#so i had to get dressed to go to the lobby to buy some snacks

[crj-200]

nightmare low blood sugar situation neutralized

[nat-20s]

tips for stealing from hobby lobby? thats really impressive

I can give you some tips for stealing from big box retail stores in general babey!

-a lot of what people look out for when identifying potential shoplifters is just profiling. While some of this is, shittily enough, racial profiling (shoplifting is definitely easier if you're white :/), some of it is just other appearances things that are within your control so in line with that:

-be aware of how you're dressed, and if you can, blend in to what people in the store would typically be wearing. Dirty jeans with oil stains on them don't make you stand out in a hardware store, but they do at a craft store, and wearing a big handmade chunky sweater is the opposite. As a general rule I would say dress nicely but casually- if you look like you've showered recently and your clothes are clean, employees are much less likely to take notice of you

-related: hoodies with a big pocket in the front are often viewed as sus in a way that a jacket with big pockets are not

-speaking of pockets: my recommendations is to have them larger and not tight to your body, and already have some stuff like keys/wallet bulking them out so it doesn't look visually different when you stuff some. idk yarn or jewelry or snacks or whatnot in there

-also be aware of, if you're planning to steal things that are big enough that they'll need a bag rather than a pocket, I HIGHLY recommend going with a purse or satchel or MAYBE grocery bag. Backpacks set off red alarms for a lot of people

NOW TO ATTITUDE

-If you've never shoplifted before, I would start with something small that can easily slip into a pocket. A good part of not being suspicious is not seeming suspicious, and starting small gets you used to the, like, feeling of stealing and what your nervousness levels are. ALSO if you start with a single item and you get caught with it, you can absolutely go with the "oh shit I forgot I had this. god I can be so spacey sometimes" defense

-depending on the store, I will also say if you're carrying $100 worth of stuff in your pockets, go ahead and buy 5-10 dollars worth of stuff. After all, you're going through the line and paying for things, of course you're not stealing! *wink wonk* i don't do this with hobby lobby bc fuck hobby lobby, but i have done this with other places

-be relaxed. meander a bit. wander the aisles looking at stuff. when you pick up things to steal i also recommend putting them in your pocket/bag in a different aisle, as some merch has special cameras watching them

-if an employee comes up to you, I recommend being cheerful and polite! I recommend this anyway, as you should be good to retail workers, but if they seem to have come up to you apropos of nothing, they might be suspicious. In that case I would a: definitely do the purchase a small amount so you can take the big amount more easily and b: if they ask if they can help you find anything, say yes! Come up with something that the store either has or might have. Then once the employee shows you where it is (or, in some cases, just tells you), you can "decide" something about it is not quite to your liking, and say thank them for their help anyway. confidence and ease is key

GENERAL TIPS

-be smart about what you're stealing! those door scanners that some places have are usually for like magnetic or rfid tags. If there's weird rainbowy stickers or those like tag things:

then you either don't steal those or have to remove them first, otherwise those door scanners WILL go off

-for cameras: honestly? if you're not stealing massive things, it's incredibly rare that anybody is gonna check those, and it's also incredibly rare that anybody is actually watching those. hell, a bunch of retail stores don't even have any members of the team for security

-other things: big box stores have limits for how much can be stolen and how much their insurance covers. Quite a few places see people steal items that are under like $50 or so and simply don't give a shit

-if you make it out the door, you're pretty much untouchable. literally. Retail employees are 100% forbidden from chasing you.

-retail employees that in late teens/early 20s have a high chance of not being paid enough to care. you can use this to your advantage

-don't hit places too often. even though most retail employees will forget your face as soon as you're out of view, if you're there enough, you will be recognized as a regular. this is great as a customer terrible as a shoplifter. If you can go at different times of day/week that's also good, as they are likely to have different people on different shifts

-while i do firmly believe it is always morally correct to steal from corporations (doubly so for hobby lobby, where it's actually more morally correct to steal than to buy), please don't steal from small independent shops. the hole in the wall bookstore with a cat doesn't have the same resources, set up, or even rules as Big Box Whatever you know? It's much more likely that stealing will screw over employees and much more likely you'll get caught

Anyway, have fun, be a more generic version of yourself in the store, and enjoy your new Five Finger Discount!

[rose-and-thorn-fanfics]

THE DARK KNIGHT FANFIC: (Joker x OC) Part 9

Lottie got dressed quickly, aware the sun was rising over the dark alleyway and she still hadn't made her way back to Wayne Tower. The Joker watched her, having already put his clothes back on. Just as Lottie was putting on her ballet flats, she heard the distant sound of police sirens grow slightly louder. The Joker gave her one last kiss on the top of her head, and then ran in the other direction, down another alley where a black SUV picked him up and he rode away. Lottie decided not to risk it and go back in the club for her purse full of money. She rushed to the curb and hailed a taxi, using the money she found in her jacket's pocket to pay. Lottie told the driver to take her as quickly as possible to Wayne Tower.

Finally, on arrival she hopped out of the car and made her way into the lobby's bathroom, running her fingers through her hair and trying to wipe away her smeared lipstick. She knew she was in for it when Bruce saw her, but decided she'd keep the jacket on to hide the "J" cut in her arm, and would say she spent the night making out with Maya.

     Stepping out of the bathroom, she took the fancy elevator to the top floor, her heart racing with nervousness. The elevator stopped and opened slowly. Lottie stepped off and saw Bruce Wayne standing with his back turned to her. 'If I'm lucky I'll be able to make it to the bathroom and shower without him noticing', she thought quickly. Walking quietly across the room.

     "Been out?" She heard her cousin's voice ask sternly. Lottie froze and turned around, letting her hair fall in front of her shoulders, hoping Bruce wouldn't notice the hickeys all over her neck. Unfortunately for her, he stepped closer, pulling her into a hug.

     Lottie heard him inhale, and silently cursed. She knew she smelled like the Joker's cologne, and started worrying her Maya excuse wouldn't be viable.

     "You had me so worried, Lottie. I thought you'd been kidnapped. I thought maybe you were even-" his voice cut off, and he released her from the hug, looking her straight in the eye. "Who were you with? You smell... odd. Like cheap cologne, gunpowder, and blood."

     "I was with... Maya. And then I went out to the store to buy some snacks for us and you're right! This strange group of men kidnapped me. I was so scared!" She started sobbing. "Look what they did to me!" She pulled her hair back revealing the love-bites and bruises on her neck.

     Bruce's eyes widened as he took in the image of his crying cousin. "I'm... so sorry. Lottie, tell me, did he... do anything else?"

     Lottie lost her balance and fell to her knees, weeping and hyperventilating with anxiety. "He...., he..."

     Bruce knelt down and scooped her up off the floor, holding her close to him. She could feel how tense his muscles were with rage. "What did he look like? Did he have green hair? Was he wearing clown makeup?"

     Lottie nearly choked on her own saliva. She was dead silent. Somehow Bruce had put some of the pieces together, even if he had the wrong idea of what had actually happened. She decided to go along with it.  "How d-did you know?"

     "I know... because I saw the news when your parents died, and he's the person they suspected as the murderer. They call him, the Joker." Bruce's voice was filled with hatred.

     Lottie almost felt the anxiety rising in her chest as her stomach twisted into knots. "Please, Bruce. I'm sorry. I'll never sneak out again. I just... I'm so scared." She whispered, her voice cracking.

     Her cousin helped her up off the floor. "I'm not going to let this psychotic clown get away with what he's done. Ok? Now, I'll have a good therapist check in on you. You have some trauma to process. As for today," Bruce said, "just rest before the fundraiser party. It starts at 9:00pm. So if you feel up to coming out of your room make sure you're dressed by 8:30pm. Got it?"

     "Got it." Lottie said, slinking off to her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and flopped on the bed. She hated lying to Bruce. Absolutely hated it. But what could she do? And how was she going to see the Joker now that her cousin would be strict about her leaving alone? She sighed, rolling over in bed and feeling exhausted. She decided to get some sleep before the fundraiser party.

[beseojun]

Needing to get out of his apartment as well as buy cat food, Seojun quickly got dressed in comfortable clothing since he didn’t feel the need to dress up when he wasn’t going anywhere special and left his home. He double checked the door to make sure it was locked before he headed to the lobby and out the door. The closest place to shop was in walking distance so he ditched the idea of taking his car. He didn’t need it and didn’t plan to buy too much. Looking around at the other people walking around, he smiled some. Somehow this reminded him of back home only caused him to feel homesick which had been happening a lot lately.

Sighing with a small pout on his lips, he walked into the store, automatically going to the isle where he was sure cat food was. Grabbing the item, he could already picture the meows of happiness coming from Gom. He knew the cat would appreciate getting some fresh food even if he still had plenty in his bowl. Going off to another isle, Seojun thought it would be fine to get a few snacks. He was in the mood for something sweet at the moment and hoped he could find something here that would please his sweet tooth. With a happy sound of excitement leaving his lips after he grabbed a few different treats, he accidentally bumped into someone who happened to be nearby. “I-I’m so sorry! I wasn’t paying attention at all. I hope you didn’t get hurt from my carelessness.” A flustered expression plastered across his face as he tried not to panic too much about the situation. He wanted to meet new people but not like this. He was already berating himself in his mind and hoped the other didn’t get mad at him.

[c-e-d-dreamer]

Okay, I know hockey player versus figure skater is a super cliché rivalry, but all day today, my brain was like “hockey player Cassian! Hockey player Cassian! Hockey player Cassian,” so here we are. Also, fun fact, this exact event actually happened to my little brother at one of his games. TW for blood and injuries. Hope you enjoy :) @nessianweek

The cool rush of the air conditioning is the first thing that hits Cassian as he pushes through the doors. The throwback pop song pumping out of the speakers and the smell of popcorn from the snack bar hits him next. He shifts the strap of his bag on his shoulder, resettling the weight, his sticks clacking together in his other hand. He makes his way over to the board declaring the locker room assignments for the day, squinting until he finds the Illyrians. He's about to head off toward their locker room when his eyes snag on someone. 

Nesta is perched like a queen on one of the benches in the lobby, her white skates resting beside her. She has a sweatshirt pulled on, but the red skirts of her dress skim across her thighs, and Cassian can see the jeweled embellishments peeking out under the collar. Unsurprising, she has a book opened in her hands, probably another of her smutty romances. Even in the harsh fluorescent lighting, Cassian finds himself drawn into her eyes, the way they glint as they dance across the pages. 

Cassian doesn't have to think twice before he's sauntering over to her. He drops his bag with a loud thump at her feet, a smile pulling across his face at her answering glower. He loves this game they play. The way he pushes her buttons and she pushes his always leaves flames licking up his skin in the most delicious way. He's sure they make quite the sight, the hockey player and the figure skater, but he'll never stop going back for more. 

"What do you want, Cassian?" 

"Love the outfit today, Nes. The sparkles really contrast well with your dark soul." 

"Don't you have to go smash someone into the boards?"

"I'd love to press you up against the boards." 

Cassian throws a wink her way for extra good measure, and the way Nesta's eyes narrow has his heart ticking up slightly in his chest. 

"Prick," Nesta mumbles, opening back up her book. 

With a chuckle, Cassian takes it for the cue that it is, picking back up his bag and heading for the locker room. He offers Azriel an easy grin as he passes him, his brother merely shaking his head at his antics yet again. 

~ * * * ~ 

Nesta hears her sister before she sees her, Feyre's laughing bouncing off the walls of the lobby. She closes her book and grabs her skates, but as she heads for the door, her steps falter and pause as she takes in Elain walking in beside Feyre. 

"Since when does it take both of you to pick me up?" Nesta asks once her sisters are close enough to hear. 

"Actually," Feyre starts slowly. "We were thinking we could stick around for the game." 

"What," Nesta deadpans, taking in both her sisters' expressions and inwardly sighing when she sees they're both actually serious. "Fine. Give me the keys, and I'll pick you both up later." 

"Oh, Nesta," Elain says, taking Nesta's hand in her own. "It'll be fun. Besides, you and Cassian are friends. Don't you want to see him play?" 

"We are not friends." 

"That's for sure," Feyre pipes in. "There is way too much sexual tension for that to be considered friendship." 

Nesta shoots a glare Feyre's way, but her sister merely smiles innocently. The mischievous glint swirling in her eyes tells Nesta she's not getting the keys from her youngest sister anytime soon. Which is how Nesta ends up pressed between her two sisters, the cold of the metal bleachers biting into the underside of her thighs and a shared blanket draped across their three laps. Elain keeps clapping excitedly to her right while Feyre shouts, "go, baby, go" every time Rhysand cuts up the ice on her left. Nesta thinks her eyes might actually get stuck from rolling them so much. 

Despite the equipment and jerseys making it hard to tell the players apart, the whole team blending together into a mash of blues and gold's, Nesta finds she can pick Cassian out fairly easily. She tells herself it's because he's clearly the biggest guy on the team and the hair sticking out the back of his helmet is a dead giveaway. But either way, her eyes always seem to find him any time he's on the ice, whether he’s sweeping along the blue line to make a play or throwing his body against the other team. 

They’re into the third period when Nesta watches Cassian jump over the boards, joining the rush before falling back into the neutral zone as the other team gains possession. He guards his man well as the play shifts to their defensive zone, the other player trying and failing to shake Cassian loose. The player tries to deke around him, but Cassian is quicker, their sticks clashing together. 

It's like it all unfolds in slow motion. The puck popping up into the air between them. The other player raising his stick like he plans to bat the puck down. The stick colliding with Cassian's head. 

There's a collective gasp from the crowd watching the game as Cassian crumbles to the ice, falling onto all fours. And then there's red. A few drops at first, but soon it's a steady stream. It seeps into the ice, spreading out around Cassian like a crimson puddle. 

"Oh my gods," Feyre whispers.

"I hope he's alright," Elain chimes in. 

Nesta knows that her sisters keep speaking, but all she can hear is a ringing in her ears, like a high pitched screaming sinking its claws into her mind. Her hands fist into the blanket in her lap, and she watches with wide eyes as a trainer walks onto the ice, pulling the cage of Cassian's helmet up and sliding a towel under. With the help of two teammates, Cassian's on his feet and skates back to the bench. Nesta's stomach roils as one of the rink staffers and the referees scrape Cassian's blood from the ice, and even when the game resumes, she can't take her eyes off Cassian slumped over his knees on the bench. 

~ * * * ~ 

Cassian can't help but poke at the bandage on his forehead as he checks himself in the locker room mirror. It's still tender, and he winces at the pain that radiates from that spot. Definitely going to leave a scar. At least he got a goal tonight. Small victories. With a sigh, he shoulders his bag, grabbing his sticks by the door and heading for the rink exit. 

When he steps into the lobby, he finds Nesta standing there. Cassian knew that both her sisters were here earlier, but a quick sweep of his eyes around the room shows them nowhere to be found. When his eyes dance back to Nesta, she's already looking at him, something intense brewing in her eyes like storm clouds rolling in. It leaves Cassian captivated, and in a few strides, He’s standing in front of her, dropping his bag at their feet. 

"What are you still doing here, sweetheart?" 

Cassian throws as much cheek as he can into the question, letting that cocky grin he knows gets under her skin slide across his face. He expects Nesta to scowl, to make some snide remark back, to pick up their game right where they left off, but Nesta's face remains serious. He watches in confusion as she crosses and then uncrosses her arms across her chest, takes a deep breath like she's steeling herself. 

"I just wanted to make sure you're alright," Nesta explains, her eyes glancing up to the bandage before settling back on his own. 

"Oh," Cassian says dumbly, blinking down at Nesta a few times before his brain finally catches up. "It was just bad luck. Stick hit just right for one of the screws in my helmet to go right into my head." 

"It looked… bad." 

"Well, head wounds bleed a lot." 

Nesta nods and silence falls like a blanket between them. Cassian's brain kicks into overdrive, suddenly desperate to keep whatever this precarious moment is going, keep her talking to him, keep those eyes on his. It sparks in his chest like a piece of flint, fire burning under his skin. He's so busy floundering, trying to will his head and mouth to produce actual words, that he almost misses the frown that takes over Nesta's face, her eyes caught on his hand. 

"You're not thinking of driving, are you?" 

The sudden question takes Cassian by surprise, and Cassian’s brow furrows in confusion until he remembers his car keys are in his hand. 

"How else would I get home?" 

"You can't drive with a concussion."

"What makes you think I have a concussion?"

"How could you not have a concussion?" 

"If I had a concussion, why would I have gone back out on the ice to finish the game?"

"Because you're an idiot." 

Before Cassian can even splutter out a protest at the insult, Nesta is reaching forward and snatching the keys out of his hand. Then, for good measure, she reaches out and takes his sticks out of his hand too. 

"There's an Urgent Care like five miles away that should still be open." 

With that and a final, firm nod, as if she's decidedly made up her mind and Cassian can't change it, Nesta turns on her heel and makes for the doors. Cassian is left there gaping, blinking dumbly after her retreating form, while his sluggish brain tries to grasp what exactly is happening. Maybe he is concussed. Not giving himself another second to contemplate, Cassian scrambles to pick up his bag, tossing the strap over his shoulder as he hurries after Nesta. 

"Can I at least buy you dinner after?"

[bokutosworld]

a piece of you in me | hq boys in love

characters: kageyama, tsukishima, kenma, akaashi, kita!   

wc: 1.5k words, fluff!!! 

prompt: "i am a mosaic of everyone i've ever loved, even for a heartbeat." 

-> the little things that remind them of you and how your love has made them feel complete

---

KAGEYAMA TOBIO: He picks up on your favorite expressions and phrases, and slowly incorporates them in his life and makes them his own. He doesn't even realize it, that he's already scrunching his nose like you do when you see something you don't like. Or that when he's thinking hard about something, he's tilting his head in the way that you do. There are also subtle changes in the way he reacts when Hinata messes up his spikes -- less shouting and more helpful explaining of how his partner could improve. And when the team sees this, they are dumbstruck and left thinking how you were a good influence to him.

"What do you think of this, Tobio?" You summon your boyfriend to help you decide on which dress to buy. He immediately walks over to you, putting a hand on your waist as he settles by your side and gives a look over to the clothing item. He hums as he tilts his head, eyes narrowing as he imagines how it would like on you.  

As the two of you were too engrossed on choosing what to buy, an old saleslady passes by the aisle and smiles at the scene in front of her. She watches as Kageyama takes dresses from the racks and takes you in front of a mirror to help you see which looks better. She takes note of how the two of you act so in sync, how his actions complement yours. But what the lady is most amazed about is how the two of you come to the same exact decision at the same time. It was a refreshing sight to see a young couple going along so well, that the old lady can't help but think that you two were meant to be.

TSUKISHIMA KEI: He remembers how on your very first date at that summer festival, you didn't hold back on trying the different kinds of food and snacks. You left quite the impression on him, so much so that after years of being together, you are the first person that pops up in his mind when he's trying a new restaurant with his family or friends. It's like second nature to him to scan the menu, looking for dishes that you would like and making a mental note to take you to that particular place.  

The waiter arrived at your table, placing the plate of stacked pancakes right at the center. At this point, you and Tsukishima were starving after spending almost twenty minutes in waiting. He excitedly brought you out to brunch, sharing how much you'll like the breakfast menu at this new restaurant. And he wasn't wrong.

Your jaw almost dropped, seeing the most scrumptious stack of chocolate pancakes. It was topped with the most luscious pieces of strawberries and covered with maple syrup that was slowly drizzling down the plate. You were quick to take shots of your order from different angles. When you were finally satisfied with the photos, you look up to see Tsukishima extending his hand and offering you a piece of pancake which you gladly accepted. Your eyes went wide, glancing at your boyfriend who had his hand tucked under his cheek and gazing at you lovingly. He says, "I knew you’d like it."

KOZUME KENMA: He knows how much of a cinephile you are. Whenever the two of you are watching movies over at his apartment, you never fail to share one random fact about the film that was currently playing. He adores how you are updated with the latest movies in production or those that are soon to be released. That's why he's developed a habit to always check the movie times in the nearest theater, monitoring it to see if the film you have been raving about is finally showing. The boys often extend an invitation to him for movie nights but they're aware that there's no else he'd rather watch together with than you.

It was the third time this week that you stayed behind at work for overtime. Any other day would be fine, but Kenma thought that you deserved an early time off on a weekend. Seeing that he had free time, he decides to surprise you with a trip to the movies. It so happened that earlier in the morning, he chanced upon the movie releases and saw that a sequel to your favorite movie was showing.

When he shows up at your office, he sees your worn out figure hunched over the desk. He had to stop himself from physically dragging you out of the building, opting to wake you and drop the tickets he bought in your lap.

"What is this," you question him. The knobs in your head were turning and soon, it finally clicks that this was the movie that you've been waiting for. "Oh god, is it premiering tonight? How did you know?" He answers you by throwing your coat to your table, and telling you to hurry before you miss the movie.

He was helping you wrap the scarf around your neck, his hands finding its way to cup your cheeks. "I figured you'd forget since you had a busy week. So, I wanted to reward you." He presses a kiss to your forehead, "I'm proud of you. Let's go."

AKAASHI KEIJI: Since you started having sleepovers together, his apartment feels emptier without you. Like how you've etched your way in his life, you've managed to leave a mark in his home. It's in the way that your scent lingers in his pillowcases, the way you've positioned your toothbrush next to his. He's even started looking forward to mornings because you always make him coffee in the way he likes it. He's starting to think that you seem to know you way around his own house better than he does -- but he's not complaining. It's only got him imagining what the future would like, living with you.

You discard the grocery bags you were holding atop the kitchen counter of Keiji's apartment. Over a phone call earlier, he mentioned that he would be going home late and you thought it would be nice to cook him some dinner that he can enjoy when he returns. You thought about what you were going to prepare and decided that a good bowl of katsudon would lift his spirits after a tiring day at work.

When Keiji arrives home, he catches a whiff of something good coming from the kitchen. It wasn't unusual for him to return and see you at his place - in fact, he'd love it more if he could always come home to you. When he spots you working your magic in the kitchen, he feels himself fall for you over again. He couldn't help himself as he was now walking over to you and wraps his arms around you. You jump at the sudden contact, but relax when you feel him hum, "You're a wonderful sight to come home too. Move in with me already, please."  

KITA SHINSUKE: The moment you walked into his life, it's like a garden of flowers bloomed inside his heart. He discovers that there's a certain beauty in the different kinds of flora, especially with how they each carry a special meaning. And since falling in love with you, he can't help but have his thoughts drift to you when he's passing by a flower shop. He can't stop the way his feet carry him inside, allowing him to browse and leaving with a bouquet in hand. It doesn't matter whether you're celebrating an anniversary or not -- he'll manage to have you fall head over heels for him again when he surprises you with flowers. 

Like any other day, you found Shinsuke waiting for you at the lobby of your office building. He was seating with his legs crossed, his eyes focused on the video that was playing on his phone. Your heart soars with how he looked exceptionally handsome tonight and you find yourself wondering how lucky you were to be with him.

He notices you from afar and waves toward your way, standing and waiting for you to come to his open arms. You smile and almost run to him, falling to his embrace and immediately getting the comfort you've been craving since the morning. He gently kisses the top of your head and declares, "Good work today."

"Thank you, Shinsuke," you break away and return his loving gaze with one of yours. He turns his back for a moment, and when he faces you once more, you see a bouquet of beautiful flowers in his hands. You take them in your hands, feeling your heart beating fast, "Oh, babe. You didn't have to."

"I know, but I want to. They're gerberas, and do you know what they mean?" When you shake your head to say no, he chuckles and brings one hand to cup your cheek as he says his next words. "Beauty. And loyal love. So you know I'll always be here waiting for you."

[stellar-imagines]

SCENARIO REQUEST: ❝solo impostor.❞

[ Fandom: Boku no Hero Academia ] [ Characters: Class 1-A ]

「Scenario of Reader playing Among US with the Bakusquad and being really good at being an Impostor.」

"This is actually my first time playing in the Airship." you said, adjusting your position on the bed as you customized your character in the lobby.

The usual routine finally came. Friday night is usually time for games and relaxation. It was either movie night or game night. However, movie nights are usually reserved for when everyone wasn't busy because the more the merrier. There was always a bunch of snacks and you would even go as far as to buying more before heading back into the dorms. A few of your close friends had plans to go back to their homes for the weekend to see their family while some were stuck doing homework. So the 6 of you which included ― Bakugou, Kirishima, Sero, Kaminari, Ashido and yourself ― decided to try out Among Us.

Its a multiplayer game for 10 people and up to 2 players are randomly chosen to be Impostors while the rest are Crewmates. The Crewmates are assigned tasks to complete around the map while the Impostors are given a fake a list of tasks. Impostors can sabotage and kill Crewmates. The Impostors win by killing enough Crewmates or when the Crewmates fail to resolve a critical sabotage. Crewmates win by completing all their tasks or by ejecting the Impostors. Any living player can call a meeting by reporting a dead body or by pressing the emergency button to discuss who the Impostor may be. Emergency meetings cannot be called during critical sabotage. Players who are killed and ejected will become ghosts.

"Its everyone's first time and we can just go on and explore together." Ashido stated, moving around her pink character around.

"Let's go! Since we have 6 players that, I've set it up so that we have only 1 Impostor. And since its a new map, we don't have to keep quiet. But no revealing if you're dead, who killed you, location and who's close to you." Kirishima said.

You were kind of nervous when it came to playing Among Us, you just help but shake in both excitement and fear. The moment the words Impostor flashed on your screen, your hands started to get sweaty and your heart began to beat erratically. There's always something about being assigned as the Impostor, especially when you're the only impostor in the lobby right now. However, just the sight of having to choose between three locations on the map, started to overwhelm your fear of failing as an impostor. Everyone voiced their excitement, spawning in their preferred areas. You moved your white character, dressed up with a astronaut outfit and space helmet.

Other than your own character, Kitishima's character has spawned next to yours, his red character donned a pair of red horns that really suited him.

"This map is sick."  Kirishima wiggled around you excitedly.

"Oh my gosh! This map is huge! Guys look at the map!" Ashido gushed, moving around aimlessly in the map.

You decide to split off from Kirishima, looking at the corner of your screen to identify what fake tasks you have. It was hard to fake tasks when you're new to the map and had never seen the tasks before but you stuck with the familiar tasks that you've done in other maps. The Airship was incredibly huge and you found yourself wandering aimlessly and leaving the map open. You ended up in the cockpit and found the admin table which you used to look at where everyone was. They were all scattered about and there was an opportunity for you to kill. You sabotaged the lights and went to the engine room to kill off whoever was there.

"Guys, have you seen the new tasks? Oh the lights are off, I'm gonna die here, aren't I?" Kaminari began to laugh nervously, heading towards one of the three lightboxes to fix the lights sabotaged you called.

On the way to fix the lights for an alibi, you swooped by the engine room and killed Kirishima who was conveniently positioned at the corner doing a task. You quickly hopped into the vent and popped out in the kitchen before heading to electrical to fix the lights. You were the first one to fix the lights while your friends struggled to follow the three big arrows. Shortly after you fixed the lights, Ashido came in from the left side of the ship and you were positive that she would vouch for you if Kirishima's body were to be discovered.

Ashido's little pink character followed you to the west side of the map where you discovered the Security room. You were trying to appear innocent by separating from Ashido but she seemed determined to follow you around, probably to scare you a bit since you can hear her stifling her giggling. Thanks to your impostor vision, you were able to juke her and run into Sero who was doing his tasks in Medical area. Quite some time have passed and no one has found Kirishima's body and your cooldown had gone off already so it was time for another person to go down. You called a sabotage that looked like the Reactor which resulted in you and Sero splitting up to fix the sabotage. 

"This map is huge and I barely ran into anyone!" Kaminari spoke.

"Me too, I'm just wandering around." Kirishima said, he wasn't lying about it. He was wandering around as a ghost, completing his tasks and following you around to see what you were up to. While Sero headed to the west side, you went through electrical, the main hall and ended up in the engine room where you saw Kaminari running by. You took this opportunity to kill him on your way towards the Gap Room to fix the sabotage.

"Hey Kaminari, you finished all your tasks?" Kirishima asked, circling around his new ghost friend. Kaminari had to try his best to stay silent and not reveal you and let out a loud sigh.

"You know I'm a slow crewmate!" the blonde whined. Once the sabotage was fixed, you hopped into the vent and vented into Kitchen before heading to security where you met up with Ashido again before the emergency was called.

"I found where the emergency button and―Oh my God, Kirishima and Kaminari are dead!" Sero exclaimed, noticing that there were only 4 people left. 

"I was wondering where they were, I only saw Kaminari for a while.! I only ran into [First Name][ and Sero. And, I was chasing [First Name] for quite a while, so she's probably innocent." Ashido mentioned.

"Has anyone seen Bakugou at all?" you asked.

"I did see him once, but I saw [Last Name] and Ashido." Sero pointed out.

"I haven't seen you guys at all either. Don't put the fucking blame on me right now." the ash blonde retaliated. 

"I'm not trying to put the blame on you but I think that Ashido is most likely innocent. She was chasing me around for so long and I'm pretty sure that she could've killed me any time." you mentioned.

