#sigh… I’ve got 11am class tomorrow morning too

[lokislastlove]

Best Laid Plans (Fluffy Bucky x Reader) p3

Summary: Bucky is determined to woo you properly, no matter how rusty he is at dating these days.

Warnings: Some smut at the end, oral (fr), Bucky has bad luck, but we love him anyway. 18+ only please.

This is my first attempt at Fluff, it is not my strength, to say the least, so by all means ignore this. @saiyanprincessswanie I wrote this for you, I hope you like it and with any luck maybe it brings a tiny smile to your face when you need it. 💕 Also remember this is fiction, I know Bucky’s arm is fancy as hell and has no flaws.

Chapter 3 -

🌹 The Third Date 🌹

The office is abuzz with rumors of your new romance. For obvious reasons Pepper never shuns coworkers dating, but does caution that she expects everyone to remain professional regardless of the outcome. Bucky is one of the most sought after bachelors in the building so naturally people notice when he fixes his attention on you. For the two days following your fruit-filled frolic in the hills Bucky is constantly around. He brings you coffee, flowers by the dozen every day, saves you a seat during the meetings, cooks you lunch and even brings Kal in to see you.

“Okay, I can’t wait any longer. You willing to give me that second chance, tomorrow?” Bucky bursts into your office an hour before you leave Friday evening.

You gasp as the door slams against the wall and he cringes, “uh, sure. I’m free tomorrow. Should I just go ahead and wear my yoga pants?”

“Ha ha. Very funny. And no. I let Steve pick the date idea this time. Just don’t wear anything that you don’t want getting a little dirty,” he winks.

You let out a sigh, “wouldn’t it be easier to just tell me what we’re doing?”

“That’s no fun, Angel.”

——

The next morning you wake up to a text from Bucky, just like you have every morning since your first date.

Good Morning, Beautiful! Can’t wait to see you today. I’ll pick you up at 11am. 😀

Bucky has managed to make waking up a highlight of your day, something you never thought possible. Plus you got him to start using emojis, which Steve claims he will never forgive you for.

You choose some dark wash jeans and a V-neck t-shirt with a jacket and boots. Stylish but casual, you feel good, excited to find out what adventure Bucky will be dragging you into this time.

Your phone dings as you race out the front door and gulp when you see the bike again. God he looks good with it though, his light brown leather jacket highlights his olive skin and his dimpled smile has you swooning as you reach him. Determined to get a hang of this motorcycle thing you jump on back and cling to Bucky with a bit more confidence today.

Bucky reigns in his speed this time, and you find yourself enjoying the rush of the wind on your face and the warmth of him in your arms. To your shock Bucky leads you to a ceramic shop not far from Avengers tower, specifically for couples pottery class.

“Steve assures me that this is supposed to be fun and romantic,” Bucky says as you find yourself sitting next to him on a dirty stool with a spinning round table in front of you.

“Steve hasn’t been watching old romance movies again, has he?”

Bucky squints at you, “Actually, yeah but he said it had ghosts in it, and I got enough of those.”

You grab his hand and give it a squeeze before taking a deep breath, “Ok, let’s do this!”

It takes about a minute to realize what a terrible idea this is as Bucky curses under his breath and his arm starts making strange whirling noises.

“Oh shit, uh is clay good for your arm?” You ask, nodding at the way the plates of his metal arm seems to twitch and groan as the wet clay slide and congeal between them as they shift.

“Fuck,” Bucky curses as he shakes out his metal arm and you grimace at the worrisome noise it makes before it stops moving all together.

“Do you want to take it off?” you offer.

Bucky looks frustrated with a hint of panic as he sits there contemplating the best move. He still isn’t very comfortable going without his arm in public.

“Or we could just decide not to take Steve’s dating advice anymore and go back to the tower and get cleaned up?” You laugh and bump him with your elbow.

He scoffs out a laugh, “yeah. You know I used to be the one that was good at this stuff, I was the charming one who helped get Steve a date.”

“Oh is that so? Well I think you’re doing better than you think you are,” you smirk.

“Yeah?” He asks hopefully.

“Yeah, now come on Casanova,” you stand and wipe your hands on the towel nearby.

You can’t help but laugh as you follow him out the door, looking at the light gleam off the metal that isn’t covered in clay.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing, it’s just… gonna be hard to convince me you’re not a complete mess after this one.”

——

You could tell Bucky’s confidence had taken a major hit, well three major hits to be honest. And while he constantly berated himself for everything that went wrong, you couldn’t help but love him even more with each blunder. And when he doesn’t insist you give him another shot after that disastrous pottery date, you seek out Steve’s advice.

“Do you think I should try to make a move? Ask him on a date maybe? Or is that insulting to … men from your era,” you finish awkwardly.

Steve laughs softly, “I think Bucky could use a sign that you aren’t willing to give up yet. You should give it a shot, as long as it’s what you want and not just out of pity.”

“Of course it’s not out of pity, you really think I’d do that?” you ask, trying not to get too offended.

“No, doll, of course I don’t. But that’s likely what he’s going to think.” He placates and gives you a knowing look before walking out of your office.

You push back your shoulders and pull out your phone to text Bucky.

Hey if you’re free tonight you should come over to my place. Maybe around 8pm? No dress code. 😘

🌹 The Fourth Date 🌹

Bucky arrives at 7:50pm that evening and you push the buzzer to let him in. You leave the door cracked for him and finish the final touches.

“Angel?” He calls as he knocks and you hear the door creak open. “Uh, hello?” His voice falters as he closes the door behind him and takes in the candles neatly arranged along a path of rose petals.

You hear him remove his heavy boots and call your name as he follows the path further into your apartment and closer to where you’re waiting for him. You shift nervously on your feet as you wait with baited breath for him to appear around the corner.

“Angel, what’s going..” His voice gets caught in his throat as he stands in your doorway and sees you waiting for him.

You’re wearing a simple nightgown, a silky robe and stockings. The thin straps and sleek material drape softly over your curves, enticing enough to make him pause but not overly revealing to be considered scandalous. You didn’t want to be too bold and scare him off too fast, or make yourself appear too desperate.

“Hi, Bucky,” you smile as you watch his pupils dilate and his chest strain against his shirt as his breathing gets heavier.

He clears his throat and his cheeks glow pink as his eyes flick up to meet yours, “uh hey, Angel. Am I dreaming?”

You laugh as you take a few steps toward him and he mirrors you, “I just thought that maybe I’d surprise you with a date, this time. If you’re up for it.”

“Well, I will admit that my interest is quite peaked already.” He jokes, his eyes roving down your body once more as he gently takes your hands and holds them out to get a better look at you.

You giggle and rolls your eyes, “Nothing crazy, just a simple movie date, and I have the perfect set up. Follow me.”

You pull him over to your bedroom window and climb out onto the fire escape, he follows closely, his curiosity climbing with each creaky step.

“You sure this is safe?” He asks as the stairs rattle under his weight.

“No,” you say simply as you reach the top, “but it’s worth it.”

Bucky’s eyes widen as he takes in the rooftop space that you’ve meticulously decorated for him. Strings of lights hang on the low rooftop walls. A large air mattress is tucked between the pipes and vents, facing a large projector screen. You made sure to add mountains of fluffy pillows and soft blankets to keep you cozy under the stars.

“This is amazing,” he mutters as he eyes the plate of snacks and bottle of wine waiting on the bed.

“I know, isn’t the view amazing? I’ve always loved it up here, but I didn’t know it had this much potential until now,” you remark as you look out onto the glimmering view of the city skyline.

Bucky’s fingers slip between yours and curl sweetly as he guides you over to the soft bed. He flops down and settles in before opening his arm for you to join him. You grab the remote and the wine and curl up next to him. Drawing up your legs and letting them rest against his muscular thigh.

“I don’t deserve all this,” he utters sadly as he watches you pour the wine.

“Steve said you’d say something stupid like that,” you laugh as he looks stunned for a moment. “So let me just settle this right now.” You take deep breath and let it out with a quiet huff.

“I have been the happiest I’ve ever been since you asked me out on that first date. I look forward to waking up every morning knowing I’ll get to see you and possibly, maybe, do more than just ogle you from afar. Oh don’t look at me like that!” You laugh and smack Bucky’s shoulder when he smirks at you and wiggles his brow.

“I know you think you blew it after our first three dates but all I remember is seeing a passionate man willing to chase down a dog through the mud, even if it meant embarrassing himself. I remember you saving me from a potentially fatal injury, and I remember a man so desperate to impress me that he took advice from Steve Rogers,” you bite your lip as you watch Bucky choke out a laugh at your jab at his best friend.

“You may think all of these moments are flaws, but honestly I wouldn’t want to change a single thing. So let’s just –” Your speech is cut off when Bucky’s hands are suddenly on the side of your face and pull you in for a blazing kiss.

It’s as though you’ve unlocked something in him as he devours you, his tongue trailing across your lip and delving into your mouth when you open for him. You moan as his hands slip down to your neck, his thumbs pressing ever so slightly on your pressure points before he pulls away just enough to kiss and nibble along your jaw. The pleasure and passion is dizzying and you feel your body bend to his will. Your hands grasp at his shirt as he nuzzles and sucks along your neck now, making his way to your clavicle.

The feather pillow braces your head as Bucky lays you down and hovers above you, his body heat warming you as the cool night breeze tickles over each spot he kisses.

“God, Angel, you have no idea how badly I want you right now. How badly I’ve wanted you for so long.” He groans against your chest, dragging his nose over the thin material between your breasts.

“Me too,” you breathe.

You push at the lapel of his jacket, trying to urge him to take it off. He sits up, fixing his eyes on you as he slowly strips off his coat and tosses it away, followed by his shirt immediately after. Your breath hitches as you let your fingers lightly glide down his stomach, feeling every ripple of firm muscle under his heated skin.

“Wow, the girls at work would be so jealous right now,” you kid.

“I’m almost offended that you think this is my best feature,” he scoffs gesturing to his stomach, his eyes glinting mischievously.

“By all means, show me more. I did come up here for a show after all,” you tease, tilting your head and biting your lip as you eye the growing bulge in his pants.

“Oh, I think I know how to keep you entertained,” he smirks and lowers himself over you, his hot breath leaving goosebumps on your skin as he dips lower down your body.

You look down as he pauses over your quivering center and lifts the hem of your dress up to reveal your lace panties. He growls lowly and hooks his finger under them, pulling them quickly to the side. You twitch as he blows lightly over your lips, the cool air hitting the slick arousal already pooling between your thighs. He chuckles as you grip the blankets tightly and he pushes his long thick tongue between your folds, circling your bud at the top. You let out a long moan as his fervor increases, the feeling of his rough tongue dipping into your dripping hole and then back up to flick over your clit is driving you closer and closer to the edge.

After the past two weeks of the most intense sexual tension you’ve ever experienced it doesn’t take much for him to have you squirming under his touch. Your toes curl and a broken scream echoes over the rooftops as you come on his hungry lips.

“You’re so beautiful,” he coos as your eyes flutter open and see him hovering over your face once more.

Your jaw slackens, pupils blown as you take in his debauched state, his tousled hair, lips and beard glistening with your come. You reach up and pull him down to you, tasting yourself on his tongue. You feel his metal arm fumble with his jeans between you as he pulls out his aching cock. Your eyes flick down in curiosity and you can’t help but gasp as you gaze at his veiny, thick length.

“You see how hard you make me?” He moans, fisting the base of his leaking cock.

You bite your lip, feeling an overwhelming desire to let him use you in any way he wants. Your body arching into him and your hips rolling desperately. Your submissive side blooming under his dominant tone.

You whimper and meet his eye, “fuck me, Bucky. Please.”

Your voice is soft and timid, nothing like the typical commanding confidence you have in your daily life, and it sends a thrill through Bucky. He latches onto your thighs and pushes them up toward your chest, exposing your cunt to him and he guides himself inside, moaning freely as your walls stretch to fit him.

“I’m never letting you go. My perfect, Angel.”

[taekookieah]

Memories (3)

Chapter 3

 Riley felt antsy since she started work, not being able to sit still or properly concentrate which resulted in a few awkward moments when she had to ask her clients to repeat themselves when she was zoning out. Luckily it was Sunday which meant that she finished at noon but it felt like an eternity to Riley.

One more and then I can go.

Riley walks out to the waiting area but finds it empty. Danielle looks over at Riley and waves her over as she’s clutching the work phone to her ear. She quickly scribbles a note down and hands it over to Riley who slumps physically and looks genuinely upset.

“Ok Mrs. Cheah, we will see you tomorrow at 11am, bye bye” Danielle finishes chirpily, quickly finishing the call and leaning over to Riley.

“Why all the doom and gloom, I thought you would have liked a little break?”

“I have plans this afternoon and I don’t want to be late” Riley bites the inside of her cheek as she looks at the time. She knew that if her last client didn’t come in the next 10 minutes she would really be late.

“Oh my GOD, Riley why didn’t you tell me you have a date?!” Danielle leans over the counter with the biggest smile on her face.

“It’s not a date Danny” Riley denies but she can’t help the blush that forms on her cheeks.

“It. So. Is!” Danielle rushes around her desk and starts hassling Riley for more answers.

“Who is he? What’s his name? Where did you meet him?” Danielle prodded asking question after question as she followed Riley who tried her best to dodge her.

“I’m meeting a friend, sort of I think” Riley purses her lips as she doesn’t really know what to call what her and Jungkook have. Could she really call him a friend yet?

“I’m sure he is” Danielle gives Riley a wink but stops her assault as the door opens. The man walks through the door but stops when he sees the two standing in the middle of the room frozen as they look his way.

“Jesse Walker?” Riley asks as she steps away from Danielle straightening herself out. The man just nods as he takes a step inside, the door swinging closed.

“Welcome back, right this way please” Riley doesn’t wait and whips around quickly making her way down the hall and into her office. Danielle gives Jesse a shy smile and one that he reciprocates before he goes to follow Riley down the hall.

 --

   Jungkook looked down at his phone as he followed the directions through google maps. He wasn’t familiar with the suburban areas as most of his work was either in the city or out in the country side. Flicking his eyes up every few steps to make sure he didn’t bump into anyone he turned a corner to find a strip of café’s and restaurants. Mumbling to himself as he walked down the pathway reading the signs Jungkook laid his eyes on the entrance where he had agreed to meet Riley.

“Found you” Jungkook locks his phone as he steps inside and was greeted by a girl behind the counter.

“Good afternoon, are you dining in or taking away?” Jungkook walks over to the counter and reads her name tag as he pulls out his wallet.

“I’m meeting up with someone, can I just grab a bottle of water for now please?” He pulls out some money and hands it to the cashier.

“Still or sparkling?” she takes the money from Jungkook and taps at the screen in front of her.

“Still is fine” Jungkook smiles as he looks around the shop.

