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pdriesta · 13 days

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CHAPTER FOUR

“i want something that i know is real”

pairings — judexblack!girl

genres — fluff, slow burn, workplace romance (she’s a pt)

warnings — sexual themes (minors dni)

word count — 6.3k

summary — y/n, a rising physiotherapist, has just been promoted to work with real madrid's men's team. after a difficult breakup, she's determined to keep things professional. but when jude bellingham, the club's charming new star, sets his sights on her, maintaining boundaries becomes harder than ever. can she resist the pull, or will she risk everything for a love she swore she’d never fall for again?

an — my favourite chapter! i eat up the sick trope

masterlist

as y/n arrived at jude’s apartment building, the evening sun casting a soft, golden glow across the streets, she felt a wave of doubt wash over her. her heart pounded as she stared at the door, clutching the bags of food and medicine she had brought with her. what am i even doing here? she thought, biting her lip. this is crazy. i don’t even have his number, and now i’m just showing up at his place like some kind of stalker.

the plan had seemed solid at the time—check on jude, make sure he was okay, maybe bring him something comforting. but now, standing outside his door, her anxiety took over, making her second-guess everything. she knew how unusual it was for her to do something so impulsive, and the fear of being an intrusion gnawed at her. she began to turn away, thinking she could just drop the food off and leave, when the door suddenly opened.

“y/n?” jude’s voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper, and full of surprise. he reached out, catching her by the arm before she could retreat. his touch was gentle, but it stopped her in her tracks, grounding her in the moment.

y/n froze, her mind racing. “oh, um, hi,” she stammered, feeling a blush creep up her cheeks. “i wasn’t—I wasn’t going to just leave, i swear. i mean, i was, but not like that! i wasn’t stalking you or anything, i just wanted to make sure you were okay because you didn’t seem well, and i know this is probably really weird and—”

jude’s soft chuckle interrupted her rambling. “y/n, it’s okay. really,” he reassured her, his hand still warm on her arm. “i’m glad you came. it’s good to see you.”

his words eased the tension in her chest, and she finally let out the breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “you are?” she asked, her voice small, still not entirely convinced.

“yeah,” he nodded, stepping aside to invite her in. “come on in. what did you bring?”

y/n hesitated for a moment before stepping into his apartment. the space was dim, the only light coming from the flickering television and the soft glow of the evening sun through the windows. she felt a pang of sympathy as she noticed the clutter, the signs of his illness evident in the abandoned tissues and half-empty water bottles scattered around.

“i, um, brought some food,” she said, lifting the bags slightly as she walked further inside. “it’s nothing special, just some things my mom used to make when my siblings and i were sick. i thought it might help, you know, with getting your strength back. i noticed you lost some muscle…”

jude raised an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on his lips despite his obvious fatigue. “you noticed that, huh? what else did you bring?”

y/n blushed, feeling a bit self-conscious under his gaze. “some medicine too, in case you didn’t have any. and, um, i just wanted to make sure you had company.”

“you went through all this trouble for me?” jude asked, his tone softening with a hint of awe. he leaned against the back of his couch, clearly touched by her effort.

“it wasn’t any trouble,” y/n replied quickly, brushing off his gratitude. “i didn’t want you to be alone while you’re feeling this way. besides, i’ve taken enough herbal remedies from my mom to last a lifetime. so, if you’re worried about getting me sick, don’t be.”

he smiled at that, a genuine smile that lit up his tired face. “you really didn’t have to do this, but i’m glad you did. thank you.”

as they settled onto the couch, y/n began to unpack the food she had brought, setting out the dishes with care. the aroma of the warm, hearty meals filled the room, bringing a comforting sense of home with them. jude watched her, his gaze softening as she moved about, completely focused on making him comfortable.

“this smells amazing,” jude commented, as she handed him a bowl of soup. “what’s in it?”

“it’s a family recipe,” y/n said with a shy smile, “my mom always made this for us when we were sick. she’d say it was to bring back any weight we lost. it’s full of good stuff—lots of vegetables, some meat, and her special mix of spices.”

jude took a cautious sip, his eyes widening in surprise at the rich, comforting flavor. “this is incredible,” he said, looking at her with newfound appreciation. “i don’t think i’ve ever had anything like this.”

“really?” y/n asked, a small smile tugging at her lips. “i’m glad you like it.”

“like it? i love it,” jude replied, his tone sincere. “you’ve got some serious cooking skills, y/n.”

she laughed softly, a little embarrassed by the compliment. “well, i had a good teacher.”

as they continued to eat, the atmosphere between them grew more comfortable, the earlier awkwardness dissipating. it was nice, y/n thought, to be able to do something for him, to help in some small way. she had been so caught up in her own anxieties lately that it felt good to focus on someone else for a change, especially someone she cared about.

just as she was about to offer him some more food, jude’s phone buzzed, and he glanced at the screen before answering. “hey, mum,” he said, his voice still raspy.

y/n shifted slightly, suddenly feeling like she was intruding. she busied herself with tidying up the table, trying to give him some privacy. but as the conversation continued, she couldn’t help but overhear jude telling his mum that she was there.

“really?” his mum’s voice was warm even through the phone. “can i speak to her?”

jude glanced at y/n, holding out the phone. “she wants to talk to you.”

y/n blinked, taken aback. “me? oh, um, okay.” she hesitated for a moment before taking the phone, pressing it to her ear. “hello, mrs. bellingham?”

“please, call me denise,” jude’s mum said with a friendly laugh. “i’m so glad to finally speak to you, y/n. jude’s mentioned you before, you know. i’ve been wanting to thank you for looking after him at work.”

“oh, it’s nothing, really,” y/n said quickly, her cheeks flushing. “i just wanted to make sure he was okay. i’m sorry for coming over unannounced; i know it’s probably not appropriate…”

“nonsense,” denise cut her off gently. “you’re hardly a stranger, dear. you’re jude’s friend, and it’s not inappropriate at all. i’m actually really happy you’re there with him. he’s lucky to have someone like you looking out for him.”

y/n felt a warmth spread through her chest at those words, easing the lingering doubt she had felt. “thank you, denise. that means a lot.”

“it’s my pleasure,” denise replied warmly. “take good care of him for me, will you? and i can’t wait to meet you in person soon.”

“i will,” y/n promised before handing the phone back to jude. she caught the soft smile on his face as he finished the call, and she couldn’t help but feel a little shy under his gaze.

“what did my mum say to you?” jude asked, his tone teasing.

“just that you’re not a baby and that she’s glad i’m here,” y/n replied, a small smile playing on her lips. “she seems really nice.”

“she is,” jude agreed, his eyes lingering on her for a moment longer. “and she’s right, you know. i am glad you’re here.”

y/n felt her cheeks flush again as she quickly busied herself with getting the medicine she had brought. “you should take this,” she said, handing him a small cup of liquid. “it’ll help with the fever.”

jude made a face but took the medicine, grimacing as he swallowed it down. “ugh, that stuff is terrible.”

y/n couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on his face. “i know, but it works. here, drink some water.”

she held the glass for him as he drank, their fingers brushing slightly as she did. it was a small, intimate moment, but it made y/n’s heart skip a beat. she quickly pulled her hand back, hoping he didn’t notice the way her fingers trembled slightly.

jude set the glass down and leaned back against the couch, sighing as the medicine started to take effect. “you really didn’t have to do all this,” he murmured, his eyes starting to droop. “but thank you, y/n. it means more to me than you know.”

“it’s no problem,” she replied softly, reaching out to smooth a strand of hair away from his forehead. “you just focus on getting better.”

as jude settled into the couch, he reached for the remote and turned on the tv. “have you seen breaking bad?” he asked, his voice already thick with drowsiness.

“not really,” y/n admitted, settling beside him. “i’ve heard it’s good, though.”

“it is,” jude said, a small smile playing on his lips. “let’s start it from the beginning, then. you can keep me company.”

they watched the show in comfortable silence, the only sound in the room the low hum of the tv. as the first episode played, jude’s head gradually began to

droop until it rested against y/n’s shoulder. she froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, but when he let out a contented sigh, she relaxed.

“you’re okay with this?” he mumbled, his voice slurred with sleep.

y/n smiled softly, her heart swelling with affection. “of course,” she whispered, gently guiding his head to her lap. “just rest.”

jude shifted slightly, getting comfortable, and as she began to run her fingers through his hair, he let out a low, satisfied hum. “that feels nice,” he murmured.

y/n’s smile widened, and she continued the soothing motion, her own heart calming as she watched him drift off. his breathing slowed, becoming steady and deep, but just as he was about to fully succumb to sleep, he stirred slightly.

“y/n?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“yeah?” she replied, still running her fingers through his curls.

“what do you like about me?” he asked, his tone so vulnerable that it caught her off guard.

y/n’s heart skipped a beat, and she hesitated, her hand stilling in his hair. “what do you mean?”

“i can’t tell,” jude confessed, his eyes still closed, his voice laced with exhaustion. “i know i like you, but i don’t know what you see in me.”

y/n’s chest tightened at his words, the vulnerability in his voice tugging at something deep within her. she resumed stroking his hair, her touch gentle and reassuring as she gathered her thoughts.

“jude, you’re one of the most patient, understanding, and caring people i’ve ever met,” she said softly, her voice trembling slightly with emotion. “you always take the time to listen, to make sure people are okay, even when you’re not feeling your best. and you’re not bad to look at either.”

a faint smile tugged at the corners of jude’s lips, even as he kept his eyes closed. “not bad, huh?”

“not bad at all,” y/n confirmed, her voice warm and teasing.

jude let out a small chuckle before his expression softened, and he opened his eyes to look up at her. “i like your heart, y/n,” he said quietly, his voice sincere. “you came all the way here to take care of me, and you didn’t have to. you’re the most beautiful girl i’ve ever seen, inside and out.”

y/n felt her cheeks flush at his words, her heart swelling with affection and something deeper, something she didn’t quite know how to name. she continued to stroke his hair, her touch gentle and soothing as she tried to process the emotions swirling inside her.

“you’re my best friend, y/n,” jude murmured, his eyes drooping once more as sleep finally began to claim him. “and i’ll wait for you, okay? however long it takes.”

y/n’s breath hitched at his words, and she blinked back the sudden sting of tears. “okay,” she whispered, her voice barely audible. “thank you, jude.”

as jude finally drifted off to sleep, y/n remained where she was, her fingers still gently running through his hair. she watched him for a while, her heart full of emotions she couldn’t quite name. for the first time in a long time, she felt at peace, the weight of her past fears and doubts lifted, if only for a moment.

and as she sat there, with jude resting in her lap, she couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, she had finally found a place where she belonged.

y/n sat on the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, as she watched jude’s chest rise and fall with each slow breath. his head, heavy and warm, rested in her lap, a stark contrast to herself sitting down. the sight made her smile softly—a huge man like jude, so strong and capable on the field, now lying vulnerable and completely at her mercy. it was almost comical, and yet, it felt right in a way she couldn’t fully explain.

the evening light filtered through the curtains, casting a golden hue over the room, adding to the quiet intimacy of the moment. y/n carefully brushed a few strands of hair from jude’s forehead, her fingers lingering there as she assessed his temperature. the fever had broken, but she could still feel the remnants of sweat clinging to his skin. she reached for the towel he’d been using earlier and gently patted his face, her movements tender and deliberate.

“wake up, love,” she murmured, the word slipping out before she could catch herself. she froze, her hand midair, but jude didn’t stir. she let out a small sigh of relief, assuming he was still too out of it to hear her. she continued to run her fingers through his hair, enjoying the softness beneath her touch, unaware of the contented smile that had crept onto his lips.

after a few moments, jude’s eyes fluttered open, his gaze hazy as he adjusted to the dim light. when he saw y/n, his smile widened, a warm glow filling his chest. “hey,” he mumbled, his voice rough with sleep.

“hey,” y/n replied softly, her fingers still threading through his hair. “how are you feeling?”

“better,” he said, his eyes closing again as he leaned into her touch. “much better.”

she couldn’t help but notice how his large frame almost dwarfed her, yet here he was, completely at ease in her care. jude shifted slightly, his cheek brushing against her thigh, and that’s when he noticed how damp it was. he groaned softly, lifting his head just enough to look at her apologetically. “i’m sorry, i think i sweat all over you.”

y/n shook her head, a small smile on her lips. “it’s fine, really. i’m just glad the medicine is working.”

jude hesitated before raising his head fully from her lap, reluctant to break the connection but knowing he needed to. “you’ve been here the whole time?” he asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

“yeah,” y/n said, rising from the couch to get more medicine for him. “you’ve been asleep for a good two and a half hours. i just… wanted to make sure you were okay.”

he watched her with a mix of gratitude and something deeper, something he wasn’t quite ready to name. “you didn’t have to stay,” he said, though the idea of her leaving felt strangely wrong.

“i wanted to,” she replied, her voice firm yet gentle as she handed him the medicine. “besides, someone had to make sure you took this.”

jude took the medicine from her, their fingers brushing in the exchange. it was a small, fleeting touch, but it sent a shiver down his spine. he quickly downed the medicine with a grimace, then took the glass of water she offered, drinking it all without taking his eyes off her.

“so, you got pretty far in the show, huh?” he asked, trying to steer the conversation to something lighter. jude looked at her in surprise, his eyes brightening a little. “watching it without me?” he teased lightly, though there was genuine happiness in his tone. “i’m just glad you like it enough to continue .”

“i did,” she admitted, moving to get him more medicine. “though i think i’ll need you to explain a few things to me. some parts were a bit confusing.”

he chuckled softly, the sound warming her from the inside out. “i’ll gladly give you a rundown anytime,” he replied, his eyes following her as she returned with the medicine.

“i’m surprised you actually got me into it.” y/n said with a nod, sitting back down beside him.

jude chuckled, feeling a bit more like himself. “told you it’s good. i’m just glad you didn’t leave while i was out cold.”

y/n smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “i almost did,” she admitted, her voice softening. “i didn’t want to intrude or make you uncomfortable.”

“intrude?” jude echoed, his brows knitting together in confusion. “y/n, you’re the last person who could ever make me uncomfortable. honestly… i was really happy to see you when i woke up.”

y/n blushed, ducking her head to hide it. “i just didn’t know if you’d want me here. i mean, i showed up without even having your number. it’s a bit… embarrassing.”

jude’s expression softened, and he reached out to tilt her chin up, making her meet his eyes. “i’m glad you came,” he said, his voice sincere. “and now, you don’t have to worry about that.” he handed her his phone, his smile turning playful. “go on, put your number in.”

y/n took his phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she entered her number. she handed it back to him, and he saved it with a contented nod. “there, now you can’t say you don’t have my number,” he teased.

she laughed softly, but her mind was still racing with thoughts. “you know, i had to go through your file to get your address,” she confessed, a bit sheepish. “the lengths i went to…”

jude chuckled, shaking his head. “and here i was thinking you had some secret method for tracking me down,” he teased, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

y/n rolled her eyes playfully. “it’s not like that. i just—i was really worried about you.”

“i know,” jude said, his teasing tone fading into something more serious. “and i really appreciate it, y/n. more than you know.”

the room fell into a comfortable silence, the air between them thick with unspoken emotions. jude leaned back against the couch, his hand reaching out to hers. he gently squeezed her fingers, a silent thank you for everything she had done for him.

“i should probably go,” y/n said after a while, though the words felt heavy on her tongue.

jude’s hand tightened around hers. “do you have to?” he asked, the vulnerability in his voice catching her off guard.

“my brother and sister-in-law are nearby,” she explained, though she wasn’t in a hurry to leave, “they can pick me up.”

jude shook his head, a stubborn set to his jaw. “no, i’ll take you home. you came all this way to take care of me, it’s the least i can do.”

y/n frowned, worry etching across her features as she gently squeezed his hand. “jude, you’re still sick. you need to rest more, not drive around the city. please, let my brother get me. i’ll feel better knowing you’re here, taking care of yourself.”

he opened his mouth to argue but was met with the determined look in her eyes. with a sigh, he relented, though his hand didn’t let go of hers. “fine, but you have to promise me you’ll call when you get home. i want to know you’re safe.”

y/n’s expression softened at the concern in his voice. “i will,” she promised, offering him a reassuring smile. “i’ll text you as soon as i’m home.”

jude’s face fell slightly, though he tried to mask it. “oh… okay.”