"But it could be Sero just trying to hide the bodies. Impostors have a very long cooldown given how large the map and how only 6 of us are playing to begin with." the pink haired girl muttered to herself, trying to figure out who the impostor is.

"We gotta at least try and vote for someone because tasks aren't getting done any sooner and the impostor could play time and wait for their cooldown you know?" you reasoned, trying not to sound like you were very eager to vote someone out and get a win.

"My vote's on Sero. I think he's hiding the bodies from us." Ashido was the first one to vote. 

"What!? I think its Bakugou just because I have not seen him around." Sero protested.

"That still doesn't mean I'm the impostor! I think its you, I agree with Pinky." Bakugou voted right after Sero voted and you were the last one to vote. You were surprised that they didn't decide to play it safe with only 4 players left. Then again, the chances of someone dying in a random corner is highly likely since the map is ridiculously big. It wasn't long until the votes were cast and Sero was ejected from the ship. While some hoped that the game will end, it didn't.

"What!? So who is it!?" Ashido exclaimed, choosing a random spot to spawn in.

"Ha? I have no fucking idea who it is!"

"Oh, crewmates are fucked!" Kaminari laughed.

You found yourself giggling inside, spawning the main hall to get easy access to where the emergency button was located. The moment you saw no one around as you climbed the stairs, you checked on the emergency meeting cooldown which was 20 seconds. If you timed it properly with your cooldown, you'll win. At this point, you decided to double check everyone's locations by going to the cockpit. Lucky for you, they were all quite far from either, you decided to call the reactor sabotage. You kill cooldown finally got off and you decided to vent in front of Ashido.

"Oh my God! It's [First Name]!" Ashido squeaked while she was fixing the left side of the sabotage. As soon as the sabotage was fixed, you killed off Ashido.

You couldn't help but let out a victorious laugh the moment the victory screen showed up for you. They all began to throw looks at you, mostly looks of disbelief.

"How about another one, guys? I’m liking this map." you challenged.

Total: 1627 words Published: 20.06.2021

Thank you for requesting! ｡٩(ˊᗜˋ)و*｡ This was based on a game I had with my friends in the Airship where I was the Impostor!  We hope you liked it! ― author Lou

Thank you for requesting it! Honestly, I don’t really play Among Us, I only watch. Hope you enjoyed this! ― author Natsuki

Requests are closed! Matchups are closed!

Please do not mind the grammar mistakes and typos.

[beepen]

Hello gays and gays only. You may have known me as dicks-out-for-adam :) felt a little nostalgic and wanted to post a little something for the adashi tag. Happy pride and happy summer, here’s two hockey players getting midnight snacks on a road trip.

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“Adam….”

Adam stirred in his sleep, nuzzling further into his pillow. His sore muscles protested his awakening and he couldn’t agree with them more. He wanted to continue sleeping….

“Adam.”

“No….”

Let him sleep. He loved sleeping.

“Adam!”

A poke to his shoulder had him scrambling for his dreams to come back, reaching for them and wanting to cover himself in them like a blanket. But they were already too far away and Adam was already too awake.

He sighed, saddened by his loss. “What?”

“Are you up?”

“No.”

“Do you want Mcdonald’s?”

His stomach immediately reacted at the question, growling, and Adam finally opened his eyes to peer over at Takashi kneeling beside his bed.

“Are you serious?” Adam said, voice cracking from sleep and hissing as he stretched his aching limbs.

“Yeah, I’m serious. Do you want some or not?”

Ignoring his question for the moment, Adam reached for his phone. He squinted at the brightness as he read the time. “Takashi. It’s 12 A.M.”

“I know.”

“Did you even sleep?”

Takashi chose not to answer, instead he rose to his feet, his tall frame now towering over Adam’s horizontal form. Adam noticed even in the dark that he was dressed to go out.

“Can you answer my question, please?” Takashi said, his entire being now starting to radiate impatience.

Adam sighed again and rubbed his eyes, giving his hunger levels a once over. He didn’t really have much time to eat except for a couple bananas and a protein shake after the game. The others went to have dinner together but Adam was beat and set out to his hotel room, where he made a quick change into some shorts and literally sunk into the mattress. His stomach was now beating him up for not having a proper meal. He lost so many calories during the game that his body was in a starving state.

“Well?” Takashi crossed his arms and glared down at him. He was probably hungry too.

“I am hungry….” Adam sat up in the bed, keeping the blankets over his shoulders for warmth. “But I don’t want Mcdonald’s.”

In fact, the idea of it made his stomach recoil a bit. He didn’t mind the fast food usually, but after waking up from a deep sleep? Not ideal.

Takashi was silent for a moment, seemingly thinking. He then pulled out his phone and began typing on it.

“Do you feel like walking?” Takashi asked.

Adam shrugged. A midnight walk didn’t sound awful. He actually enjoyed them if he was in the company of a friend or two.

“There’s a 24/7 convenience store five minutes from here.” Takashi looked up from his phone to stare at him, inquiring. “Do you want me to pick something up for you?”

Adam thought about it. On one side, he wanted to stay in bed. The hotel room was especially cozy, and the city lights outside his window tried to lure him back to sleep. And looking at the streets below, he noticed fresh snowfall. He could stay inside, safe from the cold, and wouldn’t have to get dressed either.

But on the other hand, it was only a five minute walk, and walking in the snow sounded just as inviting as laying in the warmth of his bed. And Takashi would be there with him. That idea alone had Adam craving something similar to companionship, but not quite. He couldn’t quite explain it. Something about walking around in the middle of the night, seeking food with his best friend in a city constantly bustling with college students who were also out on a walk, whether for food as well or from a club…it was like nostalgia, in a way. But Adam could not recall ever doing such a thing in the past. Maybe with family or old friends, but never so late.

“Okay.” Adam made up his mind, stretching one more time before pulling the covers away.

Takashi tilted his head, looking for a clearer answer to his question than the one he was provided with. “Okay, what?”

“Okay, let’s go to the convenience store.”

“You want to come with me?”

“Yeah.”

“Alrighty. Hurry up then. I’m starving.”

In less than five minutes, they were exiting the hotel elevator and made their way outside through the grand lobby. It was quiet, and their footsteps echoed against the smooth tile. The receptionist paid them no mind.

As soon as they stepped outside, it was even quieter. The snow had built a heavy blanket over the sidewalks and parked cars, muffling the sounds of the city. Passing vehicles drove carefully over the salted roads and squelched over gray sludge. Only a few groups of people mingled about, most of whom were inside the many cafes and diners in the area, trying to stay someplace warm for a bit.

And walking beside Adam was Takashi, who made it his duty to talk Adam’s ear off. In the five minutes it took for them to reach the corner store, Takashi was on his tenth topic of conversation, water-vapor blowing from his mouth in short puffs of smoke from the cold. And when the doors slid open for them, his voice lowered into a low mumble to match the volume of the store.

It continued like this as they wandered down all six aisles of the small shop. Their conversation quickly shifted to food as they eyed various snacks and groceries. Shopping while hungry was dangerous, and Adam tried to suppress his urge to buy everything he craved. The team was leaving for a different city tomorrow morning, so the less baggage the better. He just needed something he could eat and dispose of quickly.

He had to constantly remind Takashi of this as well.

“Ha, look.”

Adam turned away from the many versions of Cheez Its to peer over at what Takashi was pointing at. He grimaced. “Sour Patch Kids cereal?”

“Sounds gross right?” Takashi laughed, then paused to stare at the abomination for a moment. “I want it.”

“You’re disgusting.”

It took Adam a few tries to convince the impulsive man that he shouldn’t buy it. Takashi only agreed with him after Adam pointed out that if he bought cereal, he’d have to buy milk, and what was he going to do with the milk tomorrow? Leave it at the hotel? Dump it and waste money? Bring it with him on the bus and risk spoiling it?

“I’ll just eat as much cereal as I can with it and then drink the rest if I have to.”

That resulted in Adam snatching the box from a laughing Takashi and placing it back on the shelf.

After more wandering, they eventually found food suitable for their cravings: Adam decided on a premade buffalo chicken wrap, hot chocolate, and a bag of hot fries, while Takashi settled on a lunchable, chocolate milk, and four Slim Jims. They paid and traveled back to the hotel, eating their snacks on the way.

Adam watched with absolute horror as Takashi opened up each Slim Jim, held them in one hand, and bit into all four in one bite.

“Takashi.”

The barbarian glanced down at him, asking what was up with a mouth full of Slim Jims.

Adam gave him a disappointed look. “Why?”

His only response was a goofy smile.

Upon arriving at their shared hotel room, Takashi’s Slim Jims were gone, Adam’s hot chocolate was warm enough to finally drink from, and his bag of hot fries was half empty, courtesy of both Takashi and himself.

“What lunchable did you get?” Adam asked as Takashi unlocked their door. Pushing it open, Takashi marched inside, singing his answer to Adam’s question with a light voice.

“Pizzaaa~”

“Of course~” Adam sang back.

They convened in Adam’s room with the rest of their food. Well, more like Adam had walked to his room and Takashi simply followed. Adam of course didn’t mind.

They easily melted into their usual comfortable and laid back routine, chatting on the bed as they chowed down. Takashi was very particular in how he set up his mini pizzas; the order absolutely had to be sauce, then cheese, then pepperoni. Adam pointed out that if he placed the pepperonis down before the cheese, he could use them to spread the sauce around evenly. Takashi looked at him as if he was the one who had bit into four Slim Jims all at once.

“Heretic,” Takashi accused him, and when Adam kicked his leg, he threatened to crush him if he did it again. Adam didn’t hesitate—he kicked Takashi again.

Takashi stared at him with a twinkling, impish look in his eyes. “You have until I finish my lunchable to apologize.”

Apparently by ‘crush’ Takashi meant plopping his entire body on top of Adam’s.

Once they finished their food and after Takashi felt Adam was adequately crushed, they settled into a comfortable silence, laying side by side. It wasn’t until Adam whipped out his phone to scroll through social media that Takashi repositioned himself on his side, head on Adam’s shoulder as he watched him scroll mindlessly.

Adam didn’t mind. He trusted Takashi, and if anything weird popped up, he knew Takashi’s socials were probably even weirder. That didn’t stop his commentary though.

“Kinky.”

“Shut up.”

Takashi chuckled, the breathy kind. The type of laugh that was only a puff of air and a soft hum. It brushed against Adam’s skin. His heart felt like it was blooming.

“Do you want to finish that one walkthrough?” Adam whispered, and he mayhaps turned his face a little so his nose could bump against Takashi’s.

Takashi hummed his affirmation, eyelids drooping. His breath once more tickled Adam’s skin.

Knowing they were going to fall asleep, they both decided to discard their jeans. Adam changed into the same shorts he had slept in before while Takashi remained in his boxers, too tired to travel the distance to his room. Adam didn’t want him to anyway. He knew Takashi would probably fall right asleep in his own bed if he left to change, and Adam wasn’t quite ready to give up his companionship just yet. He wanted to stay close, nuzzling his shoulder back underneath Takashi’s head to reclaim their position from before. Takashi happily obliged and let out a sigh so blissful one would think he had found the gates of heaven. Adam tried his best to ignore the way his skin prickled, how his heart felt opened and exposed like a blossoming flower. He swallowed it all down and played the video game walkthrough they started watching together last week.

Ten minutes in and Takashi was sound asleep, warm and comfortable against Adam’s side. Adam wanted to soak himself in that warmth, bury himself in it. Every point of contact between them was set aflame: the head on Adam’s shoulder, the arm resting flush against his, and the knee laying on top of his thigh. It was a loving and furious kind of heat, one that battled against the snowfall outside.

The best sleep awaited Adam, one he had no issue in partaking in. He only wished he could stay awake a little longer to appreciate all that was around him, like the soft mattress, the heavy duvet splayed over his form, the soft light protruding from the window and the now quiet city beneath it. And Takashi, dreaming beside him.

Soon, Adam will be dreaming as well, but before he could submit to the warm embrace of a good night’s rest, he turned his head until it bumped against Takashi’s.

Adam exhaled a final sigh, and drifted off to the lullaby of Takashi’s soft breathing.

[thesetrashimagines]

My Hero

(I was listening to Sophia by Clario and I-)

Kiyoko x female!reader

You watched your drink fall to the bottom of the vending machine. You bent over and reached in to grab it.

"Is that the last one?" You turned to the voice, "Huh?" He looked familiar, "I asked if that was the last one." You looked down to the milk drink in your hand. "Oh yeah it is."

"How much?" Your eyes widened as he reached into his pocket and pulled out some money, "You can have it if you want. I can get something else." He walked around you and stood in front of the vending machine, "what do you want?" You waves your hands around, "I can buy-"

"KAGEYAMA!" You both flinched and looked behind you to see a boy with orange hair running towards you. "What do you want?" The shorter boy took a moment to compose himself, "We have to get to practice." You noticed the logo on the boys’ white shirt.

"Oh that's why you look so familiar." The duo looked over to you, "Uh-sorry, you guys are on the volleyball team right?"

"Yep! I'm Hinata Shoyo." He beamed at you. "I'm Kageyama." You smiled at them, "I'm L/n Y/n. I've been meaning to watch some of your games, I've been kinda busy, but!" You stood up straighter which caused the duo to jump a little, "I promised Kiyoko I would come see atleast one of your games." Hinata laughed, "Well we can't wait to see you at one of our games L/n!" Kageyama placed some money in your hand, "For the milk." He cracked open the carton and began to walk away with the ginger racing after him.

------‐-------------------

You sipped at your juice as you walked up to the gym. The doors were left open which allowed you a peak in on the volleyball practice. You stuck your head threw the threshold and scanned the area. A smile broke out on your face when you noticed her. Toeing off your outdoor shoes you snuck up behind her.

“So this is what you do everyday after school.” Kiyoko yelped and turned to face you, “Don’t scare me like that.” She gave you a angry pout. You doubled over and held onto your stomach as you laughed, “Your face! You should see your face!” She crossed her arms across her chest and you took a quick glance down at her- “You’re not funny.” Your eyes went back up and met her annoyed gaze.

“Oh come on I know you love my surprises,” Then you gave her your best puppy eyes and stuck out your bottom lip, “Unless you didn’t want to see me...” She uncrossed her arms, “Of course I wanted to you but I don’t like you scaring me.” You pulled the juicebox away from your mouth and held out to her, “Consider this my apology.” She reached out for the drink, “Pineapple?” You smiled, “Yeah, what else?” She put the straw in her mouth. You looked around the gym and saw a few members of the team watching you. “I guess I should also apologize for coming in here when your busy but I just finished with my own practice and I wanted to see you.”

Her eyes landed on the sports bag slung over your shoulder, “It’s okay we’re on a small break right now.” Then she looked you over from head to toe, “You’re still in your shorts.” You laughed, “Wow look at you checking me out so openly.” Her cheeks tinted pink and she look away, “I was just saying-” You leaned in closer and whispered, “It’s okay, I know what uniform does to you babes.” She went to say something to you when you both got interrupted.

“L/n? What are you doing here?” He laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “I know you said you wanted to see us play but we’re way better to watch playing a game than practice.” You both turned to the ginger as he came to stand next to Kiyoko, “Hi Hinata, I just came to see Kiyoko.” He looked between the two of you, “You know I never asked how you knew Shimizu.” You glanced at Kiyoko, “Well um...you see” In a small panic you grabbed her arm and began to pull her outside, “Actually I need to borrow her for a sec.” You laughed nervously and left the gym.

When you both got outside you let her go and faced away from her, “What’s wrong N/n?”

“So they don’t know?” She came around and stood in front of you, “No. Well, Daichi, Suga, and Asahi know I’m in a relationship with someone but they don’t know with who.” You nodded, “Oh okay.” Her eyes widened slightly at your saddened tone, she placed her hands on your shoulders. “If you want me to tell them I can.” You grabbed her hands off your shoulders and brought them to your lips where placed kisses on the backs of them. “It’s fine Kiyoko. I don’t mind, really.” You let go of her hands and looked down, “I shouldn’t have dragged you out here like that though, I’m sorry I panicked.”

Her fingers went under your jaw and tilter your head up, she gave you a small smile, “You’ve apologized a lot today.” She let out a light giggle, “It’s okay, I panicked a little too.” Her hand moved to cup your cheek, “You’re okay though, right?”

“Yep! Totally fine, not worried at all......okay maybe a little, do you see the way Tanaka and Nishinoya look at you?” Her sweet giggle filled the air once again which caused you to smile, “How about I walk you home after practice?” She looked a little surprised, “That’s a long time to wait.” It was your turn to cup her cheeks, “But I’m willing to wait for you.” Her cheek turned pink again, “That was super cheesy of me to say but you look so cute when you blush.” Her cheeks went redder, “Look you’re blushing even more!” She tried to turn her head away from you but your hands kept her face still. “Stop it!” You giggled and pulled her in for a peck on the lips. “Let’s go back in there before those boys come out here and steal you from me for real.” Her hands grabbed your forearms as she smiled and nodded

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

Over the next few weeks you sat in on almost all of Karasunos volleyball practices. You’d show up in the middle of their break with some kind of drink or snack and you would share it with Kiyoko. You had become somewhat close with the team, they always thought you were such a nice friend to wait for Kiyoko to finish practice so you could walk her home.

Yours and Kiyoko relationship wasn’t very public, and that wasn’t a problem for you guys. The third year boys knew Kiyoko was in a relationship but they never dug deeper than that and the rest of the volleyball team didn’t think to ask. It wasn’t a bad thing, you trusted them. They treated your girlfriend with respect and protected her at all costs when you weren’t there. The obvious ogling from Tanaka and Nishinoya didn’t even bother you because let’s be honest here, you were no better. Kiyoko is always slapping her hand over your eyes when you stare at her for too long, claiming ‘you’re making it hard for me to think’ but who can blame you? She was a literal angel, appearance wise and personality. This girl could make you melt into a puddle.

You both weren’t into to a lot of PDA either. Yeah you held hands sometimes but you wouldn’t go any further than that. It was just how you guys were, at first glance no one would suspect you two to be dating. You told yourself it wasn’t a problem, until now.

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

You had texted Kiyoko saying you’d meet her at the arena. Today was the day you were finally able to watch her team in action. You waited inside the crowed lobby, dressed a little nicer than usual. You looked over outfit again for the hundredth time today, contemplating if you should’ve worn it to a volleyball game.

‘It’s just a volleyball game but I want to look nice for her.’

The voices you’ve become familiar with caught your attention. You looked over to see Karasunos volleyball team walk in from the front doors, with a small smile you began to make your way over to them. Tanaka and Hinata yelled out to you, “Y/N!” You saw Kiyoko turn her head to where you were. “Hey guys! Hi Kiyoko!” You joined their group and followed them further into the building.

“So this is your first game?” You looked up at Asahi and nodded, “Yep, I tried to come to your other ones but I’m usually busy with (insert your fav sport).” Him and Suga started asking you about the sport.

“Excuse me I’m gonna go to the bathroom.” Hinata turned and left the group.

It had been a few minutes before you realized Kiyoko was nowhere to be seen, “Did you guys see where Kiyoko went?” Daichi looked around, “She had to go give the official some papers, maybe she stopped for drink?” You nodded, “I’m gonna go look for her, if she comes back just tell her to text me.” Daichi smiled, “Alright.” You then ventured out to go look for Kiyoko.

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

“Come on cutie just give me your number.” Hinata watched from a far as Kiyoko was swarmed by some volleyball players. “Oh no,” He looked around frantically, “Tanaka and Nishinoya aren’t here to protect her!”

You saw Hinata turn his head around wildly, “Hey Hinata, what’s up?” His scared expression met your eyes, “Kiyoko is surrounded and Tanaka and Nishinoya aren’t here.” You followed the finger he had pointed towards the group, “Are you serious...” Hinata looked back at you and saw the killer look in your eyes, he jumped back a little. “I’ll be right back.” He was speechless as the waves of anger flowed off of you as you marched over to Kiyoko.

“I need to get back to my team.” You heard Kiyoko try to reason with the boy in front of her, “I’m not letting you go until you give me your number.”

“Hey.” You patted the taller boy on the shoulder, “She said she needs to go back to her team.” He laughed at you, “Oh look one of your cute friends came.” Your hand clenched into a fist at your side. “Let her go.” He rose a brow at your harsh tone, “Or what?” You blew air through your nose, “Look pal I don’t appreciate you harassing my girlfriend. So, before we have a serious problem, leave her alone.” The boy turned to fully face you now, “Girlfriend? I don’t believe you.”

You glared at him, “What do you want me to do? Kiss her?” His head shot back in laughter, “Yes, actually that’d be great.” You rolled your eyes and shoved him with your shoulder, “We’re leaving, come on.” You reached into the circle of boys and wrapped your arm around Kiyoko’s. “I thought I said you’re not leaving till I get your number.” His hand reached forward and grabbed the arm you weren’t holding then he bent at the waist to be at eye level with Kiyoko.

“Hey!” You let go of Kiyoko’s arm and grabbed the front of the guys shirt, “Don’t put your hands on my girlfriend!” You pulled him closer as you brought your other arm back with a closed fist, his eyes widened, “Let her go right now or I swear you’ll regret it.” 

He let go and brought his arms up in surrender, “Alright, alright. I’m sorry okay?” You shoved him back and watched as he stumbled. “Come on Kiy.” You wrapped your arm around her shoulders and pulled her close as you navigated through the crowded area.

People now had their eyes on you and your girlfriend after they heard you yelling. “I’m sorry I freaked out back there.” Kiyoko had one hand grabbing at the front of your shirt. “No don’t apologize.” She looked at the side of your face which still held its hardened expression. “I should be saying thank you.” You slowed down your steps and looked into her eyes, “You don’t have to say anything Kiy, he shouldn’t be praying on people like that, it’s disgusting.” You looked back to where the boys had stood earlier and saw that they were helping their friend up and were watching you intensely.

A gentle hand landed on your cheek and pulled your face in the other direction. “You’re my hero you know.” Her steel blues eyes looked at you in adoration, “It wasn’t that big of a deal really.” You rubbed the back of your neck and looked away in embarrassment. She giggled then leaned into your ear, “Every hero gets rewarded with a kiss right?” Your eyes shot open when she pulled away and met your eyes. “Wha-Right now? But we’re-” Her eyebrows pinched together, “You don’t want one?” You sputtered a little more, “No! Wait, yes! Yes I want one, I always want to kiss you but we’re in public and I don’t know if-”

“Hmph!”

Her hands encompassed your face again and pulled you towards her face. Her soft lips landed on yours, you stared at her closed eyes before your own fluttered shut. Your hands went to their usual place on her waist. She moved her mouth on yours and moved her hand to the back of your neck where she pulled you in a little closer; your own hand migrated from her waist to her back. “I meant it when I said thank you.” She pulled back and smiled at you, “That, um, wow.” She laughed at your current state, “You know you’re cute when you’re flustered.” You groaned and dropped your head to her shoulder, “Shut up.” She kept on laughing as she brought her hands over your shoulders and down your back. “I’m not used to kissing in public stop bullying me.” She laughed even louder now. You whined, “Kiyokoooooo.”

Pulling back you went to look at her when something over her shoulder caught your attention, “Uh oh.”

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

When Hinata saw the taller boy grab onto Kiyoko he left to go get the rest of the team. On their way back they had heard you call Kiyoko your girlfriend which caused them (Tanaka and Nishinoya) to pause momentarily. Then they watched as you almost threw the taller male to the floor. “Come on Kiy.” You pulled her close and walked on.

“So that’s who she’s dating.” Suga smiled, “I mean it makes sense, Y/n’s been to every practice just to walk her home.”

They heard sniffling, “Nishinoya...” Another sniffle, “Yeah Tanaka?” Tanaka wiped at his eyes, “Kiyoko has a cute strong girlfriend.” Nishinoya hugged the boy, “I know bro.”

“Knock it off you two.” Daichi gave them a stern warning, “Wow,” He looked to Suga, “What?” The grey haired boy lifted a single finger and pointed, “They’re kissing.”

“WHAAAAAAA-”

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

“What is it?” Kiyoko looked over her shoulder to see the team, “I think they saw.” She smiled back at you and grabbed your hand, “I don’t mind.” As she took the first step forward you froze in place. “What’s wrong?” Your head tilted down to the floor, “What if they react badly? You remember what happened last time?” Kiyoko squeezed your hand gently, “They won’t do that, I promise.” You allowed her to pull you along.

“Kiyoko! Y/n! Are you guys alright?” Hinata ran to meet you guys, “We’re okay, thank you Hinata.” When you didn’t respond Kiyoko tugged hard on your hand, “Ow! That hurt!” She gave you a closed eyed smile, you knew what that meant. “Don’t you have something to say Y/n?” Noticing her underlining tone, you bowed, “Thank you for everything Hinata.” You lifted your head and looked at the group behind him, “and everyone else for coming to check up on us.”

Hinata waved his hands around, “You were so cool Y/n! You were like ‘Hey! don’t touch my girlfriend!’ That was awesome! He was so scared!” You covered your face with hand, “I was just trying to get to him to screw off.” You grew irritated again, “The nerve some people have, I could’ve knocked him the f-.” Noticing your tensed stature, Kiyoko rubbed your back affectionately. “It’s okay now. I’m okay.” Your eyes traced over her features, “Yeah as long as you’re okay.” Her cheeks tinged pink, “Haha! Got you again!” You smiled wide and poked her cheek.

“So let me get this straight, you’re dating Kiyoko?” Your smile dropped as you looked back to the group of boys in surprise, “I, um, yeah?” Hinata turned to face his team, “You guys didn’t know?” Everybody looked at him in shock, “What? Kiyoko always comes to practice wearing Y/n’s club sweater.” You gasped at your girlfriend, “You thief! You lied to me, you said you didn’t know where my sweater was.” Your girlfriend pushed some of her hair behind her ear, “It’s my only one.” You sighed and took off the jacket you were currently wearing, “You could always ask me for more babes.” Your wrapped the clothing item around her. “But you need it.” You held a hand up, “I need it later, not right now.” She pushed her arms through the sleeves, “Thank you.”

The volleyball team watched the scene and tried their hardest not to freak out. ‘So cute!’

An announcement came over the intercom, “Looks like it time for you guys to kick some serious ass.” The Karasuno boys laughed and agreed, “Let’s go win everybody!” You all cheered at Daichi’s words.

The team saw you and Kiyoko walk out in front of them. “I forgot to tell you that you look really nice today.” You turned your head to look at her, “Thank you Kiy, you look as gorgeous as ever.” She intertwined your fingers with one hand and hugged your arm. “You’re staring again.”

“Am I? It’s almost like I have this ray of beauty clinging to my side.” You looked off to the side with a dramatic sigh, it caused Kiyoko to giggle and press a kiss to your cheek.

“Tanaka?”

“Yeah?”

The two boys grabbed onto each other with tearful eyes, “THEY’RE SO CUTE!”

Walking up behind them, Daichi grabbed onto the backs of their shirts and carried them forward. “Stop staring at them!”

AN: That was a lot longer than originally planned but I couldn’t stop myself. And yes before you ask, Tanaka and Nishinoya are the BIGGEST Kiyoko x Y/n shippers out there, the love and support they have- These boys be SCREAMING about their otp and that’s IT.

anyways, I hoped you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading <3

[talkfastromance4]

Forever & a Night//michael clifford

Second NYE chronicles! This is some sweet and fluffy Michael with maybe a pinch of smut who knows🤷🏻‍♀️ I also got very carried away. Oops. reader insert but written as fem!reader

warnings: casual drinking, champagne, first time having sex, reminiscent memories

Masterlist

NYE Chronicles masterlist

Enjoy! feedback is always welcomed :)

• • • •

Michael’s holding your hand as he weaves through the New Year’s Eve traffic. The leftover snow glitters from the neon signs of bars and restaurants that are already flooded with New Year’s Eve celebrators. The radio station is playing the top forty song of the past year, Michael’s thumb rubs over your knuckles and circles the diamond ring that hasn’t left your finger since last New Year’s Eve.

“Remember our first kiss?” he asks you, his voice soft and soothing. 

His voice was one of the many things you love about Michael. The soft timber was the only thing that can calm you down if you’re frantic over a busy schedule, and the scratch of it tickled your ears in the early mornings. 

“Of course I do, it was also the first time we met,” you giggle resting your head on your seat to gaze lovingly at him. The lights on the street flickered over his face, accenting his pretty green eyes and perfectly pink lips. Lips you’ve kissed since you were fourteen years old. 

“You missed my lips the first time,” he chuckles, eyes sliding over to you as he rolls to a stop at a light. 

“I was nervous! You were my first kiss ever.”

**

It happened in the basement of your (at the time) best friend’s house, she was having a New Year’s Eve party and it was your first boy/girl party to attend. It was mainly kids from school so you knew everyone but stayed on the outskirts of the party taking it all in. You were at the snack table when a call for a game of Truth or Dare aroused and you scampered away as fast as you could. 

On the other side of the stairs was the tv where Michael and his best friend Calum were playing video games. Michael had on his signature dark gray beanie, making his face appear more round but you could see his boyish charms were fading into a teenager. At first, you thought he was annoying because he was loud and interrupted the teachers. Then he made a joke that you laughed at during math class and you realized how funny he was. His humor is what attracted you to him in the first place. 

