#[[that being said hes besties with my friends fellow oc]]

[dr-maxwell-hemaoncol]

hi dr. maxwell! which of house’s fellows do you get along best with? -🎹

I don't know any of them well enough to say. I cannot speculate either. If I'm not inquiring about something to Wilson, I usually avoid that area as best as possible. I've heard the situations they get tangled into, and I prefer to not be involved.

[kookooluvr]

Teach Me How To Love - Part 3

pairing: professor!jungkook x (fem) professor!reader, fwb to lovers

genre: fluff, angst, smut, fwb au, economicsprofessor!jungkook, politicalscienceprofessor!reader, slow burn, some emotional constipation, some sappy moments, lots of sexy moments.

summary: jeon jungkook, a fellow professor at yonsei university, is your friend, co-worker, and secret bed buddy. you have rules set in place to make sure there are no misunderstandings in your little arrangement. the #1 rule is as clear as day; no catching feelings. simple, right? wrong. let's see how un-simple it gets when a certain economics professor falls for an emotionally unavailable political science professor.

rating: 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

word count: 6.7k

warnings: we get to know the besties a bit, jihyo and tae being our cutesie side characters <3 oc and jk both spill the beans to their friends,mentions of the infamous ex (booo, throwing tomatoes), oc buys and wears lingerie for jk, she sends him a photo in said lingerie, explicit sexual content; making out, oral sex (f. receiving), unprotected sex, missionary, squirting, soft dom jk, multiple orgasms, jk learns something new about oc, jk's in his feelings, my poor baby, jk's also a teeny tiny bit of a stalker...but in a sweet way if that makes any sense :)

author's note: part 3 took longer than i would've liked bc my procrastination was kicking my ass. anyway, pls enjoy !!! things will start being a bit more eventful from part 4 onwards so bear with me 🤪🫶🏼 as usual, make sure to like, reblog and pleeeaaase share all your thoughts and feelings about these kiddos <3

taglist: @rpwprpwprpwprw @mimi1097 @livinluvl @bumblebee-21s-blog @koosluvss @sou-17 @puppybunnyjkay @svnbangtansworld @junecat18 @shrek-the-destroyer @tastykookoonut @sturniolowrld @palomanazareth

find tmhtl masterlist here

It's been a week since Jungkook came over. You spoke here and there in passing but you haven't had a chance to actually hang out again after that night because you're both just too busy prepping for final exams before the long awaited summer break. This time of year is always a bit crazy for both the students and the educators, which leaves you with almost no time to mess around with cute economics professors.

You've been a bit stressed out all week, so you really weren't planning on spending your Saturday in a busy mall, looking through racks of lingerie, and yet that's exactly what you're doing. Why? Because Jihyo texted you saying she needed your help in buying something sexy to wear on an upcoming date she has with some guy she met at work. His name's Mark and from what she's told you about him, he sounds...promising.

Jihyo, unlike you, is looking for a boyfriend. Boy, is she looking. She's gone on about seven dates with five different men in the past couple of months and she is yet to find her Mr. Right. From what she's told you, she's looking for someone educated, tall, handsome, funny, and someone who can "match her freak". The closest she got to that was some guy she met at a club two months ago, who was lucky enough to get three whole dates before he eventually gave her the ick by referring to his mother as 'mommy'. For her own sanity, you hope Mark won't make that same mistake.

However, Jihyo's mind isn't on Mark right now. Oh no, she's much more focused on the man you're seeing.

"___, come on. We've been best friends since the fifth grade. Are you really going to look me in my eye and tell me you're not seeing anyone? And don't lie to me."

You roll your eyes, scanning the rack of pink satin and red lace, feeling the different fabrics between your fingers. One minute, you were asking her about Mark and how they met, and the next thing you know, you're being interrogated in the middle of a lingerie store.

"I'm not looking you in your eye. I'm looking at lingerie. Ooh, this is pretty."

Jihyo loves you, really, she does. You've known each other for most of your lives. That means she supports you in everything you do. That also means she can see right through your bullshit when no one else can. She's been suspicious of you and your apparent mystery man for a while now, and she won't stop asking you about him until she gets answers.

"I'm serious. I know you're seeing someone. You're not slick, babe. I know you inside and out, and I have really good intuition...and I might have seen a text I shouldn't have when your phone was on the table at the restaurant during lunch."

Dammit.

"I don't know what you're talking about." You feign ignorance, refusing to spill the beans even after practically getting caught. You and Jungkook both swore to keep it between the two of you. It's one of the rules. Who knows what will happen if you just start breaking rules all willy-nilly. Sure, it's not that big of a deal if you tell one friend, especially your best friend, but that's how it starts. You're breaking this rule, and then another and another until you're Robin Thicke and the lines are blurred.

"Cut the shit," Jihyo says dryly, crossing her arms over her chest, clearly unwilling to drop the subject. "Who is this mysterious 'prof jeon' and why was he asking you when you're free to see him?"

You let out a defeated sigh, looking over at her. You know that look on her face. She's just going to keep asking if you don't tell her and it's pointless lying about it. She can be a pain in your ass at times but she's definitely not stupid. And besides, she's your best friend. You'd be a bad best friend for not telling her that you're basically getting the best sex of your life, right?

Screw it.

"Okay, I'm not even supposed to tell anyone about it and it's really not a big deal but...I'm kinda sleeping with one of the other professors at work." You quickly press your lips together as soon as the words leave your mouth, looking back at the lingerie to avoid her eyes and all the questions you know you're about to be bombarded with in a second.

"What?!"

"Can you keep your voice down?" you whisper-yell, noticing a few people turning their heads to see what the sudden outburst was about.

"Sorry," she mutters with a snort, clearly not expecting that news. "Who is this professor? What's his name? Jeon who? Why didn't I know about this sooner? Since when have you-"

You cut her off before she can get the rest of her questions out.

"His name is Jungkook, he teaches economics, and before you ask, no, he's not my boyfriend or anything like that. I'm still not ready for that. We met a few months after I transferred to work at the university and we were just work-friends for the most part, but then we hooked up one night last year and it wasn't really supposed to happen again because we were a bit drunk but it was so good, and then it happened two more times and then...well, then we just agreed to keep having casual sex. That's it."

Jihyo is quiet for a moment, processing the information that was just thrown at her. How have you been sleeping with this man for a year and she had no idea? She's actually quite impressed that you could keep it a secret for that long.

"Wow."

"That's it? That's all you're gonna say?" you chuckle, turning around to look at her with a light blue lacey set in your hands.

"I just...I'm happy for you. I'm glad you're putting yourself out there again after Sunghoon. I really thought you were going to swear off men for the rest of your life after him."

And there it is. The reminder of the man you spent most of your teenage and early adulthood loving, the man who you thought you would grow old with, the bane of your existence. If it's not your friends or your mother reminding you of him, it's your own brain. You don't blame her for bringing him up, though. He is the main reason why you're so opposed to actually committing yourself to someone again.

