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bettyfrommars · 5 months

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I'm on Fire: The Epilogue

biker!Eddie x artist!Reader

biker!Steve x Astrid (fem!OC)

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wc: 14.6k

18+ONLY as always, adult themes, allusions to smut, backyard union/wedding, violence, auto theft, hustling, fist fight, mention of blood, mention of guns and shooting, relationship issues, Eddie is a cat dad, tw: Charlene, alcohol consumption, healing, lots of love.

Summary: If you're one of my ride or dies who have read this far, you know what to expect, but I do mention pregnancy and kids more than a few times, for good reason. We get to check in with what the gang has been up to, and how the families have grown. A little bit of drama, of course, and Coffin Kings mayhem. For the sake of this story, the character Bones is meant to be Tom Hardy from the yet to be released movie The Bikeriders.

A/N: This is reallyyy more of another chapter more and an Epilogue, lmaoo. I love all of these characters so much that I keep wanting to spin off in different directions and write a bunch of niche stories; I can see myself living in this world for a long while. I know I say it all the time, but my IoF readers mean so much to me, and I really hope you enjoy this. Please see a second author's note at the end.

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Highway 22 had once been the only main road out of town, but since the freeway came to Hawkins in the 60’s, very few ever took the country road lined with cornfields and alfalfa crops. There were several homesteads scattered about, mostly farmers, and all of them spaced out by several acres; but for the home of the Whittiers—Bob and Helen—who just happened to live across the street from the place once owned by the Fergusons.

The first time they heard the rumble of motorcycles approaching, Helen screamed through the living room that it must be an airplane flying too low, about to crash into them. She nudged Bob awake from his nap in the recliner and then ran out onto the porch, wringing her hands.

What she found was a motorcycle gang, clad in leather and covered in tattoos, crawling twenty deep into the driveway of their newest neighbors.

It was rare for Eddie to invite the entire local Coffin Kings MC and a few of the Hells Belles over, but the ceremony for Steve and Astrid’s union was an exception. She was 8 months pregnant with the twins at the time, bursting at the seams, but Steve had this bug up his ass that he needed them to be official before the babies came, and Bones was happy to officiate.

Under an arbor in the neatly manicured lawn of your front yard, flanked in willow trees and cherry blossoms, Robin stood as Steve’s best man, and pretended like she’d lost the ring during the ceremony when he asked for it. The panic in his face made everyone in attendance snicker when she pulled it from the tiny pocket of her vest with a wink. Steve wore black suit pants with a collared white shirt, rolled up to the elbows, under his Coffin Kings leather. Astrid looked stunning in a hunter green, off-the-shoulder dress with a few pieces of simple, gold jewelry, and a baby’s breath flower crown in her hair.

Astrid didn’t need a ring, or any traditional symbols, and the material stuff meant nothing to her, but Steve insisted. He took the extra step of getting her name tattooed on his ring finger, which made her roll her eyes and fall more in love with him all at once.

You stood at Astrid’s side, making eyes at your boyfriend Eddie who was extremely handsome in his leather and a suit in the front row. You were still reeling at the idea that this was your life, as fear kept trying to creep in and tell you it was all a dream, or that something would happen at any second to take it all away at any moment.

You’d barely had the keys to the farmhouse for two months before the wedding, and so things were still stacked in boxes on the main floor, and the plumbing was a mess, but every morning, Eddie kissed you goodbye before work, and then you padded over in bare feet to the empty space with south facing windows that would soon be your studio.

Wayne gave Astrid away, and there were tears streaming down Steve’s cheeks. Once the official “I do’s” were said, everyone, including the bikers and their families in attendance, started to hoot and whistle for the kiss. Steve held her face in his hands, and it was deep and sweet and made the obnoxious howling from the crowd melt into a collective swoon before erupting in applause.

Eddie’s heart swelled with love, not only for his friends who were finally getting the happy ending they deserved, but for you, and the promise of the life you were building together. Neither one of you held the matrimonial traditions of society in high regard and didn’t need a piece of paper to prove that you were devoted to each other, but right then, watching you stand with Astrid, he thought about dropping to one knee and begging you to be his wife.

Neither one of you had a family history of marriage keeping people together, in fact, it had mostly only succeeded in fucking everything up. In his heart, it was till death do you part, and that was all that mattered. In fact, he planned on finding you in the afterlife as well.

Steve had Oliver on his shoulders while they cut the cake, but what everyone didn’t know was that Astrid was fighting some stomach cramping. She figured it was the two babies kicking from all of the excitement, but the second the music started for the reception, her water broke.

“This can’t be happening right now,” Steve was flabbergasted, holding up his wife so that she didn’t sink to the ground. “They’re not due for another month?”

“Oh it’s happening,” Astrid gushed, framing her belly with her hands. “They are coming.”

“Take my car,” Katie offered, digging around in her purse for her keys. The driveway was full of vehicles, pinning in Astrid’s truck, but Katie’s car was further out, near the highway.

“We’ll be right behind you,” Eddie shouted, reaching for your hand.

Dustin was the voice of reason, stepping in front of him while the others headed for the vehicle.

“She could be in labor for hours, and you’ve got guests,” Henderson reminded his friend. He was there with his wife Suzie and their daughter Stevie. “I say stay here, man. Robin can call you from the hospital with an update.”

For a second, it had slipped both of your minds that you even had guests; approximately 87 of them.

The big speakers Eddie had hooked up to a sound system were playing Hold onto Me by Cowboy Junkies, and the two of you turned to stare at each other, wondering what to do.

“Dustin’s right,” you looked around, eyes settling on your ex-coworker Jeff who was drinking red wine straight from the bottle. “I don’t want anyone to puke in our bedroom or something.”

Suzie handed you a glass of champagne, ring finger heavy with a Princess cut diamond. “I promise you, those babies probably won’t poke their heads out until morning.”

You just hoped nothing went wrong, since Astrid confided in you that labor had been notoriously hard on the women in her family; there had even been a few mothers who didn’t make it. What if they needed to do an emergency C-section? What if one of them started to come out sideways?

You were about to take a sip of the sweet bubbles when you saw Steve jogging back in your direction.

“Katie’s car is dead,” he huffed, headed for the back patio where his Harley was parked.

Craning your neck down the long row of cars, you saw Astrid sitting on the front bumper of the dark blue sedan with Oliver holding onto her arm while Robin and Katie appeared to be having an argument. You were sure it was nothing personal, but tensions were high.

“Hold tight, let me grab the jumper cables,” Eddie jogged alongside Steve, aiming for the garage.

“Nah, it’ll take too long, we need to get out of here,” Steve was throwing a leg over his bike and revving the engine before Eddie could offer another suggestion.

You ran up beside Eddie. “He’s driving her to the hospital on that?”

“It appears that way,” Eddie stepped back so that Steve could roll by the two of you, fishtailing through the lawn before jumping a rock bed and weaving between the vehicles to pick up Astrid.

A lot of pregnant women might have hesitated to go by motorcycle, but Astrid did not. She didn’t hesitate to get on behind him, knowing that the sooner they got to the hospital, the less likely things would go wrong. Making room for her ample stomach took a moment of adjusting, but she strapped her helmet on before tapping his shoulder to let him know she was ready.

“You’re insane!” Robin shouted at him, and then she covered her face in frustration.

Bones, Devlin, Van, Ratchet, and a few others went along as escorts, clearing the highway with their own bikes so that Steve could have the road.

Across the street, Helen was on her porch with a pair of binoculars. “Bob? Where are they taking that pregnant woman?”

Bob was in the living room with the TV on, and he pretended not to hear her.

“The music is loud enough,” she scoffed. “The whole thing better quiet down by 10 or I’m calling the police.”

If so, that wouldn’t be the first time she’d called the cops about her across-the-way neighbors. The first time was during the week they’d moved in, and a couple of the Kings came over to help unload furniture. Helen reported that there was a gang breaking into the Ferguson place to steal things.

“Let me get this straight,” Hopper twirled a pencil between two fingers while he spoke into the phone. “They’re stealing things by putting them back inside the house?”

He very politely talked her down from a ledge, and then drove by on the highway to give her a wave so that she felt safe.

The Velvet Hammer was closed the day of the wedding, as most of the employees were guests. But the next day, Shana opened up the bar at 10, harboring one of the worst hangovers of her adult life.

The shrill ringing of the phone made it feel like a buzzsaw was cutting through her skull, and Jackie leaned over the bar counter to snatch the receiver.

It was you, letting them know that Astrid had given birth to two healthy baby girls named Gracie and Rue early that morning, and that labor had been horrific, but their mother was on the mend.

Poor Steve. When the doctor came out and said there were “complications”, he nearly tore down the wall trying to get in there to his wife. The first baby, Rue, started to come out feet first, and he had this terrifying thought of the umbilical cord getting stuck around her neck or something, but once they got her turned around, the rest went smoothly. He did the best he could to coach her through the breathing techniques they’d learned in the Lamaze classes, but at one point, she politely, yet abruptly, asked him to shut up.

Not even three months later, Astrid was pregnant again.

They were certain that the procreation of the twins had been a fluke, a miracle; something that would only happen once in their lifetime.

But they’d been gravely mistaken.

They’d just transported the whole family to the ranch style home Astrid had inherited from her grandmother. Everyone had their own room, including another living area in the basement, and a vintage Landshark Airstream trailer in the back yard where Steve and Astrid slept when they needed alone time. It was the communal living, and the constant support from Robin and Katie, that kept them from mental collapse when they found out there was another baby on the way.

“What is wrong with you?” Eddie chuckled at Steve when he gave the two of you the news one morning over coffee at your kitchen table. “Couldn’t keep it in your pants for a few weeks?”

“I told you,” Steve shrugged. “I have a magic dick.”

At that, you and Eddie shared an affectionate eye roll. All joking aside, Steve was ecstatic about the news, bouncing on the balls of his feet everywhere he went at the idea of having a fourth child. Astrid, on the other hand, was trying not to have a panic attack as she breastfed two infants at once. If it happened to be another set of twins, she said she’d have to give one to you and Eddie.

You were testing paint swatches on the wall when Eddie snuck up from behind on the hardwood floor and put his arms around you, nuzzling his face into your hair. He had on a pair of his “holiest” jeans that were so ripped and worn, they were about to be shorts, along with his Slayer shirt that now had wide, cut out arm holes, exposing his ribs.

“Which one do you like more?” You asked, slipping your arms over his.

He hummed, kissing your earlobe. “They all look yellow to me.”

“Close, but one is Summer Sunset, one is Lemon Cream, and one is—-”

“What about black?” He asked in all seriousness. “Or gray?”

“Or we could just keep all of the wallpaper as it is,” you giggled at the tickle of his beard scruff on your neck.

The country rose wallpaper was lovely, but heavy pink floral themes in every room was a bit much for both of you. “You’re right, I love Lemon Yogurt or whatever.”

“I figured as much,” You turned to search his face. He’d been growing his bangs out, so they were just long enough to tuck behind his ears. “How does tofu curry sound for tonight?”

Your lips met, and you could taste that familiar mix of wintermint and Camel Lights that you’d come to love. He’d cut back to only a couple smokes a day, but he went through a pack of gum in an hour.

“Mhhmm tofu,” he closed his eyes dreamily. “Is there meat in that?”

Just before the twins turned one, you and Eddie had your first big fight.

Big enough that you threw some clothes in a bag and said you were going to stay with Katie and Robin right before you slammed the door so hard, a vase full of daisies he’d bought for you crashed to the ground and shattered.

It was over something so stupid, really. The way he left hair in the sink after he shaved bugged the shit out of you, and when you rolled as far away as you could from him in bed, he took it personally. You’d felt restless and out of your mind that week, and then you started your car to realize the gas tank was empty, even though he said he’d fill it up. You promised Eddie you’d have some quality time with him one night, but then Steve needed you at the Hammer and…all of these things started to pile up until the dam burst.

You sat in your car with the engine on for a while, swallowing back hot gasps, unable to pull the trigger and drive away. It wasn’t long before you felt his shadow, and a few soft knuckle taps on the window.

“Please don’t go,” he said.

“I don’t want to go,” you shivered and finally broke out in a sob, tears streaming down your face. “I love you so much.”

Next thing you knew, you were in his arms, and then you were back in the bed you shared, begging him to be so deep inside, until it made you see stars.

—-----

“An inch to the left,” Robin coached you from the ground as you were up on a ladder at the Velvet Hammer, hanging a piece of artwork along the brick red wall opposite the bar while Mother Love Bone played from the jukebox. “Ah, right there. Perfect.”

You’d brought a few paintings over weeks earlier, at Robin’s request, and they all sold almost immediately, so she begged you to bring in a few more. Still an employee at the Hammer, Steve offered you something more of an assistant manager position, but you were honest with him and confessed you didn’t want the extra responsibility, but that you’d help as much as you could. Plus, the tips you earned waitressing mostly surpassed what they could offer you as an assistant, and you were under the gun to get a collection of work together for the upcoming show in Marysville.

The same Marysville shows at the airplane hangar where you’d bumped into Eddie and Charlene that one night three years ago. The memory felt surreal to you, as if it were something that had happened in another lifetime.

The bar didn’t open for another hour, and Steve was hunched over a cup of coffee, popping energy pills he’d bought at the gas station.

“Get any sleep last night?” You asked, on your way to return the ladder to the storage room.

Steve grumbled something unintelligible, and his head bounced, nodding himself awake as if he’d been drifting off right where he sat.

“Mae has some serious pipes on her,” Robin quipped, speaking of Steve and Astrid’s newest baby girl, Mae, who was barely 16 weeks old. “The only one of us she seems to want to be around is Oliver.”

The twins were over 2 years old by then, and just as much of a handful as you’d imagine toddlers would be. Now with another baby, the family was running on empty. You and Eddie volunteered to babysit Rue and Gracie for a weekend after Mae was born, and even though you loved the girls dearly and cherished the time with them, you found yourselves counting down the minutes until their dad came to pick them up on the last day. “I’m glad we decided not to have kids. Steve’s brood is more than enough,” Eddie whispered to you at the window watching Steve drive off. He even considered getting “snipped” around the time Steve had the procedure, just as a precautionary measure.

“Why are you here so early anyway?” Robin asked around a yawn, adjusting the clasp on her denim overalls. “Go home and get some rest. I’ll stay until Shana gets here at noon.”

Steve yawned too, stretching his arms above his head as he stood. He wore a nice pair of blue denim jeans and a sage green pearl snap shirt that was buttoned wrong. “Can’t. Interviewing for a new apprentice over at the shop.”

Construction on the tattoo parlor next door took longer than anticipated. So long, that Eddie got frustrated enough to go ahead and do a bunch of the work himself. They’d just passed inspection the week before and were anxious to get some bodies in there working. They’d decided on the name Velvet Ink, and Wayne found some vintage barber chairs at auction for the reception area aesthetic Steve was looking for.

As of then, Wayne was fully in remission and getting his strength back. He’d even been well enough to take his 1948 Harley-Davidson Panhead out on a few Sunday cruises with the boys. Rue, one of the twins, took to him like glue, and Eddie remarked that he’d never seen the old man smile as big as he did when she called him “gan-pa”.

Taking the last big gulp of his coffee, Steve made his way out, letting in blinding beams of sunlight when he pushed open the front door of the Hammer. He paused for a moment to look at the padded leather stool that was there, the one he’d parked his butt on for many a night. Even though he helped to keep the peace if necessary, most of the past two years had been spent behind the scenes. A weird, secret part of him missed it; missed the simplicity of being a bouncer, versus being the owner of two businesses. Before he knew it, reminiscing on his old life brought his thoughts back to Charlene.

He was sure that she kept tabs on him, and he hoped she never decided to drop in and wreak havoc on his life again, but he was grateful for the fresh start she’d given him. He hoped that she was enjoying herself with Billy…or whoever the hell she was fucking those days.

—-----

It was Eddie’s night to make dinner, and you spotted him fussing in the kitchen through the side window of the farmhouse when you drove up that night. It looked like he touched something that was too hot and was snapping his hand in the air to cool it off.

You saw his motorcycle parked in the red barn, and wondered if he was planning to do some repairs on it. The Chevelle was no longer around, as he’d sold it to a collector up north so he could get a pickup that would be more useful to your new lives. You’d begged him not to, as you knew how hard he’d worked on it over the years with Wayne, but he couldn’t be swayed otherwise. .

Turns out, your man was extremely stubborn.

“Hey there, Dungeon Master,” you greeted him, shutting the back door to take your coat off. He’d been teaching you to play DnD now that he had a new head mechanic at the shop, giving him a bit more time to lean into his hobbies. Max and Lucas moved back to town, and Eddie was happy to teach Lucas how to operate the tow truck when he voiced that he needed a job.

In a black Hanes tank and jeans, your man was barefoot with his hair tied back. Looking down at the pot of sauce he was stirring, he smiled so big his dimples popped. “You really like calling me that, don’t you?”

Calling him Dungeon Master was a new kink unlocked for you.

You set your bag on one of the kitchen chairs and wrapped your arms around him from behind to sink your teeth into his shoulder. “I love finding out what a nerd you truly are. It’s hot.”

He lifted up a wooden spoon full of marinara, cupping his other hand underneath, and turned to blow on it before putting it to your lips.

“Smells yummy,” you said before taking a taste. He watched your mouth, but then eagerly found your eyes for the verdict.

“Mhmm baby it’s delicious.”

Satisfied, he went back to stirring. “Astrid gave me her recipe. I’ve never made it from scratch before,” he took a lick off the spoon for himself. “I think I used too much garlic.”

Another facet of Edward Munson you’d never realized before was that he was a natural in the kitchen, and found a lot of joy in cooking. One of the first things he made when you first moved in was chickpea patties for burgers, and whenever the two of you went into a bookstore and you found him browning the vegetarian cookbook section.

If you weren’t working at the Hammer, nights at home were very low key. There was the occasional concert or dinner on the town, but mostly nothing sounded better than curling up on the couch with him, or on the porch swing with a cocktail. Charlie was strictly an inside cat, but you found a stray living in the barn. All black with green eyes, a recent visit to the vet let you know that she was pregnant, and a litter of kittens was on the way, one of which had already been claimed by Oliver. So, you brought her inside and made her comfortable in the guest bedroom, until just yesterday when you found her curled up for a nap in Eddie’s lap.

He named her Scully because of his love of The X-Files, and you wondered if he’d be able to give the rest of the kittens up for adoption with the way he fawned over his new companion. He bought her a fancy collar with a bell, as well as catnip and special treats that she was forced to share with Charlie.

Later that night, sprawled on the couch with your head on his chest, you were having a hard time keeping your eyes open during an episode of Saturday Night Live when the phone in the kitchen rang. You almost jumped out of your skin, and both of the cats sprang from their perch on top of the couch.

“What the shit,” Eddie grumbled, gently sliding out from underneath you just as a second ring shattered the once peaceful evening.

“Who would be calling this late?” You said groggily, pulling the blanket up to your chin to turn and watch Eddie disappear down the hall.

“I don’t know, but this better not be Steve wanting to rant about one of his late night epiphanies.”

Phone calls at midnight were rarely ever a good thing. You sat straight, waiting to hear Eddie pick up the receiver. Had someone been hurt? Were the girls okay? Had something gone wrong at the Velvet Hammer? Maybe it was Bones needing Eddie for something to do with the Kings, and if so, you didn’t want him to answer it.

Eddie jerked the white, cordless phone to his ear, frowning. “Yeah? This is Eddie.”

You shifted to the edge of your seat, muting the TV so that you could hear him.

“How did you get this number?” He mumbled gruffly.

That made you get to your feet.

“...what makes you think I had anything to do with it?”

You took a few steps and froze.

You had a very bad feeling that you knew exactly who it was at the other end.

Eddie locked eyes with you when you came to pause at the stove.

“You have to be mistaken, there’s no way he was one of ours—-,” Eddie said to whoever it was, shaking his head.

You reached out and motioned for him to hand you the phone.

He swallowed, hesitating at first, but then you took it from him and put it to your ear.

“Charlene?” Your tone was patient. “What’s going on?”

—----

Earlier that evening at the Harrington residence, Astrid was breastfeeding Mae in the rocking chair while Katie helped the twins get dressed after their bath, and Robin washed dishes with Oliver. The TV was on, but no one was paying any attention to it, and Mae nestled against her mother like she was finally ready for sleep.

God, Astrid was tired.

Exhausted to the marrow of her bones and beyond.

Absolutely in love with her daughters and in awe of the beautiful family they’d created, but wishing she could have a few hours away from it all, just the same.

The twins were being loud, giggling as their Auntie Katie ushered them across the hall to their bedroom, and Astrid held her breath, worried they’d wake the baby up.

She let Robin know she was putting Mae in her crib, and then went to take the first shower she’d had in a while, feeling her stretch marks and all the ways her body had changed after carrying three babies. She never doubted Steve’s attraction to her, but he tattooed gorgeous women every day, not to mention the ones who waited tables in fishnet stockings and danced at the Hammer. She was sure a handful of those young beauties had a crush on their boss and would offer him comfort any time he wanted it.

She hated when her mind went there, when she could feel the walls of insecurity and depression closing in. She wanted to be nothing but grateful for every waking moment, but sometimes she was way too tired to think clearly. She needed to cry or scream or fuck… or something.

Between the kids, Steve’s schedule, and having zero energy at night, she couldn’t remember the last time the two of them had been intimate. A few kisses and touches in passing was really all it had been. Considering the insatiable hunger they’d had for each other over the years, it made her worry that he just wasn’t attracted to her anymore. But also, she knew that was bullshit—-but the whispers kept nagging at her.

On her way back down the hall to her bedroom, she could hear Oliver reading the girls a bedtime story and she paused to listen, emotions catching in her throat. Rue and Gracie loved him so much, and he was such a wonderful big brother, slipping into the role like he was born for it. Born to be a nurturing, caring soul just like his father. She often wondered if Ollie would grow up to be who Steve would’ve been, if he had been surrounded with love as a kid. Before Wayne took over his care, he hadn’t known much comfort or safety.

Steve came home smelling like a distillery, and when he tried to kiss her on his way in, she moved her head away.

“Where have you been?” She didn’t have to ask, it was obvious he’d tattooed late and stayed to have a few drinks. She missed the guy who would spend hours rubbing her belly and talking to the babies inside of it. It was the closeness she missed, not the sex itself.

Alarms went off in Steve when he caught the way she didn’t want to look at him, the way she shrugged away from his touch. “Hey, baby, I’m sorry. Jake paid extra to have his back piece finished tonight and so I—”

Robin and Katie had adjourned to the basement, and Astrid was folding laundry at the couch. “You just thought you’d booze it up with your buddies while I took care of our girls?”

He lowered his arms to hook his thumbs into his belt loops. “I thought about calling but I didn’t want to wake the—”

“Your daughters are all asleep. Gracie was asking for her daddy,” she pinned a towel to her check with her chin and folded the ends together.

Steve’s heart tightened, thinking of how he’d missed his baby girl asking about him. Thinking of how he was already letting her down. “I’m gonna sneak in and say goodnight,” he mumbled, heading that way.

“Please don’t,” Astrid snapped. “It took a long time to get them to calm down, but you’re rarely here at night so you wouldn’t know.”

Okay, something was definitely wrong. He’d fucked up, but he wasn’t exactly sure how. Astrid knew that he’d have some long nights, this was something they’d talked about. There had to be something else going on.

He sat down on the edge of the recliner, facing her, and laced his fingers together. “Is there anything…you want to talk about?”

Astrid scoffed, keeping her eyes on the TV. “Where do I even start?”

“I’m sorry if I—”

“Just say it, Steve,” she bit, stacking folded towels on top of each other. “Just say you’d rather get drunk with the dancers at the Velvet Hammer rather than come home and be with me.”

At that, he was dumbfounded. Gobsmacked, even.

“How could you…what? That’s crazy. Shit, you know other women don’t even exist for me, Astrid,” he kept trying to catch her gaze, but she’d avoid it. “No one has ever meant more to me than you. You're the love of my life.”

“I can tell you’re not attracted to me anymore, Steve. Just say it, I don’t float your boat.”

“Float my boat?” He almost chuckled at that, but immediately caught himself, realizing that it wasn’t a good time for humor.

There were tears welling in her eyes and Astrid bit her cheek in an effort to keep them at bay; her shoulders were shaking.

“Hey, listen, baby, c’mere,” he stood and reached for her hand. She let him have it, dropping the t-shirt she’d been holding. “Tell me you love me? Please?”

“Have you fucked anyone else since we’ve been together?’ She stared at him that time, eyes wet.

Steve didn’t hesitate. “Never even crossed my mind.”

She swallowed thickly, lowering her gaze.

“Wait,” Steve’s mind raced, realizing that it had probably been months since they’d had sex. “Have you? Fucked another dude?”

That one pissed her off, and it showed in the look she shot him. “When the hell would I have time for that, Steve? I barely have time to pee.”

He let go of her hand. “Oh, so, you’ve wanted to, with other people…you just don’t have time?”

“Steve, I’m going to punch you in the throat.”

He pulled her over so that she was in his lap, and she only fought him a little because then she was crying into his neck, overcome with exhaustion.

“Tell me,” he said softly, brushing her hair away to kiss her forehead. “Tell me you love me.”

“You know I do,” she sniffed, letting the tears roll hot down her cheeks, pulling her knees up so that she was snug in his lap.

“Say it,” he was pushing it now, tipping her chin up to find her mouth with his.

She mumbled her devotion as the tip of his tongue dragged along her bottom lip.

She clung to him as she cried it out for a minute, letting him hold her close and stoke her hair.

“Is she okay?” It was Oliver.

He’d snuck in from the other room and was watching the scene with a creased, worried brow.

“I’m fine, honey,” Astrid sat up, wiping her eyes. “It’s just been a long day.”

Oliver stared at his dad, almost defiantly. “I don’t like to see her sad.”

Steve saw his own tender perception mirrored back to him in his son's eyes. “I don’t like it either, come over here,” he motioned for Ollie to get close enough so he could put his arm around his son. “Why aren’t you in bed?”

“I didn’t want to miss you again,” Oliver admitted, sending another pang into Steve’s heart.

He’d gone from working all the time to…working even more, and something had to change. He hated being away from his family so often that he missed bedtime several days a week; they needed to hire more full-time help like Robin suggested, but Steve and Eddie were trying to pinch every penny.

After he talked to Oliver about his day, Steve realized he needed a goddamn smoke. Since the twins were born, he’d tried several times to cut back, but decided to quit cold turkey two days ago, and it wasn’t working. He needed to get some of those nicotine patches or something because being irritable with a throbbing head was no way to live in tandem with everything else on his plate.

Two hours later, after he’d tucked Ollie in and everyone else in the house was asleep, Steve made love to his wife.

He was about to try for a second round when his beeper on the nightstand started buzzing.

The alert was from Eddie.

Steve frowned at the number and excused himself to use the phone while Astrid pulled her robe on to go and check on Mae.

Come to find out, the past was indeed back to haunt him, yet again.

—--------

Hawkins was the last place Charlene ever expected to be on her birthday weekend. She’d said goodbye to that place forever, or so she thought, as there was nothing for her there. Her relationship with Billy lasted the better part of a year, but when she found out he’d been cheating on her with their neighbor, it didn’t even phase her. Normally, she would’ve been furious and exacted some elaborate revenge on the two, but at the time, she only shrugged and told him good luck. She was never in love with him, he’d been just another way to pass the time; a way to distract from her deep, soul-sucking loneliness.

Just before the separation from John, she’d purchased a storage unit for sentimental items she didn’t want to look at, but also didn’t have the heart to throw away. She’d considered letting someone from Storage Wars buy it just so they could be disappointed, but there were private letters and photos in there that she never wanted anyone to see, especially not strangers. So, she was back to clean it out and burn whatever she no longer wanted to hold on to.

She was in disguise, so to speak, with a new cropped brunette hairdo, and oversized sunglasses. The divorce and the bankruptcy of one of John’s businesses made headlines in the paper for weeks, as there was clearly not much to talk about in Hawkins, and for the first time since marrying into money, she didn't want to be recognized.

She promised she wouldn’t punish herself by driving along the street in front of the Velvet Hammer, but she did it anyway. She picked up her white 1970 Jaguar XKE from the secure garage it’d been stored in, and parked across the street to watch you carry a huge painting in while Robin held the door for you. The neon sign for Velvet Ink was clever, and she sat there for over an hour, until Steve finally stepped out of the main building. He squinted up at the daylight, shaking his fist like he wanted to punch the sun, and went next door to shake hands with a woman who was tattooed neck to foot, before unlocking the door to the parlor.

She had plenty of phone numbers for young men who would love to get paid to be her escort, but she was tired of paying people. She wanted someone to want to be with her, and be protective of her, without the money or the status, and she was realizing she didn’t know how to act normal when it came to earning someone’s genuine affection.

So, that night, she was alone at a swanky rooftop bar drinking a dirty martini and listening to someone playing a Christopher Cross instrumental on the piano.

Eating the last olive, she was thinking she’d make her way to her hotel when she felt a body sink down for a seat just one stool over. She smelled him first; a familiar mix of leather and nicotine, but this one had superior taste in cologne as she recognized a hint of cedar and honeysuckle from Dior’s Fahrenheit.

He ordered a beer and a shot of Jameson and then, to her surprise, he leaned over and pointed at her empty glass. “Can I buy you another?”

Her first instinct was to flat out ignore him or say, “no, I can buy my own drinks, thanks,” but then she turned to see who the voice belonged to, and her tongue got stuck on the roof of your mouth.

Maybe ten years her junior, he wore his jet-black hair slicked back, while his full lips and hazel eyes reminded her of someone. She could tell he was tall with broad shoulders, and a couple tattoos exposed where his shirt was pushed up to the elbows. A few chunky metal rings similar to the ones Eddie always wore, and from the insignias on his leather vest, she could see that he was also a member of the Coffin Kings MC.

Charlene notoriously had a thing for outlaws, especially pretty ones, and so she let him buy her that second drink, and then a third.

He said his name was Nick, and she was relieved to find out he appeared to have no clue who she was. She said her name was Rita, and after that third drink, she invited him back to her room to continue the party there.

Inviting a stranger back to her suite was not how she’d expected the evening to go, but the need to feel the weight of him on top of her overrode any common sense that might’ve tried to dissuade her. He was sexy and he made her laugh, and those were the only qualifications she needed at that moment.

After a few hours of getting to know each other in the biblical sense, and enjoying the mini bar, Charlene excused herself to the bathroom.

“I think I need a shower,” she hummed, lifting an eyebrow. “You want to join me?”

He was stretched out on the bed naked with his hands behind his head watching an episode rerun of ER.

“You go ahead, babe,” he seemed to nestle further into the pillows after that term of endearment, shooting her a wink. His Coffin Kings leather was neatly folded over the back of the nearby chair. “I’m gonna make us a couple more drinks.”

She left the bathroom door open a crack, just in case he changed his mind, but then she got fully absorbed in how heavenly the steaming hot water felt. She thought she heard him come into the bathroom at one point, so she peeled the curtain back a few inches, but only found her reflection in the mirror.

By the time she turned the water off, the steam from the hot shower was as thick as soup, and she realized that at one point, he’d shut the door all the way for whatever reason. Perhaps for her modesty? Him being such a gentleman felt almost too good to be true.

“You could order some food from the late-night menu if you’re hungry,” she said from behind the closed door while brushing her hair out. “Pie sounds good for some reason.”

Either he wasn’t responding, or he did, and she just couldn’t hear him over the audience laughter on the TV. She rubbed in some expensive body butter and then checked herself in the mirror a few times while putting the fluffy, white hotel robe on.

“But if you need to go home I’d understand, as long as I can have one more—-”

She opened the door as she spoke, but then stopped dead in her tracks.

Nick was no longer sprawled on the bed, and all of his clothes were gone, even his kutte.

Nothing wrong with that, maybe he went to get ice or to take a phone call.

The suite was large, with a separate sitting room, and so she checked around for a bit before realizing he had, in fact, vanished.

Anxiety rose in her chest but she pushed it down, taking a seat on the edge of the bed to reach for her lipstick on the nightstand.

But the lipstick was in her purse and there was no purse to be found, just a few condom wrappers and tiny, empty bottles of booze.

She’d taken her purse into the bathroom with her, she was sure of it.

After a few sweeps of the place, mumbling to herself in disbelief and horror, Charlene realized that her purse, her money, and her car keys were all gone.

She’d been hustled by a member of the Coffin Kings, and the truth of it made her scream into the palms of her hands.

She sprinted for the window to yank the curtains back. It was the middle of the night, and they were on one of the highest floors, and she couldn’t see the Jaguar from there even with binoculars.

She didn’t even bother to change out of her robe or put shoes on as she bolted from the room. She was pissed, sure, but there were sobs catching in her throat, and that old loneliness dropped like a lead weight, threatening to bring her to her knees.

By the time she rushed breathless into the lobby, Nick and her car were long gone.

—------

For whatever reason, Charlene asked Eddie specifically not to tell Steve; she didn’t want to face him under such lame circumstances. But the two men made an agreement a while back that one would tell the other if they ever heard from her, just to keep miscommunication to a minimum when dealing with someone who had a track record for manipulation.

“She thinks one of you put this Nick guy up to it,” you said, standing at the door watching Eddie get dressed. “As payback or something.”

Eddie frowned, adjusting the strap on his watch. “If I felt like I needed to get back at Charlene, I sure as hell wouldn’t trust someone else with the task. Plus, I didn’t even know she was back in town.”

“Did Steve know?”

The last person you ever wanted to feel bad for was the rich white woman who tried to ruin your life, but still, you didn’t like the idea of any woman getting hustled and used in that way.

Okay, maybe Charlene deserved some payback, but you hated to think that someone from the Coffin Kings was out there making a habit of taking advantage of women in such a spineless way.

Eddie was rummaging through the top dresser drawer. “We don’t even have a member named Nick, so that’s another whole fucking problem.”

“Another charter, maybe?” You followed him into the kitchen.

“Maybe,” he put his leather jacket on while Scully wound herself around his legs. He bent down to pet her and spoke to her in a baby voice before finishing his thought. “Or maybe it’s something worse.”

You didn’t have to ask to know that impersonating a member of the MC was a big problem.

Under any other circumstances, Eddie would wait until the next day to deal with whatever happened to Charlene, but the chop shops worked fast, and if they didn’t hurry, they’d never get her car back.

Why did Eddie even care? He asked himself that on the way to meet Steve at the hotel, rumbling along in his midnight blue, square box Chevy. She could’ve just called the cops and let them sort it out. But Eddie knew that, aside from Hopper, the police force was a joke, and there would be days of paperwork and questioning before anything attempted to get solved. By then, whoever the guy was would be long gone, and the Jaguar on a cargo ship to its next owner.

Steve was already in the parking lot, leaning against his bike with a smoke in his mouth when Eddie rolled up.

“How the hell did you get here so fast?” He asked, slamming the door of his truck.

“Left a message for Miser down at the chop shop,” Steve exhaled, ignoring his friend’s question. “He said he’ll keep an eye out for the car.”