“Here you go, and your change sir” she hands over the bottle along with the money.

“Thanks Ellen” Jungkook smiles at her and walks over to a table that was in the corner by the window. Taking a seat he opens the bottle taking a sip before placing it down letting himself relax a little. The morning had been a little harsh since he woke up an hour ago, his headache still prominent but the Panadol he took was helping to ease the pain.  

“I gotta stop smoking weed” Jungkook mumbles to himself as he rubs his fingers over his temples. Jungkook sits back stretching his arms over his head his body feeling stiff and his neck cramping slightly. Jungkook hears the little bell tinkle as the door opens. He looks over to see Riley standing at the entrance waving at the barista and spots him in the corner.

Jungkook can’t help the breath that leaves his lungs as he watches Riley make her way over. She was wearing a dark blue and white stripped woollen jumper that was oversized for her frame and flowed in the breeze but it looked incredible on her. Jungkook couldn’t help but look down at her pants that were a simple pair of denim jeans but it hugged her strong thighs so well that Jungkook had to flick his eyes back up to Riley’s face or else he wouldn’t be able to stop staring.

“Sorry I kept you waiting, my last client was a little late” Riley says as she pulls out her purse from her bag.

“What would you like, I’m buying” Riley looks at Jungkook but he shakes his head as he goes to stand.

“It’s ok I can pay for myself” Jungkook tries but Riley pushes him back down not taking no for an answer.

“I invited you out it’s my treat. Plus, it’s a way to say thank you for last night and all” Riley stands her ground and normally Jungkook would protest but he couldn’t say no to her.

“I’ll have a long black” Jungkook says sitting back into his chair.

“Coming right up” Riley then heads to the counter ordering their drinks and comes back with a table number in hand.

“I hope you weren’t waiting too long” Riley takes her seat and slings her bag on the back of the chair.

“Just got here, I thought you didn’t have to work today?” Jungkook asks.

“My co-worker needs to take some time off and he usually takes clients Sunday mornings so I’m covering for him until he returns” Riley shrugs her shoulders as she plays with the silver necklace around her neck.

“So” Jungkook purses his lips suddenly feeling very self-conscious with everything he was doing. He fiddled with his fingers under the table not knowing what to say or do. It wasn’t like he didn’t want to be here, on the contrary, he wanted to spend as much time as possible with the girl sitting in front of him, but he didn’t really know what to say.

“I’m sorry about last night and the day we met, I haven’t really been myself around you and it’s not your fault” Riley blurts out. Jungkook’s taken aback as he watches Riley trying to sort through her choice of words as she nibbles on her bottom lip.

Jungkook just shakes his head as he leans his elbows on the table giving Riley his undivided attention. Riley opens her mouth but quickly closes it when the barista walks over with their drinks. She places the coffee in front of Jungkook and the pot of tea in front of Riley asking if they would like anything else. They politely decline as the lady takes the wooden plank with their table number on it telling them to ask if they would like anything else. Riley supresses her smile as she pours herself a cup of tea giving it time to cool down a little giving Jungkook the opportunity to take a sip of his coffee making him sighing at the taste of the bitter beverage he loved so much.

“I wanted to tell you why I’ve acted the way I have” Riley stares down at her tea not lifting her eyes.

“You don’t have to explain anything if you really don’t want to” Jungkook can tell that Riley is having a hard time trying to talk and he doesn’t want her to feel like she has to tell him anything. Riley just shakes her head as she looks up.

“I want to” Riley says looking back up.  

“I,” Riley sighs harshly trying to get herself to just tell Jungkook. “My last relationship ended because he cheated on me” Riley says deflating finally letting the words leave. She hadn’t said it in so long that it took a lot of courage to bring it up again.

Hearing those words leave Riley’s lips made Jungkook inhale sharply. How could someone do something so horrible to Riley? She was so kind, precious, and absolutely stunning that anyone would be a fool to do that to her. Jungkook’s insides twisted into loathing and anger knowing all too well how she was feeling and he hated seeing the pain so clear on her face.  

“It became a blessing in disguise, I never truly noticed how toxic the relationship was. He was kind to me but he was also very manipulative, always using me for his benefit and never really taking into consideration my feelings even though I tried to voice them.”

“He took so much from me and I blindly gave so much of myself to him but he never returned it and it took a toll on me. It made me realise how much I’ve let others use and abuse me through the years and I can see it happening again and again when people try to “befriend” me.” Riley takes a sip of her tea and gently places the cup down keeping her hands around the porcelain cup.

“It’s been a year since we broke up but every now and then I get these moments where a memory just hits me from something someone says or does and I freeze up. That’s why I ran after the art class the other day, and well why I froze last night from…you know” Riley circles her hand around not wanting to bring up last nights events.

“I’m so sorry” Jungkook looks down at his coffee upset that Riley had been hurt so badly that she couldn’t trust anyone around her.

“I’m sorry about the whole tequila thing, that was uncalled for” Jungkook covers his eyes with his hand scolding himself for his actions.

“Shit I’m so sorry” Jungkook then runs his hand through his hair tugging at the roots but seeing Riley with a gentle smile on her face made him stop.

“You really shouldn’t have to worry about something like that Jungkook” Riley says as she takes another sip finishing her cup before pouring herself another.

“But—” Jungkook opens his mouth but Riley shuts him down.

“I appreciate the fact that you’re worried and I thank you for looking out for me but you don’t need to walk on egg shells when you’re around me” Riley states.

“Look I’ve gone through these situations for a reason. Sure, they suck and hurt but I’ve learned from them and I’m trying to learn how to be somewhat normal again, so please stop looking like a kicked puppy” Riley leans over the table and pokes a finger in between Jungkook’s eyebrows drawing his attention to his facial expressions.

“Frowning doesn’t suit you” Riley sits back down genuinely smiling and Jungkook couldn’t help but mirror her.

“You’re one interesting person Riley” Jungkook says as he picks up his cup bringing it to his lips taking another sip, the aroma of the caffeine slowly picking up his energy levels.

“I’m just me” Riley shrugs as she takes another sip but jumps as she burns the tip of her tongue.

“Frickin…I keep doing that” Riley sticks her tongue out waving her hands at herself trying to cool it down but knowing it won’t really do anything to help. Jungkook chuckles at how cute Riley looks.

“Shut up” Riley frowns.

“So, miss Riley, what would you like to do?” Jungkook finishes off his drink and pushes the cup off to the side.

“I um didn’t think we were really going to do anything after this” Riley blinked in surprise as she thought that after their little chat they would go their separate ways.

“We came out all this way we may as well have some fun, common” Jungkook stands to his feet waving Riley to follow.

“Hey wait up!” Riley quickly downs the rest of her drink and grabs her bag as she rushes after him.

“Thank you!” Riley calls out as she leaves the café following Jungkook’s large strides.

“Slow down! Geez you’re as bad as Taehyung” Riley grabs the back of Jungkook’s shirt pulling him to slow down.

“Sorry, not used to walking with midgets” Jungkook teases and continues his fast pace.

“Wow now you’re just being mean” Riley scrunches her face plotting a way to get back at him.

“I remember you were talking about axe throwing last night” Jungkook looks over to Riley as he suddenly stops, pulling his keys out but Riley can’t see any cars around.

“I really want to try it and whaaaaaat are you doing?” Riley watches as Jungkook steps off the curb and grabs a helmet off a motorbike.

Oh hell no.

“Oh hell no!” Riley exclaims as Jungkook walks over with the helmet in his hands.

“It’s not that bad” Jungkook smiles as Riley dodges his attempt at trying to put the protective gear over her head.

“I’m not getting on that death machine” Riley stomps her foot as she crosses her arms making Jungkook internally coo at how adorable she was acting.

“I’m a safe driver and I won’t put you in any danger” Jungkook walks to Riley slowly whose resolve was dissolving.

“Here” Jungkook puts the helmet back onto the bike and starts pulling at his jacket’s sleeves letting it slide off his broad shoulders and swinging it around Riley.

“It’s padded” Jungkook slips Riley’s arms into the sleeves and pulls it tight around her.

“I feel ridiculous” Riley mumbles making Jungkook giggle.

“But you’re protected, that’s the important thing” Jungkook skips over to grab the helmet and try once more, this time Riley doesn’t move.

“Hold on it’s a bit of a tight squeeze” Jungkook pushes a little none to gently to get the helmet on Riley’s head. It was heavy and her hearing was muffled, her cheeks felt like they were being constantly squished.

“Ok?” Jungkook brings his thumbs up flipping them up and down to get Riley’s reply. She gives him a thumbs up making him smile widely.

“Good” Jungkook makes quick work of adjusting the strap under Riley’s chin securing it and taking a step back admiring his work.

“Alright let’s go” Jungkook walks over to his bike but Riley calls out.

“What about you?” Jungkook looks to see Riley pointing to her head signalling about his own safety.

“I’ve got an extra” Jungkook flips the seat of the motorbike up revealing a compartment where another helmet was stored. Riley watches as Jungkook lifts it over his head securing it tightly but what really catches her attention is the man’s now exposed arms that flex with every movement. Today he was wearing a white muscle shirt that showed off his sides revealing his tiny waste once more that Riley had completely forgotten about. His pants were a loose pair of black cargo pants and he was wearing black and white converse shoes.  

“You coming or what?” Jungkook raises a brow through his visor making Riley take a step forward slinging her bag over her shoulder and securing it as close to herself as possible.

“How do I?” Riley watches as Jungkook holds onto the handles and hooks a leg over the bike sitting comfortably in the seat.

“Just hop on” Jungkook offers a hand to which Riley hesitantly takes but tries to logically think about how she was going to climb onto this beast. Riley grunts as she gives herself a little hop as she swings her leg over with Jungkook pulling on her hand to help her up. Riley squealed as she sat upright, hands digging into Jungkook’s shoulders trying to create some space between them. Riley could see Jungkook’s body bounce as he laughed giving her leg a pat.

“Good job you made it to the summit, how does it feel being this high up?” Jungkook twists his torso around to give Riley a cheeky smile to which she just punches his back but winces at how solid it felt.

“You can either hold onto the rails on the back there,” Jungkook points to the two tiny metal bars that were sticking out the backside of the vehicle to which Riley deemed not a good idea. “Or you can wrap your arms around and hold on tight” Jungkook twists back as he kicks the bike to life, the roar of the engine making Riley jump and immediately wrapping her arms around Jungkook’s middle.

“I’ve got you” Jungkook says as he places a hand over Riley’s trembling hands but he knows she can’t hear him. Riley scoots herself as close as she possibly could to Jungkook too scared to care about personal space. Riley tensed as Jungkook kicks off taking his time to manoeuvre down the street letting Riley adjust to the feeling of being on a motorbike. Riley had her eyes closed shut but soon fluttered them open watching the scenery around her.

Jungkook pulls onto the street making sure to check that it was all clear and using his signals. He could feel Riley’s grip easing up a little but still clinging onto him tightly. They stop at a set of lights making Jungkook extend a leg out to keep them propped up. Jungkook looked over his shoulder to check in on Riley who just nodded her head showing that she was ok.

As the lights turn green Jungkook starts accelerating quickly bringing his leg back in place. He has years of experience driving his bike but the realization that he hasn’t had anyone else join him for a long time made him smile. He missed the feeling of something warm cling to him from behind, trusting him completely as he zoomed past traffic.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the freeway and Jungkook took his time when merging to join the moving vehicles. He knows that people are never fond of motorbikes whizzing between them so he decided to behave today since he was carrying precious cargo. It wasn’t long until they took the exit towards the city making their way through the busy streets. Luckily Jungkook had looked up the address of the establishment and he was very familiar with the streets of Perth so it didn’t take him long to find a parking spot outside the warehouse.

Jungkook parked the bike letting the engine rumble to a stop. His heart was beating fast but that’s why he loved driving his precious bike so much, the feeling was exhilarating. Jungkook went to check on Riley but she was already swinging her legs around and jumping off as her hands came up to unbuckle her helmet. Jungkook quickly swung his legs over and unbuckled his helmet easily and placing it on the bike to go help Riley. Jungkook steps closer and takes over Riley’s fumbling fingers as she didn’t know how it worked. Once it was loose Jungkook took a step back to let Riley take the helmet off herself expecting her to start kicking him and yelling but he got the complete opposite.

Jungkook was greeted with the biggest smile he’s ever seen on Riley’s face, her cheeks had a couple red marks from the helmet and her hair was a mess but she looked so happy as she jumped around flapping her arms.

“That was incredible! Oh my god my heart!” Riley bent over clutching her chest as she laughed breathlessly. Jungkook sighed in relief as he walked over and patted her on the back giving her time to catch her breath.

“I told you” Jungkook laughed alongside Riley who stood up tall letting her hands rest on her hips as she shook her head making her hair fall in front of her face.

“Common let’s go throw some axes!” Riley takes hold of Jungkook’s hand dragging him towards the door. Riley was clearly still high off the adrenaline rush as she pushed the door open her whole body completely buzzing.

“Ok ok calm down” Jungkook squeezes Riley’s hand that was intertwined with his own but she wasn’t listening.

The place was huge, there were rows of fenced off lanes with big wooden targets at the end. There were a few groups already in session, the sounds of the wood cracking as the axes landed made Riley jump up and down like a little child.

“Hey guys, you here to throw some axes?” a lady walks over holding a clipboard in one hand and waving the other.

“Yes!” Riley stands still as she watched the employee walk in front of them giving them both big smiles. She had tattoos covering her arms and neck and piercings that covered her ears, eyebrows and lip.

“Alright well first I’m going to need you guys to read through our forms and sign them at the bottom and then we’ll go through safety and rules” she hands over the clipboard and a pen to Riley and walks off. Riley takes her time reading the given paper, running her fingers over the printed words and reading them quietly to herself. Jungkook stands there watching her fingers barely poke out from the end of his leather jacket that almost swallowed her whole.

“God you’re adorable” Jungkook sighed out but looked away as soon as Riley looked his way.

“Did you say something?” Riley asks.

“Hmm what? No, I didn’t say anything” Jungkook plays dumb knowing he was never good at acting but Riley just shrugs her shoulder bringing her attention back to the form. Once Riley was finished signing her form she hands the clipboard over to Jungkook who flips to a new page underneath hers not bothering to read the terms and conditions as he scribbles his name down and signs below.

“I read them online” Jungkook states as he walks over to the counter chatting to the lady who greeted them earlier.

“Two please” Jungkook nods her way as she punches the numbers in taking the card offered to her.

“Wait let me pay for my myself” Riley complains but is stopped by Jungkook’s glare.

“You paid for coffee earlier, now it’s my turn to shout” Jungkook takes the card back and puts it back into his wallet.

“That’s hardly anything compared to this—” Jungkook hushes Riley’s complaints by pressing a finger to her lips.