"Yeah, well...it's not like Jungkook and I are dating or anything. It's just sex. No big deal," you mutter, not wanting to go down that road right now.

Jihyo knows your love life (or lack thereof) is a bit of a sensitive subject for you. She was there for you when Sunghoon broke your heart. She let you stay over at her apartment when you were too sad to be alone. She sat with you as you cried on her bathroom floor, so this is a big deal to her. This means that you don't spend your nights crying over that human shit stain anymore, and she doesn't blame you for keeping it private. All she really wants is for you to be happy.

"Still. It's progress, babe."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

"So, uhh... how is he?" She grins, gesturing to her genital area, wanting all the long, girthy, veiny details. She can't help but be a little nosey. Besides, what's the point of having a best friend of almost two decades if you can't ask her about the juicy details of her sex life.

"I'm not telling you that, you pervert," you laugh, holding the lacey lingerie out for her to take. She takes it without even looking at it, her focus solely on you and your professor friend.

"You have to tell me. Okay fine, just give me a number from one to ten then... Looks?"

You sigh but decide to indulge her anyway. "Ten."

"You lucky bitch," she scoffs, looking very impressed. "Skills in the bedroom?"

"Nine point five."

"And you're exclusively hooking up, right?"

You nod.

"Okay, ___, please explain to me why we're in a lingerie store and you're not buying something to make this man drool over you," Jihyo deadpans, looking at you like you're insane.

"Don't be ridiculous, we're not here for me. We're here for you and your date."

"And we're not leaving until we both get something." She starts looking through the racks with more determination. "You said Professor Sexyboots is a ten. You have to wear something sexy for him. At least for my sake."

"Professor Sexyboots? I'm sure he'd love that," you scoff, rolling your eyes at her ridiculous nickname for him.

Jihyo is about to respond when she looks up at something and freezes, her eyes widening, causing you to turn your head to follow her line of sight, your eyebrows raising. On one of the mannequins sits a stunning deep-red bra and matching thong, looking like something straight off a Victoria's Secret runway. It's gorgeous, with intricate lace detailing, and it's completely out of your comfort zone.

"No way, I can't."

"What are you talking about?! You'd look so hot. C'mon, it would be so fun. You could send him a little sneak peek and invite him over and he can take it off with his teeth," she snickers, having way too much fun with this whole thing.

You're not sure how exactly you let Jihyo convince you to buy the skimpy lingerie, but you did, which is why you're sitting in a rather suggestive pose in front of your floor-length mirror in your bedroom. It's silly to feel nervous about sending him a naughty photo. He's seen you naked more times in this past year than you can count, and yet this makes you nervous.

You take the photo and press send before quickly tossing your phone on the bed, letting out a deep sigh.

Jungkook is in the middle of watching some random show on Natural Geographic when he gets your text. He unlocks his phone and all the air gets knocked out of his lungs when his eyes land on the photo of you wrapped in the delicate dark red lace, muttering a breathless, "Sweet baby Jesus".

His fingers shake as he types out a reply, his heart hammering in his chest.

prof jeon [9:46pm]: i've never really been a very religious man prof jeon [9:46pm]: but damn, god is good 😳

You [9:47pm]: LMAO You [9:47pm]: come over

prof jeon [9:48pm]: aye-aye captain 🫡

He rushes to his room to get a hoodie, quickly putting it on while getting a confused look from a half-asleep Bam. He walks over to give the sleepy dog a quick kiss on his forehead and some scratches before getting his car keys, his body working faster than his brain. “Bam, daddy’s gotta go take care of aunty ___, okay? I’ll be back later.” And with that, he’s out the door.

He makes his way downstairs to the parking lot and gets in his car, fumbling with the car keys in a rush to get to your apartment. He knows he probably looks like a teenage virgin right now, but he doesn't care. You always manage to make his midsection tingle and his brain feel all scattered. When he finally manages to get the car started, it takes everything in him to stay within the speed limit as he drives over to you.

You're about to text him to ask how far he is from your apartment, when there's a knock at the front door. You wrap a robe around your body and go to answer the door, seeing a breathless Jungkook leaning his arm up against the wall in the hallway.

"Good evening, Professor," he grins, straightening up to walk inside, eyeing you from head to toe as you close the door behind him. Before you can get a chance to respond, his lips are on yours, his hands cradling your jaw as he kisses you, completely taking you by surprise.

You pull away to look up at him with wide eyes, letting out a little chuckle. "So just straight to the point? No small talk, nothing?"

"Is that what you want?" he asks, looking down at your robe-clad body. "Small talk? Want me to ask you how your day was before I spread your legs?"

"Not really, no."

"Yeah, I didn't think so," he mutters before his lips are back on yours. He picks you up by the back of your thighs in one swift motion, your arms wrapped around his neck as he carries you to your bedroom, eager to get that damn robe off.

He gets to the bedroom and gently lays you down on your back before hurriedly removing his glasses, pulling his hoodie over his head, his t-shirt following quickly behind. He leans down to hover over you, his lips kissing from your neck up to your lips, sensually licking into your mouth to taste more of you while his fingers trail up your thigh under the robe.

He pulls back to look down at you with heavy-lidded eyes, his fingers slowly opening your robe. "Can I take this off?"

You nod and your robe is off within seconds, leaving you in nothing but the skimpy lingerie. His throat goes completely dry. "Fuck. You're trying to give me an asthma attack."

"You don't have asthma," you laugh, rolling your eyes.

"The point is that you're fucking hot, ___."

You scoff and pull him back down to crash your lips onto his, his tongue slipping into your mouth with ease. Your hands lightly travel up his biceps and shoulders, the sensation sending shivers down his spine. You slide your fingers through his hair and give it a little tug, pulling a soft moan from his lips. He loves when you play with his hair, and he especially loves when you tug on it, whether it's while he's kissing you or eating you out.

You pull away slightly to press a few light pecks to his lips, his stomach erupting with butterflies. "You're so good at that," he mutters, gently tugging on your bottom lip with his teeth.

"At what, kissing?"

"Mm," he hums with a lazy little grin on his face. "Might need you to demonstrate again, just to make sure."

You laugh, placing another kiss to his lips, lingering there for a bit before pulling away.

"Mm, one more," he whispers before his mouth is back on yours, his tongue tangling with yours as the kiss grows more heated.

He reluctantly breaks away from your mouth, his lips trailing down your neck, leaving a trail of hot, wet kisses on your skin.

He nips at your pulse point, his teeth leaving a little red spot on your flesh.

"Jungkook, I'm going to kill you if there's a mark," you mutter, but the huff of laughter he lets out tells you he doesn't care.

"You'll be fine," he chuckles, his voice hoarse with desire, his tongue tracing the mark he left behind. He leans on one hand while the other slowly trails up the side of your ribs, making its way to the back of your bra.

"This is so pretty," he whispers, giving your earlobe a little tug with his teeth. "Can I take it off yet?"

