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ahundredtimesover · 7 months

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I Want You to Stay (07) | JJK

Pairing: Jungkook x (f.) Reader

Genre/Tags: boss!JK x assistant!reader; idiot strangers to lovers; slow slow burn; k-drama feels; angst, drama, fluff, smut

Chapter (Series) Warnings: foul/explicit language; alcohol consumption & passing out, unhealthy coping mechanisms; family drama; minor injuries; power dynamics (JK starts off as a jerk); work-related anxiety, feelings of helplessness, insecurities; childhood traumatic experiences, nightmares; sexual harassment, prior incidence of domestic violence (PLS PLS BE CAREFUL WHEN READING); arts and business/property devt talk that’s probably inaccurate; commitment issues & emotionally constipated characters; cold and detached JK; eventual explicit sexual content (specific warnings stated per chapter) (18+)

Chapter Word count: 15.4k

Series Masterlist

Status: Ongoing

Series summary: Working for Jungkook isn’t the same as working for Hoseok. For starters, Jungkook doesn’t smile, he doesn’t appreciate you, and he gives you too much work. It doesn’t help that he’s incredibly handsome and has women at his beck and call. But as the tension grows, it becomes impossible to resist him. You’ve dedicated yourself to your job for 8 years so when you finally decide to put yourself first, he asks you to reconsider. And while you know that leaving is difficult, you learn that when it comes to Jungkook, staying is always so much harder.

Playlist 🎶: on the way home

A/N: One of my fave chapters! I hope you like this one! And just a heads up that intervals between posting days will be longer as the chapters get longer, too. And bc u know, life... HAHA but again, thank you so much for all the love for this like??? HOW. PLS you've all been so nice so thank you! 🥰 Also… JK in that SNTY suit.

And as always, my biggest thanks to @wonwoonlight 🥰

PS. If I can’t tag you, pls fix your settings!

Mr. Ri loads the luggages in the trunk and you double check that all bags - which you helped pack yesterday - are complete. You enter the car right after and head to the airport where Jungkook will fly to Singapore for a few meetings and to attend Seokjin’s alcohol launch party.

It’s been over a month since the Arts Center event and so much has happened since then. Jungkook went to Jeju to meet an artist and then to Japan over a weekend to meet another two. He’s been on calls with a few more with plans to meet in their country of residence in the next months, and he’s gone around different local towns to meet with craftspeople for souvenirs and future exhibitions. He’s also touched base with various national and international Korean arts and culture organizations for promotion and joint projects. The event opened doors for a new network that he hoped for. There are now proposals for other collaborations and side engagements that’s doing a lot for the company’s brand and expansion.

To say that Jungkook and the team have been busy is an understatement. You went back to work after those few days of recovering with everyone overwhelmed by all the things they had to do but like you expected, you all managed and got things organized. There are still multiple things to handle all at once, but everyone’s just been on top of everything and showing how competent you all are as individuals and as a team.

Within that period, Jungkook has stopped by the team’s office and the pantry more times than those first months. He also managed to laugh at Do-hyun’s unfiltered remarks a few times and even slipped his own that got the team giggling. He’s seemed a lot more relaxed and so has the team. Lunch meetings have been regular given all the work you all have to do. Yohan and Chin-sun even say that they’ve gotten to know Jungkook a little better through their visits to the Arts Center. And while they do think he’s still a bit detached and catch him in his own world sometimes, he’s a lot more engaged and is actually way smarter than they’d initially thought.

Jungkook checks his phone and sighs, prompting you to turn to him.

“Seokjin says the party is an intimate event but there’s gonna be over two-fifty guests so I don’t know about that,” he shakes his head, showing you the restaurant bar where his friend will be launching his alcohol brand. “For some reason, he expects me and Tae to entertain guests on his behalf.”

This was another development you hadn’t expected. Since that morning when Jungkook sent you food when you were unwell, your relationship changed. It’s still professional but there’s more openness now, as if that prompted both of you to be comfortable around each other.

There’s more trust and honesty, too - he lets you make decisions, lets you handle the team when he’s away, and asks you for your unfiltered opinion. You feel like all the time you spend together has allowed you to learn how he sees and understands things; you even finish his sentences sometimes.

He’s also loosened up a bit and allows himself to laugh and smile more. They’re still rare occurrences but you never point them out, not wanting him to feel awkward and then stop. They often catch you off guard so you haven’t been able to fully appreciate them but at least he feels comfortable around you, enough to even talk about non-work stuff and things that fill his mind, like random questions or small concerns.

You’re unsure if he notices how uninhibited he’s become but you don’t point it out either. He still has his moments of living in his head, his faraway thoughts rendering him quiet and observant, and his perfectionist attitude means he’s still critical sometimes. But he doesn’t take anything out on you - not his frustrations nor his fears. He’d usually keep to himself and talk to you once he’s cooled down and you’d take that any day, so long as you keep your sanity and are able to do your tasks as instructed.

In return, you let yourself be the same. You’ve fully restored your confidence and that’s allowed you to show just how capable you are. You’ve been more vocal with your thoughts, too, and don’t take it personally when he doesn’t agree. You smile a lot more, joke with him even, and have been more generous with words of encouragement and affirmation. They come more naturally than you expected, and you appreciate that he doesn’t turn you away whenever it happens.

He’s actually okay to be around when he’s not being grumpy or difficult. You suppose that the situations he was put in - and how you responded with patience and understanding - allowed him to see that you’re truly on his side and that let him put his guard down a little. You’re past trying to please him for the sake of making your job bearable; there’s actual joy in it now, and while the search for who you are outside of all this continues to ring in your head, you think that sticking around for now isn’t so bad either.

“Perhaps Seokjin has seen how good you are with entertaining guests now and deems you worthy of being an extension of him,” you respond to Jungkook’s earlier musings. “And he wouldn’t be wrong. You’ve become really good at it.”

“You know, I think you oversell me sometimes,” he chuckles.

“Hmm, I think I don’t,” you counter. “If I may say so, Mr. Jeon, it's just that the bar was pretty low so the improvements are quite striking.”

“Fair enough,” he laughs, not taking offense.

“You can still do better at charming people. Maybe you can learn a thing or two from Seokjin and Taehyung,” you push.

“Those two flirt, they don’t charm,” he playfully rolls his eyes.

“Well, I completely disagree, sir. I mean, I’ve seen it firsthand. And I’m not one who’s easily charmed.”

“Fine, I’ll see what I can pick from them, then,” he concedes.

“Kidding aside, I think you’ll be fine, Mr. Jeon. Plus, it’s unrelated to work so there’s no need to impress anyone,” you state.

“True,” he hums. “But just thinking about these next few days is already making me tired. Tae rented a yacht for tonight. We have Seokjin’s launch tomorrow, and to celebrate, he’s throwing another party the day after.”

“Hmm, must be that you’re getting old,” you tease, earning you a hum in agreement. “But you’re used to that though, right? They always said that was your life back in Singapore.”

“It was. I had less responsibilities and people to manage but back then, everything seemed too much,” he shares. “I took the weekends seriously and really just did whatever I wanted. I haven’t done much of that these past weeks because I’ve been so tired and I feel like I’m under the microscope when I’m here. So yeah, I’ll probably just take advantage of being back there and just enjoy it.”

“As you should,” you say. “You’ve worked hard and you deserve to spend your weekend however you wish. Just, uh…”

“What?”

“Probably give Lucas a heads-up in case a half-naked woman greets him in the kitchen on Monday morning.”

The silence is deafening and you think you’ve crossed a line with this one. You turn towards him and he looks stunned at your unfiltered remark.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Jeon,” you bow in apology. “That was too personal.”

“It’s okay,” he responds after a beat of silence. “I guess I deserve that. I mean, I never apologized for the morning when you experienced exactly that. And for when you found that underwear on the floor, which I forgot to clean up. So, uh. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, too. I got over it,” you assure him. “And if anything, I’m pretty sure she left that on purpose so she’ll have a reason to come back.”

“That’s exactly it,” he groans. “She saw me again and wanted to go to my apartment so she could get it. I told her I threw it away.”

“How brutal,” you tease again.

“Not my finest moment but yeah, I’m sorry to put you in that position. Must’ve been tough seeing proof of all the washroom gossip.”

“You know about those?” You gasp.

“I’ve heard about them,” he sighs. “Mr. Ri’s got eyes and ears in the office.”

“It’s hard to defend so I just don’t try,” the older man shakes his head. “Not like you deny it anyway.”

“Not like I really care,” Jungkook shrugs. “But even then, I guess it wasn’t the best start for us,” he tells you.

“Perhaps not, but I��m not one to judge, Mr. Jeon. That’s all in the past now, and that feels like a lifetime ago.”

“It does,” he hums.

It’s during these casual exchanges when you get to see a bit more of Jungkook as the person that he is, beyond the perfectionist executive who still harbors fears and worries about his new role. He’s still a human being who finds ways to deal with the stresses of life, someone who needs time to step away from his burdensome responsibilities, someone who seeks intimacy and connection and finds ways to attain them in his own ways. The doubts and worries are still there, but the foundation has stabled a bit. Somehow you think that you’ve created a space safe enough for him to talk about them, to apologize, and to try to be better. You hope he gets to create that for himself, too, and if that’s what you’ll leave him with by the time you decide to step away from this job, you think you’d be satisfied.

Silence engulfs you both and like he often is after being vulnerable with you, he keeps to himself once again. You wait a while before running through his meetings for today and next week and inform him of what the team will be working on while he’s away. Jungkook responds with a few last-minute instructions, especially about the tasks he needs done in time for your team meeting on Monday. You’re both back to professional talk and you don’t really mind; there’s something about being honest and open that could be a bit disarming.

The car stops and Mr. Ri exits to retrieve the luggage from the trunk. Jungkook, in his navy blue suit, gathers his things and says goodbye. Before he can close the door, you call out his name.

“Yeah?” He asks, his one hand carrying his bag and the other, on the roof of the car as he bends to look at you.

“Happy birthday,” you say. “I know you think it’s just an ordinary day but I hope you celebrate well.”

“Thank you,” he says after a few seconds, basking in the softness of your smile for the short moment that he can.

Jungkook steps away then closes the door. He heads to the airport lounge before taking the 6-hour flight to Singapore, spending it on reviewing reports and design proposals. He goes straight to the office when he lands, settling down in his room where he responds to emails. He munches on some dumplings for lunch, thinking he’s missed the ones from the restaurant across the street, but then Lucas enters and sets down a bowl of seaweed soup.

“Ms. Cho asked me to get this for you, Mr. Jeon.”

Jungkook is caught off guard but manages to dismiss Lucas and tastes the dish. It’s nothing like his mother’s, but then again, he hasn’t had it in years. When Jungkook moved here, there were no celebrations apart from getting drunk at a club, which is also why he’d stopped thinking of his birthday as anything special. There were no traditional meals or well wishes or birthday cakes.

He’s here again. There’s that yacht party tonight but it won’t feel like a celebration. Somehow, with this bowl of soup, this does. You’re a thousand miles away but even then, he still feels your presence. Even then, he feels more cared for than he has these past several years combined.

Jungkook wakes up the next morning with a splitting headache. His neck feels a bit strained, given that he’d slept in an awkward position wearing his clothes from last night. He also barely remembers much. One minute he was drinking with a woman around his arm and the next he’s… here.

He shifts and lays flat on his back, groaning as last night’s happenings manifest in the soreness of his entire body. The yacht was fancy, as he’d expected from his best friends. There was overflowing food and drinks, the music was great, and the guests were honestly too many for his liking. There were familiar faces and new ones, but he mostly stuck around with those he knew. What he also remembers is not being able to taste his cake. He’s definitely calling Seokjin to complain.

Suddenly hit with the thought of not knowing how he’d gotten home last night - or with whom - Jungkook sits up and groans once more, the incoming call adding to the ringing sound in his head.

“Mr. Jeon,” Lucas answers on the other end. “How are you feeling today?”

“Terrible,” Jungkook says, now finding the strength to get off the bed. “Did you take me home?”

“Yes, sir. You wanted to leave so Mr. Ri and I took you to your penthouse,” Lucas answers. “Your valuables are on the table.”

Jungkook sighs, knowing it was one of those nights. Removing his clothes, he sees the fresh marks on his chest. Wanting to prepare himself before finding some stranger in the other room, he asks his assistant if he’d brought someone home with him.

“No, sir. It was just you. She, uh, she asked to come but you told her you were too tired so she stayed behind.”

“Oh, good,” Jungkook exhales in relief, not wanting to deal with any of that this morning, which is one reason why he always asks them to leave. “How long do I have until I have to get ready for tonight?”

“About five hours,” the younger man replies. “You have a scheduled dinner with your friends at 5:30 and then the event at 8. I’ll be there before that to help you get ready.”

“Alright, thanks. I’ll just workout to deal with this hangover.”

“Medicines are in the cupboard, sir. Please just let me know if there’s anything more you need.”

“I will.”

Jungkook hangs up and presses on his temples as if that’ll do anything. He retrieves the medicine as advised and thinks of something else he needs - a cup of lemon ginger tea. Ever since you’d prepared one for him that one morning, he’s been having it after every night out. He calls the butler to have it prepared for him, given that he doesn’t have the energy to do so himself.

It arrives, and coupled with the aspirin, he’s starting to somehow feel better. He knows that heading to the gym will do the trick, as it always does, but it still makes him think that he shouldn’t have drank as much as he did last night.

For someone who’s not particularly fond of people, even Jungkook sometimes wonders why he goes out and parties as much as he does.

He wasn’t always like this though. His weekends used to be spent on food trips and travels, but after the breakup with Chaerin, those days became free, and he’d stay out late so he could sleep the rest of the next day. The women were to make up for the loneliness; the alcohol was to forget why he needed them in the first place. He hates loud and unnecessary sounds, but the music and the chatter started to become white noise for him; they’d become a companion to help deal with the noise in his own head, or the lack of it.

Years later, the remaining thoughts in his mind were just all about work, and he’d revert to the same habit for relief - the women became his thrill; the alcohol was so he wouldn’t remember them.

And it works. The ecstasy lasts only through the night. It’s fleeting as his desire for them is. He doesn’t recall names, just that they made him feel good and that they felt the same; they often try to hook up with him again after all, seeking him in the clubs they know he frequents. But he rarely entertains them; a second time leads to a third, and he can’t be assured that they won’t ask the same tiring questions he hates hearing - why doesn’t he have a girlfriend? Why doesn’t he want to commit to anyone? Does he see himself settling down and having a family? What’ll make him want that?

It’s happened a few times, during the rare instances that there’s a lull in between and they take advantage of his brief period of vulnerability to make him open up. He never does, and it’s not because he thinks it’s a weakness to do so, but he just never really let the moment linger to find out.

After a light meal, Jungkook heads to the gym and spends three hours expending his energy so he could get it back.

This is his other means of dealing with his stress. Working out makes him focus on something else and it helps in releasing all his anger and frustration. As he stares at his bare body in the mirror right after - the marks from last night still visible - he scoffs at himself.

He’s so stereotypical, it makes him sick. He’s allowed himself to let his life revolve around the shallow and fleeting sensations of pleasure to counter the permanence and inevitability of his job. This is his world and he made it this way. And while he drowns in the nothingness inside the walls that he created, he still thinks it’s better than being outside; somehow he thinks it’s lonelier and more burdensome out there. At least in here, he’s all he has to deal with; he’s all he can disappoint.

But there are still moments when he wonders what it could be like if he just dared to live differently. Like when he watches Seokjin animatedly explain the history and creation process of Korean traditional alcohol during the product launch that evening and how his passion is moving and infectious. Or when he observes how Taehyung freely moves around the club and makes connections with others as deep as his smile.

Jungkook thinks about all this as he glances at the woman next to him later that night, bare under the covers like he is, her body curled into a cocoon as she takes a break.

She’d caught his eye earlier because she wasn’t trying to get his attention like the others were. She spoke less and screamed more, let him do what he wanted but touched him softly as she pleased.

“You’re a good lover. Why do you waste yourself with something temporary like me?” She’d asked.

It left him speechless and he shrugged - a change from his usual dismissal - but there’s really nothing to say.

Why does he? He doesn’t know. He doesn’t want to.

But it’s at this moment that he tries to imagine what it would be like if it were the same face he saw next to him every morning, if it were the same hand he held everyday, if it were the same warm body he curled into every night. His mind wanders too far, into the depths of a place it can’t go to, beyond boundaries he can’t cross, and the sight is both terrifying and calming.

It’s safer where he is.

So when she wakes up from a short nap, she looks up at him, her soft eyes wishing for something she knows she shouldn’t.

“You should go,” he says, the softest he’s ever uttered the words.

“Okay,” she whispers in submission.

She gets up from the bed, finds her stray clothes on the floor, and puts them on. Jungkook follows her to the door, a first for him. Maybe it’s her gentleness, or the unspoken understanding between them, or maybe because she doesn’t ask for more even if she seems to want to.

But though he contemplates pulling her back to try to feel what that’s like - seeing her in the morning, holding her hand, curling into her embrace - he doesn’t. He knows even that desire would end; it’s fleeting just as everything around him is.

He holds open the door. She turns around with a smile.

“I hope someday you find someone you’ll ask to stay,” she says, surprising him again. “I’m sure they would.”

You walk around the store in awe of the luscious plants displayed on the shelves, your eyes as bright as the lights that shine over them. There are so many to choose from, and though you have an idea of what you want to have, it’s tough deciding which ones to get right now. The money tree is a must, so is the Chinese evergreen. But do you go for the orchid or the peace lily? Can you keep up with a spider plant? How many of the asparagus ferns should you get?

Your eyes flit from one plant to the next, eventually deciding on getting everything on your list then placing them on the cart for payment.

Jimin chuckles next to you. “Since when were you a plant mom?”

“Since she got that aloe vera from Yoongi and she was convinced that she has a green thumb after it didn’t die,” Soomin deadpans next to you as you frown at her sarcasm. “That’s also after my weekly reminders to water the plant because ‘no care’ doesn’t actually mean it’s going to survive on its own.”

“Oh, shush,” you scoff at her. “You told me I was doing a good job.”

“You’d send a photo every few days, hun,” she laughs. “What else was I supposed to say?”

“True. I needed the encouragement,” you shrug, paying for your haul. “But also, I’m a plant newbie. Yoongi said that I probably need some of them at home and in the office for positive energy and he’s not wrong. All the frustration from months ago just accumulated in my apartment and I need a change.”

“So… Is Yoongi a plant dad, too?” Soomin wonders.

“No. He just knows about a lot of things,” you reply. “Plus, he’s an architect and a designer. He knows a thing or two about plant decor.”

“Why isn’t he here with you, then?” She arches an eyebrow.

“Because I’m with both of you, duh,” you roll your eyes. “And before you say anything more, I don’t really like mixing my work friends with my personal friends. It’s different.”

“Well, I’m glad we could join you on this new phase of your life,” Jimin tries to be encouraging. “It’s like turning over a new leaf.”

You scold him over his terrible pun but laugh anyway, enjoying the comfort and playfulness that only your best friends could bring. They picked you up from work last Friday then you all headed to a club after dinner. You spent yesterday at a beach at their insistence then stayed in during the evening. It’s now Sunday and you’re dragging them around as you run errands before saying goodbye to them again, and it’s not a normal day without Soomin mentioning Yoongi. Perhaps it’s because of all the guys you’ve mentioned that have taken interest in you, he’s the only true green flag; he’s also the only one you didn’t entertain at all. You suppose that’s something she’ll not really get over.

The three of you head to a nearby cafe. Jimin excitedly talks about the latest menu item in their chain of restaurants while Soomin groans about the stuff she has to deal with as she manages her family-owned shipping company that’s the biggest in the port city of Busan. They turn to you and ask how the rest of your week is going to go, with slightly surprised looks when you don’t talk about work with as much disdain as you used to. There’s excitement, even, something that Soomin points out, and when you mention that Jungkook is on an overseas trip, she assumes that’s the reason why.

“Not really,” you clarify. “He arrives tomorrow evening, but the week’s packed - we’re visiting the Arts Center for inspection and then I’m doing an ocular with Chin-sun for the VP events we’re holding in the next few months. I mean, I won’t be buried in files nor will I be in meetings all week. So yeah, it’s not bad.”

“That’s good,” Jimin beams. “At least it’s nothing like how it used to be. Right?”

“It’s a lot better, I told you guys,” you say, reminding them of a similar talk you had the last time they were here, which was a week after you’d gotten sick. “Jungkook is… rational, less grumpy and impulsive; he also listens to me and trusts me. He’s even smiled a few times.”

“Wow, he really set the bar low for you, huh,” Jimin chuckles, earning him a nod.

“Does that also mean that he’s now completely bearable and no longer your type because he’s not an asshole anymore?” Soomin chimes in, being the blunt and bold one among the three of you.

“He never was my type in the first place,” you scowl. “Plus, he’s literally my boss, Soo. That’s like, not some flag, it’s a whole ass brick wall that shall not be crossed.”

“Right. That’s why Mr. Min didn’t make the cut,” she points out. “Told you you should’ve just quit your job so you could date him.”

“And I also told you that wasn’t the only reason why I didn’t want to,” you remind her. “Yoongi’s exactly the type of person I need in my life, and being more than friends is the surefire way of making sure that doesn’t happen. Like, why would I risk a good friendship for something that may not work out? Whether I break his heart or he breaks mine, it’s pain I can’t handle. There’s just no going back from there.”

“Right, that is your biggest fear,” Soomin replies softly, the sympathetic tone in her voice telling you that she does understand where you’re coming from. “I mean, it’s still possible that you wouldn’t hurt each other but I get it. It just sucks, I guess. The good ones often start as your friends.”

“I know. And I’d rather have them and be single than none at all,” you sigh.

The thought is simpler than it seems. You won’t deny that you’ve thought of how things would’ve been if you gave Yoongi a chance, but the fear of what you’d lose always trumped that type of possibility.

There’s a kind of pain you don’t want to experience, one of a broken heart caused by losing someone you’ve given your all to. It’s how you think you love, after all; you can’t give any less. But it’s also why you’ve never done it. No one’s inspired that kind of devotion for you.

Soomin has pointed out before that it’s probably also because you don’t open yourself up to the possibilities as you should. Maybe you’ve just been too focused on other things. But maybe you also just haven’t felt the kind of all-consuming desire for someone who would be worth it, one you’d want so much that you’d willingly face the fear of paralyzing heartbreak just to be with them.

You suppose that’s the difference. That’s the irony, too. You’re scared to love because you’re scared of the pain, so you keep your distance to keep yourself safe but it’s also why you haven’t found someone you’re willing to crawl out of your walls for.

There’s not much you feel passionate about in life. Maybe it’s love. But you’re too cautious to feel it, to look for it, so you don’t really know. Maybe it’s something else completely, and working in the environment that you do hinders you from discovering it. You’ve kept your distance from a lot of things over the past years and the thought that one day, you’ll be able to feel free from all the burden you carry because of a past you couldn’t control, makes you look forward to the day when you get to walk away from all those and hopefully, find whatever it is you’re looking for.

Jimin nudges you after you zone out, and you switch the subject and ask about the latest gossip in their hometown. You enjoy living vicariously through their social life back in Busan. They not only come out here to Seoul to see you but also to take a break from all the drama that they can’t really escape from, given the type of people in their circle of friends. You always thank the heavens you got lucky that at 10 years old and making a new life in a new city, you found Soomin and Jimin, perhaps the only other people aside from your mother who make you feel safe and protected, a feeling you don’t take for granted.

They indulge you and share some stories, but when Soomin goes through her social media feed to show you something, she gasps instead when she realizes that the men in her friend’s Instagram post include Jungkook.

“Did your boss just go there to party?” She asks, showing you the photo.

“Partly,” you reply. “His best friend hosted the launch of his alcohol line there but there are a couple more parties because it’s his birthday weekend. Your friends went?”

“Yeah, some of them are Kim Seokjin’s friends, apparently,” Soomin says. “Small world. But then again, I shouldn’t be surprised. Seoul and Busan socialites attract each other.”

“Why aren’t you there, then?” You chuckle.

“We’re choosy socialites,” Jimin clarifies. “Or like, pretentious. We just act like we are but we really aren’t, just to say that the Park and Cheon kids are interesting and sociable like the rest of them.”

“Who says they’re interesting and sociable?” Soomin states incredulously. “My eyes roll to the back of my head every time I’m in those shitty events. The lack of self-awareness of rich people repulses me. And I obviously don’t count us in.”

“And you shouldn’t,” you confirm. “I attract good people, I guess. I’m glad you’re not like them.”

“Well, what about Jungkook’s friends?” Jimin asks. “How are they like?”

“What I can say about the Kim brothers is that they’re nice people,” you say. “Very charming, ridiculously good-looking... And they sound like good friends, too. I can’t say much else. Their dating game is pretty strong though.”

“I’d assume. I mean, when you look like that, how could you not be?” Soomin states. “I mean, even Jungkook’s on point. That’s some hot girl he’s got.”

She shows you a couple of Instagram stories from her friends posting about the launch party. It turns out, there were a lot of Korea-based personalities who were invited. You spot Jungkook immediately, wearing the all-white ensemble that you packed for him the other day. His hair is a bit curled and the knitted top underneath the simple coat highlights his taut physique. There’s also that gorgeous woman around his arms, and if what you know about him is enough, you’d guess she’s probably one of those he seeks for a good time.

