#like four of my assignments for two different classes are due Monday

[emily-mooon]

Moots y’all need to tell me to do my homework it’s been two hours since I got back and I still haven’t done ANY of it

[aishangotome]

Back to Reality (重返现实) - 1 | Beyond the World 世界之外

Cruel Show Part 3

♡———♡

System: Due to your excellent performance in the previous round, you will have a two-week rest period this time. I will assist you in adjusting to the back-and-forth between the real world and the instance worlds. Each time you return to reality, your experiences within the instance world will be "faded." You will still remember these experiences, but your emotional connection to them will not be very intense. Your previous memories and emotions from the real world will be fully restored. This is to ensure that you can continue to live a normal life in the real world. Your rest period may now begin.

I had already been away from the real world for some time.

Yet, I didn't feel much disorientation or confusion at the moment. Everything I had experienced in reality was still vivid in my mind.

Correspondingly, I remembered the people and events I had encountered in the instance, but all the various emotions and feelings had become like viewing flowers through fog, no longer as intense.

I supposed this was part of the system's way of helping me "adapt."

Otherwise, a normal person who experienced so much love and hate in different timelines would probably collapse sooner or later.

Before being dragged into that so-called "game," life had always been quite ordinary and normal—

The main schedule consisted of attending classes, internships, and participating in some entertainment activities that interested me.

I wasn't sure if I would be pulled back into the instance world after this rest period, as the system claimed.

But in any case, life in reality had to continue.

Having figured some things out, I walked towards school, deciding to get a check-up at the hospital when I had time, just to be safe.

-

My dormitory was a typical four-person room, but two beds were empty, not assigned to anyone.

So, usually, it was just my roommate, Li Meimei, and me.

Li Meimei: Huh? Y/N, didn't you go to buy drinks?

Li Meimei: Why are you back so quickly?

I felt an impulse to tell Li Meimei everything I had just experienced, even though she probably wouldn't believe me and would think I was just making up a story.

I wanted to tell these things.

But the moment I opened my mouth, my throat felt like it was being choked, and I couldn't say anything.

An invisible force restrained me, preventing me from talking about the unnatural things that had just happened to me--

"It" wouldn't allow me to reveal the "Infinite Game."

I looked at Li Meimei, forcing a smile at her.

Me: ....Nothing, I just suddenly didn't want to drink, so I came back.

Li Meimei: Are you feeling unwell?

Li Meimei: Do you want to go to the hospital to get checked?

Me: I'm fine, just a little nauseous. Don't worry.

Li Meimei: Then you should rest well. I have some big news to tell you!

Li Meimei: Huanxin Technology is hiring interns! The school sent out an email; we can apply!

Huanxin Technology is one of the fastest-growing internet companies in recent years, and it's said to be backed by a powerful international conglomerate.

Although Huanxin Technology is a new company, it's in a growth phase with immense potential, making it an excellent career choice.

But correspondingly, its selection criteria are also quite high.

Li Meimei: You can read the email first and decide. There's no cost to applying if you're interested.

Li Meimei was right. Our class was graduating in a year, and many classmates had already decided their future paths.

Even if we didn't get a formal job offer, this internship experience would help us find work later.

-

After a busy night, I submitted my resume.

Li Meimei was already fast asleep. I washed up and went back to bed as well.

I didn't know if those strange instance challenges and game missions from the system would reappear, or when they would end, but in any case, tomorrow would be a new day.

I really should start planning for the future.

I didn't have classes all day Monday, so I took a bus directly to the city's central hospital.

This was a well-known public hospital in the city, with a good reputation and close to the school.

The central hospital never seemed to have a shortage of people. After waiting in line for a long time, I finally got an available appointment for the day—

Consultation Room 2, number 27; Attending Physician: Li Defu.

I sat on a bench in the hospital corridor and began to wait for my turn.

Broadcast: Patient number 27, Y/N, please proceed to consultation room 2.

After my number was called, I walked to the consultation room door and gently knocked.

???: Please come in.

Dr. Li Defu's voice was surprisingly young and pleasant, and also somewhat familiar.

I pushed the door open and walked in, seeing a young doctor in a white coat sitting behind a standard office desk.

He had a slender and upright figure, exuding a remarkable aura of composure and integrity even while seated.

The doctor looked up from behind the desk, his gaze calmly meeting mine, a gentle smile playing on his lips.

???: Please sit down.

I subconsciously took a half step back.

How could this person look exactly like Yi Yu?

In an instant, memories that had been gradually fading under the system's influence rushed back like a tide—

People running and screaming in terror, a monster following like a shadow, the midnight rendezvous.

And those chaotic, unclear entanglements in the night sea breeze... and that farewell that wasn't quite a farewell.

It was all like a chaotic dream, tinged with both beauty and bloodshed.

And now, the person from that dream had appeared before me in reality.

I moved my lips stiffly, ultimately managing to utter only one sentence—

Me: ....Excuse me, are you Dr. Li Defu?

Yi Yu: No, Dr. Li had something to do today. I'm a colleague from his department filling in. My name is Yi Yu.

Yi Yu.

I felt a string snap in my mind.

He glanced at the number slip I had placed on the desk.

Yi Yu: The system probably hasn't been updated yet.

Yi Yu: Relax. Is there anything bothering you?

His gaze was completely unfamiliar, the gaze of a doctor looking at a patient. Clearly, he didn't recognize me.

But that's right.

That's how it should be.

I came back to my senses, secretly breathing a sigh of relief, and gathered my thoughts.

Me: ...I've been having some strange things pop up in my mind lately, things that feel like they actually happened.

Me: No, in my perception, they did actually happen. They all have a logical sequence, and follow a chain of events.

I tried to explain to the man in front of me what had been happening to me recently.

Dr. Yi listened quietly, and even when my explanations became confused and inarticulate, he remained patient, simply looking at me gently.

Unconsciously, I started to relax.

After I finished, Dr. Yi pondered briefly and wrote out a few test requisition forms for me.

Yi Yu: Go to the fourth floor for these tests. Come back with the results.

Me: Okay, thank you.

I took the forms and left, feeling that Dr. Yi was truly very normal.

Except for his overly handsome appearance, his behavior was no different from any other doctor. Perhaps it was all a coincidence.

Different worlds might have similar ships, and naturally, there might also be similar people.

Three hours later, I returned to the consultation room with the test reports.

Dr. Yi took the reports from my hand, carefully examining each page. His slender fingers flipped through the papers, and for a moment, the only sound in the room was the rustling of paper.

After he finished reading, he put the reports down and handed them back to me.

Yi Yu: It appears there's no problem. All indicators are normal.

He smiled reassuringly at me, his gray eyes slightly curving with the smile.

Yi Yu: Go back and get some rest, don't stay up late, drink plenty of water. Come back for a follow-up if you have any more issues.

Yi Yu: Hmm....

He looked at me, pausing in thought for a moment.

Yi Yu: But just to be on the safe side, it's best to come back for another check-up in a week. Just make an appointment with me again.

Me: Okay.

Me: Thank you, Dr. Yi.

Yi Yu: You're welcome.

At this moment, the next waiting patient impatiently walked into the consultation room. Yi Yu turned his head and began questioning the next patient.

He asked with sincere interest, listening to the patient describe their symptoms as attentively as he had listened to me earlier, completely disregarding my presence.

I glanced at him again, quietly left the consultation room, and closed the door behind me.

The time spent waiting in line for tests at the hospital took up too much time. By the time I left the hospital, I encountered evening rush hour traffic, and it was already dark when I returned to school.

My phone received a notification for "Medical Feedback Evaluation."

Clicking through the Central Hospital's mini-program, I saw Yi Yu's doctor profile page—

Overall rating of 4.9, with unanimous positive reviews below. Many comments mentioned the doctor's excellent medical skills, gentle demeanor, and the comforting feeling he gave.

Some comments even described the doctor as amiable.

I clicked through to Yi Yu's personal introduction.

The profile showed that he graduated from the top medical university in the country and earned a doctorate from a world-class medical school in a very short time.

Despite his young age, he had already published articles in numerous prestigious journals.

However, he had only been working at the Central Hospital for a short time, less than a year.

So, this is indeed just a coincidence, right?

Dr. Yi was just a stranger with the same name, appearance, demeanor, and aura as "Yi Yu."

Yet, even as I told myself this, I could feel another voice inside me saying—

Is there really such a coincidence?

-

I returned to the dormitory and heard Li Meimei's excited voice, obviously on the phone with someone—

Li Meimei: Han Lei! My resume got through! Huanxin Technology wants me to come in for an interview on Wednesday morning...

Huanxin Technology?

Did they give results so quickly?

I opened my email, and a new message popped up—[Huanxin Technology] Interview Notification.

Opening the email, I saw it stated that my resume had passed the screening and I was invited to an interview on Wednesday morning at Huanxin Technology's headquarters.

By this time, Li Meimei had finished her call with her boyfriend, Han Lei.

Me: Meimei, I passed Huanxin Technology's screening too.

Li Meimei: That's great! Then we can go together on Wednesday.

Li Meimei's excitement was palpable.

If it were before, I would have been just as happy as her. After all, this meant our future careers might have a good start.

But now, my heart felt heavy, worried about the unknown and uncertain dangerous game that might restart in two weeks.

I couldn't feel pure joy about getting an interview opportunity.

Fortunately, Meimei had always been oblivious to my mood, and didn't notice my change.

Li Meimei: By the way, I collected some interview-related information. I'll send it to you. We'll have time to prepare tomorrow.

Me: Okay, thanks, Meimei.

This morning, I had a required course, so Li Meimei and I went to class together.

Being able to sit in a classroom and quietly absorb knowledge felt like a luxury to me now.

-

Time quickly passed, and on Wednesday morning, Li Meimei and I set off together, taking a ride to Huanxin Technology's office building.

Huanxin Technology's headquarters was located in an office building in the city center, which looked particularly impressive from the outside.

However, even more eye-catching was another silver office building behind the Huanxin Technology building.

It stood in the most central and prime location, towering over the surrounding buildings, like a crane standing among chickens, extremely imposing.

Me: What's in that building?

Li Meimei: I don't know, probably offices rented out to various companies.

Li Meimei and I entered the Huanxin Technology building and, following the signs, sat in the conference room with the other candidates, waiting for the interviews.

Just then, a bustle of voices and footsteps echoed from the hallway outside. Candidates sitting near the door curiously peered out and began to whisper among themselves.

Candidate A: Who are these people...?

Candidate B: ...They seem like high-level company management, or perhaps important business partners?

Candidate D: They must be important guests. I saw our Huanxin Technology president, Zhao Yang, accompanying them.

Candidate B: You haven't even been hired yet, and you're already saying "our Huanxin Technology?"

I looked towards the sound, only seeing a group of people escorting someone as they passed by the doorway. Among them, a black silhouette looked somewhat familiar.

I didn't pay it any more mind, and continued reading the materials Li Meimei had sent me.

Soon, it was my turn to be interviewed.

As I walked into the interview room, a thought suddenly popped into my head—should I try using Silhouette to help me?

I wanted to know if these abilities of mine could still be used in the real world.

The interview ended, and I was told I'd be notified of the results in a few days.

As I walked out of the interview conference room, a familiar voice rang in my ear—

System: In the real world, any means that violate the rules of this world are prohibited.

System: Do not do this again.

Me: I can't even use Silhouette to help with an interview?

System: No cheating.

Me: So, are you saying I can't use my abilities or the items I got from the game instances?

System: You can use them as long as they do not violate the world rules.

Me: But using Silhouette wouldn't affect this world's rules, would it?

I questioned again, but the system ignored me.

Both the appearance of the system's voice and my use of Silhouette were undeniable reminders that everything I had experienced was real.

Li Meimei's interview was also over, and we met up on the shopping street downstairs.

-

Li Meimei: How did it go?

Me: Okay, hopefully I passed.

Li Meimei: Han Lei just called and asked me to go shopping with him, so I won't be heading back with you. Be careful on your way home.

Me: Okay, don't worry.

However, as soon as Li Meimei left, I felt time and space around me freeze, and that familiar voice appeared again—

System: You can freely return to the Main God Space using your mind when you are in an idle state.

Me: Why did you show up again?

Me: Why didn't you answer my questions earlier?

System: Do you think you can take my patience for granted with everyone?

His voice turned icy, ringing close to my ear.

System: Remember, I am your overseer. You have no right to question me.

I felt resentful, but still tried to return to the Main God Space.

.

.

.

.

.

Back to Reality (重返现实) - 2

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[inkofamethyst]

May 14, 2025

Too much social activity rn.

Kayaking last Thrusday with some folks from the department (not super close friends). Speakeasy on Friday with my turquoise-friend (plus her bf who is just ok) and another friend in our cohort to celebrate us passing quals which turned into a much longer night as we ended up at a party for a few hours which I was not prepared for socially and tbh it wasn't all that much fun. Celebrated a lab mate's graduation on Saturday, mostly with people I wasn't very close with. Holed up on Sunday and Monday working for like fifteen hours straight both days on problem sets and final projects (a little annoyed that I missed an A in a class by .25 points out of like 100 total but also need to accept that this is a terminal degree program and therefore grades don't really matter all that much.. I'll be over it soon), so couldn't recharge my social battery. Had lunch with the graduating lab mate and my island-friend which was like four hours and it was sooooo fantastic but I think I dropped in energy pretty suddenly because I still hadn't recharged. Celebrated a different lab mate's graduation today over lunch with a bunch of folks in the lab and then had DnD this evening. Department social on Friday. Brunch and a movie with my island-friend and her partner on Saturday (but that will honest to god be fine, maybe even healing).

I promise I do enjoy having a full social calendar but like with two or three events max in a week. This week felt especially heinous because not only did I have those major assignments due, I also wasn't able to recharge very much at all between these events. I know I have things to do tomorrow, but I don't want to talk to anyone. I need to regain some personal peace. Else I might snap at the department social on Friday.

HOWEVER. I have been playing my bass :) Yesterday was day one (woo!) and I watched some lessons on youtube and they were fairly useful, but I went to the library between work and practice today to pick up a few workbooks (still haven't been able to come across the three I actually want), and I started on them today! I really like the workbook approach a lot. I need to get a music stand situation sorted, though. Also need to get a new set of corded headphones; the ones I've been using for years now and have spent the past year or so aggressively repairing to delay the inevitable are just bad. I would like to avoid unnecessary e-waste when possible, but I've used these bedragled audio devices for over half my life. It's time.

I also started using an app called Fret Pro which is like quizlet/knowt for guitarists/bassists, and I think ending my practice time with ten minutes or so of plucking each fret to familiarize myself with where the notes are will be sooooo good.

Getting close to finishing my second sweater. I don't think I'm going to have the yarn to complete full length sleeves so they might end above the elbow. We'll see what I can manage. I wore my first finished sweater out and about yesterday and it was practically perfect for mid-60s weather plus I felt so cute in it. I think slightly longer arms could be nice but they work as-is.

Today I'm thankful that my island-friend and I got lunch with our graduating lab mate. He shared so so so many candid thoughts with us about his perspectives on the lab, the department, and academia as a whole.

I know I want to chill tomorrow but I might also go see Thunderbolts maybe. Like idk how many more times I'll get to see Seb in a silly superhero costume on the big screen, and I need to catch it while still in theaters.

Think I might take out my twists tomorrow. They've been in long enough, and if I want a decent twistout by idk Saturday, they'll need time to cook. I'm going to miss them; I think these are the best twists I've done ever. Length and bounce. Small enough to play around with. They took ages but I am very happy with them.

[shoneslifeincathay]

Day 1: Training day

 

For the next four months in my third semester, my goal is to complete 150 hours with Cathay Pacific, I will be learning some new skills and apply what I have learned from my courses at Seneca. 

January 13, 2025, marked my first day of placement with Cathay Pacific. There were 8 other students along with me that day. For our training, there were two students from the last batch of the co-op program from Seneca. My first shift started at 0900 with a briefing, which was a unique experience for me. Unfortunately, on my first day, the flight was delayed by 20 minutes due to technical issues.

Now, most of you might be wondering what I am doing there or what my roles are. At Cathay Pacific, customer ambassadors are assigned to three different sections in front of the counter: Queue, Kiosk, and SSBD. On the first day, I was assigned to Queue. My housemate and senior, Neha, was among the trainers helping the new students. She explained all the duties and responsibilities of working at Queue. We mainly greeted Cathay Pacific customers and assisted them in finding their designated counters. While working there, I realized how older people face challenges in navigating airports and their procedures.

While I was working at Queue, I met an elderly couple from China who hadn’t traveled by flight in the past 25 years. They told me they were nervous because everything at the airport had changed compared to the last time they flew. For instance, in economy class at Cathay Pacific, passengers now have to get their boarding passes and bag tags from a kiosk—something that wasn’t common in the past. I helped them get their boarding passes and bag tags. They were very happy with my assistance, as the technological barrier could have made it difficult for them to manage on their own.

At 1300, we closed the counter, marking the end of my first day with Cathay Pacific. After reaching the office, I saw Cathay Pacific’s B747, which is one of the iconic aircraft in their fleet. Even the first flight between YYZ and HKG was served by a 747. In the end, I felt that helping people and seeing the happiness on their faces is incredibly rewarding and joyful.

01/17/2025

This is the third day I am working with Cathay Pacific for my co-op. Even though I haven't completed much of my required co-op hours, I have already started to feel tired due to my packed schedule. Since I am an international student, I have to keep my part-time job along with college and co-op. You might be surprised to know that I don't have any off days in a week for the next 4 months.

This is what my schedule looks like for the next few months:

Monday - Airport 0900-1300, school 1700-1900

Tuesday - School 1000-1900

Wednesday - Airport 0900-1300

Thursday - School 1000-1900

Friday - Airport 0900-1300

Saturday - Part-time job - 7 hrs

Sunday - Part-time job - 7 hrs

I am kind of stressed because I don't have any scheduled day off to plan something for myself. Moreover, I have to travel 2 hours by bus to reach the airport because I live near a town called Whitchurch-Stouffville. But I believe that all of my hard work will pay off in the end.

On my third day, I was working from 0900-1300, and I was assigned to work at the kiosk. It was the last day of my friend Neha's placement; luckily, we were both assigned to the kiosk. We took some cute pictures together and took a picture of our name tags, which have our mother tongue on them. When talking about working at the kiosk, compared to the queue, I had to work more because at the kiosk I had to help passengers get their boarding passes, tag their bags, and direct them to the bag drop area. Even though I have to work more, I really like working at the kiosk. It's so fun and enjoyable because we can interact with lots of people.

At 1255, we closed the counter, which marked the end of my third day.

For me, my third day was really good because I helped a lot of passengers who faced technical barriers. Their happiness made my heart joyful. But I feel a little sad because I couldn't work much with my friend.

02/25/2025

This was my first day after receiving a temporary pass. Throughout the past months, I had to run around so much to obtain this pass because I am not a citizen of Canada. I felt incredibly happy after finally getting it, as it allowed me to go to the gate and see inside the A350-1000.

Our student coordinator, Hanna, helped me board the aircraft and even gave me the chance to step onto the flight deck. I had always heard that Airbus aircraft are like big flying computers, and today, I truly feel how computerized and autonomous they are. Hanna then guided us through the three different cabin classes inside the aircraft. Finally, she showed us the aft galley and the crew rest compartment. I was amazed at how efficiently they managed space within such limitations. After that, I went to the gate and assisted Cathay Pacific staff with boarding procedures. I helped verify passengers' documents and stamp their boarding passes. Around 13:00, we closed the gate and returned to the office. Even though it wasn't a night full of action, I will always remember this experience.