Eddie had already sucked down his ration of cigarettes for the day, so he shoved another piece of gum in his mouth as they made their way to her floor.

There was a crystal chandelier in the lobby and mirrored elevators that gave Eddie the creeps.

“You think it’s some sort of trap?” Steve had his hands in his pockets, leaning in the corner while they traveled up with a Beach Boys instrumental played from a speaker in the ceiling. “Like she’s trying to trick us or something?”

“That’s what we’re here to find out,” Eddie muttered. “I’m not gonna mention it to Bones and the rest until we know what we’re dealing with.”

Still in her robe, Charlene would’ve touched up her makeup to look presentable, but her Estee Lauder compact, and mascara were both in the stolen purse. Also, she was too upset to care. She’d called to cancel the credit cards in her wallet, but there was a bunch of cash that she’d surely never see again. She’d have to contact her bank in the morning, but until then, she was basically squatting in that expensive hotel room.

Eddie did not look happy to see her when she opened the door, but she’d expected as much, tucking her bob of hair behind her ears.

What she hadn’t expected, and what made her breath catch, was that Steve rolled in right behind him, scowling. He had what appeared to be baby spit up on the front of his Santa Cruz skate shirt and dark indents under his eyes.

Steve didn’t acknowledge her, he just breezed into the room and started looking around like he was a seasoned detective at the scene of a murder.

Charlene gave Eddie a look, whispering, “I asked you not to tell him?”

All Eddie could do was shrug, as he was still weary of her intentions, and for good reason.

Steve couldn’t help it, ever since the birth of his daughters, every injustice done to a woman in the world was something that could potentially happen to his girls, and he wasn’t having it.

“What did he look like?” Eddie asked the question just as Steve spun on his heel at the other side of the bed.

Hands on hips, she gave the description as best she could, and it sounded like half the guys in the club.

“He said his name was Nick?” Steve picked up the remote to turn the TV up a notch. Unsolved Mysteries was on and he was suddenly interested, forever distracted. “Do you think he was telling the truth?”

Charlene scoffed. “I had no reason to think he was lying? I didn’t ask to check his driver’s license.”

“Maybe you should from now on,” Steve kept his eyes on the screen, sitting down at the end of the bed. “The way you go through men like a meat grinder.”

“Look who’s talking, Romeo,” she spit back.

Charlene turned to complain to Eddie, but instead he held his hand up, palm out to silence her. “Are you sure he was with the Coffin Kings?”

Charlene tightened the sash on her robe. “Okay, you two can feel however you want about me, but you know I’m nothing if not observant.”

The two were silent in agreement.

“His leather vest looked just like the ones you have on now. Black, tooled leather with the reaper holding a coffin on the back. Embroidered insignias on the front as well.”

“Did it have a nickname or rank?” Eddie stuffed a third piece of wintermint gum in his mouth while Steve lit another smoke. The smell of the nicotine made Eddie’s hand twitch and his muscles ache.

Charlene shook her head after a moment of contemplation. “He didn’t have a name on his cut, but Hawkins was the charter, I’m positive.”

Both men shared a look before Steve got to his feet. “So you had your car stolen, what’s the big deal? Don’t you have like a hundred of them?”

Charlene shot him a look, reminding herself not to be a bitch. “That car belonged to my dad. It was special. He’s the only person in this world who ever gave a shit about me.” She went to the bedside table to grab a half empty travel size bottle of Jameson and drank the rest. “That’s why I kept it in storage. I couldn't take it with me, and I didn’t want to sell it.”

Eddie scratched the stubble on his chin, thinking about how he couldn’t wait to go home to crawl in bed with you and the cats.

“How much is it worth?” Steve asked out of curiosity.

Charlene shrugged, leaning against the wall to cross her feet at the ankles. “Dunno what it would go for today. Easily 300K.”

Eddie almost choked on his wad of gum thinking of what he could do with that much dough.

Steve raised an eyebrow. “You better hope this Nicky is stupid and greedy enough to sell it locally, or we might be shit out of luck.”

—-----

You felt Eddie slink in under the covers to spoon you early in the morning before dawn, but you were too tired to look at the clock or ask him how it went. Charlie was curled up at your feet and Scully took her pregnant belly over to nestle behind Eddie’s knees and purr.

He wasn’t in bed with you at quarter to 8 when you finally rose from sleep, and for a second, you thought maybe you’d only dreamed about him coming home, until you saw the note he’d left on the nightstand.

Had to run again

Tell you everything later

Left the coffee on

Love you infinity, Eddie

The way he always signed his notes made you chuckle, as if anyone else would be leaving notes for you at the house. You folded it up and tucked it into the shoebox in the closet where you stashed all of his notes to you.

After a half hour of letting yourself rejoin the living on a much-needed day off, you went up to the studio to stare at the two paintings you were working on, but your reverie was shattered when the phone rang.

Breathless, you answered to find that it was Robin. The shrill wail of a screaming child sounded from somewhere in the background.

“Is Steve there at your place?” She sounded rightfully flustered.

“No, um,” you looked around the kitchen as if maybe he was there, you just didn’t know it. “Eddie was here but then he left again. They might be together?”

A thoughtful silence and then, “Steve never came home last night. We assumed he stayed at your place.”

You were shaking your head but then realized Steve could have slept in the living room and you wouldn’t have been the wiser. You walked through the house to see if there was a blanket on the couch, but it was as tidy as you’d left it before bed.

“Are you busy right now?” Robin continued, making the executive decision to worry about Steve’s whereabouts later.

That was a loaded question, and even though you had plenty to do, you knew that was Robin’s way of saying she needed help. “Not…right this minute.”

“I hate to ask,” it was true, she really did hate to ask for help, but sometimes it was necessary. “Could you come over here for an hour or so? Katie has teacher conferences, I have to go to the Hammer, and as you know, Steve is MIA…”

“Sure,” Mae let out another earth-cracking wail that made you fear for your life. “Be there in ten minutes.”

—------

Miser’s underground chop shop operated behind one of the oldest buildings in Hawkins; solid brick, using a mom-and-pop place to get an oil change as a front during the day, but at night, stolen cars were stripped for parts and/or sold on the black market. The building was huge, and had once been a busy hotel and saloon, as it was near the train station.

Miser himself was short and muscular with a gray, handlebar mustache, a rodeo buckle from his old bareback days, and a cowboy hat. He’d been a pillar of the community for decades, and one of the last few anyone would suspect of illegal activity.

That morning, Eddie, Steve, Van, and Devlin rolled into the alley, passed the No Trespassing signs, and settled at the locked garage door. Miser’s Old Lady was one of the head Hells Belles named Jackal, and she came out of the back door with him. A long ponytail of silver hair, she lit a smoke and gave the guys a tip of her chin.

“That car you said to look out for? The white Jaguar?”

Eddie and Steve still had their sunglasses on, nodding once in unison his question.

“The guy showed up an hour ago,” Jackal inclined her head, whispering. “He’s been here before. He’s with another crew that likes to scam older women and take their shit.”

Steve and Eddie exchanged a look with the other two members, palms itching to get their hands on him.

“I asked him about the Kings flash,” Jackal continued. “He said he was from another charter, but he didn’t know who Bones was.”

Bones, President of the Coffin Kings Hawkins charter, was one of the first original 9 members of the MC when they first banded in the 60’s. Every CK member from Indiana to California knew exactly who Bones was.

So, this guy Nick just made it to the top of their shit list.

“This might get messy,” Eddie said to Miser.

“We got you,” Jackal confirmed, waving for them to follow her.

At the far end of the building, a door opened, and a guy with slick black hair, wearing a Coffin Kings kutte stepped out.

“Shit, that’s him—” Miser hissed, reaching for the Ruger at his hip.

But it was too late, the guy saw them and bolted.

Steve cursed, letting out after him on foot alongside Jackal, while Eddie and the others pursued on their bikes.

Around the next building, there was a car waiting for Nick—a plain white sedan—and even after Steve summoned his high school athlete days, he still couldn’t catch up. Nick jumped in the passenger seat and the vehicle peeled out, throwing dust up into Steve’s face as his arms windmilled to a halt.

“Fuck,” Steve took his sunglasses off and threw them to the gravel, nostrils flaring as he watched the vehicle flee.

Miser sent a gunshot, aiming for the front tire, but missed as the car picked up speed.

Eddie and the others continued on in hot pursuit, and Jackal motioned for Steve to get into her truck that was nearby: a lifted navy Bronco with monster tires. Steve had to grip onto the side bar to heft himself up into it, and then she gunned it, skidding out of the parking lot.

The sedan led them on a wild chase over the railroad tracks, skirting the center of town to avoid the cops. Eddie and Van made their way to the side of the vehicle and Van cracked the driver’s side window with the hilt of his knife, making them swerve. The car dove into the nearby alfalfa field, going where they knew the motorcycles couldn’t follow.

But, Jackal’s Bronco was made for the mud.

“Hold on—” she warned Steve.

“I’m holding,” Steve said through gritted teeth, eyes narrowed on the target in front of them, his fist tight on the grab handle above his head.

The sedan almost got its back tire stuck in the ditch, but the Bronco bounced right through the muck like it was a paved road, tractor tread crawling along like a tank.

While Steve and Jackal took a diagonal course through farmland, Eddie and the rest took the next side road, aiming to cut them off before they could hit the highway.

—-----

You were on your way to Robin’s when you caught sight of a white car being chased through a field by what looked like a monster truck from one of rallies at the coliseum.

“What…the—-”

It was far enough away that you didn’t feel in danger, but you slowed down to see if you could understand what was happening.

But then three riders on motorcycles were headed in your direction at full tilt, so you pulled off to the side of the road to get out of their way, wondering if you knew any of them—-

“Eddie?” You squinted, wanting to be mistaken.

Indeed that was your boyfriend leading the pack.

He saw you as they passed at lightning speed and picked up his hand in a wave.

You sat there for a while, watching the three of them disappear in your rearview mirror, clearly angling to beat whoever was driving their car through the crop rows.

After a heavy sigh, you dropped your shoulders and kept on in the direction you were headed.

Three years ago, you would’ve freaked out and followed them. But at that point in the relationship, such a scene was par for the course, and you knew it was best to stay out of it.

—----

Up ahead was a sharp turn in the bend, and Devlin sped up to angle the sedan away from the street. His approach clipped the bumper of the car, making it lose control, forcing it back into the ditch, but it also made his own bike go flying. Thankfully he was thrown free before the hunk of metal landed on his leg, skidding across the gravel.

Jackal rode her tire up onto the back of the sedan, pinning it there as the two men inside fled.

Steve was on the ground so fast, he could barely find his feet. His legs felt like that of a roadrunner in one of the cartoons, flying in circles.

Eddie snagged the driver, throwing him into the dirt with a grunt, followed with a punch of his fist. The driver was gangly, with a prison spider web tat on his elbow and dishwater blonde hair styled in a mullet.

Nick climbed up onto the main road and bolted, until Jackal aimed and shot a bullet so close to his head, the heat grazed his ear.

That made him stutter to a halt, just in time for Steve to tackle him at the waist, putting him down hard on the pavement. Van took Eddie’s place, putting his knee into the driver’s back, pinning him there while the rest went to deal with the Coffin Kings imposter.

No words were exchanged for a while, just Nick sputtering in pain while Eddie rolled him over to check his pockets.

He found a wad of bills and waved it in Nick’s bloody face.

“C’mon man, that’s like 2 grand—-” Nick protested through a busted lip before Steve punched him again.

“Yeah, it’s real nice,” Eddie flashed a grin, standing to tuck the money in the top pocket of his leather. “Take that thing off of him.”

Steve and Devlin got the leather vest off, making sure they hurt him in the process, and then Devlin put his boot on the guys belly to keep him there.

Eddie inspected the insignia’s, noticing there were no rank or name placards, and the material wasn’t even real leather.

Eddie gripped it in his fist. “Where the fuck did you get this?”

“I didn’t mean anything by it, I swear,” Nick wiggled, grimacing at the weight of Devlin’s foot. “Just let me go, okay?”

Steve bent down to lap the guys face with the back of his hand. “He asked you a question.”

Nick looked like he’d rather vomit than tell the truth, but then Jackal stepped up and pointed her gun at him.

“Okay okay!” He squirmed. “M-my mom made it for me, alright? For my birthday a few weeks ago.”

None of them had been expecting that, but they all made eye contact and snickered in disbelief; Eddie’s grin nearly split his face open right before his expression turned dark again.

“Tell your mom to come see us sometime, we’ll put her to work,” he joked. “But you? You’re fucking done, do you understand—?”

Steve pulled Nick to his feet by his shirt and got in his face, jaw tense. “I should kill you for what you did to her.”

Eddie gave a sideway look, not expecting Steve to still have so much heat under his protectiveness for that woman. Maybe that’s part of what having daughters did to a man.

“B-b-but you’re not going to, right?” Nick blubbered. “We’re cool?”

“We’re far from cool,” Steve pulled him close to whisper in his ear. “I’ll be coming for you.”

And then Steve shoved him so that he tripped over his feet backwards and fell again.

“You better run, cowboy,” Jackal shot a bullet into the ground at his feet, and he let out a high-pitched scream before taking off down the road on foot.

“I see either of you again, you’re dead. Understand?” Eddie shouted after both of them as Van let go of his death grip on the driver.

The two were too scared to look back; too busy scurrying away as fast along the corn field to care about how stupid they looked.

“Hey, War Machine,” Van brushed blonde hair away from his beard stubble. “Was that your girl we passed back there?”

Eddie checked over his shoulder in the direction of the farmhouse, wondering where you’d been headed, exhaling a long breath. “Yeah, it was.”

—-----

You only saw Robin in passing once you arrived at the house and parked behind the Airstream. Oliver was at school, so it would be the three young girls with you and Astrid.

The twins were on the floor in the living room, coloring, and you couldn’t get over how much Gracie looked like Steve. Since they were fraternal, Rue resembled her sibling, but was also very different. She had Astrid’s wild hair and a face that didn’t quite resemble either of their parents; Astrid said she was the spitting image of their grandmother, Evelyn.

Astrid came around the corner cradling Mae in her arms with her mane of black hair back in a clip, and her eyes were puffy.

“Please take her,” she groaned, handing over Mae into your arms with a sigh of relief. “I can’t do this anymore.”

Mae had a pacifier in her mouth, but you could tell she was smiling up at you, lids droopy. You began that automatic movement of rocking her in your arms. You’d never been around many babies in your life, but the soothing gesture seemed to be ingrained in your dna.

Astrid flopped heavily into the kitchen chair with a groan. “Did Robin tell you Steve never came home last night?”

“She did,” you bent to kiss Mae’s soft forehead. “Eddie came home late and left early, so Steve might’ve been with him, and I just didn’t know it.”

“It’s not like Steve to not leave a note or let me know somehow,” she started picking at an invisible thread on her peach dress that buttoned down the front. “Do you think he did anything with Charlene?”

You were shocked at the question, but your friend looked like she hadn’t slept in days and perhaps wasn’t processing thoughts at peak capacity.

“Oh god no, Astrid,” Mae squirmed, kicking her strong little legs a few times in her Big Bird onesie, and you sat down in the chair next to Astrid. “Steve would never, and I think you know that. He’d cut his own hand off before he did anything as stupid as cheat on you.”

“Maybe,” she swallowed hard like she was trying to push down a sob. “We just…can’t seem to connect like we used to, and I’m just…just…”

She covered her face with both hands and cursed into her palms.

“Hey,” you leaned forward with a free arm to rub soothing circles on her back. “I’ll stay out here with the girls if you want to take a nap or something? Slam some beers in the bathroom, whatever.”

Astrid chuckled a bit at that, sliding her hands down her face and into her lap. “Maybe I do need some sleep.”

From where you sat, you could see the twins on the floor in the next room with papers and crayons scattered about. Just then, you noticed that Rue was headed in your direction, curls bouncing around her face.

There was a tiny frown on her face, like she’d been concentrating, and she handed each of you a piece of lined notebook paper that had been ripped in half.

Apparently, she’d made some drawings, but before you could say anything, she was off again, determined to get back to her work.

“Thank you Rue, I love you,” you called after her.

“One is from meeee!” Gracie shouted.

“I love you too, Gracie,” you laughed, staring fondly down at the mess of colorful scribbles.

“They want to be like their big brother so bad,” Astrid had tears in her eyes, but for a different reason this time; she was so proud of her little family, so grateful to be a mother.

When you held the paper up to the light, you noticed that there was some writing on the back of it, so you turned it over.

My hot wife —

Slept in trailer, didn’t want to wake the girls

Can’t wait to kiss you again

I love you

“Um, I think you should see this—” you passed the note to Astrid, and enjoyed watching the relief spread across her face as she read it.

—------

A few hours later, Steve rolled up to Munson’s Garage in the Jaguar, after giving it a test run around the hills to enjoy how smooth it took corners. He found Charlene already waiting there on a bench in the shade, talking with Wayne who wore a pair of light blue coveralls.

Wayne got to his feet while Steve pulled the sportscar up to the closest parking spot.

“Took you long enough,” Uncle barked at him, crossing his arms. “Cab dropped her off an hour ago.”

He’d left the top down, so his hair was a mess, and he pushed his sunglasses up, eyeing the two.

“No, it’s fine,” Charlene shrugged, looking relaxed. “I had good company.” She had on a teal, halter top pant suit with matching heels, and she stuck out like a sore thumb.

Steve put one booted foot up on the bench seat next to her. “Yeahm, so, that guy Nick, he wasn’t—”

“I know,” Charlene reluctantly held her hand out to take the keys he was offering. “Eddie told me. I’d like to say I’ve learned my lesson, but probably not.”

“No woman deserves that,” Wayne said, giving Steve a pointed look. “I hope you boys took care of it.”

“We did,” Steve met his gaze, letting him know without words that the dude wouldn’t be hanging around Hawkins if he had a lick of sense.

Wayne said a polite goodbye to Charlene before heading back to the shop.

“You never mentioned how charming your uncle is,” she said, running a hand through her hair.

“Stay away from Wayne,” Steve grumbled, sitting down across from her.

“I didn’t mean—” she got flustered and then straightened. “He reminds me of my dad, that’s all I meant. Nothing nefarious.”

“Never can tell with you,” he muttered, fumbling to rip the wrapper off a soft pack of Camels with his teeth. He told himself he wouldn’t buy another pack, but he lied.

There was silence while Steve lit his smoke, all but for the sound of faint rock music and an electric drill from one of the garages.

“So,” she chanced. “I hear you have a big family now.”

“Yeah, what about ‘em?” He scowled at her after a hearty inhale.

Charlene lifted both palms out as a sign of surrender. “Forget it, I was going to say I’m happy for you.”

Steve snorted. “You expect me to believe that, after all the shit you pulled, that you actually give a shit about anyone?”

She’d expected that, and she knew she deserved it.

“I give a shit about you,” she muttered. “I would’ve done anything for you.”

The sincerity confused him but then he pushed his shoulders back. “I’ve got everything I ever wanted, and I won’t let anyone fuck with that. ‘Specially not you.”

“Understood,” she said, rubbing her magenta lips together with a nod.

“I want you to be happy, though,” he softened his tone. “I cared about you once, and that means I always will, no matter how much I wish that weren’t true. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

“That’s probably the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me,” she scoffed a self-deprecating laugh.

“That sucks,” Steve exhaled through his nostrils. “You’ve got a good heart, Charlene. It’s just too bad you don’t know how to use it.”

A car pulled into the compound and at first, Steve didn’t pay much attention until he saw over his shoulder that it was you.

With Astrid and the girls.

—-----

Eddie turned the radio up in the garage when Come and Get It by Judas Priest came on, and then wiped his hands on a red rag as he made his way to the office. Although the finances at the Hammer and the garage were handled separately, he’d hired one accountant he trusted to take care of it all, and she’d just left a stack of paperwork for him to sign.

On the wall behind the desk was a framed photo of the two of you together, hugging in the front doorway of the farmhouse the first day you’d moved in. The flashback made his mouth twitch in a smile, as he had so many fond memories of those first couple weeks, back when there was nothing but a mattress on the floor and several leaks in the roof he had to control with various buckets. It was just the two of you, making love and whispering about lifetimes of devotion.

He had a secret place in the metal file cabinet where he kept all of the notes you’d left in his lunch over the months, and he had this tugging need to look through them again just before he caught sight of your car coming through the open gate and into the compound. Wayne was gone, but there on the picnic table sat Charlene and Steve, and before he could think too much about it, his feet were moving, wrenching the door open to make his way across the lot.

Steve jumped up when he saw you angling for a parking spot nearby. Oh shit, Eddie realized you had Astrid and the girls with you, too. The fact that they’d helped Charlene was no secret, but still, it made him feel uneasy with everyone about to converge in one spot.

—------

“Please tell me that is not Charlene,” Astrid whispered, eyeing the profile of the woman sitting across from her husband.

“I’m afraid that is exactly who it is,” you muttered, suddenly feeling like maybe it wasn’t a great idea to bring the girls by to visit daddy at work. It had been a while, and you assumed she’d be gone by then.

But it was too late now. You recognized the Jaguar parked nearby; it was the same one she brought in for Eddie to fix that first day you met.

All three girls were safely in car seats in the back, and when Astrid went to step out, Steve was right there, blocking her exit.

Funny enough, Eddie did the same, but on your side. He was there so fast, you accidentally hit his leg with the door.

“What a sight for sore eyes,” he grinned, pulling you flush to him while tipping your chin up for a kiss.

With lips still brushing together, you mumbled: “What the hell is she still doing here?”

And then through gritted teeth, Eddie responded: “Your guess is as good as mine.”

Steve went to grab for Astrid right away, hands at her hips, and she let him, but her attention was over his shoulder.

“To what do I owe this pleasure, gorgeous?” He murmured, noticing that she’d put on some mascara and deep burgundy lipstick after not wearing makeup for months.

Steve only shuffled back a few steps to allow her to shut the door, but then he continued to act as a barrier to keep her from going any further. He bent down to knock on the back window, waving to the twins as Mae slept in the car seat between them. Gracie shouted “daddy!” and held her hand out as if he could grab it through the glass.

Steve glanced sideways at Eddie. “So, should we all go get pizza or something? At that one place with the bouncy balls that the girls like? My treat. If you head over there, we’ll meet you—-”

Eddie was close to telling his friend to shut the hell up, as it felt like his babbling was only making things worse.

Astrid kissed his cheek. “Please move out of my way, Steven.”

—----

Charlene stood up and took hold of the keys to head for the Jaguar. She could tell by the looks you and Astrid were sharing that she’d managed to make things awkward, and more than anything, she felt embarrassed.

But, she took a step away from the picnic bench just in time to see Steve’s twin daughters come bouncing out of the vehicle in matching Oshkosh overalls and her chest tightened—-oh god, one of them was the spitting image of Steve.

And why were the two tiny girls headed that way on their little wobbly legs as if they knew her?

“Slow down, Rue!” Astrid called after them as Steve fumbled at getting the car seat out that had Mae inside.

“She’s, um, she was just leaving,” Steve grunted, trying to move the apparatus out without waking the baby. Astrid was already rushing to catch up with the girls, making each of them hold one of her hands.

For some reason, Charlene was frozen. Locking eyes with Gracie, knowing they were Steve’s hazel eyes, accumulated with the rest of her regrets like a punch to the gut.

Her deep dark secret was that she’d always wanted children of her own, but John refused.

You and Eddie followed them over, albeit reluctantly. If there were ever some serious conversation that needed to be had with Charlene, it certainly wouldn’t be done with the kids there, and so you weren’t at all sure what could possibly unfold.

Although Charlene and Astrid had spent a very tense few moments together the night Craig was shot, they’d never shared more than a few words with each other. Last night, when Steve got the page from Eddie, she’d known it was about Charlene before he even said a thing; she could feel her arriving in her bones like some might feel the impending threat of cold weather.

Steve hurried to get between the two women and set the baby carrier on the picnic table. Gracie was on her tiptoes with her arms up, begging him to put her on his shoulders, and so he did, and she took hold of his hair like a saddle horn.

“Glad we could meet under better circumstances,” Astrid said to Charlene, sincerely.

Eddie put his arm around your shoulder and you sank into him, wrapping both arms around his middle. You wished you could hide under his blue and black flannel so no one could see you.

“You have a really beautiful family,” was all Charlene could think to say as she caught sight of Steve’s third daughter.

“Thank you,” Astrid replied, maintaining steady eye contact.

There were a few strained silences, and you could feel Eddie wanting to fill them, but suddenly he burst out with:

“Did you want to come by the Hammer and see what we’ve done with the place?” He chirped, rubbing your arm almost violently.

Your whole body tensed at that, and you could see that it was the same physical response for Steve.

“No, that’s…I’m good,” Charlene removed the Gucci sunglasses from the top of her head and put them over her eyes. “There are several cargo crates of my things being sent to Hawaii right now, and I have a flight to catch. But I’m sure you’ve done well with it.”

But it was Rue who broke the next silence.

She’d wandered a few yards over to the fence and back, carrying two bright yellow dandelions pinched between her fingers.

She was right there, blocking Charlene’s path to her car, arm outstretched to offer her one.

“For me?” Charlene was genuinely confused, and not accustomed to the wholesome kindness often displayed by children.

Rue just nodded, tucking the other one behind her ear so that the bloom was at her cheek.

The rest of you exchanged a few baffled looks—all but Astrid, because she knew what was happening. She knew then that her daughter carried the same gift she’d been born with; the gift of intuitive sight. Even at her young age, Rue could read people and their intentions, and she knew that Charlene was no longer a threat to them. She knew that everyone in that parking lot deserved healing and forgiveness.

“Like this?” Charlene put the flower in her hair the same way with tentative fingers, and Rue nodded again, moving around the woman to walk back over to her family.

Astrid scooped Rue up into her arms.

Charlene took one last look over at the group as she drove out of the compound, seeing the way you all smiled at each other, continuing on with conversation as if she’d never been there. You were all visibly relieved to no longer be sharing space with her, but Rue had been able to see her with fresh eyes, without all of the pain and suffering she’d inflicted on others and on herself. There’d been no judgment or weariness in that child’s eyes; just curiosity and love. It gave her a bit of hope that maybe she could…start over. Maybe she’d fall in love again with a guy who wasn’t Steve, maybe she’d adopt a child of her own one day, or maybe…she’d get a dog and call it a day.

—------

A few days later, you couldn’t find Scully, and the two of you fell into panic mode.

“Did you let her out?” Eddie snapped. “You know we need to keep her inside this close to the due date.”

Eddie was a mess. Granted, you were upset too, but he was ready to tear the whole house apart looking for her, and then some. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself seeing how devoted he was to this once stray cat. Some nights he even made room between the two of you so that Scully could sleep in the middle.

But finally, a soft mewing from the closet alerted you to the fact that she’d tucked herself away in the dark to have her babies.

“Honey, come look,” you whispered down the hall to him.

There she was, snuggled back in the corner in a box of old sweatshirts, nursing four tiny baby kittens. She had one more a half hour later to make the final count five. Two black, one gray, one black and white, and one orange striper.

“Daddy must’ve been an orange guy, hey my darling?” He hummed a conversation to Scully as you picked them all up to put down some fresh blankets, making sure she had food and water nearby.

“What should we name them?” Eddie asked as you both sat in the doorway, watching them nuzzle together for sleep.

“I think we should let Oliver name the orange little girl, since I know that’s the one he’ll pick,” you whispered, to which Eddie agreed. “Maybe I’ll name the gray one Keanu,” you said, mostly joking, but Eddie didn’t seem bothered. As soon as it was possible, Scully would be back at the vet to get fixed, but you were grateful to have this experience with him.

“Can I name the black ones Dio and Vecna?” He asked, hopefully.

“What kind of a name is Vecna?” You wrinkled your nose. “Should we call him Vicky for short?”

“The black and white looks like a Leia,” he continued, eyes sparkling.

“Leia is a good name,” you hummed, putting your cheek on his shoulder.

You moved Scully and her box of babies into your bedroom so that she would be closer if she needed anything, but then in the middle of the night, she moved the kittens back to the same spot in the guest bedroom closet, so then that is where you let her stay.

Later that night, you were in the kitchen cleaning up before bed, when you heard Eddie singing a song under his breath in the next room:

“Hey little girl is your daddy home, did he go and leave you all alone…”

You thought you recognized it as you scrubbed a dish, eyes darting to the window to watch two motorcycles zoom by on the dark highway in the distance.

“I got a bad desire…”

On the refrigerator behind you, secured by magnets, were photo snapshots of the two of you with Steve and Astrid, Robin and Katie, Gracie, Rue and one of Mae when she was first born. There was one of Wayne twenty years ago, standing with Taz and War Machine as two gangly teenagers. There was a long strip from a photo booth at the fair with you, Eddie, and Oliver all making faces for the camera.

“Tell me now, baby, is he good to you

Can he do to you the things that I do? I can take you higher…”

He’d been folding the blanket on the couch and blowing out candles, but then he was on his way to you as the mumbled lyrics got clearer:

“Sometimes it's like someone took a knife, baby, edgy and dull

And cut a six-inch valley through the middle of my skull…”

You finished what you were doing, but then you stayed still, feeling him come up behind.

“At night, I wake up with the sheets soaking wet

And a freight train running through the middle of my head…”

You leaned back, letting yourself be caged in his embrace; his head dipping to kiss your neck. You thought about that day on the side of the road when he picked you up in the tow truck, and how it didn’t feel like you were meeting for the first time but more, coming back together after a lifetime apart.

His lips ghosted the shell of your ear. “Only you can cool my desire…”

After that first kiss years ago, you knew there would never be another option for you; Eddie Munson was endgame. Having tasted true love once in your life, you felt like you could die happy.

But not until you rode the highway of life for a long, long time. Even at the end, you’d still be holding on tight.

“...Oh oh oh I’m on Fire…”

—------

The Epilogue of an Epilogue

“Yo, Steve. Package for you.”

It was Thumper, working the door at the Velvet Hammer for what promised to be a wild Friday night. Max ended up showing interest in the Assistant Manager position, after deciding that long haul trucking was taking a toll on her need to start a family, and Robin couldn’t hire her fast enough. Jeff also came on as a part-time bartender, leaving you pleasantly surprised and wondering what other skill sets he had up his sleeve.

Steve had just come through the door to ask Shana for a cup of coffee when the crumpled brown piece of mail flew at his chest. He caught it, but took the time to throw Thumper a dirty look.

“Ease up, boss,” the burly biker grumbled through a huge grin. “Since when do you have a penpal in Hawaii?”

He stopped in his tracks at that, afraid to look down. Afraid to open it, even. Steve’s newest ink—-Mae’s name on the back of his hand—-glistened from the recent layer of Aquaphor.

He asked for his coffee with a pound of sugar and sat at the end of the bar, frowning.

The return address was a P.O. box in Honolulu without a name, but he didn’t even have to wonder. He was sure he could smell the Chanel through the packaging.

Inside was a ring of keys.

Car keys, clearly, but it took him a second to understand what they belonged to and why they looked so familiar in his hand.

There was also a note:

These are the keys to the Jaguar. It’s parked in a secure garage at the airport, instructions also enclosed.

Every time I drive it, I get myself in trouble. Hopefully you will have better luck, or maybe Rue can have it when she gets older.

The dandelion was a fair trade.

—----

I have so much to say, so much love to give to you all, and I hope you can feel it through the words. I'm so deeply grateful for each one of you and this experience. Whether you have left comments, reblogs, thoughtful asks, or edits, I remember you and you are special to me. I would give anything to meet up at the Velvet Hammer for cocktails (and/or tea, of course) but here are a few in particular I'd like to thank:

Huge thank you to @cryptidcurio for being the initial inspiration for this fic in the first place, and for always feeding me the best ideas. Some of the most popular scenes in this series are from her. Our biker Eddie and biker Steve talks seem to have somehow gotten us through the past hellish year, I love you. I'm so grateful for @texasblues and all of our chats about Steve, Astrid, Wayne, and the girls. Truly, the only reason Astrid and Steve are so perfect is because of Jennie and our brainstorming. We chat a lot about what Rue, Gracie, and Mae will be like when they are older, and hopefully we'll have a few blurbs about that someday. Also, I highly recommend her Steve & Astrid writings HERE My beautiful friend @dandelionnfluff decided to do a bind of I'm on Fire for their personal use and I am still choked up about how much work they put in and how gorgeous it is. You can see their amazing work here: book bind

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Taglist: @notsobubblybaby @unfocused81 @aysheashea @etherealglimmer@manicmagicmayhem @dream-a-little-nightmare@chaoticgood-munson @emxcast @rhirojo @bexreadstoomuch @micheledawn1975 @falling-solar-system@secretdryrose

@whatwedontdointheshadows @miarosso @seventhlevelofhell @corrodedcoffincumslut @lofaewrites @goldyghoul @chloe-6123 @kelsiegrin @chelebelletx @stylesxmunson @kurdtbean@dandelionnfluff @hideoutside @truffleshuffle12 @tenthmoon @texasblues@emilyslutface@mmunson86@onegirlmanytales@laylaloves-ed@dashingdeb16@eddiiiieeee @ick90 @dashingdeb16 @polyestermonster @trixyvixx @atomickaratel8dy @kiyastrf94 @allthingsjoeq @eddiesxangel @razzieth @corrodeddeadlydoll @erinekc @angietherose @sllooney @writinginthetwilight @moonbeamsandmayhem @brianamunson92 @joannamuns9n @bellalillyrose @alba8688 @chevelle724

#I'm on Fire #IoF #biker!Eddie #biker!Steve #biker Eddie Munson #biker Steve Harrington #Eddie Munson fanfiction #biker au #Robin Buckley #Steve Harrington

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biancadjarin · 2 years

Text

ʚ Send Me an Angel ɞ

- pairing: mean!eddie munson x bratty!henderson older sister!female reader

- content warning: 18+ nothing too graphic, but I prefer no minors on my blog, thankssss

- a/n: idk what this is lol, I just love fem/bratty reader and intimidating/mean Eddie <3

“Ugh why do your weird nerdy friends have to come here Dusty??” you pout at your little brother as you lay on your stomach on your bed, him staring at you from your doorway.

“I told you, the drama kids are putting on a play or some shit so we can’t play D&D in there.” He says to you like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “Just stay in here, my friends don’t wanna listen to your stupid shows on the TV or watch you dance around to your girly music.” He slams your door shut and your head shoots up off a pillow, shocked at how rude he can be. You scoff and roll onto your back, eyes growing heavy and leading you into your after school nap.

You’re rudely awakened by loud laughter and yelling. You look at the pink clock on your wall. 6:05pm. Their little game has only been going for 5 minutes and you’re already annoyed. You get up and head to your door, swinging it open and heading towards the bathroom for a quick shower before you go make yourself some dinner.

“C’mon Eddie, I wanna cast a spell, hurry up and roll!” you hear Mike Wheeler yell. Little twerp just like your brother. Always running into the house, tracking in dirt, leaving their bikes in the drivew… Wait. Eddie. Eddie’s here. In your dining room. You’ve had a crush on Eddie all year and while you two have talked here and there, you’d be lying if you said his harsh leather metal head look didn’t scare you a bit. You’re all soft edges, pink backpack, frilly white socks rolled over your reeboks, soft hair swaying. You’re not perfect, certainly no Phoebe Cates. But you know you’re pretty, plush lips over straight teeth, cute perky boobs and a butt that jiggles when you walk.

