#someone write a paper in this pls xx

[edge-oftheworld]

community experts around the world take note, ashton irwin has channeled his alter ego psychology (honours) student to demonstrate the ultimate strategy for community engagement on important issues using the low budget technology of Instagram—

[wren-dy-flowergarden]

TWST (Mafia!AU + Bodyguard!AU)

If you realize the characters have no relatability to each other (other than the twins), you are correct. Because I just used a "spin the wheel" to pick characters to write lollllll.

Since I am trying to get back into writing, requests are OPEN. No limit. Pls fill it with what you like, no promises I will write everything though :D

I also wanted to write something more dark...pls read tags just in case!

TW: !yandere content, possessive behavior, mentions of slight blood, dark underlying themes, reader is a jewelry heiress, not be'tad

Mafia!AU Floyd Leech

Mafia!Floyd Is a little too good at his job. Frankly, his boss gets quite frustrated with the amount of bodies brought home. It says dead or alive doesn’t it? Why should it matter what happens to these small frys. 

So when he sees your pretty face on the next hit, he licks his lips in delight. What a treat. Though, the boss did say to keep this one fresh. Little blood is not bad, too much, and it causes some problems. 

So when Floyd sees you on a park bench across the street. You’re…normal compared to the others. They are greasy, bastards flaunting around their beer bellies with women cradled in their arms compared to the pen in your hand tapping against white paper. 

Floyd wants to see where this will go. His boss said to handle you with ‘care’. The moment you see him, you freeze almost like a fish out of water, or maybe like those small shrimps he sees in the fish tank run for cover as a predator approaches. Nothing like those pompous asses who wanted all fight, no talk.

You are so much fun! As Floyd smiles, holding out an eraser. 

“You dropped this little shrimpy.”

Mafia!AU Idia Shroud

Mafia!Idia never, ever, ever works in front of the house! No! Never! He rather stayed in the operating room filled with the comfort of blue light from his multiple monitors. Never missing an angle, never missing a moment, eyes glued onto the screen, because that is what he is good at.

Not when he has to escort you into their headquarters. Also, why the hell are you here? You are just the rich, tiny, heiress of a multi billion xx company; couldn’t you be placed with someone more- energetic (not chronically online person who never sees the sun). 

How the hell is he supposed to start a conversation with you? Boss said to be an excellent host–why is he the one hosting the hostage!? You walk with more poise than him, your heels clicking on the floor as he shuffles. 

You are pretty though… Small lips, big doe eyes with furrowed eyebrows taking in your surroundings. Even your bare shoulders, exposed thin collar bone with dazzling gems draped across your neck, are shivering whether because of the cold?

Be a good host…be a decent host, Idia repeats in his head. The next thing he knows he is throwing his long jacket at your head where you make a noise similar to an ‘ump’. 

“W-w-wear that till we m-meet the boss! Hostages can’t get s-s–sick.”

Bodyguard!AU Jade Leech

Bodyguard!Jade where his smile leaves goosebumps on your skin. It's the way his eyes glimmer, his teeth a bit too sharp to be normal, the way his body lurks over you like a second shadow waiting to swallow you whole. 

But…he is good at his job– ridiculously good for a man your father found off the street on a whim. The way he is diligent in his motions, gently offering his hand as you exit the limo his gaze piercing through every paparazzi, a gloved hand guides you by the small of your back through the entrance.

Your bodyguard Jade who lowers himself to the ground before you to place designer heels on your feet. It would be a lovely gesture if it weren’t for the small red marks underneath the sole…

Jade is good at his job. He keeps you protected, prudent of your lifestyle and satisfied; but, there is this feeling where you feel almost…smothered? No–submerged by his attentiveness as if you are barely keeping your head above water before a predator pulls you down.

He is right in front of your face as you wake up from your daze. His off set eyes shine in amusement as he offers his gloved hand which you take in habit. It feels damp.

“It’s almost time for your debut. Shall we?”

Bodyguard!AU Silver

Bodyguard!Silver makes you realize you are more of a bodyguard than him. At least you can stay awake. When you find him huddled against a corner of your workplace for the nth time in the last week, you break down and buy a blanket. His porcelain face makes no change as you carefully drape the plush wool over his back. Long eyelashes and smooth snow hair cradles his features. 

You're about to brush a stray hair from his cheek but before even a finger graces him, your back hits the concrete floor. Wrists tightly pinned over your head. Your heart is beating in your chest, maybe from the surprise, maybe from the way silver eyes pierce into yours as he asses you with sleep in his eyes. It’s over in an instance as your bodyguard's face filled with shock and embarrassment as he releases you, apologies spilling out of his mouth. 

You rub your wrists. Usually that will be an immediate fire for you. Hurting clients, sleeping on the job; but, Silver is unusually fast. Faster than any of the previous bodyguards your father had hired for you. And his eyes…iridescent opal, it is as beautiful as the jewels you collect. 

Your hand to cradle his face, there would be some bruises forming across your wrists but nothing a pair oIn a soft voice y lace gloves could fix. You tell him it's alright, accidents happen, that one miniscule mistake isn’t enough for you to eget rid of him. He breaths out, anxiety still shakesungs as he gulps, nodding his head pure opals staring right at you,

“I’m sorry, it will never happen again my lady” 

[insociometry]

Hi Inso ^^

I’m curious, your writing about the boys seems so accurate and realistic. What do you think is each boys love language? 👀

I’m glad you’re taking your break serious btw 🤭 pls don’t rush anything and take care, we’ll be here waiting anyways 🤭🫶🏻

xx all the love

Aww, hi dear, thank you! I put a lot of care into characterization, so that’s really nice to hear 🫶💛

This question is sooooooo fun! Love languages are actually one of the things I specifically thought about and took notes on and sought out video evidence of before getting pen to paper, so I have a lot of thoughts on this subject! Impromptu essay below the cut 😆

(All these thoughts are just my read of it — and my fictionalized characterization! Take it with a grain of salt!!!)

Chan: words of affirmation and acts of service. Chan was actually kind of hard to categorize because he is such an incredibly loving, warm person to the people he cares for; he touches a lot, and he’s generous with gifts, and he loves quality time. But I ended up picking these two because I think his little acts of service are constant, even automatic: things like walking last so he can keep an eye out, putting a hand out so his members don’t fall, holding bags and umbrellas. His hand hovering over the small of someone’s back, moving everyone to places that are less slippery, constantly thinking and acting and moving to make everyone’s lives just a little bit easier — I don’t think that could be anything but love 😊

And then for words of affirmation: Chan is very warm and complimentary in the way he speaks, too, but I actually chose this one more because of the effect I think it has when pointed at him! Like he can dish it out but can’t take it…?? Chan kind of melts at praise and reassurance, hahahaha, it’s really cute. You can see sometimes that when someone starts saying something nice about him, he just sits there quietly and listens.

Lino: acts of service and quality time. Lino is silly and goofy and often loud with the people he loves, but I also think he’s someone who loves quietly, if that makes sense? He wants to be in the same room: napping within eyesight, sitting at the same table, watching the same movie. He definitely needs his alone time, but I think in a way that makes it more meaningful that even with such a busy life, he goes out of his way to spend as much time as possible with his friends and members.

Acts of service just seems obvious for him! He puts food on people’s plates and washes things that need to be washed; he listens to people talk about things and gives them advice; if someone he loves asks him for something, he’ll help, even if he doesn’t want to, even if he’s busy, even if he’s tired. He would always make his own life harder to make the life of someone he loves easier; he wouldn’t even think about it. I know I quoted this once before in my author’s notes, but I love this quote from his One Kids Room: “If I feel like someone’s in my inner circle, I try to take care of them… For people in my boundary, I don’t care about time or money; I do everything I can… But for those outside of it, I’m like a wall. That’s why I don’t have a lot of people by my side.”

Changbin: quality time and physical touch. Likes being in the same room, even when they’re not doing anything together; liked living with Chan because he would just come in and lie on his bed unprompted, even if they didn’t have plans. If someone calls or facetimes him, he picks up. Tries to eat meals together when he can. Likes when the members congregate in his room when they’re in hotels on tour. Wants to go to movies together, go out together, experience things together… I could go on, but you get the idea 😆

Physical touch is pretty self-explanatory, I think! Changbin makes a lot of excuses to touch the other members — and touches them without excuses, too. Lots of manhandling and bear hugs and teasing; Changbin likes attention, and likes giving attention, and I think touch is a really good way to accomplish both. For me, one of the most jarring things to watch about his impression of Seungmin in that one SKZ Code episode was just like, how physically far away he was hahahaha. I feel like Changbin is always kind of in the center of it all.

Hyunjin: gift giving and physical touch. Hyunjin seems to think a lot about gifts! I think they mean a lot to him, even when they’re small. The paintings from him to the other members are obviously very sweet; I think there’s something very special about giving someone something you made yourself. It’s one of a kind, and there’s nothing else like it; they couldn’t get it from anyone else. You’re giving them a piece of yourself, in a sense. And then there’s the matching jewelry: necklaces with Changbin, rings with Felix… I feel like Hyunjin seems to gravitate towards gifts like that, something physical and tangible that you’ll see a lot, something that ties you to him, that wouldn’t mean the same thing on its own or from someone else. It’s a kind of… possessive, overbearing love??? In the most positive possible sense, hahahaha

I think physical touch for him is a little different from some of the others in that it’s a bit more discriminate? I was surprised to find a lot of people don’t think Hyunjin likes touch in general; I think he really likes it! He’s just a bit pickier 😊 More like enjoying closeness than as an active act of affection… I don’t know how to explain it…

Han: acts of service and words of affirmation. Han is funny to sort because I think he can be a little dishonest about himself hahahaha — but I think acts of service are pretty plain to see? He does things for his loved ones all the time with the ease of someone who’s used to it. I really like that video of him opening plastic cutlery for Lino, or tying someone’s shoe, fixing bangs, feeding people, opening drinks… That recent-ish live where he covers Felix’s legs made me laugh, and the other members have mentioned he likes to pay for things, he’ll buy people coffee, stuff like that. I also think mood-making plays into this; he likes to make people laugh, and he likes to lighten the mood. He pays a lot of attention, and he likes to be helpful and important; he needs to be needed.

I think the words of affirmation are more receiving in this case hahahaha. Han likes reassurance! He jokes around a lot, but you can kind of physically see the impact that genuine praise and affection has on him; it’s sweet 💛 I think it’s a bit more heavy and vulnerable than the acts of service, which he maybe doesn’t think about as much.

Felix: physical touch and acts of service. Like Chan, Felix is kind of hard to sort because he really is just very loving!! He’s a very warm, loving, affectionate guy!!!! I really thought about putting gift giving here but hear me out okay… we will get through this together… Acts of service! Obviously there’s the massages, but also, I was really struck by that part in… I think it’s in the Chan x Felix 2 Kids Room, where the other members are talking about the two of them and they’re like, “If they see you doing something and you don’t ask for help and do it on your own, they get sad.” Like Lino was like, “Felix saw me making cookies on my own and told me to ask if I wanted help, and when he came back later and I was done, he got sad”… Felix’s raw puppy energy… He likes to help and he likes to be involved. I also think Felix is someone with a lot of pride! And I think that ties in, too. If I had to sort the acts-of-servicers so far into mini-catgeories, I would put Han and Felix together (needs to be needed).

Physical touch is less divisive hahaha. He’s a cuddle bug, he likes to be close, he cannot help himself 😊

Seungmin: acts of service and words of affirmation. Seungmin is someone who pays a lot of attention, I think. He’s very in tune with and aware of everyone’s needs and moods and where they’re at; he likes to joke, but only when it is a joke; if it starts not to land, he pulls back. He worries about health and remembers preferences, and he quietly takes care of people. He also seems to do a lot of the emotional work in the group — not necessarily the way Changbin does, but still like reaching out and being there and supporting them. In general I think Seungmin is a really devoted person and that really comes through hahaha

I also think he’s… surprisingly genuine? open?? when it comes to words of affirmation. Like clearly he likes praise and acknowledgment, even if it’s a little embarrassing — but he’s also pretty good at dishing it out. He’s honest!! And I think that honesty makes it more genuine, to everyone involved. If Seungmin* (*serious mode, not gremlin mode; do not listen to gremlin-mode Seungmin) is the one saying it then you know that it’s true

I.N: gift giving and acts of service. I.N is surprisingly stoic and matter-of-fact about a lot of things and gift giving is one of them, but I do think he puts a lot of thought into his gifts and also watches carefully for reactions… Especially because he’s kind of cheap, I just think it’s sweet hahaha. Maybe it's just my opinion, but it carries a little more weight. Thought and consideration went into it.

I feel like I’ve been talking so long, I must be running out of things to say about acts of service — and yet!!!!! I think it’s in his One Kids Room where the other members talk about how I.N is kind of stubborn and won’t necessarily volunteer to do something — unless there’s something the others really don’t want to do, and then he will. It’s sweet that he’s good with chores, too… My heart thumped in that recent vlog of his where he does the dishes before his mom can notice and also scolds her that she should eat more hahaha. And I think it’s interesting too, the thing the others have talked about with I.N sort of fulfilling the role and expectations of being maknae to some extent — not in like a bad way, but just that they want someone to baby, so he lets himself be babied, even if it maybe isn’t his natural inclination.

In general because they’re all so close, I think you see a lot of bleed-over between love languages — like maybe Seungmin doesn’t place a lot of weight into physical touch, but he’s kind of a giver, and other people do, so when they grab him, he just goes with it. And obviously, the love language thing isn’t very scientific, and almost everyone likes all of them to some extent! So you know 😊

I talked a lot, but I hope this was interesting to read! Thanks for the ask! 💛

[chryblossomjjk]

midnight mistakes | jjk

⇢ PAIRING: fuckboy!jk x inexperienced reader

⇢ RATING: m/18+

⇢ WC: 2.5k

⇢ WARNINGS: v brief sm*t, v slight angst, oc is sick rip, pregnancy scare putting their relationship to the test eep!!!, brief mentions of abortion (reader considers it)

⇢ SUMMARY: a midnight romp with jungkook leads to tears on your cheeks and a pregnancy test in your hand

⇢ NOTES: i miss writing sm so here's a lil drabble of our otp :') school has been v overwhelming lately and it makes me so sad that i don't have as much time to write on here anymore. hopefully, things will calm down soon. for now, enjoy this crumb!! i love you all, let me know what you think!! if you haven't read the series yet, pls read that before this if u want to!! this wasn't beta'd so i apologize for any grammar issues or typos rip

⇢ SERIES MASTERLIST

The sequence of events that landed you in this situation; having a teary, heaving breakdown in front of your bathroom mirror, was absolutely ridiculous, to say the least.

“I’m gonna kill someone,” you squeak, breathless from the endless stream of sneezes ripping through you. The glow of the alarm clock on your nightstand reads 1 a.m. as you reach for a tissue. Violently blowing your nose does little to ease its congestion. With a shaky sigh, you crumple the sodden napkin and toss it into the bin beside your bed; overthrown by contents alike. The wet ball hits the paper mountain before rolling onto your pretty pink area rug.

You shiver, how fucking disgusting. 

A stressful week of labs and quizzes has tanked your immune system, making you susceptible to all the little germs and illnesses that strike when the brisk winter air transitions into the pollen-laced breeze of spring. The antibiotics you were prescribed did little to help your runny nose and sore throat. Pausing the anime playing on your phone, you open your messages. 

dumbo love you, get some rest please xx

So much for getting rest. You weren’t expecting a text back. Jungkook had offered to spend the night, but you encouraged him to go. It was his last semester after all. Still, you were pouty and needy, wanting nothing more than to snuggle into his arms and let the swirls of his delicate fingers on your back lull you to sleep. Instead, here you were, confined to your bed, watching Naruto solo as Jungkook, Tae, and Mina lived it up; taking shots until they were belligerent. 

A distinguishable knock rattles the door before you can press play again.

“What are you doing here?” 

Jungkook stands in your doorway, oversized black tee hanging over his equally oversized green cargo pants. His cute little mullet falls in sweaty loops around his face. “Still feelin’ like shit?” He coos, cringing at your disheveled appearance and the croak in your voice. Ignoring your question, he holds up the various items in his big hands. “I picked up a few things; cough drops—not the cherry kind ‘cause those are fucking nasty,” you laugh at the side note, “—extra spicy ramen and hot sauce to clear out your sinuses.”

Your peer at the array of remedies with wide eyes. Their ability to cure your flu symptoms is questionable. You don’t even have a way of boiling water to make said ramen in your cramped dorm, but the sentiment has your chest swelling with something other than a violent cough for the first time in days. Abruptly, you pull him into a tight embrace. 

“Ah, I see,” he laughs, wrapping an arm around the small of your back and walking you back into the room, kicking the door closed behind him. “My Bambi missed me.”

“I did,” you nuzzle into him further, “but you shouldn’t be here… you should be having fun with your friends.”

“Nah, fuck ‘em,” he retorts playfully, putting the quote-unquote medicine down and then plopping onto the bed, taking you with him. “Besides, what kind of shit boyfriend ditches their sick girlfriend to go to a party anyways?”

“The kind that should be enjoying his last semester,” you frown. 

“I am, though. I enjoy spending time with you more than anything else.”

As he lays under you, black tresses splayed against your white comforter like a misshapen halo, you feel so incredibly lucky. Gently, you run your fingers through his choppy bangs, pushing them out of his doe eyes. “Have you been drinking?” 

“Not really, just a couple shots of Fireball and a few beers.” That much alcohol would have knocked you on your lightweight ass, but after years of beer pong and keg stands, Jungkook’s tolerance was damn near Kage level. It took a lot more than that to get him drunk. “I kinda…” he averts your gaze, something he does when he’s sad or guilty. “I felt really bad so I left.”

“Jungkook, I told you it was okay.”

“I know,” he nods, sliding a warm palm under your shirt, rubbing his thumb against your skin in soothing lines. “But I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” Using your fingertip, you brush an eyelash off the apple of his cheek. “Thank you… for coming back for me.”

“Of course, Bambi.” He leans up and presses a deep kiss to your dehydrated lips.

“Kook, stop,” you mumble, craning your neck back. “You’re gonna get sick.”

“I don’t care.”

It doesn’t take much convincing. If Jungkook doesn’t care, why should you? 

What follows is a battle of warm tongues and the needy clash of his bunny teeth against yours. Tender touches coax your Sailor Moon pajama set to the floor with the promise of Jungkook’s delicious love. Before you know it, you’re sinking down onto his hard length, fingers digging into his shoulders as he slouches against your headboard.

“Take it all,” he whispers, jaw slacking as he tilts his head down, getting a clear view of your wet cunt swallowing the remaining few inches. A slick film coats the two fingers he used to hold himself up for you as your lip pillow around the base. “Yeah, just like that.” His face contorts in pleasure, overcome by your warm, slippery walls after a week of illness-induced celibacy. “Feels good, huh baby? Tell me how good my dick makes you feel.”

He wants praise and dirty talk, but the tickle in your nose makes you pause, bracing yourself as a slew of sneezes pours out of you. Eight sneezes to be exact. Jungkook’s high-pitched cackle is drowned out by a shriek as you cup your hand over your leaking nostrils. “EW!”

“Shut up, it’s fine!” He grabs a tissue from the nearly empty box. “Lemme see,” he mumbles, pulling your hand down and wiping it clean, then doing the same to your face afterward and tossing the kleenex in your glittery pink trash bin. 

“I’m sorry,” you peep, completely mortified.

“Don’t worry.” The crooked bunny grin eases your nerves. “That was fire, actually. You clenched around me so tight.”

You squint at him and then bury your head into the crook of his neck. You make love to each other; slow and gentle. At one point, Jungkook locks his tattooed fingers in between yours, pecking your bare shoulder as lazy drags of your hips bring you both to writhing climaxes. And he looks so beautiful when he climaxes, gnawing at his lip piercing, skin dewy from sweat and the moonlight shining through the blinds. 

At that moment, you felt nothing but love and pure ecstasy. 

Isn’t it funny how pleasures of the past can create complete devastation in the present?

Clutching the edge of the porcelain sink, you stare down at the pink box of pregnancy tests. There’s tear stains on your cheeks. A pain in your lungs from all the sobbing. You wish Jungkook had been a shit boyfriend that night. You’d give anything to take it all back. 

Like a sixth sense, there’s a distinguishable knock at the door. 

“Hey, I-” he stops short, brows furrowing as his dark pupils scan your face. “Have you been crying?”

“What do you think?” You shouldn’t snap at him, but the waves of anxiety washing over you make you highly sensitive. Truthfully, you weren’t going to tell Jungkook any of this. His showing up had put an awful wrench in your plans. Well, unless the test came back positive. Then, you’d be forced to tell him. You clamp your hand over your mouth, the thought making you sick to your stomach. 

“__, take a deep breath. Sit down.” You do and he follows suit. “What's going on?”  

“I-” you gulp, swallowing back a whine, struggling to form a coherent sentence. There’s no escape, you have to confess. “I think I might be pregnant.”

There’s an eerie silence once the words hit the air, lingering over you both like a dark, dreary cloud. It takes Jungkook a moment to internalize the weight of the situation, but you can tell when the thunder strikes. The pink tinge in his cheeks fades to a stark, sickly white as he inhales shakily. “Fuck-” Leaning his elbows against his knees, he digs the heels of his palms into his eyes, shielding them. “I thought you were on the pill.” 

“I am, but I was taking antibiotics last week and I read that they can make birth control less effective- and I’ve been having symptoms lately.” It all comes out in a jumbled mess like word vomit. He doesn’t respond. He doesn’t move. And it scares you. “Are you mad at me?”

“No.” Despite his posture, his tone is still and calm. “I just… don’t know what to say. It’s a lot to take in.”

“I’m sorry,” you whisper as the floodgates finally burst. You were still in the swell of your STEM program. Jungkook is just about to graduate with a Bachelor’s in photography. Both of your lives would come to a screeching halt if the worst were true. You weren’t ready for a baby, not in the slightest. “I’m so sorry.”

“Hey, hey, don’t-.” Finally, Jungkook sits up, wrapping a strong arm around your shoulder and pulling you into his side. The other arm repeats as he rests his chin on top of your head, rocking your shaking frame back and forth for comfort. “Don’t apologize, don’t cry. Why don’t you take a test before we start freaking the fuck out?”

You suppose he’s right. 

The walk to the bathroom is a blur. Suddenly, you’re on the toilet with that evil stick in hand. Jungkook is sitting on the floor with his eyes closed, knees bent and head leaned back against the wood of the cabinet. Normally, you’re extremely pee-shy. It literally will not come out. Under these circumstances, you can’t bring yourself to care. 

“You pee so softly,” Jungkook says through an airy laugh. “I pee really hard- and fast. Like-” he makes a little whooshing noise with his mouth, “like a hose.” 

“Baby, please,” you huff, setting the test aside and pulling your sweats up. You know he’s trying to ease your nerves, but this is one situation where his lighthearted jokes and comments ceased to make you smile. “This is serious.”

“Trust me, I know.” Spreading his legs, he pats the carpet between them. “C’mere.” As soon as you hit the ground he’s embracing you, trailing kisses all over your exposed skin. “What now?”

“Now,” you sigh, setting a timer on your phone for three minutes, “we wait.”

“You know… it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if it’s positive.”

“It would be absolutely awful, Jungkook.” It’s a sweet sentiment but you know he’s lying, right through his bunny teeth. Late-night conversations in bed about the future ring in your head. ‘Honestly, I don’t think I want kids,’ Jungkook had hummed in the middle of My Neighbor Totoro, ‘ever.’ Generally, you felt the same way, but the memory is terrifying in this context; sitting on the bathroom floor with him, waiting for an answer that could contradict all of your plans and possibly crumble the entire foundation of your relationship.

“Who am I kidding?” He chuckles humorlessly. “You’re right, it would be fucking awful.”

Nervously, you toy with the silver rings on his inked fingers. “What if it’s positive, Jungkook?”

“Let’s just wait until we get the results.”

“But what if it’s positive?” You twist in his arms, showing him your glassy eyes and deep frown. Showing him that his answer, regardless of what the test says, was very important to you. 

He blinks at you, lips opening and then closing promptly as he mulls over his words. “If it is… then we’ll take care of it.”

There’s a dual meaning to the sentiment that makes you chew on your bottom lip, eyes flickering up to the white ceiling to stop yourself from crying. Take care of it as in going through with it? Or take care of it as in… the other option? Honestly, the latter would be your first choice, and you’re sure it’s his as well. But for whatever reason, the fact that he assumed it makes your heart ache. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means whatever you want it to mean.” Gently, he smooths a hand over your trembling thighs before they frantically search for yours. “Just… whatever you want to do… whatever you want, I’ll support it… I’m here.”

A breath you hadn’t realized you were holding in releases in relief. You feel stupid for even questioning him. After all these months of unconditional love, you should know better. Bringing your locked hands up, you kiss his fingertips. The smile it brings out of him is just as soft as your touch. “I love you so much.”

“I love y-.”

He’s cut off by the blaring ring of your timer.

“Please, can you look?” You mumble, shaking your head and covering your eyes. “I can’t do it.”

You feel his torso twist against your back as he reaches for the test on your countertop. The time between him grabbing it and the dreaded answer feels like an eternity.

“Negative.” 

“Thank fuck!” You groan, doing a complete 180 and wrapping your arms around his neck in celebration. You haven’t felt this type of excitement since you were a child, waking up on Christmas morning and seeing colorful presents under the tree.

“What made you think you were pregnant in the first place?”

You hesitate to respond. In retrospect, it’s not as valid of a reason as you originally thought. “I’ve been feeling sick in the morning.”

Pulling back, Jungkook deadpans you. “Bambi, no shit. You’ve been sick all week.”

“I know but,” you pout, twirling a ringlet at the nape of his neck, “google said I could be pregnant…”

“You’re so fucking lucky you’re cute,” he laughs, holding you flush to him and nipping your cheek playfully. “You’ve got to be the most dramatic person I’ve ever met in my life.” You know he’s joking, but the comment makes your expression drop a bit. “But that’s part of the reason I love you so much. I’m never bored with you.”

Once again, you truly don’t know how you got so lucky. 

“Alright,” he huffs, using all of his strength to haul you up into the air and walk you back to your bedroom. Instinctually and habitually, you wrap your legs around his cinched waist. “We finished Avatar last time, so what’re we watching tonight?”

You click your tongue in contemplation. “Naruto.”

“Naruto? Bambi, isn’t Naruto like- a billion episodes long?”

When he tosses you down onto the mattress, you pout and bat your long lashes at him, pulling out all the provenly successful manipulation tactics. “Please?”

“Fine,” he grumbles, plopping down beside you. “But don’t be mad if I knock out.”

And like clockwork, Jungkook dozes off in the middle of the second episode, but that’s okay, because despite how horrible the pregnancy scare was, it truly solidified Jungkook’s presence in your life. You have all the time in the world to watch hours and hours of subpar filler episodes, and you’ll do it happily as long as you’re with him.

© chryblossomjjk 2023 [do not copy, translate or repost]

[harrysmimi]

My Missus

Coffee And Pancakes series P3

Synopsis: One where Harry admits to have a girlfriend on a talk show

CW: Smut. Unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it kiddos)

Pls pls make sure you leave a like and reblog if you'd like xx

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YN's never been this happy in her life before!

She didn't know how a year and half went by with Harry. Obviously it's not been all rainbows and sunshine and unicorns and cotton candy but whatever it came her wat she cherished with her life. Because almost half of the time Harry was on tour all over in US and Asia, she gets to attend few of his shows as well.

Now she's got someone who shows her respect and love her for who she is!

Harry's recently released his third studio album which she helped write a few songs for. It was a swift process as he had his muse by his side, he said to her. And god has it been breaking records after records!

Alas, Harry was back in London but for a few days before he heads off to Manchester and tour all over Europe.

It was his birthday and he requested they spend it at home together. YN had baked him a little cake which was chilling in the fridge as they lounged in her living room, half dressed from their morning shenanigans, him sat there just in his boxers. A nice Sunday afternoon.

"Are you coming to the show tomorrow, love?" Harry asked. YN was sat in front of him on the sofa of her flat which have become a home for him from past couple of months now, as he painted her nails to match his.

"Yeah, I've taken the day off for tomorrow." She nodded watching him so concentrated that he doesn't get anything on her cuticles. "Your mum has called me over for lunch with your sister, a girls day in she called it."

"You know sometimes I get jealous how well you get along with my mother." He shared, his curls flopped down on his forehead. She'd somehow convinced him to not cut his hair.

"Awh! That so sad, isn't it?" YN cooed teasing him.

Anne has been nothing but sweet to YN since day they met on Gemma's birthday. Though that was very early when YN met her but they bumped in getting dinner at the same restaurant. Harry was taking his sister out on a nice dinner with his mum and Gemma's boyfriend tagged along. YN was there with her friends.

Totally unplanned for but everything went by smoothly. And what was there to love about YN? Harry wondered. He honestly doesn't know how and why fell for her. He just did. It just happened.

"But that sounds fun," he added quickly. It wasn't the first time YN has shared about hanging out with him mum or sister and it honestly warmed his heart to see and hear that. Especially when either of the women in his life has been so open to accept anyone he's dated in their lives this much.

"Mhmm. Gemma suggested we should all go get our hair done, she's been wanting to change her hair colour but she is confused. I was thinking about getting a hair cut too." YN shared.

"Yeah?" Harry glanced at her with a grin on his face, "what haircut are you planning to get?"

"I don't know, I kinda want to get bangs again. But it's too much work." YN contemplated. "I'll just get a little chop."

"Don't cut off your hair!" He exclaimed, "been begging me to not cut mine, you can't do that either!"

"You look cute with long hair!" She defended, "and I'm talking about just a little trim." Harry was done with giving her a nice manicure, looking proud of the little green heart he'd drawn over off white base. "That's so cute! Thank you Harry!"

"You're welcome, baby." He smiled, started putting away stuff on the coffee table.

"Oh, oh, oh, I forgot." YN got up and ram to the bedroom which they now share leaving him confused. She came back with a small paper bag in her hand. "A little birthday present for you."

"I told you to not get me anything, love." Harry gasped.

"Mhmm I did the same but you still got me present last year." She reminded him, "open it, open it!"

"What is it?" He took the bag, there was a little ring box in it. "YN, you really didn't had to lovie!"

"No, shush! Just open it!" She scolded him and did just that. There was a pretty signet ring with a gorgeous purple stone and silver band.

"This is so pretty." He pulled out the the piece of jewelry, "what stone is it?"

"Amethyst. Do you like it?" She beamed at him watching his reaction.

"I love it, sweetheart, thank you so much." Harry cooed, his voice soft.

"Wear wear it on your third finger, left hand." She shared.

"Any specific reason?" He slid the ring on the exact finger she said.

"I don't know about that. It's just that Amethyst just helps with creating like a good and zen mood, and like help with anxiety and stuff - I wear it too you know - basically it's calm you down." She started explaining, "my parents got me this ring when I was teenager." She showed him the ring he'd always seen her wear, "because I was starting to lash out on everyone, they thought I was like possessed or something. Our family astrologer said to get one made for me with silver to help with that. But anyway, that's not why I got it for you. I thought it might help as you said you get a little anxious before your shows. And a new piece to add to your collection. And it's also your birth stone!" She ended her rambling with a sheepish smile on her face.

"Awh!" He chuckled, "thank you so much, darling, I love how much thought you put into this. We can match now!"

"Oh, yeah!" She realised looking down at her own hand.

"Aren't you the sweetest little thing!" He pulled her in a bear hug cooing to her. "You're my own Amethyst, this is just a little cherry on top." YN was too shy to say anything so she resorted to just giggle. He'd managed to get her straddling his lap. "I love you."

"I love you." She pulled away to give him a kiss on his mouth. "So much. Thank you for being constant in my life that I've been looking for forever. I can't imagine myself without you."

"I'm not going anywhere," an adorable smirk creeping up on the corner of his lips, "you don't have to imagine that. I'm here with you for as long as you'd like to have me. You've given me a ring and now you're stuck with me."

"That doesn't sound bad."

"No it doesn't." He agreed, "would you like it if we move in together? We can get a place of our own somewhere a little private, I know my house has become a tourist attraction now."

"Or we can stay here." She suggested, "we've basically been living together. For now, we can stay here no one really knows where I stay. We can get a place maybe in future?"

Even thought gave him butterflies. He had never lived with anyone before. Thought of making it more legit and move in with her all together made his heart jumping in his ears. To finally and openly call her flat their home which has always felt like home to him.

It isn't as grand or as big as his own property, YN says, but he could say otherwise. It was just perfect for two people to live together which also had enough room to give each other personal space. That's more than enough.

"Yeah?" His cheeks were starting to hirt from how much he was smiling, "maybe when we're married?"

"Yeah." She nods. "When we're married!"

"You want to get married?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?" She shrugged, "do you?"

"I don't see myself not doing that." He admitted kissing her tenderly, "it's good we're on same page."

"Okay, now stop we have a cake waiting in the fridge." She stopped whatever he was trying to lead on.

"Come on it's my birthday." He looked at her with faux-puppy eyes, being sneaky with his wandering hands. Stroking his hand on soft of her bare thighs, slipping under her (his) sweat shirt she had threw on after their post-breakfast shenanigans. "Do you want to stop?"

"No," she nodded.

"Just as I expected," he smirked sitting straight with his hand on the back of her neck pulled her down slotting their mouths together. Cutting to chase, his tongue slipped past her lips getting the taste of her. His moan was lost in her mouth at gentle rut of her hips against his own. "God you're gonna be death of me!" He groaned pulling away from her mouth breathing out another moan.

"It's your birthday we wouldn't want that." She teased him.

"If you don't want that you should definitely take this off, it's only fair." He suggested, already tugging the piece of garment of her. He almost managed to get her sweatshirt over her head before her phone started ringing in the other room. "Were you expecting a call?"

"No," she shook her head getting off his lap after he'd adjusted her clothes properly letting her go.

YN saw it was face time from Alec, upon answering she found Brielle was on a conference call. Alec went on about his video, Brielle calling him weird names for bragging about it their usual shenanigans. All fun and jokes continued for next ten minutes before Brielle talked about sharing something.

"Before she goes on, we know it's your boyfriend's birthday but she just can't keep it in her stomach for a day longer." Alec gave YN a disclaimer.

"What is going on?" YN asked.

"I am engaged!" Brielle screamed showing YN her ring.

"What the fuck?" YN squealed.

"Yes! Ben proposed last night!" The blonde shared.

"Oh my god, Brielle! I am so happy for you!" She couldn't contain herself. "What!"

"Wait, wait, wait, there is more!" Alec butted in, taking YN by surprise.

"Oh, Hi Harry!" Brielle said making YN look behind. Harry was there with a shirt on. "Happy Birthday!"

"Hello, how are you? I heard squealing here, everything alright?" Harry said.

"I got engaged last night!" Brielle gave him the new as well.

"Awh! Congratulations, darling!" Harry cooed. All the YN could feel his hard on pressed to her lower back. He got worked up, hasn't he, YN wondered.

"And..." Brielle said picking up something from in front of her. "I am pregnant!"

"Oh my god!" YN gasped, "slow down girlie!"

"No, no, that was her surprise for Ben. But little did either of them knew both of them called me up before to help with the surprise." Alec said, "it was like two birds with one stone!"

"You sneaky little shits, didn't even tell me about a thing!" YN huffed.

"Yeah? You were seeing Harry Styles behind our back for months before you told us!" Brielle pointed out.

"Touché!" Harry agreed with her just to tease his girl.

"Anyway, I have to go I'll talk you all later." Alec said, "Harry, Happy Birthday to you bestie!"

"Yes, yes, I have an appointment. Happy Birthday, Harry. Bye bye!"

"Thank you!" Harry smiled. YN hung up the call with her friends and put her phone back on charge.

"Oh god!" She squealed watching Harry towering over her, taking steps back.

"Left me hanging there." He pouted but he kept walking forward until she was flushed against the wall behind her, beside her dresser.

"I got a call, didn't mean to." She genuinely got upset for doing that to him.

"No, baby I'm just joking." He rushed, giggling softly he pressed a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Do you still want to continue?" A cheeky smile over his face.

"Mhmm!" She agreed. "I want."

"C'mon." He walked her to their bed, making her sit back down he took off the shirt he'd put on just so he can could check on her and her friend squealing, it would have been indecent if he walked in on their face time chat just in his boxers. He resumed to do the same to her, waiting for a moment to get her approval. Being careful of the neckline. "Hi."

"Hi." She chuckled watching him keep the jumper close by. Little thing he'd been concious about to not throw her shirt away as she gets cold easily. He approached her with a kiss on her mouth, as he carefully lied her back. Making sure she'd comfortable on her pillow.

"You still want this? You aren't still sore from last night, right?" He enquired.

"I want it," she assured him, "please?"

"You're getting it, gorgeous," he cooed to her. Cutting to chase, he pushed his boxers down as well as her panties. His fingers skimming over her core to meet with her wet fold, that earned him a breathy moan from her in attempt. "You ready?"

"Yeah." His hand still between them, as he grabbed onto his cock slipping through her fold with ease her feel her tightly wrap around him. He felt her shuddering under him just at that. "Move!" She sounded. Enough for him to pull out enough and buck his hips into her in gentle thrusts. Feeling warm and close, pushed him to the edge already if it weren't for how worked up he got waiting for his girl to get off the phone call with her friends.

"Oh my baby," he sighed dropping his head in the crook of her neck, comforting her as he heard her little whimpers, "fuck!"

Harry felt her press a few kisses on his face. "Oh god- Harry. Faster please!" She managed to convey between each puffs of oxytocin in her brain followed by each of his thrusts. He picked up his pace enough for her satisfaction, she wrapped her arms around his middle to find a balance, her nails racking on his skin in attempt.

"Jesus, baby I'm not gonna last!" He punctuated his little announcement with a sigh of his moan, a growl she decided it was rumbling through his chest. "Are you close? Need you to cum with me baby love."

"Getting, getting there." She nodded, stuttering through her speech.

"I can't- fucking christ!- I can't..." He whimpered. Her walls clenching around him making it much harder for him to chase her.

"Cum for me, please, Harry." She urged him. "Please?" With his thrusts getting sloppier and sloppier, he came down on his orgasm hard spurting his cum inside her until his cock softened again. Their mouths pressed together to drown their noises, his cock was replaced by his fingers. "Ah! Harry!"

"Can't leave my baby hanging, can I, hm?" He cooed to her, "been so good to me. Can already feel you clenching around me fingers." His fingers worked faster hitting just her right spot and be knew exactly what he was doing to her, making her squirt as she came down of her own high. Grateful of the towels they had splayed on their bed from last night.

Harry brought up fingers to her mouth, pushing past her kiss lips be watched her suck them clean. Thin sheen of sweat over her face had him groaning, he swore he'd fucked a real angel and now she's sucking their cum off his fingers.

Feeling oh so tired, he plopped on his spot next to her. "C'mere, angel." He coaxed her closer to him so she wouldn't get cold. "You alright?"

"Yeah. Just need a minute." She shared, her head rested on his chest. "Are you having a good birthday?"

"Most amazing one I've had." He corrected her, "thank you for the present, sweetheart, really love it!" She just pressed a kiss on his collar bone.

YN wasn't big on recieving thank yous. Especially from him and her friends. She did the things she did nit expecting a thank you in return, it made her weird she said. But Harry is for sure never going to take off the ring she got him. She draped her arm and leg over him cuddling closer.

"Was it too rough last night, baby?" He enquired, carelessly running his hand down her side to the full of her ass feeling her bare skin. "Are you sore anywhere?"

"Not from last night." She admitted, "and I liked it."

"Yeah, you did?" He smiled, "but you've gotta tell me if it's too much, okay lovie?"

"I will, I will." She agreed.

"Why are you sore?"

"In my joints, it happens when the weather is changing." She shared.

