#without knowing for a fact that they're okay with it

[mariasont]

HOT SEAT, HOTTER MOUTH

you convince hotch to take a polygraph test

pairings: aaron hotchner x bimbo!assistant!reader warnings: 18+ MDNI, suggestive content, sexual tension, mature themes, use of sir in suggestive context, not full smut just some dirty talk, fluff, polygraph kink (???), guys idk how a polygraph really works if im being honest so if there's inaccuracies don't tell me, established relationship, they're just so in love wc: 1.1k

You are beautiful. This is a fact Aaron resigned himself to long ago, filed alongside other empirical truths like gravity, taxes, and the sun’s inevitable rise in the east.

Yet occasionally, he wishes your beauty included some sort of disclaimer. Something helpful, perhaps — warning, prolonged exposure may cause poor decision-making and severe lapses in judgment.

It’s the only plausible explanation for how, within a record-breaking twenty minutes (yes, he timed it), you managed to coax, manipulate, and outright swindle him into submission. 

And Aaron Hotchner certainly is not easily swayed. He’s stared down killers without blinking. But then again, none of those killers had ever perched so temptingly in his lap, whispering promises with lips curved into both heaven and hell.

“I should have negotiated better.” The words come muffled behind his palm, as if hiding it might salvage some dignity. He doesn’t dare lower it, he’s fairly certain the smile will give him away.

“Oh, you’ll eat those words,” you chide, leaning across the table to silence his complaint with a honeyed kiss. “Along with a few other things, if you’re on your best behavior.”

Aaron shoots you a look, though its severity is laughably transparent, betrayed by the restless shift he makes in his chair at the thought.

He’s never considered himself particularly greedy, let alone insatiable, yet you manage to reduce him to something entirely primal on a daily basis.

You’re teasing, obviously, but the distinction hardly matters. He’s already picturing the way your thighs would feel dead-locked around his ears.

“Angel.”

"Relax, grump, it'll be fun! Just a couple harmless questions."

Aaron tries not to visibly wince. Your definition of fun rarely coincides with his, usually because your brand of amusement came at this expense. Like that night at the karaoke bar, when you pulled him on stage, oblivious to his internal vow to fake his own death emily-style rather than ever repeat that experience. Or marathon-watching dramas so cheesy he swore off television entirely (he still maintains that he watched Bridgerton ironically, even though you said you caught him misty-eyed twice).

Now, you have him strapped to a polygraph, promising harmless questions that, if history served as precedent, would likely be anything but. 

“Forgive me if I don’t quite match your enthusiasm. Something tells me this is an ambush.”

Your quickly-stifled giggle only confirms his suspicions, but it’s the small notepad you pull from your purse that seals his fate.

“Exactly how long have you been planning this?”

“Oh just since I realized my hot boyfriend could access cool FBI toys,” you say casually, clicking your pen like a tiny guillotine. “But, like, you won’t actually get in trouble for this, right?”

“Not with work, no.”

What he doesn’t say is that if anything’s going to land him in hot water today, he suspects it’ll be you, your notebook, and your dangerously creative imagination. But he thinks it very loudly.

“Okay, first question, starting easy,” you say, leaning forward. “Have you ever snooped through my phone when I wasn’t looking?”

“No,” Aaron says. “I trust you. Plus, if you tried hiding something, you’d give yourself away in about two seconds flat.”

You peek at the machine, nodding slowly. “True. You’re safe. For now.” Then shoot him an indignant look. “And, for the record, I’m actually excellent at hiding things, thank you very much.”

“Interesting. Anything in particular you're currently hiding from me?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, Hotchner?”

“Careful. I have ways of making you talk.”

Your mouth opens like you might fire back, but you seem to think better of it, hunching as you scribble something clearly nonsensical into your notebook.

“Anyway! Next question. Do you secretly like it when I call you sir?”

“No,” he insists weakly, though it’s absurdly unconvincing, he doubts even a toddler would buy his claim at this point.

He doesn’t expect the polygram to spare him either, convinced it’s already penning liar in bold, red ink.

You’ve conducted multiple inadvertent experiments on this matter already, sprinkling sir lightly into passing conversation as if it were just another innocent pronoun. Each instance predictably resulted in skyrocketing blood pressure and his hands making insistent grabs for you.

“No surprise there, sir,” you tease, eyes glittering. “We’ll circle back to that. But first… before we were together, did you ever find yourself thinking about me inappropriately while at the office?”

“Yes,” he says, the truth tumbling out before he can muster any self-control.

His cheeks flush hot as he quickly clears his throat, a futile attempt to dull the sharp edges of his blunt confession. It does nothing for the sort.

You smile like you’ve just caught him cheating at cards, and tap your pen against your lips. Lips coated in that damned cherry-flavored gloss that somehow always manages to become a recurring feature in his most ill-timed daydreams.

“I knew it. How many times? Where? In your office? During meetings? Wait — did it ever happen on a case?”

“Slow down,” he murmurs. “You're limited to yes-or-no questions only.”

You climb into his lap, your already-short skirt inching higher as you drape your arms around his neck. “I think it’s only fair that I know how many times my boss daydreamed about me in ways HR wouldn’t approve of.”

Hotch arches an eyebrow, hands coming to steady your thighs. “That makes me sound terrible.”

“You’re not terrible. You’re perfect.” You lean in, peppering kisses along his cheek and jawline. “Just answer,” you whisper between each press of your lips, “the question.” Kiss. “When exactly —” another kiss, lower this time, near his ear “— did my very professional boyfriend first have very unprofessional thoughts?”

He’s losing, badly. 

Finally, resistance crumbling entirely under your persuasive mouth, he murmurs a reluctant confession, “Do you remember your first day?”

You nod. 

“We ended up alone in the elevator after your initial briefing, you were rambling about how excited you were, asking questions faster than I could answer.” He gently hooks a finger into your waistband, giving it a tug. “At one point, you dropped your badge and bent to pick it up, and all I could think about was how easily I could push that skirt up and see if you sounded as sweet as you looked when you came.” He shakes his head. “I spent the next two hours lecturing myself about workplace decorum. Clearly, it didn’t stick.”

“At least you made it to the elevator. I didn’t even make it through the introductions. Specifically, the second you said Agent Hotchner. Emphasis on the hot.”

“Good to know I didn’t stand a chance.”

Your fingers move across his chest, ripping the polygraph sensors from his skin.

“I think you’ve answered enough questions for tonight,” you whisper, attaching a kiss to the hinge of his jaw. “Besides, I can think of much better ways to gather intel.”

He tilts your chin upward. “By all means, demonstrate.”

a/n: idk why i keep writing bimbo reader and hotch … it’s a disease … i can’t stop …

💌 masterlist taglist has been disbanded! if you want to get updates about my writings follow and turn notifications on for my account strictly for reblogging my works! @mariasreblogs

[monkebearness]

Rereading the Mixed Messages [Pt. 2]

Kamimoto Kotone (tripleS) x Male Reader

Part 1

Tags: smut, fluff, creampie, blowjob

Word count: 10k

a/n: hey, it's been a while. life's gotten a little busier than usual, but hey, it's tripleS' comeback era! it's only been almost a week—but I really enjoyed (and still am enjoying) assemble25. without further ado, I hope you enjoy this one.

The sun had already set—but an assemblage of voices inside a particular classroom kept on soaring high in the past three hours, no thanks to the encouraging exchanges and the insights between Professor Kim Myungsoo and five of his much argumentative students, who remained standing in front of the lecture hall and the projector. Somehow, it seems that no one else could make a discussion on Western literature this engaging, especially when it ends up going off on another tangent—like how fanfiction became a much more accepted genre of writing in the last five years—at least more accepted than A.I. writing, something that almost all parties in the room involved would unanimously take a jab at.

“At least the ones they’re putting out have substance. They have soul, and they are ali—”

As soon as the hand of the clock hits six in the evening, the bell rings across the hallway.

“Okay! How about that? As much as our discussions are getting a little more heated, our time’s up, and we managed to make it halfway through our list!” His observation incites audible sighs of relief to the students on the chairs while a few heaves of disappointment is also heard from the five reporters, much to his amusement. In his mind, he knows the group has already passed, but the fact that they got carried away yapping alongside him has only made his final class better than expected.

“The two groups who finished their reports today, both Bongseok and Yeon’s groups, have done a splendid job with their breakdowns and critical analysis,” the professor elaborates with his proud tone. “I’m sure the remaining three will also match their quality with what we’ve all witnessed this afternoon.”

“You better not doubt us, Seonsaengnim!” a student from the front row answers him.

“You might just be surprised at how long we’ve filled out our scripts!” another heckles.

“Hmm… Well, as much as I’d like to ask more about the details of your blocky slides and hopefully your completely-original reflections,” he laughs at them lightheartedly, despite his sincere reminders going straight through their ears. “Just take it easy. You’ll have the weekend to revise and practice, but only if you want to. Now—get yourselves a good rest, all of you... We’ll continue the remaining presentations on Wednesday, arachi?”

From there, the echoes of cheers, laughters and hollers of farewells from his students follow on. “Ne! Kamsahamnida, seonsaengnim! Have a nice weekend, Kim Ssaem!”

Those final words from his own learnder widens his smile more, almost to his cheek.

Walking towards the campus gates, the professor walks alongside various other students and fellow staff, some of whom exchange bows and greetings with him on their way out. It's standard college habits. They're nothing new, but oddly enough, they are one of the things that always give him a simple reason to love his job. Something to expect from day to day in his more than a decade staying in his alma mater as a humble educator.

And right at that moment, his peripherals catch her. Locking his eyes, he finds the one special woman standing from a distance. Waiting for him with her now widening smile, his lips can't help but mirror her expression once more. Until recently, Myungsoo never knew he would have something else, nay someone else to expect to meet with night after night. At almost the same moment, they wave at each other.

With his arms opening wide, Kotone runs to Myungsoo with a warm hug. He pulls her closer, making their embrace a little tighter, much cozier, and longer for each other. “I miss you so much, boo,” the woman mumbles. He laughs at the term she used for him, but it touches his heart nonetheless. He couldn’t feel any luckier. And neither can she.

It has been three months since their relationship became official. A significant change that was made possible by their recent alumni reunion at their university gymnasium. Their fingers interlocked, walking along the pavement, past years of local businesses.

Tonight, the breeze has blown quite strongly, something that catches while holding his beloved’s hand as they take a stroll. “You’re not feeling any cold, are you?”

“Oppa, it’s summer,” she reminds him with a wide grin. A face he can’t get enough of.

“Oh, right,” he just realized what she meant. “Then, you’re not feeling too warm then?”

“I’d start to feel a little hotter these days,” she counters him, nudging his shoulder. “‘Cause that’s a lot more possible.”

His eyes slowly grow as his head tilts. He turns to her with curiosity. “What is that?”

“For a professor, you can't be this slow, Kim Myungsoo-oppa,” she teases him. “You got any ideas on how to beat the heat?” Her eyebrows raise twice on those last three words.

Such a fierce delivery from her only causes him to swallow his throat. “I can get us a couple of drinks… if you like? There’s a convenience store near my place.”

The woman’s playful grin slowly closes, turning upside down, much to his confusion. He’s taking her question way too seriously. But his mind quickly tells him to go on to their ‘contingency’ in hopes of saving the mood. He leans closer. “How about… This? Will it help you forget the heat better than a drink?”

Myungsoo wraps his arms around his girlfriend. She can only hum, satisfied with how he tried to make up with this warm gesture. “It is better… I might need more of this.”

“Even if it’ll get much, much hotter?” he wonders.