The sight of him loosening up a bit and enjoying himself is something you appreciate. He’s always stressed when he’s here and you’re glad he could spend a few days partying elsewhere without having to think about work, especially during the week of his birthday. You don’t know how much of this aspect of his life he enjoys, but he does seem a bit free yet still somehow detached. You suppose that’s something he’ll always be - a man trying to live his life while separating himself from the meaning of it. You’re unsure of how he does it but perhaps it’s not that different from how you are, too.

After lunch, Soomin and Jimin do a few more of your errands with you before dropping you home and then heading back to theirs. You spend the rest of the evening arranging your plants in your tiny apartment and feeling like more life is breathed into it with every one of them finding their home in a corner or on a shelf. Oddly enough, you feel a bit less lonely. That’s how you think you’ve been doing things, after all - finding substitutes for the kind of company you’re yearning for, for the kind of relationship you’re so afraid to have.

Jungkook wakes up that Monday morning feeling a lot better than he did the days before. For one, there’s no ringing in his head nor the feeling of dehydration. Bare under his soft covers, there also aren’t any fresh marks on his chest that signify the kind of night he usually has. In fact, he remembers most of it - he stayed by the bar and briefly chatted with the women who’d approached him.

Suzy was there last night, too, the only one he’s hooked up with more than once, and probably the only one he’s had proper conversations with, given that she’s a landscape designer. She’s been away on business trips and had just gone back, her bluntness about going back to his apartment that she’s too familiar with being met with a rejection that she didn't take personally.

“Has Seoul changed you?” She asked, her eyebrow arched in anticipation of his reply.

“Do you think a place would do that to me?” He laughed.

“No, but a person would,” she shrugged.

“None of that,” he shook his head. “There’s no one. I’m too busy, too tired.”

“But not too lonely?” she asked. “It’s the only reason why you would call me.”

There was no bitterness in her words but still, he asked. “And why did you always come, then?”

“To see if each time would be good enough for you to not make me leave.”

The conversation took a turn that he didn’t expect, the usual honesty in her words being too honest for him. He fumbled for something to say but she shook him off, claiming that she knew what she was getting into every time he took her home and that constantly hoping for something doesn’t guarantee that she’d get it one day.

He drank a couple of glasses of whiskey after she left but managed to call his butler for a sandwich and lemon ginger tea in time for his arrival at his penthouse. The meal did the trick, as he’d slept soundly after a warm bath without a splitting headache and regrets the next day.

It’s Monday, after all, and it’s back to work as usual. He has a few meetings to attend before flying back to Seoul, one of which is with the team. He gathers the energy to get off the bed for a half-hour exercise before getting ready. He eats the breakfast that the butler orders for him then heads to the office where he briefly meets with Lucas.

Settled on his desk, he proceeds to virtually meet with the team, who all promptly greet him from the conference room. He asks how their weekend was, with most of them looking surprised because he rarely asks them about it, but they answer anyway. That’s when he notices that you’re not around, prompting him to look for you.

“I’m here, Mr. Jeon,” you answer off camera before appearing on screen with a candle-lit cake in your hands.

He’s surprised when the team sings him a happy birthday, your eyes fixed on him as you mouth the words with a soft smile on your face. Do-hyun giggles at his silence, saying that he probably forgot it was his birthday or he maybe didn’t expect that they’d prepare something for him.

“We like you now, Mr. Jeon,” she teases, earning him a nudge from Chin-sun but she doesn’t seem to mind and neither does he.

It’s what makes him laugh, hoping that the pink on his cheeks aren’t visible on screen. He hadn’t expected this. He also knows he doesn’t deserve it, but he’d bet that you had everything to do with this.

“You’ve probably been too busy to celebrate but we haven’t forgotten. More like, Ms. Cho made sure we remembered,” Manager Lee chuckles. “We hope you enjoy this little something we prepared.”

“It’s an ice cream cake so it’ll just be in your refrigerator and you can have some when you return,” you say.

“Thank you,” he finally manages to say. “You didn’t have to but I appreciate it. I’m looking forward to having some when I get back. Ms. Cho should also buy another one big enough for the team to share.”

You nod in acknowledgment of his instruction before starting with the meeting. There’s a lot to talk about, given the Arts Center construction and activities, as well as the upcoming year-end events that they have to organize and coordinate. It goes on for over two hours and it ends with your gentle smile after he says goodbye.

The rest of the day feels too long for Jungkook, especially during the late afternoon flight and eventual ride home. He stares at the photo you sent of the cake, making sure he sees the greeting on it.

“Get home safely, Mr. Jeon,” you text him after he says thanks. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

With the reminders of the impermanence of things and people this weekend, Jungkook finds comfort in the stability that you provide. It’s in your smile, in your reminders and organization of his life, in your thoughtfulness and patience. It’s in the assurance that tomorrow is another day, one in which he gets to see you once again.

The cake is simple but sophisticated. The mint chocolate flavor is exactly how he likes it and in ice cream cake form, it’s really delicious. He’s glad he gets to have this all for himself, as the team was able to enjoy one yesterday as per his instruction, and you’d sent a group photo of everyone enjoying it to him, the small smile that formed on his face no longer surprising him.

For one, the comfort is there. He’s seen just how much better the team is working together because of it - they’re more open to giving him feedback and receiving his, any moment of frustration is easily mended with laughter, and his encouragement and affirmation have been motivating them as well. In the midst of it is you who makes sure that communication flows smoothly and that everything is on track, acting as the glue that keeps everyone together.

He sees firsthand just how good you are at handling things, and how despite all the stress, you manage to get him seaweed soup and a cake for his birthday. It’s more than just the details regarding work that you’re on top of; it’s also details about his life, and how he’s responding to it tells him that maybe, whatever change there is like what Suzy observed, a big part of it is because of you.

“I’m glad you like it, Mr. Jeon,” your voice cuts through his thoughts.

He looks up and sees you with a portfolio in hand, motioning towards the cake that’s now one fourth eaten.

“Ah, yeah,” he says, not denying it. “I feel like I haven’t had sweets in a while. Where did you buy this?”

“Oh, uh, I asked the baker who made desserts for the Arts Center event if she could make a customized ice cream cake,” you explain. “Fortunately she could. And thankfully it’s delicious. She enjoyed working with us so she gave us a discount.”

“You… had this made for me?”

He’d expected it to be store-bought, but learning you made the effort to reach out to someone reminds him once more of your thoughtfulness, of your care.

“Yes, I, uh, I just assumed you’d receive a few and I thought to give you something a little different.”

“It’s the only one I got actually,” he says, catching you off guard. Your face falls a little so he follows it up. “Like I told you, I don’t celebrate my birthday so I don’t let people know about it. And the ones who do also know that I don’t make a big deal out of it so they don’t really give me anything.”

“Oh,” you say, feeling a little sad.

You’re not one to have big celebrations but you do have a bit of it. For your 30th birthday at the start of the year, Jimin and Soomin threw you a little party in your humble home in Daegu where they performed some of your favorite songs and enacted your favorite drama scenes to make you happy. There was no need for anything fancy - just your loved ones and your mom’s and Min-woo’s amazing cooking.

But even before that milestone, your friends always made sure to at least get you seaweed soup and a birthday cake; they want you to remember that there are lives impacted because you were born. You can’t really say that Jungkook’s impacted your life the same way but you still value his existence; a small cake is just a little something to celebrate that. But the idea that his family and friends pass up on the cake - and perhaps the gifts, too - makes you think that there’s really not much in Jungkook’s life he feels he could share with others, that there’s not much he could give and receive in return.

“I hope I didn’t cross a line if it’s something you don’t like people knowing,” you continue. “I just thought… it would be nice to receive something from us.”

“It actually was,” he admits, his voice soft and low. Turning away, he says, “it’s been a while since I actually thought about my birthday as anything other than ordinary. It’s nice to be reminded sometimes. So thank you, Ms. Cho. For the soup, too. I appreciate it.”

Perhaps it’s his honesty that does it, but you can’t help the smile that forms on your face. If learning how to express gratitude is something you could teach him, you already feel accomplished.

It’s the next day when you find yourself back in Jungkook’s office, staring at the potted plant in your hands. You’ve gone from debating on whether to leave it on his desk or the coffee table, to even giving it at all. You won’t lie and say you didn’t know what you were thinking when you passed by the plant store after work last night to get this specifically for him. You did - you wanted him to feel that joy of receiving a gift, which you suppose doesn’t happen, especially for someone who can literally buy anything he wants.

But still, it doesn’t mean that your good intention will be received well. You’ve given Hoseok a small gift every year for his birthday, partly because he likes receiving them and also because it’s your way of saying thanks.

You want to give this to Jungkook as a form of gratitude, too. Despite how you both started, the amount of things you’ve learned from him and continue to have somehow made up for it, and you also know that he’s learning from you as well. He’s given you agency to make decisions. He’s also given you events and small projects to manage, making you realize it’s what you really enjoy doing. Seeing things come together the way you envisioned it is so satisfying. Perhaps without intending it, Jungkook’s showed you a way out, a path that you want to explore so much that you’re willing to let go of all that you know in this company for something new, for something that feels more like you.

Your thoughts have completely digressed and with the time you took debating and reflecting, you hadn’t heard his footsteps, and so you jerk a little when he calls out your name.

Turning around, you bow in greeting, remembering at the same time that you have something that you’re not 100% sure yet you want to give right now. But as always, he calls you out on it.

“Is that a snake plant?” He asks, walking towards his seat.

“Yes.”

“Is that the one on your desk?”

“Uh, no, actually,” you laugh dryly, knowing you can’t turn back from it now. “I… I meant to give it to you, sir. I just thought that, uh, the money tree on the shelf might be too lonely so I got you a desk plant. I heard it’s good for positive energy and to filter the air.”

“It is,” he hums. “Is that why you got yourself one?”

“I suppose. I figured it could help improve my mood. Yoongi suggested it before but I just kept pushing it back. I finally got some for my apartment last weekend,” you explain, just so he knows it didn’t come out of nowhere.

“And you think this will improve my mood?” He arches an eyebrow.

“Maybe,” you shrug. “We’ll probably need a dozen of them here but we could start with one.”

He matches your soft laughter with his own, which you’re thankful for. He reaches out for the plant, nonchalant like you when your fingers brush against each other.

“Hopefully this will work,” he says as he places the small, white pot next to his desktop.

You leave him so he could prepare for a conference call while you’re set to meet with the marketing team. Jungkook gazes at the plant and notices the little note attached to the string around the stem.

Happy birthday, it reads.

This wasn’t just something to match the money tree that Hoseok left for him that he hasn’t been caring for much. This was a gift for him. You probably assume that if he doesn’t receive birthday cakes, he wouldn’t be receiving gifts, either. And you’d be right. His best friends just throw him parties. And once he left Seoul to obtain his MBA in Singapore and stayed to work in their Southeast Asian headquarters, the distance between him and his parents grew. They’d reach out but he didn’t bother much, so he’d stopped expecting anything. After he broke up with Chaerin, he stopped receiving anything at all. This is the first time he’s gotten something from someone after a long time.

It’s simple in its meaning and honest in its intention, and he doesn’t hold back the smile that forms on his face.

You watch the realization dawn on Jungkook from outside. You’d remembered the silly note you left right as you sat down and didn’t have time to take it back, which really wasn’t much, but you suppose it’s enough to tell him that the plant indeed is a gift. You don’t know if someone like him even receives them, or would even appreciate something so cheap and humble, but the gentle smile he has on tells you that he probably doesn’t get much, but that this is something he welcomes.

Your smile follows soon after but it feels different this time. There’s pride somehow that your little gift could elicit something so rare out of him. There’s also a bit of awe; this is the softest he’s ever looked, with that tinge of gratitude and yearning, a complete contrast to what you know of him, to how you’ve always seen him. It’s… it’s actually beautiful.

And this is when things start to get confusing, especially as your phone beeps with that SMS from him.

[From: The Boss] Thank you, ___.

It’s the non-work message. It’s the use of your name. This is personal for him and you acknowledge that it’s the same for you. Perhaps there’s a reason why you made the effort to get the gift last night, why it mattered to you that he received something to celebrate his birthday, and why seeing him appreciate it the way he does is making you giddy and satisfied at the same time.

Maybe it’s the care you’re starting to feel for him that’s beyond just wanting to make your job bearable. You’ll dissect what that truly means later on, but right now it’s just you, him, and the glass wall in between the both of you. There’s distance, there’s a boundary, but there’s a transparent barrier that allows you to see what’s on the other side, one which allows you to know who he is behind the man you’ve come to know. And you admit, he’s not so bad after all.

The construction of the Arts Center is going better than expected. Given some of the delays due to the wrong materials delivered and some permits that took a while to get, the workers were able to make up some ground, largely due to Jungkook’s supervision. When you both visited a few weeks ago, there were many things to work on, and he managed to identify the priorities and find ways to get the project back on track.

It was during those few days of constantly being on site that you saw how efficient and effective he really works. You admired his precision and attention to detail, how he instructed the team leads and project managers and laborers, how he put together the design of one of the rooms just as he’d envisioned it.

He was commanding and decisive, and you appreciated his thorough and simple explanations that allowed you to keep up with him. He’s said that he wants you to understand what’s happening so that you’re well-informed should you need to communicate to others on his behalf, and what initially intimidated you turned into something you became interested in. Since then, you’ve been watching design shows to help you further. The challenge was welcomed, and now you feel like everyday, you’re learning something new on the job.

His instructions from that time were followed, and you’re back today to inspect the rest of the spaces. Everything is so massive, and with one half of the wall of the performance hall already done, you can clearly see the upgrade. The details are impressive, and the way that the traditional designs merge with modern elements is a feature itself.

You’re immersed in the intricacies of the ceiling, walking towards the wall to get a closer look that you don’t immediately notice the workers walking past you with a massive slab of marble. The moment that you do, you step back too quickly, tripping on your heels, and just as you brace yourself to hit the ground, you instead feel your back against a firm chest, with hands on your elbows breaking your fall.

You sigh in relief, even leaning your head back because nothing could be more embarrassing than falling on your ass in front of many people, including your boss. That is, until the familiar scent of jasmine and bergamot wafts through your nose and you realize that what you just did is debatably more embarrassing than what could’ve happened.

The familiar clearing of the throat is what finally does it for you, and with wide eyes, you turn around and face him to apologize.

“I’m sorry, sir. I—”

“Was so much in awe that you didn’t notice the workers passing by,” he finishes, his slightly teasing smile calming you down.

“Ah, well of course. The details are too pretty,” you reason, stepping back only a little. You look at him shyly. “But thank you. I was about to fall.”

“I know. And I was about to lose it if my assistant got injured on the job.”

“True. It’s bad publicity, I guess,” you shrug. “And distractions could cause delays. And that’s bad, too.”

“Or you know, I simply just can’t have you injured, simple as that,” he says with a little frown on his face.

“Imagine if I didn’t see them? They could’ve dropped the marble and I would’ve completely lost it!”

“Why?” He arches an eyebrow.

“That slab is like, two months’ worth of salary, Mr. Jeon.”

“It’s actually more but that’s not the point,” he fully frowns now. “If you didn’t see them, then they could’ve hit you, and then you would be whining in pain right now. You could’ve gotten seriously hurt, ___.”

His voice is firm and low, and you nod in acknowledgment because you also know he’s right. The workers’ vision was limited but yours wasn’t; you were just too distracted and if you hadn’t pulled early enough, that marble really could’ve done damage to you. And if it wasn’t for Jungkook catching your fall, then something bad still would’ve happened to you.

“But are you okay? You didn’t twist your ankle or anything?” He asks.

“No. Uh, the heel’s just a bit loose but I’m fine,” you reply, still trying to wrap your head around how he’d said your name - informally, in this setting, as he told you that you could’ve gotten hurt. Maybe you weren’t imagining the worried tone of his voice earlier.

“Okay,” he sighs. “You have to be careful next time.”

“I will, sir,” you reply.

You step aside and Jungkook sees you from his peripheral vision as he returns to assessing, staying put and only glancing at the ceiling unlike earlier. He’d seen you marvel at the design of the hall earlier, and while he was initially doing the same, seeing you wide-eyed and impressed caught his attention more.

Many times, he’s seen you look dejected, frustrated, angry. He’s seen your moments of focus and joy, too, but this is the first time he’s seen you be in awe. There was this softness on your face that was still filled with emotion, and he’d been drawn to you enough to see that you were about to fall. He’s glad he has quick reflexes and was able to get to you in time, the worry he felt at the thought of you getting hurt in any way was quite overwhelming for him. And while it’s partly because you’re his responsibility in this case, he also knows it’s more than that.

He gestures moving to another room and you follow him outside, and just as you try to stay close to him, Jungkook also makes sure you’re away from any kind of danger. He moves to your side when there are workers nearby with their heavy equipment and large materials. He shields you from the drilling. He glances at you as you both walk towards the other performance hall. And when you get there, you see the ceiling installation is ongoing, and Jungkook immediately calls for hard hats for the both of you.

He hands you one and you put it on, fumbling with the strap underneath your chin. You groan in frustration when you’re unable to lock it, and that’s when you see him move towards you.

“Let me,” he says.

You stop your movements and shyly nod in agreement, and he waits for you to let go before he fixes it himself.

It’s a little odd being on the other side, since it’s always you who fixes his tie or his coat. But you’re the one watching him now, with his furrowed brows and seriousness in securing this safety gear on you making you feel warm inside.

He steps back then looks at you, trying hard to control his laughter.

“Are you laughing at me, sir?” You pout.

“No. I don’t make fun of people,” he says, turning serious now, but you don’t miss the grin on his face.

It’s unfair that he looks good even with a hard hat on.

One of the project managers calls him and he goes around, with you staying close by. This performance hall is bigger and boasts of a more traditional design, which would hold the cultural performances that the Culture Minister is very excited about. You watch Jungkook inspect the space with thoroughness, checking each wall panel and each seat.

It’s amazing to you just how involved he is with this project even with the project managers handling things relatively well. He wants to be on top of everything, he’s said; it matters too much for him to not know what’s going on.

You see Yoongi enter the room and approach him. Once he sees you, he laughs as well.

“Do I look that bad?” You groan. “Mr. Jeon was laughing at me, too.”

“It’s a little big, and I guess I’m just not used to seeing you in one,” Yoongi shrugs.

“Why don’t you have one?”

“I don’t need it. I’m here all the time and nothing happens.”

“Well, I’ve been here a few times and I almost fell earlier,” you say, recalling the almost-embarrassment.

“I know, I saw it,” he chuckles.

“You were there?!” You gasp.

“No, I was totally in the other room that’s why I witnessed you almost get hit by the marble then trip on yourself,” he deadpans.

“I didn’t see you, that’s all,” you shrug.

“I was by the doors. I checked these spaces yesterday and I just wanted to be around in case Jungkook had new instructions,” he explains. “But I gotta say, you guys were kinda cute earlier.”

“Almost falling on my ass isn’t cute, Min Yoongi,” you scowl. “I could’ve either ruined the marble slab or hurt my bum. Either way, it would’ve been embarrassing.”

“I didn’t mean just you. I meant you guys,” he gestures towards Jungkook. “He caught you, didn’t he?”

“Yes… That was embarrassing, too,” you frown. “What’s cute about that?”

“He looked worried. It’s just not something I’ve seen him be towards other people, that’s all.”

“It’s because an injured employee on site isn’t good, okay? Plus, if I’m incapable, then no one’s gonna be around to make his life easier,” you reason.

Yoongi stares at you for a while before shaking his head. “Wow, you really are dense.”

“I don’t know what you’re on about,” you cross your arms in frustration.

“Forget about it,” Yoongi shakes his head, deciding not to push it.

He’ll tell you another time that he’s glad you’re becoming more of yourself again, that the light has somehow come back, that there’s now comfort you exude around the man you’d once despised. Yoongi feels assured now that there’s someone else who seems to be looking out for you, and that it’s something you don’t seem to mind at all.

“Yah! You’re being all mysterious again!” You pout, something he chuckles about.

“Me? Mysterious? Come on. I’ve always been an open book,” he teases.

You’re just about to nag him again when you hear Jungkook clear his throat, and you turn towards him and ask if he’s already done inspecting.

“There are still a few things I want to run by my design lead before leaving,” Jungkook says. “Please move my meeting to 3PM.”

“That’s noted, sir. I’ll give Mr. Hong’s assistant a call.”

You excuse yourself and step outside, leaving both men alone.

“Angering my assistant, are you?” Jungkook asks Yoongi, the curious yet playful tone in his voice evident.

“Nah, just teasing. That a problem?” Yoongi answers back.

“No. It’s good she has someone she’s comfortable with at work.”

“Could be you, you know? That isn’t so bad,” Yoongi remarks, surprising him. “And it doesn’t cross whatever boundary you’re trying so hard to stay behind.”

“We’re not… on that level. I mean, I don’t know how to be someone other people are comfortable being around,” Jungkook admits.

“I don’t know about that. Seems like you’re already that for her,” Yoongi says. “I was just teasing her about how you guys looked cute earlier, when you broke her fall.”

“You were there?”

“Both of you really don’t notice other people when it’s just both of you, huh,” Yoongi laughs. “But yeah, I was. I saw her relief. And I saw you worry.”

Jungkook merely shrugs, not wanting to confirm. Even if he denies it, Yoongi will still believe what he wants to believe. But the older man knows you well just as much as he knows him.

“You care about her, don’t you?” Yoongi responds to the silence. “And I mean not in a superficial way, or a good boss caring for his employee type of way. Like, you worry when she’s sick or overworking, when she’s hurt or in danger. You want her to always be safe, to get rest. You like having her near. You wanna know that she’s happy.”

“You know I can’t do that,” Jungkook finally answers. “I can’t think of her that way.”

“I know. That’s why you were the way you were,” Yoongi says. “How else do you respond to things you can’t control than through anger and detachment? But just because you shouldn’t, it doesn’t change the fact that you do.”

“It doesn’t change the fact that it’s wrong,” Jungkook counters.

“Well, irrationally calling her out and being angry were wrong, too, and you did those because you weren’t being honest with yourself,” Yoongi argues. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, the least you can do is be true to yourself about how you feel. Because the more you deny, then the more you resist, and when you do that, you end up hurting her. Is that what you want?”

“Of course not.”

“Then just… accept things - what you feel, what you both are, what you can or can’t be.”

Jungkook looks at his friend as if some epiphany had just transpired. It’s been difficult for him to make sense of what he feels around you. There’s always that air of familiarity, but the warmth and comfort are new. There’s the reality that you come from different worlds, but that you both somehow feel and experience and maybe desire the same things. There’s that sense of fear over change and of what he can’t control, yet you somehow provide the calm and stability that he hasn’t felt in a long time.

It’s all these contradictions that have been messing with him, and Yoongi’s right - because of all the times that Jungkook had wanted to create that distance, all it did was hurt you. That’s the last thing he wants, he realizes now. He’s seen you struggle, and even if that’s just a fraction of what you normally go through, it’s enough to tell him that he doesn’t want you to experience that again, especially not because of him. It’s too early to say the extent of his care towards you, and it’s not something he’s willing or ready to explore right now. But just as Jungkook’s about to comfort himself that it’s fine, and that he shouldn’t dwell on it anyway so as not to further nurture it, Yoongi speaks again.

“Just… just a heads up, though,” he adds. “The care that I felt, that’s how it started for me.”

“What started?”

“Me, liking her.”

It’s at that moment when you come back from your call, and you inform Jungkook that the meeting’s been moved and that he has a scheduled one with some of the directors on Monday.

“Alright,” he says, directing you and Yoongi towards the souvenir shop, temporarily disregarding what he was warned about.

“You two looked so serious. Everything okay?” You whisper to your friend.

“Yeah,” Yoongi hums, giving you the most genuine smile he could give.

There’s that sparkle and softness in your eyes that had captured him all those years ago. They dimmed throughout the years and they’ve just been sporadic, illuminating only during specific moments. He’d seen them again a lot more regularly, and even today, as you looked around the halls and admired the designs of the space.

Yoongi doesn’t know if a certain person is the reason for that. He knows you enough that you wouldn’t even notice it, so you definitely wouldn’t know what caused the change. But as your friend, he hopes one day you will, so that if you’re brave enough, too, you’d try to make sure that the light stays.

The inspection ends and you get back to the office at 4. You return to piles of documents you have to sift through and encode, and your original plan of leaving on time changes.

Jungkook spends over an hour talking with Yoongi and the construction lead about the Arts Center, and once that’s over, you see just how exhausted he is. He’s massaging his temples and sighing deeply, and you know that whatever just transpired, he’s going to be thinking about it all throughout the weekend, which he doesn’t really have time for. The gala that one of the Board members throws annually is tomorrow night, an event you’ll be attending with him as well.

You enter his room to remind him about it and to give some forms for his signature. He signs them off, and when you say you’ve got a few more requests that you’ll leave on his desk for Monday, he tells you to just wait until then.

“Go home, Ms. Cho,” he says. “It’s been a long week. And it won’t end until after tomorrow night.”

“What about you, Mr. Jeon?”

“I’ve got some stuff to sort through after inspection. I’ll probably leave in an hour or so.”

You frown, a mannerism of yours that he’s gotten used to seeing. It’s mixed with a pout that often makes him internally laugh because it seems unlike you. It also always means there’s something you want to say that you’re holding back.

“Should I not?” He arches an eyebrow.

“Hmm. Just thinking that it might be better for you to take a rest tonight, too,” you advise. “The gala could be quite draining and it would be good to save your energy for that.”

“I’ll think about it,” he hums.

