#so I was honest when she asked how I was feeling about the semester | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

elleloquently · 2 months

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invisible string [4] : ellie williams

part three

| college!ellie x female!reader - thank you guys so much for patiently (and excitedly) waiting for this update! school is absolutely so busy it's sickening, so it's hard to write as often as i want, but i really want to aim for at least one update per week! writing this chapter was so much fun so please let me know what you think... as always thank you for your love, requests are open, and reblogs and comments are always loved and appreciated! love ya <3 (p.s shout out to a creepy owner irl who inspired part of this fic)

| c/w - anxious reader, swearing, mention of weed, alcohol, men!

studying was very dull compared to texting a pretty girl.

ellie entered your life in a whirlwind, notes filling up your once empty walls and endless texts and pictures cluttering up your phone.

the texts came in slowly at first, maybe a few short conversations every other day, mostly complaining about how much homework the professor of your shared class was packing in before finals week hit. then entered stupid memes, random pictures... and suddenly you were staying up until 3am learning about each other, despite your 8am class.

it had only been a few days, and you knew that you were getting too attached.

it was a feeling that made your stomach sink, the realization of how much your mood improved with a simple text. you were happiest in class, sitting next to ellie, even when your hand cramped from filling out pages of study guides.

sighing, you turned your music up louder and crashed back onto your bed, cushioned by a multitude of throw pillows and blankets. you weren't getting much studying done anyway.

the song grew quiet as your phone chimed, music to your ears.

Zero progress.

attached was a photo of the study guide, the amount of completed questions matching those of your own packet.

you quickly typed out a response to ellie, short and to the point.

literally sickening

it was only a few seconds before she replied:

There goes my weekend!

you replied in agreement before forcing yourself back up to glance over your textbook. you've been lingering on the same chapter for over an hour. if you were truly honest with yourself, you probably only read about two paragraphs... you were distracted.

you hardly had time to even daydream due to how busy you were, but it's not like it mattered. you gaze lingered to the collaboration of drawings made by yourself and ellie, still sticking to the wall. your phone sounded once again, pulling you out of a sleepy daze. figuring it was ellie again, you closed your textbook in an act of resignment.

the smile that appeared once you heard the text notification slowly faded upon closer inspection.

it wasn't ellie. it was a friend, one you admittedly haven't spoken to much as of recent. you hadn't really meant to ghost her, but your schedules didn't really align much. this time of year you were so busy with assignments and work, and she was busy with... well, literally anything else.

her message consisted of only two words, call me. it was short and vague so you immediately obliged, worry taking over your senses.

she answered on the second ring, speaking before you had even opened your mouth.

"please tell me you don't have plans tonight," she urged.

you wince, already preparing an excuse. "i'm studying..." you start. it wasn't a complete lie, you really had been making an effort.

her disappointment is obvious by the way she sighs your name into the phone speaker. "i've barely seen you all semester," she argues.

you start to chip your nail polish on your free hand, holding your phone to your ear with the other one. "what's up?" you ask.

"come out with me tonight? please. you've hardly come out this semester and let's be real, once finals start there's no chance i'll be able to convince you to come out," your friend pleads. her desperation is heavy and you rub at your eyes.

you want to immediately tell her no, but you really hadn't seen her in awhile yet the other day you skipped class for a chance to hangout with someone you hardly even knew. granted, it was ellie, but still.

a pit of guilt planted itself in your stomach, forcing your next words.

"what time?"

yelping in excitment, the girl on the other end of the line gushes out all of the information to you. "i'll pick you up around eleven, okay?"

a rushed end to a quick call, with promises to text more and texting outfit options for the night.

you were nervous about the change of pace. it caused you a strange feeling of obligation, to get out of your bubble and do something different every once in awhile. during college, people were promised four years of finding their forever friends and partying, making the memories that will last their entire lifetime.

you tried to partake, but it felt forced.

with a demanding major and even more demanding coursework, it was hard to maintain friendships by finding the time to actually go out. any spare time you had was replaced with shifts at work.

you felt like you were doing college… wrong.

your music resumed, the volume increasing to drown out any anxious thoughts that would prompt you to cancel last minute.

with no new texts from ellie, you decided to give your study guide one last try.

─ ·𖥸· ── ·𖥸· ── ·𖥸· ── ·𖥸· ── ·𖥸· ── ·𖥸· ── ·𖥸· ── ·𖥸· ── ·𖥸· ─

by the time you were supposed to get picked up, you were already yawning. you had dedicated the last hour to getting ready and picking an outfit that was deemed cute enough to make you feel good but still comfortable enough that you felt secure.

though it felt like a sleepy time of year, students were nearly restless. the pressures of exams were relieved on weekends, places around the college town open all night for people to blow off steam.

it happened quickly so you didn't have a moment to reconsider or backtrack, a text of 'here!' and shoving your feet into shoes before dashing to meet your friend in the parking lot.

the car ride was a catch up session, your friend talking about her new friends but you made a quick decision not to tell her about ellie. you weren't exactly sure why, but it was almost like you wanted to keep ellie to yourself. you checked your phone mindlessly and couldn't help but feel let down when nothing new presented on your screen.

the streets were alive and busy, girls huddled together to stay warm despite the lack of coats. the outside was an indication of how busy each bar and club would be, warm with heat and bodies packed inside.

you arrived at your friend's favorite establishment, the environment a stark difference from the comfortable evening you were having in your dorm just a few short hours ago. you pressed your way through a thick crowd, hanging loosely onto the arm of your friend so you wouldn't split up.

drinks were overpriced but you ordered one anyway, something to hold onto but you knew you would probably only finish a little more than half of it if you were dedicated enough.

"i'm gonna meet up with some people, my friends and their friends," your friend explained over the music, quickly resulting in your growing concern.

you wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, you always did, but other people getting involved meant you would be inevitably ditched within the hour. the look on your face gave away your feeling and the girl standing opposite of you had a short patience.

"i wish you would've told me," you tried to reason, not wanting to look or sound pathetic.

"it doesn't matter," she shook her head. "they're nice, it'll be fun."

fun.

'fun' ended up being the act of standing awkwardly in the back because they wouldn't make enough room for you in the circle. 'fun' apparently was listening to them tell the same story over and over, yet talk over you every time you tried to speak too.

forced to be a wallflower, you stood with your back against the wall as you observed other people dancing. you could almost be content like this... the music was loud and the lighting was dark. the combination seemed like it would be an anxiety nightmare, but it was actually the opposite. you could stand there, completely unnoticed, hidden by the atmosphere.

you really could've been okay with it, until your eyes were drawn to your friend pointing at you. you stood up straight, thinking she was beckoning over, until you realized exactly what she was doing. she had been dancing with a guy that night, and that guy seemingly had a friend. she was pointing you out to the friend, pushing him to join you. he started walking in your direction and your stomach filled with dread. you didn't want to be in this situation, and you certainly didn't want to make small talk with some guy.

you tried to look busy, quickly pulling out your phone and looking anywhere else. against your silent praying, the guy stood over you.

"hey," he said, leaning too close to your ear and you ducked your head away. he smelled like alcohol and cologne that was sprayed too many times. you tried a polite smile but it came out like a wince.

"can i buy you a drink?"

you answered his question by holding up your cup, hand tightly covering the opening of the top. you had only taken a few sips of it, not able to stand the taste.

"how many?" he pressed, pointing to your cup.

"what?" your face scrunched in confusion.

"how many drinks have you had?" he clarified with a laugh that you didn't return.

"one. this is my first," you informed him flatly.

he made a face like he was pretending to be let down and your stomach turned. "only one? come on girl, you need more than that."

you outwardly groaned, rolling your eyes as you pushed yourself off of the wall. "i'm going to the bathroom. bye."

"want me to hold your drink?" he called after you, agitated and loud.

you ignored him and stepped carefully through the crowd, not wanting to stand too closely to any men or accidently bump any dancing girls. you were hyper focused on the restroom sign and the way the music pounded in your ears, muttering to yourself when you felt a hand wrap around your arm.

you immediately tensed, your blood running cold but your body feeling hot simultaneously. was this guy seriously grabbing you right now?

short tempered and fuming, you loudly spat "fuck off," as you angrily whipped around, only to be met with horrified green eyes, freckles, and auburn hair.

letting go as quickly as she had reached for you, ellie dropped her hand. "shit, sorry, i-"

you quickly cut her off, apologizing profusely.

"ellie, oh my god, i am so sorry," you stressed, heart sinking when she took a step away from you.

"sorry, i really shouldn't have done that," ellie mumbled, wincing. you nearly didn't hear her, the music was too loud.

she had on a loose flannel, unbuttoned down the middle and her converse. you were sure that her horrified expression matched your own, and you wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor.

"i'm so sorry," you repeated. "i thought you were someone else and-"

"i'm sorry, i called your name but-"

you kept talking over each other, rushing awkward apologies. ellie shifted on her feet, her cheeks red.

"sorry," you mentioned again, defeated. "there was this guy, and..."

"a guy," ellie repeated quietly, her expression unreadable.

"yeah," you pushed on, glancing over ellie's shoulder. he was watching you now, remaining where you left him. gross. "i was trying to get away from him and i didn't hear you, i had no idea, i'm so sorry ellie."

she laughed dryly as she recovered but your face still stung with embarrassment. "it's alright," ellie reassured you, turning her head to briefly spot the guy you had glanced at. "are you here with him?" she asked curiously.

you quickly shook your head, rolling your eyes to express your disgust. "no," you emphasized. "i'm here with my friend but... i don't know," you laughed bitterly, finally taking a moment to let it sink in that you had ran into ellie here.

"i don't know why i'm here," you felt the need to say.

ellie nodded with a short laugh. "tell me about it."

you raised an eyebrow but didn't press it, still feeling like you needed to collect yourself. you could stand and talk with ellie forever, but you seriously needed to regroup.

"hey, um, i'm gonna run to the bathroom," you explained.

"come find me when you're done?" ellie offered, green eyes scanning your face. she pointed to an area by the bar, showing you where you could find her.

your nerves didn't stand a chance, overpowered by the overwhelming desire to be close to her. you nodded, your smile genuine for the first time that night.

before you could return on your path to the bathroom, ellie spoke again. "do you want me to hold onto that for you?" she offered, gesturing to the drink in your hand.

"oh, yeah, thanks ellie." you passed it over and she covered the top with her hand automatically, a simple thing that made your heart swell.

"i'll be there, alright?" she guaranteed, her eyes never leaving yours. you nodded once and parted ways, quickly heading to the bathroom.

you dashed for an empty sink, running cold water over your hands as you stared at your reflection. you couldn't figure out why, but you felt weird about running into ellie here. you suddenly wondered who she was here with, or was she here alone?

pushing out a deep breath, you turned off the water and dried them with a paper towel. you felt dizzy, like you were in a state in between sleeping and being awake.

"this," you mumbled to your reflection, "this is why you don't go out."

once you had worked up the courage, you emerged from the bathroom and scanned your surroundings. the girl you came with was dancing with the guys and her friends. feeling secure in the fact that you wouldn't be missed, you went to look for ellie but you didn't have to search for long.

ellie was exactly where she had said she would be, leaning against the bar with her hand protectively covering your drink. she seemed to be keeping an eye out for you because when your eyes locked, she waved you over.

you didn't bother to try and contain your grin as you made your way over, but your confidence was short lived when a pretty girl with dark hair leaned over, talking in ellie's ear.

oh.

whatever the girl said had made ellie laugh, and you faltered in your step. of course she was here with someone. of course she had other friends, (a girlfriend?) other people that she actively talked to and hung out with. you would've been stupid for thinking otherwise, you just hadn't thought about it much.

you didn't want to interrupt, but ellie caught your eye again. she raised her eyebrows, curiously, waiting. taking a deep breath, you pressed on, slowly coming to her side.

ellie handed your cup over and you accepted, taking a drink for courage.

"welcome back," ellie mused, a small smile gracing her lips.

you glanced at the girl standing on the other side of ellie, the liquid in her cup a vibrant color. ellie followed your eyes and made a face of realization, pulling the girl into the conversation.

almost sounding sheepish, she introduced her. "this is my friend dina, and... jesse," ellie craned her neck around but 'jesse' was elsewhere. you nodded anyway, smiling in dina's direction.

"hi, it's nice to meet you," you said, genuinely, despite your heart pounding in your chest.

"likewise! i've heard so much about you," dina replied, eyes bright and smiling.

ellie's eyes widened and your eyebrows shot up, taken aback by dina's introduction. you glanced at ellie but she was already composed.

"really?" you asked, truly surprised.

dina laughed and changed the subject. "jesse complains about coming but yet it's impossible to keep an eye on him," she expresses in response. "it was so nice meeting you," dina smiles at you once more and quickly squeezes ellie's shoulder before disappearing, presumably to find 'jesse.'

you take another drink and ellie clears her throat, music filling the silence. "where's your friend?" ellie questions.

you hum thoughtfully and scan the faces of all of the dancing people until your eyes land on her group. "there," you nod in their direction, trying not to sound bitter.

"are they all your friends? do you want me to go meet them?" ellie asks, watching them for a moment before gazing at you, eyes flickering over your face.

"no," you reply quickly, flatly.

"okay then," ellie laughs, tilting her head to peer at your expression. she brushes a strand of hair out of her face and it's hard not to watch, to not be entranced by every slight movement and expression she makes.

once again, you're thankful for the lighting, or lack thereof, and for the music. for some reason it feels like less pressure, which you appreciate.

"oh god," ellie mumbles, drawing your attention. she wraps her tattooed arm around your waist, gently pulling you closer to her side. your breath hitches and you tense up, but her arm is then back by her side, the ghost of her touch electrocuting your senses. "watch out," she says, nodding to an older man making his way to the bar.

your eyebrows draw together in confusion as ellie watches the man in disgust, but you're more focused on the fact that her arm was just around you for about three seconds.

you take a slow drink, watching as the man leans down to talk to several girls crowded around the bar. it seems nearly harmless though a little odd, he's definitely the oldest person in the room as everyone else is college aged. you turn to ellie, confused, but she nudges your arm to keep watching.

he puts his arms around the girls, his hands going way too low, signaling the bartender to give them drinks with a flick of his hand.

you face ellie, eyes wide and mouth agape. she nods in disgust, but slightly amused at your expression.

"he's the owner," she explains. "he's so gross... people flirt with him because if he likes you, you're set with free drinks. he's just... gross."

"why are you here?" you question, frowning.

"dina likes to dance," ellie says simply.

"and you?"

"no," ellie laughs quickly.

"i definitely wasn't expecting to run into you here," you admit, running your finger along the rim of your plastic cup.

"yeah? i wasn't expecting you either." ellie watches you carefully, thoughtful in expression but casual in demeanor.

"excuse me ladies," a gruff voice cuts through. you snap your head up and meet the eyes of the owner, chewing your bottom lip nervously as his eyes drag across you and ellie. he contemplates ellie for a moment before setting his gaze on you, frowning.

"aren't you warm in that, sweetheart?" he slurs out, indicating to the sweater you're wearing. ellie places a gentle hand on your shoulder, making a face at the man from over your shoulder.

"i'm just fine," you remark.

he doesn't like your answer, but you didn't say anything rude so he can't lecture you. he stares at you, unmoving, and decides to give you one last chance.

"what're you drinking there?" he questions, shuffling closer to get a better look. he makes like he's expecting you to bat your eyelashes at him, and ellie tugs you backwards into her.

"let's go dance," she murmurs into your ear. your face gets hot and her hands are on your shoulders, walking behind you and guiding you away from the bar. you leave your drink on the counter, unwanted.

once you're far enough away, she gently halts you to a stop. your skin is burning from the contact and you turn to face her, trying to be lighthearted. "i thought you don't like to dance?"

the corners of her mouth turn up and you give in, absolutely folding in her presence. you leave about a foot of space in between your bodies, but loosely and awkwardly wrap your arms around her shoulders. it makes ellie nervously laugh, and she hesitates before carefully placing her hands at your waist. it's your turn to laugh now, fully aware of how ridiculous you must look. you obnoxiously sway to the side, putting your weight onto one foot and then the other, threatening to make each other fall over with the abrupt movements. it's a stark contrast to the way everyone else is moving to the music, but you're both genuinely laughing so you leave it be.

you can see your previous group in the corner of your eye and nerves wash over you again, feeling shy at ellie's playful touch. suddenly you feel guilty for harboring a secret crush on the girl, feeling as if you've crossed some sort of boundary. you steady yourself but it's hard to breathe with ellie so close, staring at your eyes and your lips and your eyes again... or did you imagine it? obviously not, but certainly you're reading into it? making something out of nothing?

ellie coughs, flustered. you both stop 'dancing,' dropping your arms and facing each other straight on.

"hey," you say, your face scrunching in confusion, "i thought you were working on the study guide tonight."

your comment makes ellie recover and she breathes out a laugh in surprise, even though you were being serious.

"i thought you were working on the study guide tonight."

you frown and ellie rolls her eyes, shaking her head at you in pretend disappointment. "work on it with me tomorrow then," she tells you, nearly surprising herself with how quickly it came out.

her voice is like honey, making it impossible to pull away from her, even mentally.

"really?" you eye her suspiciously.

she nods and shrugs, and you promise to think it over. standing this close to ellie felt dangerous to the small amount of confidence you tried to build up. she smelled almost earthy, a warm deep scent, maybe a touch of vanilla and... weed?

a hand brushed your waist but it wasn't ellie's, the body stepping into view. the guy from earlier that your friend had sent over came around to stand next to ellie, his eyelids heavy.

"what the fuck, dude?" ellie questioned sharply.

"i was watching you dance," he mused, glancing at you and then ellie. it was hardly even dancing, you were just making each other laugh, so your skin crawled with the idea of that guy watching with ill intent.

"okay, go watch someone else," ellie shot back, her tongue sharp.

you glanced around, catching sight of your friend from earlier. she was watching the interaction, as if it were encouraged, and gave you a thumbs up. you exhaled in disbelief, turning your attention back to ellie. she was staring the guy down, brows furrowed.

"you ladies wanna dance with me or what?" he was cocky, drunk, and standing way too close.

"fuck off," ellie spat, a lot like how you did earlier when you thought that he was the one who grabbed your arm.

he stood in disbelief, unmoving, so you grabbed ellie's hand and dragged her away.

"they should be banned from public places," you grumble. ellie snorts, features immediately softening as she turns to you.

"this is ridiculous. do you wanna get out of here?"

at her proposition, your heart leaps. you definitely do, but the idea terrifies you nonetheless. despite yourself, you automatically nod.

"let me go find dina and jesse, see if they're gonna leave or stick around longer. wanna come with?"

you almost say yes but shake your head instead. "i should go tell the person i came with that i'm leaving, just in case."

ellie nods in understanding. she starts to turn away but stops short, eyes boring into your own. "meet me right by the entrance, okay? i'll be quick."

it's your turn to signal your understanding now, and you head back through the crowd to find your... friend. it's pretty easy to spot her but not to gain her attention.

"hey. hey, i'm gonna go, alright?"

she whips around at you, confused. "you're leaving?"

"yeah."

"are you gonna be safe?"

despite being ignored and ambushed with a creepy guy, you smile at her concern. it's the bare minimum, really, but it's appreciated.

"yeah," you repeat. "it's... a friend from class. she's good. safe," you express.

you say your goodbyes and head straight for the doors like you agreed with ellie. you’re only waiting alone for a moment before she joins you, car keys in hand. dina and jesse aren’t following, and instantly you feel like an idiot.

“oh my god, ellie, i totally sabotaged your night.”

“what? no you didn’t,” ellie disagrees.

you push through the doors together, greeted by harsh winds. the cold evening air was shocking as it hit your face, self doubt washing over you.

"you were just trying to have a fun night with your friends and i... i'm such an idiot," you mutter.

"whoa, hey, you're alright," ellie presses softly. she stops walking to look at you, but looks as though she has to work up the courage before she continues speaking. "i'm glad you here were, alright? dina and jesse are fine."

your face is burning and she hesitates again, but the worry expressed on your face causes ellie to continue on.

"honestly i was getting ready to leave before i saw you," she admits, looking in any direction away from you.

you beg and plead with yourself not to read into it, but why did she hesitate? why would you be nervous to tell that to someone who's just a friend? are you reading too much into it, or are you friendzoning yourself?

"ellie," you breathe, and she finally brings her attention back to you. the wind howls through the night, whipping your hair across your cheeks. your heart beats quicker but ellie grows reserved, adjusting her weight on her feet.

"i'll drive you to your dorm," she tells you as she beings walking once more. you quickly follow behind, in a trance of wondering and wanting.

it felt different from before, different from sitting next to her in class and different from studying together. what was usually light hearted jokes and easy conversation was replaced by a thick cloud of nerves, a tension that conjured itself out of nowhere and you desperately wanted to crack a joke but you felt shy.

you were texting a lot lately, you had some serious late night conversations about your families, stressors, lives, anything to get to know each other but this was different. ellie seemed almost solemn now, guarded, and you were worried that you had gotten too comfortable too quickly.

you worried as you walked to the car and you worried as she drove. ellie did exactly as she said she would and you arrived safely to your building, but your feet were glued to the ground as you reached the door and you desperately wanted to selfishly stay with her, just a little longer.

"thanks for pretty much saving me tonight," you stated earnestly. "it sucked before you found me, i'm glad you did."

ellie's smile was crooked and sincere and a wave of relief washed over you. "see you tomorrow?" she asked, her eyebrows drawing up to her forehead.

"the study guide will be completed," you affirm, grinning back at the auburn haired girl.

you heave open the door to your building and ellie steps back to the car, but you call after her one final time. "text me when you're home safe," you urge her, and you can't see the smile that graces her face.

"i will," ellie promises, and she did.

after cleaning up you fall into bed, exhausted, but your mind is racing. you turn to your side, facing the wall that is decorated with two sticky notes. you lightly trace ellie's drawings with your finger, willing yourself to go to sleep so you won't be absolutely miserable with a lack of sleep by the morning.

you were seeing her again, tomorrow, and nothing else at that moment mattered.

not your endless piles of homework, or the way you were ditched tonight. not the fact that the weather was getting colder by the day and you still couldn't find your earmuffs, or that one of your finals was going to take place at 7am.

nothing else mattered... just ellie.

[ part five ]

#ellie williams x reader #ellie williams x female reader #ellie williams x you #ellie williams college au #ellie tlou x reader #ellie williams fanfic #tlou x reader

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starryhwaa · 5 months

Text

love sector - p.sh

pairing: park seonghwa x reader

genre: fluff, smut (kinda subspace, softdom! hwa, protected sex, lots of petnames bye), slight angst, tbh i think they cute or wtv. minor dni :)

wc: 5.8 k

desc: “ Are you a firefighter? Cause you came in hot and made me all wet ;)”.

a/n: i was showering after working out during lunch time and this idea popped out like for whatever reason. truly, half-based on real events lol. took me almost 8 hours to finish but i’m happy! running away from my “too many angst” ideas lmao. tagging @whatudowhennooneseesyou <3 thank you so much for reading! reblogs and likes are very much appreciated

p/s: i recommend hearing to artic monkeys - AM album or the neighbourhood - Wiped Out! album while reading just because yk.

my masterlist

The thing about you and your housemates is that whenever one does something, the others would likely follow the trend. You literally just started a new semester, and just finished moving into the rental house but now you are literally installing the popular dating app called “Sector Love” with three of your housemates. Yunjin was the one who brought it up during dinner saying she's talking to someone “decent” thanks to the app. And due to Somi and Yeji competitive nature, you are brought along to the hype. Insane, you just promised yourself to focus on your academics and that you won’t look for love and games and let them come to you naturally, but now you’re practically laughing at yourself when you are being super determined while setting your profile up. You take a good 15 minutes scrolling your gallery for a good picture.

After finally uploading a decent-not too sexy or cute-just nice picture, a question shows up on the screen.

What are you looking for? Date or Something Casual.

“Guys which one did yall click on?” You ask your friends that are all sitting at the kitchen table (still) focusing on updating their profiles, and Somi asks a question back, eyes still attached to the screen.

“You wanna be in love shit or you just want a fling aka a temporary attachment?”

You ponder and shrug. “The latter I suppose.”

She looks up and points out a reassuring look for you to go on and you click on something casual.

Of course, being single for like years makes you want to try whatever lovers do because damn, you do sometimes feel lonely and kick your blanket screaming “ME WHEN, ME WHEN!” whenever your friends' relationship stories pass your feed, but do you want to get yourself involved with a man? When you literally have academic responsibilities? Nuh oh. But for fun? Just chatting and disposing of them when it gets boring? Fun :D

Scrolling through Love Sector could be a little bit addicting you admit. An hour and half has already passed and you’re already lying on the bed with the bed light on - you sigh at the occurrence of countless profiles of men not catching your attention. Despite having many people interested in you, you just had one match and the guy was just not it. His looks are okay, but he straight ahead asked you if you wanted to get dick down by him and you just had to unmatch him cus??? No?? You don’t want to get an STD. And no, not with a literal stranger. With literal anyone, to be honest.

And at most, many profiles do make you laugh because of their cringy stupid pick up lines, but they aren’t exactly your taste. But you find yourself stop scrolling once a handsome (top tier visual) man appears on your recommendation. His long black hair, the body lines and the lips…Oh my God. If this is any other dating app, some creep would probably use his face to scam people and get into MTV catfish thingy but since this app requires face verification, you’re 100 percent sure this man is not made up in your mind or anything. He is a real man. Living near you. How have you missed this incredible creature before?

Mars, 24.

Interesting. Must be a nickname.

If you think you can entertain me, swipe right and we’ll see how it goes.

p/s: not looking for something serious rn

OH. Great. Me too.

Without putting too much hope, you swipe right and only to your surprise, the big YOU MATCHED makes you a little bit hyped up inside. He actually thought you were nice looking or maybe he just swiped right just because? You elbow your roommate, Yunjin, who's scrolling Tiktok next to you and she groans in pain. “What’s up with you?”

You grin and blink prettily. “How do I make an entertaining introduction to an insanely good looking guy?”

She gives you a confused look, putting down her phone. “Love Sector dude?”

You nod and show her his profile. She squints as she scrolls and then gasps. “Girl, he’s so hot? Like hot hot?”

“That’s why I need your help! I dont think he’s easy. He probably has like hundreds of matches.”

She gives you an unknowingly smile, wiggling her eyebrows. “Trust me on this.”

It’s crazy how a stranger makes you quiver on your bed, waiting for his reply. 20 minutes has passed and Yunjin forbids you from checking up your phone until he answers. She has already passed out, her phone still in her hold while her soft snores filling up the silence of your shared room. You don’t know what kind of text she sent him but-

The notification ding pops up.

Love Sector; 1 notification from Mars!

Fuck, fuck.

mars: i appreciate your effort looking for romantic pick up lines on google. and i understand that my visuals have those kinds of effects on you. can't help that i was born looking like this.

What? Is? He? Talking? About?

Holy shit. Yunjin did not just.

Are you a firefighter? Cause you came in hot and made me all wet ;).

You will kill her. And you will kill this guy because his narcissistic ass didn't just say that.

you: my friend wrote that. she thought it’s a good idea. sry. and yeah whatever fuels your ego lol.

mars: i understand you're embarrassed, no need to lie about it. u can just admit that i did make you aroused. no?

you: first of all. it's true that my housemate sent that :) second of all, no? euw?

you: oh by the way, is your name really mars?

mars: such personal question, babe. Well, is your name really pink then? i'd tell mine if you tell yours.

you: haha. my real name could be pink?

mars: ah, secretive but curious :D. just stick w mars for now. ok sweetheart, gotta sleep :( we can still text tmrw if you want ;)

you: haha. yeah sure. gudnite :D

That’s awkward. And those pet names? Wow, he must be the frat boys type of man then. But again, what do you expect from a man looking like that on a dating app? You're not sure if you want to continue talking to him either.

Whatever. You should also sleep. You have a 9 am class tomorrow.

It’s the first time you try eating lunch at the college cafeteria. Your housemates and you usually prefer eating outside the uni because there are way too many people. But since you have a replacement class in an hour and all of you hungry, it was decided to try the struggle of eating here just once. The space is packed; full of starving students queuing up and gossiping around while eating. You are just going back to your table with a plate in your hand when you catch a familiar face on his way to an empty table in front of yours. A tall man dressed with a black jacket and fit black jeans with his friends that are exceptionally good looking as well.

You see and hear people looking over to them. And you have a feeling that they are some sort of hotshots in the university. But…

Mars?

He goes to your uni? What?

You swear he notices you when your eyes meet him but he acts nonchalantly, taking a seat facing you and you gulp but manage to hide your reaction when Yunjin takes a seat in front of you. You sit down following her and mumble a curse.

“You okay?” She asks genuinely and you grit your teeth.

“Remember the man you sent the horrible pick up line to?”

She nods and then widens her eyes. “Don’t tell me..”

You nod with a straight face. “He’s behind you. Don't make it obvious.” You warn her but she does the complete opposite. She turns her head as obvious as she could and gasps when Mars looks at her, clearly noticing her gaze. You palm your face and see him pulling out a smirk through your fingers.

Great, now what?

You decide to play it off coolly acting like you don't know him but then your phone dings.

Love Sector; 1 notification from Mars!

Sure if you could react better, and act like you are actually receiving other notifications, he wouldn't be chuckling in front of you right now. You notice his friends looking back at you while munching their food and a whisper of "Do you know her?" near you. Yunjin tries not to laugh while observing you and you scoff, diving into your food. While eating, you try not to glance over at him, but you can feel the stare he’s giving you shamelessly throughout the whole meal. You couldn't finish your lunch and immediately stand up to wash your hands.

You should've known he is going to follow you.

"Hello pink." He greets you through the mirror while washing his hands next to you. You stay quiet and hear him laugh. "I know it's you. You don't know me? The firefighter?"

You turn off the faucet and look at him, whispering. "Shut up."

He grabs a tissue and hands it to you with a sweet smile. "So it's true then?"

You take it and shake your head. "No idea what you're talking about." And make your way to the table.

He's following behind you and as he passes your table, he stops and looks at you. "Chat with me later." And you hear his friends letting out a big “OHHHH” moving all the people's attention there towards you.