“Especially if it’ll get hotter,” she quickly answers, making both of them chuckle.

They’ve taken things slower. Not that they’ve said anything. It must’ve just felt… Right. They were friends for more than eight years, yet their feelings for each other lasted just as long as it endured through the test of time. Through dozens, if not almost a hundred dates and flings, some even consider it a miracle they found their way with each other.

= = =

Meeting each other's newer friends over local hangouts. Malls. Cafes. Restaurants.

“Myungsoo here hasn’t dated anyone in two years,” Sungjin tells Kotone.

“That's not entirely true,” he chuckles nervously, seeing her intrigue at his remark. “That’s an exaggeration… I’ve gone onto a few dates.”

His eyes turn to the side, followed by a smirk he’s trying to cover up from her while taking a sip of her glass of beer beside him.

“But… No matter how many matches I’ve gotten back then,” he continues. “None of them can ever match this woman.”

That same woman can only blush as Myungsoo sneaks up next to Kotone with a swift but passionate kiss on her cheek, inciting cheers from his two buds. “Yah…” she coos, pulled between giddiness and coyness towards him.

At first, Kotone was a little shy and awkward meeting her boyfriend’s closest colleagues, though knowing more about Myungsoo through their word of mouth and teasing slowly made her get along with them more often. In Myungsoo’s perspective, however, Tone’s buddies were perhaps the most welcoming and easygoing bunch to hang out with.

“Tone-chan really tried not to make it obvious,” Suhyeon says while munching on a potato chip. “But she's too much of an F around us to hide her facial expressions—”

Even though Kotone herself found their approach of getting to know Myungsoo to be a little more embarrassing than her boyfriend’s friends.

Kotone places a knuckle on her forehead with a groan. “Oh, enough with that whole T and F thing. You still don’t believe in those things, do you?”

She doesn't necessarily agree with their sentiment, but she simply can’t help but cringe at certain aspects of her past self. Reminiscing the times she would babble about folks’ MBTI personalities through comparisons and contrasts. It was a silly little phase that she had since tried to move past forward from, if it wasn’t for her best friend’s teases.

“Well, I don't think it's a bad way of seeing things,” Myungsoo reasons, remembering that part of Kotone’s personality. Suhyeon and her boyfriend, Sungwoo, watches him in astoundment, since he didn’t directly side with his girlfriend and went for a more devil’s advocate route. “It’s just for fun… It helped a lot of people get to know each other then.”

“Well…” Kotone slides her hair behind her ear. “Now that you've mentioned it. I was, and still am an F. I just can’t help it. It made me a little social butterfly since college.”

“Oh… So you agree with him just now, but not us?” Honggi pokes fun at her retort.

“Shut up!” Kotone exclaims, rolling her eyes at her close friends while they giggle.

“I can’t complain either,” Myungsoo casually comes to his girlfriend’s aid without much hesitation. “Kotone had a habit of comparing other people’s MBTIs back in the day… so I think it’s not too surprising. Even before we were dating—”

“Maja!” Kotone simply chimes in agreement, much to everyone else’s surprise. “And it’s not like I’m the only F in our little group. We had Junghoon too. You know that he’s the most F among us. At times, Honggi can be a little hopeless romantic—”

In the span of those three months, both their worlds began to collide with each other. Mending the time they lost in the last eight years, knowing they’ve also met more and more people before their reunion.

= = =

After a seven-minute stroll from Seoul State University, the couple heads straight to his apartment, one of their two main hangouts, aside from Kotone’s. After half an hour of Chinese takeout while talking over or reacting to the latest drama on TV has been on their night routine in the past month. But sometimes, certain scenes would invoke something in their system. Ones that pull them together. Every warm second.

Their lips have been touching in the last five minutes, sharing each other’s tasty dinner. Kotone couldn’t get enough of the orange chicken on his mouth, moving her tongue to clean the leftovers without leaving any crumbs. Still, Myungsoo, on the other hand…

Something in his mind is telling him to stop, going against his body's hunger. Wait, stop. She might feel uncomfortable… Don't touch her! You’re no different than any other perv! You're an uncivilized deviant! You don’t deserve her—

Overwhelmed by the stream of his own self-deprecating and militant thoughts, his twitching hands stop hers from touching him as well. Their lips part, starting with Tone’s, as their mood quickly fell apart. “What’s wrong?”

“No, umm… It's just, I don't know.” He can't fully explain himself.

“It seems you’re not in the mood…” she surmises, her lips folding into a simper.

“Tone…” he feels more vulnerable, his spirits crumbling with guilt.

“It’s okay… I'll be leaving in a bit too, so I don't mind…”

He maintains his grip on hers, weakening with his voice. “Mianhae.”

“Gwenchana, oppa,” she places her palm on his left cheek—keeping her reason and composure in check. “I’m not mad. It’s okay with me if you’re not ready… With me.”

He wants to say more just to make her stay. Unfortunately, his cowardice has gotten the best of him as the woman bids her farewell for the night with a soft kiss to his left cheek. Oftentimes, she would stay the whole night, snuggling on the couch and binge-watching their favorites on the television or both. Tonight has made the difference and Myungsoo doesn’t blame anyone but himself for not being courageous enough.

= = =

In the day that followed, Myungsoo pays a visit to a nearby cafe with two of his friends. Rather than spending the first hours of his weekend with Kotone like they often do, his own insecurities had driven him to meet up with their mutual buddies.

“I’m surprised Junghoon here even made the time to talk about whatever this will be,” Honggi breaks the ice. “But it’s nice to see the three of us together again.”

“It’s a Saturday,” Junghoon counters right before taking a sip of his teacup.

“That didn't stop you from being busy before… Tone has told us how hard you’ve been working at kitchens, as in plural. We couldn’t believe you even led the catering during the reunion! Like, I get that you must get paid like a lot—but do you still have time for yourself, man?”

“I do… And while your point may be true, Myungsoo-hyung called us here—so it must be about him and Tone-yah, so I wanted to meet with y’all…”

“How did you know?” Myungsoo himself becomes flustered by his guess.

“You called us,” Junghoon points out. “That rarely happens nowadays… Plus, you didn’t sound calm and collected like you usually were.”

“Exactly…” Honggi adds his grievance. “You better make it worth it, hyung.”

Myungsoo gives the two an overview of their awkward and unfortunate situation. In his eyes, he described his girlfriend as someone who’s pure yet passionate. Someone who is innocent while he was still exploring the more adult regions of his own college life, even though she was there too. At least, that's how he mostly saw Tone eight, seven years ago. She’s always been beautiful in his eyes and in his heart. And yet, now that he is living the impossible, he also realizes that innocence has been broken the moment his lips touched hers and yet a part of him still couldn’t accept that for some cosmically absurd reason. A part he’s desperately itching off his mind and skin.

“That’s your problem with her?” Honggi finds his dilemma to be somewhat bewildering.

“So… Are you sure you guys never saw her as a woman?”

“But she is a woman,” Junghoon states the obvious with his monotone voice.

“You get what I mean!” Myungsoo slightly raises his voice in a fit of desperation.

“Well… Since you’re that serious,” Honggi goes first. “I’d say that she was too tomboyish for me most of the time, no offense to Tone. Or you, hyung.”

In his mind, Honggi does have a point. But he didn’t strike her as that mere archetype. Myungsoo’s watched a few of her performances. His answer wasn’t enough to alleviate the unease in his heart. He turns his head to Junghoon, taking his mug of matcha tea.

“How about you, Junghoon-ah?”

“Hyung… I’m not sure where you’re going with this, but aside from being a good friend, Kotone was kind of like an older sister to me, or just a sister in general... I just never got to see her the way you do. And honestly, I like it that way.”

Myungsoo slowly nods with a soft smile. “That’s—ummm—that’s good to know.”

“How about you, hyung..?” Junghoon asks him back. “Since you're together now, I'm sure things will change how you see her in the next level you take.”

“Which shouldn’t even be our business in the first place,” Honggi follows. “But you know what? Junghoon’s got a point. You don’t have to rush anything in your relationship... He doesn’t even have a girlfriend at the moment—and he knows more about this than you!”

With a somewhat awkward, and even confused stare towards his close friend, Junghoon almost raises his index finger, but he is unable to make his voice firm in time. “Actual—”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Myungsoo inadvertently interrupts him, driven by uncertainty. He’s too ashamed to ask them any further questions. Junghoon can only chuckle beside him, softly shaking his head, while Honggi maintains his gaze of disappointment. Those two haven't been through this kind of situation before, not entirely. Still, today, they did their best to help him out without being too intrusive. “Thanks, both of you. Honestly… I don't know if I can get this thing off me without you.”

= = =

He still couldn’t get his mind off after that moment. It was both a small, yet significant mistake. To his overthinking brain, it’s not something he would even consider as small, but since his own closest friends weren’t enough to ease his misgivings, Myungsoo ends up going to someone else for their piece of mind. Despite still being a summer Saturday afternoon, the next meeting would take him to the campus of Seoul State an hour later.

On the same concrete bench, the two of them sit a meter apart from each other, taking refuge under the shade of the nearest maple tree.

“You’re asking me if I know what you did wrong?” She snickers. “Your own ex?”

“Mianhae, Yooyeon-ssi… I really don’t know who else to approach… Well, after Honggi and Junghoon, but it’s just—I’m still lost about our relationship, which I am happy for! But this feels like it’s different, and if I’m gonna mess up taking things to the next level, then I’m scared that I might actually lose her.”

“I’m flattered,” she chuckles. “Gwenchana. Tone-chan’s my close friend, too, you know.”

“I just wanted to hear your side of things,” he fesses up. “I thought that asking for a woman's feedback would make me understand how I can learn and make up with her.”

“And you haven’t seen anyone else since we broke up?” she presses on. “I doubt that.”

“No. They were blind dates and hook-ups, if I even got lucky, but nothing serious.”

“TMI, dude,” she tells him, one of her eyebrows raised and Myungsoo recognizing the dry yet intimidating ick in her delivery.

“Mianhae,” he tells her a second time without realizing it, triggered by disquietude.

Yet her smile remains amidst his somber expression, emanating comfort in his unease. “Again, it’s fine, Myungsoo-yah. But, you know—since you went all the way to visit on a Saturday—without any classes to teach—instead of actually just talking this conundrum out with your girlfriend… Do you really wanna hear what I think about this?”

“If it’s okay with you…” he answers with a slow nod, his smile bracing down to a gloom. “It’s fine if you’re not comfortable with it.”

“Well, I’m not too uncomfortable… And I really can’t say anything about what’s going on with you two, but… Maybe I can give my unfiltered piece of mind about our relationship in the past... I’m sure you wouldn't mind that, would you?”

“The floor is yours.” He spreads his arms wide, as his ears have always been opened.

“When we were together, you weren’t rushing into things with you simply because every other couple was ‘doing it.’ We took our time, Myungsoo—when we felt ready… So why not do the same with her? Or maybe there is something else that's been bugging you?”

“I guess…” His hand left slowly reaches his nape, trying to claw his own tension through his forests of hair. “There is… something… I don’t know, it’s just ridiculous.”

“Hmmm…” Yooyeon contemplates for a moment, interlocking her fingers before placing her chin under them. “Is this… About the whole friendship-to-lovers thing?” she guesses without much effort, tilting her head downwards.

Myungsoo looks up to her in silence, hearing a ding inside his head.

“Ooooooooohhhh…” Yooyeon’s mouth slowly gapes. “Of course… You should know that situations like this are above my pay grade. I teach Natural Science, not Behavioral.”