“Then I’ll think about going home, too,” you answer back.

Jungkook chuckles, knowing you’re always going to counter him in some way. And he’s glad that you do.

“You may go. And get a good rest, too.”

You nod and bid him goodbye, exiting the room to start packing your things. It’s five minutes later when the door opens and you see him with his bag, ready to head home as well.

You smile at his tender doe-eyes as he admits through them that you were right - he doesn’t have a reason to stay behind, so he’ll call it a night and get as much rest as he can.

He pauses by the entryway, and you pick up that he’s waiting for you, perhaps to make sure that you’re indeed going home. You quicken your pace and walk next to him, steps in pace as you both go to the elevator and down to the lobby.

“Mr. Ri can bring you home after me,” Jungkook says. “It’s late already.”

“Not late enough,” you reply. “I’m okay, Mr. Jeon. It’s not necessary.”

He concedes, and you wait for the car to arrive and say goodbye to him again.

There’s a softness on his face as he lingers before he enters. A small smile forms, and it’s what you see until you fall asleep that night. It’s the same one that’s oddly been giving you comfort lately - it’s a little restrained but somehow it still looks vulnerable. Perhaps it represents how Jungkook’s been to you - there are some contradictions, but beyond all that, there’s care.

Mr. Ri happily greets you as you enter the car that late Saturday afternoon to head to Jungkook’s penthouse. He compliments your dress, saying it’s nice to see you in something formal that fits your style - it’s simple yet elegant, and you tell him that your mother wouldn’t stop gushing over you through the screen, nagging you to send full-body photos so she could appreciate you more.

Jimin and Soomin surprised you in the morning to help you fix up, insisting that they wanted to make sure you spoiled yourself for the event. If you wouldn’t, they would, so they treated you to the hair salon and had your nails done. They’re the ones who took so many photos like some formal dance, and Jimin commented that the only downside was that they were sending you off to pick up Jungkook.

Defending your boss the way you did surprised you a little; it surprised them a lot more. You’d said that he bought you the dress, that he’s been nothing but kind, and that whatever negative feelings you had towards him are all in the past. Your friends understood, deciding not to ruin your night and then letting you go so they could eat out and meet you back at your apartment once you’re done.

You chat with Mr. Ri about how things have been at work, your friends, and your family. You also talk about the gala and how it feels a little nerve-racking attending this time, given your experience with Jungkook.

It’s a grand event that the company’s executives attend, and guests are asked to refrain from going solo. For such requests, it’s not unusual for them to bring their assistants. You’re expected to attend anyway, and assistants usually partner up with each other and it always worked. You went with Hoseok last year because A-yeong had a work event, and while you expected that Jungkook wouldn’t care for such request and maintain that he’d go by himself, you also didn’t think that CEO Jeon would insist that his son take you as his date so he wouldn’t be alone.

The elder Jeon had reasoned that business discussions usually take place during the gala, and it would be good for you to be around and be familiar with the new people on the scene. Hoseok had said that they’re expected to stay through the whole thing, and it’s much better for his cousin to have a companion so he could survive the night. That was months ago when things were still a little shaky for you both. You still remember Jungkook’s displeased look when it seemed like he had no choice in the matter, especially since he probably thought that his father just wanted to make sure he’d act accordingly. It feels like a lifetime ago, really, as you think about his soft smile from last night.

You don’t know exactly what you’re feeling, why his gestures or mannerisms suddenly mean something to you, or why there’s excitement when you think about seeing him outside of work. You’re unsure why the curve of his lips when he grins or the deep huff that follows his laugh makes you a little giddy, or why his eyes lingering on you makes your heart beat a little faster than usual.

Just like right now, as they gaze at you while you seemingly do the same.

“You look, uh—” he starts, unable to find the accurate but appropriate term to describe how you look.

“Nice?” You finish, recalling the term he’d used when you tried this gown for the first time.

“Something like that,” he chuckles, earning him a giggle from you.

He playfully shakes his head, perhaps knowing that you’re used to him not making grand compliments or anything. But he does smile after, and there goes that blissful feeling again.

Maybe it’s because for the first time, you’re being appreciated. Maybe just like how it’s been recently, he likes being around you, prefers it, even. And given how you felt so unwanted during his first few weeks here, this is a blessing, as if in his appreciation of you, you’re liking yourself as well.

“Well, in my opinion, you look quite dashing, Mr. Jeon,” you say bravely. “Except your waistcoat seems to be uneven.”

“Exactly what I thought,” he sighs. “I can’t quite align it properly.”

And as you always do, you approach him, your hands immediately going towards his shoulders to flatten the vest, then his sides to pull it down. You adjust it a little bit more then fix his collar after, and suddenly this feels so natural - being close to him, taking in his scent, and smiling as he glances at you.

“Do you need help with your coat?” You ask once you finish.

He nods and you follow him to his walk-in closet where you take the last piece of clothing and assist him in wearing it. He adjusts the lapels while you assess if all wrinkles have been flattened. You watch him look at himself in the mirror and you can’t help but admire him as well. He exudes confidence, which you can say now is strikingly different from the Appointment Dinner where he still looked a bit unsure. But now, he commands respect. The deep black color of his striped three-piece ensemble with his slick hair parted in the middle makes him even more handsome, and you manage to hold in the gasp you were about to release as he faces you for a final look.

“All good?” He asks.

“All good,” you smile, turning around and walking back to the living room.

He follows, and he takes this time to bask in your beauty before he has to act like it doesn’t affect him again.

There’s a reason why he was rendered speechless the first time he saw you in this gown at the tailor shop, so much so that he had to step out to get some air. You look even more stunning now, with your classic but natural-looking makeup and your styled hair. You exude a certain kind of glow that sucks him in, that makes his heart race yet soothes him just the same.

It’s a little dangerous for him, given that he’ll be spending this entire evening with you as his date, looking the way you do while he has to act disinterested, as if his attraction isn’t slapping him in the face and his internal alarm bells aren’t ringing.

But he has to act professional. He has to stay behind the lines even if his mind is yelling all the words about your beauty that he has to ignore. So he gives himself this short moment where he gets to admire you, and when you make it to the elevator and become confined in a small space, he holds his breath as you smile at him shyly, hoping that he doesn’t give himself away.

He’ll get himself together, he orders to himself, and he’ll make sure he doesn’t scare you off.

You make it to the lobby and enter the car. The drive to the venue is quiet at the beginning. It’s technically not a work day so there’s no reason to discuss work. You and Jungkook may have started talking about non-work matters but it doesn’t mean you readily talk about actual personal things. They’re occasional, as it’s not something he seems to do much and you’re often guarded about yours. It took a while for you to open up to Yoongi and even then, there are many things he doesn’t know. You’re comfortable around him, there’s no denying that, but there are still parts of you that you don’t like to share with others, and you suppose that Jungkook is the same.

But still, you ask how his evening was and how his day went, expecting he’d give a basic answer.

“I just stayed home last night and watched soccer over drinks,” he says. “Then I did my workout and went for a swim this morning. I did a bit of work in the afternoon and then got ready.”

“Ah, no party last night and then recovering from it in the morning?” You tease, knowing that’s a usual occurrence for him. Lucas did mention about the Singapore trip and how he’d taken home a passed out Jungkook on the night of his birthday.

“Well, there was a party,” he responds. “There always is, but I passed up on it. I didn’t want to feel out of sorts tonight. There’ll be a lot of new faces and I don’t wanna mess up.”

“Oh, you won’t. You’ve been doing really well, Mr. Jeon. And that’s me being honest.”

“Why wouldn’t you be?” He arches an eyebrow. “Would you tell me otherwise?”

“Well, the me of now, would. The me of a few months ago would want to but wouldn’t.”

Jungkook dwells on your answer. “Hmm. What changed, then?”

“I got used to you.”

He meets your gaze and somehow it feels too long. You don’t really know what prompted you to say it but you felt a little bold, a little too honest.

“In what sense?” he wonders, turning away now.

“I’d say I got used to the mood swings but then again, they haven’t been intense compared to those first few weeks,” you admit. “But surprisingly, it’s the calmness I’ve become accustomed to. And the seriousness and occasional zoning out, but also, the…”

Care, you want to say. Or the thoughtfulness.

“Consideration,” you say instead.

Jungkook’s throat dries up as he finds the words to say. He’s now afraid to look at you because he might give in and say something he’ll regret. He’s been praised before for his work and his designs, but he supposes that no one’s really complimented him for something he does for other people, specifically for you. Maybe that’s why he thinks he doesn’t deserve it; he’s unsure if he’s really considerate by nature or if he just is towards you. It’s why he brushes it off, insisting he just has his moments.

“But those moments could mean a lot to the one it’s shared with or directed to,” you counter. “Even if it was just once. Or even if it was so trivial that you probably forgot already. But the other person doesn’t. Or they would, but something about that moment stays.”

Jungkook thinks about the moments you’d shown him consideration. Or even care or thoughtfulness, but he wouldn’t word it that way to you. There are the big ones - when you showed your support of the Arts Center to his father, when you calmed him down during that first Board meeting, when you gave him the noodles when he was sick, when you stayed with him during his interview with the magazine publications.

When you stood up to him. When you didn’t quit after that first week.

There are also the small moments - the ginger and lemon tea on Monday mornings when he looks like he’d drank too much the night before, the biscuits you serve with his coffee, the affirming looks during team meetings, the comforting smiles from outside his office when he’s stressed.

There’s a lot of those you show him, and he realizes now that he remembers each one.

The silence returns soon after, as you both seem to prefer basking in the soft music that Mr. Ri plays.

It’s 15 minutes later when you arrive at the venue. You get out of the car and meet Jungkook by his door, surprised when he offers his arm that you take.

“This is how they do it, right?” He looks at you questioningly.

“Yes,” you chuckle. “It’s a little over-the-top but the hosts treat this like it’s some red carpet event and I just follow what the others do. Bitna says it’s the one time we could feel like proper ladies or something, whatever that means.”

“Hmm, makes sense. I guess I’ll be a proper gentleman, then. Whatever that means.”

You hold onto him lightly as you both make your way inside. You try to disregard the firmness of his arm and the way it feels under your touch, so you gently let go not long after and clutch onto your purse instead, not wanting to give off the idea that you’re anything more than each other’s dates. You greet the guests and establish your position to those who are unaware in an effort to show that this social event is a work function as well.

Jungkook talks about the Arts Center when he can, and you mentally take note of certain projects, sites, events, artists, and patrons that are mentioned, quickly typing them on your phone for future reference. He talks to you about them in between flutes of champagne and canapes that are some of the most delicious you’ve ever had.

Jungkook laughs as you down another brie and cranberry bruschetta.

“What? I like fancy food,” you pout.

“Yes, your normal people’s taste buds like fancy food,” he teases.

It’s a statement you make often and you smile that he now uses it against you.

Your moments of casual ignorance of what’s going on around you are ones you find yourself enjoying too much. You internally sigh every time a guest approaches him, and even more so when you find yourself with a few others and someone stands a little too close, or has his hand linger on your elbow, or whispers something in your ear as if you’re at a bar and the music is too loud, which it isn’t, so there’s really no reason for this son of some business tycoon to be asking you to head outside “to talk.”

“Don’t you have a date?” You ask after he insists.

“Yeah, some girl,” he shrugs. “She’s kinda boring. Lucky I found you.”

You awkwardly smile, knowing it’s not your place to reject him and make a scene. He looks to be the type who always gets his way and if he doesn’t this time, you’re afraid of how he might take it.

You don’t budge and call for another flute of champagne instead, finishing it in one gulp that has the man releasing a deep breath in front of you.

“So you’ve been working for the Jeon’s for 8 years, you say?” He speaks again.

You nod, looking around to avoid his eyes.

“That’s quite a long time, yeah? I’m sure I can get you a spot at my company,” he brags. “I mean, we sell luxury cars. That’s way more interesting than buildings and shit.”

“I don’t drive,” you say too quickly. “I mean, I don’t know how to.”

“Perfect. I can teach you then,” he smirks.

It’s the look that heightens your level of discomfort, and just as you’re about to make some excuse and run away, Jungkook calls your name that has you immediately turning towards him.

“Yes, Mr. Jeon?”

He’s not too far away; he comes closer yet still maintains a bit of a distance.

“Hoseok’s asking for me but I want to speak to Mr. Saito before he leaves. Can you go to my cousin on my behalf?”

“Of course,” you say, excusing yourself and scurrying away from the scene, sighing in relief at the sight of a familiar pair of faces.

A-yeong gives you a hug and you return it, then you turn to Hoseok and ask what he needs Jungkook for.

“Nothing,” he says. “I didn’t call for him.”

“Oh, okay. Well, he said you did.”

“I haven’t spoken to him since we got here,” Hoseok replies. “You know how this gala goes. So many people to meet. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, just… uh. Well, I just met Mr. Kwon’s son. And let’s just say, I don’t want that to happen again.”

“Oh, ___,” A-yeong sighs, knowing exactly what you mean. “Just stay with us. Or don’t leave Jungkook’s side.” Turning towards the man who’d just arrived, she adds, “stay close to her, okay?”

Jungkook looks at you, his eyes asking a question that you know the answer to but neither of you says anything.

“I will,” he nods.

Both of you stay where you are for a while before heading back to your seats for the sit-down dinner. You converse with those at your table, thankful that they’re all decent and entertaining. After that, Jungkook doesn’t leave your side. It almost seems like he’s your date rather than the other way around, but you appreciate his presence, especially when he calls your attention once you start looking uncomfortable.

“I’m sorry,” you sigh. “I just… I just get a little uneasy when people I don’t know get too close.”

“I understand. I’m the same,” he says, prompting you to look at him. “But I just feel uncomfortable, not unsafe. There’s a difference. And it’s not okay if that’s how they make you feel.”

He knew without you saying the words. It takes you back to that night at the restaurant with Hajoon and how Jungkook had looked the most guilty he’d ever been when you said that his staring made you feel uncomfortable. You supposed then that it was mostly because he thought he was causing a rift between you and Hajoon but you realize now that it was more than that. For all that Jungkook is, you’ve come to see that there are things he can’t stand himself doing; deliberately making you feel unsafe is definitely one of them. Perhaps it’s why at this moment, you feel the exact opposite being around him.

And that’s how the rest of the night goes. He stays close but when he’s caught up in a conversation he can’t get out of, he gives you that look to remind you that it’s okay to step away, that you have the ability to remove yourself from a situation you don’t feel good being in. And you do, and the worry you used to have about being a mere assistant fades away. You never thought that one Jeon Jungkook would give you the permission to do that.

You’re seated on a chair some time later, the hours of walking in your high heels taking its toll on you. You wave to Hoseok and A-yeong, no longer having the energy to walk up to them for a proper goodbye. You sigh to yourself, feeling the tiredness slowly overtake you. It was still a good night, but it took a lot of energy from you, too.

“Hey,” you hear Jungkook call out.

You turn to him, still looking handsome as he stands nearby, his hands in his pockets as he mirrors your exhaustion.

“Ready to head home?” He asks.

“Yes,” you say too quickly, earning you a laugh.

You stand up, limping only a tiny bit, but you think Jungkook notices, as he offers his arm just like he did at the start of the night.

“This is what a proper gentleman does, right?” He asks.

“I suppose. Although I might say, Mr. Jeon, that’s what you were the entire time. So thank you.”

Jungkook nods in response, unsure how to receive your gratitude. He knows what you mean, as the first sign of your discomfort had him looking at you constantly. He was worried all night but he supposes there’s no reason to feel that way now, as your faint smile just signifies that you’re tired more than anything.

For the short moment it takes for you to walk closer to him, he basks in your beauty once more. The night will be over soon, and he’s glad he could give you some reprieve this time. He tries not to lose it when you tighten your grip on his arm for support though, but that’s something he can think about later on.

The walk to the car isn’t that long and you let go of him eventually. You head towards the other door then enter, the space in between reminding him of where you both belong - on either side of a line, one that he shouldn’t think of crossing.

You sink into your seat, fighting the urge to curl your body and take a nap, so you sit up straight and hold yourself together after once again feeling Jungkook’s arm under your touch. Most of the alcohol has left your system but perhaps not enough, as you boldly look at him and smile in appreciation. He returns it, perhaps knowing why you are.

You look out the window, appreciating Seoul’s night sky, until the vision starts getting unclear, as the rain falls steadily on the window. The tapping of the droplets on the glass is a sound you’ve come to appreciate, among other things that you used to be terrified of.

There’s just this calmness, as if the rain is greeting you, accompanying you in your thoughts. But the sound of the radio getting louder disrupts that a little bit, and in looking at Mr. Ri in question only to find him glancing at the rearview mirror to see the man next to you, do you realize why he’s doing so.

Jungkook’s demeanor has changed, a complete 180 to how he looked not long ago when he seemed satisfied, fulfilled, almost proud of himself for surviving the night. He’s now cross-legged and cross-armed, with his eyes closed and jaws clenched, as if he’s trying to hold himself together. Or trying his best to drown out the sound of the rain, the way Mr. Ri is trying to do for him.

Your face falls at the sight. You’ve seen Jungkook stressed and angry and disappointed; you’ve seen him anxious, too, but this is different. There’s a bit of fear in there, and with the way he flinches and how he’s clutching onto his arms, you know this comes from somewhere and this was caused by something. If it’s anything similar to what you know, then this was because of something painful.

You want to reach out to him but you know you shouldn’t. You helplessly look back on the road then glance at Jungkook every few seconds as the rain continues. It doesn’t seem like it will be a terrible downpour but it’s stronger than usual.

You try to remember instances in the past where he’d acted this way. A few come to mind, and you think now there’s a reason why he becomes uneasy when it starts to drizzle. That happened the other week while you were on a site visit with him for a small project, but you hadn’t thought much of it, given that he was on his fourth cup of coffee on the way there.

But right now, you wish there was something more you could do; anything is better than nothing. But you feel constrained - by the distance, by your position, by his boundaries that seem to always be there.

By some miracle, the rain weakens, and it’s stopped by the time you arrive at Jungkook’s apartment building. The car halts and with him still in the same position, you think he probably doesn’t realize he’s home.

“Mr. Jeon,” you say softly, gently tapping his arm to get his attention. “We’ve reached your place. And the rain has stopped. It’s… it’s okay to open your eyes now.”

It takes a few seconds but he takes a deep breath, opens his eyes, then looks around. It’s just droplets frozen in time on his window and he sighs in relief. Somehow the assurance that he’s okay means something to you this time; you hate to think of what burden he carries that he hides away.

He opens the door, and there’s a bit of disappointment you feel when he closes it and leaves without a goodbye. You suppose he just wants to get to his place immediately and rush to safety. But you don’t want to intrude, not if distance is what he needs, so you settle with just watching him walk away.

But then he turns around, and with that bit of boldness left in your body, you open the window and give him another smile. You wish he feels the tenderness in it; you wish somehow it’s enough to let him know that you understand, and that he’s not alone.

“Good night,” you manage to say, and he hears it despite the distance.

“Good night, ___. And thank you.”

It’s the use of your name. It’s the softness of his smile and the words of gratitude. It’s the way he lingers as the car starts to drive away and you’re left watching him even from afar.

It lets you know that he knows. And it’s the reason why you sleep soundly that night and why for the first time since you’ve met him, you can’t wait to see him again.

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shiinata-library · 2 months

Text

Imagine them telling you they love you

Thorin, Fíli, Kíli, Bilbo's reactions when they tell they love you

A/N: My imagines become more and more ficlets and we now have 4k words of it… Make you comfortable, and enjoy!

[ 📚 Main Imagines Masterlist 📚 ]

Fíli

On a cold winter evening under the lonely mountain, two princes are talking over an ale, one of them in a better mood than the other. “I should never have done that,” you hear Fíli sighs, his face hidden in his arms crossed on a table. “It’s too late, brother,” Kíli laughs as he drinks his ale.

It has been a while since you’re friends in this pub. There is only one pub since the rebuilding of Erebor was still ongoing. The place is busy, and princes or not, Kíli and Fíli drink here every Friday night.

When you entered, you wanted to surprise them and you were waiting for the right moment to join them, but you didn’t expect they would talk about you. Especially about this subject…

“You were drunk, both of you,” Kíli resumes. Fíli gets his head off his arms and sighs again “Drunk or not, you don’t sleep like that with your…”. Someone shouts in the pub while he finishes his sentence. “As if you regret it,” Kíli laughs. “Stop that Kíli!” Fíli shouts seriously.

They should change the subject now, right? But, should you really join them after that? Then you hear “There are things I regret in my life, but this is the worst and you–”. A group of happy dwarves shout a new time their happiness while you freeze. Kíli is looking at you, as surprised as happy to see you. He speaks to his brother while you already start to run away. You don't see Fíli hit the table with his fist even less standing up so suddenly that he spills his beer all over his brother.

You literally run away until you're almost home. In two streets, you will be in the cosy place Thorin gave you under his mountain. Your steps slow down as you realise how stupid you are to think everything could be the same after àthat. You suspected that Fíli avoided you since you spent a night together, and you have your answer. It's clearly unnecessary to talk more to him. It was a mistake. Period.

Maybe it could be different if you could have talked the next morning. If only he wasn’t a prince, he wouldn’t have early duties every morning. Especially when he was in your bed! Who sends a guard to fetch someone in the bed of his… his what anyway? You’re just his friend. Well, “was” now.

When you’re almost arrived at your place, you hear your name shouted from afar. You could recognise this voice everywhere, so you quickly hide in the first street you see. Except that before being a prince, Fíli was a warrior, and you can’t escape a warrior that easily… Even though you take another way to go home, someone grabs your wrist when you arrive at your front door. Of course, it’s Fíli. And not a happy Fíli. Everyone who’s walking in the street is looking at you since everyone knows Erebor’s heir.

“Listen Fíli. I don’t want a drama. Like you said, let’s forget. And if you don't want to see me again, well, I understand,” you say as you try to get back your wrist. “No. We need to talk. Let's inside,” he simply says as he opens your front door and leads you inside.

After lighting a few candles, you put the last one on the table. You barely turn toward Fíli that he is already in front of you, not leaving you the time to say anything. He clears his voice and you notice how he is nervous. You never see him like that. Not even when he speaks to Erebor’s people officially. “First, I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier to talk to you since that night. I had a lot to do but the main reason is I was ashamed.” You repeat the last word he said, unstable to keep your surprise. Yet, he continues, his eyes looking at the candle, “I should never sleep with you. We were drunk.” “Yes, we were drunk, but not enough not to know what we were doing,” you say seriously. His eyes turn now to yours, “Yes, maybe, but I should court you first.” He runs a hand on his face as if it could help him to breathe better while your heart starts to beat stronger. When his eyes come back to you, your heart stops beating. Were his eyes always so mesmerising?

“We, Dwarves, always court their One first. I know Men do differently, but I shouldn’t touch you like that. But your dress… Mahal, you were stunning in this dress that night. I behaved like an idiot… Mahal, I really do blame myself,” he pauses for a breath. A murmur escapes your lips, “their One?”. Something changes in his eyes. You swear they looked at your lips before coming back to your eyes. “Am I your One?” you eventually ask in a quiet tone. “Yes, you are. I have loved you since I saw you. But I also know Men’s mores and I don't expect anything from you,” he declares in a serious, almost sad, tone. “You love me?” you stupidly ask, still stunned by his words.

A smile appears on Fíli’s face. The first smile since that night. A chuckle escapes his lips as his fingers find your cheek, warming it with the memories of what they have done to you. “Are you just going to keep questioning me?” he laughs, his moustache’s braid bouncing. You laugh too, the whole tension vanishing. “Even if I’m of Men, I only sleep with the person I love,” you shyly say. That's all it takes for Fíli to kiss you, this time with all the love he has for you.

Kili

Since you joined Thorin’s company, you have made friends with Fíli and Kíli. The time you enjoy the most is after dinner. They tell stories about their childhood in the Blue Mountains or some anecdotes about everyone while you tell them about your world. Like them, you can’t stay quiet for a long time, so most of the time the others shout at you to go somewhere else to talk. Which you do.

Fíli is always the first to go to sleep. That’s why the others don’t make fun of him when you barely can open your eyes in the morning when it's time to leave…

Talking with them at night has become routine and when you arrive in Rivendell, without having to worry about the next day, you spend your first sleepless nights with them. After some time, Fíli doesn’t stay with you late less and less since Thorin seems to need him more and more in the morning.

As the quest goes on, you can’t speak with Kíli in the evening. Fatigue, injury, watches, cold, danger, it seems that everything is trying to avoid you to enjoy your evening. Little by little, there comes a time when you can’t remember the last time you had a long conversation with Kíli and you miss it terribly. During the day, you make some jokes but it’s not the same.

So, as soon as you’re feeling safe, you can’t keep your tongue, you and of course Kíli. The first night at Beorn after Gandalf introduced everyone, you and Kíli spoke all night. So much time to make up! Fíli joined you for the first hour, but he quickly abandoned you.

The next morning, it takes you some time to remember where you are. You hear some voices from afar, but according to the bright sun, it must be late, especially since everyone is already up. Everyone except Kíli still sleeping next to you. Well… Behind you. His arm around your waist. His hand on your stomach. His head buried in your hair… He is too close, right? You can even feel his breathing in your neck. Should you stay like this? You definitely can’t move without waking him up, and you don’t want to wake up in this position. Especially with your cheek as red as a tomato.