“hey,” she reached out, brushing her thumb gently across the back of his hand, “it’s not goodbye forever. you’re stuck with me, remember?”

his lips quirked up at that, a small smile breaking through his disappointment. “yeah, i remember.”

y/n stood up slowly, reluctant to break the connection. “i’m glad you’re feeling better,” she said, leaning down to press a gentle kiss to his cheek.

jude closed his eyes at the feel of her lips on his skin, a warmth spreading through him that had nothing to do with the fever. when he opened his eyes again, y/n was already at the door, her hand resting on the handle.

“y/n,” he called out, making her pause and turn back to him. he smiled softly, the words slipping out before he could stop them. “thank you… and, you know, i think i’m completely gone for you.”

y/n’s heart skipped a beat at his confession, and she felt her cheeks heat up. but instead of responding, she just smiled back at him, her eyes shining with a mixture of emotions.

“i’ll see you soon, jude,” she said softly, before slipping out the door and into the cool evening air.

as the door clicked shut behind her, jude let out a long breath, his heart pounding in his chest. he knew without a doubt that he was completely and utterly gone for her.

as y/n stepped out of jude’s apartment building, she spotted her brother’s car parked a short distance away. the street was quiet, with only the soft hum of the city in the background. her thoughts were still tangled up in the warmth of jude’s apartment, the feeling of his hand lingering in hers, and the way he’d looked at her like he didn’t want her to leave. as she walked toward the car, she couldn’t shake the heaviness in her chest.

the moment she opened the back door, carmen’s warm smile greeted her. “hey, y/n! how was your night?” she asked, scooting over to make room for her.

y/n slid into the backseat, pulling the door shut behind her. “it was… nice,” she replied softly, trying to keep the fluttering in her stomach from showing on her face as she buckled in.

alejandro glanced at her in the rearview mirror as he started the car. “this is some neighborhood,” he commented, the hint of curiosity in his voice impossible to miss. “what kind of friend do you have living in a place like this?”

y/n hesitated, feeling her cheeks warm under his gaze. “just… a friend,” she said, her voice quiet. she wasn’t sure how much to say, but the thought of hiding jude felt strange, like she was denying something that had already grown important to her.

carmen, ever the playful one, turned around in her seat, eyebrow raised. “a friend? come on, y/n. we’re family—you can’t just drop a hint like that and not spill the details.”

y/n fiddled with the strap of her bag, her heart beating faster. “his name is jude… jude bellingham,” she confessed, the words feeling almost surreal as they left her lips.

alejandro’s reaction was instant. he slammed on the brakes, the car lurching forward and causing them all to jerk in their seats. “wait, what? jude bellingham, the football star?” he exclaimed, turning to look at her, eyes wide with disbelief. “y/n, what is someone like him doing hanging out with you?”

the question hit her like a slap. y/n’s heart sank, and she felt a wave of hurt wash over her. “what do you mean, someone like me?” she asked, her voice trembling with the effort to stay calm, but her eyes betrayed her.

alejandro softened, though his confusion was clear. “you’re… you’re just different, y/n. you’re sweet, shy, and always looking for something serious. a guy like jude… he’s got the whole world at his feet. women practically throw themselves at him, and he’s… well, he’s…”

“he’s what?” y/n cut in, a sharp edge in her voice. “out of my league? or is it that you think i’m not good enough?”

alejandro winced at her words, knowing he’d touched a nerve. “that’s not what i meant, y/n. it’s just… you were with javier for so long, and now you’re spending time with someone like jude? it’s… it’s different. he’s not the type to settle down, and i don’t want you getting hurt.”

y/n’s chest tightened, the old wounds from her relationship with javier threatening to resurface. she wasn’t blind to the reality that jude could have anyone he wanted, and that insecurity gnawed at her more than she’d like to admit. but hearing it from her brother, someone who was supposed to protect her, made it sting even more.

before she could respond, carmen jumped in, her voice firm and protective. “alejandro, that’s enough,” she said, glaring at him. “y/n is an amazing woman, and she deserves happiness just like anyone else. jude is lucky to have her as a friend, and you should be proud that your sister is attracting the attention of someone so wonderful, not trying to tear her down.”

alejandro opened his mouth to argue, but carmen wasn’t finished. “and another thing—y/n isn’t some naive little girl. she knows what she wants, and she’s smart enough to make her own decisions. if jude is spending time with her, it’s because he sees what we all see: that she’s kind, caring, and beautiful inside and out.”

y/n felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, but she blinked them back, grateful for carmen’s fierce defense. “thanks, carmen,” she said softly, her voice thick with emotion.

carmen reached back and squeezed y/n’s hand reassuringly. “don’t let anyone make you doubt yourself, y/n. you’re worth more than that, and you deserve to be happy, with whoever makes you feel good.”

alejandro sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly as the tension in the car hung heavy. “lo siento, y/n,” he murmured, glancing at her through the mirror again. “i just… i worry about you. that’s all.”

“i know,” y/n replied, her voice softer now. “but you don’t have to. i’m fine, really. jude… he’s a good guy.”

alejandro nodded slowly, though his expression was still troubled. “okay. just… be careful, okay?”

the rest of the ride was quieter, the tension lingering but softened by carmen’s presence. when they finally pulled up to her apartment, carmen turned to y/n with a gentle smile. “you call us if you need anything, okay? and don’t let alejandro’s nonsense get to you.”

y/n managed a small smile. “i will. thanks, carmen.”

as she stepped out of the car, she felt a strange mix of emotions swirling inside her—gratitude for her sister-in-law’s support, lingering hurt from her brother’s words, and a deep, unsettling uncertainty about where things stood with jude. she made her way into her apartment, the familiar surroundings doing little to calm her racing thoughts.

meanwhile, back at jude’s place, he was lying in bed, his phone resting on his chest as he stared up at the ceiling. the minutes ticked by, and with each one, his anticipation grew. he had been waiting for a text from y/n, something to let him know she got home safely, but his phone remained silent. he thought back to the way she’d looked at him, the way she’d taken care of him without hesitation. a smile tugged at his lips as he remembered the sound of her calling him “love,” even if she hadn’t meant for him to hear it.

finally, jude picked up his phone and typed out a quick message:

jude: you get home okay? thanks again for everything tonight. sleep well. <3

he placed the phone back on his chest, still smiling as he thought about her. he didn’t know where things were headed with y/n, but tonight had made one thing clear—she was special to him, more than he’d realized. as he closed his eyes, he felt a sense of calm wash over him, the warmth of her presence still lingering in his mind. whatever tomorrow brought, he knew he didn’t want to lose what they had.

y/n sat at her desk in the physio room, her fingers idly tracing the edge of a medical file as she tried to focus on the work in front of her. the familiar hum of the facility buzzed around her, but her mind was elsewhere—lost in the whirlwind of emotions she’d been wrestling with since last night. every time she closed her eyes, she could still feel the warmth of jude’s hand in hers, hear the softness in his voice as he asked her to stay. the memory of him lying there, vulnerable and sweet, sent a shiver down her spine, one that was equal parts excitement and fear.

she couldn’t deny it anymore. whatever she felt for jude, it was real, tangible, and growing stronger by the day. but with that realization came the familiar sting of doubt. she’d been down this road before—letting herself fall, only to be hurt in ways she never expected. javier had left scars that were still too fresh, too deep to ignore. she remembered how he’d made her feel small, unworthy, like she was never enough. and though jude was nothing like him, the fear of history repeating itself lingered at the back of her mind, casting a shadow over the joy she felt when she was with him.

as y/n was lost in her thoughts, the door to the physio room creaked open. she looked up, expecting to see another player needing treatment, but her heart skipped a beat when she saw jude standing in the doorway, his familiar grin lighting up his face.

"there's my favorite girl," jude said, his voice warm and teasing as he stepped inside, his eyes locking onto hers.

y/n’s cheeks warmed instantly, a shy smile tugging at her lips. "your favorite girl? what happened to your favorite physio?" she asked, arching a playful eyebrow at him.

jude’s grin widened as he walked over, leaning casually against the treatment table. "well, i figured it was about time you got a promotion," he said, his tone light but his eyes holding a certain intensity. "besides, you’re definitely more than just my favorite physio, y/n."

her heart fluttered at his words, and she had to look away for a moment, focusing on the paperwork in front of her to steady herself. "i’m flattered, bellingham," she murmured, trying to keep her voice steady, even as her pulse raced.

“you should be,” he replied, his voice low and teasing. “you’ve managed to climb to the top of the list in record time.”

y/n laughed softly, shaking her head. “i didn’t realize i was being ranked,” she said, meeting his gaze again.

“oh, you are,” jude said, his smile softening. “but trust me, it’s a good thing.”

just as y/n was about to respond, jude’s expression shifted, a more serious look crossing his face, though there was still a hint of playfulness in his eyes. “but, speaking of things you didn’t realize… why didn’t you text me when you got home last night?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. “i was worried, you know.”

y/n blinked, caught off guard by the question. “oh… i’m sorry, jude. i didn’t mean to worry you,” she said quickly, feeling a pang of guilt. “i guess i was just tired and it slipped my mind.”

jude’s expression softened further, though there was still a glint of mischief in his eyes. “well, i had to do a welfare check to make sure you were safe,” he said, his tone light but sincere. “i almost sent out a search party.”

y/n’s eyes widened slightly, and she could tell he was exaggerating, but the concern in his voice made her heart ache in the best way. “a search party?” she repeated, a small smile tugging at her lips.

“yep,” jude nodded, leaning closer, his voice dropping to a whisper as if sharing a secret. “i was this close to calling in reinforcements.”

y/n laughed, her tension melting away under his warm gaze. “you’re ridiculous,” she said, shaking her head, though she couldn’t help the warmth spreading through her chest at the thought of him caring enough to worry.

“maybe,” he admitted, his smile softening as he looked at her. “but i care about you, y/n. a lot.”

her breath caught at his words, and she found herself unable to look away from him, the sincerity in his eyes making her heart swell. she could see it now, the way he looked at her, the way his voice softened when he spoke to her—it wasn’t just a joke or a casual flirtation. he truly cared about her, and that realization both thrilled and terrified her.

“i’m sorry i worried you,” she said softly, her voice barely above a whisper. “i’ll make sure to text you next time.”

“good,” jude said, giving her hand a gentle squeeze, his thumb brushing over her knuckles in a way that sent a shiver down her spine. “i’d hate to have to go through all that again.”

they shared a quiet moment, the air between them charged with unspoken words and emotions. y/n felt her heart racing, her mind spinning with everything she wanted to say but couldn’t find the courage to. but jude didn’t push; he simply smiled at her, his eyes warm and reassuring, making her feel like everything was going to be okay.

“you know,” he said after a moment, his tone lightening again, “you really do owe me for all that stress.”

y/n raised an eyebrow, trying to mask the way her heart was still fluttering. “oh, do i?”

“mm-hmm,” jude nodded, a mischievous glint returning to his eyes. “but don’t worry, i’ll collect my payment in installments. maybe starting with another one of those movie nights.”

y/n laughed, the tension in her chest easing as she met his playful gaze. “deal,” she said, feeling a little more at ease. “but only if you promise not to worry too much if i forget to text you again.”

“only if you promise to keep me in the loop,” jude countered, his grin widening.

“i promise,” she said softly, her smile matching his.

“good,” jude said, his voice warm as he leaned in closer, his lips brushing softly against her cheek in a tender, lingering kiss. the touch was light, almost like a whisper, but it sent a wave of warmth through y/n’s entire body.

when he pulled back, there was a playful smirk on his face. “i owed you one of those,” he murmured, his voice low and teasing.

y/n’s cheeks flushed crimson, and she instinctively brought a hand up to the spot where his lips had been. “jude…” she whispered, her voice barely audible. she felt flustered, caught off guard by the unexpected kiss, but also undeniably giddy.

he chuckled softly, clearly pleased with her reaction. “what? you didn’t see that one coming?”

“no, i… definitely didn’t,” she admitted, her heart racing. “you’re full of surprises, bellingham.”

“just wait,” he said, giving her hand a final squeeze before releasing it. “there’s plenty more where that came from.”

she could only stare at him, her mind spinning with a mix of emotions—nervousness, excitement, and something else she couldn’t quite name. as he turned to leave, she found herself wishing he’d stay just a little longer.

there was a moment of silence between them, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. it was the kind of silence that felt full of unspoken words and shared feelings, the kind that made y/n’s heart flutter in her chest. she found herself wanting to reach out, to close the distance between them, but the fear of what that might mean held her back. instead, she focused on the way jude was looking at her, the tenderness in his eyes making her feel like she was the only thing that mattered to him.

“you’re really something else, you know that?” jude said suddenly, his voice low and sincere. “i don’t think i’ve ever met anyone like you.”

y/n’s breath caught in her throat at his words, and she felt her heart swell with emotion. “jude…” she began, but the words failed her. what could she say? that she was falling for him, that he made her feel things she hadn’t felt in years, that she was terrified of what that might mean?

he seemed to sense her hesitation, and he reached out, gently taking her hand in his. the touch was warm, comforting, and it sent a jolt of electricity through her. “it’s okay, y/n,” he said softly, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand. “you don’t have to say anything. i just wanted you to know.”

she looked down at their joined hands, feeling the weight of his words settle over her like a soft blanket. she wanted to believe him, to let herself fall completely into whatever this was, but the voice in the back of her mind—the one that whispered javier’s cruel words—kept holding her back.

before she could get too lost in her thoughts, jude stood up, still holding her hand. “i should get going,” he said, his tone light even though his eyes lingered on her face, like he was memorizing every detail. “but i’ll see you tomorrow?”

“see you tomorrow, y/n,” he called over his shoulder, giving her one last smile before he walked out of the room, leaving her standing there, her cheek still tingling from the kiss.

as the door clicked shut behind him, y/n let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. she touched her cheek again, feeling the warmth still lingering there, and couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face.

she was in deep now, and she knew it. but as scary as it was, she couldn’t deny that there was something about jude—something that made her want to take the leap, to see where this could go. maybe it was crazy, maybe it was risky, but as she stood there, heart racing and cheeks flushed, y/n couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, it would be worth it.

taglist — @sinners-98-world @stephiii29 @kcharlyy @landosgirlxoxo @judesthighveins @ilovelifes-world @cinderellawithashoe @imnyt @miniemonie2001 @lunamelona @treble-snot

#pdriesta writes #jude bellingham #jude bellingham x reader #jude bellingham smut #jude bellingham imagines #football blurb #football imagine #football x reader #football smut #real madrid #football fanfic #jb5 #jb5 x reader #jude bellingham angst #jude bellingham imagine #bellingham x reader #jude bellingham fanfic

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cyberkitty1 · 1 year

Note

Using my prettiest smile and kindest words to ask for the silliest and goofiest Miles Morales rizz to exist. The most awkward eye contact, embarrassing pickup lines, "The shoulder touch."

Complete whenever you are inspired! Love your work!<3

Thank you! I hope this is what you wanted!!

He walked into the wrong bathroom

He had spilt a drink on his shirt and was rushing ti the bathroom to try and get it off not paying attention to what bathroom he was going in he just so happened to walk into the women’s restroom.

You were standing at the bathroom sink fixing your lip gloss when he bursts in. Still having the applicator on your lips mouth in an ‘O’ shape you turn at your neck to look at him.

He’s keeping the shirt away from his skin when he looks up and sees you looking at him in shock. You both stand for a couple seconds till you say ��can I help you?” He finally realizes where he is he starts rambling in Spanish “ ¡oh Dios mío! Im in the wrong bathroom i’m so sorry! Forget I was here!” He says falling out of the door.

You just look at where he was astonished.

_______________________

He gives you his number

You’re in your science class taking notes and staring into space. Looking to your left you see a pair of eyes looking straight back at you, amost immediately they look away.

Class is ending, you’re packing your stuff up when you see a shadow over your desk “ umm hi” you hear the voice say so you look up its the kid who was staring at you earlier! His name was Miles? Yea! Miles. “ hey, did you need something?” you say picking up a textbook and putting your backpack on.

“ Umm yea I just-“ He stops himself and looks at the floor. You look at him sideways what is he doing? Before you could say anything he puts his hand on your shoulder, you flinch a little he makes this face at you.