You’ve felt Eddie’s eyes on you at school. Once he even bumped into you when you stopped short to tie your shoe. “Walk much?” Eddie said to you with a glare. “Oh!” You’d said as you spun around, surprised at his proximity. “S-sorry.” You said sweetly, his big brown eyes stared at you and made your tummy flutter in the most amazing way. Your tummy isn’t flat and perfect but that’s ok. You like cookies too much, is that a crime?!

“Actually since you’re here, can you hold my books while I tie my shoes?” you’d asked, voice smooth and sweet like syrup. Eddie stared at you for a second then put out his hands. You assumed that meant yes so you handed him your heavy textbooks. You turned and bent forward, ass almost grazing his crotch. The way the fabric of your white jeans stretched across your cute little butt made him stop breathing. Eddie’s mind went blank, mouth going dry and fingers going numb from the weight. Your textbooks slipped out of his hands and hit the floor with a slam. You squeaked a scared little scream and stood back up quickly. “Shit are you okay?” Eddie asks you as he drops down and picks the books back up, placing them gently into your small hands. “I’m fine. Was just loud. Scared me.” He chuckled, eyes narrowed and and flickered with mischief, making you wonder if he did that on purpose. “I’m sorry angel… I mean-” Your reaction to his nickname for you got cut short when you jumped for the second time in the last two minutes thanks to the class bell ringing. “Gotta go.” Eddie said with a wink before racing past you, your face red with embarrassment.

You giggle at the memory as you exit the shower. Quickly running back to your room to get ready, you think to yourself: How can I get Eddie’s attention but not let him know he has mine? I think he likes me but I don’t wanna look too desperate. Gotta tease him a bit… You curl your lashes and put on your sparkly pink lipgloss. You open your closet and weigh your options… tight jeans?… but you want Eddie to see your panties. A dress? that’s a little too obvious… your fingers reach for your soft pink frilly mini skirt that has a matching jacket that your friend borrowed and never gave back. You slip it on, white and pink lace panties underneath with a scalloped edge that hug your ass just right. A simple white T shirt that’s slightly see through over a matching pink and white lace bra and a couple sparkly silver necklaces finish your outfit. Barefoot you begin to creep downstairs, the sounds of boys whooping and dice hitting your wooden dining room table growing louder as you ascend.

“So uh, where’s your sister D?” you hear one of the boys ask. You stop on the second to last step, leaning in to listen. It’s not Eddie’s voice, but too deep to be Mike or Lucas’s. “Up in her room, she’s so annoying.” You roll your eyes. “Maybe..” Gareth grumbles. “But I certainly don’t mind lookin’ at her.” Everyone busts out into laughter except your brother. “Ew dude gross! Shut up, it’s your turn.” “Yeah G,” you finally hear Eddie’s voice, it sounds deep and tight like he’s clenching his jaw. “Roll the dice before I write you out of this whole campaign.” “Jeez fine. I got a 12.” “Not enough, you lose 18 hit points.” “What the fuck man!”

As the game continues you saunter past the table, only turning your head once to smile and wave politely at the group. You feel Eddie’s eyes follow you all the way to the kitchen. Their conversation continues on, sounding further away now. You begin to warm up some rice and leftover chicken, mixing up a strawberry lemonade while the microwave whirs. As you watch the yellow drink turn pink you feel a warmth encroach your space, the smell of weed and cinnamon gum filling your nostrils.

“Hey y/n.. didn’t know you were here.” Eddie says as he stands behind you. Closer than what would be considered normal. You spin around, big doe eyes looking up and meeting his, small silver spoon that you were mixing with coming up to your lips and sucking, savoring the tangy powder. His eyes fall to your mouth, half hooded, eyebrows raising slightly. You pull it out slowly and lick the tip of it with your tongue, before saying “I live here. Where else would I be?” in your bratty tone.

He shrugs his shoulders, “Friday night, thought maybe you’d be on a date.” He says with a crooked smile. Does he think about me going on dates? He crowds closer into your space, you feel the countertop at your back as you lean against it. “Nope. No date. Maybe you can set me up with one of your friends?” you say as you look past him, over his shoulder towards where Hellfire is. “My friends? You wanna date one of us?” “I don’t know.. maybe. You think they’d be interested?” you ask him confidently but your heart is beating so fast, your breath uneven, chest rising with every shaky inhale. BEEEEEP. The microwave signals behind you. “Eddie! You done in the bathroom yet?!” you hear your brother yell from down the hall. “Sounds like you’re needed out there.” You say to him, beginning to slide past him. His hand shoots up to grab your hip and maneuver you back. Caged in by him.

“Yeah, gimme five minutes!” He yells over his shoulder. You stare up at him, unsure what he’s going to do. He reaches behind you picking up your pink lemonade and drinks the whole thing in one long sip. You watch as his neck stretches back and his adams apple bobs when he swallows. The pale smooth skin of his neck looking irresistibly bite-able. “Sweet. Like you.” He says, low and gravelly. He puts the glass down and drops his chin to his chest, looking at the small space between your bodies. “Is this a skirt or a belt? So fuckin’ short I thought I saw some ass when you walked by.” “Maybe I wanted your friend to see. What’s his name? With the curls… Gareth?” Eddie snorts and throws his head back with a mock laugh. “Gareth wouldn’t know what to do with you.” His eyes sweep down your neck, your chest and stop at where the thin fabric of your shirt and lace bra are barely doing anything to cover the pebbled peaks of your nipples. “Oh and you know what to do with me?” you ask, eyebrows raising condescendingly. He exhales a low growl before reaching to grab the back of your squishy thighs and lifting you up onto the counter.

“I’d have a lot of fun finding out-” he leans forward, hands softly grasping the back of your calves, thumbs rubbing up and down the smooth skin as he guides them to rest around his thighs. “Angel.” he says with a wink. You feel a shudder go through you, ending at your core and making you ache between your legs. Eddie’s standing between your spread thighs, the rough fabric of his black jeans rubbing against your legs as he talks. Everything about him feels so warm. “Listen to me real good now.” He says, lips brushing the shell of your ear causing goosebumps to erupt down the whole left side of your body. “You’re going to eat your little snack. Then go back upstairs to your room and wait for me. Think you can do that?” He doesn’t wait for you to respond before he’s backing away and walking back down the hallway. “EDDIE COME OOON!” Gareth yells. “Comin’!” He says back, wide smirk dancing on his lips.

You’re left in the kitchen wondering what just happened and what you just got yourself into…

Part 2 HERE

Masterlist HERE

——————Thanks for reading!—————

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x y/n #eddie stranger things #eddie x reader #eddie x y/n #mean!eddie #bratty!reader #eddie munson moodboard #henderson!sister #eddie x henderson!reader

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mononijikayu · 9 months

Text

malmö i mitt hjärta ━ nanami kento.

But amid the sterile bleakness, a beacon awaited. Someone was there for him, a comforting presence that contradicted the harsh realities of the hospital room. The warmth of her memory, a stark contrast to the clinical surroundings, lingered in his mind like a gentle embrace. As his senses gradually acclimated to the reality surrounding him, he became aware of the cool caress of pristine white sheets against his skin. The distant symphony of medical equipment, each beep and hum, served as a poignant testament to his unexpected survival. Yes, he was alive.

GENRE: Alternate Universe - Canon Convergence;

WARNING/s: Gen, Romance, Friends to Lovers, Husband and Wife, Friendship, Husband! Nanami, Reader! Wife, Fluff, Drama, Comfort, Falling In Love, Flirting, Fix-It, Humor, Domesticity, Family Life, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Idiots In Love, Light-Hearted, Slice of Life, Pining, Nanami Being A Great Husband;

WORDS: 5k words.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: kinda perfect to put this out, considering i was fuming last night that mei mei was in malaysia and not nanami. GEGE WHEN I CATCH YOU GEGE??? im not sure if i'll write more about nanami and his wife, but im thinking on it. if you have any thing you wanna see from their life, just come on and tell me as suggestions!!!

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what a wonderful world masterlist

hesitate | malmö i mitt hjärta

next: what are you doing new year's eve

HE DID NOT REMEMBER WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE BURST OF WHITE LIGHT ECHOED ALL AROUND HIM. Nanami Kento found himself in a disorienting haze, the aftermath of the blinding white light that had enveloped him. The memories of what had transpired were elusive, slipping away like grains of sand in the wind. Bleeding and broken, he stood amidst the chaos, wearied not only by the physical toll but also by the relentless violence that surrounded him.

Shibuya had proven to be a formidable battleground, surpassing even the expectations set by reports. Nanami, however, hadn't anticipated the extent of the exhaustion he would feel. The weariness ran deep, etched in the scarlet lines that adorned his wounded flesh, almost resembling weary tears.

As he stood at the precipice of what seemed like the end, he could envision the face of Yu Haibara, a nostalgic smile etched across the features of his youth. There he stood, eyeing Nanami with all the kindness he doesn't deserve. It was as if Death itself was extending an invitation to the solace Nanami had long sought, a respite from the unending cycle of struggle that seemed inescapable.

Yet before he knew it, it was as though he was never there.

Haibara smiled, standing before Mikoto Nobuhiko.

Nanami realized that they switched positions. From where he stood before, he could catch the glimpse of Nobuhiko's orbs glisten in crystal tears. He tried to scream, he remembers he could. But Itadori Yuuji did it for the both of them, crying out Nobuhiko's name.

He didn't know if he cried or not.

He doesn't remember that much.

But he knew that the blue summer ended forever.

Nanami Kento had lost himself in fleeting delusions.

In those fleeting moments, Nanami's mind drifted to the simple joys that made life worth living. The vivid beauty of a Malaysian morning, the tropical sun's warmth on his skin, the gentle winds accompanying moments of quiet reading against a backdrop of serene resignation, and the comforting aroma of green tea in the familiarity of his home.

The mental images continued to unfold, walking hand in hand with a cherished person, the resonance of their rings echoing like a soft bell, proclaiming a love that belonged exclusively to them. Her gaze, filled with the profound echoes of a love uniquely theirs, lingered in his mind as he faced Death head-on.

Her face, where her warm smile was tender for him.

The scarlet sunset etched all over her cheeks.

The bright beam of love in those eyes for him.

He held on to life, wanting to see her again.

As the intense beam of light faded, Nanami Kento found himself grappling with the harsh reality of his surroundings. The once vibrant scenes of his memories were replaced by sterile white ceilings, devoid of the vitality he had just envisioned. His lips, now forming a flat line, mirrored his uncertainty about this unexpected twist of fate. The struggle to open his eyes wide was matched by the greater challenge of drawing breath into his lungs. Amidst the confusion, he became aware of the narrow hitches of breath escaping his lips.

As he took in the scene around him, the echoes of a flatline transitioned into the sound of morning air filling his lungs. The pain was a harsh reminder of his corporeal existence, yet the sensation of life coursing through him was undeniable. Nanami Kento found himself grappling with the juxtaposition of life and near death, a survivor in a world that seemed to have momentarily abandoned its tumultuous chaos.

The sterile hospital room resonated with the cold hum of fluorescent lights, casting a clinical glow upon the barren walls. For Nanami, it was a realm he despised, a place where discomfort and unease mingled. Despite the years spent in the ebb and flow of blood and flesh, the hospital environment remained foreign, an unwelcome terrain that clawed at the edges of his resolve.

It wasn't just the sights; it was the acrid scent that permeated the air, triggering memories of a bygone youth marked by echoes of profound loss. The antiseptic aroma, a nauseating reminder of vulnerability, threatened to unravel him. Yet, confined to his bed, there was no escape. Nanami Kento found himself ensnared in a place he had vowed never to return.

As his senses gradually acclimated to the reality surrounding him, he became aware of the cool caress of pristine white sheets against his skin. The distant symphony of medical equipment, each beep and hum, served as a poignant testament to his unexpected survival. Yes, he was alive.

And in that pulsating moment between life and the sterile ambiance, he found solace in the idea of returning to her. The prospect of reuniting with the vivid tapestry of their lives painted itself in his mind. Another day, another chance to age gracefully in the cocoon of her love, a promise that whispered of a tomorrow adorned with shared laughter, quiet moments, and the unspoken embrace of a love that had weathered the storm.

Nanami Kento, in that fragile instance of survival, embraced the prospect of living another day—a chance to return to the arms of the one who made life's battles worthwhile.

“Oh, you’re awake.” The words cut through the clinical ambiance, a lifeline tethering him to the present. The voice, though familiar, held a depth of mystery, and he turned his head to find those unmistakable purple orbs. There she stood, a reassuring figure, her presence a balm to his disoriented senses. “It’s quite a miracle that you’re alive, Mr. Seven — Three.”

Nanami, ever the stoic one, couldn't help but release a sound that resembled a snort. His senpai, Gojo Genmei, had picked up some of his husband's bravado over the years. In that moment, he found solace in the warmth of her company, even in the face of his physical discomfort.

“How can it be a miracle when it was obvious you manipulated my survival, Genmei–san?”

A hearty laugh escaped Gojo Genmei as she moved away from the wall, pulling a chair with her as she settled down. “You didn’t have to say it like that, Kento–kun!”

Kento, now adjusting himself on the medical bed with a laborious effort, retorted, “You’re too much like Gojo–san. It’s giving me a headache.”

“Hm, you’re still you, alright.”

He raised a questioning brow. “What do you mean by that?”

Genmei's laughter echoed in the sterile room, a melody that cut through the clinical atmosphere. As she leaned forward, a mischievous glint sparkled in her eyes. “I mean, even on the brink of death, you're still as grumpy as ever, Kento–kun. That's how I know you're okay.”

The younger sorcerer let out a wistful sigh, his breath carrying the weight of fleeting moments and unspoken echoes. "Facing death doesn’t change me much, I suppose. I’m just... alive. I'm well enough, I can say."

“A fact I’m sure your wife will be happy about,” Genmei remarked, crossing her legs as she leaned back, the air thick with unspoken understanding. "I think any wife would be, I think."

“Hm,” he nodded in agreement, a subtle smile playing on his lips. The prospect of returning home, of going to Malaysia with his wife, lingered in his thoughts like a delicate melody. It was enough, he believed. Enough to live for, to savor in the quiet richness of shared moments. “I suppose I owe you my life.”

“You owe me nothing,” she dismissed his gratitude with a wave, a tender smile softening the contours of her face. In her warm eyes, there was a somber tenderness, an acknowledgment of the unspoken complexities that lingered between them. “Someone has to have their happy ending first. Nobu thought so too, don't you think?"

In the pause that followed, a heavy silence hung in the air, pregnant with the weight of unspoken truths. Nanami's memories of his dearest friend passed through him in the silence. It was as though those three years of youth never happened. As though they were his day dreams in his one summer day. He was the only one left, he's still breathing. Yu would forever be seventeen, as will Nobuhiko stay twenty - seven.

Genmei - senpai meant every word she uttered, a sentiment that resonated even as she wished it didn't. Perhaps if Nobuhiko would be here too, he'd say the same thing. Both of them were the same like that, almost like mother and son.

His senpai was happy for him, she always has been. She had always supported his decisions and his actions. Just as Nobuhiko did. Nanami was certain he's only alive because she knew what Nobuhiko would do for him. It was because of her that he's still alive. And yet he knew deep down, she was jealous. His senpai after all was not the god people saw her to be. She too felt humanity make her a hypocrite.

Beneath the veneer of Gojo Genmei's righteousness and kindness lay a selfish desire, a longing to cling to life just as fiercely as Nanami clung to his reasons for existence.

As much as she had risked everything for the peace of the Jujutsu and Human world, a poignant selfishness whispered in her heart. She clung to Gojo Satoru, she clung to the memory left by Nobuhiko over and over again. He could see it in her lilac eyes. She was yearning for the day when she could live without the constraints of this absence, this hole inside of her. This emptiness. She looked forward to the day when she would be free of torment.

That Nanami knew too well. And in the same breath, Nanami knew, as did she, that such freedom to her desires was not imminent. The person she held dearest, the god she worshiped, remained sealed away, and no one yet held the key to his release. This truth, unbeknownst to Nanami, lingered in the shadows of their shared existence.

"I hate how self-righteous you are," he finally uttered, a playful accusation laced with a deeper understanding of the intricacies of their intertwined fates.

In that moment, amid the fragility of survival and the weight of unsaid words, Gojo Genmei embraced the role of the patient observer, waiting for her turn to taste the sweetness of a life unburdened by the shackles of uncertainty. Genmei laughed. Nanami, in his silent acknowledgment, found solace in her kindred happiness.

“It sickens me, Genmei–san. At least be mad at me for what happened."

“Let me indulge in this mood.” She bit her cheek, her purple eyes narrowing at him. “It’s all that keeps me afloat.”

"Really...."

She smiles at him. "Why should we blame you, though? Love is a curse, but its worth dying for. So don't curse Nobuhiko like that. Besides, I doubt you wouldn't say the same thing, Mr. Seven – Three."

His lips pursed in a flat line.

He hated that she was right.

She's become more like Gojo Satoru.

“How many days have passed?” Nanami questioned her, changing the topic.

“Just a few days,” She informed him diligently, crossing her legs in the other direction. “You’ve healed quicker than Todo, I have to say. I’m impressed. With your wounds, it was expected that it would take even longer."

His mind moved towards the young ones, once she mentioned the third-year protege of Kyoto High. He moved to open his mouth, wanting to express the many worries that plagued his head at the thought of the young ones. Genmei stopped him, smiling. “You shouldn’t worry about the young ones, Kento–kun. They’re healthy, for the most part. Megumi and Yuuji are doing what they can do find the answers we need. Just trust them for now. Rest your restless heart, Kento-kun.”

Kento did not think her answer sufficed; there was too much hidden in the words said. But he knew he would not argue with her about the matter. At least not today. There would be more days to catch up, to ask his many questions.

His mind was still a blur; he still needed rest. This is enough, for now. He didn't want to carry the heavy load of all of it just yet. Nobuhiko was enough. Knowing the kids were safe. All he wanted right now, he supposed, was to see his wife. He did not want to be here. He wanted to go home. He wanted to be in his beloved's arms once again.

“You’re quite the fighter, though,” Genmei's light sandy hair shone against the beaming sun. “You responded well to the treatments, Kento–kun. It’s incredibly determined.”

He looked at his damaged arm. “Well, I can see that, seeing I’m somewhat still whole.”

“Hm, Your wife insisted,” Genmei responded to him, causing him to perk up at the mention of his wife. “She protested, how you can live with burns and scars, but not without your arm and hand. You need it, she told them. Cause you would never leave your job here. She knows that much.”

“She knows me too well, then.”

“And I know you just as well,” Genmei said, standing up as hands moved towards the inner confines of her kimono and revealing papers. She lays it before him, he looks at her suspiciously. He takes it, mustering all his strength to read it. “You need a break, Kento-kun.”

He frowns deeply, dropping the paper. His eye arrows at her with all the emotions that drowned him in turmoil. "You forced them to put me on a break? Now, when am I most needed?”

“You aren’t well just yet,” She says, her lips tightly pressed in a line. “And not for a long time, Kento-kun. You need to rest.”

“I can’t just leave now. Genmei–senpai, you just can’t—”

She shakes her head at him. He could see her eyes become fonder. He has not called her 'senpai' in a long time. “Kento–kun, you are of use to us when you’re well. You can only be well when you rest. I cannot have you risking your life like that again, Kento–kun. You are more valuable to all of us, to your wife, alive. So please, don’t fight us on this.”

For a moment, he couldn’t stare at her in the eyes. He felt like that child again, that child hiding his face, hiding the way every inch of it contorted in grief and sorrow. Hiding the way his one good eye echoed the tears that neared his face. He felt so defenseless, so raw, so open to the world that wouldn’t understand the bareness of him. She looks at him, almost guilty. But Kento knew that in her heart, she knew this was the right thing to do.

She didn’t want to see him dead. She told him then that she was glad he was not dead. How blunt she was then, telling him how glad she was that he was not Haibara. The glee she found in her heart when he told her that he would be leaving the Jujutsu world behind and starting anew. Inside her heart, Kento was a younger brother. And perhaps, it was much better for her to be hated by him, than to see him robbed from her by the cruelty of their lives.

Genmei watched him, an unspoken understanding passing between them. She walked over to the window, gazing at the city beyond as the fading sunlight painted the sky in hues of orange and pink. "Your wife," she began, her voice softer now, carrying the weight of shared burdens, "She loves you deeply, Kento–kun. She fought for you to have this break because she wants you to be whole, to be with her."

Nanami's gaze remained fixed on the papers before him, the weight of his wife's love and Genmei's concern settling in his chest. He knew the truth in those words, the depth of the sacrifice she had made for him.

"You need to rest, not just for yourself but for her too. You've been fighting for others for so long; it's time to let others fight for you," Genmei continued her eyes still on the echo of the city's skyline, now bathed in the soft glow of twilight. "Please, Kento-kun. Leave it to us. Enjoy your life for a bit."

He sighed, a mixture of resignation and gratitude. "I'll take the break," he finally conceded, realizing the truth in her words. "Just this once."

Genmei turned to face him, a small smile playing on her lips. "Good. You deserve it, Kento–kun. And when you're ready, we'll be here, waiting for you."

As she left the room, the door clicking softly behind her, Nanami's thoughts turned to the papers on the bed. They were a ticket to rest, a journey into the unfamiliar territory of self-care and healing. The room, once a battleground of conflicting emotions, now held the promise of renewal.

With a weary yet determined sigh, Nanami Kento allowed himself to succumb to the quiet solitude of rest, knowing that beyond the confines of the hospital walls, a world awaited where the echoes of Shibuya would gradually fade, and the whispers of a new beginning would take root.

AND SO, HE SAT THERE FOR A WHILE STARING AT THE CLOUDS PASS BY. The sterile hospital room, a cold oasis of white, seemed to echo with the whispered words of Gojo Genmei as she left. Nanami Kento left alone in the quiet aftermath of their conversation, found himself wrestling with an unsatisfied restlessness. The very notion of being told to rest felt like a cage, confining him in a realm of inactivity that clashed with the echoes of Shibuya still reverberating in his mind.

He shifted uncomfortably on the hospital bed, the crisp white sheets clinging to the contours of his tired form. The room, bathed in the sterile glow of fluorescent lights, felt oppressive. Nanami's gaze wandered to the window, where the outside world beckoned, tantalizingly close yet out of reach.

The very air seemed to carry the weight of unspoken promises, of a life beyond hospital walls. Kento had called for food to be brought to his room, now that he was awake. He’s quite weary, much to the conversation in itself. The medicines he was forced to take into his body made it even worse. But he needed to sustain himself, he needed to make a moderate effort at least.

‘How am I supposed to return to normal if I don’t push myself to?’ He scolds himself in the quiet of his somber room. ‘I have to do it, I have to do it.’

Just as the specter of discontent began to settle, a soft voice invaded the sterile silence in his head. The words of parting dwelled in his mind like a broken record.

‘Enjoy Malaysia, Kento–kun. The trip will make you strong, I’m sure, hm? Just take all the time you need! Bring a souvenir, Satoru would adore it by the time he sees it!'

The voice of Gojo Genmei had always made a mark whenever she spoke, her presence a fleeting memory that lingered in the room. She had left, but her words hovered in the air like a gentle melody, a reminder of the promises yet to unfold. She had reassured him that all would be well. He had to put his faith in her, in all his comrades. In Gojo Satoru. He had to think that they’d do well.

That they can carry on while he is gone. He did his best, to collect himself but he could not help it, feel the things he did. Nanami, still restless, couldn't help but dwell on the words. He couldn’t deny that she made a good point. He agrees with her. His life as a sorcerer was always bound to be short, bound to danger. He had to make the best of it. He needs to make it all worth it. Now more than ever.

Time passed in measured increments, the rhythm of the hospital machinery punctuating the silence. It was in this liminal space that the door creaked open, allowing a sliver of anticipation to seep in. The food was finally brought by the nurse. The nurse was an elderly woman, and she seemed to fawn over him as though he was a child. She told him to press the button by his bed if he needed anything or if he wanted more food. Nanami Kento was certainly overwhelmed by her energy, he had used all his energy talking to Genmei before.

But he merely nodded his head and thanked her for her help and the meal. Nanami didn’t find the taste to his liking, and in all honesty, he’s never liked the food at hospital canteens either. But he was not one to turn down food when he needed it. He’s not ungrateful. And so he ate and he ate, listening to the music on the radio, the disco jockey announcing the next song. It was his favorite by far, Saboten Record, by his favorite band Fujifabric.

It had been quite a while since Kento had heard the song. The last time he did was when he and his wife danced to it in the narrow space of their kitchen, laughing as they spun playfully against the beckoning edges of mahogany counters and marble tops. The night had been a spectacle, a happier time which gave him strength. For a moment he started to hum, the fondness of his heart following along to the echo of the rhythm.

Then, just as she had entered into his life, his dearly beloved wife, a vision of quiet strength and warmth, entered the room with all the vibrant color and exquisite wonder that she had brought with her.

Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Nanami, awake and grappling with the confines of the hospital bed. Her eyes were red, one could expect that from the tears she must have cried from worry. The room seemed to brighten like it was spring all over again as her gaze locked onto him, and in that instant, the stark walls became a canvas for the emotions playing out before her. Life made sense again, purpose existed again. The meaning of life blossomed in front of him, still from shock.

"Kento!" Her voice, a symphony of relief and joy, carried across the room. Tears glistened in her eyes, mirroring the overwhelming surge of emotions. She rushed to his side, the clatter of her footsteps echoing in the otherwise hushed room.

Nanami Kento, in turn, watched her approach, a myriad of emotions flickering in his eyes. Her presence was a balm, a reminder that he had weathered the storm and emerged on the other side. As she reached his bedside, the floodgates of her emotions opened, and tears streamed down her cheeks. She was still in the cycle of disbelief, the realm of joyous hope stuck in the motion of where her happiness began.

She kisses his scars, his burnt fingers, and hands. She could touch him, she could hold him. He was here. He was breathing, living. He was with her. She embraced him as though he would disappear if she didn’t hold onto him as tightly as she could. Not even the bundle of tears flowing from her face could stop her.

She was grateful, to any god out there, to anyone who listened to her prayers, that she had him in her arms. She had her love, the love that was made out of the wonder of this man, return to her. Alive and well, warm with everything that encompasses the beauty of life.

"I'm so happy you're alive," she whispered, her voice choked with a mix of gratitude and disbelief. All the love in her words, in her tone, brought him back to life. “You came back, you returned to me.”

He reached out to touch her cheek, his fingers gentle against the warmth of her skin. "I'm alright," he assured her, his voice a soothing murmur. "I'll never leave. I promised that to you, didn’t I, min skat?”

She leaned into his touch, her tears mingling with the warmth of his palm. "We're going to Malaysia, Kento. Together. I’m never letting you go, mit hjerte. You promised me. We’re going to live happily, Kento."

A soft smile played on his lips, a promise reflected in the depths of his gaze. "Yes, we will. I promised you, min skat. We’ll be together until we’re old and grey.”

The hospital room, once a sterile chamber of uncertainty, seemed to undergo a miraculous metamorphosis as Nanami Kento's beloved wife entered. The harsh, clinical glow of fluorescent lights softened, casting a warm, golden hue that embraced the room's confines. The air, once stagnant with the scent of antiseptic, now carried the subtle fragrance of hope and revival.

Nanami, despite his weariness, felt a surge of vitality as his wife crossed the threshold. The room itself seemed to respond, shedding its clinical demeanor in favor of a gentler, more welcoming ambiance. The crisp white sheets on the hospital bed, though still meticulously arranged, appeared softer, and inviting. They cradled him with a newfound tenderness as if conspiring with the universe to provide solace to a weary soul.

As she approached, the echo of her footsteps against the linoleum floor resonated like a reassuring heartbeat, harmonizing with the subdued hum of medical equipment. The door creaked open and closed, a gentle symphony, orchestrating the entrance of love into a space that had witnessed pain and healing in equal measure.

Her eyes, shimmering with tears yet ablaze with an unmistakable joy, met his with an intensity that breathed life into the room. The stark walls, once indifferent observers, became witnesses to the sacred dance of their reunion. The very essence of their connection infused the air, transforming the room into a haven where the boundaries of time and space seemed to blur.

In that quiet moment, their words became more than utterances; they were a melody, a soft cadence that reverberated with the depth of shared vows. The room, once void of emotion, now pulsed with the palpable warmth of love rediscovered. Dialogues danced between them like ethereal waltzes, each word a step in a choreography of reassurances and promises that only they could understand.

The hospital bed, a utilitarian piece of furniture, became a sanctuary where the contours of their bodies aligned with a perfect, unspoken understanding. The sheets, once merely functional, cradled them in an embrace that transcended the physical, a cocoon of shared experiences and the promise of a future yet to unfold.

As she leaned in, her lips pressed against the scars and burns on his fingers and hands, the room held its breath, as if granting this tender moment the reverence it deserved. She enveloped him in an embrace that felt like a gentle breeze, carrying away the residual echoes of pain and fear. The atmosphere crackled with the electricity of their shared relief, the acknowledgment that they had weathered the storm together.

Her whispered words, "I'm so happy you're alive," painted the room in hues of gratitude and disbelief. Each syllable, a brushstroke, adorned the walls with the colors of love's rekindled flame. The hospital room, once a backdrop to uncertainty, now stood as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of connection.

Nanami, in response, extended his hand to gently cup her tear-streaked cheek. His touch, a caress against the canvas of her skin, carried a promise.

"I'm alright," he assured her, his voice a soothing murmur that resonated with the strength of shared trials. "I'll never leave. I promised that to you, didn’t I, min skat?”

In this delicate exchange, the room bore witness to a pledge that transcended the physical confines of its walls. The hospital, once a realm of sterile uncertainties, had now become a sanctuary where the beauty of life's fragile yet enduring moments unfolded, leaving an indelible imprint on the very fabric of their shared existence.

"I was so scared, Kento. When they told me what happened..." Her voice trembled, a delicate timbre of vulnerability, the remnants of fear still haunting her.

It made his heart ache, a heavy throb echoing through his chest, as he watched the flickering emotions dance in the depths of her eyes. She suffered because of him, and the weight of that realization settled in his soul like a stone. But she understood, as she always did. She understood the essence of him, the intricate dance between duty and the echo of his existence.

The Jujutsu world was as much him as it was the reflection of him, a reality he couldn't fully escape. Yet, despite the peril that clung to his every step, she embraced him. She embraced his flaws, his scars, and the unspoken challenges that defined his very being.

“I’m glad that you’re here with me, Kento.”

He squeezed her hand, fingers intertwining in a silent communion of shared strength. The touch was a testament to the unspoken bond, a lifeline tethering them to the realm of the living. "I'm here now. We're here."

Her laughter, a delicate melody, bubbled forth like a spring of relief. Each note carried the weight of a thousand worries released, a cascade of sound that filled the room with an ethereal lightness. "This is enough, being with you. I could ask for nothing more. But this moment. You and me. Here."

He chuckled, the resonance vibrating through the air, a deep and comforting sound that echoed in the corners of the room. "It's more than enough for me too."

She enveloped him in her arms, a tender sanctuary where love and survival intertwined in an intricate dance. The hospital bed, once a sterile canvas of clinical white, transformed into a haven where the essence of their shared existence blossomed. Their whispered promises exchanged in the quiet sanctuary of their moments painted the room in hues of contentment.

Each word was a stroke of color, a brush dipped in the palette of their love, transforming the backdrop of sterile walls and clinical lights into a canvas adorned with the vibrant tapestry of life rekindled.

As she nestled into the curve of his embrace, Nanami whispered, his voice a soft breeze in the tranquil space, "You are in my heart, only you."

A joyous smile glistened to him. “You are too, Kento. You are my heart. My everything.”

Her eyes, still glistening with tears, met his, and in that shared gaze, they found the promise of a tomorrow unfurling before them. The hospital room, now adorned with the intricate details of their intertwined love, became a sanctuary where time seemed to stand still, embracing the beauty of life's fragile yet enduring moments.

The soft glow of the hospital lights filtered through sheer curtains, casting a warm hue that painted the room in a gentle embrace. The air, once laden with the sterile scent of antiseptic, now carried the fragrance of their shared history—the familiar scent of her perfume, the subtle notes of his cologne lingering in the air. The crisp white sheets, once clinical and unwelcoming, cradled them in a cocoon of comfort, a haven woven from threads of shared laughter and whispered confessions.

The shadows of fear and uncertainty, cast by the specter of Shibuya, faded into the background, eclipsed by the radiance of their shared love. Each heartbeat, a testament to survival and resilience, echoed in the room like a melody composed by the hands of fate. The hospital machinery, once an intrusive symphony of beeps and hums, now harmonized with the rhythm of their shared breaths, orchestrating a quiet lullaby of solace.

Nanami's scars, etched like battle-worn poetry on his skin, told a tale of survival and strength. His fingers, once battered and bruised, now intertwined with hers, creating a tapestry of connection that spoke of enduring love. The room held the echoes of their laughter, the whispered promises exchanged in the silent moments when the world outside seemed to disappear.

Their intertwined fingers traced patterns on the crisp sheets, creating a visual symphony of connection. His touch, a gentle caress against her tear-stained cheek, carried the weight of unspoken assurances. Her tears, now mingling with the warmth of his palm, became droplets of gratitude that painted the canvas of their shared existence.

As they leaned into each other's embrace, the hospital bed transformed into a sacred space where love and survival intertwined. The room, once a sterile chamber of uncertainty, now blossomed into a sanctuary of renewal and hope. The delicate dance of their shared gazes painted the walls with the colors of understanding, where unspoken words wove a narrative of connection stronger than any adversity.

The cadence of their breaths, synchronized in the quiet sanctuary, became a hymn of gratitude for the fragile yet enduring moments life had bestowed upon them. The outside world, with its chaos and uncertainties, seemed distant, held at bay by the sanctuary they had created within the hospital room. It was a haven where time, for that moment, ceased to be a relentless force and instead became a gentle companion, allowing them to savor the exquisite beauty of being together.

In that room, the resilience of the human spirit was not merely an abstract concept but a tangible force, pulsating through the air with each shared heartbeat. Their whispered promises, delicate yet profound, lingered in the spaces between them, creating an ethereal connection that surpassed the confines of the hospital walls.