But… Breakfast is calling you. As soon as you try to move his hand, his arm holds you stronger, your back pressed against his hard chest. He eventually grumbles, “Don’t move.” You chuckle, “But they won’t leave us anything to eat.” He laughs too, but doesn't seem to move. You wait, trying to find a good idea to wake him up until he says in a sleepy voice, “I want to wake up like this everyday…”. You stay still a moment before turning to him and joking, “Without breakfast?”. His answer doesn’t wait, “With you. In my arms. Every morning.”

Oh. Well. You want it too, but it sounds complicated, right? A woman of Men, a Dwarf prince. Plus, you’re poor. Oh and useless as well. You still don’t know what you’re doing in this quest.

Tired of waiting for your reaction or your answer, Kíli suddenly sits up, his arms crossed on his chest, his hair in a mess, but above all, his frowning eyebrows. “I was saying that I love you, you know?” he says in an upset tone. “Don’t joke with that Kíli,” you sigh, starting to feel hurt with a joke like this so early on a morning that was starting off so well. He already joked about this in the past, flirting with you randomly. He even already kissed you without saying anything afterward. Well, maybe because you almost died and you didn’t have the time to talk about this but…

“I’m not joking! I truly love you!” Now he’s not frowning, his eyes look sincere. You want to believe him. “But you always joke about that,” you grumble in a pouting face. “Not about this. Never. Amrâlimê, I kissed you after we ran from the gobelins because I was so scared of losing you. I couldn't see you and I thought you had stayed behind. When I saw you, I couldn't control myself…” You stop pouting, hoping he says the truth. “Really?” you ask in a shy tone. “Really,” he confirms, a smile widening on his lips. You can't resist a smile like that. “Because I love you too, and if you lie, I’ll–” Of course you can’t finish your sentence. As soon as Kíli hears your words, he leans over you and kisses you. He begins slowly, barely brushing your lips, but when you kiss him back, his ardour takes over. As one of his hands keeps him from falling on you, the other one begins to touch your hip. Even though you would love to continue, you were thinking of stopping him when the door of your makeship dormitory opens. “It's nearly midday! Time to get up, night owls!” Fíli exclaims until he sees what his brother is doing. “Alright, pretend I didn't come,” he says as he turns towards the door. “But I won't be able to hold the others back for long.” He closes the door behind him, leaving you and Kíli laughing like teenagers caught in the act.

Bilbo

During the quest, you easily became friends with Bilbo. He is a charming person, and you and he have a lot of things in common. Little by little, you understand your feelings for him were more than friendship, but you stayed quiet about it, the quest was too important to think about anything else. After the success of Erebor's quest, Thorin, the new king, offered you and Bilbo to live under the lonely mountain. Bilbo missed too much his home to stay here. Yet, he promised to visit them one day. For you, the choice was harder. The mountain seemed great. You would be glad to help with the rebuilding, but without Bilbo, it wouldn't be the same. So you decide to follow him.

It's obviously impossible for you to live in the Shire, so you have settled in the closest Men’s town: Bree. You have found a correct job and people are nicer than you would have thought. For visiting Bilbo, it's 6 days walking from door to door, but you quickly decided to use a horse. (You really miss trains and buses…) So now you live two days' ride, you visit him when you can. Bilbo offered to visit you in Bree, but with his ponies’ allergy, you prefer coming to the Shire.

The Shire is beautiful, even more than all Bilbo told you during the quest. He always finds something interesting to show you. Hike, food, drink, festivities, landscape, market, watching the sky with Old Toby,... You enjoy every time you spend with him. At first, Hobbits looked at you strangely, but now, you could say you have drank tea with all of Bilbo's neighbours. Lucky for you, the closest inn of Bag End, the Green Dragon Inn, has one room at Men’s size, which you found weird until Bilbo explained it’s usually Gandalf’s room.

One summer evening, you’re dining in that very inn with Bilbo after a long hike in the east, on an outside table, the wind glowing softly on you. “I’m glad you’re here,” Bilbo says as he finishes his meal. “You always worked during the summer’s festivities and I always wanted to see you.” “Oh, no. Don’t tell me it begins tomorrow… But I’m leaving tomorrow!” you sadly sigh. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” “I thought you knew,” Bilbo says as it was obvious. “It’s the same dates every year. And you saw the tent and everything under the Party Tree, didn't you?” “I thought it was over... Wait here, I'll check with Mr Whitfoot if I can stay in the room tomorrow night.”

Unlike usual, Bilbo is unable to read your face when you come back to your conversation with Mr Whitfoot, the innkeeper of the Green Dragon. “The bad news is I can’t have the room, but the good news is because Gandalf reserved it,” you smile bitterly, already regretting not going to the summer festivities with Bilbo.

“You can stay at Bag End. I have enough room for you,” he said with a little nervousness in his voice. You notice his embarrassment and you don’t want to impose yourself at his home. “I don't want to disturb you, I’ll think of it tonight and I’ll answer you tomorrow morning,” you explain with a smile. “You won’t disturb me at all, but alright, we’ll talk tomorrow,” he says, finally smiling again like usual.

Of course, you accept to stay at Bag End. The festivities, Gandalf, sleeping in Bag End, just next door to Bilbo’s, waking up together, eating breakfast together, like a married couple. Alright, let’s stop now!

Gandalf is still the same. You spend a part of the night chatting with him and Bilbo, with some other curious young hobbits. At some point, after eating and drinking too much, you both decide to go back to Bag End. The night was very fun – despite Lobelia intervention when she learned you were staying in Bag End. In Bilbo��s smial, you still can hear the laughs and the music from the Party Tree. “You’re sure I can stay here? Your cousin, Lobelia didn’t seem happy about it,” you joke as you’re taking off your shoes. “According to the latest news, Bag End is still my home,” he grumbles as you’re unable to hide your smile, enjoying his reactions every time you talk about Lobelia. “She can say whatever she wants, it’s my home!” He could have grumbled a long time if you hadn’t burst out laughing. “Alright. I get it,” he sighs before laughing with you. You both are tipsy and you continue to laugh until you reach your room.

“If you need anything, I'm just in the room next door,” he smiles as you enter the guest bedroom. If you weren’t as tired and as tipsy, you would have noticed the room has changed. The room is at your size. Both the ceiling and the furniture. “You know your home by heart. I could make tea with my eyes closed!” you laugh, not noticing Bilbo’s cheek becoming pink at your words. “But thank you for letting me sleep here. Nights are not cold, but I never say no to a bed when I can have one!” “You’re welcome. Don’t forget to wake up early if you want breakfast,” he says, smirking. You can’t count how many times you miss the first breakfast in the Shire.

Do you wake up late? Yes. Of course. The bed is so comfortable, the room is so quiet, the smell is so good… with a little touch of bread, tea, jam, egg,... You jump out of the bed and hurry up to the kitchen. Bilbo is smiling, “Good morning.” Has Bilbo been waiting for you? It’s the first time you have breakfast with him since the quest is over, and something feels different now. The table looks so perfect. How many times have you dream of waking up here like that?

“Do you want tea?” he asks as he takes the kettle off the heat. “Good morning,” you murmur as you sit down on a chair at your size. As you’re half-asleep, you don’t notice you’re still in nightdress, light for summer nights, but Bilbo did. Oh, he did, and that’s why he shakes his head as he repeats his question. “Yes, absolutely!” you exclaim with a broad smile. “I never saw a table like that for breakfast! So many dishes! Bombur would be jealous of your cooking skills! I’m glad to be hungry! Everything looks so good! Can I try each plate?” you ask with great enthusiasm, perhaps a little too much. “Oh, sorry. I’m very loud for a morning. It’s rude and annoying…” Bilbo sits in front of you with two cups of tea. Despite your behaviour, he looks happy. The morning rays of light gently illuminate his hair and face. You could easily get used to this every morning...

“Not at all. I've had mornings noisier than this,” he smiles as he sips his tea. “And yes, you can eat everything you want.” “Don’t say that or I’ll really eat everything,” you laugh as you spread jam on your buttered toast. “I don't even have a third of this table in Bree, when I have breakfast. I mean, at home.” You still don’t use to live in Bree as your home.

“I can make breakfast like this whenever you want,” he says in a too serious tone for a morning as you’re savouring one of his cheeses. “I’d love to, but I don’t think I can stay another night. I have to go back to work,” you say, a little sad not to enjoy another night here, and another breakfast. A long silence makes you feel that something is wrong. Bilbo is too quiet for such a morning. You raise your head from your plate to see him looking at his tea, turning his spoon in his cup endlessly. “If you stayed here, you could have breakfast whenever you like,” he says quietly. You’re about to repeat your former answer, but Bilbo doesn’t give you the time to do it.

“I wasn’t talking about tomorrow. I mean, yes, I’d love you to stay tomorrow, but I meant for all the mornings. I mean. Oh Yavanna, I’m ridiculous…” As he talks, he gets so upset that he gets to his feet and comes to stand in front of you, one fist clenched and the other hand pointing at you with his spoon. He breathes a last time before looking at you, his eyes eventually softening. “If you want to, I would love you to live in Bag End with me.”

You’re speechless first. Then, “I can’t. I mean, I’m of Men. No one wants somebody like me here,” you sigh as you look at your feet, feeling your tears welling up. “I want to,” Bilbo says, determined, as he takes your hands. “And I'm sure all the hobbits you know won't object. The whole Shire has realised a long time ago how I felt about you and they've all accepted you already.” “Your feelings?” you suddenly ask, your eyes searching for an answer in his eyes before his words. Yet, his eyes frown. “I wouldn't ask you to move to Bag End if I didn't love you. I'd even offer to make you a breakfast every morning, I don't know what more you need…”

At this point, you can't hold back your laughter. Before his upset face, you react quickly. Pulling on his hands, he steps towards you close enough to feel his fringe caress your forehead. “I need a morning kiss, and I’d stay here forever,” you murmur. His cheeks become redder than ever and his hands become sweaty, but when he decides eventually to kiss you, his lips are softer than you had imagined. Softer and sweeter.

Thorin

Tonight is the first night you spent with Men since Bree. Lack-town is still an unwelcome place for you and the company, but Bard and his family are very nice with you. With Sigrid’s help, you’re warm now and you don’t smell fish anymore. The children are already sleeping as some of the company. You don’t know how to thank Bard since you don’t have money like the others, so you offer your help in the house. After helping Sigrid with the dishes, you ask what you could do, and she explains they have some damaged clothes that need stitching and she has no idea how to do it.

So here you are, sitting in the corner of the table, in the light of a candle, mending some clothes. Everyone is busy with their own business when Thorin sits next to you. You first don’t notice him, focused on your task. He put a warm tea next to you before speaking. “Do you want to be my Queen?” he says, as serious as ever. No one reacts, pretending to be still busy. “Queen of what?” you chuckle, still focused on your task. “Queen of Erebor,” he answers after making sure that Bard was no longer there to listen in. You don’t notice how serious he is, all it takes for him to ask you that here, in front of the others. He is not the type of person who expresses his feelings in front of everyone, so you don’t take it seriously. “But there is no Erebor,” you say, not seeing how troubled he is with your answer. “Not now,” he continues after a long silence in which the crackling of the fire is the loudest sound. “But Erebor will be with us soon.”

A smile appears on your lips as you finish what you have planned before going to sleep. After you take the tea that Thorin gave you, you turn to him. Now you notice how serious he was, how sad his eyes are despite his calm behaviour. You take a moment to repeat the conversation in your head. He is about to stand up when you exclaim, “Wait, wait, wait!” You put your tea on the table, then raise your hands in front you. “You want me as your Queen? Wait. But you. That what you said? But. I’m confused,” you heart is beating too fast to say a correct sentence. When Thorin sees that your hands are shaking, he hesitates to take them. “I know I’m good in organisation and papers, but that shouldn’t be a reason to title me as a Queen. Should you choose someone you love? I thought Dwarves only chose to spend their life with their One. Oh, maybe royalty doesn’t work like that.”

A laugh echoes in the room. Bofur gets Thorin's blackest look of his life. But for you, his eyes are sparkling and a smile eventually appears on his lips. A genuine smile. “That's correct. I want my One as my Queen,” he says, his eyes not leaving yours. Now your cheeks are burning and you stop breathing. Do you really properly understand what he is saying?

You try to say something, but your words are blocked in your throat. Staying with your mouth open makes the future king chuckling. At the end of the room, you hear two dwarves sneezing exaggeratedly, “Heiswaitingforananswer” then “Notinthreedays”. Fíli and Kíli earn the same look as Bofur, but you don’t see it. As you only realise everyone in the room is looking at you, you suddenly stand up. Understanding you, Thorin stands up too, takes your hand and leads you outside.

As it’s dark and late, no one would see you, but the most preoccupying thing is the cold. Before you say anything, Thorin puts his jacket on your shoulders. “Tell me if you’re cold,” he says seriously, but his jacket is so warm that you already forget about the weather. “Do you really mean it? Why do you think I’m your One?” you shyly ask as you close the too big jacket on yourself, taking advantage to hide your burning cheeks. When you look back to him, you’re surprised to discover a new facet of Thorin. An (cute) embarrassed Thorin is in front of you. “Mahal, how should I tell you?” he begins as he runs a hand on his face, stopping on his mouth. “I know you're my One because I love you. And this is why I want you to be my Queen.” He swallows his saliva with difficulty, waiting for an answer from you that doesn't seem to be coming. “But maybe my feelings for you are not mutual, and if I offend you in any way, I apologise,” he says as his eyes sadden gradually.

“No!” you eventually cry out as you grab his hands, surprisingly warm. You already touch them a few times, but never like that. “It’s mutual. Your feelings. I mean my feelings,” you sigh, trying to compose yourself. “I don’t know why you’re telling me this in this Men’s town when we’re almost at Erebor, but–” He cuts you off, “I don’t want you to stay here with your kin. I saw how you look at the town and… that man.” You frown, firstly because he stopped you while you were talking, secondly because he doesn’t trust you. ��What man?” “The one who lets us stay in his house,” he grumbles.

“If you let me talk, Thorin Oakenshield, you would know that I love you too, since the first time I saw you! About Lake-town, I know nobody here. They are not my kin. The company is my family now!” you hurry to say before the conversation takes a bad turn. You truly love him from the start, but you obviously never hoped for anything. “Are you sure I’m your One?” you ask again, making him eventually smile. He realises one of your hands to run his in your hair. “I've never been so sure of anything,” he tenderly says. As he looks for a place for a braid, you can’t remain motionless. A step is enough to access his lips and you take that step. At the beginning, you feel Thorin’s surprise, but it quickly progresses into a sweet, lovely kiss under a snowy night.

#the hobbit fanfic #the hobbit imagine #thorin x reader #bilbo x reader #fili x reader #kili x reader #fluff #love declaration

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desi2go · 2 months

Text

Period cramps

pairing: werewolf Chan x reader

warnings: fluff

Being in a relationship with a wolf was something you hadn't thought would happen. Heck, you never believed in these supernatural things. But when you had met Chan, many things changed.

He was kind, his sunny behaviour sneaked easily into your heart even though he could be extremely possessive when someone thought that they had a tiny chance to win you over. He may look like a big bad werewolf when his muscular body tensed and he sent these piercing gazes to the person who had flirted with you, but in truth he was a sweet little puppy who was obsessed with cuddling you.

It took you some time to process the information that your boyfriend was a werewolf and you were his soulmate. But you overcame that shock and it didn't change a single thing. You loved him and being Chan's soulmate meant that you would be with him til your last breath. And that was some sort of calming. It meant that you had already met the right person.

With the new information, many questions popped up. The existence of werewolves was completely new to you but fortunately Chan was there to answer every single question.

"Do you want popcorn?" You asked your boyfriend. It was date night. Well, nearly every night was date night because he often stayed at your apartment, so you weren't sure if you could label it as a date.

Either way, Chan nodded, already searching a drama that you could watch. You placed the package of microwave popcorn into the microwave. You waited until all the corns have popped and the delicious smell filled the entire kitchen.

You placed the warm bowl on the table in front of your couch, letting yourself fall back on it directly into Chan's arms. He catched you and pulled you on his lap while nuzzling his head in your hair. You giggled and pressed play to the drama he had chosen.

Comfortably, you leaned back against him, munching on the popcorn with the bowl on your lap. From time to time, he lets you feed him some while he watched the drama, his head on your shoulder. He laughed at the funny scene on the screen and you felt his whole body vibrating against you. You loved to hear him giggle, it sends shivers through your body while your soulmate bond pulsated comfortably.

You felt a dull pain in your lower stomach. It was mild and short at first so that you could easily ignore it but it grew from there on, becoming sharper and you felt your stomach cramping. Slowly, you massaged your skin right there where you felt the pain spreading. They were cramps, you soon realised.

You got up from Chan's lap, quickly walking into your bathroom to confirm your suspision. And indeed, you just got your period. You put a pad in your underwear and opened the door to go back to your boyfriend but he already stood in front of it, hand up to knock.

He let his hand fall down and mustered you. "Are you alright?" he asks and shecks you from head to toe.

"Yeah. I'm fine" he accepts your answer and pulled you back onto the couch, now laying next to him with your head on his chest.

He started purring when you brushed your fingers through his hair, something you completly adored. Chan did this for the first time as soon as he confessed his true identity as a werewolf. Back then, you had stopped caressing him and looked at him with big eyes. His purring stopped and he explained that it just meant that he was comfortable and happy. And since then, you loved the sound of it. It's like music in your ears.

Another wave of period cramps hit you and Chan stopped purring. He sniffed.

"You sure everything is alright?"

"Yeah, why are you asking?"

His knitted his eyebrows. "You smell odd"

You tensed and tried to sniff yourself. He chuckles and shook his head.

"Not like this. You smell like blood" his tone became serious again. Now you understood. He had explained that as a wolf, he has an extremly sensitive nose. And that's why he could smell that you are on your period.

"You mean that! Well, I'm on my period" you answered and you saw how confused you were.

"On your period? You mean you are losing blood?" he shrieked and held your face between his hands.

"It's okay. It's normal" you calmed him down.

"Are you in pain?" he asks.

"Yes but it's alright. It's normal too. Haven't you told me that omegas go into heat? It's similiar to that" you explained. Chan had told you that he doesn't know most things about humans since he and his pack lives in the woods and mostly avoided humans.

His face fell and turned into concern.

"Why didn't you tell me? I could help you!" he exclaimed and got up.

Quickly, he pulled you with him, walking into your bedroom, the drama still playing on the TV. He wandered through your room, searching for something.

"What are you doing?" you sat on your bed, watching your beloved.

"Where is your nest?" he asked. "Wait, I'll built you one" he added and ran to your closet and pulled out some spare blankets and clothing, mostly yours but also some from him that you kept here.

In just some minutes, he had built a nest out of the things and he pulled you in it. You landed on his chest, his arm circling you.

"I'm sorry I am not that good at building nests. Usually just omegas do it so I'm not used to it"

You chuckle.

"Thank you Channie. It's really comfortable" you lifted your head and pressed a sweet kiss on his nose while he beamed at your compliment.

"Anything for you." he murmured.

Both of you layed there for a good amount of time. Your boyfriend was like a human heating pad and because of that you didn't need a hot water bottle. His fingers drew delicate circles over your skin, massaging the cramps away.

He tensed for just a moment.

"I can't leave you here!" He exclaimed. You giggled.

"You need to go to your pack. You know how chaotic they are when you are away. Plus, in two days, I will come around." You reasoned. You lived in the middle of the city, over one hour away from the pack house, and due to your work, you needed to get up really early. That's why you even lived separately in the moment.

"Who will take care of you? You can't go to work like that!" He responded.

"Channie, calm down. I can still work like that. It doesn't affect me much" you laughed at his cute pouting face and gave him another kiss on the nose.

"What is when you gonna need me?" He asks.

"I'll tell you immediately so that my sweet mate can come and save me" you explained with a smirk while he blushed and pressed his face into your hair to hide the redness.

"I'll miss ya" he murmured into your hair.

You caressed his sides. "I will miss you too, Channie" He was indeed just a little puppy who won't leave your side for the rest of your life.

#stray kids x reader #skz imagines #skz x reader #stray kids fluff #stray kids #bang chan x reader #bang chan #bang chan imagines #bang chan scenarios #bang chan x reader fluff #werewolf bang chan #christopher bang #werewolf stray kids #werewolf!stray kids #werewolf #werewolves #werewolf skz x reader #stray kids werewolf au

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fanficimagery · 8 months

Text

Violent Little Thing

To the Sons of Anarchy, you're just Happy's neighbor that doesn't care for drama or the fact that they wear kuttes. But in actuality, you've dealt and probably have done far worse, and it isn't until you're kidnapped that they find out your secret.

Author's Note: Long time no see, huh? Does this mean I'm back? Hell no. This has been sitting in my drafts since mid-2023 and thought it was time to go out. For never having seen more than a few episodes, I love these SOA boys. I'm not super familiar with the lingo or clubhouse etiquette, so this is gonna take place away from that particular setting. Trigger warning for graphic violence and attempted sexual assault (it doesn't get far). Reader is gonna be a little… off the rails. Blame all the dark romance I've been reading lmao.

Before moving into your new home, you knew it was going to be a fixer upper. Fortunately for you, you loved working with your hands, and after having been banished to Charming in hopes of calming your inner demons, you were going to have a lot of time to do just that. But the joke was on your family because there was no calming your demons. People just needed to learn to not piss you the fuck off.

When you get to the house, however, you see that a majority of the work has already been done for you. The only thing left for you to do is paint the walls, rearrange furniture, and unbox your belongings. The electricity and water are already turned on, and wifi has been installed with your password on a sticky note.

The master bedroom is huge and you love it, but you don't have nearly enough belongings to fill it. Your queen-sized bed looks tiny and you immediately want something bigger. So heading back outside to your vehicle, you grab your bag that has your laptop inside and head back in. Setting up at your kitchen island, you search for a place that will deliver any type of food and beverage. You find a pizzeria just on the outskirts of town that will deliver to Charming, so you place a quick order. It's a forty minute wait period, so to pass the time you start looking up bedroom ideas.

You run across a California king bed, but none really catch your eye. What does catch your eye, however, are the DIY beds that touch from one side of the wall to the other. You take your laptop back to your bedroom so see if it's do-able, and come to the conclusion that it is. You'll have to add some floating shelves since you won't be able to have bedside tables, but that's perfectly fine with you. You then take the time to get down the measurements of your room because you still have to situate your dresser and mount your TV to the wall, and you need to make sure everything will fit.

Eventually your food gets there and, sitting at the kitchen island, you dig in. You slowly eat and drink your fill, and then place any leftovers in the already cool refrigerator.

Needing some bathroom necessities and sheets for your current bed, you unload your vehicle. You place each box in their respective rooms, but leave them mostly boxed up. And not wanting to get any TV's mounted or bed fully put together since you still have to paint the walls, you remain on your laptop to pass the time and send messages to your family to let them know you're okay.

It takes you a couple of weeks to build your bed frame, get in your special ordered mattress, and paint the walls to your liking. You do most of your building in the driveway, so you've become accustomed to the people living on your street, waving at them as they pass or call out a greeting. But there's one individual everyone seems to steer clear of or avoid eye contact with, and that's your next door neighbor who rides a motorcycle and proudly wears a Sons of Anarchy kutte.

You had first seen the intimidating, bald man when he showed up a couple days after you moved in. You'd looked up when you heard the rumblings of engines and watched two motorcycles pull into the driveway next door. You paused hammering for a moment, nodded at the two men who took a moment to stare back, and then went back to work.

Over the next few days, men came and went from next door. And each time, they were intrigued watching you work. But eventually your bed frame was finished and you had to situate it in your bedroom. Maneuvering the mattress was no easy feat, but you were not about to ask for help, and it didn't take you long to finally finish furnishing your home to your liking.

As busy as you've been, you haven't really had the time to eat a home cooked meal. So after everything, you took a trip to the grocery store and bought hundreds of dollars of food and drink to stock your kitchen with.

The air is finally cool and crisp, so all the windows to your home are wide open. You'd been feeling a little restless, so you opted to cook a meal that would keep you busy. Enchiladas, rice, and beans is one of your favorite meals, so after making sure you have everything, you put a pot of beans to cook. They have to cook for a few hours, so while that's going on you get online to check in with your family.

When the beans are done, you get started on browning hamburger meat. Setting a majority of the meat aside, you use only a bit for the enchilada sauce. You pour in water, flour, spices, and some canned chili until it's to your liking, and then heat up some corn tortillas before you start rolling the enchiladas. After they're in a pan that holds far too many for only you, you pour the enchilada sauce on top before shredding some cheese atop of it. Once that's in the oven, you get started on a pan of rice.

It's when the rice is boiling that your doorbell rings. A little tired and more than a little hungry, you grab up your beer after turning off the rice, and take a swig of it on your way to the door. Since the door is wide open, you can easily see who's standing just on the other side of the screen door. It's one of the Sons, one of the only two with brown skin that you've seen so far. But this isn't the intimidating bald one, this is the one with a shaved mohawk down the center of his head and a killer smile.

You arch an eyebrow at him as he tucks his hands into the front pockets of his jeans and you take another swig of beer as you lean against the door jamb. "Yes?"

The corner of his eyes crinkle as his smile widens. "Hi. Uh, me and my boys are chilling next door and we couldn't help but smell whatever it is you're eating. You mind sharing the name of the place where you picked up your food from so we can go get some too? Smells really good."

Your lips twitch. "Who said I picked anything up?"

"You cooking?" His eyes widen. "Bullshit."

You huff a laugh and nod. "YN."

"Juice."