“Well, one can argue that human behavior is also a kind of natural phenomena, right?”

“You know, for someone who's quite desperate for an ex’s advice, you still know how to joke your way out.”

Myungsoo lets out a scoff, one triggered by pride and embarrassment to admit the truth to her. “I’m not asking you to help me out. And I'm not thaaaat desperate.”

“Whatever you say, Prof,” she rebuts sarcastically. “But… If it helps you fix this weird conundrum that you're having, then I honestly think it's not that uncommon… No matter how many or often someone goes into a relationship, they'll always have something new to explore. Something to solve together. Your problem with Kotone is nothing new for some folks, so you shouldn’t worry about it too much.”

“You know someone with the exact same experience as ours?”

“Well, not exactly,” she clarifies. “It’s more or less the opposite side of the coin in your situation, but I thought of it.”

“In what way?”

“They’ve become much, much friendlier… More of the benefits, and less of the feelings. To the point that the moment she started to catch those feelings, she took it hard when he had to reject her ‘cause he didn't feel the same way.”

“Really?” There's a balance between intrigue and caution in his mind. Maybe even a little bit of sympathy towards the people she mentioned, despite their identities being left out, perhaps out of respect, which he understands.

“Yep…” Her delivery may come off as if she's telling him a cautionary tale. “But they’ve gotten over it, though. They were never in the best position, either. They’ve made some questionable decisions… So it was for the best.”

“Huh…” Yet Myungsoo feels relief, strangely enough, his memory panning back to when they first got together months ago makes him realize just how lucky he is now. That he's not too late.

“I’d say your situation with Kotone is much more ‘blessed,’ to say the least. You may or may not have a little fight about it, but at least, I expect you to be more honest with her by the time comes.”

He cannot wait any longer. That ick towards himself, he wants to get rid of it.

After a sip of her warm cup, a smirk forms on her face. “You know… When we were together, you were so wild and exc—”

“Yah, yah, yah! TMI, noona,” he fires back with his tone of panic as he takes a quick look around the campus, much to Yooyeon’s mischief. She giggles at his reaction.

“You just had to remind me how old I am,” she rolls her eyes, followed by another light chortle. She doesn’t mind honorifics, but he knows that term always triggers something inside her, though with how long he has known Yooyeon, it’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“Nothing’s wrong with that,” he assures her with a banter. “About a year from now, I’ll catch up with y’all tricenarians.”

“Whatever, bookworm. But—anyways, I really think that intimacy shouldn’t be a big problem between you two. I may be able to convince you to slow down, ‘cause I know that your relationship will be different… but I still do hope you remember that all good relationships start with trust. Don’t be nervous when you finally open up to Kotone, just because you’re more than friends now and not to mention, I actually expected you to get closer than before as a couple!”

“Thanks, umm… That’s really reassuring, strangely enough.” Coming from his own ex, he knows she’s right about Kotone. They may be exes—but he’s learned a lot from her, and so has she. Good and bad, on both sides.

“I wish you luck,” she continues, making her voice firmer. “To both of you, hmm?”

“I’d say the same exact thing, but, umm… Still, best of luck to you too, Yooyeon-ssi.”

“I’m already thirty, and everyone else in my circle is starting to settle down with their partners. You two are lucky, you know? Like extremely lucky,” she emphasizes more.

“Come on, cheer up!” he slightly raises his pitch out of enthusiasm. “I’m sure you’ll find someone for you... Also, didn't you say before that marrying at thirty is old-fashioned?”

“This isn’t about marriage…” she scoffs and stays silent for a complete second as an idea lights up in her mind. “How about this… You set me up with one of your buddies at your department? Are you good with that?”

“Why not in your own department?” he fires another question out of curiosity. “I mean, I’d love to ask some of them, but weren’t there rumors about you and that Bio—”

“Aniyo! We had one dinner, and—let’s just say he was a bit too much. I’m not against people enjoying their meal, but half an hour in, he’s forgotten that he was on a date. I even had to pay for both our meals, it was a fever dream of a dinner.”

He lets out a chortle, in disbelief that she went along with him. “Oh—so that was true?”

“I don’t even wanna talk about it,” she shakes her head. “I’d rather talk about how often my students GPT their equation exercises than any of my bad dates. They’re that bad…”

“Oh, don’t get me started on some of my students! They really thought they’d get away by making efforts to just write prompts, instead of constructing their actual works.”

With his spirits lifted and mind reassured, Junghoon feels that he’s had enough voices from some of the people he trusts the most. Now, it’s his turn to make it up to Kotone. He takes out his phone from his pocket, while his mind imagines her ranting towards her close friends about his performance issue.

[Hey, Tone. Can we talk at my place tonight?]

[Of course, oppa!]

[I intended to stop by a little earlier, but whenever is fine.]

[Oh. Well, any works for me.]

[Drop by as early as you want.]

[It's just, I wanted to talk to you about something.]

[Of course.]

[I'll make sure to be there by six.]

[I'm just hanging out with a friend.]

= = =

Kotone’s eyes grow from his assumption. “You thought I was too innocent?”

On the contrary, his plan did not go as he expected this Saturday evening. It has only been a few hours since he went outside to ‘consult’ with friends, but he did not expect his girlfriend to find it out all of the sudden. Of course, his mind would first go for the suspect that snitched to Kotone, fueled by annoyance that things had gone off the rails.

“Where did you—It was Junghoon, wasn't it?” he throws the first question. “I know Honggi doesn’t give in that easily… Waaaaa… You two really are like siblings from another motherland.”

But she shuts it down, not letting him change the subject. “Answer the question, oppa.”

“Don't take it that way,” he lowers his cadence, his conscience now realizing that asking her back won’t help alleviate the tension of this situation any further.

“I'm not…” Thankfully, so does she. “I just want us to come clean… Please.”

“Look, I haven't done this in a long while,” he opens up. “I thought it'd be special for us.”

“Just because it's special doesn't mean it has to be, you know...” she reasons.

“What?” Much to his surprise, Kotone manages to cool herself down first.

“Perfect… Nothing ever is, oppa.” She realizes how pointless this moment will be.

“It's because—” he takes a deep sigh, concluding that there’s no other way he can confess to her how he’s truly feeling, especially with how his girlfriend has simmered down and chosen to be the bigger person, even before an argument would have taken place. “It's because—I thought I'll never be good enough.”

The woman’s heart sinks, hearing those words from his own mouth. “Oppa…”

“I know it’s stupid to admit it… But there’s always this feeling that’s holding me back.”

Myungsoo remembers his own words from that day, when he first confessed. When he reciprocated her. How his own body's response just contradicted them, no thanks to his hesitations. He rejected her and giving her more mixed messages won't allow him to get through this hindrance that has been suppressing more of his physical desires for Tone.

“During those moments, my body must have thought that—we're still friends. Even though I don't feel that way anymore... And I don't want you to feel that way too. But looking back, I think I have always fallen for you in more ways I didn't realize before.”

Her eyes widened, heartbeat accelerating with hope towards her love. “How so?”

“I guess, one that sticks to mind is when you performed that one time at the festival.”

“Oh, gosh…” Her eyes quickly close with a wide smile. “That was kinda embarrassing.”

“No. You were amazing,” he counters, cheering her on with his own enthusiasm. ”Even a lot of hoobaes mistook you for a dance or music major.”

“I know…” Kotone can’t help herself from giggling. “The guys would've teased the hell out of me if they weren't in the military then. But I didn't know you saw me like that.”

As neurons continue to fire throughout his mind, Myungsoo recalls another memory. “You’ve also put so much detail and attention to your looks whenever you’re out on a date,” he chuckles with this confession, maintaining his gaze at hers as if her face has mesmerized her. “That includes the double date you pulled me in... Remember that?”

Her face begins to redden. “Yah... That's just common courtesy. No one would wanna go out with someone without a little makeup. That’s not enough for a common gal like me.”

Common is not a word that he sees of her. “Well… I think you’re enough, Tone.”

No words leave her mouth for three seconds, until she comes up with, “What else?”

“Hmm?”

“What else… Made you fall for me?”

“When we first touched last night…” he stammered, keeping himself composed while answering her question. “I freaked out. And I thought you’re innocent, because I was used to thinking that you were pure. So...”

With her eyes glistening amidst the dim room, Kotone's face is the most beautiful thing in his eyes. A mighty and delicate diamond shining in front of him. “Mesmerizing,” he continues. “Something that I couldn't lay my hands on… Because you’re amazing.”

His hand takes hers, feeling its coldness. Yet it's a smooth sensation that cools him down, even though their touch now produces a warm affection from their hearts.

“I wasn't scared because I thought you were innocent…” he confesses, his eyes darting down on the floor out of shame. “I'm scared that when it’d happen, I’d disappoint you.”

“Well… I don't care if you think someone else is a better fit for me. If you think there’s a better version of yourself. If it's with you… That’s all that matters to me, oppa.”

She takes one step towards him. His sense of reassurance suddenly shifts into surprise.

“Kim Myungsoo…” she asks him straight, her pitch deepening. “All this time, have you not seen me as a woman before?” The same question he tried to answer with both their closest friends. The same confession he told her. Her tone still comes off as serious—yet he notices a slight upward curve on her flat lips. She’s just trying to lighten up his mood.

“Tone-yah!” the man still bursts out in panic. “What makes you think that?”

“It’s just—You know… The conversation you must’ve had with Honggi and Junghoon probably went off like that. Your talk with them made you think about our friendship, and I thought maybe that’s what made you think less of me—”

“No… It’s not like that. In my eyes, there’s a lot from you that enticed me. From the day we met.” She's read his mind. Yet slowly, he leans closer to her face. “Your lips. There’s no way I can resist them. I couldn’t… Why should I feel any different with your bod—”

Feeling something pulling them together, Kotone gives into her primal urges first, launching herself at his lips first. His arms catches her—welcoming her lust-driven pounce as she slowly wraps herself around him, a ravenous python desperate for its target. Sharing the level of her libido with him, Myungsoo trails his fingers down her curves until they reach her plump buttocks, no longer hesitant and threatened by his own voices, which are now silenced by his turbulent body as it’s hellbent on one goal. Her physical satisfaction, fueled by his dissipated impulses.

Myungsoo tightens his grip on Kotone’s ass, triggering a moan in-between their kiss. Such a delightful sound striking his ears provokes him to deepen their lips, while his tongue enters Tone’s mouth through a surge of dominance that possessed him.

“There's nothing to disappoint... How you kiss me now. How you… Touch me now...”

Their lips part, as Myungsoo listens to his girlfriend’s suggestive encouragement.

“Plus, I'm no longer your friend... You can touch me,” the daring woman tiptoes to his ear with her hot breath. “Anywhere you want, oppa... I hope that eases your mind.”

Her whisper alone sends a tingle down to his spine, eventually reaching his crotch. He feels his shaft rising—expanding with curiosity. In this instant, he has never felt more alive while he’s succumbing to her arousing spell.

They slowly undress each other—interrupted by sessions of smooches. Kotone latches her lips onto his neck then his clavicle, salivating on his sweat with her lips and tongue as a mark, that this man is hers, and only hers to share her body with, and she wants it now more than ever. For the first time, they see each other's genitals in astonishment.

Before he can consider taking the lead, she pushes him into the bed, with her eyes already focused on his cock. “Let me, oppa.”

Myungsoo only nods to her with submission, while she ties her hair with a rubber into a ponytail within a few seconds, before moving closer to her. She witnesses her lover take a deep breath, inciting a chuckle from her. “Just relax… Okay?” As soon as she’s done giving him a brief show, she joins him on the bed, crawling to the middle with him.

