#take me home is tougher actually

[lhrry]

reblog this with your favourite song(s) from each 1d album please it’s for science

[solarmorrigan]

See, just because Steve lets Eddie and the kids play D&D at his house now doesn't mean he's really interested in the game, just the same as even though El and Max sometimes tag along, they're really there to hang out, not play. They each bring their own things to do, and one night El brings a ball of yarn and a shiny little metal hook and a vaguely rectangular yarn-thing that she focuses very hard on while the boys shout in the background.

Steve has no idea what she's doing; he'd say she's knitting, except he's almost certain that involves some kind of sticks, not a hook. But since he's not really doing anything himself, he sits down next to her and asks what she's up to.

"Joyce has been teaching me how to crochet. She says it will help with my hand-eye coordination." El holds up her project with a proud smile. "I am starting with a scarf."

It's not the world's most attractive scarf, but it's not like Steve could do better. He's still not entirely sure what crocheting is, to be perfectly honest. "Is that different from knitting?" he asks.

El nods gravely. "It is," she says, and takes to showing him how she loops the yarn over the hook and pulls it through the stitches in her scarf and adds a few more inches to the row she's working on.

When Steve's attention doesn't completely wane during her demonstration, she pulls a second ball of yarn out of her bag and presents it to Steve.

"Oh, I don't–" Steve tries to demur, but El is determined, and Steve has seen entire dimensions pale in the face of her determination.

This is how he finds himself crocheting a little chain of stitches with just his fingers, the same way Joyce had apparently started El off. El beams at him and returns to her own project, occasionally checking on his progress. The chain is a few feet long by the time everyone needs to be driven home, and Steve decides it actually hadn't been a bad way to pass the time. Kind of relaxing.

The next time everyone is over, El sits down with her scarf, and after a short while, Steve sits down next to her. He compliments how much longer the scarf has gotten (and it does seem like the shape has evened out a bit as she's been going along). She smiles and pulls another ball of yarn out of her bag. This time, she has an extra hook and seems intent on showing Steve what to do with it.

Almost involuntarily, Steve's attention flashes to the group clustered around the table, hesitating to take the yarn from El, and she frowns.

"Joyce says these types of skills are important for everyone to have," El says firmly, and, well– Steve's not really going to argue.

He learns how to crochet a chain with the hook. It feels odd in his hands at first—the shape too small, the metal a little too slick, the yarn not wrapping naturally around his fingers the way it does El's—but he gets the hang of it. When El is pleased with his progress, she shows him the stitch she's been using: a simple single crochet. It's tougher than it looks, and Steve understands immediately why El's scarf is so uneven; neither of them have ever done anything like this before.

Still, he doesn't hate it.

In fact, he really kind of enjoys it.

He enjoys it enough that he asks El to show him more the next time she's over. She's still new herself and is really only working with pretty much the same couple of stitches, but she proudly teaches him what she knows, and Steve picks it up as fast as she's able to lay it down.

Steve goes out and buys his own supplies, no longer content with mooching off of El's. He hadn't realized there were so many different kinds of yarn, and resigns himself to awkwardly asking one of the craft store employees what type might be best for beginners.

The employee—a woman about his mother’s age with a much warmer smile and far less judgement in her eyes—explains with great enthusiasm what all those different types of yarn might be used for, and how the size of the hook affects the outcome of the project, and shows him so many different pattern books his head spins. He realizes that she probably upsells him on a lot of shit, but he leaves with a few different sizes of hooks, some new yarn, and more excitement for a hobby than he's felt probably since high school.

El and Robin are the only ones who know about his new hobby, of course. It's not really that he's ashamed to tell the others, he just knows how teenage boys work and he's not keen on giving a bunch of fifteen-year-olds another reason to bully him. Maybe in a few months. In the meantime, he crochets at home while he's listening to the radio or watching TV, and he crochets at work during down times. Robin finds his newfound hobby morbidly fascinating, but vehemently denies any and all offers to teach her.

("I will find a way to damage myself with that hook and I think we both know that," she says. "It's just kind of wild to see you with a grandma hobby."

Steve threatens to tell El she called it that, and Robin shortly finds a new label for it.)

Fall rolls around and the air acquires a chill sometime in mid-October. Steve's been making practice scarves for a little while now (largely because he really only knows how to make rectangles at this point, but he doesn’t have the attention span for a whole blanket just yet), and he even considers wearing his least heinous attempt despite the fact he's never really wanted for good winter clothes. Then he notices Eddie.

Most of their little group has begun dressing appropriately for the weather, but Eddie doesn't do much more than add a pair of fingerless black gloves and maybe a heavier leather jacket to his ensemble. Steve's not even sure it's because he can't afford it – he's pretty sure it's because Eddie is committed to his aesthetic. Nancy had tried to force an extra scarf on him one day after a little cold snap, when they'd woken to frost on the ground (the scarf is blue, patterned with white snowflakes; it's actually Mike’s, but Mike is also refusing to wear it and Steve suspects Nancy doesn’t want to hold it, but also doesn’t want to get in trouble for letting Mike lose it), but Eddie had declined, insisting it doesn't match his vibe.

Steve can respect this. He himself has a certain aesthetic going on. However, he can also see that Eddie is definitely cold, and that just won't do.

He picks through the scarves and other various wooly things he's accumulated so far, but decides none of them would suit Eddie and, besides that, none of them are really warm enough. If he's going to make Eddie a scarf, it ought to be a good one.

So Steve sucks it up and heads into Melvald's one day when he knows Joyce will be on shift, hoping she won't be too busy for a quick chat.

When he catches her, Steve explains that El had shown him the basics of crocheting but that his ambitions have outgrown his skills and maybe if she isn't too busy sometime, Joyce would be willing to show him a little more?

Joyce, because she’s a saint, says she would be delighted, and invites Steve to come over on their next shared day off.

When he gets there, she tries to ask him who he's making the scarf for, and the best he manages is, "...someone."

Joyce bites down on a smile. "Someone?"

"It's a surprise," Steve finally declares.

"For everyone?"

"Yes."

Joyce bravely manages to not laugh at Steve and instead asks him what kind of scarf he thinks Someone would like.

Steve decides that it needs to be thick, but it should also be soft. It should also be textured, because Ed– because Someone really likes fiddling with things. He can't get too ambitious with colors or patterns, but he decides that black and grey stripes will be perfectly suitable.

(He doesn't kid himself into thinking that by the time their brainstorming session is over, Joyce hasn't figured out exactly who he's talking about, but she's kind enough not to say it out loud.)

Steve's always been good with repetition and patterns—it's probably one of the reasons he’d found crocheting so relaxing in the first place—and he picks up the new stitches with ease under Joyce's deft instruction. She sends him home with the practice piece he'd made with some of her scrap yarn, and after a quick stopover at the craft store on his way home (he briefly gets stuck between shades of grey, but eventually decides on the silvery one over the steely one), he's ready to begin.

He expects making the scarf to be tougher, but once he gets into the rhythm of it, he sails right through. It takes him less than a week (albeit devoting a few solid hours to it every day, possibly more on his days off) to end up with what is, if he may say so himself, a pretty fine scarf.

The challenge comes in actually giving it to Eddie.

Christmas would be an excellent excuse for presenting it to him, except that's a little over a month away, and Steve doesn't want Eddie to go cold until then. Instead, he takes to keeping the scarf in his glove compartment just in case the perfect occasion for giving Eddie a scarf arises.

And much to Steve's surprise, one actually does.

It's right after the first real snow, and Steve has insisted on driving to pick Eddie up so they can hang out (Steve has nightmares about Eddie's driving when road conditions are optimal, never mind when the roads may be icy). He can see Eddie shivering under his jacket, blowing warm air into his cupped hands (Steve wonders if he could learn how to crochet gloves at some point, too. Ones with full fingers), so he ever-so-casually gestures to the glove box and tells Eddie, "Hey, if you're cold, I've got an extra scarf in there."

He's possibly not as casual as he hopes he is (or maybe Eddie just sees through him, like he always seems to), because Eddie gives him a look. "You do, huh?"

"Yep."

Steve concentrates very hard on the road in order to avoid Eddie's eyes. It doesn't stop him from hearing the little laugh Eddie lets out before popping open the glove compartment.

"Oh," Eddie says quietly as he pulls the scarf out, likely having been expecting another castoff piece of outerwear. "This is... actually really nice."

For a moment, Steve can't help but glance over to see the way Eddie is fingering the crocheted ridges of the scarf, running a thumb over the bright silver stripes picked out of the black, and he immediately looks back up at the road.

"Yeah. You should– you can, uh. Keep it. If you want," he says, and wonders what happened to the days when he was smooth.

"No, man, this is, like, for real nice. I couldn't take this," Eddie says, though he's still holding the scarf in his lap.

Steve draws a breath in. "I mean, I was kind of hoping you would, since it's for you."

"Seriously?"

They have unfortunately arrived at Steve's house at this point, and there will be no avoiding the conversation now.

"Yeah," Steve says. "I, uh. Made it for you. So you should take it. Don't let my hard work go to waste, yeah?"

"You're shitting me," Eddie unfolds the scarf and holds it up in delighted scrutiny. "You made this?"

(Distantly, Steve appreciates that the emphasis isn't on "you made this?" Like Eddie doesn't immediately doubt he's capable, only that he's holding a handmade item at all.)

"Yeah. No big deal." Steve shrugs.

"You made this for me." Eddie looks at Steve, and it sounds like that had been meant as a question, though it comes out in flat uncertainty.

"Yeah. Just noticed you were cold, but you won't wear anything that doesn't match your aesthetic," Steve tries to tease, wiggling his fingers at Eddie's outfit, but Eddie doesn't say anything in return.

He doesn't say anything for just long enough that Steve gets insecure all over again, reaching hesitantly for the scarf.

"But, I mean, if that's weird, or whatever, you don't have to-"

"Nope. Fuck off, I'm wearing this forever." Eddie loops the scarf quickly around his neck and squeezes the ends in his hands. "Jesus, this is soft."

Steve grins. "I'm not sure it'll last forever, but I can make you another after than one wears out."

"You'd better," Eddie says, and he's grinning too. "So, what, you knit?"

Steve points a very serious finger into Eddie's face. "Crochet. There's a difference," he says sternly.

Then, because he can't help it, he bops the end of Eddie's nose before getting out of the car, leaving Eddie to scramble out behind him, laughing and calling him a dork as he goes.

(The kids, incidentally, don't tease Steve nearly as much as he'd thought they would when they find out.

This is possibly because they're more mature than he gave them credit for, but more likely it’s because El is standing beside him and daring them to say anything unfavorable about their shared hobby.

Mostly they just let it slide, though Dustin demands to know why Eddie got a scarf and he didn't. Then Lucas wants one, too, because Mike and Max have already received various bits of outerwear from El, and he's not about to be left out. And then Robin, of course, will want to know why Steve hasn’t made her anything, once she finds out that he’s making things for the kids.

Steve resigns himself to a busy winter spent under a pile of yarn.

It's not really a hardship.)

[Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Epilogue | Ao3]

[starkowswife]

R.C / HEADCANNONS

pairings: Rafe Cameron x fem!reader

summary: what it would be like to date THE Rafe Cameron.

a/n: first ever written work so sorry if it isn’t great! please give me feedback of what i could do better in the future. also sarah and rafe are actually quite close in this.

warnings: NOT PROOFREAD, sorry if there’s errors. a bit of nsfw at the end. mentions of fighting and implied towards death but only for a little bit and not at all descriptive. let me know if there should be any others!

SFW:

- he would spoil you so much.

- he sees your shein wishlist? he’s buying it all.

- you grab a shirt to look at it when shopping with him? he’s grabbing it in your size and even checking for it in other colours.

- you could even so much as be glancing around a shop and your eyes linger a little too long on one item and he’s getting it for you.

- even when you tell him you feel bad having him spend this much money on you he’ll just laugh and say “my sweet girl deserves everything.”

- he’d drop everything for you if you needed him.

- you call him crying? he could be in the middle of an important deal and he’s leaving to come get you.

- he’d fight, and probably kill, for you.

- if a guys getting a little too close at a party and making you uncomfortable Rafe is there immediately.

- he’d pull the guy away from you and just start laying punches after punches into his face until someone just drags the other guy out of the party so it doesn’t get too out of hands.

- then he’d hug you and leave kisses on your forehead while asking if you wanna leave.

- you’d always be at his house.

- which means you’d see Wheezie a lot and she loves you and is always asking you to do things with her.

- it kind of annoys Rafe because he wants to spend every second with you and Wheezie’s ruining that.

- but he also finds it really sweet.

- you’d also be best friends with Sarah.

- as soon as her brother announced he actually is with someone and not just having flings with anyone and everyone she was so excited.

- Sarah knew you had to be amazing to make her brother settle down.

- and you and her got along instantly.

- he’d actually be very affectionate.

- always having his hands on you in one way or another.

- also because he’s very jealous he’d need everyone to know you’re his and his only.

- but he’d always reassure you, especially when overthinking.

- you’d catch him staring at you and you’d ask why, thinking maybe you have something on your face or you look bad but he’d just say, “can’t i look at my gorgeous girlfriend?”

- someone would make a comment about you two saying they’re surprised someone like you could pull someone like Rafe and he’d be furious.

- he’d deal with them and then immediately pick you up and you guys would be leaving.

- as soon as you two were alone he’d reassure you by saying something like “you’re perfect baby, they’re just jealous they don’t have what we have.”



NSFW:

- as mentioned earlier, he gets very jealous.

- and he gets jealous easily.

- so if he sees a guy checking you out while you’re in public he grabs you and puts his hands on your ass while making out with you so the boy knows your Rafe’s.

- he’d then take you home to remind you you’re his.

- or even just in the car if he really couldn’t wait.

- “you’re mine. you know that right?”

- “say it baby, say you’re only mine.”

- knowing damn well you couldn’t talk when he was thrusting into you like that.

- but you had to try anyway for him.

- he’d be big on hickeys.

- he’d like marking you so everyone knows, you are his, and he’d love when you do the same.

- if you still had your v card he’d make sure to be really nice and gentle the first few times and slowly start getting tougher and introducing you to new things.

- always down for a quickie, it doesn’t matter where you are.

- he’d seriously just love you unconditionally and everyone knows he’s whipped for you.

[mellowwillowy]

𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐬

Your lover is forced to work far away from you and they are just not having it! They should be breathing the same air as you and not be put far away! Alas, they don't have a choice but to finish this errand quick.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 is not having it. Being away from you for a long time for this silly field trip wannabe? Why must his loyal, mafia ass-shit client get himself into another trouble that requires him to work on-site, away from the house, away from you?

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 will actually make a manual on handling every possibility that he could think of happening to you and hand it to his men and the maids working. What to do if Spouse doesn't want to eat? What to do if Spouse is suddenly sick? What to do if Spouse is throwing tantrum-

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 bets that anyone who upset Spouse while he was away will have their fingers removed, the number of fingers removed depends on how fatal their mistake was although he was positive that his and this annoying Mafia Ringleader's men are trained enough to prevent that from happening.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 will get you some gifts, lots of gifts. Really, he's a simple man. Oh and if by chance you two manage to have children, they only get 1/10 what he gets for you. Cry about it, brats.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 will turn all explosive toward anyone who slows down his work, your average angry demanding boss except that he doesn't explode with illogical bullshits. Might accidentally smack Kaspar (the client) once right in his face out of fuming anger.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐋𝐚𝐰𝐲𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝 who will be all clingy (rare, very rare) once he gets home because dude. He was away for some time, looking at all these mf faces that were not even you. Give him lots of cuddles, and kisses and just treat him like a puppy for today because he will return to normal again the next day, IT'S YOUR ONLY CHANCE.

"Woah, you get a lot for me, dear. How about I share some with the kids?" (If you have it) "Sure, but I doubt they can use any of it." Yulian replies nonchalantly as he watches you unwrap everything. He is a menace for purposely picking up stuff the kids won't be able to use (haha!).

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 gets all grumpy for it! Do they think it's fun having to trick you into allowing him to go on this shitty field trip? Ohhh come on now, you know he works as some sort of programmer or hacker, one that definitely doesn't need him to work ON SITE!!

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 will have to force both of your friends (and his) to take care of you. As much as you all are close to each other, he is not a fan of letting them watch you in his stead. Sure, this close friend of yours is used to taking care of you, you once lived with him after all.

But the jealousy factor of not being able to manage everything is still there! And his childhood friend, she might have a bad influence on you for the month he is away! Sure, your friend will not allow that but he's just skeptical of everyone! He doesn't trust anyone but him holding the leash to your coll- ekhem, watching you.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 will get all explosive, irrationally too. Not only toward people who slow his work down but to all his men. Trust me, it was hell for everyone. One wrong word and a punch will meet their face~

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 will actually spare some time to get gifts for you and the others, of course, they only get a portion of what he gets for you. Will smile for once after a while at the thought of you unwrapping the presents eagerly and scare his men for a moment (Is boss finally losing it?)

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 will try his best to come home unscratched. Work is tough, yes but seeing you chiding him in worry is tougher! The more bruised up he is, the harder it'll be for him to slip out like an eel next time!

"Are you seriously only giving us these after all the troubles we have, taking care of your little friend?!" "God, look at what he got for you, let's swap." "Nuh-uh, get lost, Lemon." Blue cackles at the sight of you beaming from the gifts he hand-picked for you. Ah right, the gifts for the others are picked by his men since he can't be bothered about it.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐇𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫 is not a shady asshole like 𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐁𝐨𝐲𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝 so no field trip.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 is rather indifferent about this. What can he do about this? Pass it and have people shoot him daggers from every angle for being irrational? Oh lol no, mon chèri. He values his life as much as he values yours.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 will station all his men to keep you safe and give everyone notice of 'whoever fucks up will have their head hung'. Effective enough to ensure the maids from doing anything dumb to you.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 is not as wary as Yulian but he is also not a lenient one as well. You get what the others get. Fuck around while he's away and find out what he has in store for you. Definitely not a pleasant one.

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 will surprisingly get something for you though just one. Quality over quantity, he'll quote. He was just too busy and unbothered to get something for you out of no occasion going on. Besides, he could just get you some when he is more relaxed and not so on guard like this. Wouldn't want to get all bruised up or even dead just because he is in a hunt for presents!

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 is as normal as usual. No explosive behavior, this is his 'daily' work. He's used to being away from you and he is used to being absent from your presence. (Bro literally wait for you to awaken from your coma).

𝐘𝐚𝐧! 𝐌𝐚𝐟𝐢𝐚 𝐑𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 will smile at the sight of you unwrapping the said gift. He is content enough to see you awake and reacting to his gift, either with a scowl or a smile, it doesn't matter. What matters is that you are awake to see what he has bought for you.

"You know, I've always wished you could at least wake up and see the mountain of gifts I had prepared for you. But then I realized, no mountain of surprises would ever wake you up so I dusted it all down as a log of firewood." "You are just making up that story so that I will feel romantic about being given just a TRINKET?" 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐫 looks away from you comically while you shake him hard. That said, he means every word of it. (Angst baby)

Note: I am rolling, why is everyone here so petty? Yulian to his (if he has) kids, Blue to Lemon and Grape while Eleanor just 👨🏻‍🦯

[koostattoos]

➳ There’s Only Me When There’s You || j.jk

~ Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

~ Genre: slight enemies to lovers, high school au, fluff, MAJOR angst, first love, young love (Inspired by 2000's film A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks)

~ Summary: Being new was tough. Starting out in a new school and new town without any idea where to go or any friends was tougher. When coming across Jungkook and his friends, school hadn't got any easier. When you get paired with Jungkook for a project your life becomes hell, or was it heaven?

~ Warnings: MAJOR character death, a fight happens, mentions of a hospital, mentions of blood, fluff, fluff, fluff! 190811!jungkook (iykyk), jk’s lowkey an asshole but he’s actually the sweetest, they’re so incredibly adorable i’m sobbing, use of petnames (mostly baby)

~ word count: 15.1k

• currently playing: star by colde

a/n: this is pure fiction. pls don’t discern the characters in the story to them irl! happy reading! 🫶🏼

~

This past summer your family moved to a new city. Yongsan was small, that’s what you liked about it. But your family wanted to get away from the big bustling city of Seoul. They thought it’d be better for you. Moving was exciting to you. Being in a new place and all. The house they had bought was small, it had two bedrooms, with a bathroom, and a big enough living space for the three of you.  

The people in the neighborhood were nice. They welcomed you with fresh food and some plants to plant in the mini greenhouse next to the yard. It was very thoughtful of them. Tomorrow is your first day at your new school. You were going into your senior year. They say it’s supposed to be one of the most exciting times in high school.  

After you finish unpacking your things you walk into the living room where your dad was sitting. He was on the phone talking with the moving people to figure out where the rest of your stuff was. And your mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner. You decide to take yourself out of the house and explore the small town you now call home.  

Making sure your parents knew where you were, you turn your head around the corner of the kitchen and call for your mom. 

“I’m gonna go out and look around town, is that okay?”  

“Yeah, sure. Just be careful. Don’t go too far and be back before the sun goes down.” she tells you 

Nodding your head, you turn to put your shoes on and make sure you have your phone with you. The air outside was nice. It was still mid-summer but the weather around this time seemed to cool down.  

When you walk into the village you meet a lot of nice people. Mrs. Kim was the first person you met. “Hi honey. Are you new around here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face around here”. She ran one of the local restaurants.  

“No, I’ve actually moved here a few days ago. My family and I live nearby. I just wanted to come in and see what was around here. So, I know somewhat my way around.” you explain to her. She nods her head and gasps as an idea pops up into her head.  

“Well, if you ever need anything, please stop by. I’ll be glad to help” she says to you with a sweet smile.  

“Thank you, Mrs. Kim. I’ll keep that in mind. Have a good night” you smile at her and walk away to explore more of the village. There wasn’t much to do. There were a few bookstores you had walked past and a few other markets. Deciding to head back home you text your mom that you were on your way. Without looking at where you were going you bumped into a firm chest. When you look up, you’re met with a teenage boy. His hair was a bit of a mess but still maintained. He was actually rather cute.  

Before you could say anything, he says, “Are you okay?” you pause for a minute trying to collect your thoughts. He looks blankly at you waiting for you to respond. Finally, after staring at him for what felt like an eternity, you answer him. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m sorry for bumping into you” you bow your head slightly to him as you apologize.  

“It’s alright. Are you new around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before” you respond the same way you answered to Mrs. Kim. You tell him that you had just moved here a few days ago with your family. He nods his head and excuses himself. But not before he introduces himself.  

“I’m Jungkook by the way.” He has a faint smile on his lips. You tell him your name. “It’s nice to meet you, Jungkook” he nodded and slowly started to walk away. “It was nice to meet you too” Finally, you both bid goodbye to each other and you make your way back home.  

~ 

Jungkook and his friends were out tonight. There was a bridge near one of the old farms, no one was allowed near there, yet they all agreed to meet up.  Taehyung brought along his girlfriend and her friends. Their other friend Jimin decided to tag along with them.  

Jungkook came up late (as usual) and Taehyung walks up and grabs his best friend by the nape of his neck playfully. “Where the hell have you been. We were all waiting for you” he says 

“Don’t worry about it, I’m here now, aren’t I?”  

Taehyung laughs at him. “Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Does anyone have the drinks?” Jimin walks up next to them and pulls out a case of Soju from the trunk of his car and places it next to him. Taehyung’s girlfriend, Ara, holds him by his waist and asks Jimin to pass her a drink. Her friend, Sooha, hasn’t taken her eyes off Jungkook since he got there. He walks over to Jimin and grabs a bottle for himself. As he stands next to Jimin, Sooha makes her way to the case and takes one. She ‘tries’ to open the bottle but fails. She pouts her lips and looks up to Jungkook “Can you open this for me Jungkookie”  

He looks down at her and grabs the bottle from her hand and opens it for her.  