"Did you have an appointment with your doctor recently?" Lately he's been accompanying her to her doctors visit as many times as he could between his schedule. He figured she tends to forget a few things her doctor says, so he took it upon himself to go with her. Or it is usually Brielle going with her when he can't.

"No, it's next Friday."

"You want me to go with you? Can come back from Manchester." He suggested.

"Yes, please." She lifted her head up to look at him, "I want to take a warm bath now. Join me?"

"Lay here, okay? I'll go run us a bath then."

......................................................................

YN's day out with Anne and Gemma was amazing.

They were talking about the videos YN sent in their group chat of Harry decorating his own birthday cake and struggled every moment of it. Getting frosting everywhere, dressed in his purple bathrobe. Gemma was having a field day making fun of him in the group chat.

The girls got their hair done. Gemma finally deciding to dye her hair with blue highlights and getting curtain bangs getting inspired by YN. Anne just got her hair trimmed and styled, she looked stunning!

YN could really see how much Harry resembles to his mother. It was creepily adorable to her how look alike they were, knowing very well that's how genes work. The way they both talk and behave are just so similar, Harry just got a little lazy undertone to his voice.

"Oh, YN did you see Harry's fans have been suspicious about him seeing someone in secret?" Gemma asked, "I know you're not on Twitter and Harry doesn't go online much, just wanted to give you a little head up. People online can be brutal. But honestly his fans loves you even though they don't know you yet."

"Mhmm, I saw those too." Anne chimed in, "there are pictures of you two from Louvre last month."

"Hmm?!" YN couldn't believe it. The few Harry update account she'd been following for ages haven't posted any of those on their feed. She didn't know about that.

"Yeah." Gemma nodded, "we're going to show after this. And anyone says anything mean to you, you tell me about it!"

YN chuckled, "I will, I will."

......................................................................

Before the show started the girls headed to the Wembley stadium. It was jam packed with Harry's fan screaming to the show opener's songs and even pre set playlist.

Waiting for Harry was a bore honestly, Gemma said. So they took many selfies and pictures. YN gonna show each one of those Harry later tonight when they get back home. But alas he got up on the stage, ten minutes late!

The back of the pit was open, just a few guards stood around. Especially next to Anne, Gemma and YN and other of Harry's friends visiting. He'd also invited YN's friends to the show.

"YN!" Brielle squealed.

"Bri!" YN hugged her, "oh my god I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," the blonde cooed hugging her best friend back.

Gemma was YN's date as Harry was literally working and ber friends were accompanied by their Fiancés. Yup, both her friends are engaged. Alec proposed his girlfriend of five years on their graduation day. YN couldn't be happier for both of her best friends. But Gemma kept her company as they danced to Harry singing.

Just just Harry climbed on the sound box during Medicine making his fans go crazy and his family and friends stood in the back laugh. YN just hoped he doesn't hurt himself, he didn't so that was good.

"Oh my, he is going to hurt himself someday." Gemma said. YN's sure she's planning to give him some scolding.

"It's okay, he's fine. He just needs a wired mic." YN assured her making her laugh out loud.

After the show like planned they all went to have dinner. Harry have been meaning to do so, to get to know her friends better. They had an amazing time to say the least, apart from little threats he got from her friends if he hurts YN in anyway. They were both mostly joking.

......................................................................

Harry was finally done with his tour for the hear, he was home. YN got home from work, Harry had begged her for attention and cuddles. Having her pinned to the sofa along with him.

"Brielle is already showing a tiny bit, she said she's having twins she told her!" YN shared, as she showed Harry pictures she took with ber friends at Brielle's little gender reveal. They looked through the posts on Instagram and Harry's fans making fun of him for the way he was being a little monkey on stage on his last show with a wireless mic. "That's insane!"

"Yeah? Identical or Fraternal?" Harry found her excitement pretty adorable. She was lied there basically on top of him with her back pressed on his chest, he held her tightly.

"Fraternal, I think she said but both are boys." YN wondered not remembering what Brielle shared.

"What do you want for dinner? I wanna cook something for you." He smiled, she lifted her head to look at him, "I won't burn down our kitchen don't worry."

"I hope you don't," she nodded.

"Babe that happened once!" He defended himself. When he went to make YN and himself some tea and accidentally let the tea simmer off all over the stove that the flame went off. "You can supervise me."

"We have some pasta, you can make that." YN suggested, "spaghetti maybe? I think there is some spaghetti sauce or we can order a jar if not."

"You really keep me humble, really need that." He chuckled, she really doesn't want him near the stove. Just as she was about to say something the door bell went off.

"Yeah, and your wired mic back." She commented before getting up to go check the door but she wasn't quick enough before she felt a smack on her bum.

"Cheeky!" He exclaimed.

YN laughed. She opened the door to find her neighbour there. "Oh Hi, Deniz, how are you?"

"I'm good, I'm good." He said. "My roommate and I made some Pide, thought to share with our neighbour." He offered her a plate china plate with delicious food.

"Hmm, thank you." YN accepted, "what is Pide?" Looking at what she can make is a boat shaped pizza.

"It's Turkish dish, like a, uhh, pizza you can say. This one has eggs and this one has sausage on it." Deniz explained. "Hope you enjoy them."

"Yeah, thank you." YN nodded.

"Bye."

"Bye." YN waved at him and shut her door after he got in his flat.

"Who was it darling?" Harry called from kitchen, he was looking at things in the fridge.

"The new neighbour." YN said, "we are offered some Turkish delicacies."

"Oh, our neighbours are pretty nice. Except Mrs. White at front." Harry smiled, "what is it?"

"He said it's like a Turkish pizza." YN shrugged. "And I get her, we were being too loud that day!"

Harry didn't liked the old lady who lived in the flat right across from YN's (now their home), she knocked on the door the morning after he can came back from his Asia tour scolding them for being loud. Even threatening to call the cops as it was the second time. Since then they've been very tame with their sexual activities.

"Yeah, like she didn't when she was younger."

"Oh my god Harry, give her a break." YN laughed. "You go at it like a freaking rabbit."

"I go at it like a rabbit? Like you don't participate." He scoffed, "you're the loudest one, which I don't mind."

"Oh my," YN rolled her eyes because there was no denying on the first part of his argument, "she'll move out in three months after her lease is over."

"How do you know that?"

"The day I moved in she came in to deliver her set of rules, there she told he how long she's been living here and stuff." YN explained, "and she said she doesn't have the energy to deal with my shenanigans if I were to bring home people every night like every other college student who live on the floor." Though YN never brought anyone home with her, except her friends a couple of times and now Harry.

"Oh, she's exhausted then." Harry giggled picking up A slice of Pide from the plate. "There is enough to make the sauce from scratch in the fridge, would need to go grocery shopping. This is not going to be enough for us."

"Okay." YN nodded. Harry got to preparing to make the sauce for the pasta.

"You know I was thinking," he started.

"What are you thinking?" YN asked as she washed up few dishes in the sink from lunch time.

"Maybe we should go on a vacation?" He suggested, "need a little break before I start filming for Eternals."

"Vacation? Where?"

"Wherever you please," he shrugged. "We can do it for your birthday."

"I, ehm, I am sorry I don't know if I can really afford a vacation right now." She explained.

"Baby," he dropped the knife on the counter before he walked upto her, "you don't have to worry about it, yeah? I said I wanna take you somewhere for your birthday." He hugged her from behind.

"I'd feel too bad!"

"Why would you feel bad? I am your boyfriend, I have the right to take my girlfriend out."

"Exactly, I'm your girlfriend not your sugar baby, so you don't have to pay for my vacation." YN placed the last dish on the drying rack and turned around to face him.

"It's not that, sweetheart, I promise." He assured her, "usually I go alone out somewhere for sometime after tour. But I'm not alone, am I now?"

"No you're not," she smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah? Then will you think about it?" He asked, feeling excited already.

"Yeah." She agreed.

"Though I wouldn't mind to be your sugar daddy." He teased, tickling her sides

"I'll need a Versace bag and the new Louis Vuitton collection for that to happen." YN said, of course adding to his teasing jokingly.

"Thought you'd say you want something from Gucci!" He acted hurt.

"Not everyone is obsessed with Gucci like you, Harry." She booped the tip of his nose with her pointer finger.

"But I am obsessed with you!" He corrected her, making her chuckle sheepishly.

Harry just laughed watching her blush dipped his head down to place a tender kiss on her mouth before they both got to making dinner.

He had put on her dance playlist on her phone, they laughed when the Spotify add started playing interrupting their fun. But none the less they danced around the kitchen. Harry singing along to Elvis as they waited for the water to boil to cook the pasta, he pulled YN closer to him with his arms snaked around her waist swaying them both to the soft tunes of Can't Help Falling In Love because he really couldn't.

"I love you so much." He mumbled to her like they weren't home alone, as it if it were his little secret, as if he wanted to be selfish and keep it to himself. His forehead rested on her, noses skimming close into soft kitten kiss.

"I love you too."

......................................................................

Another day at work YN was having a fairly good day. Excited to go back home and watch new season of the show with her boyfriend. She had been holding off to watch the show for Harry. Just as she was about to wrap up her shift by taking the last order, her older brother walked in.

"Hello." He said, smiling.

"What can I get you?" YN smiled back, keeping it professional.

"It's bit late for coffee, if you're done can we talk?" He asked politely.

YN nodded, "wait outside." She quickly wrapped up for the day amd clocked out. Walked out to see her brother stood there waiting for her. "What do you want?"

"Hey, be nice." He whined, "I came to see my sister, can't I?"

"What do you need help with?" YN trued to cut to the chase.

"You think I'm like Mumma and Baba, don't you?" He sighed, "look there are few things I want to you to know about, it's important. It's better you know from family than anywhere else."

"What is it then?" She asked.

"Come on let's go get dinner and well talk about it." He suggested. YN contemplated and hesitated but agreed.

"Okay, I'll drive there. Need to inform my boyfriend."

"You've got a boyfriend?" He chuckled not believing. YN just kept her head down and walked to her car sending a quick text to Harry explaining that she won't be coming home for dinner, that her brother came to see her. To which he sent a quick okay and a little Enjoy baby!.

Harry at home, took time to himself. Cleaned around the flat a little and picked up the dirty laundry he tends to leave everywhere and annoy YN. He did both their laundry and cooked dinner himself as she won't be joining him.

Though it made him a little anxious for his girl when she mentioned that she's going to get dinner with her brother. She didn't mention which brother it was. As far he knows her little brother is a complete asshole, he'd seen him a few times, calling YN up to lend him cash or pick him up from somewhere and whatever he might need help with, throw tantrums like a little toddler when YN refuse to help him.

She had told him so much about her family, that they all lived in a big joint family — a typical Indian household she expects —, with both her grandparents, her parents and all of her siblings. Before her older sister got married and though his older is married too now, he still lives with their parents with his wife. It was a pretty common custom he reckoned.

YN was the middle child in between two sets of twins. An older sister and brother and younger sister and brother. And essential like every stereotypical middle child she was neglected. If not neglected then always looked down upon. Why? Because her older siblings were much mature and listen to everything her parents asked them or told them to, and her younger siblings? Well, they're always excused and as they're young and dumb.

Growing up YN felt pressure to be good enough to make her parents proud and be a good example for her younger siblings who don't give a crap about her. She never listened to anyone talking shit about her, even behind her back, she clapped back unlike her other siblings. She rebelled against the shitty rules.

And oh boy did she dared to choose her own career path and don't go to be a doctor, or an engineer or a fucking lawyer or even a teacher for the matter of fact. When she told her parents she is not quitting her job at the cafe because she loves it, they just lashes out on her. Because well, it isn't well reputed job, is it?

Harry waited for her anxiously at home. When he heard that click of door opening he walked up to go greet her, she looked all tired and run down. Before he could say anything else their neighbour greeted her.

"Hey YN."

"Hi," she said after glancing at her boyfriend.

"I was wondering if you were free this weekend, my friends and I were going out for drinks." Deniz said, Harry looked taken back.

"No, I have plans with my boyfriend here." She quickly and politely turned him down, "Harry this is Deniz, he's our new neighbour."

"Nice to meet you..." Harry said, he didn't mean it though, "Deniz was it?"

"Yeah, nice to meet you too. Sorry about that." The blue eyed man said, "never seen you around here."

"I was on tour recently so I wasn't home." Harry shared. Deniz just smiled awkwardly and walked into his flat. YN walked in herself and shut the door behind her. "You've got a quite a few admirers, eh?" He teased her earning an eye roll from. "I don't blame him honestly, I've got a quite crush on you too."

"Oh, I really hope you do." She warned him, taking off her shoes. "I'm sorry about that, I didn't know why he asked that."

"Don't be sorry baby, I trust you," he assured her as he pulled her in a big bear hug. "God I miss you too much when you're off to work."

"Just six hours Harry," she giggled holding onto him tightly as he lifted her off her feet and walked in the living room with her. Sitting down her placed her on his lap.

"It's too much!" He whines burying his face in her neck.

"I'm all sweaty, lemme go shower and we can cuddle." She suggested.

"Shush!" He sounded, "I don't mind."

"Did you eat dinner?" She asked.

"Mhmm," he nodded, pulling back enough to look at her, "how did it go with your brother?"

"He shared a few things." YN started, "for first he was asking if I was ever going to move back in, I told him I'm living with my boyfriend now to which he reacted like, meh, I don't know how to explain it. He just looked taken back."

"Mhmm, and?"

"And he said that Grandma is sick from past few weeks, but they had to take her to hospital a couple of days back." She said, "and all that. And a couple more things."

"You want to go see her then?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'll go tomorrow." She nodded, "you want to come with me? We can go after your interview?"

"Yeah." He agreed. He'll get to meet her family.

......................................................................

The very next morning Harry had an interview at Graham Norton show but he is nervous. He's certain he's going to be asked about the pictures of him and his girlfriend at the interview. He has been contemplating whether to just dodge it or answer it truthfully. Honestly he would but he doesn't know how YN feels about it.

"Baby, would you help me pick a suit?" Harry asked.

"You should wear the pink one from suits Lambert sent pictures of." YN suggested.

"Oh the with embroidered flowers?" He was already pulling up the exact pink suit on his phone.

"Yes, that one. And wear the baby pink shirt underneath it."

"Nice choice baby love." He gave her a forehead kiss, "I'll go get ready to leave now."

"Yeah," YN nodded, pressing a kiss on his shoulder she walked out.

"Baby, what's wrong?" Harry followed her out, she was in the kitchen.

"Nothing, just worried about my Grandma." She shared, a pair of tattooed arms wrapped around her stopping her from moving around much as she prepared for a nice breakfast.

"I thought you didn't like her?"

"Harry, she's still my dad's mother." She sighed, not liking his joke which weren't entirely wrong.

"I apologise baby," he pressed a kiss on her shoulder, "we'll go see her after my interview today, yeah?"

"Mhmm." She nodded.

"What are you making?" He asked watching her resume mixing flour in the went ingredients.

"Pancakes, I'll be getting late for work so, something quick." She shared.

"I'll make us coffee and tea." He got to making himself coffee and her a cuppa. Like everyday, they had a breakfast together. It was their thing to eat at least one meal together whenever Harry's in town.

......................................................................

As expected Harry was now being asked about his secret girlfriend.

Now Harry has been dying for the commercial break so he could tell this actress sitting next to him that his girl is a huge fan of her. She's literally made him watch each one of her movies with her. But he wasn't expecting for the pictures of him and his girl being asked about now, though he knew it was going to inevitable to avoid.

"What are you even doing here?" Graham asked showing a picture of him at the Hyde Park on one of the many picnic dates with YN. He was chasing her for something cheeky did that day. He has been caught in the action, with a very funny face.

"Running." He shrugged leaning back trying to act casual and not nervous. Graham proceeded to show a few twitter memes of him on the pictures.

"Oh, this is a new one 'I would be filing an restraining order if someone looked at me the way Harry is looking at this girl.' I mean, you do look creepy there!" Graham laughed.

It was a picture of Harry and his girl at Louvre museum not too long ago. He didn't even know he looked creepy just admiring her talking about something she found amusing or interesting. He can still remember seeing her eyes sparkle there, looking at the stuff she has been researching for days when he told her about the little trip to france even though just her back was to be seen in the picture. He just laughed awkwardly.

"May I ask, who is that you're with?" The host asked, taking him by a little surprise.

"That, ehm, that's my missus." He confirmed making the audience scream in awe, "yeah, that's my partner." He nodded, shyly running a nervous knuckle under his nose, an attempt to hide his blush.

"You've never talked about your romantic life before!" The host exclaimed in surprise, "well, apart from confirming your situationship with Barak Obama."

"Stop, it still hurts!" Harry covered his eyes dramatically making everyone laugh.

"How long have you been together? And how didn't we know about it?" The other comedian actor sitting on his other side asked, confusedly.

"I don't know really." Harry stuttered, "a pretty long time, yeah." He smiled shyly. He's clearly never talked about being in a relationship with someone. And he was being vague about the status for a reason there, to protect her from the internet cruelty. People can really feel free wonder what their relationship setting is.

He knew this was going to make a huge buzz in the media and on internet. But Harry did talked to YN's favourite actress about her, even make FaceTime call after wrap up.

He went home to see an excited YN there who tackled him with the biggest and warmest hug.

"Ah! I can't believe you actually met her!" She exclaimed, "thank you telling her about me!"

"Of course my baby," he cooed, "I love talking about you!"

"I love you so much!" She gave him a last squeeze before she pulled away to press firm kisses on his mouth.

"I'd go hunting down your favourite celebrities from now on." He mumbled in between her sweet little kisses. "I love you too, baby."

"You are my favourite celebrity, I don't know what you're talking about." She shrugged.

"I can agree to that." He nods, "are you ready to leave to see your grandma?"

"Mhmm, I packed a little over night bag." She shared, "it would be too late to drive back. Do you want to get a change of clothes?"

They were going to have to stay overnight as the visiting hours in the morning are very limited. Driving in the morning made less sense, in case if they got late they'd have to wait another day. YN managed to get just one day off of work. Also she wanted Harry to meet up with her family finally!

"Of course, do you have room in your bag?" He went in their bedroom to get a change of spare clothes, he was already in a pair of sweats and a hoodie.

"Yup!" She sounded following him around like a little puppy.

......................................................................

On the car ride to Kingston, YN was driving when Harry decided to tell her that he'd confirmed to be in a relationship.

"Graham showed a few pictures of us at the interview." Harry started, "I gave a vague answer that you're my girl."

"Oh, really?" She asked, being taken aback by the accent she put on unknowingly, "I sounded super British there! What have you done to me?!" She fake screamed making him laugh out loud, his head thrown back.

"Being a good influence, eh?" He teased her, "I don't know if you were fine with it or not. I can still call in and ask them to cut the segment off for you."

"No, it's fine." She shrugged, "it was going to be out anyway." She seemed very chill about it. "Though your fans still come over at the cafe asking what time you usually come in."

"They do?" He was surprised.

"Mhmm, I just tell them there is no fixed time you come over." She answered. "Oh shit! I forgot to book a damn hotel, I don't want to stay at my parents!"

"I can do that baby, don't worry." He pulled out his phone without any questions. He knew how weirdly complicated her family is.

It was going to be a fum field trip for him and her for the day. But he was ready for anything. Because he just loves so much!

......................................................................

Twitter

HSupdates: "That, ehm, that's my missus." Harry talking about being seen with a girl at Louvre museum."yeah, that's my partner."

Replies:

User1 ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!?!! HE HAS NEVER TALKED ABOUT HIS PARTNERS BEFORE! I'M GONNA GO THROW MYSELF OFF A CLIFF. BRB.

User2 He's literally so sick for doing this! 😭 I love him!

User3 He actually seems so happy 🥺 makes me so happy that he can openly talk about the person he loves.

User4 She must make him so happy that he actually talked about her. I'm gonna cry!

mamatwist ❤️❤️

User6 WHO IS SHE?!! WHERE THE FBI HARRIES?!

User7 OMG! She works at the cafe Harry has been seen visiting almost every fucking day he's in London. GOD! he's smitten like a kitten with her! 😭

User8 no because I go to her cafe, she's literally so sweet. Such an agel she is. Sadly there were some rude Karens when I was there last time I couldn't talk to her cuz I didn't wanted to make her more upset. But she's literally so sweet!

User9 What the fuck? Harry likes to degrade his options? He went from Taylor to Kendall ro Camille to now some random ass barista? My mans need a serious wingman!

User10 SHUT UP! That's why he's been visiting the same cafe from past two years??? They've been together FOR TWO FUCKING YEARS??

User11 Watch this man get married, have ten kids and three grandkids and we wouldn't know. Love that for him!

User12 Isn't it the same girl who have been Credited on every Harry's House song? 🥺

User13 Fucking hell! She's the rudest person I have ever met. She messed my perfect order on purpose when I went to her outlet.

User14 Don't listen to the rude and nasty people in the replies y'all. She's very sweet and kind. No wonder why Harry is so happy lately. She was there at the last London show with Gemma and Anne, they both looked so happy with her too. 🥺

User15 My baby is finally happy! 🥺 I am so happy he found someone!

User16 So happy she's not from the industry. He needs serious humbling!

HSupdates: "I don't know really." Stutters, "a pretty long time, yeah." Harry on being asked how long he's been with his partner.

Replies:

User17 He might have told us he's taken but he will never give out any details.

User18 People better not bully the girl who makes my baby so happy 😤 I'll literally burn down cities!

User19 No because he got all blushy and shy. I love that for him!

User20 This is seriously a PR to hide ykw 👀 she's been literally credited on his album. Lol

User21 User20 stfu if you don't know anything. Let Harry be happy for once! Not everything have to a PR to hide anything! Grow tf up!

User22 God she's so fat 🤢 wtf Harry sees in her!

User21 User22 Good! Sk now we're gonna body shame the person you don't even know the name of? Go get a job at a McDonald's or something pls.

User23 Harry we love that for you!

User24 God I feel bad for the girl already. I hope fans respect this girl now. She seems so sweet by reading the few nice comments about her. 🥺

User25 No one bully my Husband's partner 🤺🤺 I'll literally hunt you down!

User26 *Sneaky Pictures of YN working at the cafe" I saw her today! Ew she's so ugly!

User27 User26 WTF? Literally delete this now! This is so disgusting of you, leave her alone!

User28 I literally love her for making Harry so happy!

User29 I hope Harry settle downs now. 🥺 Anne seemed so happy with her at the Wembley show.

User30 No but how lucky is Harry to have a person HER in his life now? He deserves it!

User31 stfu everyone! Harry_Styles can you fight? Because I am gonna steal your hot gf from you!

User32 NO SHE WAS IN MY MUSIC HISTORY CLASS! NO WONDER WHY SHE HAS BEEN CREDITED ON HARRY'S HOUSE!

User33 No literally. Harry you should go learn Karate or something because she's so fucking gorgeous. Like BI PANIC IS REAL!

User34 No he took her to Museums for dates 🥺 that's so Harry of him

User35 They frequently go to Hyde Park and have little picnics. I see them almost every second day Harry is back in London when I go for my everything walks.

User36 No because the way Harry and Her go to the Hyde Park. I literally see them everytime Harry's in town. They cuddle up in a corner looking through the phone kr Harry reads to her 🥺

User37 SOMEBODY NEEDS TO TAKE THEIR PICTURES FROM THEIR PICNIC DATES!

User38 User37 Uhmm... No? Because that's very effing creepy. They deserve their privacy. So stfu with kindness 🥰

User39 That's the same girl I saw at Harry's Wembley show at the salon with Anne and Gemma. She's literally part of the family now 🥺❤️😭

User40 Her hair is so fucking pretty 😭 I wanna see how pretty she looks so badly!

User41 Imagine the next post of Harry is that he's engaged or married to her. It's over for you bitches 🤧

User42 User41 I doubt he'll post anything about it but that would shut down many fucker out here! I so badly want him to post about her.

User43 I can't. I am heartbroken at the same time so happy for him.

User44 "My Missus" ?!?!? How British can he get 😩

User45 She's so hot irl dude. Harry is literally to lucky to have get her! I am jealous 😭

User46 so cute!!!

User47 I want to be Harry so bad! I am so jealous of him for a getting a girl that hot!

User48 The way we're all collectively thirsting over Harry's partner 🤧 this has never happened before but I'm here for it.

User49 No because why is her back so pretty? Like, imagine how pretty she's be from the front

IndianHarrie Harry finally getting some spice in his love life 😤 (pun intended cuz she seems Indian to me lol)

User40 IndianHarrie NOUR! STOP! 😭🤣

N O T E :

1. AJSHAIGS the way I had so much writing this 😭😂 especially the twitter part. Probably the dumbest shit I've written but I love this!

2. Please do tell me how you like this one. What was your favourite part?

Tag list:

@vrittivsanghavi @buckymydarlingangel @sweetwritingfanficfriend @theroosterswife24 @sleutherclaw @melllinaa @michellekstyles @sunshinemoonsposts @marialikescherries @japanchrry know if you want to added to the tag list

[innocent-cat]

hey whore, help fix my daddy issues by writing me headcannons of fatherly soldier 76 as readers(m) dad. (pls) i jst need smth sweet.

xx not kaikai

i have had no sleep. its 5am. i've written 2 works, and about to be 3 with this within the span of 17 hours. lord give me strength to make another work so i dont ruin my sleep schedule.

Father!Soldier 76 x Son!reader (Platonic)

Head canons

Warnings - None

"My dad could beat your dad in a fight.", Father!76 x Son!reader

.·:*¨༺༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺༻¨*:·..·:*¨༺༻

with lack of a better idea of how to explain reader, he was saved by overwatch and taken in when they realized he was orphaned.

OBVIOUSLY THEY NEED SOMEONE TO WATCH YOUU

To say jack thought you were annoying at first is an understatement.

"Why do I have to watch the kid? What the fuck do you mean I give you 'Dad' energy??"

Confused and annoyed

Being the scared and timid kid you were, you kinda just.. followed him around.

You'd follow him EVERYWHERE except missions. he had someone babysit you when he had to leave. (Anyone except the junkers. good on him)

Whenever someone turned a corner and spotted him, they always looked down and saw you, some fragile little boy, clinging to his leg.

Everyone thought it was hilarious and bugged him about it.

"Hello there mini 76, how are you today?"

You'd literally just look up at them while they bent down to your level to talk to you.

Awkwardly shuffling into Jack.

EVERYONE noticed how much less he swore after he started having to take care of you.

Jack has never once swore in front of you, but, he'll have slip ups and correct himself.

"What the hel-heck. heck. are you doing?"

Even funnier than how much you clung to him.

He used to get a funny face at first when he corrected himself, but now he just points towards you and everyone's just like "ohhh okay"

When he does paper work in his office, he sits you in a chair across his desk and you just. spin in it. for hours. or run around with his pens. He thinks you're really weird.

its okay though, hes accepted you as his own atp

doesn't mean he's not strict though.

hes lenient with you, but, you still complain about it to him

Walking around headquarters to catch up with everyone, he'll just ruffle your hair to show he still knows you're there

He feels super bad when he doesnt talk to you for an extended period of time

like. straight up feels like a bad person and like he was ignoring you, when in fact, he was in a meeting while you were being babysat by Ana or smth.

literally auntie Ana. babysits you all the time. Absolutely adores you.

"You're gonna grow up just as big and strong as your dad!"

She says this forgetting hes not actually your dad, but just kinda keeps it rolling hoping you let it slide

spoiler alert, you appreciate her saying that and youre happy for at LEAST two days about it

Jack was shocked when he got back from his meeting to you rambling about 'training' and 'being just like him'

Ana just smiled and left. out of there before the idea was tracked back to her

He just kind of. pats your head and says he will when you're old enough.

he knows damn well he doesnt want you to be a soldier

wouldnt be able to live with himself knowing you died on some battlefield because HE had trained you to

referencing the title, you are one HUNDRED percent the only kid who can actually say "My dad could beat your dad in a fight." and not get retorted because he obviously could and no kid was walking that down that road

he obviously would die for you before any danger even comes near you. but. yk.. he'll stay near you for as long as possible.

you sticking to him like glue literally made you the baby brother of all of overwatch after a while

"Oh my gosh there you are! I saw these, did you want them?"

A box of fucking dinosaurs.

you of course said yes.

babying and gift giving never stopped since

(but jack still got you new things whenever he thought you'd like them)

[deanscroissant]

Reunited…and It Feels so Good

Joe Mazzello x fem!reader

requested by: @borhapgirlforlife19 (i hope you like it, hun xx)

warnings (im terrible at these): mentions of smut but nothing that deep (twss), lots of fluff, and a tiny bit of angst.

a/n: my first joe fic in a year or so 😬 i took a brief hiatus from writing in general so pls be gentle with me. im getting back into the swing of thangs. 😁 i hope you guys enjoy!

It's a special day today because someone is celebrating a birthday: your husband Joe of six years.

You couldn't wait to celebrate it with him because he's been gone for a long time—half of the year just about. But having him home safe and sound with his family has been such a relief. You missed Joe, but not as much as your four-year-old daughter Jade (Jay Jay, as you and Joe, would call her). That girl loves her father more than anyone in the world. Sometimes it'll make you a tad bit jealous when she shows more attention to him than you, but the thought goes away when you see them playing and laughing together.

She wanted to sleep with you two last night, but Joe wanted to spend some alone time with you. So instead, he decided to lay with her in her room until she fell asleep. Joe felt terrible, but his attention was entirely on her the whole day. Not that you both mind it; he just missed you and wanted to show you how much he did.

You looked over at him and smiled softly. Joe was sleeping peacefully. His under eyes showed how exhausted he was. Without waking him, you slowly removed the covers and left the bed. You tipped toed to the other side of the room to look for your night clothes, where Joe threw them, then quietly left the room, closing the door behind you.

You figured Jay Jay was asleep because it was almost seven a.m., but the sound of hard plastic and animated mouth sounds flowing through her cracked door told you otherwise. You softly giggled while opening her door wider. She was fully awake on her floor, playing with her Barbie dolls that she recently got from your parents last week. Her precious green-hazel eyes averted to you, and they lit up as she leaped off the floor and into your arms.

"Hi, princess," you said, smiling while hugging her back and kissing her temple. "You're up early…as always." you chuckled as you tickled her side, her giggles filling the air.

She calmed down and said, "I wanted to play Barbie with daddy when he wakes up. I was just waiting for him." He did promise her that he'll play all day with her. But, unfortunately, he didn't get the memo when she wanted to start bright and early. "Well, I think daddy needs to sleep a little longer."

"Why?" She pouted while moving her unkempt hair from her eyes. You began walking to the living room to sit her down with you to explain why.

"Because we need to surprise him. It's his birthday!"

Her eyes widen as she lets out a gasp, "Really?! I have to make him something!" She slides off the couch and runs back toward her room but stops before going further. "Wait! Mommy, you can make breakfast for daddy. Don't make him cereal. Make eggs and waffles for him, okay? And bacon!"

You couldn't help but laugh at the little diva toddler. "Yes, ma'am, I got it. Thank you for telling me."

She gives you a cheeky smile before running off, following to get off the couch to start Joe's birthday breakfast. Jade returned with her supplies and paper and asked you to help her put her things on the table. Once she got in the chair, you resumed back to cooking.

Joe eventually woke up when the smell of his favorite waffles hit his nose: Chocolate chip. Also, the sound of his daughter's laughter abrupted his sleeping. Hearing her laugh made his heart warm. He was so happy to wake up at home with his family instead of in a small rental apartment that gave him restless nights. He felt awful for missing half of the year without seeing Jay Jay, but he knew he could make it up to her soon enough.

He got out of bed to use the bathroom and brush his teeth before joining his family. Jay Jay was drawing while you made the next batch of waffles when Joe stopped in the living room to admire you both. Joe sometimes can't believe he has a family of his own, which he wanted for a long time—way before he met you. When he got to know you more, he was happy that you were on the same page as him wanting to start one someday. You were perfect for him and his daughter. Joe couldn't think of anyone better to be his wife and the mother of his children.

Jay Jay's attention turned to the movement she saw from the corner of her eye. Her hazel-green orbs met the same set staring back at her—gasping in surprise at the sight of her father. "Daddy!" she screeched, jumping from the chair and running into his embrace when he got down to her level to embrace her back. "Good morning, baby girl!" He pecks her cheek before picking her up.

"Happy Birthday!" she said with glee, her little arms stretched out, making Joe grin even harder.

"Well, thank you, Jay Jay. I appreciate it!" He gives her cheek some more kisses, which sends her into a fit of giggles. Joe has yet to shave his beard that he had to grow for the project he worked on, only because hearing Jay Jay laugh hysterically gives him a dopamine rush when he gives her kisses. You started to laugh while listening to them as you began whisking the eggs. Jade had a contagious laugh, and it was hard not to laugh with her. It was one of the cutest things about her.

Joe places her back down, and she grabs his hand (well, two of his fingers) to lead him to the table, "I made a gift for your birthday, daddy." She climbs back in her chair while Joe sits beside her, propping his arm on the back of the chair she was in to look at what she crafted for him. She picks up her handmade card buried underneath a pile of gold and red glitter, blowing off the excess before handing it to him carefully. Joe's mouth agape dramatically at the crafty card made from printer paper. "For me? You shouldn't have!”

With a cheeky smile, he opens it and laughs when more glitter spills out. 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY,' it says across the paper, written in marker with each word in different colors. Below it was stick figures of you, Joe, and Jay Jay standing outside our house surrounded by trees and hearts. It made Joe's heart swell. "Oh my gosh, thank you, baby girl! It's so beautiful!" He says while pulling her into his lap and kissing her cheek. Her small hands tried to pry his head away as another round of giggles escaped her mouth.

"You're welcome!" she says in between laughs. Joe could do this all day and never get tired of it. Jade returned to drawing, and Joe put the homemade card on the fridge. You had just finished the eggs and got ready to set the plates when Joe came up behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist, kissing gently on your neck. "And good morning to you, gorgeous."

You had wished Joe happy birthday around midnight after doing "late night activities" with him, which led to another round after you teased him about getting old and not being able to do that "thing" you always loved him to do.

Proving you wrong was an understatement.

"Good morning, birthday boy." you smiled, turning your head to kiss his lips before finishing up what you were doing. "How did you sleep?"

"I slept like a baby, thanks for asking. I missed that bed so much." He sighed as he placed his cold hands under your shirt, rubbing your warm tummy. "And I missed you laying next to me."

"Aww. Likewise, babe." You cooed, now placing a stack of waffles on Joe's plate. "I was asking if you were still interested in going out today. That's if you're too tired to."

"Well, I did want to go eat pizza for lunch, then come back home and enjoy the rest of my day with you beautiful humans." He tightens his arms around you, burying his face in your neck as you roll your eyes. "By that, you mean let your four-year-old boss you around all day."

"You know it." he chuckled, "You guys are my birthday gift."

"Oh, you are such a sap," you teased, turning around to peck his lips. "This is the only thing I'll ask you to do today: Will you help Jay Jay clean the table, please?"

"Yeah, right. Let's see how long it will take for you to ask me to do something else. I bet five minutes." He teased back before turning around to help little Jade with the table. You giggled when you saw a trail of glitter coming from the table to the fridge where he put the card. "You're probably right because you left a trail of fairy dust behind." you pointed out on the floor, and Joe looked down, a laugh escaping between his lips. "I did no such thing!"

"Yes you did, daddy!" Jay Jay giggles as she runs back to her room to put her stuff away. Joe fake gasped at her. "Not Jay Jay ratting me out."

"She's an angel, unlike you." you poked out your tongue, making Joe scoff. "Who said I was?"

Another giggle came out as you returned to finishing Joe's plate. You wanted to surprise Joe by putting whipped cream and sprinkles on his waffles. You set the table once it was clean, pouring everyone's favorite morning drink with the delicious dish you were about to demolish.

Joe marveled at the sweet breakfast treat before him, his smile resembling Jay Jay's on Christmas. "Oh, I'm just getting spoiled left and right today." He said. Jade walked back in and gasped. "Oh my gosh, Mommy, these look amazing!"

"They do, huh?" Joe said, pulling you into his side and looking up at you. "I think she did a pretty good job. Thank you, honey." You grinned and kissed his cheek. "Anything for you, babes."

Joe felt content now that he was home, even though he got home a few days ago. It doesn't steer away from the fact that he missed so much time away from his family. He missed birthdays, holidays, and anniversaries. So he did feel a little guilty that he was celebrating his birthday. But if it meant he could return home to his beautiful girls, he wasn't complaining.

[cupofteaguk]

switching my positions

summary: Fresh out of college, Min Yoongi makes a name for himself amongst his online fanbase as an artist who writes about the ins and outs of falling in love. But when he is signed to a record label, his producer insists that he reveal a public romantic relationship to weed off any potential scandals or dangerous assumptions about the source of his love songs. So who else should Yoongi turn to, but you: his manager—but more than that, his best friend and secret crush. 

pairing: yoongi x fem!reader

genre: solo artist!yoongi, manager!y/n, fake dating au, friends to lovers au | fluff/angst 

warnings: yoongi starts off as a musician on youtube but it’s not really highlighted for most of the story, kim seokjin is a Hot Music Executive who’ll take good care of his favorite boy, jungkook gets promoted from a cameraman to a bodyguard and i love to see it <3, nayeon + hoseok cameo as radio show hosts BECAUSE THIS STORY HAS SO MANY CHARACTERS I’M SORRY, IU shows up as a ~superstar~ because i love her so much, it’s a slow burn fic what can i say, mutual pining, actually an idiots to lovers plot tbh ????,  recreational alcohol consumption, POV switches occasionally but i try to make it as obvious as possible as to what is going on, mentions of insecurity, there’s angst BUT IT’S A HAPPY ENDING !!! 

word count: 40.1k 

a/n: big big thank you to @gukyi​ for being my fic consultant for this story! she encouraged me and believed in this story more than I ever could (and contributed like 50% of the foundation that made this fic into what it is), and also reminded me that yes this is a fic so no it doesn’t require one hundred percent accuracy to the music industry despite every discord message i sent her falling somewhere along the lines of “how realistic is this scenario…” she was a very big support for this fic, and this story wouldn’t have existed without her!! 

and regarding the word count… my hand slipped. I’ve clowned this fic a lot over the past month but I am really happy that this is done and so so excited for you all to read it. Pls enjoy!!!!!!! Xx 

.

.

CHAPTER 1: THE DISCOVERY 

.

You’re late. 

Yoongi lets you know that much as you have to shove your way through a rather large crowd of people to reach him. When he turns away from his keyboard to glance down at you, your chest is heaving and your knees are bent in order for your hands to rest upon your thighs. There’s a plastic bag curled on your arm, the hard plastic of CD cases reflecting off the street lamps. 

“Sorry, sorry!” You breathe out, giving yourself a few more seconds to catch your breath. Nothing more, nothing less, because there is a crowd of people around you, currently staring you down, counting down the seconds until the clock struck 8:00—but many people wondering just who were you to shove your way towards the front. “The printer wasn’t working, and do you realize how difficult it is to get your stupid picture into these cases?” 

Yoongi scoffs, walking towards you and holding both his hands out. “Don’t call them stupid, you took the picture,” He hisses, taking the plastic bag from you and rummaging through the many CDs you had to make for him last minute. After ensuring that everything he had asked for is in this very bag, he softens up. “But thanks for getting these done for me.” 

You finally are able to straighten up into a full standing position. “Not my fault you underestimated how many of your wonderful fans were going to show up.” 

Yoongi reaches over and presses his index finger straight into your forehead for that comment. The force knocks you back a few steps, and Yoongi takes your few seconds of distractions to pull a phone out of his pocket. “Just go off to the side, dummy, my show starts soon.” 

“Fine, fine,” You tease back, easy smile, but your hand goes up to take the phone from him. “Break a leg, Min Yoongi.” 