02/26/2025

This was my second time doing the night shift, and I was assigned to SSBD. It was a full flight, and I struggled to manage some passengers who were unwilling to follow Cathay Pacific's baggage policy. I helped some older passengers lift their bags onto the belt, as they were facing difficulties. It felt like a bit of a workout! People might think working for an airline is always glamorous, but sometimes, you have to deal with these challenges. Time passed, and we closed the counter at 23:50. After that, I went to the gate and assisted the Cathay Pacific staff with the boarding procedures. During boarding, I met a few people from my homeland, Kerala, which is part of India. I felt so happy to meet and assist them. They told me they were flying to Hong Kong (HKG) and then connecting to Chennai (MAA), as Cathay doesn’t operate flights to my state. I hope that one day, Cathay flies to Kerala, and I get the chance to fly home wearing my Cathay Pacific uniform.

03/02/2025

Today marks the last day of February, meaning we’ve almost completed half of the placement period. I started my shift at the kiosk, assisting passengers with boarding passes, tagging their bags, and directing them to the appropriate counters. After that, I moved to the gate to support Cathay Pacific employees with regular document verification.

For the first time, I stayed until pushback, and it was incredible to watch this beautiful piece of equipment being maneuvered. Standing on the bridge, I couldn’t help but think about the immense effort put in by all the ground staff to ensure the aircraft departs on time. In my opinion, their hard work often goes unappreciated.

Additionally, I learned more about bridge operations and was impressed by how advanced aviation technology has become.

It’s hard to realize that I only have one more month left to enjoy this incredible experience with Cathay Pacific. However, I truly hope to join the company as a full-time employee in the future.

03/02/2025

During one of my recent shifts at Toronto Pearson Airport, I had the chance to see the Cathay Pacific Airbus A350-1000 up close. I’ve seen the aircraft many times before, but this time, I took a moment to really admire the engine. It was huge, clean, and just looked powerful even when it wasn’t running.

This aircraft uses the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engine, one of the most advanced engines in the world. It’s designed to be quieter and more fuel-efficient, which is important for both passengers and the environment. I learned that the A350-1000 uses the Trent XWB-97 model, which is stronger than the one used on the A350-900.

As a student in flight services and cabin management, I usually focus more on the passenger side of things. But moments like this remind me how amazing aviation technology really is. There’s so much happening behind the scenes—from engines like this to all the hard work by the ground and maintenance teams—that helps every flight take off safely and on time.

Standing there looking at that engine, I couldn’t help but dream a little. Maybe one day I will be flying on this exact aircraft, heading home to Kerala, wearing my Cathay Pacific uniform. That’s the goal.

03/08/205

The pushback during nighttime is something truly magical. With all the warm lights from the terminal reflecting off the aircraft’s smooth body, the Cathay Pacific A350-1000 looked like it belonged in a movie scene. The glow on the fuselage and the slow movement of the tug pulling it back it felt peaceful and powerful at the same time.

I stayed at the gate after boarding was complete, just to watch the process unfold. Boris, our operations manager, was also there, keeping a close eye on everything, making sure things were running smoothly. And standing right beside him was Hanna, one of the agents working that night who also happens to be a former Seneca student like me. Seeing her there in uniform, handling things with confidence, really gave me hope. It made me picture myself in that same position one day.

As the aircraft gently turned and rolled away from the stand, I took a moment to just enjoy the view. It’s so easy to get caught up in the rush of passengers, documents, and baggage tags but moments like this remind me why I love aviation in the first place.

It’s not just about planes it’s about teamwork, passion, and the quiet beauty found in the details. I feel lucky to be part of it, even as a student.

03/18/2025

During my recent night shifts at the Cathay Pacific counters, I've noticed that our flights are generally less crowded, with most passengers heading directly to Hong Kong or other parts of China. This creates a calm atmosphere at the check-in counters.​

In contrast, the Cathay Pacific CX 5K flight is often busier, with many passengers connecting to destinations like the Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, and Australia. It's always lively over there.​

However, since the introduction of the Cathay Pacific CX 1K morning flight, I've observed that the CX 5K morning flight seems quieter now. But wonder why the airline added another flight if the seats are not filling up. Maybe it is to offer more options or to distribute passenger load more evenly, but it's something I think about during my shifts.​

Even with the quieter nights, I enjoy the opportunity to interact with passengers and become more familiar with the check-in system without the pressure of large crowds. These moments allow me to appreciate the complexities of airline operations and passenger flow

03/11/2025

This morning, I had the pleasure of working the check-in counters for Cathay Pacific's flight CX 9K. The flight was full, and the energy at the gate was palpable as passengers prepared for their journey.​

One of the highlights of my shift was handling the check-in process at Gate C33. I personally prefer Gate C33 over Gate C30; I find it more spacious and accommodating, providing a better experience for both passengers and staff.​

Assisting passengers during check-in, ensuring their documents were in order, and guiding them through the process was fulfilling. It's always rewarding to contribute to a smooth and efficient departure, especially when the flight is fully booked.

04/11/2025

As I sit in the Cathay Pacific office at Terminal 3, with Terminal 1 visible in the distance, I reflect on my time here and the incredible experiences I've had. The bustling activity of both terminals has provided a dynamic backdrop to my journey.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Ava, whose mentorship has been invaluable, guiding me with wisdom and inspiring me to pursue excellence. Boris's leadership and insights into airport operations have been enlightening, and I've learned much from his approach to problem-solving. Observing Jordan, a fellow Seneca alumnus, excel in this field has been motivating, reinforcing my aspirations in aviation. Working alongside Hanna has been a pleasure; her professionalism and dedication set a standard I aim to emulate.

To my friends and colleagues, thank you for the friendships and support. The shared experiences and teamwork have enriched my time here.

As I prepare for the morning CX 1K shift, I reflect on the dedication this industry requires. Arriving early at 12 AM without personal transportation has been tough, but it's also given me a unique perspective on the behind-the-scenes operations of the airport. Those quiet moments before the rush are something I'll cherish.

Looking ahead, I hope to return to Cathay Pacific soon, contributing to its legacy and being part of a team that connects the world. Thank you, Cathay Pacific, for being such an important part of my journey. Until we meet again.

[fizzingwizard]

goodness why is sims coming out with a pool kit now?? summer is almost over wtf. i really expected one in june but *crickets* whatever i bet they'll do halloween in february

there is a cafe i like which is conveniently very close to work, but i just found out they're closing on saturday. so today i went to have a last treat there. but tbh i stopped going in recent years. when covid happened and business were hit so bad, a lot changed their menus. some just upped prices but a lot did that and cut costs by changing the menu to be pricier for less. this cafe was no different. pretty much they just stopped serving anything i wanted at least for what they were charging for it. today was only the second time i've gone in about a year. almost 600 yen for some ice cream and cereal and like four slices of banana. at least give me the whole banana for that price lol. i bought it anyway because i do reeeeally like their ice cream but yeah it's pretty ridiculous. so not much of a loss. especially since there's another of the exact same cafe across the street bahahaha

now ranting about work commence...

covid is back! not that it ever left...

both of my coteachers were out sick mon and tues. one with covid, the other something else. among the other staff, one other teacher is out with covid, two others are out sick, and two others aren't sick but were assigned observations at different schools on certain days this week. this happened last year too and i really don't understand why, if we're so badly understaffed, the observations aren't just rescheduled so those teachers can stay here. it's not like the schools they're going to have to do anything special for them. they're just going to watch the regular classes.

so on monday i had our one sub in my room. the third co-teacher's role was a rotation of random teachers from another close school, who came in and out basically every hour. they are very nice, but they don't know the routine or the kids. that day was mostly okay, exhausting, but i got everything done, mostly because of the sub who is awesome and was a full time teacher before this year so she knows what to do really well. still I had to write most of the kids notebooks by myself, in Japanese, before two p.m. usually we have till 4, and there's nap/prep time between 2-4 so sit down and do them. until 2 we have all the kids and it's teaching time so trying to write notes for all the kids to take home before two by myself was hard. the sub helped with the few that are ok to be written in english though.

tuesday was hellish. didn't have the sub because she was needed in another class. so it was me, that random rotation of other school's teachers, plus my manager and her assistant coming in and out. it wa just a constant ricochet of people it felt like xP manager and assistant were on the phone half the time and talking to each other about admin stuff. not to say they weren't helpful, they definitely were, and it would have been much tougher without them. I didn't have to write notebooks, because one of the other school's teachers did them. (which i'm confused about because i thought someone not from our school wasn't allowed to write notebooks. but tbh policy has become very murky due to the constant understaffing. i shouldn't really have let the sub help with notebooks yesterday either, or with lunch, but i literally didn't have anyone else. what am i supposed to do? technically i can do all the notebooks, although i don't know when, but it isn't possible for me to both hand out lunches and double check myself on the lunch list at the same time. that's the whole point of two people doing it, so a second pair of eyes can catch a mistake before it happens.)

even so, i still ended up writing two of them. the reason is the poor teacher who helped, she was great, but of course she has a lot of her own work to do, so when it was time for her to leave she just had to leave, even though it was the middle of my day. and since she's not used to our routine there were no checks in place except myself. i checked everything and discovered one unwritten notebook and one that was missing completely. i found it and wrote both. i also found a kid's missing smock and dealt with three pee accidents (but my poor coworker in a different class had like a pee apocalypse, like eight or ten kids had accidents in the same day - they just got back from summer break so i think they're just shocked and regressing.) and i took care of my kid's missing futon, and just... the list goes on. also the kids were like, what's going on, how come we've got all these random people, where are the usual teachers? most were pretty fine overall, but it meant the sensitive ones only wanted my attention and i had to do everything regarding them, while also leading the class because the helpers didn't know what to do. also having no coworkers at school meant our cleaning duty was all on me, so i cleaned the entire bathroom both days by myself. (sub was awesome and helped by cleaning my classroom for me on monday.)

but what's difficult to explain is the hard part isn't just what happened, but the randomness of it. when you have a routine, you know whose role is what, and when to check and who to check with. when it's all up in the air like this and i'm the only one who knows how things are supposed to go, then i have to think of everything. there's no one to check me. on the one hand im proud of myself because somehow i did it. but it was really really hard. and it's very physical too. my legs and back are so sore, almost like in my first year before i got more flexible lol. when i walked into the staffroom on tues at 2:30 after finishing the bathroom, my manager and another coworker looked over and were like "otsukareeee are you okaaay what a day!" and seriously yeah it was. like getting hit by a truck. actually not to be dramatic but i kept thinking this is what the start of a mental breakdown feels like... it literally felt like my head was gonna break. i dont know how else to explain it. just stress overload. but i really appreciated the uplifting words my coworkers said to me. everyone was really understanding about how tough the past two days have been. and i kept my temperament even. im especially proud of that. im not super great with stress lol. ive worked hard in my adult life to get better, but i'm a very hard worker and when there are expectations of me that i can't meet for reasons beyond my control (like having to take care of a whole class of two year olds and do the work of three regular teachers almost by myself), i feel like i'm drowning. but although i was tired i didn't ever feel frustrated, because we had a similar incident a few months ago where i was alone in my class as far as regular teachers go, and that day was much, much harder than this week because the kids were brand new to my class and didn't know the routine at all. many weren't verbal at all either. now they know the deal and they're talking so much. they also know me better and i know them, and we love each other. it's so much easier to lead them now, which is always the case this time of the school year.

today at last both my regular coteachers were back. also although we've had a near-full class on mon and tues (just one kid out also with covid), today randomly there were four absences. so we had just fourteen students. it was so nice. busy, but not overwhelmingly so. i could take a break lol. my poor coteachers though, they worked hard although they're still recovering. and the one with covid was supposed to have taken some time off last week, but because she got covid she couldn't enjoy it. and she's the same cowoker who had approved time off in june that was retracted the day of because of terrible understaffing on that day. the fates just don't want to let her have a nice vacation -_- i say fates buuut... taking away someone's approved PTO is pretty shitty. it's the only time it's happened in all the years i've worked here, but tbh if it had been me it would have been a pretty big nail in the coffin. we all love our students and we care about our coworkers too, so that's why we make those sacrifices. but i often wish people would be more selfish and maybe drive the point home to the head office that we're not being treated well at all and we're all just surviving. however i am pretty sure it would just result in us getting yelled at and then quitting of our own volition, like happened to six teachers last year... my school is good, the upper management isn't, go figure :P

[sagau-my-beloved]

Hello how are you doing? :P

Alive and kicking, for now at least—

I do currently have an absolutely inhuman amount of work dangling above me, threatening to crush me whenever it so chooses

Since I don't have anybody in my actual real life I can complain about this too, let me go over the full magnitude of exactly what I have to get done, so you can understand the sheer amount of bullshittery that's been thrusted upon me

I have to write 3 essays before Friday on Greek, Roman, and Egyptian architecture and statues, because I need to submit one of them for my western survey midterm but my professor has which one set at random, he also won't allow you to simply copy and paste whichever essay it turns out to be, you have to rewrite the entire thing in the text box provided

So that midterm is due Friday and is also composed of 9 short response questions that I don't know anything about before going into it, I have a staggering 90 minutes to do all of that 👌

Then I have a continuation of a semester long graphic design project, which requires me to create 25 unique logos based on a fictional environmental activism corporation, due Friday as well

Also on the graphic design schedule we have a completely different project, due Sunday, which specifically says in the header "Don't wait until the last minute to start working on this", which requires me to design four stamps based on social issues, with no less than 12 different steps of criteria for each, and then, of course, a formal analysis for the set

And then ending it off strong we have a discussion post which thankfully only requires about 3 paragraphs worth of work, one paragraph due Friday and the other two on Sunday

After that 3 psychology assignments due Friday, I'm really kind of scared to look at that class because I know I have this really big grade hanging over my head, but I don't know much about it or when it's due, and every week that passes I tell myself I'll deal with it next week—

Then moving ahead a bit, I have to fully shade an 11 × 14 in fantasy based architecture drawing, with a fine liner, before Monday, because that's when we're critiquing

Have to finish a landscape charcoal drawing that I've worked like 4 hours on and I'm only about 15℅ done with before Tuesday, because that's when we're critiquing

And then I have a western survey research paper due on Wednesday, that I have not started, roughly 5 pages and requires me to find 4 peer reviewed sources and properly cite them 😀

On top of that I'm completely losing tomorrow afternoon because I agreed to go to an event with a family member out of obligation, which I only learned about this morning, because if I don't go then a different family member of mine would go in my place, and having the two of them in a room together might actually lead to the final nail in the coffin of their multi decade long relationship

And I think that's about it—

So I'm just a tad bit stressed, but I assure you that I'm handling this with the utmost of optimism I am physically capable of, and no matter how all of this plays out I'm not going to die nor is it the end of the world, which is what I have to keep telling myself

So I apologize for kind of rambling for something that required a short concise answer, but honestly writing all that out was kind of therapeutic and it might actually help me keep better track of everything—

So thank you for the check in, I needed it, and I hope you aren't suffering the same fate

And maybe send a prayer to Lord Barbatos for me cause I'm gonna need it

[didsomeonesaydaddydraco]

My Oh My | Draco Malfoy one shot

Request: yes! @leydileyla (I would like to request a Draco Malfoy fic, with a Female Hufflepuff Reader (you don't need to specify Hufflepuff if you don't feel like it goes with the story) with the prompt,2. Take another step, and I can’t be responsible for my actions.Maybe it could be something like, they could have been flirting for a while and both sides feel like they are hitting their boiling point )

Word count: 3,205 words

Warning: drinking (just a tiny)

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Hufflepuff!reader

Note: This was a requests from the prompt list. Used prompt: “Take another step, and I can’t be responsible for my actions” 

They say he likes a good time

He comes alive at midnight

My mama doesn't trust him

He's only here for one thing

But (so am I)

The dungeons. The Slytherin Common Room was located there. A place for the cunning, ambitious, determined and resourceful wizards and witches. And of course the kingdom of the Slytherin Prince, Draco Lucius Malfoy. He was mysterious as the night, but oh Merlin, he was the most alive during the dark hours of the day. He really knew how to have fun and how to throw the best Common Room Parties without the professors or Filch founding out. Those parties were the topic of every conversation. Students were talking about how the Slytherins managed to sneak snacks and alcohol to their Common Room, and how clever they were to use the Muffliato Charm, so the loud music wouldn’t be heard from outside. But the most interesting and exciting part of those parties was the way students from other Houses were invited. Not so many people had the privilege to be good friends with a Slytherin, due to their struggles with trust, but that didn’t mean they refused to have some fun time with their fellow school mates. You could only enter the party, if a Slytherin invited you. They would leave a note in your book, on your desk before class or sneak it into your bag with the exact details and the password. That’s how Y/N was invited. Hufflepuffs and Slytherins were at the same Transfiguration class, and one Monday, when Draco Malfoy passed her desk, he dropped a piece of parchment. She bent down to pick up the folded note and give it back to him, but she saw her name on the middle of it, written in neat handwriting. 

Beautiful, come to our party this Friday, 10 at night. Bring only one FEMALE friend if you want. The password is serpent. I’ll be expecting you - Malfoy

That was the beginning of a beautiful flirtationship with the Slytherin bad boy. That night, Draco never approached Y/N, but he was always around her, glancing at her while I was talking to our school mates, staring at her while she was dancing with Pansy on the tables. After that party, it was hot glances at each other during class. Draco couldn’t kept his eyes off her, and after a while, it wasn’t enough for him. For some strange reasons, he wanted to be as close to the Hufflepuff girl as possible, so he made her House mate move from next to her and sat by her side during classes. Draco would greet her with a compliment, and Y/N would wink at him in response. The small nice gestures and words soon turned into more. She would stroke her hand along his back as she passed him in the corridors. Draco would touch her hand secretly while they were chatting with friends. He never hid how he was feeling about her, and wasn’t afraid to threaten anyone who tried to approach the subject of his admiration. The flirting between the youngsters was something that couldn’t stay unnoticed by anyone. 

“Who is the boy?” Her mother would ask when she was back at home for Christmas. She kept receiving owls with litters and small parcels with her name on top of them. Same neat handwriting. She would smile brightly and even blush while reading the shorter or longer notes attached to her gifts from Malfoy. 

“It’s probably still Draco” Y/N’s sister groaned and with an annoyed expression on her face, she shoo away the owl. She didn’t like the idea of her sister being involved with someone who was mostly famous for his jerk behaviour and the idea he was brought up in. In her eyes, Draco Malfoy was the devil himself. She wanted to hex him just because he would breathe around her. Of course she didn’t want Y/N to get hurt or being used by him. 

“Draco? As in Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy’s son?” Their mother looked up from her book and her kind eyes focused on her youngest child. She knew that family and heard enough about their shady businesses and arrogant behaviour “I don’t trust him, darling” she shook her head disapprovingly.

“You know he likes to sleep around and mess with girls, right?” Her sister asked, but Y/N shut their voices out. Of course she heard about his reputation, and even saw him throwing girls away from one day to another, but that was what pulled her in. She wanted his taste. Maybe he wanted only one thing, but so did she.

A little bit older

A black leather jacket

A bad reputation

Draco Lucius Malfoy. Everyone knew who he was. Everyone knew about his reputation at Hogwarts. And of course, everyone warned her about him. He had everything that a girl could wish for in a guy. He was tall and strong. He was hard to get and a total twat. He bullied everyone who wasn’t good enough in his eyes and he never regret it. But he had the most beautiful pair of stormy blue eyes with the slightest hint of baby blue in them. And that damn smirk that could make a girl faint. He was just a few months older, but his features made him look much mature. Y/N always found herself staring at him when he wasn’t by her side, just admiring the man he was. After a while, Draco would feel someone watching him, and would look for the person, secretly hoping it was the girl who he wanted so badly. He could have made her his fully, but they loved and lived for their little cat and mouth game. The bickering and flirting entertained not only the two of them, but everyone around them. 

