#the university i plan on going to is offering gender neutral housing for the first time EVER.

[dokries]

love at first bite

pairing: kim mingyu x gender neutral reader

genre: fluff, college au, strangers/classmates to lovers

word count: 1.4k (including bonus)

warnings: mentions of food, just very embarrassing for reader.

author note: this is a repost, so if you’ve seen it before, you probably have. i hope you enjoy :D

masterlist

you should’ve taken up your classmate’s offer. 

you were packing up after your shared history class earlier when chan had suggested that you get lunch with him before eventually going your separate ways to study. 

he had sat two seats away from you when the semester had started, and when he asked you for notes after a particularly confusing class, it took only two more until he had shifted to sit next to you, becoming your Thinkers and Thugs: Ancient Greeks and Romans buddy (yes, that was the actual name of the class; it turned out that you both had thought it would be a fun class when selecting it, but in reality it was just discussing what old man in history was worse).

you felt a little guilty rejecting him when his face fell, but you had a date with yourself already planned: you would stop by the cafe to get your favourite drink—and a cake slice on-the-house, thanks to your best friend’s new job there (thank you joshua!)—before heading to the library to study your butt off for your approaching midterms.

however, your seemingly perfect plans were interrupted by a sign on the door of the pledis university cafe, saying that it was closed temporarily due to construction—joshua had complained about how the sink had been broken by one of his coworkers the other day, so it made sense. it was alright though; your plans could still be salvaged, and you grabbed a can of coffee from the vending machine in the lobby of the library instead. after finishing half of the beverage in one go (what? talking about roman thugs takes a lot out of a person), you had made your way to your favourite spot, at the very end of the row of cozy study tables. 

your productivity lasts for a solid 2 hours, planning out what to go over before your exams and when—you are not going to be unprepared for them like last semester, when midterms had been more hellish than usual, as you hadn’t planned anything out. taking a quick look at the clock on your laptop tells you that it’s 4:30 pm already, the time you had decided earlier to head home…but you were so close to finishing a section for your history class that you decide to keep on typing. 

around 15 minutes later, you hear your stomach growl quietly. you had been so caught up in studying that you had completely forgotten to eat something—your body was surviving only on the tasteless can of coffee from earlier, and the small breakfast you had eaten this morning. 

remembering that you had a bottle of water from the long walk joshua had forced you on by the beach yesterday—“it’ll be fun!” he had said. spoiler alert: it was not, as your favourite jacket had gotten dirty with all the sand, and how you both had become sweaty messes by the end with hair all over the place, thanks to the ocean breeze.

you take it out and chug the remaining water down, praying that it’ll stop your stomach from being noisy in the still library; you’re almost done with the last section you needed to cover for another class, and then you could be free to grab some food before heading back to the pledis uni dorms. 

somehow, the powers above decide that the lack of cake slices provided by joshua wasn’t enough suffering, and your stomach growls loudly. your hands quickly make their way to press down on your abdomen (like it would even make a difference) and thankfully, there aren't many people around to see the flush creep up your face. it takes a few deep breaths in and out for you to feel comfortable enough to go back to your work. 

you manage to type out five words.

just five words before your stomach growls again louder and by this point, you’re probably as red as the fire trucks stationed at the fire hall you pass by to get to the dorms. unable to stop yourself, you slump down against the library work table, your head finding its way onto your laptop—which you closed beforehand. 

you have no more water, and you had finished that stupid can of coffee ages ago. your thoughts circle back to the cafe. if only it had been open…you wouldn’t have been in this situation. you let out a soft sigh at the missed opportunity of cake. 

the sound of plastic crinkling against the solid wood of your desk pokes through your hunger induced daze of cake, and you look to the side, eyes straining to see a single granola bar right above your left ear. what the—did the powers above decide to help you for once? 

a quick look behind the snack told you no; it was just the guy sitting at the table beside you. 

wait. there was a guy sitting beside you this entire time? holy sh— you frantically think, face immediately flushing again.

your neighbour doesn’t seem to notice you staring, his eyes now focused on the review booklet he was going over. huh, it looks strangely similar to the one you were poring over yesterday while studying for your Introduction to Linguistics class.

he seems vaguely familiar, but you can’t quite pinpoint why. 

he suddenly turns his attention on you, his warm eyes focusing on yours and the corners of his lips turning up before he softly calls your name. “you should take a bite before your stomach growls again, it was pretty loud.” 

you sit up, straightening your posture before tilting your head. “do i know you?” 

he laughs quietly, and you find yourself lost in the way his giggles carry over to your ears quietly like music. he picks the granola bar and places it lightly in your hand, gesturing for you to open it first. 

as you slowly peel apart the plastic covering and take a small bite, he grins. “i’m mingyu! i uh, i’m in your intro to linguistics class actually. you probably recognize me from there.” 

his words make perfect sense once you process them, and you finally remember that he’s the tall guy who sits behind you in class.

“i borrowed a pencil from you once actually,” his soft smile turns into a sheepish grin and he slumps like a scolded puppy, preparing for the worst. “i never gave it back because…i uh…i broke your pencil by accident.” 

you blink, put down the empty granola bar wrapper and burst into laughter. this guy before you, who’s definitely much stronger judging by the muscles barely hidden by his red sweatshirt, was scared of you? now that was something to laugh about.

“don’t worry about it,” you say, still giggling. “you can pay me back by…” your eyes light up. “by paying for a meal right now!” 

his eyes widen before he smiles again, and you can practically see his puppy ears perk up. “really? we can go to the pho place across the street then! it’s been a while since i went, anyway.”

you nod before grinning at his excitement, and he jumps up and starts walking towards the entrance of the library. 

confused, you call out to him. “mingyu, you silly goose! you forgot your stuff!” 

“oh right…i forgot i needed that.”

bonus!

(a/n: hater #1 is seungkwan, hater #2 is jeonghan, bononie is vernon)

mingyu ❙

oh my god i feel so bad for them 😭

their stomach keeps grumbling…did they not eat…

bononie ❙

yikes 

ur down bad

mingyu ❙

WHAT DID I EVEN DO? 

all i said was that i feel bad…

bononie ❙

exactly lmao

hater #1 ❙

mingyu you loser just talk to them

they’re literally right beside you.

mingyu ❙

THEY LOOK EMBARRASSED ENOUGH

I'M NOT GONNA DISTURB THEM

hater #2 ❙

literally just talk to them i’m with seungkwan on this

bononie ❙

mingyu if u dont talk to them now u never will

do u want to end up single forever or smth

hater #1 ❙

me and jeonghan would win the bet then… 

nvm mingyu don’t do anything!

mingyu ❙

YOU BET ON ME BEING SINGLE?

do you have no trust in my amazingness

hater #1 ❙

shut up mingyu

hater #2 ❙

shut up mingyu 

mingyu ❙

geez i can’t catch a break can i

bononie ❙

anyway…

u said they were hungry right 

literally just give them a granola bar i know u have tons of those in ur bag

mingyu ❙

oh wait that’s actually a good idea

i’m doing that 

wish me luck guys!

hater #1 ❙

no 

i need money from chan

don’t even try to approach them.

omg i’d get two birds with one stone!

[inkpot909]

First Christmas Together Headcanons: Josuke Higashikata x Reader

Gender neutral Reader written with they/them pronouns. The Reader, and by extension their family, celebrate Christmas. Reader is written to have a positive relationship with their family. Takes place at an undisclosed time after the events of part 4.

M/n = Mother’s name

A/n: Happy holidays, everyone! I hope the end of the year can be a good one for all of you no matter what you celebrate. I hope y’all enjoy. <3

Warning(s): An innuendo; just Tomoko being her usual outspoken-self.

Early in November is the time Josuke began hearing small tidbits concerning your family’s annual Christmas celebrations.

It started out small, and mostly implicit. A passing mention of the holiday’s approaching, not so much about your own traditions specifically. In all honesty, most of the early excitement present in the group came from Koichi and Josuke himself.

Days slowly pass, and Josuke’s ears pick up more tiny nuggets of information. He’s more attentive when listening around this time of year- thinking about what you might want as a gift of course! You also offer another small mention of seeing family- it’s to be expected.

But then, one afternoon, he was hit with a bombshell:

“How do you like it?” Josuke asks, bending at the hip slightly. His gaze snaps down to the cup in your hand, both of his too preoccupied with holding one of his own to point or gesture.

The tips of both your fingers are all tinted, and steady breathing is softly visible in chilled air. All of Morioh is covered in a thin blanket of snow. Patches of ice do nothing to stop small children here and there from rushing about playfully.

At a time like this, when being good is pushed on them like no other, a few kids passing by have given you and Josuke pleasant smiles.

A smile of your own plays on your lips, a small but sincere one that easily reaches your eyes. “It’s real good,” you respond, “Thank you for buying me a cup.”

“Of course,” Josuke hums, leaning back and moving his gaze forward. “I’m not going to drag you around town in this weather without treating you to hot chocolate.”

A chuckle escapes your lips, glancing at him with a knowing look. “You’ll find something good for your mom by the time my fingers freeze off, don’t worry,” you jest.

Josuke’s lips form a thin line, momentarily pressing them together before they hastily spread apart. “I never know what to get her!” he defends, “For a woman like her- it’s always better to plan ahead, okay?”

“Okay, okay…” you chuckle, gaze falling to your feet. “Of course I understand, Josuke.”

“You got people in your family that are difficult to shop for?”

“Sure, I think that’s universal struggle for Christmas shoppers,” you shrug, “At least most of the family I shop for are too tired by the time we open gifts; really takes the edge off.”

Josuke raises a brow, genuine curiousness laced into his tone while asking, “Do you guys open gifts late on Christmas Eve?”

You shake your head. “No, we open them on Christmas morning.”

“What? You get up super early? Don’t worry, I get it… Santa visiting is real exciting…” he replies, lightly poking your arm.

You laugh along with him, once again shaking your head. After the both of you calm down, you finally elaborate, “My family… every year we get together at midnight on Christmas day. Whose house we go to depends on the year, but we have a breakfast together around one in the morning. Usually gifts are last, and usually people begin to leave around five or six in the morning.”

“Really?” Josuke’s eyebrows raise.

“Yeah,” you nod with a smile, “I started going a couple years ago, just because the younger kids in the family don’t always go in order to instead sleep. And, well, you know… to give anyone over the age of thirteen a break.”

Josuke hums, lips pushed out as he mulls over your words. You give him the small amount of time he needs to think about it, taking a sip of your hot chocolate in that moment or two.

“That… actually sounds really fun,” Josuke suddenly says. You turn to him, only to notice him already looking at you with a grin.

Although Josuke has always been happy to spend Christmas with his mother, he’s always wondered what it would be like to spend Christmas with a larger family.

After dumping a couple more questions on you about your Christmas traditions, Josuke offered you a sweet sentiment.

“I hope you have fun! The way you talk about it… gets me all excited for the holiday season, honestly. You’ll have to tell me about your Christmas morning.”

By that time next week, he was nearly knocked off the balance of his feet when you invited him over for celebrations.

You went on to tell him his mother was invited too, about how your family is willing to welcome them both with open arms, and how everyone seems excited to meet your boyfriend.

Josuke himself was still digesting the fact that you invited him to join in on your family’s Christmas celebrations in the first place.

Will your family like him? At least your parents seem to… maybe. Is he not understanding them correctly? Crap; he really hopes not. Surely they have to, they’re offering him to join in on their holiday traditions.

Do you have younger family members? You said that kids don’t really tag along, but it’s always possible. Josuke’s awkward with kids. What would your family- no, what would you think of that?

What if his hair looks off that day? If his hair isn’t holding well Josuke takes it as a sign that his day won’t go well.

His mind was racing a mile a minute, and he hadn’t even told his mother about it yet.

When he finally did bring it up, she declined the offer to go with. She said that she would definitely feel more inclined to get some sleep, but ultimately decided that Josuke could go.

However, it did come with a lecture:

“What are you going to do when you get there?”

“Thank Y/n’s family for inviting me…”

“What are you not going to do?”

“Spend the whole time in her room alone…”

“Nuh uh uh!” Tomoko shakes her head, arms crossed. “That’s not what I said!”

Josuke’s shoulders stiff, rubbing the back of his neck. Noticing the impatient tapping of her foot, Josuke sighs. “No ‘fooling’ around…” he mumbles.

“That’s right! I better not hear anything about the two of you doing anything inappropriate! I have M/n’s phone number! I’m not above showing up and dragging your ass straight home!”

God, he can’t look her in the eye talking about something like this. Although no one else is around to see, Josuke’s gaze moves around nonstop in order to find some semblance of escape from how utterly embarrassing this is.

However, Tomoko is extremely observant, both a blessing and a curse.

“Hey! Look at me!” she says, snapping her fingers.

Hesitating, Josuke finally meets her eyes once more.

“I’m serious, Josuke,” she continues, “You’re going to a family event- so make sure you’re on your best behavior. I expect you home by six thirty, got it?”

Josuke nods, yet still cannot help but let a huff escape his nostrils. “Yes, yes… I get it,” he responds.

Sighing, Tomoko unfolded her arms and to instead place her hands on her hips. Leaning her head back, she tells him in a softer voice, “Josuke… I know you’re getting older; believe it or not I do want you to enjoy that.”

“I know, Mom, I know…”

There’s a pause, Josuke internally digesting what his mother was getting at. What exactly’s going on in her head, it’s anyone’s guess. He doesn’t often dwell on such a thing, anyway.

“If you’re going to mess around, don’t do it at a family get together. Teenagers are teenagers, but I really think that-“

“Mother! Please!”

It was awkward and long-winded, but one lecture from his mother later and he was given the “okay” to spend Christmas morning with you and your family.

…Oh, god, he’s going to spend Christmas morning with you and your family.

Now that he was given the “go ahead,” Josuke is completely stuck in his head. His mindset is less worried about what your family would think of him (although that still makes him a bit nervous), but more curious about what this could mean for the two of you.

It’s… a big step, right? It’s certainly got to mean something. Meeting parents is one thing, but extended family is a whole other can of worms. Regardless of your relationship with them, that takes a lot of trust, right?

Josuke, while usually calm and collected, isn’t completely detached from getting nervous from time to time. When it pertains to you and the relationship you share, he’s steadily growing more used to experiencing new things.

Yes, wants to reach this milestone with you, but now that it’s steadily approaching… there’s no use in denying how his palms sweat thinking about it.

Both Koichi and Okuyasu see it as being a big deal as well.

Koichi approaches giving Josuke advice calmly, speaking from a place of understanding. Meeting Yukako’s family caused him a lot of stress, but assured Josuke that it’s really all in his head. That if he can find it in himself to relax a bit, it’ll be no problem. More than that, since he’ll be with you, it’ll likely ground him. At the very least, you know Josuke well enough to know how to be there for him if he needs it.

Okuyasu… well, bless him, does more harm than good with his approach. Going off about how important this is, and how it may dictate the future of his relationship with you. Just hearing Okuyasu go on, Josuke couldn’t help but bite his lower lip. He knows Okuyasu means well, as usual. But if it were coming from anyone else, Josuke would likely hit them.

Then, there’s you.

When Josuke told you about his nerves on the matter, December had just begun. The end of the year is moving closer, and in the distant is the anniversary of the two of you getting together.

That alone is enough to make his heart jump ten feet into the air.

You soothe his anxieties like no other. With soft, knowing words that travel straight to his heart. It isn’t just your words, but also how well they sound in the tones of your voice. Just two minutes into the conversation and Josuke is reminded why he shouldn’t be nervous. And the more he thinks about it practically, the more he relents that he can’t wait to spend Christmas morning with you.

It’s a little cheesy, to be sure. But if there’s anytime that people are allowed to be a little cheesy, Josuke figures it would be the holidays.

A couple more weeks pass, and Josuke finds himself getting ready late on Christmas Eve. Tomoko’s already turned in for the night, having suggested Josuke drink some coffee before heading out.

But giddiness is good enough at keeping him awake.

Yes, he plays some video games after getting ready, but it’s mostly to pass the time more than anything else. Just as he passes a level, he hears a soft knock coming from the front door.

Josuke paused for a moment after opening the door, taking in your appearance. Yes, he’s seen you dressed up before and vise versa. However, it never fails to leave him speechless.

“You look amazing...” he softly tells you, disregarding a usual greeting in order to immediately voice exactly what’s on his mind. The delivery is gentle and carries genuine tones that touch your heart.

The journey back to your house is possibly the most nervous he feels throughout the duration of the Sure Yes, he’s met your parents a handful of times before, but never talks with them for a long period of time. Regardless, within minutes, Josuke calms into his usual chatty self.

By the time the both of you are walking through the front door, a smile is present on his face.

Although not necessarily nervous; Josuke is a bit overwhelmed by how many people he meets throughout the night.

Older relatives that hold power within the structure of the family show genuine kindness yet put forward many questions trying to form an understanding of his character. Aunts and Uncles that tease the two of you about how there’s no use searching for a mistle toe- claiming there was no time to set one up. Cousins of all ages staying within their own closed-off group. A couple of younger relatives that seemingly wish to hang beside Josuke the entire night, in awe of someone totally new.

It is... a lot.

But what Koichi said proved to be true. The more Josuke put his anxious thoughts behind him, the better things turned out to be for him. At least, as far as his own worry is concerned. It turned out to be a lot easier than he initially expected.

And maintaining a relaxed attitude is not only where Josuke lives most his life, but thrives. It’s in that frame of mind that others around the two of you talk to you both happily as normal.

Plus, what situation isn’t further improved with food?

A vast array of breakfast foods litter countertops all over your house’s kitchen. The enticing smell of food is so prominent Josuke swears he can see the aroma rolling off organized plates.

While Josuke is internally joyful at the positive interactions he’s having with your family throughout the breakfast, you are quite pleased yourself.

The small gleam present in your gaze is nothing short of gleeful puppy love.

They adore him; you knew they would. But to see it actually unfold... to see Josuke joke along with your younger relatives... to see Josuke indulging in conversations with your older relatives... it’s downright heartwarming:

Sticking a mouthful of syrup-covered waffles in his mouth, Josuke keeps his attention between two of your relatives having a conversation. Not five minutes before, one of the two told him a story from when you were very young. So young, in fact, you don’t at all remember the event yourself.

Planting your elbow on the tabletop, you rest your chin in the palm of your hand. Thoughtfully, you glance to a preoccupied Josuke.

A smile has been present on his face almost the entire time. The expression mirrors your own throughout the first couple of hours of Christmas morning. You just can’t help yourself; the way he’s so casually managed to get along with anyone roundaboutly reminds you why you’re with him in the first place.

Feeling your gaze on him, Josuke turns. His eyes are widened, like a deer in headlights, and his mouth is still stuffed with an amount of food that makes his cheeks puff out. “Hmm?” he hums, not daring to open his mouth and speak. You watch him begin to chew hastily, doing little to conceal your amusement.

With one large gulp, you watch his cheeks deflate back to normal. “Yes?” he finally asks, smiling.

You open your mouth to speak, but are cut off by one of your younger cousins rushing over to Josuke’s side opposite to you. She’s bubbly and ecstatic for the holiday, likely having begged her parents to finally let her come along this year.

And much like the other younger members of the family present, she’s convinced that Josuke’s just the coolest.

“Josuke! Josuke!” she giggles, tugging on the sleeve of his arm. He quickly turns to her, maintaining his grin without hesitation.

“Yes?” he asks, raising his eyebrows.

“Y’know what Santa’s bringing me this year?”

“Hmm… I dunno…” he rubs his chin, giving her a quizzical look, “Wanna give me a hint?”

“An instrument!” she squeaks.

“A musician, huh?” Josuke chuckles, and the little girl beams at his observation. “Hmm, how about… a saxophone?”

She shakes her head “no.”

“A ukulele?”

“Nope! Keep guessing!”

“What about… a harmonica?”

With a giggle, your cousin once again shakes her head.

Josuke throws his head back, dramatically slapping a hand to his forehead. “Please tell me!” he pleads, “I can’t guess!”

She bounces on the balls of her feet, and folds her arms around her back. “A drumset,” she finally confirms, holding her head held high.

“Really?” Josuke asks, matching her enthusiasm. “But how do you know he’s gonna bring it to you?”

“Because I asked for it!”

On the other side of the table, her mother clears her throat and comments, “She’s been asking for it for four months now.”

“Four months?” Josuke glances at the woman briefly before bringing his attention back to the little girl. “Well, now, Santa’s gotta know what you want for sure.”

Nodding gleefully, the girl’s mother beckons her over, subtly allowing Josuke to get back to eating. Earlier, she had nagged at her daughter about “hanging on him.” Not that he really minded much, though, finding it endearing.

And it isn’t until he turns back to you, immediately making eye contact once more, that it dawns on him that he’s quite endearing to you too.

Time flies by rather fast, and soon enough everyone’s gathered in the living room to open presents.

Considering the number of people present in the household, Josuke wasn’t surprised that the gifts opened were strictly the ones given by fellow family members instead of any sort of “Santa” gifts.

Regardless, he sat up straight once you finally reached for the gift he’d got you. Pride was written all over his face when you even complimented the wrapping he apparently did “all by himself” (Crazy Diamond did it for him).

It’s something small and sweet.

If you like wearing jewlery, he saved-up money in order to get you something he knew you’d love. If not, he instead opts to buy you something you’ve explicitly had your eye on for a while. Regardless of either, his face turned viciously red when you engulfed him in a tight hug in response.

Your own gift to him was something he would’ve likely cried tears of joy over if he weren’t surrounded by people he’d just met that night.

It’s a new pair of shoes, made by one of his favorite Italian brands. Just by the way he looked at them, you thought his eyes were going to pop out of their sockets. Similarly to you the hug you gave him, he wrapped his arms around you appreciatively. You relished in the feeling, ignoring some of your family members’ teasing.

Experiencing something this new and anticipated with Josuke melts everything else away. It’s more than enough to finally push you into proposing something to him that’s been on your mind all morning.

“Josuke,” you whispered to him, taking advantage of the fact others were still preoccupied unwrapping gifts, “I think I’m going to walk you home instead of having my parents drop you off.”

He thought he was going to faint right then and there. Yes, he would technically be going against his mother’s wishes by doing so, but just the feeling of your gentle breath brushing against his ear leaves him defenseless.

Without a second thought, he agrees:

Walking side-by-side, hand-in-hand, you and Josuke walked back to his house in a comfortable silence. The walk is short enough to justify doing so to your already exhausted parents, but long enough to let you two thoroughly enjoy being alone together.

Turning a corner, his house finally comes into view. And although your chilled fingertips are grateful to make it halfway through your walk, your heart drops.

He stops you at his front door, gently setting down the box containing his present on the paved stoop.

“Thank you for letting me spend Christmas with you,” he clears his throat, setting his gaze on your hand he’s still holding. Reaching out his other, he sandwiches it between both of his. “I had a lot of fun…”

His voice is soft, almost hesitant. If you were standing back a yard, you doubt you’d be able to hear him.

“Me too…” you nod, smiling.

Knowing him well enough by now to already know what he’s trying to get at, you use your free hand to cup his cold cheek. Leaning forward, you both press your lips against each other. Despite the chilliness, his lips are as inviting as ever.

