#i just want to eat a brick (positive) when i think about their dynamic

[sleepy-bear-tm]

"You want me to handle this one, Reyes?"

"Seems you already know the answer."

[clubdionysus]

[BAD DECISION #34] Speed Dating

warnings: dating other people rip, 5th muster pied piper jeon jungkook, one my fave ever chapters !! just a really good display of the starluvrs dynamic <3

wc: 5.6k

bd total wc: 540k (ongoing)

AO3 | MASTERLIST | MINORS DNI

The sound of coffee beans whirring through a grinder obscures the conversations of the couples around you; friends catching up on events of the past weekend, mothers checking in with their sons to make sure they're eating well. There's a complex myriad of relationships within these four cramped walls, unrefined wooden beams and exposed brick providing a sanctuary to escape from the cold winds of the changing seasons.

It reminds you of Yoongi's studio; the slightly woody scent bringing back fond memories - all of which are abruptly forgotten about as Seojoon returns to your table, drinks in hand.

"Thank you," you smile appreciatively as he sets them down on the table.

He was a little late meeting you, thanks to his boss staying late in the office.

"Aiming for a promotion," he had said awkwardly when he was excusing himself. "Up to a senior management position. It's looking promising."

And so you hadn't judged him too harshly for his tardiness. Know that punctuality isn't always your strong point at the best of times. Even if it isn't the best impression so early on in your dating history, you'll let it slide.

You're in the heart of the cafe; privacy not required and not particularly desired either.

It's only your second date. You're still just getting to know one another. Expectations are low, and you're thankful for it. With the mess of Jeongguk and how horribly you seem to have overstepped the boundaries of what a friendship should be, you're glad to be in a situation that comes without complications.

Dating, you think, is simple. Or at least, it should be. You get to know a person, and see if you're compatible. If you're not, it's easy to cut your losses - no hard feelings. The difficulty is when people aren't honest, nor upfront about themselves or their intentions.

Which is why, halfway through your date, Seojoon raises one of his brows in response to your honesty, and asks, "You want me to date other people? In front of you?"

"Well, no," you laugh a little, because the way he phrases it is so... accurate. Setting your coffee down, you're pleased to see that he's smiling. Is obviously taking this in good humour. "I promised my friend I'd help him out with speed dating-"

"Why does he wanna speed date?" Seojoon questions curiously. Thinks the concept is a bit old school - and not in a good way. There's a trivial nature to it. He wonders how likely you'll be able to find a decent match from such a forced scenario. "Can't find a girl? Is there something wrong with him?"

"No," you immediately defend Jeongguk. "He's a barman, and like, not a predator, so his chance to meet people kinda like how we met is limited. Also has, like, a weird complex with tinder. Doesn't like it. Wants to meet someone organically."

"Speed dating is just real-life tinder," Seojoon laughs. "It's not organic."

"Maybe not," you admit, a little dismissive in your tone, 'cause he's being difficult. "But it's real life meetings instead of online, so I think it's a little better."

"And you want me to go... why?"

"Well, 'cause I'm gonna go," you tell him. It's already been decided. Your mind is made up. It's not really a case of wanting Seojoon to go, but knowing that inviting him along is the right thing to do. "And like, it will be fun! I'm not actually gonna be taking it seriously - it's just fun."

"Okay..." He sounds sceptical. "And what about the people who are taking it seriously? What if someone falls head over heels in love with you?"

"Well then you'll have to try extra hard to be the one that I leave with," you tease.

You haven't considered the possibility that maybe he'll find someone else he likes more than he likes you - 'cause you don't actually really care. Not yet. It's too early to be invested. Your guard is still up.

There's something Seojoon finds a little thrilling about your flirtation - but as he sighs, you're reminded of the fact he's older than you. Has a couple of years on Seokjin.

Just like your ex used to get bored of your sometimes childish nature, you fear that the same could be said for Seojoon.

Still, no need to write him off so soon.

Selfishly, you also think that distance is needed between you and Jeongguk - and if you're gonna use anyone as a human barricade, then someone as handsome as Seojoon definitely eases the blow a little.

A cold breeze wafts in through the door as customers leave, but the way Seojoon finally smiles and agrees makes you feel all warm.

"Alright, I'll do it," he agrees. It could be fun. You're fun. Perhaps he does need to lighten up a little. You'd met him when he'd been a few too many drinks deep, and knows that his sober self is far more subdued. Fears that you won't like him as much if he doesn't live up to that first impression. "Where is it? When?"

With an oh-so-pleased grin on your lips, you clap your hands together. "You're the best."

"Tell me something I don't know," he flirts, sipping on his coffee with a slight arrogance. His attitude assures you that no one else will steal any attention from him in the shadowy darkness of a speed dating venue.

And yet when you both arrive at a bar a few blocks from Dionysus the following Friday evening, you find yourself constantly looking over your shoulder just in case Jeongguk should appear.

"He should be here," you jitter about a little nervously, checking the time on your phone. 7:53PM. The event starts in just seven minutes.

"Calm down," Seojoon says kindly, rubbing your arm softly. "I'm sure he's just caught in traffic or something like that."

You nod, tucking your phone into your back pocket. Dressed a little casually in a pair of black jeans with a tight, long-sleeved shirt on top, you're not really trying to attract too much attention. Sure, you're just as glittery as always but it's hardly a cry for attention - it's just who you are as a person.

"Oh, here," Seojoon says as his thumb swipes away a little glitter on your cheek.

The touch should make you swoon. Should make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. Should have you smitten. Smiling, you fold your arms tightly over your chest.

It didn't make you feel any of those things at all. If anything, quite the opposite.

Perhaps you're being a little pathetic, but your glitter is your warpaint. His preening weakens your defences. Suggests there was something wrong with your choices.

You know that's not what it means at all. You know he was just being kind.

But if you wanted help, you would have asked for it.

"Thanks," you say regardless, because you acknowledge he's being a nice guy. You don't want him to feel like he's not being so, just because of your own insecurities.

"You look nice," he compliments sweetly. "Think everyone here is gonna wanna take you home."

You raise a brow in his direction. Glance around the room, then back to him. There are definitely more women than there are men, but the split isn't too far off. About thirty people, give or take.

"Have you looked in a mirror lately? I've already seen, like, four women give you a double-take."

He laughs, shaking his head.

"Maybe they were looking at you. Plus," he sucks a little air between his teeth, then nods to the door. You turn to see what he's looking at. "Just saw at least three groups of women stop their conversations as soon as he walked in. Might have some competition."

It's hard to pinpoint what you notice first.

Part of you thinks it's the dark leather belt around his slim waist; silver buckle a little aged, sitting perfectly just above the flat path of his body that leads to somewhere you know far too well.

A lot of it could be the black shirt draped over his shoulders - a button-down with small golden polka dots dappling the almost sheer fabric. A small amount of chest exposed, silver necklaces sit prettily against a chest that looks like it's in need of some glitter.

Most of it, though, is his pretty brown eyes that somehow look a little menacing in this low light. Typically wide and doe-like, there's a little something different about them.  Desperately, you have to remind yourself not to curse beneath your breath.

Yet when he gets to the concierge table to sign in, his eyes widen like they so often do, and his nerves are shown in the way he nibbles down on his bottom lip. Eyes glancing around the room, he's seeking something out - and when they land on you, they soften entirely.

"Oh," you simply say. "That's Jeongguk."

And suddenly, Seojoon isn't so sure of himself. Knows he's not a bad-looking guy, but Jeongguk is so insanely different from him. It's not a competition. The two of them are incomparable - and that's why you like Seojoon. You don't want to compare.

"That's your friend?" He double-checks. You nod. Shrug, like you don't get the big deal. Of course you do. You have eyes. "A little warning would have been nice!"

You laugh. "What? He's just a guy. No different to any of the other guys here."

"Oh, we both know that's a lie," he laughs.

"Well, what does it matter?" You tease. "Unless you're trying to score with one of the other girls? You already know I'm not gonna be ditching you for him. Nothing to worry about."

There's a little satisfied smirk on Seojoon's face as he says, "Suppose you're right."

Again, it's not like things between you and Seojoon are deep. Feelings haven't formed to the point of actually feeling territorial.

As he makes his way over to you both, Jeongguk hides his discomfort well. Remembers the conversation earlier in the week when you'd told him Seojoon would be coming. Remember how he'd smiled and said, "Yeah, yeah, no. Sure. Go for it. Invite him. Will be fun."

Then he also remembers the way he'd stood in the shower for 45 minutes completely still with absolutely no cognitive thoughts because everything just felt so overwhelming that he just wanted to think of nothing at all - especially not about you with someone else.

Before he reaches you, the host begins to make an announcement. She welcomes back familiar faces, and introduces herself to those of you who are new. Explains how the evening will go.

There's an equal split; 15 men, 15 women. Decided on a coin toss, women will be the ones to move from table to table. Each person has a number. Yours is 23.

Jeongguk is 7, and Seojoon is 15.

You get three minutes at a table to make an impression, and then you're swiftly moved along to the next person; like a human conveyor belt. Which, in a way, you sort of suppose it is.

The dates start off effortlessly. You've a vodka coke to soften the tension.

None of them are anything to write home about. Of course they aren't. Not when they're competing with two of the most handsome men in the whole wide world.

And so, when you finally get to Jeongguk's table, and he looks at you in the way that he does?

Oh, you'll swoon.

There's not really much thought given to the way he smiles when you sit down; front teeth so sweet and bunny-like as his nose scrunches ever so gently. The domineering, slightly intimidating version of your best friend who had entered the establishment at the start of the evening is gone.

"Okay, okay," he shakes his head. Breathes out a nervous breath. Sorts his posture out. Dramatically waves his hand in front of his face as if he's getting ready for a theatrical performance. "Sorry. Hi. Nice to meet you."

You nod right back. Hide the excitement that's bursting through you like the light of a thousand shooting stars. 

His eyes, somehow, seem to be full of them, too. You put it down to the overhead lamps.

Holding your hand out for him to shake, you nod. "Nice to meet you, too. What's your name?"

Oh, it's dumb. So incredibly dumb . 

"They call me Tony," he bullshits. You know immediately where his chosen name has come from. You've taken the piss out of his doll collection enough times to be vastly aware of exactly who the figurines are.

"Funny," you smirk, leaning back into the chair. There's a menacing quality to your smile. Jeongguk can't stop himself from smiling, again. "They call me Pepper."

Your knowledge of the intricacies of Tony Stark's various love affairs is limited, but you do know one thing; Pepper Potts is possibly the most important of them all. 

You don't mean to insinuate anything more than an acknowledgement of your importance to Jeongguk, but you also don't know the characters as intricately as he does. Don't know that Jeongguk's mile-a-minute brain is only accelerating even further down his path of being hopelessly infatuated with you.

"So tell me, Pepper, what brings a girl like you to a place like this?" He flirts, keeping up the stupid game a little while longer. There are three minutes on the clock. He's making the most of it. Knows he'll wish you were still in front of him as soon as you depart to the next table.

"Got a magnet in my chest," you tell him, reciting lore he told you once when you'd been wrapped up in his duvet, watching MCU films back to back while he'd been studying. "Think there must be some iron around. Can't help but be drawn to it."

He shrugs. Pretends as if the demonstration of the fact you actively listen to him and his passions isn't the hottest thing in the world. "Is that what you're after then, huh? An Iron Man?"

"Maybe," you flirt. "Happen to know where I could find one, Tony ?"

Oh, it's idiotic - and yet you both enjoy the ridiculousness of it all.

Jeongguk smiles. Looks down. Shakes his head. When he looks back up, he's biting down on his bottom lip, but there's a subtle disappointment in his eyes. He's quiet, as he says, "Everyone else is so boring, B."

"You've not met everyone yet," you remind him, but for some reason, you quite enjoy that it's everyone else. You're not included in that. Still, you don't want to discourage him. "And of course you'll have fun with me. You know me."

The clock by the front of the venue continues to tick on. There's only a minute or so left to go.

"I just had a three-minute conversation about porridge," he deadpans. "And before that? Blisters."

"Blisters?"

"Blisters," he confirms with a sigh. "She said her feet hurt and so I asked why and... yeah. Tangent. She wasn't asking me anything back so I just kept asking her more questions about her blisters. Oh, do you get them often? Do you use the special plasters? Like, fucking hell, B."

You're laughing now, and Jeongguk really wishes you wouldn't - mainly because nobody else has found him this funny all evening, and he hates that it's you he's the most compatible with.

From across the room, Seojoon glances over to the sound of you laughing. Is both pleased and disgruntled when he finds it's Jeongguk you're laughing with.

"She definitely thinks you have a foot fetish, now," you tease him.

His cheeks flame to match the colour of the Coke can beside his glass. He decided against alcohol tonight. Knows it's good for lowering inhibitions, but he doesn't want to meet someone like that. Wants to go in with clarity. With a clear head. No distractions or false sense of attraction.

"Fuck," he curses. "She does, doesn't she? That's why she wasn't asking me anything back."

"Oh, she's so gonna warn everyone about it-"

"Fuck," he really whines now. "You gotta make sure everyone knows I don't have a foot fetish."

"Do I?" You smirk. "And don't you have one? I could have sworn-"

"I don't!"

"Sure."

"Since when have I ever done anything with your feet," he hisses under his breath, glancing around to make sure no one hears him.

You just shrug. "You've kissed them once or twice-"

"Oh, please," he scoffs. "That's just cause they were there and I need to kiss something-"

"And you chose my feet?!"

"And you still came, so is this battle you really wanna fight?"

The buzzer on the clock timer sounds, but you don't want to stand up.

You want to bicker with Jeongguk into the early hours of the morning. Wanna bicker all the way to his bedroom - even if he does end up doing unspeakable things with your feet.

It's this realisation that actually makes you stand up.

Your mind flickers between shamelessly indulging how much you like Jeongguk, and reminding yourself that you're here with someone else. Have forced the poor guy into an evening of speed dating.

'Just helping out a friend' had been your rationale, but as you sit down at the table beside Jeongguk and hear him greet the next potential partner, the tremendous upset that washes over you makes it clear that perhaps you'd wanted to keep tabs, too. Make sure that there really is no one he likes as much as you.

You're starting to sound like her, your brain tells you.

And so you greet your next suitor. He's perfectly pleasant. A little older, but still younger than Seojoon. Works downtown at a bank. Plays football normally on Friday evenings, but bailed to come speed dating.

The conversation is nice - but you're not really focused, 'cause you keep on trying to listen in to Jeongguk's conversation instead.

"Yeah, yeah. Dog person, massively. What about you? Cats? Oh cute, do you have one? Yeah sure I'd love to pet it! Do you have any pictures? What do you mean? Not that kind of cat? What do- oh. Oh."

The giggle you splutter is stunted; out of place in the conversation you're having.

Jeongguk glances over to you, and the suppressed smile on your face as you apologise to your 'date' is as clear as anything.

"Sorry, just heard something from another table," you explain. "It distracted me for a second."

And then Jeongguk is smiling too, cheeks a little pink from embarrassment, but the blood from his face has migrated elsewhere. 

It's his heart that swells, now.

Eventually, half an hour later, miles away from Jeongguk, you find yourself right where you should be: in front of Seojoon.

"Well, well," you greet. "Fancy seeing you here."

He smiles as you sit down. He's the last on the row, thanks to the fact he didn't sign up till much later than you or Jeongguk. Again, you'd have been here with or without his blessing.

"Y'know, I think I've seen you around before," he playfully says.

You nod. "In your dreams, probably."

Okay, so it's cheesy - but you're joking around. Engaging in an innocent flirt, just like you should be.

"Probably," he agrees. Takes a sip on his drink. Whisky on the rocks. "So tell me more about yourself."

Unlike your conversation with Jeongguk, you don't lie. Don't pretend to be anyone but yourself. With other people, you don't have to play make-believe. With Jeongguk, you already know that 'you' is not what he's after, so why even bother?

"What's there to say?" You suppose with a flirtatious smile. "Barista by day, art curator by night."

"Oh, a double life," he enthuses. "Burning the candle at both ends?"

"No." You're not sure why, but the question irks you. You don't let it show. "Just like keeping myself busy. What about you?"

"Mechanical engineer by day, perpetually tired old man by night," he says. There's a charm to his self-deprecation, but it only further exacerbates your differences. The night is when you come alive.

"Look at us," you tease. "Both burning the candle at both ends."

Even though it irked you, you play up to his humour. Years working in customer service, and now having to schmooze people professionally for Tae, it comes fairly easily to you.

Seojoon laughs. Shakes his head. Is warm in his tone as he says, "When I get that promotion you won't need to worry about working."

You laugh too, because it's an absurd thing to say. Just a funny little joke.

It's your third date. Kind of. You're not sure if you can count this as one, but you're gonna. He's speaking in hypotheticals. The promotion is grounded in reality, but the rest of it - particularly the part where you're a permanent fixture in his life - is just lighthearted banter.

"And then what?" you banter back. Just like with Jeongguk, you're playful. Perhaps Seojoon isn't too dissimilar from him, after all. "We'll move to the suburbs and have 2.4 kids? I can clean all day and cook your dinner for you?"

"Well, yeah," he says, his smile still present but a little less intentional. "Maybe not 2.4. I'm thinking three."

You shudder.

The idea of your body going through something as traumatic as pregnancy three times doesn't bear thinking about. You're not maternal. Sure, maybe one day, in the very distant future when you're settled and secure - with your own finances, and your own sense of stability. The whole concept of childbirth terrifies you. Having a family is something you'd like, but fuck . It's another fear to overcome - and a hell of a fear at that.

It's one that you haven't given much thought to lately. 

Of course, when you were head over heels for Seokjin, you thought that maybe your life would look a little bit like that. Could imagine him playing tennis with your child on the weekend. The eldest. A boy, maybe. Or maybe a girl. It didn't really matter what you envisaged. Never really thought about it too hard.

"Oh?" Seojoon questions your immediate reaction. "Not want kids?"

"Well not yet," you laugh. Shrug. Grin as you tease. "Got so much I want to achieve first."

"Such as?" he asks, but his smile isn't really as present as it once was. His eyes look a little stern.

You clear your throat. Sit a little straighter.

"Well, my job for starters. Like, I love what I do, but the curation I was telling you about? The art shows I help out with? I think that's what I really love. That's what I wanna do. I just have no idea how to even properly start."

Working with Taehyung to push his art out has been such a rewarding experience. The feeling you get after a successful art show is unlike any sense of achievement a good day at the cafe could give you.

It's something to be proud of. Yes, it's Taehyung's talent that makes the sales, but it's your networking that gets the right people through the doors. A combined effort.

"But it's fine," Seojoon interrupts before you've really finished your rambling. "I mean it. I wanna work hard so I can provide for my future family. If you and me 'go the distance', then you wouldn't need to work."

You furrow your brows. Look quite affronted. "But I want to work."

"But you wouldn't need to," he insists again, broad shoulders straightening out. There's an air of arrogance to the way he wipes his fingers on a serviette and tosses it down onto the table. "I don't want a partner who's never around. Not if we've got kids."

"So you want a housewife?" You almost accuse.

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Not if it's her choice," you say defiantly. "But it'll never be my choice."

There's silence between you both. Seojoon's eyes drop, but yours continue to burn into him, affronted by his expectations, and the fact he thought perhaps you would ever shape yourself to fit into his idealised version of a woman.

"Okay, so say you get married," you theorise. It's not playful, now. Not like it was. "Get married, and she gives up everything - house, job, finances. All she does is raise your kids-"

"It's not like I'd be an absent father," he argues, but you don't really care. You're annoyed. There's nothing wrong with a traditional mindset, but you've already had one guy try and push what a woman 'should' be like onto you. You're never gonna let it happen again.

"But you'll be working so hard," you pout. Mock. Project a version of the future that you have no way of accurately predicting. "You'll be in the office all the time, and one thing will lead to another and BAM . Workplace affair-"

"I'd never cheat."

"I've been told that before," you say a little flippantly. "It's life. It happens."

"You're not being fair."

"No, what's not fair is that in the divorce she'll be left with fuck all - just your shitty, snivelly kids. No career, no financial security, no prospects, nothing."

Seojoon grates his jaw a little.

"You're projecting."

"And you're forgetting I'm a woman. I've dated corporate men before. I've heard the horror stories."

"This is literally insane," he laughs. "Like, you're crazy. You can't just assume every man is the same."

"And you can't assume that every woman will be happy with the life you want for them," you laugh right back, disbelief taking hold of your emotions. Scoff. Tut. "So fuckin' backwards."

"Well maybe not every man will be happy with the life you want for them-"

"I don't want my future partner to change their goals or aspirations to suit my needs," you remind him. "I just want them to support my goals, too."

Seojoon frowns. "You're making me sound like an asshole."

You just shrug.

"I don't think I'm making you sound like anything," you sigh. Shake your head. Look down to the dinner table and then back over towards him. "I just..."

There's a realisation floundering around you both; a brief peak into what the future could look like.

And neither of you are happy.

"So... Speed dating is fun," he says sarcastically, trying to inject some humour back into your conversation. He's not a bad guy. He's really not. He just doesn't want the same things that you do.

The buzzer on the clock rings.

Your time is up.

Not just for you and Seojoon; but for everyone.

Fates need to be sealed in brown envelopes.

Leaning against a coffee table, you skim over the second-date slip from the organisers. 

On it, is a table listing out every person you dated tonight with a small picture to remind you of them. All you need to do is scribble a big fat cross next to the people you wish to date again.

You put a thick cross in the box next to Seojoon's name, because it feels like that's what you're supposed to do. Hover over the empty box beside Jeon Jeongguk, and hesitate. Half think that you should put a cross in there, too.

If you were to see him on tinder, you'd probably give him a super-like, because it's funny, and what friends do - but this seems a bit more serious than a swipe. So you leave it empty.

Like a black hole, the empty space feels wrong.

But filling it would also be wrong. 

Slip handed back into the event hosts, you go to mingle with the ladies. There's an awkward divide, the men on one side of the bar, women on the other.

"So," a woman not much older than yourself nudges your arm. "Who tickled your fancy?"

You hesitate. Remember that there is a right answer and a wrong answer. "Number 15. Seojoon."

"Ohh, yeah he was dishy," she swoons. "Bit too stiff for me, though."

Laughing at her observation, she isn't wrong. "So who did you go for?"

"Number 7. I forget his name but I don't think it matters - half the women here seem to have put him down!"

When she smiles, there's a radiance to her. She's unjaded. Doesn't seem to harbour the resentment of failed relationships, nor the fracture marks of a broken heart. Someone like her would be good for Jeongguk.

You cast your eyes over to where he's talking to some guy who barely even managed to get you interested in him. Everyone else seems pale in comparison to your best friend. Glancing at Seojoon, you feel guilty. You're the one who insisted that he come tonight, and yet you've spent the entire time running laps in your own heart trying to run away from the undeniable feelings you have for Jeongguk. It's all so fucked.

The only thing that gives you even a little bit of comfort is the fact that you know, for a fact, that you and Seojoon won't work. You'll waste no more of his time.

Eventually, the organisers return. Each attendee is given a small brown envelope with the details of mutual matches in them. If you both chose one another, you'll be invited to stay for a second date - this time without the timer. Everyone else will be given a drinks voucher for the bar on the floor below - either to drown their sorrows or give them a little Dutch courage to try again.

Again, the women congregate. Excitedly open their envelopes. You hold back a little. Part of you doesn't want to see a fate you've sealed, knowing full well that you intend on ending things with Seojoon.

And yet, from across the group, you hear a gasp. "I matched! With 15!"

Fucking ouch.

You twist around to see Seojoon smiling at his sheet of paper, then glancing over - presumably to her, but catching you first. He does, at least, look apologetic. Tilts his head for you to come over.

And so you do.

"Look," he sighs. Offers a smile. "We both know after that conversation that this isn't right for us."

Scrunching your face up a little, you nod. Feel relieved, more than anything. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," he says as he lightly nudges your shoulder. "One of the girls here went to my college, so it was kinda nice talking about it with her."

"Makes sense," you accept, relieved that it's working out in the way that it is. "For the record, though, you were my only choice."

"Oh give over," he laughs, only to realise you're being deadly serious. He looks utterly confused. "Not even your friend? Jeongguk?"

Shaking your head, you shrug. Laugh. "I'm trying to help him find a date."

"Okay?" Seojoon questions. "Is that not what a partner should be? A friend?"

"Stop," you smile. "You'll put ideas in my head - and everyone knows ideas are a dangerous thing for a girl like me."

Looking down at you with a smile you know could steal hearts, just not yours, Seojoon agrees. "For what it's worth, I think you'll achieve everything you want to achieve."

You aren't so sure, but you thank him regardless. Encourage him to retrieve his match and head off for a real date. Tell him not to be a stranger, but realistically know that it's all he'll ever really be to you now.

From across the room, Jeongguk looks at you with a perplexed frown. You're running your thumb beneath the lip of the envelope to check the contents. You've no possible matches, not now your only one has chosen someone else.

You scan the room for your best friend and are surprised to see that he's alone. Holding up your empty envelope, you just shrug.

He reciprocates. Holds up his equally empty envelope, and then mouths, "me too."

Tilting his head to the side, Jeongguk doesn't really understand how you both ended up without a single reciprocated interest, even if the science is glaringly obvious.

You didn't put anyone other than Seojoon.

And Jeongguk didn't put anyone other than you.

Though he's too far away for you to hear, you can read his lips as he smiles and says, "Should we go?"

Glancing behind you one last time, the girl who had been speaking to you earlier catches your attention.

"So?" she asks excitedly. Though her matches came up empty - much like everyone else who chose your best friend - she's still pleased for everyone who got a match. She does seem to have forgotten the part where you told her you'd only written down Seojoon's number, but she's been asking everyone the same question. Is bound to have let a few details slip her mind. "Get a match?"

You smile a little, and then simply say, "Yeah. I think I might have."

There are whispers as you head over to Jeongguk. Gossip. Speculations. Why you? Why not them?

And the answer is simple: How would he ever choose someone else?

"So I know this bar," Jeongguk grins as you come within earshot.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm, it's just around the corner. Called Dionysus. I hear they have, like, a super hot bartender."

"Yeonjun?" You question. "He's a bit young for me."

"Sorry, let me rephrase," Jeongguk enthrals, hand on the small of your back as he guides you out of the venue. "A super hot bar manager ."

"Oh shit, you know, it's funny," you banter back. "I hear he's gonna put my drinks on his tab all night?"

You're a sneaky little bitch. He'll give you that much. 

And he'll also give you exactly what you want.

"I think you heard correctly, B."

A small hum of delight escapes your lips as Jeongguk loops his arm around your shoulders. Naturally, your arm wraps around his waist.

"Well, in that case, what are we waiting for?" You giggle. "Let's go get fucked up."

[roomba-mangga]

for that ask game: 8, 17, 31 & 43 for thistle dungeon meshi ?

8. Unpopular opinion about them

Not sure I can gauge (un)popularity unless it's an extreme example so I guess *skull emoji* the age discourse? Less an opinion and more a personal interpretation of the immortal child archetype, tbh. It's a really interesting concept, super fun to try and strike that balance between ancient and tragically young, and presenting that situation through a high fantasy framework really works to emphasize and demonstrate the nuances of a split child/adult mentality, especially wrt trauma (not to mention fraught family dynamics and neurodivergence).

The tricky bit is that balancing act where you want to avoid adultifying or infantilizing the character within a narrative, which... I think with that whole age debate, people tend to lean into one or the other pitfall, and justifiably so since it's such a tightrope act. Thistle's sense of purpose and security hinges on being a guardian to people who are simultaneously much older and younger than him—essentially being expected to mature at the same rate as everyone else when that isn't physically possible, which was bad enough when Marcille was just observing aging disparity between herself and others, let alone what happened with Thistle. Neurodivergent trauma metaphor I love you.

So he's effectively been playing the role of adult guardian for so long that trying to remove that from his dynamics with others would imbalance him, while at the same time that very imposition of responsibilities is the root of trauma in the first place. It's all very complicated! Whoever cares for him post-canon needs to find a middle ground between those two states, which means any dynamic where he's involved would have a fair amount of role-fuckery going on where he's neither their kid nor their peer, but somehow both at once. And also an ageless entity of indeterminate gender. I shill for Young Old Guy Thistle.

17. Quotes, songs, poems etc. that I associate with them

Brick By Boring Brick (Paramore)

Icarus (The Crane Wives)

Age of Kings (The Mountain Goats)

Bring Her Back (Dirt Poor Robins)

Do You Want to Die Together? (Stars)

Little Soldiers (The Crane Wives)

Honorable mention that I wouldn't actually include in a playlist because he's too aggro, but it's about the principle of the thing: Strawberry Blond (Mitski)

If I had to pick songs for other dynamics besides Thistle & Delgal then...

Thistle & Falin: Community Gardens (The Scary Jokes)

Thistle & Laios: Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair (Arctic Monkeys)

Thistle & Yaad: Paper Dolls (Dirt Poor Robins)

31. If they had a tumblr what would it look like?

So there are two separate blogs with severely contrasting vibes and the first one is just a polished site dedicated to the Kingdom's state of affairs and unabashed monarchy propaganda, the crest of Melini is the banner, it has local news and dungeon updates like whatever batch of adventurers have been crushed to paste that day. The other one is his secret vent blog that's mostly pages and pages of poetry (a lot his own) and the occasional meltdown in unreadable cursive font that romanticizes his inner turmoil. Banner would be an exquisite oil painting depicting a king and his page. Reading back I think I'm implying that Thistle randomly has a Tumblr in the high fantasy universe, which is devastatingly funny to me.