"Mhmm." You push the door open just enough so you can lean out and peer next door, catching sight of two men sitting sideways on the seats of their bike. "Just you three?"

"Yeah."

You hum again and then back into your home as the screen door shuts quietly. "I've been watching you guys come and go, nodding cordially when our gazes clash," you say. "If you're willing to leave your shoes by the front door, you're more than welcome to pull up a seat at the table."

"Forreal?"

"Sure." You shrug. "I never learned how to cook for one, so I might have made an entire tray of enchiladas that will most likely go to waste if someone else doesn't eat them."

"Oh hell yeah." Juice turns, cupping his hands around his mouth as he says, "Yo! Free meal! Get over here!"

You watch as one man eagerly gets off his bike, whooping in delight of free food. The other, the one you believe actually lives next door, casually gets up at a leisurely pace. You push open the screen door as they're stomping up your porch steps, and Juice introduces you to Tig and Happy. You do your best not to smile because Happy does not look quite so happy, but he grunts a greeting when you tell them your name.

As Juice steps into your home, he's quick to kick off his shoes and tell his boys to do the same. They do and then you lead the way to the kitchen, pointing at your table. "Siéntate."

"Ohhh. A Spanish lady," Tig muses as Juice translates for him to sit down as you instructed. When you glance at him, his wild-crazed gaze makes you snort. "I like 'em a little spicy."

"And I like 'em less talkative." Happy and Juice both snort, and Tig beams at your sassy retort. "Beer or soda?"

Tig and Happy take beers, and Juice takes a soda. You serve them each their own plate of three enchiladas, a scoop of rice, and a scoop of beans. You serve yourself last with a glass of water, and finally take a seat to dig into all your hard work.

"Goddamn," Tig grumbles after his first bite of everything. "This is some Mexican restaurant level shit here."

You grin as you eat at your own pace, feeling content at watching three grown men finding your cooking delicious.

"So what's your story?" Juice asks. "In all the times I've come around, it's just you here."

"That's because it is just me here."

"Why Charming?"

You take a moment to swallow your food, washing it all down with a sip of water as you lean back in your chair. Then glancing between each man and the patches on their kuttes, you ask, "Do you want the real story or the story I'm feeding anyone who asks in polite small talk when they see a new face in the store?"

All three men slow their eating, their gazes sliding up to you in surprise.

"What's the story you tellin' the locals?" Tig asks.

Placing a hand over your heart and changing your voice so you sound like a southern belle, you say, "Just that I just left a very nasty relationship and my family thought I deserved a fresh start away from the man who dared lift a fist in my direction."

Tig snorts. "And the real story?"

You chuckle as your voice goes back to normal. "My family thought I needed to calm my inner demons, so they banished me to Charming. Joke's on them, I've made peace with my demons. It's not my fault people keep pissing me off."

Tig and Juice laugh as Happy smirks at you.

"What'd you do to earn banishment?" Juice wonders.

You shrug. "I wasn't joking about the nasty relationship. I just leave out the small detail that once I was out of the hospital, I went crawling back to my dickhead of an ex-fiancé and plotted my revenge."

"Crazy and you can cook. Marry me," Tig says.

You shake your head at him, eating a bit more before finishing the story. "I was raised to take no shit from anyone. So after he put me in the hospital, I made him believe all was well. Then one night, when he least suspected it, I slipped him a little something so he was conscious, but paralyzed, and set fire to his house."

The three men freeze, but you continue eating as if it was no big deal.

"Did you- did you kill him?" Juice warily asks.

"Unfortunately, no." You pout and then laugh at their awed expressions. "He had nosy neighbors so they were able to get the firetrucks there as soon as they smelled smoke. But when my family found out, they said I was sloppy, so I got shipped out here."

"Yoo.. what the fuck?" A moment of quiet ensues and then Juice is laughing. "That has to be the craziest shit I've heard in a while."

"I highly doubt that." Your gaze drops to the patch on his kutte. "I'm sure you've heard, seen, or taken part of some pretty crazy shit." When you meet his gaze again, you smirk. "Am I wrong?"

Juice grins and then looks at Happy. "Your neighbor is cool as shit. I'm kind of jealous." The air of amusement lingers as everyone continues to eat. "So what do you do for work?"

"I do some IT stuff for my family." You shrug. "I can work from anywhere, so I guess I'll still be doing that. What about you boys? What do you do other than ride?"

"We work at Teller Automotive," Tig says. "Only car garage in town."

"Really? Do you guys have any openings this week? I need my oil changed."

"Sure. We'll leave a number before we leave."

The rest of dinner is spent with the men telling you what there is to do in Charming and asking how long you plan on staying. You're not really sure, but if you end up liking Charming then you have no issues setting down roots. And then when dinner is done and you've seemed to exhaust all the small talk topics, you plate up the leftovers and send the men on their way.

Over the next couple of weeks, you befriend your neighbor. You take your vehicle into Teller Automotive and Happy takes it upon himself to take care of it for you. Tig and Juice had kept you company, and introduced you to a few of their other brothers when they took interest in their new friend. You were invited to one of their parties and, after some pressuring, you went. Nothing shocked you, not even a few members of the club getting head in plain sight, but Happy apparently shocked everyone else by gluing himself to your side. According to the club President, Happy was normally found in the ring outside or fucking his way through croweaters, but that night he made sure that no one bothered you.

Then more often than not, Happy reaped the benefits of your cooking and appeared for dinner before taking leftovers home for lunch.

In such a short period of time, you grow accustomed to the stern biker's company.

One morning, you're startled awake by the doorbell ringing and a fist pounding on the door. You sit up and scoot out of bed, hurrying towards your front door in a groggy, yet panicked state. But before you pull the door open, you peer out one of the thin windows on one side of your door. It takes a moment for you to realize it's Happy and that the sky behind him is still dark.

Unlocking the door, you pull it open. "What the fuck, Hap? What's going on?"

With a duffel bag hanging off his shoulder, Happy looks you up and down. "You always answer the door like this or am I just special?"

You freeze and then glance down, rolling your eyes when you remember you went to sleep in a gray wife beater, that makes it very obvious you're not wearing a bra, and a pair of hipster underwear. "Neither. You're lucky."

"Sure." You narrow your eyes at him and he smirks. "I forgot the bills were due and everything got shut off. Can I crash here until I get it sorted?"

Without missing a beat, you say, "Yeah," and step back from the door, opening it wider. "Shoes off. You know where the bathroom is and I'm pretty sure you can find the guest bedroom." You yawn and lock the door behind your friend. "What time is it?"

"Little after five."

"Happy," you whine. "S'too fuckin' early. M'going back to bed." As you pad back to your room, you don't hear any footsteps behind you. "Stop staring at my ass!"

"Can't help it. Might start dropping by early now."

"Do it and die, Lowman." Stopping and turning, you point an accusatory finger at him. "Do not come in between me and my bed. I will murder you."

His lips twitch. "Worth it."

. .

It takes less than a week for Happy to get his power and water turned back on, and then he's back at his house. Though there are times when he shows up for dinner, dropping off on your couch when he's too tired to walk back home. Normally you would mind, but Happy knew how to clean up after himself, so you didn't mind that it seemed he was practically half moved in.

One night, you get a call from your brother that they need you to come in and work on cracking the passwords on a few laptops they'd gotten their hands on. You agreed, but first you needed to arrange someone to look after your house.

The next afternoon, you show up to Teller Automotive. You find Happy on a smoke break and ask him for a favor. When you ask him if he can keep an eye on your house for two days, he seems surprised, even more so when you give him a copy of your house key. You tell him he can crash there and eat whatever food you have so long as he doesn't trash the place. He readily agrees.

And when you return two days later, you realize you should have specified that he could crash in the guest bedroom. Finding a nearly naked Happy in your bed isn't half bad, nor is the firmness of his ass when you smack a hand down on it to wake him up.

Immediately he jerks awake, twisting his body as he sits up, and pointing a gun right at your face. You laugh and lick the tip of the barrel while wiggling your eyebrows at him. "Wakey, wakey."

"You're a fuckin' pyscho," he grumbles, lowering his gun.

"Yeah, well duh. You should have had that figured out a long time ago." He rolls his eyes before turning to drop down face first back into your pillow, shoving his gun back under it. You grin. "Was there something wrong with the guest room you've been using?"

"No. I just didn't know how fuckin' massive your bed was. It looked lonely without a body in it."

"Mhmm. I'm sure." He grunts and you chuckle as you crawl out of the bed. "I'm gonna go pick up some breakfast from the diner. Want anything?"

"Anything and everything."

"Gotcha. I'll text you when I'm on my way back."

. .

The dynamic between you and Happy ended up changing after that fateful morning. When he slept over, it was in your bed. You hadn't crossed the line past lingering touches or innuendos, but it was a given that he was the only person allowed in your bed. You didn't care for the croweaters at the parties his club put on every Friday night, but the two of you made a statement when he rolled up one night with you seated behind him.

The Sons nearly gaped as Happy amped up his protectiveness, pulling you between his parted thighs as he took a seat on a stool at the bar. Tig and Juice had walked over, and Happy perched you on his knee as you joked with his brothers. The croweaters didn't bother to hide their glares or sneers, but you merely smirked at their cattiness and took to scratching the back of Happy's head with your nails when you'd draped your arm around his shoulders.

"So, is this a thing?" Jax, the club president, had asked.

You shrugged and grinned. "We're friends."

"Friends don't stake claims."

"We're possessive friends."

Happy had snorted but didn't correct you.

From there on out, it was known that you were Happy's.

The Sons are relaxing at the clubhouse after a long day's work when blacked out Escalades and BMW's pull up. The atmosphere immediately goes from relaxed to tense, and the Sons flank their President when he walks out to the lot to see what the deal is.

Thug after thug exit the vehicles before opening the doors on two Escalades, ushering out four well-dressed men. None of them look like they'd be a person to fuck with, so Jax is extremely curious as to what the fuck is going on.

"Can I help you?" He asks, eyebrow arches as tattooed thugs flank the apparent important men.

"I hope you can." The one in charge reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out a picture. "What do you know about this woman?"

When Jax is shown a picture, he mentally curses. It's Happy's neighbor and a friend to many Sons. He keeps his expression neutral, before shrugging. "Nothing. Should I?"

"She's my baby sister."

"Oh hell…"

"YN never misses check-in and she's missed two," the man explains. "It's come to my attention that she's made some connections to Happy Lowman, Juan Ortiz, and Tig Trager- all Sons of Anarchy. Do you understand why I'm here now?"

"Fuck, man, we didn't know. What can we do?"

"You can start by questioning your men to see if they'd heard from her."

At that, Tig steps forward. "I haven't seen or spoken with YN in a little over a week."

"What about Juan or Happy?"

Jax looks at his gathered men, frowning. "Where are Juice and Happy?" No one says anything, looking as confused as their President when they don't see their familiar faces. Then raising his voice, he asks, "Has anyone heard from Happy or Juice today?" Nothing. No one utters a peep. "What about yesterday?"

"Jax." Opie has his phone to ear, shaking his head. "Both are going to voicemail."

"Shit." Then turning around to face the slowly darkening expressions of YN's apparent brothers, Jax asks, "How can we help?"

. .

When your eyes flutter open, every inch of your body is in pain.

"How the fuck does my hair hurt?" You groan. You try to sit up, but realize you're on your side, on dirt and hay, with your hands tied behind your back. "What the actual fuck?" Clearing your vision, you see that you're not alone. Happy and Juice are with you, but they're in chairs with their hands tied behind their backs and looking a little beat up.

"Welcome back, Sleeping Beauty," Juice tiredly muses.

"What happened?" Maneuvering around some, you manage to sit up.

"Kidnapped," Happy says. "They injected us with some shit, but they gave you too much."

You grimace as you roll your neck. "Dicks." It's dim in the empty barn you're being kept in, but you can see sunlight through the cracks of the walls. There are stalls for animals on either side of you, all empty, and a table filled with various blades and weapons not too far away. Your aching arms are your main priority though, so you move into a crouch and wiggle your tied wrists under your butt. With a grunt, you fall backward and maneuver your hands until they're situated in front of you. "Ah. That's better."

"Get up and grab a blade so we can get the fuck outta here," Happy urges.

You do as you're told, mentally scoffing at the thought that these morons didn't think to bind your ankles. Unfortunately, you're not so lucky as someone had been watching from the shadows. So just as you're reaching for a blade, that someone jumps out at you and roughly pins you against the table.

Bent over with your arms above your head and someone pressed up right against you, you immediately start thrashing and cussing out whoever it is. Happy and Juice shout, and start wriggling in their own seats when a hand then pins you to the table by the back of your neck.

"So close, princesa." A man tuts and you jerk in his hold, but still he persists. Laughter causes you to look up, watching as another two men step out from behind Happy and Juice. "Is that anyway to talk to your host?"

"Fuck. Off."

"Oh, I will." Just then, a hand grips your waist and squeezes, and you freeze. "Just not yet. I have some questions for you."

"Don't you fucking touch her."

When you glance up at Happy, there's a look on his face that you've never seen before. You know what he does for the Sons, but you'd never seen that particular dark look or glint in his eyes, and for a moment it steals your breath away. Then you remember that look isn't meant for you, and you squirm a little as the man behind you laughingly presses his pelvis into your ass. "Or what?"

Juice answers, "Or we'll fucking kill you."

That causes all three men to laugh some more.

"Doubtful. But thanks for the laugh." Then the man behind you focuses on you once again. "Besides, my business isn't with you, but with the princesa de la mafia."

You tense. "I don't know anything."

"Aw. Of course, you don't," the man coos. "I would hope that your brothers are smart enough to never let a woman in on their secrets. But then again, you are the baby sister of one of the most dangerous mafias in the United States. I'm pretty sure you know something that I can use to hurt those brothers of yours."

You manage to angle your head just enough so you can make eye contact with Happy. He meets your stare, and you see it subtly soften, but then he's glaring at the man holding you once more. "I won't sell out my brothers."

"No?" The man releases your neck, only to trail his fingers down from your ribs to hips. "I don't want to mess up such a pretty face, but you do know there are other ways to break you and get you to talk, right?"

And then before you can answer, he's grabbing the back hem of your shirt and ripping it down the middle.

You yelp just as Happy shouts, "You motherfucker!", and squirm to get away. Across from you, Happy and Juice are pummeled a few times until they stop trying to break the chairs they're bound to.

The man rubs a hand up and down your back, fiddling with your bra strap, but never unsnapping it. You feel gross, but it's only when the guy reaches around to fiddle with the button on your jeans does red cloud your vision.

"Hey, Hap?" You manage to meet Happy's livid gaze. "Remember when I spoke about my demons?"

"Yeah."

"They desperately wanna come out to play."

"Shut the fuck up, you whore!" The man slaps you across the back of your head and you grit your teeth, biding your time.

Happy slowly smirks. "Then let them out to play, baby."

The moment the button on your jeans is opened, you scream at a pitch that startles every man in the room. Then pushing up as much as you can, you headbutt the man behind you. As he swears, you reach for the first handle you see and are pleasantly surprised to find a small machete. Then without even thinking, you whirl around and swing the blade, catching your would-be abuser in the neck with the blade.

Blood sprays as you immediately tug the blade free, leaving the man to try and cover his wound as he splutters on his own life force. From the corner of your eye, you see someone running at you, but another swing of the machete finds a home in the second man's face.

As the man falls back with a scream unlike anything you've ever heard, he takes the machete with him. Happy and Juice shout at you, and it's then you remember the third. He's running at you, a small blade in hand, and you reach for the nearest weapon. It's a metal bat and just as you rear back to swing, he swings first. The blade makes contact with your bicep, slicing it open, but you only feel the sting of it after you swing.

The bat clips the man in the jaw, stunning him. As he stumbles back, you advance. He sloppily swipes at you again, but you dodge it. The second hit with the bat hits true, catching him in the temple.

The man falls and you're quick to stand over him, bringing the bat down a third time.

The bat connecting for a fourth time makes Juice cringe, but Happy proudly watches on.

Thwack.

Thwack. A scream.

Crack!

"Shit. I think that was his skull," Juice mutters.

YN screams as she continues to wail on the man with her bat, caving his skull further and further in, to the point there's now a puddle of blood beneath his head and splattering with every pull back.

The barn doors open, and Happy and Juice tense when armed men start to file in, but they exhale with relief when they see Jax, Tig, Chibs, and Opie in the mix. All the unfamiliar men take in the scene with an air of indifference, but it's the expressions of the Sons that almost make Happy laugh out loud. They'd only known YN to laugh, feed them, or threaten the croweaters with violence. None of them, with the exception of himself, Juice, and Tig, knew the violence she was capable of.

"Uh, a little help?" Juice calls out. "My arms are killing me over here."

Tig rushes over, pulling out a blade to cut his brothers free. "What the fuck happened?"

"One of them threatened to rape her and she just lost her shit."

Juice is cut free first, and he immediately stands, rubbing his raw wrists. As Jax checks in with him, Happy is cut free.

"Boss, should we stop this?" Someone asks.

Happy looks over in time to see a guy in a suit grimace when blood is flung onto his pristine boots. "Do you want to get in the middle of that? You know how YN is. Let's just let her run out of steam."

As the guy steps back in line with a nod of agreement, Happy huffs and stands. He stalks over to YN until he's behind her. Then when she raises the bat high above her head, Happy lunges. He manages to grip the bat where it isn't slick and pulls it from YN's grasp.

Still very much livid, especially now that your weapon's been ripped from you, you whirl around to start screaming expletives and pummel whoever it is with your bound fists. Instead, arms are wrapped around you, keeping your arms stuck between your chest and another, and there's a gruff voice in your ear saying, "It's over. It's over, baby. The cavalry's here. You can stop now."

It takes a long minute for the voice to infiltrate the fog of rage, and then a moment to realize who's speaking.

When your struggles cease, Happy leans back a little to look down at you, but with his arms still wrapped around you. "You back?"

"Y-Yeah. M'sorry."

Happy grunts and leans his face closer to yours, and for a moment you think he's about to kiss you. Instead, he presses his forehead against yours as his eyes close, and he exhales with relief. "Don't be. That was hot as fuck."

You huff a quiet laugh as a bout of silence ensues, but then one of your brothers decides to ruin it.

"Hey, Lowman, we'll give you a million dollars if you give her your last name and take her off our hands."

You jerk in Happy's hold, turning to glare at all your smirking brothers. "Fuck off!" Laughter ensues at your disgruntled expression before Juice fills them in on what happened, and then Happy is tugging on your bound wrists so you look back at him before finally cutting you free. "Thank you."

One hand grasps the hair at the back of your head, gripping a little tight as he holds you in place so he can press a kiss to your forehead. "Let's get you home. You're covered in blood, and I need to take a look at your arm."

Glancing at your arm, you shrug. It stings, yeah, but it doesn't seem deep enough. And then just as you go to take a step, Happy swoops you up into a bridal carry.

It's then you notice that you, Happy, and Juice are all barefoot, and it's Juice who answers your unasked question. "You sleep like the dead, girl. Happy and I heard them enter the house, but they still managed to get the drop on us."

"I'm getting you a goddamn dog," Happy grumbles in response.

"Only if you clean up after it." He grunts and you grin. If he wanted a guard dog for you, then he was cleaning up any messes.

Outside the barn, suggestions are made about where to go now. Jax suggests the clubhouse, but at the wrinkling of your nose, Happy says you'll be going home. Your brothers mention not everyone can go because that many vehicles will draw attention, so Jax suggests sending your brothers' men back to the club with Opie and Chibs. They agree, and then you're loaded up into an Escalade with your brothers and Happy.

When you get to your house, Tig mentions that they had cleaned up and straightened your furniture after they figured out what had happened. You thank him and let Happy carry you to your bathroom while Juice takes the guest bathroom.

As Happy sets you on the counter, you watch as he gets the first aid kit from beneath your sinks. "They're gonna talk."

"Let them. The club already thinks we're fuckin'."

You snort. "Please. They should know by now that I'd never settle for a relationship where the guy gets to fuck around when he's on the road." Happy freezes with the antiseptic spray bottle in his hand before shaking himself free of thought and spritzing your arm where you were cut.

"Is that why you haven't given me the go-ahead to slip between your thighs?"

You smile at his blunt question and then wince when he wipes your arm clean. "Pretty much. I'm not a fan of my partner sticking his dick or tongue in some rando pussy, then coming home and doing the same to me." Happy grunts and you arch an eyebrow at him. "Would you be okay with me visiting my brothers and sucking someone's dick before coming home to you?"

"Fuck no."

"Exactly." You grin triumphantly. "So, unless you plan to stop dicking down croweaters or sweetbutts, the most you'll get out of me is some cuddling."

Stepping back, Happy tosses the used gauze pads into the trashcan and then reaches into your shower stall to turn on the water. Then looking at you, he demands, "Strip."

"If I fully strip, there's no going back. You're mine and mine alone." You hop off the counter, slipping off your ruined shirt without batting an eye. "I was calm and collected at your parties before because we're friends, but that all changes after this. I won't take it easy on any woman touching what's mine."

Happy smirks as he eyes you in your bra and jeans, and then strips off his shirt. "Good."

You've seen the man shirtless only a handful of times, but seeing his ink never fails to give you pause. You reach out for the first time, tracing the snake tattoo that takes up a majority of his chest and upper abdomen, before you trace the various happy faces on the side of his waist. You feel his abdominal muscles twitch and then between one heartbeat and the next, Happy's crowding you against the sink counter and angling your head up.

His kiss is as aggressive as you figured it'd be, his tongue sliding against yours and teeth digging into your bottom lip. You give as good as you get, nails digging into either side of Happy's waist as you kiss him. Then when the need for air arises, you pull back and try to catch your breath. "Well okay then."

Moving out from Happy's reach, you strip, uncaring of your nudity and then step into the steaming shower. Happy isn't too far behind you, but you're not too interested in seeing him fully naked as you are cleansing a stranger's blood from your body. Standing under the waterfall, you watch as the shower floor turns red. Happy presses in close behind you so he's under the water as well, and you straighten up before leaning your head back onto his shoulder, smiling softly at his hardness that presses against your ass.

"No funny business, Lowman. At least not until we've eaten a fuck ton and slept for a day or two."

He grunts. "Agreed."

You immediately start washing your hair, and you're surprised when Happy takes it upon himself to lather up some soap on your bath pouf to wash your body. For the most part he behaves himself, but when his thumb oh so casually brushes over your nipples, you slap his thigh and pay him back when it's your turn to wash him. He grunts when you take his dick in hand and thrusts into your soapy palm, but you quickly release him to finish washing his body.

"Fuckin' tease."

"You started it."

You get out of the shower first, smirking as Happy tells you he'll be out in a moment. You know exactly what that moment's going to entail since his hand is already stroking his cock before you can even find a towel.

"You gonna want something to eat?"

"Send Tig to get burgers and fries."

"Alright."

Back in your room, you can hear a muttered conversation from somewhere in your house. Clutching the towel around your body, you stick your head out your door. "Tig!"

"What?"

"Happy said to go get us some burgers, fries, and Cokes!"

"Do I look like a fuckin' maid?!" Tig appears in the hall, hands on his hips.

You grin at him. "No, but I do have a maid's costume. Wanna try it on?" Tig gapes and you laugh at his expression. "Come on, Tig. Please? You can grab some cash from the junk drawer."

"Fine. But only because I know Hap will murder me if I don't, not because I'm picturing you in a teeny tiny maid's outfit."

"Sure, buddy. Thank you!"

Tig grumbles as he turns to march out of your house and then you worry about getting dressed. You dress in nothing but a sports bra and boy short underwear, and then with a reluctant sigh you head to the front. Everyone's in your kitchen, sitting around your table, and your brothers groan when they see how little you're wearing.

"Oh, shut up. You've seen me in clothes like this before."

"In tights, not underwear," one brother grumbles.

"Just be glad they're boy shorts and not a g-string."

All your brothers groan yet again whereas the Sons find the interaction amusing. You take a seat at the table, grimacing a little and touching at your raw wrists.

"Let me get that for you," Juice says. He leaves to, no doubt, grab the first aid kit from the bathroom. Then taking a seat next to you, he asks, "Did Hap disinfect your arm?"

"Yeah. Just spritz it again and wrap it. It'll be fine."

As soon as Juice gets to work, Happy enters the kitchen in nothing but a pair of jeans hanging off his hips.

"Jesus," one of your brother's mumbles. "Are people suddenly allergic to clothes around here?"

You grin as Jax arches an eyebrow at his friend. "You have clothes here?" Happy nods and sits, and you quickly introduce him to your brothers while Jax looks at Juice to say, "You seem to know your way around this place too."

"It's because they practically live here when they're not at the clubhouse," you say. "Hap's moved his shit in my room, and Tig and Juice have slowly taken over my guest room." Then glancing at your brothers as if you didn't just drop somewhat of a bombshell on Jax, you ask, "So what the hell happened?"

Juice taps above one of your raw wrists and you situate them so he can disinfect them.

Your eldest brother meets your gaze. "There's a new family in town- Jimenez. They're trying to make a name for themselves and thought they could intimidate us." You scoff as your other brother's chuckle. "When they didn't get the reaction they were looking for, they came up with the bright idea to target the weak link. They thought they had the perfect candidate when they found out we had a baby sister."

"Joke's on them, you're fuckin' psycho," another brother muses.

"I'm not-"

"We literally walked in on you bashing a guy's head in."

"And let's not forget the whole reason you're in Charming is because you tried to burn down your ex's house while he was still inside."