She takes in his rod. Her mouth isn’t the widest, but him witnessing her engulf half of it without much warning immediately sends shivers through his spine as another second, her throat touches the tip of his cock. “Ngh…” he bites his lip as he groans. “Fuuuuck.”

“Oh?” Kotone takes his cock off her mouth, retaining her smirk. “A professor cursing?”

“Mianhaeyo…” Myungsoo huffs with desperation. “You can… Keep going… Tone.”

“What’s the magic word, oppa?” she tantalizes, seeing the helplessness of her lover.

“Please, Tone-chan…” His grip on her shoulder remains tender, keeping herself from riling her up, as his manhood is under her control. “Punish me if you have to. Jebal.”

“Good boy,” she coos, even though his last plea made her eyebrows raised. There’s more from him that she hasn’t discovered. “And I thought I had to put a little more pressure.”

The woman puts her bangs to the side of her ear, locking in as she puts his cock back inside her widened mouth, with more ease this time. Her head moves in and outward. He loves the sensation of being devoured by this unpredictable woman. He couldn’t be any more exhilarated to witness her prove himself wrong. Her pureness, melting away, shifting into this new face he’s rarely encountered, mixed with hints of lust, curiosity, and carnality, right as her eyes dart towards him, just to give him a wink, her simple gestures just keep expanding the girth of his member beyond its limits.

Despite bobbing her head on his manhood up and down with a faster pace, Kotone manages to smear her fingers on her drools and drippings, spreading them down his balls without looking, yet the results would speak for themselves as Myungsoo howls feeling the sudden cold and tingling moisture of his testicles—jiggling and squishing under the palm of her long and thin salivated hand.

“Tone! I’m—shit,” he whimpers, his eyes slowly rolling to the back of his head while the woman devours him with acceleration. “It’s too fucking—Good… Tone-yah—I’m close!”

With a final trick up her sleeve, the woman applies a little pressure on his testicles with her fingers, pulling the trigger to his stimulation. Right as he feels a popping sound on his pulsating rod, followed by a gust of warm semen gushing directly inside her mouth. Much to his surprise, she keeps her mouth closed and gulps it down once she leaves his manhood. As expected, Myungsoo hears Kotone cough out a few drops of seed that she couldn’t swallow, much to his concern while still catching his breath next to her.

He gives the woman a few pats on her back before caressing it. “You alright, babe?”

“Mm-hmm.” Her smirk widens, despite the struggle. “Never tasted something tastier.”

“Let me… Have a taste,” he retorts, leaning closer to Kotone. Unashamed of tasting himself through her mouth. She cups his chin, deepening their already heated kiss.

Letting out a chuckle, Myungsoo distances himself a few inches away while peppering kisses on her thighs, seeking to return his girlfriend the favor, but right before he can kneel on one knee on the carpet, the heaving woman tugs her grip on his right wrist, prompting him to stop and freeze his burning libidinal excitement for a moment.

“Uh, uh, uh…” she giggles with her limited breath, fully aware of his reciprocal intention, yet she moves her index finger from left to right in amusement.

“You don’t want me to?” he mumbles, radiating unease with his submissive tone.

“I do… Just not tonight, baby… You can pay me later,” she whispers and leaves him a wink before slowly pulling him into bed with her. “This time, I want both of us to feel each other on this one, hmm?”

He never minded her tomboyish charms, and now that she’s embodying some traits on his own bed, it’s driving him insane to witness her guide him with entering her regions. As they both sit in front of each other, Kotone wriggles closer with her bottom until she is close enough to wrap her legs around his waist, locking their now closed distance.

“Oh…kay,” Myungsoo holds onto her hips with caution. “I’ll… Put it in now, Tone.”

“That’s it,” the woman peppers his chest and collarbone a few kisses, taking a breath as more of him enters her folds. Sliding as slowly and steadily as he can, Kotone gradually tightens her hold on her lover, welcoming the girth of his lubricated manhood with her walls. “Fuck… Nggghhh…” Leaning her forehead closer on his shoulder, her howls rise while slowly closing her eyes, allowing herself to receive the waves of pleasure he’s giving her with his entry.

Inside Myungsoo's rummaging mind, the man immediately assumes how he may not be the longest she has seen, but it is no small accomplishment for him to hear her moaning without stopping for seconds. Her pitch becomes higher, surprising Myungsoo as he has rarely heard her yell or holler at this sky-shattering range, even whenever she sings with their pals at the noraebang. Her voice already sounds like an angel from day to day, yet this new level gives him a new perspective. A new realm of satisfaction he’s accessing… He can only move his hips inward and outward, yet each pound rewards him with an intensifying sensation that takes him to a higher state of gratifying unconsciousness.

“Tone—Fuck!” He feels his sense of coherence falling apart, his endurance slows down his own member while his thrusts still maintain their balance and strength in her cunt.

On the other hand, she can still keep up with his now dwindling and stuttering thrusts, perhaps with even more stamina than him, while she keeps squirting a few more juices from her bladder while also awaiting the big one on her nether. “Just do it,” she shrieks, feeling her own climax catch her partner’s. “Pleeeease—fucking cum—inside me, baby!”

Myungsoo surrenders to his own climax, busting his load inside her for the first time without restraint. Within the next three seconds, Kotone comes next with all her holler, cumming as well without any sense of worry about his seed inside her womb.

They find themselves plummeting on the bed, with Kotone laying her head on his chest. Myungsoo slowly strokes the side of her hair from its disheveled state, while they heave. He feels an irk of disappointment for giving into his climax too soon, but not discontent. Pulling his cock out of her when it stopped leaking—he muses about reinstating his gym membership or simply pushing himself to jog at a nearby park, like some of his friends. But now’s not the time to wallow in regrets. His impulses pressure him to do it again.

“How was it, baby?” Kotone coos under her breath. Her smirk and cadence still keeps Myungsoo up, in his mind and in his member, even though it has left her walls.

“I'll, uh, I need one more exercise to reassess things,” he admits, making her chuckle at his answer. Another round is in session and now, it starts with him taking the next lead. Gently, Myungsoo takes her by the hand and bends her over while maintaining their eye contact. He leaves her a few more kisses on her nape, initiating a second round with her due to his dissatisfaction about his “performance.”

“Ssaem...” she mutters, the same time they're feeling his cock expand. She's got a wild idea accumulating while receiving his cock again, now from behind. The possibility of his shaft plunging inside her other hole only elevates her expectations and accelerates her drive for his body elevenfold. “I want to... Have you, inside... my fucking—butt!”

“Next time, baby.” It's now his turn to say it, his inflection deepening like hers during their first time. “That'll—ngghh—be another lesson for–us.” His thrusts arise with his groans while Kotone slowly bends her bottom for him to reach. Seeing her butt closer makes him take one hand. A smack would be his first suggestion, yet another idea has taken over, thus forcing him to give her left cheek a squeeze.

The longer she feels a spot of her cheek tightening and heating up under the grasps of his hand, Kotone’s bursts of yelps turn into howls of gratification. “Ooooooh—Fuck!”

The fact that Myungsoo is also entertaining, nay feeding into her fantasy in real time suddenly makes Kotone yelp out subconsciously, even surprising herself and making Myungsoo let out a hoarse chuckle while his thrusts quicken and strengthen with his hand returning to her waist. “That one must have made you excited—did it—baby?”

“Ne!" she complies; his arms still holding hers from behind. “Tight—er—oppa!” Kotone screams. Myungsoo only nods, holding in his chortle as her request compels him to pull her arms closer to him. Her walls constrict around his cock as her back arches, reveling in delight down her nether, which compensates all the stress and tension on her arms— like a rubber band being pulled—as Myungsoo rams her from behind back and forth like a ravenous beast who had been released from his cage, thirsting for this woman’s touch.

The more their bodies pulsate along with their growing moans, his lover’s brown hair keeps on striking his face, like a whip, several times. But instead of finding it to be an unsettling situation, the scent of her hair only drives him to maintain his movement. 

Nevertheless, Kotone feels his hindrance from her back, forcing her to mumble “Take it—off… My tie!” with a heavy breath. Before he can comply, however, his eyes land on her exposed nape, a sight that immediately tempts him to lean in and plant his drooling lips on her. “Uggghhhh!” she yelps as her neck bends, facing the ceiling as she now finds herself on cloud nine. He circles his tongue on her damp skin, briefly imagining what he would’ve done to her cunt if she had given him a chance earlier.

Perhaps next time, he tries to assure himself, unaware that Kotone is also yearning for the same desire in her lust-crazed mind, somewhat regretting her decision to skip to the main show. For now, they happily settle on this moment: his cock plunging in and out of her cunt, with him devouring the back of her neck while she muffles her groans.

“Sooooo… Goood…” she murmurs, taking delight in the sudden lukewarm, if not chilling sensation of Myungsoo’s tongue, slithering on her nape like a snake that tastes the sweat that has accumulated on that spot in the past several minutes. Now that he’s more than satisfied with her praises, the man finally raises one hand and slides the hair tie off her, revealing her full hair to him like a princess. A fervent princess who he’s making love to.

With his manhood now reaching deeper than before, Tone's mouth slowly gapes, with her eyes half closed and tongue sticking out, a sight that propels Myungsoo to lean his head closer and latch his lips, seizing the chance to kiss her once again with insatiable appetite. “Ngggghhhhmm… Mmmmmm…”

Their saliva has become a mix of sweet and salty taste blended through the rhythm of their tongue. Myungsoo can still taste his own seed through their kiss, but Kotone’s drool, mixed in with her passion fruit lipstick, and the scent of her perfume, which always entices him, makes it too hard for him to resist.

Paralyzed by pleasure, Tone’s mouth also welcomes him with abandon while Myungsoo lets go of his arm, wrapping it around her waist once again. With both their moans and grunts muffled, their smacking lips and dancing tongues sync in with the noise of their genitals clashing against each other, yielding both ethereal and devilish satisfaction.

But eventually, her primal instinct overcomes her yearning for his touch, Kotone parts her lips from his, leaving a trail of saliva between the two as she gasps for air and gives him the ultimate signal with the words… “I’m… Oppa—please—I’m—close! Do… it!”

Knowing her reminder to him, Myungsoo lets out a groan with his final pound, bursting his seed inside her for the second time. Now, he manages to make Tone cum at the same time, her tongue still sticking out in ecstasy. Instead of letting her plummet straight into the carpet below, the man maintains his grip around Tone’s waist while she catches her breath alongside him. “Gwen…chana…yo?” he mumbles out of concern, also panting.

The woman slowly holds onto her partner's arms and turns around.  Despite her flushed skin being poured into the puddle by her own sweat, Kotone reassures him with a wide smile, with her hand rubbing on his right cheek. “Never felt better, oppa…”

Still taking a breather, Kotone takes the first step to the bed, pulling Myungsoo with her as they walk and lie on the mattress without any words. Within the silence, their bodies huddled together to keep them warm amidst the prickling breeze of the room’s air con.

“Oppa… It wasn’t just Junghoon,” she confesses to him out of the blue.

He looks down to her. “Huh?” And yet, unlike a while ago, that sense of betrayal has long left his system, replaced by wonderment as they’re both opening up at their will.

“Yooyeon-unnie also told me,” she adds. “About your little serious counseling.”

At this point, they’re now all caught up with their secrets for the whole day. “Jinjja?”

“She knew you’d hesitate, so she kinda gave me a heads-up. It just freaked me a little… And, I also had my own talk with my friends.” She turns her head from him, giggling out of embarrassment before her mind recalls the personal meetings she’s held on that same morning and afternoon. As it turns out, this couple isn’t as different as they once felt and thought they were before this night.