"Mhm," you nod, slightly arching your back off the bed to let him unclasp the bra. He slowly slides the fabric off your body and tosses it aside, kissing his way down to your breasts. He licks and sucks on each of your nipples before trailing slow, soft kisses down your stomach.

"Lift your hips for me, baby." You do as he says, his fingers hooking into the sides of the tiny lace thong, slowly pulling the fabric down your legs.

You spread your legs for him, showing him your glistening folds. The sight alone makes his sweatpants feel tighter. He kneels down at the edge of the bed, spreading your legs further apart. He kisses his way up your leg from your calf to your inner thigh, holding your ankle over his broad shoulder.

His lips inch even closer to your pussy, just a few centimeters from where you need him most. "Jungkook," you whine, your arousal growing by the second.

He chuckles teasingly, stopping at your inner thigh. "You're so whiny."

"Don't tease, Kook."

He grins, hovering his mouth over your pussy, his breath fanning over your folds. "Love seeing you all worked up for me," he murmurs, slowly licking his lips before pressing a feather-like kiss to your mound.

"Just shut up and eat me out."

"Yes, ma'am."

He starts slow with wet little kisses and licks to your clit, slowly building up a steady pace. He loves eating you out. He could go for hours if you let him, like a starved man getting a taste of his favourite food. Jungkook's always been more of a giver than a taker, your pleasure bringing him pleasure.

He's incredibly skilled with his tongue, knowing exactly what to do to have your legs trembling. He swirls and flicks his tongue, sucking and lapping at your clit to make your eyes roll back in your head.

"Fuck, Jungkook...feels so good," you sigh, your eyes fluttering shut.

He smiles against your pussy, feeling proud of every little sigh and moan he pulls from your lips. "You taste so good," he mutters before diving back in, licking a long stripe from your leaking entrance to your clit, his hands gripping your thighs to keep them open.

"Just like that...oh my god, don't stop..."

He looks up at you with a dazed look in his eyes, his tongue lapping at you with skilled precision that makes your toes curl, your fingers gripping the sheets beneath you.

"F-fuck, 'm gonna cum," you gasp, grabbing onto his hair to hold him in place, your eyes squeezing shut, your head spinning as the pleasure reaches a peak.

A few more sucks and flicks of his tongue and you're cumming, his hands holding you in place as he laps at your pussy, helping you ride out your high. He feels your thighs quivering, looking quite proud of himself. "You taste so fucking good," he murmurs, pressing a few soft kisses to your clit.

"Holy shit." You're breathless, your pussy pulsating, your heart racing.

He crawls up to hover over you, giving your lips a quick peck, his lips and chin glistening. "Still with me?"

"Mhmm," you grin, slowly opening your eyes to look up at him.

He smiles down at you, taking in your flushed cheeks, your disheveled hair, your pretty eyes. He gently brushes some of your hair out of your face, his thumb lightly stroking your cheek. "You're beautiful, ___," he whispers, his voice laced with tenderness.

"Don't say that."

He furrows his brows in confusion, puzzled by your reaction. "Why not? It's the truth."

"Tell me I'm sexy...not beautiful."

He chuckles, slowly shaking his head, his expression filled with amusement and affection. "You're gorgeous," he whispers, lightly kissing your cheek, his lips trailing over to your ear. "And incredibly sexy."

"You gonna fuck me now?" You tease, your lips curling into a soft smile.

He almost laughs at your bluntness, the way you just get straight to the point, never wasting any time if you want something. Your assertiveness has always been a turn-on for him, not just in the bedroom, but in general.

"That's the plan, yeah."

"Let's get this show on the road then."

He gets up off you and removes his sweatpants and boxers, letting it lay somewhere on your bedroom floor. He's already hard, his cock standing tall, the tip already leaking a bit. He stands at the end of your bed, his hand wrapped around the base, his eyes glued between your legs, slowly trailing up to your face.

He crawls back on top of you, sliding his fingers through your folds, gathering some of your slick and rubbing it over the head of his cock. "Ready, baby?"

You give him a nod and he slowly pushes into you, his hips gently moving forward. "Shit, you feel good," he groans, his voice coming out low and hoarse.

You sharply inhale through your nose, feeling that familiar stretch, your walls molding to the shape of him like it was made for him.

He thrusts slowly, bracing his forearms on either side of your head, his forehead resting against yours. His thrusts get deeper until he bottoms out, his breathing growing heavier, his moans going straight to your core. He buries his face in your neck, feeling your hands gripping the muscles in his back as he thrusts harder.

Your moans grow louder as he thrusts into you, your walls fluttering around him, your legs wrapping around his waist. "Fuck, that feels so good."

"Yeah? You like that, baby?" he grins, pressing wet kisses to your neck and chest.

You've never had a man make you feel the way Jungkook does. He knows exactly how to touch you, how to kiss you, how to have you like putty in his hands. Your skin heats up, your heart pounding faster as he picks up the pace, hitting that spot deep inside you that makes your back arch off the bed.

"Mmm, f-fuck...harder...h-harder, baby," you moan, feeling him lift one of your legs over his shoulder, the tip of his cock repeatedly hitting that sweet spot inside you, the new angle allowing him to thrust even deeper.

"Like that?" He grunts, sitting back on his knees, his thrusts hitting harder, his pace getting faster.

"Oh my god, right there...feels s-so good, Kook."

"Wanna cum again?"

You can barely form a coherent sentence anymore. Your moans mixed with the sound of his skin slapping against yours fills your bedroom, his thrusts making your pussy squelch.

"Use your words, baby."

"Wanna...wanna cum," you whine, feeling him hold your leg next to his head and press wet kisses to your ankle and calf, the pressure and pace of his thrusts feeling just right.

"Hold it." His voice is rough and demanding, a stark contrast to the gentle tone he usually uses with you outside of the bedroom, the sound sending a shiver down your spine.

He ignores your whines and pleas for him to let you cum, thrusting as deep as he can go, his free hand reaching down to push his thumb into your mouth. Your body works on autopilot, sucking on his thumb. You swirl your tongue around it like you would do to his cock, causing his hips to stutter before he regains his composure.

"Such a good girl for me. Gonna make you cum so hard, baby."

He pulls his thumb out of your mouth to rub firm circles over your clit, the pressure paired with his thrusts making your head spin. The pressure starts to build in your lower stomach, and it feels different, better than it usually does, your pussy clenching down harder around his cock.

"Feels...f-feels like I'm gonna...p-pee..."

He lets out a faint chuckle, his hips moving with determination. "You're not gonna pee, baby," he mutters, his tone sounding almost teasing.

"H-how do you know?"

"Trust me, baby, I know. You're not gonna pee." He can tell you're close, your body practically begging for release as he rubs your clit faster. He looks down to where your bodies connect, seeing how swollen and puffy your pussy looks, the sight making his cock twitch. "It's gonna feel so good, baby, I promise."

"Gonna...gonna cum-"

"I know, baby. Let go for me...let it all out."