Mars is really something else.

You open the app while waiting for your second class of the day to start and you read his message earlier.

mars: hi junior :) never seen u around here b4

You roll your eyes.

you: do not embarrass me like that again :) tell ur friends that mars.

mars: ah. sorry. my bros love high teen genres.

you:???

mars: yeah anyways since we go to the same uni and i can actually see u often, the name's seonghwa. park seonghwa. and did i compliment u? u look better irl ngl.

you: thanks?? hi seonghwa. im y/n. and lets not meet each other again istg cus

mars: hm acting like u just not stealing glances at me the entire lunch haha but sure sweetheart

you: thats bcs im tryna make sure thats not u or anything

mars: why? u still embarrassed abt the whole firefighter thing? relax it can be our little secret ;)

mars: that u think im hot :)

you: stfu sincerely :)

mars: mmhhm u have a crush on me :)

you: bye seonghwa my lecturer's in gtg

mars: later bubs <3

No way in hell you're smiling right now. Why are you smiling over a man that you just met once? Take a grip of yourself. This is not you.

It's kinda unusual for you to have a "streak" of talking to a man over 7 days but 3 weeks passes and you meet Seonghwa almost 8 times randomly. And it’s really weird that before this you never even once saw him or maybe you weren’t just paying attention to literally anyone. You met him once when you just got out from the restroom and he was just about to come into the male's just near the female's. Also once when you pass him by the hallway and him patting your head with a small hi. It was kinda heart fluttering, really. You text him everyday on that app. And no you don't have each other's number nor social accounts and it's killing you inside. Because what if one day he decided to delete the Love Sector app and graduate then what? But you need to keep it this way. Because there ain’t no way youre developing a stupid crush on that man. You both are really just like Twitter mutuals or things like that.

You know more about Seonghwa now that you have been talking to him often. Like how he is already in his last semester and he takes Business Administration course. He told you he has an older brother and Mars is actually his name flipped. He also says he's struggling to keep it together with his studies (and so do you) and he would want to have a study session with you despite being in different courses and semesters. You agreed nevertheless.

And that day is going to be a week from now and your wild mind is definitely expecting some heart fluttering moments and you hate yourself for that. You're going to study at his house next Sunday morning (as in the place he rents with his friends except his friends are all going back to their real home and both of you can use the space comfortably). Yunjin swoons over the study date and warns you to buy a condom just in case an "accident" happens but results in you wrestling her telling her to stop being so dirty minded.

But now the day has come why are you shaving yourself clean and stress out on the thoughts of not looking good enough?

Yeah. So anyway, there’s no way you’re feeling like this because you like him or whatever. Haha.

Seonghwa arrives at your front door with a nice black expensive car (not that it matters because you’re not that materialistic) and you frantically scream in fangirling mode with your friends (with Somi massaging your shoulders) before calmly walking out from the door. Seonghwa leans onto his car's door and your housemates waves at you at the front door with loud "encouraging" words.

"Stay safe, honey!"

"Protection matte-"

"Shut up Yunjin!" Yeji clamps her mouth and waves with a laugh. You roll your eyes playfully and see Seonghwa chuckling while opening the door for you.

"Your friends are just as hectic as mine." He whispers near your ear and you shyly nod. He urges you softly to get in and you do so, and he waves back to your housemates that are apparently still there and make it to the driver's seat.

"Wanna get McDonalds first? Drive thru?" he asks and you cheerily nod.

"Fuck yeah. I want mcflurry." You tell him and he smiles adoringly.

"Anything my girl wants."

That shouldn't have that kind of hold on you but it just did. My girl?? Say what?? My girl?? He's crazy. He knows what he’s doing.

When you step into the house he's staying at, you are in awe when you observe the clean space. Everything is neat, not a single dust on the ceiling, and no sticky liquid on the floor. You always have this stereotype that men's places are nasty (like tissues in random spaces) but this experience convinces you otherwise.

He notices your amazed eyes and he wanders around following your eyes. "Have I ever told you I'm kinda a neat freak? Not to the terrible extent but I like my place clean."

You shake your head and look at him with your mouth still open. Can Park Seonghwa be any more perfect?

He chuckles upon seeing you and pats your head. "Why? Are you fascinated that I'm literally a perfect man?"

"Yeah…wait what?"

He laughs and pulls you to his bedroom. If the living room and kitchen made you astonished, his solo bedroom practically begs you to live there. You could say that it’s bigger, better, and cleaner than you and Yunjin’s room. He proudly shows off his private space and you clap your hands in respect.

Now that you and him are on the floor with two mini desks (that he ordered online just for this session), your throat suddenly itches on asking him the most random questions. He’s about to turn on his ipad when you ask him if he ever brought any girl into his room.

"If I had, what would you say?"

You shrug. "I don’t know. Good for you? Or I could never?"

His expression is amused, sitting down with his palm supporting his weight behind him. "You're never serious aren't you?"

"I am? But really, have you?"

"I respect my housemates as much as they respect me. We don't bring girls over despite having our own rooms. Well, except when no one's around. Like now."

You let out a small oh, red tints creep up on your cheek with the confession. "So I'm the first for you?"

He nods. “I’m picky with who I want to let in here.”

You blush again. “But then, do you sleep around at a hotel or sumn-”

"Love,” He pauses you. “All these questions make me wonder if you feel jealous of the thought of me with someone else. You glitch at the statement and apologise. “Um sorry, ok let’s study now.”

He brushes your sentence off and crawls closer to you. "Do you?" Now that your face is only an inch closer from him, you can’t produce a word. "We have to study."

"No, I want you to answer me." he leans in near your ear, his gaze deep at you and you feel hot. Like so so hot.

"Do you want to kiss me?"You say your subconscious thoughts out loud and he smirks.

"Do you want to kiss me?" he inquires back, stressing on the word YOU. For a moment, you are calculating the probabilities and the consequences if you actually kiss him.

what if he doesn't kiss back

what if i'm a bad kisser

what if it leads to something more and he doesn't have a condom

i’m still young to be a mother

Okay fair. You want to because you actually anticipate this. So you nod.

"Good.” He blinks. “Cause if anything I need your permission first." And he leans it to capture his lips with you. You can feel your heart threatening to jump off your chest when he moves his lips slowly and you attentively kiss him back. When the kiss gets more intense, he pulls away and caresses your cheek. “Can we do it more? Do you want to?

“Yeah.” You reply breathlessly and push him to straddle his lap. He gladly accepts you - squeezing your waist, eager to feel you on his lips again. Both of you continue making out for a few minutes and he stops you again and you give him a confused look. “As much as I want to fuck you, baby…” He pecks your forehead. “I’m not fucking you on the floor. Let’s get on the bed.”

You giggle and remember both of you were supposed to “study” . You get off from him and sit on the bed, taking off your sweater of your own accord - revealing the bra that you chose with him in mind. He seems flustered by the bold movement, but then a playful smirk pastes on his lips. “So wanna admit it?”

You quirk your eyebrow, utterly confused. “What?”

“That I’m a firefighter and I make you all wet.” He teases you and you roll your eyes. He’s still standing while you’re sitting on the edge of the bed, and now that he’s looking at you from above, you somehow feel like you’re a prey and he’s the predator, except that - yeah, you initiated to be the meal. You initiated to get eaten voluntarily.

He tucks your chin using his point finger and bends down to lick your lower lips. “How would you like to be treated, princess?”

“How many pet names do you have in store?” You ask not wanting to show how affected you are by the question.

He tskes knowing you change the question in purpose and his hand palms your breast. “Wanna find out and tell me what suits you the most?’

You nod impatiently and his fingers make his way up near your mouth. “Open up.” You comply, slowly opening your mouth and he shakes his head. “Wider, baby.”

Is it wrong that you are already clenching at this itself? You swear you can feel a warm rush gushing down your core as you open your mouth wider as to his request. He gently shoves his two fingers inside your mouth, and your wet muscle sucking them in which he groans to the sight of you. He pulls them away, and asks you the same question. “How would you like to be treated, princess?”

You swallow. “Good. Want to be treated good.”

“You want me to take control? Or do you want to do the honour?”

See, you are not that submissive you thought before. But oh boy, did Park Seonghwa prove you wrong because you want to be fully wrecked by him now.

“Want you to do that.”

He nods approvingly, tucking your hair to the back. “Listen to me well. And I take care of you okay? Take this off.” He instructs, motioning his eyes to his jeans. You tug on his belt and slowly work on the garment. While doing so, he pulls his shirt off, and your sight is now exposed to his toned and well-crafted body. You are nervous yet thrilled to this new side of him. Although him flirting with you is nothing new, having him ordering you around like this is making you insane. You manage to free him from his confines, his cock already hard rock on your palm and he hisses when you stroke it.

“Do this another time, love. I wanna taste you first.” He says, and pushes you so you lie on the bed that smells too much like the famous comforter brand. And it suits him. How do you explain it? Yes, soft yet so sensual. He hovers you and trails kisses from your jaw down to your upper breast, you let out sounds that you never knew you are capable of producing, your hands roaming around his back and he expertly unclasps your baby pink bra - throwing it somewhere on the floor.

“God…” You moan when his tongue flicks your right nipple, sucking and nibbling on it and your legs close in response - your core aches to feel him. He looks at you with a proud grin, fingers tracing your lips. His other hand pushing your legs open again while he properly kneels in the middle of them.

“You like that, honeypie?” He asks and you nod eagerly, making him chuckle. “Cute”.

You just whine at the compliment, his member teasingly poking at your sweatpants, and your impatient self tries to take it off when he stops you.

He eyes down your lower half. “You’re all wet for me inside there angel issit?”

“Please take them off and just fuck me,,,please.”

He clicks his tongue in disapproval. “I thought you wanted to follow my words?” But his hands already make their way inside your panties. He runs a finger through your slick folds and hums agreeingly.

“Seong-”

“Okay baby I got you.”

He finally takes all of your lower garments off, sensually kissing near your inner thighs to rile you up. You can't help but to tug at his hair and he immediately laps on your clit with so much passion you feel like you're floating in an unknown space and his name comes out from your mouth like a chant repatedly, and when you come on his mouth, you completely lose it.

“Sweetheart, you're here with me?” You hear him and you dazedly nod. He pecks your lips again, rubbing soothing circles on your shoulder.

“Can you still take my cock? Do you need a minute?” He asks gently, and you shake your head.

You pull his arm to kiss him again and then let out words that make him groan out loud. “Wanna feel you deep inside me like I’m made just for you.”

He cusses under his breath and rambles through his bedside drawer, pulling out a condom.

When he finally enters you, you think that you’re dreaming because:

One word, it feels like you’re high and on weed. But you’re not even drunk but why does it feel so fucking good?

The pace is relentless, and his eyes never leave yours. Whenever your attention is spacing out other than on him, he would hold your cheek back to the center and keep telling you. “Eyes on me, angel.” “Look at me.” “Focus on us.”

And now you don't even realise when he brings you to the bathtub, but as the cold water washes over you, you pull yourself back to reality and see him getting into the tub with you. He sits behind you, pulling your back on his chest as your head leans on the side of his shoulder.

“Hey.” He greets you with a soft spoken manner and you giggle and reply hey back.

The bath is quiet, just him fiddling with your fingers and helping you to shampoo your hair.

And yeah. You know you're in big trouble because you know you’re falling in love. He just had to be good in aftercare too. And for what literally?

“Bitch, you’re head over heels in love with that man.” Yeji hits your shoulder playfully while you’re chatting with Seonghwa.

Seonghwa just sent you back home because his housemate, Hongjoong texted him that he’s back sooner than expected and he (finally) gets your number immediately texted you, “I’ll call you tonight”.

You give her a look. “Am I in love or was the sex just good?’

Yeji, Somi and Yunjin all gasp synchronizing after that sentence. “You what?”

Maybe telling your housemates that wasn't a perfect idea. But you swear you didn't go into detail about how he is the dom, and you’re the sub (kinda) and you wouldn't want to share the intimacy that far. Not even on your deathbed.

The thing is, you don’t want to have high hopes on anything. And you’re not even sure if this is really the definition of loving someone because you hate commitments. Commitment to men, mostly. But the thought of all of this might be a one time thing actually scares you. And you want him to think about you as much as you do.

He, thankfully, calls you that night. And let’s just say you and him get more and more attached to each other that few days after the study session, he sends you a message for you to meet him at a back stair at the faculty only for you to makeout with him on the wall for like, 10 minutes. And 2 days after that, he fucks you at the library toilet for his 15 minutes class break. It feels wrong yet so right at the same time.

And then, things just get more domestic when he frequently accompanies you to buy groceries and you sometimes come over to his house when his members are not around to read books together. (note: novels and not academic journals)

However, relationship status: still unknown

He has a final exam in two months. He has less time to attend to you and informs you that, and you also have more assignments to focus on now that it’s getting nearer to the final weeks.

Daily texts turn into 4 a week and then 2 until he doesn't reply anymore. And you don't have any courage to start a conversation, not when you know this degree matters to him. And his future. So while you're expecting to receive his texts again, you busy yourself with your studies. It should not hurt you. But why is it that when you pass him by the hallway while going to the lecture hall, he diverts his gaze as if he does not see you?

And why are you crying in the middle of the night when the final exam is going to start in 3 days? Well, your housemates ditch you to grab something to eat apparently and you just wake up from a nap at 7.30 pm feeling clueless as fuck.

It's not about getting ditched, you know that. Probably yeah. But not by your beloved friend, but by that man you knew through a dating app. Now that you're stressing over academics, you're also stressing about how you need him to be your emotional support while taking the exam but who are you kidding he is in his final year it is more crucial to him.

Someone clicks on the bell. They're home already?

Seonghwa waits outside the gate while you walk towards him and you suddenly cry harder when you realise that it's really him with freaking Mcflurry on his hands!!!

You unlock the gate and hug him and he groans in pain with the tight hold and mutters "Hey, relax, calm down." And you weep louder and loosens the hug and he fixes his posture and throws his hands to hug you back.

"Princess, I know I'm evil and you miss me. But your neighbors are staring from their window."

"Huh?" You pull away and look at your neighbor's window, noticing two heads closing the curtain as they've been caught.

You let him into the house and he puts the Mcflurry on the coffee table, before properly hugging you again. "Don't cry, angel". He soothes you, hands patting your back.

"Motherfuc-"

He pecks your lips to stop you from cursing. "I have to explain something. Okay?"

You weakly bob your head and ask him to sit down. He takes one ice cream and hands it to you, and he takes another one and grabs a bite. You just look at him with a pout and he smiles. "Eat baby, you love it, right?"

You take a bite then and he starts explaining.

"If you remember, I wrote about not wanting to be in a relationship on Love Sector, right?"

You ponder and remember. "Yea."

"As stupid as it sounds, I wrote that because I wanted to focus on my studies. Love ruined my academic performance once. And it was real bad, y/n. But I wanted to know you, to pull pranks on you, to kiss you more than anything-"

He looks at you and takes one scoop of your Mcflurry and feeds you. You let him, though you want to insanely kiss him too.

Seonghwa sighs. "I lost focus because I fell in love with you. I lost track of time when I'm chatting with you, I became a sucker for you. And the lecturers noticed it, so they advised me to put you off for a while. Until I finish this exam."

Your pout grows bigger and you start to sniffle. "You should then. Why are you losing focus on such trivial things-"

He feeds you another scoop to shut you up. "Who says you're trivial? You're significant to me. I think I laugh the most when I'm with you."

You wipe the smudged ice cream on the corner of your upper lips with an angry but cute frown. "Finish your exam first and we can talk about us later. I will focus too. Let's succeed together."

"I sent your housemates off. I gave them a 70 percent discount coupon on Burger King so I can talk to you." He says right after and you exclaim. "What?"

"They won't be back until 11. Look, okay cool I'm fine with finishing exam first then getting back to know you and anything, but I-"

"Seonghwa, just say you're horny and go." You hit his chest playfully with a laugh.

He feigns innocence and waves his hands in defense. "No, I swear I just wanted to kiss you and say sorry that’s all."

You mimic his words while still giggling then put your and his ice cream on the table. "11 is like 3 hours more. Spend it wisely." You whisper to him with a seductive tone at the end of the sentence.

"Holy fuck."

You're straddling his lap, and grind against him as you latch your lips on his. Destressing before finals ain't a bad thing, right?

He lets out a moan when you sit exactly on his dick, and he lolls his head to the back when you kiss his neck with the intention of leaving hickeys on it.

"Baby, I have exams. Can't cover them up."

You smirk and reply. "People should know you are getting laid."

He groans at that, and traces his hands under your shirt, crawling to grasp your boobs. You tie your hair then, making it into a ponytail and he just dreamily stares at you. "You're unreal. And no bra?"

You pull off his shirt and smile. "Thank you and - I’m literally at home. Gotta let them breathe." He chuckles but soon holds his breath as you kiss down his abdomen, kneeling on the floor - playing along the hem of his pants, kissing his bulge outside the fabric. He breathes deeply at the gesture. “I knew it, you're such a dirty girl.”

You raise an eyebrow with a smug look and pull his pants down, hastily sucking him off. His chest heaves, his throat visibly exposing that you’re making him feel good. He pushes you head away slowly when he feels his abdomen tightens, mumbling something like “I need to cum in you, like so fucking bad.”

You observe as he bends down to grab his wallet in his pants on his foot. He pulls out a condom and winks. You laugh and hit his thighs. “I knew it! You came here for pussy.”

“No no. I brought that just in case-” He halts his excuses when you take the condom away from him, helping to roll on him instead. He hisses at the contact and confesses. “You’re gonna be the death of me literally.”

You shake your head with a loving smile. “Your finals are.” And sit down on him. Both of you moan with the feeling, and you kneel again to sit back down and you can feel him so deep in you. You bounce on top of him with all you got, and he just moonily gawks at you with so much love and adoration. Sometimes, you grind back and forth to feel the friction deliciously rub over your clit and you moan on his neck and him just whispering, “You’re so good for me.” “Yeah, just like that, angel.”

Both of you came almost at the same time, and when you pull away from him, he stops you and kisses you. He kisses you so intensely you feel an ache in your heart, love blooming inside your chest and the feeling of how lucky you are to get him.

“Be my girlfriend.” He asks, nose touching yours, eyes watching you.

You shake your head and he pouts. “Finish your final first. Date me then.”

He nods determinedly. “Watch me get 4.0, baby.”

“AAAAAAA” You shriek as you run towards Seonghwa when he steps outside the exam hall. He immediately catches you in his arm letting your legs drape over his torso, not minding people’s eyes on both of you.

You cup his cheeks and kiss him. “Congrats on finishing your finals, boyfriend.”

His eyes widen at the word and yahoo loudly as he hugs you tighter making his friends cheer.

-starryhwaa, november 2022.

a/n: is everyone well? stay healthy and eat ur meals. love ya. if ure new here, i recommend u go read my wooyoung quit fic and san what kind of future fic. hehe

#park seonghwa #seonghwa smut #ateez smut #ateez oneshot #ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines #seonghwa #ateez hard hours #seonghwa angst #seonghwa fluff #san smut #wooyoung smut

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averagewriter-inthedark · 3 months

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Rooster’s Ballerina 🩰 | Bradley ‘Rooster’ Bradshaw Headcanon

Link to my TGM Masterlist

Rooster dating a professional ballerina would look like:

Majoring in dance at UVA, you met Rooster when he and some of his buddies decided to attend the university’s annual ballet rendition of “The Nutcracker,” their senior year because his friend was dating a dance student. You played the Sugar Plum Fairy & to be honest, Rooster was close to falling asleep until it his eyes landed on you, captivating the future pilot during your solo. Rooster could not keep his eyes off of you, leaning toward is friend to ask, “who’s she?” His friend replied, “oh that’s, Y/n L/n. She’s a junior I believe—and word on the street is the New York City Ballet Company has their eyes on her for when she graduates.” Rooster didn’t have to be a dancer to know that was a big deal, just the way his friend said it was enough to figure out the company was the best of the best. Kinda like how Top Gun was the best of the best for fighter pilots.

Your talent for the art of ballet was evident right from the moment you stepped foot in a ballet studio. So much so that your parents homeschooled you up until high school so you could dedicate all your time and energy into ballet. At one point you got the chance to audition for Juliard, but an injury to your ankle resulted in you having to miss out. Thankfully UVA had sent a scout to your hometown after your instructor emailed a bunch of universities to come see you perform when you were healed, and they offered you a full ride under their program.

After the show ended, Rooster couldn’t get you out of his mind. Even when he left to his apartment and throughout winter break, he often thought of you and the way you glided across the stage. The sparkles of your outfit shined against the light, pulling in everyone’s attention. Smile bright and eyes glowing, you were like a siren luring him in, moving so effortlessly Rooster never wanted you to stop. He could watch you dance forever.

Spring semester came around and Rooster couldn’t believe his luck when you were standing behind him in the Starbucks early one morning. Feeling bold, he whispered to the cashier, “this is to cover the lady behind me,” handing over an extra $10 bill on top of the payment for his order. The cashier gave a knowing look, Bradley moving to the side to wait for his coffee and trying (but failing) to not watch your reaction. A smirk had already made its way onto his face when you strolled up, “i don’t know if I should feel flattered or offended that you payed for my drink, Mr…..” “Bradley Bradshaw.” “Well, Bradley, care to explain why over our cups of coffee?”

Basically Rooster came clean to you saying he was the friend of your classmates boyfriend and saw you perform at the winter recital. “I’m sorry if you find it weird, but when I recognized you in line….I felt drawn to you. I just would love to get to know you better if you’d let me.” Needless to say that unintentional coffee date was the beginning of your love story with Bradley. You two were inseparable after that, falling in love each day and knowing you two were each other’s soulmate.

You attended his graduation and commission ceremonies and Bradley went to every recital/show you were in. Sometimes he’d pick you up from practice and would just watch you with absolute awe, other times he’d ask to lift you just for the hell of it. Always bringing you snacks, Bradley would scold you if you missed a meal because you were in a hurry or had a busy day and forgot. “Babydoll you gotta be fed before you train otherwise you’ll be tired quicker and feeling like crap.” You weren’t on a diet or anything so sometimes he’d bring you fast food or pick up a sandwich/salad at a grocery store just so you has some food in you.

Bradley was so supportive of you, and you were of him. A difficult time in your relationship was having to be long distance for about three years after you graduated. Bradley was finished with flight school, now an active duty naval fighter pilot which had him bouncing between bases whenever an assignment came up. You were recruited to the New York City Ballet Company, a dream of yours since beginning ballet, and was not going to pass up the opportunity of a lifetime. That meant you would be living in New York, while Bradley could end up who knows where. Thankfully his first duty station was on the east coast so he got to visit you a lot. And Rooster never missed a show—especially when you were the lead role. He was your biggest fan, giving you a standing ovation when no else would. “You were incredible, babydoll. The best ballerina out there—I’m so proud of you.”

Rooster is the type of guy who would have your picture on his desk/nightstand. The one at work is you during your performance of Swan Lake, which he loves to brag about when coworkers point it out. “Oh that’s my ballerina. She’s amazing—the best in the country.” On his nightstand is a black and white photo of you during practice up on arabesque, smiling at the camera. It’s one of his favorites and also keeps it as his screensaver.

After doing some time with the NYC Ballet Company, you wanted to be closer to Rooster, satisfied you lived your dream of dancing with the best dance company in the country, and had the honor of being the lead in Swan Lake & Gisele, while also being the Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker. There were plenty of other dance companies in the country, plus you always dreamed of opening your own dance studio—but that would come once Rooster retires and you two found a place to settle.

So, after you left the NYC Ballet Company you and Rooster got married after 5 years of dating and you followed him wherever he went. When he went to San Diego for Top Gun, you found a studio where the owner allowed you to practice free of charge if you helped teach the students. Of course you agreed and it just reaffirmed your dream of opening your own studio. The kids were so amazing and you loved sharing the art of ballet with them. Many asked for you to tell stories of your time in New York & asked you to dance for them after their lessons concluded. “What’s your favorite ballet, Miss. Y/n?” “Oh that is difficult to answer. I love all of them, but my absolute favorite of all time is Swan Lake.”

After several years of traveling with Rooster, he could tell you were longing to be part of a company again. So when the orders came he was assigned to the Strike Fighter Squadron 87 at NAS Oceana, he looked to the skies and thanked whoever above because it meant you could go back to New York & he would be in Virginia again. You nearly cried when he told you, especially when he encouraged to audition again, “really? You’re sure you wont mind? I know we talked about—.” “Baby, you’ve spent your whole life wanting to dance for them—you left once to support me, now i’m going to support you. We survived doing three years of it, we can do it again and I will be at every show cheering you on.”

Rooster kept his promise. You couldn’t believe the company accepted you back again, especially after so many years had passed and you weren’t 22-24 anymore. You were now pushing early thirties—but still danced like you did in college. A lot of the younger girls and guys looked up to you, asking for advice or a second opinion on where improvement was needed. Every Friday night Rooster was leaving Virginia for New York & would stay the entire weekend. You two would always explore, go on dates, and Rooster would even sit in on your afternoon practice—-which the younger girls would get flustered much to your amusement. “Your husband is very handsome, Y/n.” “I love how he’s so supportive of you. I wish my boyfriend was like that.” “Honey, if your man isn’t supportive of you and your career, then you deserve better.”

When Rooster was selected for the 2019 Top Gun special detachment, it had only been two years since you returned to NYC. Rooster encouraged you to stay, not wanting you to leave again after you’d been selected as the Sugar Plum Fairy once again for the upcoming performance of ‘The Nutcracker’. “It’s three weeks, Y/n. Before you know it I’ll be back. They wouldn’t have called me if they didn’t think I could get the job done.” “If they’re not telling you the details right now then it’s gotta be serious, Bradley. What if—what if I never you see you again. You’re my husband dammit—I’m not gonna sit here, on the other end of the country, worried out of my mind.”

In the end he won the argument, but on the condition he kept you updated with the details of the mission. FaceTimes were every night, with Rooster telling you on day one of training that Maverick was the instructor. You’d never met the man, meeting Bradley after their falling out, but had knowledge of all their history. When he told you Phoenix was there you had a sense of relief. Natasha was someone you could trust and would tell you if Rooster was hiding something. Worry filled you at the mention of Hangman being a candidate, well aware the pilot was a ‘every man for himself.’ You never formally met him, but the stories were enough for you to not trust him to have your husbands back.

Speaking of worry, you were worried to the point of throwing up when Rooster told you he was selected for the mission after confessing it was so high-risk, the higher up’s saw it as a suicide mission. Tears were shed over the phone, Rooster promising to come back to you. “I promise, baby, im gonna come home to you. I have to so I can watch you dance—I promised you all those years ago i would never miss a show.”

When he did return home, you nearly slapped him after he told you what he did. Disobeying orders to save Maverick and getting shot down. You were furious with him. “Were you out of your mind?! You could’ve fucking died, Bradley!!! What the hell were you thinking?!” “Mav told me not to think……”

A month later it was Christmas in New York. The night of the show you were backstage in your robe with hair and makeup done when the stage assistant said, “Mrs. Bradshaw, there’s some people here for you.” Following them out, your jaw dropped at the sight of the group standing in the backstage lounge. Rooster, Maverick and a group of gentleman—including Hangman—were dressed in their Dress Blues, each holding a red rose, and Phoenix wearing a gorgeous red gown. “Oh my gosh, what is this?!” You went to Rooster’s embrace, the man kissing your cheek to not mess up your lipstick. Taking the rose, you then greeted Nat—who also had a rose.

After the mission was a success, Rooster let it skip he was married when he said, “although I survived, I feel my wife is gonna kill me when I tell her what I did.” Immediately everyone—including Mav—was like, “Hold up, you got a wife?!” That then had an hour long monologue from Rooster basically telling y’all’s love story….and making it well known you were one of the best ballerinas in the country. “Damn, Bradshaw,” some said when he showed the program of the show you headlines. “Can I have some of that game you have?” The second he mentioned you had a performance coming up the squad was like, “looks like we’re going on a road-trip to see a ballet show.”

Introducing you to the squad, Bob, Fanboy, Hangman, Coyote, and Payback each shook your hand and presented the rose. You pretty much had a bouquet at that point with all of them together. “So nice to meet the lady who captured Bradshaw’s heart,” Hangman smiled, surprising you with how genuine he was. When you looked at Bradley, his nod signified he was cool with the pilot, so you welcomed Hangman with an open mind. Mav was really excited to meet you, shaking your hand while saying, “it’s an absolute pleasure to meet you, Y/n—.” You surprised the captain by pulling him into a hug, “thank you. Thank you for saving him.”

After some small talk and wishing you luck, you were called to dress and the audience was to take their seats. Rooster gave you a soft kiss, whispering, “you’re going to do amazing, baby. Good luck and dance your heart out.” Thanking him, you kissed him again and waved goodbye as the stage assistant ushered them to their seats.

Rooster wasn’t kidding when he told the squad you were one of best ballerinas in the country. You lived up to the reputation he had given you. Dancing to the music, the light bouncing off the sparkles of your outfit, they were captivated by you, just like Rooster was the first time he saw you dance. “Wow,” they all murmured during your solo. Hangman leaned into Coyote to whisper, “well there’s one thing for sure, if they have babies, they’re gonna be talented in whatever they do.”

It was deja vu for Rooster, coming full circle because once again he watched you as the Sugar Plum Fairy—only this time you were his wife and soulmate, not just the girl he admired and only knew by name. You were his ballerina.

……………..

