the other moved slowly from the tip to the middle.

The hand that was stroking you separated and immediately after you heard a spit, that hand returned to your cock, and began to spread saliva as it moved with more and more intensity. You gasped, already starting to feel tingles all over your body. There was another change, and now you felt the other hand move much faster than the other, which returned to your balls to squeeze and caress.

Your slippery cock was already throbbing between hand and hand, and your constant panting let them know they were doing an outstanding job. Soon the delicacy disappeared, and the two of them just concentrated on making you feel your best with quick and precise movements whose main intention was nothing more than to make you release a thick and powerful load.

You no longer even bothered trying to guess who was masturbating you at what time, you just closed your eyes, clenched your fists and pursed your lips between small grunts as Chaery and Lia gave you one of the best handjobs you could ever receive. Your blood began to pump towards your cock, and you saw fit to let them know you were about to cum.

"Girls, I'm so fucking close," you said against your clenched teeth, and soon you felt a pair of tongues press against the tip of your cock as they used their hands to stroke it quickly.

A few seconds passed when between frantic strokes your load began to shoot out in thick spurts against the tongues of Lia and Chaery, who took turns taking a little more of your cum each, as you moaned loudly since they continued moving their hands rapidly through your orgasm. It wasn't until your cum stopped coming that they stopped, and you let out a deep breath.

Lia and Chaery came out from under the bed, and you saw them with their mouths and chins smeared with little strips of white liquid, which they wiped away with the backs of their hands.

"Was the first phase satisfactory for you, sir?" Lia asked, licking her lips, "you came a lot."

"Fuck… yes, yes I did," you sighed, feeling your cock still throb slightly.

"Then you'll enjoy the second phase even more," Yuna chimed in, exchanging knowing glances with Ryujin, "could you stand up over here sir, please?"

"Sure, but could you give me a second? I need a breather," you propped yourself up on your elbows, then ran a hand through your hair.

"Sorry sir, breaks have no place in this spa," Ryujin said with a false wail, "as you understand, we have limited time," what a fucking liar, you didn't have limited time, they didn't even count the minutes.

"... As you say, Shin Ryujin," you said after a little silence as you sighed, then got off the bed, and stood in the middle of the room. Lia and Chaery stepped back with their hands clasped across their bellies, giving way to Yeji, Yuna, and Ryujin, "Wait, can Yuna be in the middle?" you asked before they crouched down, not wanting to give Yeji the spotlight you knew she wanted.

"Uh… sure, sir," Yeji snorted, trading places with Yuna.

With their positions established, the girls got down on their knees in front of you. Ryujin on the left, Yuna in the middle, and Yeji on the right. Yuna started taking your semi-hard, still slippery cock and brought the tip of it directly into her mouth, without any kind of foreplay or warning. She sucked just the tip, swirling her tongue around it and moving her lips just the necessary inches until your cock returned to full hardness.

Ryujin and Yeji got in on the action too, with wet little kisses and licks on either side of your shaft as Yuna took more and more inches of your cock into her warm mouth. You gasped, placing each hand on Ryujin's and Yeji's heads as your erection slowly filled with their saliva. Yeji moved to your balls, and Ryujin followed seconds later, each taking one of your balls into her mouth to apply slow sucks and licks that made you gasp for breath.

Yuna deemed it the opportune moment to take more than half of your shaft into her mouth, you locked gazes with her, and she gave you a mischievous wink before beginning to slowly pump her head. Meanwhile, Ryujin and Yeji were making sure your balls were really drenched, also using her tongues to stimulate them and the back of your shaft as Yuna moved her head back with each pump.

It didn't take long for your mind to completely weaken thanks to the deadly combination that was playing with your cock at that moment, Yuna had improved a lot since the last time she gave you head, and Ryujin and Yeji knew more than well how to use their abilities, that never changed.

Yuna continued to pump her head faster and faster for a few long seconds until she pulled you out of her mouth, grabbing your cock at the base to press it against your abdomen and kiss the back of it.

"Do you like it that way, sir?" Yuna asked seductively, rubbing the tip of your cock up and down before joining Ryujin and Yeji in licking and kissing your balls and the rest of your shaft.

"I don't have to answer that question, brat," you gasped, as the three of them coordinated to lick you from base to tip, where they met to swirl their tongues in a triple kiss with your cock in the middle. You moaned out loud, tensing your entire body at the whirlwind of pleasure you were experiencing.

"Actually yes," Ryujin said, as Yuna and Yeji kissed with your dick between, "otherwise we'll have to change the method, sir," she gave a mischievous little smile.

"Don't you even fucking dare," you growled, your breath getting heavier, "yeah, I love it that way, just keep going."

"Oh of course daddy," Ryujin didn't mind going out of character just to tell you that, and in a slight act of selfishness, she took your cock and removed it from Yuna and Yeji's mouths to now take it inside hers.

Ryujin brought her lips almost to the base of your cock, and started pumping her head frantically giving you a messy and extremely rough blowjob, but it still felt so fucking good. You moaned, holding Ryujin's head while Yuna and Yeji just watched intently as she devotedly slurped your cock.

"Hey! Don't be a selfish bitch!" Yeji protested, as Yuna sucked and licked your balls and Ryujin pretended not to hear her, "I want to too!" You couldn't help but smile for a moment, knowing that you had done well not to leave her in the middle.

After a few seconds Ryujin gave you a short deep throat, which made you growl and throw your head back, at that moment, she finally took you out of her mouth to give someone else's turn. Yuna tried to take you again, but Yeji was faster and she directly caught you with her mouth without even grabbing you first.

Already having you inside her mouth, the first thing Yeji did was take you directly to her throat, keeping eye contact with you at all times while her nose rested against your pubis. She showed no gag reflex, and after a few long seconds, she took you out of her mouth with a strong gulp of air as she furiously masturbated you. While Yeji rested, Yuna took the opportunity to suck on your dick for a few seconds, but soon Yeji stopped her to replace her mouth with hers.

"Daddy, are you going to paint our pretty faces with that delicious fucking load?" Yuna asked with a sexy and innocent tone seeing how you had your mouth ajar as you panted, "I bet you must be very close," she also didn't mind breaking her character at that moment.

The overload of stimuli didn't allow you to answer Yuna's question, just like Ryujin, Yeji was sucking on your dick frantically with long and quick movements of her neck, letting the saliva spill from her mouth straight down her thighs. Yuna was certainly right, you were too close to cumming, but you didn't have enough mental strength to announce it out loud, so you just made a hand sign that Yeji immediately knew how to interpret.

"Oh yeah, daddy is going to paint our pretty faces," Yeji stated, pulling you out of her mouth and placing her hands on her thighs with her tongue sticking out. Ryujin did the same as Yeji, and they both came together towards the center while you quickly stroked your cock in search of your orgasm.

"Huh? He's not your daddy, fucking sl-" Yuna was about to complain to Yeji, but at that moment she was interrupted by the long and thick strips of cum that came from your cock. She completely forgot what she was going to say and joined Ryujin and Yeji to receive your load, which you distributed between each of their faces between loud moans.

You made sure that their faces were painted with your cum as evenly as possible, most of your load falling on their tongues and noses. Once you had emptied your balls again, the three girls swallowed the accumulated cum on their tongues and plunged into your cock to leave it clean and shiny, taking turns taking you inside their mouths.

"Oh god, I'm going to miss swallowing your cum so bad, sir," Ryujin said, wiping her chin with the back of her hand, giving you a mischievous smile.

"You..." you looked at Yeji, "did you really call me daddy?" you asked with a teasing smile.

"I don't know what you're talking about, stop slandering me," she huffed, licking her lips to get to her feet.

"You called him daddy indeed," Yuna said with a hint of jealousy.

"Shut up, slut," Yeji snapped, "you two," she pointed at Chaery and Lia, who had been watching the whole thing in utter silence with thighs clenched together and legs twitching slightly. You already knew them well enough to know how horny they were.

"You don't even have to say it," Lia interrupted, taking a step forward and pushing her to get in front of you. Chaery rushed in to join too, and nudged Lia away with her forearm only to cup your face in her hands and kiss you first, "Agh I almost did!" Lia complained, somehow knowing that this was going to happen.

You wrapped your arms around Chaery's toned little body, still covered by the sexy, tight lingerie set she was wearing that you were eager to take off. She moaned against your lips as you shared a fiery kiss, your hands caressing her back and then down to her ass, giving each cheek a hard squeeze. You felt another set of hands on Chaery's body, but it was just Lia, who was helping you remove all of Chaery's lingerie while you focused on her lips.

When Chaery's body was naked in your arms your hands went to her ass once more, only to bring one hand between her buttocks and rub her pussy and her butthole with your two fingers. Not wanting to be left out but wanting to help both of you, Lia took your cock with one hand and began to rub it up and down against Chaery's pussy, which felt extremely wet. It took her a few long seconds, but finally your cock was fully hard again, your tip moving up and down between her folds.

"Okay stop, please fuck me honey," Chaery begged, rubbing her thigh between your legs.

"Yeah, go ahead sir, it's time for you to enjoy your next station," said Lia who was now standing behind you, giving you a little kiss on the shoulder blade.

"God, am I in heaven?" you asked, looking at the ceiling, and then meeting Chaery with a smirk.

With your arms around Chaery's body, you lifted her up into the air causing her to wrap her legs around your torso, and you sat her on the lower edge of the massage bed. Chaery spread her legs wide and leaned back with her elbows resting on the mattress, she watched you intently, as you took your cock and slowly rubbed it up and down between her folds, and with a subtle movement of your hips forward, you slid your cock inch by inch into the pussy you were lately addicted to.

"Fuck!" Chaery moaned, pursing her lips and throwing her head back, "I'm the one in heaven," your cock completely disappeared into her folds, you gasped, feeling the silkiness of her pussy walls caress your shaft from every angle.

"Hey, stop making me jealous, I know his dick is amazing," Lia said, climbing onto the massage bed with Chaery to sit behind her and caress her hair while watching how you were balls deep inside Chaery.

"Hey, don't be jealous darling, you'll have some dick soon too," you winked at her and she blushed, then concentrated on cradling Chaery's face in her hands as you held on to her waist and began to rock slowly back and forth.

"Fuck, I wish I could go with you on that stupid plane," Chaery moaned, watching your cock slide all the way in and out of her pussy. She leaned her back against Lia's abdomen, letting her play with her tits and her pretty nipples. You brought a hand to her face, inserting your two fingers, with which you were rubbing her pussy before, into her mouth.

"Quiet sweetheart, just enjoy the moment," you said, biting your lip as she sucked and licked your fingers into her mouth. You rested your free hand on her left thigh, squeezing the soft flesh between your fingers and giving her pussy faster and faster thrusts.

"Sweetie, please fuck her with all your might," Lia asked you, her mouth agape, her brow furrowed with excitement and her cheeks flushed, "my pussy is dripping and I need something inside me as soon as possible," you looked into Chaery's eyes, her expression imploring you to fuck her like you always did, with love and sensuality, but Lia was right, and you didn't want to keep her waiting so long. 

"I'll take you home later, baby, don't worry," you winked at her, took your fingers out of her mouth and clung to her tight waist with both hands. Chaery held on to Lia's thighs, which were now on either side of her body, and she pursed her lips to stifle a loud squeal as you began pounding her pussy fast and hard.

Chaery arched her back and covered her mouth with her hand, moaning against it as you pumped in and out of her pussy harder than any time you'd fucked her before. A small bead of sweat ran down your temple, which then fell on your cock and joined the rest of the fluid inside her pussy. It was obvious that she wasn't used to that roughness because at first she had a small wince, but as the seconds passed her face relaxed and turned into one of pure pleasure.