Yoongi gives you a playful glare but he turns away from you to line up his CDs along the now-table next to his set. As soon as he starts placing CDs atop the surface, a small line of people step from the crowd—pointing to the CDs and holding out a stack of cash. Yoongi nods, takes the money, and hands over the CD. This happens a few more times before the line of people have died down. Yoongi looks over at the significantly less amount of cases at his table, and looks over at you, where he flashes a thumbs up. 

As Yoongi steps up to his keyboard and microphone, the crowd around him starts to cheer. The claps echo through the gathering of people, enough to draw the attention of passersby who crane their heads to see who has attracted so many listeners. 

Yoongi’s fingers curl around the microphone. “Hey guys, thank you all for coming out today.” 

The crowd claps back in acknowledgement, a few of them giving their own shy nods and waves towards Yoongi—gestures that the boy responds with his own nods and gummy smiles. 

His attention returns back to the next set of words he’ll speak into the microphone. “I got a couple covers and original songs for tonight, all requested by you guys—so let’s have some fun today.” His voice is deep, raspy and gentle, croaks slightly along the edges, but a perfect reflection of the soothing nature he brings to his audience. 

And you are attune to every single second of it. Of course you are. You blend into the crowd but really your responsibilities for Yoongi lie far beyond just packaging CDs for him and dashing through hoards of people at the last fucking second to make your delivery. You further prove this further by logging into his phone and clicking into the first background music he’s produced for today’s show. Using the music as a guide, Yoongi starts to sing. His fingers dance across the keyboard to bring an extra sound to his performance—to give it that extra live element that his fans love. 

You know that Yoongi has added these additional things over the months because he adores his fanbase and would likely do anything and everything he could to give them the best experience he could offer. After all, they’ve propelled him to this very spot—his own little corner of the bustling city streets amongst all the bars, shops, universities, street food stalls, and cafes. 

As the music continues from one song to the next, and Yoongi shifts his focus from singing to rapping to the in betweens, you see his passion. You hear it in his voice, in the way his lines string together where it seems like the boy doesn’t require oxygen anymore. Months of these live shows, even longer years to get here—and the people around him only continue to watch him in awe. Just like he’s done since the beginning. 

Min Yoongi started off his music career on Youtube, where he uploaded music covers with his own special beat thrown into the mix. Yoongi enjoyed music arrangement (still does), and used his videos as an opportunity to explore that hobby and share it with people who could also enjoy it. And enjoy it people did, as viewers started pouring in and his fanbase grew in the form of positive comments and increasing subscribers. From some videos, Yoongi had always teased the idea of original songs he had written in various notebooks that expressed the wide range of his emotions—overall all the trials and tribulations of growing up: the notion of love in all its forms. Normally, there was always a fear of an audience losing interest at the prospect of original songs, especially coming from someone who previously arranged already popular #1 hits. 

But that never happened with Min Yoongi. His songwriting abilities became part of his brand—became his entire brand. Yoongi always wrote out love to be more than sappy pop songs or tragic heartbreak. He established himself as someone who seemed to speak from the mind of every single person he came into contact with. At least, that’s what his comment section claims. 

In the beginning of his Youtube career, you found Yoongi’s online persona unusual and amusing to say the least, but it was always clouded with an air of sweetness and sensibility. After all, you had known him about a year before Youtube was even an option for him to pursue. The pair of you met in a general ed college class—big lecture halls and voices getting lost in the background as the professors’ voice boomed through speaker systems. Yoongi had asked to borrow a pencil, and the pair of you spent the rest of the class making side-handed comments about the lecture material. You sat next to each other for the rest of the semester and have been friends ever since.

So it’s not like Yoongi’s core characteristics have ever been anything other than caring, thoughtful, or loyal—he’s just never been outwardly expressive about those emotions. But Youtube changed everything: it’s made him a more vocal person, more open about his feelings as well as his need to share those feelings with the world. 

The world responded positively—wrote in the comments that they would love to hear some of his original songs, that he had already provided just a small taste of his talent and left them an insatiable desire for more. 

As soon as you and Yoongi graduated, his commitment to Youtube increased tenfold. With the previous obligations of assignments, papers, and research internships out of the way, it left more time for writing, for filming, for editing, for sharing. As his work levels increased, so did his subscribers. And so did the attention. 

You’ll never forget the day his followers suggested live street performances in one of Yoongi’s neighboring cities—a city street more specifically that was famous for taking in street performances of all origins and talents, a place for him to show off his freestyling on a keyboard and finally meet his fans firsthand. The idea caught on so quickly and vividly that Yoongi was immediately attracted to the idea. He held his first performance just a few months ago, as a thank you present for reaching one million subscribers. If you had trouble materializing Yoongi’s musical success before, the first live performance and meet and greet Yoongi hosted did well to eradicate all those thoughts. 

Hundreds of people showed up—standing alongside the shops, restaurants, food vendors, and cafes that already lined the streets, everyone intersecting to meet the artist who made them feel heard. 

You still remember that day very vividly. Yoongi had been so nervous that day, had worked so hard to put together the perfect set for his fans. Obviously, though, he had nothing to worry about. Soon, one show turned into two, and just like the request for live performances and meet and greets, the question of monetary compensation became a topic of discussion amongst Yoongi’s fans. That’s where the question of albums came into play: a singular place for Yoongi to put his covers and original place—and charge money for it as well! 

As per the request, eventually you and Yoongi decided that exclusive covers and original songs would be part of his album as a way to open up different modes of access rather than take away an individual’s general (free of charge) chance to view Yoongi’s content and just simply support without having to spend money. The introduction of his albums has been a very recent development, something added into Yoongi’s live performances after the tenth show and usually always sold out by the end of any aforementioned show. From what you’ve been able to see as of now, the albums have been a good addition. 

In terms of Yoongi’s current career, you acknowledge that it has always been you and Yoongi—him staying up late for last minute song-writing sessions or recording or arranging a specific set of chords he had been holding off for weeks, or you arranging the time and date of his live shows and fulfilling requests to put songs on CDs and figure out how to market those in an era of streaming services. And if there’s anyone who knows that he has what it takes to get big—it’s you. After all, you would do anything for him. As you would have done from the moment you met him. 

An hour later—after twenty songs and a swaying crowd around him singing along—the last song fades out and Yoongi pulls back from the microphone to catch his breath. Everyone else around him seems to hold onto their own, before Yoongi pulls himself back towards the mic to utter his last words for the night: “Thanks for coming out you guys. I really, really appreciate it.” 

In the midst of the claps and cheers, Yoongi smiles towards the audience, turns around to address the circle of crowd that has formed around him. 

As some of the crowd begins to disperse and some begin to linger for a potential meet and greet, Yoongi hastily remembers to return back to his mic for one last word to his audience. “And thank you guys so much for one million subs!” 

You smile to yourself as members of the crowd acknowledge his thanks with thanks of their own. As you watch Yoongi start disassembling his equipment for the night, you simply stand where you’ve stood for the past hour, allowing the crowd to simmer past you towards their next destination for the time. You pocket Yoongi’s phone into your coat, waiting for a few minutes, before you slip around towards the front of the crowd. There, a boy stands in front of a tripod, and his fingers dance around to unclip his camera from the standee. 

“You get the whole thing, Jungkook?” You ask with the tilt of your head. 

Jungkook whirls towards you, bright eyes full of excitement as he holds the camera with both his hands now. He utters your name. “Oh shit, yeah I did. We’ll get to see how Yoongi’s mic set up works.” He taps to the cord that connects the mic on Yoongi’s clothes and on his piano into the camera. 

You perk up at the sight of new technology. “Oooh, going fancy with us, I see JK. Very future.” 

Jungkook’s grin widens, as it always does when talking about cameras and filmography. “Yes. Future…” He stretches out the word with the exact dips, curls, and croaks the way Squidward does in that one Spongebob episode, which makes you laugh. Jungkook clicks through the video of Yoongi’s set that he’s just recorded, before he clicks the screen off and lowers the camera. “It’ll probably be better if I wait until we get back to look through the footage. I’m sure Yoongi is anxious to get back too…” He looks up towards where Yoongi is supposed to be standing a few feet away, but the younger boy trails off. “Hey, look over there.” He jerks his chin towards Yoongi. “Some guy is talking to him. Do you know him?” 

Furrowing your eyebrows in confusion—none of your college friends had texted saying they were going to come by and listen in on Yoongi’s set—you crane your own neck towards the direction Jungkook is gesturing to. Up ahead, Yoongi is indeed talking to some guy that you don’t recognize so of course it would peak your curiosity. 

It’s a feeling that increases tenfold when Yoongi looks up, seems to find you from his search, and points across the space right at you. There’s even something in his eyes that beg you to walk over to him. This makes your frown deepen, because what the hell is this about? 

. 

Min Yoongi doesn’t allow for too much vocal expression that doesn’t involve the assistance of a keyboard or a music arrangement, but he speaks into the microphone without thinking. “And thank you guys so much for one million subs!” His smile widens as the crowd responds with the claps and cheers of their own—all responding to him and communicating with him. This is it, this is what makes coming out to do these shows all worth it. Obviously there’s a thrill he gets from being in front of a camera and another thrill from uploading a video that people can access from all over the world. But to see the faces of the people who have left positive comments underneath those aforementioned videos… now that’s a completely different kind of feeling he didn’t think he would enjoy so much. 

So Yoongi steps away from the mic to put away his equipment for the day. He only gets so far as to open the case for his microphone and mic holder before he’s hearing his name behind him. Turning around, he is faced with a few unfamiliar and a few familiar fans that are asking him for pictures and a short conversation. He indulges them, of course he does, and he signs a few albums while he’s at it. 

It’s like you always teased him about: he really is a softie for his fans. 

The fan interactions only last for a few minutes, before another voice comes in—it’s a deeper voice and radiates so much confidence and presence that it actually halts the next fan from trying to finish a conversation with Yoongi. All gazes turn towards the source of the voice: it’s a tall man with broad shoulders, pointy boots and a long coat that drapes down, hands stuffed into the pocket of that very coat. He looks like a model. 

The man gives an apologetic smile. “Sorry for interrupting, but I need to request a chat with Mr. Min and am in a bit of a hurry. Do you mind if I cut in for a moment?” 

The fan gives a weak smile. “N-No problem.” 

Yoongi gives his own small smile. “Sorry about that. Oh, here.” He quickly makes a grab for the CD in her hesitant hands, signing his name across the sleek surface. “Thanks for coming by. Have a good rest of the night.” 

Her smile brightens. “Thank you so much!” With a quick little bow, she runs off towards her friends. 

This leaves Yoongi alone with the stranger. “What can I help you with?” 

The stranger extends his arm. “Mr. Min, I’m Kim Seokjin. I’m a music executive. Nice to meet you.” 

Music executive. These two words pique Yoongi’s interest. Just enough. “Wow, uh, nice to meet you sir.” Yoongi can’t help but lower his head slightly in a small bow as he returns Kim Seokjin’s handshake. 

Seokjin waves him off. “Oh, no need to be so formal Mr. Min. I just thought that I should finally come by to introduce myself. I’ve been following your Youtube channel for awhile and think that you’re extremely talented, very capable to be a recording artist, in fact.” 

Yoongi blinks in surprise, completely taken aback by the direction of this conversation. When he came out for his show today, having a conversation with a whole ass music executive hadn’t been on the list of things he was expecting. Of course, it was always a dream of his to be a recording artist. But he thought something like that would always just remain a dream.  “T-Thank you.” 

Seokjin continues. “Honestly, this is the third live performance of yours that I attended. Artists like you who radiate lots of passion and dedication both through the screen and on a stage are pretty rare. But your confidence and presence is quite admirable.” 

At that, Yoongi can’t help but laugh a little. He scratches the back of his neck. “Well, I wouldn’t call this a stage, Mr. Kim, it’s just a small street corner.” 

Seokjin laughs. “Fair enough—but you treat this little street corner like a stage and I find that cool. It appears that that’s what a lot of your fans think as well.” He pauses. “Mr. Min,” He starts up again after a moment. “Have you ever considered becoming a recording artist? Signing with a music label, releasing music and being able to reach millions of people? Having concerts in venues all over the world?” 

At the question, Yoongi utters a scoff of disbelief. “I have,” He acknowledges after a few minutes. “Having this youtube channel and these street performances is amazing…” 

“Of course,” Seokjin replies with a nod. 

“But sometimes I do wonder what it would be like to do more than that. So, to answer your question, I have thought about it before. Many times, in fact.” 

Seokjin nods again. “What if I told you that I was interested in signing you, Mr. Min?” 

Yoongi stares at that, stares and stares with unblinking eyes, one hundred percent of his attention on the man standing in front of him—waiting for the signs, waiting to see the laugh or the glint that gives away his prankster tendencies. But none of those things come. Seokjin just stares right back, challenging him to question him and agree to his claim. 

But Yoongi is younger, more naive, so of course he falls for it. “Why would you want to sign me?” 

Seokjin grins. “Mr. Min, I like to think I’m pretty good at spotting talented people who have a fully fledged career ahead of them—which is something my gut is telling me that you can do. And don’t worry, it’s not just the gut feeling I have. Like I mentioned, I’ve been keeping tabs on you for a few months and I’ve seen the numbers and the turn out. You clearly have what it takes to bring fans in, keep them, and create events that’ll drive their attention—and I want to help you make an opportunity out of that.” 

Yoongi hears the words of the older man, he really does, but he still cannot help the feeling of his head spinning at all the positive things Kim Seokjin says to him. Not only that he believes Yoongi has what it takes to make it, but that Yoongi has the concrete numbers to back that up. He is offering Yoongi an opportunity—an opportunity that seemed much too big for his youtube channel to birth, an opportunity that he had always just written off as nothing more than a dream. Yet for Seokjin to say that it could be more than that? And for all of this to happen on a normal performance night? 

Was Yoongi about to faint right now or what. 

Seokjin takes in Yoongi’s stunned silence and smiles. “I understand that this could be a lot to take in. No worries. I have a card for you to take—so call me when you make up your mind, alright?” He rummages into the pocket of his coat before producing a business card. The name KSJ RECORDS is printed on the surface, shiny lettering in sleek font. 

Yoongi takes it wordlessly. 

“By the way, do you have a manager?” Seokjin asks. “You can have them reach out to me if that’ll make it easier.” 

Yoongi stays quiet for a moment. He doesn’t have a manager; he never really saw the need for one if his schedule was as simple as it was. After all, it was more than enough for him to handle with you—! 

His mind explodes, as if someone had just plugged it into an outlet. His gaze flickers to you, where he sees you now standing just a few feet away next to Jungkook. You’re already staring back at him, but your head tilts slightly as if you could read his internal struggle. Before Yoongi can even figure why he’s looking at you, his body seems to act on its own. His arm raises, finger pointing straight at you. “She’s over there.” 

You furrow your eyebrows in confusion, seeming to read something in his gaze that even Yoongi couldn’t figure out. Still, you walk over to them. “What’s going on?” 

Seokjin acts first, turning towards you and giving you a nod in greeting. “Hi there, I’m Kim Seokjin. Yoongi says you’re his manager, is that correct?” 

You blink, caught off guard by the question because you definitely were not Yoongi’s manager. He knows that you know this. You give Yoongi another look, and his eyes widen at you, poorly attempting to transmit a singular message: please. 

You understand immediately, of course you do (you’re his best friend), as you turn back to look at Seokjin. “I am, it’s nice to meet you.” 

The pair of you shake hands. “I was just telling Mr. Min over there that I was interested in signing him to my company. I’m a music executive for KSJ records, and think that he would make a great addition to the team.” 

It takes you a second to process the news, but you do so quicker and much more graceful than Yoongi could ever hope to do. “Oh my gosh, are you serious?” You turn to look at him, bright-eyed. “Yoongi, that’s amazing!” 

“He hasn’t made a decision yet,” Seokjin continues to explain. “I don’t blame him, it’s a lot to process. I just told him that he could have you call me once he made up his mind. Then, contracts could be drawn up.” He pauses for a moment, then seems to scramble on something when you don’t say anything immediately. “Of course, you would remain his manager. I’m sure that he’s gotten as far as he has with your help. I would want you part of Mr. Min’s team regardless.” Seokjin composes himself quickly afterwards. “Like I said, take some time to come to a decision and let me know. Let me give you my card as well.” He mirrors his previous movement at Yoongi towards you now until you have his business card between your fingers. 

“W-Well,” You start, lowering the card and offering up your hand. “Thank you so much for coming by, Mr. Kim. We’ll be sure to send you a response soon.” 

Seokjin takes your hand carefully, giving it a firm shake. “I look forward to hearing from you.” He turns to Yoongi. “And I hope we’ll be able to work together, Mr. Min.” 

Yoongi blinks, but he snaps himself out long enough to return Seokjin’s handshake. “Y-Yes…” He replies, still feeling completely starstruck by what the fuck this encounter had just been. “T-Thank you for stopping by…” He trails off. He stays quiet as he watches Seokjin give one last departing word before he’s turning around and making his way down the street of the city. 

When he regains some of his attention back, he turns to find that you’re already staring at him with an unreadable expression across your face. “Let’s head back,” You say at least, holding up the business card. “We have a lot to talk about.” 

. 

“No way,” Jungkook utters, completely shocked as he practically throws himself onto the couch in the living room. His camera equipment has been set down near the door, too much exhaustion present in its owner for the trudge back into his room. “You got casted today? That’s incredible, hyung!” 

“I-I didn’t even realize what was going on,” Yoongi grumbles back, crossing his arms over his chest. “I still wonder if that moment even happened or if I conjured it up in a strange fever dream.” 

You raise your hand slightly. “I was there. Can confirm that it was real.” You dig the business card out of your pocket and stare down at it. 

Jungkook hikes himself deeper into the couch as he turns on his phone to start scrolling. “I gotta know who this guy is. Kim Seokjin you said? Of KSJ records?” 

“Yeah, KSJ records,” Yoongi replies, looking down at his own business card. “He seemed pretty legit.” 

A whistle from Jungkook confirms that. “Yeah, he’s definitely real. And look at that!” Jungkook turns the phone over to expose the photographs of Seokjin. “Used to be a singer as well. I bet he knows a lot about the industry.” 

Yoongi nods. “He did seem nice.” 

“So, does that mean you’re planning to meet up with him? Get signed and all that jazz?” 

“All that jazz?” Yoongi echoes, but he shakes his head before he could go off on that tangent. “But honestly? Yeah, I’m thinking about it. I really do love youtube and do want to continue that, but I just feel like there’s more for me to explore with the right connections.” 

Jungkook grins. “Wow, I can’t believe my roommate is gonna be famous.” He says the last word with a bite of curl in his tone, flashing a teasing smile when Yoongi merely glares in embarrassment. Jungkook’s eyes flicker further back towards where you are standing in the apartment, calling your name to get your attention. “What do you think of the idea, Miss. Manager?” 

You perk up at that. “Before I get into my answer—when did I suddenly become your manager? I don’t remember us ever having that conversation.” You’re situated in the kitchen, drumming one hand on the counter and using the other hand to stir some last night boxed mac and cheese. 

Yoongi coughs at your observation, sinking himself further down into the couch. “I didn’t want Seokjin to think I was an idiot or something for not having a manager. But when I do officially make up my mind…” He angles his head to stare over at you. “You’ll do it for me, right? You’ll actually be my manager?” 

You frown, hesitant. “You’re serious about asking me? I don’t know anything about being a manager though.” 

Yoongi almost pouts at that, sitting up so he can whirl around completely on the couch to face you. “But you know me and my music career almost better than anyone! And you graduated with a business degree, what do you mean you don’t know anything about being a manager?” 

You flush hotly at that. “It was just a general business degree, Yoongi, it seems like what you need to make it big is a legit artist manager! Someone who will actually know how to schedule your tour dates or keep up with your public image and know exactly how to market you to the general public. You really want me doing that for you?” 

Yoongi gaps at that. “Okay, but who’s the one who literally schedules my street performances and helps me with editing my videos?” 

“Jungkook does some of the editing too,” You grumble underneath your breath. 

“Yah! Stop selling yourself short!” Yoongi interjects, pointing at you accusingly. He does, however, lower his finger long enough to turn and address his roommate. “Not that you don’t help out with any of the editing, Jungkook…” 

Jungkook waves him off. “I know where my talents lie.” 

Yoongi turns back to you. “Besides, Seokjin acknowledged that you and I basically come as a packaged deal. He saw that you were working just as hard to get me my gigs.” 

You give him a one-shouldered shrug, the hesitation still laced in your tone. “I don’t know Yoongi. I just don’t want to fuck up and jeopardize your shot.” 

Yoongi’s attention is one hundred percent focused on you now, so much so that he has made his way into the kitchen and has come so close that he can switch off the stove that held the macaroni and cheese. “Hey, listen, the only reason I’ve even been given a shot was thanks to you. You work just as hard as me to keep my channel up and running—and you already have another job on the side, so you don’t have to do anything for me. But you do.” He plants both his hands on your shoulders and twists you around. “Would you be my manager? Please? I seriously don’t trust anyone else enough to do this for me.” 

You sigh, staring down Yoongi as tensely as he’s staring you down. He sees the flicker of continuing hesitation in your eyes, and responds with just tightening his grip on your shoulders—trying to convey as much pleading as he could to you. Honestly, if you rejected his request, he knows that he wouldn’t be able to do this without you. 

So when you seem to realize that he won’t give up, you sigh and look down for a moment. “Damn that I can never say no to you, Min Yoongi.” 

Hearing those words of confirmation, Yoongi’s gaze hyper focuses on you. Even when you look back over at him, you don’t look away and that merely confirms the unspoken question of your participation. 

When he realizes that you aren’t going to outright reject him, and that you’re actually on board for him, Yoongi’s face lights up as he immediately envelops you into a hug. “Thank you! Thank you—wow, that means a lot to me.” 

You suck in a breath at his words, tensing slightly at his words, but you eventually learn to relax long enough to pat him slowly on the back to return his hug. “Don’t thank me yet,” You grumble into his shoulder. “We haven’t even had a meeting. I may not be able to negotiate as well as you think I can.” 

Yoongi shakes his head at that, tightening his hold on you. From his close proximity to you, he doesn’t notice the way your breath seems to shake and your heart seems to quicken. “It doesn’t matter,” He reassures, finally backing off. “I don’t care if you don’t know how to do all those fancy manager things. Like I said, you’re the only one I could trust to do this.” 

You stare at Yoongi for a few more seconds before you sigh in defeat, knowing that you’ve just put all your thoughts and feelings on the table for him to react to. “Alright then,” You say, placing one of your hands across your chest and onto your shoulder—atop his hand still lingering. “I’ll make the call tomorrow then.” 

Yoongi nods. “Thank you.” 

There’s a brief silence that covers the pair of you, before a voice rings from the living room. “Do you mind bringing the mac and cheese over here?” 

.

.

CHAPTER 2: THE REQUEST 

.

One year later, and you learn that the crowds from Yoongi’s street performances are nothing in comparison to this. This—overwhelming and unmatched in all degrees, the screams and the cries and the shoves, all of it echoes around you just as it has for the past few months. Surprisingly, you’ve always been okay with being a little more firm if the situation called for such and today is absolutely no exception. 

“Off,” You say gently, tapping an outstretched hand trying to get past you and grab at the person behind you. 

The girl you’ve intercepted jerks her hand back as if you’ve burned her, her eyes wide and vaguely hurt as if you’ve singled her out specifically from this crowd. Rather, it’s more along the lines of keeping your client safe and trying to avoid the incident from last week. You block the memory out for the time being. 

You feel a hot breath at your ear. “If you make my fans cry, I swear—!” 

“Try to be less desirable then,” You bite back over your shoulder, holding up your hand when another fan tries to shove a sharpie past you. “Sorry, but we’re in a bit of a rush,” You say to the boy. “Come to the next concert—we’ll have a meet and greet then too.” 

The boy deflates, but that expression only lasts for a second before he seems to brighten slightly at whatever has just occurred behind you. Stealing a glance, you realize it’s because Min Yoongi has just thrown him an apologetic wink. 

The car appears in view a lot quicker than you had been anticipating, which is good as you muster all your energy to pull the handle that opens the car door. You step off to the side, further cutting off the fans who are trying to keep Yoongi from entering the vehicle. Soon enough, a taller and more dominating figure appears next to you as Yoongi manages to slide his way into the back seat. You and Jungkook exchange a nod—you had been in the front of Yoongi’s protection squad and he had been in the back, and the arrangement continues to work wonders. As long as Yoongi doesn’t lose a whole sleeve (like last time) then you would consider this departure a success. 

Jungkook tilts his head towards the still opened car door, allowing you to enter the car yourself. As soon as you’re settled, Jungkook leans forward to join you. He slides his way into the seat all the way in the back of the car. Closing the door behind him, you signal Taehyung to take off with a nod into the rearview mirror. 

The screams and calls of Yoongi’s name are loud, and pass through the metal structure of the car as if it is nothing. But you know that the boy doesn’t mind, and that he lives and breathes moments like these as he has for the past few months. 

It’s crazy to think how much a year could change, after you and Yoongi decided to meet up with Seokjin to discuss how Yoongi was going to be signed under KSJ records. Seokjin had talked about the big plans he had in pushing Yoongi towards the spotlight—and goals like an album, a concert, and meet-and-greets around the country had been promised for Yoongi’s first year. 

And of course, Yoongi was completely enchanted by the promises. Just one final ‘of course’ confirmation to have you as his manager, and Yoongi was signing on the dotted line. Truth be told, you didn’t know what KSJ records would have in store for Yoongi—how long that glimmer of passion would remain in the boy’s eyes. 

A year later, and you acknowledge that you might have underestimated Kim Seokjin. As a former performer, he knew all the ins and outs of the music industry and his well established connections as well as his good ear for good music meant that Yoongi was allowing his music to get the treatment it deserved. Pair that with Yoongi’s growing popularity on Youtube, and it all equates to an EP that debuts with tens of thousands of copies sold within the first week. The EP itself hadn’t been much—just six songs that contained a mix of old songs and new songs, but all written by Yoongi. His previous (although small) experience with producing and arrangement allowed him constant access into the various studios at KSJ records, where he learned from all the other producers on how to make good music.

The hands-on, personal touch Seokjin allowed Yoongi to deliver in his music had been a good call and a large contributor to the success of the EP. You recall fans praising the album and talking about how it matched Yoongi’s youtube aesthetic perfectly, but just with the higher quality element that top notch equipment could bring to music. 

In a way, the current atmosphere of concerts and meet-and-greets is just a way to celebrate the success of Yoongi’s music career launching off into the stratosphere. 

“Hey.” There’s a gentle tap against your head, and you jump before turning to face Yoongi in the seat next to you. “You good?” 

You blink, bringing your finger up to brush the hair out of your face. “Yeah, just spaced out.” 

“Cool. I thought you might have fallen asleep.” 

“If anyone should have fallen asleep by now, it’s you,” You point out. “I think that today’s meet-and-greet was the largest one you’ve had so far.” 

“Don’t worry,” Yoongi says. “I have every intention of following asleep as soon as I fall into bed. Plus, don’t let me hold a pen for the next week—I think my wrist almost fell off.” 

You laugh, angling yourself so you can face him. “But you love it, don’t you?” 

Yoongi’s gaze softens as he lets your question sink in. “Course I do. I never realized how cool it would be to have an audience sing my lyrics back to you. More than that, it was all lyrics I used to write in the apartment, or in between lectures back at college, or late into the night on my phone… back when the idea of all this was just a dream.” He pivots his body towards you, eyes bright as the passion for his current place in life seems to have gotten him hyped up again. “You know, during the meet and greet, this girl came up to me all confidently and told me that my album got her through a tough time. I think that’s when it really hit me that this was all happening.” 

The corner of your lips quirk up into a smile. “Oh yeah, I actually do remember you writing those songs and you showing me the lyrics. You speak from the heart, and your fans understand that. Helps that you’re pretty cute too. Anyone with eyes could see that.” As soon as those words escape your lips, you almost want to chide yourself and immediately throw yourself out of the car. Why would you say something like that—why would you openly admit to Yoongi’s cuteness? Your face grows warm at the realization, leaving you to hope that Yoongi won’t notice your flustered state. 

Yoongi doesn’t notice. He’s too busy gawking at your observation, too busy tearing his gaze away from you to stare firmly out of the car window. 

Jungkook simply shifts his gaze between the two of you. 

In the midst of the silence, you fish out your phone and start scrolling through your social media pages. Due to the third party cookie ads that follow you around, you immediately notice news of Yoongi’s concert of the day has started hitting various news sites—most articles praising Yoongi on his song selections and live adaptations of his music to suit the concert style more. Reading these articles leave you unable to stop the grin, because Yoongi deserves this so fucking much that you could have sworn your heart sings a little as you continue reading. 

It’s a moment that lasts for only a couple of seconds, as recommended articles start coming up that do well in setting up the gray cloud. With the increased amount of attention that comes from being a newly top rated best selling album artist, so does the intrusion into personal life that follows—the dark side of the media, the side that just loves to stick its nose in places it does not belong. It’s something that you had been seeing since Yoongi’s youtube account hit five hundred thousand, but at the time these kinds of questions were more dark shadows or curious inquiries taken in the form of casual comments. 

Now, those questions have become much more normalized, as a common curiosity seems to have taken form from all these drama articles: was Min Yoongi dating anyone? And even better: who is Min Yoongi writing all his love songs for? 

As if love was limited to romantic relationships, and wasn’t a feeling one could recreate from other love songs or romantic comedies. Or just the feelings of growing up. 

“We’re here!” Taehyung calls from the front seat, as you jump up from your train of thought. Refocusing on your surroundings, you realize that you’ve made it into the parking lot of the hotel. 

You sigh, regathering your belongings that have moved around during the drive. “Thanks, Taehyung.” 

“Hey.” Taehyung utters for you to come closer to him as soon as the pair of you step out of the car. He jerks toward Yoongi, who is exiting from his side of the car before quickly side-stepping to let Jungkook come out as well. “Was that flirting back there?” 

You protest hotly at once, your hand raising up and wave side-to-side frantically in complete denial. “N-No, it wasn’t—!” 

“Okay, good,” Taehyung interrupts, leaning back to stuff his hands into his pants pockets. “Because if that was the case I think we would have had to re-evaluate your definition of flirting—!” 

“Will you stop?” You squeak. 

“Is everything okay?” Yoongi asks, having rounded around the car to stare over at you and Taehyung. 

You whirl around quickly, tightening up your expression once more to make sure that any remnants of your conversation with Taehyung would be undetected. “Yep!” You say immediately. “Everything is fine. Let’s get going, yeah?” You allow Jungkook to lead the four of you out of the parking lot and into the elevator that’ll take you to the main floor of the hotel room. Yoongi has to slip on a pair of glasses and a baseball cap, just on the off chance that a fan might be staying in the same room—it happened a few stops ago—before the four of you are making your way through the lobby. The four of you have reserved four separate rooms for your overnight stay in the city, rooms that you have already checked into earlier that day, so it feels nice to just make your way to the elevator and select the correct floor. 

Taehyung decides to check in first for the night, waving you all off and congratulating Yoongi on another well done performance. Jungkook lingers around as you make your way to Yoongi’s room next. 

“Thanks for walking me,” Yoongi says, sliding the key card into the slot and pulling out when he hears the beep of confirmation on his door. 

Jungkook flashes him a thumbs up. “Good show today. Now get some rest.” 

Yoongi nods, just about to close the door when you make a sudden noise from the back of your throat. “OH!” You call out suddenly, startling both boys as you reach your arm out suddenly to prevent Yoongi from closing the door. He had been so close too. “Sorry, I just realized. Seokjin sent me an email of some deadlines he wanted me to go over with you. Your sleep is gonna have to be put on hold.” 

Yoongi grumbles something under his breath. 

You turn to look at Jungkook. “We’ll be fine, Jungkook, go rest up—you deserve it.” 

Jungkook nods, grinning at Yoongi. “See you guys around.” 

“No fair…” Yoongi pouts as he watches Jungkook stroll down the hall to reach his hotel room. “Why do they get to rest and I don’t? I’m so tired…” 

“Well, this is the price of fame,” You retort with the shrug of your shoulders. “You have your face the paparazzi want to see, and the name that sells the albums. Naturally, it means you just have to put in more work than everyone else.” 

Yoongi runs a hand through his hair, still pouting but less so as he opens the door once more for the both of you to enter. “When you put it that way…” 

You giggle behind him. “For the fans, Min Yoongi.” 

You immediately task yourself with throwing yourself atop his bed, surprisingly put together despite the fact that you had checked everyone in earlier that day. You would have assumed he would have taken a nap. But the bed doesn’t look slept in at all. 

Yoongi notices your observation immediately. “I was too nervous to fall asleep earlier today,” He provides, taking a seat on the couch on the other side of the room. “So what was it that Seokjin needed you to go over with me?” 

“It’s short, I promise,” You reassure, pulling out the iPhone from your pocket. As soon as you unlock the device, you’re faced with the articles you had previously been looking up—the ones about Yoongi’s dating life. Without meaning to, you sigh heavily at the sight. 

Yoongi quirks an eyebrow. “What’s up?” 

You jerk up. “Oh, no, nothing sorry. I just…” You hold the phone up for Yoongi to see. “These articles about you and your dating life—it’s getting worse.” 

“Oh.” Yoongi’s fingers fiddle with each other. “Yeah, I’ve seen a few of those floating around too. Honestly, for someone who writes a lot of songs about love, these curiosities don’t really surprise me. I wish that they wouldn’t be so intrusive.” 

“Unfortunately, people always think it’s their right to know who these love songs are for.” You spare him a quick glance, only to realize that he’s already staring at you. Hastily, you look back down. “If the songs are even for anyone, that is.” 

Yoongi is quiet for a moment. “Right.” 

“Anyways…” You exit your internet app, tapping through until Seokjin’s email comes up. “Seokjin just wants to know your progress on the new songs. He’s trying to gauge your progress so he can see whether or not to arrange studio time for you to start recording.” 

The new songs—it’s a reference to Seokjin’s next plan for Yoongi’s career. With the launch of the EP and the current success that it has been harboring, it makes sense that the next step would be to launch a full-length album. Technically it could be called a repackage, since the album would most likely feature a few songs from the EP and cover the rest of the spots with new music. 

But aforementioned new music takes time to write, not that Yoongi ever had a problem with writing music. That has always been second nature for him—and was something he could do anywhere so long as he had a functioning, conscious mind. It was all just a matter of whether or not he could create the required number of actual songs within the scheduled deadline. With those higher expectations, time definitely plays the biggest issue and it makes sense if Yoongi couldn’t write proper songs given the current circumstances. 

Nonetheless, Yoongi nods at the question. “I actually have rough drafts of most of the songs, if that was okay with Seokjin. We could probably schedule some meetings to polish up the writing, since a lot of them are still in the beginning stage.” 

You blink at his answer, surprised by his response. You had been expecting one, or maybe two songs to be written out but to have all eight songs written out? “W-Wow…” You utter. “You wrote so many songs so quickly.” 

Yoongi shrugs, but he does look a little prideful at your words. You don’t notice his lingering gaze. “I have a lot to reflect on, what can I say.” 

“I-I mean,” You stammer, not really hearing his response. “I could schedule the meeting with Seokjin, but if he knows that you have everything basically done, he’ll probably be okay with giving you a little more time to polish up your work yourself.” 

Yoongi ponders this, but he shakes his head. “No, go ahead and schedule the meeting. It’s actually nice having extra hands in the music.” 

You nod. “Alright then, I’ll go and do that. I think I should also just go over tomorrow’s schedule with you.” Quickly, you relay the time details of what tomorrow’s day will look like since you’re flying out for another show the next morning. You give him some details about the stage, how many people are going, and how many people he will be meeting afterwards. It’s a standard review conversation, one of the many that you’ve had with Yoongi over the year. “And… that should be it,” You wrap up as soon as you’ve reviewed the day. Looking over the schedule once more, you cannot help but sigh once more. 

“What is it this time?” Yoongi asks from the side. 

“Oh, no nothing!” You reassure with a promising smile. “Just another busy day.” 

Yoongi gives you a grin, but you can see the exhaustion clinging to the corner of his eyes. “There’s only a few more stops left of the concert—what happened to you being positive rock?” 

At that, you laugh nervously. “Sorry, sorry. You’re right.” You clench a fist in front of him and pump it up to showcase a display of energy. “Another day of excitement and one more day towards fulfilling your dreams!” You lower your fist and give him a slightly dryer look. “How was that?” 

“I could have done without the look at the end, but it’ll do, I guess.” Yoongi stands up from his place on the couch and throws himself atop his bed. His head ends up near you, his back on the mattress, and his feet dangling off the side. “There’s only a few stops left of the tour, and for some people this is their first time seeing me live. And for other people, maybe they saw me back when I would perform on the streets, so in that case it’s their first time seeing me perform on a stage and everything!” He lifts one of his hands up into his field of view. “Either way, I just want to do the best I can for the people that take time out to come see me and support me. Because I owe them everything—I owe them more than what I can give them.” 

You don’t say anything to that. What could you say, anyways? Instead, you reach over and run your fingers through his hair. After a second, you retract your hand. You shouldn’t let yourself linger for too long anyways. “It’s late,” You say, a tone of finality in your voice. “I should head to my room. I’ll make sure to let Seokjin know your update.” You slide off the bed into a standing position. “You should get some rest.” You turn to him. “You may not think you can pay back your fans, but you probably help them out every single day. The same way they help you out too.” 

Yoongi tilts his head back to see you. Upside down, but still look at you nonetheless. He grins. “There’s that positive energy I was looking for. Thanks.” 

You laugh, already making your way towards his hotel room door. “Thank me by giving me another kickass performance tomorrow. Makes my job a whole lot easier.” 

. 

The following weeks of concert tours pass by without a hitch. To Yoongi, any event now that doesn’t end up with a torn sleeve and nail scratches up and down his arm is a success. And you haven’t freaked out for the remaining dates as you had when security had been at its worst—so he’d consider that the icing on top of the cake. Although he’s glad to finally be be home and be anchored to his own bed and be in his own space for the first time in months, he knows that his first concert experience to celebrate his first EP had truly been a memorable undertaking. 

And it had been more successful than anyone at KSJ records could have predicted. At least, that’s what Seokjin tells him when Yoongi arrives at the studio the following day to start going through the process of polishing up his song lyrics. 

“It seems that you really enjoyed yourself throughout the tour,” Seokjin remarks as Yoongi steps into the former’s office. Seokjin is scrolling through some articles on his laptop. He closes it as Yoongi takes a seat and regards the younger boy with a look of curiosity and wonder. “How was it?” 

Yoongi brightens. “So much fun. I didn’t realize how cool it would feel to have audience members sing song lyrics right back at me, but that was probably my favorite moment.” 

“Ah, of course, first time for everything as they always say.” Seokjin folds his fingers atop one another. “And how was your team?” He says your name, given that you are Yoongi’s manager. “Along with Jungkook and Taehyung? I wish I could have given you more people, but we didn’t know how crazy moving you around was going to be.” 

Yoongi nods. “I mean… it was fine. Jungkook was really good.” He can’t help but think that Jungkook should have been good—after all, Yoongi is the reason why Jungkook has been getting safe with job security recently. “And Taehyung too. I think having the small team was good because we ended up all getting really connected and had this whole system in place after a few stops.” 

“I heard a fan tore your sleeve,” Seokjin points out, looking mildly concerned. “How did that go?” 

“Oh, it was just a one time thing,” Yoongi tries to brush off with the wave of his hand. He thinks of you, because of course he does. He mentions you. “She would tap the fans who were getting too close. It was reassuring, honestly.” 

“That’s good to hear,” Seokjin says. “And I’ve heard that you’ve been making a lot of headway with the upcoming album. So we’re definitely gonna set some time for us to go through the lyrics and structure what you’ve come up with already. But I did want to go over something with you first—the main reason I called you in, actually.” 

Yoongi tilts his head. “Okay, what’s up?” 