“You got me with a blue turtle? Fuck you,” Michael shoved Calum with his shoulder and your ears rang at the cuss. 

It’s weird hearing people you’ve known since you were six use swear words now. Growing up is weird. 

“Hey, Y/N, you wanna play?” Michael asked and you stared dumbfounded that he asked and that he knew your name. 

“I’m fine watching,” you shrugged, moving to the floor in front of him. You sit cross legged placing your plate of snacks in front of you and start to munch. Knowing your manners, you hold up the plate of goodies. “Want some?”

“Thanks,” he smiled and took a few pieces of popcorn. 

“Is the pizza here yet?” Calum asked, his eyes focused on his character. 

“I don’t think so. I think Casey’s mom just went to pick it up.” 

So there you sat, watching them play Mario Kart ‘64 laughing at their banter and even shouting at Michael to pull away from the wall or to watch out for a banana that’s in his path. The pizza arrived and the three of you remained in the back corner of the basement enjoying your smaller party. 

When midnight neared, Casey shut the lights off so you could watch the ball drop. Michael pulled you to the back away from everyone else and for some reason you had butterflies in your stomach. 

Ten minutes until midnight and Michael moved closer to you so his bicep touched the top of your shoulder. He was very tall and your arm zinged from the contact. 

Five minutes until midnight and he leaned down to your ear.

“Would you maybe wanna be my kiss at midnight?” goosebumps formed on your ear and you never knew that was even possible. You nodded your head, too scared to look at him because you’ve never kissed someone before. “Cool.”

Your nerves were heightened as it ticked closer and closer to midnight. The other kids were becoming louder in anticipation of the new year but you were worried about where to put your hands and how to turn your head so your noses don’t bump. 

The twenty second countdown began and Michael took hold of your hands. His were cool and soft compared to your warm clammy ones. He moved you in front of him, holding you close as his thumbs ran over your skin. It calmed you down a little. 

You stared at each other as it became ten seconds. Your heart was about to beat out of your chest but you were hypnotized by his eyes. 

“FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

Party horns and silly string exploded behind you as you leaned up on your toes to give him a quick kiss. You ended up kissing below his lips a little and on his chin but you still felt a shock from the contact. Embarrassed, you buried your face in his hoodie, your face hot.

Michael hugged you back with his cheek resting on the top of your head. 

“Could we try that again, maybe?” he asked politely. 

“Now?!” you squeaked in shock. 

“Or later,” he chuckled. “How about we go back and play video games?”

“Okay.”

He held your hand as he led you back to the tv area and you both sat a little closer to each other on the couch. 

“Hey Y/N?”

“Yeah?” you’re concentrating really hard on the tv screen and your fingers on the controller. Then you feel Michael’s lips smoosh on your cheek in a kiss. You’re frozen. Frozen in shock and heightened senses. 

“Happy New Year.”

**

Michael’s thumb is still rubbing your hand as you both walk into the lobby of the hotel. It’s still decorated from Christmas with a few blue and silver baubles for New Year’s. At the concierge desk stood Calum and his girlfriend who were dressed to the nines for a party they would be attending after the ceremony. Calum was in all black with a gold tie and a top hat to complete the look while his girlfriend had on a pretty silver dress that sparkled in the light. 

“How did we beat you here when it’s your day?” Calum asks.

“Got stuck in party traffic,” Michale laughs. “Love the hat, man. Is the officiant here?”

“Yup, he’s all set. We just have to get you in your dress,” Calum’s girlfriend beams at you. 

“Everything is in the room, right?” you ask, your voice shaking slightly from excitement and nerves. 

“Yes, but you can’t see what it looks like until after the ceremony. Come on, time to primp and pamper you!”

“I’ll see you in about an hour,” Michael says, tugging you against his chest. His long finger pokes your nose before he leans in to give you a soft kiss. “Breathe, baby. This is our day.”

“What are you and Cal gonna do?”

“I’m going to buy him a drink while we wait for you ladies,” Calum grins.

“Okay,” you sigh heavily. “I’ll see you soon.”

You hold each other’s hand until the last possible second, until it’s just your pinkies linked together and then you’re walking towards the elevator and he’s headed to the bar. 

Calum’s girlfriend covered your eyes as you entered the honeymoon suite you and Michael reserved for after the ceremony. You’re sat in a glam chair as someone works on your hair, two other people work on your nails and toes and another does your make-up. They’re all a well oiled machine and you close your eyes, seeing past New Year’s with Michael behind your lids.

On another New Year’s Eve when you were nineteen, you were with Michael at a cabin his parents rented out for the two of you. It became a tradition of yours to order pizza and play video games. But this year...this year was going to be special. When he picked you up in his old car and he kissed you hello, you felt different. 

The whole journey to the cabin was full of this energy you couldn’t quite place. It left you buzzing and in anticipation of what the night would bring. Sensing your feelings, Michael reached over and took your hand bringing it to his lips. You felt a surge of affection as you felt the shakiness of his breath on your knuckles. He was nervous too.

While you played video games and ate, you also had a drink or two as the night progressed. And as the night progressed, you became warm and filled with a burning you’ve never felt before. Michael was in the kitchen opening a bottle of champagne he brought and walked in with two gold flukes.

“For you my lady,” he handed you a glass then poured the bubbly in your glass. It simmered and fizzled the bubbles away while he poured his own. “This is called ‘34+35.’’

“What does that mean?” you asked while taking a sip then smack your lips together at the sweet taste.

“Probably the year? I don’t know,” he shrugged. “Hey! We need to toast first before you drink!”

“Sorry!” 

“To our five year tradition and anniversary,” he smiled looping his arm around yours. “I love you, kitty.”

“I love you, too,” you smiled then you both took a drink.

Two glasses later, you were both laid out on the large couch with Michael nestled between your legs, your lips connected in drunken kisses. Both of you are in your underwear and Michael’s fingers are dipping under the strap of your bra. He pulled it off your shoulder and his lips moved to the free space above your breast. 

The scruff of his beard tickled your skin, his lips so soft on your skin as he kissed it lower, lower, and lower until he pulled the cup of your bra down. Being exposed to the air and his hot breath made your nipple harden. Michael sucked it between his teeth and you gasped at the newfound sensation. His lips puckered around your mound while his tongue flicked and circled your nipple. 

“Does this feel okay?” he asked, his voice a little raspy.

“Good...good,” you nodded squeezing his shoulders, “really good, Mikey.”

After a few more light suckles, he pulled your other cup down and used his mouth in the same fashion. You closed your eyes at the care he was taking with his mouth on you. He palmed your other breast, rolling your peaked nipple between his fingers and you rolled your hips against his trying to tame the heat between your legs. 

Soon after, the rest of your clothes were discarded and you stared a little wide-eyed as he rolled a condom on his hardened dick. He pumped himself twice to make sure it was on properly, his lower lip caught between his teeth. 

“You’re sure?” he asked and you shifted your eyes to his face. 

There was so much love and care in those sea glass eyes. In answer to his question, you dragged him by his neck so he was on top of you. 

“It’s you, Michael. I want you,” you mumbled on his lips. 

It took some time because it was the first time for the both of you. Tears pricked in your eyes as he nudged himself inside you, even with the lube he brought it was forgein to your anatomy but each inch felt better. 

You were both breathing heavily as he adjusted, he was very patient and his careful care made sweat form on his skin. 

“You feel amazing,” he panted closing his eyes. His head drooped to your neck, hot breath fanning your skin and he began to rock. 

Each pull and thrust the burn between your legs lessened and was replaced with a new sensation that made your toes curl. It was special, it was hot, it was all brand new but you loved every minute of it because you and Michael were perfect for each other. 

Afterwards, he poured you both another glass of champagne as you snuggled under the large blanket watching the New Year’s celebration on tv. You hadn’t even realized it was the new year because you were so involved with each other. 

“New Year’s Eve is my favorite holiday,” Michael said.

“You’re just saying that because you got lucky,” you teased taking the bottle from him. 

“Yeah I got lucky. Lucky to have you as my best friend, my girlfriend, and now my lover. New Year’s Eve is our day, babe.”

“Forever?” you asked, holding out your pinky. 

“Forever and a night,” he grinned, linking his pinky with yours.

**

You’re adjusting the flowers in your hand as you walk towards the small party room where Michael is waiting for you. About a year after that first time, Michael started off on his music career and with timing and being on different continents, that was the last New Year’s you spent with him until two years ago. You still were in each other’s orbits silently cheering the other on on social media. 

You met up again on New Year’s Eve at a mutual friend’s party. You stuck by each other like glue, reminiscing and catching up on new adventures you’ve both had. Discussions of break-ups, stupid moments, and other memories occurred and when the ball dropped you were already kissing. 

“It’s just you and him,” Calum’s girlfriend tells you quietly. 

The music starts inside, the doors open and she walks down the small aisle laden with glitter paper and flowers. You adjusted your dress, a pretty champagne color and took a deep breath as you made your way to your best friend. Michael couldn’t keep his eyes off you.

The ceremony was short and simple since it was just the four of you. Michael’s vows made you cry because he brought up past New Year’s Eve moments. He held your pinky the whole time then when you were declared husband and wife, he cradled your face in his hands pressing a soft kiss to your lips. 

Your first kiss as husband and wife.

Photos were taken shortly after, then Calum and his girlfriend were off to finish the rest of the evening at a party. They offered their congratulations and happiness before you and Michael were finally alone. When the elevator doors open, he lifts you in his arms and walks across the threshold into your honeymoon suite.

“I’ll do this again when we’re back home,” he says nuzzling your cheek. 

The room is decorated with roses and candles. Near the window overlooking the city is a table with steak, shrimp, fruit, champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. The meal is delectable, the champagne is your favorite ‘34+35’ brand. Michael snapped pictures of you and you took some of him. Then you took one with your hands over the other capturing your wedding bands. 

“How about we take a bath?” he asks, already scooting his chair from the table. 

The bubbles are warm and so is the bubbly in your flukes. You share kisses that leave your lips tingling and soon you’re in his lap. 

“I’m having deja vu here,” he mumbles moving his lips over your jaw. 

“I hope that’s a good thing.”

“It’s a very good thing.” he sucks on your neck and you gasp. 

Shortly after, you shift back into the suite and fall on top of the dark gold bedspread. Michael rocks into you and you’re filled with overwhelming sensations. He drags his tongue between the valley of your breasts and you gasp out his name when he hits a certain spot. 

Your fingers link and your wedding bands clink together just as fireworks explode outside. It must be midnight. 

“Happy New Year, wife,” he pants, his eyes glazed over as he looks down at you. He gives you a kiss. 

“Happy New Year, husband,” you smile lazily then bite your lip as your toes curl. 

“New Year’s Eve, it’s always been you,” he sighs, knocking his forehead to yours. His hips move at a slower pace. “My best friend, my girlfriend, my lover, my fiancé, and now my wife.”

“New Year’s is ours,” you smile stretching your lips to his in a gentle kiss. “Forever…”

“Forever and a night.”

He lifts your arms over your head, starting the new year the way you know best, connected.

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[writeofmind]

a ghost?! (pt. 1)

Genre: fluff, slow burn, multi-shot <3

Pairing: College!Rosé x Reader

anon: Hi! If possible could you make a master list of all the fics and scenarios you have posted? 😅 I’d also like to request a blackpink college AU focused on Female Reader x Rosé 🥺 lots of fluff and maybe some slow burn and smut? I’d be happy with any Rosé fluff or blackpink fluff though 🤍🤲🏻 thank you 😊

A/N: hi, j anon! this is part 1/? of your slow burn college!au. :D I will try to make this as slow and fluffy as possible. i don’t have a specific plot that i’m sticking to rn, but i have general ideas that i’m very excited to write. that being said, feel free to send in suggestions as to how you want this story to go! (or you can leave it up to me, and be in for cute surprises >:) ) 

a ghost?! | caramel lattes | your favorite regular

-

There were two things that you learned from living your college life. One, you definitely weren’t a morning person, and two, your roommate was a ghost. 

Not literally. The thing was just that you had never formally met them; when you moved in, they weren’t home, and when you would wake up in the afternoons, they would already be long gone and out of the house. Your schedules never lined up with each other, so for the past few weeks, you’ve just been barely missing them, not even knowing their name. 

You didn’t mind, really. The apartment was kept clean at all times, so it really did feel like only you lived there sometimes. But, you can say: if your roommate was a ghost, then they were the loudest ghost. Ever.

It was just your luck to be paired with them, too; they would be up at the crack of dawn, most times even earlier. You’d often wake up in the mornings to music playing or their (you’re sure you can say her) voice singing along. If you were being honest, the latter was your preferred way of waking up. She did have a wonderful voice, and you wished you could get yourself out of bed to tell her that; but she just woke up way, way too early. 

Today was another one of those days. Music was blasting in the background, yet another replay of “Call Me Maybe.” 

Ugh, god... you raised your head at the rude awakening, squinting your eyes at the door. Not this song again.

Based on what little you knew about your roommate, you had an image in your head of what she may look like. To put it short, you imagined a sorority girl, in a way. The type that dance and sing along to pop songs, dresses in tank tops and jeans, partying everyday, that sort of thing. You figured that maybe she didn’t party a lot though, considering she was already home and sleeping when you would walk through the front door. 

You let your head drop back into your pillow. You were too groggy and beat from work the night before that you blocked out the song, blocked out your roommate’s singing, and fell soundly asleep once again as her music faded out the front door and into the hallways of your apartment. Jeez, that girl needed some headphones.

When you woke up a few hours later, the apartment was silent. There was a sigh of relief from you, and you groaned as you stretched your entire body out. Class started in about an hour and a half, so you decided not to laze around in bed and instead get ready for the day.

When you walked into the kitchen to grab something quick to eat on your way to campus, you smelled something delicious. Sniffing the air, you smelled... something spicy? 

Sure enough, when you walked inside, there was a pan of tteokbokki sitting right on the stove. The aroma of the spiciness itself made your mouth water the closer you got to it- then, you saw a note next to it, sitting right under a bottle of water.

Good morning, roomie! I heard you come home late last night, (not that I was trying to be a stalker, but I couldn’t sleep so I was still up when you got back. Crazy, right?) Anyway, I figured you didn’t eat because I didn’t hear you in the kitchen, so I made extra tteokbokki this morning for you to take with you. I made it a little too spicy, so make sure you grab the water too!!

- PC

Your eyebrows raised higher the further down you read the note. She made you breakfast? And packed you a water? 

How sweet of her, you smiled. You wasted no time in scooping a whole bunch of the delicious rice cakes onto a plate and devouring every single piece. (She was right, though, it was super spicy.) 

That was really sweet of her. I should do something for her, too. I feel bad that I haven’t thought to even leave a note. And PC, huh? I wonder what that could stand for. I should make a mental note to ask. 

After eating and cleaning everything up, you realized that you wasted a little too much time in your own head and was running a bit behind schedule. You grabbed the water bottle quickly and ran as fast as you could out the door, into the elevator, and out the main lobby of your apartment. You didn’t even notice the blonde haired girl you almost ran into along the way. 

-

When you were finished with your school day, you always dreaded having to go to work afterwards. Not that it was a terrible job, you were just a barista at a café near campus, after all- but you would be tired and drained after pulling afternoon to closing shifts.

So there you stood, leaning against the counter top at your job as you sipped away at a small cup of espresso. You and your coworkers chatted absentmindedly. It wasn’t too busy tonight, except for a few straggling students that stayed to study. Your manager had even offered to let you go home early, but you decided you needed the money- you were practically getting paid to stand around, anyway.

The bell on the door jingled after what seemed like hours (and maybe it was). Your coworkers, all clowns, hid away from the incoming group of customers and shuffled behind the counters, leaving you to take care of them all. You glared at them and groaned internally, but that was the rules of a college student barista. If you’re not fast enough to hide, you face the consequences.

“Hey, guys,” you put on your smile as you approached the register, “what can I get for you tonight?”

When the girls got closer, you were glad that your hat was a bit too big for your head. It covered the burning read at the top of your ears at the sight of how pretty they were— all four of them, to be exact.

One of the shorter ones smiled back at you. “Hiii,” she greeted, “do you guys know what you want?”

The redhead of the group spoke up first. “Yes, can I just have a tea, please?” She turned to the other girls, “I noticed that my voice has been kind of raspy from rehearsal. I hope it’s nothing serious.”

You minded your own business as you punched in the order. “Of course, and for you?” You looked at the tall brunette, who was squinting at the menu board. You had to hide a laugh as you slid a smaller menu to her. “Here you go, our menu is printed kind of small.”

“Oh my gosh, thank you,” she laughed and took the menu in her hands. The shorter one that spoke earlier laughed too and simply pushed the brunette’s hands down. 

“Can we just get two large white mochas, please?” 

You smiled as you punched in that order too. “Of course.” You now turned to the final girl of the group, who stood silently, staring back and forth at the pastries in the case and the menu board. “For you, miss?”

When she looked up at you, you froze. 

Wow, she was cute. 

She smiled at you so sweetly, brushing her blonde hair behind her ear. “Um, yes please, can I get all of the vanilla scones that are in here? Oh, and a caramel latte, please.”

Just from eyeballing the case, there were at least 10, if not a couple more scones in there. You glanced at her with a humorous smile and nodded. “Yeah, no problem.”

As you punched in the order, you made sure that you only rang her up for four scones. It was almost near closing time anyway (you told yourself that, but really you still had a couple hours left), and you didn’t want to have to waste any pastries. 

“Can I have your guys’ names for your drinks?” You popped the tip off of your sharpie. 

The redhead, again, spoke first. “Jisoo.” 

Then went the brunette. “Lisa,” she then pointed to the shorter one, “Jennie.”

Lastly, you turned to the blonde. Again, she smiled, and nodded when she spoke. “Rosé.”

Such a pretty name, you thought to yourself. You made it a point to draw a little flower next to her name, just for funsies. You let them know that their drinks would be ready soon, and you gathered all the scones in the case for the girl to have.

The girls didn’t notice the price difference at first when they paid. After calling out their names for their orders, it wasn’t until they sat down at their table with their drinks and snacks that they realized something was off. 

It was Rosé who came back up to the counter as you were wiping it down. 

“Um, hi,” she spoke softly as if not to surprise you, “I’m sorry, but I think there may have been a mistake?”

You looked up at her from the counter with raised eyebrows. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was your drink wrong?”

“No, not at all! It’s great,” she shook her head and showed her bag of scones, “but, um, I think you mischarged me for these.”

Ah, so she did notice. “No miss, that’s okay,” you laughed at her innocence and honesty. Her face even looked worried just from you saying that. “We’re going to be closing in a couple hours anyway, and to be honest, the scones can be a bit overpriced when you buy a lot. Don’t worry about it.”

Her eyebrows were furrowed in the cutest way possible. “But— are you sure? You won’t get in trouble?”

“I’m sure, I’m sure. It’s fine, really miss.”

“Aww... well, thank you—” she beamed and squinted at your name tag, “Joy.”

Aw, shit. You internally slapped yourself in the face, I put on the wrong apron. 

Of all days to be talking to a cute girl, you weren’t even wearing the right apron with the right name tag. You really didn’t want to have to explain yourself and essentially embarrass both you and the girl right now, and you were quite frankly a bit shy already from talking to her for as long as you have. So you just smiled back. “It’s no problem, Rosé.”

With a giggle, the girl turned back around and hopped over to her table, where you could hear her recounting your conversation. You chuckled.

-

As your shift went on, the students inside the café began to disperse and pack up their bags to head home. One of the last students to leave was the group of girls you served earlier, and they even made sure to call out “bye, Joy!” as they left. Your coworkers looked at you funny but ended up laughing at your awkwardness once they realized your mistake.

“Oh, come on, y/n!” One of your best coworkers, Seulgi, laughed, “Now you’re gonna be known as Joy to them! Joy is not going to be happy.”

“Look, man, I didn’t wanna correct her, alright??” You sighed and palmed your forehead, “I got nervous!”

“Ah, well,” your other coworker Yeri shrugged, “at least you may not see her again. So you don’t have to be too embarrassed.”

Your shoulders dropped at the sound of that. You may not see her again? Boo. 

Your closing shift went by smoothly and before you knew it, you were walking through the threshold of your already dark apartment. You saw that your roommate’s door was closed and her light off, but her shoes were on the shoe rack, so you knew she was already sleeping. 

You almost went straight to your room to knock out before remembering what your roommate did for you this morning. You didn’t want to just leave her hanging and make yourself seem ungrateful, so you grabbed a post-it note and a pen.

Hi there, roomie, you began, thank you for the tteokbokki this morning! It was delicious, actually, and I only needed a few gulps of water between each bite. (lol, i’m just teasing, it really was good. i love spicy food.) i’m not sure if you like flavorings in your coffee, let alone if you like coffee or not, but here’s some for you for the morning, since you’re usually up earlier than me. you can use any of my coffee cups, i have way too many.

- y/n

After setting up the coffee machine to brew in the early morning, you stuck the note on top and dragged yourself into your room to get ready for bed. 

-

The next morning, you woke up to silence. No music, no singing, nothing. And it wasn’t early in the morning- it was the usual time you yourself would get up and out of bed.

Huh? you wondered, This feels... unnatural.

You got yourself out of bed and ready for your day as you normally would. You walked into the kitchen for your usual breakfast of coffee and a single granola bar, when you saw yet another note waiting for you on the kitchen table.

it’s no problem at all! i almost thought you hated the tteokbokki when i didn’t see any feedback when i got home. TT TT it’s so funny that we haven’t even met yet. btw, i’m sorry i’m loud in the mornings, i never realized how late you got home every night. i’ll let you sleep in more. :) and you’re so sweet, thank you for letting me use one of your cups, and thank you for the coffee this morning :)

p.s, just so you know a fact about me too, i love caramel in my coffees.

- PC

[themetaphorgirl]

road trip!

inspired by this post

please enjoy seven unsupervised teenagers crammed into an SUV for a three hour trip

I might need to write a part 2 with the actual camping trip??

but right now I need a nap so badly. so, so badly. I hope you like this though!!!

----------

Hotch flipped on the lights and both boys immediately groaned, pulling their covers over their heads. “All right, everybody up, we gotta go,” he said. 

Derek rubbed his eyes and held his up his phone. “It’s five in the morning, Hotch,” he complained. He dropped his phone on his face. “Dammit.”

“We want to be on the road before six, so let’s go,” he said.

Spencer sat up, his hair sticking up on the side of his head. “I just fell asleep an hour ago,” he complained. “Can I sleep a little longer?”

“You can sleep in the car,” Hotch said.

Spencer scowled. “I can’t sleep in the car.”

“You fall asleep in the car all the time. Get up.” Spencer dragged himself out of bed, rolling his eyes. “Are you guys packed? Do you need any help?”

Derek glanced around his chaotic side of the room. “Uh...I’ll get it done,” he said. 

Hotch sighed. “Just hurry, okay?” he said. “We gotta go. I’m going to go check on the girls.”

He closed the door and headed for the stairs. Getting a four-day weekend for teacher in-service meant they had plenty of time on their hands, but they didn’t want to sit around on campus or go to Dave’s house again. Somehow they had decided on making the three hour drive to the Mammoth Cave national park to go camping, which had seemed like a great idea at the time, but now that he was in charge of getting the four youngest kids ready to go when the sun wasn’t even up, he was kind of regretting it.

He made it down to the third floor and knocked lightly. Penelope whipped the door open. “Good morning!” she said. “We’ve been waiting for you.”

He blinked. “Okay, that sounds only mildly creepy,” he said. “How are you guys doing?”

“Pretty good,” JJ said. She gestured towards her backpack and Penelope’s duffel bag on the floor. “We’re just about ready, I think.”

“Thank god,” Hotch said. “You’re definitely ahead of the boys.”

“You didn’t see that coming?” JJ said, grinning. “Let me guess, Derek hasn’t packed anything and Spencer’s cranky.”

“Yeah, you got it,” he said. He looked from JJ in her ballet school tank top, Nike shorts, and sneakers to Penelope. “Hey, Pen...are you sure that’s what you want to wear?”

Penelope looked down at her floral print sundress and strappy sandals, then back up at him. “Yes, why?” she asked.

He gestured at her collection of impractical accessories- hair clips shaped like pandas, chunky bead bracelets, dangly earrings. “You do know it’s going to be a three hour long car ride and then three days of camping, right?” he said.

“Yes, why?”

JJ sighed. “Don’t worry, Hotch, I’m on it,” she said. “We’ll meet you downstairs in just a little bit.”

“What’s wrong with my outfit?” Penelope demanded.

Hotch backed away. “Yeah, I’ll let you handle it,” he said.

He jogged back up the stairs and knocked on the door. “Okay, you guys, how’s it going?” he asked, opening the door without waiting for them to answer.

Derek tossed a hoodie onto his pile in the middle of the floor; he was at least out of his pajamas and dressed in a St. Thaddeus football shirt and basketball shorts. “We’re getting there,” he said. “I’m almost packed.”

Hotch looked down at the pile. “Good luck getting all of that into your bag,” he said dryly. “Where’s Spencer?”

“Shower, I think,” Derek said. “He’s packed, though.”

Hotch picked up Spencer’s backpack easily, but the duffel bag offered more resistance. “Oh my god, what does he have in here, a dead body?”

“Probably books,” Derek said.

“Does he really need this many?” Hotch asked. Derek shrugged. “All right, fine. Hopefully we can get all of this to fit between the two cars. Just hurry up, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s fine,” Derek said, digging through his drawers.

Hotch stopped by his room to pick up his backpack, then carried everything down to the lobby. The girls were already there with their things; JJ had gotten Penelope to change into denim shortalls and a pink tee shirt, and her accessory collection had been reduced to a large ruffled scrunchie. “You guys ready?” Hotch asked.

JJ yawned. “Yeah,” she said. “Where’s the boys?”

“Derek’s still packing,” Hotch said. He pulled out his phone and checked the group chat. “James is in the parking lot, Dave’s almost here. Nothing from Alex or Emily, but I’m sure they’re up already.”

“Alex will be up, Emily probably snoozed her alarm six times,” Penelope said.

Something thumped down the stairs. “All right, we’re ready,” Derek called, dragging his bag down the steps. Spencer trailed behind him, his hair still damp and dripping on his NASA tee shirt. 

“You’re sure?” Hotch said. “Everybody has everything? Clothes, toothbrushes, pillows, blankets? James is bringing sleeping bags and air mattresses, but everybody should have their own stuff.” He turned to Spencer. “You have your blanket?”

Spencer’s face turned as red as his shorts. “I don’t need it,” he said.

Hotch frowned. “You’re sure?” he said. “But you-”

“I don’t need it, I can sleep without it,” Spencer said, crossing his arms. “Can we go?”

“Yeah, yeah, we probably should,” Hotch said. “Let’s go, everybody grab your stuff.”

Derek sidled up to him. “I packed the kid’s blanket,” he whispered. “It’s in my bag.”

“Oh, thank god.”

The sun was just barely beginning to peek over the horizon as they made it out of Lincoln House. Hotch hoisted Spencer’s bag of books on his shoulder. It was a long walk out to the parking lot, but James and Dave were both there, their cars parked next to each other. “Hey, y’all,” James called. “Who’s ready for a three-hour drive?”

Dave groaned. “Not me,” he said. 

“I have my license, you can let me drive,” Hotch said.

“You’ve only had your license for six months,” Dave said, patting the hood of his brand new Honda Pilot protectively. “She needs someone more experienced for a long haul. Maybe James will let you drive his shitbucket.”

“She’s not a shitbucket, she’s just...well loved,” James protested. “Besides, she’s got some...quirks. Really, nobody but me should be driving her.” He jiggled the latch of the hatchback and opened the trunk; his Nissan Versa was jam-packed with camping equipment and igloo coolers. “All right, toss your stuff in!”

“It’s nice of your parents to let us borrow all their camping stuff,” Penelope said. 

James took her bag. “Yeah, we’ve gone camping every summer for as long as I can remember,” he said. “Hope you guys are ready for this. I’m not too sure how Dave is going handle it.”

“I’ll be fine!” Dave said. He jabbed his thumb towards Alex and Emily as they crossed the parking lot towards them. “I’d be more worried about ‘poor little rich girl Prentiss’ over there.”

“What about me?” Emily asked. She wasn’t wearing her usual eyeliner and she’d traded her Docs for more sensible sneakers, but she still wore artfully ripped jeans and a red plaid flannel tossed over her black tank top. 

“Nothing,” Dave said quickly. “You guys ready?”

Alex handed over her bag; she’d swapped her usual librarian dresses for a sleeveless button up top tied at the waist, shorts, and hiking boots. “Definitely ready,” she said. “Have we decided who’s riding where?”

“Well, James and I are driving,” Dave said. “I claim Hotch as my copilot, you should be James’s.”

Alex shrugged. “Fine with me,” she said. “So everyone else is going with you?”

“I’m not sitting in the back middle!” JJ said, immediately tapping her finger to her nose.

“Nose goes!” Penelope said, and Emily and Derek copied her. “Ha! Spencer’s backseat middle.”