Lia kept playing with Chaery's tits while she shook in her arms with each of your thrusts. You brought both of your hands from her waist to hers thighs, pressing them back and using all your mileage to fuck her as hard as you could, making the bed shake as well. Chaery tensed her thighs under your fingers, and also slightly lifted her pelvis in an omen of what would be her imminent orgasm.

"That's it honey, don't stop," Lia gasped as well, then leaned forward to help you rubbing Chaery's clit with her index and middle fingers, while your cock hammered into her pussy, "your girlfriend is so close to cumming, drive her crazy."

The word 'girlfriend' made you and Chaery blush in the midst of all the frenzy, you and she stared at each other, and it only took a slight nod of your head for her to explode around your cock. Her body went crazy between spasms and screams, you considerably lowered the pace of your pumping, and she, despite writhing in Lia's arms, sought every possible space to look into your eyes while her orgasm passed.

"I never thought I'd see Chaeryeongie being fucked this hard, what an accomplishment," Ryujin said from the corner of the room next to Yeji and Yuna, who were watching everything between small smirks.

"So girlfriend huh?" Yeji teased, raising an eyebrow, followed by a giggle.

"Shut up bitches," Lia snapped, laying Chaery down on the bed and then getting off, standing facing the opposite edge, "if you want to tease him, do it later, I need that cock inside me."

You had a hard time getting the blush off her cheeks, Chaery just kept looking into her eyes, and when you got out of her pussy, you couldn't help but stand next to her and lean down to kiss her forehead.

"Awww!" Yeji, Ryujin and Yuna said at the same time, putting their hands to their mouths. You didn't know if it was genuine tenderness or just trying to get on your nerves. You rolled your eyes, and went to stand behind Lia.

"Hey, you look like an idiot," she said, looking at you over her shoulder, you were still blushing, and with her right hand she gave you a small slap on one of your cheeks, "you make it very easy for them."

"Do I need to remind you that it is your fault?" You pressed your erect cock against her lower back, and she leaned her torso onto the bed, pressing her chest into the mattress and leaving her juicy ass exposed to you.

"I'm not to blame for anything, I was just stating the obvious," she said, "now put that dick in there, you're torturing me."

"And I would keep doing it if it wasn't for the fact that I’m crazy about you," you took your cock and rubbed it a few times between her buttocks, brushing your tip against her wet pussy.

"Wait, you wha-" you didn't even let her speak as you slid with one firm thrust inside her, "Oh fuck!" she moaned, clutching the sides of the bed, and you gasped as you felt her silky smooth pussy again.

"Exactly what you heard, don't ask," you said, brushing her blonde hair off her back and tucking it behind her right shoulder, allowing you to see every inch of her pretty back.

After doing that, you placed your right hand on her lower back and after a few seconds letting her ass rest against your pelvis, you began to move your hips back and forth slowly, stretching Lia's walls with every single inch of your manhood, she looked over her shoulder at you and moaned, as she felt your cock caressing her inside.

"So you're crazy about me huh?" she asked between moans, with a seductive and sexy tone before biting her lower lip, "it's because I'm the only one who treats you like the sweet boy that you are and not like a sex toy, right?"

"You're not the only one, but fuck yeah, and I love that," you gasped, looking into her eyes and then watching as your cock disappeared between her round buttocks.

"It's because you're the sweetest boy ever, honey," she pulled her back up to press against your chest, you wrapped an arm around her neck to hold her upright, and she turned her head to meet your lips.

"You telling me that only turns me on more, Julia," you gasped mid-kiss, moving your hips faster and faster and causing your pelvis to slam into her ass with each single pump.

"Then you should fuck me like only you can, honey," she moaned, biting your lower lip and holding on to your forearm with both hands as you pounded into her pussy.

You pulled away from the kiss and put a hand on her back to lean her body back against the bed, then grabbed her left leg and pulled her knee up onto the bed. She stared at you, and you gave her left ass cheek a spicy spank that made it jiggle like jelly, Lia moaned louder, and then put your right hand on her waist to fuck her now with all your might, pumping your cock in and out of her dripping pussy from that hot new angle.

Chaery, who had her head on the side of Lia's, turned to cup her face with both hands and kiss her, Lia muffled her moans against Chaery's lips, and you gave her ass another hard spank that made her squeal. Second by second your body began to fill with a light layer of sweat due to the intense movements of your hips. Seeing the hot scene of Chaery and Lia sharing a sensual tongue kiss made you grunt with pleasure, which instinctively led you to spank her other butt cheek.

Lia's ass was full of bright red marks on both sides, and just like Chaery a few minutes ago, she was holding on to the black-haired girl with both arms while you pounded her pussy at full throttle. You could have been watching them kiss all day, but you needed to make Lia cum as soon as possible, and in order to do that, you grabbed a handful of her blonde hair in your dominant hand and yanked it back, pulling her away from Chaery's lips and making her scream.

Lia's entire body began to jerk with each slam of your pelvis against her ass, and once again she clung tightly to the side edges of the bed. Your hand went to her waist as the other continued to pull back her hair, and it wasn't long before Lia smacked the side of the bed hard as her orgasm electrified her from head to toe.

You released her hair, letting her seek refuge in Chaery as you now clung to her waist with both hands, very pumping slowly in and out of her pussy as she sailed through her orgasm with intense spasms and shrieks. Her silky pussy choked your cock with her tight walls, and you had no choice but to pull out of her before you came.

"You're both going to get my load, come here," with your cock in hand, you stood on the side of the bed, Chaery and Lia's faces just below, one with her body to the right and the other to the left. They both stuck out their tongues, and after a few seconds of rapidly rubbing your cock, you came all over her pretty, exhausted faces.

You made sure that most of your charge landed inside their tongues, intentionally feeding more of it to Chaery, who gobbled it all up as did Lia. The rest of their faces, from their noses to their cheeks were covered with thick white liquid.

"Thank you for thinking of both of us, you're so sweet, honey," Lia told you with a smirk and then she winked at you.

"Why don't you help each other to get clean?" you asked, looking at Chaery, who bit her lip and nodded.

They both settled so that they were kneeling on the bed facing each other, and in a scene that you were sure would never be erased from your head, they began kissing and licking each other's faces to clean and share your cum between their mouths.

"Damn, that's fucking hot, I'm not going to lie," Ryujin said from behind you, "but it's about time our client got their last station, girls," she waved at Chaery and Lia, who glared at her before helping each other off the bed and going to rest.

"Sir, I hope you don't mind that my two colleagues are inexperienced in anal," Yeji said standing next to you, already completely naked with her lower back resting against the edge of the bed and a bottle of massage oil in hand.

"Not at all, it'll be quite fun," you smiled, watching as Yeji was joined by Ryujin and Yuna, also stark naked next to each other.

"Do you need to get some rest, sir?" Yuna asked, standing in front of you and caressing your shoulders, "you look quite exhausted."

"Fuck, I am," you sighed, looking at your limp, fluid-soaked cock.

"How about preparing us for what's to come while your cock rests for a few minutes?" Ryujin said, spreading out a large towel on the floor and getting down on her hands and knees on it, with her ass facing you.

"That's not a bad idea at all, actually," Yeji said, shoving the bottle of massage oil into your hand and then moving closer to your ear, "you know what to do, big boy," she whispered, and went to get on her hands and knees next to Ryujin. Yuna followed them, landing on Yeji's right.

You knelt behind them, Yeji's ass just in front, Ryujin's on the left and Yuna's on the right. You opened the bottle of massage oil, and in a patient job, you began to lubricate each of their asses as best you could, leaving the three pairs of buttocks shiny and slippery.

"I'm," you said, giving Ryujin a very hard spank making her moan, "gonna start," now the spank went to Yeji, who let out a small squeak, "from left to right," the last spank went to Yuna, who just looked over her shoulder at you and frowned in pleasure, "understood?"

"Yes sir!" They all said in unison, all three leaning on their forearms with their backs arched and their asses perfectly raised and appetizing to you.

With that being said, you started with the fun part. You filled your fingers with oil and started dilating her buttholes one by one, Ryujin took it perfectly like the good slut she was, you used three of your fingers at all times with her, and you were surprised how easy it was to get her used to it. Yeji was already more than an expert at it, so you didn't have to spend too much time with her. The real challenge for you was Yuna, who wouldn't stop complaining and whining when you were only using one finger, with the passing of the seconds she gained confidence, and you ended up using three fingers with her as well as with the other two. She had been the one who had complained the most, but for some reason you felt that she would end up enjoying it more than Ryujin.

"Alright, are you ready, fucking slut?" you asked Ryujin, kneeling behind her with your already fully hard cock between her buttocks.

"I'm always ready for your cock, daddy," she winked at you, and rocked her ass from side to side, playing with your cock.

You put a hand on her waist to keep her still, then with your free hand you took your cock and positioned the tip of it in her butthole, rubbing it a few times before pressing forward with your hips. Ryujin tried to play tough when your cock began to slide into her ass, but when half of it was already inside her, she couldn't help but groan with a little squeal of pain.

"You said you were always ready, right?" Yeji teased, playing Ryujin's chin with her fingers, "take that cock, you fucking bitch."

Ryujin seemed to take that as a challenge, as her countenance completely changed to a serious and concentrated one.

"Put it all inside me, now," Ryujin ordered, looking into your eyes.

"I'm certainly not going to say no," you said, and with your hands on her waist, you drove the rest of your cock deep into her ass with a single thrust. Ryujin growled and clenched her fists, her eyes closed and her face wrinkled.

"That's a good girl," Yeji said with a wicked smirk.

Wanting to test her, you started pumping in and out of her butthole, not too fast but not too slow either, just at the perfect pace to start warming up as she got used to having something so thick inside her ass.

"Oh my fucking god," Ryujin moaned through pursed lips, "it hurts, but I have to admit this feels good."

"You'll feel even better when the pain goes away," Yeji assured.

"It's already going away, actually..." Ryujin stared into your eyes as you began to pump your cock slightly faster in and out of her ass, your hands gliding in circles on her butt cheeks between little squeezes, "and fuck, I can understand why you love it so much."

"And you enjoy it more when someone else plays with your pussy..." Yeji gave a mischievous smile, reaching under Ryujin's body and reaching for her pussy, rubbing up and down her folds before inserting her two fingers inside her.

"Oh you gotta be fucking kidding me!" Ryujin dropped her face against the towel, and soon began to whimper with her two holes being fucked faster and faster.

It didn't take much effort for you and Yeji to work together and drive Ryujin crazy. You spanked her again, and then planted your feet on either side of her knees, now hammering her ass up and down with strong pumps, while Yeji finger-fucked her pussy with frantic movements of her wrist.

From that position it was easy for you to lean forward a bit to grab fistfuls of Ryujin's hair with both hands, pulling her head back hard. She started moaning like crazy, and for the first time in your memory, you had managed to make her cry with pleasure.

"Come on bitch, cum on daddy's dick and on my fingers," Yeji said in Ryujin's ear, pumping her fingers rapidly in and out of her pussy, while you kept a firm grip on her hair and a constant aggressive pump against her butthole.

Ryujin squeezed her eyes shut and concentrated on her own pleasure, letting herself be carried away by her body until she was completely still and silent, a fact that preceded the strongest and most violent orgasm you had seen her have since you knew her. You released her hair, letting her face fall back against the towel. You didn't notice it at first, but once her orgasm passed and you came out of her ass, you saw that the towel under you, Yeji's hand and wrist were completely drenched from a Ryujin squirt that you couldn't see.

"Holy shit, you did like it, right?" you asked amused, with your breath agitated while you looked at Ryujin and she looked at you out of the corner of her eye, with her eyes full of tears and her messy hair.