"Or that one time you wrecked your car into that other girl's car all because she broke your friend's heart."

"That cunt cheated on him. She deserved every bit of karma I dished out."

Jax snorts, shaking his head. "Christ. You and Hap are gonna be a pain in my ass."

"You know it."

Tig shows up just after Juice is finished with your wrists. Juice then dishes out the food to you, Happy, and himself, and you get up to grab drinks from the fridge. As you settle back down, Jax and your brothers watch in surprise at how the three of you go to town on your provided meals.

"So, what exactly does one do as a mafia princess?" Jax wonders.

Chewing the food in your mouth, you only answer him after taking a drink of your soda. "I'm the family hacker. If they need a computer hacked into to gather information or scrub information, I get called in."

"So, in other words, you're female Juice," Tig says.

You laugh. "Yeah. Yeah, I am." Juice grins and you reach over to fist bump him.

You continue eating as Jax speaks with your brothers, listening as this small portion of the Sons of Anarchy are filled in about what business your family gets up to. When you're finished eating, you stand and start gathering up the trash to toss. While you're up, you grab yourself a glass of water and some Ibuprofen. Then after downing four pills, you head back to reclaim your seat at the table, only for Happy to gently grab you by the arm and tug you down onto his thigh.

Your brothers don't care about your new chair, but Jax, Juice, and Tig can't help but raise an eyebrow.

"So, is this a thing?" Jax wonders, gesturing between you and Happy.

As you drape an arm behind Happy's shoulders to settle more against him, you smirk. "What's the matter, Teller? Scared?"

He huffs and then stares at Happy, but the man beneath you merely says, "Gonna start drawing up a crow. Does that answer your question?"

The kitchen goes eerily quiet and then…

"Holy shit. Hap's actually gonna take a woman," Juice says in awe.

"This is a momentous occasion. We gotta throw a rager." The glint in Tig's eyes has you narrowing your own eyes at him.

"You just wanna see a girl fight. Don't you?"

"Hap's been possessive of you since you first showed up to the clubhouse, but now that you're staking a claim, the thought might have crossed my mind."

"Are you sure you wanna see that?" One of your brother muses. "YN might traumatize a few poor souls."

Tig smiles. "I look forward to it."

You roll your eyes at Tig's excitement about possibly seeing you fight and your brothers chuckle. The Sons really had no idea what they were in for when someone tested your patience.

Standing, you keep a hand on Happy's shoulder as you say, "Well as much as I love, like, and appreciate all of you, you need to go. I'm exhausted and I still need to sleep off whatever I was drugged with."

Jax grins. "Is that code for us to get the hell out so you can bang Happy's brains out?"

Snorting, you shake your head as your brothers all grimace. "No. I'm seriously exhausted. The fucking will come later after we're well rested. I have a feeling I'm gonna need loads of energy for Hap."

Your brothers all make noises of disgust as they stand, and you take a moment to hug and kiss each of their cheeks on their way out. You promise to call when you're feeling better and then you're ushering the Sons out as well.

Locking up after everyone has left, you head to your room where you find Happy stripping off his jeans. He's in nothing but a pair of boxer briefs as he pulls your blanket back before sliding under and you pad over to do the same. You meet him in the middle, laying on your side as you drape one arm over his abdomen. With your head on his arm, you snuggle closer and Happy reaches for your leg to have it draped over his thigh so you're as close as can be without actually laying on top of him.

"Were you serious? About the crow?" You ask right before you drift off.

"Does that freak you out?"

"Not really. But if I get your mark, you're getting mine."

Happy huffs. "And just what is your mark?"

"My lips and name." You run your hand across his abdomen before walking your fingers down to one of the few empty patches of skin, below his belly button and right beneath where the snake's tail curls. "Right here."

"Above my dick, you mean?"

"Mhmm."

Happy grunts and then squeezes you a little tighter to him. "We'll see, princess. Now get some sleep."

#happy lowman imagine #happy lowman x reader #happy imagine #happy x reader #sons of anarchy imagine #soa imagine #happy lowman #juice ortiz #tig trager #jax teller #dark romance

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tarjapearce · 1 year

Note

I need to know how ranchero Miguel convinced the parents to let him marry their daughter. Was it a shotgun wedding? 👀

Indeed 👀. Bit of Drama and slight angst under the cut.

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You had woken up nauseous and dizzy, for the third time in a row. Your mother was concerned. Had something made you sick? She was stricter with the kitchen staff to be more careful. But upon the wafting smell of your usual morning soup, an egg drop soup, entered your room, you retched on the bathroom, again.

You paled.

When was the last time your period came? It was hard to keep tabs when you were trying to attend other business and try to not die in the process. Two months and counting. You barely had the chance of seeing Miguel as well, since he had his own good share of work in the barn.

And he was the last and only man you have been with. Your hands went around your tummy and tears were in the verge of spilling. You were pregnant.

God, you were so scared. You knew how your parents thought of him, and for all you knew, they still thought you were pure.

But as things were going sooner or later They'd find out, probably kick him out and you'd be forced to marry a guy that looked like him to make pass the child as his. The thought scared you shitless, so you washed your mouth, bathed, got dressed and went to him.

He was talking with the foreman of another estate, but excused himself upon seeing you.

His smile faltered when you approached, solemn look, and red nose by the constant sniffling.

"Hey, hey. Come here. ¿Qué le pasa a mi chula?" (What's wrong with you, gorgeous?)

You whimpered and buried your face in his chest. He held you tightly.

"You mom got you on another date?" He rolled his eyes and you shook your head.

"Your dad tried to sell Luis again?" Another shake of your head.

"Then what is it? You gotta tell me,princesa."

"I..." You hiccuped, "I think I'm pregnant."

You could feel him tense and he made you look at him. You thought he'd be angry but the shine in his eyes proved you otherwise.

"¿Voy a ser papá?" He questioned with a excited yet strained voice. You just stared at him and he kissed you, deeply (Am I gonna be a dad?)

"¡Me vas a hacer papá!" (You're making me a dad!)

He was happy and you broke down.

"Why are you crying? Aren't you excited?"

"I am but... Dad will kick you out and... and.. -" You hiccuped and he just held you with a smile.

" Ps, que me eche. I've got my own home anyways. And if... things get bad, you'll come with me. Okay?" He squeezed you tightly and grunted happily, "Dios te vas a ver preciosa con esa panza toda grandota y redonda. Te voy a cuidar, vas a ser mi reina. Ya vas a ver."

(He can do that.) (God, you'll look gorgeous with that big and round belly. Imma take care of you, you'll be my queen. You'll see.)

He just kept rambling things you couldn't understand, but seeing him giddy made your aching heart to relax.

"I'll talk to him. I... Le voy a pedir tu mano." (Imma ask him your hand in marriage)

"W-What? are you sure of it? I mean, I don't want you getting hurt. He might look like an old man but... he knows his tricks.

"Your mother is the one that I'm concerned about."

And he was right.

"ABSOLUTELY NO." She had protested, the staff had been hiding behind the doors, listening to the scene unfold.

"How dare you asking for such thing!"

"Mom-"

"No. Who do you think you are?! Of course you won't marry her! She's set for better things!"

Miguel's eyes narrowed and your heart stopped with sudden rage.

"I want him!" You stood up, stomping your hands on the table.

"I'm old enough to decide on my own, Mom. I... I love Miguel." With every word that spilled from your mouth, she held her heart as your dad just pinched his nose bridge. He had been silent the whole talk, just glaring holes at Miguel.

"Good lord... Just... Imagine the scandal, the people... What would they say about you?! About us?!"

"They already talk shit under our nose, mom. Their opinion is irrelevant. None really approaches us if it's not for a favor."

"You... you brat!"

"I'm pregnant."

Miguel stood to calm you down as the fight kept rising. Your dad immediately straightened up and looked at Miguel.

"You." His voice venomous, but calm, "And you." He pointed at you.

"Tomorrow at church. 8 am."

"You can't be serious! You'll wed them?!

"Your yelling won't make her less pregnant. And I rather have them wedded than having an off marriage child. A sin." Your dad mumbled and looked at you, your rage seemed to be consuming you by how they spoke of your future child. Miguel's expression hardened, a low growl emanating from him.

"Once you're married, I want you both out of my property, got it?"

"Fine! I didn't want to spent my life being a fucking trophy wife for some rich man I barely know."

You were wedded, and despite your dad underlying sadness, and he wanting to swallow his words back, pride didn't allow him to speak and ask you to stay. Your mother didn't even look at your way.

Miguel had packed your things and put them on his truck. You left to a new life with him and your future family.

#miguel o'hara #t writes✨#miguel o'hara x you #miguel o'hara x reader #Miguel Ranchero #Bit of drama #La Novela Haha #atsv miguel

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lunardragon00 · 3 months

Text

The Boy is Mine (Yunho x Reader)

Eternal Sunshine Masterlist

f-boy!Yunho x College student!Reader

The boy is mine Watch me take my time I can't believe my mind The boy is divine

Y/N sighed as she walked into the crowded lecture hall, clutching her books tightly to her chest. College life was a whirlwind of assignments, parties, and the occasional drama—most of which seemed to revolve around one person: Jeong Yunho.

Yunho was known across campus for his striking looks and notorious playboy reputation. With his charming smile and confident swagger, he had managed to break countless hearts, leaving a trail of love-struck students in his wake. But Y/N was different. She wasn’t about to let some smooth-talking heartbreaker get the best of her.

“Hey, Y/N!” Yunho’s voice rang out as she took her seat. She glanced up to see him leaning against a desk, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

“Hey, Yunho,” she replied coolly, not bothering to hide her disinterest. She knew his type all too well.

“Party this weekend at Sigma house. You coming?” he asked, sliding into the seat next to her. His proximity sent a ripple of excitement through the room, but Y/N remained unfazed.

“Maybe,” she said nonchalantly, flipping open her notebook. “Depends on my workload.”

Yunho grinned. “You work too hard. You should let loose a little. I promise I’ll make it worth your while.”

Y/N rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a smile. His persistence was oddly endearing, even if she wasn’t about to give in easily. “I’m sure you would. But I’m not interested in being another notch on your belt, Yunho.”

“Ouch,” he said, clutching his chest in mock hurt. “You wound me, Y/N.”

“Good,” she retorted, her smile widening. “Maybe it’ll teach you a lesson.” Yunho rolled his eyes and was about to make a retort, until the professor walked in to the room. Yunho lets out a defeated sigh and walks to his seat, leaving her on her own.

Y/N wasn't new to his behavior. She had known him since their freshman year, which had been a little over 2 years ago. She couldn't deny that he wasn't attractive, because he was, undoubtedly so. With his fluffy brown hair, wide puppy dog eyes, to everyone he was tall, dark, and handsome. For the few interactions she'd had with him in the past, he was actually pretty fun to hang out with. To be honest, if he didn't have the reputation with women that he did, she would've gone out with him a long time ago had he asked.

But now, things were a bit more complicated. Y/N had always been taught to not tolerate bullshit, no matter who it was coming from. She was a very head strong person, she never relied on anyone for almost anything. Some people admired her for that quality, some saw it as her down fall, which she could see it being a bad trait. So imagine her surprise when Yunho started to approach her more during the day.

While she was used to his presence, seeing that they ran in the same social circle, she wasn't used to him pursuing her. He was good, she'll admit that. Offering to walk her to her dorm, holding her bag or books for her even if it was only one, even gifting her flowers on her birthday last month. It was sweet, but she wasn't stupid. She'd heard the stories multiple times from a multitude of people. How he'd sweep girls off their feet, sleep with them for a period of time, and then drop then and go ghost.

As the weeks went by, Yunho’s advances continued, each more creative than the last. From surprise coffee deliveries to playful notes slipped into her textbooks, he seemed determined to win her over. And while Y/N enjoyed the attention, she wasn’t about to let her guard down.

“You’re relentless,” she said one afternoon as they walked across campus. Yunho had offered to walk her to her next class, and despite her better judgment, she had agreed.

“I know what I want,” he replied, his eyes locking with hers. “And I want you, Y/N.”

She shook her head, laughing softly. “You don’t even know me.”

“Then let me get to know you,” he said, his tone sincere for once. “I’m not as bad as you think.”

“Alright,” she stopped walking and turned to face him. "prove it then. Prove to me that I'm not just another game to you." She challenged, her gaze steady.

“I will,” he promised, a determined glint in his eyes. He reached down, trying to hold her hand but Y/N quickly turned back and continued their walk.

"Oh come on," Yunho groaned, a light laugh escaping him. She turned around to face him again, continuing to walk backwards. "What did you expect Yunho," She laughs. "you've got to earn my affection."

Yunho’s grin widened. “Challenge accepted.” He sped up to catch up with her. When he did, he gently nudged her shoulder with his. "Fucking tease." The sound of loud laughter echoed through the parking lot.

Over the next few weeks, Yunho's approach shifted. Gone were the grand gestures and flashy attempts to win her over. Instead, he began to show up in the little moments, offering quiet support and genuine companionship. He listened when she talked about her day, remembered the small details she mentioned, and respected her boundaries without question. He’d leave a cup of her favorite coffee on her desk in the library with a simple note: For a hard worker. He’d text her reminders about study group sessions and offer to help with her assignments, but never in a way that felt overbearing or intrusive.

One day, Y/N was sitting in the campus café, buried in her textbooks, when Yunho slid into the seat across from her. He placed a neatly wrapped sandwich and a bottle of water in front of her.

“You’ve been here for hours,” he said, his voice gentle. “Thought you could use a break.”

Y/N looked up, surprised. “Thanks, Yunho. You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” he replied with a shrug, his eyes sincere. “You’re working hard. Just thought you could use some fuel.”

She took the sandwich, her heart softening slightly. “Alright, you get points for this one.”

As the days passed, Yunho continued to prove himself through his actions rather than words. He showed up for their shared classes on time, participated earnestly in group projects, and even began to attend study sessions he previously avoided. His presence was steady, and his demeanor was genuine.

One evening, after a particularly grueling study session, Yunho and Y/N found themselves sat on a bench overlooking the campus garden, Yunho turned to her with a thoughtful expression. “Tell me something about you that no one else knows.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow, intrigued by his sudden curiosity. “Why?”

“You said before that I didn't know you. I want to know you, the real you,” he replied softly.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking. “When I was a kid, I wanted to be an astronaut. I used to spend hours reading about space and dreaming of exploring the stars.”

Yunho smiled. “That’s amazing. Do you still dream about it?”

“Sometimes,” she admitted. “But life got in the way, and I found other passions.”

He nodded, understanding. “It’s never too late to chase your dreams, you know.”

She smiled, appreciating his sincerity. “What about you, Yunho? What do you dream about?”

His expression turned serious. “I always dreamed of being a dancer, you know, like those Kpop Idols we see plastered on magazines and stuff. I took dance when I was younger, even did it during the first year of college." Y/N's eyes widened, shocked by the revelation.

"Wow, I didn't expect that. What made you stop?" She questioned. Yunho kept his gaze on the small water fountain in garden.

"School just got in the way, with the classes I was taking it just became too much. Sucks though, I really had fun doing it." Y/N nodded, understanding the sacrifices that came with balancing school and personal passions. “I get it. Sometimes life demands all our attention, and our dreams take a back seat.”

Yunho turned his gaze back to her, his eyes filled with a mix of regret and determination. “But, it’s never too late, right?”

“Right,” she agreed, a soft smile playing on her lips.

They sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, the soft rustling of leaves and distant sounds of students passing by creating a serene backdrop. Y/N couldn’t help but feel a shift in her perception of Yunho. The more she learned about him, the more she realized how much there was beneath his charming exterior.

Yunho cleared his throat, breaking the silence. “You know, I’ve never really talked to anyone about my dreams. People always see me as the carefree guy who doesn’t take anything seriously.”

“That’s because that’s how you present yourself,” she pointed out gently. “But I’m beginning to see that there’s more to you than that.”

He looked at her, his expression earnest. “And I want you to see all of me. The good, the bad, and everything in between.”

Y/N’s heart fluttered at his words, but she wasn’t ready to let her guard down completely. “You’re making progress, Yunho. Keep it up.”

He grinned, his usual playful demeanor returning. “I will. And just so you know, I’m not giving up on you.”

She laughed softly. “I’m starting to believe that.”

As the third week rolled around, Yunho's persistence began to pay off. Y/N found herself looking forward to their interactions, her initial resistance slowly melting away. She started to see Yunho not as the campus playboy, but as someone who genuinely cared about her.

One Friday afternoon, Yunho approached her with a different kind of proposition. “There’s a new exhibit at the art museum this weekend. Would you like to go with me?”

Y/N looked at him, surprised by the thoughtful invitation. “An art exhibit? Not exactly your usual scene.”

“I thought it might be a nice change,” he said, his smile warm. “And I’d like to see it with you.”

She considered it for a moment before nodding. “Alright, Yunho. Let’s see this exhibit.”

That Saturday, they met outside the museum. Yunho was waiting for her, looking relaxed and excited. As they walked through the gallery, admiring the paintings and sculptures, Y/N found herself enjoying his company more than she had anticipated.

At one point, they stood in front of a particularly striking piece, a constellation of stars painted across a vast, dark canvas. Y/N felt a pang of nostalgia for her childhood dreams.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.

“It is,” Yunho agreed, his gaze fixed on her rather than the painting. “Just like you.”

She turned to him, her heart racing. For the first time, she saw the sincerity in his eyes, and it took her breath away.

“Yunho, I…” she began, but he cut her off gently.

“Hey, no rush,” he said softly. “I’m willing to wait for you to believe in me. Just know that I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”

As they continued to explore the exhibit, side by side, Y/N felt a new chapter beginning. She wasn’t ready to fully trust him yet, but she was willing to give him a chance. And maybe, just maybe, Yunho was worth the risk. As they made their way through the museum, Y/N decided to take the first risk. She reached for his arm, wrapping hers around it and walked closely beside him. Yunho eyes widened and eyebrows shot up at the action, looking down at her. A small smile crossed his features.

"Yeah, I didn't take you for a hand holder." Yunho's eyes twinkled with amusement.

"What the hell does that mean?" Y/N laughed, trying to keep quiet as to not disturb the families around them.

Yunho chuckled, leaning in closer so their conversation remained private. "I mean, you're always so independent and strong. I figured you wouldn't want to be seen with a guy like me, especially not holding hands."

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully. "Oh please, I'm just as capable of showing affection as anyone else. Plus, I figured you needed a little encouragement."

His smile grew, a genuine warmth spreading across his face. "Well, I appreciate it. It means a lot, coming from you."

They continued walking through the museum, their conversation flowing naturally. Y/N found herself sharing more about her life, her interests, and even some of her fears. Yunho listened intently, asking thoughtful questions and offering his own experiences in return.

As they approached a section of the museum featuring interactive exhibits, Yunho's eyes lit up. "Hey, look at this! Wanna try?"

Y/N followed his gaze to a virtual reality station where visitors could experience famous historical events. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Why not? Let's give it a shot."

They each donned VR headsets and were transported to a world of ancient civilizations and monumental moments in history. They laughed and marveled at the immersive experience, occasionally bumping into each other as they navigated the virtual environment.

When they finally removed their headsets, Y/N felt a sense of exhilaration. "That was amazing! I never thought I'd get to experience something like that."

"Me neither," Yunho agreed, his excitement matching hers. "I'm glad we did it together."

Y/N's heart swelled with a mix of emotions. She was beginning to see Yunho in a new light, and it was both thrilling and terrifying. She knew she had to protect herself, but she couldn't deny the growing connection between them.

As they exited the museum, the sun was setting, casting a warm glow over the city. Yunho turned to her, his expression serious yet hopeful. "Y/N, I know I've made a lot of mistakes in the past, but I want you to know that I'm serious about this. About us. I don't want to be that guy anymore. I want to be better, for you."

Y/N took a deep breath, her mind racing with conflicting thoughts. But as she looked into Yunho's eyes, she saw a sincerity that she couldn't ignore. With that, they walked back to campus together, side by side, their future uncertain but filled with possibilities. For the first time, Y/N felt a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, Yunho was worth the risk.

"He is blowing smoke up your ass, Y/N, can't you see that?" Chaeyeon's voice was laced with concern as she sat on the couch, scrolling through her phone. Y/N stood in the small kitchen of their dorm, stirring a pot of soup on the stove. She sighed and put down the wooden spoon, turning to face her roommate.

"I thought that at first too, Chae, but I don't know anymore. He seems like he's serious," Y/N replied, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

Chaeyeon looked up from her phone, her expression skeptical. "Yunho? Serious? This is the same guy who was seen with a different girl every week last semester. What makes you think he's changed?"

Y/N ran a hand through her hair, searching for the right words. "It's different with me. He's been showing up to classes, helping me with projects, even going to study sessions he used to avoid. And he shared something personal with me, something he said he hasn't told anyone else."

Chaeyeon's eyes narrowed. "And you believe that?"

"Yes, I do," Y/N said firmly. "I know it sounds crazy, but I can see it in his eyes. He's trying, Chae."

Chaeyeon sighed, setting her phone aside and standing up. She walked over to Y/N, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "I just don't want to see you get hurt. You usually aren't the one to go for people like that, and I'm worried he's just saying what you want to hear."

"I appreciate that, really," Y/N said, giving her friend a small smile. "But I have to give him a chance. If he proves me wrong, then I'll deal with it. But if I don't give him a chance, I'll always wonder what if."

Chaeyeon studied her for a moment before nodding. "Alright, but I'm keeping an eye on him. If he so much as makes you cry, I’ll be there with a baseball bat. Maybe wrap some barbed wire on go Negan on his ass."

Y/N laughed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. "Deal. Now, help me set the table. This soup is almost ready."

Later that evening, Y/N sat on her bed, flipping through her notes for an upcoming exam. Her phone buzzed, and she glanced at the screen to see a message from Yunho.

Yunho: Had a great time at the museum today. Hope you did too. Good luck with your studying!

A smile spread across her face as she typed a quick response.

Y/N: Thanks, Yunho. I had a great time too. Talk to you later?

Yunho: Definitely. Good night, Y/N.

She put her phone down, feeling a warmth spread through her chest. Maybe Chaeyeon was right to be cautious, but for now, Y/N was willing to trust her instincts. And her instincts told her that Yunho deserved a chance.

As she settled into bed, her thoughts drifted to their day at the museum, the way his eyes had softened when he looked at her, and the sincerity in his voice. She drifted off to sleep with a sense of hope, ready to see where this journey would take them.

Y/N was in the library, buried in her textbooks, when she overheard a conversation at the table next to her.

"Did you hear? Eileen’s been all over Yunho lately," one girl whispered to her friend.

Y/N’s heart sank. She tried to focus on her studies, but the words gnawed at her. Deciding she couldn't concentrate, she packed up her things and headed back to her dorm, her mind racing.

As soon as she entered the room, Chaeyeon looked up from her laptop. "Hey, you look stressed. What's up?"

Y/N sighed, dropping her bag onto her bed. "I heard some girls talking about how Eileen has been all over Yunho lately."

Chaeyeon's expression darkened. "That girl doesn’t give up, does she? Have you talked to Yunho about it?"

Eileen wasn't an unknown name. Her and Yunho had been an item in the past, one of his 'victims' if you want to call it that. They were the on again off again couple that were off longer than they were on. Y/N knew it was only a matter of time before she would enter the picture again.

"No, not yet. I don’t want to come off as insecure or clingy," Y/N admitted, running a hand through her hair. "But it’s bothering me."

Chaeyeon nodded in agreement with a concerned expression. "I get why you're hesitant, but you can't ignore this. It's better to talk to Yunho now before things escalate."

Y/N sighed, feeling torn between wanting to trust Yunho and her growing unease about Eileen's intentions. "You're right. I just... I don't want to be that girlfriend who's constantly questioning him."

"You're not. You're just being cautious, and that's okay," Chaeyeon reassured her. "Besides, if Yunho is serious about you, he'll understand why you're bringing this up."

Taking a deep breath, Y/N nodded. "Okay, I'll talk to him tonight."

That evening, Y/N met Yunho at a quiet corner of the campus cafe. The atmosphere was serene, with soft music playing in the background and the aroma of coffee lingering in the air. Yunho smiled warmly as she approached, pulling out a chair for her.

"Hey, Y/N. How was your day?" he asked, his eyes filled with genuine interest.

Y/N sat down, trying to ignore the nervous flutter in her stomach. "It was okay. Can we talk for a bit?"

"Sure, of course," Yunho said, his expression shifting to concern. "Is everything okay?"

Taking a deep breath, Y/N plunged into the conversation. "I overheard some girls talking in the library today. They mentioned that Eileen has been getting close to you again."

Yunho's brow furrowed slightly, his gaze searching hers. "Eileen? Yeah, she's tried to reconnect a few times, but I've made it clear that I'm not interested."

Y/N nodded slowly, feeling a mix of relief and lingering doubt. "I trust you, Yunho. I just... I wanted to hear it from you."

He reached across the table, taking her hand in his. "I understand why you're asking, and I appreciate your honesty. You're the only one I want to be with, Y/N."

His words were reassuring, yet Y/N couldn't shake the feeling of unease entirely. "I know, it's just... Eileen has a history with you, and I can't help but worry."

Yunho squeezed her hand gently. "I get it. But trust me, she's not a threat to us. I'll handle it, okay?"

Y/N nodded, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. "Okay. Thank you for understanding."

Both of them sat in a comfortable silence. Yunho had already ordered their drinks and food so there was no point in getting up any time soon. Y/N, wanting a change of scenery, decided to take the initiative.