Seokjin re-opens his laptop, and clicks through a few links before he’s pivoting the laptop in a 180 degree motion so Yoongi can see the screen. At once, he’s faced with several articles, all centering around the topic that has been haunting him since the beginning of his concert journey. He gets a flashback to one of the nights you came into his hotel room to discuss scheduling, and how you had mentioned this particular topic showing up more and more.

Yoongi had known it was becoming a problem. He just didn’t think it was something that required urgent discussion. 

“As I’m sure you’re aware, your growing popularity means that people are developing a growing interest in your relationship. Since you are labeled specifically as a song-writer who writes songs about growing up, struggles, and love, this only heightens people’s curiosity.” 

Yoongi allows Seokjin to continue talking, as he moves forward in his chair to actually scroll through one of the articles Seokjin has pulled up. It’s entitled: UP AND COMING SINGER SONGWRITER MIN YOONGI IS DEFINITELY IN A RELATIONSHIP, BUT WITH WHO? As he scrolls down, there’s several people that are listed as potential girlfriends to Yoongi’s partnership—some people he does not know at all, some people he has only seen once. 

You’re on the list too, and Yoongi’s eyes widen when he identifies your picture amongst the lot. He zeroes in on the description underneath the simple title: Yoongi’s manager? Although most manager and artist relationships are platonic, we can’t leave this one out! Fans have tracked down Min Yoongi’s current manager as an old assistant from Min Yoongi’s youtube days, so there’s definitely some history between them! 

“This article has been blowing up. You may or may not know, but people making assumptions about your relationship status could be dangerous. Since you write songs about relationships, it leaves a lot of room for error and scandals, especially if news sites decide to publish something or someone else with bad intentions try to claim you wrote a song about them. Or something else of the sort.” 

Yoongi nods slowly at that, not entirely understanding what direction Seokjin is going with his build up. It makes sense though. Leaving Yoongi out in the open like this could be dangerous for his career. “S-So, what ideas do you have to combat that?” 

“I’ve been thinking about this in the recent weeks you’ve been on tour,” Seokjin says quietly, pressing his hands together. “I think that we should push your relationship status into the public—get you a girlfriend to maintain your ‘pure romantic heart’ reputation so it looks like you’re writing love songs solely for your girlfriend.” 

It takes a second for the words to sink in. “Aaaaah,” Yoongi finally says, but his voice sounds far away all of a sudden, the further time seems to creep on. Sure, he’s seen this concept of surface relationships between in film and television—and the idea of it makes some sense. For someone whose best songs were related to moments of being in love, surely most people would suspect that the inspiration for those songs had to come from somewhere. If Yoongi came out to admit his lack of relationship experience, would people approve of that? Or would they think he was lying? 

In that regard then, it makes sense that Seokjin would come up with the idea. But faking a relationship for the sake of faking a relationship has never been something Yoongi thought he would ever have to go through. 

Mainly because first of all—who would play Yoongi’s girlfriend? 

Now, Yoongi isn’t the worst actor in the world. But he can be stiff at times, and if Seokjin wants to push a relationship status into the public eye then Yoongi imagines that this girlfriend would be someone Yoongi felt the most natural around. Someone he wouldn’t mind pretending to be in a relationship with. 

Would Yoongi even get a say in the matter? Or would Yoongi’s approval be the only requirement before Seokjin went off to find a girlfriend for Yoongi himself?

“D-Did you have someone in mind?” Yoongi finds himself asking instead. 

Seokjin hums, tapping his chin with his finger. “Not at the moment. I just wanted to bring it up with you in case you had an idea for someone.” Mindlessly, he reaches to take back the laptop and flip it back towards him. This exposes him to the article Yoongi had been previously scrolling through—one where pictures of you are plastered over the current screen. 

At the sight, Seokjin wavers slightly, staring down your pictures and furrowing his eyebrows. Yoongi looks over, noticing immediately that the laptop (and the pictures of you from that article) is no longer right in front of him but rather in front of Seokjin instead. When he glances over at Seokjin, he finds the older man lost in thought, running the side of his finger across his lip. Back and forth, clearly pondering something. 

“Yes…” Seokjin says after a moment. “That could work, actually.” He looks across the desk at Yoongi. “Good idea, Yoongi. I think originally, I would have said no, but these pictures and this description actually makes a valid point.” 

Yoongi blinks, not really connecting the dots right away. “Uh, sorry, Seokjin, but I’m not really following…” 

Seokjin makes a noise, gesturing to his laptop screen that he has just gotten back from Yoongi. “You were suggesting Y/N as your fake girlfriend, weren’t you? I’m assuming that’s why you stopped on these pictures. My initial thought was that it probably wouldn’t work, but actually considering your history with each other it seems like this could be the most likely case scenario.” 

It takes another second for the information to fully process. You. His fake girlfriend. Seokjin misunderstanding that unintentionally stopping on your pictures meant that Yoongi was trying to convey some sort of message. 

You—playing the role of his fake girlfriend, the ‘supposed’ inspiration for all his music. It would be funny if it wasn’t so ironic. 

It would be funny if you didn’t inspire all of his music—but you do. And Yoongi isn’t laughing.  

He should say something. He knows that it would make sense, as Seokjin is claiming, but it would also potentially inch him towards a can of worms he has been so sure would never see the sunlight. More than that, having you as his fake girlfriend would bring him the closest he has ever been to feeling hopeful. 

He really should say something. 

But for some reason, the words don’t come out. He just lets Seokjin believe his ingenious plan. “Yes, yes!” Seokjin continues after the many moments of silence that lapse between the two of you. “This could work actually. You guys have known each other for years, and older fans of yours from the youtube days would definitely recognize Y/N. That way, the announcement of your relationship wouldn’t seem entirely out of line, especially if we say that you guys have been dating for years. It also makes sense that we could say you becoming Yoongi’s ‘manager’ was always part of a cover up—after all, that’s what they did in that movie That Thing You Do…” 

The more Seokjin drones on and on about his plan, and how exactly he intends to work up to it, the more nervous Yoongi gets. Was Seokjin actually planning on doing this—enlist you as Yoongi’s fake girlfriend and drag you along to participate in this facade? Yoongi is mildly shocked. He should have known Seokjin would follow through on the question, but he had just assumed that today was just the idea phase and that plans to arrange this fake relationship would take weeks. 

But if there’s anything Yoongi knows about Seokjin, it’s that the man knows how to get something done. Quickly, too. In Seokjin’s word, it’s a natural occurrence for a simple idea phase to morph into actual concrete plans within the time span of a day. Yoongi should have planned this out better—but then again, he didn’t think that him accidentally stopping on a picture of you from a fucking drama article would serve as the catalyst for Seokjin’s ideas. 

Yoongi straightens up onto his feet. “Why don’t I talk to Y/N first about this?” He asks. “The idea may seem good on paper, but if she’s uncomfortable then it’s a no go.” 

Seokjin studies Yoongi carefully, before the former relents. “Okay, fair enough. Let me know what happens.” 

As soon as the pair of them exchange the last nods, Yoongi is dashing out of Seokjin’s office with one clear objective in mind: to talk to you. 

Luckily, you aren’t too far away. You’re in your office, typing up something on your laptop and your eyes scanning through what he can only assume are emails. It’s eyes that widen when Yoongi practically storms into your space, shutting the door behind him. 

You straighten up. “Yoongi, you alright? You look like you just ran a marathon.” 

Yoongi doesn’t even realize that his chest is heaving until you point that out. He coughs. “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. Didn’t run a marathon though.” 

Your eyebrows furrow, but the corner of your lips turn up in mild curiosity. “Okay. What’s up?” 

Yoongi presses his lips together. Even with the many feet of space between the two of you—he can make out the glimmer in your eyes from the sunlight pouring through the window, he can see the shadow of your eyelashes and the line where your collarbone dips below your blouse. Fuck, he’s in deep. There’s no way he could ask you something so monumental to the downfall of his sanity. But he knows that it’s too late to just walk away. Partly because he’s already in your office and partly because the idea has already been planted into Seokjin’s head. And if Yoongi didn’t speak up, then Seokjin was going to. 

So Yoongi opens his mouth. “I may or may not have gotten you into a situation,” He starts up. 

You snort, of course not taking him seriously. “That might just be the summary of our relationship.” 

“No, I don’t think you understand…” Yoongi pleads, stepping deeper into the office. 

You frown at his behavior, closing your laptop this time to address him completely. “Okay, what’s up, really? You’re kind of scaring me…” 

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s not… scary or anything…” He trails off. 

You raise an eyebrow. “Let me be the judge of that.” 

So Yoongi shoves his hands deep into his coat pocket, and slides next to your desk, leaning against the surface as he starts his story. He covers everything: from Seokjin bringing up the drama articles about his relationship status, how he had scrolled through and saw your name, how Seokjin had misinterpreted that as a sign, and worse of all, how Seokjin thought it would be a good idea for you to play as Yoongi’s fake girlfriend. 

To say you’re appalled would be an understatement. You’re staring up at him, eyes wide and lips parted. “Are you serious?” You ask. “B-But I’m your manager!” You scoff at yourself. “No, more than that—I’m your friend, Yoongi. Seokjin must be on something. He has to be. What did you guys decide on? Please tell me that you said no.” 

“W-Well, there was no agreement or disagreement,” Yoongi argues weakly. “I walked out before Seokjin could make up his mind.” He pauses for a moment, something sinking in. “Wait a minute,” He brings up, a slightly teasing smile across his face. “Do you really find the idea of dating me that gross?” 

You make a noise in the back of your throat at his accusation, and you immediately begin to scramble. “I-I mean,” You start, the flush present in your throat as you start speaking very quickly at once. Both your hands go up in a defensive position. “It’s not that I don’t find you gross… because I don’t! You’re a very attractive person—it’s just that—we’re friends and—stop looking at me like that!” You stand up, slamming your palms onto the table when you realize that he’s just flashing you a shit-eating grin. 

He has half the mind to be mildly disheartened that you are so against the idea of dating him. But then again, he’d probably say no to fake dating you if he was being forced into a situation like this. He’d definitely say no. 

Okay, he’d probably say no. 

“Well, I told Seokjin that if you were uncomfortable with the idea, then it’d be a no go and he seemed to respect the idea.” 

Still standing, you sigh and press your face into the palm of your hand. Your fingers brush through your hair. “Okay, let’s step back for a moment.” You remove your hands from your face. “If I were to say yes, what exactly would that entail?” 

Yoongi manages a weak one-shouldered shrug. “I’m not sure exactly. Seokjin would probably have a better idea of that. I imagine KSJ records would release a statement about our relationship, and we would be scheduled to go to variety shows or press interviews together. We’d probably have to go out to restaurants together too. Hold hands…” The thought of holding your hand dries up his throat a little, but he passes it off well by faking a cough. “That sort of stuff.” 

You glare at him. “And what about your fans? You’re trying to preserve this ‘pure romantic heart’ image, but I’m sure there’s a lot of fans that like to believe the songs could be about them.” 

He shrugs. “That—I’m not too sure about. I imagine Seokjin prefers the idea of my fans believing that my heart only belongs to one person rather than them believing that I’ll just write a love song for anyone.” 

You nod. “That’s valid, I guess.” 

Yoongi stares at you from the smaller space of distance between the two of you. “Again, you don’t have to say yes. Frankly, I think it’s a batshit crazy idea.” 

“It’s not… completely out of line.” After a moment, you sigh. “I can actually understand why Seokjin would get the idea of trying to set you up like this. The news articles will probably get worse. And since your songs market themselves on being personal, people want to know who the songs are about. If Seokjin gave the public a face, then there’d be no room for assumptions and even less room for scandals to come about.” You give him a look. “Sadly, if you were to stay single, there’s only so much I could do as your manager to control that bad press.” 

Yoongi raises both his eyebrows up. “Does that mean you’re saying yes—?” 

“I’m not… saying anything yet.” You plop yourself back down into your seat. “I’m not saying yes. But I’m not saying no either.” You sink further into your seat. “Hopefully Seokjin will change his mind before I have to make up mine?” 

That’s an unlikely case. But Yoongi doesn’t argue with you, and you don’t wait for him to. He simply nods one more time before leaving your office. 

.

You would be lying if you said you never thought about dating Yoongi. Of course you have. You’re sure that you’ve had a crush on the boy within the first week of your introductions. This crush explains so many of your past actions—your support for his Youtube channel, your fulfillment as his manager, and now this pull towards agreeing to become his fake girlfriend. And you hate yourself for the every second you consider it a good idea. 

Because it’s not a good idea. It’s a terrible idea. More than that, it’s an unfair idea. Agreeing to fake date someone you actually want to date seems like too cruel a hand to be dealt. Considering your more-often-than-not fragile state, setting yourself up with Yoongi in this way already seems doomed to fail. It would be unfair to Yoongi, because agreeing to this would deprive him of an actual relationship he could be happy in. But it would be more unfair to you, because losing control would mean losing your best friend. 

So you don’t give Yoongi a positive confirmation. But you don’t give him a negative one either. See, you don’t have the heart to just outwardly reject him, because you know that he needs you to help him with this. You know that he understands the situation he’s been put in, and that getting a fake girlfriend seems to be the best case scenario. You know that it wouldn’t make sense with any other girl—it had to be you. Saying no straight to face is something that you don’t have the heart to do. 

Rather than give a yes or no answer, you opt for the second best option: hold off and avoid indulging too deeply. 

It’s a strategy that works for a grand total of one day. 

The following day post Yoongi’s conversation, you show up to work with information that Yoongi is going to start recording songs for his new album. His first full-length album, at that—something he has been working hard for since the beginning. Every second of free time available to him during the tour, during off-days had been dedicated to writing the music necessary to fill the album. You know how hard he’s been working—you’ve watched throughout the duration of his tour, and spoke to him for many nights about the progression of this album. 

You just didn’t think that the recording part would be coming around so soon. 

This is a thought you reflect to Seokjin when you enter the recording studio. Yoongi is already behind the glass, and his voice is amplified in the studio, where they appear to be discussing the arrangement for how a song is going to go. This leaves you vaguely surprised—if Yoongi is in the booth already, it means that there must have been some ground covered on how the arrangement was supposed to go. Just how long has Yoongi been in the studio before you showed up? 

“Ah, good morning,” Seokjin greets from the back of the studio, seated on the couch and his arms resting along the back. “Don’t get mad, but Yoongi worked through the night again.” 

Your lips part into a gape as your eyes widen in disbelief. “Please tell me you’re joking,” You return. 

Seokjin merely laughs in return. “I wish I was! When I left, he was going at it with Namjoon and when I came back this morning they were still going at it. But, you know, who am I to rain in on a breakthrough moment?” 

You relent your control of the situation slightly (only slightly) at Seokjin’s rhetorical question. Namjoon is one of Seokjin’s top producers and arrangers—very gifted in songwriting and how to make a good song. From the year that you and Yoongi have been a part of KSJ records, Yoongi and Namjoon have gotten along great and their close relationship has been the reason for many late nights. The pair of them were always caught in the drift of making sleepless but record-selling hits. 

Like Seokjin said, who are you to interrupt art in progress? 

Although you have a sudden flurry of desires and objectives (mainly to reprimand Yoongi for being so careless with a slap or a hit where you could put him to sleep yourself), you bite it down long enough to shed your jacket and rest it on the armrest of the couch. “Fine, fine, I’ll let it go this time.” 

Seokjin chuckles at that, removing his gaze from you and sliding it across the studio back into the booth where Yoongi is still in the midst of discussing something with Namjoon. Something about how the arrangement isn’t as smooth or on beat as they had originally intended. “You’re a good manager,” He says at last. “I can tell that you really do care about him and will definitely give him a peace of your mind once he’s done with today’s session. And what’s more…” He laughs. “He’ll actually let you walk all over him. You’d be surprised how often I see managers in it just for the money, where they don’t have their artist’s best interest in mind. You’re definitely not like that.” 

You slide into the vacant seat next to Seokjin. “If I don’t keep an eye on him, I know that no one else will. It’s nothing against other people, but no one else in his life is as involved in his career as I am. But I’m his friend first, and his manager second.” 

The pair of you are quiet for a moment, as you watch Namjoon fiddle with some of the switches on the music panel. They seem to come to an agreement on the newly modified beat, because it starts playing through the speakers in the booth. Yoongi presses his hands against the headphones he’s wearing, and starts to relay the lyrics into the microphone. It starts off slow—Yoongi has his phone in his hands to read the lyrics, to double check the flow and the tempo. After a few lines, he stops. “Ah—let’s reword this line. I do like the change we made to the music, so let’s change the lyrics to match.” His voice is amplified through the studio. 

Namjoon presses a button on the music panel, allowing him to communicate with Yoongi. “Sure. Want to head in and make the changes?” 

Yoongi ponders this for a moment, but shakes his head. “Give me a second. Maybe if I listen to the song again, I can feel what I vibe with.” 

“Sounds good.” Namjoon releases his hold on the button, and turns around in his chair to face you and Seokjin. The sight of you makes his eyes widen, as Namjoon coughs back a choke. “O-Oh, Y/N, you’re here—!” 

His words make you narrow your eyes as you point a finger at him. “YAH! Which one of you was it that contributed to your all-nighter?” 

“I don’t know, I don’t know!” Namjoon protests, raising both of his hands up in defense. “We were both in the groove!” 

You lower your finger with a sigh. “You’re lucky that you’re in the middle of helping Yoongi achieve his dreams. Otherwise I’d kick both of your asses.” 

Namjoon seems to realize that you’re not messing around, because he emits a nervous laugh. “I promise we’ll be a little more careful next time…” 

“Oh, Namjoon, I rewrote some of the lines!” Yoongi calls from inside the booth. 

Namjoon whirls around in his chair again to press the button. “Sounds good, let’s do it.” 

As the music starts up again, Seokjin decides to speak up once more. “Yoongi told me that he talked to you about the little fake dating plan I had.” 

The mention of it, as well as your previous internal insistence of not talking or thinking about that, makes you stiffen. “He might have mentioned something like that.” 

When you turn to look at Seokjin, he has an unreadable look glinting in his eyes. “Since you were talking about achieving Yoongi’s dreams and all…” He trails off. “I wanted to apologize for bringing that idea onto you so quickly. I didn’t really consider how you’d feel about the arrangement. I just wanted to try and do what I thought was best for Yoongi.” 

You sigh. “I know why you thought of the idea. And I totally agree with you—I think that if he wants to carry on, this is the least costly next step that should be taken. I just… I don’t know if I’m the best fit for it.” 

Seokjin nods. “I respect your decision. After all, Yoongi told me that if you were uncomfortable with it, then it’d be an immediate no go.” 

The corner of your lips turns up upon hearing Yoongi’s thought process. Even though you’ve already heard the words from the man himself—it’s nice to hear that assurance from his boss. Knowing that Yoongi puts your thoughts and feelings on the forefront of his mind is a nice feeling. A misleading feeling if you let yourself think too deeply into it. But a nice feeling, nonetheless. 

You decide not to comment immediately on Seokjin’s apology; rather, you tune into what exactly Yoongi is singing about in the song. It’s got a softer beat to it—an opening song to the album, perhaps? It’s much more whimsy compared to his hard-hitting personal rants that touch on the frustration of miscommunication, of not saying something when he should have said something. 

Instead, this is a song about distance—about missing someone due to distance and the longing of returning home because of the normality it brought. About how even closeness sometimes isn’t enough to fill the gap of desire in his heart. It takes on a beat you’ve never heard before, and a feeling of missing something that isn’t even tangible for you as a listener. Nevertheless, his words, his raspiness, and the hard lines hidden within the otherwise soft tone of the song work hard to poke at your edges and your weak spots. The parts of you that have always been willing to cave for Yoongi, the part of you that has never hesitated to do what needed to be done if it benefited Yoongi. 

You were his manager, so you always want what’s best for him. But you’re also a friend who has been in love with him for years, so you will do whatever it takes to get him there. 

You hope you don’t regret this.

“Actually,” You admit quietly, but it’s loud enough to perk Seokjin’s attention. “I’ll do it.” 

Seokjin blinks, clearly trying to process your words right off the bat. “You’ll…” He trails off.

You look away. You have a feeling that if Seokjin looks at you for too long, he’ll see your emotions spill out across the entire fucking studio. “Do the fake dating idea.” 

Seokjin fumbles a little. “H-Hold on a second—are you sure? Seriously, I’m not trying to pressure you or anything. Since you’re the one least adjusted to being in the spotlight, a lot of this pressure is going to fall onto you. I don’t want you to say yes and then regret it later on… so maybe you should think a little more about this…” 

You steel yourself. It feels a little bit like holding your breath. Finally, you spare Seokjin a look. “I won’t regret it,” You say. “You and I both said that Yoongi needs me to keep going at this pace—I was going to get roped in eventually, so I think it’ll just be easier if I agree now rather than drag this thing around for a couple of months. Besides…” You try to relax a little in your seat, but it’s hard to tell if you’re being convincing or not. “It’s nothing too serious right? You just want us to go out together, hold hands occasionally, speak highly of each other… We already do half of those things but it’ll just be emphasized now. No big deal.” 

Seokjin is wearing that unreadable look in his eyes again, like he knows something that you don’t even know yourself. “You’re right,” He settles with after a long pause. “It’s nothing too serious. You’ll probably have people also digging into your space though, but we’ll make all the necessary arrangements before any sort of announcement.” 

“If that’s the case,” You reply. “Then I’m sure it’ll all be fine. Besides.” You try for a smile. “It’s all just fake anyways, right? As long as the ones who really matter know that, then I don’t really see the harm in it.” 

Seokjin only continues to stare at you, before he relents. You know just as well as he does that your decision is one of an adult, and that if you really had a problem with something you would vote your opinion without hesitation. No matter if he can somehow read the thoughts in your head. 

At last, he nods. “We might need you to sign another NDA but…” He extends an arm out towards you. “Welcome abroad, Min Yoongi’s girlfriend.” 

You laugh a little, hollow but still present, as you reach over to take his head. “We’ll start having problems if that nickname becomes a regular thing.” 

Seokjin laughs a little louder, a complete opposite of his more quiet and observant side displayed just a few seconds ago. “Don’t worry—just for formalities. HEY, Namjoon, let me talk to Yoongi for a second.” He practically throws himself off of the couch and towards the music panel where Namjoon and Yoongi are still mid-discussion about another aspect of music you do not understand. Namjoon relents, pushing himself and his chair off to the side as Seokjin comes up to press the button on the panel that allows for discussion between the booth and the studio. “Hey, Min Yoongi, there’s been some discussions behind the scenes. Say hello to your new girlfriend!” 

There’s a brief silence in the studio, and Yoongi’s eyes immediately bug out of his head like this is the last thing he expected to hear on this very casual Wednesday morning. Knowing the agenda for the day, it probably has been. “What?” Yoongi says after a long moment, his voice amplified by the speakers in the studio. 

Seokjin turns towards you, jerking his head at the booth, and you get up with a sigh. You approach the music panel where Seokjin and Namjoon are currently situated—and aren’t sure how to feel when you see the way Yoongi’s eyes widen at the sight of you through the window. 

Still, you cannot help your own weak smile as you lean in towards the microphone. “Hi honey,” You say. 

Yoongi continues to stare at you, before his lips part and his face takes on a very unusual shade of red. “HUH?” 

. 

. 

CHAPTER  3: THE ANNOUNCEMENT 

. 

KSJ records releases a statement within the next following days, and it gains momentum like nothing you’ve ever seen before. 

HELLO, WE ARE KSJ RECORDS. 

Recently, we acknowledge that many fans have developed a curiosity about the relationship status of our newest artist Min Yoongi. The release of his latest EP and the undertaking of his concert has left many questions regarding who he writes his songs for—and many of the different assumptions made by people around the world could leave very dangerous and lasting impressions on people that our artist sees as platonic. We want to respond properly and say the truth. 

Min Yoongi has been in a relationship with his current manager, Y/N, for the past three years. When Min Yoongi was first signed to KSJ Records, they were already in a relationship and Y/N was assigned the task as Yoongi’s manager given her experience working alongside him during his Youtube career. They have good feelings about each other, and have agreed to make this information public to avoid future misunderstandings. KSJ Records and Yoongi hope that you all will support their relationship as they continue to navigate through Yoongi’s growing career together. 

You cannot help but laugh a little at the statement, which is flying so close to the truth that it might as well have been your reality. And in a way, it is. You’ve already prepared, molded your online presence just barely to meet these new expectations to the new facade you have to put up. 

And it’s not like the announcement actually changes anything in your daily life. In the days leading up to the post, you had decided to delete your Twitter account (you weren’t making much use of that platform anyways—what, with all the thirst accounts for Yoongi that you were stumbling upon due to internet cookies and the algorithm), and archive a fair number of your Instagram photos on an account that was already set to private. For someone who didn’t live and breathe social media, it wasn’t too hard to rid of that element in your life. 

One thing you hadn’t really accounted for, however, were the news stories that wrote about you in the hours following the press release. Several of them were base-level lists about your childhood and how your relationship with Yoongi could have festered—most of which were correct given that older fans of Yoongi knew what university he attended and how you were also a student there. But that information is generally public, and it’s not like you attend the university anymore.

Other than that, there are a few comments on your looks, a few assumptions on your personality. But surprising, there’s nothing too severe. At least, from the surface-level information you can collect from just doing a basic google search. Social media would probably be a more difficult battle, one that you would need nerves of steel and a hardened heart in order to navigate, but like mentioned: professionally managing your own personal social media isn’t exactly your forte. 

Over the next week, you follow Seokjin’s advice to lay low and let the news of your relationship with Yoongi continue to spread through the ranks. You spend that time in your apartment, answering a few messages from friends and family but doing what you could to keep the information as limited as possible. You assume that too many people knowing, regardless of how close or trustworthy they were, sort of went against the NDA you had to sign. And you’re not sure how your friends would react if they found out you were only dating Yoongi for a cover-up. Especially since some of them actually are fully aware of your feelings for him. 

Regardless, you carry on. Yoongi sends you some screenshots he takes of supportive messages from his fans wishing the both of you the best in your relationship, and he also sends you some memes about your relationship that make you laugh. His fans have a good sense of humor, what could you say. 

However, a week is the most you allow yourself to hide away within the comfort (and boring nature) of your apartment before you’re already texting Seokjin with news that you were showing up to the studio. 

Surprisingly, Seokjin doesn’t question this. He calls you. “I was just about to ask if you were going to come over anyways!” He says in a rather upbeat nature. “So it’s good to hear that we’re both on the same page.” 

So you step out of your apartment, dressed up in your usual work uniform and feeling much more put-together than you had been for the week you were ordered to remain quiet and lowkey. There’s something exciting about stepping out after being unable to do so for an extended period of time—and it shows in the little bounce that occurs with every step that you take down the sidewalk. Since you usually take the subway to work, you decide to dawn a bucket hat with a face mask tucked over your nose and mouth to blend in just enough but not so much so that your strange fashion choices could draw attention. 

It doesn’t, and you enjoy the rocking of the subway racing down the tracks as you peer out of the window quietly. KSJ Records is just a few stops away from your apartment, so you waste no time standing out and stepping out as soon as the doors of the subway open at the right stop. You bound up the stairs, through the familiar pathways you’ve always taken to get to work, and after a few blocks, you arrive at the building of KSJ Records. 

As you shoulder open the door, you greet the secretary behind the table, who smiles back at you. “Oh, good morning!” She greets cheerfully. “Seokjin is waiting for you in his office. I believe Yoongi is already with him.” 

You nod. “Sounds good, thank you so much!” You bound deeper in, navigating through the different hallways until you arrive at Seokjin’s office. True to the word from the front desk, Yoongi is already there. He looks surprisingly meek for someone who has been trending on Twitter for a few days, but you suppose that he’s still trying to adjust to the fact that Seokjin’s plan is already in motion. After all, he didn’t even get the final say before Seokjin started taking the situation into his own hands. The last he had heard of it was your apparent agreement before Seokjin drew up a company statement for him to approve. 

A part of you feels guilty—but Yoongi had been the one to ask you first! Perhaps he’s still in that normal state of uncertainty. After all, you feel like that as well. 

“Good morning guys,” You greet as soon as you register who exactly is in Seokjin’s office. You close the door behind you as both boys turn to acknowledge you. 

Seokjin grins. “Hi, thanks for coming in.” 

You wave him off. “You gave me the week off. I was starting to get a little restless.” You take a seat in the other vacant chair, in front of Seokjin and besides Yoongi. “What’s up, Yoongi?” 

Yoongi is already looking at you when you turn to greet him, but as soon as you ask your question, the corner of his lips quirk up into a vaguely uneasy and nervous smile. “H-Hi honey.” 

You freeze at that, immediately furrowing your eyebrows as you produce your own nervous smile. “Hi?” You return. “What the fuck are you on?” 

Seokjin interrupts before Yoongi can get an answer in. “Stop, stop, you’re way too stiff, Yoongi!” 

“Well, I’m trying!” Yoongi spits, before looking back at you with an utterance of your name. “Sorry, Seokjin wanted me to try treating you the same way I would treat a girlfriend. Apparently I didn’t do too hot.” 

“Not apparently, you just didn’t do hot at all,” Seokjin retorts back, flashing you an apologetic smile. “We were trying out a few moves easier to see how well you guys can adjust from having your normal manager slash artist relationship to displaying a long term, healthy and happy romantic relationship. It’s one thing to say that you guys are dating, but you guys do need to have something of an act ready.” 

You fold your fingers over each other, your mind on a dissociation for the briefest of seconds as the realization sinks its teeth just a little deeper. Holding hands and saying cute shit to each other had been easy to talk about in passing dialogue to Seokjin—but actually having to do it is a hurdle you hadn’t considered to the fullest. 

“I mean…” You speak up after a moment. “What if we’re just one of those couples that aren’t handsey with each other? Or don’t need that lovey dovey look in each other’s eyes to prove that we’re in a relationship?” 

Seokjin ponders this for a second. “True. But if we’re starting this, there needs to be a full level commitment on the act. If people start questioning the legitimacy of your relationship, that would be an even worse scandal than just letting people make assumptions about Yoongi’s relationship status in general! We definitely, at least, need to develop a basic level of your relationship, and then you guys can work around your own varying levels of comfort. This is something that we need to get rolling as soon as possible, because you.” He points at Yoongi. “Are booked in the next few days to do some radio interviews. And you.” He points at you. “Are going to go with him, as his girlfriend.” 

Even though you had known the label was coming, you can’t stop from feeling hot all over at how you were now technically Yoongi’s girlfriend. 

“So,” Seokjin continues. “How about I give you a base level of what I’m looking for. And we can do a few practice runs to make sure you guys are comfortable enough with these expectations?” 

Yoongi nods, leaving you little option but to do the same. But the thought from the recording booth bubbles up again: you hope you won’t regret this. 

. 

A few days later and you don’t think you’ll regret the outcome of this situation. But you’ll definitely get a little sick on the way. 

“I don’t know if I can do this,” You say in the car. You’re sitting in the back, next to Yoongi, staring straight ahead at the passenger seat before you. “And stay all in one piece,” You add as an afterthought. 

Yoongi glances over at you, looking nervous enough to admit a pout. “At least you don’t have to say anything—I’m the one doing all the talking…” 

You huff out a breath. This is true. You’re just here to play the supportive girlfriend, the agreeable partner who’ll publicly accompany Yoongi to a public event since a public announcement. Seokjin says that doing this with the lense of a romantic relationship makes you seem friendly, open, and supportive of the relationship. You’re not too sure how public perception is shaped, but you understand where Seokjin is coming from. Tagging along to an event as a girlfriend instead of a manager makes you and Yoongi seem free. Like you have nothing to hide. 

Only in reality, it’s the complete opposite. With everything coming out to the surface, you have everything to hide. 

It only takes a few more minutes of driving before you arrive at the radio station. The instructions for today’s assignment have been easy: get out of the car, and walk the many steps needed to reach the entrance of the station. The empty step ahead is surrounded by paparazzi and fans, all screaming and shouting—trying to get their fill of Yoongi. 

You sigh. You could do this. You and Yoongi have been practicing for the past few days. Albeit, ‘practicing’ just mainly consisted of the pair of you walking down a hallway close together. It was more lackluster than anything else, and you don’t think it was entirely productive use of time. Seokjin seemed to think that the pair of you needed to work on a closer level of proximity. But you know the truth about your feelings, and know that the complications will come from just being too close to him. 

Yoongi unbuckles his seatbelt and is already moving to tug at the handle that’ll open his side of the car door, immediately exposing him to the walkway along with the flashing cameras and loud screams. Before he can pull all the way, however, he stops short. You’re about to ask what the problem is, before he angles towards you and flashes you that grin he has when he’s thinking of ideas you wouldn’t approve of. “I have an idea,” He breathes out, quickly reaching over to grab your hand. 

You stiffen at the contact, trying to ignore the flash of your heart speeding up in your chest. You and Yoongi hadn’t agreed on this—if you had, maybe you would have been a little more prepared for the situation! Oh god. 

On instinct, you try to wiggle out of his grasp. “What are you doing?” You hiss. 

Yoongi gives you a dry look, reaching over to grab your hand again. “Calm down,” He argues back, lacing your fingers together for extra measure, like that’s gonna be the thing to help you calm the fuck down. “This’ll help sell it, okay? Just trust me.” 

Leaving little room for arguments, he squeezes your hand briefly before loosening it enough. He pulls the car door handle, pushing it outwards, and stepping out into the wild. People notice his appearance immediately, because the screams grow louder as Yoongi uses his unoccupied hand to wave and bow towards those who have come out to see him. 

You trail behind rather helplessly; the hand connected to Yoongi pulling you out of the car. Yoongi stays near the door, staring down at you with a rather watchful gaze that only leaves you feeling hotter than before. Still, you don’t speak of it as Yoongi steps back just enough for you to step out of the car. “You okay?” He asks. 

You nod, readjusting yourself with one hand before Yoongi starts to pull you alongside him to walk the distance towards the radio station entrance. Although you want to engage slightly with the crowd, your nerves keep you mainly at bay, forcing you to angle your head downwards just enough to avoid any serious eye contact. Yoongi keeps his gaze ahead, walking a rather brisk pace towards the radio studio—where security leads the way in opening the door for the pair of you. Whether he’s walking fast because he doesn’t want to keep up the charade of holding your hand for so long… or because he can feel how sweaty your palm is getting. You don’t know. 

It’s only a few more steps before you and Yoongi are entering the building for the radio show, where Jungkook is lingering near the entrance. He’s on his phone, probably having just made a call with Seokjin about your arrival, before he spots the two of you entering. “Hey guys, how was it?” 

Yoongi nods. “A little loud, but I think it went alright.” 

Jungkook’s eyes flicker down to your intertwined hands. “Wow, you guys are committed,” He comments. 

You seem to remember that your soul has returned to the body that is still currently holding hands with Min Yoongi. Alarmingly, you take your hand back. “Y-Yeah, Yoongi thought it would be a good show for the people outside! No biggie—just a simple hand holding technique, people do that all the time!” You realize that you’re rambling. 

Yoongi, oblivious as always, raises an eyebrow. “You okay?” 

“Y-Yeah,” You manage. “Why do you ask?” 

Yoongi is about to answer, before an intern shyly approaches the three of you with an iPad in hand. 

“Are you all under Mr. Min’s team?” She asks, fishing out some badges when you nod in confirmation. “Okay, so make sure to take these so everyone knows who you are. Mr. Min? I can lead you to the studio you’ll be interviewing in, if you’ll follow me—did you need me to grab a soda for you?” She begins listing a series of questions about his well-being, leaving you and Jungkook behind in the hallway with your newly acquired badges in hand.

Jungkook, observant as always, gives you a look. “What was that all about?” 

“Huh? I-It was nothing…” You trail off looping the badge around your neck, meeting Jungkook’s eyes and realizing that he’s wearing a shit-eating grin. The same kind of grin that Taehyung gives you when you’re standing too close to Yoongi. Your eyes flare. “WHAT DO YOU KNOW?”  

Jungkook laughs. “Calm down, calm down, Taehyung and I gossip a lot on the side—hey, what the fuck, don’t hit me—we’re in a public place!” 

You relent your aggression, but only slightly. You lower your arms as well. “Just—don’t tell Yoongi.” 

Jungkook levels with you a dry look. “Do you think I have a death wish? C’mon, let’s head over.” 

With a hesitant sigh, you relent and let Jungkook lead you down the halls of this studio, until the pair of you find a door with Yoongi’s name written on the white board. There’s a darkened LIVE light panel above the frame, indicating that Yoongi’s radio interview hasn’t started yet. There’s some people lingering about, who nod and open the door for you when you present your TALENT badge at them. The inside of a radio booth is similar to the recording booths Yoongi has found a home in as of late. There’s people in this current room, headphones on and monitoring what’s happening before them while being surrounded with sound panels and laptop screens. On the other side of the glass is Yoongi, and the main hosts of the radio station, Jung Hoseok and Im Nayeon. 

From your side, you can hear their conversation amplified through speakers in the studio. They’re all currently joking around about external matters—it makes sense too. Yoongi has been on this particular radio show a handful of times. 

“Okay, okay, you guys,” Hoseok speaks after a few more minutes of playful banter. “Today, we have a very special guest with us today. He’s fresh off the tour of his first and most recent EP, we have Min Yoongi in the studio! Yay!” He claps. Nayeon follows suit. 

Yoongi stops his clapping sooner to speak into the microphone in front of him. “Thanks for having me back.” 

“Thank you for deciding to hang out with us for the afternoon,” Nayeon says. “Especially since you’re a big hot shot now.” 

Yoongi laughs. “I wouldn’t say that… I just finished my first tour, Nayeon, no big deal.” 

“‘No big deal’,” Nayeon quotes him. “As if your EP didn’t chart into a top 50 list or anything like that.” 

The conversation trails like this for a little bit. Yoongi is scheduled to spend thirty minutes doing a segment, which is meant to be uploaded onto Youtube later, so it gives the three of them a lot of legroom to play around and play off of each other. The purpose of the interview is to discuss the tour, the progress of the album, and (if anyone dared venture there) the status of his relationship—! 

“Well, moving on from the album—which I’m sure is going to be a huge success, by the way,” Nayeon continues on, bringing you back from the daydream that you’ve slipped into. “Seriously, it’s a very highly anticipated release.” 

Yoongi manages a nervous smile. “I’ll make sure not to let anyone down.” 

Nayeon nods. “I think it’s a good time to ask about a recent development that has occurred with you as of late.” 

“And, that is the announcement of your relationship,” Nayeon carries on. She glances at Yoongi from across the table. “We’re allowed to ask you questions about it, right?” 

Yoongi nods, choosing his words very carefully. “I’m all ears for your questions, Nayeon.” 

Nayeon brightens at that. “I just think that a lot of people want to know: how are you guys doing since the announcement?” 

He takes in a breath. To the general public, it’ll probably look as if he’s steeling himself to finally come clean about a relationship he’s been hiding for three years. But to you, you know it’s because he’s just trying to figure out what exactly to say. 

“We’ve been doing well,” He says with a nod of assurance. “It was a little stressful at first, and it still is because of how recent the news is, but I am glad we decided to make this call. Y/N has been with me since the beginning and has supported me and has been the inspiration for a lot of my music—and I’m at a point in my life where I want my fans to know that rather than drag them along and just make them assume these parts of my life.” 

“That’s so sweet,” Nayeon gushes. “So Y/N wasn’t always just your manager, even back in your Youtube days?” 

Yoongi shakes his head. “Actually, she was my girlfriend before I decided to upload song covers.” 

Nayeon swoons a little. “Can you tell us the story of how we met? You can be brief, of course.” 

Yoongi laughs. “We shared a class together in college, and she was probably the funniest person I had ever met—of course, we were friends for about a year before we started dating. But Y/N was always very supportive about me pursuing music, even when it was just a hobby. When I did start my Youtube channel, she stayed up to help with editing and just letting me know how some lyrics I had written would sound. She was a business major in college, so it felt right to let her have the reins on scheduling my appearances—and now she’s my manager. Besides just being my girlfriend, we work together really well.” 