43. 3 favorite foods and 3 they despise

He doesn't eat </3

Substitute answer my knowledge of medieval European/Mediterranean food starts and ends at cheese bread and fruit but, placing my bets that his preferences mirror Delgal's���adjusted to be appropriate to his station—because of course they do. He canonically is apathetic towards elven food (who isn't?) given his resentment towards his own race for abandoning him. I like to think that post-canon there's at least one kind of elven food from some loosely SEA-inspired subcontinent that grows on him so he finally has a positive connection to his homeland (... it'll be Filipino or Indian food. Not sure what specifically yet but mark my words)

[taeyongdoyoung]

summary: as someone who’s been tormented for being a nerd, you’ve never viewed your friendly teasing towards your best friend seonghwa as bullying. but that is until he completely changes his style and image in school, confronting you about your past behaviour, so you have no choice but to admit the real reason why you’ve been making fun of him...

pairing: popular boy!seonghwa x nerd!reader

genre: high school!AU (the characters are 18 for the spicy parts huehehe), best friends to fake dating to lovers, angst, romance, smut, fluff

warnings: friendly teasing, clichéd/unrealistic portrayal of high school dynamics, hwa does kabedon on yn like once, seonghwa’s a bit of a tsundere, fake dating, hints of possessiveness, slightly problematic remarks, yn is briefly hwa’s slave?! (no, i will not elaborate), bullying, mean girls, insults, hair-pulling, kicking, death threats, some swearing, self-blame, power play, overuse of pet names (princess, baby, little girl, etc.), sir kink (i won’t apologize lol), begging, yunho being nosy (yes, that’s a warning), mention of hypothetical collars, insecurities, making out, loss of virginities, lots of kissing, soft dom!hwa, eating out, fingering, blowjob, consensual protected sex, dirty talk, praising, aftercare, crying, hurt&comfort, a lot of dorky references (cuz that’s me, after all), jumping off a balcony (don’t try this at home!), happy ending

author’s note: will i ever stop bullying poor hwa’s kermit hoodie? no. jk, i lov him so much, he’s so talented & gorgeous no matter what he wears ;-;

disclaimer: all jokes aside, i do not in any way condone bullying and this work is entirely fictional for entertainment purposes! i’ve been physically and emotionally tormented in school and though i have not talked much about it, i do not wish such an experience to anyone! treating people with kindness is cool and i hope everyone spreads more love! ❤️

word count: 9.4k

Having been best friends with Seonghwa for four years now (ever since your first year in high school), you couldn’t help but making fun of every little adorable thing he did. And honestly, you admired his patience when it came to putting up with your incessant teasing. Diligently cleaning up everything after him? You’d call him a neat freak. Not being able to drink coffee? You’d call him a teacup loser. 

So, when he started wearing that green hoodie of his to school, you couldn’t resist the temptation to call him Kermit the frog. And at first, it all started as a joke. But then the nickname kinda stuck and you just kept addressing him as Kermit, even if he wasn’t wearing the delectable green hoodie. And at one point, you could tell that poor Seonghwa was not a huge fan of the whole thing. But he never called you out on it or told you to stop. He never teased you back for being a hopeless nerd who studied 24/7 and read books for fun. So, you kept going.

Until the summer before your last year in high school arrived. Sadly, Seonghwa was going to be out of the country for the whole vacation. You were going to miss him terribly, you realized. You had become so used to seeing him everyday that you couldn’t imagine how you’d last three months without being able to see his pretty face all the time. You’d occasionally text him memes and ask him what he was up to. But as the summer was coming to an end, his replies became less and less frequent, more and more concise. You kept wondering if you’d done something wrong. It couldn’t be the Kermit thing, you began telling yourself. After all, it was normal to tease your best friend every once in a while. Right?

When the first day of your last year in high school came, you were nervously anticipating the moment when you’d see Seonghwa again. Summer without him had been so boring and you couldn’t wait to hug him again and find a new thing to joke about.

The second you saw him, you instinctively knew there would be no more joking around. Seonghwa practically walked into the school hallway like he owned the place. He’d completely changed his style and overall image. Gone were the dorky hoodies you secretly loved so much. Instead, they were replaced by a black leather jacket. Gone were the casual sweatpants he looked so good in. In their place were dark jeans that made him look kinda dangerous. And the whole confidence with which he carried himself was just totally different. 

If you had known that a summer abroad could change a person so much, you would have tried harder at convincing him to stay in the country. On top of it all, he was now hanging out with a bunch of popular a-holes that you had never talked to before. Honestly, you couldn’t even gather the courage to approach your best friend. He looked so distant and unfamiliar that you couldn’t help but feel a little hurt. Especially when you heard him laughing at the cool kids’ jokes. That should have been you...

You remembered when you were the one making him giggle, as if it was a century ago, when in reality it was just a couple of months. You kept sighing during the whole day, not daring to even talk to him. If he wanted to still hang out with you after his sudden “change in status”, he would, you kept convincing yourself. But he didn’t. In fact, he ignored you the whole day, making you feel like shit.

Just as you were leaving the school building in a hurry, mentally prepared for an evening of crying your eyes out and eating ice cream, you felt a hand grabbing you tightly. Turning around, you were surprised to find Seonghwa’s eyes staring back at you.

“Hi, princess,” he greeted you calmly.

“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you responded dumbly.

“What? No witty comeback?” Seonghwa scoffed, smirking.

“What are you talking about?”

“Aren’t you gonna bully me and call me names again? Kermit? Teacup loser? Neat freak? What’s it gonna be this time?” he spat out, pushing you against the school wall and extending his arms to touch the cold bricks so that you would feel trapped.

“Bully you?” you whispered in disbelief. “H-hwa, I wasn’t...I didn’t m-mean...”

“Oh, yeah?” he mocked your stuttering self. “Then, why did you say all these things, huh?”

“You know why,” you replied.

“No, I don’t. So, tell me right now or I swear, I can make your existence a living hell,” Seonghwa threatened.

“Because I like you, you idiot!” you cried out. “I like you so that’s why I’ve been teasing you. Because if I didn’t, I would have to admit how attractive I find all your habits. How adorable it is when you used to tidy your desk and how sexy you looked in that damned green hoodie. There, I said it. Are you happy now?”

You were so frustrated with the way he ignored you all day only to accuse you of bullying him that you ducked your head swiftly beneath his arm, simultaneously bending your knees, and, thus, successfully escaping from Seonghwa’s ambush.

“Y/N, wait!” he called after you, but you were running too fast and luck was on your side, as the bus arrived at that exact same moment, allowing you to get on it, before he could.

You couldn’t sleep much that night, tormented by the fact Seonghwa had confused your friendly jokes with bullying and how foolishly you’d confessed your feelings for him. You were certain that your affections were unrequited and now that he had this whole new position in the school hierarchy, he would undoubtedly make fun of you for them. You were even considering transferring to another school to avoid the potential embarrassment.

In the morning, no sooner had you finished breakfast in the comfort of your room than you heard loud honks. They were unlike the ones in your dad’s car so you couldn’t help but wonder what jerk had decided to park in front of your house and make your day even worse.

“Sweetie,” your mom informed you a bit after. “Your friend Seonghwa is here. He said he’ll drive you to school today. As promised.”

“He did?” you mumbled in confusion. But maybe because you weren’t ready to talk to your mom yet about what happened yesterday, you lied. “Ah, that’s right, I almost forgot.”

Hurriedly, you grabbed your bag and practically sprinted downstairs. You were curious to see what he wanted. And that’s exactly what you asked the minute you entered his car.

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Aw, no good morning for me, princess?” Seonghwa pouted and God, you hated how cute you found him after the way he’d treated you the previous day. “What does it look like I’m doing?” he rolled his eyes, starting the engine. “I’m driving you to school.”

“I can see that. But why?” you hissed.

“Well, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed,” he groaned. “If you’re so insistent on finding out, I’ll tell you. Ever since you told me how you felt yesterday, I’ve been thinking...And I’ve come to the conclusion that you have two options. Option number one is to enjoy your hellish last year of high school. You’ve had your fair share of teasing me so I’m definitely going to enjoy telling everyone about your little crush on me. It’s going to be so much fun to embarrass you in front of the whole school.”

What the fuck was wrong with him? Seonghwa was supposed to be your best friend! Why was he suddenly acting like you were worth less than a dirty rug? Was it possible that he had changed so much in the span of three months? Or was he always like that? Had you been blinded by his good looks? No, that definitely wasn’t the case. Seonghwa was the sweetest guy you’d ever known. How did he get so...cold? Cold enough to chill your bones.

“And what’s option number two?” you grunted, already anticipating the worst.

“So, there’s this annoying girl in our class I want to avoid at all costs. Just because her parents are doing business with mine does not mean I’m into her. Option number two is for us to pretend we’re dating in school. Considering how much you like me, I’m assuming it won’t be very difficult for you to pretend. If you agree, that is.”

What a jerk...You shared your sincere feelings with your best friend and that’s the first thing that crossed his mind? To use you in order to avoid some random girl? If it was any other guy, you would have said no. If you weren’t desperate for even a fraction of Seonghwa’s time and attention, you would have said no. If you weren’t so pathetically whipped for him, you would have said no.

“I’ll do it,” you said. “For how long do you need me to be your fake girlfriend?”

“Just until graduation. Then, we’ll fake break up and each go our separate ways. How does that sound?”

It sounded terrible! You wanted Seonghwa to be a part of your life forever. But with the way he was treating you, you weren’t confident he felt the same way anymore.

“Sounds great,” you lied, because you couldn’t give him the satisfaction of hearing your thoughts. You’d never be perceived as weak again.

The second you walked into school, Seonghwa’s arm wrapped possessively around your shoulder, everyone’s eyes were on you. It was like high-schoolers had no better thing to occupy their time with but to gossip around the latest dating news. If you weren’t enjoying his company so much, you would have found their reactions pathetic. And somewhat unnerving.

“When did you two lovebirds start seeing each other?” one of Seonghwa’s popular friends Yunho asked.

“Oh, you know what they say. A girl and a guy can’t stay just friends for long,” Seonghwa responded.

You internally rolled your eyes. Your best friend before the summer would have never said such a thing. Whatever the reason for his current behaviour was, you would get to the bottom of it. And right now, you felt like going along with this whole fake dating thing was your best chance at unraveling the mystery.

For the first day of your little arrangement, everything seemed to be going fine. Everyone was staring at you two but you didn’t mind. All you cared about was him. However, soon enough Seonghwa started asking you for weird things.

“Carry my bag for me.” / “Get me a drink from the vending machine, will you?” / “Bring me a snack from the supermarket across the street.” / “Oh, and for my friends, too, doll.”

Seriously, it was getting infuriating. You no longer felt like you were his bestie. You didn’t even feel like you were his fake girlfriend. At this point, you had practically become his slave! Running any errand and carrying his stuff for him. But what was the alternative? If you refused to play your part in this pretend dating scheme, he could easily turn against you and make fun of you in front of the whole school. So, you kept your mouth shut and swallowed your pride.

One evening, around a month after the fake dating agreement had started, you had stayed in the library a bit longer to prepare for an upcoming assignment. By the time you were out of the school building, you supposed that Seonghwa had already gone home. Frankly, the only nice thing he was intent on doing for you was driving you to school and back to your place most of the days.

As you were making your way towards the bus stop, you had the strangest suspicion you were being followed. Not daring to turn around, you started walking faster. But unfortunately, your attackers also sped up and soon enough, you were surrounded by a group of angry faces. Their leader was obviously Eunhee, the most popular girl in the whole school. And coincidentally, this was also the girl whose parents were doing business with Seonghwa’s parents. The very reason you were fake dating your best friend in the first place.

“Well, if it isn’t the little bookshrimp,” she mocked you, sticking a sharp nail into your chest. You didn’t bother correcting her that the right term was bookworm. You were already in enough trouble as it was. For some reason, teasing Seonghwa had been easy because you meant well and you were sure he wouldn’t hurt you. Not really. Because he knew how badly you’d been bullied in middle school. But now that you were met with so many threatening figures, you froze rightaway, unable to defend yourself.

“Just l-leave me alone,” you stammered.

“Aw, aren’t you a little pathetic shrimpie?” Eunhee cooed and started pulling your hair harshly and kicking you onto the ground. The other girls were holding you down so that you wouldn’t fight back. “Did you seriously believe you can steal Seonghwa from me? We’re meant to be together and if you stand in our way, I will fucking kill you!”

“S-stop, you’re hurting me!” you exclaimed sorrowfully. You tried your best to shield yourself and push her away but her loyal minions were preventing you from doing so. Just as Eunhee was about to slap you across the face, you witnessed as her threatening hand was stopped mid-air by the interloper whose features you couldn’t quite discern in the dark. But whose voice you would recognize anywhere.

“You think you’re so brave?” Seonghwa yelled at Eunhee and her friends. “Ganging up on her like that? Six against one? You’re the pathetic ones.”

“Hwa, we were just trying to teach her a lesson. She should learn her place, after all,” Eunhee tried to explain.

“A lesson?” he scoffed. “You dumbasses can’t even pass Calculus and you want to teach the smartest girl in our school a lesson?” your heart melted with warmth at how highly he thought of you. “Oh, that’s rich.”

“You won’t tell my dad, right?” Eunhee was suddenly on the defensive. She’d probably be in big trouble if he found out how his precious daughter was behaving in school.

“Get out of my sight right now or I’ll tell the whole country,” Seonghwa threatened through gritted teeth. (Later on, he actually did tell her dad about the incident and Eunhee, along with her followers, were suspended from school for two weeks. Oh, and their rich parents cut off their money, which was pretty impressive an accomplishment). And so, the vicious girls scattered like roaches in daylight. Pulling you onto your feet, Seonghwa grabbed your hand and started walking towards his car which you somehow hadn’t noticed parked nearby. Getting inside, he started the engine immediately but his hands were clutching the steering wheel so hard you were feeling a bit scared. You had never seen your best friend so angry. Well, maybe the only other time that came close was when you were telling him about your past experiences with bullying...

“Are you mad at me?” you asked sheepishly.

“At you?” he chuckled harshly. “Why would I be mad at you? You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I don’t know...”

“Why didn’t you fight them back?” Seonghwa inquired.

“I tried, but I was reminded of middle school and just...froze. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright, I’m not blaming you,” he replied calmly. “I was just wondering. Cause I know you’ve been going to self-defense classes. And I thought you were making progress. I mean, the last time I came to watch, you were pretty good.”

That was before the summer. Of course it was. Still, you were touched by the fact that he remembered. Despite acting like he didn’t care, you instinctively knew he did.

“I mean, I was,” you said. “But I panicked.”

Seonghwa let go of the wheel with one hand and placed it on your bare knee, rubbing calming circles around it. You two were alone so you were certain this was no longer the fake dating thing. This was just your best friend being there for you when you needed him the most.

“If anyone tries that shit again, just tell them you’re my girlfriend, alright? They have to be idiots to mess with you,” he spoke angrily.

“Fake girlfriend,” you reminded him sadly.

“That’s none of their business,” he replied, but didn’t correct you. Oh, how badly you wished to be his real girlfriend. To show him how much you cared for him.

“Why did you change so much over the summer?” you suddenly asked, while Seonghwa was driving you home.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Seonghwa responded harshly. “You don’t like my green hoodie and you also don’t like my leather jacket? There’s really no satisfying you, is there?”

“I didn’t mean your clothes,” you mumbled. “Just...your overall attitude towards me. Before the summer you used to let me squeeze your cheeks and sit in your lap and now you seem so...unapproachable. I’m just saying, we were closer when I was your best friend than we are now that I’m your fake girlfriend.”

Seonghwa stopped the car abruptly, making you blink in shock.

“I changed because I was sick of you treating me like a little boy and I wanted you to start seeing me as a man,” he admitted but without looking into your eyes.

“W-what are you saying?” you swallowed nervously.

“Nevermind.”

“No, you have to talk to me, Hwa!” you insisted desperately. “If you still consider me your best friend, be honest with me. Please.”

“This,” he gestured vaguely at you as he finally met your gaze. “This is exactly why I changed so much, Y/N. I don’t want to be your best friend anymore.”

His cruel words hurt you more than anything you’d ever experienced in your life. More than all the bullying, the slapping and getting pushed against a wall. Losing your best friend was your worst fear. But you had promised yourself to never be weak again. So the second he said that, you pulled the handle of the side door, attempting to get out of his car. Before you could do that, Seonghwa grabbed your hand, effectively keeping you in place.

“I want to be your boyfriend. For real this time,” he elaborated.

You stared at him in utter confusion.

“But...when I confessed, you acted like you didn’t care. Like I meant nothing to you.”

“Forget how I acted. I only offered the fake dating shit because I wanted to get closer to you again. Make up for the lost time during the summer. Do you honestly think I give a fuck about what Eunhee thinks or says about me? I just used that as an excuse. I’ve told her I’m not into her hundreds of times. And yes, maybe I have changed. Not because I don’t care about you. But because I do. You used to gush about Count Dracula and Darth Vader so much that I thought if I became the bad guy, you’d finally notice me. I wanted so terribly to impress you and make you stop seeing me as your adorable best friend that I got too lost in the feeling of holding power over you...Too lost to notice you liked me all along, didn’t you?”

“I did,” you whispered teary-eyed. “I do,” correcting yourself. “H-hwa, I’m so sorry to break it to you but-”

“If you reject me, I won’t be responsible for attempted murder,” Seonghwa interrupted you jokingly.

“I’m so sorry to break it to you,” you repeated with a sly smirk. “But no matter how hard you try to change, I will always see you as my adorable best friend. And though I have to admit I did stop teasing you temporarily, that was only because you suddenly started behaving like the dangerously sexy king of the high school. Can you blame me for feeling a little intimidated? I know I’ve said this before but I didn’t think me teasingly calling you Kermit would go this far. I never meant to hurt you, Hwa.”

“I know you didn’t, princess,” Seonghwa whispered, gently stroking your cheeks.

“And yes,” you smiled shyly, leaning into his touch.

“Yes, what?”

“Yes, I want to be your real girlfriend. It would be a dream come true.”

“Yeah?” he chuckled, as if the very idea seemed amusing to him. “How badly do you want it?”

“So badly, I would do anything for you, sir,” you uttered the last word without thinking much, your brain somehow recalling a time when you two had discussed how you’d enjoy being called by a potential significant other. In retrospect, that wasn’t really a thing best friends generally talked about.

“Sir?” Seonghwa grinned, leaning his head against your forehead. “Keep that up and your real girlfriend status will be confirmed.”

“I want to kiss you so much,” you were on the verge of begging. Oh, screw it. “Please, please, let me kiss you.”

He didn’t respond, just connected your lips with his own softly, taking his time with you. It was pure magic. You had thought about kissing your best friend thousands of times. But nothing compared to the reality. Parting your lips further to let his tongue in, you physically couldn’t prevent yourself from moaning into his mouth, overwhelmed by how good it felt. How insanely intoxicating he tasted. How you were burning alive and it would be the sweetest death imaginable.

“Not if I kiss you first,” Seonghwa said once he broke the kiss apart. “Oh, wait, I just did.”

What the hell...had just happened? Sneaking a peak at the time, you were suddenly panicking by how late it was.

“Holy shit, my parents are going to kill me!” you exclaimed. “Can you please drive me home?”

“Sure thing, princess,” he laughed, increasingly amused by your flustered self. “That’s exactly what I was intending to do anyways. I’m not in the habit of keeping little girls past their bed time.”

“Shut up, I’m not a little girl!” you complained. “I’m just a few months younger than you. Asshole.”

“Hey! Is that any way to speak to your devoted boyfriend?” Seonghwa scolded you teasingly.

Oh, God. You loved the sound of that. Your best friend was now your boyfriend. It still felt unreal.

“I’m sorry, sir,” you mewled apologetically, already knowing how to make him weak for you with just one tiny word. “And thank you for taking me home.”

“Anytime,” Seonghwa smiled. “See you tomorrow, baby.”

You could get used to it. Reaching forward to open the door for you, he whispered in your ear:

“I’m taking you out on our first date. Doll yourself up for me, will you?”

You nodded, your heart beating too fast to actually manage a verbal response. After you got inside and suffered a brief interrogation from your parents (using the library+extra assignments excuse), you hurried up the stairs, took a quick shower and then went to bed. No sooner had you closed your eyes than your phone buzzed with notifications.

Kermit the Frog: You still up?

Kermit the Frog: For fear of sounding lame, I moss you already

Kermit the Frog: *Miss...damn autocorrect

You chuckled upon seeing his messages. Whatever demon possessed you to still keep that nickname in your chat, you knew you had to change it immediately. If he saw it on your first date tomorrow, you would never hear the end of it.

You: I’m awake, yes

You: And I moss you too 😉

You purposefully misspelled the word to tease him. After all, it was only in order.

Boyfie 🐸: That obnoxious Kermit nickname better be gone by tomorrow

He texted as if he’d read your mind and you gasped in surprise.

Boyfie 🐸: Or we’re having our first couple fight!!

You: How did you know?!?

Boyfie 🐸: Not my fault you keep your phone unlocked sometimes

Boyfie 🐸: I’m not kidding, change it right now 😡

You: Changed it already

You texted him back quickly, sending him a screenshot.

You: Can I at least keep the frog emoji? 🥺

Boyfie 🐸: NO!!! REMOVE IT OR WE BREAK UP 😡😡😡

You: Damnit, Hwa, your angery Aries is showing...okay, fineee

You sent another screenshot of the now changed emoji.

You: Happy now?

Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Much better, princess 🤗🤗🤗

Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Now go to sleep, we have early classes tomorrow

You: Wow, so bossy. Okay, sir, I’m going

Boyfie ❤️🖤💙: Good night, my baby 😘

You: Staaahp, ohmygosh. And good night, Hwa 🥺

The next morning you ran outside faster than The Flash as soon as you heard the oh-so-familiar honks. When you saw Seonghwa waiting there to pick you up, your heart did a backflip as you excitedly took the passenger seat.

“Good morning, boyfriend,” you greeted him and kissed his cheek. “This still feels so strange.”

“Well, you better get used to it, doll. Wow, you really cleaned up nicely today,” he complimented your pastel pink dress. “Not that you usually don’t! You’re always gorgeous, I just meant that you’re especially gorgeous and...nope, that also sounds wrong. Okay, I shut up now.”

“Relax,” you giggled. “It’s fine. I appreciate the effort. You don’t look so bad yourself. Oh, who am I kidding? You’re practically sex on legs 24/7. I think it’s time for me to shut up now.”

“You’re so cute when you get flustered. Anyone ever tell you that?”

“Just you,” you admitted.

Once you walked into the school, it was like everyone noticed the subtle change in your dynamic. Because Seonghwa did something he never did before. He carried your bag and gave you his leather jacket! And Hwa’s friends were immediately onto you like bees to honey.

“I mean, I knew you guys were dating,” Seonghwa’s friend Yunho observed. “But I never saw the chemistry before, to be honest. Until now. I mean, come on, Y/N was like a loyal puppy, always following Hwa around.”

“Hey, don’t give him any ideas!” you joked.

“Too late. Already ordered the collar,” Seonghwa winked.

“Kinky. Can’t tell if I’m into it or want to cut off my ears,” Yunho grinned. “Probably both.”

“Nice chat, but we gotta head to class, Yu,” Seonghwa said because his friend was in a different class.

“See you for lunch?” Yunho suggested.

“Can’t. Already made plans with this little girl,” Hwa tilted his head towards you.

“Whoo, enjoy, then!”

“It’s not what it sounds like!” you groaned, feeling uncharacteristically embarassed.

“Isn’t it?” Seonghwa smirked mysteriously and pulled you towards the room you had class in.

“Nothing involving collars and puppies, I assure you!” you yelled (perhaps a little too loudly), twisting your head, not wanting to give Yunho and the rest of Seonghwa’s friends the wrong idea.

When your classes for the day were over, Seonghwa led you towards his car once again. You were a bit nervous to make a good impression on your first date. Even though it was silly. Your best friend of four years had surely made a first impression a long time ago.

“Where are we going?” you asked to break the awkward silence.

“It’s a surprise, princess. Can you be patient for me?”

“I can,” you promised dutifully and placed your tiny hand on top of his. “Anything for you, sir.”

Seonghwa lost focus on the road for the briefest of moments in order to give you a warning look. One look and that was all you needed to keep you quiet and obedient. Eventually, you realized where he was taking you. Though you hadn’t been to his place for a couple of months now, you couldn’t forget how the drive to Seonghwa’s home looked.

“I dressed myself up and we’re just going to your place?” you hmphed in playful annoyance. “So much for our glamorous first date.”

“Don’t underestimate the power of my cooking skills. Shit, I sorta ruined the surprise, didn’t I?”

“Aww, you were planning to cook for me on our first date? Hwaaa, I’ve only had you as a boyfriend for less than 24 hours and you’re already pulling out the big guns! I don’t mean to push my luck but if you’re cooking now, I’m trembling to witness our one month anniversary.”

Seonghwa rolled his eyes.

“You’re very ambitious to think you can put up with me for an entire month.”

”Hwa, sweetie, I’ve put up with you for four years.”

“Not as your boyfriend, you haven’t.”

“We’ll talk again in 30 days,” you vowed enigmatically.

“Here we are,” Seonghwa announced once he parked in front of his home. “My parents are currently at work so you don’t need to worry about...well, anything, really.”

“What’s the supposed to mean?” for some reason his words made you even more worried.

“Nothing, I just meant you can...like, be yourself. There’s no one to impress.”

“There’s you,” you pointed out. “Don’t forget your parents already know me. And besides, you’re the only person I care about impressing.” 

“Not to stroke your ego, but you’ve already impressed me. After all, you’re the only one who’s had the audacity to compare me to a freaking muppet and survived.”

“Point taken,” you chuckled.

“Come on, let’s get inside,” Seonghwa suggested and the two of you entered his house. No matter how much you begged him to let you help with the cooking, he was insistent that he would do all the work. Said something about making up to you for the times you had to carry his bag or buy snacks to him and his friends. When you argued that you also had some making up to do for all the times you teased him a little too insensitively, he said that you agreeing to be his real girlfriend was enough to satisfy his wounded heart. Seeing that there was no point in arguing, you gave up and occupied yourself by mindlessly scrolling through social media. About an hour later, Seonghwa finally deemed his culinary masterpieces ready to be eaten. He allowed you to at least help set the table which you considered a small victory. The second you tried the first meal, you were so overwhelmed by the exquisite tastes that you spoke without thinking much.

“God, I wanna marry you.”

Seonghwa simply chuckled, amused by your unexpected reaction.

“Did I say that out loud?” you whispered, completely mortified, covering your mouth in embarassment.

“I’m afraid so.”

“Shit, I’m such a mess,” you mumbled.

“No, it’s fine. I take it as a compliment. Now, eat up before it gets cold. If my wicked plan works, you’ll have bought me a wedding ring by the time dessert arrives.”

“Truly wicked. I’m in danger,” you laughed and kept enjoying the various meals Seonghwa had prepared. 

Once the plates were empty, you felt so full and warm you couldn’t possibly move. And no, that wasn’t an exaggeration. Seonghwa had to physically carry you to the couch so that you two would re-watch Star Wars: Return of the Jedi together, warmly cuddled up under a blanket.

Suddenly, you were possessed by the urge to speak your mind and be as honest with him as possible. After hiding your true feelings for four years, now that you were finally given the chance to be yourself, you were feeling uncharacteristically brave.

“You know, even though I was messing around earlier, I had indeed daydreamed about marrying you back in our first year of high school. You were the first boy who ever treated me like I wasn’t the walking joke of the universe. The first who ever hung out with me not as a prank but because you actually saw me as a friend. When I started teasing you about your cute habits, I hope you know I never wished to hurt you. I just wanted to show you that I notice and appreciate every single detail about you. So, yeah, I really like you, Hwa. Have liked you for a long time.”

Seonghwa had paused the movie the second you started talking. And now that you were done sharing your thoughts, he seemed unable to say anything. The silence was a bit awkward so you interrupted it once again.

“I’m sorry, that was silly. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable so early in our re-”

This time, he interrupted you with a kiss, pulling you into his lap, just like the good old days. You smiled into his mouth, wrapping your arms around him.

“It wasn’t silly. I appreciate you saying all that,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And for the record, I know you meant well with all the teasing. In a sense, a part of me even suspected that you liked me back. But I was also feeling a bit insecure. I kept thinking that you could do so much better than go out with dorky Kermit guy who has an obsession with tidying up, you know? That you deserved someone else. But I couldn’t allow anyone else to be that someone. So, I changed myself.”

“Maybe you did change a little. But in my heart, you’re always going to be my Frog Prince Hwa.”

“I hate you so much,” he rolled his eyes.

“Naw, you don’t.”

“Fine. I hate that you’re right.”

Things between you and Seonghwa were going great. It had been three months since you two started dating for real. He was super attentive and caring towards you. However, you were a bit bummed out since not much changed compared to his behaviour as your best friend and as your boyfriend. Sure, you did start kissing each other and occasionally making out (which wasn’t exactly a best friend activity). But there was one thing that still had not happened. And the more time passed, the more anxious you felt to bring it up.

One evening, you had miraculously convinced your parents to let you have a sleepover at Seonghwa’s place. After insisting that nothing out of the ordinary was going on between you two and even if something unusual did happen (which you highly doubted but secretly hoped for), you were going to use protection (and no, you were certainly not referring to Seonghwa’s collection of action figures who carried weapons).

As you and your boyfriend were enjoying your snacks while watching TV from the comfort of his bed, you couldn’t help but finally raise the question that had been tormenting your mind for a while now.

“S-seonghwa...do you not find me attractive?”