"Yeji had a lot to do with it... but fuck yeah daddy," she closed her eyes, concentrating on regulating her breathing and swallowing hard after you'd destroyed her ass.

"Speaking of Yeji, are you ready, ma’am?" you asked, looking at her.

"Actually, I think I'll give my turn to Yuna," Yeji looked at her as she just looked at you and Ryujin with a worried face.

"Oh yes? And why is that?" you asked, you didn't expect Yeji to give her turn to anyone.

"Our pretty maknae must try getting fucked in the ass, right?" She cocked her head at her looking at you, "I wouldn't want to make her wait that long."

"Mmm, I understand," you nodded, looking at her with some suspicion before looking at Yuna, "are you ready, princess?"

"Not quite, but if you promise to be patient with me, let's do it," she sighed, and you were about to kneel behind her to take her like that, but she stopped you, "uhm… I want to see you, can I?"

"Of course baby," you let her roll over and lie on her back, spreading her legs wide for you and playing nervously with her hands on her chest.

"I know it's easy to say, but you need to breathe really well and relax," Yeji said, lying on his side to Yuna's side, leaning on her elbow.

"You better not say anything, okay? You make me more nervous," Yuna said, taking a deep breath, watching you position yourself between her legs with your cock in your hand.

"Hey, just trust me, you'll like it," you told her with your free hand resting on her flat, toned abdomen, "here I come."

You repeated the same as with Ryujin, pressing the tip of your cock against her butthole and pushing forward as slow and steady as you could. Yuna let out a small cry when only your tip was inside her, and she placed a hand on your lower abdomen to stop you.

"Fuck, it feels so different to your fingers," Yuna was already starting to breathe harder than normal, "be careful."

"I'm being careful, Yuna," you said, looking into her eyes, "you're too tense, calm down."

It was a constant tug of war for a few minutes in which you were extremely patient, but thanks to your perseverance, soon your cock was completely inside Yuna's incredibly tight ass. Every single inch.

"Oh my fucking god," Yuna clung tightly to your wrist, still assimilating that she had something so big up her ass, "Oh my fucking god!" she screeched, bringing her other hand to her mouth.

"The hardest part is over, pretty girl," Yeji affectionately caressed Yuna's hair as a reward, "now just enjoy it little by little."

And she certainly did. You placed one of her hands on her waist and the other on her hand, holding her firmly to give her confidence as you began to move slowly in and out of her. Her grimace was one of pain at first, and at a certain moment you thought she was going to tell you to stop, but just like Ryujin, the pain disappeared as soon as she expected it, that's when she realized that your cock was hitting sensitive places for her that she would never have known she had until now.

"Fuck daddy..." she moaned through her mouth, gasping as she watched your cock move in and out of her butthole faster with each passing second, "I didn't know this was going to feel so fucking good!" she arched her back slightly, and you let go of her hand to now place both on each side of her small waist.

"I told you," Yeji said with a giggle, giving Yuna pecks on the temple and discreetly playing with her tits and her pretty nipples. At first it was just that, but as you fucked Yuna's ass harder, her hand discreetly went down from her tits to her abdomen, finally reaching her wet pussy, that's when you realized her true intentions.

"You're fucking amazing, Hwang Yeji," you just said with a laugh, before concentrating on frantically pounding Yuna's tight ass.

"Oh yeah? Why am I amazing?" she asked, bringing two fingers to her mouth and then taking them to Yuna's pussy, where she rubbed her folds and also began to rub her clit little by little. You didn't even answer. The reality was that Yeji had given her turn to Yuna just to make her cum quickly so that you wouldn't have time to cum. She was making sure that she herself was the recipient of your load.

"Don't fucking stop daddy!" Yuna moaned loudly, going crazy as your cock hit every sensitive spot inside her ass and as Yeji knowing her so well also rubbed her pussy in a way that was perfect for her liking, "I can't believe how fucking good that cock feels inside my tight little ass!"

Yeji went from rubbing her pussy to now taking those two fingers inside her, she had no mercy on her, moving her wrist as fast as she could to fuck her pussy while you complemented your thrusts with two hands on the maknae's neck. Yuna's face was completely distorted with pleasure, and she could no longer even produce a sound from the firm grip of your fingers around her neck.

You didn't think it was possible, but Yuna's ass tightened even more around your cock, you growled, and squeezed her neck harder as you and Yeji fucked her two holes as fast and hard as you could. Yuna clung to both of your wrists, and seconds after her orgasm hit her as hard or even harder than Ryujin. Her entire slender body jerked and she began to spasm violently beneath you, Yeji immediately pulled her fingers out of her pussy, letting you slowly fuck her through her orgasm.

"That dick sure is magical, huh?" Yeji teased, kneeling to one side of you and reaching between your legs to cradle your balls and squeeze them gently as you gave Yuna the last few thrusts. You removed your hands from Yuna's neck, letting her take a long breath of air.

"Fuck... I really regret not trying this sooner," Yuna moaned under her breath, watching your cock come out of her ass, "I might develop a fixation now," she looked into your eyes, biting her lip and giggling.

"Then I hope my cock will always be the owner of this tight little ass," you slumped forward in front of her, placing your hands on either side of her head to place a small kiss on her lips.

"Of course, daddy," she agreed with a smile, "I was all yours before."

"Blah blah blah whatever," Yeji said from the side of you, "it's my turn daddy."

"He's not your daddy!" Yuna exclaimed with a frown.

"Aha, whatever you say slut," as you knelt up Yeji put her hands on your shoulders and pushed you back, you fell backwards out of the towel, and like a skilled cat, she straddled you, pinning you to the ground, "hope you don't mind me taking control this time daddy."

"Not at all, but you have to stop calling me that before Yuna scalps you," you laughed, placing your hands on her waist.

"Gosh," she snorted, rolling her eyes, "you're so boring," Yeji planted both feet on either side of your hips, cupping your cock with one hand to straighten it up and press it against her butthole. Within seconds she was completely impaled on your cock, "Oh fuck yeah honey," she moaned throwing her head back with a sexy smile and eyes closed.

You both moaned in unison, and instinctively your hands went to her perky tits to cup and squeeze them hard. Yeji began to move her hips slowly up and down, hitting your pelvis hard with her ass every time she pushed down. She placed her hands on the sides of your abdomen, slightly digging her nails into your skin and staring into your eyes before beginning to move faster.

"You should be up more often," you gasped, as you stared at each other with lust and desire, "you look fucking sexy being in charge."

"True?" she tilted her head, tossing all her hair to that side to lean her body forward and start to give you little kisses, "I don't know why they say I have delusions of grandeur," she murmured between kisses, as she bounced faster and faster against your cock.

"I won't comment on that," you smirked, bringing your hands to her buttocks as her hips rocked up and down harder than she had a few seconds ago.

"Yeah, you better not do it and give my ass that fucking load," she said pulling away from your lips to look into your eyes, mere inches from your face. She pulled you out of her butthole, only to turn her back to you and get into the exact same position, only this time you got a better look at her pretty buttocks.

Yeji impaled herself on your cock again, which you saw disappear between her buttocks straight to the bottom of her ass. She rested her hands on your thighs, and in a matter of seconds she resumed the hard bouncing of her ass against your pelvis. The room was filled with the sounds of meat colliding, and you graced it with sharp spanks to each of her buttocks, which made her squeal and dig your nails into her thighs.

You were already conditioned by your turns with Ryujin and Yuna, so you weren't going to be able to hold your ecstasy for much longer, especially considering that Yeji was putting all of her soul and dedication into jumping on your dick. You weren't sure how close she was to her orgasm, but you wanted to make sure, and in order to do that, you grabbed her shoulders to make her lean back, she rested her hands on your chest, and all her hair fell in your face, but you didn't care.

"Huh? What are you doing?" she asked between moans, but you didn't answer, and you brought a hand between her legs straight to her pussy as she continued to jump frantically on your cock. You decided that the best thing was to give her her own medicine, so you rubbed your fingers a couple of times between her folds, feeling how wet and lubricated she was before putting your two fingers inside her pussy, "Oh you motherfucker!" she complained, yelling at the ceiling.

Then a fierce war began between you, her jumping as hard and rough as she could on your cock and you moving your wrist as fast as you could, fucking her pussy while your cock did wonders in her ass.

"Two can play the same game, whore," you smirked, holding onto her waist with your free hand.

"You cheating bastard!" she whimpered, clearly going crazy with pleasure but not wanting to lose her pride.

"Shut up and cum with me," you growled, squeezing hard around her waist and pumping your fingers in and out of her pussy.

Despite being stubborn, Yeji took each of your orders always and without question, so it took a few seconds until she exploded against both your fingers and your cock. Her nails dug even more painfully into your chest, and her shrieks were so loud that even Yuna and Ryujin to one side of you covered their ears. Just seconds after Yeji reached her ecstasy you followed her, and without announcing anything to her, you planted your feet on the floor and gave her ass a hard upward thrust, starting to shoot all your thick load inside her butthole between loud moans.

"Holy fuck yes!" she growled, feeling her ass being filled with your cum, "give me all that load, fuck!" she dropped her back against your chest relinquishing control to you, which you used to move your hips up and down while letting every drop of your seed inside her.

Seconds ticked by, and as your ecstasy wore off, you pulled your cock out of her ass so that all of her cum poured out in a thick waterfall.

"Girls, come clean up," you said to Ryujin and Yuna, who got up quickly to do your bidding, they got down on their hands and knees, leaning forward between your legs to collect all your accumulated cum on your pubes and still pouring out of Yeji's ass, which they also kissed and licked without hesitation.

"Fuck, be careful, I'm still very sensitive," Yeji complained, grabbing both of their heads.

"I would have loved to have that load for myself, but you're a fucking cheater," Ryujin said to her, and Yuna nodded.

"Oh come on, you're too whiny!" Yeji defended, sitting on your abdomen, "you have to wake up, that was a very obvious dirty move on my part!"

"And that's why daddy paid you back, you fucking bitch," Yuna said and then looked at you, half dead and gasping for your own breath, "oh god, we drained him to his very soul," Ryujin, Yeji, and even Chaery and Lia across the room laughed at your condition.

"I'll take care of him today, get off him you whores," Lia said, standing to one side of you, "it's not optional, it's an order," you were used to Lia giving authority over everyone else, but not Yeji, who got off of you in a matter of seconds. You looked up at Lia, dazzled by her figure and how fucking sexy it was to see her act like that.

"And why you?" Ryujin asked, wanting to challenge her with no argument, just wanting to annoy.

"And who will do it, you?" She raised both eyebrows, "You're a fucking nympho, Yeji is extremely rude and carefree, Chaery will have him for the rest of the week to herself like she deserves, and Yuna couldn't even take care of a helpless little bird without it dying the next day."

"Hey! It wasn't my fault what happened to Tango!" Yuna complained, crossing her arms with a frown.

"Say it several times until you believe it," Lia laughed, and then squatted down to look at you, "come honey, let's take a bath," you didn't have the energy to say anything, but you were more than happy to have arms as safe and warm as Lia's caring for you.

———————————————————————

Later that night, after taking a nice and peaceful bath with Lia, you all gathered in the living room just to chat and drink hot chocolate in comfortable pajamas, you didn't talk at any time about your trip or anything like that in order not to get sad on a weekend that was supposed to be your potential farewell, instead you just dedicated yourselves to coming up with funny topics and getting to know a little more about each of them and about yourself.

However the night ended quickly for all of you due to how extremely tired you all were, only you, Chaery and Lia were left.

"Uhm... I know that wasn't in your plans, but can I sleep with you?" Chaery asked, sitting across from you two, she was wearing one of your t-shirts and pajama bottoms just like Lia.