“Who’s jumping first?”  

Jimin speaks up “I think you should Kook. Since you were late, you should make up for it” Taking a swig of his drink Jungkook shrugs his shoulders and places his down. He takes off his pants and his black t-shirt. He stands on top of the bridge and flips everyone off.  

Then, he jumps backwards into the river full of water. And yells at the top of his lungs  

“Fuck all of you!” 

With all the noise they were making a farmer flashed a light towards them.  

“Hey! Who’s over there! You shouldn’t be here! He yells at them.  

“Shit, shit, shit!” Jungkook says under his breath swimming back to where his clothes were.  

“Hurry get in the car!” Taehyung urges his girlfriend.  

Everyone fled and Jungkook was left to fend for himself.  

“Is that you Jeon!” the man says 

“Fuck” he runs for his car and speeds off.  

~ 

The next morning, Jungkook walks out of his room into the living room. His mom was already in the kitchen.  

“I heard what you did last night Jungkook” she says with a stern voice  

“Why do you always get yourself stuck in these situations! I mean this is the third time already and school has just barely started a couple weeks ago! You are so irresponsible. And you know what ever since you started hanging out with that boy Taehyung, that’s all you’ve been doing is getting in trouble” she yells at him in disappointment.  

“You’re hanging out with the wrong crowd here Jungkookie, you need to find new people to hang out with” she shakes her head at him and walks away.  

He sits there thinking about what his mother said.  

~  You wake up to your alarm blaring in your ear. Today was your first day at your new school. The feeling of anxiety kept you up at night and you barely had any sleep. The clock read 7:00 a.m. When you walk out of your room, you’re hit with the smell of breakfast. Walking into the living room your father is nowhere to be seen. Your mom had told you that he went out to find a job locally. 

“So how do you feel about being at a new school?” 

Registering her question in your sleepy state you make up a smile and answer her. “I’m nervous, I’ll be fine though” she nods her head at you and goes to make her morning coffee.  

Done with breakfast you walk over to your bathroom to clean yourself up. You haven’t bothered with makeup since freshman year. It only made your face feel gunky with the number of products you used to feel pretty.  

Your outfit was simple. It was a soft pink cardigan with a white skirt matching it. You tied your hair up into a half ponytail. Leaning down to pick up your backpack from your floor; you make your way to the front door and tell your mom goodbye. 

 “I love you, I’ll be back soon mom”  

“Okay, I love you too honey. Have a good day at school.” she tells you.  

The school was only a five-minute walk from your house.  

~ 

“Yo, check out her sweater,” Jimin says 

You were wearing a pastel-colored cardigan with flowers on it. It was a bit beat up because you’ve worn it so many times. But you still liked to wear it.  

“Yeah I think I wore it when I was nine” Sooha chuckles  

They see you walk past them with a few books in your hand and hardly any idea where to go.  

“Um excuse me, do you know where the front office is?” You ask one of them. You hadn’t noticed Jungkook, but he pays attention to you.  

Taehyung speaks up and laughs “It’s down that way” he points into a direction. You nod you head at him “Cute sweater” Sooha says sarcastically. Not reading her sarcasm you tell her “Thank you” and make your way over to the office. When you’re out of sight they all begin to laugh. Jungkook with a faint smile painted on his lips. 

~ 

“Jungkook to the principal's office, Jungkook to the principal's office” is heard over the intercom. Groaning, he makes his way over to the front of the school where he’s needed. He knocks on the door and Mr. Kang holds his hand up and tells him to wait outside as he finishes up talking to another student.  

A few minutes pass by and when the student walks out the principle motions his hand for Jungkook to come in. He walks through the door and shuts it.  

“So, Mr. Jeon, I’ve heard from your mother you’re causing trouble again? I thought we spoke of this.” 

Jungkook doesn’t say anything. He sits in silence and only waits for Mr. Kang to continue.  

“I also couldn’t help but notice your grades have slipped during last year’s final exam. And ever since school started a few weeks ago you already have such low grades.” Sitting in the chair in front of Mr. Kang’s desk he slouches, shakes his head, and laughs in disbelief.  

“Your absences and tardies have affected you severely. You haven’t always been like this Jungkook. I think it’s time for you to seek out new friends and join a new crowd.” Mr. Kang places his hands over his desk and continues.  

“From now on, you will stay after school to be tutored and I have asked the clean-up committee if they are able to let you work to help clean up around the school on the days you don’t have tutoring. I expect you to follow my instructions. If not, there will be consequences. Do I make myself clear Mr. Jeon”  

Sighing in defeat, he nods.  

“Yes, Mr. Kang” 

“Good. Now get out of my office and get to class” 

~ 

 When you got to the front office. They gave you your schedule for your classes for this year. When you walk out of the office you bump into someone. You don’t get to catch a glimpse of who the person was as they continued walking and didn’t bother to say sorry. Brushing it off, one of the student aids in the office is instructed to show you around campus.  

After the tour was done you walk to the first class of the day. Botany. Plants always caught your interest when you were younger. You always wanted to see the cherry blossom trees. They were looked beautiful no matter what time of the year it was.  

As you walk into class all eyes were on you. You slowly make your way to the front and the techer finally notices you.  

“Ah, you must be our new student. I’m Mr. Jung. Do you mind introducing yourself?” 

“Well, I’m from Seoul, and I’ve moved here only a couple of days ago. I hope you treat me kindly” you say to the class.  

When you say your name a certain person’s ears perk up. Jungkook looks to the head of the class and remembers you from the day before. The girl who bumped into him. Next to him he hears his friend, Taehyung, make a comment about you. “She looks” he pauses “Like a loser” he laughs quietly next to Jungkook. He disagrees strongly, but he laughs along with his friend.  

When you make your way over to your seat. Taehyung pushes his foot in front of you and you trip and almost land on your knees. If it weren’t for the desks next to you. Your face turns beet red out of embarrassment. The whole class starts to laugh at you. Quietly making your way to your seat, you sit down and take your things out of your backpack.  

“Alright everyone quiet down. Let’s start with today’s lesson”  

Completely blocking out what the teacher says you only think about when today was going to end.  

~ 

During lunch you sat by yourself. You had tried talking to some of the kids in your class, but they only said a few words to you before walking away. You shook it off and thought maybe you could find someone to talk to tomorrow. As you take your food out, you don’t notice a group of people walking to the table you’re sitting at. When you look up you see the boy who had tripped you earlier. You also take notice of the boy you bumped into yesterday.  

“Oh, hi Jungkook! I didn’t know you went here” you say to him. But the boy in front of him looks confused at him. There was girl next to Jungkook. She gave you a disgusted look as you spoke. 

“Kook, you know her?” he points at you. You have a look of confusion on your face as well. What you’re not prepared for was the boy’s response.  

“I don’t, I don’t know how she knows my name” he only shrugs. This has you extremely confused.  

“Alright weirdo looks like you have no friends. Now I know why” The boy you had yet to know the name of walks away. But before Jungkook could follow his group he looks back at you for a second, then he makes his way.  

~ 

After school you decide to take a walk into town. You stop by Mrs. Kim’s and hang out there and talk to her. You felt you needed to take on a small job to help boost your family a little bit. So, you bring it up to her. “Mrs. Kim?” you say “Yes, dear”  

“I was wondering if you were hiring? I want to help out my family. We're not really doing the best right now and I wanted to see if I could do a small job for you?” you ask hoping she would say yes.  

“That’s so sweet of you” she places a hand over her chest  

“Of course, I can get you something to do here. Can you start tomorrow after school?” she asks 

“Yes!” With that you make your way back home.  

~  It was getting close to the end of school. Your plan was to go straight to Mrs. Kim’s place so you could officially start your new job. But, of course, your plan had to be messed up in some way. Because when you make your way to the front of the school to go on your way. You run into Jungkook’s friend group. You try your best to ignore them, but their yelling of your name stopped you in your tracks. 

Taehyung walks up to you. He only stands in front of you before he speaks up.  

“Look new girl, this is a scary world we live in. But I think it’d be best if you kept your distance from other people. You know, since you’re new and all. Some kids find it a little weird when you know their name when they’ve never spoken to you. Okay?” he says in a mocking tone. Jungkook stands there and watches it all happen. They walk away. But the girl that gave you a look earlier bumps into your shoulder.  

“Oops!” she says as she walks over to Jungkook’s side and locks her arm with his. What you don’t notice when you turn back around is that he removes her arm from his and takes a different route from the others.  

~ 

It’s been almost a week since you started at your new school. You still hadn’t made any progress with making new friends. You didn’t mind though. You liked to keep to yourself anyway. What threw you off still was the way Jungkook had denied that he knew you. And the way he looked at you every time you walked into class.  

Everything about him confused you. When you walk into class today, he does the same thing. He looks at you but when you look back at him, he looks away. The boy you had now learned his name was Taehyung only looked at you as if you were some weird creature. You sat down at your desk in the back of the class and waited for class to start. Mr. Jung started the lesson and started to explain what he had planned.  “Okay class, today I have a partner project planned” he says.  

“You all have to make a presentation and I will provide you with a plant. You must discuss and explain how the operation of a plant affects our environment.  This will be due by the end of this month. Any questions?”  

Taehyung raises his hand “Yes, Mr. Kim”  

“Will we get to pick our partners?” he asks 

“I have already assigned partners so; no, you do not get to choose who you work with.”  

“Dammit” he says under his breath  

I have put your names up on the sheet I put in the front of the room. Please look at it as you make your out at the end of class” 

You weren’t too worried about who you’d be partnered with. You just hoped you hadn’t gotten paired with Taehyung or any of his group. When you walk up to the sheet of paper you read your name next to Jeon Jungkook.  

~ 

Spending the majority of your time at Mrs. Kim’s washing a few dishes here and there. You decide to work on part of your assignment for Mr. Jung’s class. As you took your things out of your bag you heard the beeping sound of someone entering the restaurant.  

A drink is placed on your table. You look up to see it was Jungkook.  

“Hi” he says quietly 

Ignoring him you go back to what you were doing. Sighing, he sits down at your table and puts a hand over your book. Looking up at him with an annoyed look on your face you puff out air from your nose with furrowed brows.  

“Do I know you?” you say in a sarcastic voice 

He scoffs at you and looks down at the floor. His elbow is resting on the table while the other is laid in his lap. “C’mon now don’t be like that”. He can’t be serious. After acting like he had no clue who you were and letting his friends treat you like trash he wants to act like you’re in the wrong.  

Furious, you pick up your things and try to walk out of the restaurant. Before you can make it out of the door you feel a hand tug on your arm. You stop in your tracks, and you hear Jungkook open his mouth to speak. Yet, nothing comes out. Turning around to face him and raise your eyebrows at him, waiting for him to say something.  

“Look, I came here so we could work on our project. I got you as my partner and I can’t fail this project.”  

Deciding not to be petty you oblige. You shake your head and walk back to the table you were sitting at.  

During the middle of working on your project Jungkook speaks up.  

“Um, look. You’re smart right? Do you think you can tutor me after school?” he asks out of the blue. You look up at him with a surprised look on your face. Should you really do this? After how he’s treated you? You think for a moment before you reply.  

“Okay” you tell him. There’s too much hate in this world. You take the nicer route and agree with him.  

He smiles. 

“Okay, great. What days are you available?” he asks. You begin to plan out the days you would tutor Jungkook and the days you’d be working with Mrs. Kim. This is more than you thought you’d take on. But if you power through, you would be okay.  

~ 

You told Jungkook you were available on the weekends and some days of the week. It was Saturday. You told him to meet you at the library at 8:00 a.m. The library opened an hour earlier than that, so you decided to show up a little earlier than planned to catch up on some of your other class assignments.  

When you look at the clock again it reads 8:17. He was late. Not having his phone number, you weren’t able to text him. It’s not when you hear the silent panting of someone coming up behind you that you begin to place your things back on the table.  

“I’m sorry I’m late. I woke up late and I completely forgot to set an alarm”  

You look down to the table and audibly sigh  

“It’s okay, let’s just start on this so you don’t have to be here as long as you should be”  

Finally caught up with his breath, he closes his mouth and stares at you. He takes his seat next to you and pulls out his textbooks. The book you had placed on the table had some loose papers in it. One of them being something for your eyes only. It fell on the floor, and you hadn’t noticed. Jungkook leans to pick it up. The only word he read at the top of the paper was ‘List’. Realizing what he had in his hand you snatch the paper from his hold.  

“What is that” he asks. “It’s a list of things I’d wish to do in my life” he nods his head and looks back down to his paper. “What’s so bad on the list that you grabbed it out of my hand like that?” You clear your throat and answer him. “There’s nothing bad, they’re just some things I’d like to do with the time that I have” Before he can ask what you mean you clap your hands quietly. “Let’s just start studying”  

Without pushing any further, he agrees.  

The next day at school you walk in and see Jungkook again. He’s standing with his friends by his locker. That same girl that bumped into you is standing next to him. You walk towards them. When you get closer, they’re all laughing at something you didn’t hear. You move your attention to Jungkook. “Jungkook, are we still on for Saturday?” you ask him. He looks around at his friends. They’re laughing at what you just said. 

He has a faint smile on his lips. He looks back up at you and says, “You wish”. You’re once again left, confused. You walk away and hear them all laughing again. “Oooh that’s gotta hurt.” Taehyung said. His arm wrapped around his girlfriend he starts laughing into his neck.  

~  Jungkook was on a late-night drive. There was a small garden just past the school library. Nobody went there except for old people and sometimes the gardeners to take care of the plants. “What the hell” he sees you make your way over to the entrance of the garden. He rolls his window down and yells out your name. 

You turn around scared half to death at the loud voice that just called your name. When you see Jungkook you continue your way over to the garden.  

“Hey! Wait!”. The engine of his car is turned off and you hear the slam of his door. He’s running up to you and you’ve slowed down your pace.  

“What are you doing out here so late? And why are you by yourself, there’s weird people out at this hour”  

“Well, that wouldn’t be a problem because according to your friends I’m placed under that category”  

You begin to make your way over to the flowers. There was a magnolia tree with a wooden bench underneath. Taking a seat under the tree some of the flowers fell off the stem and landed on the bench. Jungkook takes his seat next to you and looks up at the sky. Tonight was quiet. The rustling of the wind against the leaves of the tree is soothing.  

“Are you ever gonna tell me about that list?” 

You turn your head to him “Why would I? And why do you suddenly have any interest in me? What is it to you?”  

“I just want to be your friend; I know it’s been tough for you ever since you got her-” you cut him off before he can continue his sentence. “What the hell do you know? I’ve been treated like shit since I got to the school and it’s because of your friends.” 

He’s left speechless. His intention was never to make you feel like this. The reason why he acted like that is because his friends acted like that. Jungkook and Taehyung have always been friends. He would always follow Taehyung’s lead. They did everything together. Their friend group only expanded with the added years.  

He looks down in shame. Feeling guilty for the way he’s been treating you. You break the silence and switch to another topic.  

“That list” you say. This catches his attention as he looks up slowly and waits for you to continue.  

“I made it a few years ago. I want to try and fulfill it as much as I can” you smile down at your lap. Thinking about possibly doing the million things you wrote down on that piece of paper. “I want to visit a forest of cherry blossom trees. I’ve always had a fascination with them. They look so pretty, it’s a shame that they only bloom once out of the whole year. They don’t live that long. Just to experience them once would be amazing.” 

Jungkook sits and listens. “You’re really into mother nature. Huh?” he says. “It’s really great, how the Earth becomes so beautiful with the plants that surround us.” You smile at that. Looking around at the flowers planted in the grounds of the garden. You could talk endlessly about them.  

And you do that night with Jungkook.  

Out of nowhere in the comfort of the silence between you two he brings it up again.  

“What else is on that list? What’s the first one you have written down?” he asks curiously. You look down at your lap and smile.  

“That’s classified information Jeon Jungkook” you look up at him. Laughing and nodding his head he puts his hands up in the air.  

“Alright fine, then, what else is on there?” 

“Hmm” you think for a second.  

“I wanna experience love. The way they put it in movies. I want to experience that love so bad.” you sigh 

Jungkook looks at you and listens. “Another thing on that list is to learn how to cook. My mother makes it look so easy” you chuckle. 

“Okay what’s one more thing on there” he asks  

“I want to get a tattoo” 

The list went on and on and he sat there listening to you the whole night. 

Jungkook hears rustling in the bushes behind him. He brushes it off and looks at you as you speak about your passion for nature.  

~ 

Today was Jungkook’s birthday. It was also Saturday. You scheduled today to help tutor him. When he walks up to your front gate, he knocks on it and waits for someone to open it. Not expecting your father to open it, he gives Jungkook a glare. 

“What do you want and what are you doing here?” he says in a low voice. He’s heard a few words about the Jeon boy. The boy was a troublemaker. He didn’t do good in school, and he had nothing going for him except for being popular. Your father was skeptical, but when he hears you walk up to the gate, he settles down a bit, guard still put up high. 

“Dad, it’s okay. I invited him over; I told him I’d help him with his studies.” 

He looks over at you with confusion written all over his face. “Why are you doing that sweetheart? This boy is bad news” he points his finger at Jungkook, and he rolls his eyes.  

“Because Dad, there’s too much hate going around in this world. I think giving him a second chance is greater than having no chances at all.” you kiss him on the cheeks and only slightly agrees with you. You walk back to the house and wait for Jungkook to walk in.  

But your father stops him in his tracks. “Listen, if you try or do anything stupid with her, I’m kicking your ass. You understand?” Jungkook looks up at him and nods. He makes his way over to you quickly trying to ignore your father’s stare.  

~  When he enters your house, it’s filled with plants everywhere. A few boxes are left to be unpacked but the house is mostly filled. Entering your room, you have flowers decorating the walls of your room. Your window is open and looks out to a tiny garden in your backyard.  

The books spread around your floor are open to different pages about math. Jungkook had been struggling in it and considering your already high grade in calculus he should be in good hands.  

“I heard around school that it’s your birthday today. I stopped by Mrs. Kim’s and got you this.” You walk over to your kitchen and pull out a plastic bag. It was a bowl of miyeokguk. The seaweed soup that your mother cooks for you for your birthday every year. He looks up at you and smiles.  

“Thank you, you didn’t have to get me anything.” 

“Well it is your birthday. Everybody deserves something on their special day” you say cheerfully.  

Sighing you look down at the books on your floor and say, “Let’s get started shall we?”  

~ 

“You’ll never believe what I saw the other night” Sooha says. She pulls out her phone to show everyone what she was talking about. It was a picture of you and Jungkook sitting at the garden talking. “What the hell is he doing sitting and talking with her?” Taehyung laughs. “Yeah, I thought JK didn’t know her” Jimin says.  

“Yeah well looks like their best friends” Sooha pauses.  

“I have an idea” Ara says with a smirk on her face.  

“Come inside”  

She takes them to her room and opens her laptop. She pulls up an old picture of you from your old school. She had to do some digging to find it. The picture was of you at a dance. You had your makeup and hair done. And you were wearing a long silky blue dress. Ara clicks on it and begins planning out her idea. She crops your body out of the picture and pastes it onto a picture with a bed with red satin sheets on it.  

“This is gonna be so good” she chuckles 

~  Sitting in the library, you have a book in your hand about cherry blossom trees. It explains so much about things you hadn’t known about them, and your head is so deep into the book you don’t realize Jungkook pulling out a chair next to you. You look up to see him looking at you.  

“What are you reading?” You pull the book up close to his face so he can read it. “Ahh, the encyclopedia of the cherry blossom tree. Have you read anything more interesting about it?”  

“I read that they symbolize the beauty of both life and death. Spring is when they bloom and it’s the start of a new life. This is what I love so much about them, they have such beautiful meanings to them” 

“Hmm, that is really interesting” Jungkook says.  

You put your book down and furrow your brows at him. “What do you want Jeon, were in public you know? Someone can see you sitting here.” He scoffs and shakes his head. “Is it so hard to believe that I want to be friends with you? Maybe even something more, possibly? Why do you think I’ve spent so much time with you lately?” he raises his eyebrows at you this time. Trying to read your expression. You stare into his eyes and try to process the words that just came out of his mouth.  

After pausing, Jungkook leans in. His face close to yours, lips almost touching. His forehead leans against yours and he smiles. Jungkook closes his eyes and places a hand over your cheek. “I’ll see you after school tomorrow, okay?” he says under his breath.  

Taking a deep breath, you nod your head.  

~ 

During lunch the next day, you walked out of class to make your way to the roof of the school, where you always hung out, but you see Sooha from the corner of your eye. She walks up to you and places a hand on your arm.  

She calls out your name. “Hey, look. I need your help with something. Could you follow me to the courtyard please?” she asks in a soft tone.  

“Sure, but what for?” 

“Ugh enough with the questions already! Just follow me, it’ll be super quick.”  

“Um okay” 

As you make your way down the halls and to the exit of the building, you walk down the steps into the courtyard space where everyone was. When you get there, it becomes silent. All eyes are on you. Then, Jimin bursts out laughing. Taehyung is clutching his stomach because of how hard he’s laughing. Everyone has their phone in their hand, and they all point at it. “Oh?” Sooha says. She picks up Ara’s phone and shows it to you.  

“Is this you?” When you look at the phone, it’s a picture of you. It’s the picture from your junior year at your dance. Your body was laid on a red bed. Your clothes were edited to make it seem like you weren’t wearing anything. The text above the picture said ‘___ The Slut?’  

You feel a burning sensation behind your eyes. Your vision starts to become blurry. With everyone laughing at you; you turn around too embarrassed to be in front of anyone. But when you try to make it to the exit of the courtyard you bump into someone. You look up and you see Jungkook. “Hey, what’s wrong” he moves your hair out of your face and holds you cups your cheeks. He wipes your tears with his thumb.  

You hold on to his wrist and push him away. You run out, wishing the ground would swallow you whole. 

“Wait!” Jungkook yells after you. He turned around to see what had happened while he was gone.  

“What the hell did you do Sooha” he says furiously. He clenches his jaw and balls his hands up into a fist. Taehyung makes his way over to him with his arms crossed over his chest.  

“What JK? It was just a little bit of fun, what the fuck is wrong with you. You haven’t been hanging out with your real friends. You’re always spending time with the slut” he laughs.  

The amount of hate Jungkook feels in his blood right now is too much to handle. He’s never felt this angry towards someone. He rushes toward Taehyung and punches him on the cheek.  

“Jungkook!” Ara screams at him. Jungkook repeatedly hits him until he’s physically tired. Jimin reaches Jungkook’s shirt and pulls him away. “Enough man. He’s bleeding all over the place! Calm the fuck down!” It’s Jimin’s turn to yell, but he doesn’t care. All he cares about right now is finding you.  

He rushes his way out of the courtyard and runs in the direction he saw you walk away in.  

Finally spotting you in the front of the school he runs after you.  

“Hey!” he calls your name softly. After catching up to you he places his hands on your cheeks again.  

“What did they do? Huh? I swear to God, I’ll fucking hurt them even more if you tell me what’s wrong” Tears are streaming down your face. Seeing you cry makes him feel an ache in his chest. Jungkook tries his best to wipe them away. When you see his knuckles, they’re covered in blood. “Are you okay?” you ask him.  

“Baby, I’m fine. It’s you that I’m worried about right now.” 