“Bite me” Y/N said to the blonde bloke towering over her body. She couldn’t tell anymore what they were arguing about, she just wanted to push his bottoms and see when he would snap. Her remark made Draco smile at her darkly, and leaned in, dangerously close to her face.

“Where, princess?” His was deepened and he bit his bottom lip. A tiny gasp left her lips and he knew he won this round “You thought you were so badass, but then you met me”

“You think too highly of yourself” she rolled her eyes and pushed him away. Draco sat back next to her on the bench and put his hand on her thigh, softly stroking her soft skin with his thumb.

“Am I not everything you wanted?” He asked with raised eyebrows, and he sneaked his hand up a little higher. They crossed the line of innocent flirting a long time ago. Y/N and Draco were basically on fire when they were just simply in the same room, yet alone sitting next to each other.

“I wanted a little less arrogance” she pushed his hand away and stood up, grabbing her back from the ground and walking away with a huge smile on her face. She loved the affect she had on the Slytherin boy, and enjoyed teasing him too much to end it anytime soon. 

“You can’t resist me, Y/L/N” Draco yelled after her and watched how her hips swayed as she walked further and further away. That girl really knew how to ignite the fire inside him over and over again, but never stayed long enough to let it warm her. Draco smiled at the thought of chasing after her in the corridors and throwing her over his shoulder to her back to his room. 

Insatiable habits

He was onto me, one look and I couldn't breathe

Yeah, I said, "If you kiss me

I might let it happen”

I swear on my life that I've been a good girl

Tonight, I don't wanna be her

Y/N was a good girl, always the first to submit her homework and the one who volunteered to tutor the younger witches and wizards when they had troubles with any of their classes. She liked to know all her assignments were complete and outstanding, searching for new information about the topics of their lessons to add to her essay and show her professors how determined she was about her studies. She was nice with everyone, she was the shoulder you could cry on even if you didn’t know her that well. She liked to help people and loved to make new friends. But she had a side that only a few people knew. She wasn’t that innocent little Hufflepuff girl like so many students would have thought. She was always up for a good party and flirt with boys. They were young after all. It was their time to live, to experiment, to fall in love and to make mistakes. She loved her life and wanted to live it fully. That was what Draco admired her. Her essence and the way she saw life. She was fun to be around, and hot to stare at. And he liked to watch every move she took.

“Like alchemy, Kabbalah isn’t one generalised study either, but several different branches. The two beaches that specifically have the most influence” she was trying to teach Draco  everything about their Alchemy class before their midterm test, but she rudely interrupted her.

“You gotta stop doing that” he said with a teasing tone. He was laying on his side on the bed, keeping himself up by his elbow while he was playing with the rings on his long fingers. 

“What?” she asked with a confused expression and looked up from her notes. Draco wasn’t paying attention to her words, but the way her lips moved.

“Saying things that make me wanna kiss you” she annoyedly rolled her eyes and pushed Draco of her bed. She might tried to act cool, but she couldn’t hide the smile dancing on her lips and her eyes brightening up by the thought of kissing him.

——-

“See you tonight, Y/N?” Pansy Parkinson asked as she passed by in the corridor. It was Friday afternoon, and they just get out of their last class. The usual Friday Night Party was the topic of every conversation, which made Y/N rather annoyed. She found it weird that she wasn’t invited. The last four months, she was there. Draco always made sure she was invited and had her by his side the whole night. But this week, she wasn’t. She kept checking for little notes in her books where Draco doodled during classes or Study Halls, she reorganised her bag to see if he had slipped a piece of paper, but nothing. Maybe he didn’t want her there.

“I wasn’t invited” she shrugged and tried to hide her disappointment with a smile. The Parkinson girl laughed and hugged her by the side. They weren’t the best of friends, but it felt good for Pansy so have another girl in their group of friends, who was actually a lot like them. It was a nice change to be able to have girly chit chats with someone, who wouldn’t make gagging noises by topics like skin care, menstruation or clothes. 

“Oh, bunny” she shook her head in amusement. Pansy found it funny how a bright witch like Y/L/N could be so stupid sometimes “You don’t need to be invited anymore. You’re one of us now, so when you hear about a party, just know that it’s your party too”

“Then I’ll see you tonight” Y/N smiled happily and quickly kissed Pansy on the cheek before she hurried back to the Hufflepuff tower to take a nap before the party. Her afternoon was a blur. After she woke up, she found Parkinson sitting on the floor beside her bed, drawing little butterflies and birds on a parchment. Pansy insisted that they get ready together to the party, because she needed some girly time and she was fed up with Enzo and Blaise making fun of her for taking too long to get ready. So the girls went to her dorm room and took a few shots of Fire Whiskey while they were doing each others hair and makeup. Y/N had a plan for the night. She was done with their little game, and wanted Draco to finally make the first move. She had been trying to make him do something that would move their relationship forward, but it seemed like the Slytherin Prince was more than happy with their current status. If Draco wasn’t man enough to make a move, then she will do it.

Her dress was perfect for her plan, and even Pansy drooled over her a bit when she saw Y/N coming out of the bathroom. The dress she chose was a simple black dress with think straps made out of diamonds and reached only down to the middle of her naked thighs. The fine satin fabric hugged her feminizing curves perfectly, the light fall of it on her chest and the slit of the dress on her thigh gave the whole look a slightly innocent, but teasing vibe. And everyone in the Slytherin Common Room agreed on that. Boys turned their head after her and tried to talk to Y/N, but the Hufflepuff had eyes only for a certain Slytherin, who was nowhere to be seen at the beginning of the night. She was tipsy and waited for the two more shots she took with Theo and Adrian to kick in and push her into another stage of drunk. All her insecurities, worries and boundaries were long gone, all thanks to the Fire Whiskey burning in her system. She was determined, she felt irresistible and she knew she had the boy in her palms. He just needed a little nudge, to finally make a move.

Draco Malfoy wasn’t the one who was easy to be amazed, but when he finally spot Y/N walking towards him, he almost choked on his drink. He had seen her in a jogger and sweater, with absolutely no makeup on and with messy hair, and he thought she was the cutest little thing ever. He had seen her in leggings and a workout top, with sweaty hair and face, and Draco felt motivated to go and workout too. He had seen her with a high pony tail and her school uniform, and he thought she was someone who could easily beat Granger at studying. But this was new. She never dolled up like this for a party. Her dress, the way her corrugated, tied up hair swung from left to right in perfect harmony with her hips made Draco to think about a lot of unholy things. She was a goddess in his eyes and he wanted to be the man by her side. His whole body, his heart and soul had been burning for Y/N for months, and he was getting impatient with their little game. He desperately wanted to take the next step, but he wasn’t completely sure if she was feeling the same way. Of course she flirted with him. They had their heated moments, where both of them were seconds away from crossing the line and kissing the other, but somehow, they managed to control themselves. Draco loved to replay their playful fights, their bickering that turned into heavy flirting and the secret glances and touches when he was in bed and tried to sleep. He loved to see the light blush in her cheeks when he complimented her hair, makeup or just her beauty or brain in general. He absolutely lived for the flame igniting in her beautiful eyes when he said something dirty and naughty to her during class or Study Hall. But he wasn’t brave enough to actually man up and ask her on a date. Or maybe to be his girlfriend. They were far too deep for basic things like first date, first kiss or anything like that bullshit. Their relationship was on a different kind of level, and he knew she was someone you just don’t want to lose. 

“Hey, handsome” she greeted him from a few feet away. Draco knew Y/L/N and Parkinson were getting ready together, and the two witches pre gamed a little before they came downstairs. He also saw her taking shots with their friends, so he was sure she wasn’t completely sober anymore. Not drunk enough, to not know what she was doing or saying, but definitely not sober anymore to be shy “Haven’t seen you all almost all night. Here I thought you were ignoring me” she smirked at him and twirled the end of her hair around her finger, looking at Draco with tilted head to the side. She wanted to take a step forward, but he held out his hand to stop her.

“Take another step, and I can’t be responsible for my actions” he warned her, his blue eyes never leaving hers. He couldn’t take this anymore. They were playing a very dangerous game, and they were so close to hit their boiling spot. Y/N straightened up and started the play with the ring on her necklace. Draco gifted her his ring two weeks ago, after he got enough of her always stealing it from him while they studied together. Little did she knew, Draco meant it as a sign, that she was all his. He wanted the boys at Hogwarts to see she was wearing his ring and she only belong to him.

“Than maybe you should take a step” her voice was teasing but serious at the same time. She bit her bottom lip and pushed her hip to the side a little bit, showing Draco that she was waiting. It was all up to him. And he did. The sassy look on her face, the way she was biting her bottom lip and everything that had been building up in him for long weeks, gave him a final push and he said fuck it. He grabbed her and pulled her to his body. Their chests were pressed together, he could almost feel her heartbeat. She looked up at him, fire burning in her eyes “If you kiss me, I might let it happen”

Draco kissed her. He kissed her like he had never kissed anybody before. It was exactly like it was written in romance books and said in the films. They had butterflies raving in their stomachs. Fireworks behind closed eyes. Hands holding onto the other like their lives depended on it. Lips moving in perfect harmony. She was his. He was hers. After months of flirting, it was good to finally burn in their love. 

“Just for the record, you’re mine” Draco said and rested his forehead on her. They were both breathing heavily, trying to catch breathe after the kiss. She giggled at his possessiveness and rolled her eyes at him. Of course he had to show who was the alpha “Oh, and this dress is coming off at the end of the night” he winked at her and pulled her face into another passionate kiss.

[luxekook]

chapter three.

⇥ pairing: ot7 x reader (insert gif of elmo with flames behind him here)

⇥ genre: college au with fluff, smut & angst

⇥ summary: a series in which the reader meets (and falls for) seven members of the Beta Tau Sigma (BTS) fraternity

⇥ word count: 2.3k

⇥ warnings: 18+, cursing, dirty talk, jimin propositions the reader accidentally, taehyung is a menace, noona kink jumps out A LOT, chaotic ot7, talk of poly relationships, overall kinda smut free (the next chapter should quench fuel your thirst)

© luxekook. please do not repost, modify, edit or translate.

characters | prologue | one | two | three | four | five | six | seven | eight | nine

Chapter Three

“It means that we’re going to date the shit out of you.”

We’re going to date the shit out of you.

We’re. Going. To. Date. The. Shit. Out. Of. You.

Those words play on a constant loop in my head for the rest of the week. After Namjoon had dropped that bombshell on me, I’d kind of freaked the fuck out, faked an immediate illness, and ran at full speed.

When I had told Luna about it later that night, she had been just as shook as me. Surprisingly enough, she had also given her full support of whatever I decided to do but “would have her banana slicer on standby and would order six more if need be”.

It appears that she had drunk-ordered a banana slicer off Amazon when the last boy she talked to pissed her off. I had apparently drunk-approved the decision. Rad.

Jenni’s reaction had been even better. We’d been in the library on Monday and her screech of “he said what!?” had led to multiple events:

An abundance of shushes from every student within a 50-yard radius

Her continued rant: “Your own personal harem! Can you say goals? Maybe I should infiltrate EXO and collect my own...”

Us getting kicked out by our ancient librarian

For the rest of the week, I had Luna and Jenni both giving me shit about the BTS boys. It had helped that I hadn’t run into them at all on campus between classes. But I had known it wouldn’t be long before my luck would run out...

Quinn Library – 2:31pm

Typically, I don’t spend my Friday afternoons deep within the stacks of the library’s quiet floor. Yet, here I sit typing frantically due to my incapability to stop procrastinating. My fingers fly over the keys of my aging MacBook in hopes that whatever spur of productivity I had going on is captured in its fullest.

General education classes could burn in the pits of hell as far as I'm concerned. If I wanted to be a psychiatrist, why did I have to take – and pay for – an art elective that I would likely never utilize in the workforce? Plus, the only class within the category that fit my schedule ended up being “Writing About Dance”.

Yeah, I’m still a tad bitter, but in all honesty the class isn’t that bad so far. It mainly consists of watching different dance performances and learning how to write about them in different styles.

Today’s assignment is to write critical commentary on videos of the university’s dance team that the professor provided for us. Sighing, I finish my review of the second to last dance video provided by the professor, take a quick second to stretch, and then open the link to the last video on the assignment page.

“Park Jimin – Final Performance Solo, Spring 2019”

Slack-jawed, I fall into wonder as Jimin moves through his routine flawlessly. He dances like it’s easier than walking to him. His movements are somehow precise and fluid all at once. I barely realize a few tears have run down my cheeks until the video cuts off, signaling the end of Jimin’s performance.

Jesus, (y/n), get it together. I laugh lightly as I dig in my backpack for a tissue. How could I possibly capture the ethereal beauty that Jimin exuded into words? Am I even worthy of commenting on such exquisiteness?

Definitely fucking not. And before I can second guess myself, I type: “Park Jimin is art in its purest form. Watching him dance is like watching the sun rise over the ocean – raw beauty accompanied by the hopes brought with a new day. His performance left me wanting for nothing except an encore.”

Boom. Submit Assignment.

As my email pings with the confirmation that my assignment is turned in, my eyes widen in realization. Park Jimin of BTS is a dance god, and he – allegedly – wants to date me? That is just ridiculously unfathomable.

Namjoon must be off his rocker.

Closing my laptop, my phone suddenly vibrates with an incoming notification from snapchat...

President_RM has added you!

Before I can even comprehend the absurdity of Namjoon adding me, my phone bursts into a series of buzzes. Cursing, I switch my phone to silent and check my screen.

minsuga93 has added you!

jhopeworld_ has added you!

handsomeJIN has added you!

JKookie97 has added you!

vantae_BTS has added you!

95jiminie has added you!

Are they serious? How did they even get my SnapChat username?

vantae_BTS has added you to a chat!

Curiosity wins out over aggravation as I swipe to open the chat.

Heart pounding, I fight the urge to chuck my phone into the depths of the bookcases winding around the room. What did those idiots want with me?

(y/n) & Luna’s Apartment – 9:45pm

“What do those idiots want with me?” the decibel my voice has risen to is shocking even to my ears.

Luna cringes, accordingly, “I can’t tell if that’s a rhetorical question...”

I steamroll onwards, “And don’t even get me started on how they could have even gotten my snapchat. It’s a complete invasion of privacy!”

“You could just ask them,” Jenni’s voice cuts through my rambling tirade.

I pause, “No, I couldn’t—”

...Or could I?

Turning on my heel, I rush into my room and head straight for my closet. Grabbing the nearest sweatshirt and pair of leggings, I tug them on and then grab my keys from my nightstand.

Whirling back into the living room, I storm past a dumbfounded Luna and Jenni, “Be right back.”

Opening the apartment door, Luna shouts, “Wait! Where are you going? You’re not even wearing shoes!”

Whoops. I glance at my feet and note that she is, in fact, correct.

Jenni bounds over to me holding my Doc Martens, “Here, babe. You’re going to the BTS house, aren’t you?”

I nod grimly and salute my two best friends as if I'm going into battle. “I won’t be long. I just have a small errand to run.”

“Well, you’re not going alone,” Luna declares, pulling on her sneakers.

Jenni snorts and shoves her feet into her beat-up Converse, “No way am I missing out on this action.”

As we head out the door, I link arms with Luna and Jenni, “Have I mentioned I love you both recently?”

“Right back at you, bitch,” Luna laughs.

Greek Row – 10:17pm

Ten minutes later, we reach Greek Row. Fraternity and sorority houses dot the street on both sides. Personally, I think of this street as home to the chaotic rich, and I tend to avoid it at all costs – except tonight.

The line to get into BTS is so long it wraps around the block. Students dressed in the latest fashions converse as they wait, huddling together in their groups. I glance down at my outfit of a worn university hoodie and leggings.

“Well, shit. We’re underdressed, huh,” Jenni deadpans, causing all three of us to burst into laughter, “Do you think they put you on the list, (y/n)?”

Pondering that thought, I shrug, “Maybe,” and begin marching past the line of waiting students towards the front door of BTS, “But I sure as fuck am not waiting in that line.”

“Hey, there’s a line here!”

“Yo, bitches! What are you doing?”

“What the fuck?”

Paying the hecklers no mind, I saunter right up to the BTS pledges guarding the door, “Hi, I need to talk to Kim Namjoon.”

The pledge on the right rakes his gaze over me incredulously and then makes the same assessment of Luna and Jenni, “You know this is a party, right?”

I don’t deem that comment worthy of a response and instead cross my arms over my chest. He shrinks under the collective glare of me, Luna and Jenni.

The pledge on the left awkwardly clears his throat, “Names, please?”

My answer barely escapes my lips before the pledges visibly straighten, looking at me with new eyes, “You’re (y/n)? Why didn’t you just say so?”

And before I can answer, the front door swings open for us.

People are everywhere. A haze of smoke looms in the air, and rap music blares from the speakers. The bass is turned up so loud that the beat seems to take over the rhythm of my pulse. That cannot be healthy.

Turning to my friends, I do my best to communicate, shouting, “I’m going to find them! Are you going to be here?”

Luna and Jenni exchange a look and nod. Jenni shouts back, “We’re going to get some drinks. Might as well capitalize on free booze! Text us when you’re ready to go.”

And with that, we part ways.

Maneuvering around the sea of gyrating bodies in the main living room area, I scan around for any signs of my seven menaces.

“Do my eyes deceive me? Or is that my future wife?” The deep voice booms from behind me.

I sigh, recognizing the voice, and turn around.

Kim Taehyung is striding towards me with his arms outstretched, smiling like the damned fool he is and looking like he just stepped off the runway for Gucci. “Come to daddy.”

An idea forms. I smile sweetly and walk to meet Taehyung halfway. His boxy grin widens and just as he thinks I'm going to let him wrap his arms around me, I grab him by the ear.

“Ouch!” He cries, “Devil-woman!”

Ignoring him, I drag him behind me towards the stairs.

“If you wanted to get me alone, you could have just asked—OW!”

My hold on his ear tightens as we arrive on the second-floor landing, “Where are your brothers?”

“I don’t know, n-noona!” Somehow the honorific coming from Tae sounds divine, but I file that thought away for another time.

Removing my hold, I corner him against the wall of the hallway, “Okay, Kim, here’s what is going to happen. You’re going to point me in the direction of your room, go find your six idiot brothers, and then report back here so I can finally understand what the fuck is going on. Got it?”

My chest heaves as my directions conclude and I realize how close together we are. Taehyung stares at me with an indecipherable expression before breaking into a slow smile, “Noona is bossy.”

“Noona is going to shove her foot up your ass if you don’t get moving,” I growl.

“Kinky,” he laughs, backing away from me and my brewing anger, “Last door on the left is my room. I’ll be back with the six idiots.”

As he thumps back down the steps, I close my eyes and count to ten, trying to steel my nerves and rein in my anger. When I open them, my eyes are met with the amused gaze of Min Yoongi.

Slapping a hand to my heart, I wait for my pulse to settle from being scared out of my wits, “Motherfuck—how did you even move that silently?”

“It’s a skill,” Yoongi drawls, nodding towards to end of the hall, “So, group meeting in Tae’s room?”

Shooting him the best side-eye I can muster, I stalk past him, steadfastly ignoring the chuckles and light footfalls that follow behind me.

Throwing open the door which Taehyung indicated was to his room, I pause, taking in the horde of photos and art taped to the four walls. The light blue wallpaper barely peeks through the absolute massive amount of artwork.

“It’s overwhelming at first, isn’t it?” An angelic voice shyly breaks through my reverie, “Tae likes to collect pictures and things he finds beautiful.”

“Ah, so that’s why we’re friends.” The joke is followed by a laugh that can only be compared to the sound of a windshield wiper squeakily moving back and forth.