Wrapping an arm around your lower back, he pulls you a step closer. The action deepens the kiss, lips moving against one another with vigor but not enough to be aggressive. A quiet sigh escapes his mouth, head light and spinning with bliss.

The kiss ends far too soon for either of your liking, but shy smiles and gentle giggles still fill the otherwise silent space after pulling away.

“Y’know…” he clears his throat, “My mother and I usually tend to wake up late on Christmas at this point. And if you wanna call your parents you can always use our phone, and uhm…”

“What’re you getting at Josuke?” you ask, tilting your head to the side.

“Uhm…” he rubs the back of his neck, avoiding eye contact, “Do you… wanna maybe stay over? We can just crash on the couch if you’d prefer. And again, you can call your family to make sure it’s okay. My mother’ll be mad but at only at me, so if you-“

“Josuke,” you cut him off, laughing. “Yes! Yes… I’d love to.”

Sighing in relief, he quickly whirls around and fumbles a bit trying to unlock the front door. “Good… would hate for you to freeze out here, after all!” he says, prompting you to giggle once more.

Josuke was in a hell of a lot of trouble later that morning, Tomoko nearly having a heart attack in mere surprise walking in on the both of you curled up on the couch. To him, it’s well worth getting to snuggle with you in the early hours of Christmas morning.

[boyplushie]

i feel so selfish but also im gonna start crying bc of this

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

A Moment's Surprise--Chapter 8

Whether it’s called an accident or the fates of the universe, you and Calum find yourselves taking on the next level of your relationship: parenthood.

Reader (Gender Neutral) X Calum. Multi-chapter Series.

Series Note: Across this series, pregnancy is discussed thoroughly. While I have made this series specifically a reader insert and have done my best to avoid coding for cis women, I am taking this moment to acknowledge that this content may not be suitable for every reader. I want to acknowledge even if I’ve been careful some things (like uteri) are still mentioned and if that causes you discomfort please DO NOT read this. You may keep scrolling (as there is a read more) / skip this as necessary.

Series Masterlist

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Epilogue

You look up over to the dresser. Though it’s far, you can tell Calum’s still in frame but something is happening just out of the lens of the camera. Through your earbuds, you catch his laughter and he starts to respond to someone--it might be Luke or Michael, you’re not really sure. You turn your attention back to your uncle who’s got his hands on his hip, assessing the mattress, bedframe, and the wall shelving unit that need to be taken out. It will be a slow process to build the room, but you wanted to get the room cleared before you felt like you might become utterly useless. 

“I think we should go mattress and frame first. I’ll take it down to the storage unit with Joy and then you can clear some of those shelves off. That way at least one of us is making progress on something,” your uncle proposes. 

The bedding was stripped last night. It’s a spare room that Calum made into a second guest room when he first got the house. But now it is time for it to face a new challenge. 

“And you said, you’re keeping that dresser, right?” Joy asks. 

You nod. “Yes.” From your ears, you hear Calum agree. “And it’s a yes from Calum too.” You tried having him over the speaker, but between you and the folks here and Calum at the venue there was a bit too much of an echo, so you volunteered to be the medium. 

“How hard is it to repurpose a dresser?” Calum asks. 

“Just have to sand it if it's not smooth and then paint it,” you return looking over to your phone. 

“We can do that when the Latin American leg ends, Mum and I. Or me and one of the boys. Whichever works,” he offers. 

You alert Joy and she nods. “Won’t be the first time,” she laughs. “But do you two know which color yet?”

“I like the darker blue, almost navy color. Calum likes the softer green. So one of those two,” you answer. “And the softer green would go better.”

“Like I said it would,” Calum interjects. You only wave him off at the remark.  

“So, bed first, then the shelves and we’re leaving the dresser? Asking for confirmation before I break out the power tools and then someone decides they can’t part,” your uncle teases. The room, and Calum, all agree to the plan. 

There’s other smaller furniture, a bedside table, some lighting fixtures and the rug that will need to be switched out. But all that’s small stuff that doesn’t worry you or Joy too much. You earn a pointed look from your uncle and he and Joy will get the mattress off and out of the room, but you could start disassembling the bed frame once they were out of the way. Before the work gets too much underway, you grab your phone off the dresser and then slip out of the room. 

“Be careful today,” Calum asks. He wanted to be there for the conversations about what was staying and what was being put up in storage. 

“We will be. Kick ass today on stage.”

He nods with a smile. “Only because you’re asking.”

You shake your head. “No, you’re talented beyond belief. When you come back home we’ll look at the paint and settle on a dresser color.”

“Sounds good. Let me know when you all get done, yeah?”

“You got it. Were you able to study today?”

“I will for a little bit after this call. But we do have soundcheck so not too much longer,” Calum returns. 

“I don’t want to impede too much. I’ll update you on anything and everything happening on this end.”

“Love you,” he offers softly. 

“Love you too, Cal.”

“Also the belly band is hot.”

You laugh. “Calum.”

He shrugs. “Felt like you should know.” He knows you bought it just to help support the baby and help relieve some of the pressure in your lower back. But none of that stops him from being honest with you. 

“Have I told you I loved you today?” you ask. 

“Some might say you have.” 

The giggles that leave Calum make your chest warm. “Well so all say I do: I love you. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Calum nods, “Love you too.” 

The call disconnects and you pause only long enough to get the phone and headphones in a safe place before you delve into the depths of the guestroom. Your uncle and Joy are already moving the mattress down the hall and you get to work to get bolts and screws out of the metal of the frame. The headboard is easy to get detached. The rest of it takes longer. But by the time your uncle comes back after getting the headboard back into his pickup, you and Joy have managed to get almost half of the bed frame disassembled. 

The work isn’t hard. Mostly tedious to make sure that all the screws and bolts get safely stashed away in case you and Calum do decide to use the furniture in the future. Though you wanted to opt to either donate or sell it, Calum wanted to save it just in case. It wasn’t worth the debate so you agreed to keep it though you did make it clear that you thought that in a year or two it would be worth reassessing. Would you and Calum be moving into  a bigger place? Would there be more children to consider? 

Duke whines from the crate in the master bedroom. You peek your head inside and he looks up at you, his big eyes unsure of why he’s not allowed to roam free. “I know it’s not fun bubbas. Just for a little bit longer,” you coo. You do wait just a bit longer to see if the whine is more like the need to be let out. But after a moment, Duke settles back down. 

Clearing the shelf didn’t seem like it would take too long. There were a few books, some decor to take down. But as you clear one shelf, you realize just how much you might have underestimated the few nicks knacks that found residency on the shelf. 

“Curse my inability to not buy decor,” you sigh. 

As you pull down books and vases, you wonder what else you will be putting up. Will there be certificates and diplomas? Will it be trophies and awards? What will this room become when your little boy is born and bouncing around in the world? 

You get about a third of the shelves cleared before Joy and your uncle return. When they do, they each take a portion of the shelf and clear it away with you. You tape up more boxes, separating out the books from decor, decor from Calum’s own memorabilia. You tuck those boxes into a corner once they are full. 

“Do you remember how he got this together?” Your uncle asks, wiping his forehead with an old white rag from his back pocket. 

“Well, unfortunately, Calum had it up before I knew him. From what I can tell, it’s bolted together with braces in the back but it’s not bolted to the wall,” you answer. 

“Is he performing right now?” Joy asks, trying to find a clock to gauge the time. 

“I know he said he was going to study and then he had soundcheck, but I think we might still have a couple hours. Worth calling,” you offer and then head back to the master bedroom to find your phone. 

It’s only a few swipes and clicks to find Calum’s name. You hold the phone to your ear, only dialing a phone call. It rings for a moment and then you can hear the call connecting. “Hey, love. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. We got the bed out. I’m calling because we’re a bit stumped on the shelves. Do you remember how you got them together?”

“Oh,” Calum starts. “Hm, that feels like ages ago. FaceTime me. I might remember something better if I see it.”

“One second.” You bring the video up and get the shelf into focus. “Can you see it?”

“Yeah, I can. If I remember correctly Ashton and I put braces on the back to attach the separate units together. And then each unit was just the sides and shelves screwed in really.”

Your uncle shimmies one side off the wall. “I can see braces. Shouldn’t be hard.”

“I knew I was forgetting something before I left,” Calum mutters. 

“What do you mean?” you ask. 

“I was going to leave some instructions, or see if I could dig out the ones that came with the units. I know I saved them. But I just didn’t get to it,” he answers. 

“No harm, no foul,” you return. “Thanks, we appreciate you remembering something. It was looking dire for your shelves.”

Calum laughs. “I mean, do what you must.”

Joy and your uncle take the charge of disassembling the shelving units. You try to keep up with the screws and brackets as they come. An hour later, the units themselves are completely disassembled. Though the plan was to get those to the storage unit today too, you offer to let that wait another day. It’s fine in the room and as long as the door stays closed you’re not worried about Duke getting into things he doesn’t need to get into. 

“Thank god,” your uncle laughs, sitting on the floor against the wall where the bed was just a few hours ago. “Thought you had me come all this way just to kill me.”

You only grin before responding, “Never. I’d wait until the job was done.”

Joy rests an arm around your shoulder. “As you should. Let’s order something, yeah? I’m too pooped to do anything else,” she laughs.

__________________________

By the time Calum returns from the Latin American leg of the tour, the guest room is merely a ghost. He spends just a few hours sorting through the stuff you boxed up and then decides to let the guys have first dibs should they want anything before it goes off for donation. And though it was barely two weeks that Calum was gone, he sees just how much time has actually gone. 

The barely hidden bump is now protruding more for you. His clothes never really hid anything unless you went for his severely oversized items and now those are just barely making the cut. In bed, two nights after Calum’s return, he settles next to your stomach, fingers lightly tracing over the more prominent stretch marks. “You’re getting so big, baby,” he whispers to your stomach. “Can’t wait to meet you. I can’t wait to sneak you your first ice cream before dinner, and scare away all the monsters from underneath your bed. Or maybe you’re not even scared of the dark. Yeah, you’re probably not.” 

You watch, back up against pillows and a book in hand as Calum lays on his side. He’s gone and bleached the strands. He called it one of his last ditch efforts to be young. It feels dramatic to you, but don’t impede his whims. Your fingers trail over his scalp, but you remain silent otherwise. 

“What’s going to be your favorite color, hmm? Maybe it goes in phases. Gonna prove dear old dad, right with green? Or maybe you’re just looking to prove me wrong? Going side with your matua, I bet. I hope you have their eyes. My cheeks though--it’s a just a Hood thing. You’ll understand when you’re older.”

The book’s no longer interesting and you shut it close just to listen to Calum. 

The place where his palm rests receives a small kick from the baby. “Oh, am I disturbing you?” he laughs. 

You stretch just a little to grab your phone that you placed beside you on the mattress. Once it’s in your grasps, you unlock it to take a video. 

“What do you think about football? And not that American kind, I mean like proper footie. Your pops almost went that route. Have I ever told you that?” Calum pauses and then nods, like he got an actual response. “I’ll have to tell you again when you’re out. But yeah, I almost went pro. You’d probably never believe me until I showed you a few tricks. But can I tell you a secret?” Another pause. “Doesn’t matter to me what you want to do really. I’m going to be there. You’re going to be sick of me showing you off, kid. But I already love you so much. That’s the secret really. You’re still growing in there and I already love you. And I always will.” Calum presses a kiss to the side of your stomach. 

You end the recording and try to get your phone tucked away discreetly. Not that the need to be covert really matters as Calum doesn’t even seem to notice as he snuggles in a little closer to you. From below you, you catch the slightly muffled warning, “Don’t fart, please,” Calum asks. 

“At this point, I can’t say I’m the one deciding,” you snort. 

Calum pops his head up, unsure if it was your laugh or not. “I still have shows, you know? I can’t afford to be in urgent care. My tour manager will kill me.”

With a wiggle of your fingers, you get Calum to sit up fully. “I’ll make sure to resuricate you.”

The kiss you two share is soft, but still manages to make your body warm as your fingers trail over his sides. Calum laughs into the kiss. “And you called me sex motivated.”

You drop your head onto the headboard, the fabric soft behind your skull. “Shut up.”

His kisses slide over your jaw. “Never.”

Tagging: @carma-fanficaddict @busstop @wonderlandiswhereitsatyo @fandomfoodiedancer @one-sweet-dream-about-you @sunflowercalum @icelily13 @markaylafruitcup @wiiildflowerrr

[bts-hyperfixation]

Thunderstorms

Jungkook x Y/N  gender neutral 

Teen audience

Request Prompt:  Jk was in bad mood and ask oc to leave him alone. The reader leaves and it starts to rain maniacally like a storm and stuff (oc is scared of this). Jk regrets doing so and starts looking for oc. Oc is in their home, too scared to even speak when jk found her

"I'm not in the mood Y/N." Jungkook frowns at you. You just thought he was being grumpy, in need of cheering up after a bad day. You thought maybe you could cheer him up with some sweets and a cuddle. Guess you were wrong. From the moment you walked into his apartment, it seemed like even your breathing was annoying to him.

"I was only trying to make you feel better Bun." You reach out to push a stray hair out of his eyes but he shakes you away.

"I didn't ask you to do that though." He grumbles, putting more distance between the two of you. 

"I know that... most people don't ask for someone to be nice to them, I just thought..."

"You thought wrong." He cuts you off. "Look Y/N I appreciate the attempt I do, but right now I just want you to leave." He rubs his palms into his eyes, missing the way your lip quivers.

"Fine, I'll go see what someone else is up to then..." You turn on your heel and march straight out of his home, not even checking if the door shut properly behind you. 

You drag your feet along the corridor, hoping that he'll run out behind you if only to apologise for kicking you out and ask you to go more politely. He doesn't come, though. The elevator dings and you step inside. 

Determined not to let him ruin your mood completely, you reach for your phone with the intention of finding someone else to hang out with. Sadly it seems no one is online to answer the message you sent to the group chat, already busy with other plans for their Saturday night. So, you sigh in defeat and decide to make your way home. Walking was supposed to give you time to think, and make you feel better about your day. Sadly the universe seemed to be a big fan of pathetic fallacy today.

A fat raindrop fell directly in the centre of your forehead as you reached the midway point of your trip. A purely residential area meant there was nowhere for you to hide from the storm forming around you. You try to keep your breathing steady as you walk a little faster, determined to get home and hide from cool. As the wind picks up, you reach for your phone, trying to remember if there had been anything on the news this morning about a thunderstorm. 

Ever since you were young, thunderstorms had bothered you, terrified you in fact. Each time the thunder rattled around your home you tried to rationalise and stay calm, knowing that you were safe and warm, but by the time the first bolt of lightning flashed through the windows you were shaking like a leaf. 

Your mother used to comfort you by playing loud music and stroking your hair, a method you'd tried to replicate for yourself since moving out of your parent's home. But it just didn't provide the same comfort when you were alone.

You click on every car ride app available on your phone, dismayed to find that none of them could offer you solace for over thirty minutes, you'd likely be in the eye of the storm by then.

The rain was coming down hard now, you could barely see ahead of you but you kept charging forward, humming to yourself to distract from the noise around you. The light jacket you opted to wear that day provided little cover from the rain. About half a mile away from home the first roll of thunder clapped around you. It echoed on the houses and down alleyways. You didn't wait for the lightning, breaking into a sprint in order to escape. 

By the time you reached your front door, you were shaking too much to open the lock. Tears had begun streaming down your cheeks as lightning flashed brightening up everything around you and making you jump. You stabbed the key blindly at the lock, desperate now to get it to work, but each attempt missed its target. More thunder brought you to your knees in fear. the cold wet ground immediately penetrating your soaked jeans. 

Eventually, the key slid into place and you crawled inside the safety of your home, barely getting the door shut before you collapse into the foetal position on the rug.

You lay they dripping for a long time. Every time your body tried to de-tense, your living room was once again lit brightly by the lightning. You started to lose all sense of the time. The rug below you was wringing wet. It was hard to tell if the shivers were from the cold or the fear at this point. You cried loudly as the front door swung open just as another bang of thunder rattled through the silent home. 

"Shit." You barely register Jungkook's voice as you curl further in on yourself. "Y/N? Y/N baby?" He kneels on the carpet and reaches out for your arm, trying to coax you out of your cocoon. When you don't move, he moves you. He drags you into a sitting position and leans you back against the wall. You keep yourself folded up, forehead on your knees. You just about register him scooting closer to you. He straddles you so you are surrounded by him, a hand placed on each shoulder to try and ground you. 

"Y/N I need you to look at me, I'm here now. I'm so sorry, you're safe now." Jungkook had seen you through a few storms by now, he knew exactly what they did to you. He'd rushed out to find you as soon as he saw the rain. He'd started texting your friends, hoping you weren't alone wherever you were. When he'ss met with a resounding chorus of no's he grabs his keys and sprinted to his car, driving slowly along the route he knew you took home. It's the only reason it took him so long to reach your home, terrified you have been stuck outside and alone just because he'd decided to be an asshole.

Driving up to your home only to find your lights off gave him a heart attack, especially when he noticed your keys still in the lock. 

He rubs soothing circles down your arms and begins to hum a song he knows you love in hopes that you'll join him. It takes a moment but your voice returns just enough to hum with him. It's not a lot but it's enough to help you bring your breathing back to normal. You peek up to look at him and are met with an encouraging smile. No longer frozen in place you launch forward into his embrace. His body wraps around yours, pulling you as close as physically possible.

"I'm so sorry baby." He whispers into your ear over and over as he rocks the two of you back and forth. Eventually the thunder and lightning come in longer intervals, the worst of the storm no longer above you. Sniffling you wipe your nose on your still wet sleeves and realise just how soaked the two of you were. Jungkook was shaking as the cold seeped through his clothes and into his skin but he refused to let go of you. 

Peeling back slowly, he releases his titan-like grip around you. His eyes search yours as he holds you at an arms-length, conducting a thorough inspection of your wellbeing.

"I'm okay," You assure him "We should get off the floor though..."

"And out of the wet clothes while we are at it." He agrees, pulling you up with him and grabbing your hand. He squeezes firmly and leads the way into your bedroom. He helps you undress down to your underwear and grabs a warm towel from the airing cupboard as you sit on the edge of the bed still a little numb. 

He drapes the towel around your shoulders before removing his own wet jumper. Then, carefully, he sits next to you. It suddenly seems like he is scared to touch you. Like you'll shatter the moment his skin makes contact. So you reach out for his hand yourself and lean in the crook of his neck. More than content to sit in the silence for a little while you close your eyes. Only to reopen them when you hear him sniffle.

"It's okay Kookie, I'm okay. I got a little scared and overreacted, it happens all the time, I'm okay now." You try to assuage his guilt.

"I never should've thrown you out. You would've never been alone. What if you get sick because of it? It'd be all my stupid fault." he wraps around you and pulls you into his lap. "My bad mood put you at risk." He litters kisses across your forehead until you swat him away.

"Just know that I don't blame you Kookie. Now can we just go to be? I'm really sleepy." You yawn to punctuate your point and he nods, wriggling up to the head of the bed the best he can without letting you go. 

"I'm going to spend all day tomorrow making it up to you." He promises as he flicks the light switch by your bed off.

"I'll keep you to that." You mumble back. He pulls you close and you let the warmth of his body seep into your skin, all the adrenaline finally leaving your body as you fall into a deep sleep.

Masterlist

[openheart12]

Tales of the Heart

A/N: I was so stoked when I found out TC was filmed in NC because it’s finally good for something dihgjkdgjls I’m trying to keep this as gender neutral as I can since I don’t tend to write fics with real people because I try to respect them, but I had this idea and wanted to write it. I’m not completely sure how I feel about it yet though lol but it should be a couple parts!! 

Summary: During filming for The Conjuring, reader is living their dream of being an actor. They didn’t think life could get much better, but then again, they never expected they would fall in love. 

WC: 1,314

Pairing: GN reader x Vera

You were in Wilmington, North Carolina for the filming of The Conjuring that you were just casted in. It was a movie based on the paranormal investigator couple Ed and Lorraine Warren. The movie itself was actually based on one of their real life cases that you had spent hours researching on to prepare for your role, however minor it was.

Acting has been a dream of yours since you were little. The red carpet had always excited you and now you were just that much closer to achieving your dream. 

It was late February and a cold chill was raising goose bumps on your arms. You were on the way to EUE/Screen Gems Studios where the first day of filming was taking place. You were told filming would take just a little over a month and you had planned accordingly, bringing almost your entire wardrobe, but it was better to be prepared than sorry.

At least that’s how you justified it. 

This was your first time in the state and you were taking in your surroundings. The window was down, your hair blowing in the wind as you did some last minute research on your phone. You pulled up the first article you found; 

The movie was based on the Perron family case, a family of seven who lived in Harrisville, Rhode Island. In January 1971, they moved into a farmhouse where they began to notice strange things happening. It started small, Carolyn, the mother, would notice that the broom went missing or seemed to move by itself, she’d hear something scraping against the kettle, and she’d find small piles of dirt in the center of the floor after cleaning it.

It wasn’t long before the children started to notice spirits around the house. 

Carolyn  researched the history of the house and discovered that it had been in the same family for eight generations and that many of them had died under mysterious and horrible circumstances. 

She found a woman by the name of Bathsheba Sherman who lived on the property in the mid-1800s. She was rumored to have been a Satanist and there was evidence that she was involved in the death of a neighbor’s child, though no trial ever took place. She was buried in a nearby Baptist cemetery in downtown Harrisville. 

The Perron’s believed it was Bathsheba’s spirit tormenting them. 

The Warren’s made multiple trips to investigate. At one point, Lorraine conducted a seance to contact the spirits that were possessing the family. However, during the seance, Carolyn became possessed, speaking in tongues and rising from the ground in her chair. After the seance, Roger kicked the Warren’s out worried about his wife’s mental stability. 

The family continued to live in the house until they were able to move in 1980, at which point the spirits were silenced and the hauntings ceased. 

You let out an involuntary shudder. As excited as you were, you were also nervous. You didn’t think that a horror movie would be the start of your career, not that you were complaining. 

The car pulled up in front of the studio and you got out, looking at the building standing before you. You thanked the driver and gave him the information of the hotel you would be staying at.

You straightened your shoulders and took a deep breath before making your way inside. The first thing you noticed was the noise and the chaos. There were hundreds of video equipment scattered around and more people than you’ve ever seen before cramped together. You weren’t exactly sure of what to do so you stood off to the side, in a private little corner.

You took in everything, from the people to the millions of lights that were already beginning to make your head hurt. And for a moment, just a moment, you began to doubt if you could do this or not.

“Hey, you okay?” A soft voice called out to you.

“I’m fine,” you replied, turning to look at the person and stopping in your tracks. The voice belonged to no one other than Vera Farmiga, the star of the movie you were here to film, your idol, and the woman you had a slight crush on. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a slight crush, but nonetheless, you stood there in shock. 

“I’m Vera,” she said, offering her hand to you. You took it with a shaky hand. Her hand was so much softer than you expected.

“I’m Y/N.” 

“It’s nice to meet you,” she smiled and you returned it, still standing there completely awestruck. You had seen every single movie she’s been in, she was one of the big reasons you wanted to go into acting and standing in front of her, you were speechless.