"Do you want to come to my dorm?" Yunho chokes on his drink, almost slamming it back down on the table, lightly coughing. Yunho's sudden coughing fit startled Y/N, and she reached out, concern etching her features. "Are you okay?"

He waved a hand, still recovering from the surprise. "Yeah, sorry. Just caught me off guard."

Y/N chuckled softly, a hint of amusement in her voice. "I guess that was a bit unexpected. But seriously, do you want to come to my dorm? It's quieter there, and we can hang out without all the noise."

Yunho cleared his throat, his expression thoughtful as he considered her offer. "Yeah, sure. I'd like that."

They finished their drinks and made their way to Y/N's dorm room. It was a cozy space with posters on the walls, a small bookshelf filled with textbooks, and a comfortable bed tucked in one corner. Y/N grabbed a couple of pillows from her bed and settled on the floor with Yunho, leaning against the wall.

"Sorry for the cramped space.," she said, smiling at him warmly.

Yunho returned her smile, his eyes softening. "No worries, thanks for inviting me. Your room is nice."

In her room, they talked for hours, sharing stories and laughing together. Y/N felt a sense of ease and comfort with Yunho, enjoying his company more than she had expected. As the evening wore on, they found themselves sitting closer, their knees brushing occasionally.

Yunho reached out, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "Y/N, I really like being with you."

Her heart skipped a beat at his words, warmth spreading through her chest. "I feel the same way, Yunho."

He leaned in closer, his gaze searching hers. "Can I kiss you?"

Y/N's breath caught in her throat, her pulse quickening. She nodded slightly, her eyes locked on his.

Yunho's lips met hers gently, a spark igniting between them. It was a soft, tender kiss filled with unspoken promises and a newfound connection. Y/N melted into the moment, savoring the warmth of his touch and the sincerity in his actions.

When they finally pulled apart, they both were breathless, their gazes locked in silent understanding. Yunho whispered, "It would be wrong if we have sex now, right?."

"Not there quite yet buddy." she replied softly, a smile tugging at her lips. Yunho makes a wounded noise and slides his body down the wall.

"Oh god, it's official. I'm dying." Y/N couldn't help but laugh at Yunho's dramatic reaction. She gently ran her fingers through his hair, trying to suppress her amusement.

"Yunho, you're being ridiculous," she chuckled, her eyes sparkling with fondness. "I didn't mean it like that."

He peeked up at her from his dramatic slump against the wall, a playful glint in his eyes. "Oh, so you didn't just 'buddy' me to death?"

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully. "You know what I meant."

Yunho grinned, his earlier faux distress melting away. "Fine, fine. But seriously, I'm glad we're on the same page."

"Me too," Y/N agreed softly, her smile warm and genuine. "I like taking things slow."

Yunho nodded, his expression earnest. "Good. I want us to be sure about everything."

They sat together in comfortable silence for a moment, the earlier tension dissipating into a sense of closeness and understanding. Y/N leaned against the wall next to him, feeling grateful for their lighthearted banter and the depth of their connection.

"So, no more dramatic deaths?" she teased lightly.

Yunho chuckled. "I make no promises." Y/N lightly slaps his chest before they both erupt in laughter. They continued to talk and enjoy each other's company late into the night, their bond growing stronger with each shared moment.

In the morning, Y/N had woken up to a text tone going off. Blinking her eyes open, she sees the bag of chips lying on the floor next to 2 discarded blankets her and Yunho used last night when it got cold. She feels a weight on her stomach, looking down she sees Yunho's arm draped over her. He was still fast asleep, light snores left his lips and hair was all over the place. Y/N turned to face him, trying to fall back asleep before another text tone went off.

Internally groaning, she reached for her phone to silence it. Looking at the screen, she didn't see any recent messages like she assumed she would. After another text sounded off, she realized it was Yunho's phone. Not wanting to invade his privacy, she gently nudged him awake.

"Yunho," he groans, face digging into the pillow. Y/N nudges him again, gently patting his arm that was around her. "Baby your phones going off."

Yunho stirred awake at Y/N's gentle nudging, his face still half-buried in the pillow. He mumbled incoherently, his arm tightening instinctively around her before he fully registered her words.

"Hmm?" Yunho's voice was groggy as he lifted his head, blinking sleepily at her.

"Your phone," Y/N repeated softly, nodding towards the source of the noise.

Yunho followed her gaze and realized his phone was buzzing on the nightstand. He let out a sleepy grunt and reluctantly released his hold on Y/N to reach for it. Rubbing his eyes, he swiped to unlock the screen and glanced at the notifications.

"Sorry," he muttered sheepishly, his fingers fumbling to silence the alerts. "Probably just messages from the guys."

Y/N smiled warmly at him, her affection evident in her gaze. "It's okay. I just didn't want you to miss anything important."

Yunho set his phone back down and turned his attention back to her, his sleepy smile melting her heart. "Thank you, Y/N."

They lay there for a moment, basking in the quiet intimacy of the morning. Y/N shifted slightly, feeling Yunho's arm settle around her once more. She traced circles on his chest absently, her mind drifting as she watched his peaceful expression.

"I like waking up like this," Yunho murmured softly, his eyes fixed on her.

Y/N's heart skipped a beat at his words, warmth spreading through her. "Me too."

They stayed intertwined in each other's arms, savoring the calm and comfort of the moment. At least, they were, until another text was sent to him.

"Are you sure it's Mingi and San? It seems important." Y/N comments, handing Yunho his phone. Yunho takes it, laying on his back as he opens the device. Y/N adjusted to the position, laying her head back onto his chest and arm hugging his waist.

"I think so, I didn't actually check who it was." Yunho's relaxed demeanor shifted slightly as he glanced at the screen of his phone. His brows furrowed imperceptibly, a hint of tension crossing his features before he composed himself. He hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond to the unexpected message.

Y/N, sensing his change in demeanor, looked up at him questioningly. She could feel the subtle shift in his body language beneath her, his muscles tensing slightly.

"Who is it?" she asked softly, her fingers gently tracing patterns on his chest.

Yunho sighed, his expression conflicted as he showed her the message. "It's Eileen."

Y/N's heart sank as she read the message over his shoulder. The words were casual yet suggestive, hinting at a desire to reconnect. She bit her lip, uncertainty gnawing at her.

"What does she want?" Y/N asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

Yunho shrugged, a mix of frustration and resignation in his tone. "She's asking if we can meet up sometime."

Y/N took a deep breath, processing the information. She knew Eileen had been persistent in the past, but seeing it firsthand stirred up a mix of emotions. She tightened her arm around Yunho's waist, a silent gesture of reassurance and support.

"What are you going to do?" she asked softly, her gaze searching his.

Yunho met her eyes, his expression serious. "I'll tell her it's not happening."

Her heart warmed at his words, grateful for his honesty and commitment. She nodded slowly, trusting him to handle the situation.

"Thank you," she murmured, leaning up to press a soft kiss against his cheek.

Yunho turned to meet her lips with his own, the kiss tender and reassuring. They held each other close, finding solace in the warmth of their embrace amidst the uncertainty that Eileen's message had brought.

As they lay there together, Y/N felt a renewed sense of trust and closeness with Yunho. She knew challenges would arise, but she also knew they could face them together. And in that quiet moment, she believed more than ever that their connection was worth fighting for.

She was starting to get annoyed with this Eileen chick. Ever since she spammed Yunho's phone that morning, it seems she can't go a single day without seeing her. One afternoon, Y/N was heading to the campus sandwich shop when she spotted Eileen sitting at a corner table, engrossed in her phone. She hesitated for a moment, debating whether to approach her or not. Curiosity and a hint of apprehension drove her forward.

Y/N cleared her throat as she approached, trying to keep her tone neutral. "Hey, Eileen."

Eileen looked up, a polite smile gracing her features. "Oh, hey Y/N. How's it going?"

Y/N took a seat across from her, studying Eileen's composed demeanor. "It's going well. How about you?"

Eileen shrugged nonchalantly, though Y/N detected a flicker of something in her eyes. "Can't complain. So, how are things with Yunho?"

Y/N tensed slightly at the directness of the question but kept her composure. "Things are good. We're getting along."

"That's good to hear," Eileen replied casually, though her gaze lingered a moment longer than necessary. "Yunho and I go way back, you know."

Y/N raised an eyebrow, her tone guarded. "Yeah, I've heard."

Eileen leaned forward slightly, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone. "He's a great guy, but he can be a bit... unpredictable."

Y/N's jaw clenched subtly, resisting the urge to bristle at the implication. "I trust Yunho."

Eileen nodded, her smile tight. "Of course. Just... keep your eyes open, Y/N."

With that cryptic remark, Eileen excused herself, leaving Y/N to ponder her words. She couldn't shake the unease that settled in her gut, wondering what Eileen's intentions truly were. To make matters worse, she had also been pestering Yunho as well.

A few days after her interaction, Yunho found himself unexpectedly crossing paths with Eileen outside the campus library. She smiled brightly as she approached him, her demeanor friendly yet calculated.

"Hey, Yunho! Long time no see," Eileen greeted, her voice carrying a hint of flirtation.

Yunho nodded politely, his guard subtly rising. "Hey, Eileen. How have you been?"

"Oh, you know, surviving," she replied with a playful grin. "I heard you've been spending a lot of time with Y/N lately."

Yunho's expression softened as he thought of Y/N. "Yeah, we've been getting to know each other."

Eileen's smile faltered slightly, though she quickly masked it. "That's great. She seems nice."

"She is," Yunho affirmed, his tone firm yet courteous. "Look, Eileen, I appreciate you reaching out, but I think it's best if we keep things friendly."

Eileen's eyes narrowed imperceptibly, her facade slipping for a moment. "Are you sure about that, Yunho? You and I... we have something."

Yunho sighed softly, his patience wearing thin. "Eileen, that was a long time ago."

Her smile turned brittle as she nodded, a hint of disappointment flickering across her features. "I understand. Just know that I'm here if you ever change your mind."

With that, Eileen turned and walked away, leaving Yunho to wrestle with a mix of relief and lingering concern. He knew Eileen's persistence wouldn't fade easily, but he was determined to focus on the relationship he was building with Y/N.

"She is like a pest, as soon as you think you've gotten rid of the damn thing it pops back up again." Yunho and Y/N were sitting on the couch together, well, more like Y/N was sitting on the couch and Yunho sat on the floor between her legs. She was leaned forward and arms were wrapped around Yunho's shoulders as they talked with Chaeyeon.

Y/N chuckled softly, her fingers absentmindedly playing with Yunho's hair as she listened to his comment. "Well, pests can be persistent. But don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

Chaeyeon, who was lounging on the opposite end of the couch, raised an eyebrow curiously. "What's going on? Pest problem?"

Yunho sighed dramatically, leaning back against Y/N's legs. "Eileen keeps trying to worm her way back into my life."

Y/N nodded in agreement, her expression thoughtful. "Yeah, she's been... persistent."

Chaeyeon frowned, crossing her arms. "That sounds annoying. What does she want?"

Yunho shrugged, a hint of frustration in his voice. "I don't know. She keeps hinting that we should hang out, catch up, that sort of thing."

Y/N squeezed his shoulders reassuringly. "But he's made it clear he's with me now."

Chaeyeon nodded, understanding dawning on her face. "Got it. Well, just keep shutting her down. She'll get the hint eventually."

Yunho smiled gratefully at Y/N and Chaeyeon. "Yeah, I hope so, but I'm not sure. She's like Y/N," He glances back to look at her as she gives him a questioning look. "Stubborn as fuck."

Y/N couldn't help but laugh at Yunho's playful jab, though she pretended to scowl as she swatted the back of his head lightly. "Watch it."

Yunho grinned mischievously, rubbing the spot where she had lightly hit him. "Just speaking the truth, babe."

Chaeyeon chuckled, enjoying the banter between them. "Well, if that's the case, she won't give up easily."

Y/N rolled her eyes playfully. "Great, now I have competition."

Yunho leaned back against her legs again, looking up at her with a teasing glint in his eyes. "Trust me, there is no competition."

She couldn't help but smile at his words, feeling a warmth spread through her. "Smooth recovery."

Chaeyeon laughed, shaking her head. "You two are something else."

Yunho shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? We keep it interesting."

As they settled back into their comfortable position on the couch, Y/N felt a surge of gratitude for the support and playfulness Yunho brought into her life, even in moments of potential tension like this one with Eileen. She squeezed his shoulders affectionately, silently thanking Chaeyeon for being there as well.

Together, they were navigating the complexities of relationships, both past and present, with humor, honesty, and a steadfast commitment to each other. And as Y/N glanced down at Yunho's smiling face, she knew that whatever challenges they faced, they would face them together.

The bass thudded through Yunho's chest as he navigated through the pulsating crowd at the Sigma house party. He greeted familiar faces with a nod or a wave, his mind distracted by thoughts of Y/N. She had opted to stay home tonight, citing a need to catch up on studying, but Yunho couldn't shake the feeling that she was avoiding situations like these.

He found Mingi and San near the makeshift bar, surrounded by a throng of people vying for drinks. Mingi caught sight of him first, waving enthusiastically and pulling him into a bear hug.

"Yunho, buddy! You made it," Mingi shouted over the music, clapping him on the back.

Yunho grinned, exchanging a fist bump with San. "Wouldn't miss it. How's the party so far?"

San shrugged, his voice barely audible over the beat. "Same old, same old. Where's Y/N? Thought she was coming."

Yunho's smile faltered slightly at the mention of Y/N. "Ah, she decided to take a rain check tonight. Said she wasn't feeling up to it."

Mingi raised an eyebrow knowingly. "Everything okay with you two?"

Yunho hesitated, trying to brush off the concern. "Yeah, yeah, everything's fine. Just one of those nights, you know?"

San clapped him on the shoulder. "Well, you're here now. Let's make the most of it."

They ventured further into the party, Yunho gradually letting himself relax into the familiar chaos of college life. People danced, shouted conversations, and spilled drinks in equal measure. It wasn't long before Yunho found himself caught up in the rhythm, his worries momentarily forgotten.

As he made his way to the backyard for some fresh air, Yunho spotted Eileen across the room. She was leaning against a wall, her gaze scanning the crowd with a calculated intensity. Their eyes met briefly before she sauntered over, a sly smile curving her lips.

"Well, well, look who decided to show up," Eileen purred, her voice barely audible above the music.

Yunho chuckled lightly, a hint of wariness in his expression. "Hey, Eileen. Long time no see."

Eileen tilted her head, her eyes narrowing slightly. "You've been avoiding me, Yunho."

He raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms defensively. "I've been busy. You know how it is."

She stepped closer, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I miss us, Yunho. We had something good."

Yunho sighed softly, shaking his head. "Eileen, that was a long time ago. We've both moved on."

Her smile turned sultry as she reached out to touch his arm, a subtle invitation in her gaze. "Have we, though? I see the way you look at me."

Yunho took a step back, his resolve hardening. "I'm with Y/N now, Eileen. It's not going to happen."

Eileen rolled her eyes and stood closer to him. "Yeah? And how long do you think that's gonna last Yunho? She doesn't know you, not like I do. You know, you sleep with all these different girls but every single time where did that lead you? Right back to me."

Yunho's jaw tightened as Eileen's words hit a nerve, stirring up old memories and doubts he had buried deep. He glanced around nervously, hoping no one was paying too much attention to their conversation.

"Eileen, that's not fair," he replied tersely, his voice low yet firm. "Y/N is different."

Eileen leaned in closer, her tone dripping with condescension. "Oh, please. You've said that before. What makes her so special?"

Yunho took a deep breath, trying to remain calm despite the rising tension. "She trusts me. She sees me for who I am now, not who I was."

Eileen scoffed softly, her gaze challenging. "And what if I told her about us? About all the times you came running back to me?"

Yunho's eyes widened slightly, a flicker of fear crossing his features. "You wouldn't."

Eileen smirked, enjoying the discomfort she was causing. "Try me, Yunho. You know I'm not one to be ignored."

Yunho glanced around again, feeling trapped by Eileen's persistence and the weight of his past mistakes. "Look, Eileen, I get it. But this isn't the place for this conversation."

Eileen's smirk widened, her gaze unwavering. "Fine. But remember, Yunho, I'm not going anywhere."

With that, she turned and disappeared into the crowd once more, leaving Yunho standing there with a knot in his stomach. He rubbed his temples, trying to shake off the uneasy feeling that had settled over him. Deep down, he knew Eileen wouldn't give up easily, and he feared the consequences if she followed through on her threat.

Taking a shaky breath, Yunho resolved to talk to Y/N about Eileen and confront the situation head-on. He needed her trust more than ever now, and he wasn't about to let his past mistakes jeopardize their future together.

Yunho went to find his friends, informing them he was gonna call it early and head home. After their goodbyes, he headed straight for Y/N's dorm, wanting her comfort more than anything else in that moment. Yunho's footsteps echoed softly in the quiet corridors of the dormitory as he made his way to Y/N's room. His mind raced with thoughts of Eileen and the unsettling encounter at the party. He couldn't shake the feeling of unease, knowing Eileen's persistence could potentially unravel everything he had built with Y/N.

When he reached her door, Yunho hesitated for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He knocked gently, the sound echoing in the stillness of the hallway. After a few moments, the door opened, revealing Y/N with a concerned expression.

"Yunho, hey," Chaeyeon greeted softly, her brow furrowing as she took in his serious demeanor. "Is everything okay?"

Yunho stepped inside without a word, closing the door behind him. He turned to face her, the weight of his worries evident in his eyes. "Is Y/N awake?"

Concern deepened on Chaeyeon's face. "Yeah I think so, I heard her TV still just a few minutes ago." Yunho nodded and headed to her room, gently knocking on the door. After a few moments, door opened.

"Yunho? I thought you would be at the party still?" She squinted her eyes at him, he can tell she was close to falling asleep moments before he showed up. "Shit, what time is it?" Before she walked away, he grabbed her and pulled her in for a hug. Y/N stood momentarily shocked before holding him, concern etched her faces when she pulled back and looked at his face. She pulled him fully inside her room, shutting her door, and led him to sit on her bed.

She sat beside him, reaching out to grasp his hand reassuringly. "What happened?"

Yunho took a deep breath, trying to gather his thoughts. "Eileen was at the party tonight. She... she approached me."

Y/N's eyes widened slightly, her grip tightening on his hand. "What did she want?"

He looked down, his voice quiet but resolute. "She... she's not giving up, Y/N. She tried to insinuate things about us, about my past. She even threatened to... to tell you."

Y/N's expression softened with understanding as she gently squeezed his hand. "Yunho, I trust you. Whatever happened in the past, it's in the past. You're with me now."

Yunho looked up at her, relief flooding through him at her words. "I know, but... I just.... I don't want her causing trouble for us."

Y/N nodded reassuringly, her thumb stroking his hand soothingly. "Hey relax. We'll deal with this together, okay?"

Yunho nodded, a grateful smile touching his lips. "Okay."

They sat together in silence for a moment, the weight of the conversation hanging in the air. Yunho felt a surge of gratitude for Y/N's unwavering support and understanding. Despite the uncertainty of Eileen's intentions, he knew that facing this challenge together with Y/N by his side was the only way forward.

"I'm here for you, Yunho," Y/N said softly, breaking the silence. "No matter what."

Yunho leaned closer, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "Thank you, Y/N."

As they held each other close, Yunho felt a sense of peace settle over him. "Can I stay here tonight?" He asked quietly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful bubble she created for him.

Y/N smiled warmly, her heart swelling with affection for Yunho. "Of course you can stay."

Yunho's expression softened with gratitude as he settled in beside her on the bed. They lay together, wrapped in each other's arms, finding comfort and solace in the presence of one another. The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the dorm's ventilation system, creating a serene atmosphere that eased the tension from Yunho's shoulders.

"I'm sorry for bringing this into your space," Yunho murmured after a while, his voice barely above a whisper.

Y/N gently brushed a stray lock of hair from his forehead, her touch tender. "You don't need to apologize, Yunho. Besides, I kind of anticipated some drama to come along."

He nodded, his eyes meeting hers with a mixture of relief and adoration. "Thank you for understanding."

Y/N smiled, leaning in to kiss him softly on the lips. "Always."

They stayed intertwined in each other's embrace, finding comfort and reassurance in their closeness. For Yunho, being with Y/N brought a sense of calm he hadn't felt in a long time.

"I'm going." Her answer was final, her tone said it all. Yunho dropped his head in defeat, knowing it was a losing battle when she made up her mind. He dragged his hand down his face, looking into her eyes once more.

"You don't have to, I can-" but he was cut off once more.

"Nope, I'm going. It's done, my decision is final." Yunho sighed, feeling torn between gratitude for Y/N's determination and worry about what might unfold at the party. He knew Y/N's strength and resolve could handle Eileen, but he also feared the potential confrontation.

"Okay," he conceded reluctantly, knowing it was futile to argue further once Y/N had made up her mind. "Just promise me you'll be careful,"

Y/N nodded firmly, her expression resolute. "I will-" Yunho shakes a finger at her. "No no no, careful as in you promise to not cuss her out in front of half the student body."

Y/N chuckled softly, understanding Yunho's concern. "Okay, fine. I promise I won't cause a scene."

Yunho sighed with a mixture of relief and apprehension. "Thank you. Just... be yourself, but maybe tone down the fierceness a notch?"

She grinned, placing a reassuring hand on his arm. "I'll do my best."

With a nod, Yunho leaned in to kiss her forehead gently. "Alright then, I'm gonna start getting ready once class ends. I'll pick you up at 8 and we'll go together."

Y/N smiled warmly, feeling touched by his support. "Sounds good. I'll see you later then." With a quick kiss goodbye, they parted ways. As she was walking back to her dorm, seeing as her classes were finished for the day, she paused. Did she have anything to wear?

Later that evening, she was doing some finishing touches to her looks. She decided she wanted to keep it simple, so she put on a cute olive green strapless top and light wash destroyed shorts. Y/N decided to keep her hair down, though she kept a hair tie on her in case it got hot. With a gold pair of hoops in and a set of gold necklaces adorning her neck, once she finished her makeup she was ready to go.

A knock came to her bedroom door, Chaeyeon's voice echoed through. "Y/N, your boy toy is here." Y/N rolled her eyes before opening the door. She sent a glare towards her friend, "Classy Chae, real classy. I'll be there in a second, I'm almost done."

Y/N took a final glance in the mirror, smoothing down her top and adjusting her earrings before heading to the door. She found Yunho waiting outside, leaning casually against the wall with a smile on his face. His dark jeans and fitted black shirt contrasted with her more casual attire, but they complemented each other perfectly.

"Hey," he greeted warmly as she approached.

"Hey yourself," she replied playfully, stepping closer to him. "Ready to face the party?"

Yunho chuckled, reaching out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Only if you're by my side."

Y/N's heart skipped a beat at his words, her smile widening. "Always."

They walked together to the party venue, the atmosphere buzzing with excitement and music echoing through the halls. Yunho kept a protective arm around her shoulders as they navigated through the crowd, exchanging nods and greetings with familiar faces along the way.

Inside, the party was in full swing, lights flashing and people mingling. Yunho guided Y/N towards a quieter corner where they could catch their breath and talk.

"You look amazing," he murmured, his gaze lingering on her.

"Thanks," she replied, feeling a warm blush spread across her cheeks. "You don't look too bad yourself."

Yunho grinned, leaning in to press a quick kiss to her cheek. "Let's grab some drinks. What are you having?"

Y/N considered for a moment before answering. "Just a beer is fine for now."

He nodded and headed towards the makeshift bar, leaving Y/N to observe the partygoers around her. She spotted familiar faces from their classes and social circles, exchanging nods and smiles as she scanned the room.

As Yunho returned with their drinks, Y/N took a sip of her beer, feeling the buzz of the party sink in. They chatted and laughed together, enjoying the music and occasional dance moves from their friends. San and Mingi had shown up a few minutes later, joining them once they made their rounds with everyone. Yunho kept a watchful eye on Y/N, subtly guiding her away from any potential encounters with Eileen.

"Hey guys," she greeted warmly, glancing between Yunho and his friends. "Having fun?"

Mingi grinned, pulling her into a friendly side hug. "Always, especially with you around, Y/N."

San chuckled, nudging Yunho. "You better keep an eye on this one, Yunho. She's about to steal the show."

Yunho couldn't help but smile at Y/N, his worries momentarily easing with her presence. "Yeah, she always does."

Y/N glanced around, sensing the tension in the air. "Everything okay?"

Yunho hesitated, then decided to be honest. "Eileen's here. I saw her earlier. Just... be careful, okay?"

Y/N nodded solemnly, her gaze meeting Yunho's with determination. "I will. Don't worry."

With a reassuring squeeze of his hand, Y/N turned to Mingi and San, engaging in light-hearted banter to lift the mood. After a while, Y/N excused herself to use the restroom, leaving Yunho with the boys briefly. As she made her way through the crowd, she caught sight of Eileen across the room, chatting with a group of friends. Their eyes met briefly, and Y/N felt a surge of determination.

She entered the restroom, took a deep breath, and gathered her thoughts. She wasn't here to start a fight, but she was ready to assert herself if needed.

Back with the boys, Yunho watched as she parted from them, but turned back to Mingi and San, trying to maintain a casual demeanor despite the tension prickling at the edges of his awareness.

"So, how's your semester going, Yunho?" Mingi asked, trying to lighten the mood.