“Nuhuh, I will hear no protests. Just enjoy yourself and have fun” Riley pushes Jungkook’s hand away and sighs heavily. She never liked it when people bought things for her, always feeling guilty and thinking that she didn’t deserve it but she knew it was pointless trying to convince Jungkook otherwise.

“Fine, but prepare yourself I’m going to whoop your ass” Riley takes off Jungkook’s jacket and shoves it into his stomach making him stumble from the force he did not expect from such a little body.

“Bring it on” Jungkook challenges as they follow the lady who walks around the counter and brings them to an opening that holds two targets.

“Alright before I go through the basics introductions are in order. My name is Rebecca and I’ll be helping you throughout your session. You’ll be here for an hour but I’ll let you guys stay longer if it stays quiet” Rebecca winks at them making Riley smile in appreciation.

“And who might you be missy?” Rebecca looks over to Riley first.

“Riley”

“Lovely, and you my good sir?”

“Jungkook”

“Excellent. Apologies if I misspell your names it’s never been a strong suit of mine” Rebecca types in their names into a little tablet and sets up a new game for them.

“Alright, you can come over and choose your icon” Rebecca stands off to the side and Jungkook rushes in first quickly flipping through the logos that were a mixture of Marvel and DC superheroes.

“Dibs on Ironman!” Jungkook calls out as he selects his icon that flashes above his name.

“Rookie mistake, should’ve gone for Thor” Riley taps Jungkook’s shoulder with the back of her hand as she chooses the Iron Hammer with the lightning bolt running through it.

“Thor ain’t got shit on Ironman” Jungkook says smugly.

“Oh yeah, what does Ironman have that our Australian icon Chris Hemsworth doesn’t?” Riley crosses her arms ready to defend her precious Thor with everything she’s got.

“Let’s see. Tony Stark is a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist to name a few” Jungkook lists off with his fingers giving Riley a wink.

“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you” Riley quotes back making Jungkook blink down at her.

“Did you just…”

“Let’s go sweetie we don’t have all day” Riley calls out as she follows Rebecca into the fighting ring ready to throw down.

“I think I love you” Jungkook says under his breath as he follows.

“Alright this is how it works so pay attention!” Rebecca walks over to the target pointing to the different parts of the target explaining the points system. Jungkook and Riley listen carefully watching as Rebecca pulls out one of the axes showing its grip and how to properly hold it. She shows different techniques on how to throw the axe and Riley takes mental notes wanting to make sure that she knows how to execute it properly without potentially injuring herself or anyone around her. Once Rebecca was done she walks out of the court and stands at the panel.

“We’ll have a practice round before we start the real game so go and get yourself an axe and start throwing” Jungkook walks over to where the axes were neatly stored. He picks one up with ease and walks over to his marker waiting for Riley to collect her own.

“Take is slow Jungkook, you don’t want to miss your target” Riley smack talks as she picks up her own axe surprised that it’s lighter than she expected but still held a good weight to it.

Jungkook watches as Riley makes it to her side and gets herself into position but was waiting for him to throw first. Jungkook smirks as he raises the axe with one arm above his shoulder and throws it with all his might, the axe landing a few centimetres away from the bullseye.

“I think I’m good” Jungkook looks over to Riley who gaped widely. Riley tightens her grip on her axe, shuffling her feet into a good position as she raised the axe over her head and tossed it at her target but it bounces off landing flat on the ground.

“Hah! I think you should be worrying about yourself more than me” Jungkook laughs as he walks over to his target and rips his weapon out with ease. Riley curses to herself as she jogs over to collect her own, mentally slapping herself for not landing it on the first go.

“Ladies first” Jungkook gestures to Riley who gives him a blank look before setting herself up once again.

“One foot in front of the other. One hand gripping the end of the axe, the other a fist above. Lift it above your head and—” Riley throws the axe but once again was met with it bouncing off the board and landing on the ground.

“Oh common I had it that time!” Riley looks in disbelief wondering how she was still struggling. Jungkook then raises his axe throwing it with frightening speed but lands higher than last time.

“Hey come here for a sec” Rebecca calls out from behind the wired fence and curls her finger to beckon Riley to her. Riley huffs as she walks over and leans her side against the fence.

“I don’t know what I’m going wrong” Riley looks over to Jungkook who had pulled his axe out. Riley was starting to hate how muscular Jungkook really was.

“Listen. He has strength on his side but he doesn’t have great technique. He’s relying on brute force to land his targets but it’s sloppy. You on the other hand have great technique, you just need to put more oomph into it. Try to get more spin on it too, you’ll hit the target and land it” Riley listened carefully nodding her head in understanding. Riley looks over to Jungkook who was standing ready in position, one hand holding his axe while the other was on his hip.

“You ready princess?” Jungkook teases but Riley ignores him as she walks over to collect her axe. She bends over to slowly pick her axe off the floor deliberately taking her time as she had seen the way Jungkook had looked at her when she walked into the café earlier. Turning around she caught him staring straight at her ass and she gave Jungkook a knowing look who just blinked owlishly as he swallowed unconsciously.

Riley made her way back to her mark letting Jungkook go first. He rolls his shoulders cockily and throws his axe with all his might, the loud crack reverberated around them but his aim was off making Jungkook curse. Riley readies herself just like she did before, getting herself into position and raises the axe above her head. She leans back slightly putting her weight more on her back leg and pushes off, a little yell escaping her lips as she lets go and watches the axe spin landing a clear bullseye. Riley cheers raising her arms above her head in triumph and pokes her tongue out to Jungkook who looks stunned. Riley walked over to her target and yanks her axe out, walking back and giving Jungkook a peace sign.

“The battle hasn’t started yet Kook” Riley says as she walks back getting ready to throw again. Jungkook grabs his own and moves back to his spot now starting to get riled up, his competitive nature slowly showing.

“Alright you love birds let’s move onto the real fight!” Rebecca calls out quickly tapping at her screen bringing up a new round. She doesn’t notice how the pair stutter about trying to explain that they aren’t an item but it falls on deaf ears.

“Yeah, yeah whatever you say. Jungkook you’re up first” Rebecca winks at Jungkook who’s flicking his eyes nervously at Riley but her gaze was looking down as she kicked at the ground.

“Let’s make a bet” Jungkook walks over to Riley who takes a step back as she wasn’t expecting Jungkook to suddenly crowd her.

“W-what did you have in mind” Riley is backed into the fence, her sweaty palms almost losing her grip on the axe.

“Loser has to be the winner’s slave for a day” Jungkook leans in close knowing full well that being this close makes Riley nervous with him but he doesn’t push any further not wanting to make her uncomfortable to the point where she will back down. Jungkook can see Riley mull it over in her head and locks eyes determined.

“Deal” Riley pushes herself off the fence making Jungkook back up with a big smirk on his face.

“Deal” Jungkook offers his hand which Riley takes giving each other a firm squeeze.

“Best of three?” Jungkook looks over to Rebecca who gives him a thumbs up.

“Ladies first” Riley gestures to Jungkook who rolls his eyes. Jungkook looks down to his target shifting on his feet from side to side. He raises his arm and throws sending the axe spinning and landing close to the middle.

“Aw almost there” Riley says as she lines herself up like she had and throws landing another perfect bullseye.

“Yes” Riley pumps her arm and skips over to her target where Jungkook furrows his eyebrows at Riley. Jungkook collects his axe and heads back and makes quick work of throwing his axe but his aim seems to be getting worse making him draw his lips into a thin line. Jungkook then watches Riley, eyes glued to the way he’s holding the grip and how she rocks onto her back leg before pushing off sending the axe towards her target with precision.

“Got it” Jungkook talks to himself as he pulls on his axe and gets back to start throwing again.

Jungkook licks his lips as he places one foot in front of the other and grips the axe the same way Riley was. He had listened to the lady’s instructions but had opted for the one handed grip however it was becoming increasingly obvious that it wasn’t as accurate. Raising the axe over his head Jungkook throws it hard but it bounces off the board landing on the ground with a clink. Riley takes this opportunity to throw hers landing on the board but just shy off scoring perfect.

Riley can see that Jungkook is changing his tactics and after a few more throws and misses on his end he was finally starting to score.

“Alright round one goes to the all might THOR!” Rebecca calls out letting them know that round one was over.

Riley whoops in glee making Jungkook smile even though he lost the first round. His pride may be a little wounded but what truly mattered was that Riley was having a good time.

“I gotta say I didn’t think it would be this physically taxing geez” Riley massages her shoulder already feeling the burn.

“Gotta get that pump” Jungkook flexes his arms making Riley laugh and covers her mouth to stop herself from snorting. Jungkook just giggles as he swaps sides with Riley getting ready for the next round.

“Nervous?” Riley walks past Jungkook already itching to start.

“Psh you wish” Jungkook calls back as he sets himself up.

“It’s time for Round Two! Players ready?” Rebecca calls out as she sets up the round.

“Ready!” Jungkook and Riley call out in unison.

“Riley you’re up” Rebecca calls out.

Riley jumps up and down on the spot shaking her free arm to get rid of any jitters. Riley starts off strong getting a clear 6 points while Jungkook scrapes with a measly 2-point start. Jungkook was starting to sweat as his heart was beating fast not wanting to lose. He had to win this round if he had a chance at winning this competition. As time passed on Jungkook’s accuracy improved dramatically almost hitting perfect shots with every throw. Riley groaned as she misses the target completely hitting high on the board.

“Round Two goes to Iroooonmaaaan!” Rebecca cups her mouth shouting out in excitement. There was now a little gathering forming around them making Riley look over nervously.

“You got this” Riley mutters to herself as she walks over to collect her axe but has a hard time reaching it as it was just out of reach. Riley tries jumping a few times to get it but falls short. Suddenly she feels Jungkook stand behind her reaching above her and gripping firmly on the handle.

“Careful, don’t want to hurt yourself” Jungkook whispers into Riley’s ear seductively in a low voice making her breath hitch. Jungkook pulls on the axe freeing it from the wood and offers it to Riley who takes it with both hands.

“Thanks” Riley mumbles but doesn’t turn. Jungkook hums in response and then he’s gone. Riley could still feel Jungkook pressed to her back but she shakes it off turning around to get ready. She quickly puts down her axe on the wrack and exits the ring to pull off her jumper as she was overheating. Her black top was sticking to her body from the sweat that was accumulating the longer they played but she honestly didn’t care, she was ready to fight to the end.

“Last round, winner takes all” Rebecca looks between Jungkook and Riley who were giving each other a stare down.

“Let’s go” Riley offers Jungkook her fist to which he bumps his knuckles against her own.

It was an intense game, axes were thrown, targets were hit and missed, the spectators genuinely invested in their competitive game. Some cheered when Jungkook landed a solid blow but everyone applauded louder when Riley scored.

“The score is tied, you’ve got one more shot left” Rebecca told them as they started panting, their energy slowly depleting from the taxing game.

Riley takes a long slow breath as she lines herself up, eyes looking down at the target and locking on. She leans back and throws with all her might, her axe landing front and centre. Riley yells out in triumph and so does everyone around her, all clapping and cheering. Riley looks over to Jungkook but stops as she watches him paying no attention to her, his full undivided attention looking down at his own target.

“Clutch!” Jungkook shouts as he throws his axe and it lands perfectly on the small green dot above the target. Everyone goes quiet as they look over to Rebecca who walks in to check that it had indeed landed on target. She inspects the board and turns around with a nod of her head.

“It’s a clutch!” She calls out. Jungkook jumps high in the air pumping his arms as he turns and everyone goes ballistic.

“Holy crap” Riley can only gape astonished that he had managed to pull that off. A clutch was risky, if you missed you were left with nothing but if you land it and yell out clutch it’s worth 10 points. Riley sighs knowing she was beaten. She walks over to Jungkook and offers her hand to which Jungkook looks down at her with a big smile.

“Good game Jungkook” Riley smiles up at him genuinely proud that he had won.

“Good game Riley. Hey about the bet don’t worry about it I was just messing with you” Jungkook shakes Riley’s hand gently.

“A deal is a deal, I will honour it” Riley places her hands on her hips. She was devastated that she had lost but she doesn’t back down from her word.

“This was the most fun I’ve had in a long time” Riley said as she wipes the sweat from her face which scrunched up seeing how much perspiration came off.

“That’s a bit sad that losing is your definition of fun” Jungkook jests earning a punch to the gut.

“Ass” Riley retorts as she makes her way out of the arena and grabs her things making her way over to the bar in desperate need of some water. Jungkook just chuckles as he follows Riley close behind as he snatches his own jacket.

“Water please I’m dying” Riley pleads to the bar tender as she flops down onto a chair letting her head flop onto the counter.

“Make that two” Jungkook lifts two fingers up and gentleman makes quick work of filling up two glasses with ice and water and slides them their way. Riley takes her glass and gulps it down as soon as it arrives asking for a refill.

“Someone’s thirsty” Jungkook sits down as he takes a few big sips himself enjoying the cooling feeling fill his body.

“Let me sulk in peace” Riley feigns pain and suffering by dramatically acting like she was upset by the loss.

“Really though thank you for this, I didn’t realise I needed it” Riley sits up and grabs her now filled glass taking a few more sips as she face Jungkook.

“Me too, this is a great stress reliever” Jungkook swings his chair around and rests an elbow on the counter as he swivels his chair left to right and takes a few more sips as he looks around the room. Riley can’t help but admire the ink on Jungkook’s arms, the urge to touch them were growing stronger by the second.

“I love you tattoos” Riley blurts out making Jungkook whip his head back to Riley who was staring at his arms, the look of adoration clear on her features.

“Oh um thanks, people aren’t usually fond of them” Jungkook rubs a hand over his arm suddenly feeling a little self-conscious.

“Really?” Riley looks up at Jungkook quizzically making him nod his head.

“’You know they’re permanent right?’ ‘Such a shame you have such pretty skin’ ‘You look like a thug’ ‘Tattoos aren’t attractive’ is what I usually get” Jungkook uses a high-pitched voice which he assumes are old ladies telling him off.

“I’m never ashamed of the decisions I made, these are symbols of my life and one’s that I cherish” Jungkook looks over the art that covers his skin with a gentle smile.

“Have you ever thought of getting one yourself?” Jungkook looks up at Riley who continues to look at Jungkook’s arm.

“I’ve thought about it but I’m still not entirely sure what I would get, but I’m not completely shutting the idea down” Riley places her glass down and then pats her neck but freezes.

“What’s wrong?” Jungkook picks up on Riley’s sudden change and jumps up when Riley starts patting down her body frantically looking around.

“My necklace, it’s gone!” Riley looks visibly distraught, eyes flicking around to see where it had dropped.

“I’ll look over here” Jungkook walks over to Rebecca who greets him with a bright smile but it faulters when she sees his expression.