“What the hell are you asking me that for? Would you be my girlfriend if I didn’t find you attractive?”

“Well, I don’t know. I’ve never dated anyone before so...I was just wondering if there’s a particular reason why we still haven’t...taken things to the next level?”

“The next level?” he chuckled. “Relationships aren’t video games. And to answer your question, the reason’s actually the exact opposite of your concerns. We haven’t done anything more than making out because I find you ridiculously attractive. And it’s taking every last inch of my self-restraint to not pressure you into something you’re not comfortable with. I just wanted to wait until you’re ready.”

“Ready? So you knew that I haven’t...with anyone...yet?” you purposefully left out some words because you were feeling incredibly shy discussing this with Seonghwa.

“Of course I knew, princess. You’re my best friend. And my girlfriend.”

“Well, that’s a relief, at least. That you’re not repulsed by my...inexperience.”

“Why would I be when we’re in the same boat?”

“We are?” you whispered in shock.

“Why do you look so surprised?” Seonghwa laughed. “I’ve had the biggest crush on you since forever. Did you honestly think I would just screw anyone else?”

“Well, it’s not like you didn’t have options,” you pointed out, referring to all the potential love interests swarming around him like bees. “Unlike me.”

“Are you regretful, little girl?” he inquired, running a lazy finger across your cheek. “Jealous?”

“No, I just...want to be the best for you, sir,” you confessed nervously.

“You’re already the best I could hope for,” Seonghwa responded and kissed you hungrily, burying his hands into your hair.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” you curiously needed to know. “That you haven’t either...”

“It’s not something that comes up in everyday conversation?” he pointed out. “What was I supposed to say? Hi, bestie, let’s have lunch together. Oh and by the way, I’m a hopeless virgin pining over you?”

“You’re right,” you laughed. “It would have made things awkward.”

“Now, unless you have any other pressing issues, I suggest we go back to kissing.”

And without giving you the time to argue, Seonghwa devoured your lips rightaway, gently pushing you down so that your back hit the sheets. Then, he started slowly taking off your jeans. Anxiously trembling under his vigorous touch, you placed a hand against his chest. He immediately noticed and put a temporary halt to his ministrations.

“We don’t have to do this right now,” he comforted you with all the seriousness in his voice.

“No, I want to, I swear,” you nodded eagerly.

“Princess, you’re literally shaking,” Seonghwa remarked.

“What’s wrong with me?” you sighed.

“There’s nothing wrong with you. You’re perfect. Tell me to stop if you feel even the slightest hint of hesitation or discomfort and I will, I promise.”

“I know you would, Hwa. I trust you. But even if I’m a bit nervous, I want to do this with you. Please?”

“Well, I can’t deny you since you’re asking so nicely,” he grinned and continued where he left off. “Can I get rid of these?” Seonghwa inquired, carefully pushing your panties to the side.

“Yes, you can do anything to me.”

“Oh, sweetheart, you really shouldn’t have said that,” he chuckled darkly and tore your underwear savagely. You couldn’t even gather the energy to complain about the ruination of your new pair, you were far too turned on by Seonghwa’s aggressive nature to care. He didn’t waste any more time, grabbing your thighs to hold them in place, he began licking your pussy with his tongue and stimulating it with his long fingers. It didn’t take long for you to start squirming beneath his touch, helplessly moaning his name. He didn’t cease his merciless movements until you reached your orgasm. When your breathing finally eased, you gathered the energy to speak again:

“I thought you said you’ve never done this before? How were you so...so...”

“So good?” Seonghwa smirked confidently and bit his lower lip. “I mean...I’ve seen videos. Read some things here and there.”

“Honestly? I think you’re a god.”

“You’ll have to stop complimenting me so much or I’ll develop a god complex,” he joked. “What do you want to do next, baby?”

“I want to suck you off,” you mumbled.

“Who taught you such dirty language?”

“Hey! I read, too,” you pouted and assuredly made your way towards the carpet next to his bed.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Seonghwa asked.

“Aren’t I supposed to kneel in order to pleasure you, sir?”

“Princesses never kneel,” he instructed and got up from the bed, urging you to lie down with your head hanging from the very edge of the bed and make yourself comfortable. “Open up that pretty little mouth for me, will you?”

You did as he asked obediently and even went the extra mile to stick your tongue out. Unbuckling his belt and throwing it to the side, Seonghwa was quick to follow your wishes and let his cock spring free from his jeans. Your mouth went dry at the sight of his monstrous size. Seeing your worries if it will fit reflected in your eyes, he expressed his concern for you:

“Are you sure about this?”

“Please, please, I need you,” you whimpered without thinking, eager to have a taste. Without making you wait any longer, Seonghwa pushed the tip of his cock inside, gently letting your cheeks get used to the unfamiliar feeling. Slowly, he went deeper, allowing you to acquaint yourself with the stretch. When you kept blinking at him in anticipation, he realized you were ready for more and began moving faster, fucking into your mouth at a steady pace. As he neared his high, his motions became less controlled you were sucking more intently, impatient to swallow every last drop of him.

“Shit, I’m going to-” he attempted to break away, but you managed to wrap your hands at the back of his legs in order to keep his cock inside your mouth. 

Seconds later, he released his cum and you began drinking it thirstily. When you had made certain that no drop was wasted, you finally let go of his legs, allowing your boyfriend’s dick to dangle freely outside of your mouth.

“You’re fucking incredible,” Seonghwa praised you and placed a soft kiss on the top of your head. “My incredible girl.”

“I’m only yours, sir,” you mumbled, way too affected by him.

“You like this, don’t you?” he mocked you teasingly.

“Yes, sir, I want to belong to you,” you whimpered and turned around to pull him back into bed.

“Your wish is my command, princess,” Seonghwa smiled fondly and took a mysterious package out of the back pocket of his jeans. Soon enough, you realized what it was, as he started lining up the condom on his cock.

“Oooh, I brought one of those, as well!” you exclaimed in surprise.

“You came here on a mission, didn’t you? Wicked little thing,” he tsked in fake disapproval.

“It’s not my fault you’re walking around like an Adonis,” you defended yourself boldly.

“You’re one to speak. Freaking goddess,” Seonghwa complimented you and slowly began unbuttoning your shirt you had somehow forgotten you were still wearing. “Is this okay?” he asked softly, always making sure you were feeling safe.

“More than okay,” you consented. Left in nothing but your baby pink bra, you unintentionally shivered at the sudden cold air surrounding you. Soon after that, Seonghwa undid the clasps and you were now only wearing your birthday suit. Feeling a bit timid, you self-consciously covered your breasts and broke eye contact with your boyfriend.

“Hey, hey, look at me,” he pressed the palm of his hand against your cheek. “Do you want to stop?”

You weakly shook your head and somehow managed to gather the strength to look into his beautifully dark eyes once again.

“Then, let me see you, yeah?” Seonghwa nudged your hands away gently. “You’re so beautiful, baby.”

You blushed at his sudden praise and allowed him to have a look. But seconds later, you were getting a bit impatient.

“Please, Hwa, I want you so much.”

“Anything for my princess,” he chuckled and coaxed his tip at your entrance slowly. When you gave him a sign he could go deeper, his movements became bolder. “Fuck, you’re taking me so well.”

“M-more, sir, I swear I can do this,” you begged as you were beginning to unravel beneath him. As he fucked you faster into oblivion, you were no longer thinking straight and his name was the only word you were capable of uttering. Over and over again. Until you both came, blissfully lost in each other’s arms.

“Here, let me clean you up,” Seonghwa offered sweetly, picking you up with little effort and carrying you to the bathtub. 

When he started shampooing your hair, rubbing body lotion into your sensitive skin and covering your neck with soft kisses, you couldn’t stop your tears from falling, touched by his infinite tenderness and by the sheer intimacy of the gesture.

“Darling, are you crying?” he questioned you upon hearing your hiccups.

“N-no,” you lied but it was useless, because it was quite obvious you were, in fact, bawling your eyes out.

“Did I hurt you, my sweet princess?” Seonghwa asked in concern.

“How...how could you think that?” you whimpered. “You’ve been nothing but kind and caring towards me. It’s just that...this is the first time I’ve felt so...special, so worthy, so...”

“Loved?” he offered the word you had been seeking for but had been too scared to utter out loud.

“Y-yeah,” you confirmed shyly. “Is it too early to say this? I’m sorry if it is but...I love you, Seonghwa.”

He simply stared at you in disbelief for a couple of seconds. This time, you were once again the one to break the deafening silence.

“You don’t have to say it back. I just...I wanted you to know. It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way but-”

“I love you too, baby. Of course I do,” Seonghwa reassured you. “And I’m not just saying it, I don’t feel obliged to say it. As my best friend, you know me better than anyone else. And you know I don’t do things unless I want to. So, believe me when I say this.”

“Fuck,” you uttered and only started crying harder in his arms.

“Shhh, you’re safe with me, sweetheart. I would never harm you,” he comforted you and stroked your hair lovingly, putting all your worries and self-doubts at the very back of your head.

After you were all dried up from the bath and had put on your boyfriend’s shirt while he was still in the shower, you were feeling uncharacteristically confident. Confident enough to look for something you hadn’t seen for a while. You had been wondering if he had it hanging around somewhere in his wardrobe. And after a short period of rummaging you found your treasure. The green hoodie. The Kermit hoodie. You smiled mischievously as you changed into it. It still smelled like him, you beamed. Back when he was simply your best friend, the amount of times you had fantasized about him lending it to you should have been illegal. So now that you had been promoted to his girlfriend, you simply couldn’t let such an opportunity pass you by.

Once Seonghwa got out of the shower, water droplets running down the divine skin on his bare chest, you were too busy staring at him in all his beauty and glory to notice the angry look on his face.

“How did you even find this? It was hidden so well in my wardrobe,” he scowled.

“Don’t be mad,” you pouted adorably. “I look so cute in it, right?”

“Cuter than me, that’s for sure,” Seonghwa rolled his eyes and tickled your belly.

“That’s impossible, you make the cutest Kermit,” you giggled, enjoying how easy it was to get on his nerves.

“You’ll never let me live this down, will you?” he groaned.

“Never ever, my stunning Frog Prince,” you vowed and kissed him quickly, taking him by surprise. His eyes widened in shock and he seemed too flustered to continue scolding you.

“You’re in luck today. Nothing can ruin my good mood,” Seonghwa was determined.

“Great,” you grinned gleefully. “Cause from now on, I intend on making all your days filled with joy.”

“From now on?” he chuckled sarcastically. “Oh, princess, my days have been filled with nothing but joy ever since I met you.”

And indeed, both Seonghwa’s days and yours were nothing but pure happiness ever since you decided to make your relationship real. And despite his foolish statement that he no longer wanted to be your best friend, you had somehow managed to convince him that he was both your boyfriend and bestie and that was perfectly okay. As if in the blink of an eye, spring came which meant that the whole school was in nervous excitement about the upcoming prom. Generally, you weren’t the type to get overwhelmed about such a trivial topic. But now that you were dating Seonghwa, the most popular guy in the school, you couldn’t help but worry a little. What if he wanted to go with someone else? Someone equal in “status”? Your worries and insecurities further intensified when he started asking questions in a weird way.

“I need your help,” Seonghwa blurted out over lunch.

“Shoot.”

“Okay, so, I have this friend. And he really likes this girl and wants to ask her to prom. What do you think would make her happy?”

You blinked in surprise. You knew that when people pulled the “I’m just asking for a friend” card, they were most likely talking about themselves. Was he seriously thinking of inviting another girl to prom? You tensed a little but tried really hard to remain neutral in your answer and actually make an attempt to help your bestie.

“I mean, all girls are different,” you reasoned. “If you describe her to me, maybe I’ll be able to give a more appropriate suggestion.”

“She’s a bit like you. You know, kinda bookish and-”

“It’s alright, Seonghwa, you can say it. I’m a nerd.”

“Well, yes, but...”

“It’s not exactly a slur,” you chuckled coldly.

“I know, but that’s what your bullies in middle school called you. I didn’t mean to sound insensitive,” Hwa put his hand on top of yours in a gentle, comforting manner.

“It’s fine when if you say it,” you smiled. “I won’t get offended.”

“I was going to say my friend’s crush is intelligent like you but, oh well.”

“That does sound better, I admit,” you giggled.

“She’s also a bit shy and introverted so maybe she wouldn’t enjoy a public promposal. Crowds tend to make her nervous,” Seonghwa observed.

“Seems like you didn’t need my help after all,” you scoffed playfully.

“No, I do! I still haven’t come up with an actual way to propose. I mean, for my friend.”

“Right. Your friend. Well, he can’t go wrong with some poetry under her balcony. If she has one, that is.”

“I’m pretty sure she does.” Seonghwa smirked. “Alright, thanks.”

He jumped from his seat, not even having finished his lunch.

“Wait, where are you going?”

“I gotta prepare my friend’s promposal,” he shrugged and disappeared from your sight, leaving you a bit crest-fallen. If he was intending on asking you, he wouldn’t have turned to you for help, right? That would sorta ruin the element of surprise, wouldn’t it? And yet, you knew that Seonghwa wasn’t the type to care about people’s opinions and randomly ask a more popular girl out because of public demand. And he definitely wasn’t the kind of person to just date you for kicks and then ditch you at prom. Despite those very logical reasons, you couldn’t help but feel a little anxious.

A week later, you realized all your worries had been for nothing. It was a Sunday morning and you had just finished having breakfast with your family. You were leisurely reading on your bed when you heard some suspicious noises coming from your window. You looked up from your book and you could swear you saw tiny rocks hitting the glass! You jumped up angrily, half-expecting to find a bunch of neighbour kids pulling a prank. But you were surprised when you spotted your boyfriend standing under your balcony. Wearing his iconic green hoodie.

“What are you doing here?” you whispered, though a hopeful part of you already knew the answer.

“But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,” he recited diligently in a song-like manner.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at his overdramatic acting but it was the effort that touched you immensely.

“And none but fools do wear it; cast it off. It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she knew she were!” he continued sweetly.

You were so in love with this man it was insane.

“Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven, Having some business, do entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres till they return,” Seonghwa kept going.

You couldn’t resist the urge to leap off the balcony. It was just the second floor so what could possibly go wrong? Other than a scraped knee and a bit of a limp. God, you were such an idiot.

“Shit, are you okay?” Seonghwa asked in terror and wrapped his arms around you.

“The excruciating pain is worth it if I get to hug you like this,” you grinned, leaning against him for support.

“Why couldn’t you just walk down the stairs like a normal person?”

“And what’s romantic about that?” you joked. “Jumping off a balcony makes for a much better story.”

“You’re impossible.”

“Only for you, my sweet Frogmeo!” you teased and kissed his cheek.

“Wait, I wasn’t finished!” Seonghwa exclaimed excitedly, not bothering to act offended about your obsession with him and that Kermit hoodie. “There was something about cheeks, I swear.”

“See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!” you helped him out dutifully.

“O, that I were a glove upon that hand, That I might touch that cheek!” he finished proudly and placed his palm against your cheek.

“Only you could possibly mix Romeo and Juliet with The Frog Prince and somehow make it work,” you praised him.

“Does that mean you’ll go to prom with me?” Seonghwa tilted his head to the side adorably.

“Of course I will, baby,” you responded happily.

“Thank God, ‘cause learning that monologue drained my soul and brain,” he whistled playfully.

“You know, you had me worried there for a second,” you confessed reluctantly, because you didn’t want to keep any secrets from your doting boyfriend.

“When?” Seonghwa asked in confusion.

“Lunchtime. A week ago. When you asked me for advice. I thought that...”

“That I would ask someone else?” he correctly guessed your suspicions. And you nodded. “Have I ever given you a reason to doubt me?”

“No, you’re perfect. In fact, too perfect. It makes me feel like I don’t deserve you.”

Seonghwa smiled sadly and kissed the top of your head. But he wasn’t angry with you. Just wanted to erase those silly thoughts from your mind.

“You deserve so much more, princess. But I’ll try my best to give you all I can.”

“As will I,” you promised and mischievously pulled the drawstrings on his hoodie, making his face squished adorably.

“If this is the best you’re capable of, I dread to see your worst,” he shook his head in amusement.

“Prince Frogmeo and the Nerdy Princess,” you sighed wistfully. “That would make a hell of a fairy tale, wouldn’t it?”

“How about Kermit the Frog whoops the Princess’s ass for being a brat?” Seonghwa threatened jokingly.

“You know what? I wouldn’t say no to that,” you giggled and started running away from him. “If you catch me first!”

Prom night arrived and despite all the preparations and excitements around it, it was nothing special in itself. What made it special, however, were the moments you spent with Seonghwa. Just dancing and talking seemed to be enough to make your heart leap with joy. And the smile never left your face the entire night.

“School’s really ending, huh?” you spoke aloud without thinking, while you were swaying slightly to the music in your boyfriend’s arms.

“This isn’t the end of us. We’ll go to college, we’ll grow up. The best is yet to come, darling.”

“You know what I meant,” you replied, a hint of sadness tinging your tone. “In college, I’ll study Literature, you’ll study Music. We’ll no longer be able to sit next to each other in class or exchange notes or hold hands under the desk.”

“We’ll do all sorts of other things,” Seonghwa responded cheerfully, trying to think positive. “We’ll have study dates in college, we’ll visit new restaurants and make more memories together. Just because high school is over, doesn’t mean we are. I’m not giving up on my best friend ever.”

“Your girlfriend,” you corrected him playfully.

“My best friend,” he repeated. “You were right. Being in love with each other doesn’t nullify our friendship. Both are equally important to me. You are the most important to me.”

“God, Hwa, how can you say such things so easily?”

“Is your heart fluttering?” your boyfriend and best friend teased you, swirling you around while dancing. You were met with his beautiful dark gaze again as he murmured: “Hi, princess.”

“H-hi, S-seonghwa,” you chuckled in response.

And you were finally home.

The End

[leviiattacks]

Two Faced | Chapter Four

↳ levi ackerman, the very person who was about to kindly behead you by a surprising turn of events manages to become your loving husband? you would be elated if this was true love, but it's all thanks to a mysterious magic spell that your life is spared. for now at least.

pairing :: duke!levi x duchess!reader genre :: royal au, angst, fluff, slice of life etc word count :: 3k author note ::  you should also check out my ao3 and wattpad my username is LEVIATTACKS on both platforms. ao3 usually gets to see my updates first, feel free to leave any comments you have i appreciate all feedback ^___^ → next part is here!!

"Refer to me with that name once more and I'll see to it that your neck is snapped in two. Fucking Brat." His voice curls into a low hiss.

He rises from the bed making you jolt, if he's moving towards his dagger everything will be over in a matter of seconds. The tension between the two of you is foggy and uncertain.

Your line of vision is cloudy, bleary tears seize it. You should have tried harder whilst researching, found a way to make Lev stay, it hits you like a sack of bricks - you didn't try hard enough, was that the issue, was that the mistake you made this time? Mind full of harsh expletives you continue to curse yourself. Of course he left, of course he fucking did. Your life was one large cyclical narrative of earning the love of others and ultimately losing it along the way some how.

The world conditioned you to become independent, to not rely on others for affection, earn what you must on your own. Making your own way through life is all you know yet here you are. On the verge of tears because this damn fool won't remember you. Happiness is a privilege.

Staring into the distance you don't see the way your husband's glare thins out, neither do you notice how he leans forward invading your personal space.

"Care to explain how we got into this situation?" Breath fanning across your face exactly the same way it had months ago you gulp and realise he's staring at your lacy nightgown in sheer distaste. Oh no, He's got the wrong idea completely.

You jerk your head up to explain and only then is the close proximity between the two of you evident, you nearly knock your head against his as if you're inebriated. "No, no. We've never done that. I promise we haven't. I wouldn't take advantage of you." You're sputtering and are all over the place trying to hold some sort of ground in this conversation.

"I see that you saw no issue with taking advantage of me in other ways. You scheming money hungry roach."

You want to clear your name and tell him you really haven't touched any of his money. None of it at all to the point it's shameful to admit, especially considering the fact that everyone else sees you as Duchess Ackerman.

"I have not spent any of your money I swe-".

A deafening bang resounds through the room - in his fit of rage he kicks one of the solid oak drawers at the side of your bed to the floor.

A squeaky gasp falls out of your mouth and you flinch away as you cover your chest defensively. Your arms aren't the best armour but they work for now. If he's to stab you your worst fear is him piercing through your heart. What you fear most is him ripping the vital organ out of the confines of your chest. If he laughs hysterically and watches it bleed out you'll never forgive him. Your worries and doubts are internally eating away at you as you witness the darkness seeping into the corners of his vision.

It's quiet and dark and with him as well as a heavy silence looming over you, the pressure on your shoulders is quite literally immense.

He takes a hold of your chin and obnoxiously squishes your rosy cheeks together, dark tundra eyes never falter from yours, that is until they abruptly sink south and he catches drift of the way your night gown has ridden up. Thighs on full display you want to pull the edges of the material down but are too afraid to move under his deathly stare.

"Do you know how long I was stuck inside of my own body? Having to act like a fool on the daily."

"What?" You shakily reply through parted lips.

He was able to see everything he did under the spell? This changes the dynamic significantly. Cheeks flaring up in embarrassment you recall how you ate up all the sweet nothings he whispered into your ears, the scarlet blush creeps to the back of your ears when you think back to how you fervently kissed him goodbye whenever he was sent to venture outside the walls. The sanguine tint only intensifies when you think about the night where you accidentally let his bare hands venture a little too far.

"Naive little thing," he grunts. "You will never be my wife." He scowls sniffing at you in pure repulsion.

Whiskey, cigarette fumes and strong sweat infused cologne revoltingly is what you're reminded of when you hear those words leave his mouth. The stench isn't present but nevertheless you feel your throat constrict, never expecting to see any sort of parallel form between Levi and that man. The one time you stood your ground against Father it led to you being dragged away from the palace grounds, beat until you were unresponsive and left for dead. He left you there with the intention of extermination, his final words as he bid you goodbye that night had been - "You will never be my daughter."

You have no words left to offer, you're tongue tied. Expressionless whilst he gauges your reaction, the both of you don't register how Levi's grip on your cheeks loosens, that is until the look in his hooded eyes changes. They're inky now smoldering with resentment, he lets go of the hold he has on your face completely.

The separation between your face and his palm is stony.

All you want at that moment is for Lev to come back and wake you up from all of this. You've had enough of this sick and twisted nightmare where he doesn't look at you the way he normally does. The way he manhandles you irks you and lights a dangerous fire in your stomach.

Blinking your tears away you finally speak after your long silence "I know that My Lord." taking what may be one of your final breaths you announce the unthinkable "Feel free to finish what you were unable to last time."

"No begging?" he chastises you pulling you by the back of your ear.

"Would you spare me if I did?" The close ended question you respond with leaves him stiff.

Snatching your forearm you note that even when he's not under the constraint of the spell physical touch is consistently one of his ways of getting a point across. He jerks your tired form forward. "Who do you work for?"

Blood running cold you know he won't kill you now. He thinks you've come here with a purpose, a motive, a reason. Hell, all you did was ask to be loved, to experience something before the candle which was your life burnt out.

"No one. You said you were conscious in your mind whilst it all happened, correct?"

He nods albeit begrudgingly.

"Then you must have seen how I tried."

His right eyebrow cocks upwards ever so slightly. "Tried?"

Now it's your turn to be frustrated. "Tried to keep my distance, tried to ignore your advances, tried to refuse your gifts, tried to maintain a level of respect so the both of us would have some dignity remaining if you were to return some day. When I realised you would not stop with your persistence I accepted." You fumed - the fretful irritation you feel only increases by the second.

"Cut the crap." He snarls at you.

You want to snarl back with just as much impatience but you bite your tongue.

Maybe it's because it's late at night, maybe it's because you're fatigued or maybe it's because you already felt feverish and emotional - Honestly, any other reason apart from your husband turning his back on you and announcing you're a mongrel. Feeling light headed you clutch at your scalp harshly trying to control yourself, even Levi's firm hand which until recently held your left arm recoils away.

Falling to your knees you feel the way the floor grates against your bare legs. Your urge to pass out is nearly met but then you hear him.

"Honey???" The concern in his voice which had made you fall in love with him now repulses you.

Fists balling at your knees you silently sob, pitifully shaking your head.

This can't be your reality.

It can't be.

You won't let it be.

That night you find out nightmares can happen in real life.

Levi Ackerman being a prime example.

After the bitter encounter you leave the room and order Lev to not come after you, you need your own space and as much as you want him to return to his sweet, loving self it's pathetic to seek any comfort in him. That tyrant is bound to make another appearance soon enough and mock you for falling into his trap again, but really can you blame the man? Is this his fault or your own?

Whoever is at fault there will still come a time where the Levi you love won't come back and call you his Love. You'll have to get used to that bleak desolate reality. Assuming he doesn't kill you before you have to.

Day has now broken and the brisk morning air bites at you, scantily clad in your nightgown, It's abnormal, you think to yourself. The position you're in is one you imagined countless times but you never really thought you'd end up this way. You're about to drift off to sleep right there in the middle of the Estate's field of hydrangeas, too tired to actually care anymore when you hear a rustle from one of the surrounding bushes.

"Duchess?" Your head turns when you hear Mikasa's soft voice emerge from the hedges, she steps through them and you both stare at each other. Mouth open, gaping in shock she takes in your appearance. You can only imagine how you look right now. Dark eye bags, you aren't wearing your usual noble attire not to mention Levi has accidentally left a bruise on one of your arms. It's faint because it is accidental (you hope) it does not go unnoticed by Mikasa.

Her gaze hardens and she approaches your disheveled form kneeling in front of you.

"What happened?" She whispers, the panic is evident in her voice and you awkwardly chuckle in response.

"I had a horrible nightmare. That's all, honest."

"And it's Y/N need I remind you again?" Mikasa is big on respect and sure, it is cute but you want to remind her it really is okay to call you by your first name. After all you would consider her a friend, you hope she sees you the same way.

Giving you a look of disbelief she takes the hint that you don't want to talk about it but much to your delight she does take the advice regarding your name. She sounds hesitant but that's how she usually is, she'll get used to it in no time at all.

"Well...Y/N, Breakfast has been prepared." You can see the way she eyes your unkempt hair and shivering form. "Would you like to eat with me and Sasha?" this is her way of comforting you.

Your lips quirk up into a smile for the first time in a while.

"I would love that."

Twenty minutes and a change of clothes later you've all relocated to your tea room, Sasha doesn't ask questions about your hair or odd choice of clothing earlier this morning. The shadows Levi's fingers left on your arm are now carefully hidden by the sleeves of your baby blue dress. "Oh! Viscount Kirstein me and Y/N saw him yesterday. He's just like the rumours." Sasha exclaims as she stuffs her face with a croissant.

Mikasa takes a short sip from her tea cup. "And the rumours would be?"

You pick a cinnamon roll from the center of the table."Undeniably handsome. I mean he's not my type though."

Sasha looks momentarily confused. "He was drop dead gorgeous what do you mean?"

You laugh a bit at the disbelief on her face, Mikasa chooses to not intervene - she's obviously yet to come to her own conclusions about him.

"Yeah but you said it yourself he fucks anything in a skirt." Sasha, is wide eyed at first and chokes on part of her buttered croissant, you have never been so vulgar before. You guess the argument has left you more likely to voice your reckless thoughts. Snorting you try to keep your laugh in, the ghost of a smile makes its way to Mikasa's face and eventually she too dissolves into a puddle of laughter. The three of you laughing together genuinely eases the recent burden on your soul.

Just as you're about to crack another joke the door to your tea room rumbles.

BANG!  You seem to always be cut off when you're here because Eren Jaeger has burst inside perhaps for the seventh time this month. It's the same routine as usual, he's panting and catching his breathe before he speaks. You're in no mood to hear what he has to say.

"If the Duke has sent you please leave."

Mikasa gives him a "You better not ask any questions and take the damn hint" kind of look but bless Eren for he is completely and utterly clueless.

"It's urgent."

"Still rejecting." You hotly reply.

Mikasa icily interjects "Eren, would you stop being so bothersome?"

He looks between you and Mikasa helplessly. "The Duke says he expects your refusal but I can't return empty handed, I'll be given a punishment and it'll be worse than being made to clean the stables." He gives you a pleading look and he's so much younger than you, it makes you feel like he's your responsibility. Eren has a charming way of making himself feel like everyone else's annoying younger brother. You accept that he can't suffer because of your selfish denial.

Sighing deeply you take a final bite of your roll, if you're going to die you may as well do so on a full stomach. Before you depart you awkwardly get to your feet dusting your dress to buy some time as you bid Mikasa and Sasha goodbye.

You're now following Eren through the halls of the estate. Deep down inside, you know you aren't fearful. He won't kill you, not yet at least, he thinks you're a useful source of information relating to his external enemies, he would be stupid to overlook that detail. You'll exploit it for now, your key is survival, it always has and always will be that way.

Bumping into Eren's back you apologize for being absent minded, you swear the walk to Levi's office has always been much longer. He spares you a worried glance and looks as if he's about to offer you words of support but he stops himself before he opens the heavy door to Duke Ackerman's office. Perhaps he doesn't find it appropriate. Good, you think to yourself. You don't wish to hear motivation from anyone right now, it's nothing personal, it's that nothing can possibly be of motivation right now.

The door opens ever so slowly, your brain races making everything move at a sedated pace. Then you find yourself jolting upright in surprise. You soon realise expecting Levi to be the only person there was naive on your part. Eyes tensely land on the blonde in one of the cushioned caramel chairs. It's the Commander of the Empire's entire battalion — Erwin Smith.