TGM Tag list: @avaleineandafryingpan, @caitsymichelle13, @poppyalice2001

#bradley bradshaw headcanon #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw #lt bradley rooster bradshaw #top gun maverick headcanon #top gun maverick imagine #top gun maverick fanfiction #top gun maverick #dancer!reader #fluff #ballerina!reader #rooster headcanon #rooster imagine #rooster x reader

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liliansun · 4 months

Text

NEVER LET ME GO | LDH

pairing | lee haechan x fem reader

synopsis | it’s pretty much a given when it comes to friends of a long time that one will fall for the other, so you’re not surprised by how long you’ve kept it to yourself. unbeknownst to you, you’re not the only one holding things back and once the truth is out there’s no going back.

genre | university au, childhood/best friends -> lovers, fluff, angst

warnings | swearing, haechan is kinda rude, mentions of sex (non-detailed, just briefly brushed over), winter calls jaemin an idiot (playfully)

featuring | nct dream, heeseung from enha, chaewon from lesserafim, winter from aespa, ryujin from itzy

wc | 6.2k

a/n | shoutout to ash for beta-reading this for me and screaming in pms as she did so 🥺❤️ @ethereal-engene

I. WHEN WE WERE YOUNG

Ever since you were a kid, you always looked forward to growing up. Even if it was just a couple years older than the age you were at, you were constantly thinking about what milestone you would accomplish in the following years. You wouldn’t say this all changed when you met Haechan at the ripe age of 9, but he definitely did hinder your outlook on growing up. Haechan was the type of kid to live in the moment, never once taking the day for granted which truly made the phrase ‘opposites attract’ led you two into an unbreakable friendship from that point on.

As you two sit on the set of swings at a park near your neighborhood, you ponder on what will happen to the two of you as you enter high school in the upcoming semester. “You’ve got your thinking face on.” His voice snaps you out of your thoughts, feeling more relaxed under his tender gaze. “What’s going on in that big brain of yours?” He adds on, playfully flicking your forehead. You wince, rubbing it with a slight pout. “I’m just thinking of what’s gonna be of you and I when we get to high school.” You never could hide from Haechan, always being an open book when it came to talking to him. When you look up from the ground, you can see his eyes soften at your worries.

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen when we get to high school, but I can promise you that I’m always gonna be by your side.” You knew he was sincere, his words putting your heart at some ease. Unexpectedly, he raises his hand and holds out his pinky, something he’s always done when he makes a promise and keeps it. Smiling, you brought your hand up and interlocked your pinky with his. “Me too hyuck.” You said softly, giving his finger a gentle squeeze.

If someone passed by and saw the two of you, they would’ve assumed you’d been in love and are on your way to a relationship. They wouldn’t entirely be wrong at first glance, because you were on your way to being completely head over heels for your best friend and no one could’ve prepared you for it. When you look back to that pivotal moment in your friendship, you’d say that was the first time you finally got a taste of what loving someone could feel like and if you’re honest, you never wanted it to change.

Not much has changed over the years between you two, you’re still pretty much still stuck to the hip and spend a lot of both down and social time together. Even now that you’re both juniors in college, the two of you have found ways around your schedules for one another. While you sit on his bed, going over some notes for an upcoming test, Haechan lets out a loud sigh while slumping his head toward you. Most people would be concerned, quick to ask what was wrong and offer any help, but you knew him all too well to know this was one of his desperate attempts to get your attention. With another loud sigh, you ignore him as you turn the page in your notebook.

“Are you really ignoring me in such times?” He asks, grabbing his shirt as if he was shocked. You smile to yourself, looking up to meet his eyes and straighten your expression. “Have you ever considered that maybe I actually enjoy silence?” Haechan scoffs, turning more toward you as he sits in the chair at his desk beside the bed. “But I’m hungry, let’s go get something to eat.” You can’t deny how incredibly cute he is when he pouts, but that’s something you’d never say out loud. “I just got here 20 minutes ago and now you’re hungry?” As he pulls your notebook from your grasp, he carefully sets it on his desktop. “What if I pay?” Rolling your eyes, you let out a singular huff as you get off his bed.

Haechan takes this as a win, jumping out of his chair with his wallet in hand. “I’m picking dinner tonight.” You tell him, slipping your shoes on. He nods, grabbing his coat and shoes. “Okay, but nothing crazy expensive, I’m using Renjun’s card.” As the two of you leave his dorm, you decide somewhere on campus would settle for the two of you. “Why are you using Renjun’s card again?” You said, watching as he shoved his hands in the front pockets of his coat. “We made a bet and he lost, but I’d feel kinda bad if I blew his bank account.” You nod, continuing to walk beside him as he greets people that pass.

You’re not bothered that almost everyone on campus knows Haechan, I mean he was pretty well liked. He got along with almost anyone due to his outgoing personality and sunshine-like essence. He was essentially a charming guy who knew his way with words and it definitely worked on the girls who spared him a glance. Now that definitely bothered you, but who were you to be jealous of pretty girls wooing over your best friend? Instances like now really reminded you that you’re just the friend that’s been by his side for so many years and that the girls who call him late at night get to experience what you could only imagine, if you were imagining it.

You had continued walking when Haechan suddenly stopped to talk to what you suppose was one of his flings. She had caught his attention by calling him over and in typical male fashion, he followed the pretty girl with the pretty face. You would’ve waited for him, but who knows how long that would’ve taken if he even would’ve made it back. You entered the dining hall alone, looking straight ahead at the selection of food they have out. “What’s a girl like you doing out alone?” A familiar voice appeared behind you, bringing a small smile to your lips. You grabbed a tray and started to get items to accompany your main dish.

“Oh you know, I’m just enjoying the silence before a hurricane comes through.” You said, watching out of your peripheral view as Jeno cracked a similar smile. “Oh yeah? Where’s he at anyway?” He said, grabbing something for himself as he followed behind you. “Talking to some girl by the lab hall.” You stated, going down to pay for your food. “Figures, I bet he was the one who opted for food too.” He says, paying behind you as you wait for him. You give him a nod, following beside him as you two walk to the table where the rest of your friends were sitting.

“Well well well, look who’s finally alone.” Jaemin announced upon your arrival. “She’s not alone if she’s with Jeno, Nana.” Winter said matter-of-factly. “Lover boy is shooting his shot outside and left this gem by herself.” Jeno sat beside you, clicking his tongue as he talked. “Yeah well, one man’s loss is another man’s treasure and I’d like to be that woman.” Ryujin said, playfully winking at you. You laugh, rolling your eyes as you’re about to dig in. Just when you bring the food to your lips, Haechan brings his hands down to your shoulders with enough force to startle you.

“Why’d you get food without me, I said I was gonna pay!” He says, whining as he looks at your plate. You turn your head, staring at his almost guilty expression. “Hyuck, you were off doing your thing so I came to get food.” He sits on the opposite side of you with a frown, picking some food he knew you only got for him off your tray. “Since some of us are here can we talk about the back to school party this weekend?” Winter announced. Jaemin whipped his head toward her slowly, squinting his eyes. “You do know it’s been a month since school started right?” His lack of ability to pick up the slight sarcastic meaning by the party title earned him a punch to the shoulder by Winter. “Yes you idiot, god why do you even talk.”

Jaemin winces as he rubs his shoulder, mouthing to you with a smile that Winter was apparently in love with him. You giggle, continuing your meal till it was nearly done. When you finally notice that Haechan took the cake you had, you frown. You could’ve easily gotten another one, but the one you had was one of the last few on display. Jeno noticed your sudden sadness and put his cake onto your tray. You flash him a smile, mentally thanking him. The rest of the table watches the exchange happen and even more so how Haechan’s expression changes while watching. As you look up confused as to why everyone was eyeing the three of you, you then turn your head to Haechan who was giving Jeno a hard stare.

Putting your hand on his shoulder, he seems to visibly soften at your touch while shifting his gaze onto you instead. “Okay, now that whatever that was is over, I’m gonna go.” Ryujin says as she gets up from the table. You give her a questioned look as she signals for you to follow her. Winter does the same, stealing your cake off your tray. “My cake!” You say, quickly walking around the table to get your dessert. “Sorry hyuck, I’m stealing your girl!” She says as she and Ryujin giggle while leaving the dining hall. You have to jog to catch up to them, finally getting the cake from Winter. “So are we gonna just ignore that or what?”

“Ignore what?” Ryujin scoffs as Winter looks at you in shock. “C’mon y/n, you can’t tell me that boy isn’t head over heels for you.” You don’t comment, staring down at your cake while following along the girls. “Jeno was just being sweet, don’t read too much into it.” “No girl, not Jeno, Haechan!” Winter says, smiling at you widely. “Even I saw those heart eyes throwing fireballs at Jeno when he gave you his food, man was saying ‘don’t touch my girl’.” You shrug, trying to shake off the sickly sweet feeling you have in your stomach. As much as you’d want Haechan to reciprocate your feelings, you don’t ever see it happening.

“He’s not like that, we’re just friends.” Judging by the way the two of them look at you, you know they don’t buy it. If you’re honest, you don’t either, but purely from a one-sided point of view. Only in your dreams will you ever be more to Haechan and throughout the years you’ve learned to accept that. “Whatever you say girl.” Winter says, interlocking her arm with yours. “Speaking of, when was the last time Haechan ever got jealous, do you know?” Ryujin asks, slinging one arm around your shoulder. You smile to yourself at the thought of the memory in mind. “When we were young.”

II. HEADACHE

The next time you saw Haechan was days later when he showed up at your dorm unannounced. You were sitting in bed, headphones in with your calming playlist on mid volume in attempts to soothe your headache. You took some pain medicine to help aid your throbbing head, but nothing seemed to relieve the misery. Your roommate Chaewon decided to go out to study so that you could lay in the dark till you were feeling better. As she opened the door with all her books and bag in hand, Haechan was the last person she expected to see behind it. “Oh, uh did y/n call you over?”

“No, I came to surprise her.” He said, holding up a bag with some of your favorite snacks. He sensed you weren’t in a good mood through the way you were responding to his texts earlier and he did what he thought would cheer you up and bought you food and a drink. “Take care of her, yeah? Her head is hurting badly.” She said as she walked past him while he entered. He saw you laying in bed with the blanket up to your cheeks, the curtains covering the windows beside your bed. Quietly, he takes his shoes off and sets the bag down by your bed. You had yet to notice his presence while he started taking the snacks out and laying them on your bedside table.

When you turned over, you weren’t entirely surprised to see him beside you. You paused the music, taking a headphone out to hear him humming along to the music that was playing. “What are you doing here hyuck?” You asked as you moved over in your bed to make room for him. He pushed the cover back gently, climbing into your bed and taking the headphone you had offered up. “I noticed you were off in text today so I brought you some stuff to see you smile.” You were truly down so bad, the simplest yet sweetest gesture had you flushed in the cheeks and you couldn’t help it. To hide how hot your face got, you pushed your head against his chest once he got comfortable.

“Just a headache is all.” You mumbled, listening to his heart beat inside his chest. You felt your mind start to relax under his touch, the feeling of him rubbing the back of your hair had you hyper aware of his gentleness. A comfortable silence continued on between the two of you, just the sound of music and soft breathing filled the room. “Are you planning to go to that party Winter mentioned?” You suddenly ask, feeling his chest rise a little more at your question. “Dunno, you going?” You nod, blinking at the fading light peeking through the window by your roommate’s bed. “Maybe I’ll go just to protect you from any wandering eyes.”

You sat up, smiling down at Haechan. “Wandering eyes? What are you now, my father?” You said, laughing a little as he sat up. “I’m serious y/n! Some guys are out to get pretty girls like you who just so happen to be all alone.” You said that so confidently that you couldn’t help, but to laugh. “Why are you laughing, huh?” With one brow raised, he eyed you as you started to calm down. “Nothing, you’re just too funny.” Haechan sat up quickly, switching the way you two were positioned in your bed. He was now hovering above you, hands immediately finding their way to your most ticklish spots. “Oh so I’m funny now huh? Do you find this funny?”

You couldn’t stop laughing as you tried to fight off his devilish hands. After what seemed like nearly 10 minutes of being tickled nonstop, Haechan moved his hands away from your sides to let you catch your breath. Unbeknownst to you, he was watching the way your eyes crinkle when you smiled. Bringing one hand up to your cheek, he pulls a piece of your hair away from your face. You suddenly went stiff, watching his eyes shift from yours down to what you could only imagine was your lips. Your breath seemed to be caught in your throat as you noticed how he didn’t look up nor did he move.

You didn’t know what to do, whether to move in and close the space between you or to make your way from underneath him and pretend this didn’t happen. Your heart was saying one thing, but your mind opted for another. You cleared your throat, bringing Haechan to his senses as he got off from above you and stood beside the bed. His cheeks were a light shade of pink as he rubbed the back of his neck. “So yeah, uh as I said earlier.” He said, shifting his eyes around the room to ease the awkward tension. “The snacks, yeah..the snacks.” He could feel your gaze on him, but he couldn’t bring himself to meet it.

A couple minutes pass while silence fills them before either of you speak up. You’re about to try and change the subject when you hear his phone go off. Normally when he was with you, he’d only have select contacts on for notification so you assumed it must’ve been his roommate. Glancing at the caller ID when he pulls it out, you knew whoever it was that she must’ve been important. Something about his expression makes your heart sink into the pit of your stomach. He almost smirks at his phone before realizing where he’s at and what had just happened.

“I think I’m gonna go.” He said, shoving his phone back into his pocket. Silently, you nod without meeting his eyes. You could practically feel the tears starting to sting as they welp up, opting to not cry in front of Haechan over something you consider dumb. He can sense the change in atmosphere, your posture and sudden energy makes his heart break, but he’s too scared to comfort you after what happened just moments ago. “I’ll see you at the party y/n.” He said as he left while you looked over at the way he laid your snacks. Part of you wonders if he knows what he’s doing to your heart and part of you thinks it’s just how he is and that maybe you’re not as special as you hope you are to him. Either way, he has your heart in his hands and it’s too delicate now compared to your reappearing headache.

III. FAIRY GODMOTHER

“So you’re telling me that he was about to suck your face off, but for a message from his booty call and left?” You stare at your roommate, quite shocked at the way she worded everything from what you all told her. “Yeah, pretty much I guess.” You replied, throwing your head back onto the bed with a groan. You could hear her laughing, lifting your head to see her hysterically laughing into her hand. “I don’t see what’s so funny.” You continue, trying to hold back from joining her. As she calms herself down, she straightens up while wiping away her tears. “I knew transferring to SMU was gonna be different than HYBE-U, but y’all are a different breed on this campus.” She says, getting up from her chair that she pulled beside your bed and made her way toward your closet.

“What exactly are clothes gonna do to salvage what dignity I have left?” You asked, getting off your bed to meet her in your closet. She rummages through your clothes in the back, a section of clothes you never really wore unless you wanted to feel extra pretty. “We’re gonna make him jealous at the party tonight.” She said as if that was the most common sensible thing. You stare at her worriedly, especially with the outfit she had chosen. “C’mon y/n, haven’t you ever read those fanfics where the girl gets the guy jealous which lures him into confessing his underlying love for her and they live happily ever after?”

“This isn’t a fanfic nor is it a fairytale chae.” You said, watching as she turns to you with a bright smile. “C’mon, I know a couple of people who can ease your mind.” Hesitantly, you followed her across campus to one of the halls you had only been in once. You were starting to get a nagging feeling of where she was taking you, but you tried to relax and follow along with her. You entered the same dorm hall you knew that Chenle and Jisung stayed in, walking past their door with a small smile on your face. As she continued down the hall, she stopped at one door that you knew was most likely a single room.

After a few knocks and the loud music from inside the room stopping, a very tall and yet handsome guy opened the door. “Oh, hey Chaewon.” He said, instantly smiling down at her. “Heeseung, this is my friend y/n who also doubles as a roommate and we kinda need your help.” She says, walking past him to enter his room. Unfazed, he steps aside and gestures for you to enter the room as well. Upon entering, you recognize almost immediately that he was a music major. He had music sheets laid across his desktop, an acoustic guitar on his bed and the stereo where you could only assume that the music was coming from was on his bedside table.

“Heeseung also transferred from HYBE-U, mister smarty pants graduated early so even though he looks older, he’s a year behind.” She said, taking his chair as her seat from his desk. He smiles at you, shrugging as he walks over to sit on his bed. “I just got lucky is all, don’t listen to the fairy tales she tells.” You nod, leaning against the wall while still observing his room. “So she is a fairy godmother after all?” This made Chaewon laugh, nodding in agreement. “So what’s up, did you need something or do you just enjoy my company?” Heeseung asked as he leaned against his pillows. “My dear y/n here has a case of the lovesick for her best friend who just so happens to be a fuckboy.” You groan, dropping your face into your hands while Heeseung surprisingly listens without comment. “So I need you to come to the party with us tonight that he’ll be at to kinda spice things up.”

You could hear some shuffling, but nothing was said by either of them. Just as you’re about to look up, Heeseung grabs your wrists and pulls them from your face. “Are you okay with this y/n? I know we just met, but I don’t want to tag along if you’re not down.” You had to truly think about your answer for this because this could make a lot of both good and bad things happen between you and Haechan. Part of you was too scared and slightly insecure to try and get his attention on you, but you also felt like you waited so long for this and if not now, then when. You finally nod, giving both Heeseung and Chaewon the green to get ready and go. After you and Chaewon had finished getting dressed, the two of you met Heeseung down by his car for a ride.

Winter and Ryujin were texting you nonstop on the way asking why you didn’t ride with them and once they were filled in, they completely understood. You were typing away on your phone to your friends, not noticing Heeseung smiling softly at you. “How long have you two known each other?” You look up at him confused until you follow his eyes to your lock screen. It was a picture you and Haechan took over the summer when you visited your hometown, the sun kissed his skin beautifully while you hid from it with glasses and a hat. “Over 10 years.” You answer, looking up to meet his eyes for a second. “I hope this goes well for you.” Your heart melted at his words, reaching over to give his shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Me too because if I’m honest, I’m tired or watching you two shoot love arrows with your eyes.” Chaewon said as she got out of his car.

Both you and Heeseung got out of the car, making your way into the NCT Fraternity house. Heeseung was always one step behind you, playing into the whole idea that he was your plus one for the night. You could see some familiar faces throughout the crowd, looking around to see if you could spot one of your friends lingering around. “You two have fun, I’m gonna go find a drink.” Chaewon said, barely audible over the music before she slipped off into the crowd. “You’re not weird are you?” Your question makes Heeseung laugh, shaking his head as you seem pleased with his answer. You grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the side of the house where the kitchen and typically a pool table was at.

Just as you turn a corner, you spot Renjun and Winter talking over by the kitchen entrance. “I found some of my friends.” You said, getting a nod from Heeseung as you made your way through the crowd. “There she is!” Winter said a little louder than you expected. She throws her arms over your shoulders, pulling you into a hug. You smile, returning the hug as she laughs into your hair. “Do I know you?” Renjun asks, immediately eyeing Heeseung down. “He’s my plus one, Jun this is Heeseung, Heeseung this is Renjun.” You say, prying Winter’s arms from around you.

You fidget under Renjun’s questioning gaze, knowing he has more questions that you’d rather not answer. He senses your shift in demeanor, rolling his shoulders back in attempts to relax. “Did you already meet up with Haechan?” He says to which you answer him no. “Last time I saw him, he was somewhere out near the rooms.” You nod, bidding goodbye as you decide to take the way through the kitchen to avoid less people. “People have been eyeing us since we walked in, just a heads up.” Heeseung says as he leaned down near your ear. You start to turn to face him as someone behind you nearly knocks you over.

You shut your eyes, waiting for the impact of the floor to hit until you realize someone is holding you up, or rather someone. You can smell Haechan’s cologne behind you, making your lips instantly curl up into a smile. Just as you’re about to say something, you follow his hard gaze to Heeseung who was holding onto your wrist and hip. “Are you okay y/n?” Heeseung’s voice snaps you out of the fog that the situation puts your head in. You nod, standing up with a little more effort as Haechan’s eyes move between the two of you. “Why are you still touching her?” Haechan’s tone was something you’ve never heard before. He genuinely looked like a million things were going through his head and one of them was about to be directed to the boy beside you.

“I was helping her up, who are you again?” Heeseung asked, feeling slightly intimidated and confused as to why the boy in front of you looked like he was going to go to war for you. “I’m her best friend, Haechan, you are who again?” You put one hand on his chest, feeling how tense he was as he took deep and shaky breaths. “Heeseung, her date for the night.” When you felt his warm hand on your shoulder, you didn’t know whether to push him away or accept the warmth. “Do you mind if I steal your date then?” Heeseung looked at you, asking through his eyes if you were okay. When you gave him a nod, he slowly backed away and eventually made his way through the crowd.

Haechan grabbed your hand as soon as Heeseung was out of sight, bringing you along the back of the house and into the back yard. You immediately start to rub your arms due to the slight breeze blowing your way. “Wanna explain who the fuck that was or do I need to guess?” You were genuinely shocked by his sudden hostility, crossing your arms over your chest. “Excuse you? What’s your deal hyuck, he’s just a friend that came with me to the party.” Haechan laughed, a little too unsettling for you to digest before he looked back at you. “Oh so he’s a friend huh? Is that what you do with all your friends now, nearly kiss them in your fucking bed before moving on to the next?”

You felt so many emotions that took the blow from his words. You could feel your eyes start to sting as you drop your arms. “You’ve been fucking some girl or many to be exact so why the hell does it matter when one guy caught my attention, huh?” This seemed to set Haechan off more than you’ve ever seen. His cheeks were a slight shade of pink from both his anger and the bite of winter winds. “You’re in love with me y/n, we all see it and yet you go fucking around with other guys so you might as well not feelings for me!” You couldn’t tell if the city around you went silent or were his words just that loud, but you could hear your heart shatter inside your chest.

Haechan didn’t seem to register his words until he looked up at your broken expression. The tears that were now flowing freely down your cheeks stained your skin as you let go of your clenched fists. “So you knew..and you didn’t say anything?” You couldn’t bear to look him in the eye, feeling almost embarrassed at how easily you had been strung along. “Y/n, I didn’t mean it like-“ “You knew how I felt about you and instead of rejecting me you played around with girls in front of me?” You didn’t notice how close he was getting to you till he was within arms reach, so you stepped back. “Please let me explain, I’ll-“ You couldn’t be here any longer, you didn’t want to see him nor did you want anyone to see you like this.

“Fuck you donghyuck.”

IV. WHEN YOU’RE GONE

You inevitably spent weeks dodging Haechan at all costs. Since the night at the party where you two had a major falling out, you’ve spent your days in class and headed right back to your dorm if the coast was clear. If it wasn’t your roommate, it was one of your friends who kept an eye out for Haechan lingering around your door. From what they were trying to tell you, he sounded pretty desperate to see you, but you just weren’t ready yet. You stayed huddled up away from your usual spots where you know he could find you and slip away whenever you could.

Your pillow had become your best friend when you couldn’t stop yourself from crying each time your mind wandered back to that night. Chaewon did her best to comfort you and even laid with you on some nights till you fell asleep, but nothing she did could fill the void in your heart that had been caused by Lee Haechan himself. You were so hurt, so many questions that you had for him and you’d be damned if he didn’t answer them. More than that, you were confused as to why he did what he did with the information he had. He could’ve told you he wasn’t interested, he could’ve causally kept you in the friend zone instead of giving you the slightest bit of hope.

You were starting to get a headache as you sat on your bed, scrolling through videos on your phone. When the caller ID came down, you saw that Heeseung was calling you so you picked up. “I’m glad to see you’re still alive”. He says, laughing a little to lighten the mood. You let out a soft sigh, fiddling with the blanket between your fingers. “If that’s what this is called then consider me living like Larry.” When the line went silent, you could practically feel the disappointment through the phone. “Didn’t like that one?” You said, laughing as Heeseung let out a heavy sigh. “That was so bad, so so bad y/n.”

“Hyuck would’ve gotten it.” You mumbled, hoping he didn’t hear you as the tears you thought would have dried up start to reappear. “He misses you.” All of a sudden, you couldn’t think. The thought of him missing you wasn’t hard to imagine, but it made your heart ache so much more when you let yourself feel bad for creating such distance between you two. “He comes to I guess his friend’s room just down from mine and from what I’ve seen, he looks rough.” The two of you went silent once again, only untold thoughts filling in the gaps of the conversation. Heeseung takes a deep breath, about to say something when you hear a knock at your door.

“Coming!” You yell out, getting out of bed while wiping your face with your sleeve. “Are you expecting someone?” Heeseung asks through the phone, strumming on his guitar. “I ordered takeout earlier.” He only hums, bidding farewell as you throw your phone onto the bed and go to open the door. As you open the door, you don't know how exactly to react when you see Haechan standing in front of you holding what you assume is your takeout. “I paid him extra to let me be the one to deliver it, he kinda looked at me like I was insane, but he got a good tip.” He said, trying to get any form of a smile out of you.

You stare at him, nodding slowly as you take in his appearance. He looked a little thinner, the bags under his eyes slightly darker and his hair not as shiny as you remember it. Instinctively, you want to reach out and touch his cheek, but you hold back and try to figure out what to say from here. “Can I come in?” He says, fidgeting with the plastic bags in his hand. You can’t pinpoint what washed over you for you to step aside and let him in, but you’d have to face him eventually so opting for it now isn’t that bad of an idea. He looks around the room as if he’s never been inside, trying to find little things that he might’ve missed. To him, nothing changed. Your pictures of your friends are still up on the wall, your desktop is still oddly as neat as ever and the picture you two took on his family vacation is still in its frame next to your bed.

“What are you doing here?” The lump in your throat was keeping you from speaking any louder than a not so soft whisper. When he finally turned back to you, he could see how his much presence had affected you. “I needed to talk to you, I can’t keep going on like this without seeing you y/n.” You didn’t wanna be a fool, hesitant to accept the truth lying behind his words. Instead, you cross your arms and press for more out of him. “So then talk, but if you’re gonna waste my time then you might as well go now.” He sets the bag on your desktop, running his free hand through his hair as he gathers his thoughts.

With a deep, shaky breath, he meets your eyes and in that moment he felt like the world around him was falling apart. “I want to start off by saying how sorry I am for being the biggest asshole in the world. I never meant to hurt you or make you feel like I was stringing you along because I couldn’t get it shit together and figure out my feelings for you.” You try to keep it together, wiping away the tears that threaten to fall down your cheeks as he continues. “I love you y/n, you’re my best friend in this entire world and I can’t- I can’t stand not being next to you anymore.” His voice sounded strained, as if he couldn’t get the words out.

“I was scared to admit that I had the same feelings you had for me and I know that sounds like a fucked up excuse, but I mean it when I say I love you. Jealousy took over the worst part of me and when I saw you with any guy, I felt like you’d fall for them and leave me.” You could tell he was crying, his hands were constantly wiping away his tears and brushing them on his cheeks. Your heart was broken, you never imagined that you’d be having this conversation with Haechan, let alone watching him cry and be so emotional with you. He walked toward you, trying to control his emotions while taking your hands into his.

“I don’t wanna know what it’s like when you’re not here, when you’re gone it’s like I’ve lost a part of me I’ll never get back and I know I don’t deserve any of it, but if you can forgive me, I promise I’ll make it up to you.” You were a little taken aback by his sudden confession and the overall moment. You wanted to believe him and take him into your arms as if nothing had happened, but you were still very much hurt and cautious for your fragile heart. When he felt your arms wrap around him, he blinks away the tears. “Promise me that you’ll never do some dumb shit like that again and maybe we’ll talk about this being more.”

Hearing his soft laugh made your heart swell. You couldn’t tell if you had done something right in your past life or if you were just this lucky to have him with you, but you were hoping nothing would change. “I promise as long as you promise to never let me go.” You lift your head, bringing one hand to his cheek. “I promise, you better be lucky I love you.” He smiles, leaning into your touch while closing in on the space between you two. “I am extremely lucky to be loved by you and to only love you.”

©️liliansun., 2022

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skzhua · 1 month

Text

His Damn Sleeveless Shirt

MASTERLIST

Pairing: Han Jisung x Female!Reader

Genre: Fluff, strangers-to-lovers, lowkey enemies-to-lovers, slow burn, one bed trope.

Word Count: 11,518

Warnings: Some swearing, suggestive, mentions of sex, drinking, a glimpse of predebut Han.

Summary: When Seungmin suggests a little holiday trip with his school friends that you have never met, you don’t hesitate to turn his offer down. Of course, he insists and you give in. Thinking it would be the worst vacation, you soon realize it’s not as bad when Han Jisung is around.

A/N: This took me forever and I’m shitty with writing good endings so bear with me please... I hope you’ll enjoy as much as I did when writing it!

You hated winter, really. The cold, the dirty snow on the roads, the storms, the ice... all of it. It wasn't always like this, you used to love it. So much that your father had made it a tradition to go ice skating with hot choco every holiday season. However, ever since you moved out of your parents' house to live on your own, the city made the season feel like a nightmare. You truly hated it. Somehow, the only aspect that you still appreciated was the hot choco.

If it wasn't for Seungmin, you would have never agreed to come on this trip. "It'll be fun" he had said in a cheerful voice, making you want to punch him in the face. Fun? Nothing was fun in going to a secluded chalet up north, where it is colder, with his girlfriend and some others friends of his major that you did not know at all, and didn't plan to meet. He was only inviting you because the reservation had to have eight people, and they were one person short. Out of all his friends, it had to be you? It took a lot of convincing for his part, but you ended accepting his invitation.

"I'll make sure we stock enough hot choco for the entire week, I promise." he jumped excitedly after you had confirmed you were tagging along.

"You better." you had replied harshly. "Who's coming anyway?"

"You don't know them, we only met in the beginning of the semester. Chayoung is coming, of course." he smiled, thinking of his new girlfriend. "And three others from my class with their partners."

You raised your eyebrow. "Don't you think it's weird leaving for an entire week with people you don't know so well?"

At your remark, he clapped his hands together, making you jump, and pointed to your direction with both his hands. "Which is why I'm asking my favourite person to come in case I end up locked in a cabin in the middle of the woods."

"Sweet..."

And sweet, it was. With your luggage by your front door, Seungmin and Chayoung were already at your place to prepare some last minute things before leaving for the trip. You liked the girl, but to be honest, she was clueless enough to believe you were going to have some bonding time together. It’s not like you absolutely despised her, but she had her moments when the only thing you wanted to do was put duck tape on her mouth. If she wasn’t squealing in excitement, she was whining or complaining about everything and nothing. Seungmin wasn't dumb, he knew how much your introverted self hated meeting new people, and he knew this was a good opportunity for you to get out of your shell.

“Alright, everything’s ready. We just need to wait for Chan to pick us up.” Seungmin said after closing up his bag.