“ I was wonderin’ if you wanna go out sometime?” You looked at him for a second just blinking “ Umm yea sure” and with that his hand moves off your shoulder putting his hands in his front pocket. Taking his right hand out he gives you a slip of paper; most likely his number.

“ Ok ill uh see you around” “ mhm yea” you guys just stand looking around for a second you speak up “ well um im gonna go-“ “ YEA MHM” “ goodnight” “ yea good night”.

—————————————

im so funny guys 🤪

Im out of writing juice but I hope you liked it!!

last miles morales work…for now!

#miles morales x reader #miles morales fluff #miles morales #this made me giggle #fluff #funny #giggles #earth 1610 #earth 1610 miles morales #atsv #spider verse #into the spider verse #across the spiderverse #spiderverse

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voiidhearter · 2 months

Text

made triplets!! i was going to just make one phighting oc but then i caved. this is all lowkey self indulgent… i really like the lore n characters

tldr theyre self proclaimed triplets that slowly drifted apart into different factions. their relationship rn is kinda rocky

ramblings/extra info n doodles can be found below the cut vvv

Batter, Aerosol, and Molotov arent biologically related but grew up close enough to consider themselves siblings. They treated each other as though Batter was the oldest one while Aerosol was the youngest, but theyre all the same age.

They carve their lower horns specifically to match with one another. They still do, even now.

They all resided in Blackrock initially. But over time as their relationship became more strained, they split off. Batter was the only one that stayed in Blackrock, meanwhile Aerosol left for Playground. Molotov became neutral

Aerosol and Molotov still talk extremely frequently, but neither of them ever heard from Batter. Aerosol stopped caring abt them ever since their initial conflict, but Molotov was always their connecting link

Nowadays, Aerosol’s essentially covered up his tracks and his past connection to Blackrock. He’s made his home in Playground and completely integrated in, hoping to forget his time in Blackrock.

Molotov works as a mixologist and barista at a bar. She tries to keep in contact with both Aerosol and Batter- the former is easy since he drops by every so often. On the other hand, Batter is. Themself

Batter is um. Ill talk more abt them later

#phighting!#phighting #phighting fanart #phighting oc #phighting original character #medkit phighting #sword phighting #subspace phighting #boombox phighting #jart #jay ocs

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feelo-fick · 10 months

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WELCOME TO PHIO'S EXTREMELY SELF INDULGENT AU HOUR!!!

"Oh, FINALLY, another visitor! It's so quiet in here, it's unnerving..."

—

This AU was meant to be posted on halloween but eh.... Happy Thanksgiving? HAHAHHA

still dont have a name for it, but basically, back in october i was suddenly hit with the need to have a halloween au, so now we have ghost-ified prismo and vampire/witch-ified scarab :D ( although didnt finish the scarab reference spread in time because uh, school and i lost motivation unfortunately )

au synopsis and rambling below the cut!!

the premise of this au is simple : scarab is a real estate agent whos known for his manners ( never barges in, always waits to be invited! though it is a little weird how he keeps asking to be let inside even if they already agreed that he was going to come over... ) and efficiency at his job - that is, convincing people to buy high-end housing for a good price. although his social skills need some... work, his ability to persuade people isnt something to be laughed at.

unfortunately for him, persuading the higher-ups is a completely different story - which he learned the hard way after flunking something big for the company. they dont choose to fire him, no. instead, they put him through a trial, assigning him to sell their most unprofitable property : the mansion in a small town locally known for being haunted by an "evil spirit". if scarab manages to sell it (for good profit) within six months, he is excused and is able to go on with his job. if not... well, best not to think about it, yes? after all, he'll succeed with ease - all he has to do is dispel any worries about some fake "ghost" that only exists as a result of filthy rumors. maybe clean up the place. not too hard, right?

meanwhile, stuck inside said mansion is an extremely bored prismo. hes been hangin around this place for like... how many years now? forty? a hundred? meh, all the same, lately the place has been quieter than usual. i mean- of course people dont just walk into a creepy mansion every day, but there would usually be at least a few bold kids or vloggers coming in now and then for him to entertain but even then they wouldn't stay long ( for obvious reasons ). and now, just some unbound spirits or dumb animals would pass by and thats about it. a guy can only entertain himself for so long, yknow?

that is, until today. when some posh-looking business man entered the premises and started snooping around ( whats the deal with that, by the way?? ). must be prismo's lucky day!! this is the perfect chance to pull out all the stops and play the FUNNIEST prank ever! hah!

... oh. looks like things've gotten a little out of hand.

—

WOOT WOOT WOOTTTTTTTTTTT!!! im so so happy to finish this because ohhhhh my god this has taken ages for no reason other than the fact that ive been really dragging myself to make presentable art JSNDJSJXNSJX.... i realize that i have never worked in real estate ( or at all ) which means i have probably fucked something up but uhh um ill deal with the backlash later :"D im also realizing how many odd unanswered bits and bobs this au is going to have in the future, which... i am ignoring for the most part for now, but there are SOME things that i DO have figured out like ghost lore... but thats for another time, for now i leave you with this >:)

#again i do apologize for not including scarabs reference SOB it was taking so looooong and if i didnt finish it by now i wouldve just never #posted it at ALL so im glad im able to get this out now #again still dont have a name... but would love suggestions if people have any :D #ive been thinking so hard about the name and havent landed on aaaanything dude #creepy crawlies? tell-tale?? witching hour?? GAHH THERES SO MANY OPTIONS AND I DONT KNOW WHETHER I WANT TO GO WITH SYMBOLISM OR SILLY SIMPL #but anyways time for real tags #prohibitedwish #prismo the wishmaster #scarab the god auditor #uhh idk what else to put HAHAHHA #dont wanna tag fionna and cake cause i feel like thats just a lie idk #ACKKK I CANT BELIEVE IM FINALLY POSTING THIS I AM. SO NERVOUS MY HANDS ARE SO SWEATY YOU DOTN EVEN KNOW #okay okay. sending post now oh god

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heesdreamer · 2 years

Text

anything else

PAIRING ➩ hyung line x reader

SUMMARY ➩ life brought you four boys at different times, somehow knowing when you needed them most. how could you possibly choose?

WARNINGS ➩ sexual content, um they’re very punk so piercings, fights, etc

WC ➩ 12.7k

AUTHOR NOTE ➩ so this one’s a little out of the ordinary but i hope you like it because i do despite the issues it gave me lol. little reminder that you can request additional scenes or specific scenarios you’d like to see but i don’t think ill just write a “part 2” also i originally started this as a specific member one shot try to guess who she was going to end up with! (NOT PROOFREAD)

There were three rules you religiously followed when it came to hooking up with people and any sign of them even slightly bending and you were gone before your side of the bed had even cooled.

The first one was the most simple and the one people had a problem with the least, no exclusivity. You didn’t want to belong to anybody and considering the crowd you ran with seemed just as against commitment, you didn’t find yourself having to argue this point a lot.

Your friend group had been close since a young age, only adding on a few additions as you all got older and branched out into different social circles, some of you bringing back worthy contenders into the main group of people. But for the most part things remained tight between you all and you liked it best like that, knowing the scandal that could unfold if some of your weekend activities were made public knowledge.

You’d met Jake and Sunghoon fresh into elementary school when they moved into the house next door, Jake’s parents taking in Sunghoon pretty much full time to the point he had his own bedroom in their house. You’d learn over time as you got closer to them that his home life was shaky and he slowly and slowly stopped going home at all as the years passed.

Jake caught your attention from the first night you’d seen him, standing on your porch in front of his parents legs with a scowl on his face and messy hair.

The same scowl he had now as he leaned back against the couch you were sat on, groaning and settling his feet into your lap. Jake wasn’t necessarily the troubled kid your parents had made him out to be, growing concerned and warning you away from him once they realized he had caught your interest. He was more sensitive than he let off and could do more damage with his clumsy feet and the way he threw his whole body into a laugh than his fist, but his bark was always a lot bigger than his bite.

You liked him immediately.

You’d spent the first few months of knowing him watching him from your porch and he tried to learn how to skateboard, seeing him fall and scream words that you’d only ever heard your parents say when they were particularly stressed about something.

He’d fall off the board a few times and you’d watch him stand back up, knees and hands bloody from smacking against the concrete. He didn’t pay any mind to it and you wondered if he felt any pain at all.

When you were 16 years old, you let him take your virginity. You’d spent the previous hours leading up to that drinking on a random week day, Sunghoon having thrown up in the kitchen sink and then falling asleep sprawled across the cold tiles.

You were both young and drunk, extremely stupid, and his handsome face was rambling about something that had happened in detention that pissed him off when you sloppily fell forward on your hands and kissed his sneering face.

It wasn’t good and it definitely wasn’t romantic but you trusted Jake more than anybody on the planet, with Sunghoon following at a tight second place, and you didn’t regret it the following morning. Jake, of course, showed no sign of awkwardness and if you didn’t sleep with him yourself you would’ve had no idea anything had even happened between the two of you.

That’s what you thought at least, quickly being proven wrong over a hungover breakfast when Sunghoon immediately sniffed the two of your out and bluntly announced it in the middle of the quiet restaurant.

That was your favorite thing about being friends with Sunghoon, you absolutely never had to worry if he was telling the truth or sugarcoating things to protect your feelings. He couldn’t care less how you reacted to his honesty, as long as he told you exactly what he was thinking.

Sometimes when Jake had little outburst of anger or isolated himself from the two of you, Sunghoon staying temporarily at your house during those times, you got stuck in your overthinking about him. If he actually liked being your friend or if you were just leeching onto him and he was tolerating your company for convenience.

You never had to think about that type of stuff with Sunghoon, directly opposite to Jake in the way he handled his emotions. You figured that’s why they managed to be so close for so long, their differences balancing each other out.

It became apparent to you that Jake had a habit of befriending people different than him when you finally graduated from high school and all entered college together (Sunghoon had been accepted to better schools but he didn’t want to miss out). It had only taken a week of classes before Jake was showing up to lunch dragging a boy you hadn’t seen before behind him.

The boy looked nervous and you watched them as they approached, getting the urge to push his round glasses back up the bridge of his nose.

“Made a friend.” Jake was declaring as he swung his leg over the tables seat and smiled at you and Sunghoon. He looked back at the boy impatiently and patted the spat next to him, implying he wanted him to hurry up and sit down.

“If he kidnapped you let us know.” You were addressing the boy, a bored tone in your voice at Jake’s antics. “Sunghoon can hold him down while you get a head start.”

He looked like he didn’t know if you were joking at first, eyes going to Sunghoon who had looked up from his plate and was observing the stranger with his usual stony face. Then Jake was bursting out into a laugh loud and you cracked a smile, extending a hand towards the boy who relaxed slightly.

Lee Heeseung was a stark opposite to your trio, even more so than your usual dynamics. Jake explained he had befriended him because he was smart and you were all struggling, minus Sunghoon but he was less than helpful when it came to helping you out with academics. Immediately following up and saying that he seemed cool too when Heeseung shot him a hurt expression at his shallow reasoning.

You found Jake’s influence over people very interesting from somebody who was unaffected by it for the most part. You wondered if people were partly fascinated by him because they carried the very human urge to fix things that they deemed broken.

You’d seen it on random people who’d been in your life, classmates and week long girlfriends who’d came and went quicker than you could memorize their names but it was especially noticeable in Heeseung, more apparent as the years went by and he remained in your lives.

It was hard to remember when exactly in time he had stopped being so quiet, stopped being so kind and dedicated to his studies and started to become a bit more like you and your friends. You felt small pangs of guilt when you’d come home to your shared apartment and see him sitting on your couch in a haze, missing another important class that just six months ago he would’ve broken into a nervous sweat over.

Still, he was an adult and capable of making his own choices.

“This is a terrible choice.” Your voice was mumbling today, watching him as he was perched on your bathroom counter with his back pressed against the mirror. You were stood between his knees and staring at his face with a disappointed look.

“You’d do it for Jake but not for me?” He was complaining, trying to get on your good side.

You fiddled with the metal stick in your hand and glanced down at it. Last week you had drunkenly fulfilled Jake’s request for a home style eyebrow piercing, amateurly piercing his smooth skin and ignoring Sunghoon’s groans of disgust at the blood dripping down his forehead.

“Jake’s an idiot.” You sighed and pressed the sharp point of the needle into your thumb for a second. “That’s why I don’t care if he looks like an idiot.”

“When’d you get so motherly Y/N.” Sunghoon’s flat tone was ringing from behind you and you looked over Heeseung’s shoulder at the mirror, seeing him leaning against the doorway and watching the scene play out.

“I don’t know, I guess something about cleaning after three boys in their 20’s for four years does that to a person.” You were sarcastically responding, bitterness in your voice. His mouth quirked up into a half smile and you grinned at his reflection.

You looked back at Heeseung who was watching you with excited expectant eyes, bangs pushed back so you could have clear access to his eyebrow when you inevitably fell for his begging and negotiating. You hummed at his expression and stood on your tiptoes, pressing forward to kiss him.

He wasn’t at all surprised by this, or unnerved by the fact Sunghoon was standing right there and still watching the two of you even when his hand came up to hold your hair.

Bringing you back to your original point and the most important things to you as you entered your young adult life, your three rules.

No exclusivity was the most important to you for multiple reasons, the main being the fact it made your skin crawl for anybody to consider you something they owned, something they had any say over. And more selfishly, you’d quickly realized after sleeping with Jake that you liked sex.

You didn’t discover this through him, in fact after the first time you slept with him, the two of you never once spoke about it. Then three years later at a college party you were tipsy and dancing together, pressed tightly against his front and you weren’t sure if it was the alcohol running through you or the way he looked under red lighting but you suddenly found yourself desperate for him.

So you let him fuck you against the wall of a grimy frat house bathroom and tried not to think of the consequences with him panting into your open mouth and roughly tugging on your hair.

It’d been three years now and you’d still yet to feel any negative effect from that night, waking up the next morning to bruises on your skin and him sleeping off the liquor soundly next to you.

It almost drove you crazy how normal he was about it, how normal he continued to be every time he was coming into your room at night to let off steam or pushing against you in the kitchen. At a young age you admired the way Jake handled tough situations but as an adult it weighed heavily on your mind, not being able to get a read on his emotions.

So when he had walked into the living room after a late shift at work and caught you pressing Heeseung into the couch, mouth moving against his and his shirt thrown onto the carpeted floor, you aren’t sure why you expected him to care.

He froze for just a second, mirroring the way Heeseung did from underneath you. You sat up to look at him in the doorway, breathing heavily from your spot in your friends lap. He watched you for a few seconds, holding your worried gaze, before he was smirking slightly and walking down the hall towards his room.

Much to a distraught Heeseung’s displeasure, you were too thrown off by his reaction that you immediately hopped off the boy and you didn’t sleep together.

Still to this day you hadn’t ever fully had sex but you’d built up a casual habit of intimacy in other forms, including, and the one you did most frequently, kissing him. You liked the way he sent you a text when he couldn’t sleep, coming over to lay on your chest and get some rest and you liked sitting in his lap in a packed car and letting him rest his head on your shoulder.

So the first rule was silently installed and despite your initial confusion at Jake’s careless reaction you eventually found yourself thankful for how normalized it was in your small group to find comfort in each other in different ways.

The second rule started right around the time you met Jay.

It wasn’t often you yourself made friends outside of the boys, despite your frequent stops at parties and clubs you tended to stick near one of the three or make light conversation with somebody who knew one of them and you by association.

So when you brought home a boy after a particularly hazy night, spending an open weekend smoking on some random frat boys uncomfortable couch, it was a big shock to your roommates and best friends.

An even bigger shock when the next morning he was shirtless in your kitchen, cooking breakfast suited for five and acting like the scratch marks across his back weren’t an obvious tell to what you had been doing the night before, just a few feet from where they’d been sleeping. (Or not sleeping considering your lack of volume control.)

Somehow Jay had understood your friend groups dynamic without needing it explained, automatically fitting in and proving himself an asset both to the boys who happily devoured every home cooked meal they’d been missing out on, and to you.

If you need a distraction, an outlet for you to forget temporarily everything weighing heavy on your mind at night, you could call Jake over to your room or barge into his no problem. He wouldn’t ask questions, he wouldn’t give advice, he’d understand your silent need and pin your down and help you pretend for a few hours that things weren’t as bad as they were.