You cum with a loud cry, your body convulsing beneath him, your vision going blank as the pleasure hits you. It feels relentless, like nothing you've ever felt before, and he's made you cum many times before.

"Fuck, that's my girl." His thrusts slow down but they don't stop, keeping his pace steady to help you through it. "That's it, baby...ride it out..."

Your body trembles as you come down from your high, barely able to register him pulling out. Your eyes are half open as you watch him stroke himself above you, his face contorting in pleasure, his abdomen tensing. He finishes with a guttural moan of your name, painting your stomach and breasts with warm strings of cum.

"Fuck. I think I just saw Jesus," he breathes out, his chest heaving as he gasps for air.

"Yeah? What did he tell you?" You chuckle breathlessly, still feeling the aftershocks of your orgasm.

"He said you squirted."

Your eyes almost bulge out of your head, looking down to find his lower stomach and pelvis drenched.

"Oh my god," you groan, your words muffled by your hands as you cover your face.

"Hey, don't be embarrassed. It was probably the sexiest thing I've ever seen," he murmurs with a faint chuckle, gently pulling your hands away from your face, forcing you to look at him, his face looking rather smug.

"You look very pleased with yourself."

"Can you blame me? I made you feel so good, you practically exploded all over me," he grins, looking down at the mess between your legs. "Ohh, she's so swollen now. She took a bit of a beating, huh?"

You let out bashful scoff, your cheeks heating up at his choice of words.

He quickly gets up to go and clean himself off in the bathroom, coming back to slip his boxers back on. He watches you slowly get up off the messy bed, your knees feeling weak as you clumsily walk off to the bathroom, needing a hot shower after that intense session. He sits on the edge of the bed, leaning back on his hands as he watches you stumble.

"Legs a little wobbly there?" he teases, unable to stop the amused smile from spreading across his face.

"Shut up," you mutter as you make your way to the bathroom, earning a little laugh from him.

While you're in the shower, he takes it upon himself to remove the dirty covers and sheets from your bed, looking for your lavender room-spray on your vanity. He knows you always spray it around the room after sex, and he knows you keep it on your vanity, but for some reason he can't find it there. What he does find, however, is a framed photo he's never seen before. You're in it, and it looks like it was taken on the day of your undergrad graduation ceremony. You're standing next to a younger-looking girl, whose face is quite similar to yours. She is just slightly taller with shorter hair. Jungkook doesn't know much, or rather anything, about your family, but he assumes the girl in the photo is your sister.

He picks up the frame and goes to sit down on the bed, inspecting it closely. He feels a bit guilty, like he's been caught red-handed for snooping when you come out the bathroom wrapped in your robe, your eyes landing on the frame in his hands.

"What're you doing?"

"Sorry," he murmurs, his eyes growing wide, feeling like a child that's been caught stealing. "I just...I was looking for your room spray...or mist, whatever it is, and... I, uhm, I don't know, I guess this just caught my eye. I've been here many times but I've never really looked around, y'know?"

You nod slowly, going to sit next to him at the edge of the bed.

"Is this...your sister?"

You look up at him, seeing the surprise on his face.

You and Jungkook have sex. You work at the same university. You're "work-friends" and that surprise on his face is a reminder of how little he truly knows about you, how little of yourself you actually share with him. He knows you have a cat, but he doesn't know you have a sister. He knows the way you take your coffee, but he doesn't know anything about your childhood. It's a stark contrast to how much you know about him. You know his favourite foods because he's very specific about where he gets his takeout from. You know his favourite brand of beer because he always has it stocked up in his fridge. You know all about his family dynamics because he speaks about them all the time, that his brother just had a baby, that her name is Mijoo. You know all of his hobbies and interests because you're quite observant and he's very open, never feeling the need to keep anything to himself. You're similar in some aspects of your personalities, and yet very different.

"Yeah, that's my sister, Yuna," you murmur softly, looking down at the photo with a tight-lipped smile.

He absorbs this new information, a mix of feelings swirling inside him. Part of him feels slightly hurt. Four years of knowing each other and a year of hooking up, and he's only just found out you have a sister. He's an open book, always sharing all these intimate details about himself with you, yet you keep so many parts of yourself hidden from him. He wonders if it's just in your nature or if you deliberately keep him at arm's length, preventing him from getting too close.

At the same time, a small spark of hope lights up within him. You're not completely shutting him down so that's good. Maybe this is a sign that you're actually opening up to him for once. It might seem minor, but he takes it as a huge step forward with you.

He has a million questions he wants to ask, but settles for, "What's she like?"

There's a beat of silence before you speak. "She's, uhm...she's three years younger than me, and she's probably the most extroverted person you'll ever meet, so we're...very different," you scoff, smiling fondly at the thought of your baby sister.

He listens intently as you talk about your sister. He wants nothing more than for you to let your guard down with him, and this is a start. It's small, but it's something.

"That must make for an interesting sibling dynamic, hm?"

"We actually get along great in spite of that. We grew up super close, so..." You speak softly, feeling a bit uncomfortable with showing even just a hint of vulnerability in front of him. "So, yeah. Now you know that about me."

"Yeah," he murmurs softly, his voice barely louder than a whisper. "Now I know."

You gently take the frame from his hands and walk over to your vanity, putting it back in its place. You pick up the lavender room spray and turn to him with a faint smile. "This what you were looking for?"

"There's the damn thing," he scoffs, the familiar scent filling his nose as you give the room a spritz. "Is that to get rid of the smell of me?"

You chuckle, but you don't deny it.

The room falls silent again, and he takes it as his cue to get out of your hair, seeing as it's already midnight and he doesn't want to push his luck.

"I should, uh...I should go. It's late and I don't wanna keep you out of your beauty sleep," he jokes, slowly getting up to put his clothes back on.

"I'll walk you out." He wishes, just once, that you would ask him to stay, but he knows you won't. He walks behind you, stopping at the front door. He so badly wants to reach out and take your face in his hands, to kiss your lips and ask you to let him spend the night with you, but when you open the door for him, he simply puts his hands in the pockets of his sweatpants and walks out into the hallway.

"Thanks for tonight," he mumbles, looking down at you with a soft look in his eyes. "It was fun."

"Yeah, it was," you smile, tilting your head to lean against the half-open door.

He just looks at you, not making a move to leave. He has so much he wants to say right now, but he swallows it down, just like he always does, not wanting to overstep.

"Well...goodnight."

"Night, Jungkook."

He takes a small step back, reluctantly turning to leave. "Goodnight, ___," he mumbles, looking back at you with a soft smile.

You chuckle, sensing his reluctance to leave. "Goodnight, Jungkook."

He turns and starts walking away, his feet feeling heavier with each step. Just as he's about to make a U-turn and walk back to you, he hears the soft click of your door shutting, the lock echoing in the empty hallway.

He sighs and walks over to the elevators, going down to his car. He mentally kicks himself for feeling so disappointed. He's always known that you keep yourself guarded, and he thought he could handle it, could play by your rules, could be content with a primarily physical relationship. He could before. But right now, sitting in his car in the silent parking lot, he's reminded of how weak he really is.