And so, in the quiet embrace of their intertwined love, the hospital room became a canvas where the intricacies of life's tapestry unfolded. The fragility of existence, highlighted by the shadow left behind by the horrors of Shibuya, found solace in the enduring strength of their shared promise—a promise to weather the storms, celebrate the joys, and traverse the unpredictable terrain of life hand in hand.

facts about nanami's relationships: genmei is the person nanami trusts the most, to the point that she knew everything about his life after he left jujutsu high. they met up often to talk about how life was shit while drinking. nobuhiko and nanami were polar opposites when they met. nobuhiko was like suguru and nanami was more like satoru in terms of beliefs. but even more opposite in personality as nobuhiko is more like satoru there and nanami is more like suguru. the person that mediated between each fight was haibara. the first person nanami introduced to his wife was genmei, and they got along pretty fast. the second was nobuhiko, just after nanami and his wife got together when he got back to jujutsu. genmei and nanami have a food blog together, where they document their favorite foods across missions. since they share a similar food palate, that's how they know what to eat when they're near by. genmei, nobuhiko and nanami visit haibara often, together and separately. they often gather to drink beside haibara's grave on his birthday and death day. genmei and satoru were the two witnesses at nanami and his wife's wedding. because satoru was the one who made the process speedy, he's been irritating nanami about naming his first born after gojo satoru. nanami's wife said she'd consider it. nanami refuses.

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lightsoutletsgo · 1 year

Text

P L A Y L I S T (cl16 x singer!reader series)

warnings: none word count: 500 just a set up for the story! series masterlist prologue

‘He’s lost it… he’s finally lost it.’ Y/N thought to herself as she sat there in shock. Opposite her on the other side of the table stood the band’s manager, smiling proudly as he presented the tour plan to the group. Countries and travel schedules filled the screen as he clicked through slide after slide of his powerpoint.

“There’s no rhyme or reason to this though?” Y/N raised an eyebrow at her manager as he stared at her with excitement. “Oh but there is!” He clapped his hands as Y/N and her bandmates gave each other a sceptical look.

“He is joking right?” Aurora, the youngest member of the group, turned to look at the others with a worried look. Y/N placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed, “He has to be!”

“Oh but I’m not!” The way he beamed at her was enough to start warning bells ringing in her head.

“So why are we going on what is quite possibly the most chaotic world tour ever?” “Aha!” He took a deep breath as if calming himself, “We’re following the F1 calendar!” The silence that filled the room was almost comical. “I’m sorry,” Nina laughed, “I don’t think I understood you correctly, did you say we’d be following the F1 calendar? As in rich, stuck up, snobby men driving round in zoom zoom circles for hours?” She looked as confused as they all felt. “This is bullshit.” Eden flopped back in her chair, clearly unimpressed. “We’re going to be spending more time travelling than actually performing and seeing fans.” “Not to mention the jetlag…” Nina pointed out, crossing her arms across her chest. Y/N nodded, staring at her manager expectantly.

“Look, I know what you guys are thinking and what you’re worrying about, but just think of how fun it will be! Plus you’ll be travelling to countries, cities you’ve never been to before! You don’t wanna let those fans down… do you?” He pouted slightly for emphasis making Nina roll her eyes and Eden snicker next to you as your mouth gaped slightly, “Are we being gaslit right now?” Y/N half-joked before her manager let out a hearty chuckle, “Goodness no darling! Just giving you another view point to consider.” She nodded, unsure of how to reply

“So are we in agreement?” Dazed and sensing that they didn’t really have any other option, the four members all nodded slowly. “Excellent!” Their manager clapped his hands, “Now, off to costume fittings you go!”

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taglist: @ferraribabe @zendayabelova @reidsworld @mishaandthebrits

please comment on the masterlist post if you would like to be added to the taglist!

#mimi.writes #*ੈ✩‧₊˚ playlist series #f1 x reader #f1 x you #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc fluff #charles leclerc series #f1 x y/n #f1 fluff #f1 fic #charles leclerc fic

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boldlyanxious · 2 years

Text

About your Ex

Maribat get in civil war: the ex

Part of kissy kisses

“How can you stand there and pretend that this is all okay?” Damian said.

He didn’t yell. He always preferred not to yell but his voice was tense as if he was holding himself back from a bigger reaction.

“I told you my ex would be there. You knew that going in.”

Marinette crossed her arms over her chest. She would not back down. He walked up to her anyway. She looked up at him wishing looking up so far didn’t make her feel like she was giving him all the power.

“I have seen your exes and been pleasant,” she continued.

“My ex isn’t Adrien Fucking Agreste,” he said. “Currently in the running for sexiest man alive. Ring any bells?”

She turned her head away at the fire in his eyes but he took her chin and turned it back to him.

“And I wasn’t engaged.”

She bit her lip and forced back the tears. His touch softened and she rested her cheek against his hand.

“I never thought he would say anything,” she whispered. “We were seventeen and no one ever knew about it.”

“How could he be so foolish to have convinced you to marry him and not have shouted it out to the whole world?”

“Damian,” she started but took a breath when her voice broke. “I’m so s–”

He cut her off by pushing her against the wall. His mouth covered hers, cutting off her apology. She kissed him back, struggling to keep up with his pace. His hand moved to her hair and held her close as he deepened the kiss. It was possessive and bruising. She gripped his shirt as if to keep herself upright but she never would be able to fall with how tight he was holding her.

He pulled back slowly and she struggled to catch her breath. His kisses continued featherlight across her cheek and jaw before he kissed her mouth again, much more gently. He pulled a sigh from deep in her throat as he kissed her just as deeply but so softly that there was barely any pressure.

Her legs gave way and he continued to hold her up, but against his chest rather than pressed to the wall. His arms wrapped tight around her and he kissed the crown of her head and whispered against her hair.

“I have never felt so jealous in my life as I did when he told me you had been engaged.”

@maribatgetin

Taglist

@adrestar | @zynna @jeminiikrystal

#maribat get in #mgi civil war 3 #daminette #kisses #boldlyanxious #now kiss

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tracybirds · 8 months

Text

Been sitting on this bit of fic for a couple of months :) Think I'm ready to put it out in the world

Hunger Games!AU - initially inspired by @tanushakyrano who I believe is knee deep in their own hg au <3 and also thanks to @gumnut-logic whom I inflicted this on when I first wrote it and played cheerleader :D

Hopefully more to come (I have ideas.....)

---

The clang of metal on metal pulled Gordon from his sleep, the grey light of a new day greeting him. For a moment, he didn’t move. If he stayed still, curled between Alan and Virgil, he could stave off the day and ignore the jolt of fear that clamoured for attention in his belly.

Another clanging pulled Scott upright, muttering as he rubbed a hand across his eyes. He reached out and placed a hand on Virgil’s shoulder and shook him roughly.

“C’mon Virg, dawn bell’s ringing.”

Virgil groaned, mumbling for five more minutes, but the day had begun and no-one in the district cared if one of their citizens would rather have a lie in.

Scott glanced across at Gordon as he hauled Virgil upright. “Don’t you have chores waiting? Harvest doesn’t stop just because it’s Reaping Day. You and John better get gone.”

Gordon didn’t say anything, the sick feeling in his stomach intensifying at the word. John was up already, pulling on a threadbare shirt. He didn’t look at any of them.

Alan yawned. “What am I doing today?”

Scott crouched down, smile fixed firmly in place. “You’re going to help Grandma with the meals – try barter with the Jones-es down the way for some grain – and we’ll see you in the afternoon.”

“Can’t I help with harvest? Pol’s been helping since his birthday.”

Scott swallowed thickly. “No, Allie. Not ‘til your first reaping’s done, you remember what Dad said. We’ll talk next summer.”

Alan nodded. “Okay,” he said easily. “Next year then.”

He scurried away without further protest, and Scott slumped forward with a sigh.

“It’ll be over soon,” said John quietly.

No-one said anything, not wanting to speak their fears aloud and invite them into reality.

“I want to apply for extra,” said Gordon, suddenly. “It’s John’s last year, and we need the tesserae.”

“No.”

All three older brothers spoke as one.

Gordon met their horrified gaze steadily, his jaw set and face grim.

“You know I’m right. We nearly didn’t make this year without Virgil’s share. If we lose John’s too and there’s no way to make up the shortfall, what do you think will happen come winter?”

“It’s not worth the risk,” spat Scott, his fists shaking.

Gordon snorted. “It’s no less than what you did for us, or Virgil, or John. I’m fifteen now. John’s put his name in, what, eighteen times this year?”

“Twenty-four,” corrected John. He shrank back from Scott and Virgil’s twin looks of horror.

“I knew it,” said Gordon triumphantly. “Every year since he was fourteen, I’m older than that.”

“This isn’t a game, Gordon,” snapped Virgil. “You don’t win for getting your name in the most times, you just get dead.”

“We need that tesserae,” argued Gordon. “Look, I get it, we’ve been that low before, I can do the math as well as you, but last time that happened we had Dad.”

At once, the light diminished, as though the mere mention of the man who’d towered over their family extinguished all oxygen from the room, taking the candle flame with it.

Scott looked like he wanted to hit something, fists clenching and unclenching at his side.

“We can manage,” said Virgil. “There’ll be three of us working for the adult wage next year, we won’t need the extras.”

“Yes, we will,” interjected John.

The admission fell from gritted teeth. Living was a numbers game in the districts, and no-one kept track of the numbers better than John. Gordon exhaled slowly, hope and dread flickering internally with equal measure.

“He’s right,” said John, his voice louder. “Maybe we’ll survive without it, but that’s no guarantee if the crops fail like they did in ’56. Or if a new craze sweeps the Capitol and they need more grain than usual to make whatever extravagant waste-of-space meal is the hot menu item of the season. There’s too many uncertainties, and we can’t base our food supply on a best-case scenario.”

Virgil chewed at his bottom lip, still staring at Scott worriedly. “We might need to trade for medicine or fuel come winter, too,” he admitted reluctantly. “It was only luck we didn’t lose Gordon right alongside Dad that year. And Coney, she says this winter’s going to be a hard one.”

“What does Coney know?” scoffed Scott. “You’d risk Gordon’s life on a maybe?”

“It’s my choice,” snapped Gordon. “Besides, I’d be six slips out of what, a thousand? We need those supplies and you know it.”

Scott opened his mouth to argue, but a second clanging toll rung out and interrupted him.

“That’s the assembly bell,” said Virgil, eyes darting between Scott and the door. “We need to go.”

Scott hesitated, lips pursed as he levelled Gordon with a solemn look in his eyes. “Your choice. You’re right, I can’t stop you. But please, Gordon, think it through. You don’t know what it’s like to watch your little brothers…” His breath heaved in his chest, and he turned away. “Let’s go,” he said to Virgil, leaving John and Gordon behind.

The tension remained, shooting sizzling static through the air as Gordon tried to catch his thoughts and reorder them.

“You’re going to do it, aren’t you?” said John quietly.

“Next year we’ll need more than seven allotments.”

There wasn’t much else to say. Unless they brought in a fourth wage next year, by manner of marriage which only meant another mouth to feed, they wouldn’t last the winter.

The wages in District 11 were just enough to keep the population meagrely fed when the weather was fair and the farming a success. But there was no margin for error. Consequently, the poorest members of the district were reliant on the reaping for extra resources.

Gordon wasn’t stupid.

The least valuable were always more likely to be selected.

It was simple math.

#thunderbirds are go #sometimes i fic #thunderbirds au #gordon tracy #john tracy #scott tracy #virgil tracy #alan (for like three seconds lol... let the big kids talk haha)

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writingmochi · 2 years

Text

part 1

cast: taehyun ✗ fem.reader (ft. loona yyxy, txt's hueningkai, and other idols)

synopsis: the year is 1999. cardboard boxes were put on the driveway of the newly-settled home across from where taehyun lives. the five sisters will soon shake the neighborhood with their eccentric personalities yet mysterious auras. the moon sisters. since that day they arrived, taehyun is intrigued by them and especially you, the youngest of the sisters

genre: coming of age, bildungsroman, slice of life, romance, drama, high school au, late 90s au, angst, a tiny bit of fluff, mature content (explicit smut, suicidal characters, depressive episodes)

based on: movie the virgin suicides (1999)

word count: 32794 (32.7k) out of 52076 (52k)

warning(s): tyun wears glasses AND is an amateur boxer, smoking (cigarettes), mentally and physically abusive parent, narcissistic parent, gender discrimination, suicide attempt, self-harm, depression, blood, bruises, semi-public sexual act (handjob), explicit sex (soft sex for part 1), protected sex, loss of virginity (m & f), hand job (m & f receive), oral job (m & f receive), manhandling (if there is something that i forgot, let me know)

message from the moon: remember that this story is fiction and do be careful and read the warnings at the top. all the idols mentioned here are not what they are in real life.

welcome! this is supposed to be a one-shot but because the word count has reached 50k+ and my tumblr errored because of it, i have no choice but to split them in two. so this is part 1! thank you so much for the enthusiasm as i've read from the teaser and i hope you enjoy it!

cd mix | wall collage | part 2

it is almost noon on the first day of august in the year 1999. heavy breaths and the sound of metals colliding with each other filled the four walls as a boy dropped his barbell on the stand behind the bench he is lying on. a new personal best for the weight he succeeds in bench-pressing.

different paraphernalia of a teenage boy covers two corners of the room. one is full of textbooks for school, and the other is full of workout items, with a desk right between them that somehow integrates both corners. a roll of hand wrap bandage in front of his box-shaped personal computer’s desktop that shows the latest operating system by windows, windows 98, and its teal background.

chiming bells of messages the boy recognized from his instant messenger makes him sit up from his bench. the t-shirt he wore sticks onto his sweating body—pooling sweat in between his joints—as he stretches his legs by standing up, cooling down his arm muscles as another chime rings.

he grabs the towel that hangs on his desk chair; seeing the blurry black-colored text of the messages in the open chatroom window. his hand reaches for the glasses on his desk, making him able to see the red screen name of “penguinkai” and the pixelated penguin face for a profile picture. the messages are about him asking to hang out at his house or him following the boy to the gym for his boxing club activities. messages that signal “i’m bored” makes the boy chuckle as he sits on the chair to answer his best friend’s messages back, the towel now drapes around his shoulders.

what he should’ve noticed is the sound of a vehicle right in front of the window behind his desk and computer. the open window of his—a habit he got from his mom who opens it every morning until noon—makes the sound more prominent. eyes, that were looking at the blinking line on the screen after he finish typing, now focused on something else instead of sending the message.

peeking from behind the boxy electronic device, he sees a truck with words written on its side. he can deduce the large-scale words as the name of a moving company he has seen before, either by the advertisements he saw on the world wide web or the names written as a sign on blocks full of office-like buildings. the truck sits on the side of the used-to-be empty house across from his while a brown dodge caravan—it resembles the one his relative has—sits in the house's carpark.

the boy focused on the doors of the car as people came out. he could count seven heads, two adults: husband and wife, and what he can presume are their five children, all daughters.

he views the new family; the father walks towards the moving worker as they open the container of the truck while the mother stands by the side, holding onto a large purse as she walks to the door. he remembered a few days before, he saw the couple at the house. his mom added the context that they were there to park one of their cars and receive the pieces of furniture they bought or bring for their new home.

if their children are there, he knows they will stay here forever. it slowly comes true as he sees the abundance of cardboard boxes filling up the spaces on the driveway.

eyes slowly moving towards the sisters who stood with various styles of clothing, all looking to be around his age at varying heights. yet, he follows one sister in particular more.

a discman hanging on the strap that is on her shoulder. she bops her head with the headset on as she walks towards the back of the truck around the asphalt road; unlike her other sisters who are using the pavement.

a few of the other sisters help in bringing the cardboard boxes down from inside the truck, while he looks at the discman girl as she climbs up into the truck effortlessly. seeing one of her sisters climbing up into the truck, another one steps inside as another sister—who is wearing a white lace dress—looks inside at them, her posture looking stiff.

waiting and waiting until the discman girl jumps out of the truck with what looks to be a guitar case strap onto her other shoulder. she whispers something to the sister in the dress as she walks away behind the truck to her front door.

later in the day; when the truck has gone away and the front lawn of the house is now visible, the boy’s mom walks to the home across from hers, preparing a welcoming gift for her new neighbors. he sees it as he puts on his burgundy sweater and prepares his duffel bag to meet kai at the gym, his mom still wears her apron as she crosses the road and presses the bell on the front door.

he walks out to the front door to see his mom walking back home, a warm smile on her face as he lifts the strap of his bag up his shoulder more.

“new neighbors?” he asked with a regular speaking tone: a disguise for his curiosity.

“yes, they’re the moons. i invited them for dinner tomorrow night as they are unpacking their stuff first. that’s okay for you, right, taehyun?” mom replies as taehyun pushes his glasses up his nose bridge.

it’s not even a whole day, and he surprised himself at how he is already interested in them. knowing that in this block of the neighborhood, there aren’t as many teenagers around his age, rather it is full of kids younger than him as new families emerge one by one.

teenage girls, especially, are a rarity.

“i’m okay with that, mom.”

at first, he spends the rest of the day normally, punching the punching bag to work out while kai sits on the sidelines with a few of his boxing club friends that are tired. he didn’t think about the moon sisters until when he walked back home from the bus stop—after parting away from kai—when he sees the house across from his lighting up the outdoor lights as the sun sets for another day.

a silhouette of someone walking out of the door carrying a trash bag to the outdoor garbage bins. it is another sister he saw but didn’t focus on before as another one goes out, barefooted, to her. the discman girl. he took a quick glimpse at them before looking away to face his front door, knowing that he will get to know them better tomorrow.

taehyun usually never helps his mom to prepare dinner, but knowing that at least five people will come to his house—excluding his own four-membered family—he let himself help his mom after she told him to wear a semi-formal outfit, arranging the table while his mom and older sister finishes the cooking they made. dad not being there as he will arrive late means that he might be the only male in the house, but not if mr. moon will come as well.

he puts the plates he picked up on the four-person table, knowing that a few leftover plates mean that a few of the guests have to sit on the sofa. organizing the utensils beside the plate as his sister puts the food in the middle of the table. heads up: startled, his eyes were now on the front door as he heard the front doorbell ringing.

“i’ll get it.” his sister said as she rubs her hands on her own apron. taehyun finishes putting the spoons as he peeks from behind the wall to see his sister’s behind obscuring the door. she opens it to see the lady, mrs. moon, wearing a long dress as a few others stood behind her almost in a line.

he sees her sister gesturing to come in as mrs. moon steps inside and took off her inconveniently tall high heels by the door—she just went across from her house to be there. he straightens his posture when he felt a hand on his shoulder, his mom guiding him to the hallway so they can greet the guests better. his gaze sticks to the five girls entering the cramped hallway of his house, all wearing short dresses of various styles and colors, recognizing the last one entering as the discman girl.

“thank you for inviting us, mrs. kang. i’m sorry that my husband can’t join us cause he has a meeting to do.” mrs. moon said as mom steps forward.

“that’s okay. our patriarch also couldn’t join us tonight because of his work, so i apologize for that inconvenience.” his mom said as both the ladies gives a smile and a knowing nod. he puts his lips into a straight line as he nuzzles his glasses up the bridge of his nose, lifting his head up to look at the group of girls across from him, feeling his cheeks getting warm from blood flowing to them.

“let me introduce you to my daughters!” mrs. moon replied as she opens her arm to gather the girls closer.

“this is sooyoung, our eldest.” sooyoung steps forward in a pink sleeveless dress. her eyes looking towards his family and she gives a small nod to his sister beside her.

“this is jiwoo.” the girl raises her hand onto a wave as she greeted them with a warm smile, wearing an orange-white plaid dress.

“our third is chaewon.” chaewon who has her name mentioned, lifted her head slightly, giving a tight lip smile in her pastel green lacy dress. taehyun recognize her as the same girl in the white lace dress from yesterday.

“hyejoo.” mrs. moon turns her head towards the girl, who is the only one wearing an outer blazer with a grey dress underneath. her hands wrapped in front of her torso as she gently leans her head back against the wall.

“and (y/n), our youngest.” his eyes are now on the discman girl who’s wearing a blue sundress, a style different from the oversized sweater she wore yesterday.

looking at how the girl’s picking on her nails, he can’t seem to look away from her, from you. his eyes rise from your fingers to see your head moving up as well, an unplanned eye contact that startles him, making you let out a small chuckle as you cover your mouth.

“… and this is my son, taehyun.” he heard his mom say his name beside him as her arm rubs his back, not listening to how his mom was introducing the family. he gives a small smile on his face before his mom welcomes the rest in so that the food won’t be cold. taehyun, being the last one on the line, saw you giving another eye contact to him before walking forward.

the seating arrangement of nine people makes him sit beside his mom while mrs. moon sits beside sooyoung. his sister is with the other four sisters in the living room across the dining table and hallway. he thought the girls will eat on the cushioned seat but they all sat on the floor instead. sooyoung who sits across from him seems to be taking a glimpse of her four sisters before looking towards their mom who converses with his mom.

his eyes wander towards the girls and his sister that are conversing on the carpet, seeing glints of light on each of their ankles from the lights on the ceiling; he presumes sooyoung also has one too. they’re holding their plate in various ways like sitting cross-legged or leaning against the cushion of the sofa. he hears them giggle as he looks between the girls when he notices a bandage like what he uses for boxing on chaewon’s wrists, her quiet demeanor gives chills down his spine as what might happen to make them as a result…

time flew too fast from taehyun’s perception as he hears clinks of plates stacking on top of each other while his mom serves dessert for the others. taehyun gives a small nod to his mom, pointing to his plate in front of him before she gives an ‘okay’ as he stands up, picking up the plate and utensils on his part of the table and then walks to the kitchen, where he can hear running and splashing of water.

he thought it was his sister, having not seen the living room when walking into the room until he sees the back of the blue sundress and a stack of plates on the counter beside the sink. he walks closer before his spoon slides on the plate, creating a loud sound that makes you turn towards it.

your eyes widen as he gives a small smile, stepping towards you as he sounded, “you don’t have to…”

“oh sorry…” you replied as taehyun now stood beside you, placing the items he brought in front of the stack of dirty plates as he rolled the sleeves of his shirt. “it’s a habit. i’m the one that got assigned the washing dishes chore at home,” you continued.

he lets a chuckle come out, seeing that you were taking a glimpse at him whilst rinsing the plates from the bubbles made by the dish soap. “(y/n), right?” he tried to ice break.

“yeah, i am. and you’re taehyun…” he sees you flutter your eyelids before returning to the plates as you put them on the counter on the other side where he stood in front. he quickly picks up a napkin from the island counter, making you let out a chuckle as he picks the plate, one by one, to dry the droplets on them. leaning his back against the counter beside you, he creates a pattern of putting the dry plate on the island counter across from him.

“you’re the youngest?” his voice pitched up at the end of the question. you playfully hummed in agreement.

“your mom said that you and a few of your sisters are in my year…” he said, putting the plate on top of the one he dried.

“oh yeah… chaewon, hyejoo, and i are fraternal triplets. i was born the latest, a 30-minute difference from hyejoo who has a 10-minute gap with chaewon,” you replied. he nods as he looks down at your bare feet while drying a plate, seeing the result of the glint he saw was an anklet resting around your right ankle. the light from the ceiling above him reflects on the chain. its blinding shine didn’t let him feel a nudge on his arm before he finally notice.

his head tilts up as he sees you move in front of him, the bottom of your sundress grazes his clothes as you tilt your head up to look at him. the plate being pulled like a magnet from his hands to yours before wiping it with a tissue you grab and putting it on the counter behind you. taehyun’s eyes follow the plate as it stacks on top of its friends before returning to your figure who is looking back at him, a more direct and purposeful eye contact than the ones you both do in the hallway before eating. your gaze then looks down at his forearms that are exposed from the sleeve being rolled up, his veins protruding against the skin as the result of working out for most of the summer to improve his boxing skill.

“i see you glancing at us from the dining table…” you murmured as you move closer, making his slouching posture now straight as he sees the tiny gap between his and your body. you lift your left hand before putting it on the counter behind him, trapping his body between it and you.

he unconsciously gulps his saliva as he tried to look at the surrounding of the kitchen his mom and dad designed.

but, he… can’t.

“i don’t know what your intention is by glancing at us in plain sight. but, just to let you know…” taehyun finally felt his heart beats against his chest as you move your head closer to his, feeling a faint of your breath caressing his skin. he looks into your eyes, seeing them looking stable from the way they gaze, but on a longer look, they look puffy.

he can see faint cracks in your vase that is your mind. so subtle, but might haunt him for an unknown amount of time.

“there are so many things you won’t understand about us, taehyun.”

your eyes shake slightly when you said it before your right hand reaches up towards his face. he braces for the unplanned contact before feeling the glasses on his face moved up on his nose, seeing it being pushed by your hand before you let out a smirk and step back, retreating your left hand back before turning around and leaving him stunned in the kitchen by himself.

that was the last he saw them, the last time he saw you. until the first day of school, a week later.

leaning back against his and kai’s locker that are side by side, taehyun tilts his head up as he pushes his glasses while looking at the hallway. his dark blue uniform pants pair up with the girls’ uniform with their plaid-pattern dark blue skirts with vests rested on top of the white shirts. other students wear a cardigan, varsity jacket, and other outers—even not wearing the vest at all—to express their personality, passion, and school persona. he himself wears his burgundy sweater that becomes his signature.

the entrance at the end of the hallway was when he saw the moon sisters enter with their newly ironed school uniforms and uniformly styled looks—even to the same glints on their right feet above their white socks that he now knows are anklets. the ranging personalities he sees are now a clean slate when being compared to what they were like the first time he saw them moving their cardboard boxes.

but as the day went, he observed them, the five of them, having lunch at the trunk of the tree outside. seeing them laying down on each other’s thighs as they giggled. seeing moon chaewon with tons of bracelets covering her wrist and moon (y/n)—his newest classmate—with her silver and blue-colored discman.

it didn’t take long for the sisters to spread out of the cocoon that is the awkwardness of a new environment and new school.

as a month into living in the new neighborhood, one morning when he puts on his uniform shirt on top of his undershirt, he sees the girls walk out of the house in a rush. he presumes they want to chase the bus on the corner of the block. but, he didn’t expect them to hide between the garage and one of their cars in the carpark, where one of them picks up a garbage bag beside their outdoor trash bin. pulling out skirts whose colors and patterns are the same as the ones the school wears today and a bunch of various outer shirts from a bomber jacket to a cardigan. openly undressing themselves to their undershirts and switching around their clothes.

openly showing the world who they really are: individual people.

taehyun’s eyes focused on the girls scrambling around to switch their shirts between each other while buttoning his white shirt. some of them wearing spaghetti strap tank tops for their undershirt as he sees one of the sisters toss an oversized striped sweater to his classmate, you. focusing on you as you put your head through the hole, he held his breath as he sees you tidying up your hair, a smile he had never seen adorning your face made him chuckle. he then sees hyejoo leaning closer to you, making you pause before your gaze looks towards his house, his window, him.

the boy’s eyes widen as he stood in stunned before you give him a smirk, your eyes meeting, wanting him to be pulled gently towards you. sooyoung’s silent talk from where he is and gesture takes your attention as they left the house, your head giving one last look towards where he is before following your sisters. taehyun finally breathed after holding his breath all this time.

a month since they move, a month full of observing from behind his studies and boxing, is enough for his basic assessment of the moon sisters.

the oldest one, sooyoung, is the fashionista of the group. she likes to push the boundaries of the school uniform rule by wearing a shorter skirt and a tighter shirt that must be from the other sisters, even wearing accessories like necklaces and alike. a senior that took the breath away of the other seniors, her confidence and attractiveness attracted the likes of the most popular seniors in school, mostly the varsity jocks.

jiwoo, the second oldest, is also a senior and the brightest of the sisters. a typical girl-next-door he usually recognized from his sister’s teen movie collection. but her brightness lights the sisters up with her jokes and laughs will always fly because of her. though many boys seem to like her, her eyes always shine when she looks at girls: punk girls, cheer girls, and theatre girls. the apple of her cheeks getting more prominent if she looks at the flower girls of the school.

chaewon is the oldest of the triplets, child number three, and is the proper and elegant-looking sister. she wears the most oversized uniform out of all the sisters, a longer skirt that is almost halfway down her calves. she always looks down every time she walks, yet she gives him chills every time he looks at her figure. her wide eyes seem to glitter with some glistening on them. the sisters seem to always find a new flower to put behind her earlobe. she is the most out of the sisters that look and acts like what a feminine girl is. almost ideal.

hyejoo, the second triplet, is the tomboy of the sisters. a striker in the girl’s football team of the school and like dominating other students, especially physically and with boys. her actions making it seem that she has a vendetta against the other sex. she is always wearing a jacket almost like the one maverick uses in top gun. and her gaze slices people like a knife with her feline-like eyes.

you, the youngest and the last triplet, are the one he spends his time with the most, the one he takes interest in the most. yet still an enigma for him.

being in the same class where he sat in the middle row with kai, you sat at the back beside the window of the class, the lone desk on your row as you are an additional student in his class. every time he enters the class on school mornings, he can see you looking down the window beside your seat, before you put on the headset connected to your discman or picking on your nails.

what he can always appreciate is the way the morning ray finds the right place to shine on your face. your hair always shields the right place that you always took his breath away every time he glimpses at you.

what he never expected—but realized is what you might have done before moving here—is when he sees you smoke a cigarette. he first notices it when he sees you and hyejoo having a smoke during a free time when he went to the restroom, seeing how you and your sister lean against the brick wall while the other juniors are in the class. like the world just seems to stop for the both of you. yet, even though people around him don’t smoke, he didn’t mind the faint smell of it exudes from you that mixes with your eau de toilette.

for the month that you and he live across from each other, you were always the one that he caught sneaking out at night. he knows because sometimes under the light of his study lamp, he can see the silhouette coming from the house and when you came back, your eyes always meet him that overlooks his window as he chats with kai or studies at his desk. you give him a smirk before climbing inside your home and gently closing the door. though both of the vehicles your family has usually aren’t even at home at that time.

the moon sisters, though always attracted people’s attention, have never been separated from each other other than in class or after-school activities. they eat lunch together and even disappear together. but what you said to him always stick to him, no matter what, he wants to be closer to them, and he knows that the hollow-like eyes he sees a few of the sisters have, even you, always makes him curious.

there are so many things he won’t understand about them. yet, he wants to. he will do anything to understand.

the vibrating strings created sounds that travel around the four walls of the room. hands holding onto the neck and the around the body of the guitar, fingers plucking one of the six strings in a pattern that shapes a chord. the nails are different lengths on both of the hands, longer on the hand that plucks the nylon strings, and shorter on the hand that is on the fretboard. you pull the guitar closer to you as your fingers play by themselves.

you lay your head against the mattress from the bed behind you as you look at the night sky outside the window. the screen is playing a vhs tape of clueless as you look at each of your sisters’ figures being relaxed around the tv: doing whatever they’re doing with most watching the movie. waiting for something to happen, no ignition to cause it.

when you heard the faint sound of the ambulance siren roads away from where you at, your thoughts travel elsewhere. you don’t recognize if this is real or a memory of yours before you glance at chaewon’s bandage-wrapped wrists underneath the bracelets you and your sisters put on her.

you remember seeing her body; the color is saturated from her skin as blood seeps onto the temporary bandage when the emts brought her into the ambulance. seeing mama’s stunned face as the spinning red lights and siren attracts the neighbors that stare at the scene like a spectacle of some miracle or disaster. a young girl hurting herself in the overflowing bathtub of their bathroom, knowing two ways to go where she has attempted one.

yet, all of your sisters and you are not surprised to see chaewon being brought to the nearest hospital as the ambulance left with both of your parents; leaving the house to the children once again. you peer at the numerous scars your sisters inflict on themselves and the ones you inflict on your own body, all to whisk the pain away from living in this odious home, well… with odious parents.

mama’s impulsivity and shame from letting the neighbors see a side of her family that she doesn’t want and papa’s willingness to follow what she wants, make them decide to move the family over the summer to a new place, where nobody knew you or your family. if they do know, they knew how your mama is treating all of her daughters like princesses.

she is the queen that those princesses know to not defy, even though they want to.

coming from a prestigious family, mama has always been treated like a princess by everyone around her. a princess in their eyes and what she believes she is as she went to high-class gatherings and met important people all around the country. academia, wealth, and nobility become the statuses that matter to her. her parents put her in the most prestigious school. then she met papa—a fellow who grows up like her—in a private college who treated her more than a princess: treating her like a queen.

you always wonder—as you grow up—why she even thought to bear five daughters to create replicate versions of her every time…

all of them to be learning ballet. all of them to be learning musical instruments, especially in a classical sense—a loophole you found with the guitar that you now know how to play as you told her that there is such a thing as a classical guitar, which made her agree for you to take; unlike a few of your sisters’ default piano learning or other instruments like violin and flute. all of them learning how to be proper and poise like how nobilities from the 18th century should do—in the 20th century. all of it are the ones mama has done before becoming a socialite from an old money family.

you always wonder why they decide to grow five daughters up—who society always tells you that fathers are more nurturing towards daughters than sons—when your own is kissing your mama’s feet almost all the time…

papa has always been quiet and he doesn’t involve himself in ‘growing you up’, always a traditionalist of his of knowing the gender roles of fathers going to work while mothers take care of the home. because of that, mama can take over everything and set up expectations for all of you, including what you eat and what you wear in public. yet she seems to stay away most of the day and not even care about the well-being of the household, making all of you turn to be independent in taking care of your own well-being and your belongings by at least the age of 5: when your nanny passed away.

you and your sisters’ nanny is both a mother figure to the five of you, but also a pseudo-sister-figure of your mama as she is an only child, seeing mama growing up before her eyes and mama even make her a personal nanny that she brought with her until marriage and giving birth to her daughters. the earliest memory you remember was playing with your sisters on a playing mat full of dolls with your nanny overseeing all of you, mama and papa cannot be seen. you felt the pain a few days after her death, with no one there nurturing you on why she is gone, no one there helping you. only mama’s expectations of you all being her perfect little girls she can show off. only you and your sisters’ trust in each other as you both pain yourself away from reality.

the idea to fight against your mama’s expectations didn’t come until sooyoung and jiwoo entered high school: seeing how pretty their new uniforms are against the middle school ones you and your other sisters wore. then the magazines come in as they sneak them in their bags every time they bought a few on the way home from school alone—a contrast to your parents using their wealth to benefit themselves. the tons and tons of information you’ve collected from fashion, music, and gossip, all of them combined and ingrained into all of your minds, that there is something more to life other than this hellhole you call a household.

and so, you all fight in ways you are confident in. buying clothes that your mama deems inappropriate secretly. going out to see the town other than going to school or with your parents at night. trying something new, something dangerous, something fun. learning something to help to know your true self. all of that throughout 4 years of painful touches, curses, and living a life you wanted until near the end of summer break when papa found chaewon who can’t handle any more of the pain. a summer break that is full of ups but more downs than usual ones.

after chaewon gets out of the hospital, mama and papa couldn't be seen. the rest of you don’t want to see them anyway from the growing hatred you had for them, well, for mama. you remember all the insults and blame thrown onto all four of you for embarrassing her in the public's face, how fuming she is that her daughters don’t care about how she will be perceived later on. more changing of thoughts and emotions as she is becoming the real-life version of jekyll and hyde all of you have depicted her to be. because of them not coming home for days, partying up instead of taking care of such a vulnerable family before the day you move out, sooyoung thought of something to do as a last hurrah.