I shift my eyes from Taehyung’s walls and onto the two newcomers – Park Jimin and Kim Seokjin.

Meeting Seokjin’s gaze first, I cannot help but agree that he is a very, very beautiful man. With pushed back dark hair, mischievous brown eyes and impossibly broad shoulders, Seokjin can easily be mistaken for an idol. And, oh fuck, I’m still staring.

Shooting my eyes back up to his, I crinkle my nose at his shit-eating grin. Before he can even comment, I turn and lock eyes with Jimin.

“Your dancing is gorgeous,” I blurt out and immediately want to crawl under a rock and live out the rest of my life as Patrick Star.

Yoongi and Seokjin are cackling as Jimin’s face lights up at my embarrassing compliment, “You really think so?”

“There's no shutting him up now,” Yoongi is in tears, “Watch out, (y/n). Jimin loves his fans.”

“Shut up, Yoongi-hyung!”

Jimin looks ready to swing, but luckily Taehyung chooses the right moment to return, “What have we missed? Why is Jiminie about to fight Yoongi? I’ll put $10 on hyung.”

Gasping in betrayal, Jimin sits on the edge of Tae’s bed and pouts.

The rest of the boys file in behind Taehyung as he flops down onto his bed and reclines like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Hi, (y/n). Good to see you again. I’m glad you’re here,” Namjoon greets me with a slight bow, a crooked smile and wicked eyes.

He’s followed closely by Jung Hoseok, the only BTS boy I hadn’t met thus far, “(y/n)! It’s so nice to meet you in person! Wow, you look so pretty tonight!”

“Noona always looks pretty,” Jungkook cuts in, throwing an arm around Hoseok’s shoulder, “She’s bae.”

A collective groan arises from the rest of the boys. “Sit your ass down, JK,” Yoongi grumbles, “(y/n)’s going to break up with us before we even start dating.”

“Dating—!” I break off that train of thought. Other matters need to be attended to first, “No, I didn’t come here tonight to say ‘hi’ or to be your ‘bae’. I came here to get answers.”

I take my time making eye contact with each boy.

Taehyung is still spread out on his bed and Jimin has now joined him. Seokjin, Hoseok and Jungkook are sprawled out on the floor at the foot of the bed, while Namjoon and Yoongi slouch against the opposite wall of the bedroom facing me.

“Alright,” Namjoon lifts his chin, meeting my stare head on, “What do you want to know?”

a/n: sorry for the cliffhanger, hehe. i wanted to get something up for y’all! hopefully next chapter won’t take too long to finish/edit :)

taglist:

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blogs that wouldn’t let me tag them for some reason: 

@awkwardhumambean

[addierose444]

Spring 2021: One Month Update

We are now just over a month into the spring semester. This is a bit strange as mid-march normally coincides with spring break. Well, normal just isn’t the norm right now and hasn’t been for a while. Like seriously, it has been a whole year since Smith sent us home last spring. Here is a blog post from a year ago about my final week on campus. That was a stressful time, but I was also so naïve about what was to come. In some ways, it’s hard to believe that a whole year has passed; at the same time, it has felt like an eternity. This post is primarily about my current courses and other life updates, but it also felt incomplete without acknowledging the passage of time. Last semester, I wrote a few update posts. I started them because I literally didn’t know what else to write about. However, I found them to be an effective post style that is worthwhile to continue using. 

There does finally seem to be a bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Namely, I have received my first dose of the Moderna COVID vaccine! I was eligible thanks to my job in ResLife. I will be getting the second dose in two-weeks time. I feel very fortunate to be getting vaccinated so early. I’ll also be honest in saying that it was really stressful taking the bus to UMass and navigating through the vaccination center. Another exciting update is that I have secured a summer internship at Microsoft! You can read about my application process here. 

I am currently living on-campus in Parsons House. We are fortunately still operating in Green Mode which is our least restrictive operating mode. This still includes masks, social distancing, and testing three times a week. We are also still ordering most meals on the Grubhub app. However, there is now some limited seating in the dining halls and we have transitioned to using some reusable food containers. Furthermore, Chuckett (our name for Chase and Duckett) is open for true grab and go. The best part about going to Chuckett is that they have yogurt, ice cream, and snacks. Classes and house events continue to be primarily over Zoom so that we can practice social distancing and include those not living on campus. 

As for my classes, it’s been a very busy semester. I am in class less than in past semesters but have had more work outside of class. With that said, this is in part because one of my classes is asynchronous with synchronous labs. To check out all of my past courses, click here. 

PHY 210 has been more interesting than I expected. It’s not an easy class, but it hasn’t been the nightmare I was worried it would be. The class has so-called pre-class check-ins (PCCIs) which are short exercises due at the start of each class (Monday, Wednesday, and Friday). We still have a full homework set due each Wednesday, but I enjoy having the PCCIs as it’s more similar to the high school homework model (short more frequent assignments that don’t have to be 100% perfect). I now have a much better understanding of complex numbers and why they are useful. Other topics we have studied thus far include differential equations and the Taylor series (both topics were briefly introduced in past calculus classes). We have also been learning the basics of Mathematica and are currently studying integrals in two or more dimensions. Last semester in MTH 212, all of the exams could be taken over multiple days (unlimited time) so it’s not the easiest transition back to timed math exams. 

PHI 220 is a great complement to my four STEM classes. Specifically, it’s reading and discussion-based and doesn’t have problem sets! While there is absolutely value in courses unrelated to my majors, I really love learning concepts that come up in computer science but from a different perspective. Over the course of the semester, we have been working our way through Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid. We have been learning about formal systems and been gaining an understanding of Gödel's incompleteness theorems. Later in the course, we will be delving into the study of Turing machines. Each class starts with five minutes of breathing and stretching. The first day I thought it was really weird, but have now gained an appreciation for it.  

EGR 220 has been my most time-consuming class, but I have also really enjoyed the course content. I am glad that I took PHY 118 last spring as it gave me a good primer for some of the circuit theories. This is particularly useful as circuits is a fast-paced course. Labs have been frustrating at times due to technical difficulties, but having a hands-on component definitely helps my understanding and makes things more engaging. As long as we stay in Green Mode, we will have a few small-group in-person labs! We have also had and will continue to have occasional full class in-person outdoor demonstrations. (All of my other classes have been and will continue to be fully remote). In terms of course content, we have learned about passive components like resistors, capacitors, and inductors and circuit analysis techniques like nodal analysis and mesh analysis.

CSC 250 has generally been enjoyable as I have an awesome professor. I don’t dislike the course material, but I definitely prefer programming and systems to theory. Also, theoretical computer science requires writing lots of proofs which is not my favorite. I am glad that I took discrete math (MTH 153) last semester as it introduced me to proof writing. MTH 153 an unenforced prerequisite of CSC 250, which I was originally going to take concurrently due to schedule conflicts. In the course, we have been learning about regular expressions, finite automata, context-free grammars, push-down automata, and most recently Turing machines. (See what I mean about the overlap with PHI 220!)

COMPSCI 230 is my UMass computer systems class. You can read more about Five College registration here. The course is asynchronous which has its advantages and disadvantages. It’s nice being able to self-schedule my coursework, but it’s strange not really interacting with my classmates. As the UMass semester started two weeks before Smith’s, I am just about halfway through the course which is honestly sort of crazy. In the course, we have learned about data representation, von Neumann Architecture, caches, and virtual memory. 

I am not taking guitar this semester and unfortunately have hardly played my guitar. Last year I had set a daily practice goal that I did a really good job of sticking to. That said, I regret having set that goal as it made playing feel more like a chore. The issue is that when the year ended I was justified in taking a few days off from playing. However, as I was really busying during Interterm it was just too easy to dive into my coursework and other responsibilities. Playing guitar is something that I love, so I am trying to incorporate it back into my life in the right way. You can read about my musical history here. Another music update, that’s really just for me to look back on is that my current favorite song is The Story (written by Phil Hanseroth and performed by Brandi Carlile). I have been listening to a lot of Brandi Carlile’s music over the past few days and absolutely love it. As for 2020 goals, like many people, mine weren’t the biggest success. I originally set out to write four original songs but only wrote two (one of which I had started in August of 2019). I was successful in my reading goal so that was at least one win. You can read about my 2020 in books here. 

[hologramband]

Never The 1

(gif crds cryinghimbos) 

Alive!Reggie x Fem!Reader

Word count: 4.5k

A/N: This is taking place after the boys cross over, I like the little theory where “crossing over” means just “crossing over” back to life or something, idk we gonna roll with it tho lol. 

The song I use in this is  “Never the 1” by ROSIE

The hallways were busy as you and Flynn walked side by side to your next class. This dreary Monday was almost over, just one class stood between you and hanging out with your friends. 

You knew how to sing, but you never thought you were any good, so you tended to keep to writing lyrics here and there, but mostly helping with Flynns sides of things when it came to advertising the bands events and other things, helping the band in a few different ways. 

“So, (Y/n), how have things been going with you and Dylan? Is he starting to be more okay with you spending more time with the band?” Flynn started a conversation while waiting for you to switch your books at your locker. 

Dylan was your boyfriend of seven months, things had been good between the two of you until you started wanting to spend more of your time with Julie and the boys the last month or so. You had an image issue before you met Dylan, never really being confident in yourself, you liked hiding in the background. Julie and Flynn had always included you in everything they did, but something just finally clicked with Dylan, he made you feel special. 

When the band took off you were ecstatic, growing close with each of the boys, especially Reggie, your personalities meshing really well, and Alex, him becoming like a brother to you.

You still made time for Dylan, hanging out with him when you weren’t helping the band, even invited him to practices when you went, but for some reason he wasn’t a fan of hanging out with your friends. 

“Eh, he’ll come around eventually. He can’t expect me not to have any friends other than him.” You shrugged your shoulders and closed the locker door, the two of you changing topics and continuing to class. 

When you get there a smile instantly grows on your face, this was your favorite class of the day since you shared it with both Flynn, Julie, and the boys. 

“(Y/n)! Hi! Are you coming to practice today?” Reggie smiled as you sat in your seat across from him. 

“Well duhh, wouldn't miss it.” You smiled back and looked around at the rest of the group, falling into a conversation with the rest of them. 

Your phone buzzed in your pocket, signaling you got a text from someone, looking down you saw it was Dylan. 

-Hey babe, something came up so I, won’t be able to go to Julies with you after school, sry :/-

You frown at the message, he hasn’t been to a single practice yet, “something” always coming up, but send a short reply saying it was okay before the teacher, Ms. Adamson walked in and started her lesson. 

“Alright class, for the next project I want to get your creative juices flowing,” She clasps her hands together and moved to the board, switching her powerpoint slide to the instructions to the new assignment, “by the end of the week I want you all to have an original piece prepared to present or preform for the class.” 

You felt your eyes widen and your body stiffen, the main reason you haven’t ever let anyone hear you sing was due to your crippling stage fright. 

You glance around and see the rest of your friends smiling and high fiving each other, seeing this as another opportunity to bring a light to the band. 

“Is this a group project?” Luke raised his hand and asked, only to be met with a smirk and a shake of the teachers head. 

“Unfortunately, Mr. Patterson, this is an individual project, consider it a time for everyone to showcase what talents they have and are keeping hidden,” Ms. Adamson laid her hand on your desk and sent a subtle wink your way. 

She had walked in on you one day in the music room while you were messing around with some new lyrics for the song the band was working on.

You sunk in your seat a bit more and looked to see the rest of your friends looking your way, slight confusion on their faces, meaning they also saw the wink your teacher had sent your way. 

The rest of the lesson was focused on the details of the project and her giving ideas on what could be done other than music, such as spoken word, a painting, etc. You spent the rest of class figuring out what you could do other than sing, but had a feeling Ms. Adamson would accept nothing else from you. 

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day and everyone stood from their chairs and collectively walked to their lockers, getting ready to walk to Julies for practice. 

You made your way to your own locker, smiling when you saw Dylan standing to the side of it. 

“Hey, Dyl.” You went to give him a kiss, but he moved his head so your lips landed on his cheek instead. 

“Sorry I can’t come today, I bombed a test in math so Mr. Douglas is making me stay after with a tutor for the next week to fix my grade.” He shrugged his shoulders and his eyes were darting from place to place. 

Deciding not to comment on his weird behavior, pushing it off as just embarrassment of failing the test. 

“No worries, you’ll make it to one eventually,” You smiled at him and saw the crew walking towards you, everyone always walked to Julies together after school. 

Dylan noticed your gaze shifting and stiffened at the sight of all of them. 

“Hey,” You placed a hand on his arm, confusion growing, “everything okay?” 

He simply shrugged your hand off. 

“Yeah, yeah, just gotta get to the library, see ya.” He left a chaste kiss on the top of your head as he rushed in the opposite direction of your friends. 

“What was all that about?” Alex commented as he swung an arm around your shoulders. 

You were still in shock that he ran off like that, but again blamed it on the bad grade, as dumb as it was. 

“Not sure,” you mumbled, quickly changing your attitude, “you guys ready to head out?”

With nods all around you all started the short walk to Julies. 

--

Practice went great, the band trying out new songs that Luke and Julie had written, you fixing a few of the lines so the song flowed a bti better. 

During one of the breaks, everyone decided to sit and talk about the upcoming project. 

“What are you guys gonna do? Not being able to play as a band?” You wiggled your eyebrows at the group and they all kinda shrugged. 

“Oh I know what i'm doing! “Home is Where My Horse Is” will finally get the recognition it deserves!” Reggie stretches his arms along the back of the couch that the two of you were sitting on, setting his feet on the table in front of him. 

Laughter erupted from everyone, already knowing that was what Reggie would do. 

“What about you,” Alex turned the attention to you, “Ms. Adamson sent a pretty pointed wink your way when explaining it was gonna be individual.” 

You felt your cheeks burn a bit and you shrugged your shoulders. 

“Eh, you know how she is, I’m sure I’ll come up with something.” You looked around and realized that your answer hadn’t satisfied the group. 

Your phone again buzzed with a text from your mom saying you needed to get home. 

“Oh, sorry guys, mom needs me for Dinner,” you stood quickly. 

“Ah, saved by ‘mom’,” Julie winked. 

You laughed as you gathered your things. 

“I’ll walk you!” Reggies exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, meeting you by the garage doors. 

This was a pretty normal experience for the two of you, Reggie and you always enjoying the walk together, being more open with just the two of you rather than the whole group. 

“Lets go, partner,” you winked at the reference to his growing love for country music. 

It wasn’t a terribly long walk, but after the sun went down it was always safer to have someone with you. 

Another thing that happens when the sun goes down is the reminder that you forgot a jacket, a slight chill running down your spine. You had hoped that you covered it up with a couch, but within seconds an extra layer of warmth was thrown across your shoulders. 

Reggie had taken his flannel from his waist and given it to you, you thanked him as you pushed your arms through the sleeves. 

“So, how are things with you and Dylan? You seemed upset earlier when we got to your locker.” Reggies glanced at you.

“Oh, you know, it’s fine, he’s just been a bit distant lately, i’m not sure what’s going on but i'm sure we’ll get through it.” You shrugged and looked at your shoes, suddenly finding them very interesting. 

“There’s something else, c’mon, (Y/n),” Reggie slightly bumped his shoulder into yours, causing you to look up at him, a slight smile from the action on your face, but falling instantly. 

“Um,” you look back at your shoes, “it’s really nothing, silly really.” You shrugged your shoulder again, stopping as you got to your driveway. 

The real reason you had been so shocked when Dylan walked away earlier was due to him not telling you he loved you, he had always said those three words before parting your side, no matter the circumstances, for the last four months of your relationship. When he didn’t say them this afternoon it took you by surprise. 

“Well, you know i’m always here right?” Reggie moved a finger under your chin, forcing you to look up in his direction. 

“No matter what it’s about, whether you need to rant, cry, or share something really cool, I’m always here to listen,” He smiles down at you, causing you to crinkle your nose and smile back, bringing him into a short hug. 

“Thanks, Reg. It really means a lot.” You pull away and walk the last few steps to your house, hesitating at the doorway, turning back as Reggie spoke again.  

“Have a good night, (Y/n),” Reggie smiled at your retreating figure, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

“You too, see you tomorrow!” You waved and walked in the door to your house, pulling his flannel a little tighter once the door closed, then shaking the thoughts that were entering your head away. 

Reggie was just a friend, plus you had a boyfriend, Dylan might be distant right now, but he was still there…

--- 

The next few days had gone by quicker than you anticipated, it now being Thursday and you still didn’t have a plan for what you were going to do in class the next day. 

You had tried writing a few lyrics, but nothing felt right, you couldn’t find the right inspiration for what you wanted to do, you honestly didn’t even know what you wanted to do. At this point your game plan was to fake being sick so you wouldn’t have to stand up in front of the class, gasping like a goldfish out of water. 

You sat in your last class of the day, all your friends talking about what they were doing tomorrow, Alex had a drum solo with a few lyrics he had come up with, Luke singing one of his songs he was able to whip up within an hour, Julie doing the same, Flynn had made a really cool beat she was going to freestyle to, and Reggie had Home is Where My Horse Is. 

Ms. Adamson had given you the day to work and finalize your projects for tomorrow, and you were starting to feel overwhelmed. 

The bell rang and snapped you out of the anxious trance you had been in.

You walked to your locker and tried to figure out what you were going to do, you had under 24 hours to figure something out now. 

“Hey, (Y/n), you coming?” Reggie and the rest of the group were at your side, waiting to see if you were going to walk back with them. 

“Um, I think I’m gonna stay back today, I really need to focus and figure out what I’m going to do for tomorrow,” You ran a hand through your hair and let out a breath, “Plus I think Dylan is tutoring in the library so I might see if he can help or something, I haven't really much from him lately.” You lightly laughed at how sad that sounded, and shook your head, waving to the group as you walked towards the library.

“Let me know if you need anything!” Reggie called out and you sent a grateful smile his way. 

You didn’t see Dylan when you walked in, so you choose a secluded spot in the corner, trying to get some work done. 

After 30 minutes of staring at the blank paper, you give up, deciding to call it a sick day tomorrow and pray that something comes to you this weekend. 

As you pack up your things you scan the room again, curious if maybe Dylan had just come in without you noticing, but frown when you don’t see him. 

You start drafting a text to him that you were looking for him, but stopped when you heard a book fall from the shelves a few rows away, and a moan that sounds quite familiar. 

Slowly, you walked down the aisle paralleling where you heard the noises coming from, and froze by what you saw through a break in the books. 

Dylan was here after all, but he had his hands all over someone else, lips on someone who wasn’t you.  

A tear escaped from your eye as you turned away, deleting the text message you were going to send and starting a new one. 

-Hey, I was looking for you in the Library. I found you… I left the bracelet you got me on the table by your aisle. -

You removed the small charm bracelet the boy had given you after your three month anniversary and placed it on the table, hit send, and blocked his number. 

Tears were flowing freely now, as well as your thoughts.

Did he ever care? 

Was I just a joke to him? 

Did he ever love me? 

Why wasn’t I enough? 

You found yourself in the school's music room, taking a deep breath as you sat down, pulling out your song journal. 

Inadvertently, Dylan had given you just the inspiration you needed for your song. 

Your fingers flowed freely on the keys, finding the right melody for the emotions you were feeling. You played and wrote the notes down, some lyrics came now, but you were focused on the melody. 

The janitor eventually came around and told you that you had to leave, and you rushed home, not wanting to forget the lyrics you had in your head. 

You skipped dinner and ran straight to your room when you got home, the tears starting again as your phone flashed with a text, not due to the sender, but the picture on your lock screen. 

Angrily you opened your phone and deleted all the pictures of the boy you had loved, not wanting the reminder that you had trusted him flashing  in your face anymore. 