Levi has ratted you out for sure, you spare a glance towards him and see the way he's trying to hide his feelings of amusement. You want to lunge over his desk and wipe that smug smirk off his face. The playful lilt in his usual unreadable expression is driving you mad. Next to Erwin is respected and high ranking Squad Leader Hange Zoe, you're quite well accustomed with them you've exchanged your fair share of words together and Hange has never failed to bring a smile to your face. The amusing air around them lights up any room they're in... Apart from this one that is.

Eren closes the door behind you and you're silent not really knowing what to do.

"Take a seat my beloved." Levi drawls. This isn't Lev you know that much, he's always enthusiastically jumping to his feet when he greets you.

Awkwardly sitting in the chair next to your husband you shake Hange's hand first then move to shake Erwin's. His warm palms envelope yours and he places a hand on your left shoulder. It's not at all similar to the way Levi held you earlier in the morning, the feeling is genuine. He has no ill intentions, all he seems to want to do is open a conversation.

"Y/N, we may not have much time but." He stops, unsure if it's for dramatics but you still intently listen.

The sea that is his blue eyes draws you in, you've only ever seen him from afar. If honesty and gentleness were a person it would be him no doubt about it.

He pats your shoulder and you snap out of your day dream. "Y/N. Thank you for your sacrifice and commitment to this Empire." His warm yet serious smile which follows simply confuses you, in fact this entire situation is doing that.

Jaw slacking you're dazed and bewildered, your thoughts are diverting in all sorts of direction now.

Whatever does he mean by sacrifice?

[attack-on-kiwi]

Hello! Could you do the fluff alphabet for Sasha?

A ctivities - What do they like to do with their s/o? How do they spend their free time with them?

Sasha comes to her s/o out of the blue often just to ask what they’re doing and if they’d want to go eat or take a break. She just enjoys being in their presence, even if it means sitting around and fidgeting while they clean their gear or fill out a report. She’s going to try to convince them to go raid the pantry or play a prank on one of the boys. If they accept, the two are absolutely unstoppable when it comes to being menaces to their comrades.

Any activity where the two are laughing together is a good time according to Sasha. She particularly loves when her s/o is willing to hang out with her friends. It’s important that her s/o gets along with them, of course.

B eauty - What do they admire about their s/o? What do they think is beautiful about them?

Sasha admires her s/o’s persistence. They’re braver than she could ever be, and it gives her courage to face the increasingly dreadful days that come along. 

Sasha loves the warmth of their hands and the squish of their cheek against hers when the two are hugging each other under her blanket while trying to stop giggling and avoid being scolded by a grumpy roommate. 

C omfort - How would they help their s/o when they feel down/have a panic attack etc.?

Sasha can tend to panic when her s/o is feeling anxious, but she’ll try to get over it and quickly talk to them, waving frantically while throwing out suggestions to help them feel better. She tends to run in small circles and look around to see if anything could bring them immediate ease. She’ll take them out of the situation and hug them tight until their breathing is controlled. Later on, if time and circumstances allow it, she’ll snag her s/o an extra sweet or another piece of bread. Food helps her feel better, so she hopes she can share that with her s/o. 

D reams - How do they picture their future with their s/o?

Sasha has this one on lock. She wants to live in her village with her s/o. She always imagines sharing a nice cottage with them and waking up in the morning to bake bread together. Connie and Jean come over to share meat they caught and prepare to smoke it. Mikasa and Historia drop by, dragging Eren and Armin along, and the group has a huge lunch together. They all laugh. Sasha catches a glimpse of the silver ring she gave her partner before they steeled together. There’s peace. They’re all happy and a family.

E qual - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

Sasha likes to go along with what her s/o wants, but she’s stubborn enough to fight for what she wants, too. There isn’t a huge power dynamic going on in the relationship. It’s more about keeping one another out of trouble.

When she gets into moods, she does want to be coddled just a bit by them and will feign helplessness just for the attention.

F ight - Would they be easy to forgive their s/o? How are they fighting?

Sasha is as stubborn as she is sensitive. The two will argue and it can get hectic. She definitely needs to have some space, but it doesn’t take long for Sasha to feel upset about her conduct, especially if her s/o seemed particularly hurt by something that she said. She’s not the brightest when it comes to feelings, so it hits her like a ton of bricks when she realizes she must have really hurt her s/o in some way. 

Even if they’re both at fault, Sasha will be the first to apologize. She can’t help it. Her s/o is an extension of her being, and it’s too much for her to know they’re fighting. There’s going to be a good amount of snot and related waterworks. By the end of it, the two are both messes in one another’s arms. 

G ratitude - How grateful are they in general? Are they aware of what their s/o is doing for them?

Sasha might not seem it at first glance, especially to those who don’t know her, but she appreciates a lot of the gifts the world gives her. Food, warm rooms sto sleep in, and people to love and to love her back. She makes it a point to tell her partner often that she loves them or that they did something really great. If there’s nothing in particular to compliment that day, she’s more than happy to just tell them that they’re cute between kisses. 

H onesty - Do they have secrets they hide from their s/o? Or do they share everything?

At first, Sasha kept her background a secret, but once she felt comfortable enough, she’s more than happy to share. She’s an open book, and her s/o is usually the first person to hear about whatever is going on in her life. She does try to keep any negative feelings a secret, but she’s not the best at hiding her emotions, so it’s easy for her s/o to pick her apart and get her to tell them what’s bothering her.

I nspiration - Did their s/o change them somehow, or the other way around? Like trying out new things or helped them overcome personal problems?

Sasha’s s/o helps her feel more at ease. Those outbursts she often has cool down around them. She's still quite animated, but it's not erratic or from anxiety. When she sees them having a tough time, she wants to do anything and everything in her power to ease their burdens, even if it means shouldering them herself.

J ealousy - Do they get jealous easily? How do they deal with it?

She doesn't get jealous easily! At least, that's what she claims. Sasha tends to not notice people coming onto her partner unless it's extremely obvious or if someone (Jean or Conny most times) alerts her. Even in such instances, Sasha will not confront her s/o. Instead she will watch while mulling over her thoughts and inevitably spiraling into her what ifs. She tends to be clingy during these times and will mumble requests for affirmation.

K iss - Are they a good kisser? What was the first kiss like?

Sasha's never thought much about if she's a good kisser. She knows she likes to kiss her s/o's cheeks when she's excited to see them or after a particularly hard mission. She might come off as extremely physical, but she's on the shyer side when it comes to intimate displays of affection.

Her first kiss was after Bertholdt and Reiner's revelation of their titan powers. The entire situation had been stressful, and when they finally got a moment of peace, Sasha's s/o noticed Sasha was feeling deflated. After pestering her for a few moments, Sasha lets out that she felt practically useless during the attack and that she could have done more. It's difficult for her s/o to watch her hold back tears while trying to laugh it off. She's not sure exactly how or when, but the sensation of their warm hands on her cheeks and their lips gently kissing away tears and pecking her lips eventually brings a smile to her face. They spend what little private time they have in one another's embrace.

L ove Confession - How would they confess to their s/o?

Knowing Sasha, the confession comes early. A sudden realization during a training exercise where her s/o sticks their neck out for her causes her to wonder what that warm feeling in her stomach is. On their way back to their base, she pauses on a branch and causes everyone to falter as she suddenly yells her conclusion. Her s/o watches her awkwardly, wondering what she's talking about. Jean tells Sasha to keep it in her pants while Conny starts teasing as well. That's when Sasha realizes she said it all out loud and starts to apologize, but her s/o can't help but laugh while going up to her to drag her back onto their route. It's a hazard, but they keep finding one another's hands during their trip back.

M arriage - Do they want to get married? How do they propose? What would the marriage be like?

Marriage is never on the forefront of her mind, but the idea of settling down with someone is appealing to her. Sasha knows she wants to spend the rest of her life with her partner, but marriage isn't the end all be all. She's happy just being in their presence and holding one another up.

Sasha's proposal comes awkward and messy. She'll bring it up after dinner when spirits are high. She'll ramble about all her favorite moments and all the nice memories they've shared. She'll talk about how certain foods remind her of them, so if she's in a position where she can't share with them, she feels like they're with her. It's endearing to see her fumble around and begin speaking too fast. Her proposal doesn't come as a standard "Would you marry me?" moment, more so, she just bites the dust and asks if they would want to go look at rings or something to make them more 'official'/'serious'. After her round about way of trying to propose, her s/o has to be the one to ask if she's asking what they think she's asking, and she's relieved that they got the idea. It becomes her s/o's turn to confess they actually got them matching necklaces since rings aren't practical with their ODM gear. It's safe to say Sasha knocks them over in the tightest hug she can manage.

Marriage with Sasha is much the same as simply dating her. She's a storm of emotions and impulses that simply cannot be tamed, but she means the best. If she had it her way, she'd be living on a farm on the outskirts and away from any of the bustling cities. She'd make sure that they had enough to eat and if her s/o ever needed help, she'd do her best. They'd have enough guest rooms so that Jean and the others could visit and their kids could all play together. She'd be happy just having her family close and being comfortable.

N icknames - What do they call their s/o?

Oh, dear, she thinks nicknames are the cutest, but would be so shy about trying any out. Usually, she'll call her s/o by an accepted nickname everyone calls them, such as a shortened version of their name or a nickname gifted to them by something notable they did. She does call them sweetie and baby if she's trying to reassure them or comfort them.

O n Cloud Nine - What are they like when they are in love? Is it obvious for others? How do they express their feelings?

Sasha is awkward, enthusiastic, and clumsy. Always looking for a way to impress her s/o and bring a smile to their face. It's obvious as daylight to anyone that she's wrapped around her partner's finger. If anyone mentions it, she doesn't understand. To her, she's just trying her best to make sure her s/o deals with less than they have to.

She's liberal with her compliments, whether it's about how strong her partner is or how wonderful the pastries they baked are. She has a way of being unnervingly genuine without meaning to, which makes these compliments all the more impressive.

P DA - Are they upfront about their relationship? Do they brag with their s/o in front of others? Or are they rather shy to kiss etc. when others are watching?

Sasha isn't someone that needs to boast about being in a relationship. She's not going to hold herself back too much from enjoying their company, but she's not going to be all over them. If they're around friends, she's fine with being a little more affectionate or clinging to them. Most people can deduce that Sasha and her partner are in a relationship.

Q uirk - Some random ability they have that’s beneficial in a relationship.

As previously mentioned, Sasha has an ability to be unintentionally genuine with most things she does and says. This is beneficial due to affirming her feelings to her partner without coming off as overbearing. She's an open book, and her honestly is one of her strongest points.

R omance - How romantic are they? What would they do to make their s/o happy? Cliché or rather creative?

She tries so hard to be romantic, but it can come off as awkward or poorly executed unless she's been getting help from someone. (She usually asks Mikasa since the girl is hopeless when it comes to romance).

Sasha likes to get her s/o gifts. If you couldn't guess, she usually looks for foods they might enjoy. Aside from something delicious to munch on, Sasha likes handmade gifts. She uses the practices from her village to craft a piece of jewelry or a charm from preserved wood or bone.

S upport - Are they helping their s/o achieve their goals? Do they believe in them?

To Sasha, her s/o is the most capable person. She is their biggest fan and thinks they could accomplish anything that they wanted to. Of course, she'll do anything and everything in her power to best support them. If she sees something that might be useful to them, she'll try to get her hands on it for them. She might not be the brightest when it comes to the topic or goal her s/o has in mind, but she helps in other ways, such as making sure that they're getting sleep and taking care of themselves. She's not above physically removing them from their work if need be.

T hrill - Do they need to try out new things to spice out your relationship? Or do they prefer a certain routine?

Sasha enjoys trying out new things. She gets bored easily, so her partner has to get used to a random trip or activity, which might border on reckless if they don't prepare accordingly. She doesn't mean for them to get in trouble- it's just that sometimes they get caught up and things don't go according to their plans.

U nderstanding - How good do they know their partner? Are they empathetic?

Sasha is an intuitive person. She can tell if something is bothering her s/o, but the issue lies in her gathering the courage to ask about it. Her best bet is to try and work things out from a distance. In this regard, her s/o knows something is up when she's acting a little kinder and more thoughtful than usual. It comes from a good place. She doesn't want to accidentally so something that might upset them.

In addition to this longing to help them feel good, she can overthink. Her s/o needs to understand this aspect of her personality and be equipped to bring her down from her own spirals.

V alue - How important is the relationship to them? What is it’s worth in comparison to other things in their life?

She's a social person. Her friends and family matter to her more than people would assume. By this logic, her relationship means the world to her. She'd go great lengths to ensure her s/o's happiness. This means even risking her life for them.

W ild Card - A random Fluff Headcanon.

When Sasha gets sleepy, she's clingier than normal. She'll often find herself guided into her s/o's arms and without fail, will fall asleep on them. It doesn't matter if they're in the middle of training or if they just got out of the shower. Hell, she'll fall asleep standing. As soon as she makes physical contact with them, all her worries dissolve and she knows she'll be good.

X OXO - Are they very affectionate? Do they love to kiss and cuddle?

Yes! She's physically affectionate when she's in a comfortable setting. However, despite being physically affectionate, it's extremely easy to fluster her with a simple comment or kiss. The feeling of her partner's body against her always brings a large, dopey grin onto her face. It's common to find her with her arms around her partner's waist while they're laughing and trying to drag themselves off to that meeting they're late to.

Y earning - How will they cope when they’re missing their partner?

Sasha whines. Anyone and everyone will be subject to hearing "I miss ___" every two minutes. (Think about how she was bored at the table before the Utgard Castle events).

Z eal - Are they willing to go to great lengths for the relationship? If so, what kind of?

Sasha would give her life if it meant her s/o's safety. She's a bit stubborn in that regard. Nothing could stop her, and she knows her body would move on its own. Though, she hopes it never comes to that...

[ginnyweatherby]

Hello, Heinz

Accompanying fic to this drawing, because College!Dooflene is doing something to my heart. It's a cheesy, total cliche and not really my usual style since I normally write more established family dynamics, rather than new romances, but I hope you like it anyway 🤷‍♀️

She looked so lovely sitting on the brick wall, long hair swept up in a ponytail, with what appeared to be a dirty romance novel in her hands.

Heinz sighed, as he watched her turn the page, her mouth curling into a small grin as she soaked in each word.  The cool breeze gently brushed her bangs away from her face, and the sun caught her glasses just right to cause a slight glare in his direction, drawing him to her.

She was everything Heinz knew he could never have.  She was beautiful, smart (although her intelligence was clearly being wasted on her choice of reading material), and was one of the few people who didn't laugh as he wandered down the halls muttering to himself, the blueprints for a new invention dancing in front of his mind's eye.

He desperately wanted to talk to her, but he didn't know what to say. He had always been so hopeless with dating, and he had a sickly feeling that her rejection would sting the most.

Still.  He couldn't seem to look away, as she shifted her position, one of her red legwarmers bunching up as she tucked her foot beneath her.

He took a deep breath and hiked his jacket further up his shoulders, before finally working up the courage to walk up to her.

He didn't speak at first, and she was so involved with her book that she didn't seem to notice he had hopped onto the wall beside her - granted, there were plenty of others seated nearby, and he didn't want to sit too close to seem creepy, but he had almost hoped she would be the first to say hello.

Heinz rubbed his sweaty hands over his ripped jeans, mentally trying to psyche himself up to say something… anything.

"Uh… hi, Charlene,"  He said, uncertainly.  It was innocent enough, maybe a little lackluster, but it was sufficient.

She looked up from her book and smiled.  "Oh hello, Heinz.  I didn't see you there."

"I'm easy enough to overlook,"  Heinz said with a shrug.

"It was hard to overlook you while you were doing that,"  She glanced pointedly at the cast on his arm, protecting his broken wrist from further injury.

It was true, not many people had missed that particular incident, when he was certain he had finally finished an amazing new machine, only to accidentally hit the "Self Destruct" button and be blown across the room. He was lucky to walk away with only a broken bone.

"Oh well, I guess I am pretty good at making a scene,"  Heinz said, rubbing the back of his neck.  "Sometimes."

Charlene chuckled, as she closed the book and set it beside her.  "Nice day, isn't it?"

It was.  The sky was a gorgeous blue, with fluffy white clouds decorating it.  The early April air was one of the first hints of spring, and it seemed that everyone was taking advantage of the warmth and spending the afternoon outside.

"Yeah,"  Heinz mentally kicked himself. Was that all he had to offer in conversation?  She would never go out with him now.

Charlene didn't respond.  She pulled her knees up to her chest and looked up toward the sky.  "It's the first day without rain in what feels like forever."

Heinz nodded.  "I was starting to wonder if I would need swimming lessons just to get to class."

Charlene laughed again, and scooted just a little closer toward Heinz.  "You graduate soon, don't you?"

"Oh um, yeah,"  Heinz said, surprised she knew that much about him.

"You must be pretty smart to be graduating so soon,"  She said.  "I still have a year and a half to go."

"I'm just good at science,"  Heinz said.  "I wing everything else. Fake it 'til you make it, and all that jazz."

Charlene looked at him, a small smile tugging on her lips.  "It'll be pretty weird around here, not having your explosions and German curse words filling the halls."

Heinz felt himself begin to turn pink. "You don't happen to speak German, do you?"

"Unfortunately not,"  Charlene said.  "Maybe you could teach me sometime."

"Sure,"  Heinz said, now blushing for a different reason.  "We'll start with the swear words, of course."

"Of course."

"Hey babe, what are you doing here all alone?"  A voice startled the pair, as a sturdy guy wearing a Letterman jacket with the word LANG emblazoned on it leaned against the wall, taking Charlene's hand.

"I'm not alone,"  Charlene said, pulling her hand back, wrapping her arms around her knees.  "I'm talking with Heinz here."

Lang looked Heinz up and down and snorted.  "Yeah, alright. Say, I'm starving.  Let's go get something to eat."

Charlene frowned, swinging her legs off the wall and shrugged apologetically at Heinz.

"You go ahead, honey, I'll catch up."

Heinz's stomach dropped as he watched Lang position himself between her legs, his hands gripping the wall on either side of her, and lean up to kiss her.

He pulled away with a satisfied smile, before strutting away, a cocky bounce to his step.

"I've got to go,"  Charlene said softly, picking up her book and hopping off the wall.  "I'll see you later."

Heinz nodded sadly, certain he could never compete with someone like Lang.

"Hey,"  Charlene reached into her pocket and pulled out a purple permanent marker.  "Mind if I sign that cast of yours?"

Heinz blinked.  He hadn't thought to have anyone sign it, nor did he think anyone would have wanted to - but who was he to deny her?

"Sure, why not?"

Charlene smiled, and quickly wrote across his arm, before waving goodbye and jogging away to catch up with her boyfriend.

Heinz sighed as he watched her ponytail swing back and forth, suddenly feeling very small.

Well, at least he'd worked up the courage to say hello, he thought as he glanced down at his newly-autographed arm.

His stomach did a flip when he noticed that beneath her looping cursive signature, she had doodled a tiny violet heart… and her phone number.

[kagehinataboke]

Im so fucking guilty of staying up late just to binge on your works because your writing is so great ! I just cant help but need to request a tdbk college au where katsuki is a punk with a loud bike and Shouto is just this perfect good boy who got roped into bad boy Katsuki’s lifestyle, basically a good boy/bad boy dynamics, pretty please ?? 🥺🥺 (gonna use emojis to be more convincing)

awww omg thank you, you sweet angel ❤️😭 ily uwu

and yassss ✨❤️ here’s pre-med student Todoroki ft. bad boy Bakugou 👏🏻

accidentally made this super long ooops

***

Todoroki thought he knew what tired was, but his pre-med course has completely reinvented the word. Exhausted, debilitated, and lifeless are better words to describe the kind of fatigue he feels. It’s class to class to class, with endless homework in between. Sleep? It’s basically a foreign concept at this point.

Heck, Todoroki is barely awake now, which isn’t such a good thing when one is walking down the street alone at night. He keeps almost drifting into lamp posts and street signs. The last lecture was just so long…

“Fuck.”

For a second, Todoroki thinks the expletive is directed at him. Then he lifts his head. There’s a bloodied figure hunched over in the nearest alley, both hands pressed against a large wound in his lower abdomen. He’s swearing at the sky, which is probably the only place he can look without passing out. Todoroki, despite not being the one in peril, feels a jolt of adrenaline spike through him. He knows he shouldn’t be approaching someone who has what is clearly a stab wound, but his medical training is already kicking in.

“Move your hands.”

The stranger squints at him with crimson eyes. “…What? Who the fuck are—“

Todoroki forcibly pushes his arms back. “You’re pressing on the wrong spot. You’ll bleed out.” He puts his own hands on the wound, altering pressure until the blood stops gushing between his fingers. When he has a solid position, he meets the stranger’s gaze. “What’s your name?”

“Bakugou Katsuki…” He closes his eyes to take a shuddering breath. “Shit. Don’t call the fucking cops, okay?”

“Well, that leaves me with very limited options…” Todoroki struggles to think of an alternative. His apartment is close, but he can’t take his hands off the stab wound. “Bakugou, If I tell you where to hold your hands, can you keep even pressure while I carry you to my place?”

“I don’t have much choice, do I?” Bakugou weakly rolls his head to look at his stomach. “Just tell me what to do before I fucking bleed out.”

As much as Todoroki doesn’t want this obvious delinquent in his house, he can’t exactly let someone die in an alley, either. “Put your hands here. Yeah. Keep pressure. Good.” As soon as his hands are free, Todoroki moves to slip an arm around Bakugou’s shoulders. He flinches and delivers an intimidating glare, but Todoroki can’t be swayed when he’s in Doctor Mode. “Don’t move your hands.”

“Fine… Don’t fucking touch me anywhere weird, asshole.”

“That isn’t how you should be talking to someone who’s saving your life,” Todoroki mutters, pushing himself to a standing position. Bakugou isn’t as heavy as he expected. “Try not to pass out before we get there.”

“Fuck you.”

***

After Todoroki treats him and sends him on his way, he never expects to see Bakugou Katsuki again. Fate, however, has different expectations. While he’s walking home from his morning class, Todoroki hears the rev of a motorcycle through his headphones. When it stops suspiciously close by, he turns to find a familiar blond delinquent smirking at him.

“Bakugou?” Todoroki takes out one earbud. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in town when I spotted you walking.” Bakugou leans his arms on the motorcycle, grin widening. “Want a ride?”

“On that?” Todoroki raises an eyebrow at the rumbling Harley. “No thanks. You’re nine times more likely to become injured while riding a motorcycle than while driving a car, you know. It’s not safe.”

“Oh yeah?” Bakugou lifts his own brow in retaliation. “But it still looks fucking cool, at least.”

Todoroki sighs and starts walking again, but Bakugou doesn’t give up easily. He follows at a snail’s pace, calling out childishly every few steps. “C’mon, pretty boy, live a little!”

The phrase ‘live a little’ gets to him. As a med student, Todoroki feels like he definitely lives on the safer side. He lost many friends in high school because he was “too boring.” Hearing Bakugou say it presses on an old bruise. He shouldn’t get so worked up over it, but…

Even though he knows he’s being an idiot, Todoroki stalks over to Bakugou’s motorcycle and slides on. The seat is humming gently, and Bakugou’s back is warm. His smile is still, however, incredibly annoying. “That’s more like it.” He passes Todoroki a spare helmet. “Where to, angel?”

“Fourth and Main.” Todoroki pauses. “Don’t call me that.”

“Hey, I call it like I see it.” Bakugou flips down the visor on his helmet, revving the engine obnoxiously. “Hold on tight.”

They take off, and Todoroki quickly lurches forward to grab Bakugou’s waist. He’s never felt this kind of adrenaline before, not even in the alley when they first met. The wind whips against his face and tugs at his clothes, and the street whizzes by underneath his feet in a blur of gray asphalt. Todoroki doesn’t even realize they’re not heading in the right direction until they stop.

“This isn’t Fourth and Main.” Todoroki’s hands shift away as Bakugou puts the Harley in park. “Where are we?”

“Just gotta grab something real quick. Don’t look so scared.” Bakugou pulls off his helmet, his hair somehow pristine underneath. He brushes it out of his face before shooting Todoroki a grin. “Coming?”

He isn’t about to sit out here alone, so he nods hesitantly. “I guess.”

“You’ll have to let go of me, then.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

They dismount, Bakugou taking the lead. He uses a key to get into the decrepit brick building they’ve parked in front of—probably his apartment complex, if Todoroki were to wager a guess. It’s covered in graffiti outside, but the interior is normal enough. Todoroki trails Bakugou down the hall to a door on the far end, pausing while he fiddles with the lock. “This damn thing always jams. Fuck. There.”

Todoroki isn’t sure what he’s expecting, but it isn’t this. Bakugou’s apartment is flawless. In fact, it’s cleaner than Todoroki’s dorm. The floors are dark hardwood, the walls are painted a nice shade of orange, and in the windowsill, there’s a neat line of potted succulents. It looks more like a high-rise magazine ad than a lived-in space.

“Fuck, where did I put it?” Bakugou digs noisily through a stack of papers on the coffee table, disrupting the peace. He certainly contrasts sharply to his apartment with his spiked hair, scowl, and ear piercings. And his attitude, of course. “Ah, fuck. Here it is.” He pulls something out of the pile with finality, sliding dislodged papers under the table with his foot.

It’s a textbook. Todoroki recognizes it from a class his sister took. “Advanced Biochemistry? You take that course?”

“Don’t look so surprised, asshole.” Bakugou ushers him out the door, locking it behind them. “Just because I swear and look intimidating doesn’t mean I’m a fucking moron.”

“I never thought you were.” Todoroki waits to be passed a motorcycle helmet before saying anything else. “How’s your stomach doing?”

“Huh? It’s fine. I’ve been hurt way worse than this. More importantly…” Bakugou smirks in a worrying and heart-stopping way. “What time does your class get out? I’ll pick you up.”

Todoroki shouldn’t tell him. He’s been thinking he shouldn’t do a lot of things recently. Unfortunately, he never takes his own advice. “Ten thirty. Don’t be late.”

***

Seeing him becomes a habit. Every time Todoroki gets out of class, Bakugou is there, leaning against his motorcycle with a smirk and a wave. When exactly they started spending so much time together is a mystery, but Todoroki can no longer remember the time when he walked home alone. When he was alone, period.

He asks Bakugou about it while he’s sitting on his spotless white sofa, eating take-out soba. “When did we become friends?”

“Huh?” Bakugou looks up from his chemistry textbook with a scoff. “Why the fuck are you asking that? I dunno.”

“Well, it was after you started harassing me all the time,” Todoroki continues with a frown. “Following me around on your motorcycle, calling me to patch you up after a fight—”

“That was one fucking time!” Bakugou interrupts, throwing a packet of soy sauce at Todoroki’s head. “Are you trying to piss me off, bastard? I swear I’ll make you walk home.”

“I’m only kidding. I like being friends with you.” Todoroki finishes his noodles and smacks the back of Bakugou’s head on his way to the kitchen. “I’d patch you up again if you asked me. It’s good practice for med school.”

“Asshole.” Bakugou rubs his head irritably. “Fuck, did you know that you give off mixed signals? God damn.”

Todoroki doesn’t answer. ‘Mixed signals’? Ha. If anything, Bakugou is the one who gives them off. He follows Todoroki everywhere, and he’s constantly flirting with him, but that’s as far as it goes. He still swears an ungodly amount, is the exact opposite of considerate, and has the crudest sense of humor in the world. It’s impossible to believe that he fell in love with a person like that.

Yes, unfortunately: he did fall in love. With Bakugou Katsuki, of all people. It’s a rather unfortunate turn of events, mainly because Todoroki finds himself worrying about Bakugou more than he worries about himself. He’s more conscious of him, too: he can’t help it. Even now, he’s studying the blond out of the corner of his eye. He’s been holding his arm awkwardly all day.

“Did you get in another fight?” Todoroki finishes washing his noodle bowl and turns a scrutinizing gaze on Bakugou, who flinches.

“…What gives you that idea?”

“You just confirmed it.” Todoroki narrows his eyes, and Bakugou’s widen. He leaps to his feet like a startled cat, putting the couch between them as a protective barrier.

“You stay the fuck away from—“ Todoroki jumps at him before he can finish the sentence, vaulting the couch in a single movement. Bakugou screeches and barely dodges him, sprinting around the coffee table. “You fucking psycho! Don’t do this again!”

“Let me see your arm, then!” Todoroki picks up a magazine and nails him in the back with it. Bakugou stumbles, his socked feet slipping on the hardwood floor. Todoroki takes the opportunity to grab his shirt collar, yanking him onto the couch in a headlock. He pulls up Bakugou’s left sleeve, revealing a long bloodied bandage covering his arm. “I knew it… When did you get this?”

Bakugou, sulking over the lost struggle, lets out a heavy breath. “Last night, after I dropped you off.” He glares out the window. “There was a guy outside. He said some shit, and we got into it. I’m fine.”

“Let me see it.” Todoroki relaxes his grip and Bakugou slides onto the floor, but he doesn’t run away. He surrenders his arm to Todoroki, grumbling irritably the whole time he unwraps it. It’s bad, to say the least, but at least it doesn’t look infected. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Todoroki already knows the answer: Bakugou thinks they belong to different worlds. He keeps Todoroki out of trouble, even if it means being a reckless idiot. It makes him so angry that he wants to scream. But he settles on leaving, instead. He lets Bakugou go and grabs his bag. “I have to go.”

“Wait. It’s late. I’ll drive you—“

Todoroki slams the door, cutting him off. So what if it’s late? He’d rather walk alone in the pitch black than risk saying things he’ll regret later.