she has planned for all of you to go out to a bazaar by the beach near where you live before you move overmorrow. mama’s demands on cleaning up your less-needed stuff are made as she went out on a date with papa after putting her car in the new house—a perfect time to travel outside. sooyoung and jiwoo lead you onto the bus stop as they track down the stop's name by the beach. arriving there in the outfit you are all comfortable in and represents all of you uniquely, you observe hyejoo pulling a box of cigarettes out as you pick one up and putting it between your lips, nearing the end to the flame she ignites from the lighter as you take a huge puff. hence, the flame burns the stick before pulling it out, letting the heated smoke fly as your other three sisters stare at the two of you. chaewon gives a timid smile. her skin isn’t as healthy as it used to be as she was just discharged a few days ago.

walking down the boardwalk, booths upon booths of products line up in front of the beach as you all trail down the crowded street of the late summer, viewing the amount of street food that smells so delicious that you’ve only seen from magazines as mama has never given any sort of food like that for you to consume. that’s when you knock yourself on your older sister’s side as you turn your head to watch her looking at a stand that sells pieces of jewellery of any kind, but a mannequin’s foot takes her attention as she approaches to inspect the ankle that is wrapped with a chain around it. an anklet.

jiwoo’s focus on ice cream left you and sooyoung alone as the others are buying the food for you to snack on whilst you are here. approaching her, you hear her talk about wanting to buy a plain anklet like the one on display, but then you see the crescent moon charms in her cupped hands. she notices your presence when she turns to look at you and asked, “which of the charms here represent us the most?”

that’s when you step closer to see the small bowls of bracelet charms waiting to be hooked to the chain on the right person. you knew exactly why she asked that and you identified exactly what to bring up.

a white pearl charm catches your eyes as you pick up and pinch it between your thumb and forefinger, putting it between you and the person you knew represents this well. sooyoung.

as the oldest sister, you’ve gained much respect towards her and the elegance that exudes from her. a combination of old money and something modern. you’ve seen the dress designs in her journal beside the biology homework she has to take—the journal being more decorated is a piece of available evidence for you to identify which one she likes more under the pressure of your parents of her having a responsible and respectful career for a woman like a doctor or a lawyer. the suffocation she feels is always seen with the number of necklaces she likes to wear, a choker that is too tight for her neck but she doesn’t complain as she admires the mark it left on her skin back at home. the fashion magazines she sneaks in are always for her to see the latest line of her favorite fashion brands and models like kate moss and naomi campbell. boys flocking to admire her beauty every time she arrives at school, but she rejects them because they’re sometimes too pushy or even have a mindset of men in the golden age of hollywood—seeing her as an object that they seek to own. and she is so pissed to hear that.

a charm in the shape of a heart is going to represent your second oldest sister, jiwoo.

she has always been a lovable and positive child who loves to make people happy, sometimes clumsy, but she always tries to pass it as comedy. well, mama didn’t accept that at all as she has to be "proper, poised, and perfect." she always complains about that, being perfect when all she wants is to be different, especially since she came out to all of her sisters that she is a lesbian, a sapphic who loves anything woman and anything unique about a woman. you can always guess the girl she has a crush on by the subtle change in her gaze when they glance at them, but underneath that she has still seen to be friendly with the boys—the subtleness was gone in an instant when they interact with them flirting with her, the same look she has while rubbing her skin of the places they touch on her skin as hard as she can.

a silver butterfly-shaped charm is perfect for chaewon.

you’ve always thought that chaewon is a soul reincarnated from a beautiful and jovial fairytale. a fairy living in the deepest part of the forest who befriends every animal she can find. she wears the most regal but plain dress she could use from those hand-me-down gowns from mama. she also always greets her flowers every time she arrives back home from school, watering them and talking to them—like a butterfly spreading pollen to let the flowers grow. no wonder she is mama’s favorite daughter, her perfect mini-me. despite that, she is the one that breaks first from the intense amount of scrutiny. the unhealthy ways mama pressures her create her dislike of her own body, especially in facing the other people at school who look at her as the ditzy sister out of the five.

no other charm should be for hyejoo other than the moon.

hyejoo has always been a boundary pusher. she pushes for equality and eliminates activities assigned to a specific gender. mama always never allowed her to cut her hair short even to shoulder-length; that’s why she has so many hair ties on her wrist and in her bag. she has always been athletic, even tackling boys that have degraded her in volleyball in p.e. class. the teachers always acknowledged her skill as an athlete but not the students, especially jocks who presume she is doing it to steal their position. and yet, you can always see how sunken her eyes are every time she goes home with the sleeping pills she brought in her gym bag. the fight she has to defend a girl’s pride to do anything brought up every time she rebels on mama’s order, resulting in her being the one most scrutinised and under watch to do anything feminine; the reason she is the only one between the five of you to still being pushed in doing ballet.

for yourself, you pick a star.

you never knew how you would describe yourself when you always knew how you describe your sisters. sooyoung is the seductive one. jiwoo is the sweet one. chaewon is the regal one. hyejoo is the rebel one, then what about you?

you were always the one that tries to find yourself the most. all of your sisters have a counterpart to a famous character from a movie or a book, but you are an outsider. out of the five, you’re the one that is intelligent and always able to blend in with every sister. if sooyoung is the rock that everyone leans on, you’re the conch shell they can always hear to find comfort. a star is something so bright yet so dangerous, like the sun that is nearest to you. but, you’re the one that sparkles at night because you like to stay behind. you like to be unseen; you like to be different by playing classical guitar, listening to rock songs that mama doesn’t acknowledge—though she listens to elvis presley from time to time, and spending time after school while waiting for your sisters doing after-school clubs to cruise to the music store and discover any artists you can, even buying a discman from your savings and get a lot of cd mixes by the woman that founds the store who tells you her story of when she was a punk kid back in her youth.

as all of you sat at the table, sooyoung gave the anklets. sand grazes your feet as you gaze at the crowded beach with the backdrop of the sun going to sleep for the day. all of you settle on a promise. a promise sacred to all of you as you glimpse all the scars visible on your body: sooyoung with the light bruise on her neck, jiwoo and her scratch marks on her forearms, chaewon with her bandaged wrists, hyejoo and her sunken eyes, and you with your cigarette burns hidden on your thighs.

“no matter what, we cannot take off the anklet on our foot.” your oldest sister declared, followed by the nods and agreements voiced.

all of your stand up as you both create a circle, putting your right foot where the anklet sits to the middle, joining toes together. you look at all four of your sisters as they let out chuckles before jiwoo pushes the ones beside her forward as all of you follow to connect your head together.

a sister’s bond with each other. no one is left behind.

when you move away—putting your belongings in the truck—you can see the sadness and shock on each of your neighbors’ faces. giving a solemn smile, you turn away to see a few cars a few houses away and a few heads you recognized. boys that admired you and your sisters in your high school, all seem to not be willing to let you go.

boys look at you like they all do towards your sister, but the reaction to you is different. sooyoung replies in a flirtatious way. jiwoo replies in a friendly way. chaewon speaks timidly. hyejoo always taunts them back. while they never dared to approach you—turning their head away as fast as they can to avoid your view. though you know they want you like they want your sister, so unless you approach, they won’t act.

you remembered one boy in your first year who you approached. his parents used to be hippies and he got influenced by their culture—you used to think maybe a part of that could you help find your true self. he was the one who introduce you to smoking cigarettes: now a pass time for you and hyejoo to let out stress. you didn’t go out with him again when you found he already had a girlfriend from a girl who sends a message to you about his behavior and other victims. since then, you’ve only gone out with someone who you deem worthy, but in the end, they always find troubles that help you stray away from them by themselves. your task was to approach those boys who admired you from far away or to break up with them when you can see the warnings. never have they sought you out first.

so it stunned you to know that a boy likes to stare at you and not easily turn away when you faced him.

your neighbor and classmate, taehyun.

you notice nothing particularly unique in taehyun with his first impression before, but you recall how he looks at you behind that glasses of his when his mom invites your family to dinner. then the encounter you had in the kitchen, confronting him on why he glances at you and your sisters more than the food in front of him. you thought your comment will stop him but he doesn’t give up. you could always outsmart him, already sensing that he is there just from the one month you and he become neighbors and classmates. you can sense his gaze on you and your sisters as you change your uniforms to something you all like rather than a uniform that is uniformed with the other kids. you can always notice every time you hung out for lunch with your sisters outside every time he walks past you with his friend kai.

with that proof, you experiment.

first with park sunghoon. the so-called ice prince who is practically obnoxious, knowing his face will win him anything as he always proudly shows his features and genetics from his b-list actor dad and pageant-winner mom. you only approached him at lunch and he already thinks you want to date him. you didn’t even last a week with him when he suddenly asks for sex, which you deny and let go of immediately. he tries to save face at school later to repair his pride by your lockers when you blatantly open up on how he cannot respect a person’s choice, not failing to notice the subtle smirk shown on taehyun’s lips as he sees you openly speak up on your year’s famous guy.

the second experiment is with nicholas wang. a biker kid at school who joins a biker gang along with college students. he’s a more subtle version of obnoxious, thinking that every rule has to bend for him. he is almost like sunghoon but they use something different from each other. you and he last for more than a week, but the reek of alcohol on him just disgusts you. he sometimes brought you home with his bike that has the loudest engine, as if someone in your neighborhood just wants to show off their ferrari maranello down the street. one day when he brought you home—acting as a good “girlfriend”—you kiss his cheek before he left with his loud engine down the street. you knew that day you wanted to cut off from him when you feel how wobbly he rode the bike and you were behind him. you rather die on your account than because of him.

when he turns the corner away from your street, you pull out the cigarette box from your backpack and pick a stick to put between your lips. grabbing the lighter you have in your pocket, you turn the spark wheel and press down as the flame ignites, quickly shoving the end of the cigarette to burn it, puffing in the smoke and letting out as you try to clean the taste of the biker boy away. with your driveway empty and your house also, you stood outside the front lawn smoking away the stick. flicking the ash away as it falls on the pavement, you let your eyes wander around the neighborhood and the houses in it. the house of the young couple that just has a baby before turning to the house in front of you when you can see from a particular window, a silhouette of a boy.

taehyun.

he always has his sheer curtain covering his window from time to time, but it seems that he is lazy to widen it this hour. you can see him wearing his uniform shirt but with buttons open, showing his undershirt beneath it. you let your eyes gaze at his toned body that you never notice underneath his shirt and burgundy sweater. it stayed that way until he realizes that you notice him, dashing forward to the window yet not instantly closing the curtain. you took a huge puff, letting the smoke out as taehyun’s eyes were still on yours, before letting the cigarette fall to the pavement you are standing on. your leg instinctively crushes the stick beneath your shoes as you let out a smirk at him who looks at you before turning around. the only time, taehyun noted, that the cigarette you smoke didn’t burn halfway from the original length.

a month has passed since school started and it didn’t take too long for the excitement of homecoming to spread across the school as people asks to be each others’ date. you and your sisters quickly avoid the topic all together as mama prepares you all for a ball you have to join at the end of the year instead. sooyoung didn’t believe just how wide your family’s connection is until the real-life fact of your mama leaving you five behind to take care of the new home not even five days pass from moving in. it is a habit of hers to be such a socialite first, but never a mother first.

sooyoung and hyejoo mention 'school dance' once at the dining table—a once-in-a-blue-moon time when both of your parents are home—before mama then mentions how all of you aren’t allowed to go. you and your sisters turn towards papa who just shrugs his shoulder before you give an exasperated look to jiwoo sitting across you, replying with a sad small smile. something you knew would happen but still tried anyway.

the plucking continues as you move to sit in the circle after the movie ends, seeing chaewon rewinding the tape of the movie back with a pencil while sooyoung and jiwoo talk about homecoming as if they’re the ones going.

“who would you go with anyway?” hyejoo cuts them off as sooyoung turns her head towards her younger sister.

“juyeon,” she said coolly as all of you turn your heads toward her.

“the quarterback?” hyejoo asks as sooyoung nods. jiwoo’s smile on her face as she shrieked and nudge your shoulder, the guitar creating a weird clank as you pouted whilst facing her. she answers by caressing your head as you let out a big eye roll jokingly, making chaewon chuckle beside you.

“i wanna go with gyuri from theatre.” jiwoo said as your eyebrows lifted while mouthing “i knew it.”

“of course you do. we can see that enamored look you have every time she walks by. mama wouldn’t allow it, though.” sooyoung answered.

“i know mommy wouldn’t,” she sighs as she stretches her arms, lifting them to the ceiling before putting them behind her and putting her weight on them. “but a girl can hope, right?” you hear your sisters’ chuckle combining with yours.

chaewon looks between the four of you as she cuts in while you’re quieting down. “i think if we can go, i would go with that boy in school whose mother is friends with ours.”

“you mean seungmin?” jiwoo mentions the boy’s name you recognize as part of the student council. your sister gives a sheepish nod before covering her cheeks with her palms. a habit you learned from her as she always does that since you were a toddler whenever she got shy or flustered.

you move to see hyejoo as she tucks her knees close to her chest, “hyejoo’s not going to join ri-“

“actually i may go. if we can.” the girl mentioned spoke as you pat her kneecaps, leaning forward with your guitar on your lap.

“no shit.” you exclaimed.

“yeah, it’s sooyoung and jiwoo’s last year, so i’ll go for the sake of them.” awws coming from the sisters before chaewon speaks up.

“you know, you’ll be a great couple if you go with sunwoo.”

you heard a gasp as hyejoo eyes widen and eyebrows furrowed, “kim sunwoo the boy’s football team captain a.k.a. my mortal enemy? not a chance.”

“but you mentioned to me a couple of times that he gave you the flirty eyes.” you join in as you see your triplet sister nod, “and you don’t taunt him all the time like the other boys you mention to us.”

“true.” jiwoo exclaimed before you hear hyejoo’s grunt as they now turn towards you, knowing the question that is already ingrained into all of your minds.

“honestly, i don’t know,” you said as you rub your fingertips against the strings, feeling the skin hardening because of your calluses.

“what about that nicholas guy?” jiwoo asks before sooyoung leans in and nudges her hand.

“she’s not with nicholas anymore. don’t you notice?” your oldest sister said as jiwoo acts up with a funny offended look on her face.

hyejoo asked, “what about that boy?”

tilting your head towards her, “what boy?”

hyejoo looks at all four of you as they glance at each other, nodding their heads while using their bond that they block you from because you didn’t understand who they were talking about.

“you know him, (y/n),” sooyoung said followed by a giggle.

“who?” you realized you sounded like an owl when asking, putting the guitar on the floor beside you.

even though it is just five of you, chaewon leans in and speaks lowly. “kang taehyun.”

kang taehyun.

the name that rings in your mind ever since you meet him, well, fading in and out behind the wall of music that is playing in your ear with your discman and headphones on.

the only boy that is brave enough to subtly pursue you, not shying away from the so-called intimidation you are exuding unconsciously.

“i- i don’t know really… maybe? i just don’t wanna scare him.”

“oh (y/n) darling.” jiwoo said as she caress your hand, “you don’t know how many times he has gazed at you like you’re an angel that has fallen from the sky. he will not be scared by you.” your eyebrows move as your eyes blink, thinking about what your sister said as they all converse more about their future dates if you all could go with you. leaving you alone, wallowing with the thought of the boy from across the street.

that’s when you realized a spoken rule mama mentioned ongoing to any dance event by the school. she has talked about it before when you and your triplet sisters have just started high school.

“all of you must have a date to go. mama won’t like it if any of her daughters embarrassed her with no one by their sides.”

deep down inside, it’s the first time you notice your mama catch something about how the five of you interact with boys and use them against it. as if she knows that with your personality that varies from sibling to sibling, you won’t find a date for all five of you. one will always be left behind.

but you want to make a great memory with your sisters. you want to seep into the smallest frame of freedom you have just for half of the day. you want your older sisters to feel like teenage girls before they become an adult. you want everyone to experience what a girl in high school should experience. finding self. finding friends. finding moments that turn into memories. finding love.

it could all start with homecoming. you could think of something to get your sisters the partners they want to go with for homecoming. but as a newcomer, you have to have someone who can show you the school and the people in it.

you know someone who can help you.

gripping onto the strap of the backpack on his shoulder, taehyun lets out his breath in a huge yet silent whoosh. the muscles on his arms ache from yesterday’s exercise at the club but dissipate as the length between that day gets longer to the present. his veins seems to protrude more because of it and the bandage tapes that were supposed to cover his hands only while training: stayed on his left hand, wrapped around his thumb and along his palm as he can feel how the nerve signal of pain moves along thin wires to his brain every time he moves it slightly.

taehyun pushes his glasses up with the bandaged hand as he stands in front of his classroom door.

he’s standing there alone. no one at his side.

the door opens from the force of his healthy hand as eyes inside the room land on him, some were surprised, some are nonchalant—you were one of them. the nearest classmate from the door looks between him and the space beside him where his best friend should be standing. kai is not coming into class today. he just told taehyun he got a fever from the messenger window as he finishes his morning workout. he is not used to being without him at school. and other people also think like him too.

his eyes directly landed on yours, who sat at the very back with your headset on, covering your ears as he sees the corners of your lips twitching up. it lingers before you turn away towards the window, the right for him to walk to his seat a few seats away from you. he rubs his cheek against the sleeve of his burgundy sweater, stretching his head and neck while moving his knuckles, feeling the pain remains as he gets used to it. taehyun prepares his usual for today’s classes as the other students come in. the empty seat to his left is kai’s. he used to talk to him about random things, though kai is the more talkative one out of the two. and now, the bore is seeping through without his friend to talk to him beside where he sits.

he thought he could catch some sleep—the tiredness coming from the workout yesterday where he spar with his coach—and be able to rest his eyes and mind for a few minutes before the first bell rings. tilting his head to find the right position on the desk is when he sees the fabric of a familiar sweater.

“is this seat taken?” his ears perked and he turn to see the unexpected appearance.

you. your headset hanging around your neck as you’re holding your backpack in one hand while the other hand is holding onto your discman.

his eyebrows twitch in surprise before he shakes his head and says, “no.”

“okay. can i sit here?” you replied as you gently put your belongings down on the desk and beside it on the tiled floor. he sees a bit of hesitation in your movement before he gives a nod to you. the grip on your belongings loosen as they sat on where you put them before making yourself comfortable in your seat that was supposed to be kai’s.

while taehyun stays still—slowly turning his head to the front of the class—he can feel the warmth of another human being beside him and smell a hint of your eau de toilette. peeking, he sees you wrapping the headset around the discman before putting it in your bag on the floor. his eyes cannot stop rapidly looking at anything in front of him before he took another peek beside him and see you picking your nails that are resting on the connected desk. the two hands have different lengths for fingernails. one hand’s nails are longer than the other.

the teacher came into the class as all his classmates settled and class starts while taehyun sat in his seat, tense. his attention is on the teacher introducing the outline of today’s lesson, but his bandaged hand fidgets from a sudden contact from your own that is resting on the desk, mostly a light touch of a finger against his bandage. yet, taehyun still can’t believe that it’s real. he didn’t realize how his glasses frame has slides down the bridge of his nose before pushing it up.

“hey…” his head turns to find yours slightly facing him. not even five minutes since class started, and he had already lost focus.

“homecoming is, well, coming. and i just want to ask.” you licked your lips before continuing. “do you have a date for it?”

a date for homecoming? no. nada. he didn't even consider coming to homecoming this year.

he went there before in his first year with kai when they want to see how the crowd goes. but, since they don’t have any dates, it gets boring as the night continues. he remembered the faces sucking on each other as they craved for one another. a few teachers were chaperoning, but all he could remember is seeing the sociology teacher making out with the p.e. teacher. he tried to mingle with a few of the other ‘outsiders’ who attend, but they don’t click with him and kai. so, when prom comes at the end of the year, he rather played on his nintendo 64 with kai than go to another dance that will not be productive for him at least—and he wants to do the same for homecoming this year.

but the way you question him about it is intriguing to him, earning a slight tilt as an indirect response…

“i don’t.” he heard you hum after it whilst nodding your head, a slight smirk forming.

“then, if you’ll go, who would you want as a date?”

taehyun’s eyes enlarge as he can feel the warmth creeping onto his cheek before looking elsewhere. the teacher that is writing on the board, his classmates—who he knows are dating—are cuddling with one another in their seats, and his other classmates that sat at the back were playing with their game boy consoles.

yet, your query creeps in once again before an image of the five girls that have everyone wrapped around their fingers shows up, the faces all blurry except one.

“you.”

he caught a gasp beside him as he faces to see your wide eyes and palm-covered mouth. your hand trails down from your lips to your chest where your heart resides. “i’m flattered.”

huh?

taehyun scramble in his seat—but as discreetly as possible—as he barely realized he spoke out. he spoke out about wanting to have you as a date. his date.

fuck…

he was just trying to talk to himself when he spoke out. why would his mouth let out the word? why would he-

“well, we could go together.” his head whipped to face you, eyes moving all over the place as he doesn’t want anyone to notice how he reacts.

is taehyun dreaming? did you just say you want to go with him to homecoming? no chance, right? you could go with sunghoon, nicholas, or any other guy. you have everyone wrapped around your fingers. yet, you consider him?

“but i have a favor for you, well for us actually.” the touches of your hand gently caress his bandaged hand, lightly with no pressure. he sees you moving your upper body closer to him. your eyes glisten like a starlight at night. he can’t see the cracks clearly, but the way your pupils tremble is still a sign that there is something you are trying to hold back. your fingertips resting on top of the bandage as you pursed your lips.

“i want me and my sisters to go to homecoming this year. but my ma said that we can only go if all of us have a date. we talked about who we want as dates and i want to help them.” you lean back with a small pout on your lips, arms wrapped in front of your upper body. his eyes landed on your lips as your tongue gives a small lick before a light bite.

“as a new kid, i don’t think i’m familiar enough with these people. and there is where you come in.” the palpitating of his heart didn't stop when you looked at him again.

“i want to ask for your help to get their ideal date. would you help me-“

“yes.” he didn’t hesitate. taehyun’s trance falls out as he returns to looking around the class instead of you, hearing your chuckles from such a fast response.

“that’s swell. then, we can talk more during lunch.” he returns to you as you tilt your head, chin nudging towards the direction of your connected desk. “i don’t want to bother your studies.” you seem to finish the conversation.

he nodded and fixed his sitting position, grabbing the pen in his left hand, trying not to grip it so tightly as he wants it to heal. his eyes are anchored on the board in front of him, now full of the materials for today’s lesson whilst the teacher is explaining each pointer. taehyun felt like it was a blessing of his to know that one of the smart and active kids in his year is also in his class. both of them have a friendly rivalry for the highest overall score where they respect each other for it, and that includes participation scores. taehyun felt lucky the teacher focused on them, asking questions instead of wondering why taehyun didn’t ask any, distracted by having such an otherworldly being sitting by his side.

taehyun’s shoulder is tight when he can sense yours touching his. the chair moving beside him is unnoticeable before the light pressure’s touch. your body leans forward as both hands are on the desk, one writing and the other holding onto the notebook. the light on the ceiling gave a certain shine to your nails, highlighting how clean they look on both hands. your hair has fallen to your side, obscuring a few parts of your face from him. that’s when he noticed how your pinky finger rested on his bandaged hand. the fingernail is sharp enough that sometimes it caught onto the wrap.

he can’t push you away from his thoughts as the class continues, as another teacher comes in and teach another lesson, and as lunch finally comes.

when the bell rings, your chair scrapes the floor along with the others and you stood up to go outside of class as fast as lightning, leaving taehyun alone without no one to have lunch with. he thought you both will go together, but he remembered you never mention that to him, so he tidies up his desk and supplies on his part of the desk while seeing his classmates flocking out into the hallway and joining the herd. his vision lingers on the wide desk before focusing on your side to see how tidy you put your overwhelming pastel pink items when you knew the bell is about to ring. it contrasts with your plain dark grey backpack that is on the floor beside the desk.

taehyun can’t help but want to put it on your chair because anyone could accidentally kick it. that’s why he reaches out and grabs your backpack from the straps, not knowing its zipper is open, the blue discman catching his eyes’ attention.

the boy looks around the class to see no one now as they enjoy their lunch break. he couldn’t help it as he grabs your discman, the wrapped headset is now loose as he can pull the music player without tangling the wire yet it's connected in the port. the device is plain, blue with silver on its side, and the screen is a blank greenish hue as you preserve the battery of it. his attention sticks to the open button on the end of the row of buttons, genuinely interested in knowing the kind of music you hear as you seem to always be seen using it.

his thumb presses on the button and the lid opens, a plain silver cd attached inside with writings written with a marker—writing that is not yours from how he compares it with the written words in the notebook.

to my little pixie, y/n ☾

good luck with your new place and school, i will miss seeing you in the store - seulgi

cd mix #12 (‘88-‘95)

you made me realize - my bloody valentine

sweetness and light - lush

blue thunder - galaxie 500

doll parts - hole

tonight, tonight - the smashing pumpkins

...

taehyun traced out the writings on the burned cd, staring at the familiar formatting that forms three out of four sides of the circle, 15 song titles, and their artists with whom he mostly doesn’t recognize with a few scribbles on the last empty side. with the ones he does, he remembered the times when he caught his sister watching mtv and seeing the artists there, either their music video or their appearance on unplugged. looking at the number, the person must be so informed in music if they can make 12 cd mixes with 15 songs each on average.

he stares at the desk across from the seat as he recalls how your hand grazes his, most touching his bandage but some on his skin. though mostly the pinky, he can feel roughness and texture from its tip. combining with how you used to pick on your fingernails, he associates the texture from that small graze also with the calluses that are forming on his knuckles.

closing the lid of the discman, he realized he spend too much time wondering things where your words cross his mind again. he puts the music player inside the backpack—not forgetting to plug in your headset once again and wrap them around it as best as he can—and zips the backpack up as it leans against the back of the chair like his own.

the boy’s feet walk on the empty room and the mostly vacant hallways as he buys lunch he will eat whilst meeting you. he always sat at the seat near the front of the school at lunch with kai and it was near the tree you usually are at with your sisters, but there might be a reason you pick that specific brick wall.

hands holding onto the food package in his hands along with a water bottle, taehyun strolls along the main field of the school, seeing some jocks from differing teams of sports hanging out either at the field or on the bleachers. his feet brought him to the familiar place you told him as he sees faint grey clouds floating up. the boy looks at the source: you sitting on the graveled path, upper body leaning against the wall, a cigarette between your fingers as flick it to let the ash fall.

you turn your head to the sound of the gravel, looking up to see taehyun in his burgundy sweater, his glasses’ bridge fallen near the button of his nose, and his lunch in both of his hands. a small smile forming from your lips as you spoke while a light smoke flows out, “took you long enough.”

“the line is pretty long so that's why,” he replied, letting out the latest truth and no other reason why he took a long time. you give a nod before patting the space beside you.

taehyun slowly sits down beside you, following you by leaning his head against the vertical supporter. he could feel how his body is stretching and how relieving it is for his spine as he can faintly hear the cracking sounds that are from a layer that sticks two bones with one another that he learned from biology class that was discussing anatomy. his eyes stick onto your empty lap, the blue plaid uniform skirt resting on your knees.

“you’re not eating?”

“i already ate lunch with my siblings. that’s why i went out of the room so fast. chaewon is the one that holds onto our lunch boxes as she distributes them. so i don’t have any pocket money.” you said before sighing. “ma doesn’t even allow us to buy food outside the ones she made for the house.”

taehyun looks at his food on his lap, wandering between it and you as you take another puff from the cig between your fingers. the smoke slowly floats and dissipates into the air, the scent of it combining with the eau de toilette he smelled when you sat beside him. the mention of your mother reminds him of when he last saw her. though she looks nice, your words are contradictory. also with the fact that you and your sisters change your uniforms, the all-day disappearing presence of your parents’ cars usually appeared near midnight when he was talking with kai or his club friends.

his eyes return to his cooling food before deciding to eat it. you turn your head towards him as you glance down at the food, a certain melancholic look in your gaze before you blink it away.

“i’m going to tell you more about the plan, okay?” you let out the smoke when speaking, and the boy hummed to reply.

when he hears your plan for the homecoming, he realized how meticulously you spoke and think. taehyun’s perception of girls was pretty obscure, other than his mom and his sister. not that he is intimidated by them, but he spends more time with boys. the girls he sees in the rom-com movies he watched with his sister didn’t help either—how they are portrayed as ditzy and more as a desirable character for the main protagonist who is mostly a guy. he realized that the characters he knows are one-sided, the same as when people perceiving both you and your sisters. yet as he heard you talk, speaking about how detailed you talk about your sisters’ dream date and how you have a plan to approach him, the perception slowly moves for the better.

he hated how he thought so before. because they are people. and people are complex.

“so, sunwoo from football, juyeon from the other football, gyuri from theatre, and seungmin from the council?”

“yeah.”

“then how about you?” he said as he eyes on the only folded finger on his hand. though he focused on your words and accepted your favor, he can’t help to think that you were ‘using’ him. even with the light threat that you gave him—more of a warning rather than a threat actually—he still always notices you and you notice him. he always sees how sometimes clench your hands into fists, the knuckles of the white bone pushing up to the surface of your skin, sometimes rubbing your eyes with them.

he wants to reach out. but your mysterious and unpredictable aura stopped him. that’s why he grabs the opportunity when it’s proposed to him. how he felt sorry if you have your own dream dat-

“my dream date is you,” you said before clearing your throat, the hand holding onto your cigarette is now pushing the stick onto the gravel between the two of you before you buried it by the brick wall with the gravel, obscuring the white outer layer. taehyun’s eyes widen as he puts away the empty container and bottle on either side of him.

“i’ve been going out with a few people. i’ve tried to ever since i rebelled against my ma. but no one clicks with me. i guess i picked you because you were the only boy i met in other circumstances besides school. maybe that sense of familiarity is why it came to me that you’ll be a fine date.”

the boy views you moving closer to him, how your skirt grazes his pants as both you and he faces the sudden wind blowing with your sweaters, making you shrug your body against his. he pushes his glasses up as he turns his head towards you, biting on your bottom lip as you stayed in contact with his own vision.

he sees your shoulders rise before saying, “i know we stepped out on the wrong foot back when i ate dinner at your house. i was insecure with us moving here and some…” you let out a chuckle. “shenanigans happening in my home life.”

he trails along the features on your face before focusing back on your eyes. the haunting cracks in it is still there but no trembles. no tremble when you stayed to look at him.

“so we have a truce, i guess?” you let out a pinky from your hand as he can’t help but let out a small smile, making you let out your own before he slots his own between yours.

“a truce.”

the bell rings at the right time as you tried to stand up using your own might and core muscles. taehyun lets out a giggle before he realized he can’t support himself to stand up if he doesn’t want to hurt his empty left hand.

that’s when he sees you leaning down to grab his half-filled bottle before wrapping both of your hands around his wrist as you drag him up, his legs a bit stumbling as you still hold on to his wrist before you notice and let go.

“let’s,” you said whilst tilting your head and you walked together through the sprawling hallway into your class.

when you both arrived at your classroom, he noticed you staring at your backpack on your chair before turning your head towards him who is sitting down.

“i don’t want your things being kicked so i put it up on the chair.” he explains as you mouthed a small “thanks” before sitting down beside him once again until the end of the school day.

kai is going to have a field day hearing about this.

it didn’t take long for you to be enamored by taehyun.

it sounds a bit cliché, but he’s different from all the boys you know. and the number of boys you know is limited, knowing the restrictions you’ve gotten throughout your life.

before you asked him, you had thought about it. realizing that when pursuing each and every dream date your sisters want with him, it will noticeably get you two close. but you didn’t realize how fast it was going to be.

it started when you both tried to approach juyeon—the one who is easiest according to him as you’ve told him that the senior is very much attracted to your sister. “just a small nudge,” taehyun said to you, is needed to let the senior learn you can help him get a chance to go on a date with your sister to homecoming. and that’s what you do.

“hello, juyeon.” you confidently approach the senior, a burning sensation on the back of your head as you glimpse behind you to spot taehyun a few steps away.

the senior holds the ball in his hand as he turns to you. a few of his teammates stop and are stunned to look at you—knowing your presence compared to your sister is that you are the “unapproachable” one.

“moon (y/n), what makes you come here to the field?” you detect the smirk formed on his face while fixing the pads on his upper body.

“i was wondering if you have a date for homecoming yet.”

“oh!” you heard him exclaimed as the smirk turns into a grin, trying to make you entranced by him as many people did. but you can see a genuine surprise and concern as his face subtly portrays. “many have approached me but i don’t feel like it. though if i could go with either of the five moon sisters, that’ll be great.”

“that’s great.” another voice comes in beside you. you don't need to face him to recognize who they are.

“we actually have a plan for you to go with one. specifically, the oldest.” taehyun nudges the proposal to the senior as he looks at both of you. as you stood beside one another, both of your hands graze each other.

“sooyoung?” juyeon wanders his eyes away before giggling to himself. “okay. does your sister know?”

“she doesn’t, but it’s a surprise. you can do any kind of proposal you want to her. she’ll be happy any other way.” as you peer at taehyun, you let out a smile and he does the same.

seungmin is a harder approach as he’s always busy but kai, who is mysteriously acquainted with everybody, gets him to meet you, taehyun, and himself during lunch—after you ate your lunch because you don’t want your sister to be suspicious of you.

“hey kai. why do you ask me- oh hey, taehyun!” seungmin then moves his head while noticing all three of you. “and (y/n), what a pleasant crowd we have here.”

“it just happens.” kai replied with a gleeful smile. “come sit.” he pats the empty spot on the bench beside him, facing you and taehyun on the other side.

“as you know, homecoming is around the corner…” taehyun starts before lightly tapping your hand on the table. you cleared your throat before continuing.

“and as a family friend of mine, i would really like it, if you’re available, to go with chaewon.” your statement causes him to raise his eyebrows, making you chuckle. “i assume that since you talk to her all the time when our family met up that you are close to her. i’m trying to make her happy after… what happened…” you give a somber look that only you and seungmin could understand while you catch kai and taehyun talking with each other using non-verbal gestures; a few shrugs are exchanged between them.

“of course. seeing as your sister has been such a lovely person to me, i could do that.” you raised your eyebrows as the corner of your lips lifted, facing away as you held on to your beam. “does she know you’re doing this?” you whiffled your head after seungmin’s questions. your hand on your lap unconsciously moves to the tiny space between you and taehyun as his leg lightly jumps from the encounter, making you shift towards him in surprise and you retract your hand.

but, he held onto your hand. not letting you pull away from him.

gyuri practically lives in the auditorium. the mirror with lightbulbs around its frame is where she sits as she tried on the costume she’ll be using for the play. that’s when she sees you from the reflection in the mirror, approaching her.

“hi (y/n). it’s a surprise to see you here. can i help you?”

“i, uh… want to ask a few questions.” you watch her turning around to face you, attentively listening to your next words. “i don’t know if it’s just me that has noticed it, but do you have any attraction towards my sister, jiwoo?”

your question makes her lean her head back on the chair, squinting her eyes in suspicion as she looks at you before letting pit a sigh, “how can i not be attracted to your sister?” you see her smile, “she’s… the sweetest girl i’ve ever met.”