You turn in his hold, but he refuses to let you walk away from him. He holds you by your arms and makes you look into his eyes. He quietly says your name. “Tell me what happened” he says in a low voice. You look up at him and completely break down.  

He pulls you in closer to his chest and wraps his arms around you gently. “They embarrassed me. So bad, I can’t do this right now.” you cry into his neck. He kisses the crown of your head and then your forehead. “I’m here, baby.” he says to you. Stroking the back of your head as you weep in his arms.  

~ 

Jungkook drove you home that day. After he parked in front of your house, he walked you to the front gate. Walking side by side you turn to face him. “Thank you for today, Jungkook. I don’t know how I’d repay you” you tell him. He looks down at you and smiles. “You don’t need to repay me, as long as you’re okay then I’m okay. Alright?” 

Nodding your head up at him you realize just how close your faces are. He looks down to your lips and back up to your eyes. His head leaning in slowly, hands placed lightly on your hips. Then, the buzzer of the gate opens and reveals your father.  

Standing, patiently he waited for you to come back inside the house. “Say goodnight to Mr. Jeon, sweetheart” he tells you. You look back to Jungkook and place a gentle hand on his cheek. “Goodnight” you say sweetly to him. He smiles down at you and says the same thing. After watching you walk through the doors of your house Jungkook looks at your dad. “Goodnight, sir.” He walks away and gets into his car. 

Later that night your phone starts to buzz with an incoming call. Picking up the phone you read the name. ‘Jungkook’ pops up on the screen and you slide the answer button. “Hey, what are you doing up so late?” you ask him with a tired voice. “I could ask you the same thing; I wasn’t sure if you’d even answer.” His heartbeat picks up at the thought of you in bed with drowsy eyes and cute pajamas on. “I just wanted to check in to see how you were doing” you chuckled at him. Butterflies erupt in your stomach thinking about him caring this much about you.  

“I’m doing just fine Jungkook, stop worrying so much. How’s your hand?” you say. You couldn’t help but think about what happened after you left the courtyard. Did he fight someone? 

“It’s been better”  

“What happened back there? Did you punch someone?” You ask, curious to know what had gone on. He sighs over the phone. He takes a deep breath before answering you. “Look, don’t worry about it alright? Knowing that your fine is enough for right now.”  

He looks up at the clock on his dresser and reads the time. It’s getting late and he feels bad for keeping you up at such an hour. “You should head to bed, it’s getting late.” Nodding your head, you agree with him. “You’re right, goodnight Jungkook.” 

“Before you go” he says and takes a moment to collect his thoughts and come up with something to say.  

“Um do you wanna, maybe, go out with me tomorrow?” He waits for you to answer. 

“I don’t think I can.” you tell him. His mood completely drops. His shoulders deflate as he tries to think of what to say next.  

“Oh”  

It’s silent for a moment. 

“Do you have something already planned for tomorrow or” he stops 

“I can’t date” you say softly, smiling even though he can’t see you.  

“I see” he says lost in thought.  

“Uh, you better get to sleep. I'm sorry for keeping you up” 

You laugh lightly. “Goodnight, Jungkook” you say for the last time.  

“Goodnight, sweetheart” 

~  Jungkook has tried his hardest to build up the courage to talk to your parents and get their blessing. He’s been spending a lot more time with you lately. Meeting you after school and walking to the garden together. Jungkook also, hasn’t built up the courage to confess how he feels about you.  

It’s driving him absolutely insane. But there was no way you hadn’t noticed it by now. He was so obvious. He always called you by petnames or he was always being touchy with you.  

One of the days he spent with you in the garden he brought a blanket and some food. Walking over to your usual meet up spot he sees you already sitting on the bench. Looking up at the leaves as they slowly fall. It was nearing the end of summer and fall was beginning to show itself.  

He couldn’t help but look at the way you sat there. Looking so effortlessly beautiful, you took his breath away. Walking up to you, you look up to see him with a bag and a basket clad in his hands. Your face lights up at the sight of him.  

Jungkook made you feel things you’ve never felt before, almost like you were sitting by a fireplace on a warm winter night, or cuddling in your blanket when the weather is rainy and gloomy outside. When he enters a room, your whole world completely lights up.  

The same goes for him. He can’t stop thinking about you whether it’s day or night. It’s every hour of the day that you occupy his mind. He’s so deeply infatuated with you it almost makes him sick with love.  

“Hi, baby,” he says. The petname makes your heart stop beating for a minute. You smile up at him and greet him back. “Hi,” you say with a sweet voice. He bends down to kiss your forehead and places the things down on the floor.  

Sneaking around behind your parents’ backs didn’t feel good but risking it all for him was worth it. “I brought a blanket and some food for us.” You giggle at his thoughtfulness. “Hmm, is today a special day or what?” you ask him. Feeling giddy as ever. “Nothing special, just felt like doing it” he shrugs his shoulders as he sets everything up.  

Moving down to the blanket laid over the grass you straighten out your white skirt and sit down. He sets the basket up next. Laying the food out for you, when he’s done, he moves to sit behind you and moves you, so you’re settled between his legs. Jungkook wraps his arms around your waist, kisses your temple, and simply breathes in the air around you.  

Sinking into his touch, you feel like you’re on clouds. The feeling he sets in you is magical. You so badly want to lay your lips on his soft ones, the thought of it makes your heart do flips. Jungkook could easily be the best thing that’s ever happened to you.  

~ 

Today was the day. The day that Jeon Jungkook finally found the courage to ask your parents for their blessing. He's scared shitless of what their answer could be. He’s praying that he gets a positive answer from them so he can finally give you something that you deserve. Taking a deep breath, he reaches the front of your gate once again.  

You were out today; you had told him you wanted to explore more of the town and spend some time with Mrs. Kim. He found this the perfect opportunity to come to your house and ask what he’s been dying to ask. He knocks on the gate to get your father’s attention. When the gate opens he’s met with your father and mother.  

Eyes flickering up and down at the boy. His heart is racing. Remembering what he was here for, he clears his throat and says, “Mr. and Mrs. __, I’d like to ask your permission to take your daughter out. I know she’s not allowed to date. But she deserves to be treated with the utmost respect and shown the love that she’s always desired for” he waits patiently for their response.  

They turn their heads to each other and close the gate. A strong rush of dissapointment washes over him as he starts to make his way back to his car. Heartbeat picking up he hears the rustling of the gate reopening and he hears your father yell for his name. “Mr. Jeon.”  

Jungkook turns his body so he’s facing your parents. “Yes, sir,” he says in a strong voice. “We will let you take our daughter out, only if you promise us you will never hurt her. And promise her you will fulfill her needs.” Elated, is what Jungkook feels. He feels like he’s on top of the world right now. A smile appears on his lips and falls to his knees and bows down to them. Not caring that his clothes are getting dirty.  

“I promise you both, I will take care of her.” he says.  

~ 

It’s the next day, you sat in Jungkook’s car still in disbelief that he got your parent’s blessing. “I can’t believe you did that for me” you look over at him with a fond smile. He places his hand over yours and brings it to his lips. “Baby, you don’t understand how long it took me to bring myself to them. I practically begged them.” he chuckles.  He pulled a bag out from behind your seat.

"What is it?"

"Open it up and see" he smiles

When you open the bag you see a pastel blue cardigan with butterflies and flowers decorating the hem of it.

"Oh, Jungkook you didn't have to"

"But I wanted to. I saw it and thought it'd look pretty on you" too shy to look at you he looks down at his lap and played with his hands

He planned out the perfect day for you. He couldn’t wait to spend it with you.  

Getting out of the car Jungkook made reservations for a restaurant that was way out of his budget. He had a little help from his mom and made sure to pay her back every cent. He holds your hand in his and guides you to your table. Pulling your chair out, he takes his own seat and scans over the menu. 

“Anything catch your eye? Order whatever you want” he tells you.  

Lips curling at the corners of your mouth you read through the different selections.  

~  Dinner was amazing. The waiter came to pick up your plates and Jungkook took you to an empty parking lot. “What are we doing?” Looking around and see no one in sight. “You said you wanted a tattoo, right?” From the front compartment of his car, he pulls out the fake tattoos you used to use when you were little. From the corner of his eye, he sees the biggest smile grow on your face.  

“Which one do you want?” scanning through the different types of tattoos.  

“Pick one for me” you tell him.  

He picked a cherry. Looking up at you he sees stars twinkle in your eyes as you look at him. “Where do you want it?” You pull down the neck of your sweater and show a bit of your chest. Right above your heart. Jungkook tears the tattoo out and gets a towel that was lying in his car and a water bottle. He dabs it over the tattoo where he placed it on over your heart. Pulling the paper back the print of the cherry is laying on your skin.  

He rubs his finger over it gently and looks at you. Averting your gaze, you start to feel nervous. Only Jungkook can make you feel like this.  

~  Jungkook wouldn’t tell you your next destination. He told you it would be quite a drive. So, you laid your head back and took a small nap. Jungkook placed his hand over your thigh and drove you to wherever he was taking you.  

It wasn’t until you opened your eyes; you saw a big white arch away. It was surrounded by cherry blossom trees. Jungkook looks over at your face. Smiling the biggest smile, you unbuckle your seatbelt and open the car door. Running up to the entrance you jump up and down giggling.  

Jungkook walking slowly with his hands in his pocket he watches you.  

“Oh my God! Oh my God! There’s so pretty!” you almost feel tears start to build up in your eyes. You can’t believe Jungkook drove all this way. He walks up next to you and tangles his hand in yours. “You wanna go see it?” he says, lips turned up into a smile. Nodding your head eagerly, you practically drag him over.  

Slowing down your pace you look around at the beautiful trees. The white and pinkish leaves fall into your hair. There’s a bridge that you stop at. In the middle of it, Jungkook places a hand on your cheek and turns your attention to him. You look up at him with those eyes. Eyes that he absolutely adores. He says your name softly and pulls you closer to you. “Do you like it? I tried so hard looking for them.” he tells you.  

“Jungkook, this is like, a dream come true. I can’t believe you did this, thank you so much.” You pull him in for a hug and dig your face into his neck. His hold around you tight as he closes his eyes and soaks in the moment.  

When you pull away your faces are close, lips to point they’re basically touching. He cups your cheeks with his hand and says, “I need to tell you something” you hum in response. He takes a deep breath in and finally spits out what he’s been holding in for a while.  

“I love you” your heart stops.  

You look into his eyes and scan his face. Looking at the little mole under his lip. And the scar that grazes his upper cheek. 

“Can I kiss you?” you ask him  

He only nods and slowly pulls your face closer to his. Noses brushing softly against each other. Your lips graze each other softly. Then, he slots them together. Connecting them. You feel a rush of blood go to your head. Your cheeks are warm and flushed with red. The sounds around you are the streaming water beneath your feet, the rustling wind against the leaves. And birds chirping in the trees.  

The leaves are falling on top of you. This moment couldn’t be any more perfect.  

~ 

On the drive home Jungkook held your hand the whole way there. Music played softly in the background and the windows rolled down to let in a gentle breeze.  

When you arrive at the gate of your house, he parks his car in the same spot that he does every time he visits. Walking up to the front your hand is warm in his. You stop and turn to him. “So, what does that make us?” you ask smiling up at him.  

“Well, I thought it was kinda obvious. You just want me to say it, huh?” He laughs at you. Nodding your head, you wait for him to say what you want to hear. “That makes you my girlfriend” he wraps his arms around your neck and gives your nose a little peck. You scrunch up your nose smile. You’ve been smiling the whole day your face is starting to hurt.  

“Then you’re my boyfriend” you giggle. He leans in and places his lips on yours. He smiles into the kiss, and you can feel it against your lips. The gate opens and reveals your father. Who has been waiting for you to come home. “Oh, hi dad” you say. “Honey, why don’t you come inside. It’s getting late and it’s cold” You sigh and turn back to Jungkook.  

“Bye” you place a peck on his lips. “Goodnight, baby.�� he says and looks up at your father and walks back to his car. Once you’re on the other side of the gate your dad stops you for a moment. “Have you told him?” Smile dropping you look down to the floor.  

“Not yet” 

“Don’t make this harder for him or for yourself sweetheart” 

“I love him dad and he love me. I’ll get there eventually” 

~  At school, you’re walking hand in hand with your boyfriend. Walking past his (ex) friends, they all have their eyes on you. Sooha has an irritated look on her face. But walking past them made you feel more confident in yourself. Being with Jungkook like this made you confident.  

Walking into the library you and Jungkook take a seat by the window and just sit in comfortable silence. Your legs are over his on the small couch and you’re reading your books about cherry blossoms again. That day that he took you to see the cherry blossoms, he had kept a pedal that fell from the tree and kept it in a glass container. It’s a day he’ll never forget. It’s the day he got to tell his lover that he loved her and made her his. He’s so eternally grateful to whatever god that sent you to him.  

He was on his phone when he suddenly broke the silence.  

“Baby?” He calls for your attention.  

You hum in response, and he continues. “You wanna come over after school today? My mom said she wanted to meet you. You don’t have to if you're not ready or comfortable yet though. I was just suggesting” he says it as the words spill out of his mouth faster than you can comprehend.  

You laugh at his cuteness. Thinking over about how meeting his mom would go. It would be lovely if you got to meet the person that made Jungkook the person he is today.  

“Yeah, sure. That’d be great. Just tell me what time and I’ll be there.” you say softly. A wave of relief washes over him. He was worried you’d be too scared to reject him. “Alright” he pauses for a moment. “Okay, I’ll pick you up at six then?” Your lips curl up, delighted to finally meet his family. You nod your head in response and continue with your book. 

Jungkook places his hand over your thigh and looks down at his phone again.  

~  Looking at yourself in the mirror, you fix your hair one last time and touch up your makeup. You wanted to make yourself presentable in front of Jungkook’s mom. It’s not that you were scared of meeting her, you scared of what she might think of you. Straighten out your dress one last time your thoughts are broken by the doorbell ringing.  

When you leave your room you see your mom answer the door. “Oh hi, Jungkook are you here to pick up ___?” Letting him in he walks past her and waits by the door for you. “Yeah, we're going back to my place. We're just gonna eat dinner there.” He explains. “Ah okay, well have fun. I’ll go grab her and tell her you’re here” she says. Before she can move, you emerge from the corner of your room and Jungkook sets his eyes on you. He smiles at you and pulls you in by your waist to hug you. “Hi, baby,” he says, feeling giddy at the thought of you. Telling your mom goodnight and that you’ll be back soon; Jungkook guides you with a hand on your back towards his car. He opens the door for you like the gentleman he is and walks around the car to get into the driver’s seat.  

When you stop at a red light the silence between you two is broken by him. “How are you feeling?” he asks you. To be completely honest you were scared shitless. Afraid of what she might think of you. Afraid that she thinks you’re not enough for her son. Afraid that you’ll give off the wrong impression. Jungkook cuts off your thoughts by placing a kiss on your wrist.  

“Baby?”  

Coming back to reality you giggle softly. “Sorry, um.” You take a moment to collect your thoughts. “To be honest with you. I’m terrified.” You speak about your insecurities. Thinking about meeting his mother. You know you fully agreed to this earlier. But the drive to his house has become surreal to you now.  

“She’ll love you I promise. But no matter what, if she doesn’t like you; know that I love you okay? Never forget that.” Calming your mind down, you nod your head and settle in silence for the rest of the car ride.  

~ 

Jungkook walks around the car again to open your door. You thank him and look at his house. It wasn’t too big, but it wasn’t too small. It was the perfect size. Walking up to the front door, he unlocks it, and your heart picks up once again. You walk through the door and investigate the living room.  

His little brother is sitting on the couch watching TV. His youngest sister was sitting on the floor watching whatever her brother was. Jungkook was the eldest out of the three. His siblings being much younger. You walk into the living room and Jungkook yells out to his siblings. “Guys, turn off the TV for a minute. I want you to meet someone.”  

They both turn to look at you and you smile down at them. “This is my girlfriend, ___. This is Jungwoo and Jungha.” Cute. All of their names start the same way, you think. Jungha walks up to you. She seems to only be around four years-old and Jungwoo looks to be about seven. “It’s nice to meet you both” you softly smile at them.  

Jungha tugs on your sleeve and looks up at you. “Are you a princess?” she asks. Your heart melts at the sweet little voice. “She’s not a princess! She’s not wearing a crown!” Jungwoo exclaims from where he sat. You giggle at them, and then you hear footsteps come up from behind you.  

Turning around you see Jungkook’s mother. You’re a nervous wreck when you first see her face. You politely bow to her and greet her.  

“It’s nice to finally meet you Mrs. Jeon”  

“Oh, honey please stand up.” She motions for you to stand straight 

“No need for formalities, I hope you’re hungry. I made a lot of food tonight!” She smiles at you and walks back to the kitchen.  

Okay, this isn’t going as badly as you thought it’d go. You walk back to the living room with Jungkook to chat some more with his siblings. You sit down on the floor and Jungkook sits behind you on the couch. “So, Jungha. How old are you?” you ask the little girl.  

She looks up from her toys and holds up four fingers in front of your face “I’m four!” Her small voice makes your chest ache from how cute she is. She goes back to her dolls and plays with them again. You turn your attention to Jungwoo and start a conversation with him.  

“What about you Jungwoo?” you ask him. “I turned eight last month” You were only off by a year. This time he asks you a question. “Why are you with my brother? He’s annoying and he never lets me in his room” he pouts with his arms crossed over his chest.  

“Well, I think Jungkook is amazing. You should cut him some slack. I’m sure he’s a great brother!” you tell him. Jungkook leans down and kisses the crown of your head as he looks at the TV. Your arms are laid in your lap and his are wrapped around your neck.  

“Yeah, cut me some slack. I try my best!” he says to his younger brother.  

“I guess” Jungwoo rolls his eyes. You laugh at him and advert your eyes to the youngest one in the room again. She looks up at you and places a doll in your lap. “Will you play with me? You can be the princess!”  

You happily oblige and play with her until dinner is ready.  

~ 

At the table, Jungkook’s mother places the food around it. “Wow, Mrs. Jeon this looks amazing. Thank you so much for having me over” you say to her. She smiles back at her as she puts food on the little ones’ plates. “It’s no problem sweetie. Now please tell me more about yourself! All I hear from Jungkook is ‘my girlfriend is amazing’ and ‘I can’t wait for you to meet her’." She giggles. Hearing this makes your heart swoon. He talks about you like that?  

“Well, um. I’m new to town. My parents and I moved here just this summer.” you say.  

“Oh! How exciting! Where did you move from?”  

“Seoul, my parents wanted to get away from the city and thought it was better to move to some place smaller.” Talking about Seoul makes you miss it. Seoul is the place you grew up in. You didn’t have many friends over there, but you still managed to have some.  

“Well, Yongsan is small, but everyone knows everyone and it’s a great community all around.” She reassures you.  

Thinking back on your school experience you highly doubt that it’s great at all. You only smile at her. As the night goes on, embarrassing childhood stories about Jungkook may have slipped out here and there. Spending your time with them was refreshing. You adored his family. This is something you wished for in the future.  

On the way back to your house the car is silent. You think back to the events of tonight and reminisce.  

“So, how do you feel now?” Jungkook says 

“I feel content with tonight. I love your family. They’re so adorable. I wish I could come over a lot more often.” you say with a small smile on your lips.  

“Well, you can. Come over as much as you want, baby” He looks over at you and you nod. Your smile slightly fading.  

~ 

At the garden, Jungkook told you to meet him there after school. He told you he had a surprise. On your way over you pass by Sooha. Not caring about the way, she looked at you, you make your way over to your lover. He stood over the magnolia tree with a cover over the bench.  

Eyebrows furrowed you walk over to him and hug him. You tilt your head so you’re now looking up at him. He places his soft lips against yours and pulls something out of his bag.  

It’s the cherry blossom pedal that he kept from the day that he took you to go see them. You gasp, looking at what occupied his hand. “What is this?” you question. “It’s a pedal from the cherry blossoms I took you to see.” Those butterflies in your stomach bloom from within once again. You feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have such an amazing boyfriend.  

Jungkook has given you love that you’ve never experienced before. You want to thank whoever sent him to you forever. Grabbing the pedal, you hold it close to your chest. “Thank you honey,” you say under your breath and connect your lips together. Every touch of his lip is like a spark of electricity. You can never get enough of it.  

“I also did something else” He takes a hold of the cloth that was covering. On the bench, there’s a gold tag right in the middle. The engraving read ‘I love you for all eternity –J' you stand there, at a loss for words. He got this done for you? You start to feel tears burn at your waterline. Everyone in the world deserved a Jungkook. Wiping the tears from your eyes you rush into him and wrap your arms around his neck.  

“I can’t believe you did this” you muffle into his chest. He wraps his arms around your waist and digs his face into the crook of your neck.

“Do you like it?” looking down at you.  

“I fucking love it Jeon Jungkook” you laugh and kiss his lips again. This time the kiss lasts longer. Lips moving against each other with so much passion; moving slowly together. You’ve never been happier.  

~ 

Jungkook sat at his desk in his room and his mom walked through his door. “Honey?” She catches his attention. He hums in response.  

“I was cleaning out your room and I found this sitting on your dresser. I swear I wasn’t snooping but I was reading and” she pauses and opens it up. Jungkook wasn’t mad at her. He just sits and sighs as he waits for his mom to read what he wrote down.  

“It says study hard enough to get into college. Okay, reasonable, next one says read the encyclopedia of cherry blossom trees. The last one says, major in Botany? Since when were you into plants and nature?”

Jungkook walks up to her and rips the paper from her hand. “It’s a list I wrote up in the middle of the night the other day. ___ is my inspiration behind it.” He says with a fond smile.  

She’s never seen her son this happy and in love before. It’s truly the sweetest thing she’s ever seen. Such young love between the two. Her son’s happiness makes her a whole lot happier.  

~ 

One day, Jungkook gets a sudden call from you. He hasn’t been with you in the past few days due to you being away for some reason. He never questioned it, not wanting to push you to your limits. Over the phone you tell him that you needed to tell him something.  

You told him to meet you at your spot at around 8:00. It was usually dark by then and he was getting worried about you being there by yourself as you waited for him. When he pulls up next to the parking lot near the garden, he hurriedly makes his way over to you. You were sitting on the bench waiting for your boyfriend to show up.  

“Hey, baby, what’s going on? Are you okay?” he says in a soft voice. He takes your hand in his and pulls you closer to him. Jungkook looks at your face and notices your red puffy eyes. Have you been crying? Getting even more worried, he cups your cheeks, so your head is tilted towards him.  

“Hey, whatever it is we’ll get through it, alright? Please, tell me what the hell is going on” he weeps, Jungkook can feel his hands start to shake. Were you going to break up with him? Were you moving again? All these questions build up in Jungkook’s mind and he can’t stop thinking about the worst. Until it comes. You look down and a tear drops into your lap. The soft sniffles that come from you make his heart sink. He pulls you closer to him and you sob into his shoulders.  

“I should’ve told you this sooner” you say quietly 

“Tell me what, baby? What should you have told me?” He starts to panic. He’s completely clueless of what you’re trying to tell him. 

And then.  

It spills from your mouth.  

“I’m sick” Jungkook’s world stops to a halt.  

“Okay, let’s take you home and you’ll feel better”  

“No, Jungkook.” you pause 

“I’m sick”  

“No, you can’t be sick, y-you're perfect. That’s not possible.”  

You try to contain your tears, but they keep falling.  

“That’s why I haven’t seen you for the past few days. I was at the hospital for my checkup. I have a heart condition and it doesn’t allow my blood to flow correctly and it restricts me from doing a lot of things. I’ve had it since I was ten. This means I’d have to stay home and at the hospital a lot more.”  