He leans his forehead forward against the steering wheel, the weight of his feelings sitting heavy in his chest, muttering a soft, "Fuck."

With a heavy sigh, he starts the car and drives home, his brain taunting him with the fact that romance isn't a possibility for you and him.

On Monday, Jungkook is back in work mode. He tries to squeeze in as many revision lectures as he can the closer it gets to final exams. It's around 3pm when he finally gets a breather, so he goes to his usual spot for lunch.

He sits in the empty lounge, like he does almost every day. Why this specific lounge? Because if he looks out the window, he has a perfect view of you sitting below, eating your lunch on your usual bench. Sometimes you're alone, sometimes you're with another lecturer, and on rare days you just have lunch in your office.

"There you are." He hears Taehyung's voice as he walks into the lounge, sitting down across from him with a huff. "You weren't answering your phone."

Jungkook doesn't respond, his eyes not wavering. He looks out the window with a dopey look on his face, watching you eat your gimbap. Taehyung follows his line of sight, catching on rather quickly.

"So... you taking an online course on how to be a stalker, or...?"

"What are you talking about?" He scoffs, looking over at Taehyung before his eyes inevitably drift back down to you.

"You're staring like a creep," Taehyung laughs, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Is she that professor I saw you talking to the other day?"

"Mm." Jungkook knows how nosey his best friend can be, and he knows exactly what's going on in that head of his.

Taehyung gives him a knowing smile. He doesn't even have to say much, already knowing it's only a matter of time before Jungkook spills.

"You have a thing for her, huh?"

Jungkook looks at him with wide eyes, feeling exposed without even confessing anything. "What? I didn't even say anythi-"

"Don't bother," Taehyung chuckles, "You're not very subtle, man. Your eyes give you away."

Jungkook feels his cheeks burn, knowing he's been caught. He hates how transparent he is, that his feelings are written all over his face. "Fine. But it's not a big deal."

Taehyung gives him a look that says, 'You sure about that?'

Jungkook looks at his friend, then down at his lap, twiddling his thumbs. There's a long silence before the word-vomit eventually spills out of him.

"We've been having sex for a year and it was just casual at first, well...it still is casual, and we set a few rules so that there's still boundaries between us, but then I started developing feelings and she's just so guarded, like, she won't open up to me and I know that if she finds out I have feelings for her, she'll pull away and it'll ruin everything," he rambles, the words tumbling out like he's been dying to tell someone. He knows it was supposed to stay between the two of you, but he trusts Taehyung implicitly and he knows his friend would never judge him or the situation.

Taehyung looks at him with raised eyebrows, listening to him ramble on about the whole situation, trying to wrap his head around it. He knows how much of a softie Jungkook is and he never thought he would ever hear him say he has a friend with benefits.

"Damn, dude...you look like you needed to get that off your chest."

"I guess I did, yeah," Jungkook murmurs with a little scoff.

"Okay, so, she explicitly told you she's not interested in you romantically?"

"Well, no, she didn't say it directly, but she doesn't have to," Jungkook sighs. "She's made it clear more than once that she's not looking for anything serious from me."

"Damn," Taehyung murmurs, his face full of sympathy. "Has she said why?"

Jungkook looks back out the window, looking down at you with a melancholy expression on his face. "I know it's something to do with her ex, but she won't tell me the full story, so I don't really know what happened. I know she's been hurt before and she's wary of it happening again. I know she's not ready for anything serious, and I respect that. It's just..."

"You thought it would be enough for you?" Taehyung asks softly, carefully.

"Yeah."

"But it's not?"

"Would it make me an awful, selfish person if I said it's not?"

"No," Taehyung says firmly, a soft smile forming on his face. "It would make you a human being with a soft heart and strong feelings."

Jungkook scoffs, feeling guilty for simply thinking of being with you in a romantic sense. He knows you've been through some hard things in the past, and all he wants is a chance to prove himself to you.

"Do you want to tell her how you feel about her?"

"I don't know," Jungkook mutters, a slight pout forming on his lips. "I keep going back and forth about it in my head. Part of me wants to tell her and lay all my cards out on the table for her...another part of me is scared of pushing her away even further."

Taehyung goes silent for a moment, chewing on his bottom lip in thought. "Is the sex good?"

Jungkook narrows his eyes at his friend. "You have the worst timing."

Taehyung chuckles, shrugging like he just couldn't help but ask.

Jungkook rolls his eyes but gives in, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, it's...it's really good. Probably the best sex I've ever had, if I'm being real."

"Wow," Taehyung scoffs, his eyes wide. "I'd say you should wife her but...y'know..."

Jungkook gives him a dirty look, once again getting a slap from reality, Taehyung subtly wincing at his friend's misfortune.

"Look, I want to say screw her and it's her loss because you're a fuckin’ catch...but I mean, I get that she's just being cautious because of whatever happened with her ex."

Jungkook sighs, nodding slowly.

"Yeah. I just wish I could prove to her that I would never hurt her, that I would respect her and treat her right." Jungkook mentally curses your ex for screwing things up for him. He just wants a fair shot with you. "She's such a beautiful woman and she doesn't even see it."

Taehyung nods, looking out at you through the window. "Yeah, she's very attractive."

"No, I mean, she's stunning, but...the way she speaks, the way she acts, the person she is...she's just so beautiful. I want her for so much more than her physical being," Jungkook murmurs softly, his heart yearning to show you just how lovely he thinks you are.

"Honestly, I think the best thing you can do for her is be her friend if that's all she needs for the time being and slowly try to bring down her walls little by little. And if that doesn't work, then I think you should keep your options open. I know this sucks, dude, but you have to think of yourself too. You can't try to mend her while breaking yourself."

Taehyung is a wise man, and Jungkook trusts his judgement. He teaches literature, for crying out loud. He reads Shakespeare for a living. He should be well versed in these things.

"Yeah," Jungkook nods, taking in Taehyung's advice. "I guess you're right, Tae. Thanks for listening to all my crap."

"Hey, you're my best friend. No sweat." He goes quiet before casually asking, "So, do you think she has a friend for m-"

"Tae-"

"Wrong time, my bad."