= = =

“Girl… Just go for it!” the tall woman seated in front of Kotone tries to lift her spirits up. “And it’s not like he friendzoned you… Some friends would even do it without feelings.”

“I don’t know unnie…” She scratches her hair. “I’m not even sure why you’re so pumped up to help me. You’re practically my boss. I mean, you’re the boss of your own team, but still… You’re Zhou-freaking-Xinyu!”

“Okay,” she raises her finger. “First of all, I’m not your boss, technically speaking, even though there’s no work today… And second—we’re old friends! Just chatting about our personal problems and thinking of solutions out of it. So I’m not Zhou Xinyu, let alone Felicia Zhou.” She follows with a sigh. “I’m just your Xinyu-unnie, hmm?”

“Well, unnie… How did you and, you know…” Kotone tilts her head. “How’d you two work things out? With your history and all, you've made the impossible–Possible...”

“We just did…” she shrugs, forming a smile that radiates warmth. “We owned up to our mistakes, embraced our faults without trying to change what we like about ourselves… The more we realized that, well, we knew that we just wanted each other even more. Besides, it’s not like your situation is that different. You and Myungsoo are literally living a friends-to-lover tale!”

A part of Kotone needed to hear those words. Those voices of insecurity and reservation whispering in her brain begin to wither, at least most of it. She couldn’t be any happier for Xinyu being in a relationship of her own, but Kotone can’t help but admit that her circumstances are not really the same as hers, in a thousand ways.

“You don’t have to overthink it, Tone-chan,” Xinyu places her hand on her left shoulder, sensing the echoes of her misgivings through her posture, somber eyes, and downward lips. “Look… I may not be the best woman to ask about relationships… but I’d say that you can learn a lot when you just let some things go with the flow.”

Nevertheless, the older woman’s words manage to ease the part of her self-worth. Prior to her current profession here, Xinyu had her own fair share of trials and tribulations.

“That’s… Not a bad thought… Huh,” Kotone realizes, but something is still irking her. “Thank you for that, unnie.”

As the words of her old friend weren’t enough, she also confided in another’s second opinion about later that afternoon. Contrasting the cafeteria of ModHaus, this friend’s apartment is a little smaller, yet arguably the more confined atmosphere and tangerine walls of the living room makes it a little cozier. Kotone is seated on one of the chairs in the dining table, allowing her friend to listen to her from the vegetable-filled counter.

“That fear. That hesitation... How did you two get past those feelings, Suhyeon-ah?”

The right corner of Suhyeon’s lips raises. “Are you asking me for more details or?”

“Oh, God…” Kotone’s mind quickly went places due to her friend’s reaction, her hands waving rapidly. “No, no! Not like that, Suhyeon-ie… I mean, Xinyu-unnie herself gave TMI when I asked for her advice, but, I’m just asking how you and Sungwoo-ssi have managed to move past your doubts. Before, you know, it happened.”

“Well… I’m not sure about Sungwoo, but for me, it just felt right that we did it—that we wanted to do it, you know—regardless of how different our lives are. I’ll always love my son and be there for him—but that doesn’t mean I can’t start over with someone else…”

With a closed smile, Suhyeon looks down on her damp hands, a few crumbs of carrots and cabbage scattered across her palms and fingertips. Even in silence, Tone senses the aura of passion and perseverance emanating from her. “Dongwon’s father left before he was born—but you and the gang, heck even my fam, reminded me that I have a life too.”

She looks at Kotone—her eyes glowing with hope. “Like you and Myungsoo-oppa… You may have been friends for a long time, but the two of you being together is a new thing that I’m sure will be scary and exciting and like when it was with Sungwoo and me, I’d rather face those things than to never be with him at all, you know?”

From her profound words, she knows it’s simple, but her own hesitation still creeps up to her, something that she tries to shake off. Kotone’s heart begins to feel warmer with appreciation, gratitude towards her close friend—both of her friends, to be exact. This hesitation is something she’s going to have to deal with herself, by facing it head-on.

“How about you, Tone-chan? I’m not asking you if you’re willing to go to the next level with oppa… but how does he make you feel? I’m sure you’ll find your answer yourself.”

Her heart starts to race. Just at the thought of her lover, as they are in each other’s arms. Their lips locking for minutes—savoring each other’s taste as their saliva exchanges and filling the silence of the air with their tongues smacking. His rough yet irresistible skin sliding with her soft skin the longer they stay on the couch. Even the times he’s tickled her almost makes her giggle. The possibility of him carrying her to his bedroom. Tone’s imagination alone makes her swallow her own throat—thirsting for this sensation, and combined with having Ji Suhyeon witness her reaction only makes her embarrassed.

A smirk forms on Suhyeon’s face. She knows. “That’s it… You better have fun, you two.”

Kotone’s throat still feels dry as her heartbeat grows louder. “May I get a glass of water?”

“Help yourself, Tone,” Suhyeon tells her from the kitchen, continuing dicing a whole onion on the counter with her smile still intact. Beside her, the steam on the pot begins to rise. Kotone walks to the cupboard, reaching the nearest glass and maintains her gaze on the water dispenser. “Something tells me that you’re gonna need more of it later.”

= = =

Listening to Tone’s counsels, Myungsoo also agrees with their sentiments. This moment feels right. That’s enough. She’s enough. She’s perfect, even if she doesn’t believe she is. He shakes his head, as relief, disbelief, and gratitude fills his mind.

“Oh… Well, I’m still sorry…” he huffs—pushing himself to complete his sentence in front of her. “I’m sorry I misread you, Tone-chan. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you enough.”

“No,” she counters with her own guilt. “I’m sorry for freaking out over nothing, oppa.”

He pulls him into his arms. She’s always loved this move from him. “Hey, hey… It wasn’t necessarily over nothing, Tone… Look where that’s gotten us now… When I’ve chickened out of following what my body desires, you’ve taken the lead first, like you always have.”

“Yah…” she giggles at his wholehearted confession, even though it’s making her heart beat a little louder than usual. “You’re complimenting me like I’m your student.”

“That wasn’t my intention,” he admits, almost embarrassed. “Must be a force of habit.”

She nuzzles on his chest, her giggles vibrating on the surface of his chest. “Cheer up. It’s not something I’m against… Since, you should know I also have a lot to learn from you,” she retorts to him, forming a provocative smirk. “—Kim Ssaem.”

“So do… I…” he takes a much deeper breath, keeping himself from giggling at her tease. “Right now, I’ve learned a lot tonight.”

“Hmm?” her eyebrow raised while she hums with lustful intrigue. “Like what?”

“Just now… he puffs. “You've given me an experience I never expected—in a long while.”

“You’re being overdramatic,” she shakes her head, giggling. “You know I can do better.”

“You’ve already rocked my world,” he chuckles. He’s already confessed that he hasn’t had sex in a long time, yet she couldn’t care less. “Whatever you’ll do, whatever we do, I’ll love and cherish it. Whatever we’ll explore—I’ll explore it with you… Because I love you, Kamimoto Kotone.”

Within a second, Kotone’s face of amusement and flirtatiousness simmers down with her smile slowly crumbling. Yet her heart couldn’t feel any more elevated. “O--ppa…”

“Why are you crying?” Worry begins to flow through his veins as he sees her eyes glisten and her voice trembles and stutters. “Tone-chan…”

“You said it… first,” she mutters, while holding the sniffle through her nose. In spite of her mix of emotions, the woman’s lips slowly recurve upwards. “Myungsoo–op—pa…”

He puts his hand on her cheek, placing his thumb where her tears are falling down. “With how long we've known each… I feel like I should've told you sooner.”

“Me too… I love you, Kim Myungsoo,” she continued to sniff with her bawling, albeit now with a sweeter smile. Following only his heartbeat, Myungsoo comforts Tone with a long, sweet tender kiss on her lips, thus allowing her to express herself through her tears of gratitude and warm reciprocation with her beloved.

Wrapped under the gray comforter, the two would still remain in each other’s arms, rubbing their noses side to side and humming amidst the blissful silence for the next several minutes next to the dim lamp on the nightstand until a certain memory flashes back to Kotone just as her tears subside. She noticed those two omamori, the ones she gave him, on his drawer right next to the bedroom door. The sight of those two items trigger another memory she can’t help but share with him at this moment.

“Oppa…” she tugs on his shoulder softly. “I, uhh, just remembered something…”

“Hmm?” his eyes moved down to her face, still sparkling as usual. “What is it, babe?”

“Your birthday’s in two weeks… Isn't it?”

“Oh…” He attempts to keep his own smile from being too obvious. Not even he himself remembers such a momentous personal detail. “You remember?” But she does. Right during the aftermath of their first time, he braces his body from reacting to his mind from conceiving certain carnal ideas, now that the chains of his platonic hindrances have been broken through this passionate night.

“How could I not?” She peppers kisses on his chest, although she keeps the very trigger that made her remember. “I know that ruins any possible surprise—”

“I don’t need surprises, Tone-chan,” he assures her, evoking humility and contentment around her presence despite feeling the appropriate response of his own member, right under their blanket. “Tonight might as well be the greatest gift I’ve had.”

“Yah… Is it because we did it?” she coos, flustered by his sentiment. Despite harboring some ideas for him on his special day, Kotone brushes them off and only feels at ease.

“That’s one factor,” he simply affirms, grinning to the teeth. “I’m still… Sorting out the rest, but they’re all because of you, beautiful.”

She giggles at his bold remark. “So… Do you mind if I stay for the night?” she asks with a much coyer tone, concealing hints of shyness as she anticipates his response.

“Is that even a question?” he scoffs, but a sigh of uncertainty leaves his breath, not much about her, but himself. “I was—umm—I was actually hoping you’d stay… A little longer.”

“Well… You got it, oppa,” Kotone finally affirms to her boyfriend, holding her sniffs for a moment. Wiggling upwards like a worm, the woman levels her gaze with Myungsoo on the same pillow as his, closing their distance as her lips touch his once more, relishing the mix of saltiness and sweetness which their hearts and bodies have been craving the whole night. But, just as their prolonged kiss would have once again progressed into an uninhibited makeout session, both parties would slowly feel a slow rumbling on the woman’s stomach.

Kotone herself becomes startled by her body’s warning. As their lips part with a short trail of saliva that quickly breaks, both are unable to conceal their laughter at her own bodily warning. “That was, uh, embarrassing,” Kotone shakes her head. “I just realized that we did it on an empty stomach… Mianhae.”

“It’s not that embarrassing, babe…” he reassures her with two pecks, one to her nose and another on her forehead. “I’m kinda hungry too now that your tummy has brought it up, so how about we order dinner? It’s your pick… And it’ll be my treat for tonight.”

“How about some galbi?” she suggests, the trembles on her voice and sniffles subsiding.

“You want a side of samgyupsal with that one, too?” he suggests. “I'm kinda in the mood for a heavier meal.”

“Kol!” she quickly raises her hand in the air, giving him a thumbs up. “We'll just burn those calories at a later time, won't we?”

“Tone-chan!” His eyes widen as he bursts into laughter alongside her. “You perverted red panda! Aigoo… I ought to do something with you.”

“We’ve got the rest of the night, oppa,” she snickers, playing along with his proposition while giving his moist stomach four playful pats. “No need to worry about it.”

“Worry about what?”

Despite him still being a little slow in processing her remark, the woman looks up, sliding her legs on the mattress to inch herself centimeters closer to him. Her warm breath brushes in front of him, directly sending her pheromones. “Doing something with me… To me.”