“Vera?” A male voice called and the two of you turned your head to see James Wan, the director, walking towards you. Yet again, you were awestruck. You loved his directing and Saw was a favorite of yours. “I need you and Patrick to start getting ready. We’re going to start the opening scene of the Warren’s.”

“Okay, perfect. James, this is Y/N,” Vera introduced you and you gave a small smile.

“Hey,” you offered.

“Hey, you’re playing the student at the university, right?”

You nodded, surprised he remembered your role.

“I don’t think we’re going to film your scene today, so if you just want to hang out and get to know the other cast members, that’s fine,” he said before going back to work, leaving you and Vera alone again.

“Maybe we can get together for dinner later?” She asked and you swear you heard her voice waver just a bit, but you played it off as your ears playing tricks on you.

“That’d be great!” You exclaimed, a wide grin on your face.

“It’s a date,” she winked, walking away. A slight blush adjourned your cheeks and you felt very hot. The chilly air from earlier was now gone.

The rest of the day passed by rather quickly, you had stayed on set getting to know the gist of things and of course watching Vera. 

She was captivating while in her element, doing what she loved. You were entranced by her beauty. You didn’t think that there were many people who could pull off clothes from the 70s quite like she did. She even caught you staring a couple times, smiling at you when she met your eyes.

You also saw Patrick Wilson, the other star and other half of the Warren couple. You noticed their chemistry right away and couldn’t help but think of how you wished it was you playing Vera’s significant other. 

When filming finished for the day, you headed to your hotel room to get ready for your “date.” You were giddy with excitement and bouncing with nerves. A million questions were going through your head: what would you wear? What would you two talk about? Would it be awkward? Where were you going to go? 

You weren’t familiar with the area and you didn’t know if she was or not. Dinner on the beach sounded nice to you, but maybe she didn’t like the beach or maybe she would change her mind. There were too many things unknown and your nerves were starting to get the better of you. 

Just then a knock sounded at your door and you went to look through the peephole to find Vera outside. You opened it and she smiled, leaning in to give you a hug. 

“You ready?” She asked.

“Ready,” you responded confidently. She held her hand out to you and you took it, heading downstairs to the waiting car. “Where are we going?” You asked once getting seated.

“You’ll see,” she smirked. 

You smiled at the things you still had to learn about her as you got settled in for the drive.

[nightlight-firelight]

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long wait! Art block (Or writing block?) is the worst and I’ve been busy. I’m also trying to make this a gender neutral story and I’m not too experienced on this so hopefully I’m doing ok so far! Now with that out of the way, on to chapter 2!

“Falling (in love) So Fast That I Can’t Even Think!”

Chapter 2

You take a second to realize that he was holding you a bit tight around the waist, and the silence of the tension began to build every second that neither of you moved.

“Hi?” You ask him. You mentally smacked yourself in the head for that comment. At this point of view, you can see that the, now real and very handsome doctor, eyes were a shade of blue that could take your breath away and-

“Oh, um,” Eggman studdered out a bit softer and less confident the what you have seen him in the show. “Hi.” He finally decided to look around at his predicament and examined your room.

“Where am I?” Eggman finally pulled you back onto the bed, creaking slightly from the unexpected new weight. Your mind finally snaps back into reality as the warmth from his hands fades from your hips, already missing the connection he had. You need to relax, and not freak out the poor man sitting on your bed.

“You’re in my room.” You finally managed to push the words out of your lips. His face turns to confusion and worries at all of the merchandise of not just his universe, but the main Sonic series as well. His mind mostly likely wandered into a ‘crazy fan’ mode and tried to back up. You perk up and lean back slightly, making sure to not fall off the bed this time, but also give him some space to relax. Ivo’s movements began to quicken as he still backs up, almost falling off the other side of the bed. He catches himself and looks at you with a face of slight panic and worry.

“What’s all this? Who are you and what-” You cut him off with a hand slightly raised, signaling to calm down and to relax. “Breath, please. I won’t hurt you.” You promised him as you instruct him through a breathing exercise. After a small bit of confusion between the two of you, you lead the poor man into your living room, hesitantly on his part, and led him down on your couch. Just walking into your kitchen to grab two white ceramic mugs, you hear him clear his throat.

“So, what’s going on?” You can feel his gaze on you as the first mug is filled with hot liquid, the steam coming from the filling mug as your brain thinks of what you should do. You switch mugs, taking out his mug for yours. You take a breath.

You’re in my house, and not in your multiverse.” Finally giving him some type of answer as his, at this point, huge bear paw-like hands, envelope the mug and took a small sip. You went to grab your mug as he commented on the choice of beverage you had given him.

“Hot Cocoa?” The question you as you at on the opposite side of the couch, holding what you liked to think, that at this moment was your liquid courage. You take a small sip and taste the liquid pooling into your body. You almost blush as you remembered the ‘CowBot’ episode where Eggman offered Sonic and Tails hot coco and messed with them, waiting for his machine to arrive.

“I thought you might like it.” You confess as he stairs back into his cup, pondering on his whole situation. He takes a breath and looks at you.

“Can you explain to me how I may have gotten here?” All you could do is nod as you start the long trek into the explanation of who is and on all of your knowledge on how he may have gotten here.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

The next few hours were, as you expected, emotional. You had to start with who you were, where he was, and leading him into the conversation that may or may not have caused way too much emotion for the both of you.

“So the main series follows Sonic and his friends, but mostly Sonic, throughout his adventures fighting his version of the doctor. There in the form of games.” He takes a sec and has a look that tells you to keep going. You explain all the story of how the franchise came to be from the nineties till the game you were kinda worried about. Sonic Adventure 2. You tell him the basic plot points and slowly explain how the Main Univers Doc’s Grandfather died along with his grandchild, Maira. He winces when you explain this and see that he’s shaking whenever the two popped up. When you explained that Shadow was made by his Grandfather, his mood perked up and he getting giddy and you have to admit, his cute squeal of figuring out that somewhere he could be related to one of the most powerful people on his island. You smile and after his cute reaction, keeps the conversation going with more information about the franchise. By the time you had reached the current point of the history of the franchise, the man had a lot of questions.

“So let me get this straight,” Eggman’s posture was lax as he was leaned back into the couch, making himself more at home for the time being. “You’re telling me that the main version of me has released a water monster god, a prototype of Shadow, that is a giant lizard, a god within the earth that’s made of darkness, and tried to play with time and space like it was a toy?” He questioned as he took another sip of his now lukewarm cup of cocoa, stroking his mustache pensively, looking at you for a reasonable answer on why he would do so. “Well the BioLizard thing wasn’t truly his fault, but the rest were planed. And I’m saying ‘planned’ with quotes because I don’t think for a second that he thought a few of those through.” You chuckle at the main Doc’s decisions. While you did think his plans were really good, sometimes you think he may have never really thought things through before going to start his plans. Doc downs the rest of his drink as you realized that your cup is still half full. He sets it on the counter in front of the two of you and leans back into your couch. You smile at the thought that he’s finally warming up to you. In all reality, he could take you down with a swing of his fist and run anytime, but having him trust you this much to serve him a drink and have a nice conversation did bring up some fuzzy feelings you have been trying to push down withing the last few hours.

“So I’m still confused, how did I get here?” Doc asks as he cracks his spin a bit to relax better. You take another sip of your dink and set your cup down. You look him in the eye with a bit of confusion. “I’m not sure. I just watch the DVD and you were the one to start seeing me, after the ending of your battle with Sonic and Tails, that white light appeared and you grabbed me before I fell off my bed.” You look towards him and blush a bit, your face now warm from the memory of the save. “Thank you for catching me, I don’t think a concussion would have helped the situation now, would it?” You try and make the small joke appealing to make it less awkward. He blushes and nods, a small ‘no problem’ slips from his lips as you can see he’s trying to not make eye contact and his cheeks, just slightly visible under his mustache, a small bit of warmth wraps around his cheeks. Your brain gets hit with a moment of clarity and you jump up from the couch and take a second to grab your DVD player from your room, bringing it back to him to study. “I’m not sure if this would help you get back home,” You start, “ But it’s a start.” You also hand him the note that came with the box along with the Sonic figure. He takes the figure first and rolls it over a bit, looking at the detail.

“So this figure and the note came along in the box with the DVDs?” He asked as he set the figure down as he grabbed the note. You blush and remember that wasn’t the only thing in the box. You almost had forgotten the figure of the living breathing man in front of you. You ask him to give you a second and hurry back to your room. Searching the room, you almost give up on finding the figure, until you spot it halfway under the bed. You bend over and grab the figure and examine it. It’s still the same figure, but less detailed now. It actually looks like how one of the box set figures is. Cheaply made and having a missing paint splotch here and there. It still was a good-looking figure though, just not as best made. You start your very slow pace back to the living room, taking a small bit of time to think about something. The Sonic figure was still the same as it was before the doctor arrived, why did the doctor change-. You stop mid-way in your hallway to finally piece a big puzzle together. The figure of the doctor was some type of catalyst for his arrival. Like a gateway to get here. ‘And now that the figure is back to normal, does that mean that the Sonic one-’ You didn’t finish that thought as you hurry back to the living room, the doctor just putting the not back onto the counter. He looks up as grabs the DVD player and sets it onto his lap. He smiles as you enter the room.

“ Hey, you ok?” He asks you as you sit back down next to him, gently grab the Sonic figure, cradling it with some care.

“I’m ok,” You answer with some melancholy in your voice. “It’s just that I’ve been thinking of something that just came to me.” You look over to him, Doc staring back, patiently waiting for you to continue. You take a breath and look him in the eyes. “The box set also came with a figure of you as well.” You explain as you gave him the small toy, his face going into a slight pout over the quality as he looks it over.

“I’m much more handsome than this.” He sulks over the craftsmanship of his figure compared to the one in your hand. You pat him on the back with your free hand, feeling him tense for a sec and then relax. You giggle at the line, remembering it from the 30th-anniversary comic. Your mood lightening up a bit at his reaction. “It was actually just as well made before you appeared in my room.” You explained as you rub your thumber gingerly over Sonic’s quills. Your mood dampens a bit. “I’m really thinking that the figure was the way-”

And a giant flash of white engulfed both of your eyesight. You scream as you feel a sense of weightlessness as you clutch the figure closer to you. Opening your eyes after that flashbang of light, as see that you’re in. You blink and take a look around. You try and gain a scene of where you were as you feel like you were falling down. You see Eggman trying his best not to scream as he is also in the same predicament as you. You look at this ‘tube’ as you decided to call it and take a look a the warping walls. They move with colors that remind you of the goop In Super Mario Sunshine. The colors of yellow, magenta, and white mixing together and making the whole experience feel like a trippy dip around a pipe. The tube had some slight aura to it as it was some type of fuzzy feeling in the back of your spine, not good but not unpleasant either. You look down past your now slightly screaming partner in crime to see a large warp ring that looked something right of the Sonic movie, looking to land right over some type of woods. You realized from the rate your accelerating from and the height from the ring to the ground would lead to more than a few broken bones.

Holding your breath and snaping your eyes closed as you wait for the pain to hit, the now cool air of the new land you arrived on pools into your skin as you want to feel at least a bit of joy knowing that right at the end, you feel cool. You never did feel the ground but instead a pair of arms holding you and the sensation of rocketing back up. Opening your eyes, you see Doc holding you again, having been lifted from the ground by two sleek black jetpack type of wings protruding from the back of his jacket. He looks down at you with a smirk and chuckles a bit.

“We have got to stop doing this.” He’s sarcastic, and the potential way of flirting, way of teasing sends you a bit more than tomato red in the face as you wonder if it’s the altitude of the comment that making it hard to think right at the moment. You almost didn’t hear him as he starts to talk.

“It looks like we’re flying over Seaside Island Jungle.” He starts to explain. “I’m going to fly us back to my lair and we can figure out from there what’s going on.” You look over his shoulder for a brief second to see the portal closing and finally dusting away with a puff of gold sparks. Looking back and see a breathtaking view, seeing the full grand scale of the island from up in the clouds. You can even start making out at sever locations from both seasons. You only think of what’s going to happen next when you see golden sparks emulate from your closed hands and feel a heavyweight in your arms and Doc quickly getting down to the ground, getting to be just at the end of ‘Nameless village’ as your reflexes grab on tightly to what you were holding onto. You both look down and see a very unconscious Sonic the Hedgehog in our arms. You look him over and inspect the teenager and see that he’s breathing, and in an ok shape. You look back at Doc and even he’s surprised by this addition to the group.

“Is he ok?”You question him as he gives Sonic a once over. You getting used to finally landing on the ground, stretching your legs after that small adventure.

‘He’ll be fine after some rest, but he looks exhausted.” Eggman questions as you scoop Sonic back up into your arms, being careful of his quills, making sure you don’t end up looking like a human banana peel. You look over at Doc and he looks like he’s, and you have to look a bit more closely at his expression because he looks, jealous? You ponder on that thought that the man might be jealous of the unconscious blue blur as the both of you set off into town, wondering where to go from here.

“Hey!” You hear a cry from in front of the, three? of you. You look up and see four multi-colored anthropomorphic animals. “What did the two of you do to Sonic?” Cried the two-tailed Kitsune. You see all three, with the exception of Amy, who at this point is trying to stop the trio, of Sonic’s friends close in around you. You give a panicked look to Doc as it dawned on you that Doc and yourself were about to be attacked by Tails, Knuckles, and Sticks.

Shit.

[binunus]

college bf!eunwoo

a/n I LOVE HIM !! I WOULD LITERALLY RISK IT ALL FOR HIM !! also rip to the disappointing hookup experience I had that made an appearance in this headcanon...yes I’m still angry about it.

→ pairing: eunwoo x f!reader

→ genre: smut, fluff, fwb to lovers

→ tw: hookup culture, mentions of drinking and drug use, implied almost SA, this is a bit heavy compared to the other ones like please be a cautious a little when you’re reading this

→ word count: 5.6k

_______________________________

here we go ladies and gents

i had something completely different planned for this

and it was super angsty and dramatic

but i had a monumental experience last night so I’m changing this up

and okay okay

i usually try to write all my stuff gender neutral but bc of the idea I have for some of this plot, it’s gonna be a female reader

im sorry to all my male identifying loves :(

and back to our regularly scheduled program

cha motherfuckin eunwoo

lee fuckin dongmin

he doesn’t go by dongmin, he prefers to go by eunwoo, only his family calls him dongmin

as soon as he stepped foot into the university, everyone knew him

and I mean everyone

he’s so attractive

but don’t get it twisted, eunwoo’s the humblest, sweetest bean

he gets very embarrassed when people compliment him for his looks

applied for random roommates his first year and got paired up with swimmer!bin

he and bin become besties and end up rooming together their entire college career

major: music performance, specialty in piano

most people (besides those in the music department or astro) would have never thought eunwoo was a music major, especially since he was incredibly smart and athletic too???

usually gets mistaken for a STEM major

often helps the boys (especially rocky and sanha) with their studies

and oof when he tries out for–and makes it into–the basketball team

everyone ???? floored

eunwoo has game on the court...now with dating??? eh not so much

(at least not sober shh)

he’s tried dating before, at least in the first year or so

the basketball team kept trying to set him up with people

but it never got anywhere substantial and eunwoo always trusted astro to really give the vibe check and no one ever passed

and so he settled for hookup culture every now and then

his emotions are guarded :’(

yes he’s very easy to talk to and always so nice and well mannered

but he’s only himself with astro

now, where do you come into this???

you’re a cheerleader

you and eunwoo know each other by association

you cheer for his home games, you’ve been in a couple of classes together, you’ve seen each other at parties

but would you call yourselves friends?? not really

now you know it’s highly unlikely for you to have a lasting boyfriend in college, especially with your affiliation as a cheerleader, so you also opt for hookup culture

less messy feelings, less drama, less commitment, all that fun

so the first time your paths really intertwine with eunwoo is at a party

the basketball team won a big game and they were out celebrating yuh

and ofc since it’s his team, eunwoo popped out

he only really attends parties hosted by the basketball team bc he feels a bit obligated to go LOL but he always brings swimmer!bin for support 

and it’s chill bc bin is also an athlete–yes it’s exclusive like that

but this time, bin couldn’t go so it’s just eunwoo hanging with his team

and yes, you can guess it, you and him get partnered up to play beer pong together!

that’s so cliche omg

but ah ha you hear your opponent, one of eunwoo’s teammates say to one of your fellow cheerleaders: don’t worry baby, I’ll carry you through this game

and you cringed a little ugh men

eunwoo turns to you like: ah sorry if we lose, it’s all luck with me. The guys usually pick to play me bc I’ll probably lose. I’ll drink the cups for you though if you want me to.

you get a little fired up, like aw why do they pick on him that’s not fair

you: well I’m not horrible at pong, so let’s try to crush em

he played pretty well ok! you both got balls back twice in a row right in the beginning

your team was on a roll

you and eunwoo won three games back to back

you were feeling a bit bloated and hazy from the beer that you and him had to drink, but you were still pretty self aware

and you and eunwoo were just chilling after playing the games, you two were on a pretty good wavelength and you wanted to continue it after joking around in between plays

alright now obviously you don’t go into these parties just strictly looking for a hookup, you go to have fun and let loose

but if the person and situation arises??? you wouldn’t necessarily turn it down, especially if that person was cha eunwoo

and yeah, eunwoo was entertaining the idea too, it’s been a while since he vibed with someone like he has with you

basically by the end of the night, you brought him back to your place–you’d rather eat shit than hook up at the basketball house, it was messy and musty and just nope

your place was closer than his

and ~yuh~

it was pretty damn good

he didn’t stay the night, bc well this was a hookup, so after you both had your fill it was a casual alright see you around!

oh lord the fuss your cheerleading team gave you at the next practice asking how your hookup with eunwoo was

the news spread like wildfire

eunwoo didn’t hook up very often so every time he did, it was like breaking news

which is honestly a bit fucked up, but seriously this is how college is

alright so your sex drive skyrocketed after fucking eunwoo 

you hook up with another guy at one of the following parties

but it didn’t compare to eunwoo rip so you were pretty disappointed

and you were sorta wondering like hm? should you hit him up? but decided against it 

and then! you saw him at the gym working out with literally all of astro

bin probably forced the other 4 to come with him and eunwoo sksksksk

and you were like shit why does he look so good

not gonna lie, just in case he was looking over, you tried to make your ass and tits pop out a bit more, you know squats and shit

unfortunately, it caught the attention of other guys at the gym and not eunwoo grrr

and you were literally just planning to stop being a coward and go up and talk to him, but a guy blocked your path

and he was lowkey being very creepy and way too close for your liking

but you weren’t having it, hell no you ain’t a damsel in distress

being a cheerleader taught you how to defend yourself against predatory men

so you were basically telling him to fuck off and leave you alone, but he was being really damn persistent about it

and just as the guy was about to put a hand on you, eunwoo steps in and he’s like: dude, she’s clearly not interested, fuck off.

after a bit of a stare off, the guy leaves and wow you’re face to face with eunwoo again hehehe

his eyes switch from a glare to a soft worried look and he’s like, hey are you okay?

and you’re like a little giddy, maybe also a little bit turned on bc he’s still like fresh from a workout, his hair was brushed back revealing his forehead, his arm muscles were really defined right now, and just he’s so hot? 

but you smile nonchalantly, you genuinely could have just slapped the shit out of the guy or kicked him right in the baby factory, but eunwoo stepping in was also a pleasant surprise, you weren’t complaining

you: yeah. I could have handled it, but thanks for helping

and he just grins, your confidence?? attractive

the two of you just like look at each other for a couple seconds and you’re yelling at yourself in your head like don’t cop out this is what you were waiting for !!

you: so...you’re here with your friends?

eunwoo: yeah, me and my roommate forced them to come work out with us haha. did you come by yourself?

you: yeah, I usually work out with my teammates, but I decided to come alone today

eunwoo nods and you see him like look at your neck and you immediately get a bit shy bc you knew there was a hickey there from your last (very disappointing) hookup: you’ve been having fun recently?

your face flushes: the last one was embarrassing really, so honest to god no

eunwoo: why was it embarrassing? if...you don’t mind me asking

you immediately facepalm: no, yeah I don’t mind telling you...ugh, eunwoo I was literally catfished. this guy really talked mad game about his dick and then when I agreed to hook up, he asked me to suck him off and it literally only took him less than ten minutes. and after he came, he just pulled up his pants and said “damn you give really good head” like the fuck? he didn’t even offer to return the favor or anything, and when I asked him “wait, are we gonna fuck?” he just said “maybe next time.” maYbE neXt tiMe?? I was played so hard, you have no idea how pissed I was, eunwoo. and now I have to wait for his dumb fucking hickey to heal so that I can literally just repress that hookup even happened.

his jaw literally dropped: he didn’t give you anything?

you shook your head, you were getting pissed again 

eunwoo couldn’t believe his ears, he glances back at astro for a second and then he clears his throat: well...what are you doing after the gym?

you: nothing, just going home and taking a shower. My roommate’s not gonna be home tonight so I’m probably gonna wallow in my sorrows about that hookup again

he laughs: well sounds like you have a fun night planned, but if you want some company?? I’d be more than happy to come over and help you forget about the sad disrespect of that hookup.

who said eunwoo couldn’t flirt ???

and he was thinking about hitting you up again too before but he didn’t wanna seem like a fuckboy or anything

but seeing you defend yourself against the guy?? lowkey was a bit of turn on for him

obviously you agreed hello

eunwoo going up to astro: so uh...imma head out first...I’ll see you guys later. :)

sanha: hyung so scandalous *O*

you and eunwoo fuck again

and after this time, the two of you have a little bit of pillow talk

basically you tell him that fucking him ruined all other guys for you bc he was just that good

and eunwoo usually gets shy from compliments, but his ego with this one??? he felt a bit proud ohohoho

and he’s like: honestly, you’re the only person I’ve fucked in six months, but I gotta agree that our sexual chemistry is pretty good

so where do you two go from there?

friends with benefits baby, full on fuck buddies

you both talk and agree that you two weren’t looking for relationships at the moment, but the sex was good

i’m gonna get into specifics later, but for now a little more plot

obviously, you and eunwoo talk a lot more now that you two were basically fucking each other at least once a week

the guys notice that he’s so much more?? carefree?? less stressed out?? ever since you and him started your little agreement

and they’re already scheming by themselves, like eunwoo would not get into a situation like this unless he trusted you as a person

and at first it was really just, call each other over, have sex, stay for a little bit longer, then leave

neither of you ever stayed the night bc that’s just an unspoken rule

until there was this one party, a group of people were in one of the rooms at the basketball house and they told you to come join them and ~do drugs~

don’t dabble kids, I’m serious

and you were chilling with eunwoo and bin for a bit until they called you over and you were like: wanna try too?

eunwoo and bin didn’t do it obviously, but you were curious so you went and told them you would be back in a bit

eunwoo was worried about you, bin could see it from a mile away

he kept glancing back at the room and one by one people started to come out, but none of them were you

bin nudging eunwoo: go check up on her

eunwoo opens the door to see you being like pinned down on the bed and he turns livid

he pulls the guy off you and punches him right in the face like: what the fuck do you think you’re doing? what did you give her?

you’re noticeably out of it, sobriety? not there

the guy basically laced something in the drug he gave you, omg you were roofied??

bin comes in and he literally has to hold eunwoo back from beating the shit out of the other guy

the two take you back to their apartment and were making sure that you didn’t die or something shit

literally cannot believe the first time you slept over at eunwoo’s place was when you were drugged up

you wake up the next morning, nauseous, body weak, and confused

eunwoo also wakes up because of your movement: hey y/n, are you okay?

you: eunwoo...what...what happened last night??

he sits up and gives you a recount of the party and you just like hug your body tightly when he brings up the drugs and start crying

he’s a bit shocked when he sees your tears, but he just pulls you in for a hug to try and comfort you, obviously that must have been a bit traumatic

eunwoo: hey...it’s okay...I’m just glad I checked up on you before something worse happened

you: I’m such a fucking idiot...I can’t believe I let myself get put in that situation again...no wonder people think I’m a just a dumb whore.