< Part 2 || Part 4 >

[kookslastbutton]

Those Eyes Chico ༓ myg (m) | chapter two

✑ Summary: As the new marketing director for Min Yoongi’s upcoming D-Day album & tour, you’re expected to bring your expertise to the table. This shouldn’t be a problem—you’re the best in the business and you’re used to drawing a strict line between your professional and personal life. But what happens when the lines you’ve fought to keep as separate blur for the first time?

pairing: idol!yoongi x plus size!poc!reader

genre/AU: angst, fluff, smut, slowburn, coworkers2friends2lovers, winter setting, forbidden love

word count: 6.1k+

warnings: This chapter in particular is written from Yoongi's perspective, oc is 28, Yoon is 30, oc is not originally from South Korea, oc has light brown eyes, swearing, mentions of alcohol consumption, smoking, mentions of body shaming by Hybe executive, bestie!tae is wonderful support 🥹, light fighting between members (literally crack), Namjoon has a little crush, Oc being a total boss at work bc she is amazing at her job, and cute & meaningful Yoon and OC interactions that make them finally start bonding (a little flirty too, hehe) 😉

now playing: Sweet Dreams by The Last Shadow Puppets

a/n: CHAPTR TWO IS HERE! GOD...the slow burn exists outside the series too with me not updating for two months. I'm sorry guys but TYSM for your patience! I'm VERY excited to release this chapter bc I think Yoon & Oc are super cute, hehe. Okay anyway, this series is dedicated to my wonderfully crazy friend and sorta beta, Gloom @theuselessdaydreamingidiot, and to all our fellow Yoon lovers bc we miss our sweet man SO MUCH 🥺 Enjoy! 🥰 Also huge thank you to @itaeewon for designing this beautiful series header! Love it!!

Series Masterlist | next chapter >>

Yoongi stands with his hands placed loosely on his hip, chest heaving as he attempts to catch his breath. The seven of them had been practicing choreography for their new RUN BTS song nonstop when Jimin called for a much-needed, fifteen-minute break. There’s a part of him that’s thanking the younger for it and another that’s wishing he hadn’t, as every moment left alone with his thoughts is spent decoding his last encounter with you at the cafeteria.

Why had you made such a beeline for the exit the moment he was waved over by his member?

You also completely ignored his attempts to greet you on your way out. He only stopped by the cafeteria to slip an orange in his pocket before returning to his studio. He didn’t mean to intrude or incite that you had to leave with his sudden presence.

Taehyung assured him that you merely left to tend to work matters, which he’d typically sum as hyper-fixation with one’s work as he’s prone to do the same, but this felt different at its core. Your behavior seemed more intentional than that. The last thing he wants to do is misread the whole situation, but he must’ve done or said something to cause your uneasiness.

“Hyung, how did the album meeting go this morning?” A clear voice comes from Yoongi's left as his fellow band member, Namjoon, strides next to him, water bottle clenched in his fist. Like himself, large droplets of sweat dots around the man’s brow. The minor interruption shakes Yoongi out of his slightly dazed state.

“Went well.” He takes a big swish of his own water before screwing the cap back on. “We reviewed everything in three hours and the album looks better than I anticipated. There are a couple of promotional strategies that still need finalizing, but I’m pretty confident about it overall.”

“That’s great, man. __-nim’s been doing good work with TXT for the last few years, so she’s definitely suited for the job. I thought about requesting her help to promote Indigo but the timing of it all didn’t work.” Namjoon’s voice drops an octave at the last part, as if remorseful for more than a missed professional opportunity.

“Ah, maybe your next album hyung,” Jimin suddenly chimes in, slapping the taller man on the shoulder from the side. “I have a feeling you and __-nim would work well together. Think about it, you’re both natural born leaders and you’re smart too. I bet __ -nim has as high of an IQ as you.”

Namjoon’s cheeks flush with the faintest tint of rose as Jimin flashes a knowingly cheeky grin. Yoongi, of course, witnesses the entire exchange, the slightest part of him feeling uprooted by the thought of his band member and new marketing manager suddenly hitting it off. He decides not to comment on the matter, choosing to remain in ignorance instead. This is all speculation, right?

Now that they’re all on the subject of his album though, it gets him thinking that maybe he’s been too narrow viewed regarding the reason for your off putting behavior at lunch.

D-Day’s release has become a consuming priority lately, with everyone involved worked to the bone. Aside from himself, you’ve been bearing the brunt of it. He’s appreciative of course, considering the album holds a deep sense of meaning to him, and he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want it to be perfect. A little pushback during the first proposal is natural, yet he did get more resistant toward ideas during this morning’s meeting than anticipated. Perhaps some of his nitpicking was unnecessary, adding to your already heavy load.

Yoongi’s head feels worse the longer he entertains the possibility. He doesn’t want to make the first time working together a complete whirlwind, especially this early. A strong, healthy partnership starts with trust, safety, and mutual respect. The same philosophy can be applied to relationships of varying natures. That reminds him—since when did Taehyung and you become so close? He’s been ruminating over it all afternoon, like a jigsaw puzzle he can’t solve.

It’s odd how little he knows.

“I heard someone mention __-nim over here. I want in.” A small grumble leaves Yoongi’s lips as Jungkook pushes next to him, displeased by how tiny his space bubble has gotten due to the huddle his members have formed around him. Just why the hell is everyone so interested in his new marketing director? That's what he wants to know.

“Can you introduce me to her sometime hyung?" Jungkook pleads. "I’m thinking about releasing an album in the next year and it’d be great if you could hook us up…yknow?”

Oh, Yoongi knows. He knows exactly what this young buck is insinuating, but it isn’t mating season yet and even if it were he will do no such thing as to “hook them up”. Besides, his conscience tells him that you wouldn't be interested in the company of a younger man anyway—not that your dating life is any of his business or anything.

“Get in line Jungkookie, behind Namjoon. He needs her for his album first.” Jimin squeezes down on Namjoon’s muscular shoulders with both hands, shaking him just enough to hype him up. His hands are removed seconds later when he’s told to knock it off.

“That’s enough about this, okay? I’m pretty sure Yoongi-hyung is the only one who actually needs __-nim right now because, in case you dumbasses have forgotten, D-Day is set to release in April,” Namjoon scolds the two with a commanding tone. Jungkook, per usual, remains persistent in his original request and keeps his full attention on Yoongi.

“Anyway hyung, as I was saying, I know your album takes priority so I’m in no hurry to meet her. I can be pretty patient as you know-“

“Heh, that’s a lie.”

“Shove it Jimin, no one’s talking to you.” Jungkook’s eyebrows scrunch together as Jimin snorts helplessly next to Namjoon.

“You shove it Kook,” Jimin counters. “And stop trying to date __-nim! Find your own woman!”

“I’m not trying to date her! She's my noona for gods sake! Do you think I’m oblivious to how the public reacts to idols dating? Also, __-nim is a Hybe employee, not an idol. I can only imagine the type of scandal the media would spin it as.”

“Right, we all know you actually just want to take her to your bed instead,” Jimin interrupts for the umpteenth time. “Our handsome leader, on the other hand, is interested in her professional abilities. We can learn a lot from him.”

“Why are you always trying to start a fight with me Jimin? Is it because I can take you, now that I've been building up more muscle?” Jungkook’s accusations earn him nothing more than a sea of eye-rolls until Jimin lunges himself towards him, puffing out his chest the best he can to size him up.