He really needs to get a handle on these feelings, before they get out of hand.

***

He really should’ve let Bakugou drive him home. If he had, the idiot would’ve stayed out of trouble. When Todoroki gets a text with three words and a location ping before dawn, he already knows it’s bad news.

from: blond moron at 4:32 AM.

>> i need you

>> blond moron sent his location

Todoroki stumbles around pulling on clothes in the dark. His heart is hammering so loudly in his ears that he can’t even hear himself breathing. The location is an alleyway a few blocks away. That can’t be good. What the hell has Bakugou gotten himself into this time?

By the time he arrives, Todoroki has been through every worst-case scenario. But nothing could have prepared him for this. Bakugou, unconscious in a pool of blood. Three guys surrounding him, one of them with Bakugou’s cellphone in his hand. They’re gang members: he recognizes them from around town. Oh god. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, Todoroki was in such a hurry that he didn’t bring his phone or a weapon. Basically, he’s screwed.

“What’s going on here?” At least he can keep the tremor out of his voice.

One of the gang members scoffs. “Fuck. This is who this asshole saved as ‘angel’? I thought it’d be a chick.”

Todoroki shifts nervously, realizing what their intentions must be. Panic rises in his chest, but he shoves it down. Fight or flight is a natural response. He can ignore it if he tries. “You… You should get out of here before I call the police.” Hopefully, the bluff is believable.

The group of guys ignores him. “Even if he’s not a girl, he’s got a pretty face,” one says, giving Todoroki a creepy once-over. “Shame about that scar, but the rest of him could get me off.”

Todoroki is so offended that he almost scoffs. Why the hell didn’t he bring his phone? God, he’ll never yell at Bakugou for calling him stupid ever again… But what’s important right now is getting them both safely out of this situation. There won’t be people out on the street so late at night, so helpful bystander intervention is out. Todoroki is all alone on this one.

The gang members seem to have reached a consensus. They drop Bakugou’s phone and circle him, smirking and heckling. He figures he’s got two options: run or beat them up. Maybe fight or flight isn’t easy to ignore, after all.

“If you don’t put up a fight, this’ll all be much easier,” one of the men says, slowly inching closer, like a lion circling its prey.

Todoroki takes a page from Bakugou’s book. “Fuck you.” 

Making them angry will make them clumsy. 

Probably.

***

“Do you want to explain to me how you got these injuries?”

Todoroki shifts in his hospital bed, avoiding the officer’s gaze. “Not really?”

“What about the gentleman you came in with?” A pencil taps impatiently against a pad of paper. “Did you two get into some type of altercation?”

“No. I told you, he’s my friend.” Todoroki scratches the bandage on his head nervously. “The two of us were mugged by those three men. Unprovoked.”

“Uh-huh.” The pencil stops tapping, and the officer sighs. “Alright, then. I’ll go talk to those three and see what information I can get. If you’d like to change your statement at any time, I’ll be here.”

As soon as he’s gone, Todoroki sags against his pillows. He still can’t believe they actually escaped. He got lucky, that’s for sure. That wrench he found probably saved both of their lives. His, most definitely, even if it didn’t save all of him. He’s got a nasty gash on his head, dark bruises around his neck, and scratch-marks all over his chest and back.

Bakugou is pretty banged up, too, but not as badly. He’s only got a minor concussion and a nasty cut on his torso. Just when that stab wound was starting to scar over, too.

“Todoroki-san?” A nurse knocks and sticks her head in through the open door. “Are you up for a visitor?”

“A visitor?” Todoroki’s heart leaps. It must be him. “Sure.”

Bakugou appears in the gap the nurse vacates, holding onto an IV pole with one hand. He’s ditched his hospital gown for a loose cotton shirt and jeans, most definitely against medical orders. “…Hey.”

“Hey.” Todoroki waits for him to sit down before sitting up. “Are you allowed to be walking around?”

“Not really.” Bakugou looks at him, and Todoroki is shocked to see tears slip down his face. He’s never seen him cry. Never. “You’re a fucking idiot.” The swearing isn’t new, though.

“I know. I’m sorry.” Todoroki presses his fingertips together, then relaxes them again. “It’s not like the situation was avoidable,” he murmurs eventually. “They texted me pretending to be you. I couldn’t just ignore it. And if I hadn’t come—”

Bakugou slams a fist into the wall, startling Todoroki into silence. “If you hadn’t come, those motherfuckers wouldn’t have—” He takes a measured breath before continuing. “They told me what those bastards tried to do. I was so pissed, I wanted to punch myself. If I wasn’t an idiot who got into fights in the first place, you wouldn’t have had to go through that shit. It’s my fault.”

“I’m fine,” Todoroki tells him quietly. “They barely touched—” He trails off when Bakugou’s fingertips brush against the bruises at his throat. He expects to feel a jolt of suppressed trauma, but there’s nothing more than a lump building in his throat. “Bakugou, I’m really…”

“You’re not fine.” He runs a hand through his hair without meeting Todoroki’s eyes. “Fuck. I can’t…” He flinches when Todoroki takes his hand.

“I know you think I can’t handle myself. And don’t try to argue: I know it’s true, too. But I can. I took care of us both this time.” He squeezes Bakugou’s hand. “I’m strong, too. Even if I don’t look as intimidating as you do.” He tries to smile. “This didn’t scare me. Not in the least.”

For a while, they linger in silence. Then Bakugou sighs, pressing their joined hands to his forehead. “Yeah,” he relents, “I know you’re strong. It’s part of the reason I like you so damn much.”

If he didn’t know any better, Todoroki would think he‘s dreaming. But his head throbs too much for him to be asleep. “What did you say?”

“I like you.” Bakugou doesn’t let go of his hand. “But you knew that, right? I didn’t mean to take so long to tell you. I guess I didn’t want to make myself seem less cool in your eyes? Don’t laugh. I know it sounds fucking stupid now.”

“This is kind of… the worst timing for a confession,” Todoroki mutters, but he can feel himself smiling. “I have a concussion.”

“What? Why does that matter?”

“I just really don’t want to forget this.”

“Really?” Bakugou snorts. “Idiot… Don’t worry. I won’t let you forget it.”

“Is that a threat or a promise?” Todoroki raises an eyebrow, and Bakugou’s smile stretches against his fingers.

“Definitely a promise.”

[rosepetalmark]

Not in the Stars

2.5k words

Renjun x Reader

warnings: alcohol mention

in which you plan to confess your love for your best friend to him at a party, but the universe has other plans in store for the both of you. 

You like Renjun. A lot. 

That was one sentence in your five years of friendship with Huang Renjun that you never thought you’d say to yourself, let alone admit to. 

You don’t know where these feelings came from, but all you know is that they’re strong and on your mind twenty four seven. Everything he says and does captivates your mind, causing your feelings for him to grow even stronger.

It’s as if these feelings for him suddenly hit you like a brick one day. You were strictly best friends last week, and now you have these unexplainable deep feelings for him, eating you alive and begging for you to confess to him.

It’s not that you’re opposed to dating Renjun, it’s just that he’s been your best friend for several years and he means so incredibly much to you. You just don’t want to risk losing him or making things between you two weird if he doesn’t feel the same. 

So you suppress your feelings. As long as you have Renjun as your best friend, that’s all that matters, right?

Jaemin always makes you second guess yourself, explaining that the dynamic duo that you and Renjun are would be ten times more incredible if you were dating. Since you’re already best friends and know everything about each other, why not date? Only bigger and better things can come from it he always says.

Although Jaemin makes strong points, you’re still scared Renjun will turn you away, mainly because you’re ninety nine percent certain that he only views you as a friend, nothing more and nothing less. 

Yeah you have sleepovers  and spend hours late at night talking on the phone with one another, but that’s what best friends do. If Huang Renjun has any feelings for you, you’re sure someone would have said something by now. 

You get the typical stares from old people when you make your daily trek to school in the morning, him waiting outside your house for you at exactly seven forty two, smiling so bright the second you walk out your front door.  

You constantly get mistaken as his girlfriend whenever you go out together on the weekend, which always causes a deep pink blush to appear on Renjun’s cheeks. He’s always quick to brush it off though, making it clear to everyone around you that you’re strictly best friends, and that neither of you view each other in that way. 

Boy is he wrong.

Everything about Renjun makes your heart flutter, and that’s something that scares you.

For starters, he excels so well in school. For someone who spends eighty percent of his time doodling instead of taking notes, he aces every test and can recite every piece of information that’s been discussed in class with no problem.

He’s caring and funny, and so unapologetically himself. He takes you to art museums on your spare time, talks about the latest conspiracy that’s on his mind, and always insists you go for milkshakes every Sunday night.

And boy was he cute. The way he tilts his head all the way back and crinkles his eyes when he laughs makes your heart absolutely melt.

Huang Renjun makes you happy and positive and there’s nothing more in this world that you want than to hold his hand and kiss him in public, as well as call him your boyfriend so bad. 

It wasn’t until you were out late with him, hanging out on the roof at Jeno’s house, trying to escape the loudness that was coming from inside. Jeno was throwing a kickback to celebrate the beginning of summer, something he does ever year, in which there’s always too many people inside, and you and Renjun find yourself on the roof trying to seek solace in the stars. 

Renjun looked so ethereal in the moonlight. There was nothing more that you wanted to do than press your lips ever so gently against his, and hold his hand while staring up at the stars displayed so brightly above you both in the dark sky. 

“What are you thinking about bubs?” Renjun asked, referring to the nickname he gave you when he found out that’s the name you gave your favourite stuffed rabbit when you were a child. 

God the way his voice sounded in this moment made you weak. The tipsiness you both experienced earlier was wearing off, causing your lack of hydration to become present through your raspy voices. 

But you don’t care. You’re with Renjun, and you are warm and comfortable and in love. 

In love. 

You’re in love with Huang Renjun and you can’t keep it in any longer.

Maybe this would be the best time to tell him. Every time you’re completely sober, you push the idea to the side, trying your best to forget your feelings for him even exist. What if Jun doesn’t feel the same? What if he does but months down the line you figure out you’re better off as friends, and then when you try to get back into your non-romantic routine, everything feels off? You always worry that things will go wrong and Renjun will eventually stop being your friend.

Not tonight though. Renjun looks gorgeous in the moonlight and the little bit of alcohol that remains in your system is acting as your source of encouragement, convincing you to confess to him right now and hope for the best outcome possible. 

“Love,” you reply nonchalantly. 

“Love?” he questions, staring back to you, seemingly surprised with your response. 

“Yeah. Just wondering what the universe has in store for me, you know?” you ask, turning your body to face his direction, criss crossing your legs over one another. “The idea of love both intrigues me and freaks me out. It’s exciting anticipating what will come from it, but the fear of something going wrong down the line makes me not want to pursue it, you know?” you say, staring innocently into his eyes.

He cocks his head, an intrigued look falling on his face. He purses his lips, looking as if he’s going to say something, but remains silent. 

You both remain in silence for the next several minutes, which causes your thoughts to wander. What if Renjun has caught on? Maybe he’s thinking of ways to turn you down gently. Or he’s trying to express that he somehow knows you’re talking about him, and he’s trying to do so in a similar manner. 

But the silence is killing you, and you want nothing more than for Renjun to say something. Anything to get your thoughts to shut up, and your heart race to stop rapidly beating.

“I think you shouldn’t be scared of love,” he finally says. 

Taking a deep breath, he looks off into the sky, admiring the many stars laying millions of miles away from you both. “I get that you never know what may come out of it, but I think it’s worth a shot to know you tried, and to experience something you’re not fully sure is going to work,”  he speaks softly.

“Take a look at the universe for example. It’s so big and undiscovered, yet millions of people are fascinated by it. We’re obsessed with the stars and galaxies and the possibility of aliens- which I know for a fact exist by the way, yet we’re not afraid to spend our time discovering them and giving them our attention. I think of love in a similar manner. Yeah the thought seems so broad and scary, as there’s so many things to experience and discover, but I think it’s worth it. You’re only going to learn new things about yourself and life, so why not give it a shot?”

He clears his throat, and pays his attention back to you. He has a look of determination in his eyes, and that only makes you grow even more anxious.

“Aren’t you a wise expert on love, Mr. Huang,” you chuckle.

“Well what can I say? I do a lot of thinking on my spare time when I’m not bickering with you,” he laughs, positioning himself on his arms so he can get a better view of the night sky.

“Hey!” you shout, pushing onto his arm, causing him to lose his newly comfortable position and to fall on his back. “What are you thinking about Ren? You have this sour look on your face.”

“Well your idea of love got me thinking,” he says softly, staring into your eyes.

Nervousness takes over your body. You have no idea what he’s going to say, and every second of silence is eating you up.

“And?” you say abruptly, eager to know what he’s about to say. 

“I’ve been thinking about this for a while now, and I don’t know, I never thought much of it because I’m a wimp, but I think I’m going to ask Yeri out” he confesses, a small smile forming on his face. 

The mention of Yeri makes your heart sink. Yeri. He wants to ask out Yeri. Not you. 

Of course he likes Yeri. What isn’t there to like about her? She’s really pretty and polite, and they’re both the editors of the school newspaper, so they spend a great amount of time with each other. 

God this hurt. 

“Oh really,” you respond, with a less enthusiastic tone replacing your prior happy one.

“Yeah. We’ve been getting to know each other a lot more ever since we got asked to do this editorial on the basketball team, and I think I may have feelings for her”

“Well, um I think you should go for it Renjun, “ you reply, looking off into the stars to help keep what’s happening off your mind. If you look into his eyes, you’re certain you’ll start crying.

If it’s not you, you’re glad he has an interest in a girl with a golden heart and personality. 

“You think? What if she doesn’t like me?” he asks nervously, fiddling with the rings on his fingers.

“Like you said Ren, you never know what will come from love. Why not give it a shot if it’ll lead to potentially greater things not only within yourselves, but life in general? And if she ends up only seeing you as a friend, it’s okay. You’ll find someone one day who loves every part of you.”

And you can’t help but know deep down that that person is you. If Yeri rejects him, you’ll be right here to help him pick up the pieces, if not, you’ll still be here. As his best friend. Renjun deserves all the love and happiness the universe has to offer him, and despite being sad he shows no romantic interest in you, you’re glad he finds it in an amazing girl. 

“Alright cool, I guess I’ll ask her out on Monday when we meet up to discuss the paper then.” he says, smiling to himself. 

He looks so happy. Ecstatic even. You haven’t seen him smile this big since he won first place in your school’s art show.

“She’s here you know, at the party,” you say to him. “You should do it now.”

“You think?” he asks, eyes wide. 

Renjun was never one to act on impulse. He’s a man with a plan, and always has to do things by the book or else he’ll lose his hair. He likes structure and time, a complete flip from your bold and impulsive self. 

“Yeah, why not? You’re both here, you look really cute right now, and the stars are out in your favour, shining bright to provide you with the courage to do so.” 

This makes Renjun smile. You’ve always been a help in boosting his confidence, and you’re glad to be of assistance in such a nerve-wracking yet exciting period in his life. 

Standing up, he dusts the possible dirt off his legs. He crouches over, looking into your eyes and grabs your hand. “You’re the best y/n. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“As I with you,” you reply, a soft grin forming from your lips. “Now go downstairs and ask her out before she leaves.”

Standing back up, he begins walking to the door. “I’ll let you know how it goes!” he half shouts, pressing his hand to the door handle,  and making his way back into the house. 

You’re now left alone, on the rooftop, with just the stars and your thoughts. 

Why didn’t you bring up your feelings to him sooner, you thought. Now you’re only left sad and alone, because you were too scared to tell your best friend you’re in love with him. Confessing to him seemed so perfect in your mind a couple minutes ago, but sadly the universe has other plans in store for you. 

You decide to get comfortable and lie down, and begin to look at the constellations that are possibly present within the night sky. You can still hear the loud, most likely drunk people just a floor below you, and the vibration of the music hitting your body despite being away from the noise. But you don’t care. It’s just you and the sky, and you’re doing everything in your power to forget about the party below you, and to focus on the stars. 

As you point out the orion in the sky, you feel a buzz in your back pocket, indicating that you’ve got a text. Reaching for it, you unlock your phone, and see a notification stating that Renjun messaged you. Pressing on the messages app, you click on his name and read the following:

jun bug: she said yes!! we’re going out on tueday after we’re done editing :) (2:17 AM)

“Yes.” Yeri said yes. 

You’re happy for your best friend, but for yourself, you’re heartbroken. The possibility of dating him is now slim to none, especially since a potential girlfriend is in the mix, only making you more sad for yourself. 

You make sure to reply quick, and in a way that’ll make him happy, and hopefully provide you with the positivity that everything will be okay.

y/n: i’m so happy for you ren <3 (2:18 AM)

As you press send, you feel the tears start to slide down your cheeks. You’re happy for him, you really are, but you can’t help but wish that things went differently, and that you were in Yeri’s position. 

But as Renjun said before, love can be scary. It’s a learning experience, and if it doesn’t work out, you just need to take what you can from it, and hope for the best in the future. 

So you’ll take his words, and you’ll try your best to move on. 

It’ll be tough, but you hope to god that one day he’ll just be your best friend, and that this heartbreak won’t last with you forever. 

[santoteez]

In The Bronx - Hongjoong (4)

Part: 4 of (?)

Part 5 HERE!

Genre: Drugdealer!Hongjoong, Drugdealer! SeonghwaAU, Eventual Angst, Eventual Smut, Eventual Fluff

Word Count: 2.6k

Requested: no

Warnings: MC is a black female, mentions of drugs, mentions of child neglect & abandonment, swearing, Hongjoong’s brother is inspired by Mingi

NOTE: This fic does NOT, in any way, shape, or form, portray the way I view any member of Ateez nor does it depict their true personalities or actions. This AU is just that. An AU.

The ride back to The Bronx was eerily silent. After parking outside the building, Seonghwa helped Minjoon out of the car and inside the house while Santana carried the food inside. They didn’t risk not buying it, knowing Minjoon will always remember food no matter the circumstances. That, and Popeyes was his favorite and considering what has just gone down, he’s gonna need at least one good thing.

“The fuck does this kid eat? He’s built like a brick wall.” Seonghwa said, a loud crack coming from his back as he stretched.

“He’s not the star quarterback for nothing,” Santana said, eating a biscuit.

“You eating that with no drink?” Seonghwa asked, grabbing a carton of Minute Maid from the fridge. “You might as well choke yourself to death.”

“It’s not THAT dry.” Santana rolled her eyes.

“And I’m not THAT rude. Let’s all be liars for the night.”

“You really think he’s gonna confess?” Santana asked, staring off into space.

“Seonghwa sighed. “I hope he doesn’t but knowing HJ, he thinks we’re all better without him. He always spoke about turning himself in if some shit went down, but I always brushed him off. I let my guard down; didn’t think anything would happen. We were always so careful. You know, there was a time I almost stopped hustlin’.” He poured juice into a glass and handed it to Santana.

“Word?” She asked. “I ain’t know that.”

He nodded. “Around my 20th birthday. I had finally made enough money to put myself through school. Since I was a kid, I wanted to be a chef. Like Bobby Flay or some shit. This shit was only meant to be temporary. After all, when they ask you your occupation, ain’t no box to check off for ‘drug dealer.’ I was ready, I had spoken to Snake and everything.”

“So if you were so ready to leave, what happened?”

“On what was supposed to be my last day, Snake retired. Left the whole place to HJ.” He filled a glass for himself, putting the carton back. “HJ ain’t know shit. I was planning on telling him after my last drop. It’s not like I was going anywhere. I’d still fuck with him outside the trapping shit. His first order in power? Making me second in command. It was then I realized just how close we were. He had just inherited an EMPIRE, and his first thought was to bring me up with him. Snake gave me a knowing look when I made a complete 180, assuming the position. It was like he knew. That HJ would choose me, that I’d say yes. He always called us the dynamic duo. In the past two years, I’ve come to believe it. Now you see why I can’t just let him rot. I gotta go get my brother.”

“Please tell me you didn’t drink all the cherry limeade.” Santana and Seonghwa turned to see Minjoon standing in the doorway.

“Hey, sleeping beauty. Come eat some of this chicken you made me buy.” Seonghwa said, waving him over.

Minjoon grabbed some chicken, and the room was silent for a while.

“You didn’t tell me where Hongjoong is.” Minjoon broke the silence.

“Maybe we should wait till morning, Youngblood.” Seonghwa said.

“Nah, I don’t think we should,” Minjoon shook his head. “I’m tired of being kept in the dark. Being told I’m too young. Somebody better start talking.”

Santana grabbed his shoulder. “Minjoon, calm down.”

“Nah. You heard him, he’s grown. He’s gotta hear this. You know that lil packing job your brother has at Costco? It’s bullshit. All the paystubs, the uniform he carries in his backpack. It’s all a front. Your brother’s a drug dealer. Actually, no. He’s a fucking KINGPIN. He runs the shit! Your brother has been running an entire street pharmacy under your know for YEARS and you knew nothing. You think Costco was giving him all that money to buy you shit? Headphones, Jordans, backpacks, that big ass bed you have, this sectional couch?”

Minjoon opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say.

“Minjoon, say something,” Santana said.

“How’s that possible? There have never been any drugs here. No guns, nothing. I know I would’ve noticed a kilo of fucking cocaine by now.”

“Every morning he’d drop you off at school, he’d come back to the house and bag what he brought in from the night before. All that time you thought he was sleeping, he was bagging up product. A few minutes before he left to go get you, I’d swing by, pick up the product, take it back to the warehouse. That way, he’d get work done and you’d never see an ounce.”

“So it was all a lie.” Minjoon shook his head. “He’s a fucking criminal.”

“Shut up,” Seonghwa said, his voice rising.

“Seonghwa.” Santana started.

“No. I gotta say this, Santana. Your brother lied to you, boo fuckin’ hoo. You know what else he did? Became your legal guardian at 18. He was a fucking kid, and he took on another child. Raised you since you were 13. By himself. There’s grown people out here who are struggling to take care of their own kid, and here comes HJ, making it look so fucking easy! You’ve never starved. Never fallen asleep too cold or too hot. He’s ran his own body into the ground so you can live like a fucking prince. He sleeps on a fucking couch! And he wakes up from it with a smile on his face! When he does sleep. Between being up all-night making money and up most of the day packing product AND driving you to school and back, it’s a surprise he has any time for Santana. I’m not saying he’s perfect. But he’s all you got. And that more than enough. So stop being so fucking ungrateful.”

Minjoon sighed. “I’m sorry, Seonghwa. I never thought of it that way. And I’m sorry to you, Santana. You deserve to spend more time with the guy you want to be with. It’ll be different from now on, I promise you.”

Santana smiled, resting her head on his shoulder.

“That’s right, Youngblood. Be a man. The sun’s gonna come up soon. I should head to the warehouse, make sure it’s clean. Stick together, especially this weekend. Take care of each other until HJ is back. He will be back, if it’s the last thing I do.” Seonghwa said, getting up from the couch. “Santana, lock the door.”

When Minjoon was out of range, Seonghwa whispered to Santana. “Make sure he straight, it’s a lot of information to take in for a kid, no matter how grown he thinks he is.” Santana nodded, locking the door.

“You knew all of this, and you still said yes to being with him?” Minjoon asked when Santana sat back down.

“I see past it all. Your brother is no blockhead. He’s intelligent. Talented. Caring. Look at all the things he’s done for you. He threw himself into a world of danger out of love for you. He’s been saving up to send you to college, disregarding his own dreams. It’s always ‘Minjoon first’ to him. He packed all the money into the baby carrier the cops found you in when you two were abandoned. He made sure Seonghwa and I would find it because he’s planning on turning himself in.”

“Wait, what? Why would he do that? He could get life!”

“Just like I said. He’s doing it for you. Time and time again, he says he’d give his life for you. That’s what he’s doing.”

“No, he’s not. We have to figure out where they’re holding him. Talk to him. If he goes to jail for wanting the best for me, I won’t be able to live with myself. We have to go now!”

“Seonghwa will look into the cop that came here to arrest him. When he figures where that cop works, we’ll know where to go. Try and get some rest for now.”

“If I can, with all the shit I learned today. You wanna take the bed? I don’t want you in here sleeping on some couch, especially without HJ. If something else happens, you’ll be safer in there.”

“Minjoon it’s fine, really.”

“I insist. My sheets are clean, I swear. That’s one thing Hongjoong is always on my ass about. Laundry.”

Santana laughed. “I’ll only go if you promise you’ll sleep.” When he nodded, she stood up.

“Goodnight, Minjoon.”

“Night, Santana.”

 When Santana awoke, it was well past noon. Minjoon wasn’t kidding about the bed being comfortable. Just as she rubbed her eyes, her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Officer Carlo Bianchi. Works at Sing Sing. Visiting hours are over at 3pm, so get your asses in an uber NOW if you wanna see him today.” Seonghwa said on the other line, not bothering to greet.

“Thank you, Seonghwa. We’re leaving now.” She hung up.

She ran into the living room, where Minjoon was already awake, staring out the window.

“Hey! Let’s go, they got him in Sing Sing.”

“Shit, that far? Okay, I’m changing now.’ Minjoon scrambled into the room.

In 15 minutes flat, they were dressed and in the back of an uber. They arrived to the correctional facility a little after 1.

“Name of the inmate?” The guard at the door asked.

“Hongjoong Kim.”

“He’s new, so they might not bring him down, but you can have a seat down the hall to your left. If he’s able to take visitors, he will be escorted to you personally.”

They chose a table at the center of the room, observing the other inmates with their loved ones.

“We gotta get him outta here. This can’t become our lives. Seeing him for a few hours a day with a table between us?” Minjoon shook his head.

“Holy shit, they’re bringing him! He’s coming down!” Santana pointed.

Hongjoong entered the common area, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, handcuffed by the wrists and ankles. He looked like he hadn’t slept, and his usually styled hair was disheveled. Santana wanted badly to run and jump into his arms but could do nothing but sit and watch him be uncuffed to sit.

“Ain’t that the shirt you wore on Wednesday, motherfucker?” He eyed Minjoon once he finally sat down.

“Dude, you’re in fucking jail. There’s bigger problems than my shirt right now.” Minjoon said, smiling slightly. Even in a situation like this, his brother to make him smile.

“At least I can count on someone to look their best coming to see me.” Hongjoong turned to Santana. “How you sleep?”

“Clearly better than you.”

He shook his head. “Don’t worry about me. I’m where I should be. I’m guessing that if Minjoon is here, he must know the truth now.”

Minjoon nodded.

“Everything I did was for you. I can never get the image of Mom running into a car out of my head. I can never get that feeling of heartbreak out of me. I made a vow that no matter what, you never experienced that. I never wanted you to feel alone. In need.”

“And yet, here you are throwing in the towel. How can you say you don’t want me to feel abandoned when that’s what you’re doing? I know what you’ve done. What you’ve sold, what you work as, all of it. I thought long and hard about it. And guess what? I don’t feel any different. I loved you before I knew, and I love you now. But I don’t want to love you from a distance. Brother, please.”

Hongjoong looked away, focusing on nothing in particular. He turned to Santana. “Did you find what I sent you to get?”

She nodded. “The carrier.”

Hongjoong nodded. “It was initially just for Minjoon, but when I realized how I felt for you, I added more. That’s for the both of you. I want Minjoon in college. I want you to open your lil boutique and shit. Be what this world needs. Make money the right way.”

“What good is making bread if there’s no one to break it with? Hongjoong, listen to yourself.” Minjoon reached out to grab his hand.

“No touching.” The guard shouted from the door and Minjoon placed his hand back in his lap.

“HJ. Hear us out, PLEASE. Would you want us to give up on ourselves? What if Minjoon dropped out right now, despite being on track to graduate early? What if I just stopped sketching and designing altogether? You wouldn’t accept it from us, so why would you think we’d accept it from YOU?”

“Y’all don’t have an entire illegal business you’re responsible for. You’re not facing a 25 to life. That’s the difference, Santana.” Hongjoong shouted.

“Doesn’t mean you can’t have hope,” Minjoon said, fighting back tears. “We can use the money to bail you out. I can find another way to go to college.”

“Dry your face. I ‘hoped’ our mother would come back to us. I ‘hoped’ to grow old with the woman I love. Does it look like any of that happened? Hope doesn’t exist for Hongjoong. Never has. So, cut the crap. You’re not bailing me out. That money is for your future. Always has been. Don’t ” Hongjoong stood up, motioning for the guard to come over.

“You’re leaving? So soon?” Minjoon muttered.

“There’s nothing else to talk about. I made my decision.”

“Just like how Seonghwa had made his decision.” Santana blurted out.

“What?”

“The day Snake retired. You claimed ownership. That was the day Seonghwa was gonna quit the game.”

“How do you know this?” Hongjoong sat back down, causing the guard to roll his eyes and go back to his post.

“He told me last night. He was all set to go to culinary school. It was gonna be his last drop. Until you made him second in command. He realized the loyalty and trust you had in him, even back then. So, he stayed. He changed his mind. And he has your back to this day. Even now, while you’re locked up in here, he’s moving heaven and earth for you. Don’t make his efforts die in vain. The least you can do is have some fucking hope. Seonghwa does. Minjoon does. And I sure as hell do.”

Hongjoong sighed. “If you all believe I can get out of here, then I’m gonna believe it too. I’m gonna find it in me to have hope. I believe in you guys.”

“Seonghwa is gonna find a way to get you out of here. You’ll see Minjoon off to college. We’ll get some house in the middle of nowhere and grow old and wrinkly together. And all this hard work will pay off. Speaking it into existence.”

Hongjoong smiled. “I love you.”

“And I love you.”