While deleting the pictures you ran across one of you and Reggie messing around in the garage, the next one of Flynn and Julie with their arms wrapped around you. 

You smiled and set your lock screen as the picture of the girls and you, your new background the picture of you and Reggie. 

Feeling a bit better, you went back to work on writing the lyrics that you had been thinking of. 

When you finally finished, you saw the clock flashing 4am at you. 

Having all your emotions finally written out on paper made you feel worlds better, and you found sleep easy after, but just too easy at that. 

When you woke up the next day you saw that you had already missed the first few classes of the day. 

Reggie, Julie, and Flynn had all called and left text messages asking where you were.

Cursing, you got up and dressed, throwing the first things on that you could find, one item happened to be Reggies flannel he had lent you the other day, giving you a sense of ease when you breathed in his cologne.  

When brushing your teeth you saw your reflection and gasped, no amount of makeup would cover up the red puffy eyes that blessed your face. 

With a sigh you splashed some cold water on them, helping a little, only being able to tell now if someone was really looking. 

Not having the time to focus on this you gathered your things and ran to school. 

You walked through the doors and took note of the time, and made your way to the lunch room where you found your friends at their usual spot. 

“Well, well, well, there she is,” Flynn called as she saw you approaching. 

You smiled at the girl and sat down, trying to keep your head down, hoping they wouldn’t take notice of your appearance, but to no avail. 

“Babe,” Julie turned your face towards her, “what happened to you?” 

Before you could answer you felt a hand on your shoulder, turning to see Dylan standing there, anxiously rocking back and forth on his feet. 

“Um, can we talk?” He scratches the back of his neck, looking from your friends to you. 

“There’s nothing to be said,” you whisper and turn away from him, but he just sat in the empty seat in front of you. 

“You haven’t been answering my texts, just let me explain, please.” He was getting stressed, you weren’t giving in like you typically did. 

“They won't go through, I blocked you,” you shrug, “and there's not much to explain, you lost me the second you decided to make out with Sara in the library, sure was a pity you got caught, wasn’t it?” You shot daggers with your eyes as you spoke, a slight gasp from Flynn came from your side. 

Dylan felt the hostility from the band and shifted in his seat, why he was still here was beyond you, but the bell quickly ended the conversation. 

You stood and tried to walk away, just for Dylan to catch your wrist and turn you towards him. Before he could get a single word out you felt yourself word vomiting.

“Why wasn’t I enough for you?” the question that had been ringing in your head since you caught him finally came out, a single tear running down your cheek.  

His mouth opened and closed a few times, and you just nodded and pulled your wrist away from him, only a few steps away before Reggie had you pulled into his arms in a tight hug, soon joined by Alex and Luke, then the girls. 

They pulled away and you wiped your tears, smiling at them. 

“C’mon, we gotta get to class.” You muttered, Reggie slinging his arm around your shoulders, not an abnormal thing, but it was just what you needed in this moment. 

Class was going by quickly, the rest of the band performing their pieces, Reggie just sitting down from singing HIWMHI.

“Alrighty, last, but certainly not least we have (Y/n),” She smiled at you and you stood, making your way to the piano in the corner, the band questioning this since they only thought you knew how to play the guitar, just wait until they hear you sing. 

You clear your throat and start on the keys, taking a breath and letting the music take over. 

“Met you in October

You talked sweet and a little slow.

And I thought, mmm 

I think I, mmm”

It was obvious to almost everyone in the room that this song was about Dylan, what most of the room wasn’t aware of was that this was a break up song. 

“Warm eyes and your hands cold

You sang soft like a sore throat

And I thought mmm

I think I mmm

Cause I know you're dangerous

I saw through your games and played them

And I hate myself for letting you in”

You look at Ms. Adamson before continuing to the chorus, he eyes already gleaming with pride that you chose to sing. You tried to send a mini apology for the curse word that was coming in the next part.

“Now I could write 10 songs 'bout 9 ways you fucked me over

Only took you 8 second to forget 7 months together

We were up till 6 in the morning

5 ways a week

You said 4ever then left before I counted to 3

Loved you a little 2 much but I was never

I was never the 1”

You took a deep breath and played the keys a bit before moving onto the next part of the song. 

“You mеt me on a Friday

I dressed up likе a first date

So you'd think, "mmm

I think I mmmm"

And I knew we loved when

You stayed past 2 am

And I thought mmm

Does he think mmm”

You looked up and opened your eyes, making eye contact with your friends, Julie and Flynn having small tears in their eyes, knowing this song was written with fresh heartbreak. 

The boys all had looks of shock written on their faces, this being the first time hearing you sing, and the emotion ripe in your voice just making it that much better. 

Reggie had a hint of a smile on his face, pride radiating from him watching you blossom in front of him.

“And I knew you were dangerous

I saw through your games and played them

And I hate myself for letting you in”

You closed your eyes and launched into the chorus again, really letting the emotion carry you through the rest of the song. 

“Now I could write 10 songs 'bout 9 ways you fucked me over

Only took you 8 seconds to forget 7 months together

We were up till 6 in the morning

5 ways a week

You said 4ever and left before I counted to 3

Loved you little 2 much but I was never

I was never the 1”

You took your hands from the keys and repeated the last line again, just your voice filling the crowded classroom. 

“Loved you a little 2 much, but I was never, I was never the 1”

You held out the final “1” and then stepped back from the piano, applause breaking from across the classroom. 

You shyly courtesy and quick step it back to your seat, your stage fright quickly returning. 

“I would like to thank you all for your participation today, and another thanks for being vulnerable with everyone in the room. Everyone was absolutely amazing, I'll have grades up by Monday, have a good weekend!” Ms. Adamson dismissed the class and all your friends' eyes turned to you. 

“WHY DID YOU NEVER TELL US YOU COULD SING?” Luke exclaimed with wide eyes and flailing hands. 

You giggled a bit and shrugged your shoulders.

“Girl, that was so good, did you write it all last night?” Julie shook her head in amazement. 

“Uh yeah, inspiration hit and I just wrote until it was finished.” You shrugged and wring your hands together, not wanting to focus on the moment that inspired it all. 

“Um, are we going to the garage to hang? I can go get my things,” You tried to change the subject by standing and starting towards your locker, Reggie hot on your heels. 

“(Y/n)! Wait up!” You stopped and waited for the boy to catch up, continuing as soon as he was by your side. 

“You really have a great voice,” Reggie gushed as he looked down at you. 

A blush crept on your face as you shook your head. 

Reggie leaned against the neighboring lockers to yours as you gathered your things, looking up at him when you saw his muscles tense. 

You then followed his gaze to see him looking at Dylan walking on the opposite side of the hall, arm slung around Sara, like he used to with you. 

You returned your gaze back to your locker, a new rush of emotions flowing through you. 

Reggie lightly rested a hand on your arm and pulled you into his chest much like he had a few hours prior. 

“He’s an idiot for letting you get away,” He mumbled in your hair. 

“No,” you pulled back slightly, “I’m the idiot who thought someone like him actually loved me.” You wiped a stray tear, Reggie then grabbing each of your hands in his own.

“Don’t you ever think like that, he was rude, careless and just plain stupid for not seeing what he had right in front of him.” 

You look up at the boy in front of you. 

“(Y/n), you are the most beautiful girl I know, inside and out. Your thoughtfulness for everyone around you is absolutely amazing, you care for so many people, you do so much, and don’t ask for anything in return. You are a whole package, and anyone who doesn’t see that is blind.” Reggie finished and wiped the tears that fell while he was talking. 

You leaned back into his chest and wrapped your arms around his torso, feeling grounded, safe,  in a way you never did with Dylan. 

“Thank you,” you muttered, leaning back and feeling butterflies in your stomach, “Um, Reggie, I don’t want to start anything right now, I need some time to figure me out-” you started, but were interrupted by Reggie shushing you. 

“Hey, don't stress about this, you take all the time you need, I promise you I’m not going anywhere.” He smiles down at you, you return it tenfold. 

“Hey! (Y/n)! What would you think about a feature on our next song?” Luke comes running up beside you and Reggie, ending the moment that was occurring. 

“Um, i’ll have to think about that a bit,” You smirked, Reggie grabbing your bag and placing it on his shoulders, wrapping an arm around you as the group walked out of the school. 

“By the way,” Reggie whispers in your ear, “I’m loving the way my flannel looks on you.” 

[hyuckssunchip]

Innatism

Pairings: Lucas x reader, ft. Kun

Words: 1.7K

Warnings: angst, a little fluff

Synopsis: 

Upon reuniting with your ex-boyfriend you discover that not everything was as it seemed. Through obstacles and answers to can finally come to the conclusion that maybe people aren’t as bad as you thought.

You were sitting in the coffee shop close to campus, not something out of the ordinary. You came here almost everyday after class to get your work done. With your drink just out of your reach you sat typing furiously on your laptop. Your philosophy teacher was slightly insane, and had doled out a write up assignment on whether or not humans are innately evil or not, worth a third of your grade and was due Monday.

You frowned to yourself, not knowing where to start. This prompt was so overused and you wrote the same thing every time, but certain recent events kept coming to you and oddly enough you were conflicted on your decision. 

A few months ago your boyfriend of 8 months broke things off with you. He gave no explanation or any indication to cause such a change. You were devastated and all you remember was the cold look in his eyes as he told you right to your face, “You’re not the person I want anymore. In fact, I don’t love you, I never did.” And before you could reply he up and left you sitting in the very cafe you were at now.

Maybe subconsciously you were brought here to remember. The one thing that was out of the ordinary was that you actually sat in the same spot as you did a few months back when your heart was broken. Prior to this you couldn’t even bear to look at the seat, but here you are. Obviously you didn’t think Lucas was evil, the bad memories of him just kept flooding back, yet you couldn’t let yourself move.

You sighed, shaking your head trying to focus back on the assignment. It had been almost four hours since you started but you didn’t feel even close to being complete with the assignment, or maybe you just couldn’t get yourself to leave.

“Still a creature of habit aren’t you?” A voice you could never forget asked from behind you. You whipped your head around, afraid what you thought was true.

He looked so different, so sad and tired. He looked as if he hadn’t slept or eaten in days. While there was a slight hint of humor in his voice, you could tell that it was forced, and the smile may have brightened his features, but it never reached his eyes.

You coughed looking away,  feeling the prickly sensation threaten to sting your eyes, and the feeling of your throat tightening around the lump that refused to go down.

“I guess,” you muttered, trying to keep all emotion out of your voice. You didn’t want him to see how much he still affected you. You had to be strong.

“Do you mind if I sit here?” he asked quietly, almost begging. Your eyes flitted across the almost empty room, and turned back with a  frown on your face, “I really can’t talk right now, I've got stuff to do.” You said as coldly as you could muster.

“It’ll only take a minute.” he pleaded. As hard as you tried to not look at him, you failed. Your eyes locked and you caved nodding your head as an indication for him to sit.

However, you refused to look up from your laptop and continued working. After 10 minutes he broke the silence with “I miss you.”

You stopped typing mid-word. Frozen, you closed your eyes for a second taking in a deep breath.

You felt a hand graze over your own and you instinctively flinched. At this, you heard him choke on his breath and pull away but not before giving you one last glance of hope.

“I’m telling you Kun, it was really weird, We just sat there in silence, then he said I miss you. Everything got weird and he bolted.” You whined to your best friend Kun over the phone. Unfortunately the bad thing with having your best friend set you up with his bandmate, things  tend to get awkward when you break up.

“That is weird. He told us he couldn’t go to lunch with us because he was meeting up with an old friend. I wonder why he lied to us.” [K]

“I don’t know anymore. I’m just so upset that he had the nerve to tell me he missed me after what he said before. It’s not fair!” [Y/N]

“I still don’t really know what happened before. You wouldn’t tell me why he did that.” [K]

“Because I don’t know! He never told me either. To be honest, I hate to say this, but I’m worried about him. He looked awful. Has he been eating, or sleeping?” [Y/N]

“Y/N… I don’t think you--” [K]

“Wait, no. Don’t tell me. I’m supposed to be over him and that whole situation. Forget it. Just… keep an eye on him will you? I mean, not because I asked… because you’re his friend.” [Y/N]

“Okay Y/N. Hey, don’t let this get to you okay?” [K]

“Yeah. Alright. Are we still on for Saturday?” [Y/N]

“Yep! I can’t wait to see you! Gosh, it’s been so long.” [K]

“I know! Alright I guess I should go, I have a ridiculous paper calling my name.” [Y/N]

“M’kay see you soon!” [K]

You let out a sigh throwing your phone on the bed and flopping down next to it. Your eyes closed, ready to drift to a nap when the doorbell interrupted your peace.

Hmmm… that’s odd. It’s 7:00 PM, I didn’t order food did I? On second thought, I probably did didn’t I?

You made your way to the door reaching for your purse as it opened. “How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. In fact, I think I owe you an explanation, and an apology.”

Your head snapped up to meet with none other than Lucas, not looking much better than he had hours before. Although the offer was enticing as he stood in the doorway holding a tub of your favorite ice cream.

You quietly left, running to the kitchen and grabbing two spoons, wagging them in his face before making your way to the couch.

“Open up, bud. You got a lot of explaining to do.” You said as he popped the lid off the tub. 

He gave you a sad smile at the term ‘bud’ and opened his mouth to talk, but not before shoveling a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth.

“I know what I said was harsh and uncalled for and I understand if you can't forgive me, but there was a reason.” You nodded, continuing with your ice cream escapade.

“I want to start off by saying I love you. Ah- before you say anything, let me finish. I lied back then, I loved you then, and I love you now. And no matter what happens from here on out, a part of me will always love you.” The spoon had made it halfway into your mouth before you froze.

“I know I can’t blame what I did on someone else, but I never wanted to leave you, it really broke my heart to do that. To see you in shock and pain, it hurt me more than it hurt you. Whatever you felt, I felt ten times worse, believe me. I haven’t been well lately, I can’t seem to sleep because I always dream of you, and I can’t stand reliving what I did. I can’t keep food down and everything I do gets sloppy. That’s the only reason they're letting me do this right now.”

“Wait a minute... who’s they? Why can’t you do stuff? What are they doing to you? Lucas, if something is wrong, you can tell me, you know that right? If you’re in trouble or need help, I’m here. Okay?”

This earned a smile from him, but you were still worried, the frown never leaving your face. 

“Oh calm down,” he chuckled, “everything’s alright. Just eat your ice cream for now.” he said as he pushed the spoon towards your open mouth.

“I’m not in trouble, don’t worry about me. In fact that’s the last thing you should do for me. I don’t even deserve that.” He said with a sad smile. 

“It was my manager, they never liked our relationship. They said we had to break it off or the band would suffer. I should have never done what I did to you, but I couldn’t let the boys down after all they worked for. That's no excuse for how I told you though. I thought if I was harsh and mean, you would hate me and it would be easier for you, but I was wrong. I only ended up hating myself. I’m not asking for forgiveness or a second chance, only that you know why I did what I did. Although a boy can hope.” He chuckled sadly to himself at the last part, avoiding eye contact with you and grabbing the tub to shut himself up while he still could.

A minute of silence passed before either of you dared to move or say anything.

“You idiot! You could have told me, I would’ve understood!” You shouted smacking his chest repeatedly. It was a sight to see, a grown man getting smacked to death with a spoon hanging out of his mouth and eyes as wide as saucers.

After a bit more playful banter and some reconciliation you and Lucas sat on the couch content in each other's arms, for the first time in months. “Are you sure you’re not mad?” he asked, still timid.

“No, do you want me to be?” you giggled back. “Oh!” you gasped. “My paper! I know exactly what to write about now!” You looked over at Lucas who was staring at you with a hint of a smile sketched on his face and you gave him a peck.

“I’ll be right back!” yelling as you ran to your room, grabbing your laptop and making your way back to your spot against Lucas.

“Everything good?” He asked, digging his face into the crook of your neck.

“Yeah, everything’s good.” You whispered, smiling to yourself, knowing that Lucas’ explanation and decision may have been the factor in changing your answer. Maybe the world is made up of good people after all, it just may not be that obvious. 

© Copyright 2021. hyuckssunchip. All rights reserved.

[threeletterslife]

Change of Plans

→ summary: So how did you and Seokjin meet? Now that the two of you are engaged, you’re ready to tell your friends the night you were supposed to get laid but didn’t. And it’s all your fiancé’s fault.

→ pairing/rating: seokjin x reader | PG-13

→ genre: 80% crack, 20% fluff | college!au & est. relationship!au

→ warnings: profanity, mentions of hooking up, crude humor, tinder lmao

→ wordcount: 2.5k

→ a/n: guys when i was editing this i laughed at my own fucking jokes ohmygod 🤡🤡

cr.

"So," Jungkook snorts, swinging his arm around Seokjin's shoulder as he looks at the happy couple curiously. "You're getting married."

"Hell, yes!" you say, pumping your fist. "Look at my ring."

Everyone around you groans.

"Y/N, we looked at your ring so many times, I think if someone told me to resculpt it blindfolded, I could," Yoongi sighs. He half annoyedly half defeatedly grabs a can of beer and downs it.

"Shut up, Yoongi," Daehyung says. "Y/N, your ring is beautiful," she gushes. "Yoongi's just jealous because he's single."

"It's beautiful because I helped Seokjin pick it out," Yoongi argues. "Even though I'm single, I have excellent taste."

"You also have a cocky attitude," you giggle, admiring how the sparkling ring fits perfectly around your ring finger. "But thank you. I appreciate the advice you gave my fiancé."

"Can you believe a year ago, I didn't even know your name?" Seokjin laughs, nudging you. Giving him an ungrateful glare, you push him back.

"Wait, really?" Jungkook says, eyes wide. "I thought you guys were college besties."

"No, they met on a hookup app," Daehyung giggles.

"Seriously??" Yoongi says.

"It wasn't exactly a hookup app," you pout. "We didn't even hookup."

"It was too a hookup app," Daehyung says. "Tinder, to be exact."

Everyone except you and Seokjin gasps dramatically.

"Come to think of it," Yoongi says, "you two never told us how you met."

"Yeah, and if we tell you, you're going to embarrass the shit out of me and my future wife when you give the best man speech at the wedding," Seokjin frowns. "I'm not setting myself up for humiliation."

"I promise I'll keep it a secret!"

"Hey, I thought I was the best man!" Jungkook yells.

"You can be the flower girl," you snort.

"What?!" the young bachelor shrieks.

"Can everybody shut the fuck up so I can hear this story again?" Daehyung yells at the top of her lungs.

"Again??" Seokjin says curiously. "When did you hear it the first time?"

"Oh, Y/N was drunk," Daehyung giggles. "When she's drunk, she spills straight up tea."

"Oops," you say when your fiancé gives you a dirty look. "Why do we have to keep it a secret, anyway?"

"Because it's embarrassing."

"Yeah, embarrassing for you. I sound like a hero."

"Y/N saves the day?" Yoongi grins. "And Seokjin wrecks something? What's new?"

"I'm this close to making you the flower girl," the engaged man threatens.

Yoongi shuts up.

"Oh, come on, babe, let's tell them the story," you plead. "It's so funny!"

"Yeah, for you."

"Learn to laugh at yourself, Seokjin," Daehyung chastises. "Plus it wasn't even that humiliating."

"God!" Jin shrieks. "Yes it was humiliating!"

"Shut up, you big baby," you say, patting the head of your soon-to-be-husband. "I'll take the floor now."

"Oh, god," Jin groans.

You grin in response. "Okay, it all started senior year of college... Monday... November 14th, 8:02 p.m..."

"It did not start then," Seokjin argues.

"Stop being so petty," Jungkook snorts.

"Wait, no Jin's right. It didn't start then," you giggle apologetically. Seokjin facepalms. "It started a week and a few days before November 14th."