"Of course, but he will hold me at night," Lia clung to your arm, leaning into your shoulder.

"But that doesn't mean you can hug me," you winked at Chaery, who gave a charming little smile.

"Then come on, I'm dying of sleep," Chaery was hugging a cushion, which she put next to your pillow to lie on.

You settled on one side of Chaery, your head resting on your pillow as did Lia, who turned her back to you and snuggled her whole body against yours, you lay on your side, pressing your chest against her back and hugging Lia's soft, warm body with your arms. Chaery also lay on her side, and you felt her snuggle against your back and then hug you tight.

"I love you girls so much, really," you murmured loud enough for both of them to hear, "you're amazing…"

"We love you too, darling," Lia turned her face to place a peck on your lips, "rest well."

Chaery didn't say anything, but you were sure she was pressing her flushed face against your back. In this way, you three cuddled close together, and with the wide blanket up to your shoulders, you fell asleep peacefully and calmly.

———————————————————————

The next morning your body completely lost track of time. You woke up alone on the sofa, with the sunlight filtering through the wide windows and disturbing your vision when you opened your eyes. A few minutes passed before you could finally open your eyes normally, you sat up, letting the blanket fall into your lap to reach over and pick up your phone from the floor. There were no new messages, but it was 1:12 PM.

You stood up and went straight to the kitchen to drink a glass of water that refreshed your dry throat, after that you went to the bathroom, not finding any of the girls on your way. You brushed your face and teeth, and when you went out to the living room again you went to the window that led to the jacuzzi to slide it and go outside. That's when you knew where the girls were.

The residential area in question was quite calm and quiet, so you could easily hear how a few floors down near the entrance how the girls were giggling and splashing the water over and over again, you couldn't see anything from that balcony, so you immediately went down to the pool.

You expected them to be playing in the pool in a healthy and innocent way, but you didn't even know why you expected such a thing from them. The five of them were in the pool, completely naked, playing with a volleyball and some pool toys.

"Oh, look who's awake!" Yuna announced as she noticed your presence while you were standing at the edge of the pool, with your hands behind your back and looking at them with an amused expression.

"Come here right now!" Yeji invited you, waving to them.

"Do I have to be completely naked too?" you asked smiling, looking first at Chaery and Lia, who nodded to you discreetly.

"I don't even know why you're asking that, idiot," Ryujin said, a large water-spewing rubber shark in hand.

They all had their eyes fixed on you, and you had no choice but to happily give in to the social pressure they exerted on you. You quickly undressed, and took a few stepping steps to join them in a splash that splashed them all and made them whoop in celebration.

Your games started out innocent and quite funny, you joined them in their game with the volleyball, making teams of three at all times. You, Chaery and Lia against Ryujin, Yeji and Yuna. Everything was going as normal, but in a pool with 6 naked and wet people things started to heat up much faster than you expected.

You and the girls were kissing intensely and passionately in the same circle where Chaery stayed by your side at all times. You kissed each one of them, but in a matter of seconds couples began to form in every corner of the pool, Ryujin tried to convince Chaery to go with her for a second while you stayed with Lia, but Chaery flatly refused, clinging to your body with arms and legs, so Lia went instead.

Things got intense next, the girls were touching themselves underwater, and Chaery was slowly masturbating you, while she was giving you little pecks on your neck and you were playing with her ass. Everything was going downhill, destined to become one big orgy, but something happened that you would not have imagined under any circumstances. You heard the gate beep several times, the same beep it made when it was about to open.

The gate began to open, and you tested all your agility to get out of the pool as quickly as you could without breaking your neck in the attempt, you managed to get out, but when you were about to grab the towel to put it on, you saw someone standing in front of the gate out of the corner of your eye. You were screwed, and trapped. But it wasn't the fact of being trapped that screwed you the most, it was the who. Noze.

She looked as beautiful as you remembered her, this time she wasn't wearing a hat, but her hair loose with bangs that suited her quite well. She was wearing a long-sleeved black polo shirt with white patterns and dark brown pants. You didn't have time to see her in detail, because all you saw was her astonished face.

You were all completely paralyzed and surprised by the unexpected situation. The gate began to close behind her, and when you finally reacted and tried to put the towel on your hard cock it was already too late, because she had taken the phone from her and had taken a picture of you unawares.

"Fuck, please delete that!" you begged, putting on the towel and covering your erection with your hands. Your cheeks felt too hot, and to your right, in the pool, you heard the occasional giggle. What a fucking shame you were going through.

"Mother of God, Jiminnie is going to love you," Noze stated, biting her lower lip and giggling. You grunted bitterly knowing that you couldn't do anything, and brought both hands to your face to rub it a couple of times. The girls had also come out of the pool in a way that was too serene, and had sat on the nearby beach chairs, not caring to remain completely naked in front of Noze.

"What the hell are you doing here?" You asked confused, unable to even meet her eyes out of embarrassment, "why didn't you text me?"

"Well, the girls' manager told me you were here and you hadn't left yet, so I figured this was a good time to come over," she looked back down at your cock, then back at the naked girls with hungry eyes, "but my calculations were off, apparently."

"And what about the message?" You raised an eyebrow, taking a few steps towards her, "I've been waiting all week for a measly message in the midst of fucking absurd paranoia."

"The news I have for you isn't the news you give out in a text message, boy," she crossed her arms, daring to stand very close in front of you, "SM approved you, you're going on tour with us," she said, looking into your eyes. You instantly felt a headache, and that the world began to spin around you. You already knew that this would be the most likely, but still you could not believe it.

"Oh... well, that explains everything," as you said that, Noze's phone started ringing with multiple notifications one after another, she checked the messages, and smiled as she watched a chat.

"Congratulations, the girls approve of you too, pretty boy," she laughed, still looking at the screen of her phone, which she showed you after a few seconds.

It was a group chat where she and the girls from Aespa were. Noze had sent the photo that she had taken of you to the group telling them that it would be their toy for the tour, and the reactions were not long in coming. Ningning just responded with some: "🤤🤤🤤🤤". Winter made a joke about how big your dick was and how it could perfectly break her in half if you wanted to. Giselle asked if they really had to wait for the tour to start before they could try you out, and Karina just commented that she was genuinely impressed.

"At least Winter is funny," you sighed, resigned to all that lay ahead.

"Everyone is in their own way, don't worry about it pretty boy," Noze winked at you and patted your shoulder, "anyway, I gotta go, I'll see you Monday morning at 10 am to sign all the paperwork and meet up with the girls," she started to turn to leave and walk towards the gate, "I'll send you the location as soon as I get home," you stared at her leaving, and just as she was about to leave, she looked over her shoulder at you, bit her lip, and blew you a seductive little kiss.

You remained completely still, with your eyes lost and your arms crossed, there was silence for a few seconds, until suddenly the girls burst into cheers from the other side of the pool towards you, applause, shouts of encouragement and so on, all of them managed to transform an awkward moment into one that managed to make you smile broadly.

They infected you with happiness very quickly, and it was then that you realized that this was a huge opportunity for you and your professional career, but that also made you think that this would be the last time you would see them for a long period of time.

"Wooooh!" Lia yelled at you, "that's my boy!" all her faces were illuminated by a smile of genuine pride, but among all of them, Chaery looked the least happy. She cheered and applauded you just like the others, but you could clearly tell the difference in mood.

"Why don't we go to the living room? I have the perfect way to celebrate this," Yeji said with an innocent smile, and after drying off, you all went to the living room.

While there you all sat on the sofa still extended after you had slept there. Yeji reached for the remote control of the TV, and after a couple of buttons and selected options, she began to play a very detailed recording of your session from the night before, with cameras from all possible angles.

"What the fuck?" you said, with your mouth ajar. You looked at the girls, who were just as shocked as you.

"I thought after my session you'd want to see yourself getting fucked too, so there you have it," she said with a giggle.

As expected, the sparks were lit in the blink of an eye, and you were all turned on from your little interrupted pool session, but this time there was absolutely nothing stopping you. One thing led to another, and you all ended up fucking like rabbits, all with each other.

———————————————————————

After an intense session of unadulterated sex of about two hours, you all took turns bathing in pairs, Yeji bathed with Yuna, Lia bathed with Ryujin and you bathed with Chaery. You were all completely fresh now, damp hair and comfortable clothes, and even though you wanted to stay another night, it was time to go.

You were in the parking lot outside the gate, right next to your car. You already had your backpack on your back, and the girls were all gathered a few meters from you, the only one who wasn't was Chaery, who was waiting next to you. It was already afternoon, the wind was blowing pleasantly, and the sun was beginning to hide behind the mountains.

The first in line was Yuna, who looked at you with a small affectionate smile.

"I don't even know what to tell you, oppa…" she started looking into your eyes, "I think I should just say thank you," you smiled, and so did she, "thank you for teaching me so many things about my body that even I didn't know. And… uhm, I'm going to miss you so much," she wrapped her arms around you in a warm hug that you gladly reciprocated.

"Take care of yourself princess, please don't do anything stupid and don't kill any other little birds," you teased, and gave her a peck on the cheek.

"Hey!" she complained, and you pulled away with a giggle. Next up was Ryujin. You crossed your arms, and raised an eyebrow as you stared at each other.

"Well?" you asked.

"Well what, fool?" she was also crossing her arms, imitating your expression.

"Don't you have something to tell me?" you cocked your head.

"Mmmm, yes, I'll keep the sweater you left here the first time you stayed over," she said with an innocent little smile, and you had no choice but to hug her yourself. She returned your hug with pleasure, and you knew perfectly well that she was going to miss you too, it didn't matter that she didn't tell you.

"You better not fuck any other asshole in my absence, baby," you murmured in her ear in your embrace.

"I won't daddy, I promise," she murmured back to you, and you broke away from her to go to the next one, Lia.

"God, I'm going to miss you so much darling," Lia hugged you immediately, burying her face in your neck. You wrapped your arms around her, imbuing her with your warmth before she looked up to see you from her, her hands on your chest, "Please eat well and sleep well, just stay healthy, okay?"

"I promise I will, Julia," you gave her a peck on the nose, "thank you for being so kind and attentive to me from the beginning, you're a wonderful girl," you said, looking straight into her eyes. Lia blushed.

"And you're a wonderful boy," she pursed her lips, and just then her eyes turned teary, "Ahhh god! I didn't want to cry," she complained, and you laughed, wiping her eyes before her tears fell, "please call me often, don't you dare forget my existence, boy."

"What are you talking about? That will never happen, always keep an eye on your phone, okay?" you cradled her face with both hands, and gave her a little kiss on the forehead.

"I will," she nodded, and she released you to go to the last girl, Hwang Yeji.

"Ever since I saw you I knew you were a born fucker, look where you are now," she teased, and they both laughed, "enjoy, ok? an opportunity like that doesn't fall from the sky."

"Oh believe me, I'll really enjoy it," she spread her arms wide, and you went straight to hug her tight.

"You might enjoy it, but they'll never fuck like we do," she said into your ear, followed by a giggle.

"I have no doubt about it," you laughed, "take care, boss, I hope you treasure those recordings well."

"Yeah yeah, now go away, my baby is patiently waiting for you there," she pulled away from you, and jerked her chin at Chaery, who was dressed and ready to go with you, two large bags to one side of her and her hands clasped on her belly. You walked towards her, and you stood in front of her.

"Ready to go, honey?" you took her from her hands and gave her a little kiss on her lips.

"Of course I am," she agreed with a little smile of pure happiness.

"Then get in the car, I'll put this in the trunk," you said, taking the bags from her. She nodded, and you went to store her bags while she climbed into the passenger seat.

"Bye girls, we'll be in touch, I promise!" you said, saying goodbye one last time before getting in the car and starting it.