Namjoon rubs his face with a hand, a clear visual display of his exhaustion. He’s been moderating these stupid squabbles for nine years now. “Alright very mature, biggest boy band in the world and this is what it’s come to? Amazing, congrats to everyone for winning the award for most-”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Seokjin interjects, effortlessly shouting over everyone while waving his hands. “My brothers…why are we fighting over here like a couple of peacocks? We are all beautiful in our own, individual ways. Mine, for example, is my handsome face.”

“For the love of god hyung, we’re trying to settle something. Go take your inspirational pep talk elsewhere!” Jungkook bends his knees, swooping down to throw Jimin over his shoulder but he misses when the man starts tickling him ruthlessly.

“St-ah-stop it Jimin!"

“You stop it, you frickin’ brat! Trying to take advantage of our hyungs for your own selfish gain.” Jimin then slaps Jungkook on the ass which does not go unappreciated as Hoseok cackles from the other side of the room. Up until this point, he’s been scrolling on his phone, completely unbothered by the chaos. As Hoseok nears the action, Jungkook delivers a swift kick to Jimin’s rear end.

“Ow, what the fuck Kook?!” Jimin tries soothing the sting by massaging it with his hands. “You little prick!”

“Oh come on, I barely hit you. Gaining sympathy points won’t help this time, plus I see you trying to hide a grin. You think this shit is funny. You’re sick you know that?”

Jimin makes a move to return the kick to his youngest member but ends up hitting a far taller, and leaner subject instead. Taehyung, who just returned from the bathroom, throws a hand over his abdomen and grunts from the sudden impact.

“What is—shit Jimin that really hurt!” Taehyung’s baritone voice echoes off the walls as he winces from the pain. He takes a few deep breaths, then viciously eyes the two brawlers followed by the rest of the room. “What the hell is going on? I heard you all talking about __-nim from the hallway. Yoongi-hyung here is trying to kick off his album and tour, which we are supposed to be celebrating over drinks this Friday, but here you are arguing with each other and who has the biggest dick. Well, you can all put it away because as __-nim’s best friend, and number one wingman, only I’m allowed to set her up with someone and it won’t be with any of you! Sorry hyung…” he looks at Namjoon who appears to have brushed the comment off.

As soon as Taehyung ceases his mini-speech, eery silence sets in. Hoseok is the first to dare say a word.

“Uh, so what’s this about being her best friend Tae?”

“Yeah, I had no idea either.” Jimin quirks his head to the side, awaiting the details.

“Same,” Namjoon adds in a short breath.

“What happened to us, man?” Jungkook pouts at Taehyung, a total 180 from moments ago when he was in an unsolicited sparring match with Jimin. “You used to share everything with me. Now you’re holding out on me. Since when did you and __-nim start hanging out?”

Yoongi’s ears perk up for the first time since all the commotion began, curious to hear Taehyung’s response. He only recently discovered the blossoming friendship hours ago and even then, it was a brief inside look.

“I didn’t think to mention it but yeah, we started talking since her first day at Hybe. I bumped into her on the way into work, early morning for both of us. I expected her to be a bit on the reserved side, considering she was a new hire, but she was quite friendly. The more we talked, the more I felt like I knew her as if a childhood best friend I’d reconnected with.” Pausing, he wets his lips before continuing. “We share a lot of our meals together now, like our lunches during the weekday. Her food tastes amazing by the way. I think she missed her calling as a chef but it’s more than food— it’s a love language, a labor of love.”

“Wow, you two sure are connected,” Hoseok speaks first again, seeing the rest of his members working to process the new bit of info.

“Platonically, yes.”

“This’ll be good for Yoongi-hyung and his album then! No bad blood exists here!” Hoseok shifts his gaze between Taehyung and Yoongi, pleased with the outcome. The older of the two remains speechless, yet it’s far from a dazed expression. Yoongi is instead deep in thought, the wheels turning in his head.

So maybe it’s true that birds of a feather flock together, he hums to himself. The two of you seem to be social butterflies with a vase full of commonalities. He, on the other hand, prefers his solitude. That’s not to say he’s a hermit or anything though. Hybe hosts a company-wide New Year’s Eve party every single year and he’s made his best effort to attend them all. He mainly mingles with his members, but he still makes sure to small talk with other coworkers. Come to think of it, did he even see you at last year’s New Year’s Eve party?

He can’t remember much from the night except Seokjin scolding him for not wishing him a happy birthday the minute the clock struck midnight. He was a bit tipsy at that point. Taehyung disappeared soon after to make his usual rounds, stopping to chat with everyone in his path. Maybe he took off to talk to you during that time.

Okay, he really needs to stop thinking about you.

"Just to confirm, is everyone still on for Friday night to celebrate D-Day?" Jimin pipes. "I booked us a good place to have some food and drinks.

Taehyung nods, "I am, as long as it's not the same place we saw our CFO and his much younger date feeding each other. I couldn't eat for the rest of that night."

Jungkook fakes a gag before replying. "I'm sorry but does anyone know how is he still working here? Guy creeps me out."

"I swear, I couldn't agree more. Just yesterday he made an egregiously body-shaming comment toward __-nim to someone else on the board. She kept a brave front when she told me, but I'm damn tempted to get him removed from his position myself!" Taehyung's nostrils flare as he shares his frustration, fingers digging into his hips.

Yoongi takes a final chug of his water before abruptly tossing the bottle on the floor. A sharp crack resounds through the space, instantly commanding the authority of the room. “Fifteen minutes is over,” he gruffs. “It might be twenty minutes with all the bickering earlier. We don't have time to be talking about this anymore.”

“Come on now," Hoseok says. "Didn't you hear what Taehyung said? Our CFO really is a class-A jerk. I feel so bad that __-nim has to put up with his bullshit, she doesn't deserve it." His eyes frantically search the room, hoping to rally support.

"Don't worry about that asshole," Yoongi assures, "I'll handle it." He strides over to his choreographed position on the dance floor as if a leader in his own right, the rest of the members following in his steps.

"Just don't kill him, hyung," Namjoon says, resting a hand on the older's shoulder from behind. Yoongi merely snorts lightly in reply.

Yoongi is dead tired, his feet feeling heavier the minute he stands from his studio chair. He could have left hours ago, but here it is nearly 9:30 at night, and he's only just leaving the office.

As he shuffles down the hallway towards the elevator, he notices the eerie silence. It's thick, almost palpable. There's not a soul left in the building this late at night. When the elevator doors open, he leans casually against the metal rail, closes his eyes, and mentally retraces his day.

Overall, it was a decent day, he thinks, productive at best. Skipping dinner to work on his album tracks was an easy decision, but he might be paying for it now given the intense growling of his stomach. Despite his songs being considered perfect by his members, he can't help but tweak each one a final time. It's as if his gut tells him there's still a piece missing from the whole.

All at once, the elevator comes to a sudden stop. Yoongi's eyes shoot open, anticipation flooding his senses. Is someone still here? He listens intently, straining to hear any sound over the faint hum of the elevator. After a few moments that feel like an eternity, the elevator doors slide open to reveal an empty, dimly lit hallway. It's the 16th floor. He hesitates for a second, peering into the shadows, but there’s no sign of anyone. Strange.