“What’s wrong?” Rebecca asks and looks around Jungkook to see Riley crouching down to the floor.

“She lost her necklace, do you mind?” Jungkook gestures to the area where they had just played a game.

“Of course of course” Rebecca rushes to open the fence letting Jungkook in.

Jungkook looks thoroughly trying to find the silver chain he vaguely remembers. After a few minutes he finds something shining in the light and bends down to find the necklace.

“Got it!” Jungkook calls out as he picks up the delicate jewellery and brings it up to his face to inspect it closely. It was a pair of feathers that clinked together with every small movement, the little details were impressive.

“Thank god!” Riley runs over to Jungkook almost tripping on her way over.

“I don’t know what I would have done if I lost it” Riley visibly relaxes seeing her precious necklace safe and sound. Jungkook goes to hand it over but decided to walk behind Riley and clips it around her neck.

“There” Jungkook secures it safely and walks back around to admire it.

“It’s beautiful” Jungkook says as Riley touches it taking a big breath.

“My mother gave it to me for my birthday a few years ago, I wear it almost every day” Riley says as she looks down to the floor trying not to start crying.

“It must be very special then” Jungkook places a hand over his left shoulder, his fingers gently pressing over the roman numerals.

“It is” Riley sniffles and rubs her thumb under her nose. Jungkook wanted to give her a hug but wasn’t sure if they were at that stage yet with their friendship. The realisation that Jungkook could safely say that he and Riley were friends was nice, it made him feeling warm and content. Quickly checking the time and seeing it was later in the afternoon than he had expected Jungkook’s mind panicked, he didn’t want this to finish.

“Do you want to grab something to eat?” Jungkook blurts out suddenly. Riley just giggles as she grabs her belongings and heads for the door.

“Thought you’d never ask” Jungkook smiles as he follows after Riley quickly stepping outside and making his way over to his bike.

“Where would you like to go?” Jungkook asks as he hands over his jacket. Riley takes the item of clothing and puts it on as she hums.

“I know this is sort of stereotypical for you but I’m really craving Korean barbeque” Riley takes the helmet that’s given to her and fixes it faster as she knows what she’s doing this time.

“I’m always down for samgyeopsal” Jungkook throws on his own helmet before jumping on his bike and helping Riley onto the back. She doesn’t hesitate this time to scoot close to Jungkook and wraps her arms around him snuggling in.

“Let’s goooooo” Riley’s muffled voice calls out and Jungkook complies, starting the engine and kicking off. There was a place that was famous for its meats that Jungkook had always wanted to try so he makes his way through the streets trying to remember where he had seen it. Luck seemed to be on their side as Jungkook spots the establishment down the street. He made quick work of finding a free spot to park his bike letting Riley hop off before him.

After turning off the bike and arguing for longer than necessary over who would pay for the parking ticket Riley won saying that Jungkook was driving so it was a way to cover for some of the fuel to which Jungkook rolls his eyes. He was more than fine to pay but he told himself that no matter what he would pay for their meal.

The pair make their way up a flight of stairs that looked a little dodgy at first but coming to the second story they came across a clean and well decorated restaurant that was already buzzing with life. Riley felt a little out of her comfort zone as she looked around and noticed that there were no Caucasians in sight besides herself. Just as Jungkook was going to ask for a table for two a buff looking fellow marched his way over waving at them.

“Jungkook! My good man what are you doing here?” the gentleman brings Jungkook in for a bone crushing hug making Riley cringing at the cracks she could hear from Jungkook’s back popping due to the sheer force of the hug.

“Hey uncle, long time no see” Jungkook wheezes out as he’s put back down.

“I’ll say! I’ve been meaning to call you for some work if you’re interested. Ah where are my manners I shouldn’t be talking about business when you’re clearly here to eat. Oh, and who might this lovely lady be?” the man looks over to Riley who had been silent the entire time.

“Jun this is Riley, Riley Jun” Jungkook steps aside letting Riley say hello.

“My apologies I don’t know if I should call you uncle or not” Riley offers her hand and bows as the man takes it and reciprocates.

“Jun is fine my dear. Come come I’ve got a table just special for you two, follow me” Jun waves them over as he weaves his way through the throng of people and brings them to a table where there seems to be a generous amount of space away the other tables that all seem to be squished together in the small space.

“Sit sit, someone will come over and take care of you guys, I should really get back to work” just as he finishes talking someone calls out his name and he yells back letting them know he’s on his way. He quickly whispers something to Jungkook who opens his mouth to protest but Jun leaves before he could say a word.

“What did he say?” Riley asks as she gives Jungkook back his jacket and takes a seat, trying her best to avoid the beady eyes looking their way.

“He said everything’s on the house” Jungkook shakes his head as he sits down looking around to find many prying eyes looking at his arms. He quickly puts his jacket back on despite it being quite warm inside. Jungkook can see the worried look Riley gives him but he shakes his head.

“It’s better to do this rather than start an argument, I’m used to it so don’t worry” Jungkook says but that doesn’t help Riley feel guilty.

“That’s unfair” Riley looks over to the people who are still staring at them and watches as they flinch their eyes away. Riley huffs as she pulls her jumper over her head and gently folds it in her lap.

“Aw are you worried for me?” Jungkook coos as he teases Riley but she doesn’t bite back with a snarky remark like she usually does. She gives him a serious look when she speaks.

“Yes” Jungkook blinks back in surprise at the simple answer.  

“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that answer from you” Jungkook looks away as he rubs the back of his neck.

“Umm Jungkook? I can’t read the menu” Riley looks down face scrunched up adorably as she tries reading the hangul but failing miserably.

“Well lucky for you I can be your personal translator” Jungkook beams as he picks up the menu and quickly reads through it. There wasn’t much to choose from but they were more of a specialty restaurant than offering multiple options and Jungkook appreciates that knowing whatever they order will taste amazing.

“What do you like?” Jungkook asks.

“Anything meat and I’m a happy girl” Riley pats her tummy as it rumbles hungrily.

“I’m not a big seafood person so probably avoid that, oh I’m lactose intolerant so I can’t have dairy” Jungkook gasps upon hearing this news.

“You poor soul how do you live?” Jungkook fake cries for Riley who just laughs.

“It’s not that bad”

“But cheese is the essence of life!” Jungkook retorts.

“Unless you want me to possibly vomit and smell like farts I think the safest bet is avoiding it at all costs” Riley pouts her lips to which Jungkook pretends to gag.

“Ok you got me there” Jungkook calls out to the waiter in passing who rushes over pulling out a pen and paper. Jungkook quickly talks in Korean and Riley realizes this is the first time she’s heard the man speak in his mother’s tongue. She’s heard Jimin and Taehyung talk to each other in Korean, their tone of voice sounding different compared to when they speak in English and the same goes for Jungkook. His voice was lower and had more power behind it and Riley realized she didn’t want him to stop. The waiter repeated the order and Jungkook nodded his head along with the list of dishes being ticked off. Jungkook thanked the waiter and brought his attention back to Riley who was still watching him in delight.

“What?”

“I like listening to you talk Korean” Riley blurted out.

“I mean, I just like seeing this side of you, is all” Riley mumbled to herself wishing she had kept her mouth shut. Jungkook leans over trying to catch Riley’s eyes but she kept avoiding him.

“I can teach you if you want?” Jungkook says making Riley perk up.

“You would?” Riley seemed genuinely interested to which Jungkook nodded his head eagerly.

“Jimin and Taehyung tried teaching me but they would constantly argue over who was a better teacher, it didn’t work… I would love to learn from you but only if you have the time”

I’ll give you all the time I have.

Jungkook’s mind races at the thought of teaching Riley but his mind stops as food is being brought to their table. A waitress comes over holding a basket of coal with tongs warning them that it’s hot as she places it in the middle of the table setting the plate on top where they can cook their food. A platter of freshly cut meat is set to the side along with different kinds of leaves and side dishes. A bowl of stew is placed to their other side that’s still bubbling hot alongside a tray of assorted savoury pancakes.

“Jesus Jungkook how much did you order?” Riley gapes at the food but politely thanks the staff for their service.

“What’s wrong with this?” Jungkook goes to pick up the tongs but stops.

“Um this might be an odd question but how old are you?” Jungkook feels stupid for not knowing. He knows that it’s unusual to ask such a question to Riley but she doesn’t seem offended.

“I’m 24, and you?” Riley asks.

“22” Jungkook smiles as he then grabs the utensils quickly checking the temperature of the plate before picking up a piece of meat and placing it on, the sizzling sound is like music to their ears.

“Here” Riley cuts off a piece of the Kimchi Jeon and offers it to Jungkook who shakes his head.

“You’re older, you get to eat first” Jungkook says but Riley doesn’t give up.

“And you’re a growing boy, eat up!” Riley presses the tender piece of pancake to Jungkook’s lips and he can’t help but open his mouth enjoying the taste as he chews.  

“Oh man that’s so good” Jungkook hums as he closes his eyes and swallows.

“I’m a bit overwhelmed by choice, where do I start?” Riley wiggles in her chair as she looks around the plethora of food.

“Try the jjigae, I’ve heard it’s one of their specialties” Jungkook looks over to the soup, his mouth drooling at the sight. Riley picks up her spoon and dips it into the pot and brings it up to her lips. She blows on it a few times making sure not to burn herself and takes a sip physically sinking further into her seat.

“I never thought food could taste this good” Riley almost cries as she goes in for another spoonful.

“Let me try” Jungkook grabs his own spoon and scoops up a generous amount of the broth along with some tofu and kimchi and gently blowing on it before slurping it down. Jungkook just moans as he puts his cutlery down shocked at how delicious it was.

“I think I’m going to cry” Jungkook slides a hand over his face as he tries to compose himself.

“Told you!” Riley tears off a piece of the pancake that she had fed Jungkook earlier and has a taste herself to which she hums happily.

“I think I can die happy now” Riley does a little dance with all the delicious food she was tasting.

“You haven’t even had the meat yet” Jungkook gasps as he turns the meat over and grabs the scissors to start cutting it into bite size pieces.

“You got me there. Fine I’ll stay alive for the meat”

The evening continues as the pair eat everything given to them. Jungkook takes care to not overcook the meat and Riley continues to spoon feed Jungkook so he doesn’t miss out on anything. Jungkook points to the food laid out and tells Riley the Korean names for them to which she repeats back almost perfectly, tongue tripping on a few of the harder pronunciations. Jungkook then teaches Riley how to make the perfect wrap giving her the inside tricks and secrets of making the perfect bite. Riley watches closely and follows Jungkook’s instructions making sure to treat hers with care not wanting to destroy it.

“Alright now you just one shot it” Jungkook says and then proceeds to shove his entire wrap into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out from how much he had managed to pack in it. Riley looks down at her own wrap and hesitates.

“I don’t think it’ll fit” Riley says making Jungkook choke a little.

“Oh shut up, you’re just as bad as Taehyung and Jimin” Riley blushes but brings her attention back to her wrap.

“Sorry” Jungkook covers his mouth trying not to gross Riley out but he just laughs again when Riley shoots him a look. Riley takes a big breath and then shoves the wrap into her mouth but struggles with the last bit. She pushes the rest into her mouth and quickly covers her mouth as she tried not to dribble everywhere.

“Mmftommch” Riley tries to mumble out as she chews her food but hums in contempt at the taste enjoying the mixture of texture and flavours.

“Good?” Jungkook swallows wiping his mouth as he watches Riley nod her head happily.

Jungkook and Riley continue their meal, completely oblivious to the two pair of eyes watching them from the corner of the restaurant. Taehyung and Jimin watch in awe as they witness Jungkook and Riley making easy conversation with another, even seeing them feed each other food was enough to make Jimin’s heart squeeze.

“Ok that’s official, I ship them so hard” Jimin puts down his chopsticks as he chews on his meat, eyes still locked onto the pair.

“I shipped them day one, get with the program” Taehyung looks over his shoulder to watch them but turns his eyes back to Jimin.

Since Taehyung knew Riley was going to spend time with Jungkook today he wanted to take Jimin out just so they could spend some time together, just the two of them, but luck seemed to be on their side when they say Jungkook walk in with Riley.

“Didn’t think we’d get the chance to spy on them, I just hope they don’t see us” Taehyung wiggles his eyebrows at Jimin.

“We get a meal and a free show, kinda wish I had some popcorn” Jimin giggles as he makes a wrap but gestures for Taehyung to have it.

“Open up” Jimin says as he watches Taehyung settle his eyes on him. Taehyung opens his mouth wide letting Jimin slowly feed him, not once did he blink as he closes his mouth almost biting Jimin’s tiny fingers but pulls away in time.

“This is nice,” Jimin says as he rests his chin on his hands. “We don’t do this enough”  

“Well since our little Riley is growing up maybe we should go out more often” Taehyung swallows licking his lips.

“We should,” Jimin agrees. “You’ve got a little something on your face” Jimin points to the corner of Taehyung’s lips and he tries to lick it away but Jimin just rolls his eyes and leans over the table to gently wipe away the sauce. Taehyung stays still as he watches Jimin suck it off his thumb and hums making Taehyung silently groan at the lewd thoughts invading his mind.

“You ok?” Jimin tilts his head at Taehyung who jumps and starts shoving food into his mouth avoiding all eye contact. Jimin eyes him suspicious but leaves the boy be too hungry to pry any further.

Jimin then sees Jungkook stand up and help Riley to her feet. Jimin quickly taps Taehyung on the shoulder and nod his head their way not wanting to draw attention to themselves. Taehyung looks over and watching the pair leave noticing how close they were walking with the other.

 Jungkook holds the door open for Riley who thanks him as she makes her way down the stairs. They walk into the open-air noticing that the sun is just starting to dip in the horizon showering them in the evening glow before night starts to take over.

“I better take you back, wouldn’t want the hyung’s to yell at me for keeping you out so late” Jungkook throws his jacket at Riley but she doesn’t put it on straight away stopping in her tracks.

Do we really have to leave?

Jungkook notices Riley’s hesitance and walks back to her placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey, is everything ok?” Jungkook look into Riley’s eyes who looks back.

“You should wear this, it’s getting cold” Riley tries to give Jungkook his jacket back but he refuses.

“I’ll be fine” Riley tries again but Jungkook pushes it back.

“Jungkook…” Riley tries but Jungkook takes the jacket and wraps it around her not taking no for an answer.

“The faster you put this on the faster you can give it back” Jungkook offers to which Riley scrunches her nose not liking the idea that Jungkook was cold already seeing the goose bumps forming on his skin.

“I still don’t agree with this” Riley says reluctantly as Jungkook hands her helmet over.  