“Chan?” you asked at the mention of the new name.

“Yeah, he’s the music department representative.”

You nodded and he joined Chayoung on the couch in front of you, slouching his arm around her. She snuggled into his arm, making you shift your gaze somewhere else, feeling a bit uneasy at the affection of the couple. It’s not that you minded it much, you simply didn’t like seeing PDA, especially in your home. But mostly, you kind of envied them. Sure, you loved being alone and not having to deal with relationship problems, but you still had some longing for having a lover. Who doesn’t, really?

Luckily, you didn’t have to handle their couple talk for long when Seungmin’s phone rang with Chan on the other end of the line, saying he had just pulled in front of your apartment building. When you arrived downstairs, you were greeted by a fit man all dressed in black. He was handsome, to say the least, and you couldn’t help but check him out.

“Hi!” he greeted. “I assume you are Y/N, right?”

“That’s me.” you responded in a small voice. “Chan?”

He smiled and lead you all outside where a minibus was parked in front of the door. You tried to make out the figures through the window and you noticed most of them were men. Great. Not only did you not like making friends, but you could not speak to boys for the life of you, except for Seungmin who has always been around since childhood.

“I got this for the trip so the three hours on the road would be comfortable enough.” Chan explained while helping Chayoung putting her bags in the luggage space. “You can go in, I’ll join you later.” he told the three of you off.

You did as he said and the couple got into the bus first, you following behind. Once you got in, new faces were now staring at you for a few seconds, before going back to talking with each other. As for your friends, they already sat together at the back, leaving you no choice but to take a seat next to a guy in front of them. He had a bucket hat on with his earphones plugged into his ears as his eyes were closed. You assumed he was sleeping, so you didn’t bother with greeting him. You turned around to face Seungmin and he only smiled at you.

“That’s Han.” he whispered as he pointed to the boy sitting next to you. “That’s Felix and Changbin, they’re together. And behind the driver’s seat, that’s Chan’s girlfriend, Naeun.” he kept pointing and some of the faces turned to you to wave, one of them being the so-called Felix,

“Hi!” he smiled brightly and you bowed slightly as a response. “Thank you for coming with us. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to make the reservation.” You nodded your head briefly, not wanting to make the conversation. “Don’t worry, we’ll have fun! I’m always happy to make new friends.”

When he noticed you were not going to answer, he turned to Seungmin in confusion and the latter shrugged. “She’ll warm up eventually. Let’s say she’s the female version of Jisung.”

Felix made an ‘o’ shape with his mouth and smiled at you once more. “You’ll have fun, I promise.”

Sighing, you repositioned yourself onto the seat and turned to look out the window. You jumped when your face met your seat neighbour’s one. Freaking out on his side too, he jumped back, moving closer to the window.

“Sorry.” he mumbled and dropped his stare on his lap while putting his earphones back in his ears that were, you noticed, already turning red.

This is going to be a long ride, you thought.

“I really need to go, though.” Han whined to Chan.

Turns out, Han is very loud and annoying when he gets comfortable enough, which was now the case after nearly three hours. He was being very careful around you since it was the first time he ever saw you, but as time passed, he was getting more outgoing with the others. For them, it seemed like it was a normal thing, but for you, it was hell. Not to mention, he had been yelling for the past 20 minutes, asking Chan to stop so he could go pee. To be honest, you had to go as well, but you weren’t going to bother the rest of the group like this.

“We’ll be there soon, can it wait? We’re literally in the middle of nowhere.” Chan sighed for the nth time.

“NO!” Han yelled next to you, making you wince. “It’s an emergency, I swear.”

The older man ignored him and kept on driving. To be fair, you were about ten minutes away from the chalet so he could wait. That didn’t change the fact he kept on whining, moving his leg up and down as a sign he really had to go. Your patience had finally reached its peak and you looked over to glare at Jisung. When he noticed you, he gave you a shy smile and looked away towards the window. Great, he was still avoiding you.

“Excuse me.” you finally spoke which brought back his attention to you. “Can you stop moving your leg, please?”

He bowed, murmuring some sort of apology and stopped before putting, again, his earphones on.

“Damn, he never listens to us and there he is..." Seungmin exclaimed.

"He doesn't know her, of course he's gonna listen." Chayoung rolled her eyes. "I'm surprised he even spoke to you, Y/N."

You ignored them and resumed to whatever you were doing on your phone. No offense to Jisung, but you really didn't give a damn about the man, who had mainly annoyed you throughout the ride with his whining and back and forth with Chan. You were never quick to judge, but he did leave a very bad impression.

Not so long after, you finally arrived at the chalet. Needless to say, you were impressed by the size of the place. You swore you could fit your apartment five times in this. The whole structure was made of wood logs with nice lampposts around. It had two levels, plus a basement. On the side, you could make out something that resembled a jacuzzi. The whole place was luxurious, which almost made you glad you came along, but also intimidated. Never in your life would you have allowed yourself to get to experience this kind of luxury. Looking around, you spotted Chan pulling out everyone's travel bags from the bus, so you went ahead and grabbed yours. Only, there was another hand whose grip was onto the bag's handle. Looking up, you met eyes with your bus buddy.

"That's mine." you spat out.

"Actually, no." he said while pulling the bag to him. "This is my bag. Look."

He turned it on the side for you to see a little quokka plush attached to it. So childish... Nonetheless, you let go of the bag and looked around to find yours, identical to the man's. Once you did, you followed the others, who were already inside.

"This place is huge!" Naeun exclaimed. "Shotgun on the master bedroom!"

On cue, she kicked off her boots and ran upstairs with Chan following behind as he laughed at his girlfriend's behaviour. Changbin and Felix were next to pick their room, walking down the hallway of the first floor, while Seungmin dragged Chayoung with him to follow the two men. Han was nowhere to be found, to which you were almost glad. You didn't mind having any room in the house, as long as you had a bed where you could sleep at night.

Assuming one was going to be free anyway due to the size of the place, you walked around in search of a bathroom. You opened one of the doors and found some sort of office room. You closed it back and walked a bit further until you spotted a door where a bathroom sign was displayed. When you turned knob of the door, you heard the loudest scream you've ever witnessed so far. Jumping at the sound, you put your hands on your ears and peeked inside the room, looking for what had caused such a cacophony. You regretted immediately when you saw Jisung, sitting on the pot, eyes wide open and face as red as a tomato. A normal person would leave and apologize, right? Yeah, well apparently, you weren't normal enough because you froze in place and kept staring at the poor guy.

"Y/N, do you mind?" he let out with a desperate tone, which woke you up from whatever trance you were in.

You shook your head in disgust before backing out and closing the door behind you. You were still in shock from the sight that you stayed in place next to the bathroom, replaying the scene in your mind. Your face heated up at the thought and you wanted to bury yourself alive from the embarrassment. It didn't take long for Jisung to finish his business, when the door opened after a minute or so. When he spotted you, his face got red once more.

"You can go now..." he said rapidly before taking off somewhere else, anywhere, as long as you wouldn't be there.

You went and did your thing, and ran to Seungmin's room right afterwards. You took the time to knock on the door this time, and Chayoung happily opened the door.

"Y/N! Did you find a room, yet?" she asked, but you ignored her and fell flat onto their bed, where Seungmin was already sitting.

"Woah, there. Are you good?" he asked, and only got a groan from you as an answer. "I assume this means no..."

You lifted your head up and stared at him. "When I told you I don't know how to live with people, I meant it. Now, I have to be in the same house as the guy I just interrupted while he was pooping."

Seungmin's eyes went wide. "What the fuck? Y/N, we just got here."

"I know."

"And you walked into the bathroom while someone was already in there?" he held in a laughter.

"I just told you, yes." you cried, and Chayoung sat next to you to pat your back, trying to give you some reassurance.

"Who was it?" she asked. "If it's Felix or Changbin, then it's all good! They won't care, for real."

You shook your head. "It was Han..."

That was it for Seungmin, he couldn't stop himself from laughing any longer, much to your displeasure. You could only take one of his pillows and bury yourself in it, while your friend kept mocking you.

"You should have taken a picture." he said in-between his laughs.

"Seungmin!" the girl slapped him, before putting her hand on your shoulder. "It's fine, I swear. It's not like Jisung was going to socialize with you much to begin with. If anything, he's probably more embarrassed than you are considering the fact you saw... well, you know."

You made a disgusted face and shivered at the thought. "I did not see anything, gosh..."

You got up from the bed and headed out of their room, as they were clearly not helping you feeling better about the situation. Picking up your bag at the entrance, you walked upstairs to find yourself a room. The first one you found was already occupied by Chan and Naeun, so you continued your way. The next one was more of playroom, as there was a pool table in the middle, with a little bar in the corner. It was a very vast room, so it took most the floor's place. That left one last room with its bathroom at the end of the hallway. You walked in and dropped your bag next to the nightstand.

"Are you being for real?" you heard a now much familiar voice.

Looking up, you spotted Jisung standing at the entrance of the room, leaning on the doorframe. He had his luggage with him, as well as the same bag you mistook for yours slouched on his shoulder. You found no emotion on his face other than pure anger from the sight of you.

"I picked this room, Han." you said firmly, determined to let him know you weren't giving up your spot.

He scoffed and put his bags on the chair that was standing in the corner of the room. "This is the last room available. I already checked in the basement, where it's pretty much just a huge ass theater-like room, and the first floor only has an office room and a bathroom. But you saw that one already." he deadpanned.

It was your turn to scoff. "You do realize we have a huge problem."

"Yeah, sharing a room with a stranger who saw my butt not even ten minutes ago." he deadpanned again.

You rolled your eyes before motioning next to you. "There's only one bed here, idiot."

His eyes went wide open and he shook his head. "No way I am sharing a bed with you, perv."

You grunted in frustration. "I already apologized."

He gave you a look. "Did you really?"

"Not directly... Anyway, you're the one who's been bothering me nonstop during the ride."

"Bothering you? Woman, I had my music plugged in most of time and I didn't even give you one look." he defended.

"Explain your constant complaints, then." you said, your voice starting to raise.

From your argument, Chan had now appeared next to Jisung with a confused look plastered on his face. "Woah, what's happening here?" It took him two seconds to notice the only bed standing in front of him. "Oh, I see."

"I thought you said there was enough space for everyone." Han glared at his friend.

"It said eight people. And, I mean, we are eight people." he shrugged. "One of you could take the couch downstairs?"

"Dude, you know I need to have my own room." Han complained, again.

"As if I don't need it either." you rolled your eyes.

Chan sighed loudly, passing a hand through his curly hair as a sign of his small stress. "I mean, it is a king bed. Both of you can fit in just fine without feeling stuck, you know. Plus, you have a personal bathroom so it's not that bad." he said, trying to help you out.

You scoffed. "Not happening."

"Then be my guest and sleep on the couch." Jisung smiled sarcastically, while gesturing the way out.

"I was here first, I keep the room."

He sighed, visibly troubled. "Look, I really can't sleep downstairs."

"Yeah, right."

"I'm being serious. I kind of.. um..." he started, but stopped as his cheeks turned pink.

"Jisung sleeps shirtless." Chan finished for him. “Which isn’t much of an issue if he just wears a shirt, but whatever.”

Your face deadpanned at the man. He wasn't being arrogant, he was just too embarrassed to tell you of his sleeping habits, and too shy to let the entirety of the house see his naked ass. And you were not in for sleeping in the same bed with a shirtless stranger. Feeling defeated, your shoulders dropped.

"Fine, I'll sleep on the couch... but if I want to take a nap or whatever, I can come here." you said, pointing your finger at Jisung and he nodded his head rapidly.

With that being said, you left out a groan and left the room. You were so going to kill Seungmin after this trip. Spending a week in a house full of strangers in the middle of nowhere during winter was bad enough, you had to be sleeping on a hard couch... This was worse than you could have imagined.

Nobody knew to cook except Naeun and Felix. You automatically attributed them the title of cooks for the week, promising them to take turns with doing the dishes. For tonight, they made a hot noodle soup in order to warm up from the cold weather. Big place meant a lot of heating was needed, and the electricity wasn't strong enough, so you had to walk around with at least a hoodie on.

"I saw snowshoes in the closet. We could go for a walk tomorrow." Chan suggested as he took a bite of his food.

Everyone nodded to the idea around the table, except for you. Seungmin noticed and poked your side to grab your attention.

"You don't have to come, you know?"

You smiled at him, thankful he was being a minimum nice to you. You did feel bad of not participating, but they knew you didn’t even want to be with them in the first place. No offense was taken. Plus, winter activities were the worst.

Dinner went on normally as everyone was chatting and laughing. Surprisingly, Jisung had not said a single word since the moment he sat on his chair. Probably because he had to sit right in front of you and was doing everything in his power to avoid your gaze. You gladly copied his action, still feeling annoyed by the fact you gave him up the room.

Once dinner was over, Felix suggested for everyone to watch a Christmas movie, even though the holidays had already passed. It took no time for Seungmin to set up everything downstairs and connect the TV with his Netflix account.

“Can we get a snack or something?” Changbin asked while his boyfriend cuddled into his arms. “I’m hungry.”

His statement gained some weird stares from the others, since you had just finished eating. “Make yourself some.” Han rolled his eyes.

“I would but I’m kind of busy here.” he replied while motioning Felix’s position.

“I can go make some popcorn.” you shrugged as you got up, earning a wide small from Changbin. “Anybody else wants something?”

Chayoung asked for some juice, while Felix asked you to bring his candies he had stocked in his bag. With a nod, you went upstairs and started pulling out the popcorn bags from the box of food Chan and Naeun had packed. Plopping them into the microwave, you headed to Felix’s room to get his candies. When the popcorn was ready, you put it into a few bowls and grabbed the sweets to bring downstairs. Once you had distributed everything, you sat down back in your seat and brought a blanket over your body to warm yourself up. You noticed Jisung was no longer here, but you didn’t bother asking. He was probably already in bed.

“My juice?” Chayoung asked with a pout.

“Oh shit. Sorry, I forgot.” you apologized, getting up immediately to go back to the kitchen.

You ran up the stairs so fast, you didn’t notice someone was about to walk downstairs. Inevitably, you ran into each other. Closing your eyes, you waited for the impact with the ground, but it never came. Instead, you felt a strong grip on your waist as you held onto the person’s arm (that was, admittedly, very firm).

“Jeez, are you always this clumsy?”

Your eyes shot open when you realized you had, once again, embarrassed yourself in front of Han Jisung. You immediately detached yourself from him and noticed he had changed into a sleeveless black shirt with sweatpants. So that’s what he went to do, but a sleeveless shirt during winter? This boy was odd.

“Aren’t you cold wearing that?” you let your thoughts speak out, and he chuckled.

“Really? You could just thank me, you know?” he smiled with a hint of bitterness, ending it with a loud scoff.

“Well, if you stop scoffing at me every two seconds, maybe I will.” you argued and he sighed in disbelief.

“I quite literally just saved you from a concussion and you can’t be a bit thankful? I’m starting to wonder why Seungmin thought it was a good idea inviting you.”

With that, he left you there as he went back downstairs. You would never admit it, but his words did hurt. Sure, you had no intention in making friends, but it didn’t mean you wanted to make enemies either. And clearly, the week was beginning just fine for you. With a grunt, you went to get Chayoung’s juice as you tried to forget your little encounter.

When you came back, Han was back in his seat while talking with Seungmin who had, by now, finished setting up the film. You gave Chayoung her drink and dropped onto your seat next to Naeun. She gave you a questioning look as she noticed you didn’t look well, but didn’t ask, thankfully.

The movie wasn’t good. It was your typical Christmas story where the girl who had a tragic past meets a charming young wealthy man who was known to be an ass to everyone, but she managed to warm his heart, and they declared their love on Christmas day. You noticed how Felix seemed to enjoy it, as well as Chayoung. For your part, you were starting to get sleepy as the movie was nearing its end.

“Why did you choose this, exactly?” Seungmin asked Felix in a disgusted tone.

“It’s cute!” Felix answered. “It has the Christmas spirit and, you have to admit, cheesy stories are always good even when they’re not.”

When the credits finally rolled, Chan got up and turned off the TV, which caused Felix and Chayoung to complain. “Alright, bed time now.”

“There’s an after credit scene, though.” Felix pouted.

“Okay, but everyone looks dead here. It’s late already.” Chan pointed to the clock that indicated midnight. “We have a big day tomorrow, so let’s rest, okay?”

“As if you’re going to sleep anyway.” Changbin laughed while poking at Felix for him to get up.

Chan ignored his friend and joined Naeun who was already leaving to go to bed. Soon, everyone followed behind and you stopped by the living room to unpack your belongings. Only then, you came to the realization you had left them in the room upstairs. You cried out in annoyance as you fell onto the couch. Seungmin, who had come to check on you, laughed at the sight.

“I assume things went well today?” he joked.

“Shut the fuck up, Kim Seungmin. I hate you so much right now, you have no idea.” you said, furious, but he didn’t take you seriously.

“It’s not that bad, the couch looks comfortable.”

You glared at him. “It’s not, believe me. Why do I have to be a good person and leave the soft bed for the jerk?”

Seungmin frowned at your words. “Jerk? Jisung, a jerk? He can be annoying, fine, but he’s anything but a jerk.”

With a sigh, you told him about the incident in the stairs. About how he had said he didn’t understand why you were invited and how it actually hurt.

“Jisung is Jisung. He tends to have a big ego up his ass, but he’ll warm up to you eventually. Only if you’re nice, though, because you really should have thanked him, you know?”

You rolled your eyes. “Right, as if. I would’ve rather have broken bones.”

Ignoring your comment, Seungmin got up and started to help you set up a bed-like couch, somehow comfortable enough for you to sleep in. He put as many pillows as he could and even brought a blanket from his room for you to stay warm. Once he was done, he analyzed you and gave you a confused look.

“You’re sleeping in your day clothes?” he asked.

“My stuff is in Han’s room, forgot to bring it with me.” you said, a bit embarrassed. “Could you get my bag for me, please?” you pleaded and Seungmin answered by shaking his head.

“Chayoung’s waiting for cuddles, and take this as an opportunity to actually apologize to him.” he suggested, not letting you answer as he already left the living room.

You pondered for a while, wondering if you should get your things or not. A night without brushing your teeth can’t be bad, right? No, your breath stank from the amount of candies you had stolen from Felix. Maybe someone had a spare toothbrush. But who would you ask when it was already one o’clock and everyone was asleep? It took everything in you to put your pride aside and walk up the stairs, on your way to knock at Jisung’s door. You knocked quietly for the first time, and there was no answer. You knocked again, a bit louder, and you heard a small “coming.” from the other side of the door. Once it opened, you saw Jisung half asleep, hair all fluffy and barefaced. Most importantly, you saw his shirtless figure and widened your eyes at the sight. With the small amount of light coming from the outside lampposts, you could make out the defined lines of his abs, as well as how his features were incredibly attractive. Those thoughts were soon interrupted when he had finally noticed you were the one who had knocked on his door.

“Y/N, what the hell!” he let out, closing the door in your face soon after. “Can you not invade my privacy like this? I thought it was Chan knocking.”

You rolled your eyes at his behaviour. “Maybe you could have just put on a shirt before opening the door.” you nagged, hiding the fact you had just checked him out.

You heard some shuffling from inside, and you tilted your head in confusion. Not so long after, the door opened again and Jisung had a hoodie on, his hair even fluffier than earlier. Why did he look so damn cute like this?

“What do you want?” he asked.

You coughed in awkwardness. “I left my bag here.”

He let out a discouraged sigh before stepping aside to let you in. You didn’t miss the mess he had already made, although the fact you had arrived at the house not even twelve hours prior. Men... When you went to pick it up, Jisung stopped you and you looked at him, confused.

“My bag. Yours is there.” he pointed next to the nightstand.

Surprisingly, he hadn’t touched your things and let it be just right where you left it. “Thanks.” you nodded to him before grabbing your bag.

“Anything else?” he asked and you paused, thinking about what Seungmin had told you.

Taking a deep breath, you spoke. “I wanted to say I’m sorry for earlier. I should have thanked you instead of lashing out onto you like that.”

Visibly surprised, Jisung nodded nonetheless, accepting your apology. “And I suppose I should say I’m sorry as well for saying Seungmin shouldn’t have invited you. I’m not good with new people, I’m sorry.”

You smiled at his words. “Me neither. To be fair, I didn’t even want to come here in the first place.”

“I know.” he replied.

There was a silence between you too. Despite the fact it was rather awkward, it somehow felt comfortable. It was weird, you couldn’t quite point out exactly what was this strange tension between the two of you.

“I’ll head to bed. Thanks.” you smiled awkwardly.

“Right.” he coughed. “Good night.”

And you left his room.

Naeun was a morning person, you learned. While you barely had any sleep, she looked as if she just had a boost of serotonin. Lovely, she was, but too joyful for someone who had just woken up. Chan seemed to be in the same state as you, seeing his eyes were still puffy from the tiredness. So, that was the perk of sleeping in the common room; waking up when the first person does.

“Do you want some coffee?” Naeun asked you, while you were still processing the fact it was the next day.

“Uh, sure. Thanks.”

You rubbed your hands on your eyes to wake yourself up. Once you got used to the light, you saw how everyone had already got up. While Naeun was busy making coffee for everyone, Chan and Felix were making pancakes and bacon for breakfast. The sight of the food was enough to make your belly rumble. You sat at the table, greeting Seungmin who had Chayoung leaning on his shoulder, still sleepy.

"Someone's not a morning person." Seungmin said to you.

"I'd say the same for your girlfriend." you nodded your head towards her. "Did you two sleep okay?"

"Let's say I warmed her up last night... that explains why she is so exhausted." Seungmin laughed, but you made a disgusted face, not wanting to know any more details about their intimate relationship.

Turning away from him, you came face to face with Jisung, tiredness accross his face. His hair was still messy, and he had put on his sleeveless shirt back on, making his arm muscles more prominent. While this kind of clothing doesn't keep anyone warm enough, it did make your face heat up. The boy looked good with no effort. He did notice you staring, and frankly, he liked the attention. Not that he would ever admit it.

"Good morning." he mouthed to you with a smile.

As you were about to answer, Felix interrupted you. "The bacon's ready! Pancakes should be done in a minute. Anyone wants some?" he asked while showing the plate.

Everyone served themselves and once everything was settled, you didn't waste another second to dig into your pancake. As you kept eating, your habit of stuffing the food into your cheeks seemed to have grabbed Changbin's attention.

"Hey!" he exclaimed and you looked at him curiously. "You're like Han! She's a quokka too." he pointed to your cheeks.

You looked in front of you and Jisung's expression was almost identical to yours. His cheeks were puffed due to the food he stored and he was munching like a squirrel. Now you understood why he carried a quokka plush with him. The others expressed surprise from the similarity and your sank into your chair in embarrassment, Jisung visibly doing the same.

"You stuff food in your cheeks too?" Han asked in a quiet tone, once the others had resumed to their previous conversations.

You nodded your head, swallowing the bite you just had taken. "I've always done this, it seems normal to me." you shrugged, taking another piece of bacon.

"Me too." he smiled and continued to eat.

You kept to yourself for the rest of the breakfast. It went on smoothly with everyone complimenting the meal to Chan and Felix. Like previously planned, Changbin and Seungmin went on to do the dishes while the rest of you started to get ready for the day. Knowing you wouldn't go outside today, you picked cropped shirt with a knitted cardigan to put over that you matched with a pair of jeans and big winter socks. When you came back to the living room, you saw that your 'bed' was already cleared up and was back to being a normal couch. Naeun and Chayoung were already seated, leaving you a spot. You joined them and looked around in confusion.

"Did you two clean up the couch?" you interrupted their conversation.

"No." Chayoung answered. "Seungmin and Han did."

Han? Weird... you thought. "Oh, okay."

"What do you think about trying out the jacuzzi after our walk?" Naeun prompted. "You know, just the girlies."

"Oh gosh, yes that sounds great!" Chayoung answered excitedly. "We'll have some girl talk 'cause, girls, I've got some complaining to do." she huffed.

"About Seungmin?" you frowned. "I thought you two were doing great."

"We are! But you know, still some things here and there." she sighed.

"I get you, Chan's amazing but some of his habits just get on my nerves." Naeun complained.

"You know I can hear you." Chan yelled from the other side of the room where him and the boys had gathered.

Naeun rolled her eyes jokingly and turned to you. "How about you, Y/N?"

"What about me?"

"Anyone in your life?" she nudged your arm and you shook your head.

"I thought I saw you on campus hanging out with the new kid." Chayoung pitched in the conversation.

"Jeongin? No, he's nice but not my type, and I was only showing him around. Besides, I don't have time for dating, anyway."

Chayoung put her hand on your shoulder and shook her head violently in disapproval. "Everyone has time for dating, you're just not putting yourself out there. How about Jisung?" she suggested and you coughed in shock.

"Han's nowhere close to someone I would even be interested in." you scoffed, knowing you were totally in denial.

Because, come on. Jisung is 100% your type. Handsome, not too tall (because you'd want to be with someone you could actually kiss without having to break your neck), has a fit body and doe-like eyes. Not even just his physical appearance, but the sweet guy you were slowly starting to see was also getting your interest. However, you would never say this to anyone. You never really told anyone when you've had crushes, it was safer this way.

"You could try. I mean, you're spending the day with him, so take the opportunity." Naeun winked.

"Sorry what?"

She didn't have the time to answer when Chan announced they were ready to leave.

"You'll have fun, don't worry." Chayoung smiled before the girls got up to join the others at the front door.

They put on their winter suits and didn't take long before leaving, telling you and Jisung to have a good day. Still confused, you looked over the kitchen counter when the man was serving himself a glass of water.

"Weren't you going with them?" you asked as you walked to the other side of the counter.

"I have some work to do." he simply answered before walking towards the staircase.

"Work?"

He stopped on his track and sighed. "Yeah, work. You know, the thing you do so you can earn money and shit?"

"I know what work is, I'm not an idiot. It's just weird you have to work during a vacation."

He turned to face you and sighed again. "It's not work technically, just a hobby I hope I can turn into an actual career. Done with the questions?" he lifted an eyebrow.

"Damn, relax." You held up your hands in defense. "I was just wondering."

He walked closer to you until he reached the stool next to the counter. He sat down and pulled the other chair for you to sit as well. Reluctantly, you sat down and stared at him, confused.

"Sorry. Again, not good with people." he breathed out in a shy chuckle. "If we're gonna spend the whole day in the same house, how about we try to get along?" he suggested.

Tilting your head to the side, you thought for a moment. You had planned to do nothing else but watch a drama or something and enjoy the day alone to blast some music. However, a certain person had to decide to stay in as well and ruin your plans. So what else were you going to do anyway?

"Alright."

He blinked a few times, surprised by your response. "Okay then. Um... I suck at this so..."

You let out a laugh and nodded in agreement. "I can see that. I'll start then. How did you meet Seungmin?"

You knew this was a dumb question since you knew already, but you weren't any better than him to find subjects to talk about.

"We both major in music. The work I do is actually a song I've been making. So, you know, trying to make a career out of music." he explained. "How about you? I never heard of you until Seungmin told us you were coming here."

"Our mothers are close friends, we grew up together." you said, keeping it short.

"Ah."

A silence settled between the two of you while Jisung took a sip once in a while. He played around with his glass, pursing his lips at the awkwardness. Seeing that the conversation wasn't going anywhere, you got up from your seat and looked towards Jisung, who got startled from your sudden movement.

"Well, good talk." you said before walking away.

“Wait.” he stopped you by grabbing your wrist. “Do you like Ghibli films?”

Deciding there was nothing else to do, you agreed on watching My Neighbor Totoro on the big screen downstairs. You installed yourself comfortably on the couch and began to watch the movie in silence, neither of you commenting on it. Nothing needed to be said, anyway, since you were so focused on the TV. Well, he was at least. Jisung had started the movie in a proper position, leaving some distance between the two of you. As he got more relaxed with the story moving forward, he sprawled himself more, resulting in his knee touching yours. You could have moved away, but you didn’t. First of all, you were too embarrassed to do so for some reason. Second of all, he seemed so focused on the film that you didn’t want to break it, so you stayed still. Attempting to distract yourself, you tried to ignore the physical contact by concentrating on the movie. Eventually, it worked and you had totally forgot about it. That didn’t last long. Not even ten minutes later, you felt something drop on your legs. Startled, you looked down and saw that Jisung had fallen asleep. From the looks of it, he definitely needed the rest, so you let him be. He didn’t bother much, anyway.

When the movie had finally ended, you nudged the man in order to wake him up. He blinked a few times while stretching out his arms, only to come to the realization that he had fallen asleep on you. Immediately, he jumped away from you, in shock.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you wake me up? Did I snore? Gosh...” he rambled, panicking and you laughed at his behaviour.

“It’s no problem, really. I thought you might have needed that nap.” you smiled and he thanked you shyly.

As the credits were still rolling, silence took over again. This time, however, it didn’t feel as heavy as earlier, but Han soon broke it off. “So, um... How about I show you some of my demos? I was about to go work on it, and a second opinion might be helpful actually.” he suggested.

Surprised at his offer, you nodded happily and he smiled in return before leading you to his room. He invited you to sit next to him on the bed, telling you to make yourself comfortable. While he opened his laptop, looking for his songs, you took the opportunity to look around. His room was still messy, but cleaner than the day before. This time, you could actually make out the floor among the clothes, recognizing his outfit he wore yesterday and other pieces of clothing. Just by looking at them, you took note in your mind that he had a good sense of style.

“Okay.” Jisung breathed out, grabbing your attention. “I have a few, actually. Do you want to listen to one in particular.?” he asked, turning the laptop towards you.

You scooted closer to him so you could read the titles. He had a lot, it was fascinating. “Alien?” you read out loud, right before goosebumps took over your body, making you regret picking out a crop top, considering the temperature was very low in the basement.

Jisung noticed and furrowed his eyebrows in concern. “You know, you can use the covers, they’re very warm.” he said and you didn’t hesitate to cover yourself.

He was right, they were extremely warm, much more than your blankets you had on the couch. Satisfied, you smiled happily, making Jisung awe at the sight. You were cute.

“So?” you interrupted his thoughts. “What is this Alien about?”