Yunho shrugged nonchalantly, scanning the room once more before replying. "It's been alright. Just trying to stay on top of everything, you know?"

San nodded, sipping on his drink thoughtfully. "Yeah, I hear you. Midterms are coming up soon, gotta start hitting the books."

Before Yunho could respond, a familiar voice interrupted them from behind. "Well, well, well, if it isn't Yunho and his entourage."

Yunho tensed at the sound of Eileen's voice, turning to see her approaching with a coy smile. San and Mingi exchanged uneasy glances, sensing the tension.

"Eileen," Yunho acknowledged tersely, his guard up.

She ignored his curt tone, sidling up closer to Yunho with a flirtatious smile. "You're looking good."

Yunho forced a polite smile, stepping slightly away from her. "Thanks. Look, Eileen, this isn't really a good time-"

"Oh, come on, Yunho," Eileen purred, reaching out to lightly touch his arm. "Can't we catch up? I've missed you."

San and Mingi exchanged knowing glances, silently urging Yunho to handle the situation carefully. Yunho shifted uncomfortably under Eileen's gaze, acutely aware of the potential for drama.

"I think we've caught up enough," Yunho replied firmly, gently removing her hand from his arm. "I'm here with Y/N tonight."

Eileen's smile faltered for a moment, replaced by a flicker of annoyance. "Y/N, huh? I saw her earlier. She seems... determined."

Yunho bristled slightly at the implication in Eileen's tone. "She knows what she wants."

Eileen leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper. "And what about you, Yunho? Are you sure she's what you want?"

Yunho's jaw tightened, his patience wearing thin. "Yes, I'm sure."

Eileen sighed dramatically, leaning back with a calculated smile. "Well, while she's gone, how about a dance. Come on, just one, promise I'll give you back to her once we're done."

Yunho felt his muscles tense as Eileen's hand wrapped around his wrist, pulling him towards the dance floor despite his resistance. He glanced back at Mingi and San, his expression pleading for understanding, but they could only watch helplessly as Eileen led him away.

The pulsing beat of the music surrounded them as Eileen moved closer, her body pressing against his in a way that made Yunho uncomfortable. He tried to keep a polite distance, but Eileen seemed determined to disregard his boundaries.

"Come on, Yunho," she coaxed, her voice low and persuasive. "You used to love dancing. Just one dance won't hurt."

Yunho sighed inwardly, feeling trapped in the situation. He knew dancing with Eileen was a bad idea, especially with Y/N likely to return from the restroom soon, but he also didn't want to escalate the tension by refusing outright.

Reluctantly, Yunho allowed Eileen to guide him into a dance, trying to keep a polite distance while still complying with her insistence. He kept his movements reserved, avoiding any intimate contact and keeping his gaze fixed on the crowd around them, hoping to signal to Y/N that he was not willingly participating in this dance.

Eileen, however, seemed oblivious to his discomfort, smiling up at him as if they were sharing a romantic moment. Yunho's mind raced with thoughts of how to extricate himself from the situation without causing a scene. He needed to find a way to end this dance quickly and return to Y/N's side before things escalated further.

As Yunho awkwardly danced with Eileen, keeping his movements stiff and his gaze drifting to the crowd, he felt a surge of relief when he spotted Y/N making her way back from the restroom. He glanced towards Mingi and San, who were watching the scene unfold with concern evident on their faces.

Y/N approached them, her brow furrowed in confusion. "Hey, where's Yunho? I thought he was with you guys."

Mingi exchanged a quick glance with San before explaining, "He got pulled away by Eileen. She dragged him to dance with her."

Y/N's eyes narrowed, her jaw tensing with restrained anger. She took in a deep breath, trying to steady herself before responding. "Okay," she said tersely. "Thanks for letting me know."

Without another word, Y/N turned and began weaving through the crowd towards where Yunho and Eileen were dancing. Her steps were purposeful, her posture radiating determination as she closed the distance.

Yunho caught sight of Y/N approaching, his heart sinking with worry over how she might react. He met her gaze, silently pleading for understanding as Eileen continued to dance beside him, oblivious to Y/N's approach.

Eileen noticed Y/N's approach as well, her expression shifting from amusement to curiosity. She leaned in closer to Yunho, her voice low and teasing. "Looks like your current toy isn't too happy about us dancing. Trouble in paradise?"

Yunho gritted his teeth, his patience wearing thin. "She's not my toy, Eileen," he said firmly, his voice tinged with frustration.

Eileen's smile widened, a hint of triumph in her eyes. "Really? Could've fooled me."

Before Yunho could respond, Y/N reached them, her presence commanding attention. She stood beside Yunho, her gaze locking onto Eileen with unwavering intensity. Without a word, Y/N extended her hand towards Yunho.

Yunho blinked in surprise, momentarily caught off guard by Y/N's unexpected gesture. With no hesitation, he placed his hand in hers, silently acknowledging her silent cue.

With deliberate grace, Y/N pulled Yunho away from Eileen's grasp, guiding him back towards the quieter corner of the room they had occupied earlier. The movement was subtle yet powerful, a clear statement of ownership and solidarity. Before they got too far, Yunho felt his other arm be pulled back, making him yank Y/N backwards.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? You don't get to just drag him off like that," Eileen snapped, her voice rising with irritation. She grabbed Yunho's arm, attempting to pull him back towards her.

Yunho resisted her pull, his expression hardening. "Let go, Eileen," he said firmly, his voice laced with frustration.

Eileen's eyes flashed with defiance. "No, Yunho. We were having fun. Why are you letting her ruin everything?"

Y/N stood her ground beside Yunho, her posture unwavering despite Eileen's confrontation. "He's with me now, Eileen. You need to accept that."

Eileen scoffed, her gaze flickering between Yunho and Y/N. "Oh please, like he's never gone back to me before. You're just a phase, sweetheart."

Yunho's jaw tightened, his patience wearing thin. "Enough, Eileen. This isn't about you or me anymore. It's over." Elieen looked as if she was going to throw a temper tantrum. Y/N took a step closer to her, keeping her voice low as to not cause a scene.

"Face it, you lost. He's not yours anymore, he's mine. Now let go of my boyfriend." Y/N forcefully removes her hold from Yunho's arm and gently nudges him to start walking back to San and Mingi. Eileen's face flushed with anger at Y/N's assertive words. She opened her mouth to retort, but Y/N had already turned around and walked away. With a frustrated huff, Eileen finally relented, shooting one last glare at Yunho and Y/N before turning on her heel and storming off into the crowd.

Yunho turned to Y/N, gratitude and admiration shining in his eyes. "Thank you," he murmured, reaching out to gently squeeze her hand.

Y/N smiled warmly, her own tension melting away as they rejoined San and Mingi. "We make a good team," she replied softly, leaning in to press a quick kiss to Yunho's cheek.

San and Mingi exchanged knowing glances, a mixture of relief and pride evident on their faces. "Let's get out of here," Mingi suggested, gesturing towards the exit.

Yunho nodded in agreement, leading Y/N through the crowd towards the door. As they stepped outside into the cool night air, a sense of closure settled over them. They walked back to Y/N's dorm together, San and Mingi walked ahead goofing off with one another. Meanwhile, Yunho and Y/N stayed behind, each had one arm wrapped around the other as they walked.

"So....boyfriend huh?" Yunho teased her, lightly bumping his hip into hers. Y/N smiled softly,

"Yeah, boyfriend." She confirmed. Yunho stopped in his tracks, turning to face her. "What?" She asked.

"That's it? No smart comment, no back tracking, none of it?" Y/N chuckled, the sound light and warm in the quiet of the night. She stopped walking as well, turning to face Yunho with a playful glint in her eyes.

"Well, what can I say? You've won me over," she replied, her tone teasing yet sincere. "You're stuck with me now."

Yunho grinned, his heart swelling with affection. He reached out to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear, his touch gentle and intimate. "I wouldn't have it any other way," he murmured softly.

They stood there for a moment, the night air crisp around them, enjoying the simple pleasure of each other's company. The streetlights cast a soft glow over them as they resumed walking, their steps falling into an easy rhythm. Yunho glanced at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. "So, does this mean I get to meet your friends officially now? I'm ready to face the squad."

Y/N chuckled, nodding in agreement. "If you can handle Chaeyeon then yeah, I think they'll be eager to meet you, especially after tonight." Just as Yunho leaned down to kiss her, the sound of a yelp and thud disrupted them.

"Damnit San. Yo Yunho, come help me man." Looking to the boys, San was somehow now sprawled out on the ground and laughing in hysterics. Yunho sighed and looked down to you again.

"We're coming back to this, promise." He gave her a quick peck on the lips before running to help Mingi lift San up.

"San, you lightweight," Yunho teased with a grin, but there was genuine concern in his voice as he steadied his friend. "You okay?"

San nodded, still chuckling. "I'm good, I'm good. Just need a minute to get my bearings."

Mingi rolled his eyes playfully. "You're lucky we're here to babysit you."

next story coming soon......

Thank you guys for enjoying the series, it means a lot to see so many people like the posts. If you want to join the taglist, please let me know.

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joelslastofus · 7 months

Text

[SUMMARY: You are not in a labeled relationship with Joel and end up getting pregnant just as he leaves to find his brother. Once you both find each other and he finds out you’re pregnant, Joel reacts in a cruel way due to his PTSD.]

Angst drama TW: mention of abortion, death.

“You shouldn’t have kept it“ he said flatly.

“That baby won’t survive this world-“

“Stop it” you whispered.

Joel and you had been keeping each other company for the last few months. One thing led to another and eventually you were intimate with him. Neither of you had really spoken about what exactly the two of you had together, Joel was never up for much conversation and you honestly preferred it that way. The world was complicated enough than to add labels on what you both had. All you knew was that the feel of his touch would make you forget about the shit storm you both were dealing with and he sure loved to relieve stress with you, especially whenever he’d return from a long day out. You knew whatever you two had wasn’t going to last forever, Joel was searching for this brother and you felt he was close to finding him.

One day you walked in to find him packing his bags and you knew this was it. Joel stood up taking a deep breath, his jacket and backpack on, he was ready to leave.

“I got a car to get me to where my brother is rumored to be” he began to explain as you leaned back against the wall with your arms crossed. You never asked where or anything about his brother, Joel rarely liked to share much anyways. You nodded with half a smile as he walked closer to you with a hint of sadness in his eyes.

“Why don’t you come along with me? You can stay with me and-“

“Joel, I told you this is where I belong. Go find your brother” you assured him. You could see the disappointment in his eyes but he respected your wishes and nodded.

“I’ll see you around” Joel leaned in and kissed you once more before quickly walking off as you felt a sudden knot in your throat.

Why the hell would you be getting upset about this? Turning back to see him leave you saw him walking out with a woman you had never seen, must’ve been the person who helped him with a car. A sinking feeling in your chest as he disappeared from your view, you sighed throwing yourself onto the bed.

“It was fun while it lasted” you whispered to yourself staring at the ceiling, you always knew it would end yet you never really much thought of how it would feel when it did.

Weeks continued to go by as you found yourself more alone than usual. You found yourself missing Joel but you always tried to shake the feeling off. It had been four weeks since he left, you couldn’t believe how fast time had gone when your heart dropped at the thought.

“Four weeks” you whispered in shock. Four weeks had passed and you realized you never got your period. Calming yourself down you tried to convince yourself it was stress, of course it was, Joel was as careful as he could be. Pacing back and fourth in the room you decided to head to the doctors room a few doors down. Walking inside without asking for permission taking advantage that no one was inside, you began going through the drawers.

“Come on, there has to be a pregnancy test here somewhere” you mumbled to yourself when one of the nurses walked in.

“Excuse me, what do you think you’re doing?!” Ignoring her you continued opening each cabinet and drawer until you finally came across a basket holding a stack of them.

“Got it!” Grabbing a few you ran out of the room as the nurse continued to yell at you down the hall.

Closing the door of where you stayed you quickly bit the plastic off at the edge to take out the test. Just as the instructions had said, you dipped each stick in urine and now waited for the results.

“Please don’t be positive, please don’t be positive” you closed your eyes as your heart raced with anticipation. You knew it was time to check them and slowly opened your eyes to see exactly what you were afraid of. Two positive pregnancy tests sat in front of you, your hand quickly covering your mouth in shock before you looked up at yourself in the mirror. Tears immediately forming as you began to hyperventilate. Fanning yourself you took a deep breath closing your eyes again trying to keep yourself calm, only to open them hoping to somehow see something different.

“Shit!” You yelled slamming your fist on the counter. God knows how far long exactly you were. Maybe there was a way to still change this, there was a doctor there after all.

“Sorry we don’t provide procedures of that nature” the doctor spoke with an unfriendly tone.

“What do you mean? You do plenty of procedures-“

“We don’t do that” she emphasized.

“What about a pill?” You asked desperately. The doctor simply shook her head and rolled her eyes. You sat in shock and silence, how the hell were you suppose to bring a child into this world with the way things were.

“What am I suppose to do?” You whispered.

“Talk to the man who got you here” she stacked up her papers and stood up leaving you alone in the room with your thoughts. The man who got you here was God knows where at this point.

Seven months had now gone by, many things changed for you including where you stayed. After your area was attacked you were saved by a group who took you in and kept you safe. Being in Jackson you felt was the best thing that could’ve happened to you. The people were friendly, helpful and it gave you hope for your baby. There was two doctors here that monitored your pregnancy the best way they could and were happy to inform you that you were having a boy.

It was easy to make friends here, one man named Kevin took a special liking to you and always seemed to help you around. Tommy and his wife Maria were especially very friendly and did what they could to make sure you were comfortable. For the first time you weren’t so afraid and hopeless. From time to time you thought of Joel, you wondered if he ever found his brother, you wondered if he was still alive.

Laying in bed you could hear the others speaking down the hall, three people were found close by and were going to be bought in. Jackson always seemed to take in people, it was surprising how they never seemed to run out of food. Speaking of food, your stomach rumbled at the thought of something to eat yet your eyes fought to stay open and so you decided to nap for the time being.

A couple hours later you woke up feeling famished. Getting your swollen feet off the bed you sighed pushing yourself up to take yourself to the cafeteria. You’d give anything for a nice grilled burger right now but anything will do. Pushing through the big wooden doors you could hear Tommy’s voice when you heard another very familiar voice.

It couldn’t be…could it?

The voice making you stop in your tracks as you looked up and could see it was exactly who you thought.

Joel stood with his back to you speaking to Tommy, just as Tommy noticed you standing at the doorway as if you had seen a ghost.

“Hey, you alright?” Before you could move Joel turned to you with an instant look of shock. His eyes immediately noticing your growing belly as you took a step back.

“Joel?” You whispered hesitantly, your hand gently cradling your belly.

“You know her?” Tommy asked confused as Joel fully turned to you beside his brother, silently he nodded not taking his eyes off you. A feel of some kind of relief washed over you but didn’t last as the unknown woman you had seen Joel leave with entered the room through the side door.

“Come on, Joel. Let’s get some rest” she grabbed his hand not noticing you in the room. Joel could see the hurt in your eyes as you took another step back and quickly walked out of the room.

Joel slowly took his hand back not saying a word as Tess looked at him confused.

“What was that about?” She asked but Joel didn’t respond, his eyes never having left the door you walked out of. Tess began to sarcastically laugh.

“Don’t tell me that’s her”

“How long she been here?” Joel asked Tommy ignoring Tess only angering her. She sucked her teeth walking out but it didn’t seem to phase Joel.

“Two months” Tommy responded.

“She was in pretty bad shape when we found her” Joel quickly turned to Tommy with a look of concern.

“But she’s alright now?”

“Of course, we have doctors looking after her- Joel” Tommy couldn’t seem to help himself from asking.

“You and her…-“

Joel cleared his throat uncomfortably and took a deep breath. Tommy simply pressed his lips together accurately reading his brothers reactions. Joel wasn’t sure if the baby was his but he knew there was a possibility.

“Go talk to her, brother” he patted Joel on the shoulder and left the room.

Sitting on the bed still in shock you wiped the tears from your face and heard a knock on the door.

You knew it was him yet you were so hesitant to open.

He looked down at you with furrowed brows as you stood silently unsure of what to say.

“Is it mine?” He blurt out in a dry tone. You nodded, your confirmation making him show obvious distress. He took a step back brushing his hand over his lips as you thought of what you could say.

“You let me leave“

“What?” You asked confused.

“You let me leave knowing damn well you was pregnant-“

“No!” You yelled in frustration with his accusations.

“I didn’t know a thing, I found out a month after you left I didn’t know what to do” you explained as his eyes drifted down to your belly but he only seemed to be feeling anger in that moment.

“I could’ve thought of something for you to do” his dark eyes found yours with a coldness that could cut through you leaving you speechless.

“So you found my brother and thought what?“

“I didn’t know that was your brother, Joel. You never told me a damn thing about you! I’ve been here for two months, you told me you were off to find him almost eight months ago!”

“Well things came up” he snapped back.

“Oh I’m sure they did, with your girlfriend right?”

Your words making him silent but you could tell there was so much he wanted to say.

“You shouldn’t have kept it“ he said flatly.

“That baby won’t survive this world-“

“Stop it” you whispered.

“This world isn’t meant for children-“

“Get out!” you screamed holding back tears.

“Get out and go back with that girlfriend of yours, I was fine on my own-“

“That’s not what Tommy told me” you had enough with how cruel he was acting. Slamming the door in his face Joel stood for a moment with a slight look of guilt. All Joel could think of was how this very world took his daughter from him, he couldn’t face something like that again. His fear coming out of him in ways that only hurt you, Joel felt out of control. Not saying a word he walked off back to the room Tommy had set for him.

Walking into the room he found Tess laying back on the bed, almost forgetting he wasn’t alone. He didn’t say a word to her but she could sense his anger.

“That thing yours?” A sarcastic tone in her voice.

Joel didn’t respond turning his back to Tess making her once again laugh.

“It was handled, Tess”

“Oh yeah? How was it handled, Joel? Did you miraculously make the whore disappear?” Joel stopped in his tracks looking over his shoulder.

“She’s not a whore”

“Now he defends her” she mumbled under her breath as she stood up from the bed.

“Listen, Joel we had a plan-“

“No” he snapped back at her turning to face her.

“You had a plan, Tess. My plan was to find my brother and I did.”

“So then maybe this is the end of our journey” she shrugged.

“Maybe it is.” And with that response Tess grabbed her bag and walked out loudly slamming the door. Joel didn’t bother going after her, he didn’t even know exactly what he was feeling. Joel sat on the edge of the bed rubbing his face with his large hands when Tommy opened the door.

“You alright?”

“What do you think?” He grumbled still hiding his face in his hands.

“When did that happen?” Tommy asked referring to you as he closed the door behind him.

“We lived together for a while” he explained looking up at him.

“So why didn’t she come with you?”

“It wasn’t like that.” Yet he couldn’t help but remember how much he wanted you to come with him.

Joel sighed leaning forward shaking his head.

“I can’t…I can’t do this again, Tommy” Joel whispered referring to the loss of his daughter.

“Does she know about-“

“No.” Tommy could hear the guilt in Joel’s voice, he couldn’t imagine what his brother was feeling.

That night Joel tried his best to get sleep but it seemed like an impossible task. His arms crossed he stared at the ceiling wondering what was going through your mind.

The next day Joel came out to take a look at how the community worked, he saw Ellie already helping out and found you working with a few others. Lifting boxes and passing them down, Joel suddenly looked concerned as Tommy appeared beside him.

“How you feeling today?” Tommy asked noticing Joel didn’t take his eyes off you.

“Why do you have her working?”

“She’s fine, those boxes aren’t heavy.” Joel didn’t care if the boxes weren’t heavy, he didn’t care if you were the one who volunteered to do it, had you two been on speaking terms he wouldn’t have allowed it.

“She wanted to keep herself busy, Joel. What could I say?” Joel watched as you continued to work. At one point tripping over your own foot, he jumped ready to help you before you caught yourself.

“I told you she shouldn’t be there” Joel crossing his arms, his shoulders tense as a man came up to you and began to speak with you. You told the others you were going on a break and walked off with this man not knowing you were being watched. Tommy noticed the expression on Joel’s face and nudged him attempting to distract him.

“That’s Kevin…nothing goin on with em.”

Joel didn’t say a word but Tommy knew his brother all too well.

“Look, why don’t you just try talking to her again. Try at least man, that’s your kid-“

“I know that” Joel turned to his brother with an irritated look. Before Tommy could say a word Joel quickly made his way down the stairs following you and Kevin inside.

Joel walked down the hall and could hear you laughing until he stopped at a doorway. Kevin stood before you with his hand on your belly striking a jealousy Joel had never felt before.

His jaw clenched as he watched you laugh moving his hand around so that he could feel his child.

“Did you feel that? The baby is usually calm but when it’s time for bed it’s a wrap” you sighed placing your hands to support your back.

“Shouldn’t be on your feet too much” Joel’s voice surprised you making you turn to him. Kevin stood up straight clearing his throat, he knew who Joel was. Nothing had ever happened between you and Kevin but everyone knew Kevin liked you, everyone but you.

“The doctor said I’m fine to go about my day” you explained as he stood across from you, not even sure why you explained yourself in the first place. Joel didn’t respond at first, looking over at Kevin not afraid to show he didn’t want him in the room.

“Kevin, I’ll talk to you later ok? Just give me a minute” Kevin nodded and walked out of the room looking back at you as he walked out the door.

“What do you want Joel?”

“You and Kevin?”

“No” you responded defensively.

“What do you care anyways, isn’t your girlfriend waiting for you somewhere-“

“She’s not my girl” Joel responded as he took a step closer.

“Well Kevin has just been a friend helping me a bit.”

“Oh I’m sure he is.” He was obviously bothered by Kevin yet it was confusing as to why he would be. It couldn’t be jealousy, Joel never had any deep feelings for you, or so you thought.

“Joel, what the hell is your problem? We don’t have to speak, you already made it clear how you felt-“

“Have I?” He took another step closer inches away from you.

“What is your problem?!” You repeated in frustration as he stared down at you.

“My problem is that you have Kevin over there trying to get close to you and my baby-“

“He’s not trying to do that” you tried to defend him while also realizing Joels wording, suddenly he had a problem with someone getting close to a baby he didn’t want? Suddenly he had a problem with another man getting close to you.

“It’s not like that with him” you continued.

“Oh yeah? So what was that?” He motioned his head towards the door Kevin had walked out of.

“What was what?” You yelled once again.

“This” Joel unexpectedly placed his hand on your belly, shocking himself by how quickly he felt the baby begin to kick. You gasped looking down feeling the baby jump around like he had never before. For the first time for Joel this felt real. His anger, his nerves suddenly subsiding at the feel of his baby moving around inside you. He was speechless, his hands not moving away as you felt a rather sharp pain from a kick making you wince. Your hand unexpectedly covering his hand on the spot where you felt the pain, yet neither of you moved.

“You alright?” He whispered. You looked up to find his deep brown eyes filled with concern, a rush of confusion taking over you. One minute he’s angry the next he’s concerned, one minute he doesn’t care the next he’s jealous. Whatever it was it was all too much and the last thing you wanted to deal with was games.

“Hey” he spoke in a whisper trying to get your attention noticing your mind went elsewhere. Before you said a word you abruptly pushed his hand away and practically ran out the room.

Quickly wiping a tear away you could hear Joel right behind you calling out for you until he caught your arm.

“Let go of me!” You yelled snatching your arm back.

“You don’t get to do that, tell me I should’ve gotten rid of it then…then now acting like you give a shit.” He knew why you were upset with him, hell he himself didn’t know what the hell he was feeling but he also knew you didn’t know the truth. Turning away from him again you tried quickly to make your way out the door until his words stopped you in your tracks.

“I had a daughter” you couldn’t see his face but you could feel his emotion within that simple sentence.

“The night-“ he cleared his throat looking down.

“The night this began, my daughter was…my daughter was killed” you stood still with your lips parted in disbelief.

“I don’t talk about it but…it destroyed me…it changed me” he whispered, the sound in his voice breaking your heart. You turned to find him looking down fidgeting with a watch he had on, his mind taking him back to that very moment.

“Joel…” you whispered slowly walking towards him.

“I know I said things to you, it wasn’t right but I cant-“ his voice cracked as a tear fell down his cheek. Slowly you placed your soft hand on the side of his face and that’s when he truly became vulnerable. Joel began to sob in a way you had never seen, you silently cried with him caressing him gently before he looked up at you and quickly wiped away his tears. He stood up straight and looked down at your belly before looking at you straight into your eyes.

“I promise honey I won’t let anything happen to you or our baby, ever. I know I haven’t shared much but I promise you can take my word on it. I’m sorry I left-“

“Joel” you whispered taking his face in your hands. All along he had feelings for you just as you did for him, all along so many things unsaid..

“We found each other now” you whispered.

“That’s all that matters” you continued just as you felt another strong kick.

“Oh-“ you leaned forward holding your belly.

“What is it?” Joel quickly placed his hands on your arms holding you up.

“He’s just kicking a whole lot right now” you chuckled shaking your head before realizing the look in his eyes.

“What?” You asked confused.

“He” Joel whispered.

“Oh…yes. It’s a boy” for the first time in a long time Joel’s lips curved into a smile.

“Well if that’s the case, if he’s anything like me, you better get your butt into bed” the two of you laughed together looking into each others eyes before slowly leaning in and kissing him.

#pedro pascal #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller x you #joel miller angst #joel miller x female reader #joel miller x f!reader #tlou fanfiction #the last of us fanfiction

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