But that was where he was comfortable and you never experienced tenderness with him during those moments, not that you were complaining while it was happening.

Jay was similar to Jake in personality, although a lot less angry, but opposite to him in the way that he treated you during your time together.

So you established rule two in a whisper against his chest as he slept soundly, hand moving in slow soothing circles on your arm. You were absolutely not allowed to catch feelings.

You were reminding yourself of this now as you moved against Heeseung’s mouth, stomach pressed into the bathroom counter and the feeling of his knees on your sides. You pulled back from him and smiled at the way his soft pink hair was covering his eyebrows again, pushing it back so you could get a look at the area he wanted you to pierce.

“If she hits something important and you can’t move that side of your face you owe me 20 bucks.” Sunghoon was remarking from the doorway, still unphased by the kiss or the fact Heeseung’s lips were red and glossy now.

“Facial paralysis and short on cash? What kinda bet is this?” Heeseung was smiling over in his direction and you pressed his skin together softly, squinting your eyes to try to find the best angle to send the needle through.

You could hear the front door opening and closing, sound carrying easily in the small apartment. You weren’t sure which of the other two boys it was, despite the fact it was originally just you, Jake and Sunghoon living here the other two had gradually stopped going home over time.

Jay still had his own dorm, less than twenty minutes from your apartment since you lived right off campus but for christmas you’d gifted him his own key on a lanyard with your faces on it. As for Heeseung, you weren’t exactly sure when he had started living here but he was a permanent fixture now, bouncing between the three bedrooms and the couch.

“Are you guys ever going to be doing anything normal when I get home?” You could hear Jake’s tired voice getting closer, sounding half amused and half annoyed.

You imagined the latter emotion was due to the fact you were hogging the only bathroom, slapping Heeseung’s bare chest when he turned his head to look at the approaching Jake and messed up your measurements.

Heeseung smiled apologetically in your direction, leaning back down to kiss you again. You kissed him back for just a second before pushing his chest so he would sit still, eyes catching Jake’s in the mirror now that he was standing in the doorway with Sunghoon.

They were hardened as he looked at you and your expression fell slightly, not knowing if he was just in a bad mood in general or if you had done something directly to piss him off. As much as you cared for the boy, he was completely unpredictable in his mood swings and sometimes it was best to just leave him alone until he found an outlet for his anger. Sometimes said outlet leading him straight back to you.

As much as they both were judging you and Heeseung as you situated yourself again, they both watched with interest and let out sharp hissing when your shoved the needle through his skin. It came through the other side and you were relieved to see he wasn’t bleeding nearly as much as Jake had.

“I didn’t even feel it.” He was remarking with a small frown, like he was looking forward to the pain.

“It’s going to bruise.” You were explaining to him, having gone through the process yourself already twice. “You’ll have a black eye for a few days.”

“That’s kind of sexy though isn’t it?” He was smiling down at you, the needle still in his eyebrow and he groaned in pain when he tried to quirk it seductively in your direction. You laughed softly stop him and heard Sunghoon chuckle dryly from behind you.

“If she found black eyes sexy she’d just need to sleep with Jake more.” Sunghoon was saying, catching on to what Heeseung was implying with his comment.

“If she slept with me she’d never be able to fuck Jake again, black eye or not.” Heeseung joked back and you looked at Jake in the mirror again, jaw twitching slightly at the comments regarding him. You knew the boys were just having fun and typically he would know that too. You figured he must be in an extra bad mood.

You shushed Heeseung with a small shove to his chest, cupping his face to hold him still while you interchanged the needle for a small piece of jewelry with two balls on either side. He leaned into your touch and quieted down, stopping his jokes so he didn’t accidentally mess you up.

“Does it look good?” He was whispering once you’d put it through, trying to stay as still as possible.

It did look good, better than you’d originally thought it would and surprisingly nature on his kind face. You were reminded of the kind boy with fluffy black hair and big round glasses you’d met at the start of college and your heart softened slightly. As different as he looked aesthetic wise, he was still peering down at you with doe like eyes waiting to hear words of approval.

“You look hot.”

——

Sometimes you missed being a freshly turned nineteen year old, away from home for the first time and just getting by on gas station meals. You missed the free feeling that came with curing a hangover with more drinks and finally getting home from the night before after the sun has already risen.

You still carried some bad habits now that you were slightly older, in your last year of college and only now legally allowed to engage in all the things you’ve been doing since middle school but other things were overwhelmingly different.

“Literally what the fuck is the difference between a red and green pepper.” The reason for your thought process was speaking now and you looked over to see Sunghoon angrily glaring down at a piece of paper.

You wanted to laugh at the fact that he was having a rare show of extreme emotion at something as simple as a grocery list, but you held back. You walked closer to him and leaned against his arm, looking at the list Jay had sent with the two of you after he had gone through all your cupboards, becoming more and more appalled at every empty one.

“Aren’t you meant to be the smart one?” You muttered to him and he stuffed the list into his pocket, looking down at you from where you were still leaning against him.

“Maybe I’d know how to cook better if I hadn’t had such awful influences growing up.” He looked annoyed, face flat as he watched you but you knew him well enough to understand he was teasing you.

You took a step away from him with a sigh, scanning the aisle and shifting the basket that you were holding in your hands.

“Influence, singular.” You reminded him, excluding yourself from his comment. “Don’t complain too loud, I feel like Jay can hear you from the house.”

He looked amused at that and you started to walk down the aisle again, bumping into each others sides. As different and foreign as it felt, you were having fun with him. It was strangely domestic to be grocery shopping on a random week day. If you were lacking the dyed hair, piercings and specific clothing style, you imagined you’d look like a regular college couple with normal responsibilities and living situations.

“I’m sure he can. Everybody is so uptight there these days.” His voice was still light and flat as he voiced his concern and you frowned slightly, agreeing with him. “Is the sex not good?”

You shoved him once you processed what he was implying and he groaned, nearly knocking over a display of cans as he tripped over his foot. He steadied himself and gave a half smile down in your direction at your angry expression.

“I’ll have you know sex with me is amazing.” You were suddenly aware of your loud volume when an older woman passing by the aisle you were stood in gave you a disgusted stare, speed walking past you when you offered her a small apologetic shrug.

Sunghoon didn’t respond as he grabbed something off the shelf, tossing it into your half full basket and turning on his heel to head back to the front of the store where the registers were, now that your list was fulfilled. You followed him to the self checkout where he took it from you and started to scan the items slowly.

“I wouldn’t know.” He was saying after you’d gathered up the plastic bags and started to walk outside towards the bus stop. You were glancing over at him and cocking your head in confusion. He looked down at you and shrugged. “How sex is with you.”

You were beyond used to his bluntness and the fact it sometimes created uncomfortable situations, other times hurting your feelings even though at the end of the day you were always thankful you found out things from him first and directly. So you were only half thrown off at his comment.

And he was telling the truth.

You always wondered what he felt about the fact the two of you strictly didn’t sleep with each other or ever even do anything non platonic. You knew he would tell you if you asked but for some reason you never did and you never wanted to talk about it, this being the first time he’s brought it up on his own.

Truthfully you weren’t sure why you hadn’t. Sunghoon was probably the most stunning person you’d ever seen in your entire life, so pretty that you were genuinely taken back sometimes when you saw him doing casual acts around the house.

Not to mention how much hotter he was considering his usual attitude and demeanor. He was already strong in the literal sense but he felt sturdy and solid in his calm direct approach to things and you liked the way his dark eyebrows always stayed unmoving on his inexpressive face.

You think maybe it was a weird complex thing. The thought of sleeping with not only some, but all of your closest friends on a regular basis made you have a strange sense of insecurity. You knew they liked you and cared about you and if you decided one day to never touch one of them again that way, they’d accept it immediately and not treat you any different. You were their friend first before anything and you felt reassured in that despite your occasional habit to overthink.

“Do you ever wonder why?” You decided to ask him the thing you were curious about directly, knowing he wouldn’t judge you.

He took a second to respond since you were approaching the bus stop. He grabbed the bags you were holding and added them to his pile, setting them down on the bench as you stood together and waited for it to arrive. Eventually he was turning to peer down at you with a small look of amusement.

“Saving the best for last I guess.”

——

The third rule was one that needed no discussion, undeniably the one that needed to be honored above all else.

Sometimes you forgot about it, especially it’s importance. When you were at home and it was just you and the boys, you felt comfortable and hidden away in your little bubble of a world. Things were unconventional, maybe a little dingy and immoral at times but there was never any judgement and never any type of conflict you couldn’t work out with all of you together.

So when you left this space you were struck with the reminder that things were not like that in the real world. There was consequences to your actions and considering you were still in college and surrounded by your peers and gossip most the time, most your consequences were social.

You were currently sat on a couch at a party, a common occurrence still despite you not being at the age where you wanted to be black out drunk every saturday. You still liked to have fun, or at least watch the boys have fun while you sat and smoked.

It made you feel good to watch them feel good. You liked the way Jay danced with strangers, a bright smile on his face and you liked watching Heeseung chat animatedly with people standing near the kitchen, almost forgetting how shy he used to be. Sunghoon was typically with you or off somewhere doing… whatever it was he did.

You normally didn’t see Jake until the end of the nights, having to drag him away from an argument or a full out fight at least once a week if his attitude called for it. You were always amazed at his ability to have a problem with absolutely anybody.

So you were slightly surprised at the fact he was sat next to you on the couch right now, a hand on your thigh and his side pressed against yours tightly. He was passing the joint back to you and letting his fingers linger against yours when you went to grab it from him. You could feel him breathing against the side of your face and you almost wanted to laugh at how fucked up he was this soon into the night.

Sunghoon was on your right, similarly pressed against you but he seemingly wasn’t paying any attention to you. He was scrolling on his phone and occasionally watching the people drunkenly dancing on the floor infront of you.

“What was with your mood the other day?” You were speaking out a cloud of smoke, face curling into a grimace as you coughed and nudged Sunghoon to take it without looking, keeping your eyes on Jake. You blamed said smoke for being the reason you asked, normally you’d avoid it knowing it could go one or two ways with him.

“You worried?” He lazily smiled over at you and you felt his hand squeezing your thigh as he spoke. Thankful he hadn’t gotten defensive at your question, you leaned into his space slightly and shrugged.

His eyes were darting sideways suddenly and you followed his gaze, seeing a girl across the room watching the two of you. Her eyes were low and hazy as she took a sip of her cup and you glanced back at him in confusion. He kept his stare on her, either not noticing you were seeing him or not caring. His eyebrow was cocking in her direction and he squeezed your leg again.

You frowned slightly and leaned away from him, feeling your back bump against Sunghoon’s side and ignoring the noise he made.

From your knowledge, Jake didn’t sleep around a lot. He never brought girls back home with him and you or one of the other boys were there almost every time he went out, he stated once he simply couldn’t be bothered to do small talk every single time he wanted to fuck something. Even if the thought of him fucking somebody else when you were sat next to him bugged you a little, you had no right to say anything. However the fact he was only touching you as some form of flirting method with some random girl made your stomach flip in disgust.

You smacked his hand off your bare thigh, Sunghoon’s head turning at the sound, and scoffed at him. Now he finally turned his attention back to you, eyes sparking with slight anger and a challenge.

It was clear to you now that he hadn’t gotten over whatever was bothering him before and you frowned at the harshness in his eyes.

You scooted away from him slightly, now fully pressed up against Sunghoon to the point you were nearly halfway into his lap. Jake shook his head at your reaction, letting out a mean humorless laugh and standing from the couch, disappearing into the crowd of people.

“The fuck is his problem.” Sunghoon’s sudden voice caused you to jump slightly and you felt his arm move so it was resting on the couch behind your head, helping him get comfortable now that you were a lot closer.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” You frowned and shifted in your spot slightly, not understanding what he was possibly so upset about. You didn’t recall anything happening but then again, Jake didn’t always seem to need a reason to lash out. “He makes no sense to me sometimes.”

“I think Hee pissed him off.” Sunghoon was telling you and you were slightly surprised at the fact he had also caught sight of Jake’s reaction to Heeseung’s comments in the bathroom.

You looked over at him to find him already watching you, heads so close your nose brushed against his.

“Why would he care about that?” You were still frowning as you spoke and his eyes were looking down at your lips before meeting yours again. You’d never been this close to Sunghoon before and you were starting to think about the conversation you’d had at the grocery store.

“Maybe he’s worried Heeseung was right.” He said it like it was obvious but that confused you further.

“That still doesn’t make any sense. He knows I fuck Jay and he’s never cared about that.” You were reasoning your side of things but Sunghoon seemed pretty certain in what he was saying.

“Jay doesn’t fuck you like Jake does.” His voice was nearing a whisper as he spoke and you tensed for a second at his words. He was right of course, he always seemed to be, but you weren’t quite sure how he knew that in the first place.

He was staring at you intensely, somehow more intense than he usually looked, and you had a feeling he also knew that you were thinking over the things he had said to you at the bus stop. His hand that wasn’t around your shoulders was coming over and resting at your knee, pulling your legs forward so they were over his and you were halfway in his lap. You took the hint, lifting your butt up off the couch and moving forward so you were fully sitting on him.

He hummed softly in approval, looking up slightly now that you were sitting on him and above him. It didn’t feel weird or too new being this close to him. Living in the same small place and growing up together didn’t leave much room for privacy, you’d seen each other in different states of undress and slept together in beds on dozens of occasions.

Yet it was different all the same. His eyes were more narrow and hazy, a clear want in his expression and he was watching you with interest as your eyes studied his features from this angle.

“You think he’s worried Heeseung will make me feel better?” You continued on your conversation in a low challenging voice, trying not to flush when he was putting one hand in your hair and the other around your waist to keep you steady in his lap.

“Maybe.” He was mumbling, distracted now. “Or maybe somebody else.”

The implication in his words were obvious and a heavy tension settled over the two of you as he spoke his mind. His multiple shows of confidence made your skin feel hot and you had completely forgotten about the girl and Jake’s random attitude.

“I want you to show me.” You spoke bluntly, knowing he liked it best when you did that. He didn’t respond, quirking an eyebrow at you like he was expecting something. “Please.”

He let out another hum as you quickly pieced together what he was expecting and delivered it, your voice soft raising an octave and you leaned against him. You wanted to kiss him or have him touch you, not minding who saw.

“Rule number three.” He was basically whispering against your lips as he spoke and you frowned at his words, mind spinning and hazy from both the weed and the heavy tension between the two of you.

So it took you a second to understand what he was trying to say before you gathered your thoughts and immediately deflated in disappointment, knowing exactly what he was implying.

Rule number three clearly stated that the most important thing in your friend group was that nobody, and absolutely nobody, was allowed to find out about the things you did. It had actually been Heeseung who suggested this become an official rule, not just a silent acceptance. He wanted a firm promise that the entire campus wouldn’t figure out you were essentially all spit buddies.

You imagine you were already slightly teetering this line with the way you were perched on Sunghoon’s lap, especially with how rare it was he was seen interacting with somebody so openly and how obsessive his fan club could be. But you were sure it could be brushed off as the drunken need to have contact with somebody.

“Are you rejecting me?” You made sure to quirk your mouth into a small smirk so he would understand you were just messing around with him, waiting for him to take the bait.

“I’m actually trying to take you home.” He confirmed what you were thinking but for some reason hearing him actually say it made your cheeks flush.

You looked down at him for a few seconds, not saying anything just yet. Your eyes were going around his handsome features as you felt your resolve completely sway and shatter.

The two of you didn’t speak for a long time after that, not when you stood from his lap and took his hand in yours and not when you started to make your way out of the party. You briefly met Heeseung’s eyes as you pushed through the crowd with him behind you and he continued to watch you with a clouded expression until you were out the front door and into the cold outside air.

You didn’t speak when he whistled for a taxi, feeling less than sober as you leaned into his side in the backseat and pressed a kiss to his neck as he muttered your address to the driver.

He didn’t touch you the whole ride other than a hand on your hip and you were growing impatient and desperate, moving your mouth and teeth against his warm skin while he occasionally squeezed your side. If you cared a bit more you would have felt guilty for the driver regarding the loud noises filling up the otherwise silent car.