They do their little routine, Jungkook putting on his helmet securing it tightly, Riley climbing on behind and wrapping her arms safely around Jungkook and then they take off. The streets were starting to bubble with life, nightclubs and bars already forming lines despite it being a Sunday evening. Riley watched on silently as they made their way back to where they had met seeing the familiar streets and shops as they pull up to where Riley had parked her car. Jungkook turns off the motor giving Riley time to get off but she takes her time as she swings her leg over and hops down onto the ground safely.

I don’t want to go.

Riley takes off her helmet and looks over to Jungkook who was taking off his own, shaking his hair out and brushing his fingers through his dark strands. Riley steps forward and opens her mouth but nothing comes out not sure what to say. Jungkook was in the same predicament not wanting to leave, he wanted to spend more time with her but he knew they should part ways for the day.

“Thank you for today, I had a great time” Riley hands the helmet to Jungkook who takes it into his hands letting his thumb brush over the shiny gear.

“Likewise,” Jungkook smiles sadly as he puts down the helmet and gets off the bike.

“Oh here” Riley takes Jungkook’s jacket off and hands it back a little sad that she wasn’t going to be wearing it again.

“Thanks” Jungkook puts the jacket on grateful for the warmth it provided but now with Riley’s added scent of her vanilla perfume filled his senses making him purr deep in his throat. They stayed there for a while not knowing what to do next.  

“I just—”

“You—”

They look at each other and laugh nervously.

“You go” Riley lets Jungkook talk as she brings her hands behind her back trying her best not to show her nerves.

“I just wanted to say that…despite everything you’ve gone through you’re an incredible person and I admire how strong you are. I’ll try my best not to make you feel uncomfortable around me or have to second guess my intentions because I’m not here to hurt you” Jungkook speaks slowly choosing his words carefully. He doesn’t want it to seem like he’s confessing his undying love to her, but he wants to make sure his message is clear.

“For the first time,” Riley takes a step closer taking Jungkook’s hand into her own. “in a long time,” she looks up at Jungkook with a gentle smile. “Not once did I second guess you. I had so much fun and I can see that you are treating me the way you have because you like me for me and not because you want something out of this” Riley shakes Jungkook by the wrist her eyes starting to water up.

“It means more than you know” Riley curses as she lets go of Jungkook and takes a step back having to turn her back as she wipes her tears away.

“Sorry, I’m an emotional mess” Riley laughs lightly as she looks back to Jungkook.

“I’m sorry if I did something—” Jungkook took a step back but Riley stepped forward.

“No, no, it’s not you really I’m just a little over the place, I’m not used to being treated this way from someone I just met” Riley huffs.

“That’s a bit sad” Jungkook admits making Riley laugh.

“Well I’m happy to say that you’re officially my first new friend, congratulations” Riley beams up at Jungkook.

“Wow I’m so honoured, thank you for this opportunity. I would like to thank my sponsors for getting me here” Jungkook starts an award-winning speech making Riley slap his arm.

“You’re such a goof” Riley stops suddenly giving Jungkook a serious look.

“Can I give you something?” Riley asks shyly making Jungkook stand up seriously.

“Sure” Jungkook waits patiently as he watches Riley look around seeing that no one was around before reaching up onto her tippy toes and wrapping her arms around his neck bringing him in for a tight hug. Jungkook stands still in surprise, his arms hovering in mid air as his mind goes blank but eventually he mentally kicks himself and gently wraps his arms around her lower back reciprocating the hug. They stand there for a while, slightly swinging from side to side as they enjoy each other’s embrace. Riley was the first to move as she slowly loosened her grip lowering herself back down. Jungkook whines but complies already missing the feeling of Riley held against him.

“I’ll see you later yeah?” Riley takes a step back and then another before turning around and making her way to her car.

“Don’t forget you owe me one day as being my slave” Jungkook calls out making Riley groan.

“I’m going to regret agreeing to that aren’t I?” Riley teases as she unlocks her car.

“I’ll be nice I promise” Jungkook says as he watches Riley open the car door.

“I’ll hold you to that!” Riley points at Jungkook before waving her tiny hand as she steps into her car, starting up the engine turning on her lights and pulling out of the parking lot leaving Jungkook behind.

Once Riley was out of sight and no one else was around Jungkook jumped in the air, skipping down the pathway and twirling around on a ticket pole. He had never felt so light and happy in years and he wanted to make their next meeting even better. Jungkook quickly made his way back to his bike wanting to get home as soon as possible. He zoomed down the streets making his way back into the heart of the city where he pulled up into the parking lot of an apartment complex.

Jungkook locked up his bike and made his way inside with a skip in his step deciding to take the stairs. He took the steps two at a time feeling as light as a feather, the memory of the hug they shared still fresh in his mind.

“You’re acting like a teenager Jungkook calm down” Jungkook talks to himself as he pushes the door to his floor open making his way down the hall and turning the corner but his smile falls as soon as he seems a familiar figure standing outside his door.

“Jenny?” Jungkook furrows his brows sharply as he sees the girl turn seeing Jungkook walking towards her.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Jungkook whispers angrily.

“Am I not allowed to see my boyfriend?” Jenny flutters her eyelashes as she twirls her dark curls around her finger.

“I told you we’re not together anymore, how many times do I have to repeat myself?” Jungkook can feel his anger rising, his fingers curling into fists trying his best not to punch her right then and there.

“Please we know you’re still in love with me” Jenny flips her hair as she steps closer, running her fingers up his chest but Jungkook grabs them before she could continue.

“I told you I never wanted to see you again” Jungkook’s voice was louder than he wanted making him look around hoping that his neighbours couldn’t hear them.

“And I left you alone for 2 years, don’t you think that’s long enough?” Jenny pouts her plush lips as she pushes her body into Jungkook’s. Jungkook pushes her off far enough to pull out his keys and open his door, dragging Jenny in behind him and slamming the door shut.

“You were the one who cheated on me” Jungkook walks past her not wanting to look her. Jenny sighs heavily as she follows Jungkook further into the apartment.

“Thought you would have been over that by now” Jenny’s tuts when she sees how empty the place looked, her belongings long gone.

“You got rid of our stuff” Jenny stands in the hallway watching as her ex-partner busies himself by cleaning up the place.

“What are you doing here Jenny?” Jungkook throws his jacket onto the couch angrily.  

“I told you, I wanted to see you” Jenny walks over to Jungkook seductively who just stands there shaking his head and looks away.

“I want you back baby” Jenny whispers into his ear as she gently brushes her fingers down Jungkook’s neck and smiling triumphantly to herself as Jungkook shivers at her touch.

“Why did you have to come back?” Jungkook closes his eyes letting his head hang low as his shoulders trembled.

“Because I love you” Jenny continues to run her hands down the familiar path towards his crotch but was stopped by Jungkook’s larger hands grabbing her and shoving her back against the wall to stop her from continuing. Jenny laughs happily as she enjoys the feeling of Jungkook handling her around like he used to.

“Mmmm harder” Jenny teases making Jungkook shout.

“Shut up!”

For the first time she stills, genuinely scared by Jungkook’s booming voice. She had expected Jungkook to crumble to her advances like he did when they were together but this was different.

“You still have them, thought you said you were going to get them removed” Jenny looks at the butterflies on Jungkook’s inner bicep, the same ones she watched being inked into his skin all those years ago, all for her.

“I never want to forget” Jungkook rests his forehead on the wall by her head, grip still strong on her wrists.

“I never want to forget what you did, how you hurt me, and how I will never let you manipulate me. You will never have me back Jenny. You have to let go.” Jungkook lets Jenny’s wrists lose as he takes a step back looking deep into her eyes.

“Leave” Jungkook says looking so tired.

Jenny doesn’t say anything as she slips away from Jungkook wanting to try but the way Jungkook looked at her made her stop. She nodded her head as she made her way out but convinced herself that she would try another day. Jungkook watched as his ex closed the door behind her leaving him alone. Jungkook couldn’t help the sob that left him as he turned and leaned against the wall sliding down to the floor. Jungkook brought his knees up to his chest and rested his face on them as he wrapped his arms around his knees letting his hands tug fiercely at his roots.  

 Author’s Note:  I know this gif below is Christian Yu and not Jungkook but this is how I imagine Jungkook looks in my head so enjoy anyway 

[bnha-anywhere-but-there]

Anywhere But There- Chapter 17: Coffee Talks

Shouto arrived at school early- for once. Shifting his focus to his work, he tried not to think about the worry that lingered in the back of his mind. He kept glancing at his phone, just in case. Midnight took homeroom in Aizawa's stead, announcing that there would be two hours of self study instead of English because of Present mic-Dad's-absence. That ended up being two hours texting with midoriya and doing the homework that was due at some point in the following week. It went by quickly, surprisingly, and Midnight was back to teach Japanese for third period. It was around 11am, half way through the lesson, that it hit Shouto just how sleep deprived he really was. Midnight's voice seemed to match her quirk perfectly, coaxing him into an irresistible slumber. Leaning his head on his left arm, he snuggled closer to the warmth that seeped through his clothing. He blinked and then again, slower this time; until both eyes stayed shut.

"Todoroki, I'd like to speak with you." Midnight called. The bell had already rung and the woman was at the door, ready to leave. Rikido, to Shouto's right, nudged the boy. He took a few seconds to wake up properly, only moving when he heard Yaoyorozu next to him.

"Go with her." she hissed, nodding in the woman's direction. He stood and followed the woman to round the corner of the classroom; where they wouldn't be seen or heard.

"You wanted to see me?" he asked, still dazed. Midnight nodded, eyes softening.

"I heard what happened with Aizawa. Is he all right?" she said, voice lowered. The other hummed, scratching the back of his head with a small scowl.

"He's... he has a concussion, mainly. I'm not sure if he's all right exactly. But, he's not in the hospital. He was discharged as soon as we got there so it couldn't've been too serious- I guess." he stuttered out. A sigh of relief left the woman.

"Thank god. Oh, and don't worry about sleeping in class- just this once! It's only because of what's happened, ok?" she said, schooling her expression a little. He nodded, "Good. You're dismissed." she added. Shouto bowed to the woman and returned to class. While changing into his hero costume, Shouto decided to look at his phone again

Todoroki

How's dad?

After half a minute, he got a reply.

Loud Dad

He's doing much better than this morning.

It's like 11:30??

Why are you on your phone?

The younger rolled his eyes and turned his phone off; seeing more messages pop up on his lock screen.

Loud Dad

Shouto?

Are you ignoring me?

Talk at home x

Shutting the locker, he left for Gym Gamma with everyone else. All might grinned down at them as they gathered around.

"Today we will be... sparring!" he bellowed and held up a box. It rattled as he lifted it, "everyone will take a ball from this box. Find the person with the same number as you that is on the ball!" he finished, extending his arm. Eventually, everyone was holding a ping pong ball with a number etched on the round surfaces. Shouto walked towards Bakugo and held up his ball, showing the matching number to the blond's.

1

Bakugo scowled and looked at All Might, blanking the other male.

"All right! The pair with number one will spar first!" the man said, waiting for said pair to go to the area allocated.

"What are the rules, Sensei?" Yaoyorozu asked.

"No quirks! Only hand to hand is allowed. If I see any use of a quirk you'll be disqualified!" was all that was said, "begin!" Bakugo raced at his opponent. Shouto merely stepped to the side, avoiding the poorly executed punch.

His calm facade didn't last long. Bakugo had zero martial arts experience, but he was fast. Shouto wait, dodged- and again. But the explosive teen had a seemingly bottomless pit of stamina. The moment Shouto was distracted (glancing at Midoriya for just a second), Bakugo attacked. One solid punch to the face was all it took to throw the teen off his game. Again and again, hit after hit. Shouto gasped, a knee connecting with his stomach making him double over. Bakugo growled, gripping the other teens collar and holding him in his bent position, their heads almost touching.

"What the fuck is bugging you?" he snarled.

"Nothing." Shouto hissed, catching his breath.

"Liar," Bakugo snarled, "whatever it is, it doesn't fucking matter. Just fight you fucktard." he shoved the other away and balled his fists. Shouto stumbled with a grunt, shaking his head to focus.

The fight ended soon after. Bakugo took a punch to the face and a kick to the side. But, Shouto was the one who lost; being subjected to three more flurries of punches and a finishing axe kick to the back. Recovery Girl was on standby (mainly because midoriya was in that class, but she wouldn't tell anyone that) and Shouto was healed immediately after finishing said fight.

After leaving the infirmary, it hit him just how tired he was. He got his food and sat opposite Midoriya. The smaller teen watched as his eyes dropped every time he blinked. He cleared his throat, making Shouto's eyes snap open again.

"When did you go to sleep last night?" he asked. Shouto hummed.

"I didn't? Kind of- I guess. I started going to sleep around two and we left for the hospital at half two..." he trailed off. Midoirya nodded, rummaging through his pocket; pulling out a handful of coins.

"Ok, here's what we're gonna do," he started, pointing his finger to his right, "you see that coffee machine over there?" Shouto nodded and Midoirya slapped the coins in the other teens hands, "go get a mocha from it." he returned with said coffee, sniffing it with a scrunched nose.

"What is it?" he asked, completely reluctant by his dislike of coffee.

"It's like half coffee, half chocolate." Shouto's eyes lit up. Lifting the cup to his lips, he downed the whole cup in ten seconds. Gasping when he detached it from his lift, he grimaced and ran his tongue along the roof of his mouth; attempting to wipe away the taste.

After lunch, the second half of the hero practicals began. By the time the second, third and twentieth round of sparring had taken place, it was finally the last lesson of the day. It was at this point that it hit Shouto for the second time just how drained he was. Entering the classroom, a wave of lightheadedness hit him. He stumbled and gripped the door framed tightly. Lifting his head from its lowered position, everything went black for a few seconds as a tingly sensation enveloped his head and flowed to his feet. He waited for it to pass as his classmates passed him to enter the room, giving him concerned looks. The tingling died down a little, his vision still black but starting to clear; so he walked the memorised route to his seat. Sitting down, his head cleared and he watched as Ectoplasm entered the classroom. The hero began his maths lesson immediately. Leaning his head on his hand, he felt his eyes begin to close against his will. It was as if Ectoplasm timed the boy. Twenty minutes after Shouto fell asleep, he was called.

"Todoroki, what's the answer to number eight?" the man asked. Said boy jolted at the sound of his name, glancing at the board. He blinked a few times, reading the correct question.

Expand and simplify,

8. (x + 4)(x + 1)(x + 7)

"Um..." he stalled, "X cubed plus twelve X squared plus thirty-nine X plus twenty eight." he said slowly; thinking as he spoke. Ectoplasm nodded as he scribed on the board. Kaminari turned around in his seat to look at the other boy; eyes wide.

"Dude- what the fuck?" he hissed.

"Kaminari, since you're so talkative, perhaps you can answer number nine for me." Ectoplasm ordered. The electric boy gulped and rotated himself to read the question, groaning.