“Right.”

He took out his headphones and didn’t bother giving them to you, putting them on your head for you. You didn’t question it and stayed still for him to place them correctly. You took the moment to admire his features in the daylight. If you thought he was handsome when you saw him last night, he was breathtaking during the day. From his chocolate eyes, to his plump lips, you took in his features properly. You noticed the mole on his cheek, which only added to his attractiveness. As he was about to finish with placing the headphones, he bit his upper lips in concentration, which you thought was adorable. Once he was done, he smiled in satisfaction before going back on his laptop to open the file. You exhaled a breath you didn’t know you were holding, trying to get a grip of yourself from what you were thinking just then.

“I’m not a professional yet, so they’re not masterpieces. Don’t hesitate to give me feedback, though. Even if you think it might be mean.” he warned and you nodded.

He took a deep breath and clicked on the play button. Right away, your ears met a soft melody. You were surprised, as you didn’t expect this to be Han’s music style. Once he started singing, you almost gasped in surprise. He didn’t look like it, but his voice was soft, melodic, but most importantly, it was powerful. It was only when the rapping started that you were now speechless. He had talent, and he knew how to use it. After taking in his vocals once more, you focused on making out the lyrics, and it almost hurt on how much they hit home. Did he write them himself? Was it how he was feeling? You almost felt hurt from them, holding back a tear that could come out at any moment. Too immersed into the track, you almost forgot where you were until the song ended. You didn’t say anything. Frankly, you did NOT know what to say.

“So?” Jisung said expectantly, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“How can you say this is not a masterpiece? Han, this is amazing, really. I have no words.” you breathed out, still in shock from how beautiful it was.

He mumbled a thank you in shyness, before coming closer to you. Your breath cut when he brought his hands to the headphones, who were still sitting onto your ears. Again, you couldn’t help but examine his face. How was his skin so clear and perfect? You had to ask him what was his skin care routine, it was unfair how clean it was. As he was about to take his headset back, he stopped his motion and stared back at you instead. You didn’t miss the red coming up his ears, nor did you miss his small glance at your lips. You were incredibly close, you could feel his breath on your face.

“I-” he murmured.

At this moment, you heard a yelp coming from the doorway making you jump away from each other, Jisung bringing the headphones along with him. Looking for the source of the noise, you saw it was Naeun.

“Sorry to interrupt, I was only coming to say that we’re back and that, Y/N, we’re going in the jacuzzi if you still want to come with us.” she paused and looked towards Jisung. “Or not. As you wish, really.”

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a few. Let me change first.” you answered and, with that, she left the two of you.

Turning around, you saw that Jisung had gotten up from the bed and was putting his laptop back into his case. “I’m guessing you’ll be going now.” he laughed out, scratching the back of his neck.

“Yeah, I guess so.” you said, getting up as well. As you were heading out, you stopped on your track and turned around to him. “By the way, I’m being serious when I say your song is beautiful, I love it. You’re very talented.” you complimented before taking off, leaving the poor man a blushing mess.

You hurried to change into your bathing suit and walked outside to see that the girls were already in the water. It was freezing cold, but the steam coming from the hot tub encouraged you to join the others. As you approached, you listened to Naeun’s talking, telling Chayoung all about your moment with Han.

“And you didn’t kiss him?” Chayoung exclaimed in frustration, now addressing you. “What were you thinking? You missed out, woman.” she splashed towards you, and you could only glare at Naeun.

“To be honest, I think they would have if I didn’t walk in.” Naeun said in a disappointed tone, resulting to you shaking your head furiously.

“I told you this morning, I wouldn’t date him.”

“Y/N, you were under his bed sheets. Don’t tell me you weren’t about to fuck right there.” she deadpanned.

“Wait, y’all fucked?” Chayoung questioned cluelessly.

You rolled your eyes at their assumptions. “I was cold and he told me I could use to covers to heat myself up. End of the story.”

“He’s staring right now.” Naeun nodded towards the window, and immediately, you did a one-eighty only to find no one, making the girls laugh.

You gave her a death glare. “I hate you both.”

This had become your routine for the week: waking up early from Naeun’s joyful morning singing as she served you coffee, spending the day with Jisung while the others went out to go do whatever outside activity they had planned. Your days with Jisung were simple: watching something, then going to his room for him to make you listen to his tracks he wasn’t sure of, sometimes staying with him longer just for the fun of it. In the end, you would always have with some bonding time with the girls and a movie night with the whole group. You would never tell this to Seungmin, but you were actually happy you managed to make some new friends. He would let out a “I told you so.” and your pride wasn’t in for this kind of comment. If he was ever going to ask you, you would simply answer it was forced and not by your will.

As for you and Jisung, the pair of you grew closer extremely quickly. You learned more about him such as his family, how he became friends with the others, his studying time in Malaysia... The more you spent time with him, the more you realized how similar you were despite being so different. That included how introverted the both of you were, your love for chocolate and how you preferred staying in instead of going out. When you went to his room while he was working, it was comfortable enough. You would be on your phone and he would occasionally ask about your opinion. He had gotten the habit of always making sure you were warm enough, while you always checked with him if he had gotten the right amount of sleep. You also learned how touchy he actually was, which was surprising enough. If he wasn’t hugging Chan, he would either be back hugging Changbin or chase Seungmin for a cuddle. With you, however, it was more subtle at first. He started with small gestures, like side hugs and slight accidental skin ship. As the week went by, it has transformed into full on cuddling during the movie nights, which didn’t go unnoticed by Seungmin. He had questioned you a few times about it, but you always found an excuse to change the subject. You were never one for physical contact, but with him, you didn’t mind at all.

For your last night at the chalet, Chan took the time to go buy all sorts of alcohol. With Changbin having some experience as a bartender in the past, he took the initiative to make you more cocktails than needed, plus some fancy shots. Chayoung's tolerance was low. The girl had only drank two cocktails and was already passed out, having Seungmin as a support. Felix and Han had found a nice spot to hang out in the living room. They were having the time of their life, laughing about whatever topics they were exchanging about. As for your case, you stuck to Naeun who was clinging onto Chan next to the kitchen counter, while Changbin was cleaning up the mess he had made by spilling one of the drinks. The latter decided to drink reasonably in order to watch over the others in case something might happen. While you were staring at Han who was still laughing out loud, Chan seemed to have noticed how you kept glancing at his direction.

"You two have become insanely close this past week." he said, taking a sip from his drink. "You've basically been attached by the hips."

"I don't know what you're referring to." you played dumb.

"Don't act like you weren’t cuddling when watching the movie last night." Naeun gave you a look before she took another shot, and you ignored her comment.

"Talking about him, look who's here." Changbin said and you followed his gaze to spot Jisung and Felix joining you.

Felix was still laughing uncontrollably as he walked to Changbin to give him a big back hug. Jisung walked to you, sitting on the stool next to you, and didn't hesitate to put his hand comfortably on your thigh. The contact sent a shiver down your spine and you stiffened. He acted as if he had done nothing by giving one of his infamous gentle smiles.

"Hey." Jisung said happily to you.

"Hey." you smiled back. "You look so drunk, how much did you actually drink?" you laughed.

"Not much. I would say no more than two and a half drinks, though I will try out Changbin's shots for sure." He didn't loose a second to get the said-shots in front of him, examining them to determine which one he was going to test out first. "You don't look so tipsy."

"Yeah." you chuckled. "I'm still on my first drink." you held up your glass. "I'll probably try a shot later, too."

"Not happening." you heard Seungmin exclaim from behind you and you grunted at his comment. "I told your mom I'll be watching you, so I am watching you." he said, taking the seat on your other side.

"I'm an adult, I can drink if I want to." you argued. "Where's Chayoung, anyway?" you asked as you saw no sign of her.

"I failed watching over her, and now she passed out. I can't wait to see her tomorrow morning." he breathed out, before stealing one of Han's shots to chug it, making you stare at him in disbelief.

"Dude, that's so unfair." you whined and he sighed.

"Fine, you get three shots, and then you're done. We both know what happened last time you drank more than that."

Happily, you took a shot and winced at the strong taste. Jisung gave you a small squeeze on your thigh as a sign of support, but it only made your mind go crazier than it already was. Thus, you took another one.

"What happened last time?" Chan asked curiously, earning a dark look from Seungmin.

"You don't want to know."

As the small talk kept going, Naeun exhaled in boredom, unimpressed at how inactive the night was despite the amount of alcohol that was already consumed. She took the matter into her own hands and stole the bottle of tequila from Changbin, serving some to everyone. "How about we play a game?" she prompted and Seungmin huffed in annoyance.

"We're too old for that, baby." Chan told her but she shook her head.

"You can never be too old for a game of truth or drink." she said happily while distributing the drinks. "What could go wrong, anyway?"

Well, in fact, things went wrong pretty quickly. Barely an hour into the game, and the girl was already sleeping on Chan's shoulder, while Felix and Seungmin could barely speak out clear words. Concluding this was enough for tonight, you and Jisung helped Changbin cleaning up the place. While he and Jisung were bringing Chan and Naeun upstairs, you guided the two other men to their rooms safely. Once back to the kitchen, Changbin waved you good night, thanking you for the help, and then walked to join his boyfriend. That left you and Jisung. Looking at your bed-like couch, you walked to it and tried to make it somehow warmer. The weather had gotten even worse and it would be a lie if you said that you weren't ice cold the night prior. Still, you were about to install yourself into your thin blankets, but were stopped when Jisung took your hand.

"Sleep in my room tonight."

You stared at him for a moment, processing what he had just said. "What?"

"Please." he insisted. "You know you're going to freeze tonight and my room is warm enough. I'll leave you enough space on the bed, I promise."

He wasn't wrong, his room was the warmest in the house. It wasn't the first time Jisung suggested for you to sleep in his room. In fact, it was the fifth time already. You had refused each single one of them, not because you didn't want to, but because you were afraid of what would happen. Although you felt at ease around him, you also felt an insane urge to grab him by his cheeks and kiss him. Nevertheless, you liked how the friendship had blossomed, and you certainly had no intention of ruining it. This strange tension between you was better than embarrassing yourself by making a wrong move. However, you knew he was right and, maybe, this was going to be your last moment with him since you haven't talked about keeping in touch once the vacation was over. You only live once, don’t you?

"Okay." you said in a whisper and Jisung smiled, leading you upstairs as his hand still had a firm grip onto yours.

For once, he had cleaned up around as there was no more clothes on the floor. He kind of had to, you were to leave the next day. He even did the bed, folding the sheets and placing the pillows nicely.

"Since when do you actually clean?" you laughed jokingly.

He muttered an insult under his breath, starting to pull out his sweatpants from his bag. That's when you froze, realizing what sleeping in the same bed as Jisung meant. By now, you had completely forgotten that the man sleeps with no shirt on. He mumbled a small "I'll be back." and left to the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Great. You tried to shook it off your mind by slipping under the covers messily due to your drunk state, attempting to find a comfortable position to sleep, but it didn’t do anything. You could only have a flashback from that time you had seen his toned abs in the dark. It didn't take long for Jisung to get changed. Once you spotted him, you sighed in relief seeing that he had put another one of his sleeveless shirts on. Even if it still made him look insanely hot, it was better than forcing yourself to ignore how ripped he was. He noticed you staring and gave you a smile.

"Disappointed?" he joked and you blushed massively.

"Shut up." you huffed and turned around to face the other side.

He joined you in the bed, laughing at your reaction. "I'm kidding. I thought you would prefer it if I kept things safe."

The alcohol still in your system, you couldn't think properly before speaking. "As if those arms weren't enough."

Han, startled by your bold answer, didn’t reply back. He checked his biceps in confusion. He had stopped working out a while ago, so it did surprise him that you pointed out his arms. Was he still fit enough? Suddenly, he became very much self-aware about his appearance. He started to wonder if he should go back to the gym. Not because you had commented on his muscles, of course not. Or maybe. He had always envied Chan and Changbin for their built figures and had tried many times to keep up with them, but he couldn’t due to putting his entire free time into making tracks.

“Jisung?” he heard you whisper, calling him by his first name for the first time.

He hummed for you to continue, but instead you shivered. “Hey, are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

“It’s alright. I’m cold, that’s all.”

He didn’t figure out how you were cold, while it felt for him like he was heating up by wearing close to nothing. He debated whether he should help you get warmer or leave you be. With another shiver traveling your body, the choice became obvious for him. Therefore, he shifted closer to you, putting his arm over your body protectively.

“Is it okay?” he asked, just in case you felt uncomfortable.

You snuggled into him even more and turned around to face him, your noses almost touching. You studied his face for the nth time this week, and kept finding more endearing features of his. You found it absolutely cute how his eyebrows knitted together when he would be confused, just like now. It didn’t take long, though, before it was his turn to observe you carefully. Instinctively, he brought his hand up the side of your face. Usually, he would retract his hand right away and apologize, but remember that he was still drunk. He couldn’t take his eyes of you while rubbing his thumb softly across your cheek.

“You don’t realize how fucking beautiful you are.” he whispered, his eyes still focused on the softness of your skin, before he met yours.

Not knowing how to react, you blushed even more than you already were. “Says the handsome boy here.” you huffed, as-a-matter-of-factly.

Han smiled widely at your compliment; it looked more like a flirty smirk. The shy boy you got to know had been replaced by the most confident man you had encountered in your life. All it took was alcohol to give him a push.

“You think I’m handsome, yeah?” he teased.

“I thought that was obvious.”

You had barely finished your sentence when his grip on your waist got tighter, being wrong for thinking you couldn’t be any closer than you already were. You yelped at his move while he kept fixing on your lips. Biting his upper one, he was debating whether he should stop himself, or let it loose. No matter what his decision was going to be, he knew he had already crossed the very thin line you had between friendship and something more.

“May I?” he whispered, as his lips were already barely a millimeter away from yours.

“Since you asked so nicely.” you joked, resulting to Jisung letting out an annoyed scoff.

“You’re a pain in the butt.” he exhaled.

After what had seemed like forever, his tender lips finally reached your own, embracing you into a soft kiss. Just like him, it was delicate and careful. It was exactly how you had imagined it, and yet, so different. The amount of electricity you felt traveling your figure was unexpected and you liked it. Wanting more of it, you put your arm around his neck in order to pull him into a deeper kiss. Surprised by your motion, he let a groan leave his mouth, trying to follow how your lips moved. While his hands were roaming across your waist and stomach, slowly making their way under your shirt, you opened your mouth slightly to allow him slipping his tongue. Your breaths were uneasy as the eagerness was getting more intense. All the tension that had been building up over the past few days was being released in a matter of seconds, and it was passionate. Only then it would have been even more perfect if Jisung hadn’t pulled away from your lips, earning a whine from you.

“I get you’re needy, but I need to breathe.” he laughed, as he kept pampering your face with small kisses. He stopped and move slightly away from you, still rubbing his thumb on the skin of your jawline. “As much as I want you right now, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Hearing the words come out of his mouth, your grin dropped as it got replaced by a scared look. “What do you mean?”

“Hey, I’m not saying I’m regretting this.” he hurried to explain, placing a kiss on your forehead in reassurance. “I’m saying we should stop for tonight until it gets more... intimate.” he trailed off.

“What’s stopping you?” you pouted and his heart melted at the sight.

“We’re still drunk and it’s late already. Plus, I’d like to take you on a proper date first.” he explained in a gentle tone while playing with your hair.

You kept silent for a moment, thinking about what he had said. While a part of you was craving for more, his reasoning did make a lot of sense. How he thought about things made you feel like he was taking you seriously, and not just doing this to sleep with you before leaving you as if you were nothing.

“Okay.” you whispered, and he smiled. “But I get to choose where and when.”

“As you wish, baby.” he grinned, pulling you into a kiss one more time.

You had woken up frantically the next morning when you saw a shirtless Jisung laying down next you, while the bottom of your pyjamas were no longer on your body, but on the floor instead. You had little to no recollection of what had happened the previous night, other than some glimpses here and there. You didn’t remember confessing to Jisung, neither did you recall a moment where he did so. However, you could make out an image of the two of you kissing intensely on the bed, as well as your needy behaviour. You wanted to cry out in embarrassment. How did you let yourself go so easily? Trying to reassure yourself by thinking everything is fine, you quietly sat up, slowly getting out of the covers. The motion was stopped by Jisung’s loud yawn, making you freeze in panic. He turned his body around, exposing more of his skin, and took you by the waist to bring you close to him. You let out a small gasp at his gesture, which seemingly woke him up. His eyes squinted from the sunlight, but he smiled brigthly once he had made out your face.

“Good morning, baby.” he whispered, while still grinning like an idiot.

“Um... hey.” you replied awkwardly. “Just making sure, nothing happened last night, right?”

Jisung pulled away from you and gave you an unsure look. “Wait, you don’t remember?” Feeling bad, you shook your head in response. “You forgot our kiss?”

“No, that I remember, but I can’t recall us doing, you know...”

This made Han laugh, finding it cute how you confused you were. “That’s because we didn’t do it, idiot. I asked you out tho, and you said yes. I just hope you still mean it.” he said, taking your hand in his.

You blinked a few times, trying to remember it. “Last night me was being bold, I see.” you joked, causing him to laugh again. “I do like you a lot. However, I’m not sure I should be dating.”

“Why? If you say some shit like ‘I don’t deserve it.’ or ‘You’ll find someone better’, you’re even more stupid than I thought.” he huffed.

“Okay, I won’t say it.” you shrugged and he pouted, bring you closer to him.

“I like you a lot too, and I really wanna take you out once we’re back home.”

You melted at his words and, hesitantly, pecked his lips. That was enough of an answer for him.

You had to leave the house before 11am, so you didn’t take long to get up from bed (secretly admiring Jisung’s form... again) and changing into more appropriate clothes, before joining the others in the kitchen. Naeun had already served everyone cereals and most of the things were packed. You greeted the others and walked to the counter to make yourself a cup of coffee. A few minutes later, you were chatting with Felix when Jisung had joined the lot, placing his hand on your hip to give you a peck, and going on with his morning. The freckled boy had stopped talking by now, only staring at you in pure shock.

“What the fuck.” he exclaimed.

“Oh my god!” Chayoung yelled out, having seen the scene as well. “You slept with Jisung.”

Thanks to her, the rest of the group was now staring at you and Han, flooding you with questions and comments such as ‘I called it.’

Seungmin didn’t react much, but he walked to you with a stern look on his face. “Your mom is going to be either ecstatic you have a boyfriend for once, or kill you for your behaviour.” You slapped his arms in annoyance, and he laughed as he broke character. “I’m just glad you ended up having fun. And Han?”

Jisung, who was still busy with eating, turned his attention to his friend. ”Yes, what?”

“You hurt her, and you’re dead.”

Jisung nodded his head rapidly, fear accross his face. Seungmin, satisfied with the response, told you two to hurry so you can leave and went to help out Changbin with the luggage.

“So, am I your boyfriend?” Han asked cheekily, bringing you into an embrace.

“Weren’t you the one who wanted to take me out on a proper date first?” you quoted him and he looked at you in shock.

“You DO remember last night!”

You laughed and leaned onto him. “Just a little.” you mumbled and kissed him softly. “I’ll go to the bathroom, and then we can join the others?”

He smirked. “Can I be the one interrupting you, this time?”

taglist: @lenilla15 | @muddy-waters | @nanaspalette | @nattisbored

#stray kids #stray kids x reader #han jisung #han jisung x reader #stray kids han #stray kids fanfic #han jisung fluff #stray kids fluff

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kitashousewife · 7 months

Text

just wanted you to love me

an: i wanna start by thanking laura for the load of help she was with this fic!! this is based off of the song big fat mouth by arlie. i heard this song and immediately thought of atsumu so here we go lmao

pairing: timeskip!atsumu x fem!reader

warnings: angst, atsumu and his big mouth, pet names (baby, darling, babe), fluffy ending, lowercase intentional, slightly suggestive ending

atsumu has a big mouth. not physically, but figuratively. ever since he was a kid, he hasn't been able to keep anything to himself. after a lot of trial and error, his friends eventually stopped telling atsumu any sensitive information.

not only is he a gossip, but atsumu can't keep his opinions to himself either. always thinking that he knows better, saying things without thinking.

that's exactly why you've been ignoring him for two days.

he didn't mean it, honest. he was just trying to be helpful! when he walked into the kitchen and saw you working on homework for what seemed like the 100th hour in a row, he just wanted to take some of the weight off of your shoulders.

looking back, there were other ways he could have done that.

"hey darlin'," atsumu greets you, lightly scratching your back as you type away on an assignment that should have been done hours ago. leaning into his touch, you look up at him with a tired smile. "hi, 'tsum."

"how 'bout we head to bed?"

nodding sleepily, you hit save on the document. "just a second, i'm going to submit this and then i'll come in," you yawn, stretching your arms above your head.

kissing your forehead, atsumu mumbles a quick see ya soon and shuffles towards his bedroom. your own apartment isn't far, but working on homework late is the perfect excuse for a sleepover. not that you needed one in the first place.

when you enter his bedroom, you smile to yourself as you see atsumu through the crack of the bathroom door, brushing his teeth with a sleepy look on his face. in your exhaustion, you flop on the bed and let out a long groan.

"feein' okay baby?" he slurs through the toothbrush hanging lazily out of his mouth.

"no," you groan once more and sit up in atsumu's bed. "i'm just so sick of my group mates," you huff, flopping back on the bed once your boyfriend slips in.

"what are they doin'?"

"they aren't helping me! i swear 'tsum, it's like they don't even care," you pout.

when he looks back on the conversation, he realizes this is where he made his first mistake.

"ask the professor for a new group! i'm sure they would let ya," he suggests, wrapping his arms around your body, pulling away slightly when he feels you tense up.

"it's not that easy, i'm stuck with them all semester. besides, it would be a lot of work to get groups moved around, and-"

"then there's no use complainin' about it darlin'."

mistake number two.

you sit up and turn to face your boyfriend with furrowed brows.

"excuse me?"

atsumu sits back as well and runs a hand through his hair. "well since there isn't anything ya can do about it, it doesn't do much good to complain-"

"i'm not, atsumu," you glare, and he swears he can feel the goosebumps fill his skin one by one. "i wasn't asking for advice, i was just trying to vent."

"i-im just trying to help," he stutters out of frustration, trying not to get too upset.

"you don't need to be dramatic about it."

the third and final mistake.

"what."

he clears his throat in shame. atsumu knows he shouldn't have said that.

"i was just tryin' to help, ya didn't need to get all mad."

he probably shouldn't have said that either.

with your jaw on the floor, you get up off of his bed and walk into the kitchen, slipping on your shoes and grabbing your bag and keys.

"c'mon babe, i didn't mean it. it's okay to be dramatic-" you raise your eyebrows and reach for the door. "wait! i didn't mean that, i just-"

"goodnight, atsumu."

he winces at both the slam of his apartment door and the lack of nickname. shuffling back to his room like a wounded puppy, he flops onto the bed and calls his brother.

it's been 2 days since that night, and he's barely heard from you. besides your text to let him know you arrived home safely and letting him know that you received a piece of his mail, you haven't said a word.

atsumu can't say the same.

double, triple, even quadruple texting you, blowing up your phone just to talk to you. he's going crazy in his apartment when he's home from practice, and he swears he can smell your perfume even though you haven't been there for days.

he just needs to talk to you. to tell you he's sorry.

as much as he hates to admit it, osamu is right.

which is why atsumu is walking back and forth in front of the floral shop downtown, phone to his ear as he whines to his twin.

"what do i do, 'samu? i fucked up, i know i shouldn't have-"

"opened yer stupid trap?"

"yeah," he sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "i want to make things right. i want to do better."

"well, i can't help ya with the last part. that, you gotta do yerself. but, i can help with the first part."

per his brother's recommendation, atsumu now stands at your door with the biggest bouquet of pink roses you've ever seen, with rosy cheeks to match.

"pink, huh?"

he gives you a shy smile from behind the petals. "yeah, do ya like 'em?"

you nod, and step to the side to let him in. grabbing the flowers from his hand, you set them on the counter to grab a vase.

"gratitude and appreciation,"

atsumu stops petting the cat that rubs at his feet and cocks his head to the side. "huh?"

placing the stems in the colored glass, you sigh. "pink roses are for expressing gratitude and appreciation,"

he nods and walks over to you slowly. "it's to say i'm sorry," he mumbles, scratching the back of his head.

"for what?"

he grabs both of your hands in his large ones and kisses the tops of them. "i'm sorry. i'm sorry for giving ya solutions when ya just wanted me to listen," he kisses your forehead softly and continues. "i'm sorry for callin' ya dramatic. i didn't mean it, a-and i feel so bad-" he cuts himself off and holds your face in his hands softly and looks you in the eyes.

"i love ya so much. the past two days have been hell. i've been worried sick about ya and i don't blame ya for ignorin' me. yer the best and i shouldn't have said those things to you."

placing his forehead on yours, he strokes his thumb across you cheek.

"yer so important to me. i don't wanna lose-"

"i forgive you."

he blinks, eyes searching yours. "i forgive you, 'tsum. i love-"

it's atsumu's turn to cut you off with the sweetest, most heart-melting kiss you've ever received. pulling away, he pulls you close, wrapping you up in his big arms.

"i've missed ya," you smile into his chest. "i've missed you too, baby."

pulling away, he walks towards the fridge to scrounge for something to eat, in true atsumu fashion. grabbing some takeout containers out of the fridge, he looks over his shoulder and winks at you.

"i'll work on keeping my big fat mouth shut for ya darlin',"

you laugh, and his heart swells. that's one of the sounds he missed the most.

kissing his cheek as he shoves some rice into said mouth, you grab a drink out of the fridge.

"you do have a big mouth, huh?"

chewing, he nods at you.

"let's put that big mouth to better use, shall we?'

walking towards your room as the sounds of choking and the stuttering of w-wait babe! fill the kitchen, you smile.

it's good to have atsumu back.

#atsumu x reader #miya atsumu x reader #atsumu x reader angst #atsumu x reader fluff #miya atsumu angst #miya atsumu fluff #haikyuu fluff #hq angst #hq fluff #haikyuu imagine #miya atsumu imagine

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thelazybard · 3 months

Text

Instead I Pour the Milk. [Alejandro Vargas x fem!Reader] Chapter 10

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

ao3 saw it first

warnings: graphic depictions of a wound and SO MUCH ANGST

Breakups tended to be rough, but they seemed even rougher when there wasn't an actual established relationship in the first place. All a person could do is sit and think about what could have been if fate had been in their favor after only getting a mere taste.

You were no stranger to dating and its consequences. There'd been other people in your life before Alejandro, some you even considered spending the rest of your life with. You weren't some delicate, naïve flower. You'd been through it all before, and that meant you knew your worth.

Alejandro called and texted and left voicemails, all of which you ignored. There were more pressing matters to be dealt with than being gaslit. You had three new hires that needed training. They all came in one Thursday, your least busiest day of the week. All on time too, so you were able to get started almost immediately and show them around the store and appliances.

Yelena, who was the oldest of your new employees, was quick to picking up what you demonstrated. She was younger than you by a few years, and wanted a job nearby while she finished her last few semesters of college. You remembered her visiting the shop a few times before today, and from your recollection she was a respectful, upbeat gal. Maybe one day you'd make her manager.

Carlos was your youngest employee at sixteen years old. His mother made him apply, much to his blatant displeasure. He sighed, scoffed and made his disdain apparent the entire day, but you were patient. If it really came down to it you'd lay him off, but you could see through his teen angst and apathy that he actually enjoyed working the espresso machine.

Then there was Maria. She didn't talk much, but remained polite and was a fast learner. You made a note to give her tasks around the shop where she wouldn't have to speak to strangers.

The first day of training was a modest success. You showed your employees each machine and how to work and clean them, then served them coffee and scones for their break. There were minimal spills when you taught each person how to do an espresso pull, in fact Carlos didn't spill at all. His cappuccino was nearly perfect, too.

It would be nice to have the extra help and give your body time to recover from your previous busy weeks. Maybe you'd now have time for a hobby, something more intellectually stimulating and less physically demanding than zipping around a shop almost mindlessly as your hands did all the work second-naturedly. And if you were being completely honest, you buried yourself further in work to ignore the sting of betrayal you were feeling from the previous weekend.

When it was finally closing time your employees helped clean up and were on their way, ready to come back tomorrow to continue their training. You cracked your back and locked the door behind them, and that's when David approached you from the kitchen with news.

"So, Alejandro called me."

You closed your eyes and inhaled deeply, then let a forth a gravely exhale. Your initial thought was to react explosively and finally let out all the anger you've been bottling up this past week. But that would be unfair to David, who was only the messenger in this situation.

"Did you pick up?" You asked.

"Yeah. He really wants to talk to you." David said.

You almost scoffed and walked past him to the flight of stairs leading to your apartment. "I could have told you that."

David followed you. "Yeah, but... You should hear him out."

"Why should I? What else did he tell you?" You wondered.

David paused. "I think it's something you should hear from him yourself."

You rolled your eyes into the back of your head. "For the love of–"

"Just– Look, all I'm going to say is that maybe you didn't see what you think you saw."

"I didn't see Alejandro and his ex girlfriend at a fancy restaurant? I didn't see that?" You asked, increasingly irritated.

David sighed tiredly. "That's not what I'm saying Scout, and you know that. I hate it when you get like this." He mumbled.

"Then drop it. I didn't even want to talk about it."

"Fine. Sorry for trying to help."

"I don't need help. I need to be left alone." You shot back.

"It's okay to be upset Scout, but don't close yourself off. That solves nothing."

"David, I don't stick my nose into you and Eva's business so quit trying to stick your nose into mine."

"Alejandro called me, Scout. I was fine with leaving you be, but after what he told me I know that you have the situation all wrong."

"And yet you won't tell me what I have wrong. You know what? Here's what you can do; Have Alejandro write down his explanation, fold it up nice and tiny, and shove it right up his di–"

Your phone buzzed in your pocket, but the ringtone indicated that it was in fact not the devil-in-question but your mother.

"I gotta take this." You said, slipping past David and making a beeline for your bedroom.