"Bye oppa!" they said goodbye in unison, waving their hands to you.

You pulled the car straight onto the road, and looked at the girls one last time before driving away, away from the house and soon out of the suburbs, Chaery holding your hand the entire way to your apartment.

———————————————————————

That night in your apartment, after unpacking Chaery's things, showing her around the house, making dinner and watching a movie, you two were ready to sleep peacefully in your bed, which you found extremely surreal, since you never thought that a kpop idol would ever be lying in that bed, and certainly not one as famous as Chaery.

"Honey, I have something to tell you…" Chaery said, her chin on your chest and one of her hands timidly playing circles on it, "well, I think it's pretty obvious, but I'd like to make it clear."

"Oh yeah? The what?" you asked, patting the back of her head, she hadn't even said anything when her cheeks were already red with embarrassment.

"It's just... you really drive me crazy, really," she said, still avoiding your gaze, "I like you, a lot... and I already know everything your job entails, that's why I'd like you to be honest with me if you ever develop feelings for... you know, one of the Aespa girls."

You also blushed before Chaery's words, and you were stunned.

"Chaery... we feel the same way," you said, "I like you a lot too, I don't think there are words to describe how happy you make me," you started giving her little kisses on her face, "my heart belongs to you, to no one else, and none of those girls will be able to change it."

Chaery's face turned into an adorable pout and a pair of teary eyes, she was about to burst into tears, and you were ready to snuggle her.

"But please, promise you'll tell me if it happens," she said, two tears already rolling down her cheeks.

"I promise to tell you darling, but it won't happen, trust me," you gave her multiple pecks on the nose, and wiped away every tear that ran down her cheeks.

"Thank you so much sweetheart, it's just that I'm madly in love with you and I don't want to let you go," she sighed, finally calming down and wiping at her own eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, silly," you snuggled her against your chest and placed a long kiss on her lips, ending with a peck, "let's sleep, okay? I'm exhausted."

"Yeah, me too," she agreed, leaning her cheek against your chest and closing her eyes, "rest well, darling."

"You too, darling..."

———————————————————————

From the next few days, you and Chaery spent the rest of your remaining days in Korea together, living as a perfectly functional and happy couple in everyday life. Living together was always a typical problem that many couples faced, but the chemistry between the two of you was more than perfect, you complemented each other perfectly, and Chaery was simply the most tender, empathetic, loving and understanding being in the world.

The day on which your flight with Aespa was scheduled began like any other. You and Chaery were doing your usual routine, a healthy and nutritious breakfast adjusted to your tastes while watching the news and ready to go to the airport, but the routine was interrupted by an anomaly, constant horns from a car in the street below your building. You two exchanged confused glances, and you went to look out the window.

"Should we go downstairs? He won't stop honking," you said to Chaery, "maybe it's another Noze master move and that car is from SM."

"I highly doubt it, honey, but let's go," she sighed, and you packed up and put everything in order in the living room and kitchen before going downstairs, suitcase in hand and backpack on your back.

As you got downstairs and were walking slowly toward the waiting car parked at the curb, the tinted pilot's window rolled down slowly. And you three burst out laughing. It was Chaeyeon.

"Did you order a personal driver, sir?" Chaeyeon teased with her hands on the wheel.

"Not really, but I appreciate the gesture," you laughed, "are you seriously going to take me to the airport?"

"Well yes, what do you think?" she saw you with a poker face, wanting to tell you that you were an idiot without telling you that you were an idiot, "get that thing in the trunk," she said, pressing the button that opened it.

You left your suitcase inside the trunk and got on the passenger seat, Chaery got on the back seat, sitting right in the middle so she could see you both.

The way to the airport was one of the situations in which you had felt the most anxiety in your entire life, you did not stop asking Chaery if you had not forgotten anything at home, and making up to four verifications that all your documents were in order. When you arrived at the airport the atmosphere became heavy and sad. Chaeyeon helped you get the suitcase down from the trunk, while you and Chaery were standing on the sidewalk holding hands.

"Time will pass faster than you think, my love, you'll see," you assured, rubbing the back of her hands with your thumbs, and once again, Chaery was crying.

"Please be careful, honey," she clung to you in a tight hug, "you're one of the most beautiful things that's ever happened to me, just don't forget about me," she said against your chest.

"That won't happen babe, you have my word," you said, cradling her face in your hands and giving her a little kiss on the lips, "You take care of yourself too, and take care of the apartment and the car too, okay?"

"I'll take good care of everything, I promise darling," she nodded confidently, taking a small step back away from you, "go, I don't want you to miss your flight for me," she wiped away her tears.

"Okay," you smiled and nodded, then looked at Chaeyeon as you picked up your suitcase, "'you can stay in my apartment with her if you want."

"That's good to know," Chaeyeon smiled, reaching out to give you a warm and loving hug, "take care of yourself donkey, we'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too," you gave her a peck on the cheek, and then parted ways with your suitcase in hand, walking towards the airport entrance. You looked back once more, with only a face in your line of sight, you waved for a second, and finally turned your back on the Lee sisters, heading into the airport and going straight to catch your flight. It was then that you couldn't help but shed a couple of tears.

Everything in your documents was perfectly in order, you passed all the controls faster than you thought, and in a matter of a few minutes you were boarding the plane. Your seat was nothing more and nothing less than first class, which certainly surprised you but didn't make you complain either. You walked through the plane, until you finally reached the first class floor. You went through a couple of doors, and when you got to your corresponding row, you were faced with the four wolves sitting together around your seat, all four of them staring at you from head to toe.

"Welcome to our world, sweetness..." Karina said, and then all four of them giggled.

———————————————————————

Spren Notes:

Well, with this first part of the series we say goodbye to ITZY for a long time :'). Honestly this was a pretty wild and crazy ride, but it's definitely been fucking fun. Thank you very much to all of you who follow this series and show your love continuously, I hope you enjoyed this last piece!

If you, dear reader, are interested in buying me a commission, do not hesitate to go through my inbox, I’ll be delighted!

[oddballwriter]

A Mother's Love

Summary: Your mother would take in anybody so of course she takes in your boyfriends and treats them like they're her own.

Warnings: Mention and reference to Marc and his mom. Nothing else really. 

Author’s Snip: I saw this post talking about how Steven would love being taken in by your mom when you started dating a long time ago, but I don't know where it is or who made it so if you're seeing this thank you so much for the idea.

Notes: Our boys deserve the world <3 

I’ll shut up now. Enjoy! And don’t be afraid to request.

Word Count: 741

Taglist: @my-secret-shame-but-fanfiction

Your mother was what everyone might describe as the most nicest person to ever exist. You truly believed that she held no anger, hatred, or judgment in her body and if you ever found out that she did then it's most likely deserved. The day you see your mother yell at someone will be that hell has frozen over and gets a blizzard.

She raised you with the same morals and love that she held and was so supportive of everything you did in life regardless of if it seemed strange or different to her. She was a saint and fully of so much love.

So when you started getting serious with Marc and thus Steven and Jake, you knew that your mom would understand and welcome them in with open arms regardless of their situation and life. And that was true. You had told her about them, and when you reached the part of the relationship where they wanted to meet your family, she was so excited to meet them.

After meeting each one of them on different occasions and learning how to tell them apart, they were as good as adopted and she treated them like they were her own, proudly telling each of them "You can just call me mom now.".

Marc took a while to get used to it, on many different levels.

There was the obvious one. Your mom was so accepting and understanding of him. She was so nice and made sure everything she made was made with love and in consideration of how he liked them. At the first dinner with your family, she made a dish with an ingredient that he didn't like that much but still ate. He didn't tell her about it out of fear that she might be insulted but he told you, you then mentioned it to your mom, and the next time she made it she made a portion that didn't have the ingredient. You never said anything but you could tell that Marc was barely holding it together and trying not to cry.

You never told your mom in full detail about Marc and his mom out of respect and let him tell that story when he wanted to, you just told her that he didn't have what you and her have and that her gestures might get a reaction out of him. You also didn't know if Marc ever did tell her everything, but what you do know is that she's gotten it into him that "I'm your mom now".

You're pretty sure Steven has completely redirected his mama's boy instincts towards your mom too. He helps her cook dinner, set the table, and even helps clean the dishes. You knew that he longed for that sort of connection after being told about how he used to do that when he thought their mom was still alive and has he remembered her, so it didn't take you by complete surprise when he basically imprinted on your mom but it's still kind of funny. One time when they joined in on a family vacation your mom told him that he should put on more sunscreen, to which he then did, and then asked her if she thought that it was enough. Someday you're going to hear him on the phone with her like you were told he used to, you can feel it.

Jake is what you would call the classic son-in-law to your mom. He loves her to bits and appreciates her and her kindness, but he still messes with her a little and she does it back. They will actively pull light-hearted pranks and jabs at each other, it's the cutest thing ever. Jake has also become her and your father's unofficial handyman. Your dad does just fine fixing stuff up but they use him as an extra pair of hands. You will never forget the day your mom called him because their car broke down and your dad couldn't figure it out, and when Jake asked if they called a mechanic she said "Why call and have to pay one when you can do it for free?". That sounds like they freeload off of him but he doesn't mind. Jake likes the feeling of being wanted and being a helping hand.

Overall, life is pretty good when you have a mom who takes in your boyfriend and his alters and basically becomes their mom.

[jammiee097]

Don't call her back

Warnings: Bestfr!end Changb!n x reader, jerking, couch sex, mak!ng out, teasing, random confession, cutting off, kissing, tit play, rubbing clit. let me know if I forgot something 🙈 Enjoy!!

'What happened?' Changbin asked as he looked me up and down, crying in the doorframe of his appartment. My clothes drown in the tears of the coulds. My white shirt getting clear, letting him see my Bra and hard nipples. Making his dick twitch a little. A thunder was seen and he went back to reality, 'Y/n.. Are you okay?' He asks again, trying to find my eyes.

I look at him, my mascara drowing under my eyes looking at changbin's soft face. 'I- I need to tell you something.' I say, catching my breath from running to his house while crying. 'Come in..' He says. I walk into his house to find a girl sitting on his couch. I knew he had a date, that was why I came. But he didn't have to know.

'Oh.. I'm I'm sorry. I will uhh talk to you later.' I say and walk to the door again. 'No, tell me. Did something happen? I need to know if your okay?' He asks again. 'Wait here, I will bring you some clothes.' He says and walks to his bedroom. I awkwardly wave at the girl. She smiles and frown his eyebrows. Clearly not happy with my visit.

30 minutes earlier my friend, Mirae, called me up. We had meet up earlier that day, she called me because of a thought she couldn't hide from me. She told me how blind I was for not seeing how in love Changbin was with me, and how he talked to her about me constantly. But that was not the only reason, she was in hands of us getting together, Because only she knew that we both liked each other but didn't tell because of the risk losing our friendship. It was complicated, Yes. But I needed to take my chance with him, as she said it.

I knew he had a date, I knew, but I also knew that If I didn't confess to him know.. He would date this girl and maybe fall in love with her, hurting myself knewing we could be together..

He came back with a hoodie and some pants. 'Thank you.' I say and smile. 'You know what.. I will come back tomorrow, your "Friend" needs you.' The girl says. giving changbin a kiss on his cheek. 'Call me.' She says before walking out of the appartment to her uber. Changbin sighs. 'I'm sorry for ruining your date..' I say hoping he doesn't get mad. 'No it's okay... So are you finally gonna tell me what's wrong?' He says and sits down on the couch, signaling for me to come sit next to him.