"Does the date really matter?" Yoongi groans.

"Yes," you, Seokjin, Jungkook and Daehyung chorus.

Yoongi shuts up—for the second time that day.

"Okay, where was I?" you mumble. "Oh, right! It all started..."

Tinder is an annoying bitch.

It keeps pairing you up with dudes you know in your class. You are not going to have a one night stand with a guy and be stuck in a group project with him the next day. You're going to avoid that awkward possibility for as much as you can.

You've used the "dating" app off and on in your college years, but it's never amounted to anything more than craptastic hookups and hectic morning afters. So you deleted it.

Until early November when you had to third wheel Daehyung and her boyfriend to a local fair. You were so bored and desperate that you re-downloaded Tinder and started swiping. There are way too many hot guys on one app. It makes you start to wonder where all the hot guys in your school are.

There are a few guys who match with you, but it's clear that they are massive dodo brains when they start off the conversation with a one-worded 'hi' or 'send nudes plz' or the worst: 'your beautiful.' With the wrong 'your' and all. You don't even answer them.

But one guy's messages catch your eyes.

[SEOKJIN]: Roses are red

[SEOKJIN]: Let's test my luck

[SEOKJIN]: We should get in bed

[SEOKJIN]: So we can—

The unfinished poem leaves you almost choking on your own spit. If that wasn't creative, you don't know what is. After background checking his profile, you realize he's one of those hotties. You wonder what on earth he's doing texting you, but you're not going to miss this amazing chance.

[Y/N]: Fuck?

Seokjin replies about three seconds later.

[SEOKJIN]: Oh no that's so vulgar

[SEOKJIN]: I was going to say cuddle :((

You giggle. Sort of a low-grade joke, but what can you say? You're a complete sucker for those.

It's hard to find men these days who are perfect texters. Most men are dry, sending in one-word answers and letting emojis talk for them. Other men write way too much. Seokjin is right in the middle. Already, he has your attention. (Especially because you like his humor.)

The two of you text back and forth until you're back home in your bed. You would've texted him more but it was 3:04 a.m. and you had class the next day.

Butterflies erupt in your stomach when Seokjin, a complete stranger, mind you, tells you, 'goodnight. sweet dreams.'

What follows is a week's worth of texting. You've been swiping and texting other guys on the side, but if Seokjin's available, you ditch everyone else.

You learn that Jin's a history major and he despises STEM with all of his guts. You let him go on a ten-minute rant on why math should die all because it's adorable how he has so much supporting evidence for his argument. Seokjin had to backtrack and apologize when he learned that you majored in physics, though, which was hilarious. You could feel him blushing via text.

The more you text Seokjin, the more you want to meet him in person. Also, his Tinder bio promises mind-blowing sex, so you're down for that too.

On a fateful day, you finally somehow schedule a meeting with the hot man. Monday, November 14th at 8 p.m. You're to meet at Seokjin's little apartment (which seemed to be in a safe neighborhood). You have fun picking your lingerie with Daehyung. (You kept saying Seokjin would be the type to like pink and lace, but Daehyung argued that he'd like scarlet red and leather. But you kicked her out of your room and chose the pink lace lingerie set anyway.)

It was an understatement to say you were excited about this. You were elated, insanely thrilled. Not only did you find a hookup partner, but also you found a man you could potentially see yourself dating.

Daehyung keeps telling you not to get your hopes too high because in her words, "You've never even met the goddamn dude." But you know a gem when you see one. Unlike Daehyung. She's been off and on with about four different guys since the beginning of college. What does she know about love??

In the end, you want to be more than hookup material to Seokjin. But of course, that would be after you get laid tonight. The flirty wink faces and jokes were indicative that tonight would be a very, very enjoyable night. You just have to get to his apartment on time.

At precisely 8:02 p.m., you knock on his door. Okay, you were going to knock on his door when you originally got there (at 7:56 p.m.), but after consulting Daehyung, she said that it's better to make men wait. For once, her advice kind of makes sense. So you wait six minutes and then knock on his door.

"Oh shit!" you hear from the apartment.

You raise your eyebrows. He was expecting you, right?

"Just a second!!"

His voice is much smoother and more delicate than you thought.

You're dreaming about finally seeing his beautiful face in person when the door opens. Damn. He's really, really hot. You feel on fire just looking at him. But you quickly see that the man is panting. He's also sweating.

"O-Oh, is this a bad time?"

"Fuck," Seokjin curses. He runs his finger through his silky black hair. "Uh..." He trails off, eyes darting below to see just a sliver of your pink lace lingerie set peeking out from under your black coat. He gulps. You can see his Adam's apple bob. He exudes this warm, chaotic energy you wouldn't have expected from someone who looks so well-put-together as him. But you kind of find that hot.

"Okay, change of plans," Seokjin finally gasps out. He tugs you in his apartment and holds out a good stack of papers. "College happened."

You laugh. "What??"

"Okay, remember when I told you I fucking hate math?"

"Yes??" The ten-minute rant—how could you forget something so iconic?

"Well, I made a huge mistake of taking accounting this year and now I'm behind on five assignments that are all due tomorrow—"

"Oh god."

"Don't worry. I'm going to get it all done. So we can uh..." Seokjin glances at your scandalous outfit behind the confines of your coat. "Finish the rest of my poem."

"In that case..." You roll up your long sleeves. "Do you have a t-shirt I can borrow?"

"Y-Yeah," Seokjin says. He dashes away and after a split second, he comes back with a navy, oversized t-shirt. "Here."

"Thank you!" you chirp. "Now," you say, tying your hair up in a messy bun and gesturing toward the heap of paper Seokjin is holding, "I took accounting two years ago, but I'm sure I remember all the essential stuff. Wanna get to work?"

Seokjin looks at you like you're an angel.

"Shut up!" Jungkook laughs so hard he almost falls over. "You're telling me that you were going to get laid, but you got cockblocked by Seokjin's procrastination??"

"Yes! I know!" you snort. "But it's a good thing I can actually do math. Unlike Mr. I-hate-math-so-much-I-barely-do-my-homework, here."

"In my defense..." Seokjin trails off. "I don't have an excuse, actually."

Yoongi rolls his eyes. "Did you finish the assignments, though?"

"Why are you guys asking the irrelevant questions?" Daehyung sighs. "Shouldn't you guys ask if Y/N got laid like she was supposed to??"

Seokjin grumbles. "We finished the assignments in three hours."

"We??" you say incredulously.

"Okay, fine. Y/N did more than half of it because I had no idea what was going on."

"And I did get laid!" You pump a victorious fist in the air. "But it was really late and I fell asleep before we even got to the good part."

"So she got properly laid in the morning," Seokjin snickers. "And it was so good she left after having breakfast."

"I think I fell for him because he can cook so well," you laugh. "And he felt extra bad about the night before so he made a three-course breakfast meal."

"Oh my god, men who finesse in the kitchen," Daehyung gushes. "Why haven't I caught a case like that yet?"

"Your personality is your birth control, bro," Jungkook snorts. "I thought you knew."

"I will shove a pregnancy test up your fucking ass," Daehyung threatens.

"How do you know I won't like how that feels?"

"SHUT UP!" Yoongi screams. "DON'T PAINT THAT PICTURE IN MY HEAD."

You and Seokjin give each other another look. Ever since you introduced Daehyung to Seokjin's two best friends, it's been... uh, chaotic. At this point, you're not sure if your friends argue out of pure love or pure hatred.

But the fact that Jungkook uses the same flirting tactics of a pre-teen boy explains a lot about his relationship with Daehyung.

"At this rate, do you even want these people at the wedding?" Seokjin whispers jokingly.

"I heard that!" Daehyung shrieks. "I will be at the wedding whether you want it or not!"

"Don't worry," you laugh. "You're going to be my maid of honor!"

"Whew," Daehyung sighs. "Since I'm your maid of honor can I uninvite Jeon Jungkook for being an asshole?"

"Hey!"

"No, we're putting you two in the same table at the afterparty dinner," Seokjin grins. "And Yoongi, you'll be there to witness the madness."

"Lovely," the sarcastic man gripes.

"Exactly!" you say.

But it is lovely indeed.

You never thought your ability to zoom past accounting assignments would ever come to use. Until Seokjin opened up a whole new door for you. Sure, you wanted a plain ol' hookup, but instead of getting dick, you got yourself a boyfriend. And now a fiancé.

If you think about it, now you have an endless supply of dick—all from the same, magnificent man. So it all worked out in the end.

Before all of your friends leave after the friendly gathering, you tug Yoongi to the side and pay him a hundred bucks to retell the hilarious story in his best man speech. Once money is involved, Yoongi will do anything.

Sure enough, on the faithful day of the wedding, and quite to Seokjin's horror, Yoongi tells the story of how you and Seokjin had first met—leaving out explicit details to save the ears of the older guests. But the story leaves everyone in tears of laughter.

Seokjin is so enamored by the attention that he doesn't even get angry at Yoongi.

"I'm glad I took that stupid accounting class!" he announces at the afterparty. "If it hadn't been for Professor Le Chory and his endless assignments, I would've never met my wife!"

And when the party's over and the two of you go off to your shared apartment to rest before going on your honeymoon trip to Yeousu, Seokjin clears his throat.

"Yes??" you say, giggling as Seokjin shyly fidgets with his hands. "Did you break something again?"

"No!" he says. "I just thought of another poem."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Wanna hear it?"

"Sure. But if this keeps up, you'll become a poet, Jin."

"I know," your husband grins. He takes a deep breath and recites the poem from memory, closing his eyes as he concentrates on each word.

Roses are red,

You are now my wife,

We should sleep in bed,

So tomorrow, and until forever, I'll show you the time of your life.

With Seokjin, life is spontaneous. But you don't really mind. Living in the moment and changing your plans as they go isn't too bad.

Especially when you wake up the next morning and Seokjin announces instead of Yeousu, the two of you will embark on a journey to Jeju instead.

Perfect. You've always wanted to visit Jeju Island.

masterlist

[edie-k]

Legally Ginger (Chapter 2)

Title: Legally Ginger

Chapter 2/9

Rating: PG-13 (I use fuck more than the MPAA allows for PG-13 but that's a stupid rule - there's no explicit content)

Pairing: Romione endgame

Summary: When Ron Weasley's college girlfriend declines his proposal because he doesn't meet her standard for future husband, he decides comes up with a plan to let her see him in a new light.

Notes: This is an AU Muggle reimagination of Legally Blonde. It's very different than anything I have ever written - and my first chapter story. I intend to update each Monday - although I'm slightly early due to commitments tomorrow.

TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter has a character making a joke about an incident of sexual harassment they were the victim of. This is a line directly from the movie and is bolded to indicate it's not my original dialogue. Unlike the movie, the conduct is identified as harassment.

Shout out to TheKillerTigerBunny’s recent fic for inspiring a scene in the admissions video.

Thanks to adnei again for her feedback!

Read at AO3 or click below for more

Ron mindlessly shoved his hand back into the bag of chips next to him on the bed as he stared at the TV in the corner.

He had spent all day Sunday trying to compose the perfect text. The magic words that would bring her back. He composed dozens of drafts. Some were apologetic - clearly he shouldn’t have sprung an engagement on her but that didn’t mean they had to break up! Some were logical - there was almost a full semester of school left that they could spend together and see where they stood at graduation. Some were just pathetic - begging and pleading her for a second chance.

Finally, he decided to keep it simple.

can we please talk?

She responded.

it’s too hard to talk. I love you but that doesn’t mean this can work I’m sorry

He didn’t respond further. In the end, he couldn’t figure out how to fix what was wrong with him. There was no clear way to make himself worthy of Astoria.

So when the alarm went off Monday morning, he hit snooze. Then he hit it again. And again. And then he just turned it off for the next four days, only emerging from his room in the middle of the night to raid the pantry for more supplies. Apart from a few supportive texts from his siblings and friends, he’d been mostly left to wallow. Which could only mean that news of his humiliation had spread across campus and people were keeping their distance. He appreciated it but had a hunch his brothers’ patience would soon wear thin.

As if on cue, the door flung open.

“All right, Ron,” said Fred, barging in the room. “It’s been a week. Time to emerge.”

“Uh,” grunted Ron. Pig trotted in happily and jumped up on the bed next to Ron.

Fred paused and looked at the TV. “My God, are you watching NBC Sports Network? You need to snap out of it.”

Ron shrugged. “Lost the remote two days ago.”

George poked his head in the room before entering. “God, it reeks in here. And it better be beer in that bottle by your nightstand. Thankfully, we brought reinforcements.”

“Hey bro,” said Ginny, popping into the room. “It’s time to seize the day!”

“No,” he said flatly to his sister.

“Come on, you don’t want to blow off your classes. You’ve worked too hard to have to graduate in the summer semester. You want the celebrity commencement speaker, not whatever ancient associate dean they con into putting on a robe in August,” Ginny appealed.

“I’ve been emailing my assignments. It’s fine.”

“Well, this isn’t fine. Come on! I know what always cheers you up,” Ginny wheedled.

“Ehm,” Ron grunted, turning over.

“Please!” begged Ginny. “I need to blow off steam too.”

“I’ll buy you cheese fries,” George suggested.

“My own order,” Ron said.

“Yes,” agreed George.

“And beer,” Ron added.

“Goes without saying!” said Fred, yanking the covers off of him. “Shower and we’re off!”

****************************

Forty minutes later, he was moping under the umbrella shaded patio table outside of the batting cages, Pig at his feet, picking at his fries while his beer warmed in the sunshine. Fred and George were taking cracks off the pitching machine with a couple of his frat brothers and members of Ginny’s sorority that had tagged along.

“Come on,” said Ginny. “You need to hit something.”

“I’ll take the next one,” Ron replied listlessly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Girls, make him see reason,” she appealed to her sisters, who were seated next to him flipping through magazines. Ginny jogged off to join the others.

“Ron, Astoria is trash,” said Lavender.

“She is not!”

“She’s trash,” agreed Parvati. “Bougie trash.”

“I’m the one that’s clearly trash.”

“No, you’re a fucking straight up 9 and if I wasn’t in love with the moron taking 40 mile per hour softballs to the head - ” Lavender gestured at Seamus who was doing just that - “I would already be in your pants,” Lavender assured him.

“You’re a little too earnest for me, if I’m being honest,” said Parvati. “And you’re a dude, so no. But if you dated one of my friends, I wouldn’t tell her she could do better than you.”

“Yeah,” said Ron, throwing up his hands in exasperation. “Astoria, you should take me back. I’m not as good of a catch as a guy that tries to achieve CTE for fun but at least Parvati won’t shit talk me behind my back.”

The girls giggled. “Ron, I know it hurts that she didn’t feel the same about you but truly, you are better off. She was just flat out wrong. You’re smart, you’re accomplished, everyone likes you. She’s a snob looking for a certain name to hyphenate behind hers. Just like her sister,” Parvati insisted, pointing at the People magazine in front of her.

Ron peered over her shoulder. There was a color shot of Astoria’s sister Daphne, her hand ensconced in the hand of a dark haired man, walking the sidewalks of New York.

“Is that the Kennedy Taylor Swift dated?” asked Lavender. The two girls' voices faded in the background as he read and reread the caption.

Third year Princeton Law.

This is what Astoria was talking about. Her sister was dating some east coast prep school guy who went to a fancy university. In some ways, he got it. That need to live up to your siblings’ accomplishments or better yet, surpass them. He certainly felt it himself.

Bill, with his gorgeous French wife, was on the executive track at a financial firm. Charlie, with his easygoing personality, had somewhat accidentally launched a successful YouTube channel about his wildlife adventures in Asia. Percy, who had somehow managed to weather the civil servant storm and was on his third presidential administration at the IRS. Fred and George had their plans and Ginny knew she’d go early in the next National Women’s Soccer League draft if she didn’t opt to play soccer professionally overseas.

And Ron had had Astoria. The thought of a good life with a good job supporting an amazing and ambitious woman was exactly what he wanted. But she needed a little more. She needed someone that could prove they played at her level and bring a little flash and substance, like Daphne’s fiancé did.

He stared at the picture. Ron couldn’t get the Kennedy name. But he could wear a fucking rugby shirt and throw gel in his hair and...

“That’s it!” Ron shouted.

“What?” both girls asked, startled.

“I’m going to Harvard Law,” he announced.

Both girls stared. “Seamus, sweetie?” called Lavender. “Bring your batting helmet. He’s got some brain damage and we need to protect his skull from further harm.”

Ron rolled his eyes. “Ha ha. So Astoria’s a little… materialistic and thinks about optics. Everyone Is flawed. And Lav, you said yourself that I’m a nine. How does law school, hell, Harvard Law School, not get me to a ten?”

“What’s going on?” asked Ginny. They’d abandoned the cages at Lavender’s call.

“I’m going to law school,” Ron announced proudly.

“Why?” asked George.

“Ron, no. You loved your internship. You have three job offers doing what you enjoy. This is fucking insane,” Fred insisted.

“You can’t give up free beer,” Seamus added.

“Maybe I’ll love law school,” Ron reasoned. “And if I don’t, I don’t have to finish. It’ll be enough to prove to Astoria I can get into Harvard - ”

“Harvard?” George asked.

“—And not embarrass her. The jobs I enjoyed have regulatory aspects to them so hey, a semester of law school can only help, right?”

“This is asinine,” Parvati said.

“Free beer,” whined Seamus.

“Holy shit,” cried Ginny, flashing her phone towards them. “Have you seen the cost of tuition?” She flashed it to George before Ron snatched the phone out of her hand.

“How the fuck are you going to pay for that?”

Ron cringed. “It’s not going to be my proudest moment. but I’ve got an idea.”

********************

“Hi, Auntie,” Ron said, as he followed the maid into the giant sitting room.

“Ronald,” Muriel greeted. They stood looking at each other awkwardly a moment. “Well, sit down. You,” she barked at the maid. “Bring us some drinks.”

“Right away, ma’am,” the maid scurried off.

Ron and his siblings came from fairly blue collar roots on both sides of the family. In fact, they were the first to attend college. The cost had made it out of reach for his mother and father to attend themselves. Mom’s brothers had planned to take advantage of the GI Bill but unfortunately were casualties of the first Gulf War. After that, Muriel had set up education trusts for her great niece and nephews with the $20,000 incentive. While his mom and dad had always refused any other financial help from Muriel, education was just too important to pass up.

Muriel had money to burn. Unbelievably, she’d been the trophy wife of an oil billionaire 35 years older than her back in her heyday and other than maintaining her estate, caring for at least 6 dogs at any given time and keeping a steady supply of brandy, she mostly just spent her money on controlling whatever family and non-profits she could sink her claws into.

“So,” said Muriel as the maid returned with a snifter of brandy for each of them. “I assume you’ve come for an advance on your graduation gift. When I saw your mother last month, she said things were quite serious between you and that Greengrass girl.”

“Uh, not exactly. See Aunt Muriel, I’ve had a change to my course of studies.”

“You’re almost done and NOW you realize that culinary arts will earn you pennies?”

“No,” he gritted his teeth. “Not culinary arts. It’s food science. It has to do with the biochemistry of food systems and preservation.”

Muriel snorted. “And you’ve decided that since pioneer women had canning figured out, there was nothing further for you to do.”

“Actually, I’ve decided to attend law school.”

“Law school?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Harvard Law.”

“You think you’re going to Harvard Law?”

“Yes,” he answered.

“Why?”

“Why-why do I want to go?” Ron responded. He wasn’t sure if his reason would impress Muriel much.

“No, why do you think you’ll get in?”