~trauma~

you and him spill your deepest darkest most traumatizing secrets that morning and you just feel more connected to him

you: I honestly never really told anyone...thanks eunwoo, you’re a good friend.

he feels more protective of you after that??

you start hanging around with him and astro more

and the guys really like having you around !!

you’re very easy to get along with, you also joke and tease eunwoo with them, they love you !

you even become really friendly with the other guys’ partners

about half a year into your fuck buddy relationship with eunwoo

everyone: why aren’t you dating y/n yet?

eunwoo: what do you mean?? we’re just friends...with benefits??

before you even know it, you’re spending literally all your time (when you’re not training or practicing or at class) with eunwoo and his friends

you sleep more at eunwoo’s than you do at your own apartment

honestly you two are already acting like a couple

except for the fact that you only kiss each other when you’re fucking, or you don’t hold hands in public, or you don’t say the L word to each other obviously

but the cuddles? the jokes? the hanging out? if you two are seen together there’s still a little form of physical touch––like a hand on the waist, or resting his elbow on your shoulder––something that tells other people that you two are a bit exclusive to each other

and maybe it’s because both of your emotional capacities when it comes to relationships are akin to a pubescent thirteen year old, but you and eunwoo?? don’t really realize that you’re both basically in love with each other

and it’s also the fact that catching feelings in a friends with benefits?? forbidden

but what if both people catch feelings?

you don’t realize you like eunwoo until a year of fucking each other

damn a year?? y’all really suppressed those romantic feelings hard

you and him were hanging out, per usual, but in the piano rooms of the music building

eunwoo had to practice his repertoire for an upcoming performance and you were free so you decided to come along and keep him company

you knew he was a music major and that he played piano, but you never actually heard him play

you were just chilling by the window, scrolling through your phone, and then he just starts playing and your jaw?? literally dropped

it was so intricate and fluid and elegant, you looked over to the keys and his hands just moved so expertly over them

you were put in a trance, it was so beautiful??

and then you look up and his concentration? seriousness? he has honestly never looked more attractive to you than in that moment

and then eunwoo meets your eyes and he smiles a little: is it bad?

you: no, you’re amazing actually...

and your stomach does a triple somersault and your cheeks start heating up, like why is your heart going haywire???

you start spacing out and obviously he notices

eunwoo calls your name and pats the space next to him on the piano bench

eunwoo: what are you thinking of, hm?

you: n-nothing. keep playing, I wanna hear more

and so he does and your heart just won’t chill out, especially now that you’re literally sitting mere centimeters apart from him

he’s still playing and you just can’t stop thinking about how much you want to kiss him–and not in a sexual way

and that honestly scared you, so you panicked and put your hand near his crotch

eunwoo jolts in surprise, but he doesn’t say anything, he just chuckles and continues playing

do you have sex in the piano room to try and distract yourself from whatever you were feeling? yeah

you hide your feelings for a little bit, but the more time you spent with him, the stronger they got, and you honestly didn’t know what to do

so you tried distancing yourself, you gave eunwoo the excuse that cheerleading competitions were coming up–which they were, so it wasn’t a complete lie–and you needed to focus and have time to yourself

it was so weird for you not seeing him and astro all the time, you barely responded to his text messages or calls, and when you saw him around campus, you would immediately try to avoid him, and it hurt but you were ~scared~

eunwoo’s a smart boy, he knew something was off with you

but after a week of trying to contact you, he didn’t wanna seem annoying or a bother, so he tried not to

even though all he wanted was to see you or talk to you, like it was beyond sex at this point

he missed you, he thought he was going to go insane

he didn’t realize his feelings for you until he saw you talking to a guy in the athletic building

he had basketball practice, and you just finished your cheerleading practice

you were talking to this one guy from your philosophy class, basically joking around and talking shit about your professor

and eunwoo saw you smile at something the guy said and he just felt jealous

his fists clenched, he hated seeing you smile and laugh with the guy like how you used to do with him

and it also didn’t help that you and him haven’t really talked in two or three weeks and he just missed you so much :(

he tried not to think about it during his practice, but it didn’t work, he was off his game for this one, even his teammates and coach noticed it

he went back to his place after practice and called over the boys and basically vented his frustrations

jin: eunwoo. you like y/n

eunwoo: I know...fuck what do I do

bin: tell her, obviously

eunwoo: and risk our?? friendship??

myungjun: you’re a fucking idiot if you don’t see that she likes you back

rocky: yeah...I mean why else do you think noona started distancing herself from you?

eunwoo: maybe I’m just feeling like this because we haven’t met up in a while and I saw her talking to that guy and I don’t know? I’m horny?

sanha: hyung...you sound indenial and jealous.

bin: you like her. we’re surprised you didn’t realize this earlier.

anyway, the day of the competition comes, and the guys and their partners decide to pop out and support you

and seeing them actually made you feel so warm, you wave at them brightly and you meet eyes with eunwoo and you smile at him even though the butterflies are back and at full force

the group is so proud watching you and your team compete, their cheers are debatably the loudest and you literally have to stop yourself from laughing in the middle of your routine

your school places first yuh

and after talking with your team and discussing celebration plans, you go to the group

you were having such an adrenaline rush, you immediately run up to eunwoo in a crushing hug and you kiss him

eunwoo doesn’t even hesitate to kiss you back

astro and them: ohohoho hey

you: I’m so happy you all came! I can’t believe we actually won!

you were going to celebrate with your team bc you knew they were throwing a party, but celebrating with eunwoo and astro/their partners seemed way more appealing to you

you all go out to dinner and drink a little bit casually and it’s all such good vibes

you missed hanging around with them all and it just felt so right

eunwoo rested his hand on your thigh the whole time throughout dinner, he missed you alright, and just seeing you so happy with all his friends? he was hooked

when the group parts ways, it’s just you and eunwoo heading back to his place bc bin is spending the night at his partner’s apartment

and honestly the tension is so thick between you two

you barely make it past the door before you’re both latched onto each other, making out and all that steamy stuff

after you have sex, the two of you are having that post-sex cuddle in his bed and your heart is pounding so loud

you: hey...I’m sorry if it was weird that I kissed you earlier at the venue, I don’t really know what came over me, I was just so glad to see you guys

eunwoo: you don’t have to apologize for that y/n...I missed you

you roll around so that your back is to him bc you do not have the strength to look at him in the eyes right now

eunwoo hugs your waist and pulls you in his chest, he’s spooning you and he has no plans on letting you go any time soon

you: uh...eunwoo, I-we-uh maybe we should stop this...thing from going any further

he literally freezes: ...did I do something wrong?

you: no! it’s...I...fuck I don’t know how to say this...I know we’ve been hooking up for a year but just recently I...think I have feelings for you...and it’s not fair for either of us to continue this if we’re not on the same page.

eunwoo: y/n, I–

you’re rambling now, you’re scared of what he has to say: and honestly you’ve become someone I really don’t wanna lose in my life. You’re an amazing person and friend, and I don’t wanna fuck that up by having feelings for you, especially since you probably don’t feel the same. I just...can’t have casual sex with you anymore...I’m sorry, it would break me.

you’re like trying to get up and you tell him that you’re going to go to the party your team’s hosting but he just tightens his grip

eunwoo: don’t go...please

you: eunwoo, I can’t stay here–

eunwoo: you don’t even know what I feel, y/n...why are you so sure that I don’t feel the same way as you?? because I do...honest to god, y/n, I like you so fucking much. the month that you didn’t talk to me was like hell and I don’t ever wanna experience that again. I missed you so much I thought I was going crazy...please don’t go.

you roll around and face him again

you: y-you like me? you’re not just saying that because you want to keep having sex?

eunwoo: I’m not just saying that because of the sex...I promise

you: so...what does that make us now?

eunwoo: well would you do me the honors and be my girlfriend?

god finally you two are dating

you realize that not much really changes after the two of you make it official

the pda does increase though, you actually hold hands and kiss each other in public now

and you two are more cutesy with each other

yes astro pretends to gag whenever they see you act all coupley

petnames!! you call each other baby, sometimes you call him minnie!! as in dongminnie !! im screaming!!

a poster couple, the basketball player and the cheerleader

literally when you’re both wearing your uniforms and you kiss each other, it’s like one of those teen movies

lots of forehead kisses especially right before bed

eunwoo’s a clingy cuddly boy, especially now that you two are together

lots of study dates?? he is a scholar after all

you’re each other’s biggest supporters !! you always go to all of his recitals and basketball games, he always goes to your competitions

he’s very soft okay, will never stop showing you off or telling you how much you mean to him and how much he loves you

the first I love you came shortly in the relationship, and that’s because you’ve known each other a year prior and the feelings were really just building up since then

you were in the piano room again and he was just playing for fun, but you always loved hearing him ~tickle those ivories~

he was playing a song and singing along and you swear you had heart eyes for him, his voice was so soft and gentle and just wow

you’re sitting next to him and you just hug his waist while he’s playing

eunwoo’s smiling so wide and then he’s singing to you 

he doesn’t even get to finish the song, because you’re grabbing his face and kissing him 

he’s laughing in between kisses and you can’t help but laugh with him

grrr he’s so cute!

and then you two are just looking at each other

eunwoo: hm? 

you: I love you, minnie

he doesn’t miss a beat: I love you too, y/n

you and him have a lot of deep talks together, especially right before bed

it’s the time when he can just let out all the frustrations of the day and just be with you

he actually holds a lot of pressure and worries, but knowing that you’re by his side, comforts him a lot

the two of you have so many pictures together it’s so cute

eunwoo’s a bit possessive alright, not in the toxic way, but will he tighten his grip on your waist if a guy seems to be getting a little too friendly with you? yeah

not gonna lie, you get possessive too, it’s hard especially if your boyfriend is cha eunwoo, he’s the fucking perfect package god dammit

you both tell each other that you don’t have to worry about other people bc y’all are just both so whipped for each other

but it’s still cute when either of you are jealous

he’s actually pretty into couple items, but it has to be like minimalistic-style

like matching plain color hoodies or matching pajama sets

will not wear a “he’s mine, she’s mine” shirt or something

but it’s okay bc neither would you sksksk

will he wink at you if he makes a three pointer during his game? yeah.

literally loves when you wear his clothes or fuck, his jersey?? a turn on

and here we go !! I’ve been talking about sex so much but let’s get into it !!

in the beginning, like before you two started dating, when it was just your fuck buddy friendship, it was sexy

and not saying that it’s not sexy now that you two were in a relationship, but before it was just lust

eunwoo’s a freak alright, you can’t convince me otherwise

he’s a little kinky

definitely into food play, you two use whipped cream during foreplay a little too much...

100% into anal

you know how much he loves ass, has a very nice ass himself

and we already been knew, but yes he’s an ass guy

s p a n k i n g

eunwoo seeing you in your cheerleading skirt? immediate turn on

will literally fuck you while you’re wearing your skirt...just your skirt.

alright alright, you have a hand kink...was it awoken by watching eunwoo play piano all the time? yes

does eunwoo use that to his advantage? yes

the amount of times he’s fingered you??? vaginal and anal??? lord have mercy

very much into overstimulation, will keep fingering you until you squirt

and yes im bringing back my the choking kink

literally if his hands make any contact with your neck area, even when he’s just kissing, you will drench

but ugh you and eunwoo making out and you know how he like cups the back of the neck?? i know y’all have seen it from the true beauty kiss scenes, and then it gets heated and his grip just moves to the front and squeezes and when your mouth opens in a gasp, he shoves his tongue down your throat

that’s so sexy

do you like choking on his cock? probably more than you should

does he make you deep throat until tears are literally streaming down your face? most definitely

he loves marking you?? it’s just a tell tale way to show everyone you’re his

he’s a bit feisty...will he manhandle you during sex?? yeah

eunwoo is a dom. I am 100% convinced that he is a dom, you won’t be domming him honey

daddy and babygirl kink...I said it...

okay he’s a bit of an exhibitionist...would probably be down to have sex anywhere as long as you don’t get caught

piano room sex? locker room sex? library sex? movie theater sex? restaurant bathroom sex? yes you’ve done it all

will he finger you while you guys are having a movie night with the guys? yeah

eunwoo’s a tease, he’s a little shit, will tease you until you’re literally in tears begging for him to just do something

favorite position is doggy, it’s the view of the ass for him

although you two both do like experimenting different positions, especially if it has to do with “training your flexibility”

will pull your hair while he’s fucking you from behind, and will plug your asshole with his thumb–don’t knock it until you try it...it’s...a pretty good feeling

sometimes wakes you up by eating you out

very much a giver ugh king

the type to grip your thighs tighter when you try to push him away from overstimulation just to force another orgasm out of you

believe it or not, he’s a gasper/grunter/groaner

nothing is hotter than hearing eunwoo groan right when he’s about to cum oooof grrrr bark bark

okay but soft gentle sex with eunwoo is so passionate

all you feel is the love and sincerity, especially when he’s just looking in your eyes

the love making happens a lot more obviously when you start dating

he’s just so in love with you alright

gives the best and sweetest after care ugh

cleans you up, gives you massages especially if it was a rough session, cuddles you, draws you a bath, brings you water, everything

always makes sure to tell you he loves you after sex

i would risk it all for eunwoo like please ruin my life

anyway

ugh I just wanna put the idea of protective eunwoo during a party in your head

his hand is always on you. waist, thigh, shoulder, anywhere casually

you don’t fight?? but you do argue

arguing is healthy, and you both would rather let it out and bicker with each other in the moment than let it bottle in and build up into something worse

but when you do have a disagreement, no matter how big or small, you two always make sure to never go to bed angry with each other

communication is very important for the both of you

you’re his better half :’) all the things eunwoo struggles with, you help him with it and vice versa

he figured out you were the one for him during one of your deep late night pillow talks

he was worried about what he’d do in the future after graduating, like he was genuinely having a crisis about it

but you just talked so calmly to him: baby, no matter where you end up after graduation or what you end up doing, you’re going to be fine. You’re such a hard worker and I know that you’ll succeed...no matter what, I’ll be here for you minnie. I believe in you, you’re future is going to be great.

and he just kisses you so sweetly: will you be in my future, baby?

you’re smiling and you just giggle at him: if you want me to be...I’d love to be a part of it.

ugh y’all are so whipped for each other !!

astro always teasing you two, even when you’re all older

you and eunwoo are equally ticklish so basically y’all are fucked when they wanna mess with you

both of your families love you and him instantly

they push marriage immediately after you both graduate college

even astro’s like: we know you two are probably gonna tie the knot first...when’s the wedding?

not gonna lie, you and eunwoo probably get married probably 2-3 years after college, pretty young age

sidenote: eunwoo 100% cries at your wedding, especially when he sees you walking down the isle in your dress

and he has huge baby fever so you bet y’all had kids fairly young too

the best dad !! ugh he loves kids !! ugh so domestic

im just gonna say, y’all have beautiful children

trusts bin and jinjin to babysit your kids the most...he’s scared of the rest of the boys watching over his children

anyway eunwoo literally deserves the world and I just?? love him so much?? happy ending yay hehe

_________________________________________

2-21-21

[jenojaemssss]

happier

synopsis: in which mark was happier with you.

pairing: mark x reader (i attempted to write the mc as gender neutral, so lmk if there are any tips on how to be more considerate! i wanna be able to write as inclusively as possible heh)

genre/category: angst, exes!au

word count: 2.4k

a/n: i have an assignment due in like 20 minutes (so i did not get a chance to proofread!!) but i got distracted thinking about mark while listening to my 2017 simp playlist :D so here's a mini-fic (that was supposed to be a drabble) based on this song!

I saw you walk inside a bar.

When Mark looked up from the almost-empty bottle sitting in front of him, he didn’t expect to be greeted by the sight of you. But what caught him even more off guard was that you were entering the bar hand in hand with someone new.

You, not yet noticing your past lover's hunched figure, walk towards a set of empty bar stools, another man's arms wrapped around your waist like possessive belt. Mark began to stare then. He stared at what used to be his reason. What used to be the one who'd wake him up in the morning, who used to be his reason for coming home when the days were too long, yet somehow eventually bled into nights. He continued to stare at what had been his true source of happiness.

In his eyes, you still were. You were his only radiating source of light that made him feel warm. You were his comfort, like a warm blanket during a rainy day, or an iced tea when the weather was too hot to do anything else but lounge around the house with all fans on full blast.

He said something to make you laugh.

Mark noticed how the one that accompanied you looked at you with a small spark in his eyes as you cover your mouth in attempts to shield your erupting laughter. That was a cute habit of yours when you laughed, and he used to stare at you the same way; he was staring at you almost identically as he's sat across the bar at that moment. The only difference now was that Mark stopped being the reason for your bright smiles and warm laughter.

I noticed how both your smiles were twice as wide as ours.

The first encounter between the two of you would forever be engraved in the mind of Mark Lee.

He was walking around a lake during a camping trip with a few of his friends, mindlessly swinging his arms around to cool off. Mid swing, though, he made contact with something he later found out was your face. He apologized so many times that you had almost busted a lung laughing at the poor boy's terrified features.

Soon, Mark joined you, laughing in harmony because apparently being smacked in the face by someone was the funniest thing to the both of you. Mark proceeded to awkwardly ask for your contact information, hoping to make up for the mishap, and you complied because the man was so darn cute.

One meet-up (he never specified it as a date) turned into two, which turned into three, and soon, you were seeing each other everyday in a small cafe hidden within the corners of your shared campus.

The two of you attended the same university, but due to being in different departments, there was never really a chance to come across one another while running to your next classes, but this cafe was the one spot you two had in common.

The cafe meetings soon turned into cafe dates (he clarified this time that they were in fact, dates), and soon enough, you were both head over heels in love, moving in together as you approached your final years of college.

Mark and your's relationship wasn't perfect, but it was always so much fun. Mark was always able to make you laugh because of how awkward he was, and one time you to left him behind on a trip to the grocery store because he was so embarrassing, making stupid puns at the poor worker just trying to stock the shelves of the cereal aisle. That day, you bought a watermelon the size of both your heads combined to make up for leaving him behind.

Mark bitterly smiled at his recollection. That was one of the last times he and you were able to smile together.

You looked happier.

The last time Mark saw you, it was on a sunny, Saturday afternoon. You were on your way back from a trip to your local convenience store, bags of chips, a tub of ice cream, and boxes of candy spilling out of the watermelon themed reusable bag he had left behind after moving out. You were still wearing his hoodie, then. He left that behind for you too.

It made him smile, knowing that you kept it.

Ain't nobody hurt you like I hurt you.

You felt as though you couldn't breathe. When you entered Mark and your shared apartment, you sensed that something was wrong; that something was missing from your normally warm environment. Mark and you have been arguing more frequently recently, and the night before, it was the worst it had been in years.

Mark had been going out later into the night, sleeping on couches of friend's houses more than in his own bed. Your shared bed. You more often than not woke up to nothing, the radiating warmth missing from your side.

You'd had enough of it, and confronted the man when he walked into the apartment at 2 am. Words spewed from either side, along the lines of "I'm sick of this" and "What is there to be sick of?" Mark ended up sleeping on the couch that night while you cried yourself to sleep, clutching Mark's pillow and attempting to hold onto what used to be the warm, delightful love of your life.

The next day when you woke up, he was gone. He texted you saying he had to leave early for work and that you should go ahead and start your day without him, and you did. You began planning ways to talk things out, to fix things with Mark over a nice dinner.

You set your plan to action and made your way to the local market. When you returned home and stepped foot into the kitchen, though, your eyes landed on a small note placed right in the center of the dining table. Written on that note in Mark's sloppy handwriting were the words, "I'm sorry, but I need to clear my head."

You dropped the note and ran into your bedroom, only to see that Mark had taken almost half of his belongings from the cramped space, along with one of the suitcases the two of you placed behind the closet when you first moved in. He was gone.

But ain't nobody love you like I do.

He'd been gone for about 10 days when you receive a call from Donghyuck. The brown-haired boy informed you that Mark has been sleeping on his couch for over a week and would be stopping by within the next few days to take up all of his friend's belongings he'd left behind.

You hummed, almost numbly, and before hanging up, you mustered up the courage to ask Donghyuck if Mark was currently there with him. He hummed in response, and you mumbled a good before dropping the line completely, falling to your knees and sobbing until you no longer had tears to let fall.

You were broken, and it was all because of Mark, yet a piece of you continuously hoped and prayed that he was safe. That he was living in a proper home with a place to sleep, and that he wasn't too cold because he often got cold very easily.

Mark, on the other end of the line, was silently holding in his cries as his best friend hung up the phone, disconnecting him from his one true love. Mark never intended to hurt you the way that he did, but in his mind, because he loved you so much, too much, he had to let you go.

He was noticing how much he was holding you back, from job opportunities to your social life, he believed he was the reason. He was the reason you declined the job offer in the neighboring city because that meant you'd have to either move out or drag Mark with you, and you chose on neither and stayed. He was the reason you never left the house on weekends because only then was he ever home. He was the reason you had bags under your eyes, he soon realized.

You'd been staying up night after night, waiting for him to come home. You'd been crying because he would come home with bags darker than yours. You'd been losing sleep because you spent too much of your time worrying about him.

He was holding you back by loving you.

So he decided to let you go.

Promise that I will not take it personal, baby.

A few months have passed and Mark's finally settled down in a new place in the town you had rejected the job offer from all those months ago. A part of him wished that moving away would offer you closure, knowing that Donghyuck explained his side of the story to you. Mark wanted so badly to be the one who spoke to you that day, but he was afraid of the confrontation. He was scared he'd break and hold you into his arms and promise to never let you go, bringing himself and you back into the endless loop.

So he left. He moved away and had Donghyuck clean up the mess he'd made. Mark owes him one.

The other part of him, though, hoped that you contacted the agency that offered you the job all those months ago. The selfish part of him prayed that the agency granted your request and offered you the job you passed up on in this new city. He hoped that you and him could start over in a different setting, and maybe a few years from now, run into each other again. You'd be in better places in your lives and the two of you could start over.

He knew he was hoping for too much, but oh a man can dream.

If you're moving on with someone new.

Mark was brought back to the present when he hears a loud shattering of glass. He averted his eyes towards the source of the ruckus and landed his eyes on you. He noticed how your eyes grew into large saucers when he displayed similar shocked features.