Spencer blinked. “Wait, I zoned out for a second,” he said. “What happened?”

“JJ and I went first, so we get the captain seats,” Penelope explained. “You’re sitting in the back with Derek and Emily, and you have to sit in the middle.”

“What? No!” he protested. “I want to ride with James and Alex.”

“No, there’s not enough room!” Emily said quickly. “And you’re the littlest and the youngest, anyway, you have to sit in the middle.”

Spencer scowled. “That’s not fair, we should do it again,” he said. “I don’t want to sit in the back middle.”

“Too late, caro, you lost,” Dave said. “Maybe you can ride somewhere else on the way home.” 

Alex cupped his chin in her hand and kissed his cheek. “Three hours isn’t that bad,” she said. “Read your books and take a nap.” He scowled.

“All right, come on, everybody, let’s go, let’s go, it’s past six already,” Hotch said. “Get in the car, we gotta go.”

They piled into Dave’s car, squishing Spencer between Derek and Emily in the back. “I don’t understand why I can’t ride with James and Alex,” he said. “I could have fit.”

JJ twisted around in her seat. “We need them to spend some time alone,” she explained. 

“Why?”

“Aren’t you tired of watching James pine after her?” Emily said. 

“Pine?”

“He’s had a crush on her for three and a half years and he’s yet to make a move,” Penelope said. “I made him an extremely romantic Spotify playlist. I hope it works.”

“Wait, James has a crush on Alex?” Spencer said. Derek shook his head.

Dave backed out of his parking space. “All right, once we get to Auden’s Ridge we’ll stop and get gas,” he said.

“And snacks?” Penelope asked hopefully.

“And snacks,” Dave said. “But after that we’ll drive straight through to Mammoth Cave. I don’t believe in stops.”

“Oh, I seriously doubt that will happen,” Hotch said. “Have you met these kids?”

Dave tossed him his phone. “Just plug in the address to GPS and turn on the music, copilot,” he said.

The thirty-minute drive to town usually seemed long, but for once it went by quickly and Dave pulled up to a pump at the gas station. “Remember, we’re going to get actual food once we get the campsite set up and we can stop in town,” Hotch reminded them. “So don’t go too crazy.”

“Hotch, why are you even trying, you know they’re all going to buy their respective body weights in junk food,” Dave sighed.

Hotch sighed. “I know,” he said. 

He tried to stay fairly sensible with his choices, but the other kids returned to the car laden down with snacks. “Oh my god,” Dave said. “Listen, if you guys spill anything, I will murder you. I will.”

“Relax, spaghetti grandpa, it’ll be fine,” Penelope said as she plunked down in her captain’s chair and cracked her drink open. “We’re all very well-behaved.”

Hotch raised an eyebrow. “Penelope,” he said. “Is that a Red Bull?”

She raised the can to her lips, regarding him over the rim. “Maybe,” she said, and she took a big swig.

“Oh, god, we’re all going to die,” Dave said. “Jennifer. If you get Cheeto dust anywhere, I will end you.”

“I’ll be careful, I promise!” 

Spencer struggled with the cap of his chocolate milk. “Can somebody open this for me?” he said. 

Derek opened it easily and handed it back. “There you go, noodle arms.”

“Hey!”

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose. “Guys, we haven’t even gotten back on the road yet,” he said.

“It’s gonna be a long trip,” Dave said. “All right, everybody, buckle up.”

The first hour passed by without incident, and Hotch was just starting to think that maybe this trip wouldn’t be so terrible when Emily leaned around JJ’s seat. “Hey, when are we stopping?” she asked.

“In an hour and forty-eight minutes, when we make it to the campsite,” Dave said, glancing at the GPS. “Why?”

“I have to pee,” she said.

“Ask Hotch.”

“Hotch, I have to pee, can we stop?” Emily asked.

“We just stopped, Prentiss,” he said. 

“I didn’t have to pee then,” she protested.

Spencer nudged her shoulder. “I’m trying to read and you’re covering the pages,” he complained.

Emily leaned farther. “Please can we stop?” she pressed.

“Maybe in a little bit,” Hotch said. “Just stop bothering Spencer.” Emily sat back with a scowl.

Derek wadded up his wrappers. “I wouldn’t mind stopping,” he said. “I’m out of snacks.”

“Jesus, Morgan,” Hotch said. “You ate all of that?”

“Yeah, and I’m still hungry,” he said.

“His trash is everywhere,” Spencer announced.

Derek thwacked his arm. “Don’t tattle!”

“I’m not tattling! I’m stating facts!”

“Stating facts just to get me in trouble!”

JJ glanced back. “No, Spencer’s right, it’s like a dumpster back here,” she said. 

“Clean it up!” Dave said.

Hotch twisted around in his seat. “Penelope, can you stop kicking the back of my seat?” he said.

“I can’t help it,” she said. “I have to move. My legs just keep shaking and I can’t stop it, I just have to move or I might possibly exploded.”

“This is why you can’t drink Red Bulls in the car,” Hotch said.

“Or ever,” JJ added. Emily stretched out and propped up her right foot on her armrest; JJ pushed it off. “Quit it, Emily.”

“I’m squished back here with Spencer and his entire library, let me stretch!”

“It’s my armrest!” Emily stomped on the base of JJ’s seatbelt; JJ let out a piercing pterodactyl screech. “Prentiss, what the fuck!” she screamed.

“Cut it out!” Hotch bellowed. 

They fell silent. Penelope’s leg stilled. Spencer turned a page.

“Dave’s trying to drive, stop screaming,” Hotch said. “Emily, leave JJ alone. JJ, no more dinosaur noises. Derek, pick up your trash, Penelope, stop kicking me. Spencer...you’re fine, just read your book.”

He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. It was peaceful again, quiet except for Dave’s road trip playlist. Maybe now the kids would fall asleep until they made it to the campground.

“Hey, can we turn the air up?” Emily asked. 

“Yeah, it’s a little warm in here,” Derek added.

Dave fiddled with the dials. “Yeah, we can turn it up a little,” he said. “That better?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Spencer frowned. “I’m cold,” he said.

“How can you be cold? You’re squished in between us?” Emily said.

“I’m always cold,” Spencer said. “And there’s a vent right above my head. Can we turn it down?”

“See, now you wish you had your blanket,” Derek grinned.

Spencer turned red. “I don’t need my blanket,” he grumbled.

“You can cuddle with me,” Emily said, throwing her arm around his shoulders. 

He pushed her arm away. “I don’t want to cuddle!” he said. “I’ll just freeze to death and read my book, okay?”

“How does someone so little get so angry?” Emily said.

“I’m not angry! I am stressed!” Spencer said.

“Stressed about what?” Derek asked.

“I’m sitting in the middle of your dumpster pile, and Prentiss is trying to cuddle me, and I’m very tired and I just want to read my book in peace!” Spencer said. “And you guys are squishing me!”

“Prentiss, Morgan, stop pestering him,” Hotch said.

“If you guys don’t stop, I swear to god, I will turn this car around,” Dave said.

Penelope abruptly popped her seat back, leaning directly into Derek’s lap. “What are you doing?” he said.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I just got really carsick all of a sudden…”

“Okay, nobody is getting carsick in the new car,” Dave said. “Emily has to pee, Derek’s hungry, Penelope’s going to puke...Hotchner, text Alex and see if we can stop at a McDonalds or something.”

“Yeah!” Derek cheered.

“All right, all right, I’ll text her,” Hotch said. He glanced in the rearview mirror; Penelope’s eyes were closed but the rest of the kids seemed happy, except-

“Hey, Spence, what’s with the face?” 

Spencer scowled. “I ran out of books,” he said, rubbing his eyes.

“All of them?”

“Yeah, I miscalculated how long it would take to get through all of them,” he said.

“Well, maybe you can sleep the rest of the way,” Hotch said.

“Yeah, then maybe you won’t be so grumpy,” Emily said.

“I’m not grumpy!”

Hotch checked his phone. “Yeah, James and Alex said they’re good to stop,” he said. “There’s a McDonalds coming up at the next exit.”

“Thank god, I need to get out of this car,” Penelope said fervently. “I’d be fine if it just wasn’t moving.”

James and Alex were already parked and waiting beside the car when they caught up. “How’s it going?” James asked. 

“You try shoving seven teenagers into an SUV,” Dave said. “Well, six teenagers and a baby.”

“I’m not a baby,” Spencer objected.

Alex laughed. “That bad, huh?” she said.

“Hotch used the dad voice on us,” JJ reported. 

“Oh, so it’s really bad.”

“Okay, you guys, stop,” Hotch said. “Let’s just go eat so we can get back in the car, okay?”

He was being optimistic, but he should have bargained on them taking their time ordering, he knew what he was getting into. Penelope had to be talked into ordering a Sprite to settle her stomach, Derek had to be talked out of getting a third breakfast sandwich, JJ tried to order six hashbrowns and nothing else, and Alex stopped Spencer from buying coffee and got him a hot chocolate instead.

Hotch settled for a hot coffee and an egg McMuffin and ate mostly in tired silence. “We don’t have too much longer to go,” James said, gathering up wrappers and empty cups and piling them onto a tray. “Hour and a half, maybe?”

“Yeah, and then we get to set up a tent and stay outside for three days,” Dave said. “I may have overestimated this trip.”

“Oh, it’ll be fun,” Alex said. “You guys will like camping. And this isn’t even really roughing it, they have real bathrooms at the campground.”

“I draw the line at shitting in the woods,” Dave said dryly. He checked his watch. “All right, kids, we should get back on the road. Emily- you better pee again, because I’m not stopping anymore.”

“All right, all right, I heard you,” she said, getting up from the table. “Come on, Garcia, if you’re going to puke, now’s the time.”

“No, I’m okay,” Penelope said. “But I’m never drinking Red Bull in a car again. Ever.”

“Thank god,” Hotch said. 

“Alex, do you have any books I could borrow?” Spencer asked. “I finished mine.”

“I’m afraid not, darling,” she said. “You really read all of yours already?” He nodded. “Ah, you miscalculated.”

James fished his phone out of his pocket. “Here, you can borrow this,” he said. “We’re using Alex’s phone for the GPS and music so I’m not using mine. Play games or something?”

“Games?” he repeated skeptically.

Penelope snatched it out of his hand. “Not to worry, I know just the one,” she said. “James, can I download him something? Don’t worry, it’s a free one.”

“Yeah, go for it,” he said. 

Hotch picked Spencer up out of his chair and set him on his feet. “What was that for?” he complained.

“You weren’t moving, and we need to get back on the road,” he said. He brushed Spencer’s hair off his forehead. “How much sleep did you get last night?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know,” he said. “An hour and a half, two hours maybe?”

“Jesus, no wonder you’re in such a bad mood today,” Hotch said. He caught Derek’s eye; Derek shot him a thumbs up back. He propelled Spencer forward. “Come on, let’s go.”

They got back into the car slowly this time, everyone full and a little sleepy. Spencer climbed into his middle seat without an argument, James’s phone clutched in his hand. “You really need to try to take a nap,” Hotch told him. “You can’t function on two hours of sleep.” Spencer sighed and his lower lip dropped in a pout, but he didn’t say anything. 

Derek tossed Spencer’s favorite blanket at him. “Since you said you were cold,” he said. 

He brightened. “You packed it anyway?”

“Hell yeah I did,” Derek said. “I know you think it’s babyish, but seriously, kid, nobody cares. We care more about you being in a bad mood from not sleeping.”

Spencer hesitated, then accepted the soft ivory blanket, hugging it to his chest. Derek climbed up into the seat beside him and buckled his seatbelt. 

Penelope leaned forward in her seat. “Dave, can we please play something a little more exciting?” she wheedled. “I made you a showtunes playlist.”

“Please, no,” Dave said as he navigated the car back onto the interstate.

“I worked so hard to make it!” she said.

“Let her listen to it at least for a while,” Hotch said. “I mean...she did work hard to make it.” 

Dave sighed. “Fine,” he said. “But you’re not allowed to sing along.”

She sang along, loudly and with great passion. 

Luckily, the chaos in the car had begun to settle. Spencer played games on James’s phone, frowning in concentration, while Derek put on his headphones and Emily leaned her head back to take a nap. JJ just stared sleepily out the window, watching the hills roll by.

It was just past eleven when they pulled into the campsite behind James’s hatchback; the backseat occupations had begun to perk up, although Penelope was still singing along to the Hamilton cast recording. “All right, everybody, we’re here,” Hotch said. “Who’s ready to put up tents?”

“Not Spencer,” Derek said. The youngest of their group was fast asleep, his head resting on Derek’s shoulder, his blanket clutched his his chest and James’s phone threatening to slip from his grip. Derek gave him a gentle nudge and pried the phone from his hand. “Hey, pretty boy, we made it.”

“Don’t wake him up,” Hotch warned. 

“Okay, but I have to get out of the car too,” Emily said.

Hotch beckoned Alex over. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Can you get him?”

Alex peeked into the backseat. “Oh, no,” she smiled. “Okay, Derek, you get out first. Try not to- oh, never mind.”

Derek jostled him on his way out of the car and Spencer raised his head, blinking sleepily. “Sorry, pretty boy,” he said.

Alex leaned towards him. “Hi, we made it,” she said softly. “Do you want to get out of the car? You can go right back to sleep.”

He nodded, unclicking the seatbelt and climbing over to her with a barely concealed yawn. Hotch helped him out and he wrapped his arms around Alex’s neck, allowing her to pick him up. “Oh, baby, it’s okay,” she said, rubbing his back as he mumbled sleepily into her shoulder. “Go back to sleep.”

“I’m tired too, does this get me out of setting up the tent?” Emily asked.

“Absolutely not,” Hotch said. “Get out of the car.”

“I want someone to carry me and tell me I can take a nap.”

“Prentiss, I swear to god. Get out of the car.”

[girlboss-molina]

Be Who You Are (No Compromise)

A Julie and the Phantoms Modern Royalty AU

Chapter 5: Let’s go Lesbians

AO3 Link

Words: 9721

-----

Julie POV

...

Julie awoke with the sunrise barely peeking over the mountains into her window. The light didn’t hit her eyes, though, she woke of her own accord… wrapped in Luke’s arms, with her head on his chest. 

She could’ve stayed there forever. He was warm, and smelled sweet, like roses, honey, and something else she couldn’t place, but it reminded her of the forest. She had her arms wrapped around his waist, securely holding them together. She wasn’t tired at all, but she did not want to move. She was too comfortable, and holding Luke close like this wasn’t something she might ever get to do again. 

She tilted her head, watching as the sunrise painted bands of gold and pink throughout the lightening sky, watching shadows move with the trees and mountains, watching the silhouettes of birds flocking from tree to tree, soaring through the light like dandelion wisps on the wind. A few cotton ball clouds graced the sky, like bits of cotton candy hung from the heavens. 

She shifted an inch more, freezing when she felt Luke jump. He blinked and looked around, finally catching her eyes. 

“Sorry,” she whispered. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“No, it’s okay,” he replied, his cheeks pink in the sunlight. “Why are you up so early?” She shrugged.

“Just not tired, I guess.” He gave a sleepy smile that made Julie’s heart flutter. How dare he be so cute? She didn’t move again, still laying next to him, one arm around his waist. He didn’t move either, seemingly content to hold her. Then, he hugged her closer, bringing his face to her hair. 

“Your hair smells nice,” he whispered. Julie giggled. Dork. 

She laid there for a few minutes longer, finally wiggling out of Luke’s arms and standing upright, doing her best not to trip over a blanket. Luke pouted, and she had to stifle a laugh in order not to wake up anyone else; All eight of them had fallen asleep, and aside from her and Luke, everyone else was still curled up in restful oblivion. 

“I’m gonna change,” she whispered, gesturing to her wrinkled dress. She’d forgotten to put on pajamas. “We’re still going to the mall later, right?” Luke nodded, and she smiled, stepping over Mira’s legs and Carrie and Flynn, who were snuggled up against each other, then silently padding to her huge walk-in closet and closing the door. 

She shed her dress, walking to the shelf and rack where she kept her normal, not so… princessy clothes. She chose a pair of straight-leg plaid pants, bright yellow and black, and hooked a chain through the belt loops by her right hip. She also chose a white, slim-fitting crop top with a purple butterfly embroidered over her heart, paired with a distressed denim jacket that she left unbuttoned and hanging off one shoulder. She chose a pair of black Vans with a white stripe on the side, as well. 

Her signature necklaces still hung by her collar, and she left her normal earrings, as well as a faux helix. 

Walking back out of her closet and to her bathroom, she sat in front of the vanity, fixing her hair and tying it into a thick braid over her shoulder. She carefully painted some eyeliner into a wing on each eye, brushed mascara onto her lashes, and even dabbed on a bit of lip gloss. Then, she stood in front of her mirror, deciding she looked cute. 

She hopped back to her room, where Luke had sat up and was now looking at his phone. Julie caught his eye, smiling when he blushed. She was sure she was blushing as well, though, so she looked away, walking to the side of her bed where she’d left her phone, careful to dodge Erik’s arm, which was sprawled over Reggie. She grabbed her phone and sat down, scrolling through her notifications. She had a reminder from Duolingo to keep doing her French lessons (which, if she was being honest, she was not going to remember to do), a couple memes from Carlos, a few Instagram DMs, plus an email from the Dahlian Times, telling her that the combined story from them and the Tambor Times, with their photoshoots, had been a huge hit, and that if she wanted, they could hit up their connections with Vogue to get her a modeling job. She politely declined; Vogue wasn’t on her radar at the moment. 

What was on her radar, however, was the fact that she would be going to the mall with her friends today. It was a thirty minute drive, and she didn’t want an escort. They could handle themselves; plus, it would make it a lot harder to avoid flocks of people. Julie knew that Alex wasn’t a great driver, nor was Flynn. She herself wasn’t bad, nor were Carrie or Mira. Reggie was probably the best driver out of all of them, which was surprising. And yet, every time she’d been in a car with him, he’d never missed a sign, never gone too fast, and always stayed in his lane. He wouldn’t want to be the one driving, though. And Julie didn’t know Erik’s driving skills very well, given that she didn’t know him as well as she wanted to. They were friends, sure, but not as close as she was with the others. 

That left her, Luke, or Carrie; and there was no way she would let Luke drive. She didn’t care how good of a driver he might’ve turned out to be, his vibes were way too chaotic. And Carrie might not mind driving, but Flynn would protest. So, Julie supposed she would drive, if the rest were okay with it. 

She heard Erik stir, followed by Carrie. 

“Morning,” she whispered. Carrie gave a smile; contrary to popular belief, she was a morning person. Erik seemed to be as well, because his eyes were bright as he grinned at her. 

“Hi, Julie,” he whispered back. “We’re still planning on going to the mall later, right?”

“As far as I know.” Luke nodded.

“I think it’ll be a lot of fun,” she remarked. “I haven’t been to the city in awhile.”

…

When they got to the mall, Julie pulled the large SUV into a parking space, very proud of how even she was. Everyone piled out of the car. 

As they reached the lobby, they decided to split into two groups since there were multiple places they wanted to go, and they would draw less attention than they would as a group of eight. It took a few minutes to settle on the groups, but they eventually decided that Julie, Alex, Carrie, and Flynn would be one group, and Erik, Luke, Reggie, and Mira would be the other. 

“Let’s meet at the food court for lunch at noon,” Julie said. 

“Sounds good to me,” Reggie agreed. 

Julie had to admit, she was a little disappointed that Luke hadn’t been put in her group. But, then again, she wasn’t sure she could handle it if he was; she’d be a blushing mess the entire time. However, when she saw the sad puppy eyes that Luke was giving her, she hoped they were because he wanted to be with her as well. 

As they went their separate ways, Alex led Julie, Carrie, and Flynn to one of the long aisles. 

“Where should we go first?” he asked, gesturing to all the different shops they could choose from. “Personally, I vote to go to Justice.” Julie couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not, but she laughed, and Carrie’s giggle-filled nodding, plus Flynn’s smiley eye-roll all convinced her. 

…

“Okay,” Alex said. “Be honest.” As he strutted out of the changing room, a pink crop top in place of the tee he’d been wearing, he struck a pose. “How do I look?” 

Julie laughed, clapping. 

“Almost ready for your Vogue shoot, I see,” she quipped. Alex flipped his hair. 

“Covington could never.” 

“Amen to that, sister,” Carrie said, walking up to him and spinning her finger. He twirled, and Carrie clapped. “It’s perfect. Now you just need a skirt to go with it.” Alex turned bright red, and Julie stifled a laugh, as did Flynn. But his smile never receded. 

After he’d changed back into his tee, and Carrie (lovingly) bullied him into buying it (“You didn’t need to bully me, Carrie, I was going to buy it anyways!”), Julie wandered through the racks of sparkly clothes, letting the glitter blur in her eyes. A calm wave washed over her, and she basked in the euphoria of being in the mall with her friends. 

“Julie? Did you hear me?” Flynn asked. Julie snapped out of her daze, shaking her head. 

“Sorry, I zoned out.”

“I said, we’re going to grab a snack at Cinnabon.” When Julie didn’t move, Flynn rolled her eyes and dragged her out of the store. 

Julie followed along, a grin on her face. She’d always loved Cinnabon. Every year on her birthday, her Tía Victoria would take her there in the morning, and there was nothing not to like. 

She noticed Alex slow, staring at someone walking away. From Julie’s view, she saw a top hat and a cloak, but they walked with a strange saunter, like they knew something nobody else did. 

“Alex, you coming?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, jogging back to them. “Sorry.”

…

After they’d all eaten their cinnamon rolls, they walked into a women’s apparel store that Julie couldn’t pronounce the name of, and Carrie immediately went to the business casual section. Flynn protested, but not too hard, because Carrie had a sort of elegance to her that made even the most standard outfits seem ethereal. Julie and Alex wandered over there as well; Julie had been wanting a new suit. She only had one, and she was starting to outgrow it. 

She browsed through the racks of carefully hung jackets and pants, soon, finding one that she loved and rushing to the changing room to try it on. 

Underneath the jacket was a slim white dress shirt. The jacket was violet, and the sleeves reached perfectly to her wrists. The pants were white, slim cut but comfortable and professional. Julie left the top buttons of her shirt undone and didn’t fasten the jacket over her stomach, letting the casual in business casual shine through. 

As she walked out of the changing room, Carrie gasped.

“Let’s go, lesbians!” Julie stifled a laugh.

“I’m glad you like it!” Carrie rolled her eyes.

“Like it? Jules, if you don’t buy that, I will, and it will end up in your closet no matter what.” Julie blushed. 

“I think I'm going to buy it,” she agreed. 

“Alex! There you are!” Luke’s voice made Julie’s head whip around. 

“Yeah? Is everything okay? I thought we were meeting for lunch in”- he pulled out his phone and checked the time -”half an hour.”

“No, we are, but we needed to find you and tell you about this amazing prank we just pulled-” his voice trailed off as he looked at Julie. She looked back, her cheeks warm, but not as warm as he seemed to be. His blush stretched all the way down his neck. 

“We, uh…” he cleared his throat and looked back at Alex. Julie’s face might’ve caught fire, especially as Flynn elbowed her and gave her The Look.

“-Luke, I could’ve sworn we told you no shenanigans before we separated!” Alex’s voice caught Julie’s attention. 

“Oh come on, bro, it was one singular shenanigan,” Reggie interjected. “Just one!” Alex sighed.

“Do I even want to know?”

-----

Alex POV

… 

When Alex woke up, Julie, Luke, Carrie, Erik, and Reggie were already awake. It wasn’t that late, though; the sun had risen, and the clock on his phone read 08:11. He stretched, giving a quick “good morning” to his friends, before wandering down the hall to change into more casual clothes, after Julie had confirmed that they were still going to the mall.

He chose a pair of black shorts, vans, and a pale pink t-shirt, plus a fanny pack that he strapped across his chest to hold his epi-pen, inhaler, and wallet. 

As he walked back to Julie’s room, she was still laying on her bed, scrolling on her phone, and she and Luke kept shooting each other glances whenever the other looked away. It was adorable, to be honest. But they were both so oblivious, it was almost painful to watch. Alex was positive he was the only one with a brain cell. 

Well, actually, that would be Flynn, Carrie, or Mira, but, he got fourth place, which wasn’t bad. 

Alex gave Luke The Look, glancing at Julie, then back to Luke, raising his eyebrows. He held his tongue, however much he wanted to blurt out that they were both stupid.  

…

As he got ready for breakfast, something inside of Alex clicked. He wanted to bring Willie to the mall today. It wouldn’t be like a date, of course, just a casual hangout with a friend whom he was mildly in love with, accompanied by seven other friends, one of whom he was supposed to be marrying, but didn’t want to. 

The usual. 

“Hey, Julie?” he asked, jogging up to her before they reached the great hall. “Would it be okay if I invite my friend to come to the mall with us?” He scratched the back of his neck, sure he was blushing. “I, well, I met him the first night I was here, and-” 

“Of course,” Julie said, giving him a knowing smirk. “Let your friend”- she winked as she said it -”know that he’s welcome to hang out with us any time.” Alex grinned. That went… way better than he’d expected. Not that he’d expected it to go wrong, of course, but it was still comforting. 

He barely ate any of his breakfast, just enough so he wouldn’t be hungry when they left. Then, as soon as he was done, he walked out the back door of the great hall, turning to the kitchen doors. He allowed himself a few minutes to settle his nerves, and then knocked, disappointed when the person opening the door was a tall (seriously! He was almost six feet tall, and this woman had at least three inches on him), severe looking young woman instead of Willie. She gave him a smile, though, softening her harsh appearance. 

“Your highness, may I help you?”

“Hi, yeah. Sorry to disturb you, but I was looking for Willie?” The woman grinned. 

“I’m afraid you just missed him. He left on break about five minutes ago. Not sure where he is now.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry,” she said. “I’ll tell him you were looking for him the next time I see him, though.”

“Thank you, miss, uh…” 

“Lilian.”

“Awesome. Thank you, Lilian.”

“Of course.” She offered a kind smile and wave, though Alex definitely noted the quirk in her eyebrow. Was he really that obvious? 

He gave a wave and walked away. He didn’t know where Willie would be, although he had a hunch. So, he followed his instincts and walked out the back door, breathing in the mild air as he turned and headed to the park where Willie had brought him for their not-date. 

Hey, maybe this would count for Luke’s trade-off thing about it being Alex’s turn to ask out Willie? Even though it hadn’t technically been a date, it had kinda felt like one, which made Alex’s heart soar. And it only soared higher when he saw a familiar, brown-eyed baker skateboarding around one of the roundabouts. 

Alex considered calling out, but he didn’t have to. Willie saw him as he came around the bend. He grinned, but his smile didn’t reach his eyes. 

Had Alex done something wrong? What if he’d freaked out Willie? What if he was annoying? What if-

“Hey there, your royal pancakeness!” Willie called, skating to a stop as Alex shoved down those anxieties. He had to be brave. 

“Hey, Willie,” he said. “So, um, I was wondering…” he took a breath, gathering his words and trying not to gay panic. “We’re going to the mall today, and I was wondering if you would want to come?” Willie’s smile did reach his eyes that time, and it eased Alex’s nerves. But then, his face fell.

“I wish I could, man,” he said, “but I’m going to be working all day today. I’m really sorry.”

“No, no, that’s okay,” Alex assured him, despite the low feeling in his heart. He caught Willie’s gaze again, beautiful and deep, with flecks of gold in his warm eyes, and the emotions tangled in their depths were unreadable, but strong. Then again, Alex couldn’t piece together his own emotions warring inside his heart either, so he supposed it was normal. 

“Well,” he said awkwardly, “I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah!” Willie said, a genuine grin on his face. They stood there for another moment, just comfortable in each others’ presence, before Willie’s phone beeped a timer. The baker sighed.

“That’s my cue. See you, Alex,” he said, sounding disappointed. Alex offered a weak smile and a wave as the baker walked away, staring at the grass, each individual blade flicking in the wind and making his eyes blur. 

…

Julie was the one driving to the mall, and Alex beat Reggie to the passenger’s seat. 

“Uh uh, cretins sit in the back,” he told him. Reggie pouted, but they all knew it was a joke. Besides, Alex wanted what little space he could get. 

He knew Willie wouldn’t lie about that. Even if he hadn’t wanted to go, he was too polite. So it didn’t make sense for Alex to be as upset as he was; it wasn’t even a big thing, for God’s sake! It was the mall! And it wouldn’t have even been a date, since there were seven other people there. 

He just wanted to spend time with Willie, didn’t he? He was such an idiot. Willie didn’t like Alex the way Alex liked him. And besides, it was quite literally treason. Willie had to know that. So, even on the off chance that he did feel the same way, there was no way he would ever make a move, lest he have the desire to be exiled.

Alex sighed, but it was more of a groan. He was right back to considering his ingenious run-away-into-the-woods plan.

…

As he walked with Julie, Flynn, and Carrie, deciding to go into Justice, it was 99% because they all wanted to make fun of the store that they’d all loved when they were little (despite how much Flynn denied ever liking it). But, if he was being honest, Alex did kinda want to go. Even though it was mostly for elementary or middle-school-aged girls, the excess of sparkles and pink always made him smile. And if he’d once bought a small tube of lip gloss that tasted like strawberries, that was nobody’s business but his own. 