Realizing what she means, Myungsoo chuckles, slowly placing his thumb on Kotone’s lower lip and whispering “I feel the same way, love,” right as they seal their love with another, sweeter smooch.

= = =

it's not as fleshed out as I wanted it to be, but I still hope you liked it. while I struggle to complete some of my current wips, I might start dropping another series, one that's not yet on my masterlist, but one that's been stuck on my drafts since forever. it'll be a little more fluff and angst at first since it's a longer series, but I hope you stay tuned for it. but for now, I hope you're having a great day! until next time.

[bewildered-buck]

okay i've been waiting to put my thoughts into words but trust me i'm having them

first off, people closing on buddie after 8.18? how!? like i understand but also throwing in the towel when we're this close is wild to me. i get that it feels like we've been queer baited for years and i would argue that yes, fox queerbaited y'all (i didn't start watching until august after spending years absorbing the fandom through tumblr posts and tiktok clips). fox played the buddie aspects while never planning on making them canon after their bid failed in s4.

that said, abc is a new network. s7 was cut short because of the strike which dis-regulated the pacing and s8 was off because of that but we cannot ignore the strides they have made since taking over the show. here is an incomplete list of moments that have me doubling down on buddie s9

buck is canonically queer and dated a man

that man was shocked that buck was trying to get his attention (implications being buck was trying to get eddie's attention)

that man broke up with buck because he "knew" he wouldn't be buck's "last" (implications again being eddie would be)

eddie moved away which buck supported 1000% because he loves chris and knows it was right for eddie. yes he had his RSD spiral when he was trying to ruin eddie's plans but he worked through it and supported him unconditionally, even giving up his loft—the first place he lived on his own feeling truly at home—in order to sublet from eddie

when that man found out eddie was gone, he hooked up with buck and was ready to move in and build a life with buck which tells us for certain that the reason he broke up with buck is he knew eddie was a threat

"now that the competition is out of the way" you're telling me you forgot that? they lined eddie up as "the competition" and have him move back to LA at the end of the season. they introduced the idea of eddie as buck's love interest canonically and you're closing??

"it's not nothing"

"i hope you know; you do matter to me"

"are you?" "in love with eddie?" another setup to eddie as buck's love interest

"i don't have to sleep with everyone i have feelings for and i don't have to have feelings for everyone i sleep with" which is buck admitting he has feelings for eddie (and not for that man)

eddie going to the airport and buck assuming he's been left again only for eddie to not only return but to bring his entire family (well the good ones at least) to buck to apologize for taking his anger out on him?

eddie saying "if bobby taught me anything, it's that we always have a choice" in the same season that he was told to choose joy for himself?

buck's reaction to eddie's voice on the radio?

THAT LOOK!? the one on the parking garage rooftop? yes we have gotten the characters looking at each other that way before but this was edited to bring our attention to it. to bring the general audience's attention to it. the music swell? the fact that eddie didn't see ravi coming to hug him? the fact that buck didn't even try to assist everyone helping him get the rigging off because he was too busy being enamored by eddie's very presence?

the fact that eddie claims his plan was inspired by what buck would do? lining them up as being more and more alike? a season after buck's coming out?

then there's the press of it all. i know this feels like queerbaiting after waiting so damn long to get anything canonical but i would like to posit that it's simply ship baiting until proven otherwise. what i mean by that is that we cannot officially call it queer baiting until the story is over. if the show ends without them ever dating, it will have been queer baiting but i don't believe that's the direction we're going. they have finally unlocked the buddie content in interviews. they're being allowed to talk about it. that's big. and they're doing the same press they would do with a straight couple that's in the same situation

i wholeheartedly believe that we're on the precipice of watching their relationship grow slowly and authentically. we didn't get an explosive prideful Moment of Realization but i would argue that's better. if we got that moment, all the firsts and relationship growth would happen in the hiatus and we wouldn't see it. this way we get a true will they/won't they dynamic given the same respect (and disrespect) as a straight relationship on network tv

ultimately i cannot tell you how to feel. i can't tell you not to quit but i will remind you what fandom is supposed to be; it's supposed to be a space to double down on the love of something. it's meant to be fun and joyful and so i'm choosing to love what we do have instead of being angry and hurt by what we didn't get. i have big hopes for the show but i at the same time will be okay with most anything they give us because i want to hold onto the joy and community that this show has given me

side notes:

weird plots that were dropped through the season like the bottle of champagne that man put in the freezer? that should come back at some point and if it doesn't i'm rioting. they had the opportunity for buck to bring it out when tia pepa and chris showed up so he could celebrate eddie's job offer which would have been wholesome and sweet (and a redirect of that man's plans with buck to buck's support of eddie would have been beautiful) but maybe it will come up in s9

buck pulling that man out through the wardrobe (closet) instead of pick it up off him (which wouldn't be hard for him, i could pick that wardrobe up)

i also have Thoughts on bobby being alive but that will have to be it's own post

also yes i am pissed at oliver for the fake script. that was bullshit and he owes an apology

[jelzorz]

I see some of you guys left some questions and comments on my other post! Let me follow them up.

1. Why the fuck would you share their DMs? That's a violation of their privacy!

And its not  a violation of privacy to vague about me in a way that made me easily identifiable to people we knew?

I saved those DMs to protect myself. They are currently and actively vagueblogging about this very thing. I wasn't going to let them sully my good name without a means to protect myself. 

2. This should have been resolved in private.

Yes. It should have been. These were DMs initially. I let it lie at first and they came to me to ask why people were upset with their behaviour. When I was honest and open with them, they responded aggressively and then blocked me. I said nothing for 6 months in an effort to live and let live. They've been vagueing about me on a public blog that everyone can see ever since. I am not the one that took it public.

3. They blocked you. You shouldn't have been able to see them.

And that makes it ok??? The fact that I can't see them talking shit makes it okay for them talk shit about me? No. I’ve made many friends in this fandom, friends who were supportive enough to let me talk to them about what happened, and who were kind enough to let me know in case I needed to defend myself. And in any case, if they blocked me, how was I then supposed to resolve that in private?

4. They've never done any of that to me.

Good for you! I'm glad they respect your person enough to listen to you and not call you stupid for disagreeing. I wish they afforded everyone the same courtesy.

5. They’re autistic and have trouble communicating.

They asked me why they kept getting into conflicts with others. I told them. Being asked not to flagrantly insult other people and responding, “No, I can't do that,” is not misreading a social cue. That is an active refusal to introspect or treat others with basic dignity and respect.

I gave them the benefit of the doubt for years because I knew they were autistic but the fact of the matter is that they are not the only autistic person I have ever met. If anything is ableist, it's the assumption that autistic people are unable to treat people with respect, especially when it's directly pointed out that they are harming others.

6. You're being a bully.

This person made me feel uncomfortable for months. I kept my mouth shut. We had a private conversation about the way they treated people. They blocked me, called me an ableist, and then vagued about me for 6 months and all I asked them to do was to stop insulting people who disagreed with them. They leverage their popularity and falsely co-opt progressive language to character assassinate people who disagree with them about a children's television show, and then try to use their neurodivergent status to justify their abusive behaviour when people call them out. But I'm the bully? Ok.

7. You're tearing the fandom apart.

If one person standing up for themselves is enough to tear a fandom apart, then it's not a fandom. It’s a space where we make each other feel unsafe to have a conversation.

8. You're so immature.

I was more than happy to leave this as it was. I let it lie for 6 months without complaining about the things they were saying about me. They kept vagueing. I’d had enough.

There are other people who have had experiences with this person, and if they feel they want to come forward, they should be allowed to and they should know they're not alone. This behaviour isn’t appropriate and I can’t, in good conscience, let it keep happening to me or to other people.

9. You’re really hurting this person.

They really hurt me. They have continued to hurt me. I just want them to stop.

Hope that helps!

[baatarthefirst]

Okay, I love looking at differing opinions, and I came across this one again by a reblog notification. At the time, I didn't feel like I could respond respectfully (and responding in bad faith, nitpicking and just being generally disrespectful is reddit level behavior I try to avoid), but know I think I can explain my reasoning in good faith. So here we go.

"Except that TDP has never held that message, at all. In fact, all forms of love are treated as important in TDP. Romantic bonds overlap with familial bonds; Rayla and Callum are family, just as Janai and Amaya are family."

Yes, I think the overlap is why a lot of people did take the message that family bonds were as important as romantic ones. The fact that Amaya could compare her pain to Rayla's even though they different types of relationships showed that different types of love could be just as strong, and cause just as much pain as the other.

Why wouldn’t his feelings for her be his one truth? He was dealing with a major imposter syndrome throughout the entire arc, but you know who never had doubts about him? Her.

First, I 100% agree with everything you said about Rayla. She is the first person who made Callum feel accepted, feel like he was not a failure of some kind. What's more, just in general, they work well together, they respect each other, they enjoy each other's company, and all that makes for a great ship. So why wouldn't his feelings for her be his one truth? Well, the best way I can explain it is that a lot of people (including me) saw a young man look deep inside himself for the light in him that would drive away the dark. But instead of his own self-worth, he only saw another person, it was like he couldn't see any light within himself other than Rayla; like she was more important than himself, which shows little self-worth, or at the very least, he can not feel any self-worth without Rayla. I used protection as an example for this one truth because the truth is that every time he's used dark magic, it's not for his own self-gain, but for the protection of others. And what's more, he protected them without killing anything. So if he looked into himself and found his selfless, protective love for his family and friends to be his truth, I think it would have come across less codependent. He shouldn't have to tie his self worth to someone else. (Though I did strangely see people hating on Rayla on it for some reason? That was strange, she wasn't there at the time and literally had nothing to do with it).

Also, to add, Janai and Amaya are each other's one truths, just like Callum and Rayla, but apparently, this is only Rayllum's problem for some reason,

No, I don't pull punches with my otp, I've went on the record several times about how certain scenes don't make sense in context, and how the plot was nonsensical at times. I don't think it would be fair to give one couple a pass and fail another. So I did think about this, even made a post asking for someone to explain it to me. The short version of why I didn't compare them is I don't think they're similar enough to be compare. Callum's truth is internal, Janai's is external "Rayla being Callum's one truth is saying: "You're the light inside of me that keeps my darkness at bay." Amaya being Janai's truth is saying: "You are a beacon to let me know that I'm on the right path."" I have had someone tell me that they are both supposed to be beacons, and I don't necessarily agree, but I think I understand the logic now and I think that's a nice way of looking at it.

"If you like Rayllum, awesome! Enjoy, just don’t use it as a model for your own relationships" I mean… that's the point?? I don't think you should overall use a fictional couple as a model for your own relationships;

Oh absolutely, but you'd be surprised how many people internalize media relationships, and bring the expectations into their irl relationships even if it's unconsciously. And of course they are by no means the worst models, I could name so many that's worse. I've always said Rayllum isn't a toxic couple (not quite sure why some people say that), but a couple who has an unhealthy, but understandable issue to work through.

"it’s not healthy to be so hyper fixated on your partner that you burn other loving healthy relationships without serious consideration." Except that Callum hasn't burned his relationship with Ezran or any other person. /Callum did betray Ezran, yes, but that doesn't mean he did it without serious consideration.

I will give you this one because Callum doesn't believe he's going to have to burn a bridge with his brother. I'm not quite sure why he doesn't think betraying Ez would ruin their relationship, but that's besides the point But he does decide to betray him without consideration. I'm not talking about the actual betrayal scene, there it was a life or death decision and had no choice (I would even argue for Ez's sake, because he may not forgive himself if Rayal died on his order). I'm talking about the initial decision. When Rayla tells him that she wouldn't ask him to betray his brother, he responds 'you don't have to ask' without hesitation.