_____

Entering the apartment, he dumped his bag at the front door, kicked off his shoes and collapsed on the sofa; leaning against Yamada- instead of Aizawa, who he decided was too injured for the added weight.

"So... How was school?" Yamada drawled.

"I'm gonna say this as nicely as I can," he started, knowing full well that both adults would have been told about what had happened during the day- curtesy of Midnight and Co. "Please- don't talk about it." he tilted his head to look at Aizawa properly, "are you feeling better?" he yawned and Yamada repositioned so Shouto was laying across his lap; head on a strategically placed pillow. The dark haired man hummed.

"Yeah," he paused, giving Yamada a sideways glance, "I would come in tomorrow but I've been banned until Saturday." he finished bitterly. Shouto hummed, unbothered, eyes closing for the night.

[cooljovialjupiter]

THE CONFESSION

Guinevere could hardly sleep that night. Her mind is full of unwanted thoughts for the morrow. A sudden pang of dread and excitement twisted inside her at the mere vision of it: she, finally confiding her feelings to Lance. She could only think of his reaction. Will he be happy hearing it? Will she accept her? What if he rejects her? What if he shuns her off? The overwhelming possibilities of either success or failure have made her restless above her bed. One moment, she was staring blankly at her ceiling, the next, she was facing her coffee table beside her bed thoughtlessly, a dimly-lit lamp laying above it. Neither positions had helped her ebb away what she was feeling, if anything the mobility made her more uneasy.

Who wouldn’t? A woman professing her love to a man has been a taboo topic and is still being regarded as such especially among conservative families. Men are ought to be the ones making the first move.

‘Nonsense’, her mind retaliated. ‘It’s 21st century now’, it reasoned. ‘Women can almost do anything what a man can do’, it went on. ‘And didn’t you reckon Lance feel something for you?’ her mind asked.

That’s true, she considered. Her instinct told her so. There have been circumstances where her hunches were confirmed, of course, at least for her. More often than not did she catch Lance glancing her way and stammered every time he speaks. And hardly in those times can he maintain eye contact with her. Lance has quite an expressive face for a man that anything he is uncomfortable of saying shows in his face. And although trying to appear oblivious about it, deep inside Guinevere, she knows her emotions are one tickle away to being unleashed and she’ll be all over him.

And to top all that, Lance has quite the temper when Derek, her suitor, visits her in their classroom. One time at it, his brows furrowed and his lips were pressed in a thin line as Derek gave her sandwich and a bottled water for snack. It was such a delight watching Lance in such a bad mood that she intentionally purred her voice as he mouthed thank you to Derek. This has earned her a chuckle from Derek’s. Derek is a muscly guy with a very chiseled and fine-looking face, but even then, he seems very goofy for a quarterback player. Lance, however, did not think it was necessary purring like that, said it was uncalled for and un-ladylike. But this, he said, after Derek was out of earshot. It excited her mind that Lance’s been behaving that way because he somehow felt something about her. And the thought roused her more than the idea that she’s got a suitor for the first time.

At the back of her mind, another voice had swarmed in, ‘You still got time to back out,’ it said in utmost contradiction. ‘He just doesn’t see you that way but a friend. You’re only like a sister she’s never had, that’s why he’s overprotective over you considering Derek’s reputation,’ it said shrilly, putting an end to the stretch of smile she just wore. The more she thinks of it, the more intense whatever building inside her makes her feel that she feels as though wetting in her nightgown.

She shook her head for the nth time now, hoping she could get a better grip of herself as to what to do. She is torn. Both choices are heaving terrible prices. If she really does confess and Lance rejects her, their friendship will crumble for sure and it will never be the same way again. If she stays zipped about her feelings, she will drown in the possibility that Lance will get a girl one of these days and she could only fake a smile because she will be stripped off of her right completely to have a say on anything about him as she’s only his ‘friend’. And she couldn’t point out which way is more terrible.

‘You’ll never know if you won’t try,’ urged the former voice inside her.

‘You can wallow in regret after he rejects you’, said the latter sardonically.

‘If only I could get a sign’, she sighed to herself. ‘Any sign’, she closed her eyes, draped her blankets over her shoulders until such time that her head is the only thing that lay visible on the bed in the view overhead. Her body under the wooly blanket.

The wall clock that stayed hung on the wall across her room above her vanity table says it’s already 10pm. This is one of the nights she stayed up late thinking. With a heavy sigh, she made up her mind, it’s tomorrow or never.

After what seemed a minute that she dozed off, a vibrating noise awoke her. Eyes closed, she tried reaching for her phone which lay pounding above her bedside table and mistakenly slid her thumb across the screen like she usually does when she snoozes her alarm. Not until he heard a voice.

“Gin, you up?”

“Gin?”

She thinks she heard the voice wrong. It sounded a lot like Lance’s. ‘I must be dreaming,’ she thought.

“Guinevere, pick up your phone!” Of course, it is Lance. What other voice can make her heart go ecstatic other than him.

Her eyes opened abruptly as it dawned on her. What the hell?!

“Did I awake you?” Lance said after she held her phone upward that her ceiling is the only thing visible on Lance’s end.

Why videocall at this hour? She thought. Is this the sign she has been waiting?

Did the universe finally concede defeat and conspired with her plan to confess? Or was it merely coincidence?

No, no… Lance wasn’t the type to do such calling, video-calling on top of that. He rarely even texts. This must be a pressing matter, she thought inwardly.

“I’m sorry. I’ll just drop this,” the other line said after hearing not a single syllable from her.

“No…no,” she snapped and hastily spit the words. “I’m just groggy from sleep. What’s up? Is something the matter?” she uttered hardly; excitement barely concealed. She finally faced her screen and got awed how dashing Lance looked even in his pyjamas. His hair unkempt. Eyes looking very troubled as it wandered in places as though looking at her is sin in itself, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down.

Only then did she notice why he can’t seem to focus his eyes on her and a tinge of pink crawled over her cheeks. How embarrassing, she mentally chided in. She quickly hid her soul under her blanket and pretended to look at him unabashed.

“Nothing… it’s just that…” he paused. The next words almost inaudible. “I’ve done a lot of thinking these days.”

You do? Well, I coincidentally do too.

“O…kay?” She feigned surprise as she clutched her hands on her bed sheet.

She felt frivolous because she sensed as though a confession is waiting to happen. Such anticipation is killing her. “And?”

“Will you be free tomorrow?” Right after these words were spitten did the stretch of her lips break unknowingly into a smile.

“I have something to tell you,” he said after so much contemplation. His expression looked as though a load has been lifted off his shoulder.

“Can’t you tell me here instead?” she tried nonchalantly. This guy, she thought, is he seriously adamant in keeping me awake all night? I can’t possibly sleep after the prelude of his confession, can I? she smiled giddily.

‘This is way much better than the sign I asked for, I really thank the heavens!’ she shouted in her head and imagined as though kowtowing in her altar for a hundred times and even then, it won’t be enough. She’s just so happy.

“I can’t say it over the phone,” he said determined.

“Shame,” she smiled.

She opted to keep her mum about what she has to say tomorrow either. It won’t be of use anymore if Lance himself confesses to her first.

“Quadrangle, 11am. I’ll wait for you.” Lance said in farewell.

Her smile stretched wider when Lance got up from his bed and dropped his phone on his carpet. She figured the phone fell because the screen completely went from still to unfathomable before it got picked and the screen went completely dark as though a palm has covered the camera.

A startled voice rang on the end of the line before she heard him whisper, “Did it get disconnected?”

“Obviously not! I’m still here, aren’t I?” Guinevere wittily said as though it was meant for her.

“Oh… Okay. I’ll drop it now. You better get sleep.”

As if, she thought. Silly Lance!

She barely got decent sleep that night. Her mind has zoned out to what would happen the next day. How she would willingly say yes when the most anticipated question is asked. And how she would jump in pure ecstasy to embrace him while he spun her round and round with not either of them getting dizzy. How he would brag to the whole campus how lucky he was to be with someone like her and how she would then respond with a demure yet pretty laugh. How he would swoon for her seeing her laugh… and the endless versions of this story she has quite formulated in her head. None of it seeming impossible which made her even more excited.

The minutes in that particular gloomy morning went by in a blur. She barely even noticed how Derek seemed to have forgotten to bring her snacks when the recess came which she had grown accustomed to already.

Well, in no time… it would be Lance bringing her the snacks she desired and she smiled inwardly again at the thought.

At exactly 10:45, their class ended. The pelting rain started to downpour outside as well. The weather was crazy… so was she. But it didn’t make her back down one bit.

She fumbled at her umbrella in her bag, opened it, picked and swung her jacket overhead and proceeded to go to the quadrangle. Five minutes before eleven and her knees started to wobble like Jell-O against the pitter-pattering rain. Not because of the cold whatsoever but because of the build-up anticipation from that night and the events that will happen onwards. Her heart started hammering like crazy against her ribcage and proceeded to hit it gently with her fist as though calming it.

When she reached the side of the quadrangle where a shed has been made available for students to sit and watch the vast soccer field, she immediately felt nervous. This was where she and Lance had agreed to meet and coincidentally so, someone had already taken a seat. This person’s back is facing hers. Even with the jacket, she could tell who it was. This person has a sporty build and the more she gets closer, the more it gets clearer to her.

She perfunctorily coughed the anxiety aside before blurting, “What are you doing here?”

The person was startled but quickly recomposed himself and when he faced her, Derek’s awkward smile was replaced with a goofy grin.

He motioned her to sit beside him, but she was flabbergasted. What if Lance arrives? Her expression was complicated. He hates Derek. What if he gets the wrong idea? I cannot let that happen, she mentally scolded herself.

“Scram, Derek… I’m waiting for someone,” she rudely said.

As if struck weird, he just stared at her and smiled. Eyes calculatingly calm, he said.

“I’m waiting for someone too—”

“I didn’t tell you to wait here for me—”

“He’s here.”

“What?” She asked incredulously.

Guinevere was speechless. Lance has just arrived; his locks sodden and his uniform drenched wet.

“Don’t get the wrong idea, Lance. I didn’t tell him to come here.”

“I know.” His eyes were guarded as though afraid he was treading on someone’s toes. “I told him to come.”

“W-what? I don’t understand.” Her head is in complete shambles. “It’s not him that I like, why are you pushing me to him? I thought you hate it,” she hardly spat, teary-eyed.

Guinevere was panicking. None of which that had happened now was in her bubbles of imagination earlier. Someone has messed with the order of the events and it’s making her utterly frustrated.

“I do hate it. Because… I like him.” Lance’s hands then find its way into Derek’s. Then there was deafening silence.

Guinevere’s jaw dropped from the confession. Her umbrella fell from her hold. Then, there were expressions of shouting before her. One she was all too familiar since she was a toddler.

The beam supporting the roof collapsed and for some reason, a gush of water seeped through her jacket drenching her cold before falling into the abyss… of her bed. She landed with a thud. Her mother was standing at the foot of her bed, in her hand a glass of cold water emptied into her face.

Before she even had the time to snap, she caught sight of the clock hung above her vanity table and it reads 12pm.

All events are fictitious and are used fictitiously.

This was supposed to be posted March last year. Halfway through the construction, I lost the will to continue writing and thought it would remain in my pc and will soon be put in the bin. But hey, I made it through. While browsing which documents to delete, I came across this 2-page draft and straight up finished while awaiting sleep. Thank you for reading!

[geniuscloud]

Bad Liar- Chapter Three

I kinda went a little long on this chapter so enjoy! ALSO PLEASE DON’T BE MAD. I don’t know how to collapse the story so it doesn’t show up as long. I apologize! If anyone knows, PLEASE TELL ME!! Please let me know what you guys think, or if you have anything to say at all. I love hearing feedback! Thank you to everyone who has been reading this series. It means a lot to me. Xx

Genre: Fluff, Angst, and a little suggestive.

Jaebum/JB (GOT7) X Orginal Character

Collage/University AU

Warrnings: May cause slight heart break, and rage towards characters.

May contain: Brief mentions of BTS members.

Groggily I moved my arm, swinging it around, trying to blindly feel for my phone which wouldn’t stop beeping. The new semester meant waking up at 6am every morning for a 7:30am class; though luckily my classes ended by noon. Every ‘day one’ my first class was at 11am, and classes only lasted until 3:15pm. The only problem, I’m not a morning person. I get grumpy and agitated really easily until about 9am, then I start to properly wake up and join society as a happy person.

I got up after about 10 minutes of pep talking myself, chanting things like “if you get up today, you can see that cute Barista Jimin before class” and “If you don’t try to attempt murder, you can let yourself get ice cream from the convenience store after class.” After that I jumped in the shower, got dressed in some comfortable clothes, and did a little bit of makeup. I made a deal with myself to start letting my skin have a break on the days that I have class early. No more early morning cake-face, because once you get to university you start to realize sleep is extremely important and no one actually cares how you look early in the morning because everyone is just trying to stay awake to get their money’s worth out of the classes.

Around 6:45 I was almost ready to leave to the coffee shop; slipping on my black doc boots, when I notice I was basically monochrome dressed. Black skinny jeans and a grey shirt. Maybe I should try adding some color to wardrobe like Amie? She always wears such cute and colorful clothes. Maybe I could get more attention from boys if I was always cute like her and… What am I saying? Oh God maybe I’m getting jealous of her? Ugh, stop it. I’m fine the way I am, but… Okay, maybe some color in my wardrobe wouldn’t hurt. It would be better than looking like I’m going to a funeral all the time. I switch out the black jacket for an army green one, hoping that maybe I would look a little more approachable.

I slipped my contacts in last minute, and then grabbed my stuff before locking up. I was lucky now because this semester I have more time in the morning to get to my class. Living a little far away from school meant I got up around 6am for my 8:30am class, so this time it was nice having about half an hour to walk the equivalence of 2 parking lots. I could stop by the coffee shop, chat up the cute guy Jimin, and then head to class without worrying.

The little bell over the door rang as I walked in, a big smile on my face when I saw Jimin. I had gotten to know him a little better once he started working here 3 semesters ago. His dad owned the local coffee shop on campus, and he worked here almost every morning before his classes. He, unlike myself, was a morning person and didn’t mind waking up at 5am to open the shop at 6am. I would rather bathe in boiling water.

“Good morning Jimin!”

“Good morning Micah, you’re here early?” He smiled brightly.

“I moved on campus so I’ll probably be here a little more often, and a lot earlier than usual.”

“That’s cool. I’m glad to see you not as rushed and panicky like last semester.”

“Don’t remind me. Anyways, can I just get a Caramel Latte?” I said, biting my lip while thinking.

“Are you going to drink the whole menu this year as well?”

“We’ll see… Oh can I get a bagel too?”