But your head was spinning with desire and you almost didn’t even realize the car was stopping and you had gotten out until Sunghoon was pushing open the door to the apartment.

The second you were inside your back was hitting the wall. He wasted no time and immediately was pressed against you, kissing you feverishly. You moaned against his mouth, hands going to his dark hair and making sure he couldn’t pull away from you.

You were drunk off excitement and lust, clumsily walking forward until his legs hit the couch and he was falling onto his back, taking you with him.

He laughed into this kiss and you smiled at him, pulling away for a second. You were suddenly hit with the fact that you were making out with Park Sunghoon, your childhood bestfriend who you’d gone over a decade without touching once. He seemed to be having a similar thought process, eyes darting around your face and back to your mouth.

You kissed him again and he groaned, hands clumsily sliding down your back before grabbing the back of your thighs and pulling you up slightly so you were more on his lap and not sprawled on top of him.

Your hips were moving instinctively at the new position, rubbing against him and drinking in the way he cursed into your open mouth. His hands were moving to the top of your thighs, kneading them as a form of relief and your breath hitched when his thumb accidentally dipped forward and pressed too close to your underwear.

He froze at the noise and pulled out of the kiss to look at you. His eyes went down to your puffy lips and then back to your low hazy gaze that was watching him as you panted. He pressed his thumb down again, purposely this time as he held your stare.

He smirked slightly at the way you immediately rocked forward, mouth parting in a soft whine as he kept his hands just a few inches away from where you needed them.

“Ask me.” He was leaning forward to speak, pressing his mouth against yours and you felt his tongue snake between your open lips. You unfroze at the feeling, closing your mouth around him and sucking his tongue softly while he waited for you to respond.

“Touch me.” You eventually breathed when you couldn’t take it anymore, your voice whiny and bordering on a beg.

“So now you want me to touch you?” He was humming mockingly, eyes darkening softly at your request. As attracted to him as you had always been, you never took too long to think about what Sunghoon would be like in bed. You should’ve guessed he wasn’t going to be easy on you, a mean tone to his voice.

“Please.” You were too desperate to show any dignity, grinding down into his lap again and kissing messily against his jaw. “Please I want you to touch me so bad Hoon.”

“So needy for a whore.” He was whispering the words but you caught it loud and clear, breath catching at the word. He noticed your reaction and you heard a smirk in his voice when he started to speak again. “Three cocks isn’t enough for you, right baby?”

You were nodding your head, sitting up slightly to look him in the eyes and make sure he knew you were agreeing with him. He smiled fully at this and kissed you softly, caressing your cheek and nodding along with you mockingly.

“I want you to speak.” He was repeating with a soft voice, directly contradicting the hard expression on his face.

“It’s not enough.” You were rushing out and you felt slightly embarrassed at how slurred your words were, not thinking clearly. “It’s not enough, I need you.”

He seemed momentarily pleased by your words but he didn’t say anything, still not moving his hand and just watching you. Your gaze fell down to it’s placement and you felt another wave of need pass through you at the sight of his large hand and long fingers resting just close enough to the end of your skirt to fuel your imagination. You put your hand ontop of his and looked at him, feeling satisfied when he didn’t tell you to stop.

You slowly moved his hand with yours, pushing your skirt up onto your waist so he could have a clear view of your panty clad lower half sitting in his lap. His breath hitched slightly and you suddenly were curious how often he had done this, if ever. You seemed to just now realize he’d never spoken about being with anybody and knowing him, that would be something he’d casually mention like it was no big deal.

You were distracted from this train of thought when he was suddenly kissing you again, your hand leaving his inside your skirt and coming up to hold his face so you could deepen the kiss immediately.

Before you could process the movement of his hand, you felt his fingers pressing against your underwear. His hand was practically cupping your entire core and you bucked into it instinctively.

“You’re so cute like this.” He was smiling into the kiss and curling his fingers so they were pressing against you harder, you were embarrassed at the way you pathetically held onto his broad shoulders and practically sobbed at the feeling.

“I’m always cute asshole.” You were pushing out, voice breaking. He laughed softly and kissed your cheek, a weird show of affection that almost caused you to pause your movements and question him about it.

He seemed to notice your change in demeanor and for the first time in a long time, you saw him look visibly thrown off and embarrassed. You quickly forgot about it when he was grabbing your hips and turning your bodies so he was on top of you now.

You didn’t think about it for the rest of the night.

——

“What’s going on with you and Hoon.” Heeseung’s tired voice was mumbling above you in your bed and you frowned against his chest although he couldn’t see it.

“What do you mean?” You were laid against him, leg thrown over his waist and hugging his chest. Your room was warm and silent, perfect for a nap before he started to speak.

“He brought you home the other night.” He was explaining in a weird tone. You could hear his slow heart beat and you picked your head up off his chest so you could look at his expression, eyes locking on his bruised eye for a second. “Never seen you guys do that before I guess.”

He was holding your gaze with soft eyes and you felt a bit worried at the hurt in his features.

“Yeah.” You didn’t explain any further, knowing the simple answer would tell him what he wanted to know and what he was asking without asking. You didn’t have sex with Sunghoon but you did go home with him. “Why?”

“What’d you guys do?” He asked, his hand coming up to push your hair behind your ear and rub against the smooth skin of your cheek.

You didn’t say anything for a few seconds, trying to think about how much you wanted to tell him about that night. You shifted in your place on him, basically laying on top of him with his hip between your legs.

“He fingered me.” You answered him bluntly and his eyebrows shot up, a small amused smile appearing on his face at the information. “And we just kissed alot.”

“Oh, you kissed a lot?” His voice was teasing and you were overwhelmingly glad that his weird expression from earlier was gone. He sat up slightly so he could lean closer to your face, pressing a small kiss against your lips and sitting back again. “Was he a good kisser?”

You groaned at his nosy line of questioning, laying your head down on his chest so he couldn’t look at your flushing face. You could feel him laughing with the vibrations against your forehead.

“He better be considering he watches us all the time.” He was continuing on and you picked your head up quickly, eyebrows furrowed in an accusatory stare.

“You like it when he watches us.” You pointed out and he shrugged with a small smile. You were the telling the truth, something he admitted to you during a particularly tension filled make out session you had at a party a year or two ago.

Sunghoon had been a few feet away from the dance floor, leaning against the wall and keeping an eye out like he always seemed to be doing. You were too caught up in kissing Heeseung to notice, his hands on your hips pulling you into him as you half danced half grinded into his leg.

“Our guard dog is watching us.” He was whispering into your mouth and you opened your eyes to look at him in confusion, finding his eyes over your shoulder. They were low and hazy, arousal apparent at the observation.

“Tell him to cut it out.” You were half whining, upset his attention wasn’t fully on you and too out of it to process his reasoning for saying it wasn’t because he was feeling uncomfortable. Quite the opposite you’d quickly realize.

Heeseung hadn’t responded verbally, instead keeping his eyes over your shoulder open as he grabbed your chin and pulled you in for a wet sloppy kiss, moving his mouth against yours deeper and deeper in a lewd display.

Thinking back on it now you shifted ontop of Heeseung, arousal flaring up at the thought of him keeping strong eye contact with Sunghoon that night. You wish more than anything you had been in sound enough mind to look back and see what his expression was, if it changed at all.

“So he was good then.” He hummed softly and cupped your face. His expression was a bit guarded again and you frowned causing him to mirror your frown in confusion.

“Why are you so curious?” You asked him softly but your heart felt tight and heavy, fearing you already knew what his response would be.

“Why not?” He shrugged again but it looked more awkward this time, like he was trying to fake casual. “You already know that I’m i-.”

“Don’t.” You cut him off quickly, freezing on top of him and you suddenly felt the urge to get off the bed. You didn’t because you didn’t want to hurt his feelings but you felt a sick wave wash over you when his eyes deflated looking into yours. “Don’t say it.”

You weren’t stupid and you knew Heeseung had feelings for you. It was obvious from the first year you’d spent together, back when he was still nervous and didn’t talk as much. He’d follow you around like a lost dog and listen to you speak with big wide eyes like every word was important to him. You ignored it at first because you figured it was just because you were the first girl he’d really spent time with, it would just go away with time.

You admit you still feel guilt sometimes now regarding the way your relationship progressed. Kissing him and letting him hold you while you slept together probably did nothing but sink him in deeper and confuse his feelings now that they mixed with arousal and want.

But you did love Heeseung. You loved all the boys and you wanted them to be happy and feel cared for no matter what. And selfishly, you liked how much he liked you.

He still, after years of having time to get sick of you, looked at you like you personally hung the stars. He made no move to hide the way he felt about you but you’ve warned him before not to say it. You reminded him of the rules and what it would mean if you heard the words yourself, how you wouldn’t be able to do this with him anymore.

He didn’t respond to your interruption and you laid your head back on his chest hesitantly, feeling relieved when he wrapped his arms around you and squeezed you in a hug.

You still felt sick with guilt. You hoped he knew that you loved him too, even if you’d never say it yourself or allow him to. But things were far more complicated than being two friends inlove with each other and you weren’t willingly to pop your bubble just yet.

——

You were sat on the kitchen counter, watching Jay attempt to coach a simple meal prep, when Jake slammed the front door shut.

All four of your heads turned in his direction, Heeseung slowly halting mid vegetable cut in confusion. Jake looked over at the feeling of being stared at and glared in your directions, taking in the sight of everybody packed into the small kitchen.

“Hi.” You hesitantly greeted him. You weren’t sure if he was angry again or if this was his current resting face. “Do you want to come help? Jay’s trying to show us how to…”

Your words slowly trailed off as you watched him start to walk away, down the hall towards him room. He completely ignored you and you felt your heart sink.

Jake had mood swings, he was rude to strangers and he didn’t talk about his emotions or personal thoughts as much as you wished he did but he had never been this angry at you for this long and you still had no idea what was causing it. You always felt special at the fact he seemed to have a soft spot for you, outside of sex he was always gentle and showed you he cared about you in little indirect ways.

You felt a hand on your knee, rubbing it softly in an attempt at reassurance and you looked to see Jay’s worried expression watching you carefully. You imagined the other two had similar looks on their faces but you didn’t check to verify this, sighing softly and giving him an attempt at a smile to signal you were okay.

“You should go talk to him.” Sunghoon’s low voice was muttering and you looked at him now, meeting his expressionless face.

“She’s tried already.” Heeseung sounded annoyed and was shaking his head, eyebrows furrowing. You wanted to smooth out the crease in his forehead and remind him to be careful because his piercing but you stayed still. “He’s just in one of his moods.”

“No it’s different.” Sunghoon was responding, still watching you and you suddenly remembered what he had said about Jake at the party. You wondered if he knew more than what he was telling you or if he was just making his usual observations.

“If I go in there he’s either going to ignore me or tell me to fuck off.” You shook your head in denial, slightly anxious at the thought of confronting an angry Jake. You knew he’d never hurt you, or any of your friends, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have a habit of saying harsh words for the sake of shutting people up. Even if he didn’t necessarily mean them.

“Then you can come back out here and watch a movie with us.” Jay shrugged like it was an obvious solution and you smiled at him because it honestly was.

As much as you wished Jake would calm down and join the four of you, you knew that regardless you could lean back on your friends and find comfort in them.

“If I’m not back in half an hour, save yourselves.” You were joking with them as you left the kitchen towards the bedrooms. You smile immediately dropped when you rounded the corner, feeling nervous for how many ways this conversation could go wrong. You reminded yourself again that this was Jake, the person you loved and trusted most in the world.

You kept repeating this to yourself as you knocked on his door, soft taps as you shifted from side to side and waited for him to open it and invite you. The door was swinging open and he was glaring down at you, one headphone dangling out of his ear.

“Why are you knocking?” He mumbled and turned to sit back on his bed. You felt stupid after his comment, considering he was right and you’d never had to knock on his door before.

“Didn’t know if you wanted to be bothered.” You shrugged and sat on the end of the bed near his feet, anxiously picking at a loose thread on your sleeve. He was watching you with a guarded expression.

“Well are you planning on bothering me?” His tone caused you to frown and look down at your lap.

“What did I do?” You felt slightly childish for your disheartened tone but you truly didn’t understand why he was treating you so bad. You glanced at him when he didn’t immediately respond and his face softened at your sad expression.

He sighed softly, taking his other headphone out and leaning back against the headboard. You watched him from the side of your eye as he patted the spot next to him and waited for you to climb fully onto the bed.

You hesitatingly did what he said. You didn’t want to acknowledge the fact it was rare you spent time in Jake’s bed with your clothes on. He wasn’t like the others in terms of cuddling or taking naps together and you slightly appreciated the show of vulnerability.

“You didn’t do anything.” He was saying once you were situated. You weren’t sitting that close but your shoulders were pressed together. His legs were laid out flat down the length of the bed and you were sat hugging your knees as they were pulled tight to your chest for comfort.

“So why are you being so mean.” You voice broke slightly and he swayed a bit into you, bringing your attention to him.

He was holding his hand out, palm up, on his lap and you looked at it for a few seconds in frozen shock. Jake was blankly offering you affection and comfort and you were starting to get worried something was really wrong for him to be acting so out of character. Still, you took his hand in yours and waited to see what he was going to say.

“I think I’m losing my mind.” He was laughing as he was saying it but it was dry and humorless, a sad heavy tone to his words.

You didn’t say anything and gave him a second to explain, squeezing his hand and trying not to think about how strange it was that he started to rub yours with his thumb in smooth circles.

“I think you’re making me lose my mind honestly.” He was turning his head to look at you for a second and your eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “I’ve noticed it for a while but I think Heeseung being a dickhead really made it a sure thing.”

You felt like you were holding his breath as he spoke, still not sure where exactly this line of conversation was heading towards. You felt a tightness in your chest at the thought he might suggest you stop sleeping together, or even worse, you stop being friends.

Maybe hearing Heeseung directly mock him in a way, woke him up to the fact they were both involved with you.

“Then he told me you left that party with Sunghoon and I didn’t think I could ignore it anymore.” With every word he spoke you were becoming more and more certain your current arrangement wasn’t working out and he was about to completely remove himself from it.

“What can I do to fix this?” You were squeezing his hand as you spoke. You respected his comfortably but the thought of Jake not wanting to be with you anymore and thus pulling himself even further from your tight knit group made your stomach lurch.

He let out a soft laugh at your statement, shaking his head and leaning into you again so you swayed slightly to the side.

“You didn’t do anything wrong.” He was explaining his reasoning for the laugh and still shaking his head. “I know the rules and I fucked up, it’s my fault.”

This confused you even further. What rule was he implying he broke? He could be saying he’s longing for exclusivity but he hasn’t broken that yet even if he is finding himself insecure or jealous and you highly doubt he’d told anybody about your arrangement considering he barely talked about it amongst the five of you.

“What are you talking about?” You urged and he slowly looked over at you again, an expectant and nervous expression on his face like he was waiting for you to piece it together any second now.

When you finally did you felt the breath get knocked out of you, your hand going limp in his and your mouth parting in a shocked exhale. He grimaced at your reaction but he didn’t move or pull away, letting you process the fact that he was seemingly saying he had developed feelings for you.

“I know you’re inlove with Heeseung… or maybe Jay I’m not sure but I just needed to tell you.” His voice was strangely vulnerable and for the first time in your life you were saying him look upset and out of control, his mouth moving faster than his thoughts as he rambled on. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a dick that probably didn’t help my case at all, I was just freaking out.”

You didn’t say anything for a while and tried to decide how honest you wanted to be in this situation.

He was right and you weren’t denying it anymore, feeling more and more suffocated everytime you felt your heart warm or your stomach tighten with happiness around one of the boys. He was right about who you were in love with and he was also wrong that you weren’t in love with him.

If anything, you had loved Jake first and most passionately. You’d been glued to him since the second you saw him on your front porch and you’ve stuck by him despite his bad habits and people constantly warning you that no good could come from a boy like that. Because good did come from Jake for you and you’d always been sure of that even when things were messy.

When you first moved in together and you had barely enough money for rent, Jake was working multiple odd jobs late into the night to make sure you all had meals on the table and you didn’t have to worry about missing too many classes to try to individually support yourselves. You were a family and you shared resources because you wanted to see everybody thrive together, not just one person or one pair.