You huff out a breath, something you hadn’t even realized that you were holding. You didn’t think Yoongi lying straight through his teeth could cause you so much anxiety. As if there are people around this radio station to fact check everything leaving Yoongi’s mouth. 

Nayeon hesitates for a moment. “Alright, I want to ask one more question.” 

Yoongi gestures for her to continue. 

“You write a lot about being in love and all these little moments of stability and that feeling of contentment—but what is your experience with love? How did you know that you were in love?” 

Your lips part in shock at the question, having not expected it. After all, Seokjin didn’t quiz Yoongi on this answer. And to talk about love in such a personal manner—would Yoongi even have an answer for everyone? 

Your gaze is trained on Yoongi, watching them through the glass separating you from him. It seems as if the entire room is silenced in anticipation. You can feel Jungkook’s gaze hot on your back, clearly trying to gauge your response—but you try not to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. 

“It’s actually funny,” Yoongi speaks up after a moment. Your heart lurches, thinking that he’s going to divert from the question. But you should know him better. “I always thought love, when it came to romance, was supposed to be this big explosion of fireworks and what not—like in the movies. You see someone and there’s this feeling in your gut right away, you know, this whole concept of love at first sight. I used to think that was how I was going to fall in love. It was going to be dramatic, but everything I wanted right away, and I was going to be whisked off and everything would be sunshine and rainbows. I thought that I’d meet someone, and they’d be everything I wanted them to be right off the bat, and that I’d know right away they’d be the one. 

But the truth is, through my relationship, I realized that it’s not like that. I didn’t know Y/N would be the one right away. It took a long time—because we liked each other, but that’s not the big explosion of fireworks I was promised. We liked each other, but it was never love at first sight. And truthfully, she wasn’t even everything I wanted right off the bat. I’ve realized that love is more about these adjustments you as people have to make to fit, and it happened so subtly with me that then I didn’t realize it was happening until I just woke up one day and knew. 

I knew because one morning, I woke up in a fit—I had fallen asleep at my desk again trying to get through some of the music arrangement of this one video I was working on, or something like that. I was always working on music and editing—so I actually don’t remember. Anyways, I woke up and my head was resting on a pillow, and there was a blanket over my shoulder, which I didn’t remember fixing up the night before. I got out of the little makeshift studio I had in my apartment, and there was breakfast food from this cafe I really like around the corner at my table. It was a little cold, but Y/N had taped a little note on the bag with heating instructions and what not, just telling me to do my best—really nice and supportive things. I had assumed that she had gone back home, because she knew I was pulling another all-nighter for work. That’s what I thought, until I look into the living room and find her sleeping on my couch. More than that, her hands were still on her laptop, where she had been in the process of still editing one of my videos. She still had her headphones on and everything. We had been dating for a little less than a year at that point, so it wasn’t like this was a rare thing. It was a pretty normal thing for her to do—wrap me up in blankets and buy me breakfast food the following morning, even falling asleep on the couch was a weekly occurrence. But I just saw her sleeping on my couch and I felt this wave of warmth and contentment. Like I always knew that she’d be on my team. I think that was the moment I really knew what love was.” 

It’s a long story, one that ends with a stunned silence—like no one had expected him to give out such a detailed answer and make it sound poetic at the same time. That’s the songwriter Min Yoongi for you, you supposed. 

Quickly, both the studio and the booth give out a chorus of aw’s and ooh’s, gushing amongst one another over the charming nature of Yoongi’s story. But you are still trapped into submission, staring straight through the glass with millions of questions still going through your mind. The spike in your heart rate also points to the rush of adrenaline flowing through you. Because you know this story that he is telling. He’s not lying through his teeth. You remember this night. Or, one of the nights, at least. Like Yoongi had said, you giving out blankets and food like air was second nature in your friendship. So was you falling asleep on the couch. 

Did those situations hold as much weight for him as they did for you? Or, was he just making up his feelings? After all, the key to lying was skirting as close to the truth as possible. That kind of situation may work for Yoongi, as the liar, but it wasn’t as comforting for you. 

You watch the way Yoongi laughs at the gushing Nayeon does, the way he smiles brightly and continues to reinforce how important you are—and you recognize his facade better than anyone else. Of course he’s lying, and you reach their realization with a bit of downfall in your stomach. There’s no way he would be telling the truth, especially considering the situation the pair of you are now in where Yoongi’s career is dependent on his ability to tell a proper lie. 

You allow yourself to sink a little deeper into the studio, near the back where the producers of the radio station can discuss amongst each other. This puts you with Jungkook, who has been watching the situation closely the entire time. 

“Yoongi can be quite the actor,” Jungkook mumbles. He has this unreadable expression in his eyes, but you know that Jungkook knows that situation Yoongi is describing. It had been Jungkook’s apartment as well. He glances at you, but says nothing. 

You continue to stare ahead. That pensive silence continues as Yoongi is released from the radio interview, and thanks Nayeon and Hoseok eagerly for their time and energy. Nayeon returns the gesture, waving to you through the glass when Yoongi points you out. You weakly return the action. 

It isn’t until you get into the car, where the pair of you are safe from the wandering eyes and careful ears of the entire world, that one of you elects to speak up. “So, what did you think?” Yoongi asks. 

By this point, you’ve recovered swiftly from your disappointment. You smile like it’s your only shield. “As your manager, I’m glad that you were able to make love so poetic—just on brand for you. As your fake girlfriend, I also really have to congratulate you for your storytelling. I even remember those nights too, so it was definitely a good memory to lie about.” 

Yoongi flushes a little at your comment, looking pleased with himself for a moment. You smile at his expression, before turning to train your gaze out of the window. The gesture makes you miss the way the smile slips off his face, the way he glances over at you. A good memory to lie about—right. 

.

Yoongi’s radio interview goes viral, and so does any hope you have in trying to forget the tale he had spun during it. Granted, you are happy that people bought his story. You just wish that it wouldn’t have muddled up all your thoughts and feelings along the way. 

Naturally, Seokjin is excited about the good press and the fact that the pair of you completed your first assignment well enough. At least, that’s the display he’s presenting when you walk into his office two days after the radio interview. Yesterday was spent looking over social media to see the public’s reaction to Yoongi’s speech about love, and if you as his manager would need to do any damage control. Luckily, you do not. As his manager, it leaves you in good spirits. 

But as someone who actually has a crush on Yoongi, it’s less so. 

That dejection only furthers itself when you see how excited Seokjin looks, like he’s already plotting the next steps to his little project. 

“Ah, Y/N!” Seokjin greets carefully. “Hi, hi, congratulations on your first successful outing with Yoongi! Per the reports I’ve been seeing over social media, you guys did a very good job.” 

You sigh, placing four coffee orders onto the table and sliding into the seat in front of Seokjin’s desk. “I didn’t really do that much,” You admit with a half-hearted shrug. “Yoongi did all the talking. I just waved at Nayeon through the glass window.” 

“Aaahh,” Seokjin hums, opening up his laptop and turning it around in order for you to see what is on his screen. “Seems like you did a little more than that.” 

Your gaze flints down to the big, bold words across the screen: THE INSIDER REPORT ON MIN YOONGI’S RADIO INTERVIEW: Employees at the K-IM Radio Station detail their experience meeting Yoongi and his girlfriend following the announcement of their relationship. 

That piques your interest, and you scoot forward in your chair slightly in order to reach out and see what Seokjin is talking about. It’s not a very lengthy article—there is a summary detailing Yoongi’s interview, of course referencing his grand speech about love—but that’s not what takes up the most space. 

Your eyes continue to skim over, almost not even believing what you were reading. The intern that first greeted you and Yoongi is in here, talking about how the pair of you were holding hands “in such a loving way, and the way they looked at each other before I led him to the radio booth was so romantic!” (The intern’s words, not yours). There’s even some excerpts from the employees and producers inside the radio booth, the same room you had spent the interview in. Surprisingly, a lot of the accounts are not talking about what Yoongi said. It’s all about how you looked when Yoongi was telling his story. 

“It was such a powerful speech, I couldn’t help but look over to Y/N to see her reaction, and she was staring back at Yoongi in such a way that I knew immediately that the genuine nature of their love was a two-way street.” 

“... a definite softness in her gaze, like she was reliving that memory with him.” 

And so on, and so on. 

Your face feels a little warmer when your eyes as you push the laptop away, glancing up to see Seokjin’s staring at you. “See? You did good. The small gestures you do can go a long way—especially when you don’t notice you’re doing them.” 

You close the laptop, as if that can physically distance yourself from the assurances of those who had been around you. “Right…” You manage weakly. 

“Well,” Seokjin hums, already moving onto the next point of the conversation. If he senses something fishy in your response, he doesn’t comment on it. “Anyways, Yoongi is in the studio right now with Namjoon, so I just want a little update report on your relationship with Yoongi. As in, how is it going between the two of you?” 

You ponder this for a moment, thinking about how he took your hand in the car, how he recounted such a personal story to explain the details of his love, the look he gave you when you congratulated his storytelling abilities—like he knew something that you did not. 

At the same time, it was such a minor appearance that you didn’t get much of a feel about the romantic aspect of this fake relationship. This is why you sigh. “I’m not too sure. We had such a minor acting role together that it’s hard to say. I will say that right now it feels pretty much the same.” 

“Alright, fair enough,” Seokjin approves with a nod. “So you don’t have a problem if I want to plan some informal hang-outs for you and Yoongi? Just as a way to keep your guys in the public eye enough times that fans don’t start doubting your relationship.” 

You smile weakly. “Of course. That’s what I signed the NDA for.” 

Seokjin laughs, finally waving you off. “Okay, sure. I’ll look into where I think your relationship will make the biggest impact and will update you and Yoongi when I’ve made my decisions.” Finally, he looks over the multiple cups of coffee you had brought over on your cardboard tray, and fishes out the one with his name on it. “This one for me?” 

You lean over, flickering your gaze from the cup to his face. “Well, at the very least, I know you can read now.” 

His relaxed expression morphs into a playful scowl. “Get out of here brat.” 

Your laughter echoes through his office as you take your cardboard tray of three coffee cups and reemerge back into the hallway of the record studio. You walk the familiar path until you reach the door to the recording room—pulling open the door and letting yourself in. Inside the booth, Yoongi is rapping away into his microphone, as his low voice fills the tiny space of this studio. You place the tray down onto one of the tables, picking up your own before sliding over to take a seat on the couch. 

As you continue listening to Yoongi wistfully hum about a desire to cross an emotional distance, about how he tells the truth because “it’s you, it’s always been you”—you cannot help your mind wandering into what Seokjin has in store for you over the course of the next few months. 

.

. 

CHAPTER 4: TURNING POINT 

. 

Yoongi’s first full length album is set to release in two months. 

At least, that’s what KSJ records claims after uploading a quarterly report of Yoongi’s schedule. At first, you don’t think it’s a big deal for Yoongi’s label to post a tentative update about his music progress, but his fans are extremely observant and catch on immediately. It’s good to draw up the hype, you suppose. 

Anyways, at the rate that Yoongi is working on the songs for the album, you won’t be surprised if he manages to follow the schedule down to a T. The boy lives and breathes music, and last time you checked the album would consist partly of songs from his EP and new songs—meaning that it cuts down Yoongi’s usual workload into half. Not that he minds, at any rate. 

“Okay, Min Yoongi,” Seokjin starts up, standing at the head of the meeting room which only consists of three people. Normally, with meetings with the head of KSJ records himself, there’s a lot more people around to discuss schedule, promotions, and the likes. The fact that it’s just you and Yoongi tells you exactly what you’re doing here. “It’s been a few weeks since your radio interview, and I know that you’re doing well in your progress of the album—but I think it’ll do you well to take a break.” 

Yoongi huffs. “It’s nice that you’re reminding me about this, but I’ll rest when the album is released.” 

Seokjin snorts. “When did I say rest? I just meant take a break from your album work. Plus you need to get some vitamin C, or whatever shit you get from the sun.”  

“It’s vitamin D,” You interject gently. 

“Pish posh,” Seokjin waves away your interruption. “Anyways, like I was saying, there is a way for us to kill two birds with one stone. So that you.” He points to Yoongi. “Can get out of the studio for a few hours and you.” He points to you. “Can play into a relationship that’ll help us kill two birds with one stone.” 

You raise an eyebrow. “What exactly are you proposing?” 

“Well,” Seokjin continues, leaning over his side of the table to get a few good at his laptop, where it appears that he has a few notes written down regarding the direction of this meeting. “In order to continue generating curiosity about Yoongi’s upcoming album and maintain the public’s constant queries about your relationship, I want you two to go on public outings. I have a few specific places I think would be good cornerstones to touch on, but I’m also willing to let the two of you figure out where you want to spend your time.” He glances up at the two of you. “That should be okay, right?” 

You and Yoongi glance at each other. Come to think of it, the pair of you haven’t talked about nor reviewed the events at the radio station since it happened and the underlying questions you still have about his side of the story feels vaguely like a weight hanging over you both. But Yoongi smiles at you, and you think that you can continue to do what you’ve done for years: hide away your feelings. 

“Yeah, that should be fine,” You speak up first, smiling back at Yoongi. You turn to Seokjin. “What did you have in mind?” 

The question is how you find yourself in a car with Yoongi a few days later, your hands in your lap and your mind spinning with nerves. The radio interview had been one case, but a limited one at that—your role had been very minor and your interaction with Yoongi had only been seconds long. They had definitely been a lot smaller than this new role that Seokjin has assigned to you. 

For today, Seokjin has directed the pair of you to the streets of Yoongi’s old stomping ground—the same shopping district with the same corner Yoongi spent all his nights performing in from a time period that seems so long enough. Not long enough, apparently, as Seokjin thinks it would be a nice nod to be ‘accidentally’ discovered walking along a place that holds so much memory. 

“I just want you guys to walk around—be happy, but be close,” Seokjin had noted just a few hours prior to you and Yoongi’s departure. “Just look like the pair of you are on a date. Hold hands, smile at each other, all that jazz. Nothing too serious.” 

Too bad it actually was kind of serious for you. 

You and Yoongi make minor conversation, making some jokes here and there that do well in helping to ease your nerves. You don’t think Yoongi would take notice, but he can be strangely observant. Perhaps the way you keep bouncing one of your legs helps let him know that something is up. 

“Are you okay?” He asks. 

You stop bouncing your leg. “It kind of feels like I’m about to perform, or something—it’s that same kind of rush.” 

Yoongi stares at you for a moment, before he looks out his side of the window. “Well, technically speaking, you are about to perform. You know, with this whole relationship being an act and all.” 

“Very true,” You say, nodding your head. “Do we need a game plan?” 

Yoongi shrugs. “I thought that we’d just wing it. We held hands back at the radio station so, uh, I’m assuming that you’re still comfortable with doing that?” 

“O-Oh yeah, of course!” 

“Then, we can do that. And walk around. Improvise while we do so—just see how the day goes.” 

You nod. “Okay, true, true. That sounds good.” You can’t help but give him a sneaky smile. “Look at you, Min Yoongi, you’ve become quite the performer. Improvisation used to be something you were never too good at.” 

Yoongi flushes a little, smiling back at you. “Give me a little credit. You gotta have backups for your backups, especially in situations when your sound gives up on you in the middle of one of your sets.” 

You laugh, because this reminds you about one of Yoongi’s first live sets along the very street the pair of you will be approaching shortly. His speakers had just given up, forcing Yoongi to go entirely acapella. In a way, that mistake ended up garnering him more fans who grew to respect his craft and talent for music and singing. But as they say, hindsight is 20 20. 

You and Yoongi continue to laugh about that memory for a few minutes before Taehyung arrives along the outskirts of the shopping district, pulling up along the curb. The car is on the other side of this bustling area, just a few feet away from the pedestrian walkway that is littering with people going to and fro. 

Taehyung turns around in his seat to give the pair of you a look. “Now kids, I want you to call me whenever you’re ready to get picked up.” He’s grinning around the words though 

You glare at him. “Sure thing dad,” You bite back, already opening the car door to take your leave. Your feet land onto the concrete of the sidewalk as you pull yourself into a standing position. Yoongi joins you shortly after, standing close to you. “Bye,” You say, slamming the door into Taehyung’s face before he can get in one last snarky reply. 

Yoongi looks like he’s trying hard not to laugh for Taehyung’s benefit. But it’s an act he can only hold together for so long, because he does start to laugh as soon as Taehyung and the company car turn the corner and disappear out of sight.

After a second, Yoongi turns to you and gestures towards the pedestrian walkway just a few feet ahead. “Shall we?” 

You nod, taking the hand that he extends out to you. Just an act, you tell yourself, you allow him to lace your fingers together. Nevermind the fact that the weight on your hand feels entirely too reassuring and comforting for the current context. 

Ignoring that feeling, you squeeze his hand and let him lead you towards the walkway, where you cross the street with no problem. Since Yoongi nor Seokjin had announced Yoongi’s presence at this plaza for the day, you can only hope that too much attention won’t be drawn to you. 

It’s a thought that you are able to entertain for a few minutes. Yoongi may not have the star quality status of mainstream celebrities (yet), but he’s still someone who has been on the radio, has done a country-wide tour, and has a youtube following of a couple million people (four now, the last time you checked—subscriber counts tend to zip by after a person hits a million). That small list of accomplishments is more than enough to drag in a few wandering eyes. Okay, maybe a little more than a few. 

You think that you’ve kind of developed a seventh sense to knowing when Yoongi was being recognized. It’s shown in the double-glances some people start shooting at him, at quick whispers behind closed hands, and craning necks over shoulders. 

You’re okay with people knowing about Yoongi’s current location, but the memory of his tours and even the crowd problem that came up during his street performances flashback in your mind. You don’t think you want to deal with that situation right now—secretly preferring if people just observed from a distance. 

Without thinking twice, you tighten your hold on Yoongi’s hand long enough to lead him into one of the stores along the sidewalk—an accessories booth with fake glasses, rings, earrings, the likes. 

Yoongi watches you, a touch of amusement in his eyes like he knows what you’re thinking. Still, he asks. “What are you doing?” 

You rummage through the wide selection of glasses, fully aware that one or two people have spotted the pair of you and are lingering near the entrance to catch a glance at what you two are doing. From the looks of it, no one is going to stir up a commotion. You still want to make sure. 

“You stand out,” You explain vaguely, finding a pair of circle glasses in black-rims from the pile before turning around and more or less smashing the glasses against his face. It’s difficult to try and put glasses on another person, you miss his ears a few times and almost get him in the eye, but Yoongi strangely enough lets you manhandle him. 

In the midst of your last few attempts you step forward and scoot even closer to him to try and get the glasses more properly situated on his face. Due to the proximity, Yoongi’s hands fly up from his side to avoid being pressed uncomfortably against his chest, choosing to rest at your waist. At first, you don’t feel the weight of his hands, you’re too focused on making sure the fake glasses you’ve selected can fit in place. 

As soon as you’ve properly aligned the glasses to his face, you lower your hands from his face. The action makes you suddenly hyper aware of the current position you’ve put yourself in. It’s not very often that you get handsy with Yoongi, it’s a side of you that comes out when the pair of you are in a hurry, but hardly during candid moments like this. 

Immediately, Yoongi’s hands feel like warm flames tickling your skin, and you suddenly feel hyper aware of his position, of his closeness. Your eyes flicker up, seeing his face with those glasses you’ve just shoved onto him sitting nicely at the bridge of his nose, highlighting the intensity of his gaze. The stare he’s giving you only heightens the gravitational pull you feel towards him. 

You don’t know how long the pair of you are just standing in the middle of the store, staring at each other, until you feel the weight of a third party approaching the pair of you. 

You practically shove yourself away from Yoongi, trying to make it seem as if you’re just stepping back to get an overall look at his face (Yoongi featuring glasses). Yoongi lets you go. 

The third party is an employee of the accessories booth, smiling widely. “Sorry to interrupt,” She says, looking over at Yoongi. “Sir, I just want to say that those glasses look great on you. And just to let you know we’re having a sale on that collection so it’s a buy one get the other one half off so maybe you two can match if you’re up to it…” 

You tune her out after a second, realizing that you can’t really keep up with what she’s saying considering the current firestorm that’s going on inside your head. Why couldn’t you have just asked Yoongi to put the glasses on himself? You curse yourself for letting your guard down—sometimes you try to do things of your own accord, and today you were paying the price.

When you don’t speak after a few seconds, Yoongi smiles at the employee. “Got it, thanks a lot.” He waits until the employee returns back to rearranging some earrings on a nearby shelf before turning back to you. “How does it look?” 

He does look good, but you play it down by tilting your head and settling with a shrug. “Well, you’ve looked better—but this’ll have to do.” 

Yoongi laughs, before he does something that catches you off guard. He steps closer to you. “So you think there are times when I do look good?” 

You try not to look too bewildered at his gesture. You can tell that he does feel a little nervous about the fact he’s testing the waters so boldly without any practice, but it’s all part of the act. Just as Seokjin said: be happy, be close. 

So you place a hand on his chest, pushing him slightly with your own little teasing smile. “I said better—that doesn’t always mean you were ever good to begin with.” 

Yoongi makes a noise of protest, and without warning just swings his arm around your shoulder and pulls you close to his side. “You’re breaking my heart everyday!” 

“You must like the abuse, you’re still with me,” You bite back playfully without thought. For a split second, it doesn’t feel like you’re in a store with people who vaguely recognize Yoongi’s appearance—for a split second, it feels like just you and him, and everything you’ve ever wanted. 

Upon Yoongi’s lips hover over the shell of your ear. “Good job, I think the group of girls outside caught our picture.” 

That dreamy fantasy where it was just you and Yoongi and nothing else mattered came crashing down, squaring you right back into reality. It’s not a disappointing feeling per say—just a vague extra hammering of your heartbeat, a vague guilt that you let your mind let its guard down like that. “Right,” You say. “Uh…” You try to think, which proves to be a difficult thing to do with Yoongi’s weight pressed up against you and everything. You clap your hands together. “Okay, let’s grab a hat and then we’ll be on our way.” 

You make sure to be a little less handsy when it comes to hat selections, but you knew there was only so far you could escape given the current context of the situation. Yoongi seems to know that, because he stays close to you as you’re both shifting through hats, and even when he pays for his hat and glasses combination before exiting the booth. The pair of you pass through the two girls that were lingering outside of the booth, where Yoongi gives them the smallest wave and hello before carrying on with the rest of the trip. 

With the hat and glasses combination, it definitely draws less attention to Yoongi’s classic fluffy black hair and gummy smile—especially if you’re using what was going on in the beginning of your trip as a baseline. This means that you and Yoongi can carry on with the rest of your outing with feeling the obvious heavy weight of gazes on your shoulder. 

With intertwined hands the pair of you first stop by one of the local cafes and sit right alongside the window to enjoy some pasta and soda combinations. You roll up the noodles onto your fork and clink utensils with Yoongi before slipping the noodles in your mouth—tomato sauce with flavor slipped into every side piece of noodle. It’s amazing, and you cannot help but gush so as you smile brightly around your fork. 

You’re too busy stirring your fork around yet another string of pasta that you fail to see the softening look of the boy across the table from you. It’s a look that disappears by the time your gaze glints back up to resume the conversation. The pasta is considered a snack above all else, so it doesn’t take long for the pair of you to finish up your meal. Leaving a tip behind on the table, Yoongi walks over to you just as you’re straightening up from your chair. Silently, he offers his hand to you. 

Knowing the routine by now, you take his hand, silently lacing your fingers together and letting him lead the way out of the cafe and back onto the sidewalk. The later afternoon shows itself in the steady increase of people, which is good because it makes you feel as if you can blend into the crowd either. There are still the occasional phones out, trailing after you and Yoongi as you walk along the sidewalk, but nothing that ever makes you feel as if you need to call Taehyung. 

“Actually, this isn’t as bad as I thought it’d be,” You grumble to Yoongi quietly, a comment that he laughs at. 

“I’m not that famous,” Yoongi jokingly teases you. “And my fans are just being respectful—give them a little credit.” His voice dies down shortly after, however, but it only takes you a few seconds to realize why. 

The pair of you, in the midst of your simple ‘walk along the sidewalk’ plan, have arrived at a very familiar street corner. The sunset means that arriving performers who work best once the sun leaves are just beginning to set up their stage—laying out equipment, testing out sound systems, saying hello to some passersby who recognize the artists getting ready. You can read the signs of these interactions very easily. After all, it’s what Yoongi used to do a year ago, at this very spot too. 

In front of you, a new performer, a singer, is setting up her own equipment—guitar in hand as she practices her strumming. You inch closer to Yoongi, your arms molded against each other. “Hey, hey,” You whisper at Yoongi. The boy leans over to better hear you. “She reminds me of you.” 

Yoongi laughs. “What do you mean? How?” 

You glance over at the girl again, not noticing the way Yoongi is still staring at you, quietly awaiting your answer. “You guys have the same drive,” You eventually note. “And the same determination. It’s easy to see in her, just as it’s always been like that for you…” You trail off, looking over to realize that he’s still looking at you. 

“You noticed those things, huh?” Yoongi asks quietly. 

His gaze is too enticing to look away from, pulling you in through a situation not unlike what had happened at the accessories shop earlier that afternoon. “I-I mean, of course I do…” Yoongi’s gaze feels like hot magnets that are just pulling the next words out of you. “I always notice with you.” 

The world seems to quiet down at that, everything slowing down as you feel yourself mentally curse yourself out for those words. Why would you say it like that? 

A million thoughts go through your head at once. You weren’t really lying or trying to play a part. You were being honest. You do always notice with Yoongi. And since he clearly only sees you as a friend that could participate in whatever scheme he can get himself into, then he would obviously hear your statement and think of it as nothing more than a friendly complement. Right? RIGHT? 

Except, Yoongi is still just standing next to you, staring at you, not making any sort of comment whatsoever. He has that unreadable expression in his gaze, a look he always gives you when you let the cracks slip in your facade, but it’s something he never talks about, never explains to you—just like right now. 

The silence grows tense, so tense that it begins to feel like weights on your shoulders, like a coil wrapping itself around your heart, because why isn’t he saying anything? 

Yoongi hums, low and throaty and that coil around your heart drops into your stomach. “Is that so?” He inquires softly, continuing to gaze at you. 

His gaze drops down to your lips, and that coil is replaced with butterflies all around you. It starts are a flutter in your stomach, in your heart, and your mind starts to race because what the fuck is happening?

Around you, the growing number of people means that someone accidentally bumps into you, driving you forward right into Yoongi’s chest. The pair of you stumble, effectively dissipating that cloud of tension that had threatened to curl through you. You cough, taking a small step away from Yoongi so that while the pair of you were still holding hands, that was the only thing connecting the pair of you. 

You and Yoongi don’t have another run in like that for the remainder of the date, as that late afternoon sunset fades away into nighttime and you and Yoongi spend that time trying to enjoy each other’s presence whilst also not engaging in too much physical contact. Your fingers remain loosely intertwined but it never tightens as if the small air of space between your hands can hide away the nerves and tension you feel yourself trying to contain. 

Even when Taehyung comes to pick the two of you up, and you no longer are under the obligation to hold hands, that air of space still feels heavy between the two of you. 

.

The overwhelming positive response of your first official public date sends Seokjin through the moon, as well as provides him with a drive to arrange and send you and Yoongi out on more dates. All of which, fortunately for you, don’t come nearly as close to the level of tension experienced from the first date. Partly because you know your limits, and go into each planned date with a level of expectation for yourself as well as rules that you’ve internally programmed yourself to follow every time you and Yoongi step out of the car. 

At the museum date, you make sure to keep your distance, using your intertwined hands with Yoongi as the only signal of your relationship. The pair of you joke around about the art pieces, whispering between each other about how many fans have taken pictures of the pair of you lingering about the museum, as well as relay information to each other about various rooms that you are interested in. But in a way, it definitely feels more like a typical friendly hang-out rather than a date. 

The same idea can be applied to the next date Seokjin sends you on—a casual date at one of the local botanical gardens, each garden filled with a different culture to serve as the theme for its layout and plant growth. Some gardens have little cafe booths and grassy fields to buy some snacks before sitting down to enjoy the sunlight, which is an idea that Yoongi suggests that the two of you do. He points to one of the ice cream shops along the outskirts of a garden, and claims a seat on one of the benches so the two of you can enjoy your treat. The current summertime weather emits a warmer heat and breeze that curls lightly through the air throughout the day, making for a perfectly comfortable season to wear a sundress. It’s also the kind of undetectable weather for ice cream to melt down the cone, onto unsuspecting fingers curled into the dry waffle texture. Yoongi makes that well aware by poking your cheek with his sticky finger, garnering several pictures of the encounter. 

Seokjin has even tried to implement studio life into his constant narrative to keep up the facade of your relationship with Yoongi. While the pair of you go on these occasional dates, Yoongi also has a deadline to fulfill with his album release. On the days where dates are not planned out, he’ll be in the studio—rearranging songs to fit in with the music beats that have more or less been tapered down to perfection. As his manager, sometimes you find yourself staying past your allotted time slot of being at the studio, before sneaking into the recording booth way past midnight to see what Yoongi and Namjoon are up to. 

Just as it follows: you straighten up, craning your neck backwards a little to allow for slight muscle extensions after sitting at a desk for an extra hour too long. With Yoongi’s album steadily approaching, there are interviews that need to be arranged, magazines and newspapers and radio shows alike all reaching out to you for the opportunity to cover Yoongi’s growth as an artist. Albums also equate to tours to help promote the album, and with the close call from Yoongi’s last experience with such, it means that you need to book more locations—or the same location across multiple dates. 

Overall, the growing pile of work means that you and everyone else at KSJ Studios are just as anticipated for Yoongi’s album release as the general public. It seems as if his collective fanbase are hoping and waiting under the same parameters: was the album going to be as good as they were expecting? 

You shoulder your purse, stepping out of your office and shutting it behind you. You navigate through the hallways, glancing sideways to peek out the long glassway of windows, all overlooking the city skyline, the multicolor lights flickering ahead in the distance. You quirk a lip. 

Your usual brisk pace dies down when you pass the studio you know Yoongi and Namjoon are recording in. The soundproof walls inside mean that hardly any music ever seeps out from between the cracks, only heightening your curiosity. Your busy schedule recently has made it so you have hardly been able to hear what Yoongi and Namjoon have come up with. 

You glance down at your watch. It was nearing midnight. Well, you think to yourself, a little peek wouldn’t hurt. You reach over to grip the door handle, pushing it down and pushing it open. Inside is the usual scene: Yoongi behind the glass, his fingers curled around the headphones as he speaks into the microphone. His voice filters through the main studio area, where Namjoon sits behind computers and music panels, capturing every single second of what is going on. 

Further driven by curiosity, you find yourself pulling harder at the door to let yourself in. Namjoon turns at the sound, but softens a little when he sees that it’s you. 

“Burning the midnight oil?” You tease, standing next to Namjoon at the table, watching Yoongi’s closed eyes as he loses himself in the song. 

Namjoon grins back. “You’re not gonna tell us to stop, are you?” 

“Hey.” You bring both arms up in a sign of surrender. “I’m off the clock on this one. Just wanted to see what you two were up to.” 

Suddenly, Yoongi calls your name from behind the glass, as the noise is amplified through the studio. You jump slightly, having not expected to be noticed so soon. Yoongi waves. “It’s late!” He calls. “What are you still doing here?” 

You lean forward to press the button that opens the two-way communication. “I’m not sure you heard, but there’s an artist in this studio that’s working on an upcoming album—it’s causing a lot of pain for the rest of us.” 

Yoongi laughs at that. “Touche, touche.” He brightens up slightly. “Hey, we’re wrapping up on this song, so if you stick around I’ll drive you home.” 

This is a natural offer for Yoongi to make, considering the extent to which you’ve spent long nights here. Brushing it off as nothing more than Yoongi just being a good pal, you nod and flash him a thumbs up. “Sounds good, sounds good. But take your time. Don’t let me get in the way.” 

You turn around, allowing the music of Yoongi’s song to refilter back through the studio. You park yourself atop the couch at the back, settling into the soft cushions. Come to think of it, falling asleep definitely isn’t the worst thing in the world to do—especially on this couch. And you’re exhausted, what with scheduling events all day and having to burn through your social battery by making one too many phone calls with various people within the industry. 

The last thing you remember is Yoongi’s soft humming that fades away into a quiet static. 

You jerk awake after what feels like a few minutes—but judging from your new position on the couch (horizontal this time, instead of vertical) and the blanket that has been tucked under your chin, you realize quickly that this few minutes has actually been a few hours. It might be hard to believe that, because the world around you still seems very similar to what it had been when you fell asleep. The lack of windows in the studio make it very difficult to distinguish time—although Yoongi’s voice sounds much closer than it had when you first fell asleep. 

You sit up. 

Namjoon and Yoongi jolt at your sudden movement. “Woah! She’s awake now,” Yoongi teases. 

Blinking for a few seconds, you turn your head to find Yoongi out of the recording booth and instead sitting at one of the tables in the actual studio setting. Surrounding Namjoon and Yoongi looks like an entire McDonalds family meal: chicken nuggets, $1 menu burgers, lots of french fries… 

You let out a breath to help further situate you to your new surroundings. “Min Yoongi…” You start, voice hoarse. “You said you were just finishing up.” 

“I was,” Yoongi explains, looking vaguely guilty. Only vaguely though. “But I had this sudden epiphany, like holy shit you really had to be here—it was crazy.” 

“I was here,” You choke out. 

Yoongi waves you off. “You know what I mean—here here. Anyways, yeah, we realized that we couldn’t leave, especially when I got Namjoon on the same page. He was just as excited as I was!” 

Namjoon slaps his hand. “Don’t drag me into this!” 

Yoongi ignores him. “Anyways, it’s like two in the morning and we got hungry. McDonalds is the food of champions, after all. You hungry? Here, have some water first.” He grabs a bottle of water from the table and unscrews the cap. Suddenly, he’s standing up and making his way towards the couch. He sits down next to you, offering the water to you. “Here. You must be thirsty.” 

You are. Still heavy-lidded too, but you try your best to blink away the exhaustion as you blindly reach for the water and manage to grab it after Yoongi adjusts his own angled arm. He watches you as you tilt your head back to down some of the water, accidentally drinking a little more than your mouth can handle. Some of it slides down the corner of your lip, making you angle your head back properly and remove your lips from the bottle head. 

Yoongi softens a little at your clumsy nature, tugging the sleeve of his long-sleeved forward in order to pat the corner of your mouth. “Aw, look at my tiny little baby, can’t even drink water properly,” He coos. 

You flinch slightly away from him, trying for a glare that comes out more like a pout. Yoongi laughs softly at the sight. “There are no cameras around us, Min Yoongi,” You grumble out. “You don’t need to be so attentive.” 

“Nevermind that, I’m just trying to be a friend. You want a french fry?” He reaches across the space separating the couch from the table, and grabs the box of salty french fries. His voice carries that usual positive disposition from previously, but the light in his eyes has died down a little. You don’t notice it, too busy looking at the french fries and realizing that you are actually a little hungry. 

The remainder of Yoongi and Namjoon’s break is dedicated to finishing up the family meal, before Yoongi looks at the clock and claps his hands together. “Hey Namjoon, I think I should take my girl home before we get back to working. Is that okay?” 

Namjoon’s eyes flicker between the two of you, but he relents. “Of course.” He utters your name. “Have a good night.” 

“I should be saying that to you,” You return teasingly, more of your senses have returned since putting food into your stomach. “See you tomorrow, Namjoon.” 

So Yoongi takes you home, driving through the darkened streets, making light conversation with you, completely ignoring the fact that he has just addressed you as his girl, before your phone starts to buzz in your lap. It’s a notification from Instagram, saying that Namjoon has tagged you in a picture. Raising an eyebrow, you tap the alert, which takes you to a picture from just a few minutes ago—you and Yoongi at the studio, Yoongi tapping gently at your face with his sweater paw. The caption burns into your mind: three am company, ft my favorite artist and his favorite girl. 

His favorite girl. 

His girl. 

.

.

CHAPTER 5: HIS GIRL 

. 

Yoongi’s album is entitled Y2, and it releases in the autumn, when the leaves are colored orange and the breeze has called for cozy jackets and big sweaters. It’s the perfect attire to wear as the earphones get plugged in and slipped into ears—curled up by soft cashmere and Yoongi’s luring voice. He’s got about sixteen songs on the album, a sweet mixture of loose beats and soft vocal voices that seem to simultaneously battle the drawn out harsh tone of stories extended across various three minute arrangements. The stories cover the low point—passive aggressive fights, of late nights, of “holding your hand, being so close, yet feeling so lonely”. But the songs also touch on the high points—coming back together, of soft morning light, of “being with you, wiping the traces of exhaustion from the corner of your lips, so close yet so far away, and still knowing you’re all I [he] could ever want”. 

At least, it is what one article touches upon in a Y2 review, where the journalist gives high remarks to Yoongi’s album. She calls it a refreshing interpretation of music, continuing in the era of singers actually singing about their feelings. More than that, an era of storytelling in music. Of anything, of life, of the highs and the lows—the sadness, the happiness, the softness. 

Safe to say that Yoongi is very excited to read this review on his phone, along with the surplus of positive things people have to say—from highly regarded journalists who belong to highly regarded newspaper companies, from social media, from his friends and family. Most especially, from you. You: whose hand he holds underneath the table as the numbers of listens start pouring in from various streaming websites. 

He’s been nervous about this. He’s put his blood, sweat, and tears into the creation of this album, every song has been nailed down to perfection. His name, and his heart, is back out into the world. 

The night of the album release is the launch party. 

“Dude, it’s supposed to be a chill night,” Jungkook calls from the hallway, and you can’t help but laugh at how exasperated the boy sounds. “Would you just calm down?” Jungkook emerges from the aforementioned hallway. Despite his mention of this ‘chill night’, he’s still wearing something vaguely casual chic. “You’re his manager. Manage his overthinking tendencies.” 

You laugh, watching as Jungkook plops down into the empty spot next to you on the couch, immediately leaning back into the cushion. “You know as well as I do that I don’t have that much control over him.” 

Jungkook shrugs his shoulders. “You probably have more control than you think.” 

Before you can ask more questions, think more deeply into what the fuck Jungkook means by that, his eyes land on the hallway entrance before straightening up in the cusion. Your eyes follow Jungkook’s movement, where Yoongi is now standing in the once vacant space of his apartment. But his stance isn’t what gets you to stare, what makes your breath feel like it has just caught in your chest. Although he’s following the ‘casual chic’ dress code that Seokjin has ordered, there’s something about a white t-shirt that hits differently when it’s paired with a coat and dark jeans that highlight his long legs. 

Yoongi gestures down at what he’s wearing meekly. “What do you think?” Although it appears that he’s addressing both you and Jungkook, his gaze is almost entirely fixed on you. 

Trying hard to ignore the racing of your heart, you straighten up and somehow manage to make your way over to him without snapping your ankle on your chunky platform boots. Doing your best to pay attention to his outfit over his face, you reach over to straighten out the silver necklace he’s got dangling at his chest. “You look good,” You settle calmly. “And Jungkook is right—it’s supposed to be a chill night. Seokjin just invited people from the label. And some of your friends as well. Relax a bit, will you?” 

Finally, you force yourself to level your gaze with Yoongi’s, fully confident that he’s just staring at you and probably wondering why you aren’t making eye contact with him. But when you do manage to glance at Yoongi’s face, you realize quickly that he’s not even staring at you. Instead, he’s staring down, at the curve of your throat. 

Without warning, your cardiac system seems to pump itself too hard, because your breath of surprise comes out through your nose, effectively bringing up and lowering your lungs so fast that anyone would be able to read your vital sounds now. This proves to be true, because Yoongi’s gaze darts up from your neck to your eyes so quickly, that you probably wouldn’t have noticed had you stuck around without looking at his eyes. Doing that, however, might have saved you from this now tricky situation. “Sorry,” Yoongi manages, eyes flickering between yours. “I, uh, didn’t hear what you said.” 