Jungkook couldn’t hold it in anymore. He felt mad. He felt mad at the world. This couldn’t be happening 

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” His voice raises an octive 

“Because! This!” you point your hand between the both of you.  

“Because we were doing so good. This was going so well. I didn’t want to tell you because it would ruin things.” You stand up from the bench. And turn your back on him. “I’m sorry” you say under your breath. You run in the direction of your house.  Jungkook doesn’t let his tears loose until he’s back in his car. He feels furious. Not at you but at the situation.  

“Fuck!” He punches his steering wheel and sobs into his hand. He’s never felt so helpless.  

~ 

Jungkook needed time to think about what had just happened in the last few hours. How could you not have told him sooner? He feels guilty for not knowing. He’s made you do so many things not knowing the risk he’s putting you in. He was out on a drive, no location in mind. He continued down the road mindlessly.  

He doesn’t realize where he’s at until he stops the car. He’s in front of the cherry blossom trees. Maybe being here was good for him. There was a store right next to the exhibition. They had everything cherry blossom related. He walks through the entrance of the store and scans around.  

There was a man standing behind the counter. He watches as the young boy walks through his store looking around. “Hey, you” he says. Jungkook turns his head to him and walks to the counter. “Are you looking for something?” Jungkook pauses and looks at the wall behind the man. There were pictures of cherry blossoms all over. He notices a plant behind him. He lifts his finger and points at and asks, “What is that?”. The man turns around and carries the plant to his counter. 

“This is a cherry blossom plant” Without hesitation Jungkook pulls his wallet out and makes an exchange with the man.  

On the way back to Yongsan, you were all that occupied Jungkook’s mind. He was worried like crazy about you. The thought of you sitting in bed not being able to do anything causes an ache in your chest. From now on, he promises that he’ll stay by your side for all eternity. He prays to the gods above to keep you down here with him until you grow old.  

He promises to take care of you until he can’t anymore. 

~ 

You’re sitting in your bed reading a book. The clouds have covered the sky, and the air is a bit cold. All your medication is set next to your bedside table. Jungkook drove all the way to your house after visiting the cherry blossom tree. He stood under the arch of your door and knocked on the door twice.  

You look up from your book and he walks over to you. The sight he sees is making his stomach turn. You don’t deserve to live your life like this. You were still so young. You had your whole life ahead of you. Jungkook sits at the edge of your bed and holds your hand. He brings it up to his lips and kisses the back of it. He leans in to kiss your forehead and then your nose.  

Leaning his forehead against yours he speaks in a quiet tone. “Hi, honey. How are you feeling?” Trying to keep the mood positive you smile at him and say, “I’m doing great how about you?” He knows when you’re lying. But he only laughs and response to your question. “I’m doing good, baby.” he pauses for a moment. “I, um, I bought you something.” You look at him curiously. “What did you get me?”  

You tug the blanket away from your lap and you sit up properly. Jungkook holds your hands and carefully pulls you up. He brings you over to your window that looks out to the garden in your backyard. You see a little plant growing from the soil.  

It was a cherry blossom tree.  

Your heart swells with love as you realize what he has done for you, once again. You turn your body to him to engulf him in a hug. Burying your face into his neck, his scent brings you such comfort. You wish you could keep that scent with you forever. You place your hands over his cheeks and lock your lips with his. “Thank you, for everything. I love you so much.” Pecking his lips again. You’ve never been so full of love in your life.  

~  Today’s weather matched perfectly with today’s events. Your doctor told you it would be best if you got out and took in some fresh air. You spent your time with Jungkook in the garden and talked for hours. He brought you so many snacks and a blanket like he did all those months ago. You sat cuddled in front of him as he rested his back against the bench. His head rested against yours as you spent your time talking about anything.  

Jungkook brings up your list again.  

“Are you ever gonna tell me about number one?” he says into your ear. You giggle as you think about it.  

“Alright, I guess I have to tell you" You playfully roll your eyes. Jungkook pinches your waist and you burst out laughing.  

“Okay! Okay! Do want to know or not!” you say 

“Fine, I’ll stop. So, tell me”  

“The very first thing I put on that list is for something I need to do after.” It becomes silent. Jungkook thinks for a moment, letting your words sink in.  

After? 

There shouldn’t be an after. Life wasn’t fair to you. That’s all Jungkook knew.  

“And what is that baby?” he pulls you closer to his chest. Afraid that you’d disappear if he didn’t hold you tight enough.  

“I want to become a butterfly. I want my wings to grow strong and healthy so I’m free. I want you to look for me. I’ll show you so many signs that I’m with you. Always.” You turn in his arms and place a delicate hand over his heart. Jungkook can’t help the stinging sensation he feels in the back of his eyes. He pulls you in for a soft kiss.  

Lips moving slowly against one another. He can’t imagine his life without you in it. He’s not ready to let you go.  

You entangle your fingers in his slightly curly hair. You kiss the corners of his mouth and then his nose. You look at the tiny mole just under his nose. Cute.  

“You know I love you, right?” you say to him. The tears that fall from his eyes fall to his chin. You reach up and wipe them away. He takes hold of your wrist and kisses your palm. 

You’re going to be alright.  

With him by your side.  

~ 

Jungkook was out in the yard of his house watching his siblings play as his mom was getting dinner ready. He hears a car approach his driveway. It’s Jimin. He stands up from the step to his front door and walks over to his car. Jimin closes the door, and he walks up to Jungkook.  

His little siblings yelling at each other in their own little world. Jimin walks past them and smiles. He looks up at Jungkook and pats him on the back. Jimin and Jungkook were always closer than he and Taehyung. They basically grew up together. “I heard about __, I’m sorry” He looks down at his shoes and places his hands in his pockets “It must’ve been hard hearing that” Jungkook scoffs. Knowing that he has, who knows how much time with you is literally tearing him up inside. “Yeah, I mean I’m trying to spend as much time with her as I can, you know. Being without her right now is just killing me,” he says in a low voice.  

“Look, she’s going to get better. Stop thinking about the worst, just enjoy what you have right now, and don’t think about what could happen or what could’ve been. She needs you right now and you need to be strong for her. She’d trying her best for you.” he says softly. Jimin was always that friend you could go to for anything. He was one of Jungkook’s comfort people.  

“You’re right. Yeah, sorry. This is just so much information for me to take in. I can’t lose her, man” With a heavy heart Jungkook tries his hardest to not break down. Especially in front of his siblings. They’ve grown attached to you after you’ve visited them so many times.  

They’re always asking for you or wondering how you’re doing. It’s the sweetest thing. Jimin ended up staying for dinner. He hadn’t been over since the fight with Taehyung. He’s just glad that he has his best friend back.  

~ 

Jungkook’s never been this worried in his life. He’s called you multiple times and has sent over a hundred texts in the last hour. You haven’t responded to him at all. He decided to make the drive to your house to see what was going on. When he got there, he could’ve sworn his heart stopped beating; there were ambulence trucks parked outside of your house. He rushed over to investigate what was going on.  

He saw your father sitting on the doorstep of the house, with his head in his hands, hanging low.  

“Jungkook” he says  

“What happened? Where is she? In a panicked voice Jungkook walks into your house and looks for you. You’re nowhere to be seen.  

“They took her to the hospital. She was outside watering the plants and she collapsed. They said her heart is in critical condition.” Jungkook storms out of the house and speeds his way to the hospital. No way in hell is he letting you stay by yourself right now.  

He speeds through traffic lights, not caring if he gets caught. He needs to see you, now.  

~  He pushes through people to get to the front desk. “Excuse me do you have ___ ___ here. She was admitted not too long ago” he frantically asks the lady. She types into her computer and searches for your name.  

“Yes, we do. She’s in room seven.”  

“Thank you”  

Slowing down his pace he scans through the different doors. Being here makes his stomach sick. You’re supposed to be in bed at home. With him. Not in a hospital with sick patients all over the place.  

When he finally finds your room, he looks through the small window of the door. Your eyes are closed. He walks through the door, slowly as he approaches your bed. Your skin is pale, and they have you hooked to an oxygen tank. Jungkook makes his way to the side of your bed, and he breaks down sobbing. His hands shake as he takes your hand into his. Your skin is cold. Not like how he’s used to; he brings it to his lips and tries to warm them up with his breath.  

The motion wakes you up. You crack your eyes open slowly and meet Jungkook’s gaze. You place your hands on top of Jungkook’s hair, comforting him. His eyes are puffy from how much he’s crying. He cried on the way to the hospital just thinking about your condition.  

“Hi, honey” your voice comes out week. You slightly furrow your eyebrows as you take in his features.  

“Why are you crying?” Your hand making its way down to his cheek to wipe away his tears. He laughs quietly and looks down at the bed.  

“I’m glad you’re doing okay. I should’ve brought you something, but I was in a hurry. I was so worried about you I wasn’t thinking properly.” he says with guilt laced in his voice. He should’ve been there with you.  

“Baby, stop beating yourself up, there’s nothing you could’ve done to prevent me from ending up in here. I’m okay. See?” you make silly moves, and this gets him to smile even bigger. He leans over to kiss your forehead.  

“Don’t scare me like that again, okay?”  

“I promise”  

~ 

Jungkook came to visit you every day. They still told you they needed to run some more tests on you to monitor your condition. Until then you were stuck in the small hospital bed. Jungkook would stop by before and after school until it became late into the night. He brought you snacks, plushies, some of your clothes, and stories that happened to him at school or about Jungha and Jungwoo.  

You missed them so much. You haven’t seen them in weeks and Jungkook tells you that they keep asking for you. He also told you they prayed that you would soon get better so you could play with them again. The thought makes your heart melt.  

Jungkook has never left your side since the day you got admitted. He waits day and night for you to come back home to him.  

The TV was playing as you read your book (that Jungkook brought you) and he sits in the chair next to you as he’s on a call with his siblings. His hand is placed over your thigh, and he rubs back and forth gently.  

“I wanna say hi to __” you here Jungha’s voice. You peek your head from the corner of the screen, and she screams loudly out of joy.  

“Hi Jungha” you say softly with a smile spread across your face. She lets go of the phone and all you see is the ceiling. In the background you can hear her running around giggling. Her little face appears on the screen again and she yells “Hi __! I miss you sooooo much. Please come back soon!”  

With a fond smile you look at her and say “I’ll try very hard to come back healthy for you sweetie. Make sure you listen to your mom and Jungkook while I’m away” you tell her.  

“I always do! I’m a big girl!”  

You laugh at her silly antics. Saying goodbye to her Jungkook hangs up the phone and looks at you. You return to your book and feel Jungkook’s stare on the side of your face.  

Laughing, you look at him with confusion on your face.  

“What?” you say softly.  

He takes several minutes before he speaks.  

“Marry me” 

This takes you completely off guard. He wants you to marry him? There’s a warmth that spreads across your chest as you try to comprehend what just came out of his mouth.  

“What?” it comes out as a whisper.  

“Marry me __” he says in all seriousness. He’s never been so sure of something until he met you. You were his everything. He wanted to spend his life with you.  

A small smile appears on your lips.  

“Okay” His heartbeat picks up at your answer. He’s never loved someone as much as he loved you. He had already asked for your parents' blessing, and they surprisingly agreed.  

He was finally able to spend the rest of forever with you.  

~  They finally discharged you for one day. Having to beg and beg for them to let you out, they finally gave in.  

Today was a cool spring day. The flowers are starting to bloom wildly, and the trees finally have their color back after the winter season. You and Jungkook planned everything over the course of two weeks. You wanted to have something small. The place you both chose was a little greenhouse chapel not too far from where you lived.  

Your mother helped with your makeup and hair. The dress you wore was hers. It was an off the shoulder plain dress. You didn’t want anything too fancy, but nothing too little. It was perfect.  

As you wait to walk down the aisle you see everyone sitting in their seats. Mrs. Kim was sitting with her husband near the front where the altar was. Jimin was sitting with Jungha and Junwoo with their mother. Your father had his armed hooked with yours as he waited to walk you down the aisle. The bouquet of flowers clads in your hand you hear the music begin to play. The song ’Try Again’ starts to play in a ballad.  

At the end of the aisle, you see Jungkook. His hair is long enough to touch his eyebrows and his hands are crossed over his front. He can hear his heartbeat in his ears as he sees you standing there. You looked gorgeous in your dress. Walking down the aisle you see Jungha and Junwoo peek behind the chairs as they see you. Jungha has a huge smile on her face as she finally gets to see you.  

You smile at both of them and turn your head back to your lover. Your dad places your hand into Jungkook’s and returns to his seat next to your mother. Jungkook had tears building up behind his eyes. He can’t believe he’s marrying the love of his life today.  

“You may now be seated as we begin the ceremony of these two” everybody takes their seats, and the room becomes quiet.  

“Now, let’s begin.” He clears his throat.  

You look over to Jungkook and he mouths the words ‘I love you’ and you mouth them back.  

“Do you Jungkook take ___ to be your wife?”  

“I do”  

“And do you ___ take Jungkook to be your husband.”  

“May I have the rings please” Jungwoo emerges from his seat and walks up to the two of you. The pastor bends down slightly to take them from his hand. “Thank you” he smiles at him.  

He cutely runs back to his seat and places his hands in his lap.  

“Repeat after me Jungkook. I Jungkook” 

“I Jungkook”  

“Take you ___, to be my wife” 

He repeats after him. He says the same thing to you. He gives each of you your rings and tells you to place them on one another’s finger.  

“I know pronounce you husband and wife; you may now kiss the bride”  

Jungkook pulls you in by your waist and kisses you deeply. You feel a smile spread across your face as you kiss your husband.  

This was the happiest day of your life.  

3 years later  

Jungkook was sitting under the magnolia tree you used to meet up at. He had a piece of paper and a pen in his hand.  He spent most of his days here thinking. His favorite time of the day is when he gets to spend his time at your spot talking to you. The pen hits the piece of paper he holds in his hand and he begins to write

My baby,  

It’s been a long year once again without you by my side. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about you. You're always on my mind, I’ve started classes and learned a lot of new things about flowers and nature. Now I see why you loved them so much. The tree outside of your house has grown a lot more. The pretty white leaves you loved so much are starting to show. I hope you're doing well. I miss you. I miss you so much it hurts. I wish every day that you would come back to me. I miss hearing your laugh, I miss your smile, I miss your beautiful face that lights any room you walk into, and most of all I miss hearing your beating heart next to mine

Jungha started school recently. She said that she would make you a painting whenever she felt sad, and I’d put it them next to my desk. I have a drawer full of them now. I told her that you would come in at night to check up on us and you’d plant kisses so light that she doesn’t feel them when she’s sleeping. She asks and talks about you a lot every day. Sometimes I run out of things to say to her. and just tell her that you’ll be back with us one day. But i can’t lie to her. I think she misses you as much as I do Jungwoo’s doing pretty well too. We’ve gotten closer these past few years. He misses you a whole lot too. We all do. Everyone is doing well; I hope you’re resting well now. Sometimes I dream that you're next to me. Telling me that everything is going to be okay.  

And I think it will be. Everything will be okay as long as you’re close to me.  

I love you, baby.  

Jungkook looks up and sees a beautiful bright blue butterfly land on top of the paper. It flies away and a smile spreads across his face 

Everything will be okay 

~

a/n: AHHH IM CRYING. gosh writing this was such a rollercoaster. the fluff was too much for me to handle 😣. i hope you guys enjoyed this one. this was my favorite to write bc it’s after my favorite movie!! i hope i didn’t make yall cry 😭. ughhh i love their story so much.

[enkvyu]

"good morning."

"what."

your breath condenses as you exhale in soften shock, the presence of your boyfriend waiting by your bedroom door at a time when the moon still shone simply perplexing to you. gojo smiles, kindly, patiently, as you sniffle and force the gears in your head to turn.

finally, you shuffle up and sit upright in bed. "what are you doing here?" you croak, throat protesting from the lack of use.

"i came as fast as i could when you told me you were sick."

"it's almost three in the morning."

"that's why i said good morning."

your body takes a screenshot.

gojo laughs in a single breath and pushes himself off the doorframe, untucking his hands from behind his back.

he isn't in his usual jujutsu uniform you realise, as he steps into a spot where the moonlight shines through your window and spills onto the carpet. instead of his uniform, he's wearing a tight black shirt that's riddled with cuts and it's styled with an outrageous amount of scars on his face.

you can't help it, worry forces you up.

gojo catches you in his arms as you attempt to get out of bed, the rush of motion causing your head to spin but you don't care, you couldn't possibly. you trace a scar by his lips with your thumb.

"what happened to you?"

his lips quirk upward and you catch the movement with the tip of your finger. "do you think i look tougher with the scars?"

"what do i think? are you serious? you look like you’re on your deathbed, what happened?" your voice rises and he shushes you gently.

"okay, okay, i'm sorry. don't be mad, please?"

"why are you covered in scars?" you say instead.

"i got into a fight."

there's another scar across his cheek and you trace it. "with who?"

gojo tilts his head towards your hand so that your palm ends up caressing his cheek. "no one important especially because, you know, he's dead now."

"and you're definitely okay?"

he nods into your hand. "i think the one who isn't okay, is you."

you sniffle. "i took medicine already, i'll be fine. but you, god gojo, where do i even start?"

"you can start by getting over your fever."

your boyfriend tries to wiggle out of your hold but you only clench tighter, intent on keeping him close by. "are you sure you're okay?"

the smile he gives you is pure sweetness. he leans forward to kiss your cheek and you feel his grin even then. "of course. i’m more than okay, you’ll never guess who i just won against."

there's still doubt in your gaze when he pulls back and he laughs, breath hitting your face.

"i already went and got checked up by a doctor that i really trust." he adds.

it’s hard to not believe him when he looks at you like this, so you relent, sitting back. “shouldn't you be sleeping and resting up, then?”

gojo takes something out from the bag you didn't know he had been carrying, and places it on your bedside table. "shouldn't you? how could i sleep well knowing you were probably suffocating from all that snot in your nose?"

you scrunch up your face and glance quickly at the pile of used tissues on the table that he had to brush aside. "i was just about to blow my nose actually." your argue sounds weak even to your own ears.

he hums like he believes you. "right. and when was the last time you took any fever medication?"

"i think i went to bed at around eight?"

he tsks. "you're long overdue for something."

you recall his earlier words. “so, who was the guy you just beat?”

his eyes glint in the light. “guess.”

you groan. “i don’t know, was it the guy you were talking about a few weeks ago?”

“sukuna?”

“why are you asking me like i know?”

gojo makes a face at you. “but yeah, it was him. i beat him real good too.”

you’ve never really believed in gojo’s outlandish tales, of scary monsters and magic people, but sometimes your boyfriend will come home with injuries just as mindboggling, and you must admit you’d believe him a little then.

still, you can’t hide the taunting smile that passes through. “yeah babe, you really showed him.”

he sticks out his tongue and unpacks the bag he brought.

you watch as he walks in and out your room, holding nothing in his hands one second and appearing with a thermos later. he pours steaming water into a mug and places that down next to the bottle of medicine. it's the liquid type, and you wonder if it became a habit to buy it over tablets and pills, from raising megumi and tsukimi.

"babe, i don't want you to stay up just for me." your blocked nose causes the b's to come out as m's. “especially if you’re injured.”

"i'm your boyfriend, this is what i'm meant to do." he says. “and i’m fine, seriously.”

"i'm pretty sure this is a job for my parents, not you."

"i'm trying to be romantic." gojo sighs, measuring out the bright red liquid into a medicine cup. "but of course, you have to be incredibly snarky, even more so now that you're sick."

you rub your nose. "careful, i'm extremely emotional right now. you could easily make me cry."

he spares you a quick glance. "you'll live. here, take this."

gojo hands you the medicine cup and nudges forward the mug of warm water. looking up, he eyes you expectantly.

you meet his gaze hesitantly. "does this... taste gross?"

there's a silence until gojo starts laughing. "are you a child? i don't even think you could taste it even if you tried."

"i'm literally a patient, don't laugh at me."

"just drink the syrup."

"in shoujo mangas, isn't this when you're meant to be nicer to me?" you mumble underneath your breath, though he catches it anyway.

in the silence that ensues, you begin mentally prepping yourself for the unnaturally sweet taste of raspberry medicine, the kind that has always reminded you of childhood sickness. back then, you were lucky to have your family hovering over you with a wet towel and a warm hand.

just as you go in for a sip, gojo suddenly speaks.

"want me to make this more shoujo-esque, then?"

you blink at him. "huh?" you ask intelligently.

under the moon, you can barely make out the soft smirk on his face and the look in his eyes that you know all too well. it's a feature of his from when the two of you were still in highschool, and though this kind of cheekiness has faded away with time, you still recognise it.

it's the look he gives you when he's up to nothing good.

something in the air changes, and your fever can’t completely explain the sudden heat.

gojo leans over, carefully taking the cup from your hands. making eye contact, he tips the red liquid into his mouth, careful not to spill any. you gape at him, captured in his gaze, as he lifts your chin with a finger and presses his lips on yours.

he swallows the gasp that tumbles out from your mouth, flooding your senses with raspberry, though not the kind that reminds you of sickness. you can only think of his hand that creeps up to cup your cheek, the other tucking hair away from your face. he coaxes your mouth open with his tongue and forces you to drink.

when you’ve gulped it all down, his hands leave your side. he tries to lean away but you follow after, deepening the kiss.

gojo's fingers curl into your bedsheets and you feel his weight dip into the mattress as as he uses his knee to lean forward. you feel yourself fall backwards but he catches the small of your back with a hand and a chuckle.

eventually, he pulls away for air and though you need it just as bad, your lips trail after his.

eyes meet and spark in the dim lit room.

"was that still gross?" he asks, and it takes you a while to realise he was talking about the taste of the medicine.

you swipe your tongue against your bottom lip to relive the flavour, and his eyes follow the motion.

"no." you murmur. "actually, i don't remember. why don't we do it again so i can find out?"

gojo grins, using the hand on your back to press you against him, the other resting on the wall behind you. "only once more."

just like he promised, his lips fall back on yours and you sigh into the contact.

the night ends in raspberry sweetness, but not the kind that is unpleasant.

if you saw this somewhere else, no you didn't <3

[cheshiresense]

[From Here]

Dithered over which pov to write next, figured I’d try Yuzu.

-0-

When Yuzu gets a phone call from Ichigo that they would be having two guests for dinner tonight, she is delighted. In all the years she’s known him, her brother has only ever introduced one person to them as something of a friend. Mizuiro is half a sibling at this point, trusted enough to be around them even when Ichigo isn’t, but before him, and after him, nobody else has ever caught Ichigo’s eye enough to warrant an actual invitation to dine with their family.

“They’re related to ghost stuff,” Ichigo adds bluntly, and Yuzu understands that to mean that these two will at least be tougher than the average yakuza on the street, even if they can’t match up to her brother.

“I understand!” She chirps back cheerfully. “I’ll let Karin know. I can’t wait to meet them!”

Then she hangs up, rolls up her sleeves, and gets to work in the kitchen. No guests of her brother’s will ever accuse them of being ungracious hosts on her watch.

(Karin comes home from soccer practice half an hour later. She laughs, as Yuzu does, when Yuzu tells her of their impending guests.)

-0-

Two hours later, Yuzu is putting the finishing touches on the meal when the sound of the door being unlocked carries through the apartment.

"Welcome home, Onii-chan!" She calls out, plating the last dish before carrying it over to the dining table. "Dinner's ready!"