It was very quite in his appartment. Too quite. 'So, the lousy neighbour is on vacation.' I joke he laughs. 'Yeah, it's quite nice tho, It was starting to get-'

'I'm in love with you.' I say, breaking his sentence. 'What?' He says, confused his eyes big. 'I'm in love with you.. I have been for some time, well actually for almost half a year now.. I thought you didn't like me back because you were constantly on these dates. And at first I just thought I was scared of losing and that was the reason why it hurted.. but Mirae helped me think that it was because I liked you and didn't want you to date any else than me.' I say and wipe away the mascara under my eyes. He looks at me.

'Please.. Say something.' I say, feeling horrible. I knew this was going to happen, I ruined it. 'You really like me..' He says and looks at me. 'Yeah..' I begin. 'And I understand if you don't because-' my words get cut off by his soft lips. kissing me oh so gentle, like he didn't want me to break more. When the kiss stopped our heads went against each other. 'But the girl.' I whisper. 'Y/n... I only dated those because I couldn't get you out of my mind..' he says making my heart fluster.

'Can I kiss you again?' He asks, I nod and smile. My arms folding around his neck, his hands on my waist. squeezing them slightly. The kiss get rougher, he slips his tongue inside, playing with mine. We both moan softly at the touch of each other.

Finally.

The kiss quickly turns into a makeout. He stops the kiss by putting his shirt of laying me down on the couch. I giggle at the sight of his beautiful well build body. It always made me fluster when he showed it innocently. I putt off my wet shirt too, not a surprise to him what color bra I was wearing. 'Your so fucking beautiful..' He softly says under his breath and starts sucking at my neck. Sloppy, as if he always wanted to have this moment with me. I softly whimper while he moves his kisses to my collarbone.

Just then it came into my mind, what was about to happen. I was about to fuck my best friend. 'Wait..' I say and he looks up at me, his eyes big. 'Did I go to fast I'm sorry..' He says. 'No No... It's just.. Are we sure. I don't want this to be a one time thing.' I say and cup his soft cheeks. He melts into them, a soft smile appearing on his face. 'Baby.. You know how hard it was for me these last couple of months to not rip off these silly little clothes and fuck you numb? mhm?' He whispers into my ear. I gasp. 'You don't know how hard you make me everytime you open the door in your underwear because im your "Bestfriend".. Mhm?' He whispers again. 'Alright alright..' I moan softly. He chuckles into my ear and goes to my tits. 'So.. should I continue..' He says, a dark gaze in his eyes. 'Yes please.' I say and he squeezes one of my boobs, the other he sucks, licks and kisses on.

It drives me crazy, so crazy that my pussy is starting to hurt. He's teasing, knowing I want his dick inside of me. 'Changbin.. Please..' I say and he looks up at me, slowly opening my jeans. 'What do you want princess' He says and puts his hand into my pants, folding his hand around my wet pussy. 'You want me to work on that fucking wet pussy of yours.. Mhm?' He whispers into my ear. 'Please.' I say and he kisses my cheek.

He pulls down his pants, not all the way, but enough for his hard dick to pop out. I gasp at seeing him for the first time, I waited so long for this moment. He pulls down my pants and my panties. Leaving me naked. 'You loon so pretty like this baby.' He says and positions himself onto me.

He fills me up and we both moan at the final touch of each other. 'So tight baby..' Changbin moans and put my legs onto his shoulders, allowing him to go deeper, touching my oh so sensitive G-spot. I moan out loud at the touch of him. 'Fuck baby.' I say and arch my back a little. He smirks, the hottest smirk I had ever seen.

He kisses my ankles and puts his hands on my hips. He goes faster in and out of me. putting himself at a fast pace, a little too fast if you ask me. We both lost each other in the moment, my pussy getting sore of the pleasure he was giving. 'Binnie.. I'm, Fuck, I'm gonna cum.' I moan out and grap his biceps. 'Such a nasty girl.' He moans and lets go of my hands moving close to my face. slowing down a little bit, his thumb started making little circles on my clit and before I knew it, I couldn't handle the pleasure.

I come around his fat dick, my cum all over him. 'Fuck baby, so tight.' He moans and pulls out of me, jerking off. He comes loudly all over my stomach. While he starts to catch his breath I make eye contact with him. Putting my finger through the his fresh cum, licking it off my finger. He smirks.

'You know just how to turn me crazy.' He says and kisses me. I could never get enough of those kisses. 'Come, let's get you cleaned up.' He says and carries me to the bathroom. we step into the shower and make out again..

The night was not about to end...

[footygirl114]

Escolta (Alexia Putellas X Reader)

Surprise! I bring you the first part of a new series as a birthday present! So happy birthday, and I hope y'all enjoy! 🧡💜

The shrill ringing of your phone awoke you from the light sleep you were in, opening your eyes the bright sun on the beach in Bali you were currently laid out on almost blinded you. Reaching over to the table beside you, you snatched the ringing phone sparing it a quick glance as you answer the call with a “Hi boss.” 

“Y/N! How’s the time off?” she asks down the phone. 

You look around the secluded beach you have been relaxing on as you answer with “Peaceful.” 

Michelle, your boss, chuckles down the line as she says “I didn’t know that you could relax Y/N.” 

“I never said I was relaxed, but it is peaceful” You answer her back. 

“Secluded?” she asks you. 

You chuckle and tell her “I haven’t seen a soul since my grocery delivery 3 days ago.” 

Michelle laughs down the line and says “Well I hate to burst your bubble but your vacation is over, I have a job for you.”

For the last 11 days you had been on a secluded beach in Bali, trying to relax but also just enjoying the peace and quiet. It had been a long month working security for a group of British Diplomats who were traveling around the middle east working on peace deals. The few days of peace were needed after being consistently working for a month. 

“Where am I off to this time?” you asked Michelle, as you finally sat up on the lounger you had been laying in. Your mind immediately working overtime thinking about what you needed to do in order to get back to reality. 

“Actually, it’s a different assignment than you are used to but you are the only one I can trust with this one.” Michelle starts and when you do not interrupt she continues “I need you in Barcelona.” 

“Barcelona? for what?” you immediately ask, your mind buzzing wondering if you missed some major news story. 

Michelle chuckles as she says “It’s still a protection detail, but a more sensitive and less invasive one.” 

She has you confused and you stand and start to gather your bag to walk back to your cabin as you tell her “Michelle, just tell me, you know I hate it when you are evasive.” 

Michelle lets out a laugh as she says “Alexia Putellas.” 

“Who?” you ask, continuing the walk to your cabin to start packing. 

“She’s the most recent Ballon D’Or winner, the best woman’s player in the world, and she’s been gaining popularity and there is a some concerns for her safety when she’s attending events.” Michelle explains. 

“What do they need me for? I know they’d have security at these events?” you ask, finally reaching your cabin and immediately starting up your computer. 

“There has been some weird comments online, some fan mail sent in, and they want to make sure there is extra security without all the fuss of a full team.” she tells you. 

You groan as you realise you will basically be a baby sitter for this one “You need a babysitter.”

“Y/N, this could be massive for us, if we can do well here this can expand our clientele and we can finally start to get into the sports world. So yes, I need my best employee to provide the best low-key protection possible to the best football player in the world.” she says. 

“Flattery will get you everywhere Michelle. Send me the details and I will handle it” You tell her with a chuckle. 

“thank you” she chuckles and you finish off the conversation with pleasantries, as you turn on your computer to get your self back to reality. 

**

A week later you are parking the rental car outside of a nice looking apartment building right on the water in Barcelona, ready to head in and meet your new client. You had spent the last week visiting your shoebox of an apartment in London, that was pretty much used to store your stuff and be a landing pad between jobs. 

Having read up on the client and the job, you knew you would be staying in an apartment the client’s manager organised for you in the building. You also spent much longer than you cared to admit googling Alexia Putellas. Something about her captivated you and now that you are about to meet her you feel a bit creepy that you know so many things about her. 

Deciding to leave your bags in the trunk you walk into the apartment lobby, you were told that you were meeting Jose, the players manager, and that there was a seperate elevator to the penthouse apartment which was owned by Alexia. You walked in and looked around and noticed there was no doorman or security in the lobby, mentally noting that in your head you walked to the reception desk. 

“Hola, how can I help you?” the gentleman behind the desk asked you with a smile. 

Smiling back you notice his name tag and respond “Hola Miguel, I am here to see Jose.” 

Miguel nods and says “Perfect, it’s the elevator on the far right, I will swipe you up.” 

You stare at him for a second and respond with a “Gracias” and move toward the elevator, you hear his steps follow you and you watch as he pulls a card from his pocket and swipes it above the call button. 

When the elevator arrives, he allows you to board and leans in and swipes his card again on the inside as he presses the button for the penthouse. He smiles and steps back saying “It’ll go right to the penthouse, and I will let Jose know you are on the way up.” 

The doors close before you can respond, you spend the ride up and thinking over that whole interaction and how this job is going to be a lot harder than you expected if this is your first interaction. When you get up to the top and the doors open, you almost expect to have no one there but you are pleasantly surprised when you are met at the top by Jose. 

“Y/N? Nice to meet you I am Jose” he immediately starts with when the doors open and he holds out his hand to you. 

Shaking his hand you reply “It’s nice to finally meet you too.” 

Before you finish speaking he turns and starts walking and says “Come with me, I do not have much time before my next meeting but I will get you set up.” 

You move to follow and look around as you walk and notice a very formal living room and dining room you pass by, and then you pass through a doorway into a large open concept kitchen and family room. On the far side there is a hallway and you assume that there is at least one bedroom down it. 

When Jose moves to the kitchen island he grabs and turns to hand to you a set of keys and a key card like the one use to get into the elevator. “The keys are for your apartment, 2 floors down, and the card is for you to get into the elevator here and up to the penthouse, it's a private elevator directly to Alexia’s unit.” 

You continue to watch as he hands you a packet and continues with “you will find passes to the field, it will get you everywhere but into the change room. You will also find the schedule for the next few weeks of games and events we have already to committed too. This will change and things will be added but thats a rough outline. When Alexia is in her apartment we won’t be needing you, but anytime she leaves we expect you to follow.” 

At this point you have taken everything he has handed to you and you follow along looking at everything, when he stops talking you look up and see him looking at something over your shoulder. You turn sightly and lock eyes with Alexia Putellas, immediately the first thought in your head is holy shit the pictures do not do her justice.

“Jose, is this my new babysitter?” she asks with a chuckle as she walks closer to you, you also notice she came from down the hallway you think was bedrooms. 

Chuckling Jose responds with “Y/N meet Alexia, Alexia met Y/N the new security agent I have hired for you.” 

You reach out your hand to her and say “Nice to meet you ma’am” 

She reaches out and grabs your hand with a smile and says “please do not call me ma’am. Alexia is fine.” 

“Noted ma’am” when she gives you the eye you correct “I mean Miss. Putellas.” 

Jose chuckles and interrupts the staring contest by saying “I need to run, but I think you should be good from here.” 

“I’ll walk you out” Alexia chimes in and follows him to the front door. 

You stand there watching wondering if you should be doing something, and you decide to look at the schedule you were given. A few moments later you know she has walked back in, you were a highly trained operative after all, but you refused to look up.

You listen as she walks over to the other side of the kitchen island you are standing at and she says “So I think we need to set some things straight.” 

You look up giving her your full attention and ask “what do you mean?.” It was a mistake meeting her eyes cause now you are lost looking into them, and you have to dig your nails into your palm to keep your self focused. It was a trick you had learned in your many years in the military to keep your mind present and not wonder on patrols. 

“I didn’t want you. I don’t need extra security. This was all Jose’s idea and I really don’t think I need someone following me around.” she says as she crosses her arms over her chest watching for your reaction. 

What she says doesn’t take you by surprise, its not the first time a client has said this to you and you know it won’t be the last. “You may not think you need it, but I have seen the videos and clips, and seen the messages you have gotten. You may not think you need it right now, but the whole point of hiring me is that I am going to work my ass off to make sure nothing happens and you continue to remain safe.” 