You realize the gravity of your position—your fingers now curled around the lapels of Yoongi’s jacket and one of his hands curled around your waist. That gravitational pull from every single one of your dates with Yoongi comes back again, curling around your neck and seeming to push you closer, closer—! 

Jungkook coughs loudly from behind you. 

You and Yoongi tear your gazes away from each other, as you uncurl both of your fingers from around Yoongi’s coat. “I-uh,” You start. “Was just saying that you should relax a little. You don’t have to try and impress anyone tonight.” 

Yoongi sneaks one last glance at you. “We’ll see,” He says, before stepping away from you and brushing past Jungkook to make his way towards the door. Jungkook turns to look at you, wide-eyed and mouthing the words ‘what the fuck was that?’ 

To which you shake your head, very sure that you don’t want to get into this tonight of all nights. This was supposed to be a celebration for Yoongi. Just as you’ve done for the past few months, you can continue to keep your emotions in check. Easy-peasy. 

Except it’s not easy-peasy because you see Seokjin at the club that he’s reserved for Yoongi’s album release party, and you realize that this is not a chill event for you—you still have to keep up the facade of your relationship in front of everyone. 

Yoongi seems to realize this at the same time you do, because he inches closer to you and laces your fingers together. From afar, Seokjin nods in an unspoken confirmation regarding your behavior. 

The beginning of the party starts with the trickle in of the various guests Seokjin has invited—from the friends he has made in the business, to others signed under the KSJ records label, to you, Jungkook, and Yoongi’s personal friends from college. The onslaught of new people fills you with the usual sense of excitement after not having attended a party in what feels like years. Working as a manager for a budding new artist is a lot less about the parties and more about the hustle. 

The first hour of the event is dedicated to the mingling of people—of free food and conversations around the bottomless cocktails that every guest rushes to the bar to take full advantage of. It’s nice to be able to catch up with the friends that you and Yoongi haven’t spoken to since graduation—which is the group you and Yoongi first approach, as Yoongi is slinging his arm around one Park Jimin. The latter whose eyes widen and lips curl up into a grin at the sight of the two of you. It’s nice to see an old friend again, it almost brings you back to a time where you and Yoongi were both in-tune and surface-level friends.

“Hey, congratulations on the new album release!” Jimin exclaims brightly after the three of you have acquired some drinks from the bartender. Jimin raises his drink first, to which you and Yoongi follow suit. 

As the glasses clink into the air, Jimin adds in another thing that reminds you of the fact that you and Yoongi are not back in college. You are here, in the present, with a fake relationship on the line. 

“And congratulations to your relationship announcement,” Jimin continues. 

You cough on your drink at that, lowering the glass immediately, feeling guilty all of a sudden. “Jimin, I know what all those reports have been saying…” 

“Don’t worry,” Jimin brushes off. “I read through some of them. You guys have been dating for three years, right? I’m honestly surprised I never saw it. In hindsight, it makes sense.” Jimin takes a longer sip, gesturing towards Yoongi with a noise of acknowledgement coming from his throat. “Hm—I guess because you guys are dating now, I can let the cat out of the bag—but, Yoongi liked you from the first moment he met you.” 

Now it’s Yoongi’s turn to choke on his drink, his chest heaving as he coughs into his sleeve. “Jimin, ah, you don’t need to talk about that—!” 

Jimin laughs, naturally assuming that Yoongi’s choke was done out of shyness and not something deeper than that. “What, you think just because this happened when we were at college, I wouldn’t have said something all these years later?” 

You can’t help but smile at their exchange. Although Jimin’s comment about Yoongi’s crush definitely piques your interest. You turn to Yoongi. “You had a crush on me back then?” 

Yoongi opens his mouth, but Jimin beats him to it. “Oh yeah, he wouldn’t shut up about you—said that you had this smile like starlight and were super easy to talk to.” 

“You have a great memory for someone who almost flunked college algebra,” Yoongi bites out hotly. 

Jimin, clearly oblivious to the situation, laughs out loud. “I agree. Normally I would have forgotten all about that. But.” With Jimin’s fingers still curled around the wine glass, he is only able to point an index finger out at Yoongi. “I’ll never forget that look in your eyes. Like you saw something you were never going to let go of.” 

You know Jimin is the one talking, but you cannot help but look at Yoongi as you feel your world spinning slightly around you. You blame it on the alcohol—as small of a sip as you have taken so far. Jimin, unlike a lot of the other parties you’ve been spending your time with, is not in on the joke of your relationship with Yoongi being a PR cover story. So there has to be some merit to it. Right? 

Right? 

Before you can even think how to phrase the billions of questions flying through your mind, the soft beat of a hand against a microphone sounds through the bar, as the original music that has been pounding through the club gets lowered to show that someone is trying to command everyone’s attention. 

It’s Kim Seokjin, situated at the stage, with the microphone in hand. “Hey everyone! Before we actually start unveiling the numbers that Y2 has hit so far, I just want to say a few words. First of all, thank you everyone so much for joining us tonight as we celebrate the anticipated release of Min Yoongi’s album.” 

Lots of claps sound from the guests, several cheers, one of you and Jimin join in just for the sake of embarrassing Yoongi. If he’s flustered with the attention, he’s gotten a lot better at hiding it. 

“Actually,” Seokjin continues. “Why don’t we have the man of the hour join us? After all, my words don’t mean shit up here—I wasn’t the one who just released new music. Yoongi, come on up!” 

Lots more claps and cheers, and the music volume increases dramatically just to give Yoongi some sort of platform to enter on. It makes you laugh. Seokjin is clearly having fun with his role. So you watch, sticking by Jimin, as Yoongi emerges from the crowd to step onto the stage. Seokjin pulls the microphone away from the pair of them as he leans over to whisper something into Yoongi’s ear, where the latter nods a few times before accepting the microphone that is now being extended out to him. 

Yoongi clears his throat, speaking over the lowering music. “Hi guys, thanks so much for coming out,” He starts, laughing a little when there is another round of cheers. “As I’m sure a lot of you know, this is my first full length album that’s being released out into the world and it’s basically everything I ever could have dreamed of. One lesson that I’ve learned is that making albums of both the cover songs I did and the original songs I would produce in my shitty college apartment is a completely different experience than getting professional equipment to do a lot of the work for me.” 

You laugh at that, the memories floating through your mind. 

Yoongi smiles a little at the feedback he gets. But he continues. “And of course a lot of that professional equipment was able to work in my favor because I had helped. Seokjin of course, deserves a thank you for letting me learn and experiment with new sounds, and for letting me take a risk by trying out beats and stories that a lot of people might have turned down. And Namjoon.” He seems to spot Namjoon from the crowd, because he delivers a nod. “For being more than my favorite producer, but also my mentor and my guide. We had a lot of lightbulb late nights together. And finally…” His eyes land on you, and you feel yourself self-consciously straighten up. “Y/N—my Y/N. For those of you who don’t know, my girlfriend is my manager and we recently made our relationship public. I thought the transition from private to public would have been the hardest thing of my life, but she made it so easy. Just as she’s always made it so easy to inspire my music, to be my best friend—and to love her.” 

Love. 

You suddenly feel like you’re seeing the world through a small lens, unable to believe the words you are hearing and the sights you are seeing. Yoongi is staring right back at you, with all this love and adoration in his eyes, lips quirking up as a result of the coos from the audience. 

It’s a vague kind of spotlight anxiety from seeing so many people looking at you considering the circumstances. It’s a feeling that only heightens when Yoongi opens his mouth again to continue speaking. “Actually, honey, why don’t you come up here, so I can thank you properly.” 

The whoops and cheers sound again, and Jimin has to nudge you in the ribs to get you to move. Your initial thoughts are one of panic, suspicion, and curiosity. One glance at Seokjin’s direction conveys the high influx of questions that are flowing through your mind—what exactly are those two boys planning? 

Yoongi’s hand extends out to you, helping you up onto the stage, as you turn around to face the crowd of people Yoongi has just been addressing. Of course, you have less experience hiding your general shyness around crowds, so the most you can muster is a smile and a wave. 

Yoongi laughs into the microphone. “Don’t worry baby, I didn’t call you up to embarrass you. I just wanted to show you that all of this…” He gestures to the whole club, the crowds of people who have taken time out of their schedule to show support, the sounds of his album now filtering through the speakers. “All of this was possible because you believed in me, you supported me, and agreed to help me work toward my dream. This is all as much yours as it is mine.” 

Then, he surprises you by leaning forward to brush his lips across your cheek—a gesture that further incites a bigger reaction of positive cheers and hoots from the audience. You turn your head immediately towards him as soon as he pulls away, your eyes wide with surprise. After all, you and Yoongi have never discussed the rule on kissing before, have never brought up any sort of lip contact to any degree. His boldness is something that takes you completely off guard. 

And judging from the uncertain look that dances behind his eyes, a flicker that only you can see and decipher, you can tell that he hadn’t been expecting that from himself either. 

You’re about to pull away, maybe walk off the stage and take another drink to whatever the fuck that was all about, before Jimin’s familiar voice sounds off from within the crowd. 

“You call that a kiss, Min Yoongi?” Jimin calls, close enough now that it’s easier to see him. “C’mon, kiss your girlfriend like you mean it!” 

The rest of the crowd immediately catches onto what Jimin is doing, and they play into it immediately. Suddenly, shouts of “KISS HER, KISS HER!” sound throughout the guests. 

The new direction that this has taken over the span of just a few seconds seconds you into another wild onslaught of differing emotions. Nevermind the fact that you’ve never agreed to actually kiss Min Yoongi. Obviously, the internal choice has been made for a handful of reasons, none of which you can explain to Yoongi or Seokjin without digging yourself further into this hole where you would truly have no way of escaping.

Which is why you clearly can’t say anything of protest right now. Everyone thinks the pair of you have been dating for years, and that kissing has become a natural action for you both to do. Of course they would play into Jimin’s game, thinking nothing harmful of it. 

Your heart pounds loudly in your ears as you shift your gaze from the crowd of people before you to Yoongi, who looks equally as stunned by the request as you. He plays it off a little bit, however, smiling as he brings the microphone close to his mouth again. “I’m not sure you all would want to be subjected by some PDA, especially you over there, Park.” 

Jimin makes a noise of disapproval. “It’ll just be this one time! I’m sure people don’t mind! Spread the love, Min.” 

Other people from the guest list add on that they don’t mind in between their laughter and giggles, probably writing off you and Yoongi’s shy disposition as just that: a shy, private couple who is still getting used to the watchful eye of the general public. Nevermind the fact that you and Yoongi have just never kissed each other before. 

Yoongi then turns to look at you, microphone down to his legs so that it can’t pick up the small whispers the pair of you start exchanging. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have brought you up here…” 

“No, no, it’s fine, I understand why you did it…” You trail off. “Kissing my cheek, on the other hand…” 

Yoongi groans. “Yeah, that’s my bad. Seokjin said I could consider doing it but I wasn’t thinking when I leaned over. I completely forgot that Jimin is a menace to society. I’m gonna kick his ass after this.” 

You want to continue this private, side-lined conversation, but it is overrun by the louder voices that keep repeating the same two lines over and over again: “KISS HER, KISS HER!” until the echoes of it start ringing in your ear drums. 

Yoongi switches topics to the more pressing one at hand. “So, uh, I guess we should…” 

You exhale quickly, nodding. “It seems so…” 

Yoongi inches closer to you, his breath fanning your lips as your eyes instinctively close. “I’m sorry,” He whispers, the final thing he says to you before he kisses you. 

Now, let’s backtrack a little. You’ve liked Yoongi for years, so to say that you’ve never thought of this moment would just be a lie to yourself. Of course you’ve thought about kissing Yoongi. Or, at the very least, you’ve caught yourself staring at his lips when he would go off on another spiral about his passions. That type of talking is very hot, so what? 

But you never thought you would be able to experience it, to kiss the lips you’ve flickered your eyes to more times than you’re willing to admit. So as soon as you feel the weight of his mouth against your own, your brain goes haywire. Suddenly, all your senses are hyper focused on Yoongi—from his lips, to the warmth of his body wrapping itself around you, to his fingers curled around your wrist. 

You hardly hear the cheers from the audience, too busy allowing your heart to melt into butterflies as he presses harder into you, moving his lips against yours. You part your lips as well, curling your wrist to gather the material of his shirt into your hands. 

It feels like time has stretched out before Seokjin claps both of you on the back, forcing you to jolt away from Yoongi. He actually looks flustered this time—pink cheeks and reddened lips, his eyes are fixated on you, chest heaving. You feel like you’re in a similar state of shock, especially because kissing Yoongi makes something dawn on you. A realization of ice cold water. 

This isn’t just a crush you’ve harbored on Yoongi for the past few years. This isn’t just some small schoolgirl crush living out a fantasy, or something you can easily brush off, or simple butterflies you can squash everytime he reaches out to hold your hand. This is love. You’re in love with your best friend. And you have absolutely no fucking clue what to do about it. 

If the audience is taken aback by this long-term couple in front of them looking zero point two seconds away from devouring each other in a frenzied passion, no one settles long enough to comment or stare upon it for too long. Seokjin does well to grab the microphone from Yoongi and bring the attention back to the actual party on hand. He mentions another round of free alcohol, which are two words that can take anyone’s attention away. 

“And Yoongi, uh, I actually need to borrow for you a moment,” Seokjin murmurs in a low voice. “So I hope I’m not taking away from…” He trails off, gesturing awkwardly between the two of you. “Whatever this is…” 

“Oh no!” You interject quickly, taking a step away from Yoongi. “Not taking away at all.” 

Yoongi gives you a concerned look. “Maybe we should, uh, talk about that…” 

You shake your head. “No, it’s okay, seriously.” You shrug a shoulder. “Just part of the act, right?” 

Yoongi’s concern melts away into something that might be hurt, but it’s gone just as quickly as it had come. “I’ll try not to be long then.” 

You nod. “Yeah, no problem—no need to rush or anything… I’ll just be hanging out with Jimin…” 

Yoongi gazes at you for a few seconds longer, before he lets himself get dragged off the stage by Seokjin. Rather than immediately go out to seek your old friend, you find your gaze following after the two of them, trying to see where exactly Yoongi is getting roped into. 

You continue to trail after them in the club, until the two of them are pulled into a booth—the person opposite of them makes your lips part in utter shock. 

. 

“Yoongi, I want you to meet an old friend of mine,” Seokjin starts as he and Yoongi dive deeper into the thrones of people. Yoongi feels himself being directed towards a corner booth, currently occupied by two people. “She wanted me to introduce you.” Finally, the pair of them stop at the head of the table. “This is Lee Jieun.” 

Right off the bat, Yoongi is vaguely insulted that Seokjin thought that someone like Lee Jieun needed an introduction—because who wouldn’t know who Lee Jieun? 

Lee Jieun, like Yoongi, is a singer-songwriter with a sweetheart reputation, who weaves stories and experiences through her music. But unlike Yoongi, who got his start through Youtube and built himself from the ground up, Lee Jieun signed into a record label at the age of 15. As one could tell, she was that talented. Still is, as a matter of fact. Her albums are continuously winning awards, establishing herself in the charts, connecting with people all over the world. He would know—when Yoongi finally discovered Jieun in the midst of his Youtuber days, it was the catalyst that served as the biggest influence towards the release of his original songs. The fact that they’re both the same age only makes Yoongi even more in awe of her. 

Yoongi being able to see Lee Jieun, in the flesh, is a powerful enough sight to leave him speechless. 

Lee Jieun sits at the booth, looking all prettied up with her big eyes and red lips. Everything about her seems regal, from the smile she flashes Yoongi to the hand she extends out towards him. 

It takes a second for Yoongi to register what he needs to do. Hastily, he steps forward and takes her hand in his. Despite her delicate nature, her handshake is firm as the pair of them move their joined hands up and down once. Honestly, considering their status difference, he feels like a handshake is too casual for them, but he doesn’t speak of it. He just basks in the moment, until he lets go of her hand. 

Afterwards, he joins Seokjin in the booth, sliding into his seat. 

Jieun smiles brightly at the two of them. “Thank you for going out of your way to come talk to me. I hope I wasn’t disrupting your night.” 

Yoongi shakes his head immediately. “Oh, god no. Of course not. I’m just—I’m really honored to see you here. I-I had no idea that you were friends with Seokjin.” 

Jieun laughs. “Oh yeah, we go way back—we were actually signed under the same label. Seokjin left to pursue management a few years ago, but we’ve always kept in touch.” She reaches over to take her glass of soda from the table. “He told me when he signed you, you know. He said that you were doing street performances a few cities down?” 

Yoongi flushes at that. “Oh yeah—my origin story.” 

“I mean, everyone starts from somewhere,” Jieun brushes off, laying down her cup again. “So I’ve honestly been looking out for your name since Seokjin signed you. I heard about your tour, but knew that I wanted to wait until your first full length album just to make sure your reputation was a little more fleshed out before bringing up my idea with Seokjin.” 

Yoongi blinks, switching his gaze from Jieun to Seokjin. The latter nods, as if to let him know that Jieun would be the one providing information. So Yoongi turns back to Jieun. 

Jieun continues. “Since it seems that we’ve both developed a songwriting, storytelling reputation amongst the music industry, I was hoping that you’d agree to do a collaboration with me. Just one single, both of our names attached to it. It’s been awhile since I worked with another artist, and I’m sure that doing this will only further put your name out there. It could also be a really good learning experience.” 

Yoongi almost cannot believe his ears. Lee Jieun wanted to do a collaboration? With him and his inexperienced ass? 

Yoongi coughs out in wonder. “Wow.” 

Jieun smirks. “Not what you were expecting?”

“No, no, not at all!” Yoongi reassures, but then he backpedals a little. “I mean, it’s not that I was expecting you to ask for a collaboration—I just—!” He cuts himself off, exhaling heavily to calm his nerves. “It’s just, you were a very big reason I even wanted to sing my original songs back when I was street performing. So the fact that you’re asking me to do a song together is honestly so crazy to me.” 

Jieun grins. “I’m honored—so are you agreeing to my request?” 

Almost on instinct, Yoongi turns to Seokjin. It’s not that Yoongi doesn’t want to do the collab, it’ll probably be the single most greatest thing to happen in his career, but Seokjin was technically his boss and their contract had it so Seokjin usually had to final say in what he believed would be best for him. 

And for the briefest flicker of a second, Yoongi’s mind switches to you. More than Seokjin’s approval, he finds himself seeking your praise the most. After all, you know how much he admires Lee Jieun. He wants to share this moment with you. 

Instead of jumping up to go find you, he forces himself to stay rooted to his seat. “I-I think I would be the one who feels honored. T-That is, if Seokjin says it’s okay.” 

Seokjin holds his arms out. “Of course it’s okay! The collaboration was also partly my idea. Anywho.” He turns back to Jieun. “We’ll have to run through Yoongi’s schedule with his manager just to see when he’s available. But after that, we can get started.” 

At the mention of you, Yoongi’s manager, Jieun’s eyes brighten with her smile. “Oh yes, your girlfriend.” She sits a little straighter, trying to seek you out. “She’s here at the event right? I’d really love to meet her, if that’s okay?” 

Yoongi nods immediately. “O-Of course!” He also sits up a little straighter, moving about in his seat to try and locate you. He finds you near the bar, seeming to have ditched your hang-out with Jimin, as you take an occasional sip of your drink. “She’s over there.” 

With a nod, the three of them move out of the booth and towards the bar, where you’re still slouched over, scrolling through Instagram on your phone. You seem to notice their approaching presence, because you take a quick glance over to acknowledge them, before doing a double take when you realize who else is in Yoongi’s company. 

“Oh my gosh!” You exclaim, immediately sliding out of your bar stool, your gaze fixated on Jieun. 

Seokjin laughs at your starstruck reaction. “Y/N, this is Lee Jieun—but I’m guessing you already knew that?” 

You seem to realize your behavior, because your shyness comes back. “I do. Um, hi! It’s really nice to meet you.” You reach over to offer your hand. 

Jieun takes it, shaking for a second. “The pleasure is all mine.” 

Your gaze immediately flints to Yoongi. “Yoongi, you didn’t tell me that you were acquainted with Lee Jieun herself!” 

Yoongi waves you off. “Actually, Seokjin is the mutual party.” 

Your lips part in shock, as you nod once, twice, in understanding. “Well, uh, in that case, I hope you’re having a good time tonight, Jieun.” 

“It’s really a wonderful launch party,” Jieun praises. “But I do admit to having ulterior motives. I actually came by to ask Yoongi if he wanted to work on a collab song with me.” 

Your lips part, and Yoongi feels a vague sense of pride swell up in his chest when you turn to look at him, eyes brighter than they have been all night. “Yoongi! That’s so amazing! I hope you agreed.” 

“I did, actually,” Yoongi says with the nod of his head. If you notice that he’s puffing his chest out a little as your words go straight to his head, you don’t comment on it. “We’ll definitely have to go over my schedule with you, pick some dates where Jieun and I can have some writing sessions, and then the recording sessions, just to name the big picture stuff that’ll have to get done. But we should all be good to go.” 

As Yoongi continues to list everything that’ll need to be done in order to create music together, your gaze shifts between Yoongi and Jieun occasionally, taking in their equal excitement and passion for the long project ahead. It isn’t until the end, when you and Yoongi leave the launch party, after having collected praise and much more from the many friends and connections that have been gained throughout the night, you enter the car wearing an unreadable expression—like you’re pondering something that threatens to break you. 

. 

To be frank, you aren’t surprised that Lee Jieun asks Yoongi to collaborate together. Sure, maybe she came a little earlier than you had expected, but you always knew it was a matter of time before the pair of them met. Their reputations are too similar, their personalities too good together; you’re sure that fate would have lined them up at some point. 

It just feels like maybe the universe made them a little too perfect for each other—and it’s something that becomes glaringly obvious as a month of songwriting goes by without a hitch. Every few days, Jieun would turn up to KSJ Records, bright-eyed and always looking so, so pretty. Every few days, Jieun and Yoongi would sit next to each other, conversing about the story of their song, both bright-eyed with unbridled affection for what they were writing. And sure, Namjoon would be a part of these songwriting sessions. But that’s not the point. 

The point is that as Yoongi gets bigger and success becomes a more natural occurrence in his life, the more people he’s going to meet with whom he shares a common interest and dedication for. People he would probably (most definitely) get along with a lot better than he could get along with you. Friendship is nice and all, but it can’t substitute for the powerful combination of passion, intimacy, and commitment that comes out of romantic companionship. 

And you see it in his eyes: the excitement he gets when he’s surrounded with like-minded people. You’re Yoongi’s manager, sure, and one of his best friends, obviously, but there’s only so much you can contribute to conversations about the actual music. Truth be told, when it comes to editing, you just do whatever Yoongi tells you to. And don’t even get you started on the music arrangements—you can’t even lift a candle to what Yoongi himself can do. Or Namjoon. Or especially Lee Jieun. 

And although you know that Yoongi means no ill-intention, it feels as if he takes every opportunity to remind you of that fact. 

“I mean, she’s amazing.” He’s sighing dreamily over his bulgogi. The pair of you are at a corner booth in a Korean barbeque restaurant, on another fake date Seokjin has prearranged for you. It’s not the first date you’ve been on since Jieun entered the picture, and it’s definitely not the first time Yoongi is bringing her up. And although this isn’t even a real date, and although this isn’t a real relationship, there’s only so much you can take—both as a friend and as someone who is starting to feel the curl of jealousy in your stomach. 

Still, you refuse to let the cat out of the bag. So you sigh, picking up your chopsticks and digging into your meat. The only thing you can manage is: “I bet she is.” 

But Yoongi doesn’t stop there. “You should have seen her today, she was on fire. Songwriting abilities, obviously. We were stuck on this one part of the song, but then she just swooped in with this perfect one-liner that made my heart drop. Seriously, it was so cool. I don’t know how her mind works, but I want to keep hanging out with her to learn more.” 

You almost drop your meat completely into your salt dish, but you recover quickly with a cough. The noise helps cover up the fact that your heart feels the white-hot burn of frustration and confusion. “W-Well, you guys do make a good team. You know, being on the same level talent-wise.” 

Yoongi laughs at that, completely oblivious to your state of mind. “Talent-wise? I wouldn’t say I’m anywhere near the level Jieun is at…” 

As he trails off, you dare yourself to flicker your gaze up to him, seeing the pink flush that dusts along his cheeks. Interpreting this as shyness for the internal praise and fondness he has for Jieun, you look away and pick up the plate of raw beef brisket to dump into the grill. 

Yoongi notices what you’re doing, and immediately reaches over to take the plate from you. “Here, let me do it.” 

A part of you wants to fight about it, but you know doing so will just lead you down the path of no man’s land. So you let go, offering the tongs to Yoongi as he takes it to scrap the meat into the grill between the two of you. He takes the silence as an opportunity to further gush about Jieun, and how he can’t wait to work on music arrangements with her, how he’s excited to record the song with her, so on and so forth. 

How could you even contribute to a conversation like this? He’s talking to you about a girl in a way that reminds you of your college days—back when the pair of you were strictly friends and nothing more, and he would talk to you about girls he thought were cute. It feels a little bit like right now. Yoongi and Jieun do make a good team, they get along together, and have formed a closeness within such a short period of time that anyone passing by the studio would assume they’ve been friends for years. Or, even further, that they were dating. At the very least, Yoongi speaks highly enough of Jieun that one could assume that she was the one he liked, and not you. 

It feels a little bit like being left behind—it’s a thought that only continues to fester. 

.

It takes a few more weeks, but you eventually draft up Yoongi’s tour schedule. It’s a few sheets of paper that detail the duration of the tour, the cities, the locations, the dates of each location, the size of the venue, how ticket distribution will work, on, and on, and on—all information that Yoongi has insisted on knowing about ever since he was signed into KSJ Records. The man just likes to know what his fans have to go through in order to see him, and you respect that. 

However, before you can officially create the tour post that’ll be up on the KSJ Records social media account, it needs to go through a final approval: from Yoongi himself. And because he likes to take notes with paper and pen, like the old-fashioned songwriter he is, he’s asked you to print everything out for him. 

This is what leads you to stand near the printer in your office, waiting for the last page to print and slide into your awaiting hands. Once all the pages come out, you flip through them to make sure that every city on the tour is accounted for. You turn back to your desk, collecting some magazines that have been stacked on top of your table. 

Along with getting the setlist for the tour, Yoongi had also asked you to get a hold of some magazines and articles that provided reviews from his first tour. Something about wanting to read any critiques people might have had for his show.

You gather the small stack as well before sliding it into your bag and stepping out into the hall. It’s surprisingly early for you to be leaving your office, the late afternoon, but there’s a part of you that just wants to give the document stack to Yoongi and dip out for the rest of the night. By now, the doubts of Yoongi’s affection for Jieun has dug itself deeper into your mind and letting yourself be around Yoongi for too long brings up too many questions that cannot be good for your mentality. 

Questions like: If he could, would Yoongi prefer to date Jieun for real? 

Was Jieun better than you? 

And the best one of them all: Were you just holding Yoongi back from better relationships? 

You continue to walk down the hallway of the building, your pace a little slower than normal because of the cloudy thoughts that threaten to overtake your mind. Finally, you stop outside of the studio you know Yoongi and Jieun are recording in. You take in a deep breath, forcing your usual cheery personality to shine through as you pull down on the handle and let yourself into the studio. 

As soon as you step inside, you almost wish that you had just slid the documents under the door. The sight of that would probably have been easier to process than the one in front of your eyes right now. 

Namjoon, as usual at the desk surrounded by music panels and laptops, playing the recently finished music through the recording booth situated on the other side of the glass. Behind this aforementioned sheet of glass are Jieun and Yoongi. With headphones on, they’re standing next to each other behind the microphone. Their shoulders practically touching, you don’t miss the way they both keep sneaking glances at each other, the corner of their lips turning up, looking like they’re having the best time together. 

You try not to slam down the door behind you, but your grip on the knob is a little too harsh to call for a softer click. Fortunately (or unfortunately, given how much fun Yoongi and Jieun look like they’re having—wait, did Jieun just touch Yoongi’s arm), neither of them notice your arrival. 

Namjoon, however, notices. 

He turns around to look at you. “Hey, what’s up?” 

You try for a smile, your hand brushing against the door. “Sorry, I slipped a little,” You lie cleanly. You hold up the documents in your other hand. “Yoongi wanted me to prepare a few things for him, stuff for the upcoming tour.” 

Namjoon gestures for you to sit next to him, something that you follow. As soon as you sit down, Namjoon asks to see these aforementioned documents, which you pull out of your bag and hand over to him. It’s quiet between the two of you, the only sounds being the laughs and giggles between Yoongi and Jieun—as if one has them as just told a secret only understood between them. It’s a feeling that doesn’t settle well in your stomach. 

“Wow, this is very efficient,” Namjoon observes, seeming completely oblivious to your internal seething. 

You shrug, eyes still locked in on the inside of the recording booth. “Yoongi asked for the best, so I gave him the best. Hey, so—!” You change topics. “Is there a reason they’re in the booth together? Don’t a lot of collabs nowadays just exchange everything virtually?” 

Namjoon hums. “I didn’t know the jealous girlfriend was a full time act of yours now.” He’s clearly just trying to have fun. After all, only Taehyung and Jungkook know about your crush on Yoongi. “But honestly? I’m not too sure. They just wanted to go in together—said that they could be more personal when working in a face-to-face setting. And they’re actually making a lot of changes as they keep going through the song and hearing how the music is turning out. They’re a good team.” 

Namjoon’s usage of the very same phrase that has been haunting you for the past few weeks doesn’t sit well in your stomach. 

Namjoon returns the documents to you. “Did you want to talk to him now? See if he’s cool with you just dropping it off?” 

You nod. “If that’s okay?” 

Namjoon smiles. “We’ll just wait until they take a breath.” 

Waiting doesn’t turn out to take a long time, because Jieun stops the song to make another statement about what line should replace the one they just sung. And Yoongi looks at her like she’s just hung up all the stars in the galaxy. 

“Namjoon, do you mind starting the song over? We got a new idea for this part,” Jieun calls from inside the booth. 

Namjoon leans forward to press the button. “Actually, you guys have some company.” 

You lean forward as well. “Hey guys.” 

Jieun grins, waving at you through the window. Yoongi acknowledges you as well, but there’s something suddenly stiff about his movements. You notice that he’s also stepping away from Jieun, as if to hide what has been going on between him and Jieun. As if that makes you feel any fucking better. 

“Hey, uh, Yoongi?” You continue. “I have the documents you asked me to prepare for you. I can just leave it here for you to go over if that’s cool. Maybe take a little bit of time today to go over everything.” 

Yoongi thinks about this for a moment. “Actually… honey,” He adds the pet name as an afterthought. “Do you mind dropping it off at my apartment? We’re probably just gonna be focusing on the song until pretty late tonight.” 

The acknowledgement Yoongi has that he and Jieun are in for another late night only grows the seeds of doubt in your mind, as you clench your teeth. You can’t let your insecurities get the best of you. Not now. “Sure,” You manage, trying for a small. 

Yoongi grins. “Thanks baby. I’ll make it up to you this weekend, okay?” 

At this point, it just feels like he’s teasing you and it’s something you find you aren’t really in the mood for. So you manage a curt reply, giving a positive response that you’ll drop by his apartment to deliver the documents regarding his upcoming tour, before you’re up and out of the studio before Jieun, Yoongi, or Namjoon can say one last thing. But you don’t care. The sooner you’re out of there, looking at the heart-eye festival between Jieun and Yoongi, the better you feel. 

So you take the train to Yoongi’s apartment, a now much bigger space in a slightly nicer area of the city. At least, nicer than the college apartment he shared with Jungkook that was no stranger to bed bugs and constant maintenance issues. The newer apartment Yoongi has recently acquired is nicer, has more modern finishes, and is now a space he fills in all by himself. 

As you unlock the door to his apartment, you immediately make your way down the small hallway entrance, where a mirror and his shoes occupy a small corner of the area. The hallway opens up into the living room, and you turn on the light and take in the vaguely familiar sight of his new furniture—home pieces that you helped arrange with him a few months ago. Come to think of it, that was probably the first and last time you had come by Yoongi’s apartment. Before certain life elements got involved. 

Tonguing the inside of your cheek, you plop yourself down on the couch and place the document stack at the corner of the coffee table. It looks rather strange just stacked like that, no context provided, so your eyes shift over for a pen and a post-it note. 

You find a stack of post-it notes, and find a pen sticking out from inside a notebook. Paying little attention to the notebook, you just make a grab for the pen and rip it out of the notebook with the aggression of a gorilla. The notebook flies open, the contents inside barring itself right at you. 

Your immediate reaction is to close the notebook. After all, it just takes one glance at Yoongi’s scrambled handwriting to know that this is one of his writing journals. His most recent one, in fact, judging from how flat the pages after the one currently open appear—like it hasn’t been stained with a pen yet. 

You want to close it—you really do. You and Yoongi have built a friendship on trust. That’s what kept you both together throughout the long years, and you know better than to risk everything just for the chance to scope through what is essentially a songwriter’s diary. 

Your fingers inch towards the edge of the book, about to close it shut, before the title at the top header makes you freeze. 

MY SECRET 

Without meaning to, your eyes read over the lines. And you feel sick to your stomach. 

The song is so raw, so personal, brimming with desire in every verse. It covers lingering stares, secret smiles. A barrier. How Yoongi “wants you more and more with each day, but I know I can’t have you, that I shouldn’t have you”. And you know Yoongi—you know him better than anyone. You know that for all the love songs he sings and the topics he sings about that he feigns ignorance for, he draws on personal experience to write his music. How else could he make everything so personable? 

How could this song not be about Jieun? 

The lingering stares, secret smiles: it clearly points to the events in the recording booth you saw earlier that day, and if he’s writing a song about it, it’s obvious that today hadn’t been the first time for those stares and smiles. 

The barrier: obviously you. The relationship facade he’s forced to put up with you, when he’s clearly so much happier with someone else. 

With those factors, it’s so clear that Yoongi would want Jieun, but would be unable to have her. 

And you’re just the girl in the background with the starry eyes for a guy who would never even look at you the way you want him to. 

That realization brings the hot tears to your eyes, as you slam the notebook shut and bring your hand to your mouth, biting your finger to muffle your sobs. What comes out is the build-up of months of insecurities, of having to keep the biggest secret of your life to yourself, and the additional jealousy brought in by a third party. 

This despair and sadness isn’t good for you, and you know that only continuing to hide it away in light of Yoongi and Jieun’s partnership, in light of your feelings, and Yoongi’s exploding career—you should only be able to handle so much. You’re a human being, and you have your limits. 

And you think this might be it. 

.

.

CHAPTER 6: TRUTHS 

. 

“Y-Yeah, I think it’s food poisoning or something,” You speak quietly into the phone, playing with the edges of your blanket. “I’m really sorry, Seokjin, I’ll try to send out some emails to respond to news outlets today…” 

“Hey, no, you’re totally fine,” Seokjin replies hastily. “I don’t blame you for that. Just try and get some rest today, and update me on how you feel tomorrow.” A pause. “What was it?”

“Uh, it must have been in the takeout I got last night.” That’s a lie. You cooked your own dinner last night, and are lying straight through your teeth regarding your condition, but you can’t find it in yourself to go to work today. Not since the discovery of Yoongi’s crush on Jieun made you want to dig yourself into a hole and never crawl out. 

It’s not like you ever thought you had a chance with Yoongi—but you had just thought maybe something would be different after the hand holding, after his radio interview, after your kiss together. 

But Jieun serves as that nice splash of reality that Yoongi wants someone better than you. Someone more like him—someone passionate about music, who gets along with him better, who can write music with and write music about. 

At this point, it just feels like you’re a weight, dragging Yoongi down in the waves of his past. 

On the other side of the phone, Seokjin sighs. “Damn, that’s always the worst. Those are the ones you suspect the least. Anyways, I’ll let you go. Get some rest. Maybe I’ll let Yoongi know so he can bring some soup.” 

The mention of Yoongi makes you feel like you could actually get food poisoning. “You can let him know, but he’ll probably be too hung up on Jieun to give a shit.” 

Seokjin, of course, knows nothing, so he laughs at what he thinks is your joke. “That’s true. They’re actually at it again today, which is surprising considering Jieun only comes by a few times a week. But no, she was here bright and early and so was Yoongi. Basically, they showed up to the studio at the same time. They called it fate, or some shit like that.” 

“You don’t say,” You return dryly. 

Namjoon’s confirmation that they make a good team, paired with Seokjin’s admittance that Yoongi is hung up on Jieun, puts you in a delicate mood for the rest of the day. You try to watch some TV shows, some movies, play some video games, but you are constantly distracted by thoughts of Yoongi and Jieun. 

You’re all curled up on the couch, about to click into another movie, when there’s a knock on your door. Your heart leaps in your throat as you stand up. You hate the brief flicker of hope in your chest, the curiosity that perhaps Yoongi is the one knocking. 

All those hopes are dashed when you see it is Jungkook on the other side of the door. 

“Oh,” You remark, the smile dropping from your face. “It’s just you.” 

Jungkook looks at you like you pissed in his cereal. “Uh, I don’t see other amazing friends over here bringing you store-bought chicken soup because they heard you got food poisoning last night.” He holds up the bag for extra emphasis. 

You roll your eyes, grabbing the bag from him. “I don’t actually have food poisoning, I just didn’t want to go to work today.” 

Jungkook furrows his eyebrows at your statement. There’s a lot you’ve given him that he can work with, lots of things he can ask about. Maybe ask why you would lie about your food poisoning, maybe ask why you didn’t want to go to work today, maybe ask why you still looked like shit. 

But the first thing he says: “You owe me twenty dollars.” 

You roll your eyes, beckoning him inside with the jerk of your head. “Sure.” 

Jungkook laughs a little. “Wait, okay, I was actually kidding.” But he still steps into your apartment. “I’ll be serious now. Why lie about food poisoning? And since when do you not want to go to work? If anything, you love to go so you can stare at Yoongi’s ass through the recording booth—!” He cuts himself off when you give him a glare of such pure hatred that it actually shocks him. “Wait, are you mad at Yoongi?” 

You tear your gaze away from him, placing the bag of groceries on your countertop. Sorting through what Jungkook has bought serves to be a good distraction. 

Jungkook continues to look at you. He’s quiet, but he always has a lot to say, and since you’ve been his friend for so long that only heightens his need to talk. “I knew it!” He finally says. “I knew you were mad at him. Taehyung and I were placing bets down.” 

You slam the can of chicken soup on the counter. “HEY. What did I say about gossiping?” 

“Not in front of your face?” 

Your hand flinches, as if to stop yourself from grabbing the can and throwing it at his stupid face. Jungkook doesn’t even move in fear, the bastard. “I’m just gonna pretend I don’t know about the bets. You want a can of chicken soup?” 

Jungkook confirmation finds you at the stove, heating up two of the many cans Jungkook had bought for you. Included in his twenty-dollar purchase had been a few containers of tums, and some orange juice. 

Jungkook lingers in the back. “You wanna tell me why you’re mad at Yoongi?” 

You whirl around to face him. “How did you even know I was upset?” 

Jungkook snorts, but quiets down when you glare at him. He coughs. “You’re pretty easy to read, you know. You’ve been acting weird ever since Jieun started coming by the studio.” 

“Weird how?” 

He shrugs. “I don’t know. You’re just a little quieter. And you haven’t been spending as much time in the studio as you used to. That was the biggest giveaway.” 

You’re quiet for a moment. You rub at your cheek. “Does Yoongi know?” 

Jungkook shakes his head. “Doubtful. But I think he knows something is up. I was on the phone with him last night.” 

It’s your turn to snort. “Okay, that’s really fucking funny.” At Jungkook’s raised eyebrow, you explain. “I thought he’d be too busy comparing Jieun to sunlight, or something, to notice me.” 