They were all bouncing around the circular racks, brushing the mesmerizing flippy sequin pillows back and forth, letting the glitter and bling spot their eyes, when Alex found a really cute pink crop top, in his size. It wasn’t something he would wear regularly, of course, but as he put it on in the changing room and sauntered out, he felt confident and comfortable with his friends. 

Of course, he was already planning on buying it and tucking it in the back of his closet, before a certain Carrie Wilson bullied him into doing it. He wasn’t sure what he expected from a mean lesbian with fashion sense, though. 

“Now you just need a skirt to go with it,” she informed him. Alex laughed, sure his face was bright red. He’d never worn a skirt before, and while he wasn’t opposed to the idea, it wasn’t something anyone else could see. 

Ever.

They started making their way to Cinnabon, when Alex bumped shoulders with a tall man. 

“Hey-” he started, before being overwhelmed by confusion. He looked so familiar, with his piercing blue eyes, but his outfit was… strange, to say the least. He wore a black three-piece paired with a dark purple shirt, and a black cloak that sparkled violet on the inside. His head was adorned with a top hat, and the cold smirk he gave Alex sent chills down his spine. 

“Alex, you coming?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he said, jogging back towards Julie, Carrie, and Flynn. “Sorry.”

“You’re good,” they assured him, though they did seem confused and concerned. 

…

As Julie tried on a purple and white suit, Alex was well aware of the fierce blush on Luke’s face when he walked in, hoping to inform him of some dumbass shenanigan, but instead being flustered by one Julie Molina in a suit. It was understandable, though; If you were into girls, you automatically had a crush on Julie Molina. Especially if she was wearing a suit. Carrie agreed; as soon as she walked out, she’d excitedly thrown up her hands and said “let’s go, lesbians!”

Alex shot Luke a smirk, before remembering his friends’ dumbassery. 

“Oh my God, Luke, I could’ve sworn we told you no shenanigans before we separated!” Alex rolled his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to comprehend the amount of chaos that Luke, Reggie, Erik, and Mira could cause. 

“Oh come on, bro, it was one singular shenanigan,” Reggie interjected. “Just one!” Alex groaned.

“Do I even want to know?”

“Of course you do!” Mira told him. So, Alex endured multiple minutes of her’s and Erik’s intertwining retellings of their infamous prank, which was something along the lines of them hiding in one of the giant store entrances at the front of the mall, then jumping out, pretending to be time travellers. 

“Whose idea was it to leave you four alone?”

“Yours.”

-----

Luke POV

...

Luke never remembered his dreams when he awoke, only tiny snippets and feelings that tied with them, but when he awoke that morning, he didn’t even remember that. He wasn’t sure if he even dreamed at all, though he was well-rested.

He woke up suddenly, when he felt something move on his chest. He inhaled, looking around, before realizing that it was Julie’s head shifting to look out her window and see the sunrise. He smiled sleepily.  

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you,” Julie whispered softly. He grinned. 

“No, it’s okay,” he replied, caught up in the golden glow cast across her dark skin.. “Why are you up so early?” 

“Just not tired, I guess.” He smiled, letting her lay her head back down on his chest, then taking a risk and hugging her closer. She didn’t protest, which made Luke’s heart soar. He loved the feeling of floating when he held her, loved how her head fit perfectly in the crook of his shoulder, loved how well her body fit next to his as they cuddled. 

He leaned down, his nose in her curly hair.

“Your hair smells nice,” he whispered. Julie giggled.

They laid there for a few more minutes before Julie wiggled out from his arms. Luke let out a protestant groan, holding her tighter, and she giggled again.

“I’m gonna change,” she whispered, gesturing to her wrinkled dress. Luke pouted, which only made Julie smile. “We’re still going to the mall later, right?” He nodded, letting himself smile. He wasn’t actually upset, though it was a crime that he was being deprived of Julie Cuddles. 

Luke grabbed his phone from under his pillow where he’d left it, being careful not to disturb Alex, whose back was pressed against his. Alex’s parents were never very touchy, and paired with Alex’s anxiety, he was very touch starved, so there was no way Luke was going to interrupt any cuddles with his best friend. 

He scrolled through his feed, and found an article about the alleged budding romance between Princess Julie and Prince Alexander. He snorted. Did the Tambor Times have no gaydar? It was kind of pathetic. 

As he scrolled through his news and the occasional meme, he caught a glimpse of a butterfly fluttering past Julie’s floor-to-ceiling windows. He smiled to himself as it flew against the wind. It reminded him of Julie, graceful but stubborn. 

When Julie walked back out, dressed in a slim white crop top and plaid pants, complete with a chain over her hip, he blushed. In his defense, she had a very different vibe in regular citizen clothes, though he supposed that was the point. Either way, though, she was still ethereally beautiful. 

He glanced away, hoping he wasn’t as red as he felt. Julie grinned - great, so she had noticed his blush - and flopped above him on her bed, leaving the faint aroma of peaches and vanilla. 

…

Luke felt much more comfortable in his normal clothes - a sleeveless shirt, pants, and a chain - than he did in his regular, formal attire. He loved feeling fancy, sure, but dressing casually was a luxury in and of itself. 

He spent the entire car ride watching Julie from the right back seat, the way she furrowed her brow in traffic, how the light played off of her collarbone. She was breathtaking. 

When they got to the mall, they’d decided to split up into two separate groups to draw less attention; needless to say, Luke pouted when he wasn’t in Julie’s group. But, he got to hang with Reggie, and get to know Erik and Mira better. He’d already gotten a chaotic vibe from Mira, but he did not expect Erik to be just as down for causing a little trouble. He’d seemed so chill and outspoken, but he had a ton of fun with their little time-travelling prank. 

But, as he was trying to explain their shenanigans - or, as Reggie decided, one singular shenanigan - to Alex, he got distracted by a certain Julie Molina, who was checking out how she looked in a purple and white suit, which she’d left partially unbuttoned, showing her collarbone. Luke had never seen Julie wear a suit, and holy shit. It should’ve been illegal for someone to look that good. 

Julie caught his eye, and every instinct in his head told him LOOK AWAY BEFORE SHE NOTICES YOU WERE STARING, but he just couldn’t. Julie’s cheeks flushed a bit, and Luke scratched the back of his neck, trying to remember what he was saying, finally saved by Alex ranting about how he’d thought he’d told them no shenanigans. 

“Okay,” Mira said when Luke finally tore his eyes away from Julie, “but consider: it was really funny.” Alex rolled his eyes so hard he might’ve seen his own brain, and Luke laughed. 

“Relax, bro, it wasn’t that bad.”

“Yeah!” Erik agreed. “All we did was jump out and pretend we’d just time travelled from 1995!”

…

They ate their lunch in the food court afterwards, and Luke helped himself to a taco from Cafe Rio. 

“Dude,” Reggie said, “did you seriously get a taco rather than pizza?” 

“I’m always a slut for Mexican food.” He’d said it with a straight face, but no sooner had the words left his mouth than the entire table erupted into laughter, including Julie, her cheeks flushed from laughing. Luke grinned and looked back to his food, suddenly very interested in the avocado on his tortilla. 

He finally looked up, tuning out Reggie and Erik’s intense conversation about Star Wars, when he saw a strange man staring at them from a few tables away. He looked vaguely familiar, but was so… creepy that Luke couldn’t place him. He wore a top hat, dark three-piece, and a cloak that glittered violet on the inside, his eyes colder than ice. Luke held his stare, allowing his face to fall into a glare. The man stood, and Luke elbowed Alex, muttering “uh, guys,” as he walked towards them. 

Luke’s hand reached to his pocket, where he kept a pocket knife concealed. He didn’t pull it out, but kept his hands near the handle should worst come to worst. 

Julie looked at him, her brow furrowed before raising in… nervousness?

“Well, well,” the man said with a sly smile, “if it isn’t Princess Molina.” Julie stood, smoothing the front of her pants, and Luke noticed she squared her shoulders, not quavering as she stood her ground. 

“King Covington,” she said, and Luke’s stomach dropped. “To what do we owe the occasion?” She spoke the words sharply, bitingly, and it sent a shiver down Luke’s spine. 

“Well, I couldn’t pass up a chance to see my favorite princess and her… friends, now could I?” he asked, and Luke didn’t like the way he lingered on the word friends, especially when he caught his eye and furrowed his brow. 

“Nonetheless,” he continued, “I’m coming for this diplomacy meeting tonight! So exciting,” he said, readjusting his cloak. “Though I must say”- his voice became like poison -”I’m not sure what a diplomacy meeting has to do with impeding on Kryptonian sovereignty for over two centuries.”

“With all due respect,” Julie said, in a way that implied that the amount of ‘due respect’ was, in fact, none, “the kingdom of Dahlia has in no way impeded on the sovereignty of yours. We’ve been peaceful allies for a century.”

“Yes, well, I’d argue that certain friendships aren’t what they seem, hm?” he said, his eyes flickering to Alex, then Luke, before he looked back to Julie. “Nevertheless, we needn’t discuss this right now. You’re just teenagers! Go enjoy yourselves,” he told them. Luke’s fists curled. 

“Have you informed my father that you’re here so soon? We only decided on a diplomacy meeting last night.”

“Yes, he contacted me to tell me your idea last night. I decided to come as soon as I could, so we could get this over with and move on to your surrender,” he said, far too cheerily for the situation. “Ah,” he continued, “I’m afraid we’re drawing attention.” He pointed to multiple people staring and pointing confusedly. “As you were, your highness.”

Luke glanced back to Julie, who practically radiated stress. 

“Jules?” Flynn asked. “Are you okay?”

“Wonderful,” she replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. 

…

After lunch, they’d decided to stick together, but despite that, the anxiety never quite left. 

Julie didn’t speak to anyone much until they left for the car, and when she sat in the driver’s seat but didn’t turn the key, Reggie offered to drive. She didn’t say anything as she nodded, trading seats with him. 

“Julie?” Erik asked, but she didn’t respond, just tucking her knees to her chest in the seat. Luke pulled out his phone, locking eyes with Flynn, who nodded concernedly. He opened up his messaging app and clicked on Julie’s contact. 

Me: julie? i know you’re really stressed now but i wanted you to know that i’m here for you

Me: and the rest of us are too 

Julie shifted, pulling out her phone, and Luke looked out the window, half-surprised when his phone buzzed.

Julie: Thanks, I appreciate it. I’m just scared. I already texted my dad to ask if he knew Covington was coming today, but he hasn’t responded. I get why he wouldn’t have told us if he knew, but still. 

Me: i know what you mean. but i’m sure it’ll be fine

Julie: Thanks for understanding. And yeah. I’m sure everything will be okay. 

They didn’t text anymore through the drive. Luke stared out his window as Reggie steered them towards the palace, and none of them said a word as they went inside, passing by palace staff and giving cordial waves and bows. They all went to Julie’s room, and Luke sat in the same place he’d slept the night before. Julie immediately went back to her closet, and Luke barely registered the minute she must’ve taken to change out of her civilian clothes and touch up her hair and makeup. 

She didn’t smile as she walked out, dressed in her suit that she’d bought. 

“Covington isn’t going to get what he wants,” she announced to the group, all of whom were sitting silently around her room. “My dad texted me back. He said he was going to wait to tell us until we got back, because he only heard the news after we’d left.” That made sense to Luke. Ray was a kind man, and wouldn’t want to ruin their fun. 

“Is there any other news?” Alex asked worriedly. 

“Yes,” Julie said, her voice cold, confident, and smooth. “There will be an impromptu ball tonight. Covington is an extravagant man, so this will appeal to him. It will be us, my father, Carlos, the council, as well as Covington and representatives from Krypto, plus any members of the Dahlian Nobility who choose to attend. Mira, Erik, rather than being a lady-in-waiting or butler, you’ll be counted as Nobility. Not much of a change, since you’re both relatively used to just hanging with us. If anyone needs assistance, you can call for someone, but tonight, we’re all going to be united, none of us better than the other.

“Covington doesn’t get to show up this abruptly and claim we’ve impeded on Kryptonian sovereignty. So, we’re going to prove that he doesn’t own us.” A grin spread on Luke’s face. That was the confidence he liked to see. 

“So,” she continued, a smirk on her face. “Take the afternoon to prepare. Instructions will be sent to your rooms, probably with my dad to check up on all of us. So get ready,” she said. “We have a ball to attend. And,” she added as everyone got up, “put on your dancing shoes.”

-----

Reggie POV

...

When Reggie fell asleep, his head on Alex’s lap and torso curled around Erik, he didn’t dream, which was odd. He was a very imaginative person, and couldn’t remember the last night he hadn’t dreamed. He would’ve expected to have been horribly exhausted, but it was the best night’s sleep he’d gotten in awhile, despite the stressful situation. 

When he awoke, Erik had moved, having woken up an hour ago. Luke and Julie were also awake. 

Reggie stretched, rolling over. He didn’t try to go back to sleep, but he didn’t actually get up, either. 

This was alright.

…

As Reggie got dressed for the mall, he considered a few outfit variations, finally settling on a white tee, black leather jacket, distressed skinny jeans, and some nice shoes for a bit of flair. He gave himself finger guns in the mirror (his right as a dramatic bisexual) and sauntered back to Julie’s room before heading to the car. 

He scrambled for the passenger’s seat, but Alex beat him to it. 

“Cretins sit in the back,” he said. Reggie pouted, but also smiled. The backseat was always more fun in a crowded car. 

He hopped between Luke and Flynn, settling in and grabbing his phone, scrolling through an email from the Dahlian Times asking if he (and Julie) wanted to be put in line for a Vogue photoshoot. Julie had already declined, though, so he politely declined as well. 

The car ride wasn’t as chaotic as he’d expected, but it was still fun. He, Luke, and Flynn showed each other memes, whilst Mira, Erik, and Carrie chatted in the row behind them. 

…

“Alright, we should probably split into two groups,” Alex said. “That way we’ll draw less attention.” They all nodded, and Reggie tried to grab Alex, but he’d already gone with Julie, Flynn, and Carrie. So, Reggie got to hang with Luke, Erik, and Mira.

“We’re gonna cause some chaos, right?” Luke asked.

“100%.”

“Definitely.”

“Was that even a question?”

Reggie grinned, ideas already forming in his mind. He could just imagine the fun they would have if they… ooh, if they played hide and seek? In the mall? The chaos would be incredible. And then they could get pizza at the food court for lunch, and-

“Brooooo,” Luke said, “follow us.” Reggie did, letting Luke lead him into a warehouse store. A huge grin spread on his face. These kinds of stores were always the best for causing chaos. If he released a herd of puppies? Iconic. 

Reggie tugged on Erik’s sleeve, and they all followed him behind a large tower of containers and baskets. As a few employees turned around the corner of their aisle, Reggie hissed instructions to Luke, Mira, and Erik, who all nodded enthusiastically. 

…

“Whoa,” Luke said as he popped out from behind the tower, right as the employees walked by. “How did we get here?” Reggie had to give him credit; he was a better actor than he’d thought. 

“Where is here?” Mira asked. “Weren’t we just at the Blockbuster?” She turned to the employees, who were staring at them like they’d just grown horns. “Hi, uh, where is this?” 

“It’s the Container Store,” one of them said warily. 

“Whoa,” Reggie said excitedly. “What is that?” He pointed to a television screen that showed the cameras. “It looks like my TV at home but after getting squashed!”

“And the picture is so clear,” Erik pointed out. 

“Rad,” Luke breathed. “It’s like the future.” 

“Not the future,” the other employee countered amusedly. “It’s still 2021. It is the newest model, though.”

“Wh- 2021?” Mira asked, dumbfounded. “Has it been… 26 years? Have we been in those baskets for 26 years? HOW is that possible?” 

“I don’t know, bro,” Erik started, “but-”

“Ha, ha,” the first employee interjected, “very funny. The good ol’ time travel prank.”

“Bro, this isn’t a prank,” Reggie lied. “I literally have my blockbuster card right here!” He whipped it out of the pocket of his leather jacket, meriting an impressed look from Luke, and respective how the fuck??? looks from Mira and Erik. 

Reggie always came prepared, and that sometimes included the random Blockbuster card he’d found a few months back. 

… 

They pulled their schtick a few more times around the store, and one time, the employee had believed them to the very end. She freaked out because, in her words, holy fuck time travelers, but she asked a lot of questions like “wait so how old are you?” and “did you enjoy neon being a thing?” Reggie wanted to be friends with her, but she had to leave. 

As they wandered the mall in search of Julie’s group to inform them of their single shenanigan, Reggie resisted the urge to get a bunch of gumballs and shove them in his mouth. He needed his mouth for talking. And eating pizza. 

When they finally found them, Julie was trying to figure out whether she was going to purchase the suit she was wearing, which was absolutely gorgeous. And Reggie noticed Luke immediately trail off when he saw her. Reggie elbowed him and quirked his eyebrow, offering a smirk that Luke didn’t even register. 

Simp. 

“-No, bro, it was awesome,” Erik insisted as Alex reminded them that they weren’t supposed to do any shenanigans. 

“But it was one singular shenanigan,” Reggie informed him. “One.”

“Still.”

“Okay, but consider,” Mira suggested, “it was really funny.” Alex pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing. 

“Whose idea was it to leave you four alone?” 

“Yours,” Reggie added helpfully. 

“It wasn’t… okay.” 

As they made their way to the food court, Reggie didn’t hesitate to order pizza, with thin slices of pepperoni dotted on top. He loved pizza. 

“Okay,” Erik said over his sub. “Star Wars. Thoughts?” Reggie nodded excitedly.

“Yes!!! The Millenium falcon has such a cool design, and even though it wasn’t the best for spatial usage and storage, it had a badass vibe, so it gets rights. Plus, it looks like a frisbee.”

“Right?” Erik agreed. “I just want to skip it over a giant lake like a rock.”

“You. You get it.”

“I know, I’m awesome. Favorite character?”

“Oooh, Han Solo for sure. He’s the best, I do not take criticism.” Erik snorted, and Reggie gasped in mock offense, but also not mock offense. 

“How does it feel to be wrong?” he asked. “Leia.” Reggie sighed.

“Leia is a badass, I agree, but Han Solo is just the best character.” 

“Okay. You’re wrong, but okay.” 

“Hey, don’t diss Solo!”

“I’m not dissing him! But Leia is just better!” Erik took another bite of his sub, and Reggie huffed. 

“I’d agree with you, but then we’d both be wrong.” 

“You guys are both wrong,” Flynn informed them. “The best character, hands down, is Rey.” 

“New movies don’t get rights,” Reggie and Erik said in unison. They looked at each other, grinned, and Reggie reached across the table to give him a high five. 

“Solidarity.”

Reggie was about to reply, when he noticed a man walking towards them, a man in a top hat, three-piece, and cloak. 

Reggie recognized him immediately.

And he was walking to Julie. 

“Well, well,” the man said with a sly smile, “if it isn’t Princess Molina.” Julie stood confidently, and Reggie resisted the urge to stand and guard his sister. 

“King Covington. To what do we owe the occasion?” Julie’s words were cold, sharp, and sent a shiver down Reggie’s spine. He’d never heard her speak so coldly. 

“Well, I couldn’t pass up a chance to see my favorite princess and her… friends, now could I?” Covington lingered on the word ‘friends,’ glancing around the table, his eyes settling on Luke before he continued, each word making Reggie’s hands curl into fists. 

“Nonetheless, I’m coming for this diplomacy meeting tonight! So exciting. Though I must say”- his voice became like poison -”I’m not sure what a diplomacy meeting has to do with impeding on Kryptonian sovereignty for over two centuries.”

“With all due respect,” Julie said, in a way that implied that the amount of ‘due respect’ was, in fact, none, “the kingdom of Dahlia has in no way impeded on the sovereignty of yours. We’ve been peaceful allies for a century.” Reggie fought a grin. That was his sister, that badass woman standing up to another royal was his sister. 

“Yes, well, I’d argue that certain friendships aren’t what they seem, hm?” he said, his eyes flickering to Alex, then Luke, before he looked back to Julie. “Nevertheless, we needn’t discuss this right now. You’re just teenagers! Go enjoy yourselves,” he told them. Reggie had a feeling he didn’t want them to just enjoy their teenage years.  

“Have you informed my father that you’re here so soon?” Julie shot back. “We only decided on a diplomacy meeting last night.”

“Yes, he contacted me to tell me your idea last night. I decided to come as soon as I could, so we could get this over with and move on to your surrender,” he said, far too cheerily for the situation. “Ah,” he continued, “I’m afraid we’re drawing attention. As you were, your highness.”

…

Reggie took Julie’s shoulder and helped her out of the driver’s seat when she froze, leading her around the front to the passenger’s seat. Wordlessly, he helped her down as she rubbed her temples, stressed and deep in thought and worry. 

He pulled out of the parking lot once everyone was buckled in, and nobody talked much. He noticed Julie on her phone, texting someone. Who, he wasn’t sure, he just hoped she was okay. She might’ve been in shock, but she wasn’t pale. She was just scared. And confused. Reggie understood; he was extremely confused as to why Caleb had come so soon. They were supposed to have tonight to contact him again and work out the details, weren’t they?

Reggie dragged a hand down his face as they waited at a red light, but the ride to the palace was quick after that. As he pulled into the huge garage, Julie seemed more alert, and she walked steadily back inside. He smiled to himself. 

As he made his way to Julie’s room, his hands clasped with MIra’s and Erik’s, Reggie offered his signature smile to anyone they passed, hoping he was convincing enough. 

As he sat, he wrapped an arm around Luke, hoping the touch was comforting. It seemed to be; Luke’s shoulders softened, and as Reggie reached across to give the same contact to Alex, the prince sighed and wrapped them in a hug as Julie went to her closet. Then, they sat, waiting. Julie was the boss. Even if she was one of the youngest, she was also the most qualified. 

When she walked out, her face was stone cold, confident, but not a trace of a smile.

She didn’t smile as she walked out, dressed in her suit that she’d bought. 

“Covington isn’t going to get what he wants,” she decided. “My dad texted me back. He said he was going to wait to tell us until we got back, because he only heard the news after we’d left.” Ah. Reggie understood; Ray never wanted people to be worried. 

“Is there any other news?” Alex asked worriedly. 

“Yes. There will be an impromptu ball tonight.” She smoothed her jacket around her waist. “Covington is an extravagant man, so this will appeal to him. It will be us, my father, Carlos, the council, as well as Covington and representatives from Krypto, plus any members of the Dahlian Nobility who choose to attend.”

Reggie planned for a crowded night. Not that it would be a problem; the ballroom was huge. Everyone would fit with room to spare.

“Mira, Erik,” Julie added, “rather than being a lady-in-waiting or butler, you’ll be counted as Nobility. Not much of a change, since you’re both relatively used to just hanging with us. If anyone needs assistance, you can call for someone, but tonight, we’re all going to be united, none of us better than the other.

“Covington doesn’t get to show up this abruptly and claim we’ve impeded on Kryptonian sovereignty. So, we’re going to prove that he doesn’t own us.” Reggie nodded, smiling, proud of his sister’s confidence. 

“So,” she continued, a smirk on her face, “take the afternoon to prepare. Instructions will be sent to your rooms, probably with my dad to check up on all of us. So get ready,” she said. “We have a ball to attend. And,” she added as everyone got up, flashing her most confident smirk yet, “put on your dancing shoes.”

----- 

Willie POV

...

Willie had finally gone back inside in the middle of the night, after his tears were dry and the stars left spots in his eyes. 

He snuck back into his quarters, falling on his bed and staring at the wall until his eyes glazed over, finally falling asleep, but the day came all too soon. He was exhausted; not the kind of exhausted where you yawn and doze off, but exhausted emotionally. He didn’t speak much throughout the day, and only felt better when Lilian gave him a break and he went skating. 

Then, when he turned around the bend, he saw Alex, and he couldn’t help but let his heart flutter and his face break out into a grin. But it wasn’t as full as it could be. Still, though, he was happy to see him. 

“Hey there, your royal pancakeness!” he called, skating towards him. 

“Hey, Willie! So, um, I was wondering…” he took a breath, and Willie wondered if he was okay. “We’re going to the mall today,” Alex explained, “and I was wondering if you would want to come?” He grinned. He would love to; and, this kinda sounded like Alex asking him out. 

“I wish I could, man,” he said, “but I’m going to be working all day today. I’m really sorry.” Lilian had said that there was another meeting happening tonight, but they weren’t allowed to know what about. Only that King Ray had seemed stressed.

“No, no, that’s okay,” Alex assured him, and Willie’s emotions warred in his heart. Confliction toyed with anger, anxiety fought with love, happiness danced with melancholy. His eyes met Alex’s, blue in the light but with a silvery tint.  

“Well,” he said awkwardly, “I guess I’ll see you around?”

“Yeah!” Willie agreed. Neither of them moved, and Willie was okay with that. Alex seemed nervous but comfortable, which lifted his spirits. At least Alex didn’t dislike him. If he had, why would he invite him to hang out with him and his friends? Willie might never get to act on his feelings for the prince, but they could be friends.

And that was enough.

Willie inhaled to speak, but then his phone beeped, sounding the end of his half-hour break. He sighed.

“That’s my cue. See you, Alex,” he said. Alex offered a weak smile, and Willie tried to return it. Then, he kicked up his skateboard, jogging back towards the palace, stealing one last glance at Alex, who was still facing away, staring at the grass. But he did eventually look back, and Willie’s instincts told him to act as if nothing had happened. 

So, that’s exactly what he did.

He hated himself for it, but he really did have to get back, and he didn’t want to waste Alex’s time. 

…

“Hey, Willie,” Lilian called as he kneaded the dough he’d just finished making. “Prince Alexander came looking for you while you were on break, just thought I should let you know. Everything okay?” she asked, the subtle quirk of her eyebrow making Willie laugh. 

“Yeah, everything’s good,” Willie assured her. “Alex just had a question.” Lilian’s eyebrows shot up. 

“Well, it’s nice that you and Alex are such good friends,” she prodded, a shit-eating grin on her face. Willie’s face flamed at his mistake; he’d referred to Alex as Alex rather than Prince Alexander. Sometimes he cursed Lilian for being so perceptive. 

“You know,” she continued, “I’ve always hated the idea of an arranged marriage.” Willie’s stomach dropped, but a laugh bubbled in his throat. He wasn’t at all surprised that Lilian was pulling this move. 

“I have as well,” he agreed. “But we can’t get in the way,” he said pointedly. “It’s literally treason.” Lilian snorted. 

“As if you’ve ever cared about rules.” Willie stammered before she laughed. “Relax, child. I’m happy for you. And don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.” Willie blushed. 

“Uh huh, thanks,” he told her sarcastically. She clapped him on the back. 

“I’m here to help.” 

“Yeah, sure. Hey, have you actually confessed to your crush yet?” he asked, and it was his turn to grin as Lilian stammered indignantly. 

“Ah,” he continued. “Still at the pining lesbians stage, I see. Hypocrisy at its finest.” Lilian couldn’t get on him for crushing on Alex if she refused to woman up and ask out the girl she liked, one of the palace blacksmiths. Willie had met her once, and while Lilian might’ve been intimidating and tough and a million other things, but he knew her weakness: any time he mentioned the blacksmith, a petite woman with dark skin and short, curly hair, she got all blushy and told him to shut it. 

“Shut it, Wilbert,” she said. Willie burst out laughing. They all knew his full name was William, but whenever Lilian wanted to be mean, she would call him Wilbert. 

“Oh, so mean,” he said jokingly.

“I’m a lesbian, I get to be mean when I want to be.”

“Fair enough.” She playfully swatted his shoulder as he kneaded the dough, putting it in a bowl to rise. Note to self, Willie thought, the mean lesbian is, in fact, a simp. 

While the dough rose, Willie stretched and started stirring together the ingredients for the cake he was making, adding his signature pinch of cinnamon to bring out the depth of the cocoa, but never tasting the batter. He never tasted batter or dough that had raw flour or eggs in it; he’d learned his lesson after getting salmonella from it when he was nine. Truth be told, salmonella could get fucked. But he still didn’t want to risk it, because it sucked. 

At some point, Lilian had stalked away and was preparing the roast, her sleeves rolled up. Willie grinned. She knew how to get her mind off of her crush when she needed to work. Willie, on the other hand, preferred to get lost in thought about something - or someone - as he baked. If he could get so lost in thought that he was almost dissociating, it would be like no time had passed, and everything would be done perfectly. So, he let his mind wander as he preheated the oven. 

He wondered what was happening tonight. There had already been a royal meeting last night, what could be so urgent to call another the day after? 

“Willie?” Lilian called. “I just got word from the king. Better make that a double batch of cake, at least. The king of Krypto is coming for an impromptu ball.” 

“Whoa,” he said, grabbing another bowl to make more batter. “Why?”

“He couldn’t say, but he seemed tense. Time to put those cake decorating skills to work.” Willie nodded, turning back to his bowl. 

A ball? Willie remembered the last - and only - ball he’d ever attended. He’d attended as a chef, of course, but it was huge. Two and a half years ago, for Princess Julie’s sixteenth birthday. There had been people galore, dancing around the massive ballroom, eating treats he’d made (and complimenting him, allowing him to ride off of that serotonin for weeks), and chatting amongst themselves. 