After your weekly phonecall with your parents, you marked your calendar for their arrival. November 17th. It was October 30th now. Day of the Dead just about here, and you planned to celebrate accordingly. You wanted to honor your late grandparents and aunt by setting up an altar for them in the shop.

David didn't speak to you for the rest of the night, far too frustrated at you to maintain any normal conversation. Perhaps that was for the best, as conversing would only lead up to another argument about your predicament. And the only way to solve that would be to solve your issue.

Truth be told, part of the reason why you didn't respond to any of Alejandro's messages was because you knew you'd lash out and thought it best to wait to speak to him when you weren't angry. Especially since there was indeed a chance that you had it all wrong afterall. You both desired and dreaded the possibility. It'd be great to be wrong, but boy did you hate being wrong.

The next day came and went, and it was just you closing the shop after you relieved your employees and David early to enjoy their Friday night. You and David were hardly on speaking terms and exchanged maybe twenty words at most with each other that day. It hurt you to be snubbed by your favorite cousin, but it was for the best until further notice. Still, that notion didn't make the aching loneliness you felt on this Saturday night any less painful, especially since you knew he was going out to be with Eva. He all but threw his healthy situationship in your face.

Once again, you found yourself alone in the shop on a Friday night. It was too late to call up Nanami to make any plans for the night, so you figured you'd just finish up in the store then sulk upstairs on the couch with your cats like the crazy cat lady you were destined to be.

You were descending the loft stairs with a tray of dirty dishes when you heard the door's bell ring. Cursing yourself for not locking it when you should've, you forebode telling your customer(s) that the shop was indeed closed and to come back tomorrow.

Approaching the front of the store with your customer service voice, you recited your typical closing speech while looking at the tray of mugs that threatened to tip over in your hand. "Sorry, but we're closed. Feel free to come back tommor–"

Subconsciously, you were hoping that it was Alejandro with a bouquet of flowers in that button down of his that you liked so much, here to serenade you with a guitar and recite original poetry about the color of your eyes. That would have been so, so, so much better than who it was.

Three men dressed in dark clothing, veiled in balaclavas, were waiting for you at the front of the store. When they noticed you freeze they began to close in and walk your way until they were backing you up against the stairs' wall.

The tray of dishes rattled in your hands as fear sunk its teeth into you like a subtle snake. "T-the register is over there, I have the k-key to open it–"

"We're not here for that you stupid bitch." One of them said.

Your heartbeat was deafening as it pounded your eardrums. Oh, why didn't you lock the door when you had the chance?

"My cousin will hear me scream." You warned.

"We know it's just you here." Another said.

You swallowed hard. "What is it you want?"

"For you to pack your bags and get the fuck out of Las Almas." One said.

"The people here love you, so we want you gone. It's that simple." Said another.

"Who- who are you-" You began to ask.

The biggest of the men pushed you to the ground before you could finish your sentence. "Do you want to piss me off?! Ask another question and I'll break your fucking jaw."

Glassware shattered around you. You didn't dare get off the ground and kept your eyes on the floor, far too petrified to dare looking any of them in the eyes. In the corner of your eye, you saw crimson.

"You have three weeks. Get your shit and get out of Las Almas." He said.

The shortest and scrawniest of them all kicked you in the stomach, causing you to cry out in pain. He snickered and followed the others, knocking books off shelves and pictures off the walls on their way out.

You had broken your fall with your dominant hand. Unfortunately, it was the hand that was holding a mug. Your palm was sliced open deeply when the mug shattered around your grasp upon hitting the floor . The blow to the stomach left you gasping for air, the pain sharp and throbbing deeply in your abdomen. You hugged yourself as you tried to restart your breathing while also being in immense pain.

Wheezing, air finally found your lungs, and once the room stopped spinning you made your way to your feet. A thick trail of blood followed you through the store as you walked to the phone on the wall to dial a number.

David didn't pick up, of course. He was seeing a movie with Eva so he probably shut his phone off. You growled called Nanami next. "Come on, come on." You whispered, eyes darting towards the door a few times while you dialed her number with shaking fingers.

She picked up after a few rings. "Hello?"

"N-Nanami?"

She said your name once she realized it was you. "What's the matter?"

"Can... you drive me to the hospital?"

"What!?"

"Yeah. I cut my hand open so I can't drive."

"I'll be over as soon as possible. What happened?"

"Some people came to the store and they... they–"

Tears spilled down your cheeks as the shock began to wear off and fear for your life took its place. You hiccupped as you tried to articulate what had just transpired but it came out as incoherent sobbing. It didn't help that you were in pain now that you were coming down from your adrenaline high.

"We'll be right over." Nanami promised.

"Should I call the police?" You asked in a small voice.

"No. Call Alejandro, if anyone."

"I... I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Why not? You know what, that's not important. Just... lock all the doors and get somewhere safe until we get there okay? I'm getting my shoes on right now."

"Okay..."

Nanami arrived with Paola and the two helped you into their car while minimizing the amount of blood spilled. You had your hand wrapped in a kitchen towel, but even the thick fabric was no match for the blood you were loosing.

Paola did her best to get to the hospital while also abiding by the laws of the road. You had peaked to see if the bleeding was coming to a stop, but your vision gradually became overcome with spots of white after catching a glimpse of the exposed tendons in your hand. Nanami noticed your eyes roll into the back of your head and shook you awake.

"Do you have a fear of blood?" Nanami asked.

"More like seeing the inside of my hand..." You mumbled.

"Christ." Nanami whispered.

You were seen relatively quick in the ER, probably to get you to stop getting blood all over the waiting room. The doctor got the bleeding to stop, stitched up your hand and bandaged it tightly. She sent you home with gauze and medication for the pain and practically grounded you from any possible work until you recovered. Any extensive work with your hands could tear your stitches and undo any healing. It was a good thing you got those new hires, eh?

"You were lucky. That mug cut you any deeper and you would have lost all control of your ring finger to your thumb. It's too early to see if there'll be any lingering nerve damage, but if so we're prepared to put you in physical therapy."

Physical therapy. It's that serious, you thought.

When Nanami and Paola took you home, the three of you noticed several silhouettes in the store along with two armored trucks parked nearby.

Your breathing became short and quick as panic set back in. "Oh God, they've come back." You breathed out, holding onto your door and seat next to you.

"No, that's not it. It's Sergeant Vargas and his men." Paola announced upon further inspection.

The three of you piled out of the car and approached the store with you walking behind them. David, Alejandro, and several soldiers were standing around the shop, obviously looking for clues as to what happened to you and your whereabouts. The door's bell alerted the men of your arrival.

David was the first to address you, by your real name this time. For the first time in years, probably.

He practically swept you off the ground in a hug and squeezed you tight, making white dots reappear in your vision.

"Easy! She's lost a lot of blood." Paola practically barked.

When David set you down, you found a seat at a nearby table and held your head in your unwounded hand. "What the hell happened? I came home and there was all this blood and broken glass!" He motioned to the crime scene.

"Three men came in. They... They want me to get out of Las Almas." You answered, tiredly.

"What the fuck? Who the hell–"

"What did they look like?" Alejandro asked you.

Gosh was it great to hear his husky voice again. You just wished it were during better circumstances. It was the first time seeing him since that night at the restaurant. He was in his uniform, with a rifle on his back just like the first time you met him. It was surprisingly bittersweet. Alejandro's jaw was tight but ticked when you locked eyes. It looked like he was physically stopping himself from approaching you. Despite the situation he still knew you wanted nothing to do with him and did his best to respect your wishes. He tried to speak to you from a tactical, professional perspective, as this wasn't a recreational visit but rather him being conscripted to aid at a crime scene. The police were 50/50 as far as being able to trust them. More like 70/30, but the ratio wasn't in your favor. It was a good thing you hadn't called the police, if officers sent to your place were in the cartel's pocket, there was a chance you'd never be seen again.

"I don't know, they wore masks." You finally answered. Tears brimmed your eyes again and you took deep breaths through your nose and out your mouth to slow your beating heart.

Alejandro approached you carefully with a handkerchief and kneeled to reach eye level. "It's okay, you are safe now. We won't let anything else happen to you."

Externally, the Sergeant remained surprisingly tranquil despite the burning urge to rake the streets of Las Almas for those responsible for hurting you and wreaking havoc upon them.

You took the cloth and dabbed away your tears. "I was so scared. They knew I was alone. They waited until I was alone, Alé."

"What does this mean?" Nanami asked.

"It's got to be the son of La Araña's doing." Paola said.

"But why does he have a problem with me? I haven't done anything." You asked, voice audibly cracking.

"Because you've become a beacon of hope in the community. I'm one too, but they'd never try to threaten me like this. He had his men threaten you because they think you're harmless... And because he probably knows how much you mean to me."

You didn't realize the two of you had been holding hands until he rubbed the back of your bandaged hand tenderly.

"They said I have three weeks to leave." You admitted, not pulling away from Alejandro.

"Until what?" David asked eagerly, almost impatiently.

You shook your head and practically wailed. "I don't know."

Nanami scoffed. "You're stressing her out, guys. The doctor said she needs rest. Let's get her to bed and then we can all talk about it when she's better."

Nanami and Paola helped you up the stairs to your room, changed you out of your blood-stained clothes and settled you into bed. When you were comfortable they returned downstairs to continue discussing the issue at hand.

It had been good to see Alejandro despite the predicament. You wondered if David called him when he couldn't find you. You never meant to keep them worrying about your whereabouts, you just didn't think to find your cellphone before leaving.

Sleep evaded you, no matter how comfortable you'd been. Guillermo carried the kittens to your bed and the five of them kept you company as you stared up at your ceiling. She always knew when you were upset, somehow. Momo knew everything. It was a quarter till 10 o'clock, so it wasn't like it was extremely past your bedtime. But, eventually you dozed off sometime after eleven.

The next morning you didn't feel as weak, but you didn't exactly feel like a hundred bucks either. David greeted you at the dining room table with a big breakfast, sure to help with your recovery. He watched you struggle to use a fork with your non-dominant hand, and tears silently streamed down his face.

You finally looked up at him, and David noticed you cock your head at him. "I'm... I'm sor–" He choked out.

You stopped him, having already anticipated the immense sense of guilt he must have felt. "Don't. There's nothing to be sorry about. None of us could have known this would happen."

"When I came home and saw the mess and-and the blood... I didn't know what to do. I was so scared for you." He covered his face and turned away, sobbing lightly into his hands.

You set down your fork and stood up to hug him. He shook like a leaf in your embrace, and it reminded you of your childhood together. "Don't cry, Dave. I can't take you seriously when you're in your Miku apron." You joked.

David chuckled between sobs and hugged you tighter.

Later, the two of you went downstairs to the café. They must have cleaned up the mess last night, at least the glass and blood. There were broken picture frames leaned up against the wall, one being of you during your college graduation.

You pointed to it. "Piss. I liked that frame."

David scowled in the direction of the mess. "We're gonna find those responsible. Alright?"

You nodded slowly. "I know. Do we have to talk about it?"

"No."

"Thank you. I'm going to step outside."

"Scout–"

"Just to water the plants. Besides, it's the middle of the day and I'm not alone. They wouldn't strike now, would they?"

"No... I guess not."

You grabbed your watering can and after filling it up in the kitchen sink stepped out to water your various herbs and flowers growing in front of the store. Two soldiers had been standing on either side of your door, and after looking between the two of them they saluted you.

"Oh, good morning soldados. Did you want anything?" You asked.

One of them shook his head. "No ma'am, we have orders from Sergeant Vargas to keep guard of your store. Maybe when our relief comes, you can pour us a cup of coffee?"

Alejandro. Making sure you're safe even when he can't himself.

A small smile grew on your face and you nodded. "Of course, just let me know yeah? And thank you."

"Just following orders, ma'am." He said simply.

It was decided unanimously between you and your cousin that the shop wouldn't be open today. The night before was awful enough, and with your hand the way it was you doubted David would be able to run the store alone on one of your busiest days of the week. Surely word had gone around town by now about what transpired last night, so the community would understand.

As for the deadline you were given. It made you so unbearably fearful, for both your life and your cousin's. David was 6'3 and muscular, hence why those punks waited until he was out of the house to strike. But he wasn't invincible. Neither of you were.

And yet, with Alejandro's watchful eyes over you and your shop, the notion set your nerves at ease. The anger you felt was nearly gone. Nearly. Still pissed, but no longer desiring strangling him. That would have to be enough.

You sat on a couch in the loft and pulled out your phone to shoot him a text.

You: I'm ready to talk.

Mere minutes later, he replied.

Alejandro: I can be over there tonight. How is your hand?

You: Not bad.

Alejandro: Good. You're strong, mi vida.

Alejandro: Can I still call you that?

You: We'll figure out tonight.

Alejandro: Yes ma'am.

You locked your phone and carried on with the rest of the day with unmistakable butterflies in your stomach.

#call of duty #call of duty modern warfare 2 #call of duty modern warfare #Call Of Duty MW2 #alejandro vargas #alejandro vargas x reader #alejandro x fem!reader #alejandro vargas x oc

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peterpcrkcr · 17 days

Text

Shy Girl | Peter Parker x Reader

Third person pov.

Requested by @z-iridest

3.4 k words. One shot. I definitely could see me writing more lol.

ʕ·ᴥ·ʔ

The final bell of school was about to roll on Monday. This wasn’t your average monday. It was the day a big news story was going to break and the nerves inside Peter Parker were building up.

“Alright everybody it’s the last week of school so listen up.” Mr. Harrington said in his usual anxious drol. “We have a lot to get through as you’re going to be seniors next year. That means more training, more studying, and more mental dexterity.”

No one was listening. A quiet roar of excited young minds sharing their summer plans drowned out the nearly useless info he was producing.

“Excuse me,” he said a little louder to possibly break through the chatter. “Don’t you guys care about my plans to hold up your brain prowess over the summer?”

“If I’m being honest, no.” Flash Thompson, the alternate for the team who rarely ever came to meetings spoke up. Everyone listened. Everyone except for Peter who was enthralled in a diagram he was making to keep his thoughts in order. There was too much he needed to do by the end of the week to make sure everything was covered for a full summer of crime saving. “We’re all busy worrying about what we actually give a shit about.”

“And what would that be Mr. Thompson?” The teacher asked, though plainly uninterested.

“The massive summer kickoff pool party I’m throwing this Saturday at my mansion!” He said to many cheers and applause of favor. Flash crossed his arms and nodded his head, a smug look of accomplishment across his face.

“Now that’s fine and all but we really need to be focusing on how you guys are going to-“ Mr. Harrington started to rebuff but a knock on the open door stopped him mid sentence.

“Um, Mr. Harrington?” A woman’s voice called from the doorway.

“Yes?” He responded as all the kids turned their heads toward the door.

“I know this is incredibly last minute but we have a new student at Midtown and even though the decathlon season is over, we’d like her to join now so she can feel nice and welcome come next semester.” The administrator spoke.

“Yes, that's fine.” Mr. Harrington said, adjusting his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

The female administrator closed the door, leaving the students to their chatter.

“Now- Flash don’t you think there are more important things to worry about than some party you won’t remember in 20 years?” Mr. Harrington posed to his most ruthless student.

“It’s okay Mr. Harrington, you don’t have to be sad that you were never invited to parties when you were in high school.” Flash responded to a gasp and a chuckle from the crowd.

Peter couldn’t have been more uninterested. Mind wrapped up in a web of tangled thoughts and nerves and worry. 17 years old and on top of the world. He died and was brought back after half of the planet disappeared. He made a hundred powerful friends and made the news a million times. Well, not him necessarily but he was still doing really well for himself. High grades, and life was pretty easy when Happy was in charge of him considering the man was so busy running Tony Stark's estate. A deep sadness hung over Peter though. Not only had so many great things happened, many terrible and heart wrenching things had as well. He felt a sharp heat start to prick the back of his neck.

“Im gonna go to the bathroom.” He said curtly as he stood quickly from the table to walk out of the room. He stopped just a little down the hallway, not even 20 feet from the classroom he was just in.

His breathing started to quicken. Sweat beads popped up on his forehead. His fists clenched at his sides. Maybe it was too much. He wasn’t even a legal adult and yet it was like the whole world was in his shoulders. And there didn’t seem to be single person who could possibly help lift it for him.

Peter closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Two. His shoulders relaxed. Three breaths and his fists unfurled. Four and the color returned to his face.

When he turned on his heel to head back to the room, he opened his eyes and saw a girl standing across the hall. He felt a shiver down his spine and his eyes went wide. The red returned to his face, but the color of embarrassment.

She met his gaze with wide eyes of her own. A hard pink blush bloomed over her cheeks for being caught. She had watched him leave the room and calm down. She looked down quickly.

“Been there long-?” He asked her. She nodded. “That’s embarrassing.”

“Don’t be embarrassed-“ she said quickly, still gazing at the floor. “I was doing the same thing.”

“What?” He asked, confused. “You were out here taking deep breaths so you didn’t freak out in front of everyone you know?”

“Not exactly.” She moved her foot to twiddle with a spare pencil on the ground. “I was taking deep breaths though.”

“Why?” Genuinely, Peter wanted to know.

“Well, I’m a new student during the last week of school and I’ve had an awkward day of being introduced to people who are already fully over the school year so they haven’t really cared about being super friendly.” She said glancing up at him.

“I care-“ Peter blurted out. She let out a soft burst of a laugh. “I mean. I care that you’re having a hard time. I’ve lived here my whole life so I don’t really have that problem, but I definitely know how you feel.”

“You do?” She asked, fully meeting his gaze.

“Yeah,” he smiled at her.

For a moment it was just the two of them standing in the hallway, looking into each others eyes. A silent understanding of emotion holding all of the space between them.

“Do you need help finding your class or something?” He offered.

“Ummm… not really. I was supposed to go into the room you came out of for another introduction but I couldn’t do it.” She looked away, at some student made poster celebrating the end of the school year. Peter looked over her with a soft gaze. She could feel his eyes tracing over her. “It was making me a little anxious.”

“Right-“ he stopped his eyes from wandering and placed a hand on the back of his neck. “Oh! You’re the new student!”

“Yeah.” She chuckled nervously. “That’s me.”

“I’m Peter.” He said offering the hand on the back of his neck to her.

She crossed the hallway and met his gaze. Peter’s eyes fluttered as her perfume filled his senses. Her skin looked soft and her hair was fluffed. Eyes a little red. Possibly from crying, he thought. When she took his hand he felt another shiver up his spine.

“I’m (y/n).” She smiled. “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too.” They dropped hands and immediately his hand felt cold again.

“We should probably head in.” She said ducking her head toward the classroom. Peter didn’t move his eyes from her. Something was different about her. Something gentle and soft. She reminded him of a doe. Delicate and stuck in the middle of the street. His weakness. “Peter?”

“Oh, yeah. We should.” He didn’t make a move to the room though. He couldn’t. This was the first time in months that he felt his mind quiet down.

For a silent beat they locked eyes once more. There was a tenderness to it. Sharing a moment of vulnerability with a complete stranger wasn’t common for most people, but Peter had had his fair share. This was different though, because she couldn’t see Spider-Man. She couldn’t see any of it. She only saw Peter. Midtown student and anxious student.

The bell rang, unleashing them from their gaze and the students from their rooms. As the doors flew open, endless conversations erupted into the hall, filling their warm silence.

Mr. Harrington and Flash hadn’t finished their debate about partying as they headed Peters way down the hall.

“Oh! Mr. Parker!” Mr. Harrington smiled. “You must’ve found our new student!”

“Come on now Porker, you didn’t think you could call dibs before anyone even saw her, did you?”

Flash said as he pulled Peter into a tight Noogie.

Peter shoved him with a little extra strength, making Flash clash just enough with Mr. Harrington to knock his glasses off his face. Students walking by trampled right over them. The poor broke teacher bent down and picked them up.

“It’s going to be a fun summer.” Mr. Harrington said, putting the shattered glasses back on. “See you guys Wednesday.”

With that, he was off.

“Whatever Porker.” Flash said, hurrying down the hall.

This left Peter and (y/n) alone once more. Even though it wasn’t even close to silent, when he looked at her he could only hear his own heartbeat in his ears.

“I guess that means the day’s over…” she said sheepishly.

“Y-yeah… right. Okay. Well I’ll see you Wednesday?” He asked. She nodded and started as though she would walk away. He gently pinched her elbow to stop her, which sent a shockwave from her skin to his fingertips as he did it. “Hey-“

“Y-yes?” She asked stopping close to him. So close he could feel the faintest sip of her breath on his face. She didn’t look at his eyes though. Her face was very red and he could almost hear how fast her heart was beating.

“If you need anything this week I’m here for you.” He said in earnest. When she looked into his eyes again he almost wanted to say forever, but forever was never a possibility for him.

“Th-thanks, Peter.” She said with the cutest stutter, her eyes drifting to his hand. He started to blush when he realized he was still holding her elbow. He dropped his hand and looked away. “See you around.”

“Yeah. See ya.” He said, and with that she was off.

——-

“Dude you missed Flash’s party announcement.” Peter said as he spun another web to swing on his way home from school. Ned Leeds, his best and most trusted friend, was on a video call in Peter’s mask.

“It’s not my fault my aunts came to town for the spring parade. We’re doing all the touristy stuff. I can’t tell you all the stuff I learned about the Chrysler Building today. I felt like I was in school anyway-“ Ned said making Peter grin. “Wait, since when do you care about Flash’s dumb parties? Especially after the one sophomore year?”

Peter’s eyes widened in surprised thought. Ned was right. Why did he care about the party?

“I don’t know. Other than that it was a normal day.” Peter said shaking it off

“Nah, I can tell something’s up with you. Is it about the news announcement today?” Ned asked. Peter had almost forgotten about that considering his mind was wrapped around (y/n) all day.

Peter smiled. He was glad to find out he wasn’t worrying about his usual problems. Something much more exciting had entered his life.

“Well there’s a new girl and she-“

“Dude no!” Ned said. “Leave it to you to meet someone the last week of school. I’ve been single since Betty and I broke up. Wait until college, dude. That’s where the babes will be.”

Peter laughed and shook his head as he dropped in the alley by his apartment for one. 17 and living alone. He could handle it but he had never been lonelier in his life.

“You wanna come over and play COD?” He asked as he threw his backpack in his apartment window.

“Nah, I can’t. My aunties want to go to that cafe where people scream Broadway music at you while you eat.” Ned said smacking his tongue on the top of his mouth.

“Don’t have too much fun.” Peter said jokingly.

“Oh I won’t.” Ned said making Peter chuckle to himself. “I’ll be at school tomorrow morning but I’m leaving at lunch to go see a matinee of Bye Bye Birdie.”

“On a Tuesday?” Peter asked.

“It’s a seniors only showing.” Ned responded. “With the alternate cast.”

“Good luck with that.” Peter said.

“Thanks. Honestly I think I need it more than you right now.”

“Catch ya later.” Peter said. Ned threw up a peace sign and the call was over.

Peter was about to climb inside when his spider senses started going off. Something was wrong.

He closed his window and took off out of the alley. He followed the hairs on his arms toward the feeling. He started to hear the commotion as he moved to the end of the street.

Two men were cornering a young woman by some bodega dumpsters.

“I don’t have anything-“ she said with a teary, terrified voice. “Please, just go!”

“Not gonna happen little lady.” One of the thugs said, rolling up his sleeve.

“Yeah, I see that gold watch you’re wearing. And it ain’t a fake.” The second moron said as they both moved closer to her. Her back was flush against the dumpster and Peter didn’t really have a good view of the situation. No time to waste.

He shot a web at the second thug and threw him hard against the wall of the electronics sales shop next door. (Y/n) screamed in shock.

The second thug turned and started barreling toward Peter, but Peter was faster. He threw one web at his feet, encasing them together. The thug fell flat on his face, but reached quickly into his pocket for a knife.

Peter dodged it, and as it flew by his face he shot a web and the thugs back and whipped him up and into the dumpster, hard.

At this point a small crowd had gathered to watch the spectacle. The local, and world, hero had saved another citizen of New York.

He took a step toward the girl and stopped. He recognized her. (Y/n). She was crying. Shaking. Eyes wide in fear. When he stepped toward her again she tensed up and stepped even more flush against the dumpster.

“Don’t be scared.” He said reaching a hand out. She eyed him. “I’m Spider-Man.”

She didn’t speak. Didn’t move. Fear locked her up. The doe in headlights. He wanted to rip his mask off and laugh and say “haha me again!” But he wouldn’t risk that secrets weight atop her head.

“You don’t have to be afraid.” He said softly, his hand still out-stretched. She looked at his hand and relaxed her shoulders. “You can trust me.”

“You just knocked two guys out cold in like a minute. I don’t know what you could do to me.” She said with a choked voice.

“I just saved you-“ he said surprised.

“Thank you for that, I’m just taken back. You… you really hurt them.” She looked at the man still unconscious on the ground by her feet. “He’s bleeding.”

“Yeah! I’m bleeding too!” The thug in the dumpster chimed in. Peter shook head head.

This wasn’t right. He just saved her. He just took two criminals off the map. She didn’t owe him anything, of course, but this was new.

“You’re sorry for the thugs?” He asked, dropping his hand to his side.

“Well, no…” she said, looking away. “Actually yes? Kind of? They’re still people, Spider-Man.”

“Yeah, bad people.” He said plainly.

The crowd watching were chatting amongst themselves and Peter knew he had to head out soon before the police came to investigate. And before the news bulletin came out.

“IN TODAYS NEWS!” A voice bellowed from one of the television at the electronic store. He felt every hair on his body stand straight.

“We need to go.” He said to her urging her gently with his hand stretched out to her once again. She shook her head.

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” She said matter of factly.

“SPIDER-MAN IS ANNOUNCED AS THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE AVENGERS!” The voice bellowed. The crowd standing nearby started cheering. Clapping. And closing in on Peter and (Y/n).

“You’re an avenger?” She asked, marbled eyes looking into the animated eyes of his mask. He nodded.

“Yes, now let’s go.” He said stepping toward her. The crowd moved closer to them both.

“I said im not going with y-“ she didn’t have time to finish her sentence before he webbed her hip and pulled her into his side.

Up up and away to the heights of the skyscrapers and away from the investigative crowd of adoring fans.

“What the hell!” She exclaimed as her leftover tears flew from her face as they swung through town. “PUT ME DOOOOOWN!!”

She screamed into his ear, making his grip on a web falter just a little. She gripped him tighter and as he felt her body press against his, he felt an odd mix of emotions. Annoyance for the fact that she wasn’t very happy to be near him, but solace in the fact that she didn’t know it was Peter.

But if she did? If she could know he’d just saved her life would she still have those tender eyes for him in the hallway? Would she even look at him again?

“I’ve got you.” He said in a tone so soft she felt her breath relax in her chest. “Relax.”

“How!?! I’m like 100 feet high!” She asked.

“More like 500.” He said, which made her hold him tighter. He could definitely feel her racing heart against him. “I won’t drop you.”

“You can’t tell me that!” Her eyes were closed. Closed since she lifted off of the ground.

“Feel the wind, (y/n).” She opened her eyes to stare at the masked crusader. “Enjoy the moment.”

She then felt her entire body take a deep breath. She could feel the wind on her face. The push and pull of his swinging motions. The leap of gravity as they played between the earth and the sky. She started to look around and she started to laugh.

Peter had never heard a more gleeful sound in his entire life.

“Woohoo!!” She yelled as they swung through the burough. “This is awesome!”

Peter watched where he was going most of all, but when he knew the next placement of his web, he watched her. Watched the fear fly away with the wind in her hair. He grinned at every yelp she made, every cheer. Her eyes were shining and sparkling in the light of the evening sun.

When they reached their destination, which was just around the corner from the high school, he set her down. Her legs were like jelly as she took a step. He caught her softly in his arms before she stumbled forward. This time she wasn’t afraid of his touch. She leaned into him. He could tell she could feel his warmth. His body. She wrapped her arms around him and held him. He didn’t know what to do for a second but when he wrapped his arms around her, it was like a glow covered them in their embrace.

Peter couldn’t tell if it had been a minute or ten that she held him. And she was really holding him.

“Thank you for saving me.” (Y/n) said as she pulled out of the hug. She put a large step between them. Brushed a piece of hair behind her head, and looked at the ground by his feet. “I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Yeah…” Peter said dreamily. Until he realized who he was at the moment. He straightened up and started to chuckle with a hand on the back of his neck. “Well citizen, I’ll leave you to your day.”

“Right…” she started as though to walk away but turned quickly back to him. He tensed before she stopped right in front of him and kissed him on his clothed cheek. “Thanks again, Spider-Man.”

“Oh yeah. Yeah. Don’t mention it. Haha…” he had never been more thankful for his mask in his life as he knew he had probably never had his face this red before. “Bye.”

“Bye.” She said, pulling out her phone to make a call. Probably to her parents. Or a taxi. Or the cops.

All Peter knew were the butterflies in his stomach and how he couldn’t wait until Wednesday to see (y/n) again. He was going to ask if she wanted to go to Flash’s party with her. And he hoped more than anything that she would say yes.

#long post #sorry I’m on mobile and idk how to add a post block for a long one so I’m posting this and I’ll add it when I get on my laptop.#peter parker #Peter Parker x reader #imagine #Spider-Man #one shot #fic #wiriting

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draguta · 5 months

Text

.fairytale of new york | two.

pairing: professor!bucky x fem!reader

summary: a semester in new york. a handsome man in a bar. whiskey neat. to the lighthouse. christmas lights. this is the tale of a whirlwind romance. a forbidden fairytale. college au.

chapter word count: 4113

warnings: smut, 18+, minors dni, oral (fem receiving), fingering

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Y/N

It was impossible to focus on your work. That gnawing feeling in your stomach only grew with every second that the clock ticked, telling you that you’d done something wrong. You didn’t need the nausea to tell you that, you already knew. His startled expression when he caught your eye for the first time at the beginning of the lecture was one that you weren’t likely to forget any time soon; he clearly knew just as well as you did that you had both fucked up.

But really, there was no telling that this situation would occur. How would you have known that he was your professor? You had met in a bar, kept the conversation short and sweet, exactly the way your friends back at home had told you to when it came to one-night-stands. Neither of you knew anything about the other, so surely you couldn’t be held accountable for it, right?