Shit.

He quickly and clumsily packed up his belongings as he waved down one of the waiters, asking for the tab. Noticing Mark's shaken composure accompanied by the glares being sent in his direction from the other side of the bar, the waiter sympathetically printed out the bill as fast as he could and didn't let out a peep when Mark underpaid about 10 bucks.

Mark rushed out of the bar, only to be caught by the sound of your voice calling out to him.

"Don't you dare run away." The voice was cold.

"Not again, Mark." It was almost shaking.

You caught up to the man. He turned around, slowly, wishing that this was all just a messed up dream, and the alcohol was only playing tricks with his mind.

Indeed, though, this was his reality. Mark remained silent, only staring at his feet as you approached him.

"Look at me," your voice was softer now, but he noticed the stern edge laced within your words. You were never one to raise your voice, not even when Mark would spew incredulous things at you during an argument. You were always calm.

Mark shifted his gaze from the ground towards your face and noticed you looked wiser. He noticed how your soft features were now more sharp. He noticed how you wore your hair differently. He noticed how you'd ditched your casual jeans and a shirt for something more business-casual. He noticed how your aura had changed into something more serious. He noticed every little change about you.

He also noticed how, beneath all the physical changes, you were still you. You still had the same stars in your eyes. You still had his favorite scent. You still had the same quip in your lip when you spoke. You still had the same smile.

You were smiling at him.

Mark finally managed to meet your eyes, and as you opened your mouth to speak, he cut you off before you could get a sound out.

"You look happier."

Your smile dropped a bit at his observation. He was right, you were happier than you were after the breakup. But you were happier when you were with him. Using other men to distract yourself from Mark worked for a while, but it was never the same.

It's been over a year, and you still missed him. You missed everything about Mark; his smile, his laugh, his posture when he was furiously typing away at his keyboard because he had an essay due in 10 minutes. You missed the way he'd sing to you at night when you woke up from a nightmare, and the way he'd pet down your hair when the two of you wake up in each other's arms after a nap.

And although you missed him, a part of you was still angry at him. Angry that he left without an explanation, and had Donghyuck be the bearer of bad news that he wanted you to be happier. That he wanted you to have a life not revolving around him and his actions.

A part of you hated how he was so selfish, and how he never looked to you for his decision. Yet the other, wiser, part of you was thankful. Thankful that he cared about you enough to let you go, cared about you enough to put your priorities above his own feelings for once. Most importantly, you were thankful that he was your first heartbreak.

Before he was the boy who broke your heart, he was a friend.

You tilt your head a bit sideways, plastered another smile and nodded in response.

"It's a process."

He smiled back, toothy grin warming your heart. "I'm glad you're doing okay."

Maybe it was the universe finally hearing Mark's wishes of starting over, or maybe it was just a mere coincidence that you ran into each other that day. But nonetheless, the encounter made him realize one thing.

"I was happier with you."

[fyeah-bangtan7]

The Boundless Optimism of BTS

IT IS THE MORNING OF CHUSEOK, A KOREAN HARVEST FESTIVAL akin to Thanksgiving, and the members of BTS would normally be spending it with their families, eating tteokguk, a traditional rice-cake soup. Instead, Jin, 28; Suga, 27; J-Hope, 26; RM, 26; Jimin, 25; V, 24; and Jung Kook, 23, are working. Practicing. Honing their choreography. In a few days, the biggest musical act in the world will perform in the live-stream concert that, for now, will have to stand in for the massive tour they spent the first part of this year rehearsing. At this moment, they’re seated inside Big Hit Entertainment headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, the house they built, dressed mostly in black and white, ready to answer my questions. They’re gracious about it. And groggy.

Before I’m done speaking with them for this story, BTS will have the number-one and number-two songs on the BillboardHot 100, a feat that’s been achieved only a handful of times in the sixty-odd years the chart has existed. Their next album, Be, is weeks away from being released, and speculation about the record, the tracklist, the statement, is rampant across the Internet. BTS are, to put it mildly, huge.

There is something about complete world domination that can really cement a friendship. What jumps out at me as I connect with the members of BTS is their level of comfort with one another. Tension has a way of making itself evident—even over Zoom, even through a translator. There’s none to be found here. They are relaxed in the manner of family. Lounging with their arms around each other’s shoulders, tugging on each other’s sleeves, fixing each other’s collars. When they speak about one another, it is with kindness.

“Jimin has a particular passion for the stage and really thinks about performance, and in that sense, there are many things to learn from him,” J-Hope says. “Despite all the things he has accomplished, he still tries his best and brings something new to the table, and I really want to applaud him for that.”

“Thank you for saying all these things about me,” Jimin responds.

Jimin turns his attention to V, explaining that he is “loved by so many” and describing him as one of his best friends. Suga jumps in, sharing that Jimin and V fight the most among the group. V replies, “We haven’t fought in three years!” They tell me this distinction now belongs to Jin and Jung Kook, the oldest and youngest members. “It all starts as a joke, but then it gets serious,” Jimin says.

Jin agrees and recounts what their arguments sound like. “Why did you hit me so hard?” he says, before mimicking Jung Kook’s response: “I didn’t hit you that hard.” And then they start hitting each other. But not that hard.

Since the start of their careers, BTS have shown a certain confidence in their aesthetic, their performances, and their music videos. It’s right there in the name: BTS stands for “Bangtan Sonyeondan,” which translates to “Bulletproof Boy Scouts,” but as their popularity grew in English-speaking markets, the acronym was retrofitted to mean “Beyond the Scene,” which Big Hit has described as “symbolizing youth who don’t settle for their current reality and instead open the door and go forward to achieve growth.” And their affection with one another, their vulnerability and emotional openness in their lives and in their lyrics, strikes me as more grown-up and masculine than all the frantic and perpetual box-checking and tone-policing that American boys force themselves and their peers to do. It looks like the future.

“There is this culture where masculinity is defined by certain emotions, characteristics. I’m not fond of these expressions,” Suga tells me. “What does being masculine mean? People’s conditions vary day by day. Sometimes you’re in a good condition; sometimes you aren’t. Based on that, you get an idea of your physical health. And that same thing applies mentally. Some days you’re in a good state; sometimes you’re not. Many pretend to be okay, saying that they’re not ‘weak,’ as if that would make you a weak person. I don’t think that’s right. People won’t say you’re a weak person if your physical condition is not that good. It should be the same for the mental condition as well. Society should be more understanding.”

When I hear these words in October 2020, from my house in a country whose leader is actively trying to make the case that only the weak die of COVID-19, well, it sounds like the future, too.

IF YOU ARE JUST NOW CONSIDERING GETTING INTO BTS, IT IS natural to feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff. It’s a bit like saying, right this second, “Let’s see what Marvel Comics is all about.” In the streaming age, BTS have sold more than twenty million physical units across fourteen albums. Their multi-album concept cycles, The Most Beautiful Moment in Life, Love Yourself, and Map of the Soul, have unfolded over multiple records and EPs. There are collaborations with brands, including a BTS smartphone with Samsung. There is a series of short films and music videos, called BU, or BTS Universe, and an animated universe called BT21, in which they’re all represented by gender-neutral avatars. Their fan base, known as ARMY, is a global cultural movement unto itself.

“Dynamite,” their first English-language single and their first American number one, is pure, ecstatic pop. Shiny and joyful. What sets them apart from many of their peers, and many of the pop acts who achieved worldwide fame before them, is what came earlier. Beneath the sheen and the beats has always been an unflinching examination of human emotion. Their lyrics seek to challenge the conventions of society—to question and even denounce them. BTS’s first single, “No More Dream,” unveiled at their debut showcase in June 2013, concerns the intense pressure South Korean schoolchildren face to conform and to succeed. According to Suga, lyrics about the mental health of young people were mostly absent in Korean pop music. “The reason I started making music is because I grew up listening for lyrics that speak about dreams, hopes, and social issues,” he tells me. “It just came naturally to me when making music.”

Suga’s early ambition of making music didn’t involve him being in a group at all. About a decade ago, in his hometown of Daegu, the fourth-largest city in South Korea, he started recording underground rap tracks under the name Gloss, listening to and learning from the early works of songwriter and producer Bang Si-hyuk, known as Hitman Bang. Bang is the founder and CEO of Big Hit Entertainment. In 2010, Suga, a junior in high school, moved to Seoul to join Big Hit as a producer and rapper. Then Bang asked him to become part of a group, envisioning a hip-hop act with fellow new Big Hit recruits RM and J-Hope. The guys call this “season one” of their development.

“At that time, I don’t think our label exactly knew what to do with us,” RM says. “They just basically let us be and we had some lessons, but we also just chilled and made music sometimes.”

It got more intense. The family grew, occasionally by accident.

V accompanied a friend to a Big Hit casting call in Daegu for moral support and ended up being the person chosen from those sessions.

Jung Kook was signed in a feeding frenzy after being dropped from the talent show Superstar K, fielding offers from numerous entertainment companies before settling on Big Hit because he was impressed by RM’s rapping.

Jimin was a dance student and class president for nine years running at his school in Busan; he auditioned at the behest of his teacher.

And then, to hear him tell it, Jin got picked up off the street. “I was just going to school,” he says. “Someone from the company approached me, like, ‘Oh, this is my first time seeing anyone that looked like this.’ He suggested having a meeting with me.”

“Season two is when we officially underwent hard training,” J-Hope says. “We started dancing, and that’s how I would say our team building started.”

School in the daytime, training at night. “We slept during classes,” V says.

“I slept in the practice studio,” J-Hope counters.

Hitman Bang kept the pressure comparatively low. And he encouraged the guys to write and produce their own music, to be honest about their emotions in their lyrics. Suga is on record saying that no BTS album would be complete without a track that scrutinizes society.

And yet for their new album, Be, they’re putting that aside. Even this has a greater purpose that relates to mental wellness: RM, the group’s main rapper, says, “I don’t think this album will have any songs that criticize social issues. Everybody is going through very trying times right now. So I don’t think there will be any songs that will be that aggressive.”

Though the new rules of COVID-19 mean they can’t come here and promote Be, its first single might not have happened in the first place but for the pandemic. “ ‘Dynamite’ wouldn’t be here if there was no COVID-19,” says RM. “For this song, we wanted to go easy and simple and positive. Not some, like, deep vibes or shadows. We just wanted to go easy.”

Jin agrees. “We were trying to convey the message of healing and comfort to our fans.” He pauses. “World domination wasn’t actually our plan when we were releasing ‘Dynamite.’ ” World domination just happens sometimes. You get it.

MAP OF THE SOUL ONE AIRED VIA THEIR ONLINE FAN PLATFORM and attracted almost a million viewers across 191 countries. The guys say they tried not to think about the enormousness. J-Hope adds, “I felt a little bit more nervous knowing that this was being broadcast live. I actually feel less nervous performing live at a stadium.” Jin replies with a smile, “J-Hope, born to perform at a stadium.”

The graphic layout of the title throws a colon between the final N and E, which makes it look like Map of the Soul On: E, and as I watch it live, as I do in my office at 3:00 a.m. with noise-canceling headphones and a steaming pot of coffee, it feels a lot like I’m watching Map of the Soul on E. It is an explosion of color and fashion and passion, over four gigantic stages, from the boozy swagger of “Dionysus” to the emo-trap introspection of “Black Swan.” Not a step, not a gesture, not a hair is out of place. If there were nerves, they didn’t come through.

There is also, at the end of Map of the Soul One, an intimate version of their 2017 track “Spring Day,” which encapsulates what’s really made BTS stand out. On the surface, it’s about nonspecific love and loss, about yearning for the past. “I think that song really represents me,” says Jin. “I like to look to the past and be lost in it.”

Fair enough, but there is an undeniable allusion, in both the song’s video and its cover concept, to a specific incident in recent South Korean history. “Spring Day” was released just a few years after the sinking of the Sewol ferry, one of the country’s biggest maritime disasters, in which a poorly inspected, overloaded ferry toppled in a sharp right turn. Hundreds of high school students drowned, having obeyed orders to stay in their cabins as the boat was going down. According to some reports, the South Korean government actively tried to silence entertainers who spoke out against it, with the Korean Ministry of Education fully banning the tragedy’s commemorative yellow ribbons in schools. I ask whether it was about a specific sad event, and Jin tells me, “It is about a sad event, as you said, but it is also about longing.” The song kept the disaster front of mind for young Koreans and for the media, indirectly leading to the impeachment and removal of then president Park Geun-hye.

If an overburdened, undermaintained, slow-moving vessel capsizing because of a reckless rightward turn strikes you as somehow symbolic of the country in which BTS are about to explode even further, you won’t hear it from them. “We’re outsiders—we can’t really express what we feel about the United States,” says V. But their actions speak volumes; in the wake of the George Floyd murder and subsequent protests in America, the group made a $1 million donation with Big Hit Entertainment to Black Lives Matter, one that was matched by BTS ARMY.

The fans offer a fascinating inversion of stan culture: Rather than bullying rivals like many other ardent online fan bases do, ARMY have put the positive message of the music into action. Their activism goes deep. Through micro-donations, they’ve regrown rain forests, adopted whales, funded hundreds of hours of dance classes for Rwandan youth, and raised money to feed LGBTQ refugees around the world. Where pop fans a generation ago might have sent teddy bears or cards to their idols for their birthdays, where five years ago they might have promoted a hashtag to get a video’s YouTube viewer count up, for RM’s twenty-sixth birthday in September, international fan collective One in an Army raised more than $20,000 for digital night schools to improve rural children’s access to education during the COVID-19 crisis. ARMY may have even entered the conversation around the 2020 presidential election when hundreds of thousands of Tulsa Trump rally tickets got snapped up online in June. The event’s actual attendance was pathetically low. No particular person or entity claimed credit for this top-notch trolling, but a video urging BTS fans to RSVP to that rally did get hundreds of thousands of views. We have no choice but to stan this fan base.

The relationship is intense. “We and our ARMY are always charging each other’s batteries,” RM says. “When we feel exhausted, when we hear the news all over the world, the tutoring programs, and donations, and every good thing, we feel responsible for all of this.” The music may have inspired the good works, but the good works inspire the music. “We’ve got to be greater; we’ve got to be better,” RM continues. “All those behaviors always influence us to be better people, before all this music and artist stuff.”

Yet for every devoted member of BTS ARMY, there is someone who’s looked right past BTS. Jimmy Fallon, whose Tonight Show hosted the group for a full week this past fall, was one of those people. “Usually if an artist is on the rise, I hear about them ahead of time. With BTS, I knew they had crazy momentum, and I’d never heard of them.”

Here’s a thought that used to be funny to me: There were members of the live audience of The Ed Sullivan Showon February 9, 1964, who weren’t there to see the Beatles. Elvis was in the Army, Buddy Holly was gone, and the three number-one albums in the months before Meet the Beatles! were an Allan Sherman comedy record, the West Side Story original cast recording, and Soeur Sourire: The Singing Nun. America had left rock ’n’ roll behind for the moment, and with the culture aimless and fragmented, it wasn’t quite sure what to pick up in its place. It is possible to imagine that a youngish, reasonably hip, and culturally aware human being might cop a ticket to that week’s show, settle into his seat, and say, “Bring on a medley of numbers from the Broadway musical Oliver! and banjo sensation Tessie O’Shea.”

The instinct is to laugh at that guy, and it’s a good instinct, because what a dope.

And then you become that guy.

Sometimes there is a whole universe alongside your own, bursting with color you’re too stubborn to see, bouncing with joy you think is for someone else, with a beat you thought you were finished dancing to. BTS are the biggest thing on the planet right now, yet the job of introducing them to someone new, particularly in America, seems like it’s never done. Maybe it’s because they are adored by screaming teenagers and we live in a society patriarchal enough to forget that screaming teenagers are nearly always right. Maybe it’s the cultural divide, in a moment when our country is unashamed enough of its own xenophobia to get openly bent out of shape when it has to press 1 for English. Maybe it’s the language barrier, as though we understood a single word Michael Stipe sang before 1989.

Whatever the reason, the result is that you might be missing out on a paradigm shift and a historic moment of pop greatness.

IF BTS SEEM A BIT CAUTIOUS WITH THEIR WORDS PUBLICLY, IT’S because—perhaps more than any other massive pop act in history—they have to be. Shortly after our second meeting, BTS were given the General James A. Van Fleet Award by the U. S.–based Korea Society for their outstanding contributions to advancing relations between the United States and Korea. In his acceptance speech, RM said, “We will always remember the history of pain that our two nations shared together, and the sacrifices of countless men and women,” as seemingly diplomatic and innocuous a statement as he could have made. But because he didn’t mention the Chinese soldiers who died in the Korean War, it didn’t go over well. The Samsung BTS smartphone disappeared from Chinese e-commerce platforms, Fila and Hyundai pulled ads in China that featured the group, the nationalistic newspaper Global Times accused them of hurting Chinese citizens’ feelings and negating history, and the hashtags “BTS humiliated China” and “there are no idols that come before my country” began trending on the social-media site Weibo. The pressure is not small.

Even as the number-one pop group in the world, even with their hard work day in and day out, even with tens of millions of adoring fans redefining the concept of “adoring fans” by literally healing the planet in their name, these guys still suffer from impostor syndrome. RM explains, “I’ve heard that there’s this mask complex. Seventy percent of so-called successful people have this, mentally. It’s basically this: There’s this mask on my face. And these people are afraid that someone is going to take off this mask. We have those fears as well. But I said 70 percent, so I think it’s very natural. Sometimes it’s a condition to be successful. Humans are imperfect, and we have these flaws and defects. And one way to deal with all this pressure and weight is to admit the shadows.”

The music helps. “When we write the songs and lyrics, we study these emotions, we are aware of that situation, and we relate to that emotionally,” J-Hope says. “And that’s why when the song is released, we listen to it and get consolation from those songs as well. I think our fans also feel those emotions, maybe even more than us. And I think we are a positive influence on each other.”

If there’s one thing they’re sacrificing, besides free time and the ability to speak freely without the Chinese foreign ministry releasing an official statement, it’s a love life. I ask about dating, broad questions like “Are you?” and “Is there time?” and “Can you?” and the answer to all of them is pretty clear: “No.” “The most important thing for us now is to sleep,” Jung Kook insists. Suga follows right up with “Can you see my dark circles?” I cannot, because there are none, because flawless skin translates even over Zoom when there’s an ocean between us.

So they’re not, at least publicly, having romantic relationships with anyone. If there is a strong relationship that’s guided their journey into adulthood, it’s with Big Hit. “Our company started with twenty to thirty people, but now we have a company with so many employees,” RM says. “We have our fans, and we have our music. So we have a lot of things that we have to be responsible for, to safeguard.” He considers it for a moment. “I think that’s what an adult is.”

“Our love life—twenty-four hours, seven days a week—is with all the ARMYs all over the world,” RM adds.

In a world that is determined to sand down anything that isn’t immediately recognizable to the average pop-music fan, when it comes to acquainting you with Korean culture, BTS very much do not wanna hold your hand. While the first song on night one of their Tonight Show week was a joyous but expected take on “Dynamite” with Fallon and the Roots, they took some chances during their second performance.

As a friend of mine, a thirty-three-year-old BTS fan in Los Angeles, told me, “The second song they performed was ‘IDOL,’ ” from 2018’s Love Yourself: Answer, “and it celebrated their Korean identity. They performed it in Gyeongbokgung Palace in Seoul. They wore clothes inspired by traditional dresses called hanboks;it was almost entirely in Korean, so it felt super subversive. As a fan, I read it as: ‘Dynamite’ was an invitation, and this is who we are and this is our home.”

“I was a little concerned that people might not understand,” Fallon says. “I was like, ‘There’s nothing in English here.’ But what you see is just pure star power. Pure talent. Immediately, I thought, Oh, this is everything. If you’re that powerful, it transcends language.”

American popular music in the twenty-first century is more fragmented than it has been since . . . well, since Allan Sherman, Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim, and the Singing Nun battled for that number-one spot. The monoculture that the Beatles helped bring on has breathed its last breath. Each of us is the program director for our own private radio station, letting our own past habits and streaming-service algorithms serve up something close to what we want. Which is great, except that huge moments can whiz right past our ears. Each of us, even if we’re more clued in than our parents were when they were our age, can miss some era-defining, excellent shit. Particularly if the radio is our Spotify Discover Weekly, or the Pandora channel based on the band whose T-shirts we wore in college. We can let a moment pass us by if prime time is a Netflix binge, and the Tonight Show hour is spent on one more episode before bed. But we shouldn’t. “Honestly, I think it’s history that we’re living through with BTS,” Fallon says. “It’s the biggest band I’ve seen since I’ve started late night, definitely.”

THERE IS ALSO THE SMALL DETAIL THAT, UNLIKE THE BEATLES AND literally every other worldwide sensation to break in America, BTS don’t particularly need to go to the trouble. They are massive all over the world. Thanks to the recent IPO of Big Hit Entertainment, of which each member is a partner, they are all now incredibly wealthy. (Hitman Bang is the first South Korean entertainment mogul to become a billionaire.) What good is a culture in decline to a pop act this much on the ascent? “When I dreamed of becoming an artist, I listened to pop and watched all the awards shows in the United States. Being successful and being a hit in the U. S. is, of course, such an honor as an artist,” says Suga. “I feel very proud of that.”

They’re breaking out in a country that either worships them or fails to notice them. So do they feel like they’re getting enough respect in America? “How can we win everyone’s respect?” Jin asks. “I think it’s enough to get respect from people who support us. It’s similar everywhere else in the world. You can’t like everyone, and I think it’s enough to be respected by people who really love you.”

Suga agrees. “You can’t always be comfortable, and I think it’s all part of life. Honestly, we are not used to getting a ton of respect from when we first started out. But I think that gradually changes, whether it be in the States or other parts of the world, as we do more and more.”

There is, without a doubt, one colossal, unmistakable sign of respect for a musician: a Grammy. They’ve been nominated only once, and even then it was for best recording package. But their sights are set on a big one next year. RM puts it out there: “We would like to be nominated and possibly get an award.” Dragging the hoary, backward-looking, and Western-focused Grammys into the gorgeous, global world of the present through sheer force of will, talent, and hard work? Stranger things have happened. “I think the Grammys are the last part, like the final part of the whole American journey,” he says with a smile. “So yeah, we’ll see.”

The Recording Academy’s seal of approval is one thing. But BTS have already conquered the world, clowned tyrants, inspired individual fans to perform the small and achievable acts of activism that have collectively begun to save the planet, challenged toxic masculinity by leading with vulnerability, and, along the way, become bajillionaires and international idols. Whether the Grammys are paying attention matters about as much as what an Ed Sullivan audience member expected to see that night in 1964. BTS have already won.

© source

[babylon-cal]

Wildflower {c.h}

Pairing : Calum x Gender Neutral Reader

Requested : by @wildflower-tae : hiiii!! first of all i love your blog,i've followed you for a long time and i love your content. can i request like a scenario/imagine/one shot idk what's the difference haha,with calum based on their song 'wildflower' ? you can do whenever you want with it. hope u have a good day/night. love u,stay safe ♡

Warnings : Mentions of Non-Descriptive Sex

 Word Count : 1.7k

Wildflower (noun) a flower of an uncultivated variety or a flower growing freely without human intervention.