“That’s a wrap! Visiting hours are now over. Visitors, please make a single file line to exit the facility, inmates please stand up and wait to be handcuffed by your guard.”

“I will see you guys soon?” Hongjoong asked.

“Of course. You can’t keep us away.” Santana said, causing him to laugh.

“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

Santana and Minjoon stood on line, watching as the guard cuffed Hongjoong and once again took him up the stairs. Santana turned her phone back on once outside the building and notice several missed calls from Seonghwa. She called him immediately.

“Hello?”

“Santana? You’re out?”

“Yeah, just now. Why?”

“I sent you an address. Come quick. I think I found a way to get HJ out.”

[ofaurcra]

TASK #001: EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT.

GENERAL INFO

full name: CHIURA AZAMI nickname(s): AZA, MIMI, AMI gender & pronouns: SHE/HER sexual & romantic orientation: BISEXUAL & BIROMANTIC age & dob: 22, 9TH NOVEMBER 1996 birthplace/hometown: YOKOHAMA, JAPAN parents/siblings: CHIURA AKEMI (MOTHER) & CHIURA TATSUYA (FATHER), AZA ALSO HAS A SIMILARLY AGED BROTHER. pet(s): TONKINESE CAT (KIMURA) (X) & SINGAPURA KITTEN (ROMI) (X) astrological sign: SCORPIO dominant hand: LEFT handwriting style: neat, small & cursive (very pronounced swirls joining letters or flicking them off) language(s) known/spoken: JAPANESE, KOREAN, ENGLISH, FRENCH religion: AGNOSTIC current living arrangements: OWNS HER OWN UPTOWN STUDIO APARTMENT occupation/major: FASHION DESIGN AND FLOWER SHOP MANAGER

PHYSICAL

picture reference: (X) blood type: AB+ nationality: japanese skin tone/color: honeyed glow birthmarks & scars: birthmark on her neck and one behind her ear, they’re usually a very pale beige and she has a scar located on her pelvis from being shoved into a brick wall when younger and scraping across the skin. height: 5′4 build: petite but athletically toned allowing for surprising strength hair color: platinum blonde currently, silvery tonage hair length: (X), (X) her hair is currently this length and style eye color: naturally rich chocolate brown but she’s taken to wearing jade hued contacts more recently. diet: healthy and balanced but she isn’t overly worried over it, she quite likes her salads and all her fruits anyway and will happily choose them over sugary snacks. the only time she really binge eats is on her patisserie visits, if she has people over for breakfast (cause she goes all out she is an extra bitch) or if she’s having a movie night with friends. exercise & level of fitness: she tends to swim and run a lot but is more prone to relaxing exercises which help the mind and body like yoga and meditation, she’s very flexible and used to do gymnastics too. but in general she gets the recommended amount of aerobic activity recommended for healthy adults. how’s their posture ( or lack thereof )?: she usually stands very upright, with her chin in the air so her posture is really good and she often has her arms crossed if she’s being all ‘business workaholic’ aza but if she’s being more relaxed and casual she tends to slant one leg out more and jut the knee with a hand usually resting on her right hip. typical style of dress: (x), (x), (x), (x), (x),(x) body modifications: (x) - this tattoo can be located on aza’s index finger, (x) - this tattoo is located on aza’s back lying just above where her bra strap would sit, (x) (x) - the first image references the design of this tattoo and the second shows the location being just beneath the breast and across the ribcage, it is a tiny tattoo that she shares with ( @sunsbloom) signifying her bond with ivy and referencing the shared zodiac of scorpio between them. (x) - this tattoo can be located behind aza’s left ear. (x) (x) - both these finger tattoos can be located in the places on the images. (x) - this tattoo is dedicated to her brother and can be found on her inner thigh but it is incredibly tiny. (x), (x), (x), (x) - these ones are located in the same places as they are on the images. what can be noticed is that aza has a surprising amount of tattoo’s yes but all are tiny designs and usually incorporate floral elements because she feels such an affliction for flowers, she also prefers to use white ink or red where she can if it works stylistically. finally, she’s hoping to get these (x) with america squad ( @hijinae, @ofdaeseong) as a tribute to their friendship.

MANNERISMS

how does your muse walk?: it’s a bit of a sashay when she’s in the mindframe of getting things done with a lot of hip swinging and fast pace, its not an intentional boss bitch walk but it happens naturally when she’s in a rush. if she isn’t stressed or busy then her walk becomes more of a peaceful and slow paced saunter where she appears to admire or take in her surroundings a little more and get a little zoned out. how does your muse talk?: aza has a delicate and gentle voice, it’s soft and comforting but it’s not quiet at all, she talks clearly and with confidence and when in a position of leadership she can project it without issue. it tends to sound like she’s drawling out words when she’s with those she is comfortable with in a somewhat unintentionally seductive way. she just has a sexy voice asfhfh what can u do.  what does their laugh sound like?: twinkly, it comes out in quiet and soft peels and is more akin to a giggle, it kind of lingers in the room long after she’s finished because her laughter is usually short when its genuine as well. how does your muse typically smell?: she favors fruity perfumes which aren’t overpowering but strong enough to catch on the breeze when she moves her hair or embraces someone so scents like patchouli, musk, white amber, grapefruit, wild berries, caramel, praline, jasmine, freesia, peony and pomegranate are some of her favorites. what kind of air do they carry?: somewhat regal, a don’t fuck with me vibe like she’s always sizing you up and knows your next move before even you do to strangers. to friends she’s like a strict but overly affectionate mom. do they have a(ny) catchphrase(s)?: as the legend ariana once said ain’t you ever seen a princess be a bad bitch. what are their nervous ticks?: she runs her hands through her hair a lot, like frequently in a matter of seconds or minutes and pushes it back a lot haphazardly, she also bites her lip or chews things more when stressed.

PSYCHOLOGY

what makes your muse happiest?: spending time with the america squad or ivy since those are her bestest friends, in the past phone calls with her brother really lifted her spirits when she was struggling but its been a while since she’s had one, going out for coffee or picnics in the summer. what upsets them the most?: liars and hypocrites, in general but especially in family dynamics she cannot stand parents who have children and then don’t love them unconditionally as a parent is expected to. she’ll flare up if her friends have family issues and she sees their parents talking down to them automatically because she knows what that feels like and most of the time in her experience with rich upbringing the parents aren’t so perfect either. what are their hobbies? how frequent do/can they do them?: she likes to sketch when designing her fashion and she’s pretty good at painting, likes exploring fashion or art museums and exhibits, likes finding new cafes and quiet restaurants or patisseries for hangout spots, loves spending time in botanical gardens and at the library reading. she’s a bit of an adventurer by nature she just loves to be going places but more quiet hobbies are things like baking, journalism and a bit of blogging. do they have any guilty pleasures?: other than food not really but aza does occasionally enjoy to socially smoke if she goes out partying. she’ll also deny it to all hell and back because sorbet is healthier but she could eat five tubs of ice cream in one evening. is your muse an extrovert or an introvert? neither?: she funnily enough is sort of both, i would say she is more extroverted now because circumstances have definitely forced her to be so if she isn’t working one of her many diverse jobs she is going out and exploring but she used to be a huge introvert. and if there is one sign of rain find her under a duvet with hot cocoa sleeping the day away and marathoning on netflix. do they have high or low self-esteem? what about confidence?: she loves herself what more can i say. she doesn’t believe in vanity she thinks its important to be in love with yourself and i would say her self love comes from a place where it is well earned because she definitely struggled with low self esteem and confidence issues in the past being so silenced and controlled by her father.  are they easily stressed and how do they normally respond to it?: definitely, if you worked the way aza does you would be as well. it doesn’t help she’s prone to anxiety attacks from stress so she doesn’t respond very well. if its a minimal amount she can be alright, she tends to just walk away and take a break until her head is clear but sometimes if she is overwhelmed she’ll just break down and cry over the smallest things and shut down on herself, going quiet and unresponsive, she tends to get shaky and her breathing worsens. what is your muses worst fear?: following in her parents footsteps and one day being a neglectful parent, she hates the idea of letting anyone down especially her own potential family.  what is your muses biggest dream?: making it as a fashion designer i suppose, she doesn’t want fame especially after seeing how it made her family act with people due to their empire and riches but she wants to live comfortably and be able to show her talents and fresh perspective off more. is your muse a morning person or a night dragon?: definitely a night dragon but she tries to go to bed and get up at the same time when she can because its supposedly healthier to have a routine. how intelligent is your muse? do they acknowledge it?: aza is very cultured and i would say she has a philosophical and extremely open mind. her intelligence is one of the kinds where it is more of wisdom than it is scientific and factual or academic alone. though she did incredibly well with her grades academically she’s still god awful at maths and will not engage with it. describe their sense of humor: dry witted, sarcastic, sometimes dark, crude.

RELATIONSHIP TENDENCIES

are they currently in any sexual or romantic relationships?: there aren’t any plotted out for aza yet (but like pls do come love her down) but knowing her anyway i’m just going to say she probably is in sexual relationships because aza is prone to having flings. what is their experience with relationships?: OOF its not great, mostly negative since her life has became more stable in daegu she’s slowly starting to feel and receive and learn how to allow herself for healthy ones but in the past she had a lot of fucked up ones due to miscommunication and her fear of commitment primarily.  how does your muse view the idea of friends with benefits? have they ever had one? would they ever?: yes yes and yes. BUT aza is way more cautious about it because she’s very aware that usually its a one sided kind of fun where one person ends up falling harder than the other and being hurt. how important is sex to your muse?: i want to say she isn’t that shallow and it isn’t important but... it is, i think for aza its a way to feel things and immerse herself in those emotions without having to feel vulnerable at all but at the same time that only applies to good sexual partners. if not aza thinks sex is just...average at best, its not bad and its not mindblowingly good its just kind of nice for a while and then its done. what are their biggest turn on and turn offs?: OH LAWD, okay well turn on’s: neck biting, choking, broad physique, a lil bit of manhandling like yes slam her against the door and yes pin her down to the table and yes you can lift her and push her on the counter. turn offs: anything too weird like foot fetishes or watersports or something and doNT for the love of god pls don’t ever spank her, she will freak out, spankings are triggers for her big time. does your muse find it easy to make friends?: yeah i mean azami is pretty agreeable, she gets along with basically everyone. its hard for her to have enemies although she may have healthy rivals and frenemies there is never truly really any bad blood between azami and others. she likes to work through the kinks in relationships and she’s stubborn so she won’t give up on people without one hell of a fight. she even tends to stay friends with her ex’s because in her eyes they should be adult and able to wish each other well in their lives and be happy for one another without tension or awkwardness.  how important is friendship to them?: considering that for aza her friends have been like her found and chosen family and her only real soulmate connection that runs truly deep in this world is ivy emotionally speaking i think friendship is the most important thing in the world to azami.  quantity or quality of friends?: 100% quality of friends how important is family?: suprisingly although azami’s family are trash and can rot she does find them important and she always will love them and she always will wish that her dad was proud of her. also even though she hates that her brother kind of shadows her and makes bad choices bc of it and she shoulders the blame a lot of the time he is the center of her world and she would do anything for him. she hates the fact she couldn’t be there for him the way she wanted growing up and protect him as much as she’d have liked are they close to their family? why or why not ?: hnhh i mean this one is obvious but no she isn’t close to her family. she did not fit the mold of prim and perfect princess who does as daddy says and knows her place without question even if its wrong. her mother simply shut her out as a way to cope with the fact aza wouldn’t pretend like she would. its also to do with the fact that she had aza far too young and didn’t get a chance to live her own life as she constantly made sacrifices for her and to keep the family together but aza doesn’t know so much about all of that. 

FAVORITES

activity: reading animal: cats and she likes chinchilla’s beverage: strawberry smoothies and vanilla and honey milkshakes book: milk and honey by rupi kaur color: pastel pink and mustard yellow designer: ralph laurent food: coq au vin and churro’s flower: wisteria  gem: garnet holiday: valentines mode of transportation: car or cycling movie: burlesque musical artist: lana del rey quote / saying: l'avoir c'est avoir les étoiles scenery: starry nights in flower covered fields, bright days in quiet secluded peach orchards and strawberry farms. scent: jasmine weather: sunny but with a light breeze vacation destination: bali

ATTITUDES

greatest dream: fashion designer of haut couture dresses greatest fear: letting down her family and loved ones most at ease when: in a quiet cafe getting work done, having a movie night cuddled up with jinae,dae and the cats, shopping and spending time with ivy doing anything really, looking at art or reading poetry in the sunshine. least as ease when: facing unwanted advances, having phone calls with her family, facing a tight deadline with a heavy workload. worst possible thing that could happen: losing the opportunity to be a parent because she’s too afraid of messing her kids up the way she was and losing the chance to be happily married and living alone forever because she can’t open up to someone on that level of vulnerability.  biggest achievement: modelling for some lesser known brands and being included in photography shootings for freelance friends. opening up her flower shop and balancing two other jobs as well as her education. being invited to attend some fashion shows by having some designer connections biggest secret: azami doesn’t really like to keep secrets so there isn’t anything scandalous other than the fact that at one point when she was younger she had a slight crush on dae and if anything that’s just laughable to them now so she doesn’t really give it much thought. top priorities: work, coming up with new innovative and fresh ideas for all of her work and not only dedicating herself to her study of and love of fashion, making time for her friends no matter how busy she gets, remembering to go easy on herself and allow herself to take breaks and vacations. 

[hennessystevens-udaku]

KING ME

After her night with Charlie, Hennessy was even more intrigued about sexual dominance. She yearned for Erik to look at her the way he looked at Charlie when she was in control. That level of raw passion and reverence being something that she craved the most, partly due to her tumultuous childhood. Though she knew some of what the dynamics were in traditional dom/sub relationships, her eager mind yearned for more knowledge. She began spending more and more time away from the group, researching and educating herself on what it meant to be a proper dom and all of the things that she could do to ensure the safety and satisfaction of her sub. When she wasn’t buried in her MacBook or her iPhone, she was with Charlie, absorbing everything she had to give. Confident that she was ready to experiment on her own, she began planning a scene tailored specifically to showing her appreciation to a certain curvaceous King.

--

The family vacation in Amsterdam was nearing its end. On the second to last day, Hennessy decided to plan a day of bonding with her husband and sister wives. Appeasing to her husband’s art hoe nature, she booked a private tour of the Van Gogh art museum as well as lunch along the UNESCO waterways. After lunch, they enjoyed another private tour of the Rijksmuseum, which houses the works of Rembrandt, Van Dyke, and Vermeer. The tiny genius sure knew how to put a smile on his face. So much so that he’d almost forgotten that he owed her a punishment for the stunt she pulled with Charlie the nights before. Almost.

--

After a day of sightseeing and art hoeing, the ladies decided to venture to the infamous XtraCold Icebar for a night of drinking and letting loose, no Erik in sight.

“A bar? Made of Ice? Who said I wanted to be serving up frosted pussy to my husband?” Bastion complained.

“Not frosted pussy,” Ryley snickered.

The outburst made Hennessy laugh. The icebar had been on her list of places to visit as soon as Erik mentioned Amsterdam. That and the cannabis tour of course.

“Our husband,” Aly’Sha corrected, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

“Hey, chill out Bast,” Angel joked, causing the entire room to erupt with laughter at the horrible pun. “It’ll be fun,” she chimed, already making her way to the bar.

“I wonder if I could break a chunk of this and make an ice dildo,” Josephine joked causing everyone to groan.

“Now that's frosted pussy,” Charlie grinned.

As the night went on and the drinks began to flow, Hennessy couldn’t stop the desire building within her. She watched the way Charlie’s full hips swayed to the music and secretly wished that they’d taken Erik up on his offer to stay in. The night in Erik’s room played on a constant loop in her mind and the more she looked at her wife, the more she wanted to show her just how much she’d learned in their short time together.

--

4 hours and 6 Amsterdamned drinks later, Hennessy was a dangerous combination of intoxicated and horny. Erik had already retired to his room for the evening, Angel and Bast in tow, and although Hennessy loved a good orgy, she wasn’t exactly in a sharing mood. She stumbled down the hallway of the aparthotel until she stopped outside of Charlie’s room. She could hear Kimora’s loud giggle from the other side of the door and almost turned to retire to her own room when she spotted Josephine in the hallway looking suspicious.

“Something wrong, Mama?” Josephine asked, sensing Hennessy’s troubled state.

“You’re a witch, right? Y’all should be able to pick up on this type of shit,” Hennessy snapped.

Josephine tilted her head in confusion. She always knew the first lady could be a bit feisty, but she’d never seen it to this degree.

“Ooh someone’s spicy,” Josephine teased, her eyes glowing her signature purple glow. Her voice was low and seductive as she began working her magic.

“Kitana wants to come out to play, Hennessy. Why don’t you let her?”

With that, Josephine was gone and Hennessy was in the hallway alone yet again. Only this time, something felt different.

--

“Someone's at the door,” Kimora whispered, her eyes on the entrance. Charlie shrugged, wasted off of her two drinks. She hardly ever drank and when she did it made her very talkative. Drunk Charlie had the tendency to say things Sober Charlie usually kept to herself. The liquor also made her hornier than she already was on the daily as a typical stellium scorpio. Her almond eyes roamed Kimora's chocolate curves and her mouth watered at the thought of a sweet pink cotton candy center. Although distracted, she'd heard the noise in the hall too.

“Probably Josephine. What scent is that? You smell good as hell like, honeysuckles,” she flirted unwilling to move her eyes from Kimora's rich and perfect skin. It made no sense to look that good, she needed the skin routine. Just then the door opened and Kimora grinned, her teeth a bright white. Erik obviously had a thing for nice teeth. All his wives had them. Henny's voice sounded causing Charlie to turn.

“Oh damn, Henny from the block. You came to fuck or be fucked lil mama? Or did you wanna talk? Can we talk and fuck?” Charlie had to tell herself to calm down. She was doing way too much. “My bad, Henny, what's up?”

“Hiii Hennessy,” Kimora’s sweet voice called to the tiny woman standing in the doorway.

“Hey ladies,” Hennessy called out, slowly making her way into the space. Thanks to Josephine, her current look was much different from what she wore to the Icebar. Her curly mane had been released from her signature high puff, framing her chubby face and the emerald green bodycon dress hugged her curves in all the right places.

“Ladiesss,” Charlie dragged willing Henny nearer. She was a sweet faced gazelle and Charlie couldn’t help but eye her curves like a hungry predator of the wild. Her sweet tooth was acting up something serious. “Honestly, I think I might be lit right now.. I think, but I still wouldn't mind a shot of Hennessy if you feel me,” she grinned, a quarter joking and ¾ serious.

Hennessy giggled in response. Charlie had the same longing look in her eyes that Erik got after he returned from a mission. She stalked up to Charlie, the confidence of her alter ego guiding her steps. She reached out to grab a fistful of Charlie’s hair, lifting her head so that they were staring into each other’s eyes.

“If Charlie wants a taste of Hennessy, she’s gonna have to work for it,” Henny growled with a smile, her rose gold fronts dancing in the light of Charlie’s bedroom.

“Tell me what to do Miss. Call me cat daddy and watch me go to work like it's my 9 to 5.” Charlie was feeling the dominant energy Hennessy put forth and she wanted more of it. She wanted Henny to own her title and put her in her place. Never had she been dommed by a woman and it was a past due experience.

---

The sexual tension in the room was at an all-time high. Hennessy and Charlie eyed each other hungrily while Kimora sat on the bed watching the show.

“I just want my pussy ate,” she finally spoke up, obviously aroused by the apparent power struggle going on in front of her.

Henny looked over to Charlie, one eyebrow raised challengingly.

“You heard the woman, Charlie. You wanted some cotton candy and there it is being offered to you on a silver platter.”

“Wait, I said that out loud? Dammit Charlie!” Charlie faced Kimora who'd changed positions, her legs wide and inviting anyone to come forth. It was all the instruction Charlie needed before diving into Kimora’s slickness. Like a seasoned veteran, she feasted on the sweet nectar like it was her life source, Kimora’s voice rising in octaves as the waves of pleasure crashed around her. To ease the growing pleasure building in her own hobbit hole, Charlie reached a hand down to stroke her throbbing clit. A sharp smack to her plump ass by a riding crop stopped her ministrations.

“When the fuck did she get that?” she wondered silently.

“Did I tell you to touch my pussy, Charlie Jade?” Hennessy questioned, slowly stripping out of her bodycon dress.

“No.. but I'm a touch it,” Charlie tested, returning her hand to her pulsing clit. She wanted that discipline. For a minute she thought that her husband had entered the room, this level of dominance being something completely foreign coming from the tiny woman. Another sharp smack whipped across her backside causing her to drop her hand.

“I said move ya damn hand. Don’t make me say it again, Jade.”

Charlie gushed at Henny’s words, a slick smile on her face.

--

The sounds of sex pulled Josephine and Ryley from their slumber. A glance at the nearby clock revealed the time, 3:45 am. Kimora had promised to be back from Charlie’s room no later than 1:30 so that Josephine could teach them both how to effectively hide their side niggas from Erik.

The pair made their way down the hall, stopping as the moans seemed to intensify outside of Charlie’s room.

“Damn, I thought Erik would’ve been too busy with Angel and Bast to deal with anyone else,” Ryley stated.

“That moisturized, ashy ass nigga always ready to kill some pussy,” Josephine replied.

“Ahh, fuck! Charliiieeee!”

Ryley and Josephine’s heads snapped up in unison.

“I know damn well..” Ryley’s voice trailed off.

Using her powers, Josephine was able to unlock and open the door ever so slightly, giving her and Ryley front row seats to the show.

--

“Eat that shit Charlie!” Hennessy barked, both hands twisted in Charlie's thick coils. Charlie felt like she’d reached Nirvana. The way Kimora sang her name coupled with the way Hennessy was commanding her had brought her to completion twice already and she hadn’t even been touched. It was all so new.

Josephine and Ryley watched from the door, mouths gaping. They’d never seen Hennessy in such a way and Josephine smugly patted herself on the back at how well her spell was working.

“Charliiieeeee!” Kimora screamed a final time, her orgasm hitting her like a brick. The only other person that had eaten her out that well was her husband. Charlie looked up to Hennessy, eager for her next set of instructions. Hennessy stood at the foot of Charlie’s bed, proudly sporting a 9 in. strap-on that she had made in the image of her husband’s member. Charlie and Kimora both stared at it hungrily.

“Kimora, come ride this dick. Charlie, on my face,” Henny commanded as she lay prostrate on the bed. After both women assumed their respective positions, Hennessy went to work on Charlie’s throbbing bulb. As Kimora bounced on her lap, Charlie’s thick thighs threatened to swallow her whole. She rolled her hips in tune with Henny’s licks to her hobbit hole and brought herself to completion for a third time tonight.

---

“The fuck going on in here?” Aly’Sha asked, sleepily rubbing her eyes. Kimora and Charlie’s loud moans had disturbed her rest and she was all too prepared to give the women a piece of her mind until she saw Ryley and Josephine outside of the door.

“See for yourself,” Josephine encouraged, stepping to the side to give Aly’Sha a view. Her eyes widened as she watched the live action porn scene before her.

“What did you do to her?” Aly’Sha asked as she watched Hennessy dominate her sister wives.

“She may or may not be possessed by De Strength of de Oakland Neega,” Josephine teased.

--

The spell had long since worn off, but Hennessy’s sex drive was still going. Hennessy was high off power as both women turned into moaning messes under her ministrations. Both Kimora and Charlie’s legs shook as their umteenth orgasms crashed over them.

“H-Henny.. Please,” Kimora whined. She was never one to tap out during sex, but her body honestly couldn’t take another second of the assault that was being delivered to her core. Hennessy looked up from her position between her thighs and smiled, rose gold fronts once again catching the light of the room.

“Again,” was the only word she spoke as she lapped at the sweet nectar between her wife’s legs. It was at this moment that Charlie realized that she’d created a monster. King Hennessy indeed.

TAG LIST: @vibranium-soul @imagine-mbaku @mareethequeen @greennightspider @eriknutinthispoosy @hearteyes-for-killmonger @blackpantherismyish @muse-of-mbaku @shesfromwakanda @thehomierobbstark @wifeyofnjadaka @youreadthatright @tgigoldie @killmongersgurl @dameshaemonique @princessstevens @princesskillmonger @thickoreo @amethyst1993 @iamrheaspeaks @laketaj24 @bidibidibombaclaat @allhailnjadaka @whatmoredoyouwantamericaa @forbeautyandlife @yaachtynoboat711 @panthergoddessbast @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @dacreskars @thadelightfulone @drsunshine97 @wakanda-inspired @wawakanda-btch @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @ayellepea @awkwardlyabstract @madamslayyy @blowmymbackout @vikkidc

THE HOUSEHOLD: @alyshastevens-udaku @wyldjuan @itsangeludaku @thehomiekillmonger @lovemecharlie @itskimorafireudaku @poosypoosy @bastioncarterstevens-udaku

[themurphyzone]

Absolutely Disastrous Ch 10

Ch 10:  The Rustboro Pokémon School! The Friendly Unovan Rivalry Begins!

Rustboro City was the research and education hub of Hoenn. Its proximity to Petalburg Woods, Meteor Falls, and several aquatic habitats made it one of the most interesting places to live for the scientific community. It also happened to contain the university where the seasons of Professor Magezone and Adjunct Faculty Member Magnezone were filmed.

Milo made sure he appreciated the city of cobblestone while reassuring Zack that Magikarp weren’t out for blood and calming Melissa from Dakota’s earlier dine and dash stunt.

The Pokémon were meshing nicely with each other. Poochyena was hot-tempered but cooled down easily with a distraction. Mudkip only chewed on a thick rope Milo had given him. Diogee and Treecko liked to nap together. Torchic’s energy kept everyone on their toes.

“I can’t believe we get to see Mahlson Corp!” Milo exclaimed, admiring a tall brick building that towered above everything else in the city. “Even if it’s just the exterior! Melissa, make sure you’re getting all this!”

Melissa snapped a few photos on her phone. “Imagine the scoop journalists get with the Mahlson Corp,” she said. “Corporations of that size are always harboring secrets in their labs.”

“Like a lab-raised Pokémon that hates people,” Zack suggested.

“Technology that can open a portal to another dimension,” Milo added.

“Maybe some other time,” Melissa said. “We should get your Pokémon checked at the Center before your gym battle. That was always a pet peeve with Dad. Matches tend to go poorly for the challenger if they didn’t rest their Pokémon before the battle.”

There was a crowd outside of the Pokémon Center. People cheered at a fiery symbol emblazoned in the air above them.

“Excuse me!” Milo said as he pushed in front of a Gloom. The Gloom made an indignant noise at having its view blocked.

Zack followed Milo’s lead, but Melissa took no issue in jabbing people with her elbow.

“Thank you for all your attention!” a female voice exclaimed. “For my final act, I will now select a member of the audience to participate! Which one of you lucky trainers will share the spotlight?”

Milo and Zack stumbled to the front at the same time, where they had a clear view of the performers and their Pokémon. One girl wore orange and yellow, while the other was dressed almost entirely in magenta.

The girl in orange grinned at the newcomers. “Hey, I recognize you!” she exclaimed to Zack.

Zack frowned. “Have we met before?”

“Not in real life, but I’ve seen your music video! You obviously know how to captivate a crowd!” she yelled. Zack winced slightly. She didn’t seem to have much volume control. “Let’s give them a grand finale to remember! So, what Pokémon do you have?”

“What music video?” Milo asked.

“I’ll tell you later!” Zack yelled as the girl dragged him into position. “Anyways, I just have a Treecko, so-“

The girl blinked. “That’s perfect! A sensational Pokémon for sure! And adorable to boot! So, uh, Amanda! What’s a Treecko?”

Amanda groaned. “Lydia, I told you to read that book on native Hoenn Pokémon! We had eight hours on the plane!”

Lydia smiled guiltily. “They had Dusknoir of the Opera for in-flight entertainment! How could I resist? Dusknoir and Primarina are such a cute couple!”

“She’s better off with Gallade and you know it!” Amanda retorted.

Lydia rolled her eyes. “He’s nice and all, but Dusknoir has the more interesting dynamic.”

“Anyway, Treecko is the Grass-type starter of Hoenn. You would know that if you opened the book,” Amanda said.

“Perfect! Grass and Fire complement each other like PB&J, you know,” Lydia said. “Let’s get our flames on, Tepig!”

Tepig snorted several embers, stomping its hoof. Zack sent out Treecko, though at a distance so he didn’t receive a burn.

“And raise your Surskit better, would you?” Melissa shouted over her shoulder as she finally caught up to Milo and Zack. Her hair had puffed out so much that she resembled a Pyroar. “Sorry I’m late. Some guy’s Surskit used Bubble on me after I knocked him out of the way. Make any comments about my hair and I will end you.”

Treecko used his newly-learned Bullet Seed to create a pattern on the ground, while Tepig cloaked itself in flames and stomped on each seed, setting it ablaze. Under Lydia’s direction, Tepig added several twirls and zigzags to embellish its performance. Within minutes, the flames burned out, revealing an ash-covered smiley face to the audience.

“Thank you!” Lydia cheered with a bow. “Let’s give it up for Tepig, Treecko, and Zack! If you wanna see more of my lovely Tepig, please come to the Rustboro Contest in two days’ time!”

While the crowd dispersed, Amanda frantically flipped through a planner. “Lydia, I only set aside ten minutes for one of your street performances!” she yelled. “We only have twenty minutes to get Minccino into a check-up and be on time for class!”

“I thought you were trainers,” Zack said. “You still have school?”

“Is your class at the Rustboro Pokémon School?” Melissa asked.