Jake was the type of person who befriended Heeseung without a second thought because he looked lonely and nervous and he was the type of person who you still felt you needed to see at the end of a hard day even after all these years passed.

So you think a large part of you always knew you were in love with Jake, maybe that was the reason you’d established the second rule in the first place. You never thought he’d date you or even really see you as somebody he could do that with, normally teasing each other or sitting in comfortable silence outside of when you were having sex.

You let yourself bury it down deep, to never be unearthed, and you watched him continue to be the funny and out of the box boy he’s always been.

He didn’t need to know you loved him, you didn’t need to make things weird or ruin such a good thing while it had managed to survive everything else thrown your way. So to go through all that and now hear him say the things you’d been biting your tongue on for over a decade, you felt a bit breathless.

Your first instinct was to tell him he was wrong and that you did love him, more than he could ever know. But he wasn’t wrong and you felt bad lying to him.

But you also weren’t sure you could bring yourself to tell him that you loved the others too. You were barely processing it yourself, you knew of people who had multiple crushes or even multiple partners but somehow throughout this whole arrangement, you never considered being able to be with all of them at the same time.

On the other hand, you also never considered having to choose one of them.

Heeseung was the light you needed in your life. Things didn’t feel hard around him and you could just have fun and bounce off his intoxicating puppy like energy. And you knew he truly loved you, certain of it for the first time in your life.

He never rushed you to be with him or implied he was upset that you always stopped your hookups before things got to that point. He was patient and warm.

Jay was similar to him in that aspect but he had an added sense of being grounded that Heeseung lacked. He’d always make sure you ate on days you couldn’t find the space to remember and he took care of the other boys just as eagerly despite not knowing them for as long as you had all known each other.

Realistically Jay probably had figured out you loved Jake, being kind enough to never bring it up and only giving you vague advice when you inevitably found yourself teary eyed in his bed looking for comfort. It wasn’t a rebound thing, or seeking what Jake didn’t give you in him, you just genuinely felt most comfortable and safe when you were around him.

Sunghoon had been the most recent development for you.

He was always an anchor in your life, both as unruly kids and misbehaving teenagers. You knew nobody would ever be as important to you as him but you hadn’t fully considered the idea of being with him in the extra way that dating required.

Yet you hadn’t stopped thinking about what it felt like to kiss him and more importantly your mind had been replaying the gentle way he kissed your cheek. You’d never seen him with that look in his eye before and you wondered how long he’d been looking at you like that without you noticing.

“I am in love with Heeseung.” You finally responded to Jake now, turning on your knees so you could fully face him as you said the heavy weighted words. His face dropped at your sudden statement before he was slowly nodding in acceptance. “But I’m in love with you too.”

He didn’t say anything when you said this, face unchanging like he was waiting for you to deliver the punchline of a joke.

When he realized you were insanely serious, your eyes teary as you anxiously chewed on your lip and rocked slowly back and forth on your knees, a self soothing action you didn’t even realize you were doing, his face changed.

“Oh.” His one worded response made you feel sick and your watched him with desperate eyes as you waited for him to continue. “Somehow I didn’t see that coming.”

You groaned softly at his attempt at a joke, leaning forward so your head was hitting his knee and you were able to grab his hand that he had left loose in his lap since you abandoned it.

“I’m sorry.” Your voice broke in a cry and you looked down at your conjoined hands, not be able to see his confused expression for another second. “Do you hate me?”

“Hate you for what? Why are you sorry?” His voice was smooth and calm, taking you by surprise as he cupped your cheek with his free hand and lifted your head so you were looking at him again.

“Sorry for falling inlove with people you’ve spent your whole life with? What’s wrong with that?” He was reassuring you and you imagined you looked extremely confused and thrown off because he smiled softly.

You shook your head through your tears, face scrunched up as you tried to make sense of what he was saying to you.

“You don’t care that I’m inlove with somebody else, with all of you?” He didn’t look at all surprised as you spoke, bringing up the fact it was more than just him and Heeseung.

“I mean it’s definitely a surprise but it makes sense when I think about it.” He was shrugging and weirdly casual, almost like he was just relieved to have his feelings reciprocated. You never treated him any different even when you started sleeping with Jay or forming your strange relationship with Heeseung. He was starting to think you had way more than enough love for all of them.

It was silent for a few seconds as you both looked at eachother, observing the multiple pieces of new information you’ve just brought to light.

“Do they know?” He was asking after a bit, voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

“I’ve never said it until now.” You suddenly flushed at the reminder you had just casually done the one thing you swore you never would. He gave you a smile that looked prideful, like he was prepared to brag he heard it first. “I think if any of them know it’s Hee.”

“Because he’s obsessed with you.” He said it matter of factly, always teasing your friend for his obvious feelings towards you.

You half laughed at his joke, not fully being able to relax at the thoughts of how many different ways this could go wrong. Jake was okay with it but who knew how the others would react and even if they accepted it for now, you knew a relationship like this wouldn’t be easy or conventional.

You had no idea what you were going to do and you were starting to feel yourself cry again, squeezing Jake’s hand absentmindedly. He was scooting forward on the bed so he could wrap his arms around you slightly, rubbing your back.

“Maybe I should bring them in here and we can have a talk. Does that sound okay?” He was whispering and you were nodding your head before he even finished talking, knowing that was the best idea.

He pressed a loving kiss to the side of your head before getting up and disappearing out of the room.

You felt worse at his absence, scooting back against the headboard now that you were alone and sniffling softly as you anxiously waited for him to return, this time with a lot more company. You were trying to think of what you were going to say but nothing was coming to you and you realized you were just going to have to wing it.

That idea was completely blown out of the ball park when you actually saw them, following swiftly behind Jake with varying levels of worry and distress on their faces. Minus Sunghoon who seemed calm, more so than usual, and almost expectant.

They silently sat around the bed and you felt your heart warm slightly seeing them all together like this, knowing it could potentially be the last time you did if things were to go as wrong as you were expecting. Jake was scooting back into his spot beside you, Jay following so he was on your other side. Heeseung climbed into the middle of the bed and hesitantly placed a comforting hand on your knee like he wasn’t sure it was appropriate.

Your gaze locked on Sunghoon’s as he sat on the end of the bed, slightly distanced from the rest of you.

“Do you want to say it or should I?” Jake was murmuring from beside you and you appreciated his nice gesture, willing to take the heat of voicing it out loud.

“She should say it.” Sunghoon was immediately disagreeing in a stern voice and all of your eyes went to him. You noticed a slightly hurt look in his eyes and you were beginning to think he didn’t know as much as you assumed he did. “If you guys are together now, she should be the one to tell us.”

He immediately proved you right in your assumption, clearly misreading the situation and coming to a false conclusion.

You felt a heavy guilt and sadness wash over you at the thought of how he must’ve been feeling this entire time, sitting and thinking you had chosen Jake after just sending him mixed signals by hooking up with him. You wished he wasn’t sitting so far away so you could reach out and touch him but now you understood why he was.

“We aren’t together.” You were shaking your head and Jake nudged your side gently with his elbow, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively with a smirk and trying to lighten the situation. “Okay well maybe we are apparently but it’s more than that.”

You looked over to see their reactions and if anybody had caught on to what was happening yet. Heeseung was looking down at his hands with furrowed eyebrows, betrayal and sadness radiating off of him but Jay on the other side of you almost looked happy for you, a soft calm smile on his face.

“I want to date Jake.” You started to explain, hands coming out in front of you in slight frustration for your lack of words. You decided to just say it outright. “But I want to date Heeseung too, and also Jay. Sunghoon you too.”

Similarly to how it was when you said this to Jake earlier, the room fell silent and you almost bodily cringed at the way the words seem to just hang in the air obnoxiously. You wanted to curl into a ball and not move until they all left the room.

You didn’t want to look at their expressions, not sure you could handle the confusion and possibly heartbreak on their faces at this news. You were still figuring that this was going to be the end of it all and knowing you were sitting here and tearing apart your family for the selfish sliver of hope they could accept your feelings was crushing you.

“I mean,” Jake was clearing his throat from next to you and you glanced at him expectantly. “Feel however you guys feel but, just for the record, I’m okay with it.”

“What?” Sunghoon’s voice sounded just as upset as it had before you clarified and you forced yourself to look at him. His body was turned towards you guys now like he wasn’t sure he was hearing you properly. “How could you be okay with that?”

“Personally I don’t think it’d be that different.” Jay sounded casual next to you and you turned your teary eyes towards him just in time to see his shoulders fall from a nonchalant shrug. “I’m basically already dating Y/N while she’s with you guys so what’s the major shift in adding an official label to it.”

“She may be with you guys but she’s not with me.” Sunghoon was scoffing and you looked at him again, slightly hurt at his angry words. He wasn’t one to lose his temper but you imagine the fact it’d only been a new development between the two of you was making it harder on him than the others, who had plenty experience being with you. Both alone and in pairs.

“But I want to be.” You were telling him as earnestly as you could, scooting forward slightly so he’d keep his attention on you. You wanted him to see how sincere you were, not wanting him to feel like a last choice. “I’m not saying it just so you’re included, I really mean it.”

“It’s always been you and Jake.” He was spitting, looking more frustrated at your closing distance. “After all these years suddenly you notice me?”

The other boys didn’t say anything, understanding this was something that dated back before their addition to the friend group. You didn’t speak immediately either, professing what he was trying to say.

Sunghoon was displaying insecurity you’d never seen from him before and you felt a wave of guilt at the fact you’d never even considered it to be something he’d feel. If he had any feelings for you other than sexual, he’d done a good job at hiding it but you felt shameful that he had apparently felt left out or like you’d picked Jake over him at some point.

“You’re crazy Hoon.” Heeseung was finally speaking and Sunghoon dropped your gaze to look at the boy. You couldn’t see his expression since he was looking over his shoulder to face your upset friend. “I knew she was inlove with you guys the day I met you all, atleast you had a shot.”

“Are you not listening to what she’s saying?” Jay suddenly sounded annoyed and you could feel him tensing next to you.

The room got quiet again as you all looked over at him. You were starting to feel like you were getting whiplash from the constant focus changes, mixed with the different statements and scenarios suddenly being confessed.

“You all had a shot, and guess what it landed dude.” It was weird hearing Jay sound so fed up but as he implied earlier, he clearly has been observing this long enough to know it without being told, having entered the group most recently and spent alot of intimate time with you. “She loves you all, us all.”

He was looking at you as he said the last two words, correcting himself with a small smile on his face. You tried to return the warmness in his eyes despite the tears still clouding your vision.

“You love me?” Heeseung was talking again, sounding breathless like he had just fully processed what was happening. His eyes were big and round and you felt your heart warm at the sight of him. You knew suddenly that no matter what happened now, you had made the right choice.

“Of course I love you.” You said it to him more directly and he looked overwhelmed for a second before smiling softly at you and nodding.

“For what it’s worth, I don’t necessarily need to be making out with you idiots but I do love you guys too.” Jake was shrugging from beside you and you heard Jay snort a laugh on your other side at his casual comments.

“This is actually what you want to do?” Sunghoon was finally talking again but he looked and sounded a lot less angry, still having a slightly guarded expression on his face.

You looked at each boy carefully, all laying together in different ways on Jake’s bed and your heart felt full and happy, most of all safe. They’d been your family for so long and you didn’t want to be anywhere else, with any of them missing or somebody different in their place.

“More than anything.”

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pianocat939 · 1 year

Note

(So uh it's me the one who sad HI THERE and rambled about counting 0 and thinkkkkk)

How about Yan Turtles with s/o who always gets sick? Like very often? (Definitely not talking about me)

Tysm!<3

(I'm also the one who sent the SorMafu links-)

Tysmmm<33333

I gotta go to sleep now- (it's 22:32)

Yeah so um if you guys didn't know my requests and blurbs are open so if you wanna send in something like you know- I'm gonna advertise bcs yes.

Tw: mentions of taking meds, mention of manipulation + guilt-tripping, Mikey being delulu, religious themes (Mikey only)

Raph probably gonna be like "Oh no- oh no-" it literally just becomes parent mode. Like if any of his bros were sick he would always be the one to take care of them (especially when they were younger). He's doing all the basic precautions, like making you intake liquids and take the medicines. As a yan, he'll be more worried and clingy though so expect cuddles and lots of guilt-tripping if you deny anything.

Leo. I cannot with him. He's going to be SO fucking happy that he can take care of you in your ill state often. He'll be cooing and babying you while you're sick- and he won't stop even if you ask him to. He's gonna manipulate but less aggressively as he usually does because he knows he can go too far all at once; considering you probably feel frustrated every time you're sick. But it definitely keeps him happy.

Donnie- man he is gonna freak out every single time (internally). Unlike Leo, who loves the moments you're sick (not like horribly sick obv), Donnie HATES it. He's isolating the area you're in, and disinfecting the nearby space. He'll try to boost your immune system with a multitude of methods. He's doing all the research and ensuring the medications are taken at the right intervals and amounts.

Mikey- he's pretty normal for the taking care of part, but the whole delulu part of him is a lot. He believes the reason you get so ill often is because your "powers" are trying to restore themselves through a process of sickness. So he doesn't fool around when it comes to taking care of you, he'll keep everything in check because he wants to see you in your "full divine form".

(Wow that was a longer blurb than usual)

#yandere #yandere x reader #rottmnt #tmnt #rottmnt x reader #tmnt x reader #yandere rottmnt #yandere tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #blurbs

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collegetennisoriginstory · 1 year

Note

OK. UM. first of all, hiiii! <3 ok lemme just gush a lil bit:

1. I LOVE UR FIC OHMYGOD HOLY SHIIIIIIIT

2. god, i don't even have the slightest idea of how tennis works, but this is just so????? like?????? you know. and i kinda get how the play goes?? YOU'RE AN AMAZING WRITER GOSH.

3. i actually remembered most of the characters?? considering there's a lot of em, this is practically a miracle. again, you're goddamn amazing. i dont know how. maybe the pace is great, but definitely THE CHARAS ALL HAVE PERSONALITY/DEPTH??? like, i actually even remembered the side charas!!! mike, thalia, diego, felix, that cool ass girl in that shooting game, etc. umh just perfecto.

4. THE TENNIS MATCHES ALL FEEL SO SATISFYING!!! <3333333 omg. i feel like WUOOOOOH u know. i feel so cool playing a cool talented mc omg im loving it (i play a i-win-everything type of mc becuz im a perfectionist with a fear of failure) the matches me on edge in my seat oh gosh <3 and when u win it somehow just go WOOOOOOOH again!!! AAAAAA<3

5. aw, and of course, my beloved rivals to lovers rayyan <3333 *sigh* the slowburn.... (hes actually my first & only one. i go: ohhh tension!?!? and make a run for it. um, if it's ok to ask, is there a lot of content in the romance area as of now or in the future? like, replayability in terms of romance? im sorry if this is rude, i didnt mean to, i suck at words & i wont ask that again.)

6. FOUND FAMILY YAY! FOUND FAMILY YAY! <33333 (we genuinely lack those in the if community pls.) soulmates w/ sam. ride or die diego. very reluctant ride or die G (imma be honest, his name is just so hard so my head for some reason just go Guacamole 😭). aww tobin u very big cinammon roll ill protect u. shenanigans. & others too many to name honestly.

7. help this is just so good i had to force myself to sleep at 3am for a 7am lecture and i sat in the front rows and i put my head on the table and the fricking professor called me out ohmygod- BUT IT WAS WORTH IT GODDAMN!! ILL DO IT AGAIN IF I HAVE TO! HA! i cant wait for the next update- i'm gonna have this fic in my head for the next week oh pls noooooo. (no pressure tho. u do u author! take ur time!!! ill be here to support u, whoo!)

8.ALL IN ALL, I LOVE IT I LOVE THIS I LOVE EVERYONE I LOVE YOU AUTHOR *runs over & hug you w/ consent* <333333333333

ok. um. that's not it but if i continue it's literally gonna be an essay so i'll stop.

author. i will die for this fic. ahaahahahah. if i may ask, what's ur fav IFs? (i really, really love this one so im kinda hoping maybe u have similar taste in IFs eheh. again, im sorry if this comes as rude or insensitive.) oh uh & if my long rambles bother u, i won't send it again sorry.