She can hear Karin leaving their bedroom and coming down the hall on deliberately heavy footsteps. She appears just as Ichigo comes in from the front, Mizuiro a step behind him, with two men bringing up the rear, vaguely middle-aged at first glance, younger at the second, and then just ageless the more you stare.

They're tall, is Yuzu's first thought, but everybody's tall from her perspective. Still, they're taller than Ichigo, especially the one in the very back, and bigger too, even if they've got that same elegant dancer's gait her brother walks with, the one that whispers danger in the hindbrain even to those who don't know what to look for. They're also both blond, one darker than the other, but both with hair that nearly reach their shoulders. One wears modern clothing, the other more traditional, and one is empty-handed while the other carries a cane, but both of them take in the whole room in one calculating sweep that misses nothing. And they're both already smiling politely as they walk in, one with a harmless playful edge, the other with a harmless mysterious air, but both as fake as each other.

Yuzu exchanges a glance with Karin just to check she's not seeing things. Karin gives her the eyebrows that means she's noticed too.

Mizuiro had given off a far less dangerous aura when Ichigo had first brought him home. And he still feels much less threatening than these men now, no matter how much Guest One and Guest Two are probably trying to play it down. But back then, Mizuiro had also come in with sharp eyes and a guileless skin-deep smile, and that at least is exactly the same.

Their big brother sure does have a type. Yuzu sometimes wonders if Ichigo goes out and picks the most suspicious and unsettling people he can find to entertain him, or if he just somehow attracts them with his innate charm.

"My sisters, Karin, and Yuzu," Ichigo introduces without suspense, then jabs a thumb at Mizuiro. "And Mizuiro lives next door but he eats with us when we're here."

Then he gestures at the two men. "This is Hirako Shinji and Urahara Kisuke." He pauses for a brief half-second, and his eyes flash gold in Yuzu's, and Karin's, direction. "Hirako's a bit like me." He pauses again, and a funny half-smile hitches at one corner of his mouth. "They both are actually."

He says nothing else, so Yuzu takes that as her cue to sketch a neat half-bow paired with a bright smile. "Hello! It's nice to meet you!"

Beside her, Karin parrots the motion, if in a more perfunctory manner, but they weren't raised in a cave, so they know how to be courteous.

The men murmur back their own greetings even as their gazes shift back and forth between them and their brother like they're trying to pick up on a second unspoken conversation, but it's not as if there's anything for them to hear either way.

It's just that the introduction was short, names and little else, so Yuzu knows that they're equally untrustworthy, which makes sense because Ichigo couldn't have known them for more than a week or two. But the little else he'd tacked on had been a sign as well— not just that they're like him in some ways, in different ways, but also that Ichigo likes Hirako more than Urahara. Nevertheless, the fact that he'd brought them here at all means that they're interesting enough to make them both tolerable.

Yuzu understands, as does Karin, but they give no indication of it as everyone shuffles around to wash their hands, and Yuzu quickly scoops out a bowl of rice each for everyone in attendance.

"Onii-chan never invites anybody over, so I made a lot of extra food today," Yuzu tells them happily. "Please eat as much as you want!"

"Everythin' looks delicious," The darker blond, Hirako, grins at her, and this time, the expression seems more genuine. At the very least, it gives her a warmer feeling than the other blond, Urahara, who also smiles and trills agreement but radiates more distance than an overseas phone call.

Everyone settles around the dining table, although Mizuiro spares a moment to pull an exaggerated moue of aggrievement. "Never invites anybody over? Have I been forgotten, Yuzu-chan?"

Karin rolls her eyes while Yuzu giggles merrily. "You don't count, Mizuiro-nii-chan. You already eat with us almost every day anyway."

Mizuiro drops the act in favour of a smirk, though he looks pleased too, to be counted as family, as if the novelty of it still hasn't worn off. To be fair, it had taken a whole six months before Ichigo had been willing to leave him in the same vicinity as Yuzu and Karin on their own, and Yuzu knows that being trusted like that by her brother is no small feat.

Conversation drops as everybody begins digging in, and Yuzu lets her gaze drift casually over to their guests as they too pick up their bowls and chopsticks.

It's Urahara she lingers on first because he's the one who lifts his bowl to his mouth, only to stop at the last second, chopsticks poised. His expression doesn't really change, and the lapse only lasts a fraction of a second before he's moving again, smoothly pretending to eat a mouthful before lowering his bowl again, chewing and swallowing thin air masterfully. Even Yuzu only spots it because she's been watching the whole time from behind lowered eyelashes as she grabs some eggplant from one of the vegetable dishes.

She lets her gaze drop completely when she feels the man's eyes move from the food to her and then to Ichigo. Still, she can't quite suppress a pout, although she supposes she can't be too disappointed either since Hirako at least eats a good five bites of his rice before suddenly stiffening, glancing down sharply even as his eyes flicker with the same burnished gold colour that her brother possesses.

Then he looks up, looks at Urahara, looks at her, looks long at Ichigo, and then-

-he laughs. It's a bark of one that echoes with a snarl, except the mirth in it is also entirely genuine, enough for Yuzu to glance up with startled eyes. But the rest of the table does as well, so at least she doesn't stand out. Of course, that doesn't prevent Hirako from grinning at her, all teeth, with a bite that would feel like claws at her throat if not for the fact that it's coloured by something even warmer than when he'd complimented her spread. Appreciation, maybe.

"Is it the rice?" He muses candidly, and then actually eats another bite. "Nah, can't be, it was from the same cooker. It's the bowl, right? Not bad, I can't smell or taste anythin'."

Yuzu blinks and shares another look with Karin, who looks largely bored by the proceedings and hasn't stopped eating. Soccer practice always makes her hungry. But she also shrugs in agreement that Hirako is being sincere, so Yuzu relaxes and looks at her brother next.

Ichigo also hasn't stopped eating, although he isn't shovelling food into his mouth as speedily as Karin is. He swallows, glances leisurely at their guests, then looks back at her. "Not bad. Nothing in the food though?"

Yuzu frowns. "It's the first time you've invited them over, Onii-chan. I didn't want to scare them off."

Also, they're tolerable, and Ichigo even likes one of them, so she'd chosen the mildly poisoned bowls over the severely poisoned ones.

Ichigo just looks amused. "They don't scare easily."

Yuzu pouts again before glancing at their two guests, who are both watching them openly now. Hirako still looks like he's just heard a grand joke, while Urahara seems more than a little bemused, but neither of them feels angry.

Her big brother really is an excellent judge of character.

"You really didn't notice anything at all?" Yuzu asks in earnest, peering at Hirako before squinting at Urahara. "Then how come he did? And did you already shake the poison off?"

Hirako snorts and reaches for the communal chopsticks to swipe another chicken wing. "My... constitution's pretty good at negatin' toxins. And Kisuke's trained for this sort of thing."

Trained? Yuzu stares wide-eyed at Urahara long enough for the man to stop exuding caution and start manifesting awkwardness, which isn't what she wants so she hastily blurts out, "Are you really? So you can identify any poison? But the one I made is an original, so you shouldn't have come across it before."

Urahara stares back at her for a long blank-faced moment, not even bothering to stitch on a smile anymore, and like this, he matches the flat undercurrent of his emotions much better, like ice over water, except the water is the ocean and you don't know how deep it goes or what's waiting underneath.

"Ah," The man finally says, lifting a hand to his hat for a moment and pressing down on it so that his eyes are hidden. Then he looks up again and eyes her like he's seeing her for the first time and is pleasantly surprised by what he's found. "I may not know the exact poison, but I could still tell there was something off. Also, it's plant-based, isn't it?"

He pauses, and then, just like Hirako, he picks up his rice bowl again and swallows a decent mouthful, chewing almost thoughtfully beforehand. "And refined with reiatsu. That's actually more difficult to hide from me. Your technique is clumsy too. Give me an hour and I could probably also tell you the strains you crossed to make it. For now, at the very least, I can say there's definitely wisteria in this."

Yuzu is rendered speechless for a full five seconds. And then she snaps out of it and rounds on her brother with the best puppy eyes in her arsenal. She knows they don't actually work, but Ichigo tends to give in to her when she pulls them out anyway because it means she really wants something. "Onii-chan, you'll invite them back again, won't you? Urahara-san is amazing! I could learn so much if he teaches me!"

Ichigo's eyebrows go up for a moment in a way that speaks of indulgence, but he also glances lazily at Urahara before going back to his food. "Ask him yourself."

Yuzu pulls up short, always slightly stunned whenever her brother refuses her, even when it's not a direct refusal. But generally speaking, if she or Karin wants something enough to ask for it, Ichigo has always been the sort to simply make it happen for them. The only times he's ever refused is when he'd thought it too unnecessary - Karin really shouldn't have asked for a flamethrower for her birthday, it's unwieldy and she can't hide it in her backpack, plus they know how to make Molotov cocktails already anyway, which is almost the same thing - or when he'd considered it important for them to get what they want on their own, usually because it would make for a useful life skill in the future.

Never has it been because of a person.

But for the first time ever, this situation seems to have fallen into that exact category, which... She looks back at Urahara with more curiosity than before. For someone Ichigo only finds tolerable, something about this man has... impressed him? Is that what's going on here? Not even Mizuiro has ever succeeded in that before, so for once, Yuzu has no precedent to draw from.

Well, that doesn't matter right now. The important thing is that Urahara will probably remain in her big brother's life for some time to come, which means-

"Urahara-san!" She shoots to her feet, chair clattering back with the force of it as she bows. "Please teach me more about poisons! It's okay if it's just a little bit, whenever you have time. I promise I'll work hard! And of course, I can pay for the lessons!"

She does some mental tallying. There's a bake sale coming up for her club, and the venue they've chosen is close enough to the Karakura border to attract people from the neighbouring town. If she plays her cards right, some thugs from nearby yakuza groups probably wouldn't mind donating to her cause. Pretty little girls offering pretty little cakes are bound to reel in at least a few idiots.

Of course, she'll have to ask Ichigo to get rid of them afterwards. It's better not to risk putting anything too lethal into a school bake sale, just in case of an accident, so she'll have to stick with upset stomachs at most. Once they've paid up, Ichigo can make them disappear. Those upset stomachs can get really gross, and blood and guts aren't much better if cleanup gets messy, so Yuzu would rather not deal with that part.

Unlike her siblings who don't mind it, Yuzu is unfortunately something of a clean freak. Karin always taunts her about having inherited their father's delicate constitution, and Yuzu can't even refute it, no matter how insulted she feels. It's seriously unfair because she can gut a fish in the kitchen no problem, but human intestines make her gag.

"I-" Urahara starts, jolting her out of her thoughts. The man looks taken aback all over again, and like he's missed a step somewhere. He even feels a bit nervous as he whips out a paper fan of all things, one that hides half his face from view. His gaze bounces between her and her brother, emitting enough anxious vibes that Yuzu suddenly wants to give him an emotional support dog or something. "I'm not sure I would be the... best choice for this sort of thing, Kurosaki-san."

Yuzu is unsure who he's talking to, but just in case it's her, she rearranges her face into the most kicked puppy look of disappointment she's capable of. "Why not? You know your poisons, and it looks like it'll be hard for me to kill you. Onii-chan can only teach me so much, it's not really his area, so I've only been able to trial-and-error it for months now. But I'm a quick learner, and I swear I'll listen to anything you're willing to teach me. Or, is it the money? Just name your price."

Even if she can't come up with it all on her own, she's certain Ichigo will help pay the rest. Honestly, even if it's within her budget, he'll just pour the same amount she shells out back into her bank account. The only reason they have to go in a big circle like this is because Ichigo wants them to learn how to handle money responsibly.

"That's not-" Urahara stops again, then snaps his fan shut, and then all of a sudden, it's like a wall comes up, and everything about him shuts down. He straightens, features as unreadable as the rest of him, and then he turns to Ichigo so that it's unmistakeable who he's talking to this time. "Kurosaki-san, is this really alright?"

Ichigo's basically finished eating at this point. Karin gets up for another bowl of rice. Mizuiro watches them like he's binging one of his romance dramas. And Hirako has his head propped up against one loose fist, eyes half-lidded but intent.

In response, Ichigo only shrugs. "I mean, you can say no. But like she said, I can't teach her much more than I already have, and it's not like she's gonna find a better teacher than you at this point, right?"

"And where did you learn it from?" Urahara asks, grey eyes riveted on Ichigo with the sort of focus that feels like he might've forgotten anyone else even exists.

Ichigo actually quirks a smile, sardonically amused. "Same place I learned everything else."

He doesn't expand on it, keeping the conversation on track instead, much to Yuzu's delight. "Anyway, if you're asking for permission, obviously it's a yes. I wouldn't have let her ask in the first place if I wasn't okay with it. And she's smart. You could do worse for a part-time student."

Urahara remains motionless and unblinking for another few seconds. "...Was this why you invited us for dinner?"

Ichigo shrugs again. "Not really. It's not like I knew you knew poisons. I just thought my sisters should meet you, that's all."

"And why's that?" Hirako interjects, also watching Ichigo with gleaming eyes that never waver. "Cuz ya don't seem the type to let jus' anyone get close to your nearest and dearest."

Ichigo turns to him, and his eyes are fond in a way they very rarely are when aimed at anyone not Yuzu or Karin or Mizuiro. It's not quite on the same level, but it does make it even more obvious that Hirako has her brother's favour.

"I thought it'd be good if they knew a few Shinigami," Ichigo says offhandedly, although judging by the slight stir of surprise from both guests, they hadn't expected he would just come out and say it. Or perhaps they're surprised he's talking about it in front of Yuzu and Karin and Mizuiro? But they're family. Yuzu doesn't know everything about Ichigo, but that's just because she doesn't want to know that much about her brother's life, not because Ichigo wouldn't tell her if she or Karin asks.

"You seem like you might bring trouble to my doorstep one day," Ichigo says, somewhat out of the blue, and all at once, Urahara tugs at his hat again just as Yuzu gets a sense of shifty-eyed discomfort all but waving support lights over the man's head. Hirako sort of feels the same, but in a less... personal way.

So whatever's going on, Urahara's probably the one in charge.

Ichigo seems to sense it too, or he's long guessed it considering his not great feelings for Urahara. Either way, he scoffs, and the light in his eyes says he's annoyed, but not annoyed enough to do something permanent about it. Yet. "Yeah, that's what I thought. So I figured it's better for you to know who you should do your very best to protect if shit goes down around them, because otherwise, I might not even feel like hearing you out. Understand?"

Hirako glances at Yuzu, at Karin, even at Mizuiro, then he turns back to Ichigo, solemn in a way Yuzu hasn't seen since they met, "I understand."

It sounds like a promise.

Ichigo hums, satisfied. Neither of them prods at Urahara for an answer, and Urahara doesn't give one. He feels flat again, like a scrap of paper.

"So like I said," Ichigo continues briskly. "If you wanna teach her, knock yourself out. You can send me the bill."

Yuzu beams at him. Looks like she won't have to waste any cakes.

From his seat, Urahara heaves a sigh, and now he just seems tired and still a bit baffled, but he also finally looks at her again like he's assessing her potential. Yuzu straightens and adopts her best imploring face.

This of all things makes Urahara's mouth twitch, and he even feels amused, except it's the sort of amusement that's all wrapped up in razor-wire mockery. That bit doesn't show on his face of course. Still, Yuzu's fingers suddenly itch with the urge to swap out his bowl with the other one after all.

"So clumsy," The man muses, one finger tapping at the cane leaning against his chair. "...Very well, I suppose I may have a few things I can impart to a budding... chemistry enthusiast. On one condition however. And I don't want money."

He looks at Ichigo again, except he doesn't say anything. Ichigo seems to understand anyway because a grin pulls at his lips, a touch too savage to fit on a human face, and aimed at anyone else, Yuzu knows they wouldn't even have time to pick out a coffin.

Urahara seems to be an exception. It makes Yuzu wonder if he's just that strong, certain in his ability to forever remain stronger than her brother, or if he's simply gambling with his life, and it's Ichigo instead who's decided to be uncharacteristically patient.

She hopes it's not the former, because she has no faith in anyone who thinks themselves capable of staying ahead of her brother forever. But if it's the latter, then maybe she'll have enough time to wheedle out everything Urahara knows of poisons before Ichigo snaps and kills him.

"That seems a bit unbalanced," Ichigo remarks.

Urahara inclines his head, and this time, his voice rings of the same vow that had reverberated in Hirako's earlier. "Upon my blade, my life before your family's, should the worst come to pass."

Ichigo laughs, soft and without humour. "This trouble must be something else. That, or you don’t think your life’s worth all that much. But fine. We'll hash it out tomorrow. Keep your word, and I might even go along with whatever you and your people have been cooking up. But Yuzu gets to bug you for lessons any day of the week from now on."

And once again, between one breath and the next, Urahara trades the gravity for the false affability from before.

It's like watching a performance, Yuzu thinks.

She glances at her brother and watches him watch Urahara, still annoyed, still a bit like he could put a knife through the other's ribs if it wouldn't mean the hassle of mopping blood off the floor.

Ichigo likes Hirako. Yuzu does too, even though they just met not even half an hour ago. There's something about him that makes him approachable and friendly despite the very obvious beast lurking beneath his skin. But that too might be part of the charm because Yuzu's long used to the same thing from her brother. Knowing even just that much, it's not a shock that Ichigo has clicked with him - a fellow monster - in a way he never has even with Mizuiro.

But Urahara is different. Urahara is treated with tolerance only, with irritation and discontent and even derision, on and off. But Yuzu knows that her brother has killed people for a whole lot less than that, and yet here Urahara sits at their family's table while Ichigo looks at him from time to time, tolerant and irritated and discontent and derisive, and he can't stop looking.

She wonders if even her brother is aware of what he's doing.

"I'll leave my number," The man offers, complete with a genial smile. "And you may stop by my shop anytime. Allow me a few days, and I shall have some reading material organized for you."

Yuzu perks up, nods, and finally sits back down, then gets up again to fetch two extra bowls of rice, this time clean of any poison. Hirako snickers but accepts his with a nod. Urahara does the same, with that same winning smile, and then dinner restarts, this time uninterrupted.

Well, who cares if Ichigo is aware or not? He’ll figure it out sooner or later. And besides, it’s all the same in the end— people who push her brother too far will face the consequences, and those who don't will not. That's just the simple truth of it.

But in the meantime, Urahara at least won't be going anywhere, which means Yuzu can finally get some guidance for one of her favourite hobbies, and honestly, that's all she really cares about.

[ladykailitha]

Staking My Claim Part 5

We are almost done just one more after this one! I thought about posting this on Tuesday to give the first chapter of the second book of Boy With a Bat some love.

But with this one literally two chapters away from being finished it didn't seem fair to postpone this one.

Here we have Nurse Jeff and sweet Eddie.

Pt 1| Pt 2|Pt 3| Pt 4|

@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @emly03

***

Once they other three were gone Jeff turned to Steve and Eddie.

“Right the real reason I’m here is because I’m going to make you two don’t jump each other before Steve is well enough.”

Steve and Eddie looked at each other and blushed.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Jeff said, crossing his arms and leaning back on one foot.

“Eddie go get us some lunch and I’ll make sure Stevie here isn’t going to throw up again.”

Eddie nodded and grabbed his keys. He gave Steve a kiss on the cheek and dashed off, leaving Steve alone with Jeff.

Jeff turned on the light in the kitchen to better see Steve’s face. He held Steve’s chin and turned his head gently to the light and away from it.

“Your dilation is a little slow,” he said. “That’s not good.”

Steve nodded. “I’ve had concussions before. It feels a bit like that. The dizziness, the nausea, the pounding in my head.”

Jeff nodded. “I think I still have some anti-nausea medication and if I don’t, we can try some Pepto, okay?”

Steve nodded. “I wouldn’t have done anything,” he said softly.

Jeff raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

“With Eddie,” he whispered. “Not before we got back to Hawkins, anyway.”

“Oh?”

Steve nodded again. “I’m bit too romantic for my own good. And having the chance I might ruin our first time with puking is the last thing I’d want.”

“First time?” Jeff asked over his shoulder as he went to the bathroom.

“I meant it when I licked him, he’s mine now.”

Jeff chuckled.

He came back out holding two bottles. “Looks like I have two kinds of anti-nausea meds. One is very heavy duty, so we’ll try the other one first. We don’t want to mix something heavier if the knock out drug is still in your system.”

Steve nodded.

“In fact,” Jeff muttered. “I should call my mom.”

He set the two bottles on the counter next to Steve and went to the phone.

After a brief conversation Jeff picked up the heavier medication. “She actually recommended the tougher meds to counter whatever was given to you. She even wants you to stop by on your way home so she can look you over.”

Steve blushed. “She doesn’t have to do that. I’ll be fine.”

Jeff raised an eyebrow and Steve ducked his head. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. My sister is a lot like you, you know.”

“Hmm?”

“She’s the oldest,” Jeff murmured, “so she was brought up that she had to take care of everyone else and couldn’t ask for help.”

“Oh.”

Jeff rubbed the top of his head. “Look, man. I get it, I really, really do. If your parents are as half the shit the rumor mill makes them out to be, you’ve been abandoned and neglected all your life. Somehow, someway you became the defacto older brother to the weirdest group of latchkey kids I’ve ever seen and you think you have to do everything for them because you didn’t get to have that. But thinking like that will only wear you down and out.”

“It’s hard,” Steve admitted. “They’ve been through so much.”

Jeff let out a sigh. “I get that too. You and those kids have been through some heavy ass shit. I also get that you think that because you’re the oldest you can’t tell them what you’re feeling because you don’t want to burden them.”

“You’re Robin and Nancy’s age,” Steve said quietly.

Jeff frowned, not quiet understanding the comment. Then it dawned on him. “Eddie isn’t.”

Steve’s head shot up. “What?”

“I know it’s hard to remember because he graduated with me and the other guys,” Jeff said. “But Eddie is older then you. He was supposed to graduate in ‘84.”

Steve blinked. “Oh. Yeah.”

“So lean on him,” Jeff said. “Yeah, you’re attracted to him. And you definitely want to fuck. But let him in emotionally, too. I think you’ll find he’s as a great a listener as he is a talker.”

Steve blushed.

Just then the door swung open to reveal Eddie with a large bag of McDonald’s.

“I didn’t know what you would like,” Eddie said with a grin, “so I got a little of everything I could think of.”

Steve smiled. “I’m sure I’ll find something I like then.”

They all dug in and polished off most the bag of fast food.

“Seriously,” Steve said, “why does greasy food always the best hangover cure?”

Eddie cocked his head to the side. “I don’t know. It defies all logic. You would think it would be stuff that was easy on your stomach like toast and rice would be better, but nope!”

Steve took Eddie’s hand. “Thanks for taking care of me. I appreciate it.”

Eddie blushed to his roots. “You don’t need to thank me. I just did what the next person would have done.”

Jeff snorted. “Bullshit. You went above and beyond and you know it. There is no shame in accepting his thanks. You did good, man.”

Eddie shoved his hair in front of his face to hide his embarrassment. “You’re welcome, Stevie.”

“I think you should go lay back down,” Jeff suggested to Steve. “We’ll be here if you need us.”

Steve nodded and wandered back to Eddie’s room. He closed the door and laid down, sure that he wouldn’t sleep as he had already slept a lot. But it appeared he needed it more than he thought as he drifted back to dreamland.