“you’re in luck because she’s attracted to you too and…” you step closer to her, “i was hoping that you’re available to go to homecoming with her? i know the situation isn’t as ideal as you want. but my friend has an idea for his friend to be the cover-up date for her so you and she can meet up here at school.”

you explained taehyun’s idea of making kai jiwoo’s “date” when he’ll pick her up at your house along with your sisters. kai doesn’t have a date and doesn’t want to have a date, but when taehyun talks to him about helping you, he agrees and you don’t know how he agreed that fast. you assumed the boy needed more convincing, but taehyun found the right words and a great explanation for him to agree, or maybe he is as loyal to taehyun as you are to your sisters.

“i will contact you after i get out of the costume. your classroom is on the second floor, right?” gyuri’s eye smile as she sees you nod before you left the backstage area.

going out of the dark auditorium to the school’s main hallway, you see taehyun leaning against the wall in between lockers. he bent his head at you with a small smile as you give him a thumbs up, both of you walking away while discussing random stuff to spend your free time with as the teacher can’t teach for the class period.

sunwoo was the hardest to approach. the sayings by hyejoo on how the boy’s football team hated her stuck into your mind when you tried to approach him for your joined p.e. class in the indoor court. the two classes are playing dodgeball together. sunwoo is the prime target for your class to hit and they, indeed, succeed when they got him out. so it’s the perfect opportunity for you—who got out while defending your classmates—to talk to him.

“hi sunwoo.” your words catch the captain’s ear as he slightly faces you.

“hello, moon number 5.” you squint your eyes at the nickname as he continues, “here for something?”

“just not the way you think.” you regained your confidence as you sat on the empty long bleachers.

“it’s… can i ask you a question?”

he hummed while drinking from his water bottle. “go on.”

“what do you think of my sister?” your fingers playing with each other as you look between them and your schoolmates in front of you, throwing the balls as hard as they can to hit someone.

“which one?” he asked.

“number 4.”

“ah… hyejoo.” from the corner of your eyes, you can see him nodding his head. “i don’t know why she hates us but, not gonna lie, i’m alright with her.”

your hand covered your mouth as you recall her complains, perceiving it as she was too dense with her ideology. she is one of the stubborn ones, like you. you nod to tell the captain that you got what he spoke out.

you spoke in a serious tone “if that is so, i can tell you that hyejoo is attracted to you,” before you nudge your shoulder to his playfully.

“for real?”

“yeah, i can’t believe it myself. and she doesn’t have a date yet for homecoming. if you play your cards right, you might be going with her.”

you lean in closer so he can hear you, faintly saying something that is as close to the truth but not in the right frequency. recalling, in your mind, the people your sisters and you have rejected because you couldn’t go if you want to. the reason sooyoung asks mama again about school dances in the first place.

“my sisters and I are one of the most sought people for homecoming. we have been asked to be other people’s dates, but we’ve denied them because we want a specific person to ask. and hyejoo… well, she is waiting for you.”

sunwoo’s eyebrows rise as he looks at you, intrigued in his eyes before his head looks at the dodgeball players playing on the court, “i’ll think about that.”

you give a small smile to him before looking at the dodgeball people to see it’s a 1v3 where taehyun is the last player in your class. kai crawls towards you on the floor and sits against the bleachers you sat on top of. he gives you an unrecognizable expression as your gaze stays on him before the screams of your schoolmates catch your attention. you pivot your head up, seeing taehyun dodging the ball thrown by the other student as you see the other two walking to the side. he grabs the thrown ball, a burning look in his eyes.

the ball he threw hit the other student on the leg as he celebrates and your p.e. teacher blew the whistle. taehyun has a wide grin you’ve never seen before on his face as he turns to face you and kai who sat near each other, kai’s hollering to his best friend gain a laugh from you while you catch him looking at you, proud in his eyes as you give a smile, wider than usual. only for him.

when you got the news that the four dream dates of your sisters have asked them for homecoming, you didn’t expect their loud voices to bombard you when you enter your and your triplet sisters’ bedroom. hyejoo standing up near her bed—the farthest from yours and chaewon’s by the window that overlooks the street—as she looks at you with a sheepish smile and tells you how sunwoo asks her to homecoming at practice. her rambling comments about it make both sooyoung and jiwoo enter your room from their own across the hallway and chaewon’s footsteps climb up the stairs as even her small voice can combine with your sisters to create a dissonance yet beautiful harmony as you stood in the center of them.

“juyeon made this whole proposal before his practice with a bouquet i have in my room.”

“seungmin just give me a box of chocolate with a note near my classroom.”

“sunwoo and his crew created this bet where he and i do a cross-bar challenge and he asked me to go after he won. i wanna punch his teammates but i got the money anyway because he said so.”

“gyuri asked me out when i come out of home-economics class with a small box of eclairs. then, she said to talk to you after it, (y/n).” jiwoo’s head turns towards you as your other sisters followed. you nip the inside of your cheek as you tried not to giggle at your plan working, but a small snicker you let out causes the others to stare at each other.

“do you know anything about it, (y/n)?” your oldest sister asked as you can’t suppress it anymore, letting out the largest smile you have ever let out. an overwhelming joy that has been pushed down since you were a toddler.

“i do. i’m the one that approaches them so they ask you because i know all of you are too uptight to ask them by yourselves.” you snickers before looking down at your feet.

one-by-one, your sisters stride towards you and open their arms to envelop you from the steps on the floor. all of your body warmth combines to combat the cold and pain as you try your best to hug them with your two hands open as wide as you can. but, when you heard the cheers of your sisters, your beaming comes to a halt as your mind wanders to what your sisters said. sooyoung with flowers, jiwoo with eclairs, hyejoo with cash money, and chaewon with her chocolate. and just the act of them being asked instead of them asking their date.

while you don’t have none.

soon, they step back while giving a few ruffles on the head and a few kisses on it too, making you scramble out of their hold. chaewon’s stare lingers on you for a beat too long as you see her concerned gaze at you.

“how about you?” chaewon asked. the only one who noted that you aren’t as excited as they are. your smile falls to its resting position as pouted your lips, thinking of the right words to tell them.

“i’ve signaled taehyun, but he has made no moves yet.”

are you jealous because your sisters are the ones getting asked? yes. do you wish taehyun will automatically recognize your signals? not really. though he is a smart boy, taehyun sometimes gets too tense when you are around. he clammed up verbally and physically, as it feels like you have a spell that is only affecting him. with how both of you planned to approach each of your sister’s dates, you recognized something coming out of your neighbor every time you look at him or near his presence.

admiration and determination.

you hoped that what he exudes transfers to you as well so you can execute your plan that you have thought about very thoroughly afterwards—involving both he and you. but now, in the bask of your sisters’ joyfulness. you can only hope he will notice and make you more sure.

homecoming was more than a week away when the principal asked for your year to do a joined class in the auditorium as the last class of the day. after having a small smoke break and not forgetting the binder you brought from class, you walked as the sweater paw from your striped sweater dusted the ashes that might have fallen from the cigarette you were having to your blue-plaid skirt. walking into the auditorium, you identify that they’re playing an animal documentary while hearing the narrator narrate—glad that you aren’t terribly late as it starts with the usual nature shot before closing in on the animal. your eyes are searching for the recognizable head with protruding glasses that promised to keep a seat for you before you spot him, who is also looking around, agitated.

when taehyun notices you, he pats the seat while you nod your head with a small smile, saying a small apology for the people you disturb before arriving at the seat and sitting down on it. you sat beside him once again in class today when he came in without kai, saying that he has a family wedding he has to attend. you observe the ocean of heads beneath you that you seat pretty high up and not at the center of the room, slightly to the edge near the speaker that is playing the sound of birds chirping and gushing of wind.

your shoulder touches taehyun’s as you lean your arm on the armrest that is connected to his. the binder you’re holding is on your lap with your other hand. you stare at the projection on the curtain of a peacock showing his colorful furs. from where you both at, you can hear both of your breaths beside each. a gentle touch on your hand. the air of the air-conditioned room getting warm.

“as we see, the peacock opens his train. the beautiful blue, green, yellow furs ruffling as he tries to get the attention of the peahen.” said the narrator.

looking down at the armrest, you can recognize the bandage he wrapped on his left hand once again as yours rest next to it. his hand looks like it almost falls from the armrest with just a slight nudge, but your lingering fingers near his make his own move, sneakily approaching your own before moving back. the edge of your nails creates a small scratching noise from the bandage only you and him can hear. when you peer at him, his head is not moving away from the screen. your hand paused when something slips between it and your body’s side, the bandage now up against your palm as he locks his fingers with yours, which you reciprocate back.

“but the peahen has choices. she can see what humans couldn’t. the right mate. we can only describe beauty to any peacock’s train. yet, the peahen is the one that can see and choose who she wants to mate with.”

your fingers loosen as you angle your head to the hand. taehyun takes a quick peek at it also, peering at you with a tense gaze before returning to the screen that light the dark auditorium. you sense something burning on your lower part and something flowing down there too, squeezing your thighs as best as you can from the tingling. the comprehensive sex education class you took before helps in knowing what it’s called. arousal.

even if your sisters have mentioned sex, the taboo, and the importance of it in one’s relationship; indulging in it is never an option. you remembered your sex-ed teacher teaching about masturbation and arousal. even though you wanted to try to relieve it when you sense it, the only time you can is in the bathroom and it takes too long for you as you’ve heard the knock on the door where you just start caressing the nub that the teacher said is called the ‘clitoris’. all the time you perceive the same burning, it’s just plain arousal for the sake of it coming to you, but it came not from thinking about the sex—because you never have thought about someone like that before.

until taehyun comes into your mind.

taehyun seems to let you play with his hand, as he didn’t bother to stay looking your way. but you were already a step forward when you pick his hand up and rest them on your upper thigh near where your underwear is. the binder is the perfect cover to press down on your other thigh so the girl sitting beside you doesn’t notice how the fabric on the other side is lifted slightly.

you see taehyun turns his head as quickly as he could without bothering anyone, while you press his hand on your skin. his eyes widen as the glasses on his face fall. you can’t help but lean in as you chuckle at his subtle expression and push the frame up to its place before whispering into his ear, “keep looking forward. we don’t want anyone to notice, do we?”

“you want it?” he whispered, asking you as a small smirk grew on his face.

“yeah, you?” you bit your lip while waiting for his answer.

you felt his hand wiggle in your grip as he trails his fingertip down the edge of your underwear. “of course.”

the boy turns his head once again to the front as you followed his action, and also, your hand was bringing his to your clothed core. a small inhale coming from you as you help his fingertips make circles on the fabric.

“when the peahen have chosen the right mate. the peacock will do his little dance, gaining the attention of the peahen.” you see the peacock dance with his train.

your hand lets go of taehyun’s who is rubbing your clothed core, feeling the unrest building up down there. what you didn’t expect was for him to slide the underwear to one side as you can feel the air meeting your naked core beneath your skirt and the bandage on his hand contacted the surrounding skin—making you feel the roughness on it that creates chills running down your spine. your breath hitches as you look to the front, sensing two fingers of his moving up and down on your slit before one moves in between the lower lips to find your nub. when he founds it, your empty hand held his pointer finger, stopping him from moving as you can hear your heart beating so fast.

turning your head, you see taehyun looking towards you with something different in his eyes. not the admiration and determination he always gives, seeing it glance down to your skirt-covered lap before to your eyes again. with that slight gesture, you let his hand go as he rubs the clit he found. you were holding on to your breath so you can breathe out as stable as possible, but that weird yet satisfying feeling doesn’t make it better. nibbling your lower lips, you let taehyun play with you. your eyes are more aware of the surroundings so you can relieve your arousal with his help.

a breeze is blowing to your ear and you can’t help but move your head when you felt the tickle. his hand continues and alternates between the clit to rubbing up and down to the entrance, feeling the warmth relieve you of the coldness of the dampness. your head moves as you see his glasses frame near the side of your face, warm air on your ear.

“you are trouble, pixie.”

you tried to hide your surprise at hearing the nickname you haven’t heard since you move here. seulgi was someone who introduced you to the music colors that you listen to today. pixie is what she would like to describe, and by all means, your sisters also as she called the collective “the pixies“—not relating to the band, as she likes to joke. you remembered she define pixie as your and your sisters’ nickname because of how mischievous you are from the stories you told her of your and your sisters’ shenanigans. the coincidence of taehyun calling you that same nickname is jarring, and yet you felt another wave of arousal coming at it builds up.

and that is when you realize he knows. he knows you. your so-called threat to him you spoke before at his home is now crumbling right in front of both of your eyes. you thought it is enough. you thought you don’t deserve his attention. but he stays around, no matter how passive you are before you approached him.

there are so many things he won’t understand about you and your sisters as a collective. but there are so many things he is trying to understand about you.

and now he understood.

when the lights of the auditorium turn on, taehyun pulls his hand out of your underwear right as the teacher’s words are heard from the speakers. your hand tidies your skirt as you see taehyun looking at his pointer and middle finger, a slight gleam on his fingertips because of you. you both stayed in your seat to wait for everyone to go out of the room when you pivot to catch him took a slight lick on his middle finger only you both can look. when he pulled his finger out of his mouth, you didn’t hesitate to grab his pointer finger and also gave it what he did. tasting the slight tanginess that has come from you. taehyun’s gaze on you remains as the piercing aura coming from it slowly dissipates. as he knows understood you, you can’t help to want to understand him more.

“are you free after school? i don't know what to do with my sisters doing their after-school activities.”

you remembered that there was no gig in the usual places you go to. you are waiting to watch a new law and order spin-off that is airing tonight. so whilst you wait, isn’t it a great time to know the boy that you are genuinely intrigued by?

“not really. i have a boxing training session at a gym downtown.”

‘so that’s why he’s buff and wearing a bandage on his hand.’ your hearing is bustling with the sound of people conversing with each other as they walk on the carpeted floor on the main aisles. taehyun tilts his head to the side while fixing his glasses.

“i could go with you. if it’s okay,” you replied, not wanting to give up. yet, his enlarged eyes seem to make you think he didn’t expect that. you view as his eyes move between your own, to his bandaged hand which he just caresses you with, then back to your face but now lingers longer at your lips.

“sure. shall we?” he offers his hand as you accept, walking back to your classroom to grab your belongings.

on the bus, you sat in the two-seater with taehyun beside you. you used to ride the bus alone, standing by the priority seat as its unofficial defender, staring into the eyes of the people who is not in the priority category who sat there in a scrutinizing way, and even helping an elder or a woman with her baby to keep their seats empty. when you ride with your sisters, you all like to stand by the exit door as it gets easier to step off and not be left behind. so, it’s the first time you ever sit on the seat when taehyun brought you into the fairly empty bus.

outside the window, you look at the buildings moving in the opposite direction. a few of the signs of a cafe or a pub you have gone to watch a gig goes past you as the bus slows down near the stop where taehyun’s gym is supposed to be. his hand grip the strap of the bag when he stood up as you follow him, stepping down from the bus to walk a few meters. you both stood in front of a nondescript entrance between a corner store and a deli store where he guides you inside.

walking through a hallway with doors along the side, the space opens to a warehouse—the enormous space inside has two rings in the middle of the room, gym equipment placed on one side where there is a mirror wall and also a seating area resembling a smaller bleacher than the ones you see at school. by the looks of it, they have hosted many matches: banners about it with written years before 1999 are still hanging on the sides of the room. your eyes are not sticking to one thing, but you watch a pair training in the ring, a man and a woman with their proper sports attire.

“you can sit here.” taehyun brought you to the seating area, and he puts his backpack beside where you sat. you rub your sticky palm against your skirt as you gaze at the human bodies that if your mama’s here, she would, at once, cover your eyes. yet, when you see the muscles defined and the skin sticking to them, it fascinates you.

you didn’t realize when something is on your open palm on your lap. when you tilt your head down, you recognize a glasses with a thin frame, the lens is reflecting the shine coming from the exposed ceiling above you from the sun outside—the same shine that lights onto your anklet. your eyes squint. that means…

you looked up at the black-haired boy beside you as he rubs his hair before the side of his face, empty of his glasses. when you could finally his unobscured face, you observe how expressive his eyebrows are—combining it with his large eyes and nose.

he looks beautiful.

“i’m going to change clothes, alright?” your head lifts as he called to you. the way the sun shines on half of his face is making you look at him as something other than your classmate. almost like an actor in a movie you see with your sisters, a heartthrob that makes people could fall in love with him. yet, he’s not that. he’s more complex than that.

you give a small nod as he left to the hallway you went in from. the sound of rubber in contact with each other makes you turn towards the ring and observe the same man and a woman training. the woman is using the gloves to punch the flat surface of the man’s gloves: swinging from the side, from below, or straight at the torso. the light coming from above the ring shines a spotlight on them. you can see how defined their muscles are, like the deity sculptures you came across in one of the high-class parties your parents brought you and your sisters to. but, the marble carvings aren’t as dynamic as the way you look at them in real life. the human body is amazing; you thought.

your trance lasts for a while before it disappears as the two being in the ring stop their exercise. you study the man ruffling the hair of the woman before giving a small peck on her hair because of her smaller stature. your eyes gazed at the interaction, how they stare at each other with such adoration and seemingly push each other to be better, as exampled by the man helping her train. your eyes were on the woman as she approaches the other ring—a girl around her age at the side is warming her body up as she prepares to train. that’s when you picked up the man calling the name you recognized.

here he is. you spoke in your mind.

taehyun came from the other side of where you are; relaxed as he pass through the ropes. your eyes move to the pair on the ring when they wides as you realized taehyun has warmed up in shorts and a sleeveless grey shirt that is loose on his body, making you able to follow the ridges on his side, his muscles define but they have smoother parts to them. you still sense the weight on your palm as his glasses are still there. you gaze away from the boy to put it where he puts his bag beside you and you find his school uniform set folded beside his sweater, a t-shirt, and a towel. your eyes can’t wait to return to the ring when you can hear the wind being pierced as the gloves touch each other.

your neighbor is light on his feet, bouncing around the ring as his eyes give a certain gleam at the right time to make his move—like the one he shows back when your class did dodgeball. you once again fall back into a trance, but instead of focusing on the two people in the ring, you could only focus on one. watching him, you put your hand near your mouth, your fingers touching each other or your lips. sometimes it slips between the lips, letting you feel the calluses on your fingertips from your guitar playing. your teeth also didn’t fail in getting your body to rile up as you see taehyun spar, nipping your bottom lips as you see his body move.

though the sunlight isn’t as bright as before, the orange-hued spotlight gives a more fiery aspect to his exercise. your vision trails from the gloves on his hand along the expanse of his arm. the bulging of his biceps and triceps from each punch. that’s when you felt the dampness coming in between your legs, making you clench your thighs together again.

taehyun’s training flew by as you look at the man: his coach, stopping his stance and giving pats on the boy’s shoulders. his head sometimes turns towards where you’re sitting, but you guess it’s just his nerves signalling aches so it doesn’t stay in one place and moves to relieve it. you see them talking to each other before the man rattles taehyun’s body and they both nod their heads. taehyun gives a smile before stepping away from his coach and walking to your side of the ropes. his feet bounce after landing on the concrete floor from the raised ring.

he approaches you, biting the edge of his glove’s strap as he moves his hand to separate the velcro, and he does the same thing with the other glove as he let them fall out of his hands. the gloves land where his clothes are as he picks up the towel and cleans the sweat that is trailing down his arms.

“you must be bored,” he commented, your legs crossed with each other.

“not really. i learned a few new stuff while you train.” and i learned how great you look, you wanted to continue.

he lets out a small smirk as he rubs his hair and face with the towel, his face looking at the digital clock hanging by the hallway to show that the time is near sunset before he looks down at his shirt, “we should get you home.”

you followed his eyesight to the red lights before it trails back to taehyun, who reaches down to the end of his undershirt and pulled it up, making you pause every movement as you stare at his bare torso before he puts it on beside you: wiping the sweat that has formed on the skin with the towel. seeing the droplets of his sweat trailing down his defined abdomen muscles is breathtaking, obvious lines formed beneath his hips that are plunging to something underneath his shorts. you were so taken aback that you didn’t realize you were holding your breath until he put on his extra t-shirt before tying his burgundy sweater around his shoulders.

“taehyun.” your ears perked at his name being called to see the coach standing beside him, also cleaning himself up with a towel that is now hanging on his shoulder. “almost forgot your signature for the amateur tournament.” he gives out the clipboard to him. you see the boy putting on his glasses and signing on the piece of paper with the pen attached to the board. the coach gives out his farewell as taehyun zips up his backpack, all the unused clothes stuffed in the bag. you strap your own on your back as you walk to the hallway that leads you outside. you cough out from the chilly wind, feeling how dry your throat is, remembering the corner store beside it.

“can we buy something? i’m parched. maybe you too.” you turn around to face him as you walk backward, letting your backpack leaning against the door to push it. taehyun hurries and stabilizes the door before letting go as you both look at the stripe-patterned eave of the side of the corner store.

“of course.” he walks forward as you pivot your body and walk to the corner store where a few teenagers sit there on the table under the overhanging roof. your eyes gaze at them discreetly, seeing the boys and girls having fun together—a gloomy thought in your mind—as you heard the bell coming from the store’s door when taehyun pushes it open.

it is colder inside the store rather than outside, but your sweater helps you battle the sudden temperature change. both of you walk towards the beverage area where an entire wall full of fridges lines up. you stare at the various drinks available there as taehyun quickly grabs one that he wants before remaining at your side, shoulders touching each other's. coffee. tea. milk. yogurt. water. juice. your lips pouted as your mind wander on all the pros and cons of each beverage available, looking at the colorful packaging that has caught your sight, before picking up one from the shelf.

the breeze of the fridge meets your front as you pick up the drink. but when you turn around, you didn’t see taehyun.

your figure walks to peek at the six aisles in this corner store one by one from their entrance. maybe he might buy something to eat if he’s hungry after training. instant noodle is probably the best bet. yet, when you expect to find him standing by the savory foods, you found him in the sweets area, holding something in his hand.

“what you got there?” you asked. you thought it could surprise him as it did with your sisters, yet he turns his head gently, knowing that you’ll be searching for him.

he tilts his head as he lets you look at the packets. the packets with the name ring pop in two colors—red and blue—glimmer under the store’s ceiling light. you remember, when you were a child, your classmates ate this candy in class, recalling the rings that are too large on the fingers as they decorated all five of them—a dietary concern if you ask yourself right now. your nanny liked to give you all a discreet amount of sweets when she was alive because mama hated to buy sweets for the five of you. it got even worse when jiwoo got pretty addicted back then, resulting in her used to having a cavity in her tooth, making mama ban all sweets except for a limited amount of dark chocolate.

“which one do you like?” he asked, the way his glasses slid down his bridge, making you see how his eyes look with it and without it—even though only a small glimpse.

“what for?” you gnawed the inside of your cheek, letting out a small smirk.

“i noticed your sisters got a memento after their dates proposed to them for homecoming. though you’re the one that asked me first, not going to lie, i dislike seeing you without your own memento.” his words catch you by surprise as your eyes widen.

did he read your signal?

“i want to buy this for you. just as a reminder that you indeed have a date for homecoming.” taehyun answered so charmingly you felt his words trying to buckle your knees, but you hold your body well enough to not openly crumble in front of him; just that your own protection wall is crumbling for him. your hand hovers above his and you pinch the edge of the red packet, pulling it from his palm to grip it in your own. taehyun lets out a chuckle before putting the other ring pop into its place on the shelf as you both walk to the cash register. you said nothing when he pulls out his wallet and paid for all the stuff you bought. though if you want to pay him, you can’t. no pocket money, remember?

grabbing onto each of your purchases, you both walk out of the building to the bus stop as the dimming sunlight creates shadows that overhang the rest of the surrounding structures. the bus is nowhere to be seen when you both arrive and no one is at the bus stop as you both sit on the bench. you close the lid of the beverage you choose as it relieves your dry esophagus before hearing the scrunch of aluminum to your side. a glimpse of the plastic ring with a red candy at the top. your eyes glance at his hands that are meticulously opening the plastic wrap before he turns his body towards you. his backpack creates a sound from him moving while yours is leaning to your side on your other side.

“may i?” he questioned politely as you let out a giggle.

“you may,” you answered as he grab one of your hands in his, slowly sliding the ring candy on your middle finger. you discover how big the candy on the ring is as it covers vertically half of your pointer and ring finger. the dense, crystalized candy could reflect the light that is coming from the bulb above the two of you, making it glimmer the way a real diamond would.

“thank you, taehyun,” you replied. but, he hasn't let your hand go from him. that’s when he lifts the hand up and gives the candy a taste—reminiscent of what you had done to him in that auditorium that you thought was a long time ago. he envelopes the jewel-shaped candy in his mouth. a few seconds pass before letting it go, licking the bottom of his lip. in his eyes, you notice the teasing twinkle that you have seen jiwoo or hyejoo have. a payback for what you did in the room, still the feeling of his fingertips linger on your lips and on your lower part.

“great choice. it’s tasty.” your face hasn’t changed since his action as you gently pull the hand with the ring near your lips. giving it a light lick before fully focusing on the taste of strawberries that is more subtle than what you expected. your eyes glance at the ring before to taehyun, seeing the same demeanor on his face as what he gave to you in today’s last period. as you let your buds perceive the sweetness combined with a tinge of sourness, the boy reaches out to brush your hair away, tugging it behind your ears as best as he can.

you were looking elsewhere when you sense the warmth forming on your cheeks before it hovers—nearly touching—your cheek. with a piece of courage and confidence, you incline your head to face him as you feel his hand now cupping your cheek. his eyes look at yours before to your lips—you did exactly the same. slowly, you lean in closer, letting gravity lean you both forward as his forehead touches yours: your breath clashes with his.

your vision captured headlights when a silhouette of machinery comes into view with its grunting sound. you lean back from him as the bus arrives at the stop, seeing it crowded with people as you put on your backpack. taehyun followed you, slowly. when you climb onto the bus as a few people come out, you paused as you try to find any open space you can stand in before a hand reaches out to grab you. taehyun’s protruding veins are in your eyesight as he helps to guide you inside and found enough space for both of you. his hand reaches for the hanger on the top of the bus while you grab the pole near the exit in your free hand. it’s heavy when you tried to lift your held hand up, trying to give your ring pop another lick. when you see taehyun give you a squinting eye and slight pout that made you snicker. both of your hands tangled with each other the entire bus ride.

as the sun sets in your neighborhood, you walked on the pavement of your street, hand in hand. sometimes when you felt taehyun relax his hand, you move your tangled hand up with the ring pop and give it a lick as the solid sugary substance melts with the saliva; letting your buds savor the strawberry flavor once again. you view the neighborhood and the houses of the people who live around you, seeing a few kids riding their bicycles down the street. either they are waving at taehyun or gawking at you both before riding away. giggles erupt from your figure when you see their wide eyes, seeing their most obscured neighbor with a boy they know since they were little. you give taehyun a small look as he shrugs his shoulder, hearing the muffled jingling coming from your anklet that is resting above the sock you’re wearing as the streetlight helps it glow.

when you see the carpool of your house, it’s empty as it usually is. but, you let your eyes wander to the windows from across the street, the lights are on; your sisters are home. you turn towards taehyun, who stood with his house behind him. pouting your lips, you let out a small smile, reflecting on what happened today while glancing at the boy.

“thank you for today and uh… for allowing me to see you box.” taehyun’s chuckle is prominent before he slowly stops himself with a sheepish smile.

“thank you too. for going with me. i’ll have to scold kai for leaving me alone again.” his words earn a laugh from both of you and the tangled fingers slowly let go of one another. in the empty street of your neighborhood, you give a small wave to the boy before stepping onto the asphalt to your house in front of you.

and yet, there’s something you felt you’ve forgotten. and taehyun knows it too, as he still stood there on the pavement when you glance back at him over your shoulder. from the number of emotions you both have inflicted on each other and felt with each other, there is one that is so prominent you can’t help to not reveal it.

and so, you stride and captured taehyun’s cheeks in your hands before smashing your lips on his. both of your bodies stumbling with each other before taehyun’s hand stabilizes it, holding onto your love handles. the way your taehyun mimics your feverish way of kissing him is giving the right signal for you to move your hands to his nape, playing with the ends of his hair as he moves one of his hands to put underneath your jaw and chin. both of your lips trying to learn each other as best you can—feeling his tongue lightly brushes your bottom lip, both of you felt like you can’t breathe without each other.

taehyun lets out a gasp from the thrilling kiss as you let your lips travel to his jaw and trail down a bit to his neck and adam’s apple before he brought them back to his lips. kissing passionately as the sun sinks beneath the horizon and the purple now fills the sky fully. with the last push of yearning of your lips against his—letting the strawberry flavor melts on his buds as well, you both pulled away, seeing a light string of saliva connecting both pairs of lips. seeing his eyebrows frown and his glasses disarray from his place before you fixed it.

“good night.” you let him go before turning around and jogging to your house. looking one last time at him from across the street, though so little of his figure, you can see a smug smile on his face as he pivots his body to his house.

you climb up the stair hastily as you arrived at your room to open its door, seeing all four of your sisters who are doing homework on the floor. their eyesight turns towards you as you catch your breath and brush your lips with your finger. the realization of losing your first kiss and the haze of the desperation of love: for taehyun.

“where’ve you gone to, missy?” sooyoung gives a teasing remark while you hunch your body and pull down the straps of your backpack off your shoulders. the thud on the floor behind you combined with the lightness of the weight makes you let out a satisfying sigh. you nibble your bottom lip before letting out a smile, showing your hand with the candy ring.

“taehyun asked me to homecoming, and he gave me this.”

the amount of thumps on the floor is noticeable as you see your sisters clamber up from it to give you a wholesome hug, surrounding you with affection and care. jiwoo’s words cut through as she said, “we can show mama the evidence of our dates asking us and she’ll let us go.”

“hell yes,” sooyoung remarked as you all move back and link up your hands to create a circle before jumping around. the groans of the floor from all of your movements ring in your room, and downstairs too where no one is there to listen. when you feel the sweat on your face and back, your sisters stop and let go of each other. they’re giving hugs to one another before doing their own things with a smile on their faces.

while you picked your bag to put on the bed, you turn towards the window of the room that overviews the street. looking down at the house across from yours and to a specific window, a silhouette standing there with an orange ray behind him before he moves away.

“you like her, don’t you?”

taehyun straightened his pose from his hunched body, sweat falling down his skin. from his blurry vision without the glasses on his face, he could see a figure doing the same movement as his in front of him, lowering his gloved hands to the side of his body.

“what do you mean, coach?” the boy heaves as he takes in as much oxygen as possible. his heart is thumping in his chest from the spar.

“the girl you brought here.” the man said as taehyun takes a glimpse of you. your striped sweater and the shine of your anklet visible from the light coming from above him—marking where you sat in the dim side of the room.

“i’ve seen the look in your eyes.” the coach said as he lets out a small smile. he juts his head towards where you at, “the way you look at her,” before looking at the ring behind taehyun when he focuses on the rubber colliding and the movement of the two women he detects before doing his own training. “i look at my wife the same way.”

taehyun lets out a tight-lip smile before he felt hands on one of his shoulders—muffled sounds of velcro opening are muffled along with the other noises while he looks down. the coach stares at him when he slants his head, a certain expression in his eyes resembling the one that his father has when they talked about how proud of him they are; on how he would help his children.

“i can help you.”

taehyun lets out a huge breath as he faces the mirror in his room, fixing the collar of his shirt with the tie that he tied himself—taught by his old man. through the reflection, while he fixed his askew glasses, he can detect his boxy pc screen lighting up as a chime comes in from the chat room window he opens, seeing the colored usernames he has just familiarized himself. the words beside them were written with what they wanted to say.

he remembered he was the one that approaches all the moon sisters’ dates, you, and kai to create a chat room together to discuss the homecoming plan after that day he and you hung out outside school. thus, the “HC Dance“ chat room was born: discussion of the plan they have conducted between all the members. taehyun turns around from the mirror and walks towards the screen to examine the new message coming in.

22juyeon: heating the van. see u all @ taehyun’s home

the boy stares at the message from the newly-championed player from yesterday’s match. his hand moves to the mouse as he recalls the plan that has been put in place, the sound of the scrolling wheel against the finger that is rolling it. glancing at the side window with the members’ list, he sees all the members online, except for a certain “m00n12345“. it is near sunset when they agree to gather at taehyun’s house. he observes the windows of the house across from his, recalling how the timeline of events happened after the chat room was created.

sooyoung—as one of the five users that uses “m00n12345“—mentioned in the chat room how they have to bring one representative of the dates to help them convince their parents. at first, taehyun wants to volunteer before “dandyminnie“ wrote first in the chat room. seungmin is the right choice, he then reduces. he remembers you mention how chaewon was the most closed off of your siblings—not that he doesn’t notice. but when mentioning your mother’s proposal for all of you to get a date to go, chaewon will be the hardest to get a date for because of how she is. with seungmin being chaewon’s date, it helps convince your mother that 1. even chaewon can get a date. 2. a family friend is the one asking her. and 3. his diplomatic skill for being a council member helps in convincing the parents to let him vouch for the other dates as well.

dandyminnie: their parents said yes. they’re gonna have a curfew at 9.

the boy lets out a slight frown as m00n12345—that mention is hyejoo on the keyboard—replies in chat, “screw my parents :(“

as he walked out of his room to the empty hallways of his house, he kept thinking about that minuscule comment. both his parents are on a business trip while his sister is back at her college town, making taehyun have to tend to his own home for a few days. he didn’t mind it—already good enough at taking care of the home as he doesn’t do much in the other rooms except his. he puts the cans of soda he bought for the boys that are going to come any minute now—gyuri will stand by at school for jiwoo. kai was the first to come with seungmin and then sunwoo before the rumbling noise of juyeon’s van is heard as he parks it in the kang’s empty carpark.

crushing the can of soda he drank before throwing it in the bin, taehyun fixes his dress shoes and cuffs of his suit before nodding to the others. then, he leads the march towards the house across from his. he can feel his heart beating quicken as he approaches the pathway to the front door. even though he has known its presence and sees it every day, he has never gone to the moon’s home, only recalls that his mom has. he never stood as close to where they live as this, a knock away to see the interior.

juyeon moves to the front and lets his large hand knock on the wooden door in a precise rhythm. he didn’t expect to meet the patriarch opening the door, letting out a polite smile as seungmin—who stood on the other side of juyeon—greets the man. he gazes at the faces of the boys one by one while letting out a polite yet gracious smile before the sound of a woman you dreaded comes closer and closer, calling for her husband. when taehyun sees mrs. moon, she is wearing a thick robe on top of her home attire, looking luxurious as if she has come back from a spa day. the matriarch looks at each of them, gazing a little longer at both seungmin and taehyun: the ones she has met already.