<333 okok. take care of urself, dont forget to eat healthy, drink water & good sleep. have a nice day :D

Wait. I think I might have missed replying to this I am so sorry!!! It gave me so so much joy. Maybe I subconsciously did not want it to leave my inbox haha.

1. And 2 -> THANK YOU!

3. Gosh this is such a great thing to hear. There are a looot of characters, and I definitely worry sometimes that it gets to be too much, but I think the IF is getting long enough for me to give enough-ish screentime to each character... though it takes me a while to cycle back to different side characters. I cant believe you remembered the cool ass girl in laser tag! :)

4. AWESOME to hear! 🥰

5. Yup, being a character driven IF, there will be a lot of romance (or friendship) beats / moments in the IF (which is already true now). The next couple of chapters will follow the same mix of sports, school and romance / hanging out, so you should already have a sense of how much romance there'll be (it'll just keep unfolding / developing for each of the RO routes!)

6. Hehe found family is my fave trope to insert in stories as well.

7. Hahaha aww oh no fictional college life is catching up to your real college life!!

8. HUG YOU BACK (with consent)!!🤗🤗

#ct:os #college tennis: origin story #if #interactive fiction #asks #rayyan #tobin #g #sam

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pinkiepiebones · 1 year

Note

Fic promp: Regarding your discovery of Houltfield spending time in the insane asylum, maybe he could bring it up in the DRAAG meeting, to Rebecca, or just reflecting on it himself?

I just did some research and "mental hospitals" (read "places we can put crazy people so we don't have to look at them") were absolutely HORRIBLE in the 1930's! There was shock therapy, electroconvulsive therapy, forced lobotomies, insulin injections (in non-diabetic patients), horribly abusive staff, overcrowding, zombifying medication, the list goes on! Even IF none of that happened to Renfield himself, it definitely would have happened to those around him. It would have been all too easy for Dracula to frame himself as a rescuer instead of a new tormentor.

Sorry for the ramble, I just love connecting fiction with real-life research!

Oh yeah, shit was waaaack. I'm too altered rn to go in to it but. Mental health's been in some dire places. It sucks. Also [TERRIBLE CONFESSION] I have never seen Dracula in its entirety. So I more likely than not got these details wrong.

As for Robert ever bringing up his time there...

Robert's a blurter. It's a term Mark has in his head for group members who suddenly speak up during someone else's share, usually due to the share lighting up a dark corner of their memories.

"Mental hospitals are not good," he had blurted out in reaction to something Rob had been saying.

Mark turned, as did the other group members. Rob, as gracious as he was intimidating, nodded. "Go ahead, Robert, share your truth."

Robert had shrunk in on himself. Usually, in 'full power' (why were they still using that term?), Robert was sitting tall, looked extra tall next to his friend Rebecca. Right now his shoulders were hunched like he was trying to fold himself in half and he was looking at his hands.

"Er, well, this was after a l- after a few years of serving him," he began, careful to avoid naming his ex-boss. It was not out of any fear that evocation would bring him back, but more simply- he hated saying that name.

"I had been so thoroughly, um, pulled and twisted, mentally speaking, by him, that I was-" Robert made a noise and a vague gesture- "gone. Completely, uh, checked out. So he dropped me in a, I think it was a forest, maybe? And some people found me eating a rat and shipped me to a mental hospital. An asylum.

"I was further abused, mentally, maybe a little physically as well- straight jackets are not as comfortable as they might appear- by doctors and orderlies. They thought my, my bug eating was a symptom of a myriad of illnesses. Truth be told, I don't think I even recalled why I did that, but I knew I had to? That doesn't make sense."

Robert tensed. Rebecca placed a reassuring hand on his knee. "I knew Dra- he was still keeping tabs on me. The more I felt his presence, the more my mind sort of, you know, shuffled back into a full deck. But no one listens to you when you're an asylum inmate, when you're instatutionalised, no matter how much you beg to be let out, because the lobotimised patient down the hall or the guy being electroshocked into obedience also say they need to be let out ... I knew he was watching and waiting for me to screw up and reveal his existence- Oh, I actually said to one doctor, 'Dracula? I never heard the name in my life.'"

Robert chuckled a little and raised his head. He sniffled. "I got out, of course. I found my way back to Dracula because he wa-" He stopped, eyes wide and brimming with tears.

"He was the only home I knew by then. He told me he was the only one who would ever care about me. And I believed him for a very, very long time."

The gym was deafeningly quiet.

Rob said gently, "thank you for that, Robert. I'll be sure to research mental health facilities before I make a decision." Mark and others made noises of agreement.

Later, on the walk to Robert's apartment, Rebecca gave her friend a hug.

Robert froze and stared at her as she stepped back.

"What?" she asked indignantly.

"You don't hug."

"Yeah, well, after tonight, you needed it."

Robert shrugged.

"And, like, every time I hear something new from your past, I just wanna go get those concrete chunks and throw them in a fucking volcano. Only now I also wanna go back in time and kick those doctors's asses for you."

Robert chuckled. "I'm aware things have changed, but it's hard to remove parts of myself from- I'm a hundred and thirty or so years old, I'm still sort of caged by moments of time."

Rebecca shook her head. "There's no more cages, Rob. None that can hold you back now."

🎶I never know how to end fics🎶

#renfield #robbie don't look

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matchagator · 6 months

Text

Sheltered: Chapter 11

Lily learns more about the hybrids they took in and has a better understanding of Soobin's behavior. How will she act around him with what she knows and who is that at the door?

It's Spring Break for us writers, so stay tuned for a week of updates to make up for the delay or visit here for the complete story.

{Main Pairings:} Jeon Jungkook/Original Female Character, Choi Soobin/Original Female Character, Kim Taehyung/Original Female Character(s)

{Rating:} 18+

{Genre:} Alternate Universe - Hybrids

{Summary:} Realization finally dawned on Lily, knowing she now had the responsibility of three hybrids rather than three dogs. Her eyes grew wide while her eyebrows rose up in wonder before she turned her attention to her sister. The shocked expression of Rose had her smile sheepishly. “Well, at least we don’t have to name them.”

{Warnings:} Mature Language, Angst, Rut/Mating Behaviors, Prejudice, Unhealthy Family Dynamics, Aggression

{Taglist:} @chimsworldsstuff

After a long day filled with distracting thoughts of Soobin, Lily finally decided to approach Katharine with her questions about his behavior. If anyone had a clue, it would be her. She moved through the office, relieved to see most of her coworkers already left for the day so she didn’t have to worry about anyone eavesdropping. She peered around the corner to see Katharine diligently typing away at her computer, features stony as her focus fixated on her task.

Lily quietly stood in the doorway, waiting for her boss to glance up as she cleared her throat for attention. Katharine snapped her gaze up and smiled as she realized her work friend was standing at the entrance of her office. Her typing ceased, “Hey, sorry I was emailing Hobi some information about a hybrid shelter.”

“Oh?” Lily walked into the room curiously, taking a seat in one of the chairs placed in front of Katharine’s desk. “What kind of information?” She was familiar with the work of her boss’s husband, but she was curious if maybe the information was tied to the boy’s legal owners.

Katharine just waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, we’ve been talking about getting another one and this place looked nice.” She sighed, “It’s hard cause we can’t decide if we want a male or female. Males like to fight for dominance, and we wouldn’t want to make Jimin feel inferior.” She adjusted her posture, relaxing back into the cushion of her chair. “On the other hand, what if the female gets pregnant? I want hybrids, not children.” She tutted, lost in thought before shaking her head for clarity. “Girl, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ramble.”

“Oh, it’s fine. I understand.” She didn’t because just the idea of dealing with a litter of babies on top of managing the three hybrids overwhelmed her. Bringing a female home would definitely never be an issue. She shook the chaotic images of a house full of hybrids from her mind and redirected her focus. “So, males will fight? Is that always the case?” Maybe she missed something in her internet search.

“Not always, just when they weren’t raised together or, like, figured it out.” Katharine answered. Lily hummed as the response only confirmed that was not the root cause behind Soobin’s behavior.

“Well, my…neighbor has a hybrid and she’s noticed that he’s more aggressive than usual. Do you maybe know why?” Lily leaned her elbows on the desk, sitting on the edge of her chair.

Katharine quirked her eyebrow and hummed in thought. “Well, depending on the breed, he could be protective or territorial. Um, could be abuse, neglect, illness…um, what else?” She raked her brain for more reasons and Lily felt clueless as she realized maybe there was a bigger issue than just his bad mood. “Do you know the breed?”

Lily glanced up to see Katharine stopped rattling off different causes. “He’s a Siberian husky.”

Katharine seemed surprised by that response. “How’s he been acting exactly?”

“Um…” Lily thought about it for a second. “I guess, he’s been aggressive with other hybrids and like, all up in my- I mean her business. Almost like he’s territorial, I think?” She didn’t know how to describe his temperament since it seemed to come in waves, and it was always directed at her and Jungkook.

Her boss sat quietly for a second, wracking her memory for something that fit the description. She knew not all hybrids were exactly the same, but they were prone to inhibit common traits to their canine forms. Huskies were independent, smart, and friendly so it didn’t quite make sense that he was acting territorial. Finally, the light bulb shone in the darkness of her mind. “Did he hit his rut?”

Lily blinked as she stared at her boss with a blank expression, “What’s that? How do you know if he hit it?” She scrunched her fingers to make quotation marks around the technical term used in reference to a hybrid’s rut.

Katharine bit her lip and nervously chuckled. “Well, it’s pretty much when they’re DTF…down to...you know.” She cringed as the words left her lips, vivid imagines of her hybrid, Jimin, going through his rut as he panted and humped his way around their home.

“Oh….” The word dragged from Lily’s lips as the pieces began to click, realizing how needy Soobin seemed compared to the first few days. “So, how do you tell?”

Katharine sighed, “They’re pretty much a mess at that point so, if they’re acting out or trying to get your attention, that’s an easy sign. Their body usually gets hot, and they'll become sweaty or overheated. If they're territorial though…that usually means they want to…uh, you know…with that person.” She took a breath and looked Lily in the eye. “You said he was like that with your neighbor? Or with someone else?”

“Uh, yeah with her.” Lily answered nervously, her mind already running wild. She suddenly felt jittery as her imagination went rampant with possibilities, wondering if Katharine would confirm her thoughts.

“Then he probably wants to... her.” Katharine pursed her lips together, realizing the personal information she was gathering about this stranger and her hybrid. “Make sure to let her know cause he might get worse before he gets better.”

“What do you mean?” Lily’s mind halted from the seriousness in Katharine’s tone.

Katharine glanced at the time, noticing that it was getting late, and began gathering her things. “Well during ruts, they’re instincts are to breed and the human part of them can only fight it for so long. If she doesn’t want him to force her into anything, she needs to make a decision and either give in to him or take a vacation.” She informed her friend as she got up, slipping her purse over her shoulder and tucking her folder under her arm.

Lily processed her words slowly, following her superior out of the office and heading down to the parking lot to head home. Katharine went back to talking about the possible new addition to their family, but Lily wasn’t paying attention. She was lost in thought, deciding what she should or shouldn’t do about Soobin.

Katharine confirmed that he was most likely facing his rut, making Lily wonder when it exactly started and how much longer until it ended. However, the part that seemed to strike her the most was that Soobin’s behavior was mostly directed towards her and according to her boss, meant he wanted her. She bit her lip, imagining letting him have his way with her but shook her head to think rationally. Should she be doing that? Would things change if she did? What would Rose say? Or better yet, what wouldn’t she say?

When she finally reached her truck and slid into the driver’s seat, she gripped the steering wheel and laid her head against the top of it. “Shit.” She cursed softly to herself, upset that the information she sought after ended up bothering her. Now she had to face Soobin and she wasn’t sure how to act around him. She exhaled as she lifted her head, turning the key to her ignition; the roar of the engine only caused her body to shiver more with the gentle vibrations of the motor mixed with her sizzling nerves.

—

Back at home, Soobin and Taehyun were playing Mario Kart, challenging each other again and again. Taehyun was ahead in the number of wins, but Soobin was determined to beat him. Jungkook watched them curiously, picking on the husky with each loss. The eldest hybrid sighed as boredom seeped in, glancing in the direction of Rose’s bedroom. He distinctly remembered her mentioning she had to do something and for them to keep busy, but beyond the television, there wasn’t much to do.

He pushed himself up from the couch, walking towards the long hallway. Taehyun noticed him leaving and called after him, “Where are you going?”

“I’m bored.” His voice was void of any emotion, conveying his indifference to their current activities.

“Did you want to play?” Taehyun held up his controller even though Jungkook moved past him.

“No.” Jungkook grunted as he turned the corner, pushing open Rose’s bedroom door.

Rose was sitting in the middle of her bed with her legs crossed underneath a textbook and notebook perched on her lap. She pressed the end of a pen against her lip as she deeply thought of the information displayed before her. Her headphones looped over her head as she wore a pink leisure top and gray sleep shorts. Jungkook wordlessly moved to the bed after shutting the bedroom door and grabbed the books from her lap, placing them beside her. She hollered in protest as he plopped down beside her, preparing to lie down before she abruptly slammed the books back on her lap.

“What do you think you’re doing?” She asked, pulling the headphones from her ears to hear his excuse.

His eyebrows narrowed, glaring at the books as he pushed them off from her lap and firmly put his head there. “I’m bored.” He answered, closing his eyes as he tried to rest.

Rose threw her hands up in frustration and then scooted back along the bed, letting his head fall to the duvet. “JK, I need to study. Go do something else.” She moved to the side of the bed, swinging her legs off the sheets and getting up to study in Lily’s office.

A small pout protruded from Jungkook’s lips as he watched her gather her study materials to leave the room. She only managed to take one step away from the bed until arms wrapped themselves around her middle and pulled her back. She stumbled as the back of her knees hit the bed, dropping her unceremoniously onto the duvet. She turned to protest but was surprised to witness Jungkook curl around her, tucking his body to spoon her like a body pillow. He looked up at her with his large puppy eyes and Rose sighed as she sunk into the bed. “Fine, you can stay, but I need to study.” She lifted her legs up on the bed and crossed them again, resuming her original position.

Jungkook made a noise in his throat and shifted so that he could lay his head by her thigh and let his body curve around her back. The position was similar to the way he slept in his dog form and Rose couldn’t deny how endearing he seemed as he rested his eyes, digging his scalp against the plush comforter.

A soft smile graced her face as she tentatively reached a hand towards his hairline, dipping her fingertips through the forest of his roots to lightly scratch his head affectionately. He peeked at her from one eye and Rose pulled back, worried he might not want her to touch him. He reached up to grab her wrist that hovered just above his face and pressed her palm against his scalp. “Don’t stop.” His voice was gruff, but not in an aggressive way; the sound was almost relaxed.

His grip on her wrist released and Rose continued to massage her fingers through his hair, opening her book back up to resume in her study session with her unoccupied hand. A small unrecognizable noise rattled in Jungkook’s throat before he closed his eyes, his body melting with her touch.

“I’m home!” Lily hollered as she entered from the garage. Rose paused her affections as she heard the clamor of Soobin and Taehyun greeting her, expecting Jungkook would seek out her sister for entertainment. When he remained in his position despite the noise just within the hallway, she glanced down to find him practically asleep. His face brushed closer to the skin of her thigh and his breath blew a soft stream of warmth where his mouth hovered.

—

Lily changed into her comfy sleepwear with every intention of relaxing from a very interesting day that might stretch into the night as she considered the information about Soobin’s rut. When he and Taehyun greeted her, she could see the way his eyes were dilated, the pupils nearly engulfing his entire iris. She glanced at herself for a moment in the mirror, wondering what made her appealing to the hybrid or if it was simply based on the fact that he spent the most time with her.

The sudden vibration of her cell phone caught her attention, moving over to her bedside table to check the caller ID. She cringed as soon as she noticed it was her mother and almost didn’t answer but had a feeling she needed to pick up. “Hey, mom.” She spoke into the phone as she leaned it up to her ear.

“Hello, my child!” Rebecca sang dramatically, causing Lily to feel a pit in her stomach. Her mother sounded way too cheery, which only meant trouble for the sisters. “Are you busy?”

Lily forced a smile on her lips to subconsciously brighten her voice. “Of course not. What’s up?”