“Oh, so you’re jealous.” 

You and Jungkook have a staring contest, before you sigh. “I accidentally saw Yoongi’s writing notebook yesterday. It had all these love confessions in it, and I’m pretty sure he was talking about Jieun.” 

Jungkook’s eyes widen. “No way? Are you sure?” 

You cough. “Well, I’m not a hundred percent. But it was all about this forbidden crush he couldn’t act on because of a barrier. Who else could be the barrier? He obviously thinks I’m holding him back from pursuing a relationship with Jieun.” You think about your words for a second, trying to decide if Jungkook is trustworthy enough to disclose this information to. “I think I’m gonna break it off with him. Maybe quit too, while I’m at it.” 

Jungkook’s lips part. “But why?” 

“What else am I supposed to do?” You cry. “I can’t keep up this fake dating with Yoongi anymore, it’s too complicated, and I’m actually in love with him so that opens up this whole other series of complications. And it’s not fair to Yoongi—he shouldn’t have to deal with feelings he obviously doesn’t return. The whole charade thing just isn’t doing me any good. And even if I break off the relationship, I would still have to see him all the time because of the whole manager situation. Quitting just seems like the best option for me.” 

Jungkook is quiet for a second. “How do you even know he wrote that song about Jieun?” He finally asks, speaking carefully. 

You shrug. “I don’t know. I just have this feeling. Who else has he been spending all this time with? Who else could that song possibly be about?” 

Jungkook gives you a long, hard look, like he almost can’t believe your brain can be thinking those thoughts. But he relents. “I think you should talk to Yoongi before quitting. He’s one of your best friends. He deserves to know why, at least.” He looks over your shoulder. “The chicken soup is done.” 

You whirl back around to turn off the stove. But also so Jungkook can’t see the tears glassing over your eyes. 

. 

It turns out, telling Yoongi you want to quit is a much more difficult task than you could have thought. For starters, Seokjin sets the pair of you up on more dates than before. Apparently, there are some rumors going around regarding Jieun’s more and more frequent turn-ups at KSJ Records, and people have started connecting the dots that her appearances are tied to either one of two reasons. Either Yoongi and Jieun are collaborating on music. Or they’re dating. 

The second reason is a lot juicier, much more exciting, so naturally a lot of people have gravitated towards supporting that reason. To try and expel those thoughts, Seokjin sends you out on more dates with Yoongi. It’s all fine, but your thoughts about breaking off this relationship and quitting just makes you more quiet and closed off as you wallow deeper into your thoughts. 

You suddenly don’t know how to contribute to the conversations Yoongi tries to bring up to you. The words seem to fail you every time, and you feel yourself constantly resorting to silence or one-worded answers. And it constantly always feels like Yoongi is standing too close to you. Every step towards you is a step away from him. When he tries to hold your hand on the sixth date in two weeks, you wiggle out of his grasp and pretend that you need to fix your jacket. 

Your own journey to self-destruction means that you are completely oblivious to the hurt in Yoongi’s eyes with every step you take to distance yourself from him. But what could you even say to him?

How could you tell him you want to quit your job in public? That would obviously lead to a fight, and it would reflect badly on Yoongi’s public image. Just because you want to quit doesn’t mean you still care about him, because you do. And you still want him to succeed. With Seokjin’s constant scheduling of dates, it leaves little room for you to share in an actual private discussion. The only off times Yoongi has are the days Jieun comes by the studio, and you try to stay a mile away from that place now. 

But it turns out, you don’t have a choice today, because Seokjin calls you into his office and tells you to drop off the samples of cover art that has just been dropped off at the studio. The cover art is something that Jieun and Yoongi have designed together for the album, to be displayed when the single is released. 

With heavy feet, you make your way through the hallways and towards Yoongi’s studio space. Every fiber in your being hopes that Yoongi and Jieun will be in the recording booth, working on their song (or even better, just not in the studio at all), so that you don’t have to face them enjoying each other’s company right in front of your face. There’s no music coming through the door, so your heart soars that latter prospect. 

As you open the door, however, you realize that there’s no way for you to be so lucky. 

Inside, Yoongi and Jieun are eating lunch, takeout noodles split between the two of them, and they’re in the middle of laughing. The laughter, however, stops when you open the door, effectively interrupting their fucking date. Which is a thought that does nothing to make you feel better. The silence that echoes on only further makes you feel like shit. 

You and Yoongi sharing a room privately nowadays is a rarity, since you’ve been doing a good job at avoiding him at all costs. His unanswered text messages and shortened calls echo through your mind at the sight of him. With the look he’s giving you, you wonder if he’s thinking the same thing. 

Jieun, however, remains completely oblivious to the situation as she gives you her normally bright cheery greeting. You stare at you, momentarily stunned. You would have thought Yoongi shared the troubles of your relationship with her, for some reason. You try to remain nice about it, though, giving Jieun a small smile as you return her greeting. 

“I, uh,” You start, bringing the package up for both of them to see. “Your cover art came in today. Seokjin just asked if I could drop it off here.” 

Jieun brightens at the sight. “Oh my gosh, it came! Do you mind if I…?” She trails off, hands reaching out to take the package from you. You give it to her. “Yoongi, isn’t that so exciting?” 

“Yeah…” Yoongi trails off. A quick glance at him tells you that he’s staring at you. You look away. “Did you see it yet?” He asks you. 

You shrug. “I, uh, haven’t. But, anyways, I have to get going.” 

“Hey,” Jieun calls, freezing you slightly in your path. “Thanks for bringing this over. We really appreciate it.” 

We?

The use of that specific noun, while supposedly harmless in the current context, makes your stomach flare with that white hot curl of jealousy. Your teeth clench, as you swallow down the spiteful words that almost manage to escape into the air around you. You smile, no teeth. “You’re welcome.” That’s the only thing you can manage before you’re turning around to open the door and practically bolt yourself out of the studio. 

You only make it a few feet before the door to the studio opens and you hear footsteps trailing after you. He calls your name, and your heart drops. You are so not ready for any type of one-on-one conversation with Yoongi right now. 

But your entire soul still gravitates toward him, so you stop and turn around to face him. 

Yoongi is by himself this time, and looking like a mixture of confused and defeated as he approaches you. “Listen,” He starts. “I know that we haven’t had a lot of time to really talk…” 

“It’s okay,” You brush off. 

Yoongi says your name again. “You know, you don’t need to lie to me. You’re my best friend—I can tell when you’re hiding something from me.” 

You sigh, shaking your head as every nerve in your body is telling you to walk away. “Yoongi, I’m not sure I can do this right now.” 

“Do what?” He presses. “I know that I’ve been super busy, but if you want to talk you can just let me know. Tell me what’s bothering you, okay? Because I…” He trails off, sighing, and you feel that vague sense of guilt wash over you. “I can tell that you’re avoiding me and it’s really shitty. I can’t even focus that much on my song with Jieun.” 

The mention of Jieun stiffens you up again. “Well, sorry for being an inconvenience,” You spit. “Why don’t you go back to your new fucking girlfriend if you’re gonna bring her up to my face again.” You couldn’t stop yourself this time—the words were too ready at your lips. Your chest is heaving from it too, but it is things that you know that you will regret saying. 

Yoongi’s eyebrows furrow deeper together as your words. 

You stare right back at him, the shadow of a thought passing over you. If you’re going to tell Yoongi your biggest secret, it might as well be right now. You don’t know the next time you will be this brave, this reactive, this bold. 

Both of you open your mouths at the same time. 

“Did you just call Jieun my girlfriend?”

“I’m quitting.” 

You clamp your mouth shut. You hadn’t meant to speak at the same time as him. A small wave of regret passes through you, as you hope that Yoongi wouldn’t have heard your statement over his question. But of course he does. 

Yoongi’s frowns at you. “Did you just say you were quitting?” 

You take a step back, running a hand through your hair as your exhale comes out shaky. More shaky than you intended it to. Oh no. “Yeah,” You manage, already feeling your emotions bottling up. “I was gonna try and talk to Seokjin about quitting before I left.” 

If Yoongi thinks you were joking before, he definitely doesn’t now because he takes a step towards you and catches your wrist before you can go that far. “B-But why?” His eyes have gotten a little wider, and he’s staring at you like his world is being pulled apart. 

You try to tug your wrist away to no avail. Your mind tries to flash through several different excuses, but you realize that you need to tell him the truth. Yoongi deserves that much, at least.

As you try to collect your thoughts, Yoongi starts scrambling. “W-Was it something I did?” He asks quickly. “Because normally you’d always try to call me out and I’d fix myself immediately. A-Are you unhappy with your position? Because I can try to get Seokjin to give you less workload or something. I-I’m really sorry if it was something that I did to hurt you. I-I just really need you here so talk to me… please…” 

You shake your head. “It’s a little more complicated than that,” You whisper. “I know your secret, Yoongi, and that’s why I can’t do this anymore.” 

“W-What secret?” His eyes are still on you. 

You take in another breath. “I went over to your apartment that night,” You start. “And I saw what you were writing in your journal. I know that you’re in love with Jieun, and that you only see me as a barrier to pursuing a relationship with her. And that sucks because normally, I’d encourage you to go after her. But we’re doing this whole dating thing, and I feel like I’m neck-deep because…” Your words come out a little more shaky. “Because I’m in love with you,” You whisper. “I’ve been in love with you for years. B-But I know now that I’ll never measure up to Jieun, or any of the other girls in this industry who deserve you more than I do. I thought that I could keep being professional for you and your career. But it’s too hard for me.” 

“W-Wait,” Yoongi says, tightening his grip on you. “Can you just let me explain, please? It’s not like that, I promise you.” 

You rip your wrist from his hand. “I read it!” You retort loudly. “Who else could be the person you want more than anything, but can’t have because of a physical barrier? When else have you used a real person to inspire your music? It’s too hard for me, Yoongi! I can’t keep doing this!” 

Yoongi seems to be struggling with his next words. “So, what?” Yoongi asks, circling around his next question carefully. “You’re just going to leave? Is this… the end of our friendship?” 

You sigh, running a hand through your hair. “I don’t know! I haven’t thought this out that far. But I know that we shouldn’t be doing this fake dating charade anymore, because I know there’s no way these past few months have meant the same to you as it did to me. I also know that I can’t really be in the same room with you right now.” 

Yoongi hopelessly gazes over at you, his own chest heaving as he himself struggles with what to say. “Please don’t do this,” He returns softly. 

Your gaze lingers on Yoongi’s for just a while longer, trying to burn the image of him in your mind, before you shake your head. “I’m sorry.” 

. 

As it turns out, Seokjin is out of the office for the rest of the evening. Which is fine, right? Whatever. You can just call him tomorrow morning and schedule a meeting with him, tell him the urgency of it and will definitely be able to muster your strength for another conversation about your secret feelings for Yoongi. 

You return to your apartment and immediately burst into tears as the weight of today’s confrontation sinks its teeth right into your neck. You just shared your feelings with Yoongi, you threatened your employment, and almost cut off your friendship with Yoongi as a result of that. 

Your many years of friendship, of late nights, of laughter together. It seems silly to want to cut off an important friendship just like that—but it just seems unfair of you to carry on with a friendship where you’re always going to crave more. And if Yoongi is smart, he’ll know that as well, and he won’t come back. 

Still, a part of you just hopes a little. Even though, of course, it’s a stupid thing to hope for. Yoongi has already established his taste, and it’s definitely for people leagues above you. The thought only makes you cry a little harder, so much so that you try to drink some water in order to calm down. 

You’re in the beginning stages of patting down your face, of grabbing some spoons to put into the freezer, when there’s a series of frantic knocking at your door. You turn your head towards the source of the noise, trying to figure out who could be visiting at a time like this. It’s been a few hours since your confrontation with Yoongi at the studio, but you assume that he’s probably blowing smoke up Jieun’s ass. There’s no way that it could be him. 

So you open the door, and freeze when you realize that it is Yoongi. 

More than that, it’s Yoongi with his chest heaving. Almost like he has just run around the entire city to reach you. 

The only thing you can manage right now is a wide-eyed stare.

Yoongi stares right back at you. Just a few hours ago, he had looked so helpless and lost for words. A first, actually. But this time, he’s staring at you with so much intensity that you cannot look away. 

Yoongi finally seems to catch his breath. “You’re an idiot,” He states. 

You’re so caught off guard by that statement that you forget you’re supposed to be upset with him. “I’m sorry?” You ask. 

Yoongi huffs, practically barreling past you to step into your house. You try to tell him to stop, but he’s distracted by rummaging through his backpack for something. With a sigh, you decide to close the door. As soon as he’s standing in your kitchen, he finds an old, beaten up notebook that you vaguely remember from his college days. He points at you with his notebook. “You’re an idiot,” He repeats. “If you think that the lyrics on my coffee table are the first time I’ve written lyrics about a specific person.” 

At your shocked expression, he immediately starts flipping through the notebook. You notice that certain pages are marked with sticky tabs. 

Yoongi settles on a page and clears his throat. “Hidden within the walls of our lecture hall, your laughter curls through the cracks like liquid fire. You light up my day amongst borrowed pencils and shared jokes. I knew that you were going to change my life,” he reads. He looks up at you. “The first day I met you, when I asked you to borrow a pencil.” You remember those lyrics. It was from a song he had written called ‘starlight’—the opening song on his first EP. 

He flips through a few more pages. “I never learned about love, but I watch her believe in my dreams, take the same steps to join my team, and I feel like I could figure it out.” He looks at you. “When you agreed to help me with my Youtube channel.”

He continues through his notebooks of lyrics, of stories, of secrets. Every single lyric he reads to you connects back to some memory he holds of the two of you. All the memories together in college: from the panic attack he had in the bathroom of the first party the pair of you attended, to exploring the nearby cities via subway until early mornings, to corner ramen shops. 

Soon enough, he moves on to the lyrics he had written during his first tour. The distance he felt, and how that related to the emotional distance he felt with you—that desire he constantly felt for more, and how the manager and artist relationship the pair of you had couldn’t hold a candle to the friendship you once held. The distance was never a physical challenge, and that was something you could never connect the dots on. 

Every stone of his hidden affection is turned over, every lyric he has marked read over and explained with such a passion. It’s like he has waited years to finally have his turn, to finally speak the way he’s always wanted to—directly, with no tricks of music and whimsical arrangements to make you doubt everything he could say. 

He had written whole songs about the fake dating experience, of how he wasn’t sure he could only pretend to love you when it was the only thing he ever knew how to do. 

Finally, he flips to his most recent song. The very song that you had stumbled upon the other day in his apartment. “I want you more and more with each day, but I know I can’t have you, that I shouldn’t have you,” He reads. He looks up at you. “The barrier was the blanket of our fake relationship. You were never stopping me from doing anything, because you were the only thing I have ever wanted. So…” He gestures to all the notebooks that he has laid out across your kitchen counter. “Do you now see how many song lyrics are actually about you? All about you. Because you’re all I’ve always known.” 

Your gaze carefully studies each notebook, layered over each other, overflowing with dedication and passion. The privacy of someone who has surprisingly spent his entire singing career sharing nothing but his darkest secrets. Your arms are overlapped with each other, tightening against your form. “I-I had no idea.” 

Yoongi shakes his head, but when he looks at you, his eyes are soft. “I figured that.” He’s leaning across the counter to keep his gaze leveled with you, but he pushes himself even closer to tap a finger on the spot between your eyes. “I thought I made it so obvious. You were never listening.” 

“I-I never thought to,” You admit softly. But Yoongi has a point. Ever since he started writing and sharing his original songs, he has done nothing but sing them to you in any and all forms. From the private sessions the pair of you shared in his college apartment, to the performances he would deliver on the street, in the recording booth at all hours of the day, to the tours and the audiences that sing those love declarations right back at you. For years, Yoongi has done nothing but give, and give, and give. And you had no idea. 

Your breath hitches, and Yoongi rounds the counter and gathers your face in his hands. “Shh,” He coos softly. “It’s not your fault.” 

You sniff. “It is my fault! I’m such a stupid bitch. And I treated you and Jieun like shit because I thought you were in love with her. I thought I was holding you back from being able to date who you really wanted to be with.” 

Yoongi shrugs. “I mean, technically, you were.” At your look, he hastily goes to explain himself. “The person I really wanted to date was you. But since we were, uh, fake dating, that prevented me from being able to date you for real…”  

You groan at his teasing grin. “You idiot, that was so bad.” 

“Sorry, sorry.” Yoongi is still grinning though, tracing his thumb over your cheekbone. His eyes follow the movement, mentally outlining you into his mind. “I just wanted to see you smile.” His smile slips a little. “Since you had been ignoring me for so long.” 

You pout. “I told you, I thought you were in love with Jieun. And honestly, that would make a lot of sense… she’s really pretty and talented and you guys could talk about music for hours, especially compared to me—!” 

“Stop,” Yoongi cuts in, closing his eyes briefly. “I’m gonna stop you there before you say something I don’t like.” He angles his head to level his gaze with you. “Jieun is really cool, I’ll probably be the first one to admit that. But she’s not you. Hey, c’mon, look at me.” He forces you to look at him again. “You are also so, so pretty and smart and talented. You may not know a lot about music and songwriting, but you were always the one who pulled all-nighters with me to edit my videos, or learn music with me, or point out if something in my music didn’t sound right. Your passion to help is something I really love about you.” 

You pursue your lips to hide your smile. “Love, huh?” 

Yoongi doesn’t even hesitant. “Well, yeah, because I’m in love with you. I thought that was obvious.” 

You exhale. “Yeah, well, it’s different hearing you say it outloud.” 

Yoongi grins. “Well, hopefully you’ll get used to it. I have many years to make it up to you.” His smile dies down a little. “I’m sorry,” He finally settles with. “I should have been more straightforward and honest with you about my feelings. You must have been suffering for so long, having to keep it all in and everything.” 

You shake your head. “I’m also sorry,” You whisper. “For jumping to conclusions so fast. And also not really listening to your lyrics. That was kind of stupid of me, considering I’m your manager and everything.” 

Yoongi laughs. “It seems like you’re good now, seeing as you’ve just gotten an exclusive behind-the-scenes artist cut and commentary about his songs.” He pauses for a second. “So, I hope this means that you won’t quit being my manager. And that, maybe, we can promote our relationship from fake dates to real ones.” 

You smile. “I’d like that.” 

His smile turns softer. “And I was hoping that maybe I can kiss you again. For real, this time. No cameras, no Seokjin breathing down our necks.” 

You giggle. “Just so you know, if the kiss at your album release party had been a real one and we were actually dating at the time, I probably would have wanted you to fuck me in the bathroom or something.” 

Yoongi groans. “Don’t say that with that cute smile on your face. Makes me want to do things to you.” 

“I don’t see you pulling away though.” 

“Of course not.” Yoongi’s figure loams over you now, his lips brushing against yours. “I have three years to make up to you.” 

With that, he kisses you, silencing whatever next words you were going to say. That is, if you even had any to begin with. Now that he’s kissing you, stealing the breath from your lungs, you’re not even too sure any thoughts have been floating around at all. Unlike the kiss at the album release party, which had been softer and dainty, held back to hide a secret, this kiss is rougher. Yoongi is already moving his lips against yours, already parting his lips to brush his tongue against your lower lips. His hands are already sliding across the counter, trying to cover you more and more. 

His hand slips on the counter though, almost sending his sprawling on top of you. You catch him with your hand on his chest, as the sudden action makes both of you pull away from each other. The sight you both face is very much like the sight from the launch party: flushed cheeks and redden lips, a desire for more flickering behind eyes. 

But this time, there is no expectation to carry on in a party like a long-term couple. That is what allows Yoongi to wrap his arms around you, pulling you to his chest this time. He kisses you again, slower, softer, but you deepen the kiss with the part of your own lips this time. There is an unspoken agreement between the two of you as he lifts you into his arms and blindly navigates through your apartment, into your bedroom, where you both fall atop the mattress. 

“And just for the record,” You whisper, right when Yoongi pulls away to let both of you catch your breath. “I love you too.” You’ve already admitted your feelings earlier in the day, but it’s worth it to see Yoongi deliver that heart pounding gummy smile. 

[inactiive]

I jus need an extremely rough dom ron fic w a giant mix of daddy kink, choking, clit & tit slapping, reader being a sucker for his moans & he’s extremely loud & vocal & they’re on top grinding over his bulge when he’s in his boxers & then rides his thigh while he both praises & degrades her & then he fucks her rly hard pls😔

attention — r.w.

ron weasley x reader

summary: purposefully trying to push ron’s buttons is never a good idea.

warnings: degrading, daddy kink, choking, clit/tit slapping, thigh reading, grinding, praise kink, sex, swearing, stomach bulge, pet names, breeding kink, minor cockwarming, message me if i should add anything else!

authors note: i don’t really have an excuse as to why i haven’t uploaded in so long. i’m going to be uploading mostly on weekends now because the weekdays have been so hectic for me. but enjoy xx <3

taglist: @anchoeritic @anxietymonsterr @ch0kemedracomalfoy @hufflepuff-cutie  @kyleed24 @valwritesx @georgeswh0re @Slutherin-7 @cherrysicarus @dracossimp01 @asimpfortheweasleys @acidluvs @Axva03 @sadwhorexxx @wholebigboxofyikes @mirandabate28 @sweeterthansammy @okie-dokieartichokie @literallyjamespotter @shesthegirlnextdoor1 @georgeswh0re @amourtentiaa please fill this form out if you want to be added to my taglist

You let out a dramatic sigh loud enough so your husband, Ron Weasley, heard it down the hallway. It had been almost a week since he had touched you and you couldn’t help but miss him. This past summer, Ron had been helping his twin brothers, Fred and George, with their joke shop. But ever since the season ended, he’s become more and more busy due to auror training. Of course you’re absolutely proud of him and you want him to follow his dreams, but can’t a woman miss her husband?

Before, you and Ron were having solid sex at least three times a week and at most everyday. He explained to you that he would have to work extra hard and he wouldn’t be able to spend as much time with you. You were bummed out about it, but he assured you that it was for your future family.

You told yourself you’d be able to last throughout his training, but it’s only been a week (not even) and you felt like you were going to explode. Everyday that Ron came home, he expressed that he was too tired to do anything after dinner. He felt bad about it, sometimes coming home to you already asleep, but he needed to do this.

So, as long as you would have to, you continued to sulk while Ron was writing to someone important in his office. After a few minutes, Ron still wouldn’t come out of the room, so you decided to take matters into your own hands. You stripped down to nothing but one of Ron’s jumpers and panties.

Before entering the office, you knocked on the door. Ron looked up from his desk and his eyes lit up when he saw you.

“Hi, darling. What’s up?”

You walked over and tried to crawl into his lap. “I just miss you, Ron.” You whined.

He gave you a sympathetic look. Ron obviously missed you too.

Ron kissed the top of your head and pulled your waist closer to his body. “I know, sweetheart, I just need to finish up this letter and i’ll be in bed with you soon, okay?”

You shook your head instantly. “I don’t want you to come to bed to sleep, Ron. I need you.”

Ron’s jaw dropped slightly and for a second he was speechless. It felt like it had been forever since you two experienced any sort of intimacy in bed.

“You need me, huh? Well, why don’t you be a good girl for me and wait patiently in our room?”

You were starting to grow irritated. “Ron, please I can’t take it anymore! Your letter will be here tomorrow, I promise.” You tried to look convincing as possible, but Ron saw right through your facade.

“Sweetheart, don’t be a brat. I’m sorry but i’ll be there soon.” He said sternly.

“But, Ro-”

“Now.”

You scoffed and stood up to push yourself onto his desk. At the same, you knocked over a glass of his coffee and you both watched it spread throughout the wooden desk. Oh fuck, you’re in for it now.

You looked back at Ron and you couldn’t tell if he was pissed or extremely pissed. “[y/n], look at what you did! That letter was important to me and I don’t understand why you have to always be a brat when you don’t get what you want.”

“Daddy, i’m sorry! I really didn’t mean to, I promise I'll be a good girl.” You begged.

He sighed in defeat. “I know you didn’t mean to, bunny, but look at what happened when you decided to disobey me, hm?” He grabbed onto your chin so you could look at him. “Now, I want you to go into our room and wait for me. Naked.”

You obliged his orders and rushed over to the room down the hallway. Quickly, you took off Ron’s jumper and your underwear. You sat on the bed nervously while picking at your fingers, not knowing what to expect from Ron. Once you heard his footsteps, your heart started racing. You were intoxicated with lust that traveled all the way down to your core.

When Ron arrived at the door, you could swear you almost started drooling. His red hair was messy while his shirt was unbuttoned halfway down his body. You looked at him nervously and his expression was unreadable.

“On all fours. I’m not going to ask again.”

You closed your eyes knowing what would happen next. Although you did feel bad for ruining Ron’s papers, you loved riling him up.

All of a sudden, you felt a strong hand push your head into the mattress while your ass was up in the air. “Godric, you look so good like this, baby. But, I have to punish you first. You understand don’t you?”

“Yes, daddy I understand.” You softly replied.

“Don’t worry i’ve decided to go easy on you tonight since I haven’t been spending as much time with you. But, I want you to count up to ten. That’s how long it took for me to fix my letter that you ruined.”

He softly stroked your back and traced his hand to your ass. Ron squeezed it a few times before it quickly came into contact. You whimpered slightly before you started counting.

“O-one!”

Every time Ron’s hand left an increasingly red handprint on your left cheek, you couldn’t help but get turned on. You were in such a vulnerable position obeying his every word.

Once he finished, you were cradled into his arms. He softly pressed kisses to your body, especially the stinging pain on your behind. “You did so well for me, darling. But, i’m not done with you.”

He connected his lips with yours, but this time it was more aggressive. Just a second ago he was so gentle with you while whispering praises in your ear. Now, that has changed and it couldn’t excite you any more than it already had. You turned over to straddle his waist and he yanked your hair back. While pressing open mouthed kisses to your neck, you began to grind onto his hard on. He grounded loudly into your ear. 

“Fuck, you’re already so eager, sweetheart. What am I going to do with a little whore like you? Go on then, get off on my thigh.” 

With each leg on either side of his thigh, you started to rub your clit on his leg. You let out small whimpers and moans into Ron’s ear. His hand slowly made its way up to your throat and he squeezed it. As you felt the air getting trapped in your lungs, you became more and more wet. Connecting your hand with his, you wrapped his hand around your airway once again. 

“You like that, don’t you? My sweet little girl likes to be choked?” He smirked. 

You didn’t respond due to the lack of oxygen you were getting, but you replied by moving faster on his thigh. Ron knew you were getting close as he felt your movements become more frantic and he didn’t want you to finish yet. 

“Alright, bunny, get off.” 

You whined at the loss of contact and he gave you a hard glare. “What did I say about being a brat? Get on your back now.”

He threw you onto the bed and slapped your breast before sucking all around your body. You couldn’t describe how Ron made you feel. He was always a mix of being gentle and rough with you. 

“What do you want now, baby? Do you want Daddy to fuck a baby into you?”

“Yes, please Daddy! Just come inside of me, please. You don’t even need to prep me. I fingered myself to the thought of you this morning while you were gone.” You moaned loudly.

Ron’s eyes darkened. “You did? I didn’t know my innocent baby was a whore. Tell me whose cunt is this?”

“Y-yours, Daddy.” you whispered. 

Ron then slapped your clit which you whined at the contact. “I can’t fucking hear you.”

“It’s yours! It’s all yours, Daddy. Now, please fuck me.” You begged. Ron was always a sucker for your begging. 

“Okay sweetheart, open those legs for me.”

You did as you were told trying to ignore the fact that you were about to combust. Ron softly pepper kissed down onto your body and his hand fluttered over your sex. You couldn’t help but thrust your hips upwards into his hand. Ron wanted to comment about how needy you were being but if he was being honest, he was needy too. You could tell by the way he was not so subtly grinding onto the mattress. 

“C’mon Ron.” You tugged at his boxers and successfully removed them from his body. He watched your eyes become hooked to his cock and it made him hard even more. If that was even possible. Your hand came into contact with it and he hissed instantly. Ron grabbed your wrist stopping you from continuing. “Princess, I suggest we finish what you started.”

You nodded shyly at him and turned around to lay on your stomach, but he stopped you. “I want to see your face while I fuck you.” Blood rushed to your cheeks and you moved to lay on your back again. As much as he loved fucking you while your ass was in the air, he also loved seeing you come undone just as much. 

The head of his cock slipped through your folds and you sucked in a breath. “You okay?” Ron questioned.

“Yeah, I’m okay, love.” you paused. “Just don’t be gentle with me tonight, please.”

And with that, Ron withdrew his hips and thrusted into you, hard. You whimpered loudly only to earn a hand around your throat. You tried to remain eye contact with him but every time you tried your eyes seemed to roll into the back of your head. He felt your muscles tightening around his cock and he truly couldn’t take it anymore.

Gradually, his hips gained speed, and every thrust hit that spot that made you fall in love with Ron Weasley even more. 

“Don’t stop, please. Don’t stop.” You begged.

Your comment made Ron’s hand tighten on your throat. “Since when did you get my permission to be so greedy? Are you the only one that’s allowed to come?”

“No! Want you to come too, Daddy.” 

“God that’s right.” Ron groaned and picked up his speed. Looking down, he could see his cock sliding in and out of you. He seemed so big compared to you and it felt like he could break you at any moment. A bulge on your stomach became increasingly prominent as he thrusted into you, each one becoming more sloppy. 

“Fuck.” He breathed out. “You look so good under me, sweetheart. Let me come inside of you.”

“Yes, please, I want you to come inside of me.” You were beginning to clench around him. “I want you to get me pregnant with your baby.”

“Beg for it. Only good girls get to cum.”

Fuck, seriously? All you could hear is slapping skin and the sounds of Ron’s cock slipping inside of you. “Fuck. Please, Ron. Just let me cum with you. I want you-” You swallowed. “I want you to fill me up.”

After ten more seconds of Ron’s fingers digging into your hips while he fucked your brains out, his hips snapped forward. Simultaneously, you felt yourself come undone and fall over the edge. You let out a high pitched moan while Ron groaned loudly into your ear. 

“Fuck. Fuck. You’re so beautiful when you cum, darling.”

He continued to fuck you slowly and eventually pulled out, but you pulled him back towards you. 

“Stay with me. Just for a few minutes.” you murmured.

“You know if I say yes I’ll end up falling asleep.”

“I don’t care. I just want to hold you.”

Ron relaxed on top of you, not believing that you were his. 

You were always going to be his girl. 

—

hi! if you requested to be added to my taglist just message me. i haven’t posted in a while so i’ve forgotten who asked me. :)

[imaginesxthevamps]

Heyy!! I have a request 🥺

The reader needs glasses and cant see a thing without it

Then Brad and the reader goes to an Award show, she goes to the bathroom or anywhere else yk, and loses her glasses somehow and cant find Brad because she cant see (?) Idk hahaha

I know its weird, I dont know whats up with my mind 🤪 No angst pls, can you make it funny and fluff, pls? Hope you have a good day 😘 its ok if you dont write it, I know its a weird one 🤭 xx

Lost glasses | Brad Simpson

Word count: +/- 1.4k

Date: 23/07/2022

Warnings: none

Tags: Brad Simpson, The Vamps, Imagine, Brad Simpson x reader, fluff, funny, fanfiction, request

A/N: I tried to make it as funny and fluffy as I could :) I hope you have a good day too!! Also this is totally not weird as I wear glasses myself lol. I can still see things without them but don't ask me if I see something or someone from very far without. I hope you enjoy!!💕

______________________________

Everyone has taken their seat in the O2 arena to watch The Brit Awards. You’re there to support the boys because they are nominated for Best Group and Album of the Year. You’re kinda nervous because it’s the first time you’re attending an award show. You’ve already gone three times to the toilet. Brad thinks it’s cute that you’re even more nervous than the boys are. He holds your hand to calm you down which helps a lot.

The show is about to start and the lights are turned down. The show starts with an act with dancers and Dua Lipa opens the show. You’re impressed by it all. You’ve always watched it on tv but this is just impressive. The first award that’s presented is the one for Best Pop. Ed Sheeran is the one who wins that one. You’ve always been a very big fan of him since the beginning. Every time you had a bad day you listened to his songs to feel better.  You’ve seen him live for so many times but this is just special. He walks onto the stage to receive the award. He thanks his fans and everyone that voted for him.

The next awards that are presented are these for Best New Artist, Artist of the Year, Best Rock, and International Group of the Year. After the three first awards, Anne-Marie performs her new song that she hasn’t performed live yet. You’re halfway through the show and you’re so impressed. “Are you enjoying the show?”, Brad who is sitting next to you asks you. “Yes, I do”, you say and squeeze his hand. The lights go back on, announcing there is a break. You can see the other VIP tables clearly now. It’s a weird feeling sitting between all these famous people. Adelle is just sitting a table away from you and you’re practically sitting next to Taylor Swift because her table is next to the table of the boys. Having a famous boyfriend has its perks but that’s not the reason at all you fell in love with Brad. You fell in love with him because he is the sweetest and most adorable person you’ve ever met. You give him a kiss on his cheek taking him by surprise. “What was that for?”, he asks you with a smile. “Just because I can”, you smile back. “You know we’re in the next award category?”, he asks you. “Omg is that now already?” you ask, you start getting nervous again. “I’m going to the toilet before the show starts again”, you say and you stand up from your place to go to the toilet. Brad laughs and shakes his head at you.

Luckily the line for the toilet isn’t that long. There are only two people before you. When it’s your turn you go in. There is a mirror on the wall in the small cabin and you can see that your make-up is a little bit ruined. It’s probably because it’s so hot in there. You take off your glasses so you can fix your make-up with some toilet paper.

When you come out of the toilet you wash your hands and immediately go back because it’s probably not long anymore until the show starts again. It’s when you get into the arena again that you notice something is wrong. You can’t see a thing and you don’t know where you have to go to get back to your table. Your hands go to your face to feel if your glasses are still there. You take a deep breath when you realise you forgot them on the toilet when you fixed your make-up. You take your phone in total panic so you can ask Brad for help. It goes to voicemail which is logical as Brad has turned his phone down for the show.

You go back to the toilets to search for your glasses but they’re gone. You try to make your way back which kinda became impossible. In your attempt you walk up to someone, both of you falling to the ground. “I’m so so sorry, I lost my glasses and I can’t see a thing”, you start to apologise. “It’s okay, I wasn’t looking where I was going either. Can I help you?”, he asks. You immediately recognise that voice as it’s Ed Sheeran’s. “Wait you’re Ed Sheeran, oh my god I’m so sorry”, you ramble while he is helping you to get up again. “It’s okay”, he laughs, “I’ll bring you back to your table”. “Thank you”, you say blushing. “So at what table are you sitting?”, he asks you. “I’m sitting at the Vamps table, I’m Brad Simpson’s girlfriend”, you tell him. “Oh really, you’ve got yourself a good man there”, he says and you start blushing. “Y/N, what happened?”, you hear Brad ask. “Your girlfriend lost her glasses and ran into me”, Ed tells Brad. You sit next to Brad again and you thank Ed for bringing you back to your seat. “I have to go now, I have to present the next award”, he says and leaves. “Where are your glasses?”, Brad asks. “I don’t know, I took them off to fix my make-up and then forgot them but they’re gone”, you explain.

Ed Sheeran goes on stage to present the next award for Best Group which the boys are nominated for. You hate that you can’t see a thing at this exact moment. It’s such an important moment for the boys.

“And the winner is”, you hear Ed Sheeran say. “The Vamps!”, he continues after a long silence. The boys spring up and are hugging each other. You stand up so you can hug Brad at least. “Thank you for being here”, he whispers in your ear.

The boys are walking up on stage but without glasses, you can’t even see who is who. They all hug Ed Sheeran and take the award over from him. They start thanking their fans, family and friends and say how amazing this is. You see that one of the silluets puts their arm around someone’s shoulders. “So I wanted to ask everyone here for some help. So Brad’s girlfriend has lost her glasses in the toilets and she can’t see a thing without them because she walked into me. If someone has seen or taken some glasses can they bring them back to the girl sitting there?”, Ed Sheeran speaks to the audience. The lights are pointed at you and you wish the ground swallowed you up. You feel someone tapping your shoulder and you look behind you. “Are these your glasses?”, Taylor Swift asks you. “Ehm yes, thank you so much”, you say as she hands them to you. “One of us found them but we couldn’t find the person they belong to”, she says. “Thank you so much again, I’m so embarrassed”, you tell her. “Don’t be sweetheart, by the way, Brad is a gem, keep him”, she smiles and you smile back. “Oh you have them back?”, Brad notices when he is at the table again. “Yes, luckily. I was so embarrassed”, you say. “You should be honoured, your idol helping you to find your glasses isn’t something you experience every day”, Brad tells you. “That’s true”, you laugh.

After the award show, you make your way home in Brad's car. "It's such a you thing to lose your glasses", Brad laughs. "I know oh my god", you groan with your head in your hands. "Who gave them back?", Brad asks. "Taylor Swift", you tell him. "One of the people at her table found them". "Well, now everyone knows you", Brad says. " Yeah I guess they do", you laugh.

There is a comfortable silence in the car. "Maybe I should start wearing contacts", you say. "What? Why?", Brad asks you surprised. " Because then I can't lose them", you tell him. "But I think you look cute with those glasses", Brad says. "You do?", you ask him surprised. "Yeah, I love them", he says. Brad takes one hand off the steering wheel and lays it on top of yours. "Did you have fun?", he asks. "I did, it was an amazing evening. Thank you for bringing me", you say and squeeze his hand.

______________________________

The Vamps requests are open

[softholand]

ive been trying so hard to think of a moodboard i havent asked for already and totally forgot to send a blurb request, my bad 😩🤚🏻 here it goes: can i have “You bought me flowers?” “Yeah, well I noticed you’d seemed kinda down, so I wanted to cheer you up.” with my sweet angel baby pls 💜🥰 ily — kit xx

𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐢𝐞𝐜𝐞

⤷ harrison osterfield x barista!reader, coffee shop au

prompt: “you bought me flowers?” “yeah, well i noticed you’d seemed kinda down, so i wanted to cheer you up.”

words: 1.3k

a/n: hi bestie 👋🏻 thanks for sending this, i had so much fun writing it, i hope you like it as much as i do :’)) ily and i hope you have a great day xx 💜

It was that time of the month again, you were currently exhausted, your cramps were killing you, your eyes felt heavy and your head carried a pounding headache that made you want to smash it against a wall. To sum up, today was definitely not your day.

To make matters worse, the coffee shop you worked at was extremely busy today. The little bell at the door that indicated a new customer didn’t stop ringing, groups of tired students coming to drink their much needed coffee to keep them awake for the rest of the class day.

You had just finished giving the last customer in line their coffee when you saw your coworker slide one of the paper cups your way. “Drink it, you need it! You look like shit!” They said in a flat voice. “Damn, thanks, Ro!” You scolded, taking the drink nonetheless. “What? I’m just looking out for you, don’t give me that look.” They said, rolling their eyes. “I know, I appreciate that, Ro! Today is just not my day, sorry!” You groaned, taking a few sips of the hot liquid, feeling your body relax almost instantly. “Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it.” Your friend said, going back to wiping the counter.

You were quietly enjoying your beverage when the bell at the door rang again, making you sigh heavily, not ready to put the happy facade up again. Leaving your coffee aside, you turned around, being met with the most beautiful set of blue eyes you had ever seen.

Harrison was a regular at the shop, always coming in earlier than everyone else so that he could study in the quietness of the space before the rush of tired students came barging in with their laughs and loud chatter.

He was kind, funny, and very charming and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t have a little crush on him. Okay, maybe little wasn’t the right word to describe, in fact, if you’d ask your friend, they’d probably say you had your whole wedding already planned in your mind. You hadn’t, by the way, but you couldn’t deny the attraction between you, and his flirty behavior towards you didn’t help at all in your situation.