***

Part 6

Tag List: @spectrum-spectre @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @artiststarme @swimmingbirdrunningrock @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @chaoticlovingdreamer @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @messrs-weasley @val-from-lawrence @i-must-potato @danili666 @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog @justforthedead89 @bookworm0690 @vecnuthy @bookbinderbitch @littlewildflowerkitten @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @scheodingers-muppet @cinnamon-mushroomabomination @genderless-spoon @anne-bennett-cosplayer @irregular-child @lololol-1234 @monsterloverforhire @mugloversonly @live-the-fangirl-life @hellfireone @lublix @breealtair @croatoan-like-its-hot @f0xxyb0xxes @jamieweasley13 @r0binscript @confuseddisastertm @sleepdeprivedflower @thedragonsaunt @dissociatingdemon @dragonmama76

[autistichalsin]

I know a lot of people find it boring how much Halsin talks about nature, and I do get it- it is repetitive. However, I also find that if you break some of his statements down into what he's implying, you end up with something a lot more interesting. (ESPECIALLY because a lot of these support the "Halsin is autistic" interpretation.)

Take, for example, Halsin talking about his place in the world, specifically relating to relationships:

Halsin: I still have hot blood in my veins. Nature gifted us our desires, and the means to act on them. But we muddied its beautiful simplicity with rules, social strictures... clothes. So, I am not bound to nature. I am unbound in nature.

Halsin: Relationship? Such terms belong to civilisation - a little unfamiliar to my lips. You know what we share is more fluid, more founded in the principles of nature.

Implications: Halsin finds society too complicated. He enjoys nature because its rules are simpler and more sensical; rather than social rules and structures that are beyond him (especially when you take into account the autistic Halsin interpretation), he feels comforted by nature, which is complex in a way that he understands.

There's also Halsin's friendship with Thaniel.

Halsin: I had a friend when I was young, long ago. He played with me in the forests where I grew up... but eventually, I realised no one else had heard of him. It was Thaniel, of course. Nature was my very first friend. I get older, but he hasn't changed a day. I knew then that I had to be more than a companion to him. I had to be a protector.

Implications: Nature, by being Halsin's first friend, has always been what Halsin is comforted by. It has been a steady and comforting presence for him, something he can rely in, in contrast to other people who are unpredictable. Nature is consistent and comforting for him.

Halsin, infamously, is not happy in the city of Baldur's Gate.

Halsin: Too much noise, too many lanterns kept burning... nature's rhythm is ignored here.

Implications: Halsin is overstimulated easily by excessive noise and other sensory inputs. Nature provides him somewhere quiet.

Halsin: I wish... I wish there was a better way. I wish everyone could see the sun, have a full belly, and know nature as a friend. There is a balance that is yet to be found.

Implications: Again, Halsin sees nature- not just Thaniel, but all of nature- as a friend. A source of comfort and companionship.

Halsin: I think on [politics and high art] also. But nothing matches the splendour of an ancient tree.

Implications: Halsin loves the beauty of the natural world as much as anything else. Rather than art or music (which he can appreciate), what he prefers is something that grew rather than being made.

Halsin: I am... less anxious to find myself in a city. So removed from nature's power - I do not know how I will fare.

Implications: Not only does Halsin prefer not to be in the city, but he is actually, to some extent, frightened of it (likely due to how overstimulating it is for him), in contrast with his feeling of being right at home in nature.

There's other things to note as well. If a Dark Urge player embraces Bhaal and then tells Halsin to bow, Halsin has this to say:

Halsin: Nature bows to none. It will fight on and survive, no matter what madness your god has inspired you to undertake.

Implications: Halsin views nature as strength, and admires that very much. He draws a lot of his tougher qualities from this aspect of the natural world.

Or a line where Wyll gently points out that he talks about nature a lot:

Halsin: When you care about something deeply enough, it consumes every thought and word.

Implications: Halsin isn't thinking of little else besides nature because he's "boring"; it's because it's important to him. (A special interest, one might say.) And when something is deeply important to a person, they think of everything else in relation to that thing; think of a sports fan who constantly uses sports metaphors to understand the world around them.

There's another party banter with Wyll that is telling when combined with what he has to say about the city, too.

Halsin: It is most unfair to pour such scorn on rats - they have their place in nature, same as you or I. 

Halsin: I thought cities were supposed to welcome folk of all walks of life. Clearly I was mistaken.

Implications: Halsin feels everyone has a place in the natural world, yet that the city shuns those it deems different. As someone who has struggled greatly with fitting in/finding a place he "belongs", Halsin feels more sympathetic to nature, where all living things belong, than anywhere else.

I think that when you break up Halsin's love of nature into all the little things it implies, it paints a much more interesting picture of him, personally. It also supports the "Halsin is autistic" interpretation, which makes him even MORE interesting.

[haikyu-mp4]

Nervous laughter

word count; 1190 – gn!reader, meet cute

You’re generally considered very attractive, and some would even say the cafe you work in has gained more popularity since you started working there. Your smile lights up the room, you have fun quips with the customers and you make some decent coffee. However, if you ask one of your friends why you are still single, they might say it’s because you can be a bit clumsy. Scratch that, very clumsy. And you also have this fun quirk when you get nervous. You laugh! So much! It’s an unfortunate combination, really, but you’ve survived so far.

It’s not a very busy time, but enough people were coming in and out that you’re going on auto mode. You were making drinks, serving them, greeting customers and clearing tables all at a slightly faster pace. As you pass by one of the other baristas, you throw them a high five before picking up the next coffee, walking right out past the bar when your whole routine is disturbed. If only you had been more cautious, which you tell yourself every time. Someone stepped in your path and now you’ve spilled coffee on their crisp white shirt and the cup you were supposed to give to a customer was shattered on the ground.

Kuroo had a bad day. It wasn’t the worst one he’s ever had, but nothing seemed to be going quite right. He loves his job, but that doesn’t stop him from feeling like some days were tougher to get through and on those days, he couldn’t wait to get home. A forgotten meeting, a stubbed toe and a rejected opportunity are only a few of the things he dealt with already. However, he still had to meet Bokuto later so he decided his only bet was a good cup of coffee. His hair looked a little more dishevelled than usual as he stepped inside the little cafe he found, moving towards the back of the room so he could go to the toilet and maybe try to fix his hair before taking a break with his coffee. Unfortunately, he didn’t get that far.

Now he’s staring down at his ruined shirt, then looking up at you in disbelief, already prepared to somehow convince you that it’s okay even though it’s not.

But you’re full-on laughing. Leaned over, hands on your thighs, and laughing!

This is simply outrageous. He huffs but blinks in surprise when he realises he’s actually smiling. Your laugh sounds so nice, it’s like a superpower that distracted him from anything else that wasn’t as nice.

“I am SO sorry!” you gasp out through your laughter, finally squatting down to pick up some pieces of the cup before standing up to look at him with light tears in your eyes.

“You sure don’t sound very sorry!” he answered, raising an eyebrow at you as your laughter finally started to die down. He looked around, making people whip their gazes back to what they were doing before so he wouldn’t see how everyone was staring at the possible meet cute.

“Please, can I replace your shirt or something? Or wash it for you?” you suggest, cheeks heated up from embarrassment, attention and laughter.

He huffs. “Can’t really wash it unless you want me to take my shirt off right here,” he said, growing more confident when he realised you were actually nervous.

“Are you offering?” you asked without thinking, making the two of you stare at each other before you burst out laughing again, waving your hand in front of your face to cool it down. “Forget I said that, I need to clean this up but please stick around for a moment, if you can?”

He looked at his wristwatch for effect, thought about it for a moment and then agreed. “Fine, but you better get me a fancy coffee while I wait.”

“Of course, it’s on me.”

So he sat there for a while, sipping on the coffee you brought him. It was something he hadn’t tried before, and it seemed to loosen his headache in the weirdest way. Coffee isn’t supposed to do that. Maybe it had something to do with the way you smiled and pursed your lips when you handed it to him, seeming like you had to keep yourself from laughing nervously again. It made him scoff in disbelief, but it wasn’t in a malicious manner at all. Perhaps rather affectionately.

Kuroo looks up from his phone when you finally come to sit down, then back at his phone to tell Bokuto he would be a little late before pocketing the phone altogether. “This coffee is really good,” he commented. “What is it?”

“I have no idea, I begged my coworker to make something that said ‘sorry for ruining your shirt’ to a handsome guy,” you said, sheepishly rubbing your neck. Kuroo smiled in disbelief, somehow finding you even more interesting every minute he spent with you.

“Don’t worry about it, I have more shirts,” he said, shrugging it off. “But maybe you’d let me take you out this weekend?”

“I know I ruined your shirt, but at least tell me your name first.”

A little over 1 year later.

Kuroo brought you along to a friend’s party, if you even called it that at your age when friends got together to catch up and brought their partners or complained about their lack thereof.

He used to be one of the latter. Some even witnessed him make puke-like sounds when someone kissed, usually earning him a punch in the arm. But now he’s watching you with heart eyes as you look around for him after exiting the kitchen. Your face lights up as your eyes find him, lifting your hand to give him a wave before making your way over, but you don’t get that far. Akaashi was exiting the kitchen with a plate of fruit and your hand knocked into it. Thankfully, he managed to hold onto the plate, but half the fruits he had arranged so nicely slid right off to the floor.

Kuroo was clutching his stomach for dear life as he laughed like a hyena, and it clashed so badly with your nervous laughter that kept bubbling from your throat as you leaned your hands on your thighs and tried picking up grapes at the same time.

Everyone else were just watching you, shaking their heads in amusement as Kuroo finally walked over to kiss your cheek and calm you down. You’ve been together for about a year at this point and all his friends – who are now your friends too – know this scene by now. As you catch your breath, you apologise to Akaashi who just waves it off with a smile and goes back in the kitchen to get more. Your boyfriend helps you throw away the fruit that couldn't be eaten anymore before leading you out on the balcony for some air.

Kuroo never really believed in destiny, but he’s sure you were made to be with him. After all, he just left Bokuto’s side right after asking if 1 year is too early to propose.

masterlist

[pearlofthesirens]

You're Mine- Valeria x Fem!Reader(wlw)

my first ever wlw fic!! i feel like valeria doesn't get much love in the fandom either but i'm ready to be gay for her.

summary: Valeria is not afraid to show you that she loves you, even if it means to drop her tough girl attitude outside your lovely household

pairing: Valeria Garza x Fem!Reader

warnings: she/her pronouns used, internalized homophobia, slight cursing

now playing: Sofia by Clairo

word count: 1208 words(one thousand two hundred and eight words)

"I-I cannot explain why I feel this way."

"It's supposed to be wrong but I cannot stop it."

"I think I'm in love with you, Val."

Love. It was such a strange word to her, yet she never got tired of hearing it. What did it mean anyway? Caring for someone? She cared for her men, her money, the drugs she smuggles into the country, and she definitely did care for the reputation she had in Las Almas. But did she love them? Did she love all this?

A simple answer would be no. Because in a singular word, El Sin Nombre could easily say that her love was that one person who would place gentle kisses on her face and help her relax after a long day of dealing with shit at her job. Her love was that one person who kept an extra rubber band around her wrist just in case she needed to tie her hair, which usually rested in a overgrown bob around her face. Her love was the one she came home to, the one scurrying around in the kitchen to cook her childhood favorite. It was you.

"Need you, mi amor."

"Come here, Val."

Valeria couldn't help but instantly melt in your arms, her tactical vest and gloves discarded messily on the living room floor. She knew she might have to hear her girlfriend nag at her for it, but your sweet voice was worth it.

"Your stuff."

"Later, cariño. Just give me some love right now, won't you?"

You let out a small huff, the look of disbelief on your face when Valeria laid her head on your lap, expectant of some physical affection. Nevertheless, your lips turned upwards and your fingers immediately hooked onto her hair, gently swiping through her black strands as she let out a sigh.

Valeria did not regret a single moment she was with you, ever since you two met in middle school. Best friends was what everyone would call you two, till she started to get pissed about guys hitting on you. Why should they? You're so innocent, they're probably trying to take advantage of it. Her protectiveness was so evident, everywhere you'd go she would be there to hold your hand and lead you.

You didn't understand the blooming feeling inside your chest until it started to hurt more than you could take. It couldn't be, right? The kind of feelings girls felt for boys, not girls. It was wrong, everyone said it was wrong. Then why did it happen to you? Were you supposed to feel guilty about it?

Valeria was more upfront about how she felt, declaring that she was a single and proud. Yet every time she saw your face smiling back at her, she could feel all the air kicked out of her lungs. Her heartstrings felt violently tugged at whenever you found a wild flower to tuck behind her ear. Or the times you would sit with your face close to hers, focusing on drawing her eyeliner perfectly as her eyes were fixed on your glossy lips. Feeling for your best friend was so cliche, how did she find herself in the same damn situation as those lame telenovelas?

Confessing to her was tougher than when you had to count money at the market for groceries, you were never good at math. Valeria would laugh and return you the change, coins clinging against each other after she sorted out the price of whatever trinket you wanted to buy, not without bargaining a little. Saw a little ring? Cannot be too much, a pretty girl like you deserves it. A small cat carved out of wood? You shouldn't pay, consider it as a gift from your best friend.

It wasn't until you were crying in her arms, tired of the world beating you down, that you realized how you much you had actually fallen for her. Yes, it was love indeed. Pure romantic love. Her arms around you, her gentle voice consoling you, everything she did just increased the urge you had to kiss her on that spot.

"It's okay, life gets shitty sometimes."

"Val, I-"

"No, it's okay. I'm happy to be there for you, you're my best friend after all-"

"No Valeria listen!"

She was surprised to see you raise your voice for the first time since you two met, you were never like this. There certainly must be something that had been bothering you for a long time.

"This will come off very weird to you and I don't even know why I'm feeling this. But it is happening and I don't know how to stop or handle this. It's just so hard."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm in love with you, Val. And not in the way I say that I love you when you're being friendly. I'm in love with you like I want to kiss you and pull you closer and tell you about my day"

"Hold on, wait what-?"

It was as if her heart had erupted like a volcano at your words. You loved her? Is that what you were feeling all this time? Those shy glances and making paper rings for her, did all of it mean this?

"I cannot explain why I feel this way but I do..and it hurts so bad to ignore it.."

Standing alone at the balcony of your house, you let the cool breeze mess up your freshly dried hair from the shower. Your smile grew wider when you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist, gently pulling you back to their owner. Valeria rested her chin on your shoulder, your cheek pressed against her head as you two stood with your back against her chest.

"Do you know how much I love you with your hair down like this, mi amor?"

"I don't think you've ever failed to let me know how much you love me, baby."

"Hmm good. You're mine."

"All yours, love."

"Munequita, you don't know how much I love you."

"I love you too, Val."

Her hands immediately spun you around to face her, one hand on your waist and the other behind your head. You let out a giggle, keeping your arms around her neck. Her brown eyes always softened for you, never once she had thought about treating you with anything but love. The strong hands made to hold a gun could also touch you like you were made of glass.

"Val?"

"Hmm?"

"Thank you for always being there for me."

It was Valeria's turn to giggle, smiling ear to ear as she lowered herself closer to you. Her thumb gently kneaded your waist, your warm breath hitting her lips.

"You know I'm here to stay, right? Wouldn't have done otherwise, cariño."

The last thing you saw was how her cheeks flushed a little before a pair of lips smashed against yours, earning a little yelp from you. She could feel you smiling in the kiss, not letting her tongue take control yet. Only Valeria knew that she couldn't stop even if she wanted to. She wanted to feel you, all of you, and your love. A single kiss wasn't enough, it was never going to be enough.

proofread ✓

pearly venus, 18:20 240330

[spirit-jello]

Can you write something about sub zb1 legal line?

Of course! but I loved doing it~ thank you for the request!

~~

Jiwoong ~ People usually assume he’s the dom, but don’t be fooled by his cool and calm manner; he loves being told what to do. Despite acting nonchalant in public, in your own home he’s always needy for you. He begs so often you tease him about it. People always joke how you’re the sub in the relationship, so whenever they do that you go extra rough on Jiwoong, overstimulating the fuck out of him when you get back. 

“How would the other members react if they knew you were this much of a submissive cutie? Who whines and begs for me?” You would whisper in his ear, his response just being whimpers as you milk his dick dry.

~~~~

Zhanghao ~ When I tell you this man cries at everything you do in the bedroom, he cries at every little thing you do in the bedroom. Whether it's you having him wear a cock ring, refusing to let him cum, or having him ejaculate multiple times; he lets out sobs and moans, either begging you for more or to stop. When he begs for more, you could either- comply, where you take off his ring and bounce on his cock as he whines from the feeling of your walls squeezing him. Or you could refuse, teasing him with kitten licks and slapping his dick when he tries to move. Bonus, make him wear a vibrating ring and just watch as he falls apart.

 “Baby- please touch me~ ah~! Pleasepleaseplease-”

~~~~

Hanbin ~ He used to be a soft dom, but after he shyly asked you to be more dominant to him, you happily obliged. You would tease him in public, whether it was kissing his neck gently, seeming innocent to the others but you knew how sensitive his neck was. He’d bite back a whimper, as you do a quick bite to his weak spot. And right when you get home, you barely make it pass the door before he humps you begging to fuck you. 

“Fuck~ I’ll be a good boy promise, let me make you feel good please baby~”

~~~~

Matthew ~ Poor baby, he tries so hard to dom you, but as soon as you give him one look, he goes weak in the knees. He works out often to seem like the stronger one, which he might be physically, but you both know better. You love seeing him break under you as you bounce on his cock, refusing to give him permission to cum til you do it first. Because of that he begs to fuck you right so you could get close faster

“F-fuck y/n~ I can’t last much longer baby please let me- fuckk~!”

~~~~

Taerae ~ When he’s submissive, he is babygirl coded as fuck. Because of that, you always make him wear frilly panties underneath his clothes. As much as it's humiliating for him, he can’t deny how good it feels.  After he gets home from practice, you’re already waiting for him in the bedroom. You quickly strip him aside from his girly panties, palming him through the soft fabric. Of course he’d be whining at the subtle pleasure asking for more. Because he was such a good boy, you decide to let him  get his release by humping you, having him cum in the frilly undergarments.

~~~~

Ricky ~ you know how he refuses to not serve face, so it’s extremely satisfying seeing him break and lose his calm demeanor. He’s a little tougher to break, but once he’s tied up while you give him head, getting off with a subtle ‘pop!’ every time he’s close? His brattiness falters significantly. “You gonna keep being a brat? Or do you wanna actually be able to cum? All you gotta do is say sorry. Your choice hun.” 

“..I'm sorry mommy”

Oh, forgot to mention; he’s got a slight mommy kink as well. So when you hear him call you that, it’s when you know he’s ready to be good.

~~~~

Gyuvin ~ Gyuvin is just a dumb puppy who can’t get off on his own. He always wakes you up by whimpering in your ear, grinding against you. Poor baby always has a hard-on, even in public. He doesn’t give a shit where you guys are, he will give open mouth kisses to your neck, begging to fuck you. Then you have to stop everything and go home, since he won’t stop til he gets to have you. Sadly you can’t punish him by edging or overstimulating, as he’s only a dumb puppy who can’t keep his dick in his pants; so instead you scold him for being so needy, not letting him fuck you himself but instead doing it on your own. Scolding him leaves a bigger impact, since he wants so badly to be your good boy.

“I’m sorry, please let me make you feel good- wanna be good for you- haah~”

[writing-blog-iguess]

Online Match 5

Summery: Seeing their dad went as much as Y/N excepted. At least there's breakfast with Jason to look forward to.

Warning: swearing, fluff (if I’m missing other warnings, let me know)

A/N: Mm, this took me longer then I wanted to and I'm not sure how I feel about this one. Originally, I wasn't going to write this but I felt I needed to. And here it is. Enjoy! And as always, feedback is always welcome.

Words: 4651

ao3 Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

@xoxoyourdoll

-------

October 10

You groaned as the early morning sun peeked through your windows and past the curtains and landed on your face. Covering your head with the blanket, you turned over onto your stomach, hoping to get some more sleep. But sleep was gone and you had too many thoughts running through your mind to actually sleep. So, you laid there under the blanket and let your mind wander to what the day had planned for you.

But once you started thinking about Jason, your thoughts stalled and you wondered what he was up to. And as if you had conjured him from your thoughts, your phone dinged with the ringtone you had set for him. Smiling, you stuck out your arm from the blanket and reached for the phone.

Rolling onto your side, you curled into yourself and squinted at the sudden light assaulting your eyes, you blinked at the time.

Jason (6:31 am) Good morning Is Metropolis always this bright? I don’t think I can live here if it is It hurts my eyes

Y/N You know Its your day off SLEEP

Jason Nah don’t think I can I get to see you in a couple of hours

Y/N Shut up I don’t think you’re capable of sleeping longer the eight It’s not in your blood

Jason Somehow, your right

Y/N Always am

Jason Why are you awake? You strike me as someone who loves sleep

Y/N I do love sleep But only in my bed Anywhere else, no thank you Its not the right kind of bed

Jason I hear you So, what’s the plan for today?

Y/N Well, I’m going to stay in bed until someone kicks me out Then have some coffee

Jason That’s not breakfast

Y/n Have someone tell me that isn’t breakfast

Jason Smartass

Y/N Then I’m going to pack everything I brought Go to the hospital when visiting hours start See my dad for a bit Then have actually breakfast with a stranger Then go home with said stranger

Jason I hope you know this stranger And that he treats you well You deserve the world

Y/N Man, I hope he knows that Otherwise I’m just going to have to kick his ass

Jason I bet you’d win

Y/N I’m tougher than I look So maybe

Jason Let me know when you’re done at the hospital We’ll meet up somewhere

Y/N Can do

You stood in front of the building, squinting at it as you debated whether you wanted to go in or not. Well, you knew you didn’t want to, it was a matter if you should or not.

Sighing in defeat, you dropped your head and made your way in. Knowing full well you were going to head if you didn’t visit your dad. You walked through the halls of the hospital and too soon you found your way to his room.

You peaked in, noticing a nurse was checking up on him, while he was paying attention to the tv in the corner. Your eyes roamed towards the tv and snorted when you noticed it was one of those fixit or sell it shows. No matter where he was, he always managed to find shows like these.

The noise drew the attention of the nurse. She gave you a smile before turning to your dad. “I’ll be out of your hair in a moment, dear. Just need to check on your father.” How she knew that was your dad, you didn’t know and didn’t want to find out.

“That’s okay,” you said as you set your backpack down by the door before walking in. “Take your time.” You stood by the side of the bed, watching the tv as you waited for the nurse to leave. Once she was done, she sent you a smile and told your dad that if he needs her, to press the call button.

He waved her worry away and turned to look at you once the nurse was out of the room. “Surprised to see you here,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “Didn’t think I’d see you until Thanksgiving.”

“Didn’t find out you had surgery until yesterday morning,” you answered with a shrug. “When was it booked anyways?”

“A month ago.”

Ah, another thing they forgot to tell you about. You understand why your dad wouldn’t mention it, you barely talk as it is. But your mom? Or siblings? You talk to them more than your dad, at least they could have mentioned it. Trying not to let it sour your mood even more, you pushed the hurt away and turned to look at him.

He looked tired, like he hadn’t slept much last night. You suppose with the surgery that took half the day, and the pain he might be in, it would make sense if he didn’t sleep. And he always looked tired whenever you came home for the weekend, so it wasn’t much different. But other than that, he had more colour in his face then the last time you saw him. That was a start at least.

“How are you feeling anyways?” you asked, as he turned back to the tv.

“Fine.”

“In pain?” you asked again, he just shrugged. Kay, awesome, you thought as you looked around the room, trying to think of something to say. “Working on anything new at home?”

“Torn down the porch, thought I might redo it,” he answered and you raised your eyebrows in wonder.