He poured the cake batter into tins, different shapes for tiers, then shoved them in the oven, washed his hands, and put the risen dough in a loaf pan, sticking it in the other oven, which had already beeped to temperature. 

He wondered if he would get to go to the ball; it was impromptu, but still. He was one of the main bakers, so maybe he’d be allowed to serve some of the desserts and see the fancy lights and outfits. 

He’d never been a very fancy person himself, usually opting for shorts and a t-shirt or crop top, plus some funky socks and vans. But he wasn’t opposed to wearing a suit, he actually quite enjoyed these rare occasions in which he was able to dress up so fancy. 

Of course, he might’ve just wanted to use the ball as an excuse to see Alex. He wondered if Alex was at the mall at that very moment. Did he know about the ball? Was he excited, or nervous? And why was the king of Krypto coming for it? Was something happening?

And, most importantly: what was Covington’s opinion on red velvet mini cupcakes?

Better safe than sorry, Willie decided as he started making the batter. It was, admittedly, very similar to chocolate. However, a few ingredients gave it some extra flair, plus the deep maroon color that he enhanced with red dye. He shoved those into the oven as well, setting another timer and getting started on the cream cheese frosting. 

He remembered making this exact recipe of frosting when he was little, teaching his little sister, Eva, how to measure the ingredients. He remembered picking her up in his gangly twelve-year-old arms so she could reach the counter, laughing when she spilled powdered sugar all over the place. She would be twelve now; he couldn’t wait to visit her again. She and their mom lived near the eastern straits. It was a long drive, they lived at the southern end of them, but the palace, while slightly east, was also far north. But he had plans to visit them for a few days next month, and he was ecstatic. 

Memories of baking with his mom and Eva floated through his mind as he pulled the cakes out of the oven. Eva was always partial to anything strawberry flavored, while Willie had an affinity for key lime. His mom, though, loved chocolate. Willie did too, of course, but his mom’s smile any time he made chocolate cake was infectious. Her enthusiasm and excitement whenever he and Eva experimented with recipes, her laugh whenever they made a mess, even the long braid down her back, all of those memories flooded back to him. 

His family was always important to him. His mom and Eva, yes, but also the people he’d grown to love as his own. People like Lilian, or his childhood best friend who he still pestered over text, or his eighth grade science teacher who’d helped him when he came out. 

But one face floated through his head that confused and delighted him at the same time. 

Alex. 

He didn’t know if Alex even knew how to bake, much less why his face was appearing when Willie was thinking about his family, the people he cared most about-

Oh. 

Oh. 

Well. He’d known he’d liked Alex, but… it was truly something that, even in their limited interactions, he’d made his way far enough into Willie’s heart that he fit in so naturally with the people he loved, the people who were his home. 

He thought he would be surprised, but as he thought more and more about it, the more it made sense. Alex, with his endearing laugh. Alex, with his anxious smiles and bursts of courage. Alex, with his eyes that shifted from icy blue to spring green to steely grey, Alex, with his freckles like the constellations in the night sky but still somehow bright as day. 

Although, the current situation was decidedly Not Great. Alex was a prince, and in an arranged marriage. Plus, he didn’t even know if he felt the same way. To confess his feelings would be treason, and would possibly get Willie (and maybe even Alex) exiled. He knew exile was only used for the most severe punishments, but still. He’d met one of the council members (Councilman Richard, if he recalled correctly), and got absolutely rancid vibes from him. 

So. Confessing his feelings was out. Alex might not even like him back. Alex was also already set to be married, and a literal prince.

A prince with whom Willie was in love. 

This was a problem. 

[mikrowrites]

thinking out loud

aaron tveit x reader

brown sugar cinnamon pop-tarts, a handsome stranger, and a show about a con man...

So honey now, take me into your loving arms

Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars

Place your head on my beating heart

I'm thinking out loud

Maybe we found love right where we are

2009– Seattle, Washington

Y/N stifled a yawn, staring at the vending machine with a blank expression. Her neck hurt, her back hurt, her legs hurt. She could not wait to go to her hotel room upstairs and take a shower.

She was dressed to the nines in her rehearsal wear: a baggy NYU sweatshirt, leggings, and Nikes, her hair messily pulled out of her face, though a few flyaways were stuck to her forehead. Y/N was in the beginnings of rehearsals for her first off-broadway show, and if this one went well she’d make her Broadway debut.

Y/N found the packet of brown sugar cinnamon pop-tarts she wanted, clicking the F9 keys and waiting patiently for her pastries to dispense.

But much to her anguish, they remained caught on the metal contraption rather than falling.

The girl let out a loud groan, smacking her forehead tiredly against the glass of the vending machine.

“Uhm, are you okay?”

Y/N’s eyes opened wide, the girl immediately straightening and turning towards the stranger, before being transfixed for a few seconds.

The stranger was an incrediblely handsome man, probably around her age, with brown hair and gorgeous blue eyes. Y/N regained her sense, plastering a tired smile on her face and nodding way too enthusiastically. “Oh, yeah. I’m great. Wonderful, really.”

“Okay...?” The man laughed slightly, gesturing to the vending machine. “Then why are you giving yourself a concussion on a hotel vending machine?”

Y/N sighed. “It’s been a long day. And my pop-tart won’t dispense. First world issues.”

The man nodded in understanding, before his face contorted into confusion watching Y/N pull another couple dollar bills out of her wallet. “What are you doing?”

“Paying an exorbitant fee for pop-tarts.” Y/N frowned.

“No, no, no, that’s not what you do.” The man shook his head, walking up next to Y/N and putting his hands on either side of the vending machine. “I used to do this in college a lot.”

Before Y/N could say anything the man violently shook the machine, her mouth dropping in surprise before widening into a smile as her pop-tarts and a generous few other packaged snacks fell down.

The two dove down to collect them in their arms, looking up to hear a “HEY!” as a consierge leaned over their desk, shouting at them.

“Run!” Y/N hissed, the two scrambling up and running out of the lobby with the snacks, all the way to an elevator where the man repeatedly hit the close door button, the two laughing hysterically as Y/N shouted out a string of “Go, go, go!”

The doors shut, the two bursting out into a new wave of laughing, Y/N looking up at the man. “That was insane.”

The man shook his head, grinning. “I’m gonna hear about that tomorrow for sure.”

Y/N nudged him with her elbow. “Nah, don’t worry I’ll vouch for ya.”

The man smiled down at her. “What’s your name?” Y/N tilted her head to the side. “Don’t worry, I won’t frame you for Hostess theft.”

She giggled, shaking her head. “Y/N.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. I’m Aaron.” He introduced himself.

“A pleasure, Aaron.” Y/N returned.

The elevator doors opened, Aaron sighing. “This is my floor...” he looked at the empty hallway before turning to Y/N, gesturing at the abundance of snacks in their hands. “... and I can’t eat all of this alone.”

Y/N smiled rolling her eyes. “I guess I could spare some time for a Twix bar.”

Two hours later and Y/N had never felt more wide awake, the two sitting and chatting with each other as they finished off their treats.

“So you’re from New York?” Aaron asked, nodding to the sweatshirt that hung on Y/N’s frame.

“Yup,” she responded, popping the p. “NYU Dance major, class of ‘05.”

Aaron sat up a bit. “You graduated? That’s awesome.”

Y/N nodded with a smile. “Yeah. It was hard, but sooo worth it. I joined the Rockettes my last two years of school so things were tight.”

The man’s jaw dropped. “You’re a Radio City Rockette? What are you doing in Seattle?”

“Was.” she corrected, popping another Skittle in her mouth. “I didn’t audition because I auditioned for an off-broadway show and got in as a dancer. That’s why I’m here.”

“Wait, are you in Catch Me If You Can?” Aaron asked incredulously.

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “Yeah, actually, I am. Why? Wait how do you—“

Aaron pointed at himself. “Frank Abagnale Jr.”

She froze for a minute before her eyes widened, Y/N leaning over. “No shit! Oh my god! So you’re...”

He laughed and nodded. “Aaron Tveit, yeah.”

Y/N leaned back and rested her head against the wall. “Well, okay then. Anything else I should know?”

“Uhhh... I can clap with one hand?”

“What the fuck, show me right now.”

—

The next morning, Y/N walked into the rehearsal space, grinning from ear to ear as the events of last night played out in her head.

She threw her bag down onto the floor reaching down to pull her LaDucas and an empty water bottle out of her duffle. When Y/N straightened up, she turned to see a hand held out to her, presenting a package of brown sugar cinnamon pop-tarts.

Y/N looked up and smiled brightly at Aaron, who stood sheepishly, holding out the pop-tarts. “This was your favorite flavor, right?”

“We’ve known each other for less than 24 hours and you already know me so well.” Y/N mused, graciously taking the pop-tart.

“What can I say, minor theft brings people together.” Aaron responded, Y/N letting out a burst of laughter, shaking her head.

“You are too much, Tveit.” She said, turning to sit and strap on her LaDucas.

“I think I’m just enough.” Aaron shot back, walking backwards as he retreated back to where Norbert and Kerry stood.

Y/N shook her head with a smile. “Yeah, just enough.”

He pumped his fist, before throwing her another grin and jogging back over to the main cast. Y/N finished strapping her shoes on with a chuckle.

“Okay everybody!” Jerry shouted. “Let’s go from the top of the show!”

—

Y/N and Aaron jogged down the streets of Seattle together, the girl stopping and leaning against a storefront, fanning herself with a random tourism pamphlet. “God, it’s hot.”

“It doesn’t feel as bad as NYC, though!” Aaron tried to uplift.

“It’s hot as balls.” Y/N whined, Aaron laughing at her antics.

He linked his arm around hers, pulling her into a little cafe (with air conditioning), Y/N sighing in relief. Aaron shook his head with a smile, going to the counter and ordering two iced americanos. Y/N walked up next to him and reached for her bag.

Aaron stopped her. “I’ve got it.”

“No, let me. You buy me pop-tarts every morning, that’s not a cheap endeavor.” Y/N reasoned.

“It’s one coffee.” Aaron teased back, sliding his card before she could protest.

“Thanks.” Y/N responded genuinely.

Aaron wrapped his arm around her shoulder dramatically. “Anything to rescue my girl from the summer heat.”

Y/N’s heart beat a little faster, but she ignored it as she ducked out of his arm. “Ew, you’re gross and sweaty.”

“What, so are you!”

Y/N turned and smacked Aaron in the chest, the man laughing as she went to gather their drinks, the two finding a seat.

“I can’t believe we open in a week.” Y/N wondered, stirring her straw in her drink.

“It always feels surreal. Especially the first time you open a new show.” Aaron agreed.

Y/N smiled. “Yeah.” She took a long sip of her americano, sitting back. “And if we go to broadway... damn.”

“Back to the city, eating, sleeping, and breathing the show.” Aaron added, Y/N laughing a bit.

Y/N raised her drink. “To con men.”

Aaron shook his head, clinking his drink with hers.

“To con men.”

—

The whole cast bowed, the audience roaring with applause. Y/N looked to her left, Aaron making eye contact with her and flashing her that handsome smile. She rolled her eyes, waving as the cast walked off stage.

Later that night Y/N stood out on the empty stage. The theatre was lit only by a couple ghost lights, the dimly lit area clenching at her heart.

“Came to bid your farewells?”

Y/N smiled softly, turning to see Aaron walk onstage with his hands in his pockets. “Yeah.”

He nodded, coming to stand beside her as they looked out at the empty velvet seats.

“I don’t want it to be over.” Y/N spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

“Me neither.” Aaron sighed, turning to look at the girl.

Y/N turned and looked up at him, giving him a sad smile. “When we get back to the city, you’ll call me, right?”

“Of course.” He reassured.

“And when you go back to Next to Normal, I’ll be in the front row.” Y/N promised.

“And when you perform with the Rockettes this winter I’ll be at Radio City Hall.” Aaron smiled.

Y/N nodded, turning to look back at the theatre. “And with that,” she shouted out with her arms flung out and open wide, “I bid you adieu!”

Aaron watched her, his heart beating rapidly in his chest as she bowed to the empty theater, her arms out, before returning to her standing position. She let her arms drop to her sides, nodding in finality. Y/N turned and smiled at him, Aaron was left breathless.

The ghost lights’ illumination cast perfectly on her face, accentuating every feature. Aaron couldn’t help but stare, because he was looking at the most beautiful girl in the whole world.

Y/N sighed, clicking her tongue. “We should probably go before stage management throws us out.”

Suddenly Aaron burst forwards, in three long strides he approached Y/N, resting both hands on each side of her face as he kissed her, the girl making a noise of surprise before melting into him. She pushed her lips back onto his, reaching a hand up to run through his hair before resting it on the nape of his neck.

The two pulled away gasping for air, their eyes meeting. It felt like electricity was zapping through both of them, Y/N smiling. “When we get back to New York, ask me on a date. I’ll say yes.”

“And when you say yes,” Aaron whispered. “I’ll take you out on the best date of your life.”

“One without vending machine theft?”

Aaron chuckled, leaning in. “One without minor felonies, yes.” He brought her into another kiss, Y/N smiling against his lips.

“Hey!” One of the stage managers shouted. “No sex on my stage!”

“Shit!” Y/N gasped, the two quickly pulling away from each other. “Sorry, Mike, we’re on our way out!”

Aaron laughed, Y/N shaking her head in amusement. “Okay. See you on Broadway, Mr. Tveit.”

“See you on Broadway, Miss L/N.” He said.

Y/N stepped away, licking her lips and picking up her bag off the floor. She stepped backwards, smiling at Aaron who stood on the stage watching her every move.

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

a/n: so the next couple of aaron blurbs are gonna have two things in common: 1) always involve an ed sheeran song bc i’m unoriginal and 2) all kinda revolve around each other, like these aren’t standard part 1, part 2, etc. but the storylines definitely intertwine somewhat? idk if that makes sense. anyways, i’m a slut for cmiyc so here’s this!

EDIT: Happy Birthday to (1) man!

[xx-autmnlvr-xx]

Tom Nook’s birthday (Tom Nook x Reader)

I am so very proud of this story! I worked on it for two-three weeks! It’s around a 20 minute read so I would get some snacks or a drink before reading.

I love Tom Nook and when I saw his birthday was coming up I was determined to write something for him! So here it is!!! It’s a genderless Y/N so anyone of any gender can read and enjoy this story!!!

Tags and warnings: cursing, violence, alcohol. So if it was a movie it would be rated PG-13

I am uploading this right now because my summer college classes started and there is just too much homework. LOL

   I woke up to the sunlight hitting my bed and some villagers talking outside. I groaned, flipping over to go back to sleep. I opened my eyes slightly to see my painting of Tom Nook. I smiled and sat up.

   "Wake up, (y/n)! You can't sleep in today!" I told myself, stretching.    I left my home and looked out at the town where I am mayor. It really is a beautiful location. I walked and got a coffee to-go before heading to city hall.The lobby smelled of apples and sea. Isabelle was at the front desk, as sweet and well-combed as ever.

    "Good morning, Mayor! How was your night?"

   "It was wonderful," I replied, going up to her, "how about yours?"

   "Oh! It was splendid! I kind of fell asleep doing some embroidery on the couch." She blushed, rubbing the back of her head.

   I chuckled, "I bet you can embroider perfectly! I'll have to pay you for one of your designs!” She smiled and waved her hand playfully, then she looked like she remembered something.

  "Oh yeah! The morning report! Well one of the villagers caught a birdwing butterfly and donated it to the museum, so I gave them a Lily seed and--" she continued speaking. I took a big sip of my coffee.

  "Oh! And there's a guy selling art at the plaza! I thought about buying something but I am saving my bells for a nice dress." After she said that I spit out my coffee. She gasped.

    I looked at her."Are you telling me Redd is here TODAY??"

    She had some paper towels in her paw, "um, yes? I believe that's his name. Why?" I received the towels and leaned down and cleaned the coffee up.

   "Do you know what today is?"

   "May 30th!" She answered.I stood up and threw away the soaked paper towels.

   "exactly! It's Tom Nook's birthday. Redd can't be here!"

   "Oh!" She said, blushing, embarrassed, "I forgot about his birthday! What should we do?"

   I sighed, "I'll have Redd leave. Can you see if Dr. Shrunk will let us have the party at his club? K.K Slider is Mr. Nook's favorite artist. Today has to go perfectly!"

   She smiled, "of course! Leave it to me!"

   I made my way to the plaza and when my eyes landed on the tent with Redd's logo on it I felt fire in my lungs. Why today? Why did he decide to come to (your town) on Tom's birthday? I had to get rid of him before Tom took wind of it. I entered and the kitsune smiled.

   "Cousin! How's it been? Are you here to buy more of my wares? I have a fantastic selection!"

    I raised my hand for him to be quiet, "Redd I'm not here to buy anything today. I'm here to ask you to leave town for this week."

   He looked offended, "what? Why? I didn't do nothing to warrant the removal!"

   "I know. But today is not a good day for you to be here."

   "Why, cousin? Was my last art pieces wrong?"

   "No no... Nothing like that. Look, if I told you you will never leave so just pack up your frauds and take the next train out. I'll even pay you the price you paid coming here." He looked me up and down and thought for a moment before smirking.

   "Ooooh I know what this is about. That raccoon in the apron that rules this town."

   "First of all he doesn't own this town. Second, he has a name!"

   "Yes I know. Tom Nook," he snarled, his face contorting, "why is he the reason your forcing me out?"

   "Like I would tell you. He just doesn't need you to be hanging around today."

   Redd looked like he was thinking, "what is today? ...the 30th? Ah! Of course. His birthday!"

   I rolled my eyes, "wow. Love how you had to think about it. You have until 3 o'clock to leave. The next train out is at 2." 

   I turned to leave when he stopped me, "hold up, cousin. I ain't leaving 'til you buy something. Policy y'know?" I rolled my eyes, pointing at something random.

   He smirked, "no no no. You got to look."

   I sighed and examined the pieces. He was behind me and started talking.

   "You know, I remember when me and the raccoon was friends. He was cooler then. Could sell anything. He was fun to hang with. Then he tried to tell me that he loved me! Can you believe that? Left town that night I did. Couldn't be seen with someone like that." I chose a painting and started to leave.

   "He's a crook, (y/n). Always will be. Don't get too chummy with him." I ignored him and left the tent.

   I talked to my villagers and gave them invitations to Tom's party. Dug up some fossils and headed downtown. I went into (your nookling store) and was greeted by the twins.

    "HEY, (Y/N)! HOW ARE YOU?" Timmy greeted cheerfully.

    "..YOU!" Tommy followed.

   I chuckled, "I'm doing great! I just came to see you both! Do you know what day it is?"

   They nodded, "Mr. Nook's birthday!!" I kneeled.

   "what did you both get him?" Timmy raised his hand eagerly.

   "I built him a nightstand with a mug holder for his coffee!"

   Tommy rocked on his heels shamefully, "i made him a small vase. Not as awesome as Timmy's gift but I tried."

   I smiled, "hey, not everything has to be big. I think Tom is going to love your vase. In fact I bet he will put it right beside the nightstand so he can look at both of your gifts at the same time!" They grinned and high-fived.

   "Now tonight is his party! But it's a surprise, remember? You didn't tell him did you two?"

   "No, (y/n)! We didn't!"

   "Good. He's going to love it! Now. I need some groceries!" I informed before grabbing a cart and going down to the snacks for the party. I paid for the items and left, heading to the able sisters.

   I invited sable, Mable, and LaBelle, then I went and invited blathers and Celeste. I was happy at how well everything was going. I walked down to check on the club LOL gig when I saw a shadow scurry down the stairs to town. I was confused until the door to Nook Homes opened. Tom opened the door with a piece of paper in his paw. He looked around like he was looking for someone. I walked up.

   "Hey, Mr. Nook! Is everything alright?"

    He looked at me, "oh yes yes! Everything is fine! Someone just slipped a letter in and left! It was weird!"

   I cocked my head to the side, "a letter? Can I see?"He put it in his pocket, "no no! It's all alright. Just a weird junk mail. No need to see it."

   "Oh.. okay?"

   He smiled softly, "everything's fine! Yes yes! I'm on my break so I'm going to go over to the bench and sit down with my lunch!" 

   He left. Curious, you entered Nook Homes. Lyle was at his place at the HHA table.

   "(y/n)! How are you feeling this day? I hope you feel fantastic! Wanna talk about your home? Because the score is here and it is a doozy of a report!"

   "No not today, thank you. I'm just wanting to ask if you know anything about the letter Mr. Nook got."

   Lyle shook his head, "sadly no, but when Mr. Tom Nook looked at the letter his face dropped sure did! Boom! Like a bell to the floor drop! He immediately left the building, talking about his break. But... He's never taken a break before. Strange! As strange as a whisper in the night! Now that I think of it I should have checked on him! Yes I should've! Hindsight? 20/20 as they always say! And I think that's all!"

   I sighed, "thank you, Lyle. Oh! I forgot. Do you and the other HHA members want to come to his birthday party? It's at 8 PM but it's a surprise! So do NOT tell him! Okay?"

   "Yes! I won't tell him! He won't hear a peep about it from me! Zziip! That's the sound of my lips being shut. We'll be there! Thank you, (y/n)!" He smiled, receiving my invitations.

   I said my farewells and left nook homes. The sun was already on the other side of the sky. I glanced over to the town clock to find that it was 4 pm. Yellow birds flew through town and landed on top of the post office, chirping at each other in conversation. The blue sky turned a baby blue. Knowing that time was passing I decided to check on the reservations. I turned toward the club, my eyes landing on the bench to find it empty. Tom has left the town square.

   "What was in that letter? Tom never acted like this before."  'At least... Not since I met him.' I thought. I walked over to the bench and noticed a ham and lettuce sandwich and peach slices left on the seat, some yellow birds pecking at it. It must have been Tom's. My worry grew and a shiver ran down my spine. As if a light bulb went off, I remembered that Katrina worked in town. I turned on my heel and ran to her door, knocking before entering.    Katrina had an incense of Amber and lavender burning and the lights were dimmed more than usual. She was sitting at her pillow, in front of the low table.

   "I've been expecting you, (y/n). I believe I know why you're here, yes?" She said calmly, taking a drag of her cigarette from her opera length cig holder.I took a few steps and sat on the customer pillow.

   "yes. I need help. Can you tell me what is up with Tom nook? Something's wrong and I don't know what. Today's his birthday and I want it to be brilliant!" She looked at me passively and took another smoke, smiling softly.

   "I cannot tell the thoughts or future of another. You know that. It's against moral code. I can, however, tell you how your day will go and therefore, you will know how the party will end."

   I nodded, "okay, that sounds good."    I held out my hands and she placed her cigarette on the edge of the table, taking my hands in her paws. They were soft and kind of cold. We closed our eyes.

   "Kah hee mee... YEEEEEEEE" The atmosphere changed. I no longer felt like I was in her building. I kept my eyes closed.

   "Yes... The stars are at their best position... The future is as clear as a glass orb... Rain.... But the rain clears... Lights and music.... Yes... Yes it's all clear now. You will have a blissful evening full of laughter but keep your wits about you. There will be tears. Not from you, but from another. That is all I can see." The atmosphere returned to normal and she released my hands. I opened my eyes.

   "Thank you for seeing me today. That will be 500 bells." She explained, picking up her cigarette and taking a drag.I handed her the bells and stood up.

   "Hey, Katrina. Do you want to come to the party? It would be fun!" I offered.

   She smiled, "thank you, but it's not in my fortune. Furthermore, the music will cloud my third eye. So I will have to decline."

   "Alright. Thanks for the fortune!" I began to head out.

   "And... (Y/n)?"

   "Yes?" I asked, looking at her.

   "Today will be the most important day of the year. So don't act hastily. And remember that bad times... Are just times that are bad." She calmly stated before looking off in the distance. I nodded and left.

   Leaving the building, I looked up at the sky."Well that just left me with more questions." I huffed. My eyes dropped from the sky toward the stairs and landed on Isabelle walking down them.

   "HEY, ISABELLE!" I called out, running towards her.

   She looked at me with a bright smile, "Hello, mayor! I just got done convincing Dr. Shrunk in letting us use the club!"

   "How did it go?" I asked, my hands nervously fumbling with my shirt.

   "It went well! He was willing to do it for a 7,000 bell rental fee and a durian!"  

   "Alright. When does he need the bells?"

   "Oh don't worry yourself about it! I took care of it." She giggled, waving her hand.

   "No, let me pay you back!" I handed 7,000 bells to her.

   "No no, I won't accept your money! I was happy to do it!"

   "I insist!" I assured, we went down the last step.

   "I'm honestly okay! Thank y--" she wasn't able to finish her sentence when there was screaming coming from the train station. We looked at each other before I put away the bells and we ran into the station.    

    The train station was tense. Porter was cowering behind the lockers and Katie was against a wall, recording the middle of the room with Rosie beside her.In the middle of the room stood Redd, a gigantic smirk plastered on his face. In front of him was Tom nook, his face contorted in a scowl and his eyes held the worst anger I have ever seen. Isabelle and I looked at each other. Her face was filled with worry and fright, you could tell he wasn't used to physical confrontation. I looked at the two fighting.     "Why do you even come here, Redd? What do you have to gain?" Tom said frustratingly, his voice straining a little.

   Redd smiled in false innocence, "I got art to sell, Nookie! You should be able to understand that!"

   "Don't call me that! You know I live here and you know what you did. Yet you still want to come to this town out of the hundreds of others!"

   The kitsune shrugged, "maybe I just like watching you squirm. You are just so pathetic that it's entertaining to see you like this." Tom's fur started to stand in end.

   "You better leave, Redd." The tanuki said sternly.

   Redd lifted his paws, "fine! Fine! I'll leave, Nookie!" He walked over to the monkey and tapped the podium.

   "I would like to go to the city." Porter nodded nervously and typed something on the podium.

   "I-it will just be 30 minutes." He said nervously.

   "Perfect," Redd smirked, "oh, and nook?" 

   Tom glared, "what?"The kitsune turned around, walking close to him.

   "How does it feel to never feel the love of another? You never hooked up on your birthday, have you? Do you feel lonely at night? I hope you do, stupid cunt-- UGH!"

   Next thing I knew, Redd was on the floor and Tom was hunched over with his paw out, curled in a fist.

   "If I ever see you or hear from you again I will kill you." He growled, his fur ruffled. He turned around and his ears twitched at the sight of me and Isabelle.Not a word was said, me and Isabelle moved out of the doorway.

   "Thank you." Tom mumbled, leaving. I tried to follow him but Isabelle touched my shoulder.

   "Give him a minute alone, (y/n). Anyway, we need to file an incident report for our records."

   I shook my head, "can't we look the other way? Redd isn't even a villager in this town!"

   She smiled softly, "we have to file or we'll get in trouble for withholding information." I sighed, leaving with Isabelle.

   The clock hand ticked ever so slowly, every click of the second hand started to tug on my hair. I needed to get this over with so I could go. The sun has all but disappeared from the windows and the light from the bulb above me seemed to grow stronger.    Isabelle tapped her pen to her chin, "what time was the fight?"

  "Hhmmn... About 6:12?"

  The shih tzu nodded and wrote it down, "I'm sorry, (y/n). I hated that all that happened."

   "I know. Tom wasn't supposed to see Redd, let alone fight with him." I rubbed my hands on my face in frustration. 

   She looked at me silently for a while before speaking, "mayor, if it isn't an overstep, may I ask why today has to go so perfectly? I'm sure he has had good birthdays before."

   I leaned back against my chair, "well I don't know about his other birthdays. He's never really talked to me about them. But I heard he used to sleep on a stump so it obviously couldn't have been a good childhood. I don't know if he would appreciate me talking about his old life when he was in the city so I'm not going to say anymore."

   She nodded, "I understand... But shouldn't it be Timmy and Tommy organizing the party? Why are you putting it on your shoulders?"

   I blushed softly, "well..." I sighed, scratching a spot on the desk."I know this is probably selfish, but... I am planning to confess to him tonight. Show him how much I love him, you know? And I thought that giving him a perfect birthday and a relationship on the same night would be a good idea."    There was a looming silence. I slowly raised my head and Isabelle was smiling at me.

    "That sounds so romantic! I'm sure Mr. Nook will love the hard work you're putting in this party."

   I smiled, "thank you, Isabelle." 

   She looked at the time, "oh! It's 7 O'clock! Shouldn't you be setting up?"

   "Oh, right! What are we missing on the incident report?"

   "Nothing. I just finished it!" She walked over to the filing cabinet and slipped the paper in.

   We made our way from town hall and stopped by my house.

   "You go on and see if things are alright. I'm gonna head inside and grab the decorations and cake." I said.

   She nodded, "okay! See you soon!" 