When the class finally came to an end, everyone began to pack up their things, the hoard of students rushing for the door as they finally found freedom from the two hour lecture. But you didn’t follow, instead awkwardly hovering by the end of your row of desks, waiting for everyone else to leave so that you could have a moment of privacy with the professor. You needed to talk to him, that much was clear, even if just to find clarity on everything that had happened in the past two days.

“Are you coming?” Yelena asked as she paused a few steps down from you, looking over her shoulder back up to where you were hovering.

“Erm, I’ll be right there,” you said, trying to ensure that your voice didn’t give anything away, although the slight tremor in your tone was evident to you, even if not to your new friend. “I just want to speak to Bu-Professor Barnes about something.”

Yelena shrugged as she turned and made her way to the door with your other classmates, mumbling something about not wanting to wait and instead agreeing to meet you back at the apartment later.

The last few dregs of the class disappeared through the door and you finally had your chance, slowly but surely making your way down the stairs to the desk at the front of the lecture hall. Bucky was still there, packing away his laptop and textbooks, and as you approached him, clearing your throat to grab his attention, he looked up at you, his eyes widening behind his glasses when he realised who was waiting for him.

“Y/N,” he said quietly, running a hand through his hair.

“What the hell, Bucky?” You couldn’t hold back your confusion, and if you were being honest with yourself, your frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me last night that you were my professor?”

Bucky frowned, cocking his head to the side slightly. “Well, it’s not exactly like I knew, did I?” He countered. “Why didn’t you tell me you were a student?”

“I didn’t think that was important information to tell a stranger in a bar,” you argued back, your voice raising ever so slightly.

“Well, given our current situation, it would seem you were wrong.”

“Don’t act like this is my fault!” You all but shouted it, and Bucky quickly rushed around his desk to place two hands on each of your arms. He was clearly flustered, and evidently just as confused. His brows were furrowed in thought, his glasses slipping to the end of his nose as he crinkled it ever-so-slightly.

“You’re right, the blame lies with both of us, or neither of us. It’s no one’s fault,” he corrected with a sigh, glancing towards the door over your shoulder and then back at you, those gleaming eyes connecting to yours. “But please, you have to be quiet. If anyone found out about this I’d be fired.”

“I know,” you sighed, defeated, glancing down at the floor as you tried to make sense of everything that was happening. He reached up, tilting your chin upwards so that you were looking at him, and for a second, when your eyes met his, it felt as if you couldn’t pull away, as if those irises were clinging to yours, telling you to never look away again.

“Look, we can’t talk about this here, ok?” He said quieter, calmer than before. “Come to my office tonight, after office hours, and we’ll talk about it then? We need to work out a way to keep this between us.”

You nodded solemnly, silently, before pulling away from his touch gently and turning to the door.

“Y/N!” Bucky called after you, just as you were about to leave. You turned and looked at him expectantly. “It’s good to see you again.”

You shot him a small smile, before disappearing into the hallway, knowing that the next time you see him it wouldn’t be as Bucky again, it would be as Professor Barnes, your teacher.

You flopped face-down onto your bed, letting out a long groan into the softness of your pillow. You were never meant to be that person, had never planned for that to happen, sleeping with a professor. That was something that other girls did in the hopes of getting their grades up or for extra credit that they didn’t really have to work for. Yet you had done it, even unintentionally, and there was no going back from that.

“Everything ok?” A voice called from the doorway to your bedroom, and rolling onto your back you saw Yelena leaning against the doorframe with an eyebrow raised, an auburn haired girl wearing an oversized red sweatshirt behind her.

“Yes,” you mumbled, your mouth subconsciously curling into a pout as if you were a toddler who didn’t get their way. Yelena cocked her head to the side expectantly, and you sighed. “No.”

The blonde let herself into your room, jumping on the bed beside you, motioning for the auburn haired girl to follow, who simply perched herself on the edge of the mattress.

“I’m Wanda,” she smiled brightly.

“Y/N,” you replied, making the assumption that she was one of your other roommates.

“It’s good to meet you,” she replied. “Now, do you want to tell us what’s wrong?”

You stared at her for a second, weighing up your options, before sighing again and propping yourself up against the headboard.

“I did something stupid.”

“Like ‘forgot to call your parents’ stupid, or ‘committed manslaughter’ stupid?” Yelena asked. Her voice was monotone, serious, but you could tell that she was joking, and you couldn’t stop a small chuckle from escaping your lips.

“Somewhere in between those,” you laughed lightly. “I met a boy-”

“Ah, so this is about a boy!” Wanda interrupted. “Is he cute?”

“The cutest,” you groaned, glancing at Yelena through slightly squinted eyes. “I guess you could say he’s a real hotty.”

“Lucky, lucky girl,” Yelena mumbled.

“But here’s the problem,” you continued. “We slept together last night, but now it turns out that it’s all a little more complicated than I had anticipated.”

“Complicated how?” Wanda asked with a frown.

“Well, I thought that we’d have one night together and then never see each other again,” you explained. “But then I saw him again today.”

Yelena sat upright, her expression indicating that she was piecing together the puzzle. You could only hope and pray that she didn’t work it out completely.

“You saw him today?” She asked slowly, and you nodded. “He’s one of our classmates?”

“Well, I-” you began, but Yelena interrupted, her eagerness getting ahead of her.

“Is it George? Harry? Connor? Oh it must be Connor, he really is a hotty-”

“No,” you laughed, shaking your head. “It’s none of them, and I’m not going to tell you who it is. It’s already complicated enough without my roommates meddling in it.”

Yelena laughed, holding her hands up in surrender. “Ok, fine,” she chuckled. “But what is your plan?”

“I don’t know, honestly,” you sighed. “He wants me to go see him this evening to talk about everything.”

“I say fuck him again and get it out of your system,” Yelena offers, causing both you and Wanda to turn to her with a look of shock.

“Yelena, no!” Wanda laughed, turning back to you. “I think the real question is, do you actually like this boy?”

You shrugged. “I don’t even know. He’s handsome and nice and charming, but I don’t really know him.”

“Well, maybe that’s what you need to talk to him about then. Work out whether it was just one night, or if you want it to be more,” Wanda suggested. “And no matter what happens, we can have a little girl’s night tonight to either celebrate or mourn. Snacks, a movie, wine, and facemasks, yeah?” You nodded slowly, pushing yourself further down into the pillows, glancing over at the clock and watching as each second pulled you closer to the end of Bucky’s office hours.

Bucky

Bucky leaned back in his office chair, watching as the grad student who had interrupted his grading finally left after bugging him for an hour over a creative writing project they’d written that was two weeks overdue. He ran a hand over his face; his head was still throbbing, but now he wasn’t sure if it was because of his hangover or because of her.

He’d certainly taken a liking to her in that bar - she was funny and seemed smart, and she was certainly beautiful - and had circumstances been different maybe he would’ve used the number that she’d left behind when she’d slipped out his apartment that morning. But that was impossible now.

He wasn’t the type to regularly take home girls from bars, only indulging every so often when it felt right. But never before had he ever felt like any of those girls were someone he’d call again. Well, besides Dot, but she was different, a booty-call that he only saw when she was in the city for a conference, and one that never stayed the night.

But Y/N had been the exception. She had caught his eye from the moment that she had entered that bar with the haggle of girls behind her. She had been drinking beer, whilst the others drank fruity cocktails with only a 4% alcohol percentage. She had worn comfortable clothes, jeans and a crop top, sneakers on her feet, whilst the others had dressed up, curled their hair and painted their faces. She had been the type of girl he could see calling again, maybe taking for dinner or a drink in a fancy bar. The type of girl who he wouldn’t mind staying over after their rendezvous.

Damn his enticement towards younger girls.

She was barely an adult. A student. His student. But he couldn’t deny that when he’d seen her in that lecture his heart had fluttered for just a moment, only a second, before reality had hit him. He had actually been excited to see her again until the realisation came.

He was pulled from his thoughts by a knock on his office door, and glancing up he saw Steve popping his head around the doorframe.

“Coffee break?” He asked, and Bucky couldn’t have been more grateful for the distraction. It had become a tradition for the pair, at least once a day, to grab a coffee together and stroll around campus, usually mid-afternoon. It was one of his favourite moments of the day, when the stresses of his job could be left behind in his office and he could have a break.

Steve had been Bucky’s best friend for as long as he could remember, and when Steve had transferred from NYU two years prior to take over the History Department at SHIELD, Bucky couldn’t have been happier. No more feeling awkward in the staff room, surrounded by other professors that he didn’t really know, although it’s not as if he ever made much of an effort to get to know them before. But Steve had settled in almost immediately, and through him Bucky had gotten to know a handful of the others, Natasha from the Art department, Sam, the head of the Math department, even Jennifer, the head of Law, despite her building being on the complete opposite end of campus.

He took a long sip of his coffee as they made their way down the path that led out of the building.

“Everything ok, Buck?” Steve asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re looking a little…out of it, today.”

Bucky’s eyes widened, and he answered quickly, perhaps a little too quickly. “Oh yeah, I’m fine. Just hungover.”

“Are you sure that’s all it is?” Steve asked, crossing one arm across his chest. “Nothing to do with a girl?”

Bucky’s eyes widened even further, heart beating ten times faster in his chest. “N-No, why would you say that?”

“I happened to see a very pretty young thing sneaking out of your apartment this morning,” Steve chuckled, and Bucky could feel the heat rising in his cheeks, his panic only rising, a lump in his throat. He knew Steve would never tell anyone his secret, but he couldn’t risk it, not until he’d spoken to Y/N and made a plan at least. Damn, he knew suggesting Steve take the apartment across the hall from him was a bad idea. “Someone special?”

“No! Just some random girl I picked up in the bar last night,” Bucky lied. Well, it wasn’t really a lie. She had started out that way, even if it hadn’t really gone to plan.

“Well, she looked pretty, Buck,” Steve chuckled, coming to a stop outside of the history department. “And it’s about time you found yourself a nice girl.”

With that, Steve patted Bucky on the shoulder and made his way back towards his own office.

Dammit.

Y/N

You took a deep breath, shuddering slightly as you stood outside of his office door. The name ‘Professor James Barnes, Head of English’ was painted delicately on the frosted glass window in the door, a gut-wrenching reminder of who he actually was. Through the window you could see a hint of a dim orange light, confirmation that he was still there, likely waiting for you now that his office hours were over. You could barely bring yourself to knock on the door, nerves fluttering around the pit of your stomach, but you closed your eyes and forced your knuckles to wrap against the window gently.

“Come in!”

One more deep breath in a failed attempt to calm your nerves before you let yourself into his office, closing the door gently behind you, hearing it click into place; you were truly alone with him now.

“Y/N,” Bucky said quickly, a little side-smile playing on his lips. Perhaps he felt just as awkward as you did. “Please sit.”

You did as he suggested, plating yourself on the seat that he had motioned to, glancing around. His office was small, but like his apartment, it had a comforting atmosphere. It was dark, with orange bulbed lamps shedding a golden glow around the room. He sat in a leather chair behind a dark-wooden desk, and the seat that you sat on was a dark red leather, one of two on the opposite side of the desk. On the wall to your left was a bookshelf and a side-table that held a small cluster of photo frames, although you weren’t able to make out who was in the photographs, and behind Bucky was a large window that looked out onto campus, dark in the evening light.

Bucky leaned forward in his seat, pushing his glasses further up his nose as he clasped his hands on the table in front of him, looking over at you. You could feel your heart beating in your chest, so loud that you wouldn’t be surprised if it burst out of your ribcage to land on his desk beside the essays that he had been grading when you had arrived. The two of you sat in silence for a moment, neither one sure of how to begin the conversation.

“Y/N-”

“Bucky-”

You both spoke at the same time, and almost in sync you both smirked, chuckling slightly at the awkwardness of the situation. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, not with your professor.

“Y/N, I think it’s best if you call me Professor Barnes from now on,” Bucky said eventually, quietly, almost as if he didn’t want to say it. But you nodded firmly in agreement making him sigh out in relief.

“I think that would be for the best, Professor,” you agreed.

“I’m glad you feel that way,” he replied, glancing down at his table for a moment before looking back up at you with big, gleaming eyes. “What happened last night can’t happen again, I hope you realise that.”

“Of course Professor,” you mumbled with a nod of your head. You didn’t really know what to say; you had assumed that this was how the conversation would go, and you had thought through everything that you were going to say in your head on the walk over, but now that you were here words eluded you. “It was just a…temporary lapse in judgement.”

“Not even that,” Bucky chuckled. “Neither of us knew. It’s not something that we should feel guilty about.”

“Absolutely not,” you agreed with a small smile. Bucky paused, rising to his feet and making his way around the desk, motioning to the door.

“Well, if we’re both in agreement to keep this between us then I don’t think we have anything else to discuss,” he said as you followed him towards his office door. He paused, hand on the doorknob and turned to look at you; you were right beside him, peering up at him, so close that your chests were practically touching. “It is a shame though.”

His voice was lower now, a glint in his eye mixing with the orange, flame-like reflection of the lamps dancing within his irises. You couldn’t help but let out a little breath; in this light he was truly striking.

“Yes…” you agreed slowly, quietly. “Such a shame.”

“We had a lot of fun,” he continued, and although you couldn’t be entirely certain, you thought that he leaned a little closer to you, only an inch or so.

“A lot of fun, yes.”

“I had hoped we could’ve done it again, but it seems we can’t.”

“No, we can’t.”

A click of the door told you that he had turned the lock, and before you had the chance to ask what he was doing his lips were on yours, his hand on your waist, his other hand tangling in your hair to pull you closer. You reciprocated, unable to stop yourself, allowing him to hoist you into the air, wrapping your legs around his waist as he carried you over to his desk. He set you down on the edge, pulling his lips away from yours and pushing your chest so that you were lying down across the papers and student coursework scattered across the desk.

“Not a sound, doll,” he said in that low voice that made you ache for his touch. “Not a single sound.”

He slid downwards, his hand tracing over your stomach down to the hem of your skirt and even further, stopping at your thighs. He rubbed them gently, flesh moulding to his touch, sliding upwards under the fabric of your skirt towards the spot where you needed him the most. You let out a gasp as his fingers trailed over your most sensitive spot through your panties, already wet, waiting for him to slide them to the side and finally touch you again.

And that’s exactly what he did, one finger curling around the hem of your panties as the other flipped your skirt up over your stomach. You leaned upwards, watching as he glanced down at you, pupils blown, his tongue ghosting over his bottom lip. Another gasp as he slid two fingers between your folds, collecting the wetness there that he had caused. He looked up at you, eyes connecting with yours as he brought his fingers up to his mouth, licking your wetness off them.

“You taste so good,” he whispered, and you groaned at the sight. He smirked, knowing exactly what he was doing to you - he was doing it on purpose you were certain. You already felt dishevelled, hazy even, simply from watching him, and he had barely touched you yet.

When he did finally bring his fingers back to you, circling your sensitive spot gently, as if testing the waters, a low moan escaped your lips.

“Quiet, doll, remember?”

He circled again, before dragging his fingers further down, gently placing one inside you, and then another. Your hand slammed against your mouth as you desperately tried to follow his instructions. You knew why you had to be quiet - if anyone found you or heard you then you would both have a huge problem on your hands - but you weren’t sure how you were going to do it, not when his fingers felt so good.

You felt the scuff of his stubble against your thigh, and your entire body shuddered when the flat of his tongue finally came into contact with your bud, circling it gently as his fingers continued to pump in and out of you. It was unlike anything you had felt before; he was skilled, clearly more experienced than the men you had been with before, and he seemed to know exactly what you liked, exactly what would make you moan his name.

Your other hand gripped at the papers beneath you as the coil in your stomach began to tighten. He sucked on your bud hard, and you had to squeeze your eyes shut at the sensation, but when he licked away the sensitivity moments later you whined out, muffled only by the hand still over your mouth.

“Good girl,” he said, pulling away for a second and planting a chaste kiss on the inside of your thigh. “Think you can come for me, doll?”

All you could do was nod in response, causing Bucky to let out a low chuckle, returning to his previous ministrations. You were there, you could feel it. It only took for Bucky to curl his index finger inside you and you were done for, falling so hard that you could see stars. You called out his name as you bit down on your own finger to try and keep from screaming. It was intense, incredible, and more than you could’ve hoped for.

He pulled you through your orgasm, waiting patiently, pressing little kisses to your legs as he slowed his fingers, eventually pulling them out entirely when he felt that you were ready, sliding your panties back into place. He rose to his feet, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and extending the other one out to you to help you sit up.

Bucky

As Bucky looked down at her, sitting on the edge of his desk, post-bliss and flustered, he couldn’t help but reach forward, pulling a stray strand of hair behind her ear with a gentle smile.

“Well, that conversation didn’t really go according to plan,” he chuckled, and she laughed with him as she rose to her feet, brushing down her skirt.

“I guess not,” she agreed. “But if I’m being honest, I’m kind of glad it went this way instead.”

“Me too,” he chuckled, shaking his head, looking down at his shoes as he shoved one hand in his pocket. There was a moment of silence before she spoke up again.

“I should probably get going. I’ve got girl’s night with my roommates tonight,” she explained. She leaned up, placing a small kiss to his lips, fleeting and fast, but one that he knew he wasn’t going to forget. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning?”

He escorted her to the door, unlocking it and pulling it open for her. “Yes, see you tomorrow, Y/N.”

She nodded, turning to make her way out into the hall, but he called her name, causing her to stop in her tracks just outside of his door. “Just remember, this stays between us. Please.”

She smirked, bringing one hand up to her chest and drawing a little ‘X’ over her heart, before turning back with a smile and disappearing down the hallway.

“Fuck,” Bucky muttered to himself. “I’m in trouble.”

| @eclecticpatrolroadlawyer |

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barb-l · 5 months

Note

Yeees totally! With Enid probably picking stores strategically beforehand because she knows Wednesday can only take so much before her social batteries run out for the day. She's also totally buying her something other than black and white.. maybe in a beautiful dark blue colour and for whatever, whatever reason Wednesday will be compelled to wear it (when they are alone.) Oh no.. I have way too much thoughts and feelings about them.

Ohh I will be ecstatic about anything you decide to write for them. I loved your first fic tons, it's so very well-written! 😊

Oh dark blue could work. Pretty sure that's what she was wearing in Addams Family Values.

Aww thanks! I'm actually working on a summer break fic rn, but i've been hesitant to keep going cuz ive been considering just waiting to watch the show first cuz i wanna know what Enid's family/pack is like by the end of the show. I'll probably be changing a ton of stuff, or just scrap the whole thing altogether, after i've watched the show, so let me just post what i have so far here:

(sorry im on my mobile and can't put it under read more)

💀💀💀💀💀💀

Enid didn't really expect anything when she gave Wednesday her number. For one, Wednesday didn't have a phone and has sworn that she will never have one.

But just in case...

As, uh, rocky as their start was as roommates, Wednesday has grown on Enid. Like a mold. Maybe due to Stockholm Syndrome. Jury's still up as to how Wednesday feels about her. But after going up against a homicidal monster and rogue Nevermore student together, she likes to think that she has managed to go past being merely a thorn on Wednesday's side and dug her way to the other girl's shriveled, pea-sized heart.

So just before they leave Nevermore for the long-awaited summer break, she gave Wednesday her phone number to let her know that she can contact her if she ever gets sick of tormenting her brother and wants to bother Enid instead.

Wednesday raised a brow when she's handed the piece of paper with Enid's digits and sceptically looked at her. "Why?"

Enid didn't expect Wednesday to ask at the time. Truthfully she expected her to wordlessly throw it away and was prepared for another bout of back and forth squabble like they've always done. Maybe even tease her over how she's too much of an old lady on the inside to even figure out how to use a phone anyway. It was fun. What's not fun is admitting that she will miss her. She didn't prepare to be asked why.

"I don't know," is what Enid ended up saying. "Just..." She shrugged, turned away from Wednesday's calculating gaze to finish zipping up her bag. "I don't know."

"Hm."

Enid didn't like that reaction. Like Wednesday just caught her doing something embarrassing. So she took her bag, gave Wednesday a saccharinely fake smile, and said, "See ya, weirdo!" before running away with her tail tucked between her legs.

----

Enid spends the first two weeks of summer break agonizing over how humiliating that was. Who gives their number to a girl who doesn't even have a phone? Desperate idiots, that's who.

If Wednesday knew how much Enid was suffering just thinking about her, she'd be smiling in satisfaction.

...and now Enid has started thinking about Wednesday's smile, wicked as it may be, and has buried her face in her pillow. This time she's suffering for different, more embarrassing reasons.

She didn't expect anything, honest to god, so when she receives a notification one day for a text from an unknown number, she couldn't believe her eyes.

Greetings, Enid Sinclair, it reads.

Against my better judgement, I have gone and acquired a phone. I still maintain the belief that they are unnecessary and annoying, but you were, regrettably, right. Lighting Pugsley up in the good ol' electric chair has not been the same since Nevermore.

Perhaps it's due to everything else that we have gone through the whole semester. Monsters and what-not can't compare.

Though money has never been an issue to an Addams, I expect that you will make my purchase worthwhile by granting me amusement. Go ahead, regale me of your woes spending school break locked in a whole different kind of prison with your family. I don't expect it to be any worse of a time than I have had, but I haven't lost hope.

Forever in darkness,

Wednesday Addams

Enid rolls her eyes when she finishes reading the absurdly long text, but there's a smile she can't contain when she fondly mutters, "So edgy."

She doesn't reply right away. Mostly because she doesn't know what to say, and also because she spent a good fifteen minutes just re-reading the message, giggling over the mental image of Wednesday going to the mall and buying a phone, all for her.

... Well, maybe not, but Enid doesn't have enough self-control in her to deny a hungry ego.

She knows that the text has been shown as read on Wednesday's end by know, but she pays it no mind. With all the torture having Wednesday on her mind has brought her, she deserves to do it back.

After spending much too long of her time erasing and retyping, she finally replies.

u dont have to sign n write texts like letters yunno. U can just talk like normal

Enid once again laughs when she sees that her text was immediately read. Wednesday spends two minutes conjuring up a reply, and Enid spends the whole time watching the dots on the the bubble move as she lies in bed.

Eventually, Wednesday sends a reply.

Your spelling is atrocious.

Enid wonders if Wednesday would get offended if she tells her how often she has made her laugh.

That's more like it, Enid texts in return.

#asks #Wednesday Netflix #wenclair #itd be such a shame if i end up not officially posting this on ao3 after the show is released #so let me put this out here #if nothing in canon retcons it ill make it longer #my fic #or well #draft of a fic #long post

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daydream-cement · 3 months

Text

Cold Dead Heart Ch. 1

Marilyn Thornhill x OC (Rowan Ali)

Authors Note: Expect so much NSFW content. i know you guys hate the dirty stuff but oh well, you will live.

“God, you look delicious.” You gasped as you held Marilyn against a wall, licking a line up her neck where you knew the jugular vein lay. She couldn’t deny that she was absolutely terrified and aroused to be pinned underneath you. You could kill her at any moment if you wanted to, but what would be the fun in that.

This had become a bit of a normal occurrence since you met her at the office party. You would pull her into the broom closet between your classrooms just to fuck with her a little bit. You knew that you could have her crawling to your coffin by the end of the week if you kept this up. The one thing you hate/loved was how her touch against your bare skin ignited such a warmth that you considered you might be ill.

She moaned underneath you as you unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it over her shoulders so you could suck at the flesh of her shoulder. No on ever tasted this good. Everything in you wanted to bite her, just to see what she really tasted like.

“Tell me what you want?” You ask, slowing yourself down as soon as you registered that you were thinking of biting her. Your breathing was heavy as you stared down at her. Your hands were pinned above her head. She looked like s frightened animal and it was sparking the most dangerous of desires in you.

“Kiss me.” Marilyn’s fingers reached for your belt loops, pulling you closer. Hungrily, you step towards her, picking her up and pressing her against the wall. Her arms wrapped around your neck as she dives in for a kiss. Everything about your kisses in that broom closet was filled with hunger and desire. You wished you didn’t want to do the most torturous things to her, but you could feel the dark aura lingering under her facade and you wanted to punish her for it.

You couldn’t help it when your mouth kissed its way back to her neck. With her gasped and moaning, she didn’t seem to mind either. The bell rang, but you ignored it. The feelings you had towards her body were deep and intense. You almost wanted to rip her limb from limb just to stifle the desire.

“Dr. Ali… Uhm, Dr. Ali…” Marilyn’s hands came to your face, there was that warmth again, pulling you away from her, “I think it’s time for class.”

You were panting above her again. What was it about her that made you like this? You never had a problem controlling the more unappealing side of your vampirism, but with her it was nearly impossible. You hated that she had any power over you.

You slowed your breathing to normal, but kept your hungry and seductive stare, "Very true Ms. Thornhill. Have a wonderful day."

She stayed there between your arms for a few seconds more, almost like she was expecting something. Marilyn's eyes fell to the floor and she tucked under your arm, leaving you behind in the broom closet.

-------

"Are you talking about 'tall hot lady'?" Fern Rogers, your long-time best friend and old Nevermore roommate, asked over the phone.

"No, no, no. She's just a friend. I'm talking about this new redhead. I don't know what my problem is. She's just so- so-"

"Entrancing?" She had been listening to you go on and on about Marilyn. You didn't share her name, however. Your flings always remained anonymous when your feelings were potentially involved.

"That's not even the right word. I've never wanted to fuck and kill someone more, Fern." As usual, you were ungodly honest with your old Nevermore roommate.

"I think the former is acceptable in polite society." Fern laughed a bit at your statement, secretly hoping that you were being hyperbolic. She always encouraged you to never kill people.

You walked back and forth next to the chalkboard in your classroom. The semester was starting to get stressful with the Rave'N next week and these new primal urges were distracting you from accomplishing anything, "Everyday we spend prep in a broom closet. We haven't even had sex, Fern. What is wrong with me? Am I ill?"

"I don't think vampires can get ill, but I'm not a doctor. As the late, great Rowan Ali once said, I'm really going to need you to get your shit together." You laughed at her attempt to cheer you up by quoting the same phrase you had told her throughout high school, undergrad, and graduate school. You did need to get your shit together. You needed to be the person you were before you even met Marilyn Thornhill.

"You're right. You are so right. I'm going to seduce her and get it out of my system. Then I can hit it and forget it." You nod as you speak, reaffirming your own brilliant idea.

"No, Ro. That's not what I said. Maybe you could try dating-" Fern tried her best to redirect you, but you really didn't want to listen to her ideas right now. Dating wasn't an option for you and you definitely weren't going to date a normie. You outlived normies and outcasts and you decided long ago that dating other vampires wasn't an option either.

"You are so right. I just need to get it out of my system. How did you get so smart? It's like you have a doctorate or some shit." You begin teasing her, knowing that she was rolling her eyes on the other end of the receiver, "When are you gonna come here and live with me? You could work at Nevermore. You can leave Sadie and-"

"Her name is Sarah and we are doing great. Thank you for asking." Fern was lying to you. You could hear it in her voice, but you knew she would come to you with her problems when she was ready.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, sweets. I have a date with destiny. Talk with you later." You wrapped up the phone call, ending it before Fern can turn the conversation back to your life.

"Sounds good. Love you."

"Yeah whatever." You paused a moment before returning the sentiment, "Love you too."

------

You strode down to the teachers lounge, knowing exactly what you would say to Marilyn once you found her. You were partially down the stairs of the astronomy tower when you nearly ran into her. You smirked when her hands placed themselves on you to stabilize herself and then you smiled even bigger when you realized that she was coming up to see you.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Thornhill." You grasp at one of her hands, resisting the temptation to raise it to your lips.

"Dr. Ali, I was just coming up to see you and I-" Her voice was so subdued. You wanted to know what lay deeper under the surface. You wished you weren't so curious so you wouldn't have to know what lay under the surface.

"Would you care to come over tonight?" You raise a hand to her face, tracing the curve of her cheek. You watched as she leaned into your touch, closing her eyes.

"For dinner?" Her tone was unreadable. Did she want to come over for dinner or was she looking for something more?

"No." You felt the tremble that coursed through her body. Marilyn wasn't prepared for your answer.

#marilyn thornhill #marilyn thornhill x oc #wednesday netflix #fanfic #the cedars have eyes #violet and rose #cold dead heart #stately sequoia #laurel gates #rowan ali #smut #marilyn thornhill smut

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princezukohere · 3 months

Text

Golden Hour

Xavier Thorpe X Reader

1.5K words

Not requested

Requests Open

Set before Wednesdays arrival

warnings: none i can think of, Xavier maybe ooc??? Tone of fluff

SFW/FLUFF//18+ ACCOUNT

I haven’t written for awhile but I kept having this play in my head as I was listening to Golden Hour which is ofc what this fic is based off of so if this is shit am very sorry but hope you all enjoy the fluffy Xavier

Falling in love wasn’t a foreign concept, Xavier could always imagine one day meeting the one and it would just be that. Simply Falling. That’s what he thought he got with Bianca and that turned out to be what he thought being in love was. The concept of giving up after a failed love was a concept Xavier refused to believe in. Then there was you. He had met you over the summer due to Principal Weems's request, you’d be attending at the beginning of the year and after hearing about your infatuation with art she decided to pair you with Xavier, something along the lines of a new friend, that way you’d have a familiar face when the semester started.

The idea of falling in love seemed so simple as the summer progressed, a few meet-ups turned into daily texts which turned into late-night phone calls that could only lead to only being able to sleep if the other was on the phone. The stars aligned when you two were together. Could a soul mate truly be this simple? Where was the universe to come crashing down a reality that this was only real now, it was a honeymoon phase and it would end sooner than later, but with you, it didn’t feel like that. With Xavier, everything was simple. With you everything made sense.

Once the semester started, you weren’t too far behind Xavier, he showed you everything, making sure that you would be prepared in case he wasn’t able to help you find where you needed to go. Introducing you to his friends, just students in general, and taking you to his most sacred art shack. Declaring that this was yalls spot, to enjoy the company of one another, to escape reality when needed, and at that moment, with the simple look you gave him, everything connected for Xavier. You were it for him, no matter how old he may be, no matter what people might say, in that moment he wanted to give you anything you could ask for. He wanted to be the reason that, that look you had on your face continued to exist.