She stands there for a moment staring at you and you feel like your being judged hard. When she finally shrugs and says “Fine, but I do not like this, and I need to make sure you understand that football is my life and I will not let anything get in the way of it.” 

You feel like she is talking about more than just a protection detail but you can’t even entertain that right now. “Listen Miss Putellas, I got in to your apartment no questions asked by saying I was here to see Jose. Anyone could have done that, and that is not okay when you have no warning of someone coming into your apartment.” 

“What?” she asks and moves around the island to your side. 

“No one even asked who I was or why I was here, they just scanned me into your elevator. People are crazy and anyone could have found out where you live and come into your apartment. I will not let that happen, and the first thing I am going to do is make sure you are safe and comfortable in your own apartment.” When you finish you realise you may have gone on a bit of rant and immediately feel the blush rush to your cheeks. 

She moves closer to you and says “You really are here to just keep me safe?” you nod and she continues “and you won’t get in my way?” She asks looking right into your eyes. 

Nodding you answer “I understand passion, and I know what it feels like to have the drive you do, I will not get in your way. If anything I want to take this off your plate and make you feel confident in anything you are doing.” 

The ringing of her phone causes her to jump back, and you notice how close you were to closing the space between the two of you. While she distracts her self by the phone, you move to gather yourself and your paperwork and you move toward the door. 

“You will need to go to the lobby and get on the other elevator, but your apartment is 1212. I won’t be going anywhere tonight but I leave at 8am to go to training.” She says as she covers the mouth piece on the phone. 

“I will see you in the morning.” you tell her and keep your self from looking at her by pressing the button on the elevator. When it arrives you move to get on it and you can’t help your self but look up and meet her eyes. She smiles and winks at you just as the door closes and you know you need to keep this professional, but you are going to be in big trouble while you try. 

[discopaddock]

ROMCOMS - FELIX CATTON

PAIRING: felix catton x fem!reader

GENRE: fluff

WORD COUNT: 714

WARNINGS: smoking, no use of y/n

Felix Catton

Felix, Felix, Felix.

Ideal boy, everyone liked him and so he liked everyone.

It felt like there was nothing wrong about him, unless you don't like when people smoke.

He was everywhere. Everyone talked about him. And most times those were good things, but some jealous boys did not always talk about him favourably.

And since everyone talked about him like that, she really wanted to know him. She wanted to know what was so special about him.

She didn't think she had ever met Felix somewhere. She was usually with her friends, who were a total opposite to him and his friends. Of course they were rich, maybe not as much as he was, but still and always got invitations for the parties, but they actually never had gone to them.

The girl's were into books and silly rom coms with happy endings at that point, not partying.

But one night she finally met the famous Felix Catton. He was standing there alone at the schoolyard at almost midnight in glory, looking like some Greek god, Apollo to be more specific.

He waved at her. He had no idea who she was. He came to her in two steps with his long legs and started a conversation. He was a nice guy. He complimented her looks, especially how he liked the freckles on her shoulders, making her frown her brows because of how he was able to see them in the dark.

And then she understood the hype on him. There was something so magnetic in him that she just couldn't stay away from him.

And so she didn't.

On the following day Felix was quick to find her in the library, as she was chatting with her two friends. He asked them if he could steal the girl for a moment and when they said yes, he quickly grabbed her wrist and took her among bookstants.

And there he asked her for a date. He got to the point extra fast, without complimenting her. He said he was in a hurry and had to tell her first, but when she agreed he became normal again and started playing his old game of winning a girl's heart.

Felix really did like her. She was… well, herself. And he liked it. A lot.

“I'll be waiting for you tomorrow at five. Wear some trousers and hoodie and trainers” he said and kissed her cheek as a goodbye and ran to Farleigh with a smile across his face.

“I'm going on a date” the girl announced to her friends softly and sat on her chair. She felt like she was in one of these romcoms she used to watch but she didn't know if it was going to have a happy ending or not.

As Felix said, he did. He was waiting for her at her dorm wearing a green polo shirt, dark jeans and Adidas trainers. He looked good. Devilishly good.

“Felix you look… wow” she said only, looking at him and then she saw that he wasn't wearing his brow piercing. And he looked even better.

“You look wow as well, sweetheart” he giggled, looking at her outfit. The sweater in light pink colour was making her eyes look prettier and went ideally with the jeans and Nike Air Force 1.

The date went well. Really well.

“Come with me to Saltburn, to home” Felix said one night, when they were lying on the floor in his dorm, which he previously started to clean, so it didn't smell terrible.

“What?” she asked, not really thinking he meant it. They were dating for four months now, but she wasn't expecting to get such an invitation.

“You're my girlfriend, I want you to get to know my parents and sister” he answered and handed her a cigarette, forgetting again that she didn't smoke.

“But I'm going to Austria and Germany with dad and-”

“I talked to him already he said yes” Felix smiled, proud of himself.

And there she was two weeks later standing in front of the literal palace and her stupid boyfriend with an even more stupid grin on his face.

“It's gonna be fun, I promise” Felix said only and kissed her, hoping that the whole vacation will go fine.

masterlist

[lee-laurent]

June Bug - Trevor Zegras

Summary: June keeps a big secret. Trevor wonders why June Hughes stopped talking to him.

content: pregnancy, mentions of unsafe sex, angst, casual relationships, arguing, premature birth, fluff

wc: 3.5k

notes: cliche ahhhhh plot, but i've had this written for like a year. finally finished it and decided why not add it to the blog

"Are you doing okay, dear?" Ellen asked, watching as her daughter struggled to isit up on the lounge chair.

"Yes, Mama. Just trying to get comfortable," June sighed, setting her book down on her baby bump.

"Well, the boys should be home soon with your snacks. Just call me for dad if you need anything."

"Thanks, Mama," Jane gaver her mom a tight-lipped grin. She knew her parents were still a bit disappointed in her for falling pregnant at 22, but they were there for her nonetheless. She was hoping once the baby came, their relationship would start to go back to the way it was.

"JUNE BUG! We've got your pickles!" Luke shouted, sliding open the door to the patio. June groaned, pushing herself up on her elbows. She smiled up at her younger brother, tilting her head towards the table next to her. Luke laughed, placing the jar of pickles down for her.

"How's baby Hughes treating you?"

"He likes to kick me in the ribs and make me have to pee every fifteen minutes."

"Sounds like a blast. Just so ya know, Jack actually told me and Q that's proud of you."

"That's nice of him. But I'd appreciate it if he said it to my face. Oh, and didn't pretend that I'm not 7 months pregnant."

"You've still got me and Quinnifer. And Mom and Dad. Mom's been shopping for baby clothes. She's excited to have you at home again."

"She wouldn't have to live at home if she'd just tell the baby daddy," Quinn commented, joining his siblings in the backyard.

"Quinn-"

"It's fine, Lukey. He's just telling the truth. But I can't ruin his career like that. He's got a lot going for him right now. Plus, Mom siad I don't have to do anything that I don't want to."

"I know, Mom. But it's her fault that I can't even invite him here. He's gonna think we hate him or something," Jack loudly complained to his mom.

"Jack, just tell him that it's a family only vacation. It's going to be his way until June figures out what she wants. We shouldn't stress her out right now. It's not good for her or the baby."

"But Mom," Jack whined.

"Jack Rowden Hughes. That's enough. Go spend time with your siblings."

Jack shook his head, stomping up to his room. He slammed the door and called back his best friend.

"Mom says it's a family only vacation."

"Why? It's not like she's losing June this year. Isn't she moving back in with your parents?"

"Yeah, it's hard to explain. I'll see you when Cole and I come to visit."

"Okay, I'll talk to you later. Bye, man."

"Bye, Z."

"Please stop kicking Mama. She's trying to relax," June muttered to her stomach, rubbing a hand over where her baby decided to continuously kick her. The baby didn't listen, kicking even harder. "You're just like your dad, huh? You never listen."

June's pregnancy so far had gone fairly smoothly. But as soon as she hit the seven month mark, the baby decided that she needed to be sitting down or sleeping at all times. If she wasn't sitting, she was puking or feeling lightheaded. She had had to convince Ellen to let her come to the lake house. She wasn't allowed on the boat and spent most of her time lounging on the back patio with a book. She felt bad as Jim and Ellen had forbidden the boys from bringing any friends over this year, since June hadn't announched her pregnancy to anyone except her family and her best friend. She still hadn't told anyone the story of how she ended up pregnant, but her family was aware of who the father was. Her oldest and youngest brother were supportive, albeit a bit angry with the dad. Her twin, however, was pissed with her and not the dad.

"June, dear! Oh my goodness, are you okay?" Ellen exclaimed, listening as her daughter threw up for the tenth time that morning.

"Mama, I messed up."

"Junie, what's wrong? You know you can tell me anything."

"I-I'm pregnant."

Ellen was silent for a few seconds, before she noticed her daughter was sobbing. She quickly wrapped her into a tight hug, rocking her back and forth.

"Oh, June. It's going to be okay. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

June shook her head, burying her face in her mom's neck.

"Does the dad know?"

June shook her head again.

"Is it someone at your school? I'm sure if he's in California, we can still get ahold of him."

"It's Trevor, Mom."

"Trevor? As in Trevor Zegras?"

"Yes," June squeaked out before she started sobbings again.

"It's going to be okay, love. Everything will be fine."

June stood in front of her three brothers. Jim and Ellen had wrangled them into the living room, promising to be there for June in case anything went wrong.

"What's going on, June Bug?" Quinn asked, flashing her a small smile.

"June has some exciting news."

"You're moving to Jersey?!" Luke exclaimed.

"No, Luke. I- um, I'm pregnant."

"You're what?!"

"June!"

Jack remained silent.

"Who did this to you? Huh? I'll beat the shit out of him," Quinn threatened.

"You'll be doing no such thing. He- he doesn't know. And I'll be keeping it that way."

"Who? Who's the dad?" Jack finally spoke up.

"Um..." June turned to her parents for reassurance. Ellen gave her a nod. "It's Trevor."

"Zegras?! You slept with Zegras?!" Jack shouted. "There's no fucking way! I told you to stay away from my friends, June! But you didn't listen, did you? And now look where you've got yourself. God, you're such a dumb slut, June."

June placed a hand over her mouth, tears threatening to spill.

"Jack! Do not speak to your sister like that!" Jim's voice boomed, pulling the attention off June and onto their very angry father. "We are going to support June in her decisions. If June wants to keep this a secret, then we will all be keeping it a secret. Is that a understood?"

"Yes, Dad," Quinn and Luke mumbled. Jack, however, shook his head and disappeared to his room.

Jack's solution to this problem was just pretending that it never happened. He acted as if June wasn't pregnant, because to him that was the easiest thing to do. Although he wouldn't lie and say that he wasn't beyond pissed when he found that June was moving back in with their parents in Michigan instead of going back to California to even attempt to get support from Trevor. Keep the secret from his best friend was killing him, but he knew that his parents would actually kill him if he did let it slip. Because everything revolved around June now.

Trevor was blissfully unaware of everything happening in the Hughes' family world. Sure, he was confused as to why he couldn't come to the lake house. And he was confused why he hadn't heard from June in months, especially because he thought that maybe they liked each other. They spent almost every day together while she was at school in California, but one day she went home to see her parents and she didn't come back. He'd reached out a few times, but received radio silence and gave up. And when Jack told him she wouldn't be returning to school after the summer break, he was left alone with no idea what happened to the girl he liked.

"Can I buy him a Devils jersey?" Luke smiled, placing a hand on his sister's stomach.