Nothing about how you two met was cliche. It wasn’t like those moments in cheesy HBO rom-coms where the two love interests would lock eyes with each other from across the room in a party, immediately knowing what to say and falling in love soon after. It wasn’t bumping into each other on the street, causing a clumsy exchange followed by soft glances and one of them asking for the other’s number. You and Calum had met naturally, on a random Saturday night. It wasn’t fate. It just happened. Maybe it was a coincidence.

You had snuck out your bedroom window, your feet landing on the grass below. Dressed in your large coat that was wrapped around your old t-shirt and fell to the mid-thigh of your jeans, you jogged across the lawn and out onto the street. The wind blew against your face and hair as you did so. You didn’t have a plan on where to go but you just let your legs carry you to wherever it wanted to, turning left into another street and past the corner shop that you always bought your ice cream from. You were walking now, your hands in the pocket of your coat, one of them fiddling with your pack of cigarettes, the cardboard slightly torn on the edges.

You approached the neighbourhood football field, the only source of light being a streetlight that stood a few metres away. The empty mass of green in the darkness was such a contrast to the usual bright and cheerful atmosphere of children running around after a football for hours, their giggles and yells floating into the air. The two goals that were on either end of the field had rusted posts, the white paint chipped in some places, exposing the reddish brown metal underneath. On the adjacent sides of the fields, were some empty wooden bleachers that looked unfamiliar since they were usually occupied by parents during the friendly football matches that the neighbourhood committee organised every month.

As you approached one of them, you noticed someone sitting on the top of the bleacher seats. He was wearing a dark coloured hoodie and sweatpants, with a beanie nestled neatly on his head. He had a cigarette between his fingers and he didn’t notice you to the left of him, swinging over the railing to land about 3 feet away from where he was.

“Got room for one more?,” His head turned to notice you, hands in your coat pocket, a small smile on your face. He blinked for a few seconds before speaking up.

“Sure, why not?” He took another hit of his cigarette as you sat next to him, a few inches of space between both your legs. You took out your pack and pulled out a tab. “Here, let me,” Calum said, offering to light it for you with his lighter. He was definitely more friendly that you would have thought him out to be, judging from how he looked at first glance. His thick eyebrows accompanied with the moderate amount of facial hair above his lip and across his jaw and chin made him come across as slightly intimidating, his voice being a contributing factor to that as well. You placed the cigarette between your lips as he lighted it for you, his eyes meeting yours momentarily. You used this to give him a cheeky, flirtatious look causing him to awkwardly look down at the flame, only to find a particular interest in the shape of your lips as an orange hue from the fire casted itself on them.

“I’m Calum, by the way,” his voice was deep but also soft at the same time, like the feeling you get across your arms when a warm blanket wraps around them when it’s raining outside. Tingles that lasted for a few seconds.

I hear you calling out my name, I love the sound

“Calum?” you repeated and took a puff. You hated how terrible it tasted - like a bunch of household chemicals, which was easy to say it might as well be, to be fair. The first time you smoked, you remembered it being so dry and it burned your throat but it calmed you down. Since then, it always felt like your lungs were wrapped in a warm blanket - like Calum’s voice did to you just a few seconds ago.

I love the taste

Only yourself and Calum knew how you ended up connected at the lips, the cigarettes dropped from your hands and falling through the crack between the rows and onto the grass below, burning themselves out. Your hands were wrapped around his neck, while he had one hand on your thigh as his other pressed against your back. You could taste the herbs and chemicals on his lips and was certain he could taste them on yours as well. However, you were too busy focusing on how it felt - surprisingly soft, not at all chapped, and the tiny hairs around them poked at your face. It tickled a little bit. His hand on your thigh radiated a heat that you had never found anywhere else.

And I can see it in your face, you’ve got a side you can’t explain

Kissing Calum felt like an escapade from the daily hustle of everyday life, being a victim of capitalism and forced social conformity. Conventions trying to label everybody and categorise them into boxes. Kissing Calum felt like a “fuck that” to all those things. It felt like eating chocolate cake at 3a.m. because no one can tell you not to or taking long drives across the empty streets at 7a.m. to watch the sunrise in a lookout because no one really takes the time to appreciate something like that anymore. Not like you would ever let this man you just met know this, regardless of whether he had his tongue in your mouth or not.

You always thought your mind to be like the universe - ever-expanding with all its multiple complex structures and forms, where no one really understands what they’re ALL for or how they got to be but it takes a long time for an outside body to discover and understand its functions, compositions and complexities. That was just how your brain was wired, you let it do its own thing - there was no need for intervention. 

Unlike you, kissing a random stranger they had just met was out of Calum’s nature. At least, since he turned 20. However, there was something about your energy and presence that made him feel impulsive, dare he say maybe even careless. All of his personal convictions and promises he made to himself seemed to shrink and hide themselves in the back of his mind when he let go of his inhibitions to impulsively press his lips to yours.

You’re telling me you wanna come over, you wanna be closer

You pulled apart from the passionate exchange, your lips distanced by only a few inches. The heavy breathing led to the smell of tobacco and tar overwhelmingly stimulating your senses causing slight discomfort to settle at the back of your throat. Calum’s hand had moved further up your thigh, his large hand now resting on the side of your ass and the warmth radiated through the material of your jeans.

“Let’s go back to your place,” you suggested and he fully agreed. Going back with a man you just met? Sounds like a wish for the most awful things you could think of but you took the risk anyway, especially when he gave your ass a gentle squeeze and kissed you again for a few seconds. He let out a low hum as he did so, the small transfer of vibrations from his throat drove you absolutely mad.

Cuz I know where tonight is going

The walk back to Calum’s house was spent with paced footsteps and your hand gently held in his. The air was colder now, and you felt it breeze through your hair. During this time Calum had learnt a few things about you, realising that you were quite the opposite to him. As the headlights of the black Subaru shone as it drove in the opposite direction of your walk, the conversation between the two of you had led Calum to ask you what your plan for the future was.

“I don’t know,” was all you replied, a small smile tugged at your lips. His face was drawn to confusion soon enough, his eyebrows furrowing as he glanced at you.

“You don’t know? How do you not know?” By this point you were at his front door. He searched for his keys and unlocked the door.

“Less talking,” you replied, closing the door behind you as you entered and pulling him in by the collar to connect your lips hastily. Soon enough, a trail of clothes were left leading up to his room with the night ending in heavy breaths and the creaking of the beds shrouded in secrecy within the four walls.

You’re the only one that makes me…, everytime we…,

Calum had found your carefree, liberated nature absolutely fascinating and the sex felt like something out of a dream. Intense, passionate and almost like a haze when it ended but it was the best each of you could have asked for. It happened again, and Calum knew that if he gave in, you would be up all night tangled with each other.

I’ll tell you what I like

He had asked you for your number as you put your clothes on at the foot of the bed. If it wasn’t for the bedside lamp that he had turned on, the room would be in pitch darkness. As you tied your shoelaces, you looked up to him when he asked the question, the covers now covering the lower half of his body. You blinked over the tattoos that were intricately spread out across his torso, noticing a MMXII under his right collarbone.

My wildflower

“Well, I usually don’t give my number out,” you said walking towards him. “because i just like meeting people or bumping into them,” you paused “but..” you leaned in closer to his face “maybe I’ll see you around the football field again,” you pressed a kiss to his cheek and proceeded to leave his house, leaving him wondering and desperate to see you again and as much as he wanted to be able to see you what he wanted, he figured by now that you’re a wildflower, growing freely without human intervention.

[that-bi-bitch-writes]

The Rumor Around Hogwarts (Ch.3)

Chapter Three: Hello Stranger

Male reader insert for now, future addition of they pronouns as it will lean more towards a non-binary insert with the only change being less reference to Y/N as a young boy and more gender neutral terms. Still masc/male aligned. 

No real warnings for now except canonical mentions of neglect

This chapter is a little over 1.5k words. A lot of it comes directly from the book but if you want to skim/skip that part there is a huge space and a line where it starts and ends.

Not really proofread but I hope you Enjoy!!

To say [Name] was excited to go to Diagon Alley would be the understatement of the century. Somehow he had found out exactly when the majority of new wizards would be buying new supplies for their first years. Of course, with his mom being who she was, he’d missed it, but something deep within told him today was the day he needed to be there. 

‘The universe and mom conspiring. Plausible’ he thought aloud

“Mom! Hurry up or I’m taking your purse with me to Diagon Alley. All by myself.”

“I’m coming, Haven’t I apologized enough? You’ll get there when you need to be.” she said as she entered the kitchen. She grabbed a piece of toast from the house elf, grabbed her purse and approached him waiting near the front door. With a smirk she started “besides, it’s all part of the universe’s grand plans, isn’t that right darling?” 

Though [Name] loved his mom she sure could be a little shit. It’s why she was the perfect “master” for his house elf. Apparently the elf belonged to his father’s family and he refused to be let go. Believe me M/N tried many many times. But every time anyone mentioned freedom he would go berserk and the sight was unbearable to watch, so they’d just decided to keep him for the time being. [Name]’s mother set a rule though, if the elf were to stay he could not refuse help with any of the chores and could not punish himself. 

Compromise was one of the hardest things for everyone in the house. ‘My way or the highway’ was an unspoken family motto. And though he was a mean and stubborn houself, he was a part of the family. But that doesn’t mean he had to be nice to him

“Goodbye midget” [Name] yelled over his shoulder, earning a scowl and some mutterings

“Why do you do that” his mom asked casually “it’s not that different from his actual name, so why not just call him by his real name”

“Because he hates it” [Name] responded “and why am I getting a lecture from you. The queen of passive aggressiveness towards him. You forget I can hear what you’re really thinking when you talk in that saccharine sweet voice of yours. Save it for someone who can’t read minds”

She huffed and nudged him to the car. “I can't wait until you start driving. Or apparating, whichever you choose first. As much as I love doing some things the muggle way, I’ll never get used to traffic.”

[Name] picked up some dirt and tossed it to the ground with a loud and clear “Diagon Alley” before getting in the passenger's seat. M/N laughed at him and poked his side before starting the car. 

“I can’t believe my baby is starting Hogwarts.” She sighed out. And turned on the radio before pulling out of the massive driveway.

The journey to Diagon Alley was not very exciting for [Name] but for Harry it was a life changing experience.

____________________________________________________________

Harry woke early the next morning. Although he could tell it was daylight, he kept his eyes shut tight. 

“It was a dream” he told himself firmly “I dreamed a giant called Hagrid came to tell me I was going to a school for wizards. When I open my eyes I’ll be at home in my cupboard.”

There was suddenly a tapping noise. And there’s Aunt Petunia knocking on the door. Harry thought, his heart sinking. But he still didn’t open his eyes. It had been such a good dream. 

Tap. Tap. Tap.

“All right,”Harry mumbled “I’m getting up”

He sat up and Hagrid’s heavy coat fell off him. The hut was full of sunlight, the storm was over, Hagrid himself was asleep on the collapsed sofa, and there was an owl rapping its claw on the window, a newspaper held in its beak.

Harry scrambled to his feet, so happy he felt as though a large balloon was swelling inside him. He went straight to the window and jerked it open. The owl swooped in and dropped the newspaper on top of Hagrid, who didn’t wake up. The owl then fluttered onto the floor and began to attack Hagrid’s coat.

“Don’t do that.”

Harry tried to wave the owl out of the way, but it snapped it’s beak fiercely at him and carried on savaging the coat.

“Hagrid!” said Harry loudly “There’s an owl-”

“Pay him,” Hagrid into the sofa.

Harry counted out five little bronze coins, and the owl held his leg so Harry could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. Then he flew off through the open window.

Hagrid yawned loudly, sat up and stretched. “Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, gotta get up ter London and buy all yer stuff for school.”

Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them.He had just thought of something that made him feel as though the happy balloon inside him had got a puncture.

“Um - Hagrid?”

Mm?” said Hagrid who was pulling on his huge boots.

“I haven’t got any money - and you heard Uncle Vernon last night … he won’t pay for me to go and learn magic”

“Don’t worry about that,” said hagrid, standing up and scratching his head. “D’yeh think yer parents didn’t leave yeh anything?”

“But if their house was destroyed-”

“They didn’t keep their gold in the house, boy! Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards’ bank. Have a sausage, they’re not bad cold- an’ I wouldn’t say no teh a bit o’ yer birthday cake either”

____________________________________________________________

A boat and train ride later, Harry and Hagrid had arrived in London and made it to the Leaky Cauldron, where Harry was recognized by everyone in the pub. Including a stuttering Professor Quirrell who introduced himself as Harry’s Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA for short) professor in the upcoming term.

Gringotts was the next stop and it was a particularly interesting event for Harry. The boy who had grown up on scraps from the Dursleys and hand me down clothing was shocked to see so much money in his name. The goblins were obviously a new experience. Then there was Hagrid’s secret mission from Dumbledore.

After parting with Hagrid, Harry had entered Madam Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions alone and nervous. The situation was not remedied by a pale faced blond in the back of the shop who spoke pompously and reminded Harry of Dudley. His casual mentioning of wizarding culture left Harry feeling stupid. When the pale boy had begun talking bad about Hagrid, Harry knew he wouldn’t like the boy and could offer nothing particularly interesting to the conversation.

A lot of questions and shopping later, Harry had to get his wand. Truth be told, this was the part that Harry had been anticipating the most. Entering the shop which read Ollivatders: Makers of Fine wands since 382 B.C, Harry began to be a little overwhelmed and swallowed any questions he might’ve had.

The man seemed to know whom he was and asked Harry a series of questions to find the perfect wand for him. There were a lot of trials and errors, swishes and flicks, and damage done to Ollivander’s shop. Until finally the right wand was found. And it was a little… curious.

“It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand when its brother- why, its brother gave you that scar.”

“Yes, thirteen-and-a-half inches. Yew. Curious indeed how these things happen. The wand chooses the wizard, remember. … I think we must expect great things from you, Mr Potter. … After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things - terrible, ye but great”

“And you’ll get them.” All eyes snapped towards the unexpected voice “the great things.” 

“I believe you’re right Mr [Last Name].”

Somehow in all the chaos, neither Ollivander nor Harry had noticed [Name] was in the shop the whole time. He’d already gotten his wand but when he recognized the boy from the zoo he wanted to catch up.

Noticing Harry’s uncomfortability with the subject of Voldemort, [Name] had started up a totally different conversation while escorting Harry out of the shop.

“Fancy meeting you here. I guess the universe was actually looking out for me. I’m [Full Name] by the way. Nice to meet you Harry Potter”

“Nice to finally put a name to your face. I’m not sure what you meant by the universe but I’m glad we got to meet again. I had no clue you were a wizard”

“... Are you like new to the wizarding world or something? I mean I’ve been raised going to muggle schools but even I would’ve figured out the boy who didn’t react to me doing magic was a wizard”

“It was unintentional”

“Still magic”

It was getting darker and both [Name] and Harry had to go soon. Harry was still a little glum from the conversation with Ollivander, but [Name]’s playful banter had brightened his mood. Harry needed more people like that. Like [Name] and Hagrid, who just saw him as Harry Potter, and not as the boy who lived. 

“Will I see at Hogwarts [name]?” Harry asked hopefully

“You bet. Find me on the train. Or rather, I’ll find you. Then maybe I’ll show you something cool I can do.” 

Now Harry had two things to look forward to. Hogwarts, and Hogwarts with [Name].

[cortanaaq]

“Nice to meet you too”

Part 1 

Pairing: barista ! johnny x gender neutral ! reader

words: 1090

[06:23 pm]

After a rough Friday afternoon and evening around the region, drier and colder air was taking over Seoul’s atmosphere. I realized this as soon as I left the university, a small chill ran down my spine and my glasses fogged when I took a deep breath into my scarf. Everything was stressful that day, assignments given too late, teachers being too mean and the campus being too loud to even hear your own thoughts.

I made my way through Wonseo-dong Park that was only a place campus students took their breaks and occasionally, people spent most of their time walking their dogs and jogging around. I had in plan to go to the nearby Starbucks and get my regular pastries but for some reason, I wanted to slow down. I looked above and watched the sky changing colors from a greyish blue to a darker one, few patches of purple there and there. I turned my head towards the children running freely and laughing together, making a competition out of silly simple things and I smiled. Being trapped like an adult in adult problems now wasn’t the thing I needed. What I needed was what those kids had while having a good time; a free mind and a good laugh. Now I am caught in a dull monotony and I try to detach myself a little from reality. Obviously, trying hard.

 Even so lost in thoughts, I still made it to the café and left a big sigh behind. I entered the place and I was instantly overwhelmed by the smell of coffee combined maybe with the smell of pastries left from lunch. It all invaded my senses but I couldn’t complain. I headed to the counter and stared at the front menu, all kinds of hot beverages, from lattes to mochas ,to Arabic coffees. I grabbed my backpack and tried to look for my wallet till a deep but pleasant voice caught my attention. 

“Hi ,welcome to Starbucks! What can I get you?”

 I quickly turned my head to face the cashier and to offer him a smile. He was tall and he had the kind of face that stopped you in your tracks. Tousled bleached hair, which was thick and lustrous. It wasn’t too much, it suited him. His features weren’t exactly how you’d describe a Korean man but those eyes were definitely made to pierce your soul. Was it too much to describe? Probably, but I know for a fact that I haven’t seen him around.  I finally spoke.

“Uh, hi…”, I looked at his badge to see the name “Johnny” written on it. I said it again with a smile on my face.

“Hi, Johnny! Well, I haven’t really decide yet. Wanted to get a classic coffee cake but I see you only have crumbles left.”

Johnny chuckled and then moved towards the glass case that had muffins on display.

 “We still have muffins if you want to try. I mean, at this hour people don’t really come in anymore to get sweets. Plus the cakes are baked early in the morning. And you know how college students are…”

“Greedy and grumpy?” I laughed then looked over the glass case. I pointed to one of the blueberry muffins, while I was giving him few looks from time to time. He probably noticed cause I could’ve sworn he smirked. I wasn’t sneaky and I didn’t wanna hide my interest for him.

 “So you’re new here.. Johnny.” I say his name again, accentuating it a bit with a smirk too. 

“I mean, is it that obvious?”

“I just haven’t seen you around and I know Mark works here too. Or worked?”

He was slowly putting the muffins in the paper bag, like he was buying some time then he looked at me.

 “ He still works here but I just take his place for a while. Hope you don’t mind”

I snorted slightly then managed to pay for the pastries ,but he stopped me with a motion of his hand. I looked in the bag to see three muffins instead of one. 

“Don’t tell me they’re on the house. Don’t try to lose your job from the first day”

He looked me in the eyes. Pretty sure he felt something as I saw him shifting and sucking in his cheeks lightly, holding back a smile. 

“You said you know Mark Lee, right?” 

I nod then try to push the money on the counter closer to him but he grabs my hand.

 “If you knew him truly, you would’ve known he will let me take a risk for someone like you”

I scoffed. A player move for sure. 

“You don’t even know my name. “ I looked him in those deep brown eyes and put my hand on top of his hand, that was still holding mine. I didn’t want to put it aside. 

 Johnny was smiling. The way his lips lifted upward and his one dimple crinkled . For a few moments I stared at him, knowing we both felt that tension. Our hands still on each other’s, kinda awkward for two strangers if you ask me. But I felt like he was mirroring me and kept the silence only to hear me saying my name. 

“Y/N. “ I said puffing air from my nose afterwards. 

“Now will you let me pay for those? I’m a fair person.”

“Well, Y/N, I’m a fair person too so I suggest you taking those muffins.” He stopped a bit to think then squeezed my hand softly.

 “Take them as a substitute for a basic compliment that you, anyway would refuse or consider it a player move. You probably already think of me that way.” 

He stated, then managed to laugh ,his laugh filling the empty café. He then sighed letting go of my hand. I swallowed my words then grabbed the paper bag, trying to get rid of the embarrassment that was present in the room. 

“Nice to meet you, y/n.” He broke the silence again but this time, he wanted to linger there, to feel that stranger’s warm hands again after they pulled away.

 I ran my tongue over my dry lips ,tasting what was left from my peachy chapstick then managed to give him a last look before I left. 

“Nice to meet you too..” , I hesitated while walking few steps backwards then I gave him a slight smirk before accentuating his name. 

“Johnny..”

 I turned around and moved my backpack on the other shoulder, leaving the café with the ringing of the small doorbells behind me. Even after I stepped out of the building, I was still feeling his gaze on my silhouette. 

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

A Moment's Surprise--Chapter 4

Whether it's called an accident or the fates of the universe, you and Calum find yourselves taking on the next level of your relationship: parenthood.

Reader (Gender Neutral) X Calum. Multi-chapter Series.

Series Note: Across this series, pregnancy is discussed thoroughly. While I have made this series specifically a reader insert and have done my best to avoid coding for cis women, I am taking this moment to acknowledge that this content may not be suitable for every reader. I want to acknowledge even if I've been careful some things (like uteri) are still mentioned and if that causes you discomfort please DO NOT read this. You may keep scrolling (as there is a read more) / skip this as necessary.

Chapter Warnings: 18+ Content (Smut)

Series Masterlist

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Epilogue

Chapter 4

Sunny days in Los Angeles are not a rarity. In your recent years in the city, there have ben so many sunny days that the slightest hint of cloud coverage makes your bones chilly. The mug is warm against your palms as you curl up in the dining room chair. Calum chuckles when he wakes and finds you bundled in one of sweatshirts at the kitchen table. A rare cool morning that even Calum notes. The windows show a hint of the cloud coverage for the morning. Thin and wispy the clouds are, so much so, Calum’s sure they won’t last past the afternoon. 

The acid and worn wash of the Drop Dead hoodie cradles your frame. “Is it that cold to you?” Calum’s hand is gentle on the back of your neck. You look up and purse your lips. A kiss comes immediately as a response. 

“Yes,” you say. 

“If you had stayed in bed longer, I’m sure it wouldn’t have been so cold to you.”

“Some of us aren’t fortunate enough to sleep like the dead.”

Sleep, shockingly, never evades Calum. He’d fall asleep on a long car ride when he wasn’t driving. He could sleep on planes. But the smallest creak, the faintest thing that sounded wrong could wake you and keep you awake too. “Well, let’s hope Pumpkin gets my sleeping gene and not yours,” Calum offers. 

A soft grin lifts your cheeks. “Let’s hope.”

“Shouldn’t you still be asleep?” Joy asks from the kitchen. 

Calum laughs, crossing over to kiss her cheek briefly. “We’ve got plans today. So I can’t sleep too long.”

“I get it. Just leave me with Duke,” Joy teases, sliping one arm around his torso in a slight hug. 

“At least he likes you.”

“At least there is that too. You want breakfast before heading out? I’ll take care of it.”

“I’ll help,” Calum states. 

“Alright, if you insist,” Joy answers. 

“I insist, Mum.”

“The man insists,” you tease and scoot by both of them to rinse out your mug from your morning tea. The lack of caffeine has helped you fall asleep most days now as you feel a slight sluggishness, but it doesn’t keep you asleep. 