Xavier had cleared out a nice section for you to turn into your area, he watched as you decorated the area, bringing some tables together to make a desk, and bringing your cameras and journals in. As you took pictures of Xavier he was painting portraits of you, both of you coming to the shed to work on your respective crafts always getting the most open and honest input from the other. One night you and Xavier had left a session with the potheads of the campus breaking curfew to head to the shed, wanting to just escape and be with one another. You two were sat across from one another, music playing in the background as he was sketching and you were jotting down thoughts about a report you had found interesting. “Reporter girl?” Xavier had spoken after an hour of comfortable silence. You looked up at him a sly smile forming on your face, clearing your throat before speaking.

“Painter baby, you could be the muse, I'm the reporter baby, you could be the news” You quoted, a song you had heard Enid playing as she walked around campus constantly. Xavier smirked looking back down at the sketch he was doing, this one he wouldn’t ask you about, this one he wanted to turn into a painting, a surprise for you of course. Closing his journal he crossed over sitting next to you, letting his head rest between your neck and shoulder, shifting you so your legs were now on his and he could pull you into his side.

“Break?” He asked so gently, you could only nod setting your things down. Reaching over pulling the blanket, Xavier had brought for you in case you got cold in the shed, over so you could cover the two of you. Xavier lifted his head so he could look down at you, a smile on his face. The look he had, the look he saved just for you made your heart race…butterflies fill your stomach, you wanted to save that look, reserve it for yourself, because no matter what anyone could ever say, no matter how young you may be, Xavier was it for you. You were sure of it.

Xavier had asked you to meet him in the shed during lunch today, saying he had something he wanted to show you. You knew he had been working on a new piece, telling you that this one was reserved for his eyes until he perfected it and you respected it. Xavier was a brilliant artist and you knew to no matter what he made it would come out better than perfect and you were willing to wait to see what it could be. You always remembered as a kid when you were excited about something time seemed to drag on for what felt like an eternity but knowing that there was something Xavier wanted you to see seemed to make the hours in the day speed by. Heading to the shed while everyone else was getting their food, you made sure to grab something for both you and Xavier to eat while being out for what could possibly be the rest of the day.

You set the bags on the floor next to your space, watching Xavier cautiously as he looked at the white cloth draped over a rather large portrait that was now sitting in the middle of the shed.

“Xavier.” You spoke softly walking over to him and wrapping your arms around him. “I’m sure this is one of the best paintings you’ve ever created. You never have to be nervous to show me one.” You told him, before kissing both his arms. Xavier nodded as he walked over to the portrait, holding the cloth in both hands.

“Close your eyes.” He told you, and you did as he wished, shutting your eyes tightly, feeling all of Xvaiers nerves in your own body. You could hear the sound of the cloth being pulled off, opening your eyes when Xavier told you to. Your eyes went wide watching as he brought his painting to life, his painting of you in your favorite yellow sundress working in your space in the shed. Everything started to slow down as the portrait version of you looked up the most loving smile looking back at you before it freezes into that expression. A beautiful portrait of you.

“I don’t look like that.” You told him softly, he scrunched his eyebrows looking at you and then at the portrait, it was the same thing.

“Of course you do.” He told you, confusion evident in his voice.

“Xavier I’m flattered but that…that’s too beautiful to be me.” You told him, making his expression soften. He held out his hand for you, pulling you towards him.

“My art doesn’t lie, that beautiful image in the portrait is what I see every time I look at you, what everyone sees when they look at you,” Xavier told you, his voice gentle and soft as he brought his lips down to yours to give you a kiss that matched his words. “Let me show you again but from my point of you,” Xavier told you as he wrapped an arm around you so you could both see the painting bringing it to life once again.

“You see how it’s dark outside in the portrait but you’re still glowing?” He asked, you nodded turning your head slightly to look up at him. “I don't need no light to see you shine,” Xavier said, his gaze dropping down to yours. You held it for a moment before looking back at the portrait, “Then here you get startled and that’s when everything starts to slow down, this day, I remember this from memory, I was watching you work, thinking how beautiful you looked even while frantically working.” Xavier told you clearing his throat knowing how weird it sounds to say you were just watching someone, let alone his girlfriend. “I leaned forward because I was getting ready to call out your name and I knocked over one of my easels and you squealed before turning to look at me and I swear everything was in slow motion, and the look you gave me, that look is this one right here.” He told you the painting coming to a halt once more, “Can you even imagine? Fallin' like I did for the love of my life?” He asked, My angel of light….My radiant beam in the night. I don't need no light to see you shine.” Xavier continued turning you around to look at him, “Every hour of every day…. It's your golden hour. You slow down time, In your golden hour.” He whispered his forehead resting against yours. Your eyes closed as you soaked in his words. Xavier Thorpe is it for you.

#xavier thrope imagine #xavier thorpe #xavier thrope fanfic #xavier x you #xavier x reader #wednesday #wednsday addams #percy hynes white #jenna ortega #fluff #xavier fluff #tyler galpin

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burnwithtears · 4 months

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i've been seeing a never-ending discourse about how rina's position in s4 will be like portwell's, with ricky graduating and gina still a junior and let me break it to you: it's not the same. and i don't mean the age gap.

ej and gina started their relationship at the very end of the school year, which means ej already has one foot outside school, while gina still has two years ahead of her. the beginning of s3 makes it clear their relationship is very new (emphasis on "first boyfriend", "summer of firsts"). so basically, they're getting together while ej is already entering a new stage in his life, so there is nothing solid about their relationship to hold on to, because this is the beginning of it. if they had gotten together at the start of s2, things would be different, because they'd have a whole semester to build their connection. and don't say they've been friends since s1 and that's enough, because a platonic relationship is very different from a romantic one. gina expects different things from it.

now, ricky and gina are being honest about their feelings before ricky's final year starts. they'll have a whole year to figure out how they work romantically, and they will build a solid base, and later figure out how to keep making things work even after ricky leaves school. and yeah, the stress and fame could break them apart, but it'd be nothing similar to portwell's downfall. ricky is still a senior, he's not on the verge of graduating. he will still see her every day, they will be joining the school play together.

and while we're at it, i'd like to address some very rude comments about gina (and the other kids) being "unfair" to ej during s3. as someone who absolutely loved ej's arc in s3, because he finally got one rsrs, it's absurd to me how people fail to see that his friends did try to support him in their own way.

there are two very different visions about ej this season: how the adults see him, and how the teens see him. throughout the whole season, he's standing in the middle of it, not knowing what to do, but, at the end, he falls to the adult side, because that's his development.

when ej comes to the camp this last time, he's a mentor. val, channing, dewey and miss jenn interact with him and give him responsibilities he didn't ask for because they see him as a young adult, not one of the kids in the camp. do you see val participating in the games? no, she's not part of any team in color wars, she's not part of the play. the thing is, ej came to camp thinking he would just have fun, but being a “senior” in camp as well comes with these responsibilities he wasn't ready for, and the adults are the ones helping him navigate through it because that's their role. he goes to val for advice with his dad; he goes to miss jenn for advice with the play; he directly deals with channing and corbin when they're trying to call off the documentary. the fact that val is the one who comforts him in the end of the season shows he made through it. it was a transition.

the east high crew, at first, sees him as one of them; they try to include him in all of the camp activities, and that's their way of showing they care for him – they want him around, want him to be part of the group. and it takes them a while to understand he won't be able to, and that it's not his fault, but neither is theirs. ricky's jab "are you sure?" to ej on the last episode is more of a "you've been pushing us way too hard for a while now", because that's exactly what ej was doing, like he was already their teacher or something. when ej says they're theater kids and will do things their way, that's him making amends. when ej says to ricky during the premiere "i could fake slap you, but you're my brother", that's him showing once again that he has grown up and will not carry high school grudges with him. it doesn't mean he's a "superior person"; only that all of their previous animosity is behind him.

gina tries to be understanding when he promises things and don't show up. she tries again, and again, to save what they have, but how can you save something you don't even fully know because it's still so new? you can say "ej is doing all this so he can stay with her", but no one believes that – not even ej himself. he's doing this to prove to his father he can make his own choices and be successful in them. he's trying to show his father he's not a kid anymore, to be ordered around. that’s his arc during season 3.

you could also say "yeah, but even if they're in different stages, the east high crew are still his friends and they still should comfort him" and yeah, sure. but this is a 8-episode teen comedy show, and the narrative tries, and suceeds, to tell the audience that ej has grown up and is moving on. just like they told the audience that nini is not coming back. ej probably will come back, but no longer as one of the kids; therefore, his relationship with them has to change.

#hi #its me again #hsmtmts #gina porter #ricky bowen #ej caswell #im so tired #but the speech around him makes me see red

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avatarmerida · 9 months

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Status Update

This is kind of two different fic ideas that I rolled into one? Because I’m trash and love this ship? Set like literally right after Labyrinth Runners. I just really love the idea of Willow and Hunter texting. I’m on mobile so pls forgive any errors or whatever k thanks ~Huntlow~

———

“Hey Hunter,” Willow said skipping over to where the Golden Guard sat as a student on the healing track finished liking him over. When she entered his view, a small smile graced his face and his tired eyes softened. “Ed had some extra clothes in his locker that should fit you, why don’t you go change and freshen up before filling us in on... everything?”

He nodded. “Excellent idea Captain,” he said taking the folded clothes from her. “Thank you.”

“It’s my outfit from the play last semester, don’t you think he’d prefer something more modern?” Ed whispered to her as as Hunter went to change.

“No, I think it’ll be just his style,” said Willow. “It’s very similar to the outfit his favorite character in his favorite book wears, so I think he’ll be thrilled.”

“Well, if you need any styling tips feel free to reach out,” replied Ed with a shrug.

Willow watched fondly as Hunter navigated his way down the hall, looking back at her for reassurance he was going the right way. She sent him a thumbs up to confirm and Gus couldn’t help but notice the sigh of content his friend let out in response to merely giving directions.

“Hmm, suspicious,” Gus murmured to himself a she ran beside his friend, nearly catching her off guard. “How did you know that?”

“Know what? That the clothes would fit?” Willow asked. “Just a hunch, I mean Ed and Hunter are about the same height so he should be comfortable-.”

“No, no I meant about the book,” said Gus.

“Oh, he told me,” said Willow plainly. “One night he asked what I was up to, and I told him I was reading and so we started talking about books which of course lead to our favorites, and that’s how-.”

“Why didn’t you tell me you’ve been messaging with Hunter this whole time?” asked Gus, his arms crossed and eyebrows raised. Willow couldn’t help but giggle as he looked so much like his dad when he did that.

“Well, I guess because you never asked and it’s none of your business?” she responded with a sassy smile as she adjusted her braid which has started to come undone.

“Yeah, well...” she had a point, Gus was at a rare loss for words. “You don’t usually keep secrets.”

“It wasn’t a secret Gus, it just wasn’t something I shared, that’s all,” said Willow with a shrug. “You can read our messages if you want, but it’s not like he was trying to recruit me to the Emperor’s Coven again. It’s mostly cute pictures of our palismans.”

“No, that’s okay. Sorry, you’re right; you’re entitled to privacy. It’s just that... if there was something going on you’d tell me right?”

“Something like what?”

“Something like... is Hunter okay?”

“Woah, that’s a pretty loaded question Gus,”

“I mean... when I found him he was literally living in the trash,” explained Gus. “And from what I gathered about his life in the castle based on context clues alone, the dude seems kinda messed up.”

“Well, yeah but who isn’t?” asked Willow. “He’s still getting used to opening up to people and he’s a little rough around the edges but he’s sweet. We mostly talked about flyer derby practices and he’d ask me about the plants I like.”

“Uh-huh.”

“He’s also a very slow typer so I did most of the talking to be honest,” chuckled Willow. “But, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t worry about him too. I’d ask him what he’d had for lunch and he’d change the subject, I’m worried he’s not eating.”

“I can safely assume he hasn’t been eating well,” said Gus, recalling the state Hunter was in when he found him. “I think he really needs our help but I think he might not wanna ask for it.”

“I think you’re right,” sighed Willow. “Wait, did you say he was living in the trash?”

“Did he... not mention that?”

———

Seeing his reflection in the mirror, Hunter has to steady his breathing again. He was still adjusting to... everything. What it meant to be him, who he really was, who he was supposed to be. The eyes that looked back at him were scared and tired and he wondered whose they really were. But he knew all of this would have to wait; he had people waiting for him, people who needed his help. People he could really help, not how the Golden Guard “helped”people. But would just Hunter be enough? Was he ever meant to be enough? Was he-?

“Hunter! Hunter! Hunter!” Gus exclaimed frantically running through the door.

“What’s wrong?” asked Hunter, concerned.

“I’m so sorry! Please don’t be mad!”

“Hey, what? W-why would I be mad? What’s wrong? Are you hurt? You look scared.”

“No but...” his eyes darted to the door and Hunter stepped in front of his, furrowing his brow in determination.

“Stand behind me Gus, whatever is it I won’t let it hurt you,” said Hunter, taking a deep breath as he neared the door. “Whatever it is, we’ll defeat it together. There’s nothing stronger than-.”

He pulled the door open quickly and stood ready to attack, his staff at the ready to take down-

“-the Captain?” Finished a confused Hunter, stopping himself dead in his tracks as Willow stood unwatered, her arms crossed and her face wearing a stern look that sent a shiver down Hunter’s spine. She slowly walked up to him, her face mere inches from his own, commanding attention and Hunter felt frozen and on fire simultaneously.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were living in the trash?” She said simply, her voice serious and haunting.

“Huh?” Said Hunter, obviously not expecting her to say this.

“I’m sorryyyyyy,” whispered Gus, hiding further behind him.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were living in the trash?” Willow repeated, not backing down.

“It, uh, never came up?” He tried, offering her a nervous laugh.

“We talk every day and you didn’t think it was worth mentioning?” She said, refusing to lose his eye contact which made him feel petrified. “You let me talk for hours about different kinds of mulch but you couldn’t take five minutes to give me a very important life update?”

“I just didn’t...”

“Didn’t what?”

“Didn’t want to worry you...” he said quietly, looking at her sheepishly. Her face softened and she placed her hand on his shoulder.

“Well, whether you want me to or not I’m going to worry about you,” said Willow sternly. “What if something happened to you and you needed help? It’s okay to ask for help, ya know.”

“I-I do know... now, kind of...” started Hunter. “I’m just... still figuring a lot of stuff out and I-.”

“-don’t have to do it alone,” finished Willow. “I know how hard it can be to let other people help sometimes but it doesn’t mean you’re weak or a bother. If I asked you for help, would you think less of me or think I was weak?”

“What? Never, Captain!” Hunter responded without hesitation. “You’re fearless and confident and-.”

“-and even I need help sometimes,” finished Willow. Hunter thought he saw her blush, but he assumed it was just a trick of the light. He was secretly grateful she cut him off when she did because he knew the list was fairly long. “Being friends means working together and recognizing that you don’t have to do everything yourself. You need to realize that people have strengths that you don’t.”

“That’s absurd Captain, you have all the strengths!”

Willow laughed and took his hand. “Then let me help you,” she smiled. “The way you helped Gus. You don’t think less of Gus for needing help, do you?”

He looked back at Gus, still hiding from the wrath of a Willow and shook his head. “Of course not.”

“Great,” beamed Willow. “So after you fill everyone in on whatever is happening with the Emperor, we’re gonna make sure last night was your last night sleeping in the garbage. Sound good?”

Hunter fought back tears. “Sounds great,”

———

Hunter held Willow’s hand the entire time he was explaining everything to the Hexside crowd. Gus noticed when the subject became particularly painful or triggering, Willow would squeeze his hand and he’d take a deep breath and find a way to continue.

It was a lot to take in, but Hunter did his best to answer any questions the crowd had. There was still a lot he didn’t know (and a lot he wasn’t ready to share) but getting it all out in the open made the burden easier to bare. Having Willow by his side didn’t hurt either.

“Psst,” Amity whispered to Gus as Hunter spoke to Principal Bump.

“What’s up?” asked Gus.

“How long has that been going on?” She gestured over to where the pair stood.

“Hm? Oh, uh remember we told you he was on our flyer derby team and then he kind of got us kidnapped and then-,”

“No, no I mean Willow and the Golden Guard,” said Amity. “How long have they been together? Can’t say I’m totally thrilled, but they do look cute together. Guess Willow and I have more to catch up on than I thought.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Gus, confused.

“Oh, I guess it must still be early,” continued Amity, with a small smile. “But it’s pretty obvious, look at the way he gets sweaty and nervous the closer she stands to him.”

“I think Hunter’s just a sweaty and nervous guy,” said Gus.

“It doesn’t remind you of anyone? Not a certain human perhaps?”

Gus looked closer, focusing on the blush that made its home on Hunter’s face each time Willow spoke and couldn’t help but think it seemed familiar.

Just like Luz and Amity.

“Woah,” he said, finally seeing it.

“So I’m guessing it’s very early then,” she sighed. “Well, he is her type. Or was? Wow, heh, we do have a lot to catch up on.”

“Are you sure?”

“Trust me,” assured Amity with a chuckle. “I have firsthand experiences with this and I can tell by how red his face is right now that he most likely hasn’t figured it out himself yet.”

“Awh, that’s kind of sweet,” gushed Gus.

“Yeah,” agreed Amity fondly before her tone turned more sinister. “But if he hurts her...”

“I don’t think we have to worry about that,” assured Gus. “He’s kind of terrified of her?”

“Hmm, we’ll then he’s definitely her type.”

———

Now that Amity had pointed it out, Gus couldn’t unsee it. The way Hunter’s eyes darted to Willow, the way they softened when she went to speak, the way he almost forgot to speak because he was so lost in listening to her.

He couldn’t wait to tease him about it.

“So, how are you feeling?” Gus heard Willow ask Hunter as he ran up to his friends, the crowd slowly dissolving as everyone made their way home. “I know it was a lot.”

“It was,” said Hunter timidly. “But it’s good to know I’m on the right side now. I think I’ll sleep easier tonight.”

“Speaking of that,” sang Willow. “I already called my dads and they said you could totally stay at our house!”

“At y-your house?” Mumbled Hunter. “With you? Where you live? Captain, I-I couldn’t impose-.”

“It’s not an imposition, it’s an invitation!” She said. “I wanna make sure you’re okay.”

“Well that’s... I mean I can’t... it’s just that-.”

“-just that Hunter is already staying with me!” Interrupted Gus, much to Hunter’s relief.

“Huh?”

“Yes!” Continued Gus. “He’s staying with me!”

“When did you two decide this?”

“When I found him in the garbage,” answered Gus. “I said ‘wow you smell awful, I don’t think 100 showers could help you smell better but my dad has this strong aftershave that could help hide the smell you should come over and try it!’”

Hunter wasn’t thrilled about Gus reminding the Captain he had been living in garbage or pointing out how poorly he smelled, but he was thankful for the rescue. He wasn’t sure why he felt compelled to turn down the captain’s hospitality, but from Gus’ quick leap to his assistance he had a feeling his friend did.

“Yes,” added Hunter nervously. “That was what he said to me verbatim, I remember it well!”

“Okay...” said Willow not totally buying it but grateful to know Hunter would have a safe place to sleep. “Sound like a plan. You boys have fun okay? Text me updates? Even if they’re not good, I still wanna know what’s going on. Got it?”

“Affirmative, Captain,” said Hunter, suddenly less tense. “I’ll send you an honest status report.”

She smiled. “Good,” she as she made her way down the hall to start her own walk home. “And don’t stay up too late playing stupid games!”

———

“I win!” Announced Gus proudly, jumping from the spot where he and Hunter sat on his bed in victory.

“I don’t understand this game,” complained Hunter. “If it’s a thumb war, shouldn’t they have other resources and allies to call upon? How is this fun? Because it’s stupid?”

“Yeah, basically,” laughed Gus. “I heard it’s like a major sporting event in the human realm.”

“Whatever, let me inform the Captain of your victory,” said Hunter, typing on his scroll. Willow was right, he was a slow typer. Painfully slow.

“Ya know, you don’t have to tell Willow everything we do,” said Gus.

“But I promised her that I would,” said Hunter before his tone became nervous. “You don’t think I’m annoying her am I? Of course I’d misunderstand such a simple order, she’s probably busy and I’m eating her time! I’m so stupid to-.”

“Woah! No!” Gus cut him off. “Hey dude, you’re not stupid! That’s not what I meant at all! I meant if you wanna summarize everything in one text later on it might be easier for you. But if this is more your style, go for it.”

Hunter sighed. “Thank you. I’m sorry. I guess... I’m still getting used to this,” he said, motioning to the scroll. “I’m just not used to people wanting to know things about me or how I am. Before the Captain, no one had really asked me about the things I liked or disliked. No one really cared. It’s... nice.”

“So... speaking of things you like,” began Gus, smooth only in his own opinion. “Is there anything or maybe anyone you like that you didn’t tell Willow about?”

“Like what?”

“Well I know you guys message everyday but is there maybe something you wanted to tell her you like that she maybe didn’t ask you so you maybe didn’t think you could tell her but you wanted to?”

“I mean... yeah? That’s why she yelled at me in the bathroom earlier?”

Gus smacked his forehead. “I mean is there anything you wanted to tell her about how you feel? Maybe about her?”

Hunter looked frozen. “So you’ve noticed?” He asked faintly, his face fallen. Gus reacted to his word and not his appearance.

“Yes! Amity told me!” He squealed.

“Blight,” growled Hunter to himself. “I should’ve known she’d be behind it.”

“Behind... what, exactly?”

“This curse!” Said Hunter as if it was obvious. “It adds up, the Captain told me about their history. Of course she pull something like this!”

“What curse?”

“She’s testing me!” Continued Hunter. “Trying to test my loyalty or something deranged, I don’t know I can’t read her mind! But all I know is every time I’m near the Captain or talk about the Captain or even think about her I feel like my heart is going to explode! Like right now! Can you hear it right now? This is all Blight’s doing!”

Gus smiled. “Oh man, you’ve got it bad.”

“I know! That’s what I just said!”

“Hunter when would Amity have time to curse you? Or plan to curse you? She didn’t even know you knew Willow that well before today. And if you’ve had these feelings for awhile, well, the timeline doesn’t add up.”

“Then why do I feel this way?!” He demanded suddenly grabbing Gus’ shoulders. He quickly released him, not wanting to scare him. “Sorry! But I just... when I’m around the Captain... I feel afraid? But it’s not a fear I’ve felt before because it also feels... good? Trust me, I’ve been afraid most of my life, I know what I’m talking about. But I want to be close to her but far from her at the same time? And no matter which it is, I feel nauseous and dizzy and light and sweaty and-.”

“-happy?”

“I don’t have a lot of experience being happy but I’m assuming maybe, briefly, yes.”

“Dude, it’s okay,” laughed Gus. “You just have a crush.”

“I knew it! Someone is trying to crush me!” Said Hunter. “But if it wasn’t Blight, then who? Is this something the Captain did?”

“No dude, well yes, kind of? It’s...” how did he explain this to him? Was it better to know or not to know in this case? Would Gus explaining what a crush was help him or just embarrass him? “It’s not a curse, I’ll tell ya that.”

“A potion maybe? It’ll wear off soon?”

“Something like that,” laughed Gus. “It’s not a bad thing; it just means you like Willow.”

“Duh, of course I like the Captain,” scoffed Hunter. “She’s loyal and determined and tough and beautiful. Her only fault is wasting her time on lower beings that don’t deserve her, but overcoming that has made her stronger. But what does me respecting her have to do with these curse like symptoms?”

“Okay... let me try and explain this... the way you feel about Willow is the same way Amity feels about Luz.”

Hunter looked at him as if he had grown a second head. “I don’t want to try and get her dissected by your principal, why would you say that?” Hunter said with a concerned gaze. “You’re not making sense. Are you dehydrated? Let me get you a glass of water.”

Hunter hopped off the bed, mumbling something about never mistaking the Captain for an abomination.

“Here, you’re a faster typer than I am, let her know what we’re up to,” he tossed his scroll to Gus as he stood I the doorway. “I’ll trust you to edit the important parts. I don’t want her to worry.” At the idea of her his face turned red and she closed the door before Gus could make a comment.

Gus opened Hunter’s texts to Willow and saw there were... quite a lot.

He knew it was an invasion of privacy, so he collected all his inner strength and prevented himself from reading their precious conversations. Even though Willow had said they were mundane, knowing now what he knew about Hunter he was sure he could find some compelling subtext.

He did read the last few messages he sent to to see what he needed to cover. He quickly noticed he had started all the recent messages the same way.

STATUS UPDATE: have arrived at Gus civialin residency. Safe. The walls r yello

STATUS UPDATE: sum of the walls r blue

STATUS UPDATE: have showered.

STATUS UPDATE: his father is making sOUP. It Is WaRM.

STATUS UPDATE: there is an oRANGE roudn obJect in the soup. Do NOT CARe for it. Gus like s it??? HE can have Mine

The messages went on and on, with Willow responding to each one with a thumbs up or word of encouragement. As he stated to compose a message to Willow, an incoming text from her interrupted his typing. She had sent a picture of Clover curled up in a pile of clean laundry. She was right; they did send a lot of Palisman pictures.

Gus went to the drafts to retrieve the message he had started, and was greeted by a sea of unsent messages. Without thinking, he went ahead and sent them, knowing Hunter was serious about keeping his promise to Willow and was still new to using the scroll and probably didn’t realize they hadn’t sent.

“Wasn’t sure what temperature you preferred so I have three options of varying coldness,” said Hunter re-entering the room holding three glasses of water. “What did you end up saying to the Captain?”

“I told her I’m the all time champ at thumb wars and I sent her some messages that didn’t send earlier,” said Gus casually.

Hunter dropped the glasses to the floor (they did not break, they merely spilled) “You sent the Captain my drafts?!” He asked, mortified. Gus was surprised he knew what they were called. “All of them?!” He shouted, taking his scroll from the younger boy.

“Yeah?” Gus replied, confused.

“Some of those were from weeks ago!” Spat Hunter, as he starting pacing. “There’s a reason I never sent them! She was never supposed to see them!”

“Then why didn’t you delete them?!” Shouted Gus.

“I don’t know how to do that!” Shouted Hunter back. “I don’t even know how to send the colorful little pictures!”

“Okay, okay calm down,” said Gus, taking a deep breath. “It’s probably not that bad. This stuff happens all the time, Willow will understand. I’m sure it nothing bad!”

“No! It is! It is bad!” Said Hunter reading the messages Gus had sent. “Oh, see for yourself.”

Gus took the phone back and scrolled through to see what the damage was

I think my fAVOrite coloR is still gold? but NOT like being the Golden.Guard but like yOUR glasses, they look nice with yOUr eyes

wHAT if I sent u flowers?? Is that OK on The pLannt tra ck?? Or may be jUst dirt?.

Darius called u little Princess to day.Be cuz he calls me “Little pRINCE” but in mY opinion u wud be a queen

Coven head meetings r sooooo bORinG.wish I was with u instead

U look nice in that piCture wIth CLover.lovely

I Miss u

“Aw, Hunter,” Gus couldn’t help but smile. “These aren’t bad, they’re really sweet. Why didn’t you send them before?”

“I don’t know,” he said, looking to the ground. “I was embarrassed? But I don’t know why! They’re not lies. I just didn’t want the Captain to know them, but also I did? Does that make them lies then? I was just... scared of how she would respond. That she wouldn’t... that she’d think...” he sighed and allowed himself to collapse on the floor, raring his head in his hands. “I do feel crushed.”

“Hey man, it’s okay,” said Gus, sitting beside him. “It’s not the end of the world.”

“I know it’s not the end of the world because that I know how to deal with,” groaned Hunter. “This is even more complicated. What if she realizes how weird I am and then she never wants to talk to me again? Or even worse, she wants me to explain the messages further? What would I say?! Wait! What if we say I left my scroll out and Flapjack typed all that and accidentally sent all that? Or what if you tell her I died? Or-.”

“Hey! Snap out of it!” said Gus, this time taking Hunter’s shoulders. “It’s gonna be okay! Willow is your friend! She likes you!”

Hunter felt as though he was going to pass out. “Ugh, er how do you know?”

“She told me, she says she thinks you’re sweet.”

The blush was back. “S-she said that? About me? Did, uh, she say anything else? Maybe-?”

“Wait! She’s typing back!” Gus said and Hunter held his breath in anticipation and held the scroll straight to his face. The dots graced the screen for what felt like ages before finally her message appeared:

💚

“What is that? What does that mean?” asked Hunter shoving the scroll in Gus’ face.

“It’s a heart.”

“That’s not a heart, thats not anatomically correct at all,” said Hunter, rolling his eyes. “There’s no bile sac or veins and they’re not that color. Even it was, why does it mean?”

“You don’t know what a heart means?”

“I know what it does, pumping blood through the body and keeping you alive,” said Hunter before adding timidly. “Does this mean s-she’s glad I’m alive?”

“Actually-,” began Gus before stopping himself as Hunter rooked at the screen like it was a precious jewel. “Actually, that’s exactly what it means.”

“Wow,” said Hunter breathlessly. “W-what should I say back?”

“Whatever you feel dude, no pressure,” said Gus. “We should probably turn in though. I dunno about you, but I am super tired.”

“Huh? Yes, of course,” said Hunter, crawling into his sleeping bag but not taking his eyes off the screen for a second. . “Ya know, I’ve never gotten to stay up this late before. What time do morning chores start? 4am? Or 5am because it’s the weekend?”

Gus simply yawned in response, too tired to compose a proper answer and Hunter followed suit. He laid in his makeshift bed brainstorming the perfect responds for the Captain, hating to make her wait but unable to stop staring at her heart.

———

The next morning, Gus had awoken to Hunter’s snoring. He was relieved to see the former Golden Guard had managed to sleep in, getting some well deserved rest. He looked further and saw his scroll was till in his hand, and he couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Hunter falling asleep texting Willow. Looking further, he saw that in response Hunter had drafted a full page of golden hearts but had fallen asleep before pressing send.

Gus figured this was a draft he wouldn’t mind sending.

Message Sent

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