“Have enough energy for that?”

“I rest when I can and I’m getting your brother to help.”

“Right.” And the conversation stalled from there. Sighing, you took out your phone and held in a wince as you looked at the time. Fifteen minutes, you were only here for ten minutes and you had planned to be here longer. But there was nothing to talk about and he seemed more invested in the show than talking to you.

Well, can’t say that you tried. With that thought, you made the decision to cut the visit short. You only hoped your mom would understand why you left before she came to the hospital.

“Where’s your mom?” he asked before you could make your move to leave. The question caught you off guard and you stood there without answering for a minute. He turned to look at you with a pointed look, waiting for an answer.

“Uh, home. She said she had a few things she needed to do before coming here,” you answered, scratching your neck as you thought. “She wanted to pack you some clothes and essentials for your stay here, buy some books and whatnot. She’ll be here around lunch, I think. Sonner if she gets everything done.”

He nodded and silence settled into the room once more.

“See you around Dad,” you finally said when the silence became too much.

“What? Leaving me already?” he asked, finally turning to you and watching as you backed towards the door.

You shrugged, bending down to pick up your backpack as you got to the door. “You’re busy-” not really but you weren’t going to point that out. “-and I have a train to catch.” Not the truth, your train wasn’t until a little later, but he didn’t need to know that. “I’ve got class after lunch and everything I need is still back in my apartment.”

“Alright, see you at Thanksgiving,” he dismissed with a wave, as if you were an annoying fly. Which sometimes you wondered if you were.

“Yeah, see you then,” you mumbled as you turned and all but ran out of the room. The whole exchange has you exhausted and you want to skip breakfast with Jason to take a nap. But you won’t.

You don’t know why you bother hoping things will change between the two of you. It never will, no matter how nice or well behaved you are, he’ll treat you with indifference. Like you don’t matter. 

But sometimes there will be moments that make you feel special. He’ll treat you like everyone else. Like you mean something to him, that you matter. It makes you feel seen and not so alone. Those you keep close to your heart, because they usually get ruined minutes later when his mood turns.

Sighing, you make your way out of the hospital and towards the park across the street. Looking around, you find a secluded bench and quickly walk towards it.

Dropping your backpack down, you sit and pull up your knees hiding your face in them and breathe. You take a moment just to breathe, trying to calm down and push away the hurt.

A few moments later, once you feel a little better, you pull out your phone. Going to the only person you want to talk to at the moment.

Y/N (8:30 am) I hate hospitals 

Jason Yeah they are not fun

Y/N Had your fair share of experience?

Jason You know it

Y/N I’m not even going to ask

Jason Not fun memories How’s your dad?

Y/N Fine

Jason Ready for breakfast?

Y/N Not really I just want to take a nap But food does sound good

Jason Good I was gonna make you eat if you said no

Y/N I have no doubt you would

Jason Where are you anyways? I’ll meet you there 

Y/n Uh, at the park across the street I think it’s on 5th?

Jason You don’t know where you are?

Y/n I know where I am I just don’t memorize the street names

Jason Wow Not to worry, Conner knows the place

Y/N Conner?

Jason My friend whom I went to see yesterday Maybe you know him

Y/n Just because I’m from Metropolis, doesn’t mean I know everyone

Jason Conner Kent, went to Metropolis High?

Y/n OH Yeah I know him We didn’t talk much though so I can’t say I know him He was a wannabe journalist from what I can remember

Jason What do you mean he was a wannabe journalist?

Y/n His articles were okay But it felt like he was trying too hard? Like he was trying to prove a point or something I don’t know, he was better behind the camera But what do I know? I’m an engineer major not a literature major

Jason You read the school newspaper?

Y/n Yeah, my friend was the editor for it Had me read some of the articles before she published them 

Jason WANNABE JOURNALIST EXCUSE ME I POURED MY HEART AND SOUL INTO THEM I EVEN HAD HELP FROM MY COUSIN AND HE WORKS AT THE DAILY PLANET

Y/N Oh OH NO JASON WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ME

Jason I'M NOT DONE WITH YOU My articles were FANTASTIC Not my fault you can’t enjoy good writing Like you can do better? Please

Y/N I have Who do you think wrote the advice column 

Jason THAT WAS YOU?! Shit, never mind I stand corrected 

Y/n Got suckered into it But yeah, that was me

Jason You two are terrible I hope you know Besides I thought it was implied that he was with me?

Y/N Nooooooooo I’m so tired I didn’t even comprehend words

Jason That’s a pretty big word for someone’s who’s sleep deprived 

Y/n Shut up Why did you tell him?

Jason I did no such thing He’s nosey and read over my shoulder Took my phone before I could even stop him

Y/n Welp, I’m going to end it now Goodbye cruel world Twas nice knowing you 

Jason Don’t even Conner wants your number Apparently he’s not done yelling at you for what you said 

Y/n No

Jason Aw come on! Please? We can talk about anything! But you know AFTER I yell at you

Y/n Oh in that case Hard pass

Jason I’ll get your number eventually 

Y/N Stop letting Conner steal your phone

Jason I would But it’s hard when he’s fucking faster then you

Y/n Really You look like you run everyday

Jason I do But Conner’s a different fucking breed

Y/N Alright sure I’m just gonna put my phone away and wait for you in silence If that’s okay with you

Jason Not a problem Gives me time to beat Conner

Y/N …right

---

“Do you think I can meet ‘em?” Conner asked, leaning towards him, hoping to catch a glimpse of his phone. Jason shoved him away before sending out a final message. “They seem great if you came all the way here to spend time with them.”

“Not today,” he finally answered as he stuffed his phone in his pocket, “they’ve had a tough morning. I think meeting new people is the last thing they want right now.”

That worried Conner and he turned to study Jason as he asked, “everything okay?” Jason shrugged.

“Not my story to tell, but they don’t have the greatest relationship with their dad.”

“But they’re okay now? Right? They don’t need any help to get away or anything?”

“Yeah, they’re fine. Probably just really tired,” Jason mused, and he hoped you would get some rest on the train ride back. Though he doubted it, you had said that you don’t sleep on public transportation.

“That’s good,” Conner said, looking straight. “Hate to have to beat up someone’s dad.”

Jason snorted at the thought but kept his thoughts to himself. “Sure.”

“I would you know,” he said, stretching his arms out behind his head. “So, if they don’t want to meet new people, how come you guys are meeting for the first time today?”

“This isn’t the first time we’re meeting,” Jason said, and could feel the curious glance Conner shot him. “We met two nights ago. Y/N was getting mugged and after they called me and asked if I wanted to meet up.”

“Weird that you’re the first person they called after something like that,” Conner mused, mind drifting back to high school. “Usually when they need someone, they call their mom or sister.”

“Yeah, but their family lives here. They moved to Gotham once they graduated high school,” Jason explained, and Conner made a noise at the news.

“But why Gotham?”

“I don’t really know.” They lapsed into silence as the two continued walking, two blocks away from the park, Jason spoke up. “What do you mean by that? They didn’t get in trouble at school, did they?”

“Nah, they kept to themselves most of the time. Other times, they hung out with their friends,” Conner explained. “They had a routine and you could always find them in the library hiding away. They weren’t really talkative but once you got to know them, they weren’t bad.”

“I thought you guys weren’t friends.”

“We weren’t, but they hung out in the newsroom after school and sometimes we’d talk,” Conner said, smiling. “They were cool in their own way. Would like their number so we can build that friendship that could have been.”

“No,” Jason said and before Conner could argue his phone rang. Digging it out of his pocket, he answered it before saying it was Clark. Jason tuned out the conversation and let his mind drift to breakfast, hoping it would bring you into a better mood. After this weekend, you deserved it.

“Clark needs me,” Conner said, bringing Jason out his thoughts. “Tell Y/N to feel better and that I still want their number.”

“Not going to happen,” Jason grumbled. Conner laughed, hitting Jason’s back a little too hard judging by the grunt.

“You sound like a jealous boyfriend,” he said and didn’t let Jason dwell on that thought for too long. “Anyways, just keep walking straight and you’ll see the park. See you around Jason,” he said, turning and left.

“Uh, bye,” Jason said, watching his friend walk away.

The walk was too short for Jason to think over what Conner said. He walked into the park and scanned the area until he found a familiar mop of hair.

Smiling, he took out his phone and snapped a picture of you to send. He watched as you lifted your head from the back of the bench and fished out your phone from your pocket. 

He laughed at the confusion written on your face as you opened his message. He stood still as you whipped your head up and looked around the park until you found what you were looking for. When your eyes connected with his, Jason’s heart lurched as your eyes lit up.

Happy. You were happy, and Jason’s stomach squirmed at the genuine happiness he brought you.

When was the last time someone looked happy to see him? The thought raced through his mind. Who actually wanted to see him that wasn't his family? And why did it make him happy that just seeing him made your mood better?

He shoved the questions from his mind, and made his way over to you. He can think it over later, right now he has breakfast plans and he has every intention of making that happen.

As he walked towards you, you stood from the bench, bouncing on your feet a little. As if you couldn’t believe he actually came here.

When he was close enough, you let gravity take over and fell into his chest. Jason grunted at the impact and tried not to wince as it stung the bruise on his chest. Why he agreed to spar with Conner last night, he had no idea.

The weight on her chest brought comfort for Jason, and wondered if it did the same thing for you. “Morning,” he said, brings his arms up and around your shoulders.

“Morning,” you mumbled into his shirt, and the tension in your shoulders relaxed. Jason could only smile. “Conner isn’t here is he?”

“No, he cousin needed him for something,” Jason answered, chuckling a little when your shoulders dropped some more. “Ready for breakfast?” 

You nodded into his shirt, and Jason spun around so he was standing next to you, one arm still around your shoulder. You didn’t mind, and leaned into the touch.

His smile only grew and he bent down to pick up your backpack before walking. “C’mon, I saw a breakfast diner on the way here.”

The walk was silent and Jason found he didn’t mind silence with you. It’s comfortable, safe, safe enough that it quiets his mind.

“So, how was your morning?” you said after finding a seat in the diner and after the waitress left. Jason shrugged and started fidgeting with his menu.

“Good,” he answered and you raised your eyebrow in question. “What?”

“Not much of a talker huh?” you questioned, trying not to smile at the put off look he was giving you.

“I’m not much for small talk,” he answered with a snort. “Which is wild considering that we’ve been talking.”

“Yeah, but there’s a huge difference between texting and talking face to face.”

“Yes, but we’ve met once and facetimed yesterday,” Jason reminded, “so it shouldn’t be awkward.”

“It’s only awkward if you make it awkward,” you said, tilting your head a little. “Unless you’re just an awkward person in general.”

Jason narrowed his eyes and leaned over to poke you on the forehead. “Please. You're the awkward one between the two of us.”

“And if I am?”

“Then you are,” Jason said with a shrug. He squinted his eyes, debating whether or not to tease you. By the way you were eyeing him, he couldn’t help but smile. “So, still want to kiss my stupid face?” he asked, and had the joy of watching your face turn red. You sank in your chair and pulled the scarf you were wearing over your chin.

“I take back what I said,” you muttered, “you're just stupid. And that’s at least a third date.”

“Then I can’t wait until I take you out next time,” he said with a smile as you dropped your scarf from your face.

“Meeting up the other day doesn’t count as a date,” you state, leaning onto the table.

“It counts to me.”

“Then you’re wrong. We met up because I didn’t want to be alone and you were the first person I thought of.”

“I feel special.”

“And-” you continue as if you didn’t hear him say anything, “-I was crying half that time. That doesn’t sound like a date to me. Which was a bit embarrassing once I thought about it yesterday, by the way. Who cries on someone they’ve never met before?”

“Doesn’t matter if you were crying, it’s not going to turn me away. I’m here, aren’t I?” he questioned, you nodded and he continued, “and besides, I’ve seen you sick before. And that wasn’t a good look on you.”

“…what?” you asked and Jason realized his mistake and winced. “What does that mean?”

“I, uh,” Jason stuttered, trying to come up with a lie of some sort. But the way you were looking at him, had him coming up blank. You leaned over the table to cover part of his head, squinting at him with one eye open. After you stared at him for what felt like forever, you dropped your hand and leaned back.

“You were the delivery driver, weren’t you?” you asked, and all Jason could do was nod. “Son of a bitch. I knew there was something familiar about you. But I was too sick to figure out why. So, did you make the soup? Is that why you wouldn’t tell me what restaurant it came from.”

“Yeah, hope you don’t mind,” he said and relaxed when you waved his worry way.

“Nah, it’s okay. I trusted you enough not to do anything funny, and you didn’t,” you said. “Besides, it was really good soup.”

Jason smiled and just as he was about to say something, their waitress dropped off their drinks. The two of you ordered, and waited until she left before continuing the conversation.

“You know she’s flirting with you,” you pointed out.

“Maybe, but I only have eyes for you,” he said, and smiled as you blushed again. “You know, red really is a good colour on you.”

“You need to stop.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Kissing me became a fifth date thing now,” you said, “you have to wait until the fifth date and I have to say it counts as the fifth date.”

Jason crossed his arms on the table and leaned in with a smirk. “Are you sure? You’ll be missing out.”

“Maybe so, but you will be too.”

Jason raised an eyebrow. “Are you telling me you're a good kisser?” You flushed, and hid in your scarf again, shaking your head.

“I could be a horrible kisser,” you muttered.

“Let me be the judge of that.”

“Date five,” you sang.

“Do hang outs count?” Jason asked, and you scrunch your nose in confusion. “As dates or just towards getting to kiss you?”

“Oh. I don’t know, guess we’ll have to wait and see,” you answered after a moment of thought. You leaned back into the booth as you saw your waitress coming towards you.

Jason followed your lead, and soon your food was set in front of you. You watched as she gave Jason a smile, trying to flirt with him but all he did was give his thanks and turned to his food.

She left with a huff, and a giddy feeling that he didn’t seem that all interesting. Before you could put too much thought on that, you noticed Jason’s hands as he unfolded his napkin.

You tilted your head slightly and wondered how he got his scars. Not wanting to bother him about it now, you turned to your food, missing the knowing look Jason shot you.

Breakfast was comfortable, you talked about whatever came to mind and avoided the topics neither of you wanted to talk about. And all too soon, breakfast was over and paid for and you found yourself walking towards the train station.

“So, how many classes do you have today?” Jason asked.

“Uh, one I think,” you answered, but you weren’t quite sure. “I’ll have to check when I get back home. Why?”

“Just wondering is all.”

“You don’t have anything planned, do you? No surprise visits with soup in hand?” You teased, nudging his side with your elbow. Jason laughed and shook his head.

“No surprise visits,” he promised, “today at least. Can’t promise about visits in the near future though.”

“As long as I’m not sick, then go for it. But bring food please. Chances are I’ll be hungry,” you said with a smile. Jason chuckled but agreed all the same.

Once you neared the station, a comfortable silence settled between the two of you. You walked through the station, lost in thought and Jason made sure the two of you made it to your seat’s safety. “Penny for your thoughts?” Jason asked, shaking you out of your thoughts.

Blinking, you turned towards him in confusion. “What?”

“You’re thinking about something pretty hard there,” Jason said, poking your forehead to emphasize his statement. “What’s got you distracted?”

“Can I see your hands?” you asked instead of answering. Jason raised an eyebrow in surprise but he held up a hand for you to take. You weren’t sure how to put it into words, so you did so in action instead. Gently taking his hand in yours, you traced the scars that littered over his palms and fingers and wondered how far they went.

Jason watched you as you studied them, and held in a shiver as you lightly traced them with your finger. He wasn’t sure what you thought of them and a part of him didn’t want to know. But a bigger part of him was curious, wondered if you thought they were ugly and wanted nothing to do with him when you knew the true story behind the scars.

“Life didn’t treat you well, huh?” you whispered, eyes still on his hand. He hummed in agreement, and wanted to pull away when you traced one that led up his arm, that was underneath his jacket sleeve. But you stopped when you reached the hem of the sleeve, and moved your hand until it was holding his. “Well, I hope life will treat you better than it did before,” you wished with so much confidence, Jason believed what you said would come true. He hoped it would.

Still holding his hand, you reached down to your backpack to retrieve a book and sat back to read, like nothing had happened. But something did for Jason and maybe for you too, Jason wasn’t sure. But whatever happened between the two of you at that moment, he hoped it was something good. And maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t. But as long as you were there with him, it didn’t matter to him.

He studied you for a moment before shaking his head and sat back. You continued to surprise him.

Originally, you wanted to spend the train ride back home doing homework, or reading or anything else. But the warmth and the feeling of being safe that came from Jason beside you, and the fact that you hadn’t slept in the last couple of days, had your eyes closing on their own. Your head dropped onto his shoulder gently, your book falling out of your hands as you let sleep claim you.

Jason snatched your book before it could fall to the floor, and looked over when he felt weight on his shoulder. He smiled softly as you slept, and moved to sit more comfortably on the seat, wanting you to sleep peacefully. “I’ll protect you,” he promised.

And he meant every word.

[peachyjinx]

On The Edge- Ch 2: Stormy Weather

Word count: 4.4k

Summary: You ask for advice on your situation. Loki insists on flirting with you, and you're no closer to finding your orgasm (this chapter is all plot).

Warnings: Just mentions of masturbation and sex

After a few more moments of sitting in silence with Loki, you decided you were going to go for it. Either tell him how you feel or just kiss him. What’s the worst that could happen- Loki would say no? He’s right here, his hand on your knee, and he just came on to you, so of course he wouldn’t say no!

Just as you worked up your courage, you and Loki’s phones went off with a notification. You groaned and pulled out your phone begrudgingly, knowing it’s probably a mission.

Meet at the Tower at 0900.

Great, today was just starting off so well. It’s as if your bosses are deliberately cockblocking you. 

“Well, should we go then?,” Loki stood, holding out his hand for you to take it as you got up. 

“I was really enjoying the peace, this is bullshit,” you muttered under your breath as you walked alongside Loki towards the tower.

“Ah, such is the life of a superhero, Darling,” Loki smirked, and you tried not to melt at the pet name he called you. 

~~~~~~

Day 14

You audibly moaned as the hot water hit your back in your own shower, comforting you. The mission had taken you to Winnipeg of all places, where it was still mostly frozen over. It had been a tough infiltration of a Hydra compound to retrieve the Talisman of Power from them, but the team was successful. While you and Cap provided the brawn (both being super soldiers), Loki and Wanda provided the magic. Despite your strong team, this was still a tougher battle than any others you had been in. Of course Loki saved the day, his magic was stronger than any magic that the henchmen had used against your team.

You could feel the tension in your muscles softening, and you thought of Loki- who was now constantly on your mind. The day in the park was both pure bliss and pure torture. All you wanted was to crawl into his lap, grind on him and possibly fuck him on the very public park bench. Yet he didn’t make a move- he just sat there and tried to chat with you as though everything were completely platonic. 

But you noticed in Winnipeg how he looked concerned when you were thrown against that wall. And that you were the only teammate he checked in on on the flight back in the Quinjet. Why did it seem like he wanted you but wasn’t making a move?  

You felt your hand wander down in between your thighs, feeling yourself get moist thinking about him again. 

~~~~~~ 

Unsuccessful again. This is ridiculous. 

You thought you could ignore the issue of the missing orgasm, but that didn’t last long- you had to talk to someone. You’ve masturbated a dozen times and nothing. Your impatience with your body was wearing thin, and you needed to talk to someone. 

You’d texted your friends back home for advice, but they were swamped with work, or kids, or just haven’t had a moment for a quick call. You decided it’s time to talk to a coworker about it. That’s totally normal, right? 

You’d sat on your couch, feeling anxious as you texted Wanda. She had always been kind, and your bond over the last year had grown increasingly stronger, especially recently.

Hey, want to grab a bite to eat? I’ve got something going on that I could really use your advice on.

Sure, meet you downstairs at noon?

Relief flooded you that you could actually talk to someone about this. You smiled and headed to your bathroom to get ready. 

~~~~~~

You tentatively looked at Wanda as her eyes widened watching the large BLTs being set down in front of the two of you. Your friendship was still new, but now was the time to take it to the next level. 

“Ok this is super awkward, I have to talk to you about something,” you looked into her large green eyes, concern showing there now at your words. 

“Of course, you can talk to me about anything,” she encouraged, setting down her sandwich and reaching her hand across the table to gently squeeze yours.  

Your eyes focused on the diner window next to you, embarrassed to have to say this out loud to Wanda, sitting across the booth from you. 

“Ok, here goes. So…I haven’t been able to orgasm in like two weeks. And, like, that’s not normal for me. At all. And I’m kinda freaked out and just needed to talk to someone about it,” your eyes flicked back to hers. Her face showed no judgment, only worry.

“I am so sorry, that sounds rough-,” her eyebrows tilted towards each other. 

“It’s like I’m blocked up,” you interrupted her, the past couple week’s frustration boiling over. 

“I’ve tried everything, and different things, and just nothing. And there’s this guy…,” you stop yourself before divulging your crush. But what does it matter at this point? You’ve already told her an incredibly intimate detail of your personal life. 

You pick up your sandwich, taking a huge bite to stop yourself from going on about how much you want to fuck Loki. 

Wanda cocked her head to the side, studying you for a moment, a small smile on her lips. 

“Well, first of all, I would not be too concerned. Stranger things have happened to all of us, right?,” she joked, making you smile a little. 

“...and who is this guy you mentioned, is he on the team?”, she inquired gently as she looked at you with thoughtful eyes. 

You chewed slowly, wondering if you should tell her about your full blown obsession. This felt like high school again, when you whispered who you “like liked” to your girlfriends at the lunch table. You swallowed and took a deep breath. 

Fuck it. 

“Okay, but please do not tell ANYONE. I swear, if it gets out, I’m coming for you,” you faux threatened her, pointing at her with your fork. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t even tell Vis. But I may be able to help you if you give me the full story!”, she cheerfully encouraged you. 

“It’s Loki…,” you paused for a moment after saying his name. You rarely said it outside of missions or the Tower, and it carried a heavier weight now. 

“Wanda…I’ve got it bad,” you looked at her hopelessly, trying to gauge her reaction.

A large smile spread across her face as she nodded knowingly as she started to eat her lunch. You read her body language, mortified. She knew.

“Oh NO could you tell?!,” you brought your hands to your face, trying to hide.

“Well I’m not around the two of you much. But I definitely sensed your nerves around him the last few days. I thought it may just be that he puts everyone on a slight edge,” she replied nonchalantly. 

“No, my nerves are for different reasons,” you whined, feeling embarrassed that you were so readable. 

“Because you want to fuck him,” she teased with a smirk. You felt blush all over your face, embarrassed hearing the truth spoken out loud by your teammate.

“Yes, desperately,” you sighed, looking back out the window at nothing in particular.

“I don’t blame you, he is quite attractive. Not my type, but I get it. Well, at least you know someone you could sleep with to test out if you have the same problem with a man!”, she joked as she ate her chips. 

“Oh I want to, I almost tried to hit on him- but I shouldn’t. I work with him. And he would just be so SMUG about it. He might not even be interested and then he’ll reject me, and he’ll just taunt me in front of everyone. Besides, I’m sure he goes out and gets laid all the time, right?”, you asked, hoping the answer was no, but knowing he did. 

“Oh yes, there are definitely rumors, he’s been out all night and comes back the next day. We’ve all assumed that was what was going on, and he doesn’t try to deny it. I’m sure if we asked, he’d tell us all about what he’s been up to. And the way he shamelessly flirts when we’re out…”.

You felt your smile fade as you thought about all the men and women he’s been with. Wanda quickly picked up on your disappointment and tried to lift your spirits.

“....BUT I will say he’s never brought anyone to the tower. And I think you two would be a good match. If that’s what you’re interested in. Are you interested in him romantically?,” she gently prodded more.

You sighed, nodding.There was no denying it, you weren’t just in lust with him- there was affection, too. Damn him. 

You reached your arm out to the server walking by, “Excuse me, I’m going to need a milkshake over here!”.

Wanda chuckled and gave you another all-knowing smile, “It will be okay, I promise.”

Even if she couldn’t guarantee that, it still made you feel better. 