   I entered my home and went to my dresser, taking out the decorations and noise makers and stuffing them in my bag. I walked over to where I had the cake and smiled at it. The cake was a white honey cake with hazelnut frosting. It was three tiers high with cherries around the edges and on top. I gently picked it up and made my way out the door. The cake was a little heavy but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. I moved a few steps at a time toward town square. After about 15 minutes I made it up the stairs to town square. Nook Homes still had lights on so I turned around so that only my back could be seen. I silently hoped Lyle was distracting Tom. I made it down the stairs and in front of club LOL. Exhausted, I kicked the door and called out to Dr. Shrunk. When the door knob started moving I backed up so the door could get opened.    Dr. Shrunk's head popped out, "Hey, (y/n)! Come in!"

   I made my way inside and finally put down the cake at the bar, I made a noise of relief. Isabelle was at the stage hanging the town's birthday banner we use for villagers birthdays. I smiled and went over to her.

   "Thank you so much for everything, Isabelle."

   She smiled, "it's really no problem! You never ask for anything and work so hard for this town it's the least I could do." 

   We went around the building and decorated it with pink roses for happiness and Sakura for kindness.Then I dug the other decorations from my bag. As we placed and hung them up K.K. Slider entered the club. Isabelle gasped and started bouncing in place.

   "Woah! What's all this for?" He said lazily, putting his guitar case on a chair.

   "Mr. Slider!" Dr. Shrunk smiled, "today is a special day! It's a villagers birthday! And you're his favorite artist! So (y/n) and their secretary has asked for you to play at his party!" K.K. Slider looked over at me and smiled softly, doing finger guns.

    "I can dig that." Isabelle fainted.

   Villagers started to file in around 7:50 and everyone was settled by 8:30.

   "Okay everyone!" I called out, clapping.

   "It's time for me to get the birthday tanuki! When we come back I'll knock. That's your sign to be quiet!" Everyone nodded and muttered agreements.I left the building and went up the steps. Crickets chirped in harmony. The lights in nook homes was off, which I was expecting it to be.    I knocked rhythmically. I heard rustling inside and then nothing. I knocked again.

   "We're closed!" Tom called out from inside. I took that as my cue. I opened the door and closed it behind me. The lobby was empty. At least, it seemed that way at the door.

   He made a frustrated groan from behind the halfwall, "I said we're closed!"

   I took a step, "I know, but I came to see you."

   "...(y/n)?" He asked softly. It sounded like he was crying.

   "Tom? Are you okay?" I walked forward a little.

   "NO! I-I mean... Yes I'm okay. Please.. thank you for checking on me but I'm fine." I felt myself tense as I walked over to him.    

    My (e/c) eyes found his blue ones. They were shimmering and sad, his tears falling just to land on his fur. His nose was twitching with every sniff. His mouth slightly open as his teeth bit his lip to try to stop crying. Tom's whole persona he always tried to keep up like a mask has disappeared. Back against the halfwall, his knees were drawn up against his belly, a small bottle of whiskey in his paw. I felt as if I got stabbed. How long has he been like this? Since the train station? I fell to my knees beside him, my hands reaching out and touching his cheek.

   "(Y/n)... Please.." he moved his head from my hand.

   "Tom, I'm so sorry. I tried to prevent what happened. I guess it gave him ideas..."

    He shook his head, "it wasn't just Redd. I just hate my birthday. Remember how I told you I had a pretty rough childhood?"

   I nodded, "yeah?" He hugged his knees, leaving the whiskey on the ground.

   "My mother left me on my fourth birthday with my father. My father was distant and would not come home some nights." He sighed before continuing, "then the house got repossessed and the bastard went to live with his coworker who hated children. I guess you can guess what happened."    Tom looked at the wall on the other side of the room, more tears flowing down his cheeks. I stayed quiet, moving to sit with my legs crossed.

    His lip quivered, "I was homeless and the only time I saw that deadbeat was on my birthday. It never went well. In fact, one time when I was eleven, Sable threw me a party at a park. My dad showed up and tried to do unspeakable things to her. I told him I never wanted to see him again and a park ranger called the police."

   He took a deep breath and reached for the whiskey, "I was alone on my birthday up until Redd. It was the first time I was in love; then I had to open my mouth and tell him I loved him. Left the next day with all the bells and the day after that was my 25 birthday. Alone, penniless, and homeless every birthday. I'm lucky I have the twins, they bake me a cake. It doesn't help the trauma and being romantically alone, you know?"    I put a hand on his knee, "I could never know how much it hurts, but I understand that you must feel so helpless. I am here for you, Tom. I will be here for as long as you want me to."

   His face contorted into a grimace as he began sobbing uncontrollably. He let his legs give out as he turned toward me and throw his arms around my neck. His form shaking with every gush of tears. He sobbed into my shoulder, letting go of his mask. I hugged him tightly, comforting him as best as I could.    We sat there on the floor for a few minutes as he let out all his sadness and fear onto me. His sobbing decreasing and his breathing calming softly. I petted his fur comfortingly.

   "Thank you, (y/n). Thank you much." He said, slowly letting go and sitting up while wiping his tears. I smiled softly.

   "Of course. I care about you." I blushed, "Tom?"

   He looked at me, "yes, (y/n)?" He was drying his wet fur on his sleeve.

   I looked at him, "I want you to know that I care about you so much. I never want you to feel alone again. I want to be the soul you can trust with everything. I want to be your partner in life. What I'm saying is..." I rubbed the back of my neck, getting scared. His cheeks started to flush through the fur. I looked down at the floor.

   "What I'm saying is that I love you, Tom Nook. I want to be with you always. You don't have to say yes. If... If you don't feel the same way that is alright, no hard feelings. We could go back to being friends with no awkwardness. I-I... "

   He lifted my chin and kissed me softly. His fur gently tickling around my lips and nose. The kiss was warm and soft and so full of love. I sighed in happiness, wrapping my arms around his shoulders and closing my eyes. He placed his paws on my hips and deepened the kiss. It was so wonderful that I never wanted to leave it. He stopped and looked in my eyes.

   "I love you too, (y/n). It means so much that you would love someone like me. This is the best birthday ever."

   My eyes lit up, "OH RIGHT! I forgot! You're birthday isn't over just yet!" I smiled and stood up, pulling him up by the paws."Where are you taking me?" He chuckled.

   "I heard there was a birthday sale at club LOL. Let's see what Dr. Shrunk has at his bar!"    I led him from nook homes to the club and knocked on the door three times.

   "Why are you knocking? Isn't it open by now?" Tom asked, curious.

   "Yes but I'm just making sure everything's decent in there."

   "What?" He laughed.I opened the door and the club was pitch black. We entered and Tom made a comment about the darkness. I turned on the lights.

   "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!" Everyone screamed, pulling confetti wands and blowing noise makers. Tom screamed and backed up at the sudden surprise. After he saw what was going on he laughed heartily. Then the laughter turned to tears.

   "Y-you guys! This is so awesome! Yes yes!" He said through sobs. Timmy and Tommy ran up to Tom with a drawing. It was a childish painting of Tom and the twins on top of a mountain of bells.

   "Mr. Nook! We drew you a picture of you and us for your birthday!" Tommy said cheerfully.

   "I drew the bells!" Timmy added. Tom smiled and hugged the twins tightly, tears flowing.

   "Thank you much, boys. Did you two plan this?"

   They shook their heads, "nuh-uh! (Y/n) did! They invited everyone and had this club rented and even made you a cake! ...yes yes!"

   Tom turned to look at you and smiled, "thank you so much, (y/n)."

   Timmy spoke up, "ooh ooh! That's not all! K.K Slider is here!"    Tom's eyes went wide, he looked at Timmy and then the stage. Everyone moved out of the way and Slider was sitting on a stool on the stage. K.K. smiled and held out his paw to motion toward Tom.

   "Let's all give a groovy howl to the birthday boy!" He said. Collectively, everyone gave a howl and clapped for Tom. His whole face turned red and I was afraid he was going to faint with the excitement.    Tom nook requested a song and everyone talked and laughed and congratulated him on his birthday. Blathers got Tom a surgeonfish plushie, sable sewn him a sweater vest that had his leaf logo on it, Brewster gave him a coffee mug, Isabelle gave a porcelain cherry decoration. I gave him (gift you would give Tom).The night ended with multiple drunk villagers stumbling out the door and Dr. Shrunk asking me to come in tomorrow to clean.

Not to mention the multiple kisses Tom nook and I shared in the corner of the club.

AFTER THOUGHT:

I just realized I forgot to explain the letter Tom got. Oh well! If you want to know what it said comment a question. 

[kpoptrashibnida]

Enough Pt.18 (Final)

A/N: Everyone! Thank you so much for all the support! It means soo much to me! And I am so sorry for the delay, it took me much longer than anticipated to write and edit it. Thank you for being patient with me and I hope it’s worth all the wait. As always, feedback is always appreciated! Happy reading!

Your heart was beating a mile a minute the second the familiar building came into view. You were taking deep breaths and trying to regulate your heartbeat. What if this was a mistake? What if Jaehyun was with someone else already? He is very handsome and a great human, so that would not be surprising. Or worse, what if he hates your guts and he refuses to see you?

‘Stop it! Stop thinking about all the bad things that can happen to you and focus. You can do this.’ 

You give yourself a pep talk that sort of works. Your hands are still trembling but at least your breathing was more even now. Taking a deep breath, you enter the building that for almost a year you called home. You were overwhelmed with emotions the second you stepped through the threshold, mind flooded with a flurry of memories and you felt like you were going to break down right then and there.

“Noona? Is that you?!” You hear an excited voice exclaim from the elevators, gaining your attention.

“Mark!” You exclaim happily, forgetting your previous worries.

Mark comes up to you in a rush and gives you a hug, spinning you around and making you dizzy.

“I can’t believe you’re here noona! Johnny! Noona is here!” Mark screams across the lobby, gaining the attention of many.

“Oh! Noona!” Johnny yells back excitedly, running towards you and gives you a hug as well.

“Are you moving back to work here?” Johnny asks once he’s let go of you. 

“Um, no I am not.” You say, taking a deep breath for courage and hoping you don’t look like a fool for what you’re about to ask.

“Is Jaehyun here?” You ask, scared of what the answer might be.

“Oh…” Both Mark and Johnny say awkwardly, your heart instantly sinking to your stomach. This did not sound good.

“He isn’t here anymore.” Mark starts, awkwardly looking away from your piercing gaze.

“Oh. Did he quit?” You ask, hoping you can perhaps track him down somewhere in New York. 

“He moved to Japan.” Johnny explains, placing a hand on your shoulder.

You felt like someone punched you in the gut and you swore your heart stopped beating for a couple of seconds. Japan? You crossed the Pacific ocean just to find out he was much closer than you thought.

“Oh, I see. Well, I’m sure he is having a good time in Japan.” You say with a forced smile, really hoping they couldn’t tell how upset you were. 

“Yeah…” Johnny trailed off, a little uncomfortable. “Hey, do you have any plans? Maybe the three of us should go and get lunch together.”  He suggested, hoping to ease up the mood.

“Yeah! Let’s get some New York pizza noona!” Mark suggested excitedly.

“Of course! I’d love to get pizza with you guys.” You agree, missing the delicious New York staple.

“Great! Would you like to meet at Central Park?” Johnny asks, remembering where your favorite pizza place is.

“Of course. See you guys there at noon.” You agree, giving them a hug and leaving the building.

You had a few hours to kill so you decided to walk to Central Park. It was going to take about an hour or so to get there and you really needed the alone time to decompress before meeting Johnny and Mark. 

You were overwhelmed by the nostalgia you felt by the familiar streets of New York, remembering all the fond memories you had of the city. You were busy enjoying the brisk New York winter air that you had not noticed the hot tears rolling down your face. You quickly wiped them away, not wanting to attract any attention to yourself. You knew people in New York were like the people in Seoul, they minded their own business and didn’t pay attention to the people around them. Even so, you did not want to be the weird lady crying down the street. You could not believe that Jaehyun was in Japan now, your trip to New York was useless now. Of course, catching up with Mark and Johnny was going to be nice, you missed them; but it wasn’t the main reason you came to New York.

‘What if he met someone else? Maybe he does not want to know about me anymore. He must have moved on now, I haven’t talked to him for months, he probably doesn’t want to know anything about me.’ You thought, hating yourself for groveling in your self-pity. If Jaehyun had moved on and was with someone else, it was entirely your fault. 

You finally get to Central Park and find your favorite snack cart and buy yourself a soft pretzel. You walk aimlessly for a while, enjoying the smell of the crisp air. You watch in silence as kids throw rocks at the frozen pond in the middle of the park. You smile at the sight of moms hurriedly grabbing their children away from the edge of the pond. You decide that some coffee might make you feel better, especially with all the mixed emotions you were feeling. Mark and Johnny would be arriving in about 20 minutes and you want to be more composed for their arrival. You walk into Le Pain Quotidien and order a coffee, sitting in the outdoor chairs, texting Mark to let him know your exact location.

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath and try to hold in your tears. You could not believe you had completely ruined the best thing that had ever happened to you because you were stupid and you let a stupid man make you doubt your feelings. 

“Hey noona!” Mark said excitedly, waking you from your reverie. You saw him waving at you and you smiled at him, standing up and greeting them with a hug.

“You ready to pig out on the best pizza ever?” Johnny jokes, wrapping an arm around you. 

“You know it!” You agree with a laugh, feeling the ominous cloud above your head lift, even if it’s momentary. 

“I can’t wait to go into a food coma!” Mark says excitedly, making you shake your head at his antics.

Once at the pizza place, you guys order your pies and make small talk, enjoying each other's presence. 

 “So how long are you staying in New York for noona?” Mark asks, taking a bite from his slice.

“I am actually leaving the day after tomorrow.” You confess, making both men look at you in surprise.

“What? Why so soon?” Johnny asks, confused that you came all the way to New York just to be here for two days.

“Yeah, I only have a week off, so I need to go back. I missed you guys, so I’m happy I get to spend time with the two of you.” You say, hoping they would buy it. 

“Oh…” They let out in unison, changing the subject to much lighter conversation and enjoying the food. 

After paying for lunch, much to your insistence, you hugged your two friends and bid them goodbye. They were very adamant on walking you to your hotel, but you refused. You had a lot of time to kill and wanted to visit some of your favorite spots and do some shopping. You did agree, however, to let them take you to the airport for your flight since it was an overnight flight and they had enough time to take you after work. 

You waited until you saw their taxi take off to start your slow journey back to your hotel.

Taking advantage of the fact that you’re in New York to do some sight seeing would have been a smart thing to do; however, you were not in the right mindset to revisit all the places you had gone to with Jaehyun. 

The aimless walking through the crowded streets of the busy city was helping your tattered heart feel distracted from its incessant sadness. The small smile that graced your face could not be helped as you watched a flock of kindergarteners exiting their school and rushing towards their parents. Sighing heavily, you pushed away the memories of you and Jaehyun talking about kids; how he used to say he wanted kids and seeing his face light up every time he would see a cute kid whenever you’d take afternoon strolls through Central Park. He never specified if he wanted to have kids with you specifically, but the way he would say it would make you feel like that’s what he meant. 

You brush away the stray tear that rolled down your face, blaming it on the chilly winter wind even though you knew that was a lie. 

By the time you got to your hotel it was well past four pm; you did not realize you had wandered around for that long until you plopped on your bed and could feel your feet ache and your face tingle as your cold skin thawed out. You turned the TV on so you could have some background noise during your shower, not wanting to be completely alone with your thoughts. 

You were grateful for the warm water caressing your skin, as it was blending with the tears that were streaming down your face. In the confines of your hotel room, you could no longer hold back how you were feeling. You were crushed, devastated at the fact that Jaehyun was gone. It really felt like now he was out of your life forever. You hiccuped a sob, not wanting to hold back any longer. Your body trembled as you cried, heart-breaking sobs leaving your body. Pounding on the tiled wall, you whispered broken apologies to Jaehyun, knowing that this was all your fault. You held your arms in front of you, supporting your weight against the tiled walls of the shower. The water had run cold by now and your body started shivering all over again. Turning off the water, you wrapped your body in one of the fluffy hotel towels, seeking their warmth. After putting on some pajamas, you burrowed under the warm covers of the bed; the heaviness in your heart and eyelids outweighed the grumbling of your stomach. You fell asleep before you knew it, Jaehyun’s face was the last conscious thought you had. 

You were startled awake by the sound of an obnoxious alarm, groaning in realization that it was morning time. You got dressed for the uneventful day and decided to change your flight to tonight, since you did not have any other reason to stay another day. The person you came to look for was not in New York and you only had lunch plans with Johnny and Mark. Sighing, you decided to order room service instead of going to the dining hall, not in the mood to be around people. 

Markie: Hey noona, we want to see if you’re down to get some Indian food today for lunch?

You looked away from the romcom on the tv to read Mark’s message, smiling at his choice, sending him a quick reply as your agreement. It was already eleven am and you should probably start heading over there before you’re late. 

The sun was breaking through the dark clouds of the cold morning, warming up your face. You welcomed the warmth it gave you, making you feel like maybe, just maybe, everything will be okay. You grab a cup of coffee from the coffee shop near your hotel,needing something a little better than the instant packets from the hotel. You had already checked out and had your carry on with you, so taking a taxi to meet Mark and Johnny was the smarter choice. 

You met both men outside the office building, deciding to walk together to the restaurant since it was close by. Both of them were surprised to see you with your suitcase since they thought you were leaving the next day. You shrugged it off, telling them that you had to head back sooner than expected. If they didn’t believe your lie, they did not call you out on it. Instead, they fought over who would carry your bag for you. Their childish banter made you laugh with gusto, something you have not done in months. This was the first time you genuinely laughed and it felt so good you could almost cry. Johnny ended up being the winner and you walked arm in arm with Mark, hearing all about the success of the store and a lot more juicy office gossip. 

“Noona, I really can’t believe you’re leaving.” Mark whines, tugging your suitcase behind him as you all exit the restaurant after lunch.

“I know, I wish I could stay longer.” You say, ruffling the hair on top of his head.

“Mark, leave her alone. Go get her a cab.” Johnny chastises, pushing the younger man towards the curb of the street.

“So,” Johnny says, looking over at you, “The only reason you came to New York was to look for Jaehyun, right?” Johnny asks, peering over at you from the corner of his eye.

You stayed silent for a few seconds, deciding that it was no use to lie. 

“Yeah. It was the only reason. I guess it was stupid of me to hope he would still be here.” You say, looking away from Johnny and you hope he can’t see the tears welling in your water line.

“I think you should reach out to him. I don’t think he has moved on either.” Johnny says in a calm voice, gauging your reaction.

You scoff, rolling your eyes at the absurdity of it all. “As much as I’d like to believe that’s true, I don’t think Jaehyun would wait for someone like me.” You sigh, closing your eyes at the pain that’s fast returning to your chest. 

“Hey. Don’t say that. Don’t discredit Jaehyun either. We both know he is a good guy and he really cared for you. You won’t know how he feels unless you ask him. You don’t want to stay in the ‘what if’ limbo forever.” He nudges you, glancing at the cab that pulled up to the curb.

“Noona, your cab is here!” Mark announced, making his way over to you. 

He gave you a big hug goodbye and made you promise to text him once you made it safely to the airport and back to Korea. You smiled at his worry and made him promise to visit you soon.

You gave Johnny a small, tight smile before enveloping him in a hug.

“I texted you his new number. Trust me, just call him.” He whispered before letting you go and nudging you towards the cab.

You smiled at both of them and waved, the lights becoming blurry as your tears rolled down your cheeks. 

_______________

With bleary eyes, you take your phone out of your pocket and get a cab to take you back to your place. Once inside the cab you tell the driver your address and you lay back. Closing your eyes, you sigh at the slight sting. You were consumed with thoughts of your conversation with Johnny and sleep completely evaded you. Even if you tried to get some shut eye in your comfortable first class seat, sleep would not come and it made you very irritable. Thankfully the flight attendant was very nice and kept bringing you coffee or tea and that helped you feel better.  You were just looking forward to being home and sleeping on your comfortable bed. Looking at your phone screen you debate whether or not you should call Jaehyun. You saved his number last night at the airport and you’d be lying if you said your heart was not beating erratically at the sight of it. You could not decide whether or not it was a good idea to contact him; Johnny was very convincing but he could be wrong. After everything that has happened, you didn’t know if he would take kindly to you calling him. Deciding that it was now or never, you take a deep breath and press the call button, secretly hoping that he does not answer. You don’t know whether to be happy or disappointed when  the call went to voicemail. You sigh, hoping your heart will stop beating so erratically when you notice the cab is turning into your street.

Thanking the cab driver, you head to your building and think about what you’re going to have for lunch after your shower and the much needed nap. What you were not expecting was seeing a tall figure standing outside your apartment door.

“Hey, can we talk?” Chanyeol asks, his nervous eyes pleading. 

You sigh deeply and close your eyes. All you wanted to do was shower, sleep, eat and cry. But this was impossible since Chanyeol once again shows up and does whatever he pleases.

“Okay.” You say, typing your code on your door. You don’t miss the way Chanyeol eyes your appearance and your suitcase, making you more annoyed than you already felt.

Walking inside, you leave the suitcase near your door and Chanyeol silently follows behind you, feeling awkward. 

“Would you like some tea or coffee?” You ask, your manners still showing up even though you’d rather not be doing this right now. 

“Coffee sounds great, thanks.” Chanyeol says, standing awkwardly in the middle of your living room. 

“You know you can take a seat, right?” You say, a small amount of humor in your voice due to the funny sight. 

“Oh.” He lets out in embarrassment, taking a seat on your couch and hating how awkward he’s acting.

You finish brewing the coffee and place it on the coffee table in front of chanyeol, taking a seat in the far corner of the couch.

“So,”  you start. “What do you want to talk about?” You ask, wanting to get this over with because you really needed that shower. 

“Did you go somewhere?” He asks, looking over at the suitcase by the door.

Eyebrow raised, you look into his eyes as an involuntary scoff leaves your lips. “Is that what you wanted to talk about? Because if it is, I have other things to do and I’d appreciate it if you leave.” You say, outraged at the fact that Chanyeol thinks he can come to your home and question you when he is the one who cheated.

“No! No it’s not. I’m sorry, I’m just a little nervous.” He fidgets and you relax on your seat. Feeling a little bad about snapping at him but your patience was running thin. 

“Okay, well then speak please.” You prod, needing this to be over.

“I’m sorry for hurting you. I know that I have messed up and I have run out of second chances. I’m not asking you to take me back, I’m just asking you to forgive me for hurting you and cheating on you.” He says, sincerity in his eyes and voice. 

“Well, I’m glad you’re mature enough to see what you did is wrong. I forgive you.” You say, surprised at how you actually meant it.

“Thank you. I really am sorry. I was a selfish jerk and I realized that I still have a lot to work on. Thank you for listening to me even though I’m sure you hate me.” He says, taking a sip from his coffee.

“I don’t hate you.” You say with a small smile, “I just hope that you don’t do that to anyone else.” You threaten, making him chuckle.

“Of course!” He put his hands up in surrender, making you smile. “So, did you find him?” He asks, taking you by surprise.

“Find who?” You ask, playing dumb.

“Jaehyun. I tried to find you when I came back from Japan and Suho told me that you went to New York. I kind of figured that you went to look for him.” He explains. You sigh deeply, the exhaustion from your trip and the time difference catching up to you.

“No, I did not. He doesn’t live in New York anymore.” You answer in a monotone voice, not really wanting to talk about your feelings to Chanyeol.

“I’m sorry. I know you still love him. I hope you can find him and work things out. I really do.” Chanyeol says sincerely, making you smile and give him a small nod.

“Thanks.” You say, enjoying the pleasant moment of understanding between you and Chanyeol.

“Well, I’ve taken up enough of your time, I’m sure you’re tired from your trip. Good luck with everything.” He says and leaves your apartment, leaving you in a deeper hole of emotions.

You could not believe what had just happened in the last 72 hours. You found out the love of your life moved to a country that is much closer to you than you thought. You were cheated on, and said cheating ex hunted you down until he found you and apologized for his horrible actions. That shower and greasy food were definitely needed now.

______________________

After catching up on some much needed sleep over the weekend and girl talk with Mina to let her know what happened on your short trip to New York, you were ready to tackle the new work week. Well, new work week for you. You decided to cut your time off short and returned to work a couple days early and it just happened to be Wednesday. You were not complaining though, at least your work week was going to be short. You never got a call back from Jaehyun or heard from him, so you decided to wait a few more days before calling again. Of course, you didn’t leave a message and it’s obnoxious of you to think that he still kept your number even though he changed his. Knowing Jaehyun he was not going to return the call to an unknown number that left no message. Taking another long sip of your coffee you exit the elevator to your floor and check your phone for any new messages from Namjoon. The current project you were working on was a little behind schedule because you left Jimin in charge when you left and he got injured and was now out of commission. Namjoon trusted that you could catch up and therefore he was blowing up your phone with updates and scheduled meetings in order to catch up. You were so entranced with the message you were reading that you did not notice the group of people headed your way.

“Noona! You’re back!” You hear Jungkook exclaim from in front of you, his puppy energy never failing to make your day.

“Hey Kook, I’m back….” You trailed off as you looked up. Voice catching in your throat at the sight of Jungkook with Jaehyun and two members of the PR team. You most likely looked like a deer caught in headlights and as pale as someone who just saw a ghost. You stood there for what felt like an eternity but was probably just a few seconds, enchanted by those beautiful brown eyes that you love so much. Jungkook was going to introduce Jaehyun to you but you quickly cut him off, saying some nonsense about needing to go into your office to make a phone call. 

Rushing into your office, you slam the door shut and press your shaking body against it, your erratic breathing not slowing down. 

“Fuck. Oh fuck.” You whisper to yourself, moving away from your office door so you could take a sip of water, your throat becoming very dry. You did not realize you were crying until you felt the wet trail on your cheeks, wiping them with a shaky hand.

You hear your office door open, thinking it’s Jungkook checking in on you because of your odd behavior.

“Kookie, I can’t talk to you right now.” You say in a shaky voice, back facking him because you don’t want him to see you crying. 

“I’m not Jungkook.” The smooth velvety voice says behind you, your back stiffening at the sound of it. 

Closing your eyes, you take a deep breath before turning around and facing the one person you did not expect to see. The love of your life and the reason why you went across the world. You could not believe he was in front of you right now. Staring into his eyes, you wait to see his reaction, not wanting to act in a haste. 

“You know, it was pretty rude of you to cut off that poor kid when he was trying to do his job and introduce us.” Jaehyun says, beautiful brown eyes looking into yours. He didn’t look angry or upset, his face neutral of emotion and even more handsome than you remember. 

“Yeah, I uh… I had a phone call to take.” You lie, still not believing your eyes. 

“You are still a bad liar.” Jaehyun chuckles, slowly walking towards you.

You try to be strong and hold your tears in, but you could no longer hold back. They freely fell from your eyes and you turned around, your shaking body moving away from Jaehyun because you were embarrassed for losing it in front of him.

“Hey, it’s okay. Don't cry.” Jaehyun says in a soothing voice, slowly walking towards you, not wanting to spook you.

You didn’t answer, trying hard to swallow back your sobs. You didn’t want the whole floor to hear you crying and you also didn’t want Jaehyun to see you in your current state, but he wasn’t leaving

He came up behind you and gently turned you around, looking into your eyes and taking in your tear-stained cheeks. His heart clenched at the sight of you crying and he could not help himself when he pulled you by the arm and into his embrace. He could almost cry of happiness at the feeling of you in his arms once again. It seems like you felt the same way because as soon as you were in his arms, the tears doubled and your body shook from all the emotions you were feeling at that moment. You could not believe that the love of your life was right in front of you and you were embracing him. It almost felt like you were in a lucid dream and you prayed to God that it wasn’t the case because that would be too cruel. After a few minutes of being held by Jaehyun you are finally able to regulate your breathing and you stopped crying. You muster up the courage to look up at him, extremely embarrassed for breaking down in front of him.

“Hey.” He says softly, meeting your eyes with a soft smile that makes you want to cry all over again. Oh how you’ve missed that smile. 

“Hi.” You squeak out, voice hoarse from crying.

“I’ve missed you.” He whispers, looking into your eyes, hands cradling your face.

“I’ve missed you so much too.” You say, eyes welling up all over again.

“I have to go before Jungkook tries to find me. I told him I was going to the bathroom. But I want to catch up. Are you available after work?” He asks, a sweet and hopeful look on his face.

“Yes, of course.” You say, head spinning from everything you’re feeling right now.

“Great, I’ll see you then.” He gives you a small kiss on the forehead before he leaves your office, hoping Jungkook doesn’t find him.

You plop down on your chair, shaky hands covering your face. You could not believe what just happened, that Jaehyun is in Korea and working in the same building as you. You were both excited and nervous for your meeting with Jaehyun this evening because even though he told you he missed you and gave you a kiss, you still don’t know how he feels about you and what your dynamic was going to be. For all you know, he could just mean he missed you as a friend and has no romantic feelings for you and has a girlfriend that he really loves. 

Shaking your head, you decide to focus on the work that awaits you instead of further spiraling into an anxiety attack. Everything is going to be fine….. You hope.

_________________________

You finished sending out the updated project to Namjoon, hoping that it was good enough to submit. You stretch your tired back trying to loosen your tense muscles when you hear a knock on your door.