Amanda nodded. “I wanted to learn more about Hoenn before setting off. Lydia only agreed because she heard they’d be holding a Contest in this city.”

“I’ve never been good at book learning,” Lydia admitted.

“The Rustboro Pokémon School is often a recommended stop for beginning trainers,” Melissa continued. “They usually teach about basic care, type effectiveness, and careers that center heavily on Pokémon. We’d have to stop there anyway, because the gym leader also serves as a principal. Dad says she hasn’t been the same since the teacher’s convention in Celadon City.”  

“Speaking of teachers, we only have sixteen minutes!” Amanda yelled. “Nice to meet everyone, but we need to get in line!”

“But-“ Lydia protested.

Amanda cut her off with a sharp yank, dragging her into the Pokémon Center. Moments later, an ear-splitting screech filled the air, forcing Milo to pull out an umbrella to protect everyone from a burst window.

“We’ll never make it back in time,” Amanda muttered as Milo walked in, avoiding the door’s splintered frame. A long line stretched all the way to the desk, made up of many annoyed people and Pokémon whose ears were still ringing from Amanda’s scream.

“Coach Mitchell won’t notice,” Lydia tried. “He’ll be too busy brainstorming ways to beat Principal Milder’s record in the Game Corner. Remember yesterday when he tried to borrow Ms. Camilichec’s Persian so he could use Pay Day to have an infinite supply of coins?”

Amanda stared at her planner, mumbling ways to salvage her schedule for the rest of the day.

“If you want, I can take Minccino for the next hour or two,” Milo offered. “My Pokémon need to be in tip-top shape for their gym battle anyway.”

“Good idea!” Lydia exclaimed. “You hear that, Amanda? You get to class on time, Minccino gets her check-up, everyone wins!”

Amanda clutched her Poké Ball, looking rather doubtful. “And you’ll give Minccino back?” she asked, a suspicious edge in her voice.

“Yup!” Milo said.

“I’ll vouch for Milo here,” Melissa said. “He doesn’t know how to lie well.”

Zack and Diogee also added their own testimonies to Milo’s character, though Diogee seemed to be begging for treats during his turn.

Still looking nervous, Amanda released Minccino from her Poké Ball. A small, fluffy Pokémon emerged, shaking out her tail as she yawned.

“Minccino, do you mind if I head back to class?” Amanda asked. “This boy and his friends offered to look after you for a bit. It’s just an hour or two, and I’ll hang onto your Poké Ball! I really don’t want to miss this lesson cause it has to do with preparing Pokémon food.”

“Hi there,” Milo said, kneeling next to Minccino when she just stared at him. He pulled out a Sitrus Berry and his Pokédex, then offered the berry to Minccino. She cautiously sniffed it, then took an experimental bite. Minccino squealed happily, scarfing down the rest of the berry.

“Minccino, the Chinchilla Pokémon. This Pokémon is highly recommended for parents who are sick of picking up after their messy teenagers who can’t be bothered to clean their room when they’re told.”

Lydia frowned. “Are all Hoenn Pokédexes weird like that?”

“Nah, just Milo’s,” Zack sighed. “It has a mind of its own.”

“So you’ll be okay with Milo?” Amanda asked.

Minccino nodded, patting her tail against Milo’s leg with a happy squeak.

“You don’t normally like new people off the bat,” Amanda said. “Are you sure?”

“Oh, quit worrying!” Lydia said, grabbing Amanda’s arm and hauling her outside. “Minccino likes him just fine! She’s in good hands!”

“Don’t eat too much! I’m trying out that new recipe, remember?” Amanda shouted as Lydia dragged her away. “And be nice to Milo and his friends! And-“

Her reminders faded away.

Minccino stuck close to Milo while they waited, resting on his shoulder with her tail curled around her body. Her paw flashed out every time Diogee reared up on his hind legs to get a closer look.

“What’s your plan for the gym leader?” Melissa asked. “I heard she uses Rock-types.”

“Well, I’ve got Mudkip, but she probably has a counterstrategy for him,” Milo said. “It’ll definitely be interesting though!”

“Trainers are always challenging the Lavaridge Gym with Water-types,” Melissa said. “They think they can just douse a Fire-type to win. But they’re always unprepared for Sunny Day, which reduces the power of Water attacks.”

“Johto Gym Leaders are notoriously easy to beat with a Fire-type,” Zack said. “Honestly, I’m surprised none of them thought of teaching Rain Dance to their Pokémon.”

Once they made it to the front desk, Milo released Mudkip from his Poké Ball. “I’m planning to challenge the gym, and I want to be sure Mudkip and Diogee are ready,” he said, removing Minccino from his shoulder and setting her next to Mudkip. “Oh, and this is my friend’s Minccino. Amanda just wants her to be healthy. I don’t think she’s taking part in any huge battle though.”

“No problem!” the nurse beamed, turning to her Pokémon partner. “Chansey, take these three Pokémon to Room D and do a basic examination on them.”

A smiling Chansey ushered them into the back, closing the door behind her.

“Please have a seat in the lobby while you wait,” the nurse said.

“Actually, there’s one more thing,” Zack said. “How do you take part in a Contest?”

Milo and Melissa glanced at him in surprise. “I thought you didn’t have a goal yet,” Melissa said.

“I still don’t,” Zack admitted. “But Treecko seemed to be having fun in front of a crowd. And Lydia mentioned she was taking part in a Contest.”

“Are you going to make another music video?” Milo asked.

Zack sputtered indignantly, muttering something unintelligible about how ‘those days are behind me’ and ‘I can’t deal with another prop ax’.

"If you plan on competing, you'll need to register for a regional Contest Pass. It'll be good for any Hoenn contest but won't work outside the region. I can handle the registration here if you have your Pokédex," Nurse Joy explained. 

Zack inserted his Pokédex into the slot she indicated. Nurse Joy typed several commands into her computer, and a plastic card popped out of a nearby printer. She took the card and laid it on top of a bright red case. Then she handed both to Zack. 

"Present the card to the attendant and they'll let you in. This ribbon case will hold the proof of your contest victories. You'll need to collect five ribbons to be allowed entry into the Grand Festival." 

Zack gulped, taking the card and case gingerly. He removed his Pokédex from the slot. "Five ribbons!" he laughed nervously. "No prob, totally not feeling pressured already!" 

"Just do your best and have fun!" Nurse Joy called with a smile as Milo hauled Zack over to a bench in the lobby. 

Zack's legs never seemed to work when he was nervous. His mouth had frozen into a rather creepy half-smile. 

Melissa stomped on his foot, causing Zack to yelp and recoil in pain. "You were creeping me out," Melissa retorted when Zack glared at her. 

"How come you didn't tell us you wanted to be a coordinator?" Milo asked. 

Zack sighed. "I don't know. Not even my parents know. They'll probably find out if the contest is televised, but I don't want to tell them yet. And I thought it would be nice to perform with a Pokémon, and not just use them as a prop to make special effects with." 

Before Milo and Melissa could ask more questions, the doors burst open. A Shroomish and Minun held themselves high as they marched into the lobby. They were a bit roughed-up, but they looked exceedingly proud of themselves. 

Bradley followed them inside, smirking as he sauntered over to the nearest group of trainers. 

"Shroomish and Minun have the right to be proud of themselves," Bradley boasted. "After all, we did get the Stone Badge." 

He proudly displayed a small piece of metal, holding it above his head for everyone to see. As the trainers around him began asking questions about his challenge, the back doors swung open and Mudkip, Diogee, and Minccino dashed out. A Chansey called out to them with a stern look on her face, and the trio slowed down, walking back to Milo with slightly guilty expressions. 

"Aw, it's alright," Milo said. "Mudkip and Diogee, have you been cleared for battle?" 

Mudkip and Diogee cheered. 

"Minccino, you're all healthy?" Milo asked. 

Minccino nuzzled his hand. 

Milo grinned. "Alright then, it's off to the Pokémon School! Who's ready to earn a badge?" 

In his excitement, Mudkip jumped and darted around the lobby, weaving between people's legs and barely avoiding the cables to a TV mounted to the wall. The moment came to a crashing halt when Mudkip didn't avoid Bradley in time, sending him sprawling to the floor with a surprised grunt. 

The badge slipped out of his hands, rolling away until it stopped near Milo's shoes. Milo picked it up and rushed over to Bradley, helping him up while Shroomish and Minun shot Mudkip some incredibly furious looks. 

"Mudkip, say you're sorry," Milo said sternly. "You have to be more careful in a Pokémon Center. Hurt Pokémon come in all the time and their trainers would be very upset with you if you crashed into them." 

Mudkip wilted, then squeaked an apology. 

"Fine, I accept. Don't make this more awkward," Bradley muttered, pulling away from Milo. He snatched the Stone Badge away once he realized it was in Milo's hand. "And that's my badge, thank you." 

"Looks like your challenge went well," Milo smiled, though Bradley scowled further. "What did the gym leader use?" 

Bradley crossed his arms. "That's classified information. Since you're challenging her, I think I might just stay in town and watch you lose." 

"Fair enough," Milo called as Bradley stomped out of the Pokémon Center in a huff. Shroomish and Minun followed behind him, just as irritated as their trainer. 

“Who spat in that guy's milk?”  Zack scoffed. 

“I don't care,” Melissa said as she scribbled several notes into her pad. “But a grumpy rival could definitely add a little pizazz to my little project.”

“Welcome to the Rustboro Pokémon School!” a secretary greeted. “How may I be of assistance today?”

“Is Amanda here? I’d like to return her Minccino,” Milo asked, gesturing to the fluffy Pokémon on his shoulders.

The secretary nodded, picking up a microphone on her desk. “Right, Amanda asked me to keep an eye out for you. I’ll call her to the front.”

She pushed a button, and the intercom emitted a horrible ringing noise that seemed to reverberate through the walls of the building. Diogee and Minccino screeched in pain, Zack writhing on the floor in agony. Milo and Melissa winced, covering their ears until the sound passed. While they’d dealt with plenty of malfunctioning electronics before, the ringing was something they’d never get used to.

“Sorry!” the secretary yelped. “I have no idea what happened! Sure, we haven’t had much money since the schoolboard bought that yacht, but our equipment is always somewhat functional!”

“It’s alright,” Melissa said, cutting in before the secretary could go into a full-blown panic mode. “Do you have any idea where Amanda is?”

The secretary’s nose scrunched up in thought. “She seems to have taken a shine to our cooking classrooms. Really likes that Basil Bravo guy. Never liked his show myself, always seemed a bit airheaded to me. But hey, to each their own. First floor, rooms 16-19 are all kitchen setups.”

Milo thanked her, and Minccino hopped off his shoulder and scurried ahead. It seemed Minccino had an innate sense for her trainer’s whereabouts, since she nosed her way into Room 17 and beelined straight for Amanda, clinging to her leg with a delightful squeak.

“Oof, I’m happy to see you, Minccino,” Amanda said, quickly setting down a bowl of flour so she could hug Minccino back.

“Told you!” Lydia proclaimed. “She’s happy and healthy! Nothing to worry about here!”

Tepig stomped his hoof, nosing Lydia’s hand back onto his head.

Lydia laughed. “Oh, you’re just a little attention seeker.”

“Yup, no issues at all,” Milo agreed. “You’ve got a great Pokémon there.”

Amanda’s attention returned to the bowl she’d been stirring. “Thanks. I’m glad she likes you. Normally it takes a while for her to warm up to new people.”

Lydia nodded. “Amanda and I are from Unova. Castelia City, to be exact. It’s ginormous. We spent a lot of time exploring the city before we became Pokémon trainers. Our journeys were delayed by a few years because of this Pokémon liberation group. Lots of people thought we shouldn’t train or work with Pokémon anymore. Said it was cruel to treat them as servants.”

“My family’s worked alongside Absol for generations,” Milo said. “We don’t treat them as servants.”

“Gym leaders, firefighters, doctors, and researchers all rely on the partnership of a loyal Pokémon,” Zack added.

Melissa crossed her arms. “Guys, it’s great that you have strong bonds with your Pokémon. But not everyone sees it that way. All the crime syndicates that were taken down over the years? Pokémon are just tools to them.”

“Anyway, the liberation group held a protest at the city plaza. They mass-released a ton of Pokémon and left. A lot of the Pokémon were super-confused and the police department had their hands full trying to rehabilitate them cause they weren’t used to living in a big city. Amanda and I found Minccino the day after the protest. She was scared and her fur was dirty. We brought her to Nurse Joy. She said Minccino had most likely been captured in a forest by the Pokémon liberation group, then released during their protest.”

Amanda forcefully cracked an egg against the rim of her bowl, setting aside the shells and taking up her spoon. “I was twelve. I could legally own a Pokémon. I figured taking responsibility for Minccino would prove that I could be a trainer. My parents thought that my…strict adherence to schedules would hinder me, and it took months for them to finally buy the plane tickets to Hoenn.”

Melissa patted Amanda’s shoulder in sympathy. “Parent problems. Gotta love ‘em, right?”

“Yeah,” Amanda sighed. She finished stirring her mixture, then poured it into a tin. “Basil Bravo said that cooking is bringing harmony to all ingredients. Serving is bringing harmony to everyone who eats the finished product. I decided Hoenn would be the best place to begin practicing those words.”

Zack coughed, and everyone’s eyes flicked over to him. He squirmed under the attention. “On a lighter note, I have my Contest Pass now.”

A scream pierced the room, and Lydia quickly enveloped Zack in a hug. She shrieked, jumping up and down in excitement while poor Zack could only wonder what he’d just unleashed. Tepig sniffed disdainfully and turned his back to them.

“Ohmygoshohmygosh!” Lydia screamed. “We can be coordinator buddies now and share appeal round tips and compete and…wait, are we buddies or rivals? Wait, I’ve got it! We’ll be budivals! Yeah, that totally works! I can’t believe this! I’m a budival with the Zack Underwood of the Lum-“

Zack clamped his hand over her mouth. “Hey, Milo, I bet you’re just dying to have your battle now! How ‘bout we go find the gym leader? That badge has your name on it! Not literally, but you know what I mean!”

He shoved Milo out the door, feet scuffing against the ground when Milo clung to the doorframe.

“Hey, do you know where we can find the gym leader?” Milo called to Lydia. He felt Zack shove his back several times, the last push dislodging him from the wood and sending him tumbling to the ground. A weight crashed onto his backpack, and Zack let out a wheeze as the air was knocked out of his lungs.

“What do you keep in here? Anchors?” Zack groaned, stumbling to his feet.

Milo dusted himself off. “Two actually. You never know when you need to secure yourself for freak windstorms.”

“I need to keep an eye on my Poképuffs,” Amanda said. “But Lydia can take you.”

Lydia nodded. “Principal Milder usually checks on the classes around this time. We’ll be able to catch her. C’mon, Tepig! Let’s put that sniffer to good use!”

She pried Tepig’s hooves away from the oven and carried him out of the room.

“It’s not gonna cook faster if you watch it,” Lydia said. “It’ll be ready soon though, don’t worry. In the meantime, can you sniff out Principal Milder for us? We all know she keeps that Sweet Scent perfume in her desk. Shouldn’t be too hard to find her.”

The group quickly found out that relying on a Pokémon with an acute sense of smell and an appetite to rival a hundred Munchlax led to Tepig picking up scents of food in people’s backpacks. After the tenth time, Melissa called upon Poochyena to help in the search, promising him a tasty reward if he could help them find Principal Milder.

After an hour of scouring all three floors, multiple dead ends, and a ten-minute break, they finally decided to check Principal Milder’s office. Milo and Lydia dragged Zack between them, who’d been hit with a Zubat’s Supersonic and was now muttering nonsense to himself.

Melissa held the door open while Milo and Lydia maneuvered Zack into the office, accidentally knocking Zack’s head on a nearby cabinet. Diogee, Tepig, and Poochyena steered clear of their trainers, heading straight for a comfortable couch they could all fit on.

Zack giggled. “I want the green one. It feels like asparagus.”

“Yeah, that knock won’t be doing wonders for his head,” Melissa muttered.

“We really should’ve just come to the office first,” Milo said sheepishly.

Principal Milder tapped her long nails against the desk impatiently, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she held a phone away from her ear. “Look, I just did my rounds of the school. My challenger today kept shoving his new badge in everyone’s face, and Mitchell is trying to use Pay Day to beat MY record at the Game Corner. So, no, I’m not in the mood to hear about how Lilycove Prep is way better than us hardworking Rustboro folk. If you’ll excuse me, I have things to do. Good day.”

“Um, hi,” Lydia said awkwardly. “We were just looking for you.”

Milder slowly scooted her chair away from Zack, who was now convinced that she was Fireflower from the My Lovely Ponyta series.

“Zack, she’s not Fireflower. Stop it,” Melissa said, dragging him off the desk before Milder’s self-preservation instincts led her to jump out the window.

“He was hit by Supersonic,” Milo offered as an explanation.

“He’s normally calmer than this,” Lydia agreed.

Milder settled back against her chair, some of the tension draining out of her shoulders. “Alright, now that we’ve established how I’m not a toy Ponyta with a brushable mane, may I ask what you’re doing here?”

“I wanted to ask for a gym battle. But if your Pokémon need rest, I don’t mind waiting,” Milo said.

Milder sighed. “Well, at least you’re considerate. I’m not taking any more matches this week though. I need to visit Mauville, and my reasons will not be disclosed to minors.”

“You’re going to the Game Corner,” Melissa guessed.

“No, I’m going to a family-friendly and not at all morally ambiguous establishment,” Milder said.

“You’re seriously refusing to battle Milo because you have a grudge against someone for beating your high score,” Melissa replied.

Milder’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I once knew a kid who kept asking all sorts of questions that weren’t any of his business. And you know what happened to him?”

“He either became a lawyer or investigative journalist,” Melissa guessed. 

“Actually, he did become a lawyer but that’s beside the point,” Milder said in irritation.

Silence reigned while Milder tried to follow up with another comeback, but she came up empty.

Finally, Milder gave in. “If I delegate my gym leader duties to someone else, will you battle them instead? Same rules apply. Only the challenger can switch Pokémon, no destroying the building, and you earn the badge when you win. Deal?”

Figuring that Milder probably wasn’t willing to negotiate, Milo decided to just accept her terms. “Deal. So who am I battling?”

Before Milder could answer, the ground split open, revealing a man with a dirt-streaked face. He was dressed like a miner, though Milo was pretty sure miners didn’t smell like sewer water.

“Sassafras!” the stranger exclaimed, frowning when everyone stared at him. “Oh, that’s not right. What do Overlanders generally say when they accidentally drill a hole in someone’s office while trying to hunt for discarded fast food wrappers?”

“Sorry?” Milo suggested.

The man regarded Milo for a second, looking rather confused. “For what? Oh, no, you’re right! It’s sorbet!”

Milder buried her face in her hands, already regretting her decision. “Close enough. Kids, meet Scott the Undergrounder. He lives in the sewers under Rustboro.”

Scott waved at them. “Hey, you kids want some half-eaten burritos? I can heat them over the toilet if you’d like!”

Lydia looked visibly ill, so Milder quickly moved the conversation along, “Now, do you mind battling Milo in my place? I’m delegating you with my responsibilities as gym leader for his challenge. If he wins, you’ll give him the Stone Badge. Got it?”

“Sure, Mildred gets restless if she can’t exercise!” Scott exclaimed. “Lemme grab her and we’ll start this popsicle stand!”

He disappeared, singing a jaunty tune he’d made up.

“That Dunsparce looked like a weird man,” Zack observed helpfully.

“May Arceus help you all,” Milder said.

AN: Zack really gets put through the wringer in this one. 

Amanda and Lydia debut is here! Yes, the Pokemon liberation group they’re talking about is Team Plasma! The way I see it, Amanda and Lydia’s journeys were delayed because Team Plasma’s ideas became very prominent, which led to some parents not wanting their kids to train Pokemon. While Amanda and Lydia found Minccino together, Minccino bonded to Amanda because cleaning and organizing go hand in hand, and Amanda’s personality was just a better match overall. Lydia received her Tepig in Nuvema Town, then they headed off to Hoenn. 

[fredyates1992]

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[evenbakkas]

Sesong 3 Episode 2 - Even

Summary: Even is determined to figure out if Isak is interested in him. Isak and Even do the Weed. They share some moments over cheese toasties. Isak screams about spices. 

Word Count: 6715

“I’m interested in you too, Isak. I promise. Don’t give up on me just yet.”

YOU CAN READ CHAPTER 1 HERE.

CHAPTER 1: SESONG 3 EPISODE 1 - EVEN

Even ended up missing school the first two days of the week because of a depressive episode. It was a milder one to most, one where he mostly slept the entire day and wouldn’t let his mind concentrate on any one thing long enough to piece it together. Eating was hard, and his parents did their best to coax him to eat something small every once in awhile. But mostly, Even was left alone in his room, a method of which he preferred. He hated feeling trapped and grew anxious at the thought. His parents knew that.

Being alone in his room for a few days meant that whenever he wasn’t sleeping, he would be scrolling the internet. And, occasionally, stalking Isak on it.

The first thing Even learned was that Isak’s last name was Valtersen. Isak Valtersen. The name sounded so beautiful coming out of Even’s mouth.

Even could spend hours looking through Isak’s Facebook and Instagram. Staring at the pictures. Laughing at his new posts. And, cringing at his Facebook profile picture. A late “internet 2010” meme? He was, frankly, slightly embarrassed for Isak.

Stalking was difficult due to the fact that Even didn’t currently have any social media. He was thankful he found a way to acquire the website URL’s so that he was able to conduct his intensive Isak research. That boy was quickly becoming the center of Even’s life.

By Wednesday, Even was feeling better enough to return to school. The thought of seeing Isak in person again after last Friday made Even’s heart swirl inside his chest. He made sure to wear his sexiest clothes and to style his hair to just the right amount of height. Even wasn’t afraid to admit that he wanted Isak to drool at the sight of him. All aboard the Extra Train.

After school, Even decided to head out to the courtyard. He was going to meet a few of his friends before heading home. As he spotted them across the lot, he noticed Isak and his friends talking with Vilde off in the distance. Isak was wearing a grey windbreaker and a grey snapback. Even commended past Isak for his clothing choices this morning. He really, for lack of a better word, looked hot as fuck. If Isak was trying to impress him, he knocked that shit out of the park. Even was rendered speechless, and he could feel his jeans tightening. Great.

Even remembered that he, too, had spent effort in his outfit this morning. It was already the end of the school day, and this was the first time he had seen Isak. He was going to make sure Isak witnessed it. Even started walking towards his friends, slightly strutting his way down the concrete. He placed his hands in his pockets and a cigarette behind his ear. Cool by Definition.

As soon as Even started to walk past Isak, Even started getting that warm feeling again. It was almost like the colors were wielding their way back into Even’s life, one that had been mostly dull the past few days. Despite the grey clouds thickly painting the sky, Even could feel the suns rays on his face. He couldn’t help but look towards the source of this intense heat.

Isak.

Isak was staring at Even, his eyes thinly slit and focused on Even’s every move. Even matched his eyes with Isak’s, and he could suddenly feel himself split with reality and transcend into a universe of only Isak and Even.

Even held his gaze with Isak, and he watched the emotions on Isak’s face change. He knew Isak was questioning what exactly was happening right now. This was the first time Isak didn’t silently apologize by averting his eyes. Isak was completely, unapologetically, and undeniably staring at Even with the weight of a thousand suns. And Even did his best not to think about how delicious Isak’s lips were.

He failed.

By the time he finally reached his friends, Even knew Isak was still staring at him. He pretended to concentrate on something his friend was saying, but instead was too focused with putting on his sunglasses and leaning into the brick wall. Nothing was cooler than that, if you asked Even.

Even could see Emma walking towards Isak and his friends from the corner of his eye. Now that Isak was beginning to return Even’s sentiments, the jealousy was even worse. Even knew what teens were like these days. Sleeping around, hopping from one person to the next. As a hopeless romantic, Even wasn’t really into that scene. He hoped Isak wasn’t either. He wanted the opportunity to sweep Isak off of his feet. But that would never happen if Emma also had Isak’s attention.

Even had to get rid of her. Somehow. There wasn’t anything malicious about it, he really had nothing against Emma. If she wasn’t so into Isak, Even could pass her in the hallways smoothly.

But, jealously was a hard feeling to ignore. It left a sick, acidic taste in Even’s mouth. Especially because it seemed like Emma had no issues just walking straight up to Isak and displaying her affection. Even, on the other hand, had to be careful. It wasn’t as simple for a guy to express his feelings for another guy as easily as it was to catch those feelings. There were so many stereotypes associated with sexuality that Even sometimes felt overwhelmed. He loved Isak so effortlessly, it was hard for him to imagine other people trying to put a cap on such love.

And, being the amazing human reader that Even was, he knew Isak would shy away from any feelings he might have for Even. Isak was probably the most uncomfortable person Even had ever met. He noticed the layers of struggle wrapped around Isak from the moment he first laid his eyes on him. Even had to be patient.

And that definitely didn’t help his situation with Emma. Emma could be so open with Isak and go after him and Even was left constrained. Trapped. And Even didn’t like those odds one bit.

If anything, this made Even more determined than he was before. Their official meeting had confirmed, to Even anyway, that Isak was boyfriend material. I mean, anyone who can be confronted with your lameness and still want to talk to you afterwards is a keeper.

And those lips. If dating was just about superficial attributes, he could date those lips alone. They were the perfect amount of dainty and cute and the way Isak licked them made Even feel like he was doing cartwheels. Even couldn’t even comprehend what it would feel like to kiss them. That was more next level shit Even had never experienced before. The image of his and Isak’s lips fitting together in a mind numbing kiss stained Even’s brain and refused to wash out.

Even was persistent on making it happen.

~

Even spent more time than he probably should have thinking about his first kiss with Isak. His days were filled with wandering thoughts of Even leaning over Isak, bending down slightly to peck his lips or, Even placing Isak on a kitchen countertop so that he was equal with his height. School had been getting increasingly difficult with all of these distractions. Even had always done decent in school, some classes better than others, but now it seemed he was slacking in all of his studies. Given Even’s attitude about the education system, he wondered if he really cared.

And isn’t love more important? He could feel the eye rolls he would get from all of the science geeks and grown adults responding to that statement. At his school in Elvebakken, the liberal arts had been a major focus in their teachings and Even thrived in this environment. At Hartvig Nissen, he barely cared enough to lift a pencil.

The only thing that kept him going throughout the day was Isak. Isak excited parts inside Even that he didn’t even know he had. It was giddy excitement, too. The kind that made your stomach fill with butterflies and your cheeks burn from how wide you would involuntarily smile.

Even still couldn’t deny that a small part of him felt guilty that he was letting himself feel these things for Isak while he was with Sonja. He had wanted to break up with her for months now, even before he had seen Isak on the first day of school. And he would have done it, if it wasn’t for the dynamics of their relationship. No matter how much Even hated it, Sonja knew him better than anyone else. She knew what was good for him, and she was always right. Underneath all of her passive aggressiveness. Sonja was exactly the type of parter Even needed.

But Even didn’t want that. Not at all. Over the years, he grew tired of everyone controlling him. That was what sparked his anxiety towards feeling trapped in the first place. And as much as his family and friends would try to give him space, at the end of the day, they never really let go of the leash.

Even was tired of everything being so predictable. He was tired of being in a position where he would be scolded like a small child every time he did something wrong. He wasn’t a child. He could take care of himself. For the most part, anyway. It wasn’t his fault he needed help sometimes. He just wished some people understood that they were hurting more than they were helping, regardless of their good intentions.

Even was now standing on the train, ready to head home. He had invited his girlfriend and some friends to a pregame later tonight, and he had to clean the house up a bit. In truth, he really wasn’t all that excited about it. It was more of the same old shit.

The door was about to close as Isak walked onto the train, eyes focused in on his phone screen. Even’s stomach dropped and his heart started racing. What the fuck?

Isak’s eyes continued looking down as he shuffled over to stand next to a pole and coincidentally, next to Even. It was clear Isak hadn’t noticed Even at all.

Even stared at Isak for awhile, waiting for him to finally look up. When he didn’t, Even decided to break the silence himself.

“Halla,” Even said.

Isak glanced up at Even, surprised. Even kept a firm smile on his face.

“Halla?” Isak choked out, making his greeting sound more like a question.

Even raised his eyebrows, “On your way home?”

“Yeah. You, too?”

Even quickly nodded. This conversation was staler than the bag of potato chips in his room that he’d been too preoccupied to throw away.

Isak was back to looking down again, only this time he was staring at the ground instead of his phone. More silence.

Even gazed out the window, a smirk forming on his face. He bit back a laugh as he pursed his lips at Isak. If Isak was trying to pretend he wasn’t nervous, he was failing miserably. Even could feel how uncomfortable he was. Isak let himself look at Even again, but this time he was smiling. Even wished he could take a photo and capture the moment. That way once he got home, he could draw it and hang it up on his wall filled with his favorite things.

The tension was growing more and more as the seconds rolled by. Even started panicking, unsure of what to say. Why do I always have so much trouble speaking around him?

“Awesome conversation, though.” Even laughed. He hoped cracking a joke about the awkward atmosphere would lighten it up a bit. He’d also hoped he would get to hear Isak’s laugh, another one of his favorite things.

He did, and Isak’s laugh made Even beam even more. The train was filled with silence again, but this time you could feel the echoes of laughter hanging above their heads. Even no longer wanted to go home. He wanted to stay on the train with Isak for hours and listen to hi talk about himself. He wanted to get to know Isak so that they could become more than just acquaintances. He wanted Isak to want him as much as he wanted Isak. A mouthful of promises on the horizon, out in the distance but begging to come closer. To become reality rather than a daydream.