That’s why you suddenly grew nervous as you saw him entering the shop, a bouquet in hand, your mind already playing tricks on you and making you believe he was off to see someone else. “Hey! Here for another boost?” You joked, earning a chuckle from the blonde. “Hi! Yes, I am!” He said, scratching the back of his neck. “The usual?” You asked, trying to keep your nerves at bay. “Yes, please!”

Once you turned around to prepare his order, Ro was looking at you with a huge smirk on their face, making you glare at them, before finishing Harrison’s coffee. As the machine did the work for you, you couldn’t help but notice the way he nervously held the bouquet, his knuckles almost white from how hard he was holding it.

“Going on a date?” You asked, already regretting it since his private life had absolutely nothing to do with you. Harrison seemed very confused by your question at first, so you signaled to the bouquet in his hands, making him finally realize. “Oh, no! This… this is— uhm, this is actually for you.” The blonde stuttered, offering you the bundle of small pink and white flowers, a white ribbon tied in the form of a perfect bow holding everything together. What?

“You bought me flowers?” You asked, completely dumbfounded, taking the bouquet from his hands, holding it closer to your face. “Yeah, well I noticed you’d seemed kinda down, so I wanted to cheer you up,” Harrison stated, your heart swelling up at his words.

You felt like melting right then and there, while Harrison’s blue eyes stared shyly at you, waiting for your dumb ass to just say something. “I— wow, I don’t know what to say. Thank you so much!” Your voice was hoarse, and if that wasn’t enough, your eyes were also watering, a very clear sign that you were about to cry.

Harrison seemed to notice your state by the way he frowned, but before he could say anything, you sniffled, getting your friends' attention. “Ro, can you cover for me a little bit?” You asked, to which they nodded. “Sure!” They said, sending you a knowing look. “Thanks! I’ll be right back!” You informed them, but your friend just laughed, “Go on, I promise not to set the shop on fire.”

After taking your apron off, you guided yourself and Harrison outside, where the cold December air hit you, making you shiver, holding the flowers closer to you as if they were some kind of heater that’d warm you up. “Is everything alright?” Harrison asked as soon as you were out. “Yes, it is, I just… fuck! Today has been such a shitty day for me and then you show up with flowers? This… this means more than you know to me, Haz! Thank you so much, you really didn’t have to!” You rambled, feeling yourself grow flustered as the words left your mouth.

Harrison’s expression seemed to change from one of uncertainty to one of relief, “It’s alright! I— I wanted to!” He stated, a smile now appearing on his lips. “And I’m sorry if I seemed a bit down earlier, I just…” you started but Harrison was quick to cut you off, “Hey, you don’t have to apologize for not feeling your best. It’s normal, we all have our days.” The blonde exclaimed, putting his hands on your shoulders, forcing you to make eye contact.

You didn’t know if it was your hormones or the fact that Harrison looked absolutely ethereal with little snowflakes falling down his face that made you lean in and close the gap between you two, connecting his lips to yours in a quick kiss, that left you wanting nothing else for the rest of your life.

You were a stuttering mess when you pulled away from him though, apologizing for what you had done, saying how inappropriate it was but Harrison cut you off once again, this time with his lips. “It wasn’t inappropriate. In fact, I have been wanting to ask you on a date for quite a while now, I just didn’t have the courage to do it.” He said, a smile forming on your lips. “I’d love to go on a date with you!” You said, your cheeks hurting from how wide your smile was. “Yeah?” Harrison grinned, “Yeah!” You nodded, biting down on your bottom lip.

You were just about to lean in and kiss him again when you heard a couple of knocks on the shop’s door, Ro’s face showing an apologetic smile. “I have to go back to work.” You sighed, and Harrison immediately pulled away, “Yeah, no… sure!” He said, making you chuckle. “I can give you my number though, that way we can plan the date?” You asked, feeling like a teenager all over again, sharing your phone number with your crush. “Yeah, that sounds great!” He said, taking his phone out of his coat pocket, before handing it to you.

Once your phone number was secured on his phone, you passed the device back, “You’re coming back inside?” You asked, heading for the door. Harrison seemed completely clueless, raising an eyebrow to you, which was actually pretty adorable. “For your coffee?” You exclaimed and it was like a light switch went on inside his head. “Oh, yeah! Coffee, yes!” He mumbled, making you chuckle.

With a coffee and his favorite muffin in his hands, Harrison made his way out of the shop, giving you an adorable little wave before disappearing down the street. By your side, Ro cleared their throat, raising their eyebrows, “So… got something to tell me?”

—don’t forget to reblog and leave your feedback ♡

[strawberriestyles]

3 A.M. (Shakespeare Extra)

(Banner made by the incredibly talented @tiostyles)

Harry X Reader (AU)

In which Harry is a poetic frat boy who just so happens to be the TA for your new English class.

Read Shakespeare here.

Author’s note: This has been a long time coming but I don’t really think it will satisfy anyone. Pls don’t hate me. :) AND DON’T FORGET TO LIKE AND REBLOG, MAYBE LEAVE SOME FEEDBACK. XX

He misses you so fucking much.

The hollow in Harry's chest seems to widen every time he thinks of you. It's been this way for six months, since he left you in tears at the airport. Lately, though, it's been so much worse.

It went so well for months. You would call him every night and chat about school, or his new job, or another poem from his journal that you read. You would tell him that you missed him and he would return the sentiment. But things have slowed with your summer break, and now he hasn't heard from you in a week.

Part of it might be his fault. He knows you feel the same ache that he does, but he doesn't want you waiting around for some miraculous way for the two of you to see each other again. He wants you to live your life and enjoy college. He told you as much, and he tries to forget the offended tone you used when you replied, claiming that you were working two jobs over your break to save up enough money to go visit him.

Since Harry's been in London, he hasn't felt the urge to see any of his old friends. No one seems good enough company. His job as an English teacher happens to be more work than he ever thought. He enjoys it to an extent, but he's not allowed the creative license that he would like. He wakes up and goes to work, comes home to his cheap, dingy flat, all alone, and then repeats it the next day.

Tonight, however, he can't get you off his mind. It's the first time he's been able to put pen to paper and scribble out a quick poem since the first week he got back. It was heated and passionate and even vulgar. He pictured you in all your glory, spread out for him, and for the past hour since he finished writing, he hasn't been able to forget the memories, like a film reel looping through his mind.

Harry is achingly hard. He's swollen and pink, and just the thought of you has him leaking frustratedly onto the sheets. When this all began, he hoped that he'd be able to refrain from touching himself and then be able to drift to sleep, but the hope has dissipated. Every time he shifts, even the gentle brush of cotton has his hips lifting from the mattress, searching for a more satisfactory source of friction.

"Jus' need..." Harry groans and surrenders, kicking the blankets down his body. He feels cool air drifting through the open window beside his bed, chilling his flushed, exposed skin. His hand drifts down his body, closing into a tight fist around his throbbing cock.

Harry lets out a ragged moan as he gives himself a rough pull. He thumbs his tip, collecting a dribble of precome and dragging it down his length. The touch of his hand gives him some relief, but it's not enough, and he feels even further gone than he did before.

The clock beside his bed reads three in the morning, and he's already doing the math to figure out your time zone. You should be awake. His free hand fumbles for his phone and he has his thumb poised over your contact before he pauses. He's not sure if you want to speak with him, or even if you'll pick up. But maybe you haven't been actively ignoring him. Maybe you've just been busy. And he needs to hear your voice. He doesn't think he's ever needed anything more.

The phone rings as Harry puts it on speaker. He sets the device on the pillow beside his head, hoping beyond hope that you'll answer.

"Hello?" You sit up in bed as you answer the phone. You've only been curled up for a few minutes, and you certainly weren't expecting a phone call from Harry. It's been a week since you've spoken to him, but you can feel a relieved warmth settle over you. You've missed him.

"Y/N," Harry breathes. He lets out a shaky sigh. His voice is deeper than usual, and rough around the edges. If you didn't know him so well, you might just think that he's tired. But you do know him, and the knowledge that he's hard and needy for you has your gut twisting in excitement. "Hi, angel."

"Harry," you whisper, settling back down against the mattress. "What are you doing?"

"Wanted t'know how yeh've been 'nd—"

"That's not why you called," you interrupt bluntly.

"I—"

"It's okay," you soothe. You want this just as much as he probably does. The two of you haven't done anything more than chat for almost a month now. "Tell me what you're thinking about."

Harry lets out a groan, one that's heavy and low and rumbles with the static of the call. "Can' stop thinkin' 'bout yeh," he confesses. "Thinkin' 'bout yeh everywhere—on top o' me, underneath me. Christ, I jus' wanna feel yeh, love."

Your body ignites at the desperation in his voice. You miss him so much. Just speaking isn't enough. You want to feel him and smell him and hold him. The shirt that he gave you has begun to lose his scent. Now, the only way to smell him at all is to press your nose directly into the material.

"I wanna feel you, too," you whisper, squeezing your eyes closed in an attempt to picture him here with you.

"Touch yourself fo' me, pet," Harry begs. "Please." You can hear his mattress squeaking as he shifts in bed. Across the ocean, he's tugging at himself to the thought of you, to the sound of your voice. The realization makes you moan out as you slip your fingers beneath your panties.

"I'm really wet," you inform Harry, blushing despite the fact that he can't see you. You trail your hand between your folds, pressing a finger gently to your clit.

Harry practically growls at your confession. "Bet yeh are," he grumbles. "Bet yeh're fuckin' soaked. Bet yeh're tight and warm, too." He moans brokenly, and you know he has a vise-like grip around his cock. "Dip your fingers in tha' cunt fo' me, yeah?"

You throb at his words, aching for him to be the one touching you. You don't think you've ever needed someone else to touch you this way before, and the knowledge that he physically can't has you nearing frustrated tears.

"Harry," you whimper, doing as you're told. Your walls hug two fingers tightly as you pump deeply into yourself. You can only imagine that they're Harry's fingers, even though the width and length and texture of them are so wrong. "I want you so much."

"Fuck. Want yeh, kitten. Want yeh so bad."

On the other end of the phone, Harry spits into the palm of his hand before wrapping his fingers around his length again. He can hear your labored breathing pouring from the phone, and it only spurs him on. His fist tightens, twisting as he pulls from the base of himself to the head of his length. He lets out a hungry moan. He doesn't know what to picture first. His mind keeps flashing with images of all the ways you've gotten him off. He can see your hand moving slowly, deliberately along his dick, experimenting with him and figuring out what he likes. He can see your pretty little mouth wrapped around him, looking sinful and devilish as you suckle at his tip. And he can see your cunt, swallowing him whole. He can see himself balls-deep inside of you, and a heavy groan tears from his chest as he squeezes himself the way your walls always did.

"Need yeh," Harry begins before he cuts himself off with a shaky gasp. He’s so desperate that he can barely breathe. "Need yeh t'come. Need t'hear yeh come, love. Can yeh do tha'?"

You whimper again, nodding before you remember that he can’t see you. The knowledge of the distance between you reappears with a painful pinch in your gut, but you ignore it. For now, for these few minutes, you can put those thoughts to the back of your mind. “Yes,” you answer.

“Tha’s a good girl. Such a good girl fo’ me, pet.”

You rub methodically at your clit. It’s nothing new, in fact it’s rather mundane, but with Harry panting at you, huffing ragged breaths as he imagines the two of you together, there’s a thick layer of excitement that makes getting off so much easier. Your head tips back, your phone nearly slipping out of your hand as you find your release, jerking against your own fingers, moaning brokenly.

Harry pumps himself faster at the sounds you make. It’s not long before he’s coming. It’s so painfully relieving and good that he chokes on his own breath, but his lips still form your name, over and over, like a chant.

He stains his bedsheets. His hand and his cock are so raw and slick that he can’t even slow to calm himself down, he has to stop all at once. But he feels better. So much better.

The moans and mutterings fade into staggered breathing from both lines. You wait for Harry to say something and he waits for you to speak. The seconds tick by.

“Harry?” you whisper when you just can’t stand it anymore.

“‘M here,” he whispers back. His voice sounds even rockier than when you answered the phone.

You lapse back into silence. You don’t know what to say. You don’t know how to remove the obstacles that stand between you. You settle on the simplest of questions, the least damaging.

“Do you want me to visit?”

Harry opens his mouth repeatedly, ready to form words, before rethinking. He wants to be able to hold you in his arms, he wants to be able to watch your lips move while you talk, he wants to be able to sift his fingers through your hair. He wants so much that involves you being physically with him. But does he want you to visit?

Honestly, he doesn’t know. He doesn’t know whether he wants you to pop in for a week, two weeks, only to be ripped away from him again. He’s been so good for the past few months, but surely that would drive him to drink.

“Harry?” You’ve sat up by now. Your sheets are pooled around your feet and you don’t bother untangling them. You can only stare at the wall.

“I—” Harry swallows thickly and stares up at his ceiling. If he’s going to tell you anything, it should be the truth. You deserve the truth. “I don’ know.”

Three words. Three words and your heart has sunk deep into your belly. It stings.

“What do you mean?” You’re sure you meant to deliver that question with some heat but it comes out all soft and uncertain.

“I don’ know, Y/N. Feels like ‘s only gonna hurt both of us, don’ yeh think?”

“No, I don’t think, Harry.” This time, there is a painful power to your words. You’ve spent almost every waking moment since he left thinking about him, and he’s weaseled his way into some of your dreams too. You love him. You want him. “I’m hurting right now.”

Harry squeezes his eyes closed. He’s hurting, too. He’s hurting a lot. But nothing in the immediate future can soothe either of you. And you visiting would only be a temporary fix, a bandaid over an infected wound.

“I don’ want yeh t’hurt,” he mumbles, licking his dry lips.

“Then stop trying to hurt me.”

“I am not tryin’ t’hurt yeh, Y/N,” Harry whispers fiercely.

“It feels like you are.”

He bunches his sticky hand up in his dirty sheets and lets out a gust of air. None of this is what he wants. But it doesn’t feel fair of him to drag this out for another couple of years until you’re done with school. And even then, would you really want to move to England for him? Leave your family, your friends? If it was only that easy. But somehow, he thinks you deserve better than this. Better than spotty calls and desperate phone sex and a boyfriend that’s thousands of miles and an ocean away. He wants you to enjoy your college experience the same way that he did, without having him to occupy your thoughts. And he doesn’t want you wasting your summer vacations at work just to come see him for a few days at a time. None of this is fair. To either of you.

“Think we should…” he begins. What does her think? That the two of you should break up? He doesn’t like that. It sounds so final, like your relationship is lost and hopeless. “Think we should maybe take a break.”

Your end of the phone call is silent. Harry waits quietly, patiently for you to say something, anything. He expects tears, like he can feel pooling along the lids of his own eyes. Is he making the right decision?

“A break?” you finally ask, and there isn’t a hint of sadness in your voice. There’s a whole lot of anger, though. “So, we don’t talk? And when does that end, Harry? When school starts up again? When I graduate? When you get bored of being alone?”

“That’s not—”

“You called me. Not the other way around. So, what? You get to come and then decide that I’m not worth it? We can’t be together because you have to get yourself off?”

“No, Y/N.” Harry sits up himself now. His heart is threatening to beat right out of his chest. He’s questioning his every thought and word. Is this really for the best? There’s no going back if it’s not. “This is completely unrelated t’that. ’S just not fair t’us. I don’ think—”

“You do not get to decide what is unfair for me,” you snap at him. "You’ve made this decision without me. It is not mutual. So remember that the next time you want to call me because your horny.”

Harry opens his mouth to reply, but before he can get the beginnings of a sound out there’s a beeping in his ear. You’ve ended the call. He lets the phone drop to the mattress and presses the heel of his palm into his eye. That was the exact opposite way that he hoped the conversation would go. And now he doesn’t know what to think, what to expect. Would you even answer if he called you again? Will you call him? Are you never going to speak again?

That final thought finishes him. He slumps back in bed, not bothering to strip the sheets, not bothering to clean himself off. How did this happen? He traces the lines of your conversation back to the beginning, but then he stops. It’s painful already to think about it, to remember you angry words and the hurt in your voice, even if there was no sadness.

He chokes around the thick lump in his throat and stares up at the ceiling for hours before he can sleep. And even then there’s no peace.

[deakydeaky]

Being the only girl in Queen pls darling

99% sure this has been done before but we’ll do it

Being the only girl;

When you first came into the group Freddie show how talented you were at basically everything. You weren’t a “misfit” like them but together you all didn’t belong together and that’s why Freddie liked it so much

The boys were a little weirded out because you were a girl. They had a lot of questions and weren’t really okay with the idea. Not that you are a woman but Brian said there should be limits, rules

“Okay, fine.” You folded your arms waiting for them to start

“No sleeping together.” Brian laid it out flat

“Oh no, now I don’t want to be in the band.” You said back sarcastically with an eye roll. Freddie smiled at you. He knew you were smarter than that

“No being besties with the groupies.” Roger told you

“I have more than friendship on my mind love.” Freddie chuckled in the back.” And that’s a no. I get you like to sleep around but keep me out of your girl drama.”

“Is that all? Can we start making music now that you’ve made a ‘no sleeping together’ pact.”

“Respect me and I’ll respect you. I’m not here to be undermined by a bunch of men.” You told them

After that it went a little rocky for a few months

A lot of places question having a woman in a rock n roll band but they knew you were very good

The band was also getting comfortable with you over time

Freddie took no time. They others were a little nervous, because you made them that way. You were very pretty, and very talented and also super smart. It was mind blowing to them that you were in a rock band

Them wanting to break the pact and say whoever you pick you pick

That was until they saw you at a party making out with one of the groupies that Roger regularly has around him. In the middle you were saying goodbye to a gentleman they had never met before

That’s when they decided maybe it was better to see you in every other way but a sexual one

They came at you with open arms since then

Overprotective since!! Like they would kill someone if they laid a hand in you that you never asked for

“No darling I’m being serious, if you could who would you shag?” Freddie asked you as you were all just laying around the hotel room, almost empty bottles by all of you

“I can’t pick.” You blushed as they all waited.” You’re all very good looking men, I would be happy to have any of you. The question is Freddie who any of you go for me.”

“Yeah.” They all answered without skipping a beat

“I’m seeing that the pact was a good idea now.” You got off the bed.” I have Shelly waiting for me.”

“Please quit stealing them from me!” Roger begged you with the groupies

“Hey hon they come to me. Not my fault you can’t do your job right.” You started to walk out.” Goodnight boys.”

Outfits that are the absolute hottest because they won’t let you wear anything that wasn’t

Always sticking up for you when someone has something negative to say

“Is it difficult to have a woman in the band at times? You know how they can be.” The audience laughed at the joke

“Well because she’s not here to defend herself, no.” Brian said to the man

“She’s the best of all of us. She makes Queen something of her own. She isn’t like any of us, yet she fits in so well because, that’s Queen.” John finished it off

Another thing, not being invited to interviews as much

A lot of people don’t see you as part of the band because you are a woman

Then one day you’re on stage and it got super hot. You took off your jacket and had on a white shirt that you could see right through

“Well look at that.” You smiled looking down.” At least the papers will have something to write about.”

You did once have a breakdown in front of all of them when a paper wrote horrible things about you

“They always say stuff like this. We get in there too.”

“You get in there so they can talk about how pretty you guys are! You have no idea what this is like. I’m getting called a whore as you guys are getting called the ‘best band’ which if you haven’t notice, there are no pictures of all of us. Just you four!”

“Oh love.” Freddie felt bad as he saw you crying

“Maybe- maybe they are right. This life isn’t for me, maybe I should just leave.”

“You can’t!” John protested

“Like anyone would notice.” You wiped your cries into your shirt

“We would, the fans would, the music would change. Hell it might get worse, we don’t know.” You laughed out at Freddie

“You are just as much a part of Queen as the rest of us.” Roger told you putting his arm around your waist

After that not caring about the papers and living freely. Wearing, doing, saying whatever you want. You didn’t care anymore because no matter what you’d always just be seen as the girl in Queen

Being in Queen;

Taking pictures all of the time, and videos

The boys taking pictures when you aren’t looking

You walk into the dressing room, in your bra and underwear as they were all taking pictures

You smiled widely and Roger just laughed and took one

“I’m recording!” John blushed out. You waved to the camera

“I need my shirt please.” You reached your hand out and Freddie gave it to you

Always helping them do their makeup

Them being understanding when it’s that time of the month

Brian doing your hair a lot of the time

Roger giving you bangs on accident but they turned out to look good on you

Goofing around all of the time

“Tell the camera something.” John begged of you

“I’ve seen everyone in here’s penis.” You all laughed at what you said

Recordings of you all, all of the time

“Y/N!” You turned around in your seat, you only in jeans and a bra, you makeup not even done.

“I can’t focus if you have a need to film me all of the time!”

“You’re just so pretty!”

The boys loving your energy

You being happy and bubbly all of the time even though you get dragged through the mud the most

Your outfits, like I said, always hot. You always look hot in every way. Like F U C K woman are so good looking and everyone is practically in love with you

Studio fights are usually you and Roger fighting

Parties without you just aren’t the same

You have a wild side but you can be shy around those you don’t know

You’ve all seen each other naked so you have no secrets, also you’ve walked in on each other so many times

You got to take off your bra before Brian stops you

“Cause you don’t know what in there.” Brian just blushed.” Brian please, I’m sweating, they hurt. I don’t- Hans me that shirt.”

“What are you doing?” John asked as you put it on. You took off your bra from inside the shirt and pulled it out. They were all amazed

“How did you?...”

“Practice love.” You put the bra in Brian’s hands

It coming out you never slept with any of them

“So has there ever been anything between you and one of the other boys?” Of course you were asked this

“I know everyone is dying to hear it but no. We accually made a pack that we wouldn’t and we stuck to it. For the better. I like to keep everything professional and they are the same.”

Having crazy love for each other

You all being a literal family

When your dad was sick the boys being by your side

Even closer at his death

When you were getting married John stepped in to walk you down the isle

You all being super close by the end

xx

[rcmlupins]

hello, hello ! i’m bonnie, 19, and i can barely read. lol i’ll stop now. anyways, here’s basically my app for remus with some stuff added but pls like this and i’ll come running for some plots ! <3

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

is that BENJAMIN WADSWORTH wearing that GRYFFINDOR scarf ? no, it appears to be REMUS LUPIN who happens to be a SEVENTH year !! HE is CISMALE, and i heard they’re SELFLESS and TRUSTWORTHY, but might also seem SECRETIVE and PESSIMISTIC. they appear to be leaning towards the side of the ORDER, but this is a conversation we should be having somewhere else. ( bonnie / 9teen / est / she&her )

𝐌𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲

selfless: remus lupin is the type of person who will drop anything for anyone at any time of day. he has a huge paper to write but someone needs to be tutored? he’ll stay up until dawn to write that paper after helping them until they completely understood the material. he has so much love and care to give those around him, that he often forgets that it’s important to love himself as well. although being selfless is one of his greatest strengths, it is also his greatest weakness. he refuses to put himself first, and there’s been often a time where his friends have to tell him the importance of taking care of himself. does he listen? normally, no.

trustworthy: after having to spend years pretending he’s a normal halfblood and not a werewolf, it’s safe to say that remus lupin knows how to keep a secret. whenever something is told to him in confidence, he refuses to repeat to anyone unless the person tells them something most people already know. this causes remus to be a confidant for many of his peers, and he’s friendly towards everyone. while having so many people wanting to speak to him about their problems and woes could be overwhelming for many people, it’s not for remus. he enjoys being that person for many people, that way he can’t focus on his own problems.

secretive: while remus can constantly take other people’s problems, he won’t tell you about his. for awhile, he wasn’t even going to tell the marauders about him being a werewolf. he doesn’t like thrusting his own problems on someone else, being proud when it comes to things like that. he can take care of himself, and he can still be hesitant when people offer him help. he’s remus lupin, known caregiver of the marauders, seventh year prefect; he can take care of himself. although it’s hard to when his friends are always so willing to help, and it’s a constant battle for remus.

pessimistic: now, outwardly, remus is always the happy one. he’s smiling, helping people with their own problems, counseling them to make the decision that would be best for them. though, on the inside, remus finds it hard for him to believe that everything will go right. he’s quite pessimistic, always assuming the worst of a situation. he’s a logical person, facts and statistics comfort him. he likes considering every situation, every single thing that could go wrong. so when he does that, it’s his way of preparing of himself for the worst. he likes to say he’s a realist.

𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭

his pinterest board can be found here !

𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

i. hopeless by halsey — ii. say something loving by the xx — iii. ilysb by lany — iv.youngblood by five seconds of summer — v. cringe by matt maeson — vi. made of light by mikky ekko —

𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦

growing up, lyall and hope lupin loved their boy, he was smiling and laughing ever since he could, and their only son brought them so much joy. from a young age, he was gifted when it came to magic, and he was also wise beyond his years. they never had to raise their voices, discipline him; they couldn’t have asked for a better son. 

however, the lupins’ world was quickly turned upside down when remus was attacked by fenrir greyback, an act of revenge towards his father. young remus didn’t know why he was bitten in his sleep, and all he did was cry and cry and cry. poor lyall lupin felt guilty for years because if only he hadn’t voiced his distaste towards fenrir, his son would have been normal. this is the guilt that caused the lupins to drag their son to so many healers in a pursuit to cure it, but alas, there were none. his parents knew what this meant for their son, and for years, they were worried that it would prevent him from admission into hogwarts. but dumbledore was understanding, and to his parents’ joy, he was able to attend hogwarts at age eleven. 

at first, remus was unsure of what it meant to be a werewolf, and the first couple years were dreadful for him. how was he supposed to cope with being a werewolf at such a young age? for years it seemed to be impossible. 

this is why he threw himself into his studies at hogwarts. during the times between transitions, he was too focused on his studies, being a prefect, exams, other people’s problems, literally anything to help him focus on something else. while the transformations were always painful, and he was always sent to the infirmary the morning after, the marauders helped him. it wasn’t the hell that he became so used to. 

his career at hogwarts truly made his parents proud, and his father slowly began to feel less guilty. his son was thriving at hogwarts, he was a prefect, perfect marks, and his group of friends were rowdy, yes, but they were also loyal and understanding. and lyall and hope truly couldn’t have wanted more for their son. 

[annemareads97]

Short story! Pls read <3

Since I got quite a few positive responses, I’ve decided to go ahead and post some of my past assignments - although I won’t do any editing before posting them, meaning what I post is the same as what I handed in.

This first one is a roughly 2200 word short story which I did for my Fictional Writing module. Enjoy!

To Die For

   Getting a degree hadn’t really been something Jonathan specifically wanted, rather, it was what was expected of him. He’d always done well in school, so when the time came for his classmates to apply for universities, he found himself doing the same. His mum had been so proud when he got his first unconditional offer back, and his dad had mumbled something that almost sounded encouraging. They had been ever so disappointed in his older sister when she decided to go off to London to “try to make it” as an actress. He still spoke to her, and so far, all she really did was work three part-time jobs.

   Jonathan’s family had always had money. Growing up, he had everything he could ever want, to the point where his classmates kept looking at him as “that spoiled rich kid”, despite the fact that he never shoved his wealth in their faces. It didn’t really matter in the long run, though. Sure, he might not have had loads of friends, but they weren’t really worth his time anyway. They were all so stupid and, well... childish.

   Now, here he was, starting his first year at a university he didn’t really like, studying something he wasn’t really interested in. But again, that didn’t matter. Nothing really did. As long as his parents didn’t throw him out, everything would be fine. He was sure of it.

   “Hey, Jonny-boy, you gonna join us tonight or what?”

   “Jonny-boy” rolled his eyes at his flat-mate. Imbeciles, the lot of them. “What’s tonight?”

   “Well, it’s the Full Moon Party, innit?” Gregg grinned.

   Jonathan sighed. “That’s just stupid - the full moon was two nights ago”, he muttered.

   “What was that?”

   “I said: you have fun with that. I, however, have better things to spend my time on than fraternising with a bunch of drunk teenagers making decisions they’ll regret in the morning.”

   Gregg stared at him for a bit with that empty stare of his, until Jonathan took pity on the other boy. “That means thanks, but no thanks. Oh, and try not to get too smashed, will you? I am not cleaning up the kitchen floor one more time.”

   They’d been here for three days, and Jonathan was already regretting living in halls. He considered calling up his dad and telling him that he couldn’t possibly be expected to study in such an environment - maybe his parents would get him a flat down in town - but, no. He wasn’t really on speaking-terms with his father at the moment, still angry that he had cut off any funding for Elizabeth.

   “Yeah, no worries, mate”, Gregg smiled. How was he always so happy? “You really oughta come with us some time, though. Fresher’s Week is only once in your life.”

   “Sure thing, Gregg.”

   His first week of classes was soon coming to an end, and Jonathan had still to meet anyone intelligent enough to befriend. As had really been a problem his entire life... Maybe he ought to lower his standards a bit?

   Just as he was contemplating whether or not he might be the problem, the chair beside him was pulled out, and a girl sat down.

   “...can I help you?”

   The girl turned to look at him, surprised. “What, this seat’s not taken, is it?”

   “Noo...” Jonathan trailed off. No one had willingly sat with him yet, and there were still loads of free seats in the classroom. He supposed he shouldn’t question it, though. Perhaps this girl was his chance.

   “Great”, she smiled at him - a smile that made something stir deep in his stomach. “Then I’m gonna sit here.”

   “Okay...”

   Now that he was really looking at her, he could see that was actually really pretty - in an understated way. She wasn’t one of those typical “popular” girls, but he thought she could have been, if she had dressed the part. Instead, she wore a simple pinstriped button-up shirt tucked into a pair of black jeans. Her mousy-brown hair was bunched up into a messy bun, and she wore a pair of old-fashioned, squared glasses, the kind that was popular these days. She looked professional, much more so than any other student he had met so far, and he had to admit he was slightly impressed at her style.

   “I’m Hannah, by the way. Hannah Brown”, she interrupted his musings, sticking out a hand to him.

   He took it automatically, hoping she didn’t notice that his hands had gone clammy. “I’m uhm... Jonathan”, he stuttered. Her hand was really soft. “Jonathan Campbell.”

   “Nice to meet you, Jonathan Campbell.”

   There was a sparkle in her eyes, he noticed then, just before he realized that he’d been staring at her. He hastily looked away, just in time for the tutor to enter the room.

   Throughout the class, he kept sneaking glances at this girl, at Hannah. Never before had he noticed someone in this way. He’d never really connected with anyone, except for his sister who had all but raised him. But this was different. He understood, all of a sudden. All those songs and poems and stories, everyone going on about racing hearts and butterflies in your stomach.

   He glanced over at the girl beside him once more, and this time she was already looking at him. He blushed, looking away quickly, but not before seeing the smile she gave him.

   Yeah. He got it now.

   They didn’t really speak after class. Hannah seemed to be an attentive student, which, of course, just made her all the worthier of Jonathan’s attention. But Jonathan wasn’t really used to this weird need to impress, so he did what anyone would do in his situation.

   He packed up his things and fled the room.

   Upon returning to halls, Gregg was the only of his flat-mates there, as per usual. Jonathan considered simply turning around and heading to his room, but decided he’d generally been a bit mean towards Gregg - and he still kept trying to be nice to him for some reason.

   “Yo, Jonny! My man!”

   Jonathan closed his eyes, let out a heavy sigh, and silently counted to three. “Hi Gregg. How are you?”

   “Mate, why you always so proper-like?” Gregg asked, chuckling.

   Jonathan shot his flat-mate a tight smile. “Just the way I was raised, I suppose. We can’t all be chavs, can we?”

   He regretted the words as soon as they were uttered, and Gregg gasped loudly. “You calling me a chav?”

   “Well, I-”

   “Mate! And here I thought you were no fun!” the other boy guffawed, clearly taking the comment in stride, which made Jonathan wonder briefly if the boy tried to act like a chav. “Hey, what you studying again? I keep forgetting.”

   It shouldn’t be too hard to remember what your five flat-mates were studying, but Jonathan opted not to voice that thought. “I’m doing law”, he answered simply. “You’re sports coaching, right? How you finding your classes?”

   Gregg laughed again. “Nah, mate, I haven’t even been to any yet!”

   Jonathan blinked in silence. Gregg may be nice enough, but he must have been one of the dumbest people on campus.

   All throughout the following week, Jonathan found himself looking forward to his Friday-afternoon lecture. He couldn’t stop thinking about Hannah - there was just something about her. If she sat by him again, he decided, he was going to talk to her. Only, when he entered the classroom five minutes before the lecture was set to start, Hannah was already there, deep in conversation with another girl. He tried not to feel disappointed - after all, it wasn’t like they were friends. Instead, he found himself a seat in the back of the classroom and sullenly got his books out.

   He didn’t pay any attention to the tutor. For three hours, he sat there, staring at the back of Hannah’s head. He barely even noticed that class was finished - and the only reason he did notice was because Hannah started packing up her things. He hurriedly got his own things together and stood to leave just as Hannah turned his was.

   “Jonathan Campbell!” she exclaimed. “Didn’t see you there! Why didn’t you come say hi?”

   Jonathan sputtered out an attempt at a response. Is that what he should have done? Just gone up to her and said something?

   “Oh, well. At least you’re here now”, Hannah smiled widely. “I was wondering - have you started your essay yet? You see, I was thinking we could work on it together. If you don’t mind, that is.”

   “Yes. No. I mean, yes, I have started, but I still have quite a bit left, so- well, we could work together, I suppose. I’m not really used to working with anybody, though, and I don’t really see how it would benefit either of us. It’s not like I can do it for you. I mean, I could, but I won’t. That is, you should do your own essay... But I suppose it wouldn’t- wouldn’t hurt to do it together. Or, you know, not together together, but in the same room, at the same time... Working... So... yes. My answer is yes. I- I think I’d like that...”

   Jonathan blinked stupidly. Had he just said all of that? He never rambled. Never. God, what was this girl doing to him?

   A giggle broke him out of his trance. “Okay then”, Hannah laughed. “Give me your number, and I’ll text you when I’m free. Sound good?”

   He nodded - a bit too eager, perhaps, but what the hell. If he hadn’t scared her off with that monologue, he doubted he could do worse.

   Three days passed before he heard anything from Hannah, but on Monday, he finally got a text from an unknown number.

   Hey! You free this afternoon? Around 4-ish? xx Hannah

   His heart skipped a beat as he read the message, grinning to himself. She added kisses. Was that a thing she did to everyone, or was he special? Jonathan had never really texted a girl before, so he wasn’t sure how much he should read into it. He quickly shook himself from that train of thought. She’s just a girl, he silently chided himself.

   Sure, he texted back. Meet at the library?

   The reply came quickly.

   See you there! xx

   When Jonathan arrived at the library, Hannah was already sat at a table with her laptop and two lidded paper-cups. The girl seemed to brighten as soon as she saw him approaching.

   “Hiya, Jonathan Campbell!”

   He smiled shyly at her as he took a seat. “How come you always call me by my full name?” he asked. It was a detail he had noted the first time it happened, but he hadn’t felt like he could ask before now.

   Hannah shot him a secretive smile - a smile that, for some reason, made him feel a bit uneasy. “I just want to remember your name, is all. Jonathan Campbell.”

   He nodded slowly at her nonsensical answer. And the way she had said his name right then sounded almost... ominous.

   “Right”, he muttered. “Should we get started then? How far have you gotten on your essay?”

   The girl hummed softly as she opened up her laptop. “Oh, not far.”

   She left it at that, and they both started to work in silence. Jonathan tried his best to read the situation. Hannah seemed different somehow. Well, he didn’t really know her yet, he supposed, but there was just... something.

   “That other coffee is for you, by the way”, her voice sounded after a few minutes, and he looked up to meet her vigorous gaze.

   “Oh. I- Well, that’s nice of you, but I don’t really... drink coffee”, he answered apologetically.

   “You don’t... Oh. Well”, she trailed off, seeming rather put off by this statement. “I could get us tea instead!” she suddenly exclaimed.

   What?

   “You don’t have to-”

   “No, no, it’s really not a problem”, she brushed him off, starting to make her way to the hot drink machine before he could get another word in. She came back with another two cups and handed him one. He smiled tightly at her, thanking her, but she just stood there for a bit, staring expectantly. Hesitantly, he put the cup to his lips, pretending to take a sip. She finally sat back down, seeming pleased with this action.

   Well. That was... not a good thing, was it? A pity, he supposed. It had seemed like she had such potential. His infatuation with her, however, was gone as soon as it had come.

   The pair got back to work, only talking a few times to bounce ideas off each other. Eventually, Hannah excused herself to go to the bathroom, and that’s when Jonathan made his move, switching their cups. Hannah had only taken a sip or two, so she would hardly notice the difference.

   When she returned once more, Jonathan made a show of taking a sip of his - her? - cup. “It’s good tea”, he said, and Hannah’s answering grin sent a shiver up his spine.

   “Oh, absolutely”, the girl replied enthusiastically, lifting her own cup to take a drink. “It’s simply to die for.”

You didn’t say anything about whether or not you wanted to be tagged when I did post, but thanks for the support guys! @moonbow-ink @robin-sidereus @moved-my-blog @aeniith @parttimewriter-fulltimefangirl @delerious-wordsmith @runningoutofbooks @serpencina @ajtorres0

[wolfwithafoxtail]

hi! do u have any tips for incoming college (uni) freshmen? your blog is a great inspiration!

Ah thank you so much! I’m glad it’s inspiring to you :) good luck on your first year eek!!Some Hopefully Helpful Tips:- perfectionism is your worst enemy. A prof once told me my ideas and insights were so good, why not mention them instead of mulling them over until it was “perfect”. You’re at uni to learn: be loud about opinions, be wrong, listen, improve! No shame about learning- in the same trend, learn to accept you’ll be wrong a lot. It’s great, it means you learnt something new! You’re paying for this so take everything out of it you can- find an organization system that works for you! I’ve been thinking about writing a blog post about how I do that - which should be up on my “proper blog” in September (wolfwithafoxtail.com/blog)- don’t take literal notes. Shorthand is your friend, even when typing. Icons, doodles, stickers... whatever helps to visualize the content, use it- eat at least one real meal a day. I didn’t and it crashed me by my second year, it wasn’t pretty. Vegetables add well to anything, promise. Take vitamins !!! You’re gonna be working hard and your body can use a lil help. also honey contains almost all nutrients the body requires, a spoonful of honey goes a long way (also good for throat) and is delicious in sauce, and tea- yes you can add veggies to ramen, boil it on the stove with cabbage, broccoli, peppers... it’s delicious, way more filling and you still get your ramen.- go to a local Asian store for rice. Buy bulk.- it’ll take time to make friends, feel free to let go of people once you realize they’re not your kind of people- find out who you can contact when you have a hard time. Sometimes just vocalizing a concern to someone who knows what you’re talking about can p much solve your issue- buy secondhand school books and sell m when you don’t wanna keep ‘m- library genesis has a lot of free academic resources and also fiction ;) project Gutenberg has classics for free- if you can afford it, a tablet really helps organise notes and documents ... digitalizing papers means you never lose them, put them in Evernote with tags! (It’s doesn’t need to be an iPad don’t let studyblr lie to you)- keep plants in your room they clean the air and they make you feel less lonely- hot cherry pit pillows / chia seed pillows will solve your neck and back pain & you can cuddle m at night. Feels less lonely- lavender helps you sleep, peppermint is calming and invigorating, citronella helps against mosquitoes, sage makes the air feel cleaner, Orange will make you feel happier!! Essential oils are GREAT- oranges are really good, full of vitamins, tasty snack, boil the rasped skin for nice smell in dorm!- if you bake apples in the oven with cinnamon you have apple chips + a very nice smell hanging around- pls consider yoga and meditation- stay social, see friends, call family/friends, if you’re super lonely contact someone of the uni to help you out. You don’t need to be alone.- you can go to class in sweats but putting on something fresh and clean will make you feel better and put togetherI have a lot more but this is already such a long list, I hope some of these are helpful :) xx