“Come in.” You say, turning your computer off and expecting to see Namjoon coming in to ask you what the latest update on your project is. 

“Hey, are you all done?” Jaehyun asks, coming into your office.

You stare at him dumbfounded. You could still not get used to the fact that he was here, in the flesh. You had a busy day so you spent your lunch hour in your office, munching away on a sandwich while you simultaneously tried to work on your latest project. It seems like Jaehyun also had a busy lunch because Jungkook kept texting you about how much fun he was having at lunch with Jaehyun and a bunch of the ladies from PR. It doesn’t surprise you because Jaehyun is extremely handsome and he is a good person, so you really can’t blame them for taking him out to lunch.

“Yeah, sorry. I’m all done.” You finally reply, blushing at the small smirk Jaehyun gives you. 

“So, did you want to go to a restaurant or order some takeout and have it delivered to your place?” Jaehyun asks, taking you by surprise. 

Being in a public place might help ease your nerves but it won’t give you much privacy to talk about everything Jaehyuin wanted to speak to you about. But if you were to go to your house, you’re afraid that you might want to jump his bones and won’t hold back.

Deciding that privacy was going to be more important, you make your choice and hope you won’t regret it.

“Let’s get takeout and eat it at my place.” You offer, not missing the glint in his eyes at your suggestion. “Anything you’re craving?” You ask, taking your phone out to look for a delivery app.

“Jjajangmyun.” Jaehyun says, making you laugh at the suggestion of such a simple dish.

“Okay. I’ll order it once we get to my place. There’s a restaurant right down the street and it takes them no time to deliver.” You say, gathering your coat and purse so you can walk out with Jaehyun.

Thankfully it seems like everyone is gone because the hallways are empty. You didn’t want to attract attention to the fact that you’re leaving with Jaehyun because your breakup with Chanyeol is still recent and it was very public. Normally you would not care, but you don’t want to put Jaehyun in a position where people would bad-mouth him. Lord knows some of the women in the company don’t like you because you were dating Loey and they seemed pretty happy at the fact that he cheated on you. Jaehyun was too sweet to have to go through any of that, especially since you’ve already put him through so much. 

You decide to take a taxi to your place and it was spent mostly in silence, but thankfully it wasn’t awkward. Once the taxi turned into your street, you ordered the food so you wouldn’t have to wait long. You don’t know why you were so nervous, but your heart was beating a mile a minute. The elevator ride was awkward, with you staying silent and your back facing Jaehyun. You hated feeling this way because you once felt so comfortable around him that never in a million years you would think that you'd ever feel like this. 

“Here’s my place.” You say, opening the door to your apartment.

Jaehyun takes in your place as he takes his shoes off, admiring your cozy yet somewhat minimalist decor. 

“Nice place. It’s different from your New York apartment, but it’s nice.” He comments, walking into your living room.

“Thanks.” You smile at the compliment, “would you like anything to drink?” You ask, hoping to ease your nerves.

“Yeah, I would love a soda if you have any.” He says, hesitating by your kitchen island. You smile at how cute he looks and at how polite he is.

You tell him to sit down when the door rang. You went to get the noodles from the delivery person and placed them on the kitchen island, setting out chopsticks for the both of you.

You start to eat in silence and after a few bites you can’t take it anymore. Jaehyun looks at you confused when he sees you put down your utensils.

“Okay. I don’t want to seem rude, but I can’t take this anymore. I need to know everything.” You finally say, seeing the look of surprise on his face. 

“Okay.” He starts, wiping some of the sauce off his face. “Where do you want to start?” He asks.

“Do you hate me?” You ask right away. It was the one thing you wanted to know for sure before you continued.

“What? No! Of course I don’t. If I did, I wouldn’t have asked you to dinner tonight. Why would I hate you?” He asks, genuinely hurt that you would think he could ever hate you.

“Because I was the biggest bitch and I let myself question my feelings for you over something that was extremely stupid and insignificant.” You explain, not seeing why he couldn’t understand why you’d think he’d hate you. 

“Okay, first of all, you’re not a bitch. Second of all, I wanted you to be 100% sure about us and have no doubts.” He answers, making you smile.

“Okay. Well now I feel bad because I interrupted our dinner. Let’s finish eating and we can continue the conversation.” You suggest and he agrees, digging back into his food.

After dinner, which seems like the both of you ate at a rapid speed, you made some tea and the both of you made your way to your living room, sitting on opposite sides of the couch. Why did today make you feel a strange sense of deja vu? You shrug off the feeling and take a deep breath, steely nerves ready to let everything out. 

“So, when did you leave New York?” You ask, getting right into it.

“Oh yeah, I heard that you went to New York. Jungkook told me.” Jaehyun says, a teasing tone to his voice. You made a mental note to kill Kookie next time you see him for running his mouth unnecessarily. “But I actually left about a month after the Gala. I couldn’t stay there anymore because everything reminded me of you.” He said sheepishly, your heart wrenching painfully. Man, you really are a bitch.

“Sorry if I was a jerk and avoided you that night. I just couldn’t handle being that close to you yet so far away at the same time.” He continues but you wish he’d stop, hearing those words from him is very painful. 

“You do not have to apologize. I’m the one that should be apologizing for hurting you.” You say, tears threatening to spill all over again.

“So when did you decide to move to Korea?” You ask, changing the subject to something else you wanted to know.

“A few weeks ago. I saw that the Korea branch had a spot open for the PR President position and I decided to apply. I wanted to come back because I miss my family but also because I missed you. Plus, I saw all the scandalous articles and photos of Chanyeol and Arisa’s…. Entanglement. So I wanted to make sure you were okay.” He says, looking into your eyes.

“You are way too nice.” You say in a shaky voice, tears finally rolling down your cheeks.

“If I’m being honest, the whole time I was with Chanyeol I realized that I had made a huge mistake. There wasn’t a second where I didn’t wish that I could be with you. I tried many times to call you, but I would chicken out and decide to not call you. I didn’t know if you hated me or not and I didn’t want to find out because I still love you. I never stopped.” You finally let out between sobs, the sadness you felt in your chest slowly going away. “And then I went to New York because I realized that if I didn’t at least try, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Even if you rejected me and spat at my face, at least I would know for sure. But I couldn’t bear to live with the what-ifs. Then Johnny tells me that you had moved to Japan and I felt like it was over all over again. He gave me your phone number and I mustered the courage to call you but like a coward, I didn’t leave a voicemail. I knew that you wouldn’t call back a number that you did not have saved on your phone.” You further explain.

“Well that’s where you’re wrong.” Jaehyun says, wiping away your tears. You had not noticed him move closer to you on the couch, but he was next to you now.

“I saved your number on my new phone. I had it in case I also mustered the courage to call you. I didn’t want to push you though, because I didn’t know how you were coping with Chanyeol’s indecency. When I saw your name pop up on my screen, my heart stopped. I thought I was seeing things but Johnny called me to tell me that you had gone to New York and he gave you my number. I decided to wait to speak to you until I saw you in person. I never stopped loving you either, I just hoped that we would find each other again before it was too late.” Jaehyun explains, your heart beating so fast you swore Jaehyun could hear it.

Your sobs had finally died down and all that was left were hiccups, but you were glad that you were having this conversation with Jaehyun.  The relief you felt at knowing that Jaehyun still loves you is indescribable; the pain you had been suffering for the last few months could cease now.

“You know, even though I briefly dated Chanyeol, nothing happened between us.” You confess, feeling the need to let Jaehyun know. 

“What do you mean?” Jaehyun asked, confused. He had a vague idea as to what you meant but did not want to jump to conclusions. 

“I mean that aside from a kiss here or there, nothing else happened between us. I didn’t sleep with him.” You elaborate, wanting him to know.

Jaehyun exhaled loudly, passing a hand over his face.

“I would not have judged you at all if you had. But you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that.” He says, shaking his head in disbelief.

You chuckle at his relief, but you would be lying if you said you were not intrigued to know whether or not he had been with someone else. You didn’t want to be intrusive and ask him because you still felt like you didn’t deserve anything from him.

“I never dated anyone while we were broken up. Nor did I sleep around either.” He says, looking into your eyes.

“You don’t have to explain yourself to me.” You say, placing your hand on his cheek. You were not going to make it known how relieved you are.

“I know, but it’s only fair I tell you if I had or not.” He says, kissing your palm.

“I love you so much. I know it might take some time, but I would love it if we could work things out and get back together.” You say, not seeing the need to be coy. You love him and you want to be with him, nothing was going to get in your way now.

“I love you too.” He says, wiping the tear stains from your cheeks. “I want to be with you too, so why waste time?” He says, holding your hands. You smile at him, feeling happiness bubble inside your chest. You had not felt this happy in the longest time and you did not want the feeling to go away. Not being able to hold back, you launch yourself to Jaehyun in a tight hug, loving the feeling of his arms embracing your body. You finally felt like you were home, where you belong. 

The both of you stayed that way for a couple of minutes, enjoying the feeling of being together again. Jaehyun pulled away, giving you a kiss on the forehead. 

“I have to get going, it’s getting pretty late.” He says, standing up from the couch.

“You don’t want to spend the night? You ask, really wanting his company… and some other stuff too.

“I would love to my love, but I have to go and deal with some stuff at my place.” He vaguely explains.

“Oh. Everything okay?” You ask, if he had issues with his place, he could stay here.

“Yeah, there’s just a lot of unpacking to do. Along with other cosmetic stuff.” He replies, smiling as he grabs his coat.

His answer was very vague but you decided to not worry about it. After all, Jaehyun has proven time and time again that he’s worthy of your trust. Not wanting to dwell, you smile and give him a nod, agreeing that you’ll see him at work tomorrow. 

“Good night.” He says, standing at your door.

“Night.” You say, walking him out.

He gives you another hug and goes to kiss your cheek when you turn your head, his lips landing on yours.

He was startled at first, not expecting to feel the soft skin of your lips but he was not complaining. You wrap your arms around his neck, bringing him closer to you. His arms wrap around your waist, grunting at the feel of your body in his arms. The kiss was getting more intense as your hands roamed his body, still not believing that he was here in the flesh. 

“Okay, I better go.” Jaehyun chuckles, pulling away from the hot kiss knowing that if he doesn’t go he will stay ravishing you all night.  

You whisper your goodbye as you watch him enter the elevator where he sends a wink and a kiss your way.

You close the door to your apartment and place a hand over your chest, not believing that everything that has happened in the last couple of hours is real. Jaehyun is finally back into your life and you would not allow anything to change that from now on.

________________

The next morning you enter your work building and you head to the elevators, greeting a few of your coworkers with a goodmorning and a smile. You were patiently waiting for the elevator to arrive in silence when you noticed that all the women around you started to whisper excitedly. You were confused as to what was causing the commotion and that’s when you felt a shoulder bump into you.

“Hey, good morning.” Jaehyun greeted you with a smile, his handsome face making you blush due to his close proximity.

“Hi.” You say back, noticing that all the whispers had stopped all of a sudden. 

“I got you coffee. Almond latte, right?” He asks, handing you a coffee cup that you did not see him carrying at first.

“Oh, yeah. Thank you.” You thank him for his sweet gesture, surprised that he remembers your coffee order. You internally cringe when you realize the exchange is happening in front of a lot of the female staff, already dreading the inevitable gossip.

The elevator finally arrives and everyone scurries inside, packing into the elevator and you end up being pushed up against Jaehyun. He smiles down to you and you felt the blush cover your face once again. It felt like you were falling in love with him all over again even though you never stopped. Getting off at your floor, you were surprised to see that Jaehyun was walking the same direction as you.

“Where are you going? Isn’t your office on the east wing?” You ask, ignoring the glances you get from your coworkers. 

“Yeah but I want to walk you to your office this morning.” He explains, taking a sip of his coffee.

“Oh, well thanks. Everyone here must think that I don’t waste time trying to bag the hot new guy.” You joke, trying to hide your burning cheeks as you took a sip of the coffee Jaehyun got you.

“Maybe the new guy didn’t want to waste time to bag you.” He teases, stopping when you pause in front of your office door. 

“Cute.” You laugh, opening your door and turning around to say goodbye to Jaehyun. He took you by surprise when he leaned in and planted a quick kiss on your lips, making you blush like a schoolgirl. You quickly said bye and entered your office, shaking your head when you heard Jaehyun’s laugh outside your door. That man is going to be the death of you. 

_________

You walked to a cute little cafe that is close to your work; meeting Mina for lunch, you were both nervous and excited to let her know what was going on in your life for the past 24 hours.

“Hey! I ordered you a lemonade, I hope that’s okay.” Mina greets you, sitting on one of the outdoor tables. 

“Yes, that’s fine. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.” You say, sitting down and looking at the menu.

“Nope. So, tell me. Why did you seem so eager to meet? Do you miss me that much?” She asks, direct as always.

“Of course! But I have some news.” You say but were interrupted by the waiter. He took your orders and excused himself.

“What news?” Mina asked, taking a sip from her drink.

“I’m back with Jaehyun.” You blurt out, not wanting to beat around the bush.

Her eyes became the size of saucers, coughing when her drink went down the wrong way. 

“I thought you said he moved to Japan?” She asks, wiping her mouth with a napkin. 

“He had, but when I came back to work he was here. He moved to the Korea branch because there was a position open and because he heard about Chanyeol and Arisa and wanted to make sure I was okay.” You explain, warmth filling your chest at the thought of how sweet Jaehyun is.

“Wow. That’s insane. Look, I am so happy for you because I know that you never stopped loving him. But don’t you think you’re moving too fast?” She asks, genuinely concerned.

Before you could answer, your food was brought out and placed in front of you.

“What do you mean? I messed up once and I thought I had forever lost the love of my life. Now that I have gotten a second chance, I don’t want to mess it up.” You say, not understanding her point. Moving too fast? No way. Jaehyun was back in your life by the grace of the universe and you were not going to mess that up. You wanted him in your life and nothing is going to stop that from happening. 

“I know, I know. I’m not judging. I just want to make sure you are both sure that this is what you want.” She says, eyeing you wearily as she took a bite of her food.

“It is. He told me himself that he loves me and that he missed me the time we were apart. I never slept with Chanyeol and he was never with anyone either. We both acted stupidly but we never stopped loving each other. I don’t want to lose this second chance that we got.” You say, willing the tears to go away. 

Mina gave you a sympathetic look and a knowing smile, slightly nodding her head.

“Well, I guess if I was in your shoes, I’d feel the same way. I can’t imagine my life without Suho and if that’s how you feel about Jaehyun, then who am I to say anything?” She says, placing a comforting hand on your arm and giving you a small squeeze.

“Thanks.” You smile, happy at the fact that your best friend understood where you were coming from.

“Well since he’s in Korea now, I think it’s time I finally meet this guy.” She says, wanting to meet the guy she’s heard so much about.

“Of course! I will set something up. Are both you and Suho available this weekend?” You ask, mentally checking your calendar. 

“We are free, so if you want to do something, let me know.” She agrees.

The two of you continue to eat as you talk about other things as well as all the new things Minjun has learned to do. 

“Hey, how was your lunch date?” Jaehyun asks as he enters your office, it seems like this was going to be a new habit of his.

“It was good! Mina is happy for the both of us and she wants to meet you. Do you want to hang out with them on Saturday?” You ask, hoping you didn’t jump the gun and he has plans already.

“Yeah that’s fine. Can it be early in the day though? I wanted to go out to Namsan tower with you to see the lights at night.” He says, holding your hand as the two of you walk out.

“Okay! Maybe we can do lunch then? I’ll text her to make sure that’s okay with them.” You offer, excited at the thought of the important people of your life meeting.

“Sounds great.” He says, giving you a devilish smile. 

________________

“Noona. I am very disappointed in you.” Jungkook says, entering your office unannounced and plopping down on one of the chairs.

“Yes, come in.” You say sarcastically, making a note to reprimand him for his bad manners. “Why are you disappointed in me?” You ask, raising your eyebrow.

“Because you did not tell me you’re hooking up with the new guy!” Jungkook says in mock astonishment, sounding like a total gossip girl.

“That’s because I’m not.” You answer, giving him a pointed look.

“But I saw you guys leave together yesterday holding hands.” He protests, knowing that he isn’t going crazy and seeing things. 

“That is correct. But I’m not ‘hooking up’ with him. He’s the guy from New York I told you about.” You confess, knowing that he had no idea.

Jungkook was surprised, to say the least. You spend the next thirty minutes telling him how you didn’t find him in New York, how you thought he was still living in Japan and up until the day you returned and were not expecting to see him here. Jungkook laughed at that fact because now he knew why you acted so weird that day. 

“And he is finally going to meet my best friend Mina tomorrow. We are having lunch at her house.” You tell him, feeling even more excited about it now since you’ve reiterated this story twice. Namjoon called you into his office earlier to ask you about your relationship to Jaehyun because he has heard a lot of whispering going around about the two of you. Namjoon was also very happy for you when you told him who Jaehyun was to you and he told you to ignore all the jealous ladies in the building.

“That’s awesome! I hope you’re going to wear something nice.” Jungkook says in his best judgemental voice, making you laugh.

“Of course Kookie, who do you take me for?” You tease, laughing at his exaggerated eye roll.

He says his goodbyes because he knows Namjoon will yell at him if he finds him in your office gossiping again. 

______________

You kept looking in the mirror, hoping that your dress was cute enough. It was a pretty cotton dress that stopped right above your knee, it had slightly puffy sleeves and a square neckline. You were having a picnic at Mina’s house and you wanted to look cute especially since Jaehyun had plans for the two of you.

Your doorbell rang and you grabbed your purse and light jacket, making your way out to meet Jaehyun.

“You look beautiful.” Jaehyun greets you as you open the door, giving you his signature dimpled smile.

“You’re one to talk.” You say, taking in his black skinny jeans and white button up that was tucked into his jeans. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and he looked so good you almost wanted to drag him back into your apartment and have your way with him. Yesterday he dropped you off at home and ate dinner with you but left soon after. You wanted him to stay the night but he once again said he needed to go. He was still being a little evasive about his living situation but you decided not to push. 

“Where does Mina live?” Jaehyun asks once you’re inside his car.

You told him her address, which is a nice neighborhood filled with cute starter homes. You fell in comfortable conversation on the drive to Mina’s house. You told him about the conversation you had yesterday with Jungkook and he laughed at the funny story.

“He reminds me of Mark a little bit. It seems like you have a loyal dongsaeng in New York and another one here in Korea.” He teases, parking his car in front of Mina’s house.

The drive went by so quickly that you hadn’t realized you had arrived, especially since you just took notice of the fact that Jaehyun never turned on the GPS system. He was already out of the car before you could ask him anything, so you follow his lead and make your way to her door.

“Hey! Glad you guys are here! Come in!” Suho greets, opening the door.

“You must be Jaehyun! So nice to meet you.” Suho says, shaking your boyfriend’s hand.

“Nice to meet you too.” Jaehyun says, returning the smile. Suho sends a sly wink your way and you can feel your cheeks heat up a bit.

“Minjun look! Aunty is here!” Mina says to her toddler, greeting you with a kiss.

“You must be Jaehyun! So nice to finally meet the man I have heard so much of for the last year or so!” Mina exclaims, embarrassing you completely especially because Jaehyun looked at you with a knowing smile.

“Oh? She talks about me? Good to know.” Jaehyun teases, making you elbow him. 

“Where’s Minjun? He’s the only one here that loves me.” You mumble, looking for your favorite toddler.

Little Minjun came running towards you, arms outstretched and chubby cheeks rounded with a huge smile. You lifted him into your arms and spun him around, his happy laughter making you smile. You were entertained with Minjun therefore you did not notice the longing look on Jaehyun’s face when he saw you interacting with the toddler. His face was a clear reflection of want and fortunately for you, Mina saw it and all her worries melted away. 

“Okay guys! Food is out in the backyard, let’s go eat!” Mina herds you all to the yard to enjoy the big spread of food she spent most of the day preparing. 

To say you were delighted would be an understatement. Today was just a perfect day because the most important people in your life finally met and they’re getting along great! Mina seems to like Jaehyun and you can see a difference in her interacting with him as to how she used to interact with Chanyeol. Suho has a lot in common with Jaehyun and they kept exchanging college stories and talking about other things they had in common. Thankfully Minjun loved Jaehyun too; he would run up to Jaehyun and play with him and the sight warmed your heart. The sight of Jaehyun holding and playing with Minjun made your heart twist in a beautifully painful way. He was so good with him and his face lit up the whole time he was playing with the toddler. The amount of love you felt in that moment was so overwhelming that it almost made you cry.

“Thank you so much for coming today!” Mina said to the both of you as she finished loading the dishes to the washer.

“Thank you for having us.” Jaehyun said, cradling the sleeping baby.

“Thanks for coming guys! We have to do this again soon.” Suho agrees, taking the baby from Jaehyuns’ arms.

You exchanged goodbyes and headed out of Mina’s house hand in hand with the love of your life. You had such a great time at Mina’s place that you had completely forgotten about the fact that Jaehyun had other plans for the two of you. It was close to sunset time, so the view from the Namsan tower is going to be great.

Jaehyun was quiet on the drive over, so you just assumed he was tired from entertaining a toddler all afternoon. 

“Did you have a good time?” You ask, breaking the silence.

“Yes I did. They’re such nice people and that baby is the cutest thing in the world.” He says, smiling at the memory of the toddler.

“Minjun is the cutest thing ever.” You agreed, proud of how cute your nephew is.

“Our baby is going to be cuter though.” Jaehyun says absentmindedly, eyes still focused on the road.

He did not know the impact his words have on you because even though things are going great right now, you did not know if he saw more of a future with you. But with what he just said, it’s clear to you that he does see a future with you and that made you so happy you felt like you were going to cry again. 

Jaehyun must have sensed your inner turmoil because he grabbed your hand and gave you a light squeeze, the action alone letting you know how he felt.

The image of a mini Jaehyun running around filled your mind and it’s all you wanted now. No matter how long it will take to get there, you could not wait to have his children.

You finally arrived at Namsan tower and you were delighted to see that there weren't a lot of people around. You got there at the perfect time because it's almost sunset and by the time you get to the top of the tower the view will be spectacular.

Once again Jaehyun was a little quiet but that did not bother you because you were happy to be there with him, hand in hand. 

“Wow, it’s so beautiful.” You say, admiring the view of the city from such a high point.

“Let’s buy a lock to put on the railing.” Jaehyun suggests, making you clap your hands in excitement like a little girl.

He lets you choose the lock and since you were feeling cheesy, you got a heart shaped one. Jaehyun smiled in approval of your choice in lock and said that he wanted to write on it. You pouted playfully, saying that you wanted to write on it but Jehyun just stuck his tongue out at you and said he was going to because he paid for it. You rolled your eyes but complied, thinking his behavior was rather endearing. After writing on the lock, he grabs your hand and leads you back outside to the railing.

“Here you go, why don’t you place it on the railing?” He asks, placing the lock in your hand with the inscription facing down.

“Sure!” You agree, excited to be able to choose where it goes. 

You walk up to the railing and intently look around to find the perfect spot for your lock. You can feel Jaehyun behind you but you paid no attention as you looked for a spot. Once you found it, you quickly placed your lock and then you remembered that in your excitement you never read the inscription that Jaehyun wrote. You grab the lock and flip it over, stunned by what you saw. It was his initials plus your initials and underneath it was a drawing of a ring. You were confused as to what that meant and the second you turned around to ask him, it all made sense. Jaehyun was down on one knee, giving you a smile that made your heart stop.

“My beautiful darling. I know we have had our ups and downs and the time spent apart was unbearable for me. I’m so happy that we have a second chance and I don’t want it to ever end. Will you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?” He asks, opening the small velvet box you didn’t realize he was holding. In the box there was a gorgeous ring that sparkled under the light of the sunset. It was a gorgeous oval diamond on a plain light gold band. You were so mesmerized by it that you forgot where you were and what was happening in front of you, but thanks to the sounds of camera shutters going off you were able to come back to. You look back at Jaehyun’s face, seeing the love and hopefulness in his eyes, tears welling up in your eyes.

“Are you serious?” You whisper, throat closed off with tears.

“Yes my love.” He chuckles, his own heart racing a mile a minute.

“Yes. Of course I do.” You sob, tears running down your face as Jaehyun puts the ring on your finger with shaky hands. He stands up and embraces you in a hug, kissing the tear stains from your cheeks. You pulled apart when you heard the cheering of the people around you and you felt your cheeks heat up due to the PDA.

“Let’s go, I have another surprise.” Jaehyun says, taking your hand.

“Oh god, I don’t know if I can handle any more surprises today.” You giggle, wiping the tears from your cheeks.

“I’m sure you’ll love this one.” He says, giving you a peck on your lips.

“More than being engaged to you? I hardly believe that.”  You quip, admiring the gorgeous ring on your finger. 

“So, when did you decide to propose to me?” You ask once you were back in his car and on your way to the next location.

“It was when I helped you get groceries that first time in New York.” He says, giving you a sly smile.

“What?!” But we had barely known each other!” You say, not understanding that it could have been that moment.

“I  know, but I had never felt about anyone the way I felt about you the second I saw you. I hoped that you’d end up loving me the way I love you.” He says, reaching over and grabbing your hand, squeezing it slightly.

“I love you.” You say, squeezing his hand as well. “When did you get the ring?” You ask, trying to figure out that fact.

“Well, I actually bought it when I went to Connecticut to visit my old friends. I wanted it to be a surprise and I figured I could kill two birds with one stone.” He explains, laughing at the dumbfounded look on your face.

“Really? Were you going to propose to me in the states?” You ask, completely surprised by this new information.

“Yes. Actually do you remember the dinner date we had when you told me that Namjoon wanted you to come back to Korea? I was going to propose to you that night but the news sort of ruined my plan.” He explains.

You stare at him in complete shock, his odd behavior from that time now making a lot of sense. He was so nervous about asking you to marry him that he was acting strange so he would not lose his nerves.

“So you just held on to the ring this whole time?” You ask, voice cracking with emotion.

“Yes. I knew that we were going to end up together no matter what. I was ready to wait as long as necessary if it meant we were going to end up together.” He says, a small blush caressing his beautiful face. 

Your heart was hammering in your chest and you looked out the window, not wanting Jaehyun to see the tears welling up in your eyes.

You were so immersed in your conversation that you had not been paying attention to the route to your next destination.

“Wait. Are we going back to Mina’s house?” You ask, noticing the familiar streets passing you by.

“Nope.” He says with a smirk but offers no other information.

The mystery is killing you but now that you are engaged to him, you trust him more than you did before; you trust him with your life and you know that whatever he has up his sleeve is going to be worth it.

“Here we are.” Jaehyun says, parking on the street in front of some cute starter homes.

“What are we doing here?” You ask, confused as to what is going on as you get out of the car.

“You’ll see.” He says, taking your hand and walking up the path to one of the houses.

Was he going to introduce you to his parents? Right now? But you wanted to look more presentable when you met his family! And you don’t even have a gift prepared for them! They’re going to think you have no manners and won’t want you as their daughter-in-law!

Before you could spiral even further, Jaehyun opened the front door to the house and guided you in. 

“Are your parents not home?” You ask, noticing the quiet and dark house. The only light was coming from a soft light that was on in the kitchen, but that was enough to see the interior of the house. It was very clean and simple, more of a minimalist style of decor but still cozy. 

“This is not my parents home.” He says, walking in further into the house and turning on the light, illuminating the place.

You look at him confused because if it’s not his parents house then whose house is it?

Jaehyun chuckles at your expression and takes your face in his hands, placing a quick kiss to your lips.

“This is our house. I bought it for us”  He says, arms outstretched to emphasize his point.

“But… but… our...what...huh?” You sputter, at a loss for words for the second time today. “When? When did you…” You trailed off, looking around the house in awe. 

“Remember that time right before we… we separated, how I spent a lot of time at my place instead of yours?” He asks, not really liking to talk about that time you two broke up.

“Yeah….” You trail off, also hating the memory.

“Well the reason I was spending time apart was because I was in the process of buying this house. I was on a lot of phone calls and video calls with my family and realtor agents, looking for a house. I wanted it to be a surprise so that’s why I spend so much time at my place. Even though I put my proposal on a halt, I bought the house because I planned on moving to Korea with you. I wanted to be with you no matter what.” Jaehyun explains, your heart hammering in your chest at his explanation. He did all this to be with you? Gosh you had messed up so badly but you were eternally grateful that you got this second chance. 

“Is that why you wouldn’t invite me to stay at your place” You ask, the pieces finally coming together.

“Yes.” He chuckles, feeling guilty for being so evasive with you. “I wanted to make sure that the place was clean and ready for when I finally brought you over here.” Jaehyun explains

“You sly guy.” You say, hugging your fiance and reeling at the fact that all this is happening. The proposal, the house, everything. He was yours and that was not going to change, ever. He is the love of your life and he will become your family, and you were going to be together forever. And that’s more than enough.

A/N: Omg its over now! Thank you so much to all of you that have been here since day 1, your support and feedback were my driving force to keep writing! I’m sad that it’s over but you all made this whole process so enjoyable! I was thinking of doing like a little spin off one shot showing their married life but idk. Let me know if that’s something you guys would be in to! 

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