Joy’s laughter in response bounces off the kitchen walls. You announce your departure to walk Duke. The usual route holds no surprises. Duke pauses at every bush to sniff and take hold of the scents. You let him, hands grazing over your stomach out of habit. On the return back to the house, you wind up carrying Duke. It’s not an unusual sight as he tends to overexert on the first lap of the walk and about halfway back, he stops for longer and longer stretches of time. 

“It’s gonna be strange buddy. You won’t be the baby baby anymore. Forever in our hearts the baby Grandpa. But there’s another little one coming soon,” you whisper into his fur. 

Duke only snuggles into your hold. You know it’s a mixture of your scent and Calum’s luring him even closer, but part of you can’t let go of the idea that Duke knows what’s happening too. You pray all of you are ready for it. 

The house smells of pancakes when you return. The morning goes smoothly and eventually warms just a hair. You and Calum pack for the weekend long adventure. Joy gives both of you hugs as you leave and then you’re back into the air of the day. A small sliver of sun peaks out. It feels nice on your face and though the last few weeks have felt a tornado this crack in the wispy cloud coverage gives you the small respite that you need. 

“You’re a cat now, huh?” Calum laughs, leaning against the passenger side door. “Soaking up any amount of sun you can get.”

“Trying to,” you return and then step down from the porch. Calum is quick to get to your side. 

The first bit of the drive passes in silence. Even still Calum’s sure to keep one hand on your knee and you wrap your fingers gently around his. “How are the shows going?” you ask. “ I feel like everytime we talk it’s about the baby.”

“Pumpkin is important,” Calum returns. The smile is evident in his voice. “The shows are going really well. It’s funny sometimes. Being on stage, seeing fans, or being in interviews and when they ask how we’re doing or if anything is happening in our lives and it’s almost always about the singles and the new album. But for me, I’ve got a little thing I’m keeping closer to me. And they don’t know.”

“Good funny or bad funny?”

“Good funny. Like, I’m so excited about this. But I want this for myself. And it’s like, oh boy if they only knew what was really behind the music and shows.”

The smile on Calum’s face lights up his whole face. For a moment, you feel the warmth of the radiant state. With a gentle squeeze of his hand, you laugh. “If it’s a girl, I want her middle name to be Joy.”

Calum’s glance to you is quick, but you still spot the furrow of his brow. “Like after my Mum?”

“Yeah, if you’re okay with that.”

“I-Are you sure?”

“Calum, I am the one proposing the idea. Of course, I’m sure,” you laugh. Out of habit, you bring his hands to your lips and press a few tissues to his knuckles. 

“I like that idea. Mum would be ecstatic. I’ve got some ideas if it’s a boy,” Calum returns, risking another look over to you. 

“Do you now?” you tease. “Hit me with them.”

“Okay, but please know the middle name is shaky on one of them.”

“No excuses and no worries. Judgment free zone.”

“Okay, so, somehow we’re sharing the same brain. Because I was thinking about Amiri David. And then possible Kauri. Got stuck on the middle name for that one.”

“Are those Maōri names? Is that someone you want to continue to honor?”

Calum shrugs. “It’s just been something I’ve been thinking about. I spent last night thinking about names for a girl, but haven’t come across anything that I liked.”

“I’m behind.”

“No, don’t say that, love.” Calum’s voice is soft as he speaks. “You’ve had a lot on your plate lately. At home, it’s trying to get help to convert the guest room into the baby’s room. You’re dealing with doctor’s appointments a lot more. And then you’ve still got your day job. You’re not behind in the slightest. You’re just dealing with a lot. Is having Mum around helping at all?”

You nod. “Yeah, Joy’s great. I love her. It helps to have someone who knows what the fuck is going on,” you laugh, gesturing to your growing stomach. “It’s helping. She’s got a better eyesight on the whole ordeal so I don’t threaten to murder you when you push back on my ideas.”

Calum’s laughter bounces from the ceilings of the vehicle. You watch the skin crinkle around his eyes. Warmth spreads across your chest at the sight. “It’s healthy to disagree. And I don’t think what you’re suggesting is bad at all. I’m just worried in my own right,” Calum offers. 

“I know you are. I just think that a crib is a crib, you know.”

Calum sputters at the thought. “It is not!”

“It is!” you laugh in return. 

“It is not!”

“Agree to disagree?” you offer. 

“Over my dead body,” Calum retorts. 

“If you catch me at the right time,” you joke. 

Now from the window, the smell of the sea is stronger than usual. The beach front opens up. Calum continues on beyond it and you watch as the villa comes into your view. Calum stops just for a moment to grab his phone and continues on to the gate. He presses in the code and the gate opens slowly. 

“There’s a kitchen so we���ll go out and get groceries in a bit, if that sounds alright?” The question is poised and you hear it from Calum’s lips. However, the sight of the villas renders you nearly speechless. You nod at Calum’s question, peering out of the windows around to the sight that stretches out in front of you. The palm trees sway every so gently in the breeze. 

You can’t say that luxury isn’t new to you. Not after the two years you’ve spent with Calum and the way he does overindulge you with expensive watches, spontaneous trips, desert at dinner. But as the gate whirs and opens up in front of you and the road takes you deeper onto the property, you know that what you’d grown accustomed to was far from what could be. The house towers at the end of the driveway with archways that are at minimum fifteen feet--you’d caution and bet they were significantly taller. The windows you know would sparkle in the sun. 

“Calum what have you done?” you ask, pressing forward just a smidge in the seat, trying to take in the Spanish shingles adorning the roof in a rust brick color. The shingles are a stark contrast to the beige and whites of the walls. 

“What do you mean what have I done?” Calum’s laughter is soft and he follows the path around until he’s just outside the garage doors. 

You turn just a little and gesture out to the house in front of you. “Are we not seeing the same thing?”

“Wait until you see the pool,” he grins. He slips out of the truck after the statement and you flounder for a moment not even wanting to conjure an image of what a pool in a place like this must look like. 

The front doors lead you into a foyer with more TVs than you and Calum currently have in total. The white marble countertops feel so pristine that you hover your palms over them to avoid getting oil stains anywhere. You follow the house deeper, finding the master bedroom on the first floor. The bathroom is ensuite and the white from the kitchen has followed you here to the bathroom as well. Two other bedrooms greet you on the bottom floor and a wine cellar attached off the side of the bar. You find the side door and directly in front of you is an infinity pool with lounge chairs and extra seating lined around the water. 

Next to the pool is a large stretch of grass with a raised deck that looks out into the ocean. You can spot just faintly in the distance a few flags. They must be putting greens, or something golf related. It feels much too massive, much too unreal for you to be standing there in shorts and Calum’s sweatshirt. 

“Hello down there!” 

You turn to the call and look up to spy Calum standing on the second floor balcony above you. “Hello up there,” you shout in return. 

“There’s a lot more in here than I thought would be,” he shouts. 

“Oh my god. Save your voice. You’re the one that has to go back on tour after all of this,” you return and then do a light jog to get back into the house. You slide the doors closed behind you and by the time you find the steps that lead upstairs, Calum’s halfway down the second flight. You meet him at the top of the first flight and then carry on up the rounded staircase. 

“How big is this house?” you ask. The question is mostly to yourself. 

“7 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms. The pool. I found the gaming room upstairs.”

“There’s a wine cellar and bar downstairs.”

“We won’t have much use for that, but good to know,” Calum states and takes your hand as you land on the second story flat. You never told Calum he had to stop drinking because of you. And now, as the both of you became older and with Ashton’s sobriety, drinking feels to be fading to the rearview. Whenever Calum did want something, he’d go for a Whiteclaw, or a beer. But even that’s slowed. 

Calum, now, points out the wing with a few other bedrooms and hooks a left to show you the gaming room--a pool table greets you alongside plush chairs that face what appear to be a projector screen. Through there, he leads you to the balcony doors. From this vantage point, the ocean looks much smaller but still vast beneath you. The waves crash against the rocks. You feel bigger, like some all seeing entity, but you know that the ocean will always have you beat. The cresting afternoon warms and more sun peeks through than the morning, which occasionally causes the caps on the waves to sparkle. 

Calum winds his arms around you, palms gently rubbing over your bump. “Do you like it?”

“This is massive and gorgeous. Much more than I really think is necessary,” you answer softly. 

“Nonsense,” he returns. His lips are soft against your skin. One kiss falls on the back of your neck. Then he places another. You fall back into his chest just a little. The side of your throat now exposed to Calum’s hungry lips. 

“We said grocery shopping later right?” he questions. His voice is raspy in your ear. 

“Yeah, I think we said something like that,” you return around the soft moan that escapes you. His touch warms your skin. 

“Good,” Calum sighs, letting you turn to face him completely. 

In the kisses, there’s no worry. You shed Calum’s shirt and kiss down his chest, marveling at the sight that you’ve seen plenty of times. And you want to think it’s like seeing him with new eyes, but that’s not accurate nor complete. You know the moles and the stretch marks--you’d almost considered giving them a name. But Calum in front of you now is more transparent than before. When his hands slip under the sweatshirt, you know the tips of his fingers are going to trace your belly. Like they always do and you know he’s going to tease the band of your pants too while he’s there. 

You can anticipate the tug at the hem of the material but it still doesn’t cut the shiver that runs down your spine. You know Calum’s every move. He traces you like roads he’d take to get to and from the studio. You know that when you get impatient with the teasing you can run your tongue right under his left ear and he’ll melt into putty for you to mold. Every move is known, but the effects are all still the same. 

The sweatshirt, once a warm refuge, is pulled up and over your head. Being pregnant was weird. With every blink of your eyes something was different. Ankles ache more. Or maybe your back felt tighter. But you knew without a shadow of a doubt something would be different each day. Given that, nothing felt like it could surprise you anymore. However, under Calum’s gaze you’re realizing just how drastic these changes must be. He trails over your chest, down to your stomach, as if knowing the paths but spotting something that had changed along away. 

Softly, he smiles and then closes the distance for a moment to kiss you. “I was right about you being hot pregnant.”

You laugh against his lips. “You’re the hot stuff here,” you tease, cupping his face. With the admission, you seal a kiss to Calum’s lips and guide him slowly over to the chairs on the balcony. His hands fall to your hips as he settles into the chair to help you settle onto his lap. Just as a test, you grind your hips down into his. Calum’s head falls back, eyes fluttering close. 

The sight of his throat is enticing and you’re more than happy to kiss it, flicking out your tongue too. Calum’s never opposed to a mark from you, but you liked being discrete. It was much more riveting to know that you’d littered his thighs with bite marks and bruises before he went to photoshoots and interviews. Like Calum had secrets on tour about you and the baby, you had secrets well before. Seeing him on the covers of magazines you knew that hours before you had him squirming and shouting his release. You knew that his thighs were sporting purple marks. 

Currently all you have access to is his neck and chest and the thought that you can mark him again spurs you. Every moan and exhaled praise keeps you going. Square on his left peck you suck a deep mark on his skin. Calum’s hands, once traveling over your torso, slide up to the base of your neck and he moves your heads up to look at him. Eye to eye, you catch just a second of the mischief twinkle.

Calum’s breath brushes over your lips as he speaks, “I’m going to make you pay for that.”

“Good thing I can write checks my ass can cash,” you whisper. 

There’s no verbal response, just a bruising kiss. You’re not even sure how long the two of you stay on that balcony. Between the kisses and teases, it’s almost like you two don’t need anything else. Though your own resolve is breaking. Calum’s hard length beneath you hints at everything that can be, that you’ve missed for the weeks that he’s been on tour and he keeps bucking up at your nips. 

“Calum,” you whine after another buck of his clothed hips. Your arms wind around his shoulders. 

The desperation leaks from your voice. He watches the way your eyes flutter close and he knows. Everything is melting around you too--the teases, the desire for languid consumption--and now what’s left is a deep desire. This desire feels like it could be a bottomless pit, like it could never be fulfilled. If Calum’s honest, and he is most of the time, he worried for a moment that he’d go too far, that something in him wouldn’t be able to keep it in check and hurt you or the baby. 

As much as Calum desired to be this close to you, he feared going too far. 

Calum trails his nose up your jaw. “Hey, look at me, please.”

You blink your eyes open at the soft command. Though Calum’s previous teasing showed you a man confident, you catch the flicker of something else in his eyes. “Yes, love?”

“You’ll tell me if anything’s uncomfortable, right?” 

You nod. “Are you worried about hurting me and Chickadee?”

“A little,” he exhales. 

“Well, good thing I’m already on top,” you offer. Calum chuckles for a moment, forehead ducking under your chin and resting in the center of your chest. Your touch is soft against his cheek. Calum turns into the touch. “I’ll tell you if anything doesn’t feel right.”

“Promise?” he whispers into your palm.

“Promise.”

“Pinky promise?” It feels childish as it leaves his lips, but he has to make doubly sure. The last thing he’d ever want to do is hurt either one of you. 

“Pinky promise,” you answer. 

“Okay,” he whispers in return and then presses a kiss to your palm. 

There’s no hesitation on your part as you take a moment to stand and disrobe the remaining articles of clothing. Calum follows suit. For a moment, he hates the nerves. It almost takes him away from you, away from this moment that he has with you. This isn’t even a moment that’s just come up. It’s one that he’s dreamt of laying in the bunks of the tour bus. But fear is a hell of a drug. 

Your palm is firm on his chest. He goes from watching out over the balcony and sea back to you. You’re in front of him. You’re smiling at him. You’re whispering so softly into his skin that he has to strain to hear the direction to sit back down. You’re slowly climbing into his lap and a moment that used to be a lot more smooth has a couple extra stutters. He tries not to laugh, but you catch the snort anyway. 

“You’re lucky you’re hot,” you return. 

His hands settle onto your hips. “I think I’m the lucky one.”

With a teasing tilt of your head, you ponder the thought. “The jury will agree to that.” The joke’s immediately followed by a kiss. Calum’s eyes flutter close and he tries to think about the way your thighs mold around his. You’re still malleable beneath his palms. Your skin is just as soft as he’s remembered it. When you take hold of his length, he exhales--deep from his chest. Your fingers work deftly over him. His muscles tense and he wants to wrap you in them, but he remembers he’s got to be a bit more gentle right now. 

Then you’re sinking down on him and the fear that sparked up is squashed out by the haze of pleasure. At first, Calum just wants to settle and take in the feel of you around him for the first time in a while. But then you’re already pulling up. He rests one handle into the cradle of your lower back, thumb resting in the divet of hip and torso. He goes to speak, beg really, but then you’re slipping back down. No tangible words come out, just the exhale of what was a whine that dissolved into a euphoric sigh. 

Your movements are slow. Even time seems to have slowed. Calum watches the way your bodies meet, though the bump does obstruct just a tiny bit of the view, even the addition makes his gut leap. The cadence of your hips drives Calum mad--not because it’s too slow, but because it’s dragging out every ounce of pleasure his body can feel. You feel like you are everywhere. He knows it’s just the desire, it’s the want to have you everywhere that drives the feeling. And he loves it. There’s no way around it. He’d rather have the feeling of you here, now, than anyone or anything else. 

Your rhythm falters and he closes his arms around you. “You okay?” he breathes out, trying to keep enough breath in him to talk, but also knowing every ounce of it is also leaving him in the same second he regains it. 

You nod, head resting on the top of his shoulder. “Yeah, I swear. Just--fuck,” you gasp. “Feels so amazing. Missed this, missed you.”

Calum smiles at the news. He trails his fingers up your spine and you shiver against him. “You’re doing so well, sweetheart.” It’s broken due to the panting, but when the sentence falls from his fully, you push up. 

The two of you share a deep gaze, bodies still moving in a slow rhythm with each other, but watching the way the pleasure courses through the other. The sight of your pleasure makes Calum’s veins thump hard against the walls and confines of his flesh. What a sight to behold, what an honor to watch you fall over the edge. What a privilege to follow you over that edge too.  

With thumping hearts pressed against each other, you two take a moment to come back to your senses. Calum cradles your face in his palms, his slenders fingers tracing random patterns on your cheeks. His presses kisses to the end of your nose and when you finally scrunch up and giggle at the action, he knows you’re back. 

“Want a nap and then grocery shopping?”

“Yes please,” you mumble against his lips.

Tagging: @carma-fanficaddict @one-sweet-gubler @sunflowercalum @wonderlandiswhereitsatyo @markaylafruitcup @fandomfoodiedancer @wiiildflowerrr @icelily13

[tiredcowpoke]

TITLE: Of Milestones [1/3] PAIRING: Arthur Morgan/Reader REQUEST: The idea itself is of my own creation, but I know some people still wanted some things from my little modern professors au, and it’s easier than coming up with a whole separate thing, so I set this in that au.  BLURB: With plans falling through, you end up joining Arthur on a short trip up to see some family. In doing so, feelings are solidified and you start to realize some things.  WARNINGS: Nothing really? A little bit of self-esteem issues?  NOTE: ...I know I was uncertain about continuing things in this au but this idea jumped on me one day and I figured I could put it together. I was torn over setting this during winter or not, but figured adding a couple of months onto the previous parts gave me more room. (Not feeling all that festive yet, anyway.) Also, three parts is a tentative goal, it might be four. We’ll see. Once again, the reader’s gender is still neutral, as it is in the other pieces in this au. 

“Yeah…” 

Your reply came around a small sigh, phone pressed to your ear as you listened to the voice on the other end. The summer months brought with them a heat that you had missed over the winter, yet now you found the novelty was wearing off. You paced somewhat, trying to focus over the small pit of disappointment that formed in your stomach and the heat that hung in the air around you. You moved between the small standing fan in the living room and an open window almost absentmindedly, nodding lightly. 

“We can do it another time, yeah…” you said into the phone in reply, nodding your head lightly before pausing. “Oh, no. No, tell her not to feel guilty, okay? I can hold my own, you guys should go do that…” 

Pausing as you listened to the reply on the other end of the phone, casting a glance into the living room. A familiar face sat on your couch, an old laptop open in his lap as she seemed to be staring thoughtfully at the screen. However, knowing him and how close you were standing, you wouldn’t be surprised if he wasn’t keeping an ear on the conversation. It was still somewhat strange to see him sitting around your house, though that feeling had been starting to leave as of late. You and Arthur had been trading off evenings and days on the weekends over the previous semester in keeping each other company, so at least it wasn’t as awkward as it had been the first couple times. 

Your relationship with him had been progressing interestingly. Work got in the way a bit, especially near the end of the semester, but at least some hiccups had been overcome. Yet, even with spending time in the other’s home, there were still no overnight stays. Or anything beyond that, just yet. There were moments and roaming thoughts that had you wondering if you should try to take the lead in that, see where his head was at. 

Yet, things were comfortable. Good. Yet...well, perhaps there was a touch of insecurity with that. It had been a while since you had been in a relationship, and even longer since you had let someone into your bed. 

“Uh…” you continued, pulling yourself away from that train of thought as you rubbed at the back of your neck at that unfortunate train of thought while you were on the phone with one of your parents. “Yeah, you guys enjoy that. Take pictures. Alright, love you too. Bye.” 

Well, that tossed one of your plans for the summer out of the window. 

You let out a small sigh through your nose as the phone call ended, locking your phone before tucking it into a pocket as you turned back around toward the living room. Arthur still appeared to be writing, causing you to head over. You placed your hands on his shoulders as you paused at the back of the couch, trying not to read what he was working on. However, at first glance, it appeared to be some sort of lesson plan. 

“I thought you weren’t working any of the summer or spring semesters,” you commented, dropping your hands as you moved around to sit in one of the chairs near the couch. 

“I thought you weren’t gonna read over my shoulder,” Arthur commented, shifting his gaze to meet yours for a moment before lowering it back to the screen. 

Much as you knew the comment was pointed, there was a teasing there that you had been becoming more familiar with. It pulled a small smile from you, watching as he shifted back to glance toward you fully. 

“And I’m not,” he continued, “Just touchin’ up on a couple lessons for fall.” 

“You’re stronger than me, don’t think I could even handle looking at the course outline this early in.” 

Should you not be working over the summer. With your recent phone call still lingering in your mind, you couldn’t help but wish you had the hindsight to see that coming. It might have been worth picking up teaching a course over the off season and make some extra money. 

“Eh, ain’t much,” Arthur replied around a small shrug, “What was all of that about?”

“My plans about leaving next week to visit family out of state fell through,” you replied around a small sigh, “It freed the whole month up that I don’t know what to do with.”

“Oh, sorry to hear that,” Arthur said, closing the computer in his lap as he set it down in the seat next to him. 

“They deserve it,” you said around a small shrug, “My parents work themselves thin, they probably haven’t been able to have time to themselves in a long while.” 

Arthur let out a small hum, looking off toward the window for a few moments. You watched him for a few moments, almost being able to see the wheels turning in his head. Though, after a moment he turned to glance back toward you, letting out a small huff as he looked almost apologetic. 

“If I’d known you’d be stuck here, I don’t think I would’ve agreed to head out of state to see some of my own,” he replied around a small chuckle, causing you to return it with one of your own. 

“Great minds think alike,” you replied before offering him a shrug. “I hadn’t known, either. Me being here or not shouldn’t stop you from seeing your family, though. I’ll be fine.” 

He nodded his head lightly, letting the conversation hang there. It was strange, you didn’t want to stop him from doing things without you. You didn’t want him feeling guilty about that. It was sweet that he didn’t want to leave you on your own, you knew you would feel bad if he pushed that off for the sake of you having him around. However, you saw his expression shift, almost seemed like he was weighing his words before he spoke, which caused you to raise your eyebrow. 

“Well, you could always come with me,” he said, followed up by a small shrug, “If you want, that is.” 

“I, uh…” you started around a small chuckle, “I didn’t know we were at the ‘meeting the family’ stage.” 

“It ain’t that serious,” Arthur replied, “We’re just gettin’ together for a couple days.” 

“...Is this because you know I’m going to be alone here?” 

A part of you wanted to kick yourself for letting the question slip out. You had been trying to ignore the doubting thoughts, especially after you had said you would trust him after that one dinner a couple months ago. It took some time to get around the lingering anxiety about everything, especially after battling how new this whole thing was for you. Yet, it was still hard to shake sometimes. 

Still, he offered to take you along to meet his family, and you acted like there was an ulterior motive to that. 

“No,” Arthur replied, his brow tightening somewhat, “I know your plans opened, guess I thought it might be time, but…” 

“I--I’m sorry,” you said around a sigh, shifting in your seat to reach out to grasp his arm that was resting on the armrest. “I didn’t mean to sound so suspicious, it’s just strange timing for that. When were you going? In a couple of days?” 

“Yeah, I think I’m headin’ out a couple days after you were going to,” he replied, meeting your gaze as you thought that over, removing your hand from his arm as you leaned back into the chair. 

“Well, I can’t say I suddenly have plans,” you said around a small chuckle, “...Sure, I’ll come with you if that’s what you want.” 

“Yeah. Yeah, I do,” Arthur said with a nod, shifting to get up from the couch to pass you toward the kitchen. He placed a hand against your shoulder as he let out a small huff, it almost sounded tense. “I want to spend time with you, sweetheart. Don’t have to act like I don’t.” 