“come and wait inside. they’re going to come down in a few minutes.” the woman said in a poised voice as both adults retreat from the door frame, letting their entrance space open to allow them inside. not wanting to stain their exotic-looking rug, taehyun steps carefully as he admires the inside of the house. it is as if he was stepping into the wrong time frame, seeing the ornate-looking furniture decorating the entrance which contrasts the more angular-looking furniture he has in his home. before the hallway diverts to multiple rooms, a large frame hangs on one wall beside the stairs. counting the people in it, he sees the moon’s family portrait. well, more like painting as he can see the texture on the surface of the canvas. but, all the people in it are younger.

the parents stood side by side in the middle as two daughters stood on each end. the rest of the three daughters is sitting on a fancy-looking sofa. when looking at the bottom corner of the canvas, he can learn the year it was finished.

1990.

taehyun tried to suppress his smile as he looks at each of the daughters of the moon. each of them has a facial expression that just exudes them. sooyoung stood with her height above her mother’s shoulder and a proud smile on her face while jiwoo stood above her father’s elbow and a grin on her face. his eyes look down at the similarly dressed triplets on the sofa. chaewon has a pout on her face, which contrasts with hyejoo who has a subtle frown, and there was you: sitting in the middle of the two with a small smile on your face. he let his eyes stay on younger you longer, recognizing the way your face matures as you grow up nine years later. yet, he felt chills when he looks into your eyes, seeing the familiar gaze and crack before, albeit softer—much like what your age was supposed to be at that time.

he turns his head when he picked up the creaks from the floor above. shadows coming closer before all five figures stand by the stairs. the sisters all seem to wear similar-looking dresses to differing lengths, only chaewon having a slightly puffy sleeve for her white dress while hyejoo’s has a sleeve that is the length of the upper arm of her silver dress. sooyoung wears elbow-length gloves that match her maroon dress—with a gold necklace to add the glow—and jiwoo has a shawl hanging on her hands of her pink gown. your black dress seems to be the base of your sister’s base, spaghetti strap, square-shaped at the torso, and fits onto your body until it flows down to your ankle—differs from sooyoung’s whose end sticks to her claves or jiwoo and chaewon who has a larger circumference for the lower body.

taehyun recognizes those dresses as he has seen his sister wear them before for her school dances. almost similar to the ones his mom and his sister bought in a store at the mall. but based on appearance alone, he can tell that the dresses are expensive, and he can’t help to glance at who is the stylist for them: their mother with a smile on her face. a rarity that even the sisters could notice. as each sister landed on the ground floor, he didn’t forget to notice the anklet on each of their right legs before their high heels. all of them stood in front of their respective dates as sooyoung turned to their parents. you give a winsome smile at him before turning your head when they heard sobs by the stairs.

all of the sisters stare to see their father looking at them before wiping his nose with his napkin as the mother confronts her husband in whispers. she turns around and lets out a small and performative smile. “remember the curfew.”

“we do, mama.” sooyoung replied as taehyun looked to see you staring longly at your father calming himself down. when your gaze met him, you give a small shrug with your head, a somber look in your eyes.

the moon sisters and the boys said their goodbyes as you walked across the street to the van. taehyun slightly looks back to notice that the front door hasn’t closed yet and when two figures stood by before one is left, recognizing the father by the doorframe. he sat beside you who sat beside jiwoo, while kai sat on the other side of him in the van's backseat. your sisters and their dates scramble into the places as sooyoung handles the placement—like the oldest sister that she is. she then sits in the front seat with juyeon in the driver’s seat, and the rest sits in the middle.

when the van goes backwards from the carpark, he sees you and jiwoo looking outside the window to see your father going back inside the room and closing the front door. the radio plays a britney spears song as the van drives as the sun has set on the horizon to school. they made small conversations in between the ride and songs playing from the speakers before hyejoo is the one that gave a certain relevant comment.

“did pop really cry?” her eyes peer around between the sisters that sit around her.

“i couldn’t believe it, but yes, he did.” sooyoung answered from the front.

“why, though?” jiwoo bounces and voices out.

“i really don’t know…” sooyoung replied.

the people inside the van then move on from the subject as taehyun witnesses sunwoo and hyejoo bickering in their seats, annoying chaewon who stares at them calmly while leaning more against seungmin. kai has spoken a few times directly to his ear that he has to tap his best friend’s thigh to remind him to speak with less volume, not that jiwoo’s jokes didn’t get the whole van to erupt suddenly and he heard his friend’s signature laugh beside him.

taehyun felt light touches on his dress pants as he looks down to the other side and at your gown-covered thigh before he saw your fingers trailing along his thigh like how his mom used to teach him how the spider crawl up in itsy-bitsy spider. he follows your fingers as they found his hand, flipping it over, and interlocks them with his fingers. he turns his head to your face to catch a mischievous look in your eyes before he looked at your other hand reaching to his face.

“what are you-“

“just relax, taehyun.” others singing a backstreet boys song that is playing on the radio muffled your voice, yet he hears it. he senses the frame of his glasses moving on his earlobe as you nuzzle it away to repair his bangs that have fallen on his forehead.

“can i try your glasses?” you asked as taehyun’s other hand reached for the glasses and pull them off. his other hand lets go of your hand as he steadies the glasses near your face.

“you’re going to be dizzy when wearing it.” he sees you nod to his reminder whilst closing your eyes. your lashes land perfectly as he pushes the glasses on between your earlobes. when taehyun lets the glasses sit on your nose, your eyes open and squint—earning a giggle from him.

“wow, this is weird…” you commented and shook your head lightly from the dizzying feeling he had with his glasses before letting his eyes adjust to it. while he thought you were going to let it off as soon as possible, he sees you tapping your sister’s arm beside you as you ask her how you appear with glasses on. jiwoo’s chuckles filled the air as taehyun can peek—from the corner of his eyes—kai’s subtle eyebrow raised and a smile on his face, making him roll his eyes at his friend.

taehyun was glad he was nearsighted. he can focus on the smile on your face with his glasses decorating it.

as the van parks in the school’s parking lot, the people clamber out of the vehicle as best as they can without ruining their outfits. in the distance, a girl walks toward the passenger as jiwoo fast-walk to her. taehyun fixes his glasses on him as he can now see how jiwoo is hugging gyuri before they turn to look at the others and gesture for them to come. taehyun looks at the other students that are coming from their respective vehicles towards the entrance. sooyoung’s shoulder is wrapped with juyeon’s arm as they greeted his teammates while celebrating their victory. both sunwoo and hyejoo approach their football teammates with them hollering at the unlikely couple teasingly. seungmin and chaewon approach you to inform you they’re going to be walking to the indoor court with jiwoo and gyuri. only taehyun, kai, and you are left.

“i feel like such a third wheel right now. i’m going to catch my club friends, okay?” kai said as he pats taehyun’s shoulder and give a smile towards you which you follow. the spring on kai’s stride left the two of you as you both stare at each other, nudging towards the building as he lets you hook your arm in his before walking to it.

the room is full of balloons littering the floor and confetti hanging on the ceiling that glimmers from the lights. the way the indoor court is now just a sea of people gathering makes taehyun feel slightly claustrophobic, but he can see the moon sisters there scattered throughout the room with their respective club members or other friends as he stood with you, grabbing the syrup with fruit in them to drink. as they both stand by the sideline together, side by side, he cannot comprehend the loneliness you must be going through that he also recognizes within himself. out of all the sisters, you were the one that doesn’t have many friends outside of your siblings. maybe it’s because of your decision to not join a school club like him or people’s perception about you that made them stay away. you never talked to him much about close friends, not even mentioning the seulgi that gave you the cd mix.

“how is it?” he genuinely asked as you both stare at the crowded dance floor, letting him take a glance at you as you nod your head while expressing a small smile.

“i can understand why we teenagers like this. but the music kinda bores me, though.” you let out a chuckle. he recalls your music taste based on the artists he remembered you listen to and let out a small chuckle himself.

“that’s what i thought, back in my first year when i went to one. but since my curiosity is satiated, i never guessed i’ll be here again,” he spoke as you give a tight-lip smile. you tug taehyun’s hand, asking only with eye contact as you glance at the snack area before he gives a nod. as you walked past, he notices people looking towards both of you before whispers enter his ears.

“who is that with moon (y/n)?”

“bro is lucky she got to be with her.”

“kang taehyun and moon (y/n) is the most unlikely couple i ever predicted.”

“didn’t she just break up with that nicholas guy?”

“i thought she still was with sunghoon…”

“i wish she goes with me.”

he shook the words away as you both grab a plate by the buffet table, hearing you grunt out at the food you ate with a look of satisfaction before you stare at him with your cheeks full—making him giggle. should he be insecure to have you as a date? no. he should’ve been proud. but he didn’t expect it to be one topic people converse about tonight. is that why you like to be away from people?

when the mc stood on stage to announce the homecoming king and queen, he remembered he didn’t vote for it because he has to go to the gym. you stood beside him near the tables as you face the stage. the mc plays a drumroll and said the winner when he can see the shock on his face reflected on yours. you both looking at each other when the resounding voice of your oldest sister is called homecoming queen. as they both look towards the stage, he can sense you whispering in his ear.

“i didn’t even know she got nominated.” his eyes glance at you beside him before looking at your sister’s astonished expression.

“i don’t think she knows it either,” he replied as you lean away before a smile bloomed on your face, yet it still looks restrained. he listens to the clapping and cheering before he heard some comments around him.

“i voted for jiwoo, but i’m glad to see her sister won.”

“well, i voted for (y/n) ‘cause look how hot she is. her sister is also hot. they really captured the people’s hearts fast, don’t they?”

they did indeed, taehyun silently answered to himself. he peeks at the jock crowd as they cheer when the spotlight landed on juyeon, the mc holding onto the other crown as sooyoung looks at him with a gleam on her face. taehyun looks towards you to spot you clapping your hands and cup around your mouth, letting you let out cheers for them.

“she deserves it!” he sees you smile as your oldest sister and her date step down onto the dance floor to have their dance. sooyoung turns towards you and gives you a wave with the widest smile taehyun has ever seen on her.

the lighting of the room changes to a warmer tone as “kiss me“ by sixpence none the richer play from the speakers. the people with their partners are walking to the dance floor when he felt a tug on his sleeve. with a smile reserved just for him, you said, “may i have this dance, sir?”

taehyun lets out a giggle as he replied after giving a gentle kiss to your hand, “of course, my lady.”

you brought him to the floor. your hands directly found their place on his nape while he awkwardly holds onto your waist. your movement leading the dance as he follows. by the way you move, he suspects you have danced before, especially in a setting like this.

under the decorations, the lights that shine on it refracted to your face, resembling the stars he has seen before in the night sky. the stars and their moon stand before him as he can catch a twinkle in your eyes. you let your head move all over the dance floor as you greeted your sisters that are also dancing there. sooyoung and juyeon have a spotlight on them as the light makes their crown shimmer. jiwoo and gyuri playfully dance on the floor in a ballroom style; the same as seungmin and chaewon, but they’re slower and closer to each other. sunwoo and hyejoo dance in the same stances as you and the boy, but they focus on tickling each other’s bodies. his eyes linger too long on their playful interaction before he brought back to you, turning his head with your hand on his jaw.

“eyes on me, handsome,” you stated with a smirk on your face. your eyes that haunt him before now excite him as they glimmer more when meeting his. taehyun can’t help to lean his head closer to you, resting his forehead on yours as you both continue to glide on the dance floor. he felt your hand holding him tighter in your hold as your smirk turns into a warm smile, making his move his hands to your back as they pushed you closer to him: seeing your eyes close as you enjoy the moment you both are in. it opens to let him see a sly look combines with the expression you had when you were daydreaming, a dull stare almost numbing. your eyes sometimes glance away toward the doors of the indoor court.

he knows how he could help you.

he took you away into the dark night street as you rode the bus. taehyun didn’t regret bringing his wallet with him as he helped pay all the payments, that includes the food you bought when you both buy a set of it from a fast-food restaurant. the room was empty except for the few employees that are cleaning the place up to close for the day. your groan from eating delicious food wavers in the air as you stare at him full of glee. how your elegant-looking black dress and his suit-and-tie combo are out of place in the colorful restaurant booth. how you both cackled at a story he told you that you accidentally throw the fries you were holding in your hand to him—silently glad it’s not the ice cream that you also bought. taehyun seemed pleased as he sees how you enjoy the food he recommends, knowing the limitation you have said to him about what you eat in your household. he wishes he could bring you to more places to show you what the world offers.

both of you stayed in the restaurant until the employee that serves you is going to close the restaurant doors for today. when you told the employee how well they do their work, taehyun see how the employee was silently awed by your comment before they went their separate ways from both of you. you and taehyun sit at the bus stop as comfortably as possible as you both waited for the bus to arrive under the starry sky. when he peeks at you, you turn his head to face yours before leaning and kissing him—the first kiss tonight. you gave multiple kisses of various lengths as your touch lingers on his skin, the way your thumb holds his chin still as you both lightly make out in the raven night; creating the thrill he hasn’t had since the first time you both kissed.

the air-conditioned bus creates a sheet of dew that sticks onto the window. both of you are sitting on one of the empty seats in the bus when your pointer finger reaches for the moisture, making a “hello!“ large enough for him to read. he lets out a giggle as he leans in to kiss your temple before you shriek, making him smile widely. you give him a peck on his cheek before your eyes widen as your hand caresses it.

“didn’t notice these dimples here.” your fingertips caress the slight dent in both of his cheeks before one rises to his glasses and push the frame up. the fog from the kiss slowly fades away. he never really thought his dimples were something special, as much more people around him have much more attractive dimples than he has. but, if it is you that likes it, then he must wear it more if he could.

you both walk on the pavement of your neighborhood, reminiscent of when you followed him to the gym and the day he lost his firsts with you. the first time kissing someone and the first time teasing someone down there. yet, the difference is clear as you walk side by side with you walking barefooted, the ends of your heels dangle on your fingers from how tired your calves are. the streetlights create a magical nuance on the night as you walk home, a few puddles of water on the asphalt road makes the street more alive.

when you both arrived at the location of your houses, both of your heads turn towards your house—the upstairs window he remembers you point out still hasn’t had its lights on. the realization it got to you makes you shift your head to face him, a glint in your eyes as the corner of your lips twitches up.

“they’re not home yet. so, i hope i haven’t passed curfew yet.” you said as you gnaw the inside of your cheek, looking at the house behind him before back to him. “since you mention your parents aren’t home, can i come to your house?”

the way you look at him lingers with a familiar tension he once experienced before with you. that fateful day that stayed in a separate storage of his memories. your eyes exude the burn that also comes from the touch of your hand on his in that dark auditorium, letting him touch your thigh and your private part, remembering how wet it is.

lust.

and with the hardening of his own private parts, he thought this moment would never come. and he never thought it will come with you involved.

as you dropped your heels behind the front door with taehyun pulling off his shoes, you approach him and cling to him with your lips. the feverish quality of the kiss you both had comes back with more heat yet gentle touches of it appearing. your hands drop to the button of his suit and let them go as taehyun held onto your body, trailing it down to your thigh. you gasp when leaning back, staring at taehyun who gives you a signal before he grabs your empty hand and leads you to his room. though no lights in his room are on, the streetlight and moonlight from the outside combine to give a perfect aura to the yearning you both have for each other.

he never believes he could see you standing inside his room after he closes the door. the boy looks at how your head moves to memorize the room, seeing the bench for his bench press and the weights leaning on the wall. the pc’s buzz filled the room as the cpu runs underneath his desk, cluttered items are everywhere unlike his very tidy wardrobe. your gown shines from the light coming from the small glimpse of the sheer curtain behind his actual one. shining at you and for you.

taehyun walks up behind you and rests his head on your exposed shoulder, letting his plump lips kiss the skin as he can hear your breath flatter. his arms wrapped to your front and rested on your stomach. the lingering touch of his lips trails up to your earlobe, the teasing he has noticeably done to you ever since that day. yes, he feels it too. he also does not want to tease, but you’ve been the one that sticks in his mind for a month and more. he wants to be that same thing for you.

“i forgot to tell you how beautiful you are tonight.” he can see how your facial muscles contort from that comment and how your hands reach to hold his. your head leans away from him as he kisses your clavicle before he turns you around. cupping your cheeks, he perceives how warm they have become while you gently pull his glasses off of him, closing the temples up before tucking them inside his suit pocket. taehyun held his breath to breathe as slowly as possible when your fingertips touched the bridge of his nose, trailing down until it falls off.

“i say the same about you. though i’ve called you “handsome” before at the dance." you steadily say as your hands now rested on his chest. taehyun feels a slight pressure on it, hearing his heartbeat clearer. the hands slip inside the suit as you push them away, letting it fall off his shoulders to the ground behind him. his chest rises and falls in a steady beat as he glances at one of your hands that is trailing down his arm. the same pressure appears again as you seemingly scan his body with your touch. your hands gather on the cuffs and unbutton them one by one.

taehyun watches how your hand lingers around his heart as you follow how his chest rises and falls. no spoken words between the two as you learn about him. he knows he will do the same to you later.

your hand reaches his tie as you pull it, not too hard to let his body stumble, but right enough for the tie to untangle. his brows raised in surprise when you take the tie from his collar and let it fall to the floor before your fingers reached for the button of his white shirt. as it opens, he sees you're taken aback by the appearance of his undershirt before taehyun shoves the shirt to the floor and pulls off his socks. then, he pushes the layers of clothing he used near his wardrobe—hoping his glasses will be alright.

“why do you have so many layers?” he overheard you whine when turning around to face you again, giggles leaving both you and him.

“i didn't know we would do it. believe me, if you say it before, i would wear less.” he strides to stand in front of you once again, grasping your hands in his before putting them on his abdomen.

“but i like a surprise,” he mumbles as your palm moves on his cloth-covered abs. though it isn’t as prominent as his coach—who he has seen before in the locker room—he is proud of how bulked up he is. especially with the sport he plays. taehyun looks down to see you pull the tuck undershirt from his pants. you might touch a slight bump if you move lower. yet, in this case, you focus on his torso first, already feeling your cold touches on the skin beneath the undershirt. and so you slowly lift it. taehyun’s arms raise to help you as it leaves his hand.

“wow.” he could hear you remark quietly, making him bite his lower lip at the sheer appearance of his bare torso to you. the glimmer in your eyes comes back once again as you admire his body. your hands and eyesight are all over his skin as you let them trail down his muscles as taehyun can only stand there to not let your trance on him disappear. he felt like he was the statue he saw in an art museum he visited. the difference is the ropes around it or the pedestal it stood on are nowhere to be seen, making guests can touch how intricate the carvings of the marble are. another difference is he only allows him to touch him like this.

“how long have you boxed?” you questioned as you close your body with his, letting him wrap his hands around you.

“since i was very young. i tried many sports before it but boxing is the one that matches me.” he tilts his head and the bangs of his hair flail from the movement.

“i can’t imagine how much training you have done to have a body like this…” your words trail off. then he senses a prominent tug on his pants, letting out a slight smirk.

“you couldn’t wait, huh?”

“i want to see more of you.” you quickly answered back.

stepping back from your embrace, he takes off his belt and throws it gently to the floor before he opens the zip of his dress pants. the bulge is clear as he accidentally caresses it, sending shivers down his spine. he never had his cock this hard before, even with the porn magazines he got introduced to from the older boys he met through the boxing club and when he first jack off. but, it’s different if it’s the real thing.

taehyun murmurs out a small “thank you” in his mind for himself for wearing a nice pair of boxers tonight. he senses your burning gaze as he pushes his pants down, exposing his leg and the lower part of his thighs as his boxers cling to his pelvis. his clear bulge makes him lick his lips as he stares at you—admiring what you are presented by.

“it’s your turn,” he spoke out. your eyes rising to meet his as he met with your less-layered outfit.

taehyun steps forward and embraces you like before. both of you breathing the same air—feeling your breath on his skin—before he reaches behind you. his hand founds the zipper on your dress and you flinch from the sudden sound as he opens it.

“you okay?” then his concern answered with a hum from you.

you gasp lightly when his palm meets the skin of your spine. like you do before, he lets a fingertip trail up your spine. goosebumps show up on your forearms as he heard you inhale. the finger met the ends of a bra before he lean back to see you looking at him with more desire. he kisses your forehead as he pulls off the straps of your dress. taehyun follows the upper end of your dress as he pulls it down, seeing the black strapless bra you’re wearing as he gives a kiss above it. he pulls it down to your stomach when the line of your underwear is peeking, giving a small kiss below your belly button.

when meeting your underwear, he realized you are not prepared either. he usually thought that for sex, both partners wear the best undergarments they have. but he didn’t meet any silk underwear as he predicted from the porn magazine he viewed. instead, he met with a regular brief. with that, he knows that what both of you are feeling isn’t something that one of you intended to do today. but it comes from the growth of one’s relationship.

the dress falls to your knees and his eyes meet your thighs, his eyes enlarged in concern. marks decorated your thighs and as he perks up to you, you catch him before you turn away. the marks that decorated your skin looks too unnatural to be a birthmark or freckles, all have a similar shape with varying shades as they fade near to the color of your skin.

“what are these?” he gazes between looking at you and the marks, kneeling on his carpeted floor. your eyes still facing away as your expression changes. taehyun sees you compose yourself, swallowing your saliva before you answered his questions.

“cigarette burns.”

if you were looking at him, you could see how his eyebrows furrowed at your answer. a scowl formed on his face before he replied, “did someone do this to you?”

“no!” your reply was instant. “i did it to myself.” you turn your head to face him, a glistening streak falling down your cheeks as you brush it off.

“this is what i meant when i said you won’t understand about us.” you reached for his shoulders to hold on, trying to not tumble yourself down. “we’re broken, taehyun. my sisters and i are broken human beings.” your vision glances at his hand on your thighs, resting right underneath the fading marks. “That is how i deal with pain. my sisters have done various other things comfortable for them but it also leaves a mark on their skins. this how i cope.”

taehyun can’t help but hold you tighter in his hands as you peer down at him. the sentences you tell helped him complete more of the puzzles that are you and your sisters. how the bandage around chaewon’s wrists now makes sense—now covered by the bracelets that were already in place to cover the bandage up—to cover the scar from her attempt to cope with the pain. when you mention how each and every of the moon sisters has a mark like chaewon, he is disappointed not to notice them, and yours were even harder as you are trying to hide from yourself.

he tugs the dress down to the carpet and drifts your foot one by one from it. that’s when he finally sees the anklet with a closer look, the silver band with two charms hooked on it: a crescent moon and a star.

the understanding of what the crescent moon means comes to him fast, but the star is the one that caught his attention. when he thinks of a star, he thought of the many dots he saw when you both walk down the pavement in the night—all of them are watching both of you connecting. but a star is also a sun, the same sun that lets its shine beam on you in the classroom every time he went inside.

your hands clasped his shoulders before they let go when he was too far to reach. he hears you gasp as he lifts your right leg and gives the skin above the anklet a kiss before continuing upwards.

“you are a star.” he started, kissing up your calves and knees to rest in front of your thighs full of burn marks. “every star has a cycle. and when their cycle ended, they cause a supernova.” holding the back of your thighs with his hands, he gives a squeeze.

“the most beautiful thing a human eye could see is the results of the supernova.”

“either a nebula or a black hole.” you filled his sentence. he hums.

“two different outcomes with two different repercussions.” he stares up at you. “though, in that case, you might see yourself as a black hole.” taehyun gives a light kiss on one of your marks, “i see you as a nebula that could create a new star.”

he continues to kiss every burn mark he can reach from where he kneeled. looking up to see you face the ceiling, he listens to a few out-of-place sniffles that are still there. yet, he listens to you sighing, letting out your weight bit by bit. he gives one last kiss to your underwear.

“what i wanted to say is,” he slowly stands up and cups your cheeks, brushing away stray tears that have fallen as your eyes glisten more because of the moisture. “no matter how are you, you are always beautiful to me.” he gives you a long kiss on the lips before pulling it off, to see you with your eyes still closed. when it opens, he could see the sadness being pushed back as you cup his face too and pull him to you, letting you taste his lips again.

he can feel the exploding emotions coming from you as it triggers his as well. the way his lips nibble your bottom lip earns a whimper from you before you let your mouth open up, letting his tongue enter to meet yours. your hands traced down his body as he let your lips go before trailing down your cheek, to your jaw and neck, before landing above your breasts.

“can i touch them?” he asked, feeling a tad bit shy.

“yes, you can.” you nod as you bite your lips where his hand reaches to cup one of them, feeling them up and knowing how soft yet sturdy they are.

your hands reach behind you to let the hook of the bra off, letting taehyun feel how the fabric loosens in his touch. carefully, he pulled the cups off as he sees your breasts. his lips travel closer to her areola as you moan lightly, the sensitive skin meeting his exhale causing it to erect. he lets out a hum before taking one nipple, softly kissing it, and giving a slight suck while caressing the other. your hands tangled in his hair as you hold him close. small whimpers coming out from you as taehyun closes his eyes, enjoying the feeling of being wanted by you.

when he pulls back, your hand holds onto one of his as you brought both of you to his bed. you stood between the two, seeing how the edge of the bed touches the back of your legs. you give him a lingering kiss before tracing down to his collarbones. taehyun hiss as not only do you pucker your lips at it, you also give a few sucks on the area. he sees your head moving down to his pectorals with hooded eyes, feeling a tickle as you do the same to him—playing with his nipple and kissing the muscles he has done so much to tone. he couldn’t help but think you are marking him. you are leaving evidence that you have touched him more than other people have.

the bed springs’ noise piqued the boy’s ears as his eyelid fluttered to see you sitting on the mattress, your hands pushing him close from his lower back. he can sense your tongue tracing the faint lines on his abdomen before moving downwards, looking down to glance at your nose grazing his cock before moving back. you glance up at him, hands on the rubber band on the boxers.

“can i?”

“y-yes.” taehyun shivers.

the air of his room flushes onto the newly exposed skin as your eyebrows rose at how stiff his cock is. taehyun wanted to face away from the pleasure, but when he’s seeing you try to touch him, he guides you.

“slowly…” he mumbles when he noticed the lingers of your touch, making the blood rush more towards his lower part. his jaw drops when your thumb touches his slit. the pre-cum he made compliments how cool your touch is as it spread. taehyun looks down when you are trying to wrap your hand around him, giving an experimental stroke that felt different from when he masturbates. his eyebrows frown when your wet tongue touches the head, a gasp coming from him before you give a kiss on it. his hand holds your jaw, thumb caressing your cheekbone, while you let your tongue lick along his cock until the base as you tease his balls—more like discovering it and trying to see what they are.

the way your eye-lined eyes stare up at him, he sees the mark of your tears as it stains the color of your skin. your eyes look beautiful even though they’re puffy. he guides you back to the head of his cock, letting you do things to him that could only turn him on. you widen your mouth and let his head in. your lips wrap around it before it slowly goes out. then you continue to take him deeper, one hand still around his shaft while the other is holding him close by his ass cheek. you form a rhythm he enjoys: sucking gently, a few strokes with your hand before you let him slump. your cheeks narrow to suck him off best as he can, letting your tongue wet him up while grazes from your teeth making him hiss—which you seem to notice and tried to not let them touch him as much.

taehyun stares at the ceiling as he gasps for breath while you’ve been taking so much from him. he caresses your hair when you moved your head while sucking him, reminding him of when he jacked off to the magazine. and you went faster, your stroke getting rapid, and you do even more when he moaned your name, eyes staring at yours, looking at him as you take him in. he panicked when he heard you gag and pulled himself out at once, holding your face in his hands. as you gasp for air, he could see drools trailing down the corners of your lips, a streak of eyeliner now appearing from your smudge eyes as he brushes the stray tears away.

“are you okay?” he asked as your fluttering eyelids returns to him.

“yeah, i hope you like it…”

fuck, he is more than liking it.

“can you go to the pillow? i wanna return the favor.” taehyun confidently says as he sees you nod, crawling to the head of the bed as you lay on his pillows. the mattress dips as he moves to hover above you, leaning down to give you a passionate kiss, tasting something different on his buds before realizing it is from him. the single bed is small now for two people, but he likes how close it makes him feel to you.

your lips bite his bottom lip when two of his fingers reach your clothed core, feeling it wet like the last time he touched it. your head moves to see the space between the two of you—seeing how his hand is closer to where you want him, but not enough. taehyun sees the eagerness in your eyes as you take off your underwear, letting taehyun take the rest off of your feet and throw it with your dress. his hand moves to caress your legs as he lets his nose tip trace the skin up to your core. his body move to be in between your legs as his face arrived in your inner thighs, the two fingers rubbing on your clit while he gaze at the opening. giving the marks on your thighs kisses, he then replaces the fingers on the clit with his tongue while the fingers move to your lower lips. taehyun heard your body shifts on the mattress as you pant his name. his eyes look up to see you adoringly gazing at him. your hand reaches for his dark locks as he licks and kisses your clit while a fingertip plays around your hole before pushing in one.

“taehyun…” you gasp and he closes his eyes to let his senses savor you. him tasting you, how you clench his finger in, and your hand tugging on his hair. he let himself enjoy you before adding another finger inside, hearing a whine coming from you as he opens you up. he moves his head away as he looks at your writhing body on his bed. your thumb moves to his lip as he gives it a suck. while he pushes inside of you with his fingers, he let his kisses focus more on the marks that litter your thighs. taehyun hopes with it, he can help in clearing your head of those thoughts and their traces. he hopes that by the end, he could be an anchor to help you overcome your problems and insecurity.

the grip on his hair tightens more when he exchanged the fingers for his tongue, tasting you more clearly than the wetness staining everything around your slit. he hums as he tastes you, sending shivers around your body that are signaled by the tug from your hand. after moments upon moments of him enjoying you, he pulls away to the sound of you whining. he chuckles at your expression while licking his lips, seeing you pout adorably at him before he smooches the pouty lips. that’s when he met your tongue prodding his lips as he lets you taste yourself as he did with himself before.

“are you ready?” he asked as his eyes focus on you as everything around him blurs out.

“ready.” that’s what makes him turn to his bedside table and open the drawer. he sees the box of condoms his coach bought for him.

“treat her like how you want to be treated. go slowly.” his coach told him as he places the box inside his bag.

taehyun pulls out one packet from the box as he sees you sit up on the mattress, silently nodding as you seem to communicate with yourself. he pulls the condom from the ripped packet when your hand grabs his.

“i learn this from sex ed class…” you murmured as you place the condom right at the head of his cock before rolling it onto his shaft. the rubber on his skin feels strange before you stroke him while fixing the condom. before he hovers above you once again, you spit on your palm and rub them on his covered cock as carefully as possible, he perceives the warmth of your palm against him.

you brought your heels down on the mattress when you lay down, caging him in between your legs. taehyun grabs onto his member when he leans closer to you, eyes conflicting between looking at how you react and finding the hole he has prepared for. your hands stabilizing yourself as you also want to see how it’s done.

“it’s your first time?�� you asked him.

“yeah, you?”

“mine too.”

one of your hands reaches down to his as his tip lodges into the hole, hearing your light gasp from the contact. then, he pushes the tip in as slow as he can, eyes noticing your figure laying on his bed. biting your lips and seeing his concerned face, you give a nod at him while glancing downwards.

his palms move to either side of your body as he pushes in and his jaw drops from how tight the grip is. his head drops near yours as he gives kisses along your face before you turn yours to let him meet your lips. the tongues battle one another as the sudden yet small movement makes moans come out from both of you. he cups your cheek when he pulls away.

“you want me to continue?” he questioned as you tried your best to look at how both of your bodies connected, his pelvis nearly meeting yours.

“yes. go all in, taehyun,” you said as you nod your head. the way your hair sprawled on his pillow will always be ingrained in his mind.

the boy’s hands reach for both of your hands as he puts them beside your head and hair. his body leans down and he pushes himself in until the skin of his pelvis meets yours. you clenching your thigh before you lift your legs to wrap them behind him. taehyun gives a long and passionate kiss as he moves slowly, feeling how his cock pulls out and pushes into you.

with the way you react, furrowed eyebrows, and small moans, he tried to not be fast as he does when jacking off. but when your eyes open—all of your attention to him—he sees you licking your lips as the way you clench around him relaxes, letting him slide in and then out. he groaned when your legs pushed into his back, feeling the cold touch of your anklet. one of your hands moves out from his grasp before finding its place on his shoulder.

“can you do more? you feel so fucking good.” your remarks send shivers down his spine as he kisses you, letting your moans and groans swallow each other’s as he moves more. he let himself experiment, from making his thrust faster in pace and letting his cock almost slip out from you, or he moves slower but deeper as he pushes in to make you full. your tight hole now forming to fit him.

“fuck! you’re so tight just for me.” he heard you hum before you grab his nape and brought him down, smashing your lips as your hands moves down his back. the way your nails move on and how he can sense the roughness of your calluses touching his skin. his hands reach for the ankles near his butt and separate them before pushing them near your upper body.

“YES!” you exclaimed. “you, you’re deeper in me. so deep.” you moan out as your walls tighten around him once again from the new position. his lips suck your collarbone as he thrusts in and out of you. your pelvis also moves to meet him.

it went on for minutes before he noticed how tired his arm is holding your legs up and how sore it must be for you. your moans still fill the room when he whispered into your ear, “do you want to be on top?”

your hands reach to cup his face, and the way your eyeliner and eye makeup is smudged around your eyes turns him on as you nodded at him, a smile forming on your face.

“hold on tight,” he said before he wraps his arms around your body and flips both of you around. his muscles contracted from the movement as he tried not to slip out of you while moving. his head rested on his headboard as you give him a peck on the middle of his chest.

“fuck, i like a strong boy who can move me around.” you teasingly said to him before your expression changed. you bite your lips when you sank down on him.

“shit, (y/n)! does it feel like i’m inside you more?” he asked when he pushes into the untouched territory.

“fuck- you did. i feel so full.”

taehyun’s hands move to your hips as you move on him. the new and almost familiar feeling makes both of you moan out more. that is until you move up and down on his shaft, the same sensation of him pushing into you overwhelms him. his hands move to your lower back as you lean against him, arms wrapped behind him as you both make out with you continuing bouncing on his cock, moving away when one of you gasping for breath, moaning or biting each other’s lip. your skin stuck onto his from the sweat as you move to give him his own hickeys like the ones he gave while letting his hand play with your bouncing boobs—yours also playing with his nipples.

“you’re so good for me, right?” he asks as he brought your head to his—forehead touching. his eyes can’t escape yours as you nodded. taehyun grabs onto your lower body as he tries to match the rhythm with his trust. your whines and whimpers are entertaining him as he is to you by how your grip on his muscles and comments on how strong he is to you. when he reaches down to caress your clit once again, your body trembles above him.

“y-you’re gonna make me c-cum.” you whimper as you brought your face as close to him as possible, barely finding your way to his lips. just caressing his as you move makes him grit his teeth. he will gladly be the first boy to make you cum.

“cum for me, my pixie,“ he whispers to your skin as he hears your groan because of it. then, you clench around him so hard that it makes you moan so loud before he lets his mouth onto yours. he felt how your movement slows from the orgasm as he thrusts up, the gush of your release creeps onto his skin as the movement becomes smoother.

“please cum for me too, taehyun.” he listened to you whimper as you moved on his hips once again, stimulating him by making out and your breast moves against his pecs. taehyun lets out a loud groan as he cums with him inside you. the semen drops onto the skin of his cock as it met the condom’s wall. both of you breathe heavily as the sweat on your faces makes your foreheads stick together and now stronger like glue. taehyun’s hands caress your back and butt while yours grips his biceps.