“Oh good, 'cause I’m on my way.” Lily nearly choked but held her breath as she listened to the distant sound of a car in the background.

“On your way? Here?”

Lily was wide-eyed, glancing around her room to see all the boys' stuff lying around. Panic was setting in as she waited for her mother’s confirmation. “Yes, I’m bringing dinner. It’s one of those premade meals at the store…” Rebecca began to ramble on about how to cook a container of food as if Lily didn’t know how to read directions or ever cooked in her life. Lily blocked her out as she scrambled to throw the boys' things somewhere inconspicuous.

“Um, how far are you?” Lily interrupted, worried that her mom decided to call her at the very last minute.

“Well, I just left my house about ten minutes ago. I just reached the interstate when I called you.” Rebecca responded through the phone, switching into the fast lane without properly using her turn signal.

Lily calculated the time in her head, mildly grateful that her mom wasn’t just down the street. “Okay well, see you when you get here.” She was trying to get off the phone so she could warn the others.

“Why are you rushing me off the phone?” Rebecca furrowed her brow, ignoring the honk from the car she cut off just a moment ago.

Lily stuttered for an answer, “I-I’m not. I just want to clean up a little before you get here.”

“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Lily fought the urge to roll her eyes at the blatant lie, knowing she couldn’t possibly count the number of times her mother scrutinized the cleanliness of her house. “Well, I guess if the house is messy, I’ll let you go. See you soon!”

The call disconnected and Lily bolted to Rose’s bedroom. Upon opening the door, she faltered a moment seeing Jungkook cuddled up on the bed with Rose petting his head softly as she glanced over her textbook. “Hey!”

Rose heard the muffled sound and looked up to find her sister’s manic expression before pulling off her headphones. Jungkook stirred when Rose’s hand pulled away. “What’s wrong?” Rose asked, worried about what caused her sister such distress.

“Mom’s coming here, like now.” Lily’s words came out in breaths as her body shook nervously.

Rose’s jaw dropped, a pit of dread plummeting in her stomach. “Shit.” She snapped her book shut and got up from the bed as Jungkook groaned from the disruption of his comfort. “How much time do we have?”

Lily thought about it, “Um, probably forty-five…ish.” Rose cursed again as she realized the house was not ready for a visit from their mom. “Okay, just hide all of their stuff and I’ll clean up as much as I can.” Rose nodded her head and began gathering all of Jungkook’s things lying about in her room.

Lily bound into the living room to find Taehyun and Soobin looking at her with concern. “We need to clean! Let’s go!” She clapped her hands with emphasis, relieved when they jumped up from the couch and followed her directions. Lily tackled the kitchen, making sure it was presentable since her mother would be nosing around while the meal cooked in the oven.

The house bustled as everyone worked together to make everything presentable except for Jungkook, who moved at a snail's pace to “help.” Lily was erratically cleaning the dishes when Soobin came into the kitchen. He stood close, sensing her unease. “Can I help?”

Lily whipped her head to the side to find Soobin and a wave of heat rushed to her cheeks. She was already on edge because her mom was coming but being around Soobin after the night before was almost too much. “No, Soobin. I’m fine.” She continued to work on the dishes without realizing her hands were shaking behind the speed of her motions as she scrubbed the dish.

She also overlooked the rigid tone that projected her words to him, causing him to feel dejected. He didn’t understand why she was acting this way and thought about their actions the previous night. Did he imagine her emotions and actions in the haze of his rut? Did he push her too far? His chest felt heavy as his shoulders slumped in defeat, thinking about how she didn’t want him.

Lily heard a small whine from the hybrid and glanced over to see the deep pout on his lips that nearly broke her resolve. Her drive home was difficult when all she could think about was how much she wanted him, but she was trying to be rational about it. She was out of her element and scared of what would happen based on her actions, but she never wanted to hurt him.

She quickly dropped the dish and sponge before cleaning off the residue to stop him from leaving the kitchen. She cupped his cheeks, letting herself relax as his hands moved to her hips. “I’m sorry. I’m not upset with you. It’s just…my mom is well, a lot to handle.” His pout lifted as her nerves settled and her scent filled his lungs. “Once she’s gone, I’ll make it up to you. Anything you want…”

She pulled back as she realized the mistake of her words, the heat invading her skin when he slightly smirked down at her. “Anything?” He hummed, leaning in close as his pupils engulfed his irises again. He was satisfied by the loud drumming of her heart as he diminished their proximity.

He slowly maneuvered her against the counter, practically caging her from escaping his intense gaze as he looked at her as if he were ready to take her for all her worth. Lily stuttered again, dipping her tongue over her bottom lip. “Uh, w-well-”

“Are we done yet?” Soobin nearly growled when he snapped his head to find Jungkook standing at the entrance of the kitchen, apathetic to the current situation transpiring between the pair.

“Um…” Lily slipped away from Soobin, much to his disappointment, and looked for her sister. “Rose, are we good?” She called out when she didn’t see her right away.

Rose came in from the garage, “Yep, put all their stuff in your truck for now.” She clapped her hands of the dust from her successful handiwork. Everyone was now huddled in the living room and that’s when it dawned on Rose that mom was going to be meeting their new household members. “So, how do you plan on telling Mom three men live with us and sleep in our beds?” She crossed her arms over her chest, watching her sister have a mild breakdown as the thought finally came to her.

“Um…you’re dogs! Be dogs!” Her panic set in as she anticipated her mother’s arrival any minute. Soobin and Taehyun shrunk down into their canine forms as Lily quickly scooped up their clothes to throw somewhere. She turned to grab Jungkook’s things but found him standing as his human self. “JK, please.”

Ding! Dong!

Soobin and Taehyun ran to the door, curious about the visitor, barking in greeting as Rose followed to open the door for their mother. She paused, waiting for Jungkook to switch forms, but feeling Rebecca’s impatience radiating through the thick wood of their front entrance. Lily glared at Jungkook, “Don’t do this now. I need you to be a dog just until she leaves.” She rarely was impatient with him, but she knew if her mother met them in their human forms, she would interrogate them. “Please.”

Jungkook sighed, letting his body slump down to the floor as if melting into his doberman form. Lily breathed with relief and snatched the clothes before tossing them in the laundry room, finally nodding for Rose to open the door.

Rose plastered a fake smile on her lips as she welcomed her mom. “Hey!”

Rebecca was instantly startled by the large fluffy dogs that jumped for her attention. “When did you get dogs?” She asked as she maneuvered inside with the packaged meal in hand. Luckily, their mom was fond of animals more so than people and greeted them with mild excitement. “They’re gorgeous.”

The sisters bit back their laughter as Taehyun and Soobin wagged their tails from the compliment. Lily reached out for the tray of food, moving into the kitchen to start the oven right away to get the dinner over with as soon as possible. Jungkook sat in the middle of the hallway glowering at the woman as she moved further into the house.

“You have three? Are you sure you can handle that?” Their mother asked.

After setting up the oven to begin preheating, Lily glanced back towards Rebecca. “They were lost so I took them in. I think we’re doing a pretty good job.” She finally answered, feeling the familiar sense of insecurity creeping in that came from a visit with their mom.

Rose pushed Jungkook’s intense demeanor to the side as she brought her mom to the living room and went through streaming options to entertain their guest. Taehyun jumped on the couch and placed himself in Rebecca’s lap, forcing her to give him attention while Jungkook kept his distance, soft growls rumbling in his throat that only Rose could hear. Rebecca ruffled Taehyun’s fur with a smile, “This one is full of energy. Do you walk them often?”

Lily sighed as their mom began her interrogation, questioning their ability to care for the three hybrids. “Yes, of course.” She opened the package of the meal, reading the instructions before she noticed the size of the serving. There was no way that would feed the women, let alone the additional hybrids and she couldn’t exactly feed them stuffed peppers without it looking suspicious.

She pulled out her rice cooker and tossed 3 cups of uncooked rice in the pot before scavenging for some protein and vegetables to create a meal for the boys. She found some shredded carrots and leftover chicken that would work perfectly. She placed them on the counter before the oven signaled that it was fully heated. She pulled back the film over the package and placed the dish in the oven before moving into the living room to join her family.

She noticed Jungkook and Soobin were just sitting on the edge of the living room carpet, one waiting for her and the other avoiding the intruding presence. “Come on.” She spoke softly, brushing her fingers over Jungkook’s scalp to feel how tense he was. The way he flinched from her touch was a clear indicator that he wasn’t very happy about their predicament.

She continued to the couch finding her spot on the chaise as Soobin jumped up next to her and placed his head in her lap. Rose put on a thriller as their mom enjoyed the genre and hoped that would keep her from asking any more questions. “What are their names?” Rebecca asked, much to Rose’s chagrin.

Lily froze, meeting Rose’s stare. Lily looked at Soobin, trying to think of a name on the tip of her tongue. “This is Chief.” She wasn’t sure why that was the first thing that popped into her brain, but just rolled with it as she fixed her gaze on Taehyun. “That’s Bullet.”

She then turned to Jungkook as he slowly crept to the couch to sit at the far end near Rose’s feet, his stare fixed on Rebecca. She looked at the bulky frame of the doberman and blanked. Rose could see her struggle and glanced down at the dog by her feet, a smirk crawling over her features. “Kookie.” She ruffled the short fur on the top of his head, laughing as his ears flopped with the motion.

Jungkook growled up at her before fixing his stare back towards Rebecca. Their mother looked at her daughters skeptically as she digested the names. “What a sweet name for such an aggressive dog.” She commented as she turned her attention to the movie.

Lily became tense as she heard Jungkook’s growl amplify and looked toward the other end of the couch to signal for him to calm down. He refused to look in her direction and Lily waved towards Rose, mouthing “Behave.” Rose reached down and gently scratched Jungkook’s head just as she did before their mom decided to pay them a last-minute visit. He relaxed a little with her touch, but just enough to move his stare away from Rebecca and focus up on Rose.

Time passed as the family sat in the living room, trying to enjoy the movie while waiting for dinner to be finished. The sisters could hardly pay attention, too occupied with making sure the hybrids stayed in their forms and behaved. The sound of the rice cooker was the salvation that broke the tension in Lily’s shoulders. She leaped from the couch, surprising Soobin as he watched her leave with a whine.

“Is that the peppers?” Rebecca called after her eldest daughter.

Lily looked towards the oven and saw the timer still had ten more minutes. “No, just the rice.” She unplugged the cooker and lifted the lid to fluff the rice.

“Rice? For what?”

The eldest brunette placed the lid back on the cooker and racked her mind for dishes to use for the boys. “It’s for the dogs.” She answered, sighing in defeat when she realized they didn’t have dog bowls since they ate in their human form for the most part.

“Wow, you spoil them, don’t you?” Rebecca cooed at Taehyun as his tongue hung from his mouth, loving all the attention.

Rose laughed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, you have no idea.” She gave Jungkook a knowing look, her smirk ever-present on her lips.

Lily worked on prepping the rest of their meal, using their normal bowls, be damned what her mom might say about them being used for animals. She scooped a spoonful of rice into each dish before placing some pieces of chicken and carrots on top. She heated the dishes in the microwave to warm up the toppings for just a minute and pulled them back out to mix the contents of the bowls.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The oven’s timer went off, letting Lily know the stuffed peppers were finally cooked through and ready for consumption. She bustled to get everything together, placing the peppers on a serving plate and centering it on the dining table. “Dinner’s ready!” She hollered, dashing back to the kitchen to grab plates and utensils. “Mom, what would you like to drink?” Lily worked hard to cater to their mother, trying to avoid any more tension until she left.

After preparing the table and setting the dogs up with their bowls, Lily finally relaxed into her chair. Conversations were brought up about school and work, their mom beaming with enthusiasm as her daughters achieved titles for themselves, climbing up the social hierarchy. Soobin munched on his food as he sensed Lily’s nerves buckling from Rebecca’s questions about promotions and raises.

“It must be difficult taking care of three dogs and your sister.” Rebecca sat back, fixing her stare at her eldest. “You need to meet someone who can provide for you.”

Lily bit back the urge to roll her eyes, remembering how ecstatic her mom was about her ex. She went to respond, but Rose cut her off. “Lily doesn’t take care of me; I take care of myself.” It was true, Rose worked hard to pay her own bills and helped with some of the house utilities.

“Oh, I’m sure you do, but you’re just a waitress now.” The simple phrase pissed Rose off. She knew she was working hard to graduate and make more money, but she hated that her mom belittled a job that was considered a career for others.

Jungkook scarfed down his meal, the hairs on his back bristling with the waves of frustration rippling from the girls. He noticed Lily nudge her leg against Rose’s, shaking her head disapprovingly. It made him wonder what their silent communication meant as they just let this woman belittle them since she arrived.

Taehyun finished his meal and meandered his way toward Rebecca, looking up at her with his large puppy eyes before he began whining for food. Their mother cooed down at him, petting his fur. “They really are quite good…well, except one.” Her eyes flickered towards the doberman, who slobbered over his food. “He just doesn’t seem like a good fit.”

“Mom...” Lily exhaled, ready to stand up for Jungkook, but was cut off by Rose.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The youngest was beyond irritated that her mom was dismantling their peaceful evening and then making jabs at Jungkook. Her patience was running thin.

Lily tried to signal for Rose to abort her mission and cut this topic before it escalated, but her sister kept her focus on their mother. She yelped when she felt a cold, wet nose pressing against her thigh and glanced under the table to find Soobin, nuzzling his snout against her. She reached down and brushed her fingers through his thick hair, smiling as he chased the feeling of her hand on his head.

“Well, I’m just saying Dobermans are very aggressive dogs. You two are better suited with Chief and Bullet.” Taehyun’s ear lowered against his head, confused by her words. It was the three of them and would always be. Jungkook took care of them; they needed him, otherwise, they would have never found their new home. “Three dogs are just too many.”

Jungkook stopped eating and hunched down like a predator about to pounce on his prey, approaching the table as he bared his teeth, snarling at their mom. Rose turned in her chair to see Jungkook stalking towards her mom. “Kookie…” She warned, hoping he would behave just by the tone in her voice.

Their mother boldly looked into Jungkook’s glare and waved her finger with a tut of judgment. “See? That’s just no good. He’s a liability.” Jungkook snapped his jaw at her as he barked loudly in warning. “Bad dog!” He lunged forward, ready to bite the offensive finger she pointed at him accusingly, but Rose dove on top of him and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him against her chest as he fought to attack.

His demeanor set the other two off, Soobin howling at Lily, standing before her protectively. Taehyun barked at Rebecca, baring his teeth in defense of Jungkook. Lily tried to guide the others away while Rose wrestled Jungkook. “You can’t handle him. He needs proper training.” Their mother insisted as she stood up from her seat, nervous that Jungkook would break loose from Rose’s hold.

“Just shut up!” Rose grunted. She laid her head against Jungkook’s back when he stopped growling. Everyone froze as they looked towards Rose, not used to her speaking up so rashly. She wasn’t afraid to share her opinion, but she never really lashed out. “Yeah, he’s a lot sometimes, but he probably never had a good home.”

Jungkook relaxed against her hold curious by her words. Was she defending him? Rebecca narrowed her eyes at her youngest, “Excuse me? Did you tell me to shut up?”

Lily panicked as she wrapped one arm around Soobin and Taehyun’s neck. She only hoped her sister didn’t dig them further into the grave.

“Yeah, I did. Kookie is my dog, and I don’t appreciate the way you talk about him.” Now that he was settled, she gently stroked his fur with a smile ghosting over her lips. Her mind drifted to his actions at the diner, how he stood up for her and in that moment, she wanted to return the favor. “So, what if he’s a doberman? It doesn’t matter. He’s the best and there’s nothing you can say to change my mind.”

Jungkook looked back at Rose, his large eyes curious about her words. Did she really mean that? He could sense her ease and knew she was being sincere. His body chased her touch, nuzzling his head back into her palm for more affection. Lily watched in awe, the long-awaited moment where her sister finally accepted Jungkook into their home was unorthodox, but just as gratifying.

Rebecca huffed in response to Rose’s comments, lifting her nose up at the doberman regardless of her daughter’s argument. “Don’t cry to me when he bites someone.”

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#bts hybrid au #bts hybrid smut #jeon jungkook #choi soobin #kang taehyun #bts fanfic #txt fanfic

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