It was a fair question. Before college, he had never been an over achiever. That had started with the CULA soccer coach coming to see Ginny play during the spring of her junior year. He’d joined the coach, his parents and Ginny at the house after the meet and delivered the disappointing news that the only event he’d qualified for in the district meet was the 3200 meter. While his family looked sympathetic, the coach smiled and said, “Yes, I’d expect that you’d be a great distance runner. My husband coaches cross country at CULA. Could I give him your name?”

No one had ever expected him to be great at anything.

He won the state title in his division for 3200 meter that year and went on to win the conference title twice at college.

And once he proved himself there, people expected he’d be good at chemistry and they expected he’d be a good president of the house and good at fundraising. And he was. Doing what he was expected to do worked.

But now, they all expected him to give up on the love of his life.

“Just… want to do the unexpected.”

“You know I’m on the board of the local humane society?”

“Uh, I guess,” said Ron. He was actually clueless to her old biddy affairs.

“I understand you raised $12,000 for us at the end of last year.”

“Me and the rest of the guys,” he answered.

“Violet Pullen led me to believe it was mostly your doing.”

Ron shrugged. “I was the one who knew how to brew the beer. And it wasn’t that hard to get the permissions to bottle it and sell it and stuff. The other guys got it promoted for the most part.”

Muriel looked at him appraisingly before she chuckled dryly. “Bring me an acceptance letter and I’ll cut a check.”

*************************

“What the hell is all this?”

Ron glanced up from the stack of study guides he was perusing to answer the twins. “LSAT study guides.”

Fred groaned. “Are you still on this?”

“Of course,” Ron said. “My advisor said I need like, a 173 on the LSAT to be seriously considered.”

“Why would they consider a food science major?”

Ron shrugged. “I have a 3.89 GPA. And Stori’s a philosophy major.”

“But that makes sense,” George said.

“How?” challenged Ron.

“Dunno. I guess because philosophy is a snob subject that’s totally useless without at least a graduate degree.”

Ron ignored them.

“And how are you paying for this?”

“Muriel will cover tuition if I get in. I’ll live at home this summer and I’ve got a couple technician jobs I can take that my degree makes me more than qualified for, plus some catering gigs. I figure that’ll be enough to get through the school year.”

“Ron,” Fred said. “Bro, you like your life. Why change it for some girl?”

“I’m getting fucking tired of this. She’s not some girl. I’m in love with her. She’s the one and I just need to show her I’m worthy of her.”

“You ARE worthy of her,” George insisted.

“Then it’ll be easy to prove, right?” said Ron.

The twins looked at each other and sighed.

“Here, take my lucky pencil for the exam. It helped me pass Spanish.” Fred held out the writing instrument to Ron.

“You passed Spanish because you gave Professor Trewlaney a lap dance,” George reminded him.

“Yeah. Luckily.”

“That’s sexual harassment,” said Ron.

“It is?” asked Fred.

“Yeah, it’s called quid pro quo. She should be fired for that.”

“Well hot damn, Ronnie,” said George. “Maybe you’re set for this law school stuff after all.”

“The exam is the least of my worries. I need a two page essay, professor recommendations, and a ‘personal statement’ of some sort. I’ve never been great at selling myself,” he admitted.

“Well Georgie,” said Fred with a grin. “Looks like you just found the subject of your senior marketing project.”

***************************************

“Well,” said Horace Michaels, rubbing his face and looking at his fellow panel members. “That was certainly something.”

“The video was a lot but… I like him,” said Veda Kasyor. “He’s a college athlete and president of his fraternity while carrying a high GPA.”

“Oh, is he an athlete Veda? Did the shirtless jogging footage tip you off?”

“He was also brewing beer in his frat basement.”

“He’s a food science major.”

“And he sold that beer on campus as a Humane Society fundraiser.”

“Who produced this video? Pretty heavy handed with the studying in the library footage,” Richard scoffed.

“He’s got a 3.89 GPA and he got a 177 on the LSAT. He probably studies.”

“Was he playing chess naked in the video?”

“It was his opponent who wasn’t wearing clothes - I believe it was strip chess.”

“If we’re looking for diversity - ”

“A white man’s not it.”

“Typically, no but he’s got, what, 6 siblings? Dad’s a mailman, Mom’s a parapro. He’s not some trust fund legacy case.”

“He had internships with two major corporations. And his resume shows part-time jobs since he was 16.”

“I’m concerned about his course of study. Food science is the hard sciences. Is he going to be equipped to handle position statements?”

“His personal essay was well-written and compelling, plus he minored in business. His Business Strategy prof had a glowing recommendation.”

“Ron Weasley… welcome to Harvard.”

[inkedstarlight]

Bittersweet: Chapter Five

Summary: College is kicking Nesta’s ass, so she goes to her T.A., Tomas, for some extra help. Note: Read it on AO3 here! Bittersweet Masterlist  Warnings: N/A

October

It was only a couple weeks into the fall semester, and it was already hell.

Nesta was drowning in schoolwork, whether it be essays or presentations or hour-long projects. She had exams every damn week, so she was at the campus library nearly every day – typically until the sun set and the stars emerged. But even then, her night was far from over. Nesta returned home only to catch up on the work she’d put off for her paid internship. Elain got in the habit of making Nesta tea and cookies when she returned from the library on those ruthless nights. And every damn time, Nesta would wrap her arms around her sister with thanks.

This was her routine for at least four days of the week. Wash, rinse, repeat.

Needless to say, she was fucking exhausted.

The worst part, though? Nesta’s grades were precariously low despite the countless hours she’d been putting in. And she knew exactly what was causing it.

It had been a month since her father’s death, yet Nesta was still waking up in her own sweat every morning after a nightmare involving him. Of him hanging on the edge of a cliff, begging Nesta to save him. Of her dad screaming at her to kill herself. Of her mother dragging Nesta into the other room as he watches idly by.  

Nesta had cursed herself for letting her father’s death affect her in this way. She’d never been one to grieve, especially not for so long. She preferred leaving it in the past. It was easier that way.

Thanks to her merciless professors, Nesta was forced to dedicate nearly all of her time to school, which forced her to neglect her internship. They required she edit ten pieces of work every week, whether it be self-published books, college publications, or online articles. Even though the internship was entirely online – a convenient bonus – she still didn’t have enough time to fulfill the weekly goals. Instead of editing ten works, she was barely scrapping by with five. She’d already received several angry emails from her boss threatening to fire her if she didn’t get her shit together.

And, well… Nesta didn’t get her shit together. On the last day of September, she received that fateful email.

Nesta Archeron,

I regret to inform you that we’ve made the difficult decision of letting you go from Scribner Editorial. While I understand you’re in the midst of earning your Master’s degree, we are looking for editors who can reach – or exceed – the necessary requirements. Unfortunately, you have been lacking in the past few weeks. It has caused other editors to pick up your slack and do more than what we ask for. We are sorry to see you go.

Sincerely,

Ressina Laurent Scribner Editorial

Nesta read and reread the email dozens of times before closing her laptop. Her head fell in her hands, her shoulders trembling with the weight she carried.

She stared out the window, the world a flurry of red, orange, and yellow. Nesta had worked so hard for this, and all for nothing. She couldn’t believe she’d fucked up such a prestigious internship. It’d paid surprisingly well, and that had been the only income she was receiving. Even with the paychecks from Scribner Editorial, Nesta’s financial situation was holding on by a thread. She had used the money her father had passed down to her to pay off the remaining student loans she owned. Her family never had much money and when it was split in three, it didn’t make much of a difference.

Just like that, Nesta no longer had a job.

Fuck.

Within ten minutes of receiving that email, she was already browsing online for job opportunities. Nesta didn’t care what it was, as long as it put steady income in her pocket. There was no way she would be able to finish school without a job.

But unfortunately, after an hour of job hunting, Nesta came up empty handed. The only person who was hiring was the large grocery store downtown. They were looking for a cashier. And there was no way in hell Nesta would even consider working there. She’d seen the crowds they got on weekends. The work were incessantly forced to talk with rude, invasive customers. Nesta was far from the realm of customer service.

Nesta was down to her last resort. She didn't give herself another second to overthink it as she picked up her phone from her desk and texted Feyre.

I was just fired. You know of any job openings in the area?

Nesta sat by her phone for a couple minutes until Feyre deigned to respond.

The only one I know if is Rita’s, the local bar. They’re looking for a bartender, have been for months.

Nesta nearly snorted out her coffee when she read the text. Feyre had to be kidding. Nesta, bartending? There was no way in hell she could be a halfway decent bartender – anyone who’s ever met Nesta knew that. She didn’t possess the charm nor the patience, and she certainly couldn’t deal with drunken men who leered at her all night. In Massachusetts, she'd had her fair share of hook-ups, men and women alike. It was night after night of mindless, drunken sex. But then she'd grown up.

Nesta looked back at the soft glow of her computer screen. There had to be something, right?

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

Wrong.

After scrolling through hundreds of websites with job opportunities (or lack thereof), Nesta collapsed on her bed. She checked the time to find that it was nearly one in the morning. Rubbing her face, she let out a low groan. Tomorrow was Monday. Gods, why did tomorrow have to be Monday? She was so exhausted that she was feeling physically ill: sore throat, cough, stuffy nose. The urge to skip classes tomorrow was tempting.

But Nesta knew she wouldn't skip. What would she do? A whole day to herself and a head full of intrusive thoughts. The perfect ingredients for a panic attack or two.

Her gaze fell to the small stack of bills she had yet to pay – that she couldn’t pay. Bills that would only grow.

With that thought in mind, Nesta cursed Scribner Editorial as she grabbed her laptop and searched ‘Rita’s’ on an open browser.

Then, she composed an email.

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

The next day, Nesta finally got around to contacting her Fictional Techniques teaching assistant. It was by far her most challenging class, and she despised the professor. A big chunk of her studying was dedicated to that course alone. And since she no longer had a job – for now – she finally had the time to meet with him for extra help.

His name was Tomas. He was notoriously known as the “Hardass T.A.” Nesta had heard her peers complaining about his grading on more than one occasion. It was common knowledge that he rarely gave students any feedback on their essays but when he did, it was brutal. It was practically unheard of to receive higher than a C from Tomas.

Nesta never got below a B+, though. And though she’d never spoken with him, Tomas always gave her detailed feedback on her papers, more so than any student.

So that afternoon, she emailed him.

Tomas –

           My name is Nesta Archeron and I am a student in a class you T.A. in, ENG-403 Section 003. I have a couple questions regarding the paper that was assigned on September 28th. Are you available to meet after class? It would be much appreciated.

Nesta –

           Thank you for contacting me. I would love to help you one-on-one. I’ve noticed the work you hand in, and it is spectacular. Your writing is sophisticated, and you have such potential. Coming from someone who has been in the publishing business for years now, I know several companies who would publish your work. Perhaps I can mention your name the next time I meet with them. How does tomorrow work? We can walk to the library together, maybe grab a cup of coffee (on me). Let me know.

Tomas –

           Thank you. That works for me. I’ll see you tomorrow.

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

“Don’t forget to finish up those essays! They’re due on October sixth, and I won’t be accepting anything that’s turned in late. Yes, Mr. Vanserra, I’m looking at you.”

Students snickered as they filed out of the lecture hall. Nesta grabbed her backpack and made her way down the stairs to the front of the room. Tomas had his own desk in the corner where he chimed in during class discussions.

He was already smiling at her when she approached.

“Hi, Nesta,” he greeted her. He was in the midst of packing his things. “Are you ready to head out?” She nodded.

Tomas had the charm of the boy next door. His dirty blonde hair was cropped short, eyes crystal blue, and he wore an easy smile. It was hard to imagine that this was the guy who gave students Fs for not having a cover page for their essay.

"Did you want to grab a cup of coffee?" Tomas asked her as they made their way out of the classroom. He shot her a smirk "Like I said, I'll pay."

Is he flirting with me?

Nesta prayed to the gods he wasn't. Sure, he was cute and all, but she had no interest in a relationship of any kind. Including a one night stand.

Perhaps I can use that to my advantage...

Nesta dismissed the thought immediately. There was no way in hell she would flirt with her T.A. to ensure a high GPA. She wasn't going to sleep her way to the top. That's not how Nesta did things.

A little flirting never hurt anyone.

She groaned inwardly and shut out that train of thoughts.

Tomas and Nesta chatted while they trudged to the library, backpacks full of textbooks in tow. Much to Nesta’s dismay, he fired question after question at her. Tomas asked about her family to which she miraculously deflected, about her journey to become a writer, and her ambitions. Luckily, Nesta was a pro at this sort of thing, so she simply responded to every question with a question of her own. Not the most subtle approach, but it worked.

The library was teeming with students when they pushed through the doors. Pryth U’s library was a sight to behold. Its foyer was ornate with hand-painted murals, the ceiling stretching far above them. They hopped on the elevator to the third floor. When the doors opened, Nesta inhaled the sweet scent of old books. The bookcases reached the ceiling, thus requiring a rolling ladder in every stack. When Nesta and Elain had toured the campus before the semester began, Elain was quick to jump on the ladder and sing “Be Our Guest.” Her voice was horribly off key. They both burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs until the librarian found and scolded them.

Nesta was pretty sure Elain hadn't stepped foot in the library since.

“Okay,” Tomas said, setting his belongings on a corner desk. He grinned at her. “Ready to be tortured?”

Nesta offered a less than enthusiastic smile. “Let’s do it.”

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

After a couple hours of grueling studying, Nesta hurried to the coffee shop on campus. It was five o’clock and she hadn’t had a cup of coffee since the morning. If she didn’t get caffeine in the next ten minutes, Nesta wouldn’t function properly.

The meeting with Tomas went well; he was certainly a helpful resource to have. He'd even offered to meet with Nesta again to prepare for the next big assignment, to which she graciously accepted. There may have been batting of the lashes involved.

Nesta pulled her wool scarf tighter around her neck. Even with a peacoat and a hat, she was still freezing. She let out a sigh of relief when she entered the coffee shop, grateful for the inviting warmth.

That gratefulness disappeared when she looked at the line.

It was at least a dozen people long. Nesta let out a frustrated groan, managing to put a tamper on her anger and hauled her ass to the back of the line.

After a couple minutes of drooling over the scent of fresh coffee beans, she felt a tap on her shoulder from behind.

“Nesta?” a sultry voice asked. The familiar husk in her words had Nesta turning around to see Amren standing behind her. She was staring up at Nesta through her long lashes, a smirk playing on her face. Nesta couldn’t help but admire her feral beauty: chin length hair, angular face, dark and smooth skin, and exquisite makeup.

“Hi, Amren,” Nesta said blandly. “I didn’t know you attended Pryth U.”

“I don’t,” she snorted. “I wouldn’t last one week in college. This is the best coffee around, and I don’t mind driving twenty minutes out of my way.”

Another coffee snob. Interesting.

“I’m impressed that you even remember my name. I thought you always zoned out during the dinners.”

Nesta huffed out a laugh, and a hint of surprise flashed on Amren’s face. It was gone a second later.

“It’s tempting whenever Rhysand opens his mouth, trust me,” Nesta replied dryly. “But I have my ways.”

Amren’s eyes lit up with amusement. “Oh, I’m going to like you.”

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

That evening, Nesta strolled back to her apartment with a steaming cup of coffee and Amren’s phone number.

It was quiet when she unlocked the door, but the living room light was on. As Nesta dropped her heaving backpack and padded to the kitchen, she noticed Elain sprawled out on the couch, her nose buried in her phone.

“Did you eat already?” Nesta called out as she rummaged through the cabinets. She dug through a shelf for pasta, which was buried under Elain’s many baking ingredients.

When Elain didn’t answer after a couple seconds, Nesta poked her head into the living room. She was still scrolling through her phone, the faintest smile on her rosy face.

“Hello? Earth to Elain?”

Silence. Nesta groaned in frustration. Rounding the overstuffed sofa, she assaulted Elain’s feet with her hands.

Elain’s entire body jerked as Nesta tickled her, pained laughs escaping her mouth. Elain was easily the most ticklish person Nesta had ever met. It made it easy to get information out of her.

“Stop!” Elain gasped breathlessly, laughing all the same. “Please!”

Nesta ceded and raised her hands up in surrender. Elain scrambled off the couch and narrowed her eyes.

"What the hell, Nesta?”

“I was calling your name for a good five minutes,” Nesta crossed her arms. She nodded her head at Elain’s phone. “Anything interesting?”

Elain’s cheeks flushed, and Nesta gasped.

“Is it a guy?” Her voice was threatening. Nesta had always been protective over Elain.

“A guy? No! That’s… that’s just ludicrous. Why would a guy… I mean -"

Nesta let her sister stumble over her words with amusement. She raised a brow. “Show me what you were looking at then.”

“That’s none of your business!”

Nesta gave her no warning as she leaped at Elain.

Elain squealed in surprise, trying her best to deflect Nesta's tickling. They wrestled on the couch, Elain trying desperately to get her phone out of Nesta's reach. But Nesta was taller and stronger.

“Gerroffme -"

“Just gimme -"

“Argh!”

"Ha!" Nesta stood up and held Elain’s phone in her hand triumphantly. Elain was glaring at her from the couch, her hair sticking every which way.

Nesta looked down at the screen to see the Instagram app open. Then, she read the name of the account.

“You’re stalking Azriel?”

“No! I was just following him.”

All Nesta had to do was give her a stern look.

“Okay, fine," Elain threw her hands up. "I think he’s cute. Are you happy now?”

“No,” Nesta glowered, “I’m not happy. He’s basically Rhysand’s brother. I'm not letting another one of those boys seduce my sister.”

“Seduce?!" Elain choked. She shook her head. "They’re best friends! And what does it matter anyway?”

Nesta shot her a leveled stare. “Rhysand’s an asshole.”

“He’s just protective over Feyre,” Elain explained incredulously. “Like you are of me.”

Nesta considered that for a moment. “Touché. But if Azriel hurts you -"

“Nesta!” Elain exclaimed, an exasperated laugh leaving her lips. “We’ve barely talked. I just think he’s handsome.”

“Does Feyre know?”

That got Elain's attention.

“You can’t tell Feyre.” Elain broke out her puppy face: wide eyes, pouty lips, knitted brows. No one in history had been able to resist her puppy face. Including Nesta.

She huffed out a laugh. “I may be a bitch, but I’m not that cruel.”

Elain threw herself at her sister and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you!"

After promising Elain she wouldn't tell Feyre about her crush for the tenth time, Nesta retreated to her room. She was just about to pull out her notes when her phone buzzed in her back pocket.

I’m supposed to go on a date with this guy tonight, but I just met a hotter guy on my way home. Will you judge me if I ditch the first one?

Nesta looked at the phone number.

Amren.

She could help but let out a small laugh.                              

When in doubt, pick both.

Both?                                                                                        

Both.

Damn, Nesta, I didn’t realize how savage you are.

A couple moments later, another text came in.

Both is good.

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

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[onetwosevensquad]

In Which Everything Goes Horribly Wrong

Jaemin x reader

Summary: your best friend gets a girlfriend that goes south very quickly

Warnings: mentions of bullying? Bad writing

Rose: I wrote this just because I was craving some College Bf! Jaemin. Be warned that this is hardly proofread, more or less just lightly skimmed. Also yes I know that there are no links for my Masterlist on my newer posts. My computer pooped out on me but we’re gonna look at it tomorrow. You can find links in most of my earlier posts though. Anyway, enjoy!

Main Masterlist

———

Five. That’s how many customers you’ve served on this extremely slow day. You work at your the coffee shop on campus to get some pocket money as college was already expensive enough. Also you got to work with Jeno which was always a joy. You and Jeno have been friends since sophomore year of high school along with Jaemin. And it just happened that you all ended up in college together.

While you and Jeno are close, nothing compares to you and Jaemin. The two of you have been attached at the hip since fourth grade. Ever since you got your juice stolen and Jaemin offered you his, you have been completely inseparable. And over the years you have developed feelings for your best friend. A cliche, I know. But you couldn’t help it with his sweet smile and flirtatious ways.