"No, he'll be a Canucks supporter," Quinn retorted,

"He'll be staying far away from hockey, thank you very much," June sneered, moving her brother's hand to where her son continued to kick.

"Damn, Baby Hughes can kick!"

"Yeah? Imagine that while you're trying to sleep," June laughed.

"No wonder you're always so grouchy," Quinn joked.

"Now, if you two are done bothering me, Baby Hughes wants pickles."

"This is like your third jar of pickles since we got here."

"Shh. The baby gets what baby wants."

"That's actually so gross," Luke cringed as June ate half a pickle spear in one bite.

"Mmm. It's so good. You just don't get it, Lukey."

"Nasty," Luke walked back off into the house.

"Quinn! Come play pool!" Jack shouted from inside.

"Call me if you need anything, Junie. Hope your pickles are as good as you imagined."

"Thanks, Quinn. Love you," June smiled.

"Love you too, June Bug."

June lay in bed, scrolling through her social media. All her friends were on vacation, drinking cocktails, and taking hot bikini pics. She was in bed, drinking water, wearing her brothers' clothes because they were the only non-maternity clothes she had that still fit. She was just about to turn off her phone and attempt to sleep, when a notification popped up on her screen.

Hey, June. Jack said you're for sure staying in Michigan with your parents this year. I was wondering if you wanted to come visit when Jack came. You know, see you one last time.

Fuck. Trevor had stopped reaching out months ago. Why did he decide to text her now? She was considering blocking his number, but morally that felt wrong. She was already hiding his son from him, blocking him just felt even worse. Even just thinking about what she was keeping from him made her feel sick. Even if it was her body, it was his kid too. It takes two to tango. Suddenly she felt bile climb up her throat, juimping from the bed, running down the hall to the bathroom she shared with her brothers.

She held her hair back with one hand, her other clutching the toilet bowl. She couldn't tell if it was the baby not liking her dinner or her guilt of not telling Trevor, but everything felt wrong in that moment. She began to cry, not just from the vomiting but the stress that receiving that text had on her.

"Fuck. Are you okay, June?" Quinn asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. June didn't answer, just sobbing harder. "Junie. Shh. Is Baby Hughes doing alright?"

June nodded.

"Then what's going on, June? Was it dinner? I noticed dinners havent been sitting well with you."

"It- It's Trevor."

"What about Trevor? What did he do? I'll kick his ass."

"He didn't do anything, Quinn. It's me. Why didn't I tell him? What's he going to think when he sees me with a baby in a couple months? I have to tell him. Do you think he's still awake? I should call him."

"Woah, June. Calm down. You're not thinking rationally right now."

"No, Quinn. I need to tell him."

"June-"

"You're not listening!"

"Shh. You're gonna wake up Mom and Dad."

"I-"

"June, baby, what's wrong?" Ellen asked from the doorway.

"She wants to call Trevor and tell him," Quinn replied.

"Oh, Junie. If you're sure that's what you want, go give him a call. Should I tell Jack?"

June shook her head, "Only after I talk to Trevor."

June sat with her phone propped on her desk in front of her. She sat so that her bump was hidden from the camera.

One. Two... Three. She clicked the FaceTime button. It only rang three times before Trevor's face took up her screen.

"Holy shit. Hey, June. Long time no see," he smiled.

"We need to talk."

"Woah. Okay? What's going on, Bug?"

"I- um, you remember last time we hung out?"

"Yeah, of course I do. Jamie was out, we had the place to ourselves. I-"

"I'm pregnant."

"Wh-what? Is this a joke?"

"No. Look," she stood up, fitting her swollen stomach into frame.

"There's- I... How?"

"We didn't use protection? I don't know. That's usually how that happens."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I was going to, I-"

"That was seven months ago! You're seven months pregnant? And you didn't think to tell me? Jack didn't think to tell me?!"

"Don't," June gulped, "Don't blame, Jack. I- I kept him from saying anything

"I'm getting the next flight out."

"What?! No! No! Don't do that! Trevor!"

"June, don't you dare tell me what to do! I... We need to talk in person. Figure this out."

"Trevor," she sobbed, shaking her head.

"Too late June. I'll see you in the morning."

"Trev-" he hung up. "FUCK!"

June sat the island in the kitchen, her leg bouncing violently. Trevor was supposed to arrive any minute and she just wanted the world to open up and swallow her whole.

"Stress isn't good for you or the baby," Ellen sighed, making her daughter a smoothie.

"Luke, can you get me more pickles?"

Luke grabbed the half empty jar from the fridge, sliding it across the counter to his sister. Without taking her eyes off the door, she bit into one. Praying that Trevor had changed his mind. Praying that he wasn't about to walk through that door. Praying that-

Knock. Knock! KNOCK!!

Jack opened the door and a very disheveled looking Trevor walked in immediately. His eyes met June's and she started to cry, dropping her pickle back into the jar. He wasn't even sure what to say. What do you say to the mother of your child when you didn't even know she was pregnant until a few hours before?

"Trev," her voice wavered, tears falling down her cheeks.

"It's okay, Junie. Shh, you're okay," Quinn whispered, rubbing her back.

Trevor just scoffed, dropping his duffle bag on the floor. He made his way into the kitchen, standing across from June. He had fury in his eyes and it made her shake even more.

"How could you keep this from me, June?!"

"I... I didn't want to ruin your career, Trevor. I didn't want us to be a burden. Something else for you to worry about," she sobbed.

"I deserved to know! It's my baby too! I-" he pulled at the roots of his hair, "I can't fucking believe you. You've done some stupid shit, June. But this... this takes the fucking cake. How... how far along are you?"

"30 weeks. I-"

"30 weeks. You've kept my child a secret from me for 30 weeks?"

"I- I didn't know until I was a month and a half. I was going to tell you and then..."

"Then what? You decided you wanted to be my saviour? I didn't fuck need that! I needed the girl that I fell in love with to-"

"You love me?"

"That's not the point, June! Oh my fucking God!"

"Let's all calm down, please," Quinn sighed.

"I-" June was cut off by a sharp inhale. She gripped her stomach and the room fell silent.

"What's wrong, Bug?" Luke asked worriedly.

"It hurts! Mama, it hurts so much," she wailed. Another sharp pain and she felt liquid trickle down her leg.

"Shit! Look what you fucking caused, Trevor!" Quinn snapped, helping his sister off the stool she was sat on.

"My hospital bag isn't here," she sobbed, "It's too early! He can't come yet!"

"We have time to get your bag, love. If your water just broke they'll just send you home. You won't be dilated enough for them to do anything," Ellen tried her best to mediate the situation.

"It's too early! He isn't supposed to come yet! He can't! I'm not ready!"

"June, you need to calm down. Let's get you on the couch," Jim offered.

Trevor was in shock. He had just found out he was going to be a father and now the baby was coming. He had caused so much stress that his son was being born a month and a half early. God, he wasn't ready to be a father. But June needed him right now, so he'd have to man up.

"I need new pants," June cried, allowing her brothers to move her to the sofa.

"Luke, go get your sister some sweatpants."

"On it."

"Trevor sit with June. And don't argue anymore, we don't need this baby coming out in the house."

"Okay."

Trevor cautiously sat on the cushion that June wasn't laying on. He placed her feet on his lap, rubbing gingerly at her shins. She narrowed her eyes at him, but stopped when the pain started again. His eyes widened and he gave her a hand to hold while her body tensed.

"Are you sure it's too early to go to the hospital, Ellen?" Trevor asked.

"They'll just send her home, Trevor. They aren't going to waste a bed on someone that'll be there for at least 24 hours."

"24 hours?!" June gasped, "I can't do this for 24 hours!"

"At least 24 hours," Jack pointed out, getting a stern look from his parents.

"Let's try walking around, Junie. That'll help speed up the process... according to Google," Trevor offered. Luke and Quinn had left to drive home and get the hospital bag. Jim and Ellen were trying to give the couple some space. And Jack, well... Jack was sitting on a chair facing the couch, judging every little move Trevor and his sister made.

"But it hurts."

"I know, June. But if we want our baby to come then we should try moving around."

"I heard sex helps," June offered.

"Hell no!" Jack spoke up, narrowing his eyes at Trevor.

"Let's just try walking," Trevor offered sheepishly.

"Fine."

"We're back!"

"Finally! Can we go now, Mom?"

Ellen nodded, "Why don't you and Trev go? We'll meet you there once you've got a room?"

"Mom..."

"June. You two need to learn to work as a team. Go."

"Fine."

Trevor threw the bag over his shoulder, helping Quinn get the carseat installed correctly. June sat in the passenger seat, texting her best friend updates. She couldn't believe her son was coming already.

"Ready, June?"

"I've been ready," she rolled her eyes, tapping away at her phone.

"Right... let's go then."

The car ride was awkwardly silent except for a few moments where June would gasp from the pain. Once they'd settled into a room, Trevor decided to talk.

"I, uh, I'm sorry for freaking out, June. I just... I'm scared."

"I was scared at first too. I guess I forgot that you were just learning. And going through the same thought process I did. I just... I shouldn't have kept this from you."

"You shouldn't have, but I can forgive you. Especially once I've met our little guy," he smiled.

"Not sure he'll be so little. Nurses said I look like I'm 9 months," she giggled.

"Do you think they'll take him to the special room for babies?"

"The NICU?"

"Yeah, that."

"Depends on how he's looking. But they said he's measuring above average. Maybe him coming early is a blessing to my body."

"Maybe," Trevor laughed.

A nurse knocked at the door, "You ready to push, Mama?"

June nodded, gripping Trevor's hand a little tighter.

"Is he okay?" June asked worriedly, watching as the nurses and doctor placed him down.

"He's fine," Trevor reassured her.

"You've got a 5 pound baby at 30 weeks, Miss Hughes. Quite impressive," the doctor smiled. "He's looking healthy, but we'll just take him to run a few tests. Just to make sure everything is developed alright seeing as he's premature."

"Can I hold him?"

"Of course you can," the nurse grinned, placing the baby on June's chest.

"Trevor, look at him."

"I see him, Junie. I see him," he wiped his eyes, not wanting to cry in front of June.

"He's perfect."

"He is. Just like his mom."

June blushed, handing the baby to Trevor before the nurses took him to run some tests.

"Can we come in?" Quinn asked, knocking on the doorframe.

"Come in," Trevor smiled. He was sitting shirtless in a chair, the baby on his chest. June was fast asleep, light snores leaving her mouth.

"How's Junie doing?" Jack asked, shocking everyone.

"Good. She's good. She, uh, she needed a nap. So Beau and I are chillin."

"Beau?"

"Yeah. Hughes family meet Beau Quintin Zegras."

"Quintin?" Quinn felt his eyes water.

"Yeah. June insisted on it," Trevor chuckled.

"Can I hold him?" Jack was quick to ask, looking Beau in awe.

"Sure. Just wash your hands."

"Okay. Okay."

"Hey, Junie. How're you feeling?" Ellen asked, stroking her daughter's hair.

"Tired. But isn't Beau just the cutest? He got Trevor's blue eyes and I don't think I could possibly love him any more than I do."

"He's adorable, love. The perfect mix of the two of you. How'd the doctors say he's doing?"

"They said he looks like a full term baby," she giggled, "He's big and strong. And figured out how to eat pretty quickly."

Ellen laughed, "Glad to hear it. We're gonna head back to the house soon. I thought maybe you and Trev would head back to the actual house. He don't have a place for Beau to sleep here."

June nodded, letting her mom press a kiss to her forehead, "We're all proud of you, June. So so proud of you."

"Thanks, Mama."

"You ready?" Trevor asked, reaching out to hold June's hand.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Let's do this baby."

"Flight 335 to Anaheim is now boarding!"