Jimin ended up giving me the bagel for free as a little gift for being a very frequent customer. He wrote my name on the cup before tucking his light brown hair out of the way, and then resting the marker behind his ear. I sat down at the bar stool beside Jimin’s station munching away on the bagel as we continued to talk. “There sure are quite a few customers in here already and it’s only ten minutes after seven…”

“Yup, we get some really interesting people here when we open and when we close. Like that guy in the right corner hiding under his duvet with his laptop? His name is Taehyung, his friends call him V. He’s been in here every morning for the past 2 weeks right when we open. Even before campus properly opened for classes. That’s his third cup of espresso in two hours, and if you watch closely… He only blinks every 20 to 30 seconds. Apparently, he’s retaking a class and is trying to prepare so he does well. I don’t think he’s slept in a few days. He keeps mumbling something about plants.”

“Maybe he’s doing something to do with plants?”

“He’s a visual art’s major…”

“Uh oh.”

“Yeah, I hope he’s okay though. He’s the reason I put emergency services on speed dial on the business phone,” Jimin laughed pointing to the phone by the register. I finished up my food before grabbing my bag and I was just about to head out the door when I heard Jimin call out, “Hey Micah, are you free this weekend?”

“Uh I think so?”

“Want to go see a movie or something?”

“Yeah, sure! Are you working tomorrow, I can give you my number then? I’ve got to go to class right now” I yelled.

“I’m always here, of course. If you show up, coffee is on me.”

“I’ll be there, bye Jimin!” I darted out the door and started rushing towards my class. I was a language major, my strongest second language being English. My first class on day two was advanced English language and grammar. Which I felt would be a little easier for me, but boy was I wrong. Who knew that American’s were so weird dropping the u in words like colour and neighbour? As well as having words that are spelt the same, but sound different? Live and live, read and read? What is this?! We also established partners for any class activities, which I went to my usual partner throughout the first few semesters we had together. Thank goodness Namjoon was in another one of my classes, because he was really good with English. Where he excelled, I didn’t… though where I excelled cough pronunciation cough he wasn’t AS great. I was better at pronouncing words, and talking without an extremely distinct accent.

After what felt like forever, my classes were finally over. All I wanted to do was go home and sleep but I guess the universe had a different plan because as soon as I got home Amie was hosting what looked like a party. Though it wasn’t any of her new friends, it was JB and the guys. Mark, Jackson, Jinyoung, Youngjae, Yugyeom, and BamBam. All 6 of JB’s close guy friends were in the living room packed around the built coffee table eating. It was a typical sight for me, just usually it took place at JB’s house. Youngjae was kicking everyone’s ass at video games like usual, while the others cheered him on. I saw Amie sat on the couch, pressed between JB and Yugyeom, with a bowl of chips in her hand.

“What the hell are you guys doing here?” I yelled over the TV. The game paused in an instant, all their eyes darting over to my position by the front door. No one had even noticed me coming in.

“Micah! You’re home, how are you?” Jackson smiled getting up from the floor and coming to give me a hug. He was the only one who really made an effort to come and greet me, which was a little unusual. Normally the guys were pretty excited to see me since I don’t get to see them often.

“I’m doing good. Class was boring… Amie how was your first day on campus?”

“It was fun. I went to that little café and got a coffee. The barista says he knows you!”

“Ah that’s Jimin, yeah he’s my friend. Oh by the way, we’re going to catch a movie this weekend. Do you want to come too?”

“Micah, that sounds like a date. Did you seriously just ask me to third wheel your date?” Amie smirked, raising her eyebrow.

“Micah has a date? With someone other than Jae…” Yugyeom announced before Jinyoung gave him a solid elbow to the ribs.

I rolled my eyes, “It’s not a date. Anyways, can you guys explain why you are all here?”

“You didn’t tell us you had a cute roommate who could cook!” BamBam, placing the controller down.

“I just got her yesterday, and I didn’t know she could cook.” “Well she’s great, you’re going to be seeing a lot of us if she’s here and making food. Try the pork buns!”

I sighed, walking over to the rest of the guys. I was going to sit down with them but with the 8 of them taking all the chairs and carpet space, it really didn’t seem like a welcoming environment. Amie shot me a small apologetic smile before answering the question in my head. “JB brought them over to surprise us. He said they are your friends too, and also thought it would nice to introduce them to me in the meantime.”

“It sure was a surprise…” I huffed. I threw my bag in my room, laying down on my bed for comfort. I just wanted sleep, or death at this point. This was starting to get a little annoying. I’m the kind of girl who likes a plan, and I don’t like drastic changes. When things don’t go the way as planned, I start to get agitated. My theoretical plan would be moving in with my childhood best friend, going to school, having this place as my relaxing safe space, and then JB’s place would be where I go for socializing. Now JB is here and brought the looney toon bunch with him…Plus my roommate is too much of a socializer to say no and turn them away.

“Micah? Are you coming back? Youngjae wants to verse you too!” Mark called from the doorway.

“I don’t have anywhere to sit” I exclaimed as I paced over to the group.

“Just sit on my lap, I don’t mind. I have strong thighs. Though I can stand if you want to sit down,” Jackson smiled sweetly. Some people would take that as a dirty suggestion, but Jackson was actually just a genuinely sweet guy.

“That’s not happening, Micah can sit here. I’ll stand…” JB interrupted, getting off the couch and moving to the side. I slid beside Amie, who still looked a little uncomfortable.

“So, what are we playing?”

“It’s a Grand Theft Auto death match,” Yugyeom replied passing BamBam’s controller over.

“Oh, you’re back playing this old game? I thought you guys would have been playing something new like Overwatch or something.”

“Hey why doesn’t Amie verse Micah?” JB asked. All the guys seemed to really like the idea of us playing.

“Okay, but just so you know I’m great at playing games” Amie replied, grabbing Youngjae’s remote.

“Getting cocky, are we? Care to make it a bet?”

“The winner gets something that belongs to the loser. Winner’s choice.”

“Deal.”

“I should warn you Micah, I never lose.”

“Neither do I” I smirked.

Saturday rolled around faster than I anticipated. Even though the guys said they would be over frequently, I hadn’t seen them since Monday. Which was a good break I guess… At least I was able to focus on school more, and I even got to hang out with Amie. We went shopping together a little bit, she got her nails done while I watched. We just had some free time to reconnect and get back on the same page as before. We both had changed a lot, but the chemistry was still there for the most part. She told me stories about living in the UK, and in Sweden. Apparently, she felt kind of lonely and awkward being part of the minority compared to when she’s home in Korea. The world has differently beauty standards, and here… She’s considered model gorgeous, like one of the most glamourous looking idols.

I woke up a little late on Saturday morning to the sounds of Amie making breakfast. She was busy trying to make crepes, but she dropped the pan before it made its way to the stove top. I ran in to check on her, reassuring myself that she was okay.

“What the hell happened?”

“I was holding my phone and the pan in one hand, and then it buzzed which startled me and I dropped the pan” she said, lifting the pan off the floor, “thank goodness there was no crepe batter in there yet.”

I picked up her phone off the floor, the screen lighting up with a message, “Who’s Jae emoji peach?”

“Oh, it’s JB. Get it Jaebum? Jae-bum. As in peach emoji, because it looks like a booty.”

“Yeah, I-uh… I get it. So, what’s going on with him?”

“Hmm?”

“Are you guys like…?”

“We’re just friends for now. He is going to come over soon though, he said since you’re busy maybe we could hang out and go for dinner” she smiled into her phone, “You’re okay with that right?”

“Yeah why wouldn’t I be? I have a date with Jimin anyways.”

“Thank you again for being super cool with all of this. I really like JB, and I think he likes me too. I hope you don’t feel awkward about this…”

“Me? Awkward? Psssh. We’re history, done, the past is the past. I have absolutely no romantic feelings for him whatsoever.” Amie put a crepe on my plate, decorated with strawberries and crème. I instantly shoved it in my face, trying to keep myself from talking because this could go really bad, really fast.

“Hey do you want help getting ready for your date with Jimin? I obviously love doing makeup and hair for other people. I could help with an outfit too?” Amie suggested.

“Oh, I don’t want to burden you…”

“It’s not a problem at all. I mean I saw Jimin, that guy is the most aesthetically pleasing guy I’ve seen in a very long time. He’s super attractive and would look really cute with you. You should doll it up a little an impress him.”

“If you want to… Please don’t make me look too uncomfortable though. I still want to look like me” I begged.

At first, she tried to dress me like her. A white crop top with a floral skater skirt, and sandals. Which was a huge “nope” in my books. We argued a little bit over my outfit, and then she finally went to MY closet to look for clothes. We settled on a black tank top, light high-waisted shorts, and my army green jacket. Once the clothes were settled she finally submitted to making me, still look like me. The makeup was neutral colored, and she added more body into my hair.

“Now you have that more intense beach wave look. It suits you, and it’s cute” she smiled, letting me finally look at myself. I’m not going to lie, I was feeling pretty damn confident in myself right now. The best part was that I still looked like me, just a little cuter. “You’re a work of art, now hurry up Jimin is going to be here in a little bit. JB should be here in a few minutes as well.”

I texted Jimin, letting him know I was ready. He replied that he was almost at the campus, and that he’ll be here soon. A knock at the door brought me to my feet, rushing to the door with excitement. I was really hoping for a good reaction from Jimin, since he usually sees me sleep deprived and not at my best. “Hey Jimi… Oh it’s you.” “Well nice to see you too ‘Best Friend” JB mocked, giving me a slight hug while entering.

“Sorry I’m just waiting for Jimin and he said he’d be here soon so I assumed it was him.”

“Wow, I’m hurt. You’re not even excited to see me anymore. What have I done to deserve this kind of treatment?”

“You keep coming over uninvited?”

“That’s not the point,” he laughed. He gave me a quick scan before returning his eyes back to mine, “You look good. Trying to impress a guy I assume?”

“Well now that I’m back in the dating game, I guess I better put some effort into it.”

“Admit it, I ruined you” Jaebum laughed, shaking his head side to side in a joking matter.

“You completely destroyed me, I’ll never be the same now” I rolled my eyes, cracking a huge smile.

“Seriously though Micah, you look good. I’m happy for you.” I felt a blush creep over my cheeks before adverting my eyes to the front door as the knocking sound protruded from it.

“Well I better go, I’ll see you later. Have fun with Amie, not too much fun though!”

“Same with you!” He called after me, as I closed the door behind him. He only caught a glimpse of Jimin’s face, the two of them sending each other a small smile.

Jimin was a kind guy, and was super sweet. You could tell by his little actions that he was super careful with every move, and he was also very caring and adorable. We saw a puppy running around in the parking lot after it escape from its owner, and oh my Lord, I’ve never seen a man act cuter with a puppy before. It made me want to plant a huge kiss on his plump lips, and squeeze him to death. Jimin was so kind to every person we met, making sure to say thank you and respectfully greet the people we came in contact with.

I got to know the little details about him and his life. His family had been running the little coffee shop his grandmother opened, on the side of their everyday jobs. Jimin had offered to basically take over as manager for the mornings because of his classes, and the pay was really good because of number of “hangry” students that stopped by. The most interesting thing I had learned about him was that he was actually a contemporary dancer, and could sing as well. Though he was too shy to sing in public, and promised to sing for me another time.

The date as a whole was really good, I enjoyed myself. Though there was a tiny piece of me who also couldn’t deny that we didn’t really have the relationship chemistry. He was an amazing guy, and he was really attractive, but we were also, really different. He was a morning person who cared so much about other, and was this bubbly ray of sunshine. Myself on the other hand, was a night owl who would cause murder if I was awoken too early for my own liking. I also had the tendency to be a little bit of a moody person and sometimes I can act like a total jerk. That was kind of the reason JB and I worked well together. We were always watching out for each other when our personalities were at their worst. We also understood how each other felt because we both know how it feels.

Maybe I wasn’t acting being sarcastic when I said JB ruined me, because there was a little bit of truth to that. I was always kind of comparing guys to JB. I realize now that maybe I just need to talk to JB about it. We never really had a proper conversation after the break up. We just instantly went back to friends, and just swept the feelings under the rug. Maybe it was time that we talk about things, especially if the two of us feel it’s time to properly start moving on. I couldn’t do that to Jimin anyways. That’s the worst thing I could probably do; starting a relationship with him before I even properly figure out my feelings for my best friend.

Jimin dropped me off at my dorm, which was still empty at the time. I invited him in for a little bit to thank him for taking me out and share some of the cake we bought from the bakery before we arrived. In the end, the evening was really nice. I had fun, and promised that we’d hang out a little more… as friends. I gave him a big hug before saying goodbye. It hadn’t been more than a minute or two when I noticed he had left his headphone on the counter. I grabbed them, slipping on my shoes and swung open the door. As soon as I lifted my head I was stunned to see two bodies in front of me. JB and Amie, planting a deep kiss on each other.

[lemonicing]

Sigh

I’m so tired today, and I’m about to run out of adderall. I have enough for tomorrow, but that’s it. I still have the XR, thankfully, but that doesn’t last long enough to get me through the day...Going to call tomorrow to see if they can fill my rx over the phone so I don’t have to go in. That’ll take an extra week, and I don’t think I can hang on that long.

I just feel like my life is falling apart.

I don’t take my regular psych meds for the weekend, and suddenly my life is falling apart. It all started when I got sick last week, or the week before. I missed class, got out of the habit of going, etc.. Now it’s hard to drag my ass anywhere. I can’t clean my room, do laundry, read for my classes, or study for my test Thursday.

Additionally, I can’t believe I still owe the school money. I’m so worried that my scholarship will be removed, or I won’t get loans because I’ve fucked up too much these last handful of years. Or that I’ve fucked up this year already with absences. I missed my 11am, for example. I got that anxious feeling that I do when I run late (I slept in this morning) and went to the store instead/drove around for an hour. I just drove and listened to music.

I just feel fucked up, man.

I need to email the school and get my tuition figured out, need to talk with Tim about that kind of thing. Maybe set an appointment if I can. I dunno. There’s just so much to worry about this week and last week and it DOESNT EVER STOP. That’s what pisses me off: it never stops. Life is just an endless series of challenges and I’m TIRED. So. Fucking. Exhausted.

[misslongcep]

Histories Collide

Chapter 2

The next morning, Maggie woke with a start. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she glanced around at the unfamiliar surroundings, trying to remember where she was. Registering what day it was, Maggie climbed out of bed and made her way to her small hotel room bathroom, yawning and trying to gather her thoughts. As she flicked the bathroom light on, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and groaned. Her rich mahogany hair was a knotted mess from where she had been tossing and turning in the night, and she noticed where she'd obviously been dribbling in her sleep. She had a lot of work to do before her interview at 11am. Maggie splashed some water onto her face, in an attempt to restore the look of normality to her blotchy, tired looking skin, and hastily ran a hairbrush through the knots, in attempt to untangle them to little avail. Maggie decided to give up, and climbed into the shower. A good dollop of conditioner and a warm shower would help at least.