~~~~~~

Day 15

Thunder clapped loudly outside, making you jump awake. Your eyes flew open and you quickly assessed your surroundings. You felt your heart racing as the sound of rain came crashing against your windows. This was something you didn’t like about living in the tower- harsh thunderstorms were much louder. It was the kind of thunderstorm that only came at the changing of the season- loud and violent, as if Thor was battling outside your window. 

You laid in bed, trying to get back to sleep, but the loud claps and flashing behind your eyelids made it impossible.

You groaned and rolled out of bed, deciding to venture downstairs for a snack- there was no way you were going to sleep until it was over.

As you sleepily yawned, you walked to the kitchen and your eyes scanned the living area next to it. 

Loki sat in the corner on a large couch, quietly thumbing through a book. This was the first time you had seen him since Winnipeg. It’s so strange how much he keeps to himself, often lingering quietly in the background. You wondered if he really wanted to be here- sometimes he acted like he was a prisoner. 

“Can’t sleep either, huh?”, you quietly kid with him as you opened the fridge door. 

“No, Gods don’t require as much sleep as a human. Thor and I are often up while you and the others sleep,” Loki remarked as he closed his book with a soft thud, getting off the couch to saunter towards you. 

“Huh, I didn’t know that,” you set the bread and jelly on the counter, looking for the peanut butter in the cabinet. 

You could hear him approaching from behind you, but focused on your sandwich plans. You were not going to let him get to you right now. 

“And why are you up at this hour? Something bothering you?,” his dulcet tone made you quiver as you tried to ignore your body’s reaction.

Loki stopped directly behind you, only a few inches of space between the two of you. 

“Is there something else I can help you with? Are you quite parched, Darling?”, his deep voice tempting you as he stood close to you. 

You felt your body charged with heat, the sexual tension palpable because of his body’s closeness to yours. What did he mean by you being parched? Thirsty? What is he up to?

“No…I just…,” you stuttered and turned your head to look into his eyes- his gaze was intense and a smirk played at the corner of his lip. You need him. Like, yesterday. 

You felt your body acting on its own as you turned to face him, your instincts to close the gap and kiss him raging in your body. He looked down at you, smirking as if he knew exactly what you needed. 

“Hey, what’s going on?,” Thor grinned as he walked into the kitchen, hair wet from his post workout shower.  He looked between the two of you, confused about you standing so close in the kitchen and staring into each other’s eyes. 

Loki quietly chuckled, slowly wetting his lips with his tongue. Your eyes darted to Thor, suddenly feeling embarrassed as cleared your throat.

 “Nothing of interest,” Loki replied as he stepped away from you with a nod to his brother. 

What was that? You realized now your heart was racing, your body yearning for you and Loki to finish what you started. You eyed Loki suspiciously as he walked back towards his couch. He must’ve heard Thor coming- what was he doing? Teasing you on purpose? He always flirted, but this was next level.

You quickly spoke to Thor to fill the air that felt so tense from your moment with Loki. 

“Well I couldn’t sleep, this thunderstorm is loud. So, yea- I couldn’t sleep, was hungry, so I came down to make a snack,” you gestured at the half made PB&J. You returned to your task, messily putting it together. 

“Oh yea? I hadn’t noticed. Would you like me to stop it?,” Thor asked as he casually lifted his gallon jug of water like it weighed nothing, drinking out of it. 

“Wait, can you just stop this storm?,” you looked at him, puzzled as you walked toward him with your sandwich in hand. 

“Oh sure!,” he grinned widely. Out of the side of your eye, you saw Loki sit back down and return to his book. 

Thor pointed towards the ceiling, squinting for a moment. You listened and then walked over to the windows, gazing over the city. The rain had stopped. The sky was now clear, and you could faintly see the stars now. 

“Wow… you guys really are Gods, huh?,” you muttered in awe as you looked back at him.

“Yup! One of the many bonuses,” Thor smiled and winked at you while he pointed finger guns in your direction, and you felt a blush on your cheek. Those Odinsons were very full of themselves. 

Thor plopped down next to his brother, “Loki, what do you think of going out for a bit? I’ve heard there’s this new club-”

“Not interested,” Loki cut his brother off, licked his finger and turned a page, clearly annoyed at Thor’s boisterous presence.

You stood there another moment, replaying the last few minutes as you looked out the window. You and Loki had just been about to…something. And then nothing. Again. Loki definitely made his intention clear. But there’s nothing that can be done now that Thor’s here. 

You felt relief that there was definitely something between you, and you had to suppress the overjoyed smile creeping across your lips.

“Well, thanks Thor. I really appreciate it!,” you nodded and gave him a friendly wave as you decided to go back to your room. 

“Sweet dreams, Darling,” Loki cooed to you without looking up from his book. You felt a pang of need, briefly thinking of inviting him back to your room. Nope, bad idea- not in front of Thor, he was a total gossip.

“You too, Loki,” you shot back with flirty confidence, turning to hide the beaming smile you couldn’t contain any longer. 

~~~~~~

Day 17

You and Wanda meandered through the crowd, taking in the sights and sounds of the street fair. The storms had passed (thanks to Thor), and the weather was clear and bright. You felt great except for one thing…

“Any news? How is it going with your elusive orgasm?”, Wanda casually asked before taking a sip of her smoothie. 

“Ugh, still absent. I dunno, maybe it’s forever,” you dryly joked, hoping that wasn’t the case. 

“Hm…I think it’s time you had sex, instead of just masturbation. When are you going to ask for Loki’s help?,” she teased you, giving you a gentle nudge with her shoulder. 

“I don’t know what the hell he’s doing. He came up behind me the other night, like inches behind me, and was asking if there was ‘anything else he could help me with’,” you mocked Loki’s tone.

“What do you think he meant by that? Was he offering to fuck you?,” Wanda seemed as perplexed as you. 

 “It sure felt like it, I was about to jump his bones but then Thor walked in. But it’s like he’s deliberately torturing me- he immediately dropped it. It’s starting to piss me off. I haven’t seen him since that night, it’s almost as if he’s avoiding me. I’ve been intentionally in the common rooms more than normal, but Loki’s nowhere to be found!,” you shook your head, annoyed. 

“Why don’t you go to him, then? Just go to his room, make a move!,” Wanda encouraged as she smiled at a group of teens giggling as they walked by the two of you. 

“I don’t know, we keep getting interrupted. I really think it’s the universe telling me to back off. Plus, he's not exactly shy- if he wanted me, he'd just go for it,” you replied, feeling a bit dejected.

The two of you headed towards a jewelry stand, smiling politely at the woman who stood behind the table while the two of you perused her wares. 

“Hmm, perhaps you’re right. It is strange that he hits on you, but then doesn’t follow through. Maybe Loki isn’t the answer. What about Bruce? I bet he can keep a secret”, she asked thoughtfully, while looking at a necklace. 

“No way! I mean, he’s nice and all but not the kinda thing I’m into,” you replied with a shrug.

“Steve?”

You couldn’t hold back your look of distaste as you scrunched up your nose, making Wanda chuckle. 

“Don’t get me wrong, Steve is hot. And he’s a really nice, kind man…,” you walked back your immediate reaction, pondering the suggestion. 

“...But you prefer an asshole,” Wanda finished your thought. 

You laughed, maybe she was onto something.

“I hear Logan is joining the team next week,” she suggested as the two of you left the tent back into the street. 

“Too hairy, not really my type.” You shook your head adamantly. 

“I think the problem is that you’re too picky. And you’re fixated on a certain man. You should just show up at his door, and ask him to fuck you already. And if you’re not going to do that, move on,” a bit of frustration filled Wanda’s voice. 

“Yea, maybe you’re right. I’m going to have to make a decision one way or another, because I think this pent up horniness is messing with my mind- I’m going crazy!,” you said with an exasperated tone. 

As the two of you continued to explore, you glanced around the fair, looking for Loki. You knew he was here somewhere, Thor had talked about the two of them joining the rest of your team after their sparring time.

Your eyes found Loki across the street as you scanned the crowd. His outfit was impeccable as always- a tight emerald green sweater and black slacks that hugged his sculpted body perfectly. He always looked effortlessly cool and put together, and it drove you crazy. You felt an intense need to mess him up, ripping his clothes off of his body as the two of you devoured each other like animals. 

 Loki stood smiling his perfect smile as he took selfies with people- a group of women and men were slowly gathering around him. Others on the street started to gather around Thor and Steve, as well. The team didn’t normally all go out together, and now people were picking up on who you were. 

“Excuse me, you’re on the Avengers, right?”, a deep voice questioned from behind the two of you, breaking your concentration on Loki. You and Wanda turned around, realizing that crowds were not just forming around your teammates, but you two as well.

“Uh, yes,” you smiled hesitantly at the handsome man. He was tall, broad shouldered, and you could see his large chest muscles under his tight black t-shirt. His tanned skin complimented his chestnut wavy hair with blonde highlights. You had to stop yourself from undressing him with your eyes, your wanton desperation seeming to take over as you felt your heart race.

Wanda noticed your immediate reaction, and gently pushed you on your back, moving you closer to him. You shot her a look. 

“Wow, I just want to thank you, you know, for everything. Could I get a selfie?”, he smiled with attentive eyes. 

You suddenly felt flustered- nobody typically noticed you amongst the others, but it felt great. 

“Yea, of course,” you beamed, feeling your cheeks get hot as you posed. You noticed Wanda was also posing for a selfie, and a line had begun to form by her. You scanned the crowd again, realizing what was going on- crowds were forming around the Avengers, wanting autographs and selfies. 

“Thanks again for, you know, saving the world and all that…I live in the Village and once saw you and the others beating up some guys…,” the man shyly smiled at you, and you found yourself taken aback by how sweet he was despite his very buff exterior. 

“Oh, you know, just part of the job…,” you acted nonchalant, playing it cool as you flirtatiously pulled a strand of hair behind your ear and flashed him a smirk.

Suddenly, a shove from behind pushed your elbow, knocking your coffee out of your hand as you gasped. 

“Sorry!,” a teen yelled as he ran towards Tony for an autograph. You rolled your eyes at Tony, who could’ve stayed behind in the tower, but couldn’t help himself as he showed off his new suit to the forming crowds. 

“Oh no! Are you okay? Can I buy you another coffee?,” the handsome man next to you offered. He seemed very gentle and kind. You were wary, but in the back of your mind you thought that maybe this was exactly what you needed. 

“Yea I’m fine…but sure, I’ll take another coffee,” you smiled at him, as he took your hand and led you away from the crowd, towards a vendor stall. 

“My name’s Eric, by the way,” he nodded to you and gestured for you to order your replacement brew. You ordered and briefly wondered how you should play this. Was he being friendly or flirty? He’s cute, and you desperately needed to be fucked. You decided to go for it.

“Nice to meet you, Eric. Thanks for getting me another coffee, you didn’t have to. Are you sure your girlfriend wouldn’t mind?,” you smiled coyly.

You forgot how nice it was to flirt outside the tower. There was a whole city of available men and you’d been pining over a snobby prince with an attitude.

A snobby prince who was headed towards you. You caught a glimpse of Loki walking to the vendor where you and Eric stood. His face was placid, no strong emotions as he slowly strolled forward.

Eric laughed at your brazen flirtation, “No girlfriend. So would it be too forward of me to ask for your number?.” You looked into his hazel eyes, not seeing any malice, only warmth. Just what you needed- someone who was nice and direct, no more head games. 

“No, not too forward at all, I’d love to give you my number!”, you couldn’t help but blush and grin as you tried to continue your breezy facade. 

“Are you alright? I saw that man run into you,” Loki asked as he arrived next to the two of you, showing more concern for your well being than was necessary. Not even Steve rushed to your aid- because it wasn’t needed, it was just a spilled coffee and you’re a super soldier.

You decided to dismiss whatever Loki was up to.

“Oh yea, I’m fine, it wasn’t a big deal!,” you hand waved him away, hoping he’d take the hint. He’s done nothing but toy with you for the last couple of weeks, you’re not about to let him stop you from this.  

“Hi, I’m Eric, nice to meet you!,” Eric extended a hand to Loki, who immediately took it firmly. 

“Loki, God of Mischief, Prince of Asgard,” he said in a tone that could be easily considered condescending. You had to stop yourself from rolling your eyes. 

“Oh yea! Nice to meet you man, you’re Thor’s brother, right?,” Eric asked genuinely, not having a clue how incendiary that question was. Loki hated to only be known as "Thor's brother". You internally screamed and looked at him, praying he wouldn't make a scene. He gave a big smile, stepping away from Eric and closer to you.

“Yes.”

Loki didn’t elaborate, he just stood next to the two of you, lingering while you looked at Eric. A brief moment passed as the three of you stood silently, and you and Eric exchanged confused looks. Loki had managed to make this encounter incredibly awkward. Bastard.

Eric finally cleared his throat , “so…your number?”, he handed his phone to you. 

“Yes! Of course!,” you took his phone and put your number in, as Loki continued to stand there, watching quietly, his hands in his pockets and standing confidently reserved.

“Maybe we could grab dinner? I’m out of town for work the next few days, but we could go out when I get back?,” Eric asked hopefully, ignoring Loki like you were. 

“Sounds perfect,” you replied happily as you heard the notification of his test text coming through your phone. 

“Cool, it was great to meet you, text me!,” he smiled, waving to you as he walked back towards his friends in the crowd.

You watched him walk away for a moment, then remembered who was standing right next to you. You suddenly felt very angry. 

“What the hell was that, Loki?!,” you asked, smacking him on the arm. He just smirked down at you. Again, no sign of any affection towards you, Loki simply stood next to you.  

“Just a concerned teammate,” he casually replied, now turning his attention back to the crowds thinning out. 

“Why are you so concerned that I’m talking to another man?! What’s the matter- jealous??,” you remarked in a mocking tone, as you headed back towards Wanda. 

Loki laughed and turned to walk in the opposite direction of you, uninterested in continuing the conversation. You watched as he sauntered away, his regal, confident stride irritating you more. 

You threw your arms up, frustrated at his intrusion on your moment with Eric. This was deliberate now. He’s just trying to prevent you from being with someone else, but he doesn’t want you either. What a dick. 

Wanda flagged you down as she and Vision made their way towards you, the crowds thinning. 

“Well that guy was super cute! Do you think he has what it takes to cure you?,” Wanda cheerfully teased as she hooked arms with yours.

“Are you sick?,” Vision asked, sounding as concerned as an android could.

“Something like that,” you chuckled. The three of you continued to walk through the crowd, and you noticed Loki get swarmed again by a group of men and women. 

----

On the Edge Chapter List

Peachyjinx Masterlist

[youre-a-total--poser]

Baby Troubles (Request)

Warnings: The baby is the warning, especially since it is a crying baby Age: Newborn Word Count: 1,098 Requests: Open Summary: Read the request and it will explain everything Requested by: @kmaxmadness Date: 18/03/2024 paring: N/A A/N: Thank you for your request I hope that you like it.

---⧗---

MasterList

During a mission there was a newborn baby abandoned in one of the warehouses and the Avengers knew that they couldn't just leave her.

They finished the mission and brought the baby home. A long discussion was made about what to do with the baby and it was decided that they were going to take her to a local orphanage that was until someone who they never expected to speak up and offered to raise the baby.

Natasha walked over and gently took the newborn baby out of Steve's arms.

Natasha has always wanted to be a mom but she never thought that she would actually become one.

After a lot of thinking and going through a long long list of baby names Natasha finally found the perfect one. She named the baby Y/N.

For the first week, baby Y/N was the most perfect baby ever. She hardly ever cried and slept wonderfully. Natasha never thought a baby could be this calm

That was until week two came along then baby Y/N's health drastically went downhill.

Baby Y/N went from hardly crying to crying what felt like all day. Nothing that Natasha tried seemed to be working. Steve offered to take the baby to the doctor so Natasha could get some sleep he knew that it's been days since she'd had any sleep mainly because he had stayed up with her.

Steve came back from the doctor and told Natasha that the baby had colic. Steve explained that colic was when a baby cries for no reason. He also said to Natasha that the doctor has scheduled an allergy appointment in case it's caused by a milk allergy.

The allergy test came back negative so the only thing that could be done was to let the colic pass on its own.

A week passed and things weren't getting any better after another doctor's visit all the doctors said that it was normal.

---⧗---

It was nearly 3 in the morning and Natasha was exhausted and could not handle the crying anymore. She was walking around her bedroom gently rocking the baby.

"Please stop crying." She said on the verge of tears herself.

The door opened and Clint walked in.

"Still no improvements?" He asked.

"No." Natasha sighed as she gently placed the crying baby in the cot hoping that she would tire herself out and fall asleep.

Clint could see that she was not okay. "Want me to take care of her so you can have a nap you can sleep in my room." He offered kindly.

She gave a weak smile, "Thank you, Clint."

She left the room and went into Clint's room. She had set an alarm for 30 minutes as she knew that Clint had to get home to his wife and kids. She honestly had no idea how Clint's wife Laura could handle three kids all by herself especially when the youngest was barely four months old.

---⧗---

Things were getting a little better baby Y/N was still crying but it wasn't as much as the last week but Natasha was the most exhausted she'd ever been.

She was sitting on the couch feeding the baby and she could barely keep her eyes open. She ended up falling asleep completely unaware of what was happening to the baby in her arms.

The Avengers had just come back from a mission. They walked into the living room to find baby Y/N alone screaming in the baby bouncer and Natasha was nowhere in sight.

"Natasha?" Steve called out as he carefully picked the baby up and looked around for her

They found her lying on the floor curled up in a ball crying

"What happened?" Clint asked as he kneeled beside her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"I dropped her." she sniffed. "I fell asleep on the couch holding her and when I woke up she was on the floor."

Clint helped Natasha up off the floor and led her to the couch.

Bruce walked over and started checking the baby to make sure that she was okay. "She's fine Natasha babies are tougher than you think."

Steve tried to hand the baby back to Natasha but she turned away from him "No, I don't want to hurt her again." she said.

"You won't," Bruce assured her.

The rest of the Avengers stayed silent in case what they said would make the situation worse

"You're just stressed and overwhelmed right now." Clint urged her to take the baby again. "She needs her mom."

"I can't be her mom I'm not good enough just take her back to the orphanage shell be better off with other parents," Natasha said.

"That's not true," Bruce said, his tone gentle . "It is though." She said and tried to stand up.

Clint stopped her and took her back down to the couch. "You are a wonderful mother. You're just stressed right now. We all saw how much you adored the baby before she got colic and it won't last forever."

"You don't know that." She said bitterly.

"I do all of my kids have had it and they eventually got over it and they're just fine," Clint told her.

"And in time the same will happen to Y/N and she will be that happy baby you knew before. Trust us Natasha we wouldn't lie to you." Bruce said chiming in.

Natasha took a deep breath and looked up at everyone's faces. She knew there was a part of her that agreed with them but right now she couldn't see that it would get better. It felt like things had just kept getting worse. But she knew she needed to trust her friends. They hadn't lied to her so far, and she had no reason to think they would start now.

"Okay." She said with a sad smile. "I'll keep trying."

Natasha gently took the finally sleeping baby from Steve being very careful not to wake her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You dont have to do this alone Nat we'll all step in to help," Steve reassured her.

"Thank you," Natasha said looking around and smiling at her friends.

---⧗---

It took quite a while for baby Y/N to finally get ever the Colic but when she did she became the happy and calm baby that she was before. Everyone was happy especially Natasha that the constant crying had finally stopped but what they weren't prepared for was when Y/N became a toddler and just how much of a handful this tiny human would become.

---⧗---

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[koostattoos]

➳ There’s Only Me When There’s You || j.jk

~ Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

~ Genre: slight enemies to lovers, high school au, fluff, MAJOR angst, first love, young love (Inspired by 2000's film A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks)

~ Summary: Being new was tough. Starting out in a new school and new town without any idea where to go or any friends was tougher. When coming across Jungkook and his friends, school hadn't got any easier. When you get paired with Jungkook for a project your life becomes hell, or was it heaven?

~ Warnings: MAJOR character death, a fight happens, mentions of a hospital, mentions of blood, fluff, fluff, fluff! 190811!jungkook (iykyk), they’re so incredibly adorable i’m crying, use of petnames (mostly baby)

~ teaser word count: 684

full fic here!

This past summer your family moved to a new city. Yongsan was small, that’s what you liked about it. But your family wanted to get away from the big bustling city of Seoul. They thought it’d be better for you. Moving was exciting to you. Being in a new place and all. The house they had bought was small, it had two bedrooms, with a bathroom, and a big enough living space for the three of you.  

The people in the neighborhood were nice. They welcomed you with fresh food and some plants to plant in the mini greenhouse next to the yard. It was very thoughtful of them. Tomorrow is your first day at your new school. You were going into your senior year. They say it’s supposed to be one of the most exciting times in high school.  

After you finish unpacking your things you walk into the living room where your dad was sitting. He was on the phone talking with the moving people to figure out where the rest of your stuff was. And your mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner. You decide to take yourself out of the house and explore the small town you now call home.  

Making sure your parents knew where you were, you turn your head around the corner of the kitchen and call for your mom. 

“I’m gonna go out and look around town, is that okay?”  

“Yeah, sure. Just be careful. Don’t go too far and be back before the sun goes down.” she tells you 

Nodding your head, you turn to put your shoes on and make sure you have your phone with you. The air outside was nice. It was still mid-summer but the weather around this time seemed to cool down.  

When you walk into the village you meet a lot of nice people. Mrs. Kim was the first person you met. “Hi honey. Are you new around here? I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face around here”. She ran one of the local restaurants.  

“No, I’ve actually moved here a few days ago. My family and I live nearby. I just wanted to come in and see what was around here. So, I know somewhat my way around.” you explain to her. She nods her head and gasps as an idea pops up into her head.  

“Well, if you ever need anything, please stop by. I’ll be glad to help” she says to you with a sweet smile.  

“Thank you, Mrs. Kim. I’ll keep that in mind. Have a good night” you smile at her and walk away to explore more of the village. There wasn’t much to do. There were a few bookstores you had walked past and a few other markets. Deciding to head back home you text your mom that you were on your way. Without looking at where you were going you bumped into a firm chest. When you look up, you’re met with a teenage boy. His hair was a bit of a mess but still maintained. He was actually rather cute.  

Before you could say anything, he says, “Are you okay?” you pause for a minute trying to collect your thoughts. He looks blankly at you waiting for you to respond. Finally, after staring at him for what felt like an eternity, you answer him. “Yeah, I’m okay. I’m sorry for bumping into you” you bow your head slightly to him as you apologize.  

“It’s alright. Are you new around here? I don’t think I’ve seen you before” you respond the same way you answered to Mrs. Kim. You tell him that you had just moved here a few days ago with your family. He nods his head and excuses himself. But not before he introduces himself.  

“I’m Jungkook by the way.” He has a faint smile on his lips. You tell him your name. “It’s nice to meet you, Jungkook” he nodded and slowly started to walk away. “It was nice to meet you too” Finally, you both bid goodbye to each other and you make your way back home.