“I know,” you said around a sigh, reaching a hand up to squeeze Arthur’s apologetically. “I’m sorry, I didn’t think the question through too much.” 

“I understand,” he said, squeezing your hand back in return somewhat before you let him go to wander toward the kitchen. 

                                                             ***

It was just one thing after another. 

As much as you had moved on from the awkward agreement to do this with him, the idea of meeting Arthur’s family brought about a stress in you that you should have known was coming. The last relationship you were in, there hadn’t been any family to meet outside of your own, as your partner’s were estranged. That had been an awkward dinner and couple days stay, and you knew your family saw that too. There had been the odd comment that you should have taken as a warning, but they had let you do what you wanted. 

Now, you could only hope that you weren’t the one pulling out the “are you sure?” questions from Arthur’s family when you were out of the room. 

Yet, now there was this. 

A part of you knew this university wasn’t going to take you on fully, it was a bit of a familiar song and dance that you got from another that you had gotten from a few institutions. Yet, you knew there was the chance of getting your foot in with your old university. There had been a matter of pay, but knowing your current university wasn’t likely to take you on as more than a seasonal instructor--well…

Much as your stay there had given you something you hadn’t been expecting in the slightest in the form of the man whose parents you were about to meet, you knew you had to leave. 

It was just a matter of telling him. 

He’s an adult, a voice in the back of your head reminded you, he can take hearing something like that. 

Still, at least the stress was enough of a motivator to make sure you were prepared for the trip. You weren’t sure how far out this place was. Arthur had mentioned you would probably have to sleep a night on the road, but either you stopped somewhere or you alternated off for a couple of hours until you reached your destination. You liked the idea of not having to sleep in a car, but you figured you would get that settled. 

A couple days passed with everything sitting on the back burner, that stress reaching the surface for a few moments between things. Yet, when the day came and you had to wake up before the sun to get into Arthur’s truck, you felt more excited than anything. It wasn’t hard to hide the little extra energy when you were putting your duffle into the back of his truck. 

“I think that’s everything,” you said once you climbed into the passenger’s seat, tilting your head to meet the quick kiss Arthur pressed to your lips before leaning back to do up your seat belt. 

“Should hope so, it’ll be a pain to turn around for anythin’,” Arthur commented, waiting a moment as you thought that over before giving him a nod that you were ready to go. 

You relaxed into the seat somewhat as Arthur pulled out of your driveway, trying to work down the excitement and anxiety that twisted a bit in your gut now that you knew this was happening. There was also a touch of sleepiness that you knew was lingering behind everything. Still, you found yourself glancing over toward him as Arthur drove. 

“So, are you going to tell me about this family of yours?” you asked, causing him to glance at you for a moment before looking back out at the road. 

“We’re gonna visit my brother at his ranch, think that’s where a couple of folks are also stayin’,” he replied, “Think his wife, Abigail, is at the head of this whole thing, but that’s what I was told.” 

“Are your folks going to be there?” you asked. There was a touch of hesitancy to the question. Arthur never mentioned his parents, you knew that could be a minefield. 

“Well, yes and no,” he replied, “My ma passed when I was a kid and my pa wasn’t a good man, I got picked up pretty young after that point. I was in and out of foster homes for a bit until two men took me in. Hosea, he’s one of them and I was told he’d be there. That’s as close a father figure I got.” 

“Oh...I’m sorry to hear that,” you said, looking over his profile as he shrugged lightly, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him. 

“Was a long time ago,” he replied, “If I’m bein’ honest, I’d rather you meet Hosea over my ‘real’ pa anyway.” 

“Well,” you said, leaning back in your seat somewhat, hoping to break the tension some as you let out a soft chuckle, “I’ll make sure I’m dressed sharp, get my ‘yes, sir’s in order.” 

“I wouldn’t go thinkin’ you know him so well,” Arthur said around a laugh, a sound that never failed to put a smile on your face and a flip to your heart. 

You let the conversation lay at that, letting your head rest against the glass of the window somewhat. It was still somewhat dark outside, but you could see some light appearing around the city’s buildings. Thinking it over, you weren’t all that surprised to hear that Arthur’s brother lived on a ranch. Arthur had it written all over him. It was more surprising that he managed to live in the city as he did, though you figured work must have had some factor in that. 

Though...well, you supposed he wasn’t blood-related to these people? There was a story there, probably something that couldn’t be summarized in a few words. 

There was a strange feeling that cropped up at that. It wasn’t anything aimed toward Arthur himself, but rather a sort of wonder in you over how he managed to find you all that interesting. You had seen his ex, and…

You weren’t going to do that. Arthur could make his own decisions; you trusted him. 

You didn’t want things like that to mar this whole trip. So, much as you didn’t want to…

“So,” you started, shifting to sit up more somewhat, “I have something to tell you.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah. I think I’m going to need to go back to my old university,” you said around a small sigh. 

“Somethin’ happen?” he asked, glancing toward you for a moment. You could see the touch of concern that crossed his face, making you shake your head. 

“I don’t think the one I’m teaching at currently wants to take me on more than just seasonal,” you replied, “I had a bit of my foot in the door with my old one, I know some colleagues.”

“Well, you do deserve some more stability than what you’re gettin’,” Arthur replied, his tone surprisingly lighter than you had been expecting. 

“Well, I’m glad someone thinks so,” you replied around a small chuckle, “Just...feel a little bad about the idea of leaving you there, I guess.” 

“What for?” he asked, glancing toward you with slightly furrowed brows, “Could’ve ended up in different offices in the fall, wouldn’t change anythin’...” 

“I guess...I don’t know. It’s a longer route, probably longer hours. Might end up changing our time together.” 

Arthur let out a small sound in understanding, causing you to glance toward him for a few moments before his hand found your own. He squeezed his hand around your own, pressing his thumb over the top of it. 

“I don’t want you puttin’ aside your happiness for me,” he said around a small sigh, “I would argue and say my happiness ain’t worth tossin’ anythin’ aside for.” 

“C’mon, don’t say that about yourself,” you replied, shaking your head, “It’s not like this whole thing is holding on by that one hour we had together every couple of days. It wouldn’t be much of a relationship if it were. It will just have to be an adjustment, should I get back on with them to begin with.” 

“Yeah…” Arthur replied with a small nod, “I don’t think it’ll change much.” 

“I just wanted you to know,” you said, raising your joined hand to press a quick kiss to the top of his, “It’s something to worry about in a couple weeks. I just want this to be a good time.” 

“Me too,” Arthur said with a small nod, “If all of this don’t send you runnin’ for the hills.” 

“I don’t know,” you said with a chuckle, “I had a couple of chances already, and I’m still here.”

[angel-tries-to-write]

Tease

Rating: Teen and and up, mild sexual content Pairing: Mac x gender neutral reader (at least I tried) Word count: 3692

You've been dancing around each other for years, time to shine now. I suck at summaries, if you hadn't noticed yet.

You two have been teasing each other forever. Okay, maybe not forever, but definitely since you've met for the first time. You've been recruited to CIA by Matty Webber straight from college and a couple of years later you were offered a job in Phoenix Foundation, where she had transferred earlier. Director Webber wanted to have you in her team, so it was obvious that sooner or later you were going to meet the other agents. Especially this particular agent, whose blue eyes and smug grin made your heart jump a little in a way you didn't like, and you didn't know whether you wanted to punch him or kiss him. Both were really tempting. None of you seemed to be aware of the fact, that you couldn't even talk like normal people. Every one of your conversations just had to become the aggressive flirting that you were oblivious of. Not even constant 'get a room!'s managed to give you a hint of what you were exactly doing. Well, there just had to come the time when things started to get out of the hand.

You loved missions which required wearing a formal dress, heavy make-up and attending a fancy party. You liked blending in, pretending to be someone else and having way more fun than you were supposed to. Currently you were sitting by the bar, sipping slowly some probably expensive drink, which you almost spat out when a man sat nearby. The characteristic smell of his cologne gave you goosebumps, made your knees weak and sent a strike of heat into your lower abdomen. You knew that scent very well, it was sandalwood. One of your big turn-ons. No one said it was going to be an easy mission. You tried to breathe, but it wasn't helping at all, luckily, the man hadn't stayed nearby for long. He ordered his drink and went away right after getting it, only then you could let out a sigh of relief. It'd be better to keep that secret. The universe, on the other hand, had different plans.

A few minutes later Mac and Jack identified the target of your mission. They've been chasing it currently and you'd gladly help if you wore some comfortable shoes. Or at least you could run more carelessly, without having to mind your steps. You joined them only when they lost the track of the target. You walked into the almost empty room and you felt the same feeling you had at the bar. That familiar scent again.

“Don't waste your time, (y/n), we already checked there” said Dalton, trying to hide how disappointed he was.

“Who do we even chase?” you asked. That couldn't be a coincidence that you smelled this cologne here.

“This man” Mac showed you a photo of the man you've seen earlier at the bar. Bingo! That's why you smelled his cologne.

“Well, then he has to be here” you entered the room and looked around. The faint scent seemed to be stronger by one of the walls. You looked closely and saw a narrow chink in the wall, hidden under the decorative wallpaper. Clever, Mr. Bad Guy, but not clever enough. “There. Something is here.”

The two agents exchanged a surprised look and approached to see what did you find. None of them could understand how did you do that.

“Not bad for you” Mac teased and started to work his magic to open whatever was in this wall.

A few hours later the mission was completed and you were on your way home.

“Hey, (y/n)” Jack spoke suddenly. “How did you find that dude?”

“My secret” you answered, not even opening your eyes you closed a few moments ago.

“Tell me” he pleaded like a kid.

“Fine. I smelled his cologne. It contained sandalwood and it's my favorite scent” you admitted, too tired to resist.

“Isn't it an aphrodisiac?” Riley asked, rising an eyebrow.

“What's that?” asked Jack.

“Basically you smell it and you get horny” explained Bozer, not bothering to be subtle.

“Well, it doesn't work on me this way. I just think it smells nice” you lied, trying to avoid comments. You started to worry that Mac wasn't saying anything, you hoped he was asleep or lost in thoughts, but it wasn't really possible. You bet he was up to something and you were sure you would find out what soon.

A couple of days later Matty called in the team. You were first in the war room, sitting on the armchair and checking something on your phone. You barely noticed the others coming in, except for one person. You first smelled, then felt his presence, finally seeing him. On the armrest of your chair was sitting your favorite blonde boy and he smelled like never before. You could easily identify sandalwood in his new cologne and it smelled so good on him, that you couldn't focus on anything else, feeling your arousal rising.

“(Y/n), are you alright?” you heard Matty's voice. “You seem distracted” she said and you could only imagine how big shit-eating grin Mac had to suppress.

“Sorry. I got a slight concussion on the last mission” you lied easily. “It must've impacted on me a little.”

“So that's how we call Mac from now on? A concussion?” Bozer muttered to Riley and they both chuckled quietly.

“I heard that” you said, sending them your best death glare.

“Girl, I'm just saying you look weird since he entered the room, it's not my fault I'm this observant” typical Boz tried to save his butt as usual.

“Can we focus on the debriefing, please?” you snapped angrily. “Having fun, Macgyver, aren't you?” you growled quietly, making sure he's the only one who heard it.

“You have no idea” he replied, very amused indeed.

After a few days you managed to get used to his new scent, especially after one situation. You were in the field, under the fire, waiting for a bomb to explode and therefore Mac's trap to work. When it went off, you two acted by a pure instinct, he pulled you into his chest and you clung to him, burying your face in his shirt. You regretted it immediately, he smelled like your favorite cologne and sweat with a faint tone of metal and chemicals, which was a surprisingly good mix. Of course you remembered enough biology to know it was no magic or silly love, but a chemical reaction. His pheromones just happened to be very compatible with your nose and brain, which was of course problematic, but not weird or something. And it was easier to tell yourself that, instead of admitting you were in love. Anyway, when you got used to this new scent, it was easier to stay focused. Although you were about to find out, that things were about to get worse. Or maybe better? Depends on the point of view.

It was just a regular celebration of Mac's birthday. Gifts, cake, party in his home. The usual. One thing that was different, was Jack, who made you all participate in a karaoke session. He obviously didn't take 'no' for an answer. The good part of it was that he let everyone pick their song, so you could sorta punish him.

“Come on, (y/n), your turn!” Dalton commanded. You typed the title in the searching bar and everyone groaned?

“Really, dude? Despacito? The most popular and annoying song no one knows lyrics of?” Bozer was clearly unamused.

“I know the lyrics and I think it's beautiful” you protested.

“Do you know it to the point to not watch the screen?” asked Jack and you knew he was up to something.

“I do. But I'm not going to dance, if that's what you're thinking about” you said, crossing your arms on your chest.

“How did you-”

“I just knew” you shrugged. “But I think I might have a little problem, since I don't know the original version, just a cover I adore. And it'll be hard to get an instrumental version for this cover.”

“Then pick a different one, come on, we don't have all night for this” Riley rushed you.

“But I want this one. To make sure Jack will never come up with such a terrible idea again.”

“I can always play for you” offered Mac and you all but Bozer looked at him surprised. “What? I'm not a pro, but I'm also not bad. Besides I think I know which song you have in mind” he said getting up and he took the guitar that was always in his house and everyone simply ignored it. You found the right chords for him and after a few moments Mac was ready.

He started very similarly to the original version, even playing a bit Latino way, pulling the strings separately, not in a classic way.

Comin' over in my direction So thankful for that, it's such a blessin', yeah Turn every situation into heaven, yeah Oh, you are My sunrise on the darkest day Got me feelin' some kind of way Make me wanna savor every moment slowly, slowly

You started with a shyness and hesitation, your cheeks blushed while singing, especially in English. When the Spanish lyrics started, you felt more confident. No one could understand you anyway.

¡Oh! Tú, tú eres el imán y yo soy el metal (You, you’re the magnet and I’m the metal) Me voy acercando y voy armando el plan (I’m getting closer and coming up with a plan) Solo con pensarlo se acelera el pulso (oh yeah) (Just thinking about it accelerates my pulse) Ya, ya me está gustando más de lo normal (I’m already enjoying it more than normal) Todos mis sentidos van pidiendo más (All of my senses are asking for more) Esto hay que tomarlo sin ningún apuro (This has to be done without a hurry)

Despacito (Slowly) Quiero respirar tu cuello despacito (I want to breathe your neck slowly) Deja que te diga cosas al oído (Let me whisper things in your ear) Para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo (That you’ll remember when you’re not with me) Despacito (Slowly) Quiero desnudarte a besos despacito (I want to undress you with kisses slowly) Firmo en las paredes de tu laberinto (Sign the walls of your labyrinth) Y hacer de tu cuerpo todo un manuscrito (And turn your body into a manuscript)

As the song continued, you couldn't tear your eyes off Mac. You knew you were singing for him, that your feelings were flowing through you. The second part of the song was different, however.

The club isn't the best place to find a lover So the bar is where I go Me and my friends at the table doing shots Drinking fast and then we talk slow (despacito) Over and start up a conversation with just me And trust me I'll give it a chance now Take my hand, stop, put Van the Man on the jukebox And then we start to dance, and now I'm singing like

Girl you know I want your love Your love was handmade for somebody like me Come on now follow my lead I may be queasy, don't let me see

Oh boy Ya no hablemos más (Let's not talk anymore) Toma mi cuerpo y frótalo contra ti (Take my body and rub it against you) Ven y sígueme hasta el fin (Come and follow me to the end) Ven, ven y sígueme hasta el fin (Come, come and follow me to the end)

I'm in love with the shape of you We push and pull like a magnet do Although my heart is falling too I'm in love with your body Last night you were in my room And now my bed sheets smell like you Every day discovering something brand new I'm in love with your body

Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I I'm in love with your body Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I

Oh, despacito This is how we do it down in Puerto Rico I just wanna hear you screaming, "¡Ay, Bendito!" I can move forever cuando esté contigo (when you are with me) ¡Bailalo! (Dance!) Pasito a pasito, suave suavecito (Step by step, gentle gently) Nos vamos pegando, poquito a poquito (We’ll get closer, little by little) Cuando tú me besas con esa destreza (When you kiss me with that skill) Veo que eres malicia con delicadeza (I see that you are malice with delicacy)

This part was definitely about Mac, he was just the real life definition of "malicia con delicadeza". Well, you were ready to admit that maybe you would like to do all what the song was about and a lot of more. After this part, the end was just a formality, you didn't actually need it.

I'm in love with the shape of you We push and pull like a magnet do Although my heart is falling too I'm in love with your body Last night you were in my room And now my bed sheets smell like you Every day discovering something brand new I'm in love with your body

Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I Despacito Oh I, oh I, oh I, oh I Come on, be my baby, oh yeah

You finished the song and finally looked at the others. They were genuinely impressed by either you, Mac or both. Jack was speechless and you thought it was the best thing that could ever happen, at least you could appreciate a few moments of silence before they started to talk. Bozer spoke first, complimenting both of you, the others joined him quickly.

After a few hours of having a good time it was time to say goodnight. Matty left first, then Bozer with Leanna, Riley, and Jack was the last one. You were supposed to leave either, but you wanted to stay and help with the cleaning. No one could convince you to not do that, because you were this type of a friend who would always clean up, even if you were a guest. Besides you felt in the house comfortable enough to not care and just casually start to wash the dishes.

“Are you doing that to spend more time with me?” Mac asked, when he finished his part of the cleaning. You were almost done either.

“Of course not. I really don't like to leave a mess, even if I'm a guest. Besides, I know it's easier to clean up together than on your own” you answered honestly, giving him a smile. You hadn't drunk much, but enough to feel his presence more intensively than usually.

“I appreciate that a lot” he said and started to do something around the kitchen while you finished your job. It was almost like he wanted to spend more time with you.

“You know, I've been thinking... maybe we should go out from time to time? Like... just the two of us” he said after a while.

“Are you asking me for a date?” you looked at him slightly surprised. Was that possible he felt about you the same way you felt about him?

“I guess I am” he looked at you with his adorable puppy expression and you couldn't help but giggle.

“Then I guess I say yes” you answered and before you thought, you quietly added in Spanish: “Besides, you're so cute it's hard to say no.”

“I bet not as cute as you singing that song and thinking no one understands you” he replied also in Spanish and you were grateful you finished washing the dishes, because you would certainly drop whatever was in your hands if they weren't empty. Your face paled, then reddened furiously.

“I... No... It's...” you tried to say something, but words didn't want to form in your head. How could you be naive enough to think he doesn't know Spanish? This golden boy obviously could do everything.

“Hey” he put his hand on yours, but you took it away.

“Stop before I'll do something I'm going to regret” you whispered, looking into his blue eyes.

“Let me do something first.”

“Okay.”

As soon as he heard your permission, Mac leaned down and pressed his lips to yours. That was certainly not something you expected, but you didn't waste your chance and kissed him back. You wanted to both stay and run away, torn between listening to your mind and heart.

“I should be going” you whispered finally between kisses, but clearly not wanting to let him go.

“Stay” Mac pleaded and his fingers ghosted over the skin under the hem of your t-shirt.

“I want to, but I really shouldn't.”

“Baby, it's cold outside” he purred, kissing your neck. You smiled widely but your breath hitched.

“Alright. So where would I sleep?” you asked teasingly, unbuttoning his shirt slowly.

“In my bed?” he followed the game, sliding his hands under your clothes.

“But I have no pj's” you smirked, exposing his chest which you traced gently with your fingertips.

“You won't need them” he kissed you hungrily and lifted you up, then carried you to the bedroom. Not that you minded.

When you woke up in the morning, you didn't actually know whether you were supposed to be happy or scared. Or maybe both. Last night was either making your dreams come true, or a total disaster and the end of your friendship. Everything depended on what Mac thought about it. But the blond agent was still asleep, so you got up silently, took his shirt and left the bedroom. You didn't take any of your things, in case Macgyver woke up. You didn't want him to think you vanished and left him all alone. And you were right, by the time you came back with breakfast, he was awake.

“You scared me” he said and yawned.

“Why?” you asked, putting the tray on the nightstand and sitting comfortably in bed before you put in on your lap.

“I woke up and you weren't there. I thought you left, but then I saw your clothes.”

“It would be difficult to go anywhere outside without them” you chuckled, cutting a bit of the pile of pancakes with a fork and then offering it to Mac. “Besides, I didn't even want to go. I was just hungry. And I wanted to think what to do next” you explained, taking another bit yourself.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that we should talk about us. Without teasing and jokes, just seriously talk about our feelings and-”

“I love you.”

These three words silenced you for good. Jack told you once that you and Mac have too big brains for your own's sake and you tend to overanalyze simple stuff. While relationships, according to Dalton, were no quantum physics, these stuff were simple. Well, you could swear physics was more simple than dating. But apparently Mac listened to his friend and decided to think less, act more.

“I... totally didn't expect that” you admitted, still shocked.

“I thought it was obvious. All that flirting, teasing, your favorite cologne... Everyone knew. They told me last night” he said sheepishly.

“You know what they say, "love is blind"? I was so in love that I didn't see anything at all. I seriously want to laugh at my own stupidity” you giggled, trying your best to not spill the coffee. “I was sure that if you ever found out how I feel about you, it would ruin our friendship. I was too focused on hiding my own feelings that I didn't notice yours.”

“We would make a perfect couple” Mac chuckled and kissed you.

“We will make a perfect couple” you corrected him, breaking the kiss. “You don't really think I could give up now? I love you too, Macgyver, whether you like it or not.”

“Oh, I do” he smirked. “Let's eat and I'll show you how much I like it.”

“Sounds fair. Unless you tease me again.”

“I can start to. As soon as we finish” he took the fork you held and fed you with pancakes just like you did before. Once you finished, he unbuttoned his shirt you were wearing and kissed you.

Of course it was the perfect moment for Matty to call. You wanted to suggest he shouldn't answer, but you knew a little too well that she would kill you both.

“Hey, Matty, what's up” Mac answered the phone with a speaker, so you could hear the boss too. He used a very convincing sleepy voice.

“I'm sorry to wake you up, but there's an emergency. Get ready and better be in war room in an hour. Also, do you know anything about (Y/n)? Her phone is dead and she didn't reach her home last night.”

“I'm sure she's fine” he said as you literally held your breath.

“Mac, this is serious, if something happened to her, I will search the whole world until I find her.”

“I mean it, Matty. I assure you she's fine.”

“Do you happen to know something I don't?”

“Maybe...” he tried and you sighed. There was no point in trying to fool her.

“Just don't tell Jack, okay?” you spoke. “And Bozer or Riley.”

“I'll just say it's about time. In this case I guess I can give you two hours” Matty's voice sounded way more amused than you wanted her to be.

“It's fine, we were about to get up anyway” you said embarrassed.

“No, you weren't, don't try to fool me. I know you better than you think and Ican tell you counted on a lazy day in bed.”

“Okay, enough. See you in Phoenix” you said and Mac ended the call, agreeing with you.

“So, we have two hours. I suggest we should use them well” he smirked and for the first time you didn't have the dilemma whether you want to punch him or kiss him. You just leaned in and kissed him hard. These two hours were going to be the best used time in your life. You were sure of it.

A/N: Used song is obviously “Despacito x Shape of You” by my favorite Pentatonix