Easy: just because he was his brother doesn’t mean he had to agree with him. Ezran had every right to be mad, but he was holding Runaan hostage (the father of their best friend) when he forgave Zubeia, the main reason their father died. Callum had a point about the cycle of violence, something the show is very clear about: choosing forgiveness and stopping hate.

What made some fans angry here was Callum showing more concern for his gf's father (who killed their father) more than he did for his little brother. There's no arguing Callum is right, and even though he does start off insensitive, he does soften up and he seems to get through to Ez. It's just the lecturing tone he takes through the scene, it's feels like he's holding Ez (the victim) to a higher standard than the aggressor. I'm sure that's not what the creators had in mind, but it did give off that vibe.

Then Callum goes to help Rayla because what was he supposed to do? Let her get hurt or worse, killed? (Ezran wouldn’t have killed her, but he could have killed Runaan, her father—the one they both fought so hard to bring back).

Yes, this scene was well done, no notes here. Though I would add Rayla could have very easily been killed here and Ez would probably never forgive himself.

Callum choosing to go with her and betray Ezran made complete sense for his character.

It was never that he chose Rayla, over Ez, but the way he went about it. On the bridge, an instant decision to betray his brother, not made out of doing what's right but out of abandonment. Then in the Silver Grove...nothing. No concern for his brother, no checking in on him. No guilt that he left him there after a traumatic event. Nothing. If they had added a moment's hesitation at the bridge and shortened/removed one cute domestic scene to show us he was thinking of Ez, it wouldn't have been an issue. (I'm sure some people would, complain, but it wouldn't have got the backlash it did).

Whatever kind of relationship is more important and works better depends on the characters themselves. For Callum, his main relationship is Rayla, a romantic one; for Aaravos, it's a familial one. TDP's message wasn't that romantic relationships are superior, but that love overall is what motivates someone.

You know what, I have no argument for that. None at all. I guess I did get stuck in the main character's family/romantic bonds that I didn't look at the parental relationship between Aaravos and his daughter. And viren and his daughter, and sun, and illegitimate son in some weird way. So I will admit that I was wrong here. I think maybe I read it with shipper goggles on (ironically) because so much of the response the, as well as the tags focused so much on rayllum.

See, here I have to respectfully disagree. I don't think I've ever reduced Rayllum. It's a great ship, but since season 4 the writing has been making mistakes (offscreen breakup, I will never be okay with you!). I think it's okay to say 'I love this, but it has some flaws'. I think it's okay to give different opinions, and start conversations, because you know what? Sometimes I'm wrong. And sometimes (like here) my case may be valid, but I'm trying to prove the wrong point. I stand by the idea that they do unintentionally make the brotherly love between Callum and Ez seem like an out-of-sight out-of-mind thing. That is romantic love overshadows his familial love to an unhealthy degree (again, not toxic, just in need of therapy) I love that he's happy with Rayla, but with Katolis burning to the ground and Ez's poor mental state it feels off that he's just enjoying cake without a care in the world.

TDP Season 5: Familial Bonds are as essential as Romantic Bonds

TDP Season 7: Familial Bonds are nothing compared to Romantic Bonds.

To be fair, the problem started in season 6, where Callum's 'One Truth' isn't a deep love, or protectiveness, of loved ones; it's just Rayla. Which, I just want to bring the boy in close and tell him: "There's a difference between sharing all of yourself with the one you love, and giving up yourself for the one you love. You are you; a young man who happens to be in love with a young elf named Rayla. You are not vessel of love specifically made for Rayla. You can live with her happiness in mind, you can adjust your goals for the sake of your lives together, but you still need to have an identity outside of her."

And this is just another example of them coming up with a really good concept, just to throw it away later. It's not as big as 'it's a circle of violence, but not giving Xadia their fair share of blame', or 'it takes time and effort to get over upprejudice, except when it doesn’t for time constraints and/or would interfere with cute domestic moments', but I still think it needs to be shared.

(If you like Rayllum, awesome! Enjoy, just don’t use it as a model for your own relationships, it’s not healthy to be so hyper fixated on your partner that you burn other loving healthy relationships without serious consideration.)

[wyngigi]

midnight joyride (things that can’t be and still are) | joshua drabble

synopsis: blinded by the moonlight Joshua lets himself pretend you’re his, in the daylight you pretend you aren’t

warnings: gn!reader x joshua, cheating but its not rly talked ab (reader is in relationship w unnamed man, just assume he's not a nice guy if u need to justify the cheating idk </3), morally grey but its more like they're just human okay, brief desc of reader n shua kissing, annoying amount of yearning, light angst, horrible communication skills, ambiguous ending, once again my characters always smoke cigarettes that's my trademark now, fallen angels 1995 vibes watch it if u havent!!

wc: 785

“You only call me when it’s dark,” Joshua murmurs, lying against the headrest. 

A joyride, by definition is a fast and dangerous ride in a stolen vehicle. While the car Joshua and you are currently sitting in does in fact belong to him, you are the one thing that does not. Joshua loves a good joyride. That’s why he doesn’t see you during the day, because that’s when you’re at your job, that earns you money to help pay for the apartment he won’t share with you, or with friends to tell them about the man that isn’t him, or god forbid in the arms of the lucky bastard who was at the right place at the right time. He doesn’t share any of these thoughts with you out loud, you don’t share how you already know what he’s thinking.

All you can give him are a couple hours every night of your time, of your body, of your touch. And because he’s a selfish man, he’ll take all of what you can offer to him, and because he’s a man in love he’ll let himself wish for more. He’ll wish for more during the mornings when the sun reaches his closed eyes through his window, where he’ll pretend, with an arm reaching beside him for a touch he knows he won’t find. Joshua will hope and wish pathetically, that is, that one day as his eyes, fatigued by sleep will slowly open and he’ll get to find you in his arms. Yet because of all the things that can’t be, Joshua instead chooses to settle for what can.

The night starts the same, Joshua’s in his own apartment after work, or seeing his friends or whatever it is he does to pass the time, he’s freshly showered with hair no longer sopping wet and just barely damp, in clothes he knows you like with cologne on that you seem to enjoy the most. When he hears his phone ping he knows who it is, he answers your call to let you know he’s on his way and to ask if you need anything before he gets to your place. Your answer is always the same without fail, that no, you don’t need anything and to get there safely

The beginning of the night is routine to the both of you, he opens the passenger door from the driver’s side and you let yourself sink into the seat without a single word uttered. Once he’s managed to drive far enough from the main part of the city and away from your place, you finally turn to him. You tell him thank you, for picking you up and his answer is always the same without fail, that you don’t need to thank him.

There’s a hill that Joshua parks his car at every night, you like parking there because it overlooks the city and the stars are more visible the further off the ground. Joshua likes it because when he lays next to you, on damp grass that still smells like the rain, your eyes light up when you look at the stars and the moon shines back down onto you in appreciation. It’s the same time every night that you reach into his pocket and find his cigarette pack. He always wonders why you bring your own lighter, you know he has one in his pocket too. Nonetheless he cups a hand around the white stick while the other lights the end of it for you.

On the hill, the two of you lie together for however long you both deem necessary. The back of his jacket is eventually dampened by the leftover rain in the grass and you, who laid your head on his chest with his arm underneath you, remained dry and unaffected. The two of you lay there and talk about nothing, Joshua thinks about everything.

It’s by midnight when your cigarette is fully burnt out and you’re both tangled in his backseat. His arms are wrapped around your waist and your hands are in his hair with your knees on either side of his legs. It’s after midnight, that you kiss him like he’s yours to treasure and he holds you like your his to keep. It’s when the sun comes up that you leave his car and avoid his gaze like you don’t know him, it’s when the sunlight reaches his fatigued eyes he’s reminded you’re already gone.

You reply, quieter than him, “It’s the only time you pick up.”

hi :P

[rannie-moon]

okay so how does heran compliment and reassure jungwon bc that girl is always shocked and unable to talk when he’s around but i would be too so..

LMAO I love how as a collective we see her as someone who can't even form a coherent thought around him 😭 which is true on most days! especially when they first started dating, because when they were just friends it was easier to have those moments of vulnerability with each other. but when they started dating... there was a bit more weight added to those moments of insecurity for both of them.

I think you mean compliment as in compliment his personality? If not, then I'll give a proper rundown of how she compliments his personality, compliments him in general, and reassures and comforts him 🤗 (It's raining and I'm in the mood to yap hehe)

how they compliment each other's personality

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ okay, saurrr heran and jungwon never had an awkward phase—their friendship was instant. It properly started that evening during in i-land where heran was up in the practice room a bit later, and jungwon showed up (bro was silently watching her for a solid minute smh)

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ they just talked for a really long time—about their families, school, being a trainee—and how can we forget jungwon trying to hide the fact that he'd had a crush on her for like two years already by then... AWESOME!

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ there's nothing more to it, they just got each other from the get-go which in itself was reassuring to both of them

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ that's the best way to put it. they just get each other

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ and the best thing is, they struggle with similar things—being open with their emotions, accepting help, accepting praise—they’ve both learned to handle things on their own for so long, it's become instinct. solitude was safety. vulnerability was a luxury

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ despite that, they still try. even if it's hard. even if it doesn't come naturally. they try for each other. If jungwon’s off—even by a little—she knows. he doesn’t have to say anything; she reads it in the way he tosses his bag aside, avoids eye contact, showers without a word

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ she gives him space—an hour, sometimes two. but eventually, when it’s just the two of them, she’ll slip into his room and quietly lock the door behind her.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ she never forces it. she’s smart. she uses tactics.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ they're literally the calm to each other's storm—and have been since day one. watching that balance evolve into something so solid and sacred? enough to make me lay in the middle of a highway during a thunderstorm with open arms. they are insane for that

he’s lying on his bed, hair still damp, scrolling aimlessly through his phone with the most distant look on his face. the second he sees her walk in, he exhales like he knew this moment was coming. "heran," he says tiredly, "can we not do this today, please?"

she raises a brow and kicks off her slippers, plopping onto his bed beside him. "do what?" "I’m not in the mood to talk." "talk about what?" "...about why I’m angry." she tilts her head, resting her chin in her palm. "you’re angry? you don’t sound angry." he shifts a little, now looking at her—exhausted, but soft. "that’s because I’m speaking to you. and I don’t like speaking to you when I’m angry. It’s not fair." she gasps, dramatic. "wow. so I’m the problem now? you can’t even talk to your own girlfriend because some wacko ruined your mood? awesome. I’ll just leave, then." she starts to slide off the bed, but his hand catches her wrist before she can even lift a foot. "wait, wait—no," he says, tugging her back gently. "It’s not you, idiot. It’s the other idiot. something happened during today’s media meeting." heran hides her smile as she flops back down beside him. and just like that, she has him—without him even realising it.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ they match each other's freak so perfectly it’s agonising. the type of relationship that screams: “I’m going to flirt first and then immediately combust from embarrassment.” but not in a cutesy “hehe I blushed” way. no. It’s a screams-into-a-pillow, rolls-off-the-couch, slaps-own-forehead kind of shy

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ heran will say something flirty—on purpose, because she likes seeing jungwon get flustered—and then she’s the one running headfirst into a wall two seconds later because he called her "baby" in retaliation. she folds like laundry.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ jungwon, on the other hand, is lowkey evil. not loud, not flashy—but once he knows what gets to her, he uses it. he’ll whisper something like “you’re so pretty it’s distracting,” right before a group stage and then walk away while she’s short-circuiting and sunoo is fanning her down