“you’ve done so good.” he heard you comment before rewarding him with a kiss from you.

“gosh, you’re more beautiful.” he breathes out as you wrapped around him once again, snuggling your face with his as he laid both of you down with you on top of him.

you whimpered when he is out of you, he traces the pulsing hole he was inside of as you remind him to clean up. he saw how much of his cum was inside the rubber when he pulls his cock out and tie the condom before throwing it away. while you seem to grab his undershirt to clean yourself and him up. he could pick up your groan when you step onto the floor to put it back on the pile and he accepts you with open arms and a blanket when you lay above him.

“you’ve done so well, (y/n).” he can’t help but please you as you shut him up with a kiss before laying on his pecs. the blanket covers both of your lower parts as your anklet meets the skin of his leg, shivers running down his spine once again.

“i didn’t expect to lose my virginity tonight,” you remarked.

“mine too.”

your smile slowly drops as you caress him, and a sudden melancholy hits him as he realizes how everything changes between the two of you. did all you want was to hook up with him? it didn’t feel like it when you both were kissing and fucking. you would not trust him that much to do that if you felt like it. his mind then wonders to your sisters. are they home yet? are they having fun? he remembers the smile each of them adorns on their faces in juyeon’s van. the first time all of you smile at outside factors rather than within the five of you. he wishes to see that all of them are safe and sound in their lit bedroom while you are in his arm.

but he can’t check when he wants to. your hand moves his head so you can kiss him. the kiss itself seems different from the ones you give to each other. the other time was passionate, lustful, and cheerful too. with this kiss, it seemed like you were trying to communicate. a certain yearning is there resembling the yearning he has for you. he can see how serious you are when you let both of you breathe.

“run away with me.”

his eyes enlarged as he stops caressing you, “what?”

“run away with me, taehyun,” you say breathlessly. he sees how the corner of your lips twisted up. “you’re the only person who ever makes me feel this way. you’re the only boy that ever adored me like how movie couples do. you’re everything that i wanted in a guy and by the looks, how you do to me, and with me, i know you felt the same way.” you then cup his cheek.

“let’s fucking run away together and start a life on our own. it’s us against the world, taehyun.”

taehyun looks at you, stunned. your eyes widen with hope inside of you as he can sense the warmth that it pours out. the way the cracks inside your eyes are slowly fading away, healing themselves with hope.

“i can’t.”

yet, taehyun disagreed.

“i have a life here, (y/n). i have my family, my friends, my home, and my upcoming career in boxing. i, you know, right? you know i can’t just leave them behind?” the boy pours out all the coming words in his mind. your face now hovers above him and not as close as before.

“no, i don’t know that taehyun. i don’t have that many friends and my family. fuck them-“

“what do you mean ‘fuck them’?” he sits up to get closer to you. but you lean away more, both of you sitting on the mattress. “what about your sisters?”

“why do you care about my siste–wait…” your body retracts. “don’t tell me…” you shook your head as you stare at your covered bottom part.

taehyun panics and tried to reach you, but you scoot away even further. he overheard you scoff as you brushed your messy hair out of your face. “of course. why didn’t i think about it?” you giggled before a frown once again formed on your face.

“you’re just like them. you’re just like all the people outside of my family…” you said with gritted teeth.

“i- what do you-“

“of course, you want to hook up with me. you’re exactly like the boys i met before i move here. the people i met every time i walk through the school’s hallways. all of their eyes look at me and my sisters thinking ‘wow, fuck they’re pretty.’ and that’s it. pretty. someone’s eye candy. a pawn for someone to ogle then play, just like what ma do to us. to me. how didn’t i realize it before?”

taehyun’s body steps off the bed as he kneels on the floor by the side of the bed you were in. “no, you misunderstood.”

“if i misunderstood, the first thing that you thought about of me leaving this forsaken place is my sisters? not asking me what my ma did to me? are they also your concern just much as i am? you care for them maybe even more than the sister that is sitting in front of you? oh, that’s not how misunderstood works, silly.” he listened to you chuckle, “it feels weird to think about you pursuing sooyoung or chaewon with how you did to me. but, you know you do that so you can brag on it to your friends, don’t you? ‘i hook up with one of the moon sisters. fuck, she’s great.’“

he froze as he heard you try to mimic how he sound before you continue, “i should have to trust the me that came to your home and warn you. that you’re just gonna see us, gonna see me, as a thing to pursue. to get a taste off.” you lean closer to him. “is it wrong for me to be selfish? is it wrong for me to be like that when i’m living in a family of seven with sisters that are around the same age as you with no privacy?”

“is it wrong for me to be selfish when my mother is an abusive parent towards me and my sisters and i want an escape? is it wrong for me to be selfish and run away with a person who i put my trust in to confide with and even let him take my virginity?” you shook your head as you bit your lips. the way taehyun sees you from his kneeled position, he felt like a follower of a deity who is given a punishment.

“i, i thought that even if with my warning, you pursue me because you like me for me. that you understand me as i thought you are. well, my plan didn’t fucking work.” he can’t help to feel his breaking heart as he heard you sob. the faded cracks in your eyes when he saw you moments ago are more prominent, much more prominent than the ones that haunt him when he first saw you up close.

“if you thought we would go on after this, you lost your chance, taehyun. you lost your chance when you said “no” and miss out on living the best life with the girl who likes and adores you as much as you do her."

with the last sentence, you stepped down from his bed and walk towards where your dress and clothing were. he found out you were whimpering as you walk, imagining how sore you must be as he hears the stomp of your foot on the ground and the zipping of your dress. taehyun wants to stop, he wanted to. but with the fiery near-monologue of yours, he can feel the guilt rising in his chest. yes, he thought you were selfish when you spoke to him about all the reasons you should and why you want to run away with him but not your sisters. what he regretted was that he should’ve seen it coming. chaewon’s bracelets-covered wrists, the way you mention to him how you don’t have pocket money, the cigarette burn marks on your thighs, your first warning to him. you are much more complex than he thought a teenage girl should be. and he was wrong, gosh, was he wrong about his idea on you.

a girl so beautiful, so rebellious, so out-of-this-world and she is also so broken, so depressed that she hurts herself with the thing that helps her pass time.

he listened to the slamming of doors twice as he can finally let out his held breath. taehyun looks outside of the sheer curtain to watch your dark figure running across the street to your house and slip inside the front door. he dims his eyes as the pc hums into his ears, reminding him to turn it off so that it can rest. the sudden bright light slaps him in the face as he met with the cyan-colored desktop wallpaper and when he wants to click on the start button, he takes one look towards the time that he does not track back when he was with you.

midnight.

part 2

taglist: @endzii23 @fluffyywoo @camipendragon @hiqhkey @wccycc @stayzentiny @rebsmoonn @boba-beom @angelbythewindow @ttyunz

#txt imagines #txt scenarios #txt angst #txt smut #txt fluff #txt x reader #taehyun x reader #rsc: troubled pixies #cr: taehyun #cs: txt #sc: regina

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gretavangroupie · 2 years

Text

Muse (Part 1)

Daniel Wagner x Reader

Muse Playlist

WARNINGS: Angst, Cussing, Alcohol, 18+ as always.

You pull the dirty white string on the neon sign that reads ‘Yuengling’. The buzzing fluorescent light that hangs over the bar, is the latest addition to the small collection of vintage neon that flourishes the walls of the old wood paneled dive. Nashville is the Mecca of dive bars, each one having its list of regulars and ‘The Sixty’ was no different. Spending most of your nights behind the shiny lacquered bar top slinging drinks, you had come to know your regulars and knew when someone had wandered in from out of town. You had made some great friends and you knew that was hard to do in a town filled with transplants and vagabond musicians.

Usually around 10:00 your regulars would start to filter in and begin running up their nightly tabs. Most of your regulars were in their 50’s and 60’s, washed up musicians who would talk about their glory days while drinking themselves into the stupor that ruined, said career.

As far as your career… this is it. Sixty’s turned from temporary into permanent within a matter of weeks. When you moved to Nashville you had dreams and aspirations just like everyone else, but quickly found that those dreams didn’t pay the rent, and you had to find another option. You have always told yourself that one day you will really make a go at selling your art, but the time just hasn’t come. You wipe the counter down with the wet rag as you continue to daydream.

The bell on the door rings calling your attention to it, as a group of your regulars walk in, loud and chaotic as usual. The group of guys always seems to be in good spirits, like they haven’t got a care in the world, running their tab up nightly, and then arguing over who will pay. The men who you know by name at this point, have their regular orders and you have it memorized. Sometimes they throw you a wild card but that happens rarely. The guys drunkenly telling you one night about their band, ‘Greta Van Fleet’ and how when they are home from tour they like to let loose in the only bar ‘where people never find them.’ However tonight, one of the guys is noticeably missing. You sigh a relieved sigh at his absence.

You throw the rag into the sink behind you and grab three glasses as they begin to approach the bar.

“Hello, lovely!” the tall, lanky one, Sam says in his usual chipper tone. He is the youngest of the brothers and arguably the most handsome. He has chiseled, well defined features and he never fails to flaunt it. “A PBR for Jake and I, please.” He says with a smile.

You like Sam, he is always pleasant and usually has a funny story to tell you. He tips well when it is his turn to pay and he is always wearing a toothy smile. He will sometimes have a lady on his arm but usually its just him and the guys. You slide two glasses and two cans across the counter to him, remembering that he likes to pour his own beers. “Sam.” You say nodding your head. “Thank you m’lady.” he says taking the items and walking off.

Next up is Josh. He is the small but mighty, fearless leader of the crew. Twin brother of Jake and and the singer in their band. He is small statured with a curly almost mullet. He has a radiant smile that fills the room with light and warmth. He always makes sure to thank you for every single drink, and has often been spotted diving into deep, probing conversations with strangers about any and every topic. He is shockingly smart and educated on a variety of topics. You know he would be your life line on a trivia game show if ever necessary. “Whatcha want tonight Josh?” You ask him as he places his elbows on the bar rubbing his chin between his fingers. “Lets go with a Vodka Tonic tonight, please.” He smiles still pondering his selection.

You pour up the drink on the opposite side of the bar, as you hear the bell on the door ring, announcing a new patron. You look up and see their fourth. The one you thought was going to be absent for tonights night cap. Looking down immediately, as not to make eye contact you finish making Josh’s drink and slide it down to him. He looks behind his shoulder then back to you. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep him at bay.” He says tipping his head towards you as he walks to find his brothers.

You make yourself busy as he approaches the bar to get his drink. You know what he is going to ask for but you’d never give him the satisfaction of letting him know that you remember.

He walks up and places his hands on the bar top staring at you waiting for you to say something that he can argue or insult.

This is Daniel, or as the guys call him Danny, and this is what he does, this is your dynamic. He is the drummer for the band and the only one who isn’t technically a brother. The other guys talk about him as though he is and treat him as such. He is tall and slender with a muscular build. He has caramel colored skin and strong distinguishing features. His dark curly hair perfectly framing his face. Conventionally he is gorgeous and exactly your definition of a Greek God. You always catch yourself staring at his arms, the muscles of his biceps always peeking gently from the sleeves of his shirts with perfect definition. You think of his smile when he is laughing with his friends, and the red flush that creeps across his lightly freckled nose when he has had a few drinks...

You tear your eyes away instantly and roll your eyes at yourself for even giving him the satisfaction of looking at him. You see a disgusted look cross his face and a scoff leave his mouth.

You raise your eye brows and cock your head at him showing your annoyed expression, silently asking what he wants to drink.

“Every night and you still can’t fucking remember? Double Jack and Coke…”

You glare at him and pull a glass out, making the drink quickly and pushing it towards him before you walk to the other side of the bar to check on your other patrons.

He stands there for a second just glaring at you, muttering something under his breath before walking away to meet his friends who are now sitting at a table across the room.

You wipe the counters down again, and restock the beer cooler trying to get a head start on the closing tasks, so that maybe you can get out of here at a decent time. A while later Josh approaches the bar ready for another drink.

“Same thing?” You ask.

“How long are you two going to keep this up?” He asks with a laugh, ignoring your question.

“Josh…” you say with a sigh. “Do you need another drink or not?”

“Yes, same thing. I don’t get it you know…” he says as you cut him off, “Josh!” You say with a glare.

“Okay, sorry. I just wish you two could get along.” He says.

“I don’t see that ever happening. Sorry.” You reply sliding him his drink.

He shrugs his shoulders walking back to their table.

You let out an annoyed sigh. Why couldn’t he just leave it alone. Daniel is a dick he has been since it happened. You think back to that night…

You had to cut him off. He was completely belligerent and you knew he drove separately from the other guys when you saw him clip his keys to his belt loop as he walked through the door. He was already buzzed when he walked in, you could smell the alcohol radiating off of him. After 4 more drinks over the next hour, you decided for his safety, that you no longer felt comfortable serving him. He walked up to the bar, barely able to form a coherent sentence.

“I’ll….have, more... One of those…” he barely managed. You had a cordial relationship with him at this point, him never taking the time to talk to you and get to know you like the others did. Only glancing at each other from across room occasionally.

“I’m gonna have to get you some water for this round, buddy.” You would reply to him.

“NO! I want a whiskey.” He yells.

“No, you can have a glass of water or you can leave.” You reply.

“Don’t be a bitch!” He slurs.

“Leave. Get out, now!” You say pointing at the door.

“M’not goin anywhere, so you go ahead and make me that drink.” He says.

"You're being an asshole, you need to go home, now." you say.

You lock eyes with Josh across the room. ‘Come here’ you mouth to him, as he sees Daniel getting aggressive with some one else at the bar who has made a comment to him about his behavior.

“Danny, dude let’s go home.” Josh says grabbing his elbow.

“No, m’not goin, m'not ready I want another drink but this bitch won’t make it.” He says harshly in your direction.

“Daniel, you have had enough. You’re done and you’re being a dick. Pay your tab, apologize and we are leaving, now.” Josh says firmly gripping his bicep.

“I’m not paying her shit!” He replies pulling out of his grip forcefully. Danny has got some height on Josh and he is no match for him. At this point the other guys are noticing the commotion and come to help Josh reign him in. Sam walks up throwing his card on the bar, “I’ll cover it tonight, I’m so sorry. He had… a rough day.”

You nod your head at him and he gives you an apologetic look.

The others guys are escorting Daniel out the door as you slide Sam his receipt to sign. Quickly scribbling his signature and leaving you an overly generous tip he slings on his coat and slides your copy to you. “Thank you, he has had a really bad day. I'm sorry. ” He says with a gentle apologetic smile.

That night was the catalyst for it all. That was almost a year ago now and the hostility between the two of you had grown larger and larger with each passing day. You two hardly spoke to each other, instead communicating with dirty looks and insults. You never imagined it would end up this way, in fact he was always the one you thought you were most similar to in the beginning. Cracking jokes, small smiles and glances from across the room. All of that flew out the window and now you two were just hostile strangers. Just as if he could hear you thinking about him, he approaches the bar setting his empty glass down looking up at you from under his dark lashes. A smug look settling across his face, as his tongue runs over his teeth under his closed lips. When you look back at him acknowledging his presence, he leans into his elbow, resting on the bar top.

“Do I need to remind you or do you think you remember this time?” He chides.

“God you are such a prick, you know that?” You scoff back.

“Is that the best you’ve got? I honestly expected more from you…” He replies.

You pour the drink quickly, sliding it across to him as it sloshes over the side.

“Getting a little sloppy…do better.” He says walking off.

You are fuming. Every single interaction with him ends this way. He knows just what to say to get under your skin and he knows it. You hate that you even care. You hate that you have to see his stupid face every single night. Why can’t they go to a different bar sometimes? Maybe you should find a different job.

Pulling your phone out of your back pocket you open up the notifications waiting for your attention. Clicking through your text messages and instagram notifications, you then click on the little red bubble on your Side Jobs app. You have been doing odd jobs here and there for the past year or so just to bring in a little extra money. You open the app and see that there is a new job posting for a house sitter, and its actually not too far from the bar. You read through the details and see that its a a 3 week job to check in on plants, collect mail and take out trash while the owner is out of town. Seems easy enough, so you submit your credentials, always using a fake name so that you don’t get stalked, and close the app as Sam approaches the bar.

“Hi Sammy, what would you like next?” You ask sweetly.

“I would like it if you and Daniel could play nice for just one night, but since we know that is not an option I will have another PBR please ma’am.” He replies cheekily.

“Sam, sometimes I think I might come over the bar and choke him to death, so yeah, I don’t think that is an option.” You laugh.

“Sometimes I think he comes just to pick fights with you and bitch to all of us until we are miserable enough to leave.” He laughs.

“Well someone should tell him he doesn’t have to come.” You reply passing him the can and a new glass.

“Oh, no, he would never miss a night. Never, let you think you won… One thing about him, he will take this shit to his grave.” He says raising his eyebrows walking back to their table. You shrug your shoulders and shake your head.

Around 1:00 you see the group walking up to the bar discussing who’s turn it was to pay before they eventually land on Danny. All of them slightly step back and let him past. He lets out an exaggerated groan as he reaches his arm into his back pocket searching for his wallet. His shirt slightly lifting from the hem of his pants revealing a sliver of skin of his lower abdomen, gently sprinkled with the dark hair of his happy trail and you swallow harshly, snapping your eyes away as quickly as you can. Your eyes flick up meet his and he hands you his card.

“Oh please… be serious.” He says aggressively.

“Don’t flatter yourself…” you reply swiping his card, and handing him his receipts.

He leans over on the counter and clicks the pen, keeping direct eye contact with you before looking down to sign shaking his head. He clicks the pen back in and slides both to you before smiling and digging into his pocket, pulling out his middle finger and showing it to you with a huge fake smile and walking away. You huff under your breath, at least he tipped you tonight. Josh blows you a kiss and they all head out the door. Until tomorrow, when the same song and dance will repeat, just like groundhog day.

As you unlock the door to your apartment you shiver at the coldness of the door handle and quickly step inside. You shower off all of the alcohol covering your body and slip right into bed, charging your mostly dead cellphone and pulling the string on your lamp. Your eyes close and you go over your to do list in your head as you drift off to sleep, ready to see what fresh hell tomorrow has to offer.

When your alarm goes off in the morning you force your eyelids open rolling towards your night stand hitting the off button. You pick up your phone pulling it off the charger and rolling to face the other way in bed. You see that you have a notification from your Side Job app. You click the red badge and see that you have been selected for the job you applied for. It starts tomorrow. You quickly read through the contract and see that you’ll be in charge of watering plants, collecting mail, and taking trash to the street. Easy enough. You sign the contract and accept, excited for a little extra money.

Feeling good about yourself you take extra care when getting ready for work tonight. You curl your hair and wear a new outfit, you add a little extra makeup than usual and you’re out the door. The beginning of your shift flies by, and you know that your regulars will start filing in soon. As if on cue, the little bell rings on the door and you snap your head to see who will come walking through. The boys come bounding in, Sam and Danny play fighting as Jake and Josh have a conversation. They see you at the bar and head your direction. As Josh walks up to the bar he throws his hand on the countertop and exclaims “Tonight we are celebrating!”

“Oh yeah, and what will you be celebrating?” You ask playfully.

“We leave for tour tomorrow, so tonight we celebrate our freedom!” He says dramatically like he is acting out a scene from a play.

“Okay, Hamlet, what would you like…” you ask grabbing a glass waiting for his reply.

“Vodka Tonic, double?” He asks.

“You got it. Sam? Jake?” You ask as you make the drink.

“I'll do the Blackstone IPA” Jake answers respectfully.

“Ehh, I’ll do a white claw, surprise me.” Sam replies.

You hand them both their selections, “Anything else? That it?” You ask purposefully ignoring Danny who is rolling his eyes and biting his cheek as he steps to the front.

“Oh sorry, didn’t see you there…” you say sarcastically.

“Look at you, just begging for me to put you in your place…” He says tapping his fingers on the bar top.

“And you think you could handle that? Thats cute…” You reply with a smug look.

“Please, I could have you on your knees in seconds. Although I’m sure you’re already quite familiar with the area.” He chides.

“Fuck you Daniel…” You reply quickly.

“In your fucking dreams, and I’ll have a a Bell’s Two Hearted.” he says with a smug look.

You slide the beer across the counter aggressively and he raises his eyebrows in victory as he walks away.

God dammit, he got you this time. You won’t let that happen again.

A while later, Sam saunters over to the bar, sitting on a barstool and resting his hands on his balled up fists, tilting his head to the side with a smile, insinuating he would like another.

“Mango?” You ask.

“Witch! You read my mind!” He says. You pull the tab and hand it to him.

“We will miss you while we are gone. You’re the best bartender gal ever. We just love ya. Well most of us.” He laughs.

“Awww, Sam you’re so sweet, although it will be nice to not have to practice my insults in the mirror before I come to work…” you joke.

“He really does get under your skin, huh.” He asks.

“Yeah but I think I get under his too.” You reply wiping the bar top.

“Oh trust me…” he says looking over to the group “more than you think.”

“Good to know.” You reply, looking over at Daniel who is glaring in Sam’s direction.

“Better go back, before I’m his next victim.” He laughs.

The guys take turns coming to the bar for refills on their poison of choice. Daniel wanders over for what will be his fourth drink of the night slamming his glass down on the bar his eyes pointing down at the glass then back at you.

“Don’t make me cut you off again, use your words like a big boy…” you say.

“Just get me another drink, god dammit.” He says removing his jacket, show casing his perfectly sculpted arms. His hair is tied up tonight, and his neck is visible for once. You catch yourself staring again and immediately look away, pissed that this keeps happening.

“You just can’t get enough can you?” He asks with a stuck up air about him.

“Oh please Danny, you aren’t that hot…” You reply, immediately knowing that was the wrong choice of words.

“Well if I didn’t know better I’d think you just called me hot…” he replies in a knowing but questioning tone.

You begin to pour his drink and think of what you want to say to really cut deep.

“Sorry. Not my type. I don’t go for guys like you.” You quip back.

“Like me?” He asks. “What? Incredibly good looking, talented and successful?”

“No, incredibly arrogant and full of shit. Have a great time on your trip ass hat, I will be glad to see you go.” You reply with a fake smile.

“For the record sweetheart, guys like me would never want someone like you, either.” He says pursing his lips together, grabbing his drink and walking away. Looking back for just a second before walking to his table.

Someone like you? You try not to let that one sting too badly.

You brush it off, knowing that he is just a drunk asshole. Josh comes up to the bar for one last drink and letting you know he’s got the tab tonight.

“Why the long face?” He asks.

“Ah, no reason.” You reply.

“I may have an idea…” he says. “Want to do a shot?” He asks.

“Mmm I can, but I call it... Fireball?” You ask.

“My favorite!” He replies.

You pour up two shots and you both throw them back quickly, laughing at the sudden burn in your throats. The other guys come running up to the two of you making a commotion, “Hey hey! What about us?!” Sam yells. “Yeah, we like shots too!” Jake says.

You grab two more shot glasses, pouring them up and sliding them over to their waiting hands.

They look to you then to Danny, silently wondering where his was.

You look at them and then at Danny, “Oh I’m sorry Daniel, did you want one too? Didn’t think you would want to do a shot with ‘someone like me’.” you say with venom lacing every word.

“Dude, what the fuck? What did you say?” Josh asks turning to him.

He shrugs his shoulders dismissively as you slide the full shot down the bar to him. As much as you hate him, you don’t want to leave him out. For some reason.

“You two need to cool it…damn.” Jake says.

“She started it!” Danny yells.

“My god Daniel, are you 5? You’re such a child…” You say.

“Okay, thats enough for one evening…” Says says ushering Danny out the door, his arm wrapped around his shoulder.

Josh pays the tab and as he’s signing he looks up and sighs. “Well, here’s to ‘living the dream’. We will see you when we get back I guess…”

“Have a good trip, break a leg! See you when you get back.” You say, as he gets up, nodding with a smile and walks through the door.

You can’t seem to let it go. What did he mean ‘someone like you’. You know you basically said the same thing to him, but he was a jerk, and deserved it. Hatred seeping through your veins as you realize this is exactly what he wanted. He wanted you to think about it after the fact. He wants that insult to live in your head rent free. But you won’t let it. You’re so glad you don’t have to see his face for the next few weeks. Good riddance.

The next day you’re on your way to the apartment you’ll be house sitting for the next couple of weeks. You get the address from the app and copy it into maps. 14 minutes from your apartment.

Hmm, you wonder what you’ll be walking in to. Its in a nicer part of town so you aren’t too worried. As you pull up to the building its more like a townhouse, with a brick facade. You follow the instructions on the app and collect the key from the lock box attached to the door. You place the key inside the lock and are granted access into the trendy, industrial style townhouse.

Its clean and tidy, hardly a thing out of place. It smells of clean laundry and sandalwood. You can tell a man lives here by the stacks of video games placed next to the television, and the various cans scattered across a few surfaces throughout the home. Next to the door hangs a key hook in the shape of a guitar amp, with only one key missing from its ‘plug’ and you know that no woman would have such masculine accessories adorning her house. A few pairs of mens shoes are stacked neatly by the door. You come to the conclusion that this guy must be single, as there has yet to be any sign of a woman around. You open the app and scroll through the find the checklist. Your phone buzzes in your hands and an unknown number comes up on your screen.

Unknown: Hi, I just got the notification from my security system that you arrived. Thanks again for taking care of my place. Please feel free to message me if you have any questions. Thanks! -D

D, Huh. They can tell when you’re here? Interesting. You reply.

You: Hi there, no problem at all, happy to help. If there is anything specific you need me to do while you’re away please don’t hesitate to ask.

You quickly add the number to your contacts just in case you need it in the future. “D”.

D: I will, please make yourself at home, anything in the fridge is fair game, now. Also, I forgot to put on the request… the Roomba runs automatically and will need to be emptied every couple of days. Shoot me a text before you leave and I’ll set the alarm.

You: Adding it to my list now. Thanks, I will do that!

You sit down on the modern looking brown leather couch and begin to prioritize the checklist. Your feet slide around on the polished concrete floors. This apartment is nice, like really nice. Way nicer than yours. You begin to walk around and get a feel for the place checking out the bathroom, the master bedroom and the guest room which seems to be some kind of small music studio. Typical for Nashville. There are framed vintage band posters adorning the walls and various lamps scattered throughout the house to provide warm lighting in the evening hours. There are blankets scattered across the couch and in a basket near the TV.

You smile, he's a cozy person, after your own heart.

You collect the little bits of trash as you go putting it in a small grocery bag to throw away on your way out. So he is a fan of seltzers, you find, chuckling as they are your favorite too.

You collect a few crumbled up pieces of paper and a few more cans off of a music table in the hallway, lightly skimming your fingers over the vinyl collection neatly stacked in alphabetical order. A decent collection actually, you nod your head in approval. At the very end is small arrangement of awards from various music and entertainment companies.

Hmmm, so this guy is a musician. A good one.

As you fill the small plastic watering can you take mental note of where the plants are located in the house. You spot one small one in a window by the front door, a small collection of three in the kitchen window, and one in the master bedroom. You make your way to each and give them all a good drink. In the master bedroom you look at the neatly made bed, with grey linens and a navy blue knitted throw blanket placed on top just like a magazine ad. This guy really does have good taste. The closet is perfectly organized and shoes line the floor. There are books stacked in piles on the floor next to a big leather club chair. You see photo frames lining the dresser and glance at the photos, double taking when you see someone you recognize.

Sam?

Wait who’s apartment is this?

You look to the next photo.

Oh god.

Your skin crawls. It’s a photo of Daniel and his… parents?

You immediately leave the room and hurry to grab your things and get out. You pass the music table and remember thinking that you thought he had good music taste. A shiver runs down your spine. God if he only knew. Makes sense why the messages were signed ‘D’.

You look around gathering up the bag of trash and turning off the lights, before you remember you were supposed to text him to set the alarm before you left. A angry sigh leaves your mouth as you type.

You: I am leaving, can you set the alarm?

A few minutes later, he replies.

D: Will do, thanks again. Here’s the code to get in next time. 9965

You: Great, thanks.

You can’t believe that somehow you have ended up in Daniel’s home. You cannot believe of the thousands of people in Nashville, it had to be his house. How did you not put the pieces together. You shut the door and lock it behind you. You are totally not coming back here. His plants can die for all you care. Fuck him. You hope he fires you. In fact he is lucky that you don’t sell off all of his shit while he is gone. How’s that for ‘someone like you’.

Getting in your car you head to the bar for your shift, fuming mad at yourself. You wish you never accepted this stupid job. At least you won’t see him for a few weeks.

You spend the next two weeks avoiding his apartment like the plague. You know you accepted the job but if you had known it was to help him out you never would have taken it. You have tried to convince yourself to just go and do it but you can’t. Won’t. Why should you do anything nice for someone who has been so hateful towards you. Your phone buzzes in your pocket, you pull it out and see its from him. Great.

D: Any chance you’re going by the apartment today? I have a package coming that needs to be signed for. No big deal if not.

Fuck. Absolutely not. Fuck him and his stupid fucking packages.

You: Sure, what time?

D: Says that it should arrive between 5:15 - 6:15, feel free to hangout.

Oh, if you only knew… you would not be saying that.

You: Got it, I will swing by there shortly.

D: Thank you!

Ugh, damn him and his polite conversation. You don’t even know how to respond to him in a civil manner.

5:15… Thats about an hour from now. Of course now you have to go ‘work’ on your day off. Classic.

You decided to put on some comfy clothes and head over there, it will be a longer drive with traffic and you don’t want to miss the delivery. You pull into the empty space in front of the apartment and take a deep breath. Why does this feel so wrong. He would absolutely blow a fuse if he know. Maybe next time he will better vet his house sitters.

You unlock the door and step inside, disarming the security system. You see that the Roomba is stuck on the edge of the rug and you help it get free before it scurries back to its little home, making note to empty it before you leave.

Its around 5:00 now, so hopefully the delivery will be on time and you can get back home to your comfy bed and enjoy the rest of your night off. You turn on a few lamps and the room begins to glow with warm amber light.

Okay this is kind of a vibe. I see you, Daniel.

You sit down on the couch and grab a remote from the table. You press the power button and the TV comes to life, speakers roaring.

The PGA channel? Okay… strange.

You begin to flip through the channels and settle on just listening to the news, as you are going to scroll through social media on your phone anyways.

Bzzz.

D: Bad news, delivery is delayed, now says 8:15. I’m sorry. If you’re already there feel free to stay, I know it’s late, I don’t mind.

Stay? That is bold. Fuck him and his generosity.

You: I am here now, I will wait. Thanks.

A few hours pass with no delivery. At this point you are deeply immersed in TikTok the doorbell ringing scares you half to death.

Weird I thought he said 8:15? Its only 8:00.

You get up and open to door prepared to meet someone, only to find no one there. You look down and there is a coffee cup sitting on the welcome mat. You bend down and pick it up, the name on the ticket says ‘Daniel’ and your suspicions are confirmed.

Damn him being thoughtful.

Walking back inside you hear your phone buzz on the coffee table. Sitting back down on the couch with your coffee you read the message.

D: Did it arrive? Thanks for staying.

You: The coffee? Yes. The package, no. Thank you.

D: My pleasure. The least I could do.

Feeling brave since he has no idea that it’s you he is being this nice to, you reply.

You: Are you always this nice?

D: I think so. But we all have our days right?

You: Some more than others...

D: I can agree with that. I really can’t thank you enough for coming to do this tonight, it has to be signed for or it won’t get delivered. Of course, it was supposed to arrive two weeks ago.

Ugh, why is he so polite and charming… stop communication now.

You: I’ll let you know when it arrives.

D: Thanks, this is kind of weird, you know… a complete stranger texting me from inside my house?

Jeeze, he is really talkative. You have hardly seen him speak in whole sentences at the bar.

You: Well, that’s modern technology for you. I was only slightly creeped out when you messaged me and knew I was here the first day.

D: Oh, I turned that off, just wanted to make sure you showed up.

You: So now you’re not stalking me?

D: Nope, you’re free to come and go without my knowledge, now. Which is a little scary now that I say that…

Wait he is kind of funny…

No. Absolutely not. End the conversation now.

You: Out of town for business or pleasure?

What the hell is wrong with you? You hate him…Hello?!

D: A little of both, I like to mix the two. But really it’s for work. I do make time for hobbies every now and then.

You: I’m guessing based on your TV channel preference here, you mean golf?

D: I have been known to enjoy the links.

You: Nice to have a hobby outside of work.

You hoped that coffee would keep you awake, but it seems to be having the opposite effect your eye lids are growing heavy, only to be shot open but the buzz of your phone.

D: Do you have any hobbies, mystery house sitter?

The doorbell rings, and you snap back to reality.

What are you doing texting Daniel…pull it together. He would flip out if he knew.

You open the door and sign for the small brown box and he is on his way.

You set the box on the entry table and go to grab your phone and let him know it arrived.

You: A few… Your package arrived. Thanks for the coffee.

There, that will shut him up.

D: Great, thanks for staying so late.

You glance to the clock, and notice its nearly 9:40.

You: No problem, I’ll be back here later this week to check mail and do the trash cans. You should be back around then right?

D: Yep, I will be back in a few days. Have a good night, mystery house sitter.

You: You too.

Okay, you have officially gone off the deep end. You just had an entire conversation with Danny, who you now know formally is Daniel Wagner, from his mail; and you didn’t even cuss at him one time. Horrible.

Again, if he only knew that you were lounging on his couch for the past 5 hours…

You laugh at the thought of the massive blow up he would have. You think about how flushed he gets when you argue in the bar, 3-4 drinks deep. How the vein in his forehead protrudes a little bit, and his eyes go dark and hooded…

Woah, thats enough.

You stop yourself, disgusted for even thinking about him. You turn off all the lights and the TV, lock the door behind you and you’re on your way home. One more week and you’re free.

A few days later, after finishing your shift you decide to hit up his apartment one last time before he comes home the next day. You want to collect all the mail and put it on the counter together, empty the Roomba and bring the trash cans to the road. It's around 2AM when you pull into the parking spot in front of his apartment. You have never been here this late. You pull the key from the pocket of your bag and unlock the door, disarming the alarm and shutting the door behind you, making sure to re-lock it.

You collect his mail from the mail slot and you pile it on the counter with the other mail collection. You turn on a lamp that softly lights the room, before you quickly empty the vacuum and dump it into the trash. You walk around the rest of the apartment looking to make sure everything is in its place for his arrival tomorrow. Not that you should care. You're just doing your job.

You fill the watering can and begin to make your way around the house, starting int he kitchen, making your way to eh living room, and ending in the bedroom. As you begin to pour the water into the tiny green plant, your arm twitches, and you spill water on the dresser and floor.

Shit.

You run to the attached bathroom and grab a little hand towel from the closet, and you sit on your feet while trying to clean up the mess on the floor. You hear a creak from the door way and look up only to be met with Danny leaning on the door Fram with crossed arms.

“Well, well...I told you I could get you on your knees…”

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