“Hey guys!” You heard from the door. It was none other than Jaemin himself just coming back from class. He had his signature smile plastered on his face like always. He sat at the counter right in front of you and launched into a story from class.

“Oh and Jia asked me out!” What. Oh no. This isn’t happening. You could feel your heart being pulled down in your chest. You could only hear Jeno congratulating him as you began to zone out. But as soon as your state of shock started it ended with Jaemin snapping his fingers in your face.

“Earth to Y/n. Did you hear anything I said?” Oh you heard it all too well. What do you say? Hey congratulations, best friend and long time crush. You go have fun while my heart shatters over here. C’est la vie, go have fun.

“Yea Jae, that’s great,” you said, mustering up your best smile. He seemed to buy it and immediately went back to talking to Jeno about the date and Jia. You didn’t know Jia. Just that she was some girl in Jaemin’s class you, by description, was very pretty.

No, this wasn’t the end of the world, though it sure felt it. There would be other guys and, who knows, maybe this Jia thing won’t work out. But you couldn’t help the sting in your chest when you saw how Jaemin’s eyes lit up when he talked about this stupid date.

Once yours and Jeno’s shift was over, you walked back to the dorms sandwiched in between your two friends. You all climbed the never ending stairs, you staying mostly silent. You didn’t have much to say after the bombshell dropped earlier. The boys stopped when they got to your door and said their goodbyes. You watched as the two disappeared down the hallway before entering your room.

Once in, you flopped on your bed, wanting nothing more than to be swallowed by your sheets. You didn’t know why this was affecting you so much. I mean you were a big girl and Jeamin was just a dumb boy. A dumb boy who you’ve been harboring feelings for since middle school. Maybe you were just scared that this was going to change everything.

As you got ready for bed, you couldn’t help but think that today was only Monday. Surely the rest of the week would be better.

———

When Jaemin and Jeno finally got to their room they got ready to go to sleep and procrastinate their homework. Jaemin couldn’t help but think about you though. He noticed how you were acting strange after he told you about the date. Was it really affecting you that much? No. No way. Why would you be affected by wether or not he was going on a date?

In all honesty, Jaemin would rather be on a date with you then Jia. But he didn’t think you like him back as you’ve always made the line between friends and something else very distinct. That didn’t stop Jaemin from being flirty with you. He was flirty with other girls, but it was so much different with you.

He figured that this date would be a good way to get over these feelings. You obviously didn’t reciprocate so why bother continuously pinning. He got so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Jeno calling him until, finally, Jeno got his attention by throwing a sock at him.

“Dude, you were thinking so hard that I could smell smoke,” Jeno remarked. Jaemin mock laughed and threw the dirty sock back at Jeno. “What were you thinking about?”

“Y/n,” Jaemin said climbing into bed. He could hear Jeno chuckle and say something along the lines of “what else”. He just rolled his eyes and continued. “She seemed off after I said I was going on a date. Any idea why?”

“Nope,” Jeno said. Actually he had an idea. He knew exactly why you were so off put. He noticed it too in the coffee shop. He knew about your long thing crush on Jaemin. He also knew about Jaemin’s giant crush on you. But he was sworn to secrecy by both of you. However, he couldn’t wrap his head around how neither of you have figured it out yet while the rest of the group has. None of them were going to interfere though, surprisingly enough, just for the drama of it.

Jaemin went to bed that night, his dreams haunted by your disappointed face.

———

The rest of the week was, in fact, not better. Two of your professors assigned papers due next week, and two others had massive tests coming up. Jaemin also went on that date and wouldn’t shut up about. And it didn’t help that the rest of your friends were being huge pests. Namely, Haechan.

“Y/n you should tell him!” He whisper yelled in the dinning hall. Haechan was a friend added to your group in high school along with Renjun, who was also with you in the dinning hall. “This could be your last chance!”

“Your being dramatic,” Renjun quipped from besides Haechan. He just ignored Renjun and kept going on about how you’ll never know until you try. He only stopped once Jaemin sat in the chair next to you and Jeno next to him.

“Hey so I was thinking,” Jaemin started only to be interrupted by Renjun saying “uh oh.” He got a chip thrown at him by Jaemin. “Anyway, I was thinking that we have a little get together. At our dorm. So that that I can introduce you all to Jia.”

Oh no. Here we go. He wants to introduce this girl to his four best friends. That’s how you know things are going to get serious. But, wanting to be a good sport as well as not wanting to give yourself away, you agreed.

“Yea that could be fun,” you said feigning cheerfulness. That shocked everyone, including Jaemin. The others agreed still eyeing you to see if you were joking or not. Jaemin didn’t know why it was weird to see you agreeing. He was so sure that you liked him. Maybe he was wrong.

“Alright then,” Jaemin said. “Tomorrow then?” Tomorrow was Saturday. And given that none of you had to work it was the perfect days. All of you agreed to go over to Jeamin and Jeno’s dorm tomorrow at 7 for movies and meeting the girl. Soon you all started splitting off to go to your next classes.

As you and Jeno walked side by side, you could tell he wanted to say something. You knew what he was going to ask. Are you ok? No. You were not. But we’re you going to say that? No. You were not.

“Hey, are you-“

“Don’t,” you cut Jeno off before he could get his last word out. He just sighed in defeat and kept up with your fast pace on this silent walk.

———

7 o’clock came a lot sooner than you thought. You found yourself sitting on the floor of Jaemin and Jeno’s room, looking at memes on Jeno’s phone. Haechan was there too, as well as Renjun. Everyone was chill except Jaemin. He didn’t know why he was so stressed about everyone meeting Jia. Or maybe it was just that you were so chill about it.

“Dude sit down. You’re making me dizzy with your pacing,” Haechan said from Jaemin’s bed. Before he could sit down, there was a knock at the door. Jaemin quickly opened it and smiled when he saw Jia on the other side. However, he couldn’t help the dread that filled him. He pushed those feelings away and pulled Jia into the room. He introduced her to everyone and so far, she seemed nice enough.

Movie night was well on its way when you felt yourself get sleepy. You had noticed how Jia was practically on top of Jaemin throughout the whole night. The jealousy that bubbles up inside you was not a good feeling. You were lucky that Jeno was there though, as he had an arm casually wrapped around you and let you lay your head on his shoulder.

This didn’t go unnoticed by Jaemin. And he couldn’t help the jealousy that welled up inside of him.

———

While slightly painful for you, movie night was still enjoyable. It was now Monday and the sting of Jaemin being in a relationship was now depleting. You’ve come to terms with it because as long as he’s happy, your happy.

With it being Monday, you and Jeno were working your shift at the coffee shop. It was almost over when a new customer came in. Jia. Great.

“Hey y/n! I didn’t know you worked here!” She said with a little too much cheerfulness in her voice. There was no getting out of this one as Jeno was in the back taking stock.

“Yep,” was all you could muster. ”What can I get you?” As she rattled off her order you couldn’t help but notice how familiar she seemed. Like a distant familiar but none the less. As you were making her drink she started talking to you.

“Hey you know what? You seem so familiar to me,” she said. Oh so she noticed it too? Is that a good or a bad thing. “What high school did you go too?”

You told her and she shook her head. Then she asked about your middle school and her face lit up. This slightly worried you. Not only was middle school when you developed you crush but it was also a dark time in your life.

“Yes! Now I remember!” Jia said getting a little too excited. “We used to pick on you cause you only had like two friends and were kind of a nerd!” Oh for the love of everything. This was that Jia. The girl that tormented you all though out middle school until she finally moved away. How in the world did Jaemin end up with her?

“Here you go,” you mumbled handing Jia her drink. You mumbled something else about having to help in the back and ran off towards that way.

Before you got to the back, you ran right into Jeno. He had the most serious look on his face ever. That honestly scared you more then the realization earlier.

“So Jia huh?” He said looking slightly annoyed. So he heard. Great. You tried to brush him off but to now avail. “I’m telling Jaemin.”

“No!” You said a little to loud. “No please don’t Jeno. He’s happy with her. And if he’s happy so am I.”

“But you’re not happy and neither is he!” He said. Wait, what? “That’s it. We knew we said that we weren’t going to get involved but I’ve had enough. I’m tired of twiddling my thumbs!” Jeno said talking to know one in particular.

He went to the back and told you to get man the register for the rest of the day. What on earth is her talking about twiddling his thumbs?

———

When you got to your dorm, Jeno grabbed you and started walking towards his own. You kept asking what was going on but he just kept going.

He opened his door and when you entered, you saw Jaemin, Haechan, and Renjun all sitting inside. They seemed alarmed when Jeno pushed you inside.

“What the hell is going on Lee Jeno?!” You yelled at him. You didn’t take to kindly to being manhandled by your friend.

“Tell them what happened,” he said gesturing to the three others in the room. You just rolled your eyes mumbling how in wasn’t a big deal. You could feel panic welling up inside you. You didn’t want to ruin Jaemin’s relationship.

“Y/n what happened?” The man himself asked. Jeamin was extremely worried. He had been since Jeno sent a text to the boy’s group chat say they needed to have a talk. Seeing that everything was ok physically at least calmed him a little. But when you continued to stay silent he looked to Jeno for answers.

“Jia bullied Y/n all throughout middle school. She never told us, though,” Jeno said, sighing. Jaemin froze. Why didn’t you ever tell him? Why didn’t you say anything when they started dating. The other two in the room seemed shocked.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Jaemin whispered. He felt hurt. Did you not trust him?

“You are making a way bigger deal out of this than it really is, guys. It was only two years and then she moved,” you defended. “I honestly didn’t recognize her until we talking in the store. And I didn’t want Jeno to say anything because you’re happy with her.”

Jaemin just stared at you, wide eyed. Not a big deal? Two years? Happy with her? He was confused.

“You should have said something in middle school,” was all he could say. He sounded almost disappointed. Right when you were about to say something there was a knock on the door. Jeno went to open it and revealed who it was. Jia.

“I’m gonna go,” you said rushing past everyone. You heard someone call your name but paid no attention to it as you raced towards your room.

Why was everyone making a big deal out of it? It was in middle school. That was so long ago. And you still have yet to find out what the hell Jeno was talking about. Was the we he was talking about him, Haechan, and Renjun? Was that supposed to be an intervention about your crush? Did they know something you didn’t?

You contemplated all of this on your bed for 30 minutes until you heard knocking at your door. You really didn’t want to get up and see who it was. But they keep incessantly knocking so you got up a grumbled the whole way to your door.

“What?!” You yelled as you opened it. On the other side was Jaemin, looking like some just kicked his puppy.

“Jae, look I-“ you were cut off by Jaemin pulling you into a hug. Slowly you wrapped your arms around his middle arms he squeezed you tighter.

“I broke up with her,” he stated. “You were wrong. I realize I wasn’t happy with her. I’m happy with you.”

That made you pull back. He kept his arms locked around you though, like he was scared to let go. You tugged on him to pull him into the room and closed the door behind him. When you turned back around, Jaemin pulled you into another hug.

“Y/n, I’ve liked you since middle school. But I didn’t think you liked me back. The boys told me. I’m sorry I’m an idiot. I thought that dating Jia could help me get over you but that went horribly wrong. Because,” he paused. He pulled back and looked you in the eye. “Because, Y/n, I love you.”

You couldn’t help the smile that spread across your face at his confession. He smiled back down at you and you swore your heart skipped a beat.

“I love you too, Jae,” and at that, Jaemin finally pulled you in for a long awaited kiss.

———

[sxfterhearts]

22. [4:22 pm]

“That’s all for today, good job everyone on your midsemester exams, and don’t forget to submit your assignments by midnight on Saturday.” Loud rustles echoed around the room as impatient students began to pack up their things and leave. “See you next week, class.”

Even before you dismissed your tutorial class, nearly three-quarters of the room was already vacated. As the last few students got up and bid you goodbye, a few of them stayed back to ask you questions about the midsemester exam you just reviewed. Being an experienced tutor for this unit, you listened intently to every single one of their questions and worries, providing them with answers to the best of your knowledge. It was common for you to get held back for nearly fifteen to twenty minutes because the unit you tutored was known to be difficult yet essential for all students from your major. You remembered taking this unit yourself two years ago and all the grief it had caused you, hence you fully empathised with your students.

Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted a familiar blonde-haired boy leaning against a table and browsing casually on his phone as you placed all of the midsemester exams back into the cardboard box, along with your stationary and other tutorial material. He was the last student left. “Bambam,” you called the boy. “How can I help you?”

“What are you doing after this, Y/N?”

You tried your best to resist the strong urge to roll your eyes. Bambam had been over the moon when he found out that you, his former class president from high school, was assigned to tutor his class for the entire semester. Ever since high school, he had made countless futile attempts to get closer to you. Most girls back then would have been flattered by the vice president of the student council’s undivided attention – he was always trailing around you like a lost puppy, offering to help you with tasks that you were fully capable of handling, or leaving you small gifts like chocolate and miniature wooden figures from his Woodwork class.

Undeterred, you never caved to his advances, for many reasons. For one, the two of you were polar opposites. The only similarity that you shared was that you were both teachers’ pets who sat on the student council. Anything beyond that, such as your personalities (you were the studious, quiet type; he was popular, smart and sporty) and your interests (you loved escaping to the library and reading; he practically lived on the basketball courts) were miles apart. Secondly, you absolutely loathed all the attention he gave you. You disliked his grand gestures that quickly became the talk of the school. There was so much unnecessary gossip surrounding you due to Bambam’s actions and you hated it when people talked behind your back. Some girls even started sending you anonymous threats on social media for being the apple of Bambam’s eye and for rejecting his heart. It was just too much for you and you decided that you wanted nothing to do with him.

Things were much more different now, of course. Most people mature when they enter university and thankfully the students who used to harass you either studied elsewhere or lost interest in the situation completely. You had enjoyed your peace and quiet without him in your first year when Bambam had decided to take a gap year, but he had since returned from his worldly travels. You rarely came in contact with him in your second year as you had completed a year of studies abroad, but this year, by some twisted stroke of luck, you had been assigned as his tutor.

He was the same old Bambam, always so persistent, but a bit more mature in his approach. He would ask you the same question every other week, about your schedule, and whether you were free to ‘catch up’, but he knew how to stop and wish you a good day once you rejected him. You always gave him the same answer, a polite “No, thank you,”, before parting ways with him. That is, until last week.

It was the week of midsemester exams. Due to the exam timetable, the exam of the unit you tutored fell on a Monday, four days before the exam that you had to sit which was on the Friday. Normally, this would be an ideal timetable, however another one of the tutors came down with a serious case of the flu and the professor assigned you to mark her load of papers by Friday. By Wednesday afternoon, you were marking papers in an abandoned corner of the cafeteria, running on a lack of sleep and an astronomical amount of caffeine in your bloodstream. When Bambam walked up to you and sat across you, spouting his usual questions, you just lost it. “No! I have nearly two hundred papers to grade and a difficult exam to study for. No, I am not free, so leave me alone!” You yelled at him, nearly on the brink of tears.

Bambam was clearly taken aback by your outburst, of course. You were soft-spoken and demure, never one to raise your voice in a public place. He could see the resemblance between the woman before him, struggling to hold back the tears, and the girl he saw hiding in an abandoned classroom three years ago, bawling her eyes out as she crouched amongst a sea of books and papers. He remembered that you never really dealt with academic stress very well.

On the surface level, Bambam seemed the stereotypical rich boy on campus, shooting hoops with the boys every day while playing with a different girl every night. It wasn’t true, though. There’s more than meets the eye.

You learned that when he had respectfully asked whether he could stay with you, and if he could bring you somewhere to take your mind off things. Suddenly exhausted, you finally gave in to him, watching him tidy up your things and place them into your bag. You figured it was about time you took a break from this madness anyways. He led you towards the footpath by the riverside across the road from your university campus. The two of you walked in silence, with nothing but the sound of waves crashing against the bay filling your ears. He took you to the far side of the bay which you rarely frequented and sat on the bench facing the river. There were many more yachts docked nearby, their periodic swaying therapeutic to watch, and the occasional dog would pass by, wagging its tail in greeting. Being in nature was calming, and you felt yourself relax in his presence.

“Hello, earth to Y/N.” Bambam waved his palm in front of your face. “Are you alright? You spaced out there for a sec,”

You swung your backpack over your shoulder and picked up the heavy box filled with stacks of paper. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Did you miss my question? I asked you about your plans after class.” The blonde boy reminded, walking side by side as the two of you exited the tutorial room.

You were still somewhat shaken by the flashback you had. It left a deep impression on you, and casted Bambam in a completely different light. “Uh, yeah, sorry.” You readjusted the box in your hands. “I’m just dropping these off at the professor’s desk.”

“Wait, did you just give me a proper answer?” Bambam wondered aloud, clearly taken aback by your less-than-usual response. I’m making progress, he thought. “Can I come with? I was hoping you’d be free after that too, I wanted to take you out for a coffee.”

“Why?”

“Well, see, I wanted to talk to you about last week. You know, when-” He was interrupted by your soft wince as you readjusted the box once more. “Do you want me to carry it?”

You shook your head adamantly. “It’s not heavy.” You shot him a pointed look. “I’m stronger than I look.”

Bambam stifled a laughter at your determined expression. “Yeah, I have no doubt about that.” He quickly stole the box out of your arms and cut you off before you could protest. “You know, Y/N, you don’t have to act so strong all the time. Let others help you once in a while, no one will think any less of you for sharing your burden.”

“I-”

“Ah, Y/N!” Your professor exclaimed, stumbling upon you on his way to meet a colleague. “Are those the papers?”

You and Bambam bowed in greeting. “Yes, sir.” You answered, taking the box away and handing it to your professor. “One of the students had their marks calculated wrongly, I’ve already sent you an email with his student number and the new score. I’m really sorry for the mistake, sir, I promise-”

“That’s fantastic, Y/N. Always so efficient and meticulous. There’s really no need to be sorry! As humans, we are bound to make mistakes. What’s important is how we fix them and how learn from them. Thank you for your hard work, Y/N. You’ve done a good job.”

You turned your gaze downwards, slightly shy due to his kind words. “Yes, sir. Thank you.” You replied softly.

“And who is this young man, Y/N? Are you getting him to do all your dirty work? I saw him carrying the box earlier. It is heavy, though, if I do say so myself.” The professor extended his hand in a handshake, to which Bambam responded with a bright smile on his face.

“My name’s Bambam, sir. I’m doing your unit too, and Y/N is my tutor.”

The professor’s eyebrows quirked up in interest. “Oh? Is this something I should be worried about?”

“Sir, what does that mean?” You asked hurriedly.

He laughed boisterously in response, his half-moon glasses nearly falling off the tip of his nose as he did so. “I’m just joking, you two. Tell me, Bambam, how is it like being tutored by your girlfriend?”

“What-” You shrieked.

Bambam denied hastily. “Girlfriend? She’s not-”

“Sir, this is a misunderstanding, he’s not-” The two of you were gesturing and shaking your heads in unison, denying the professor’s words profusely.

“Ah, young love.” The professor readjusted his glasses as a knowing smile graced his lips. “Listen, son, I’ve known this young lady for two years now and I can assure you that she’s one of the good ones. Treat her well, she’s hard to find and hard to keep.”

Bambam flushed pink at his words. “You can say that again, sir.” His eyes met yours as he flashed you a bashful smile. Little did the professor know that he had been chasing you for the past six years, since the first day of high school.

(And little did you know that, indeed, opposites do attract. Seems like the blonde boy had a soft side that he kept hidden under that goofy exterior of his.)

(Of course, a few months down the road and a dozen coffee dates later, he would ask you to be his girlfriend.)

(And you agreed.)