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ and yet, even with all the flirting and teasing and chaotic bashfulness—they’re each other’s softest place to land. when things get overwhelming, they have this unspoken agreement to meet in the quiet middle: forehead touches, pinkies intertwined, words not always needed

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ they are the kind of couple that makes everyone else feel third-wheeled even when they’re not doing anything remotely romantic. like, he’ll hand her a bottle of water and she’ll say, “thank you, angel,” and boom ni-ki has to leave the room

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ and it’s not performative. they’re like this alone, they’re like this around their members, they’re like this on camera—which is what makes it both endearing and infuriating. the love is just there. effortless. rooted. chaotic, but so full of care

how heran compliments/praises him

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ heran actually invented the term 'down bad'... google it. do it.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ she's got to be the biggest jungwon enthusiast on this planet bruh. tf you mean she put out an entire album for him??? (we'll talk about that at a later stage hehe)

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ and yes, she writes songs and the occasional poem about him—but her real pride lies in saying it to his face. no secondhand compliments. If she loves something about him, he’s going to hear it directly from her

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ it ranges from a cute compliment to a comment you'd find under a heeseung edit. she has absolutely ZERO chill and doesn't plan to find any smh

she’ll see him walk into a room—doing nothing but existing—and immediately go, “you are so annoying to look at. why do you look like that. fix your face.” and jungwon, with the straightest face, goes: “...thank you?” but then she adds, “I mean, I get it now. If I saw you walking down the street I’d probably fall in love with you too. tragic.” and he’s just red. behind the ears. down his neck. It’s over.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ what kills him most though? she says these things so genuinely. no agenda. no performance. just a girl in love with her person, who wants to make sure he knows exactly how cherished he is

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ and when I tell you that this girl has some of the worst cuteness aggression for him... it's scary. like borderline needs help

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ they'll be doing absolutely nothing—just lounging in the dorms, watching a drama or scrolling on their phones—and suddenly, without warning, heran will let out the most unhinged scream and launch herself at him like a possessed squirrel

“WHY WOULD YOU SMILE LIKE THAT?!” she'd shriek mid-air, tackling him into the cushions. “WHAT DO YOU GAIN FROM BEING THIS ADORABLE?!” jungwon, pinned under her and absolutely wheezing, would be like, “I blinked, heran. I blinked.” “exactly! you blinked cutely! You should be arrested!” the rest of the members? used to it. at this point, they barely look up. sunghoon, unfazed: “has she bitten him yet?” heeseung, casually sipping his drink: “not yet. but it’s coming. I feel it in my bones.” jake, scrolling through his phone: “ten bucks says she pinches his cheeks in the next five seconds.” and like clockwork— “AAAHHH!” heran squeals, aggressively squishing jungwon’s cheeks between her hands. “LOOK AT YOUUUU. I’M GONNA BOTTLE YOU UP AND PUT YOU ON MY KEYCHAIN!!” jungwon, utterly red in the face, just groans. “can’t believe I’m dating the tasmanian devil.” but lowkey? he loves it. that quiet smile always creeps onto his face afterwards, especially when she cuddles up beside him all huffy and out of breath, like she just ran a marathon from sheer emotional overload. “feel better?” he’d ask, voice soft. she’d nod against his shoulder, muttering, “no. you’re still too cute. It’s actually your fault. you should apologise.” se chuckles, arm wrapping around her. “sorry for existing, I guess.” she hums. “good. now sit still while I dramatically stare at you for twenty minutes. therapy.”

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ she does, in fact, watch jungwon edits like it’s a full-time job—with overtime, benefits, and a pension plan.

she has a dedicated tiktok folder titled “won edits <3” and it currently has 294 saved videos. and counting.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ and the worst part? she’ll watch them while he’s literally sitting next to her

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ like they’ll be chilling in the dorm, and she’s got her phone turned away, earphones in, giggling like a lovesick fool.

he side-eyes her, raises an eyebrow. “what are you watching?”

she blinks innocently. “nothing.”

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ he already knows.

“is it another edit of me?” “no…” cue the unmistakable 'don't think they know' by chris brown in the background “heran.” “OKAY BUT LOOK HOW HOT YOU LOOK—THE ZOOM-IN? THE FLASH TRANSITION??”

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ and he can’t even argue because she’ll shove the phone in his face like:

“see? SEE?? YOU DID THAT!! YOU’RE INSANE FOR THIS LOOK.”

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ he just stares at her like,

“I’m right here. In 4K. breathing. blinking. you don’t need an edit to see me.”

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ but she shrugs. “yeah but tiktok jungwon looks like he's about to pin me against a wall. real jungwon just steals my food and asks me to play with his hair.”

“so this is about you being horny...?"

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ jungwon gave up. he started sending her edits himself.

“look, this one has that clip where I'm manspreading.”

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ she cried.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ he wins. again. (so does she <3)

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ yeah, so her form of complimenting him is more down-bad-clawing-at-the-walls-of-my-enclosure shit LMFAO

how heran reassures him

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ like I said—she knows this boy like the back of her hand. honestly? she probably knows him better than she knows herself on most days. so even when she’s not at 100%, she somehow manages to become exactly what he needs

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ It’s quiet. moments like this with them always are. not awkward. not empty. just… still. like the calm after a storm, or the first deep breath after a panic attack. soft and slow and grounding

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ sometimes it’s her hand resting on his chest while they lie down, just feeling his heartbeat until it slows.

sometimes it’s her showing up to practice when she knows he’s had a rough day—sitting by the wall, not saying anything, just there.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ her voice is softest with him during these moments. no teasing. no jokes. just that rare, fragile tenderness reserved only for him.

she’ll cradle his face and say,

"It's okay, baby just breathe. we can talk later, yeah?"

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ and jungwon doesn't like crying in front of people. we know this.

he’s always carried himself with quiet composure—calm, collected, dependable. and heran? she’s the same. If something hurts, she’d rather bite her tongue than let the words slip out

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ but when you find that person you trust enough, pride is the last thing on your mind. and in that quiet dorm room, with the lights low and the world shut out, there’s no pride—just presence

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ this is where she just holds him as tight as she can.

his face is buried in her neck, and each shaky breath he lets out feels like it’s being pulled straight from the center of his chest. she can feel his tears soaking into her shirt, and it makes her throat close up—not because she’s uncomfortable, but because it hurts.

seeing him like this hurts

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ her instinct is to cry with him. to mirror his pain. but this is where she reminds herself—he needs her steady. so she swallows the lump in her throat and just smooths a hand over the back of his head.

“I’ve got you,” she whispers, voice barely there. “it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ and he's the same with her.

he’s sat with her through more anxiety attacks than he can count—legs tangled on the floor of practice rooms, hands trembling as she tries to breathe through it, him just silently holding her and counting till 10

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ but it wasn’t always like this.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ because during what heran herself dramatically refers to as the great hewon depression™—everything fell apart in slow motion.

they were distant. busy. unavailable in every way that mattered.

between comeback schedules, promotions, filming, and the pressure to always be “on,” their relationship became background noise—a blur between other priorities. they barely talked. barely saw each other. and when they did, it was surface-level.

no time. no room for softness.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ their relationship was being chipped away, and the scariest part was: they didn’t even have time to question the stability.

they were going through the motions.

a hug here. a tired smile there.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ It got so bad that they had to swallow their emotions, because the structure—the security, the grounding—that came from one another was gone. and with it, their ability to cope.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ they weren’t leaning on each other anymore. they were just... existing.

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ AND THAT'S ON CODEPENDANCE FROM THE AGE OF 15 RAHHHHH!!!

⋆. 𐙚 ˚ but they're good now and that's all that matters. I like to say they're soulmates who got it right the first time 🤧🩷

taglist: @angie-x3@deluluscenarios @chaeryyeongz @akitoshi39i@sparklydoll444 @yunjiiin @kaitieskidmore97 @yb763@reibelhearts @enhaverse713586

[anistarrose]

guess I have to reiterate for the hundredth time that I do not want anyone bringing up ships on my non-shipping posts, unless you're a follower or friend who knows for a fact that I don't mind the ship in question. like I don't want to block people over this, but my ability to enjoy using this website is contingent on either people not doing this, or me aggressively curating my experience by blocking people over this. sorry but also not really.

[gxlden-angels]

Bro I hate fundamentalists and culturally-fundie parents they'll say shit like "spare the rod spoil the child am I right haha yea my parents used to have to beat my ass with a switch almost everyday but I sure did learn my lesson" but like??? no you didn't??? you were hit multiple times for something you very obviously did not, in fact, learn

Like studies about how harmful even lightly spanking children is aside, you're literally contradicting yourself?? Some even admitted they got worse as they got older cause they wanted to see how far they could push their parents before they got punished

And studies not aside, you're gonna get child raising advice from the same book that tells you to stone your wife if her hymen doesn't break on your wedding night instead of the decades of research we have now?? Just say you're a bad parent and move on my guy. Skill issue

[camellcat]

@wondlas SAID THE PACK IS TRANSFEM XANDER CODED BC THE ALPHAS OF HYENA CLANS ARE FEMALE AND THAT WAS HIS ROLE. GASPING CHOKING DYING I NEED MTF XANDER NOW!!!!!!!!!

[sukibenders]

*taps mic* Celebrities do not owe you insight into their sexuality, nor do they have to define or abide by your standards of how they act regarding their sexuality. You do not know them personally enough to inspect their private lifestyle in such a way, and even if you did that behavior still isn't warranted. Just because celebrities are more known to the public, doesn't negate the fact that they are people with feelings and aspects of their lives that they might prefer to keep quiet about. Sexuality, in general, is an intimate thing, that everyone experiences and expresses differently, and having random strangers deny or question their queerness does more harm than good. Stop acting like you're entitled to it.

[fiona-fififi]

Please, please, please recognize that using incorrect pronouns is a common error made by English language learners—even for those who have achieved near fluency. It is not automatically intentional or malicious if someone uses an incorrectly gendered pronoun when talking about a character.

[celtrist]

I do really like your idea! I completely agree with Niffty seeming to be "go with the flow" kind of a person! I also see how she ironically might be the one "winning" the curse and Alastor by doing nothing out of the ordinary for herself.

Also, your observation about canon are really interesting and neat!

Thank you so much! I have a lot of thoughts about canon, but so does everyone else of course. I personally just tend to end up diving into niche stuff or looking deep into things. If only in part because I plan to make a fanfic for it... and then I don't write a fanfic and now I just have a doc with facts about the show and characters and another filled with headcanons that I'm just never using.

I legit used to have the BNHA class schedule saved when I was into that. In retrospect, I'm not exactly sure how it would've made the difference to what I wrote, but I've nuked that whole fandom folder since. I don't really foresee myself making any more fanfics concerning that world and characters.

Still, much appreciated ;3;

[averlym]

pleaaase may i have 28 and 29 aramour angst ✨ i crave it

28: “Move out of my way before I make you.” // 29: “You deserve better.” (prompt list here)

click for better quality!

[mainfaggot]

how do you cut someone off

[gu6chan]

99% just my autism speaking here but something ive been noticing lately that im sorta kinda 😶 about is when ppl are like "I think you'll like this" but not bc they ACTUALLY think you'll like it, rather they just got into it and want you to also get into it so "I think you'll like this" is a nice personal hook. i love chill stuff as much as any other person ofc but given i don't divulge that EVER, what makes you think my berserk reading, made in abyss watching, drakengard playing ass would like YURU CAMP????