Finally, Maggie was ready to go. Her now silky, brown hair had been swept back into a messy bun, with just a few strands of hair left alone at the front to frame Maggie's heart shaped face, and her make up was just subtle enough to make Maggie look bright eyed and rosy cheeked. Checking herself in the mirror, Maggie adjusted the collar on her fitted blouse, and carefully put on the grey waistcoat of the suit that her Grandmother had helped her choose for the occassion. At five foot ten, with a slender but strong frame, she even looked a little like Evenlyn, so she'd been told. In her younger days, at least. Maggie thought about how Evelyn looked now, and sighed. She'd seemed so weak, recently. Maggie's heart tightened. Suddenly remembering her promise to her Grandmother, Maggie stumbled over her heels to the hotel phone, cursing as she landed on the bed, next to the bedside table where the phone sat almost expectantly.

Righting her position, Maggie dialled the all too familiar number of her Grandmother's manor. Her Grandmother answered after only a couple of rings, and greeted Maggie warmly. "I'm just fulfilling my promise to you, Gran!" Maggie called cheerfully down the phone.

"How are you feeling?" Evelyn asked.

"Nervous, I'm worried I'm going to make a complete ass out of myself in my interview" Maggie said anxiously.

"You'll be absolutely fine, Columbia has got one of the best reputations in the Country. They would be lucky to have you graduate from their school. You'll be top of the class!" Evelyn beamed down the phone with encouragement.

It didn't help Maggie's nerves. "Hmm, we'll see I suppose... Anyway Gran, I've got to go, I don't want to be late!"

After saying her goodbyes and promising AGAIN to call Evelyn as soon as she could, Maggie straightened her outfit, put on those damned heels which she hated wearing so much, and checked herself in the mirror one last time. With a deep breath, and a silent word of self encouragement, Maggie closed her room door, and made her way down to the hotel lobby, and out into the crowded New York street.

Looking around to get her bearings, Maggie began the treacherous walk to Columbia University. Maggie had no problem finding places; she would happily go trekking for miles, had camped out under the stars numerous times when she was a kid, but put her in heels and the maze that was the streets of New York, and she was like a helpless deer stumbling over an icy lake. Maggie's heels kept getting caught in the pavement cracks, and she desperately struggled to maintain her balance. She felt like an idiot. Eventually she gave up, took her heels off and marched barefoot to Columbia, ignoring the glances of the people walking by.

When she arrived at the edge of the vast campus, she ducked behind a bush to put her shoes on, and give herself one last "You can do this. Just breathe." Standing up straight, she stepped out from behind the bush and made her way gracefully down the path. Maggie climbed smoothly up the steps, and pushed the large oak door marked "Front Desk".

As she entered, Maggie waited for her eyes to adjust to the light before scanning her eyes around the enormous lobby. Across the room, she noticed a small, red haired woman smiling behind a large reception desk. As Maggie moved forward, she guessed the woman must be late forties, with pale blue eyes behind large, black framed glasses.

"Welcome to Columbia University," the woman smiled, cheerfully, "Name, please?"

"M-Maggie Thyme" she stuttered, her words almost catching on the back of her throat. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Sorry, Maggie Thyme". The receptionist handed Maggie a name badge, a folder and a map of the campus, and directed Maggie to where she needed to go. Thanking the receptionist, Maggie smiled, and headed towards the History building near the Library.

As she walked past the mighty buildings which surrounded her, Maggie tried to remember the name of the person who would be interviewing her. Professor Simon Hewitt, a well written and respected Historian. Maggie gulped, as she tried to remember the answers she had prepared for anything he might ask. Maggie's legs had started to ache, and she wondered if maybe she had gone wrong somewhere. Just as she was about to get out the guide she had been given when she arrived, a green sign, with white letters read "History interviews, Chrysler Building, room 204". Maggie followed the direction the sign's arrow was pointing towards, and as she crossed the square, she spotted a large, roman-style building. Large, faded gold letters read "Chrysler Building" across the top of the large columns that spanned the width of a Football pitch. Maggie quickened her pace as she hurried towards the main entrance.

Once inside, Maggie followed the signs to the second floor of the building, taking in her surrounding as she went. The flyer covered walls were laden in large oak panels, and vast lecture halls were dotted on either side of each corridor. Maggie went through some large wooden double doors, and as she walked passed each door, reading the numbers, she finally found room 204. Maggie stopped for a moment, trying to slow her heart which felt as though it would come bursting out of her chest at any moment. Taking a deep breath, Maggie checked her watch. 10:50, ten minutes early. Having one last final check of her appearance, Maggie looked to see if anybody was there, and saw a man in his early fifties sat behind a desk reading a file.

Maggie knocked the window, and the professor looked up and gestured for her to enter. Gulping slightly, Maggie pushed the door handle down, and opened the door.

"Hi, I'm Maggie Thyme, I've got an interview?" Maggie explained nervously. Professor Simon Hewitt was tall, with broad shoulders, and his dark brown hair was slicked back tidily; not what Maggie was expecting.

Professor Hewitt smiled and stood up, as he said, "Hi Maggie, nice to meet you. Please come in". Maggie walked into the study, and as she walked towards his desk, she realised he was much younger looking than she expected. The professor gestured for Maggie to sit in a small, wooden chair as he resumed his seat behind his large, book laden desk. Maggie sat, blushing nervously as she made eye contact with the professor, who smiled warmly in return.

"Just relax," the professor said, leaning back in his stained leather recliner, resting his elbows on either arm of the chair, his fingers meeting and resting on his chin. "You've nothing to worry about." Maggie smiled nervously, and adjusted her position to face her interviewer more confidently. "So, Maggie. Tell me about yourself. What makes you want to study at Columbia?" Professor Hewitt asked, gazing at Maggie above his hipster black rimmed glasses.

"Well," Maggie began, clearing her throat before continuing, "I've always been passionate about History."

"Any part of History in particular?" Professor Hewitt interjected.

"I've always had an interest in East Asian History, particularly anything from the Period of the Three Kingdoms of China. There are some fascinating artifacts and legends surrounding this dynasty" Maggie smiled, this was a question she had easily prepared for, and could spend hours discussing if she could find somebody willing to listen.

Professor Hewitt's green eyes crinkled behind his glasses as he smiled, betraying his age but adding a softness to his appearance. He listened attentively, as Maggie explained how her interest had been sparked by her Grandmother, interrupting her only to ask further questions, testing Maggie's knowledge, and even asking her opinion on a relic he had found in a temple in a small village in China which had been dated back to the Han Dynasty. Maggie had finally begun to relax, even laughing with the professor as her half hour interview sailed by. Quicker than she was expecting, a knock at the door signalled the next interviewee had arrived, and Professor Hewitt almost looked disappointed as he checked his watch. Maggie breathed, her nerves returning as she stood to shake the Professor's hand. He smiled as their hands grasped firmly.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, Miss Thyme" Professor Hewitt beamed, "we are actually having a special lecture on Sir Francis Drake's travels tomorrow evening in the assembly hall of the building. It would be great if you could attend. You would have the chance to meet some of the other staff who would be teaching you, and it is always an interesting debate amongst Historians, I think you'd make some excellent contributions."

"I'd love to come, thank you" Maggie replied, trying to hide her astonishment at the invitation. As the professor found some flyers and wrote down the details for the following evening, Maggie didn't dare to hope that this meant her interview was a success, but she couldn't understand why the Professor would invite her to an extra curricular activity when she wasn't even a student, if it didn't mean she'd passed the interview.

Almost desperate to leave quickly, in case the Professor changed his mind, Maggie thanked him again for his time and for the invite the following evening, and swiftly made her way out of the office. As she closed the door behind her, Maggie turned and smiled kindly at the gangly boy who stood waiting to go in after her. He glanced up nervously from the notes he was frantically trying to study before he was called in. Maggie turned down the corridor and headed towards the exit, feeling almost weightless as she left the building.

She floated back to her hotel, not paying attention the the surroundings which had intimidated her only a couple of hours ago. Once she reached her hotel room, she collapsed onto her bed and lay for a moment, replaying the interview in her head. She thought about the answers she had given, hoping she came across as passionate, rather than a know it all. Throughout her school years, she had often been teased for being a teacher's pet and a nerd, preferring to spend her break times reading in the library, rather than playing kiss chase with her peers. Whilst she had always excelled with teachers, even her school reports used to say she could often take over a lesson if she wasn't kept in check.

Maggie stopped herself. "He didn't seem to think you were a know it all at all," Maggie thought, "and he certainly wouldn't have asked you to go tomorrow if he didn't think you would be any good". Maggie sat up, determined not to worry about what may be. "Just get through tomorrow, and whatever happens, happens!" Maggie reassured herself quietly. She picked up the hotel phone to call Evelyn with the update.

The phone rang a few times before her Grandmother answered with a coughing fit. "Gran?" Evelyn called down the phone, concerned.

"I'm here, dear" Evelyn answered, spluttering, "Just give me a moment." Maggie waited patiently as her Grandmother barked and wheezed a few more times. Maggie furrowed her brow in concern.

"Are you sure you're okay, Gran?" Maggie asked again, anxiously.

"Stop fussing, I'm fine!" Evelyn wheezed down the phone, "It's these damn cigarettes, they don't agree with me."

Maggie rolled her eyes and replied, "Honestly Gran, you shouldn't be smoking! Not at your age, it's not going to do you any good."

"Oh nonsense," Evelyn retorted, "I've smoked longer than I care to admit, if these little buggers were going to do anything, they'd have done so by now. Anyway, enough of this pointless babbling, how did you get on?" Maggie gave up trying to berate her Grandmother's habit, and instead recounted her interview to Evelyn, who listened with eager anticipation.

"I knew they would love you, dear" Evelyn praised her Granddaughter when she'd finished, "They'd have to be utter simpletons if they couldn't recognise your talent".

Maggie smiled and replied, "I do feel more confident now. Professor Hewitt has even invited me to a lecture tomorrow evening, so I'm going to stay another day, and come back tomorrow night. Is that okay?" Maggie knew it wouldn't have been a problem, but she didn't want to be rude. Plus, she was quite concerned about her Grandmother's cough. She hadn't heard her Grandmother sound so unwell before.

Evelyn, of course, was all for the idea. "Yes of course, darling!" she sang, the pride obvious in her tone, "Just make sure you are back in enough time to begin this research for me, I don't want to waste anymore time with this one!" Maggie promised she would leave as soon as the lecture had finished the next day. After being congratulated again, Maggie and Evelyn said their goodbyes, and Maggie heard the phone click as her Grandmother replaced the receiver.

After changing out of her interview outfit, Maggie lay on her hotel bed, scanning the pile of pamphlets and papers which had been included in the folder she had been given before her interview. Maggie's stomach rumbled, and as she checked her watch, she realised she hadn't eaten anything all day. Suddenly ravenous, Maggie climbed off the bed, shoved all of the papers into her bag, and made her way back out of the hotel and into the busy New York streets. Finding a local deli, Maggie ordered herself a coffee and a sandwich, pulled the array of papers out from her bag and continued to read while she waited. The folder covered everything from lessons and extra curricular activities, to social events and information about all the different societies you could join as a student. Nothing much interested Maggie, except a flyer for a History society, and a poster for a "Great Outdoors" society, where you could take part in pretty much everything from skiing and kayaking, to rockclimbing and caving. Maggie had always been encouraged to take part in these kinds of things, as Evelyn believed you could pick up some excellent skills which could be useful when looking for artefacts.

Maggie took out her notebook, and scribbled some questions she wanted to ask when she returned to Columbia the next day. As she ate her sandwich, Maggie turned her attention to the lecture information she had been given in her interview. "The Secrets of Sir Francis Drake" Maggie read, "An insight into Francis Drake's travels between 1580 and 1596". Maggie frowned as she read the rest of the text. She had never been too familiar with Sir Francis Drake, but she remembered her Grandmother had always been fascinated with the explorer, and had conducted her own research at the Museum.

When she was finished eating, Maggie stood up and walked outside, her brown eyes squinting in the early afternoon sunlight. Maggie decided it would be a good idea to do some extra reading on Francis Drake before the lecture, so went in search of some bookstores she hoped would have what she wanted. After trailing around the shops for a couple of hours, Maggie found a small bookshop tucked away which had everything she could have ever needed. Flicking through some history books, Maggie found what she was looking for, paid for her purchases and made her way to a park she had seen on her travels. Finding a quiet, shaded spot near the entrance, Maggie made herself comfortable and began reading about the dramatic history of the English explorer.

For the rest of the afternoon, Maggie read and scribbled notes which she thought might be useful for the following day. Only once her writing hand siezed up, did Maggie groan and strectch, and begin to pack her belongings away. Maggie glanced at her watch, and was surprised to find that nearly four hours had passed since she had first sat down in the park, and her stomach began to gurgle, as if reminding her that it was nearly time for dinner. Maggie stood up, stretching every limb she could to remove the stiffness which had begun to impede her movements.

Making her way back to the hotel, Maggie stopped at a local Chinese takeout to grab something to eat on the way. The smell of Chinese filled her hotel floor as she fumbled through her bag looking for her room key. Eventually Maggie successfully made her way into her room, dumped her belongings on the floor, and began unpacking her takeout food. She hadn't even realised how hungry she was again; Maggie shovelled the food into her mouth, thankful that nobody could see how unattractive she looked when she ate. When she was finally done eating, Maggie discarded the empty food cartons in the bin by her dresser, and collapsed onto the bed exhausted.

Maggie jumped awake with a start. Still fully dressed on her bed, with papers scattered all around her, Maggie looked around confused as she realised the hotel phone was ringing on her bedside table. Maggie checked her watch and saw that it was 2:30. Seeing that it was dark outside, she figured this was 2:30 in the morning, and grumbled to herself as she clambered over to the phone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello? Whosit?" Maggie mumbled sleepily when she answered the call.

The receptionist sounded very apologetic as she replied, "Good evening Miss Thyme, I'm sorry for disturbing you at this hour, but you've got an urgent call. Can I connect?" Still half asleep, Maggie was still trying to process what the receptionist was saying when she agreed.

"Something urgent? What could be so important?" Maggie thought to herself as she tried to wake herself up. The only person who would bother to call her would be her Grandmother, and she couldn't see Evelyn calling in the middle of the night about anything. Unless it was something to do with this research project. It wouldn't have surprised Maggie in the slightest if this was what it was about. Her Grandmother could turn into a machine once she had her mind set on something.

When the call had been connected, Maggie was just about to ask Evelyn what the problem was when a deep, authoritative voice took Maggie completely by surprise.

"Hello, Miss Thyme?"