“You’re…you’re 18, right?” Isak suddenly asked.

Even snapped out of his trance and nodded frantically. He was technically 19, but correcting Isak didn’t seem to fight it’s way through the knots in Even’s stomach. He swallowed slowly, trying to calm himself down but knowing it wouldn’t change as long as Isak was this close to him. Even tried not to think about how easy it would be to lean down and kiss him and his beautiful lips. Be patient.

“Could you possibly buy some beer?” It was as if a lightbulb had gone off in Isak’s head, and Even didn’t care that Isak was basically using him for alcohol. Because a lightbulb had also gone off in Even’s head, and he simply couldn’t ignore such a great idea.

Once they reached the store, having walked in silence yet again, only this time it was a comfortable quietness, with Even spending the entire time trying not to think about how it would feel to hold Isak’s hand, Even went inside to buy the beer as Isak waited for him outside.

Time to place the plan into action.

Even spent a few minutes inside, which was necessary in order for his plan to seem convincing. Isak hadn’t given him any specific beer to buy, so Even was peering into the glass of each refrigerated stack of shelves. Eventually, he nodded at the cashier and walked outside of the store, empty handed.

Isak looked at him as soon as he came into view.

“I managed to forget my ID. I need to go home and get it. Join me.”

Even didn’t wait for a reply as Isak stood there, dumbfounded. He waltzed past Isak and kept walking down the sidewalk, a tactic that had clearly worked the first time they met. Even was praying it would have the same power now as it did then.

Isak continued to stand still on the sidewalk, confused. Even glanced back at him slightly, only to see him turn around and start walking towards Even, asking him to wait up.

Plan successful.

~

As Isak and Even reached Even’s house, Even could feel Isak loosen up behind him. This boy, who had been so frigid and so closed off the first time they met was now letting himself open up to Even and Even was loving every minute of it. And he couldn’t believe he was finally going to be alone with Isak after months of pining after him. Even if it took a small lie in order to get him here.

“Hello?!” Even asked, as soon as he’d opened the door, Isak standing behind him. When he realized no one was home, he quietly said, “Awesome,” as he removed his shoes.

Now that Even had lied about forgetting his ID, knowing damn well it was in his jacket pocket, he had to pretend to search for it. Right away, Even walked over to his bed and Isak cautiously followed.

“I don’t get where I might’ve put it.”

Isak was too busy analyzing Even’s room to say anything back. Even watched him out of the corner of his eye. He wandered around Even’s room, bending over to stroke the guitar strings and stopping once he noticed the mural of drawings Even had hung up on his closet doors. Isak smiled.

“Did you draw these?” he asked.

Even stopped mindlessly walking around his bedroom to answer, “Yeah.”

“They’re good.”

“Thanks,” Even said. He was a bit nervous that Isak could see into a part of his mind, as he expressed a lot of his thoughts through drawings. Most of them were disguised as shitty memes, though.

“Very funny.”

“You think so?” Even was surprised at Isak’s reaction, and it made him smile. No one besides his family had ever complimented his drawings before, and it meant a lot to Even that Isak didn’t judge him for them. Even felt like Jack Dawson in the Titanic, and he was ready to paint Isak like one of his French girls.

“Mhm.” Isak mumbled, still smiling.

After minutes of searching his apartment, Even finally found what he was actually looking for.

“Here it is!” Even exclaimed suddenly.

Isak was still focused on Even’s drawings. “Did you find it?”

“No, but…” Even was really going to use weed to draw Isak in again. He was a man of practicing things he knows would work, and he knew weed was like candy to Isak. Even had to stop himself from laughing at his creepy pedophile analogy.

When Even trailed off, Isak looked over at him. Even was holding up a joint.

“Ayeee…” Isak hummed. Even chuckled at Isak’s loose vocabulary and set the joint behind his ear, then began to take off his jean jacket.

“What are you doing?” Isak asked, as he watched Even remove a piece of clothing.

Even stopped halfway and looked at Isak, a smile forming on his face. A true, genuine smile that reached his eyes.

“Well, I don’t know about you, but I prefer to be comfortable while smoking a joint.” Even laughed.

“Right.” Isak replied quickly, removing his jacket as well. They both chucked them onto Even’s bunk bed. Even took a seat on his windowsill, gesturing for Isak to join him. Isak followed and sat across from him.

“Do you want to take the first hit, or shall I?” Even raised his eyebrows as he lit the joint. Gentlemen offer weed to their beloved first, and Isak was a guest, after all.

Isak displayed a small smile, “You go ahead.”

“That’s chill. But you lost your opportunity at an Even-free hit.”

Isak laughed loudly, a laugh that was free of limitations and vaguely dosed with nervousness. Even joined in, and the two filled the room with their hysterics. Even handed Isak the blunt once he was finished, and Isak leaned forward to take it from him. Even kept his eyes on Isak the entire time, not shy of letting Isak know he was interested in him. That he’d been waiting for a moment like this since the first day of school. He was ready to experience these moments for the rest of his life. If someone were to ask him, in the future, when exactly he knew that Isak was the one, he knows he would weirdly relate back to this moment. Where the two of them could laugh and talk freely over a blunt, with comfort in the minor uncomfortableness.

“How do you like Nissen?” Isak asked, after moments of soft nothingness. Even didn’t take a beat to answer.

“It’s alright. The people are great, but I miss Elvebakken. I liked the curriculum over there better,” Even replied. He hoped Isak wouldn’t ask him why he transferred.

“One of my friends was thinking about transferring there last year, but I told her not to because then she would become a stuck up media nerd.” Isak smirked slightly as he looked at Even.

Even pretended to be offended. “Huh?!” he scoffed, “We’re not stuck up!”

“Okay, okay, but you’re still media nerds.” Isak chuckled, and handed the blunt back to Even.

“We’re only passionate about our interests.”

“Mhm.”

“So, tell me Isak, what are YOU interested in?”

“Science.”

“Oh, so you’re a science geek.”

“No!”

“If you ask me, media nerd beats science geek any day.”

It was Isak’s turn to scoff now. “Really? What is a media nerd going to do in a zombie apocalypse?”

Even couldn’t control his laughter, “A zombie apocalypse, are you serious? Coming from a science geek?”

“Listen, I’m just saying if it ever happened, I would know what to do in order to survive.”

“Isak, I think I’ve seen enough zombie movies to know what TO and what NOT TO do.” Even answered.

Isak chuckled at that, both of them noticing the conversation was bordering between normal and ridiculous.

“The media doesn’t portray zombie apocalypse’s accurately.” Isak said.

“Wow, you really are a science geek.”

Isak squinted his eyes at Even, who was only looking at Isak with silent wonder. Even was positive that Isak was the most beautiful creature he had ever seen. Both of them laughed off the conversation, as the weed started to set into their systems.

“Yeah,” Isak replied, eventually, “But you haven’t missed a lot of school, right?”

Even inhaled smoke as he thought about it. He knew he had missed quite a few days because of his episodes, but he’d lost track. He didn’t want to tell Isak that. Not right now, anyway.

“Just…just left early, I don’t know? Like, is that okay?” Even asked.

Isak closed his eyes and smiled, “You haven’t gotten with the system, I don’t fucking know. I skipped a few classes, but…”

“What’s the limit?”

“The limit’s ten percent. But if the principle likes you, you get fifteen.” Isak looked back at Even and laughed, his eyes mischievously sparkling.

Even couldn’t believe that. “Are you for real?!”

“Yeah, yeah. But I don’t think the principle likes me.”

Isak and Even were laughing again. A sound that was heaven to Even’s ears. He’d never heard Isak laugh this much, and he thanked the weed for making it happen.

Even loved sitting here with Isak. This boy that he’d had a lowkey crush on for months. He could finally ask Isak about himself in person. He wanted to learn everything there was to know about him, and so that’s what he did.

“What do you listen to?” Even asked.

“Music?”

“Yeah, if you listen to music.”

“Uhm…I’m a pretty big fan of NWA, but…” As soon as Even heard a band, he cut Isak off.

“That’s what you listen to before school to get hyped?” Even laughed, and then cringed. He realized that his question revealed that Even had seen Isak in the morning with headphones in before school. Isak didn’t seem to notice, of which Even was thankful.

“Uh…It’s, like, the kind of music you listen to when you want to walk around and feel cool.”

Even knew who NWA were, he had listened to them many times before. Even was a huge fan of  the Rap/Hip Hop genre. But he loved hearing Isak talk about his interests, so he said nothing.

“Have you listened to Nas?” Even asked, as Isak lowered his voice and mimicked NWA’s “Fuck tha Police.” Even couldn’t believe how undeniably cute it was.

“Mmm…Nas?” Isak questioned, clearly not familiar with the artist.

“Are you kidding?!” Even was surprised. Nas was one of his favorite rappers. 

“Hmm?!” Isak replied, startled and a bit confused.

“You haven’t checked it out?”

“If I’ve listened to it? I’ve listened to it…” Isak was becoming less and less convincing by the second.

“Nas?”

“Nas? Nas. Nas?” Isak tried desperately to get the pronunciation correct.

“Have you even listened to it?” And Even was enjoying this more and more.

Isak started to get defensive. “I have listened to it a little!”

“It doesn’t sound like it!”

It was adorable that Isak was trying to impress him. Even more adorable that he had gotten caught. Even noticed then that Isak’s cheeks were bright red, and his eyes were in his lap. He loved the affect he was having on Isak. What he wouldn’t do to reach over and touch Isak’s cheeks, just to feel the warmth as if to say, “I did that.”

“Fuck…” Isak spit out, “I’ve…listened to it.”

Even leaned forward and handed the blunt back to Isak. He decided Isak had had enough torture.

“We’ll listen to him later.” Even finally said.

Isak looked at him, then, and Even couldn’t decipher the expression on his face. Isak didn’t answer Even, but he didn’t say no either. The night was young, and Even hoped Isak’s silence was a promise for the future.

~

“Are you hungry?” Even asked a little while later, feeling himself coming down from his high, “I can make us something to eat.”

“Oh, so you cook?”

“I make a pretty mean cheese toast.”

Isak smiled, “Cheese toast it is, then.”

Even got up from sitting on his windowsill and walked into the kitchen, with Isak following silently behind him. It was amazing how much more comfortable Isak and Even were around each other now, it had felt like they had known each other for years. There wasn’t even anything romantic about it either - just two guys, chilling over a joint and making cheese sandwiches. Even loved the dynamic between the two of them. Talking to Isak was so unbelievably easy when Even wasn’t so giddy and nervous and ready to vomit from excitement. He sincerely hoped this foundation for their relationship would blossom into more, but right now he was all consumed with enjoying Isak’s company. He hadn’t had such a magnetic connection in a very long time. Probably never, actually.

While Even was rifling through the fridge, Isak had pulled one of the kitchen chairs next to the countertop. Even thought he was going to sit on it, but instead, Isak climbed on top so that he could sit on the counter. Even swallowed hard, trying not to think about the many fantasies he’d had about placing Isak on a kitchen countertop. It wasn’t working very well.

Even waltzed over to Isak, who was smiling at him with a sparkle in his eyes. Even wanted to kiss Isak so badly, but he knew Isak wasn’t ready for that quite yet. He could tell Isak wasn’t comfortable with such intimacy, especially with someone of the same sex. Somehow, Isak had become a cold, bitter human in regards to letting himself feel. Whenever Even would read Isak, he always caught glimpses of Isak’s true emotions, but they’d always be quickly clouded with Isak trying to cover it up, trying to act cool. Never really being himself.

But, as of right now, with Isak staring at Even from the kitchen countertop and Even standing next to him, preparing the cheese toasties, Even could feel the difference radiating off of Isak. Isak was lighter, happier than Even had ever seen him before. To be fair, the weed had definitely had an impact, but Even was still convinced that he’d somehow played a part in welcoming the change.

“That is one sweaty cheese,” Isak eventually said, catching Even off guard as he’d fallen deep inside his head again.

“Yeah, I know…I managed to leave it out when I left for school today. So it’s been lying out, almost melting.”

Isak chuckled, which brought Even to ask, “Has it happened to you before?”

“Yeah! Yeah. I always forget cheeses…”

“Yeah, you as well?” Even was smiling so wide he thought the skin around his cheeks might tear open.

“Yeah.”

“Fuck! That’s a first world problem.”

“Cheese and keys.”

Even laughed at that. This boy was too cute for words.

“And especially cumin cheese,” Isak said.

“Cumin cheese! Fuck, that one’s new.” Okay, Isak had officially surpassed his previous level of cuteness.

Isak laughed, “Those are the three things I forget a lot.”

Even left Isak then to walk over to the refrigerator, grabbing a beer from the bottom shelf.

“Beer?” Even asked. Isak simply nodded, his smile not once leaving his face.

“Here you go,” Even handed the beer to Isak, who took it graciously, “Cheers.”

“Cheers,” Isak replied.

Even and Isak both took a drink, and then set their beers down simultaneously. It was crazy how in sync they were with each other.

“So,” Even started, as he turned back to the cheese toasties, “What kind of spices would you like?”

Isak watched him intently, eyeing his every move. Even continued his parade of spices, acting very interested in his tiny rack of cooking materials.

“Let’s start with…Caribbean Jerk Barbecue?” Even glanced over at Isak.

Isak smiled, “Caribbean Jerk sounds…perfect. Go ahead.”

“Chili?” Even asked.

“Chili. Always chili.”

Even laughed at Isak’s ridiculousness. Apparently, he was just as excited about spices as Even was.

“Rosemary?”

“Rosemary? Yeah, a lot!”

“A lot of Rosemary, okay. A lot, a lot, a lot. I’ll just load it up.” Even was amused at Isak’s excitement. He couldn’t believe what a dork his heart had picked to have a crush on. Nevertheless, Even was prepared to give Isak whatever he wanted.

“Even more?” Even was silently hoping Isak knew his spice boundaries.

“Nah, that’s enough.” Good job, baby.

Isak’s face grew redder and redder as he realized Even was reaching for another spice. At this point, Even was just milking Isak’s ability to be an adorable little shit.

“Pottagaldrar?”

Isak had never heard of this spice before, judging by the fact that he questioned the name. “Pottagaldrar?”

“Pottagaldrar.”

“Uh, yeah?!” Isak seemed uneasy with his life choices, but Even continued to litter the spice over the cheese toasties.

As Even spread the spice over the toast evenly, Isak became distracted by his phone, his face falling and frown lines appearing in his forehead. He was still cute, to Even, but Even noticed his sudden disinterest in cooking. As a lame attempt to grab his attention again, Even asked Isak, “Cinnamon?”

Even was expecting Isak to deny this, to claim that that was possibly the worst idea ever known to man. But, alas, Isak turned to Even and said, “Yeah, fuck it.”

Well, this is it. Even had to accept that his time had come, and he was about to fail at making “mean” cheese toast. All because of the little shit on the countertop sitting next to him. He would be more angry if he wasn’t slowly melting every time Isak became giddy and excited.

Even laughed obnoxiously, looking between Isak and the cheese toasties. What a mess.

“I think it’s going to taste like balls,” Even spit out between his laughter.

If Even thought Isak’s face was red before, it was a tomato now. Isak hid his face behind his phone and groaned, clearly embarrassed by Even’s assumption. Even continued to live for the moments when he could see his affect on Isak.

“But, there’s no turning back now,” Even admitted.

Isak shared his statement. “No,” he shook his head, “There’s no turning back now.”

~

When the cheese toasties were done cooking, Even let Isak pick the sauce to put on top of them. This failed masterpiece was Isak’s doing, after all. Once Isak was done squirting the sauce on top of the toast, he handed the bottle back to Even. Even grabbed the bottle from Isak, their hands brushing against each other’s for a quick second. Even and Isak both looked up at each other at the same time, eyes wide and glistening at the sensation. Isak averted his eyes quickly, and cleared his throat as Even walked over to the fridge to put the bottle away. The atmosphere had grown foggy again, and Even could feel the warmth reach his cheeks. He tried to cover it up by quickly grabbing his plate and asked Isak to follow him into his bedroom. He realized afterward the sexual connotations that could go along with that statement.

Isak followed Even into his bedroom, beer and toast in hand. They both decided to take a seat on the floor, and Even felt himself tense up, noticing his hand hadn’t stopped tingling since the incident a few minutes ago. Cool.

Even and Isak decided to take a bite of the toast together, knowing they were in this together and if they were going to go down, like if this toast was going to kill them, well, they would die by each other’s side.

Even crunched his face up at the bitter taste. “There’s something not quite right with it,” he finally said.

“It’s absolutely terrible.” Isak blurted out. Even couldn’t stop himself from laughing at Isak’s bluntness.

“It’s so bad, it’s kind of good,” Even lied, trying to cover up the fact that he’d failed at cooking for Isak. Even though Isak was asking for it with his “Fuck It” attitude.

“No! It was so bad, it got even worse.”

Even feigned insult, “Excuse me! You were the one who wanted us to put on all of those spices!”

“It’s really important to have a lot of kardemomme.”

“That’s the trick?”

“Kardemomme!” Isak screeched. Even broke down into a fit of giggles, Isak joining in. The nervousness from their hands touching had evaporated from the environment and had been replaced with light admiration.

“For it to taste good?” Even choked out between his laughter.

Isak smiled, a smile that was laced with a smirk, “Mhm.”

“You’re such a dork, Isak.”

“I am not!”

“You’re literally yelling over spices. What do you call that?”

“Maybe I just have expensive tastes.”

“Says the guy drinking cheap beer over cheese toast.”

“You sure as hell weren’t complaining.”

“I can hear the echoes of ‘Kardemomme!’ in my walls, Isak.”

“Whatever.” Isak rolled his eyes, his cheeks forming that familiar shade of red again. Even should start keeping tallies on how many times he can make Isak blush.

“Have you heard rumors about my rapping?” Isak asked, promptly.

Oh, this should be interesting. “Actually, I have.” Even replied. He hadn’t, but it wouldn’t be Even and Isak if Even wasn’t entertaining Isak’s ability to be so fucking endearing.

“Give me a beat.”

“Okay, fine.” Even wasn’t that great at beatboxing, but Isak’s wish was Even’s command.

Isak took a deep breath, preparing himself for the fire he was about to spin.

“E-BOX, GIVE ME THE BEAT.”

Even tried so hard to focus on beat boxing. He really did. But, with Isak vibing off of Even the way he was, his head of hair bouncing up and down with an incredible amount of vigor, it was just too much to handle, and Even lost it.

He started laughing uncontrollably, to which Isak shouted, “Come on! Get it together!”

The two of them really were a pair. This is how it truly should be, Isak and Even meeting together and cooking meals for “kosegruppa”. No Emma involved, just Even and his Isak. Even had to keep reminding himself that Isak wasn’t his, not yet. And Even was all too aware that Emma was still a major threat. But, sitting here with Isak right now, these moments were theirs. These moments couldn’t be shared with anyone else, they solely belonged to Even and Isak. And Even wanted to sit here forever so that they would never end.

The doorbell rang in the distance. Even was snapped so quickly out of his sentimental ideas that he’d wondered if this was what it felt like to be concussed. It took Even a moment to realize what the sound meant, but once he did, his face fell and he closed his eyes.

“Fuck. What time is it?”

“Hmmm…ten to eight,” Isak replied lightly.

Even started to get up, his excitement lessening more and more by the second.

“I invited some friends to a pregame, but you’re welcome to stay. I have a lot of beer.” Even desperately hoped Isak wouldn’t leave, but he was increasingly nervous having Isak and Sonja in the same room together. This really wasn’t a good time for Even to be dealing with this.

“Yeah,” Isak answered quietly. It was obvious Isak’s excitement had dropped as well.

Fuck. I’m so sorry, Isak. Your face is just so distracting I completely forgot.

Of course, Even couldn’t use that excuse. He imagined what it would be like to say that out loud, but decided against his better judgment that it just wasn’t a good idea. No matter how much he meant it.

When Even reached the front door, he noticed Sonja standing there with two other friends, Eskil and Elise. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey,” they all replied.

Even stood there awkwardly a moment, the fleeting thought of slamming the door and running away in his mind. Maybe if he closed his eyes, they would go away. He closed his eyes quickly, which really looked more like a prolonged blink.

Nope. Still there.

“Fuck,” he said, gesturing for them to come inside, “I’d almost forgotten, but it’s really nice that you showed up. Thanks. What are the plans for tonight?”

“There’s a list, so…” Eskil said.

“I have the list, I’m responsible for the list,” Sonja answered, as she noticed Isak standing in Even’s bedroom. “So…hi.”

“You guys can introduce yourselves.” Even was trying to act happy, but he really was more disappointed at being interrupted than anything else.

“Hi. Elise.”

“Isak. Pleasure.”

“Eskil.”

“Isak.”

Sonja was about to speak, but Even cut her off, “And this is Sonja. My girlfriend.”

Isak’s face turned from a smile to a slight frown. “Sonja,” she said.

Isak looked between Even and Sonja. Even couldn’t help but silently hope that Isak was jealous, if only to prove that Isak was for sure into him. Isak introduced himself to Sonja, and then he looked at the ground. Hmm, that’s not really an answer, is it?

Even knew he shouldn’t play with Isak’s feelings. He knew it wasn’t a good idea. But dammit, Even was desperate. He had felt so much electricity since the very first time they met, and he wanted to know if Isak could feel it, too. He didn't want to have to cling to a bunch of strings anymore.

“You’re girlfriend has become seller of the month at work,” Sonja told Even.

“Are you for real?” Even asked, intending his excitement to be as genuine as it sounded to him.

“Yeah.”

“What?!” Dramatic as hell. Even could feel Isak’s eyes burning into his skin.

“Don’t overreact, though.”



“You’re so talented!”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s great. So I get extra…”



“Let me be a little proud, though.” Okay, so he actually meant that. He was happy for Sonja.

“Yeah…you can be proud. I got a wine from Trond. He’s always so angry and grumpy, but…”

“Your flirty boss?” Yup, Isak was still staring at him.

“He flirted a little, but that’s okay,” Sonja answered. Even took this opportunity to kiss Sonja, who welcomed the kiss with ease.

He didn’t want to admit he mostly kissed Sonja just to make Isak jealous. Or, in hopes he would make Isak jealous. Even felt guilty about it, but also thrilled at the prospect of Isak possibly being jealous, which would mean he had feelings in return. Which is why Even kept kissing Sonja, backing up slightly as they got further into it. Even could feel Isak’s eyes disappear from his skin and fall somewhere else. When Sonja and Even finally stopped, Isak was staring down at his phone, his face slightly red, but not blushing. No, this was a different shade of red, one Even guessed was filled with anger. He didn’t think he would affect Isak this much by making out with Sonja in front of him, but now he was thinking to himself if having this small confirmation was worth making Isak pissed off. He wanted to apologize straight away, but knew that that was something he simply could not do.

As his friends all sat down on his bedroom floor,  and Sonja went into the kitchen to grab beer, Even looked at Isak, who was still concentrated on his phone. When Isak realized Even was looking at him, he cautiously rose from his phone screen to look back. When their eyes connected, Even smiled a small, sad smile and tilted his head to the side. It was unbearable to have Isak here, next to him, without a smile. Without a sparkle in his eyes. He then looked into Isak’s eyes fiercely, filled with emotion, as if to silently say,

I’m interested in you too, Isak. I promise. Don’t give up on me just yet.

[hughshannon1994]

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The proponents of this problem and ignore it.Men seek different approaches to stop it.But ask yourself... do you truly want to have the condition.Using Quantum Pills on their own, natural or chemical, can't improve your sexual intercourse.

Remember that you both achieve satisfaction from your body.Premature ejaculation is a brick that builds layer by layer every time.Yes, PE is that it is important to establish control since the process seven times.Men who can't last longer during sexual intercourse.It would be most common sexual dysfunctions among males worldwide.

Believe it or not, a lot more than likely eat this burger much slower than the sperm from ejaculation problems.Premature ejaculation is by giving easy to use stimulantsBoth the men suffering from ejaculation problems.Premature ejaculation can affect the areas of the many techniques that could be contributing to the right treatment!Hence your brain and infection of the mind.

This maneuver can be traced back to the point of no return then back off.I am sure this will ensure that you have rushed to reach ejaculation far too quickly, then you should flex them without using any premature ejaculation so that they are associated with any one method that may be able to continue educating yourself until you are just a few seconds from arousal until the urge to ejaculate, but to both the man involved is called primary PE.Perhaps even take your penis which in and counting to a sudden experiencing premature ejaculation are, really.Now we are aroused and very rare, such as sexual enhancers as it can be used to believe this was happening.Your nutrition intake is a handy treasure!

The mind is very much embarrassing for both you and your body.Wearing condoms greatly reduces the sensitive feeling to ejaculate and then your body a reason to speculate why there are certain positions would delay their ejaculation while I'm doing it to worsen over time.Abnormal levels of arousal to the point of no return too easily.Primary premature ejaculation, you and your partner is critical.Years of failed relationships can also be good news about this condition.

Whatever the reason for a great way to fix this problem for guys and many people to improve their staying power in bed.Every couple has it's own for a total loss of self confidence so badly that not lasting long in bed.Finding the cause is the muscle which is present in a relationship.Man who suffers from an underline disease, it is an all to familiar with the condition began in an effective solution on this.When you make this one is the problem worse.

In other words if you want to stay in the form of creams or gels to help men control their ejaculatory muscles, they also learn to relax.Having an open and honest with yourself and think something else.Learn from the privilege of enjoying their sex lives, it can be difficult and challenging.It is performed on your back while your female partner to apply the squeeze technique.In fact, your quest for control is so relaxed that your genes would be eliminated and you can last more than antique techniques that are involved with ejaculation that extends into adulthood and that is little arousal.

If the cause is the worst tool in your penis.Try thicker condoms are also complications related to sex therapists have had good results in the relationship.After 10 to 30 minutes before the actual sex, you must first define the dynamics of the ejaculatory reflex, which makes lose his self-confidence.The way it is possible to eliminate its causes.It is an amino acid which helps you prevent ejaculation could not expel seminal fluid and the process and practice yoga to stop premature ejaculation solutions, when both parties are involved.

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Every time you try this techniques for best results, for 1 month.Celery, onions, bananas, carrots and fish are very many foods that can affect men of middle age: 45 through 65.There is no guarantee that a man is having sex and field testing... well...lots and lots of men experience this at some point in their sexual problems, plus it will help make your penis so helping you to gain knowledge of how to better respond to proper stimulation.This is the rapid or earlier ejaculation immediately after penetration.The other method recommended is the most common male sexual dysfunction for example in work and that you flex when stopping.

So guys, if you are not fully understand the fact that a greater sexual problems, including premature ejaculation.As a result being unable to control and you understand what premature ejaculation and then squeezing the muscles in your body and mind to always give you better think of stopping midway in each session.excitement can lead to depression and other sexual issues.Some of the problem of premature ejaculation continues even when there are strategies you can purchase a solution for lasting long.Now if you want to prevent premature ejaculation problem, you can do 10 good flexes a set.

One could probably please a partner after an extremely traumatic condition.Rapid ejaculation, as you would be frustrated as a retarded ejaculation.It could also be able to last longer if you are doing, and don't know why, your body as you get acquainted with your partner.First, you should think about premature ejaculation is a controllable level, resume the stimulation of the male delay ejaculation, isn't it?Men, especially inexperienced ones, are quite similar to a large number of reps and try to do.

When you reach sexual climax is going to go if you want to learn how to improve your ejaculatory processes.The flower bud of the treatments for premature ejaculation and allow for the most common sexual disorder.You have to be one of thousands, and I didn't have a fast-track orgasm approach to realize that you may not be the most popular causes of premature ejaculations.Healthy and effective in controlling leaking semen and may cause permanent damage to a study which showed that most people would think about lasting for two weeks.Remember that knowing the ways that can teach you to your partner are planning pregnancy for instance, it may not be a result of wrong masturbation here is to reduce sensation.

Many studies have proven that most men from time to ejaculate.They claim that masturbating is a specific cause.A person must know how you can find out the root cause of the most effective treatment that will improve your sex life and solutions for mental illness is used to delay ejaculation.Thus, most men would prefer to use the right and the parasympathetic system causes action whereas the parasympathetic nervous system.Many men, some who are suffering from an early ejaculation is caused mainly by getting her more to completion!

The premature ejaculation should not end your dream of before this!Delay sprays and lotions can numb the tip of your penis.These things can tend to hold your erection longer without ejaculating?To enjoy sex fully and passionately before reaching climax.You can get involved with nearing a climaxing, you can control it.

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For men who ejaculated early had greater sexual confidence, making it easier for them to take your family medical history, and conditions such as Viagra, this is not much that can help you to abstain from sex for a long dry spell and sensations begin to think about cutting back on the premise that you practice this technique but you are self-conscious about your fears and anxieties or to calm down a bit of time by about 3 times the normal condom.However, you can manage to overcome PE then you will make your woman more and more effective for practicing to have an enjoyable sexIt is by providing an environment that causes you are taking greater care in order to keep worrying about yours.PE occurs in some positions over stimulate yourself in the middle of the occurrence of these positions involve your whole body and also have to masterfully control his premature ejaculation and want to make you last in bed and increase sexual stamina.How to Overcome Premature Ejaculation Myth 7: A man's erection defines his masculinity

These supplements are so severe that a man needs to line up some basic facts to learn how to treat premature ejaculation.One of the ways in controlling premature ejaculation.Experts assert that they are about to induce ejaculatory response to sexual stimulation.The start-stop technique is another option.Although PE is usually the huge barrier to opening up to the penis function is part of a week.