Just as the elevator doors begin to close, Yoongi hears a distant, unmistakable voice. "Please hold the door!" you plead, your voice strained with urgency. He responds immediately, stretching out an arm to block the door. "Thank you so much," you say, slipping in beside him, your bag thrown over your shoulder.

Yoongi watches as you enter, curiosity in his eyes. It seems you were of like mind tonight, working late and likely burdened by the extra work he caused for you. The feeling of tension is as clear as it was yesterday, lingering as a reminder of the unspoken discomfort between you both.

But then again, there's that issue Taehyung mentioned, looming in his thoughts. He hadn't realized you overheard the horrendous comment his CFO made about you. No wonder you hurried away from him like a bat out of hell yesterday; you knew he knew. He wouldn't dare shine a light on the situation and risk embarrassing you further; no one needs to relive such a belittling experience. Yet, he's wrestling with the right words to say.

"Heading home, Min PD-nim?" You surprise him by speaking first, voice firm with a touch of gentleness.

Yoongi allows a faint smile to tug at the corners of his lips, hoping it'll relieve some tension. "I am, it's been quite a day. What about you?"

You nod, shifting the bag on your shoulder. "Same here. Just had to wrap up a few things before heading out."

He hesitates for a moment, noting how you speak as if it were only a few minutes past five or six in the evening. "I understand. I was working in my studio up until now. I should be back up there tomorrow too," he says, then chuckles lightly, "Sometimes I feel like I should just live up there."

You return the subtle laugh and smile softly at him, your light brown eyes catching his dark ones. It feels like the same prolonged gaze you shared upon first meeting, yet now, it's somehow become easier; perhaps a hint of familiarity.

"By the way," he continues, seizing the opportunity, "feel free to call me Yoongi-ssi. I'm not that formal in case you didn't know." He playfully gestures to his casual attire; tan cargo pants, grey plaid button-down, and sneakers.

You seem hesitant towards the request at first, evident from your delayed response. "Are you sure?" you choke. "I don't want to over step my boundaries."

"There's no need to worry about that," he assures. "We're on equal level aren't we? If we're going to be working side by side for the next eight months give or take, I want us to feel comfortable with each other. Please, call me Yoongi-ssi."

"Okay, I might need some time to get used to that," you say, head nodding, "I'll try calling you Yoongi-ssi from now on."

"There's one other thing too," he pauses, "since we'll be working on D-Day's promotion from start to finish, I'll have many of my own opinions. It's a natural instinct for me, but I don't want to be a hinderance. I don't want anyone else giving you issues either, so I'd like to hear your full thoughts on matters, especially when it comes to important decisions."

"That means a lot Yoongi-ssi, thank you. I'm very grateful that you'd allow me to be a part of this and I'd very much like us to have an equal partnership. This is your album though, so I want to make sure it gets the recognition it deserves in the way you'd prefer."

Yoongi glances at the floor numbers displayed to the right of the elevator doors. Any second now and you'll reach the lobby. He wouldn't mind talking longer, but letting you both get a decent night's sleep is the far better idea at this point.

"I trust that D-Day is in the right hands with you, __ssi," he replies. "It's why I recommended that we work together to promote it in the first place. Bang PD was also confident in the idea. We don't doubt your expertise for a second." He pauses when the elevator doors slide open and allows you to be the first to exit. "Have a good night, okay?"

For the first time, you reciprocate the wish with a full, illuminating smile. It's not a professional one, Yoongi notes, its a real one—as genuine and sincere as his words. He takes it as a sign that the tides may finally be turning for the better. "You too," he hears you say before you push through the large revolving doors and step into the cool night air.

In the evenings that follow, Yoongi finds himself back in his studio as promised, a glass of whiskey in hand. He ultimately decided that if he was going to be here until all hours of the night, he might as well have a cold beverage to keep him company.

As he leans back in his chair, swirling the dark amber liquor in his glass, his mind inadvertently wanders to you. Were you downstairs again? Were you here with him? It would seem that given your unexpected late-night encounter in the elevator, the validity of the idea wouldn't be all that wild or far-fetched.

With each passing minute, as the clock inches closer to the late hours, he finds himself circling back to the same thought. It's as if the possibility of running into you has become a highlight of his night.

Just then, a deep and familiar voice interrupts. "Burning the midnight oil again, hyung?"

Startled, Yoongi looks up to see Taehyung standing in the doorway, a sympathetic smile on his face. Despite it being almost 9 at night, his younger member is nothing short of flawless in appearance.

"Yeah, working on my tracks," Yoongi replies, offering a small smile in return. "What are you doing here?"

Taehyung steps further into the room, hand tucked in his pocket. "I wanted to stay late to keep __-nim company, but I'm not sure how much longer she plans on staying tonight. I was on my way out when I figured I'd stop by to see you too."

"Well, thanks for thinking of me. Want a drink?" He offers, nodding towards the nearby whiskey bottle.

"No, thanks," Taehyung declines politely, shaking his head. "I'll let you enjoy your whiskey in peace. Although, __-nim might take you up on that same offer one of these days. She has a strong taste for it, as you do. Anyway, I'm heading out. Don't overdo it with your music, hyung, they're already perfect."

Once Taehyung leaves the studio, Yoongi's previous string of thoughts return to him tenfold.

So you really are here, he muses, and you happen to like the same throat-burning alcohol. Should he venture downstairs and offer a drink? No, that would probably be too much, and he wouldn't want to interrupt you. Maybe if Taehyung were accompanying him, but not alone; he doesn't share enough rapport with you to merit such a spontaneous drop-in yet.

No, he takes another sip of his whiskey, he'll see you tomorrow morning instead; during your morning meeting. But that gets him thinking—he's still yet to decide on whether or not he'll make an appearance on Fallon's show. He’d done it with his members numerous times, but this would be the first time doing it alone. His album would indeed benefit from the exposure, though.

"Damn it," he curses, raising from his seat. "I work my ass off. I work my ass off for it all!" He then sits back down, finishing off the rest of his whiskey in one gulp, the burn soothing his frustration momentarily. With a resigned sigh, he turns his attention back to his music. "Damn it, I guess I'll do it."

If it weren't for his phone notification reminding him of his 10 am meeting on Friday, Yoongi would have missed it entirely. Normally, he never forgets important events, but several late nights in the studio had predictably caught up with him. He feels extremely sleep-deprived today, his memory more prone to blanking than usual. Waking up with a throbbing headache at 5 am, which hasn't dimmed in the slightest, doesn’t help either. Nonetheless, with only ten minutes to spare, Yoongi has no choice but to pull himself together and head downstairs to the conference room.

"Good morning, Min PD-nim," you greet him as he walks through the door. "We're about to start."

Yoongi drags out a chair and takes a seat. You look nice today, he notes quietly to himself. He makes sure to send a small smile your way before returning the warm greeting. "Good morning __-ssi," he says. "I told you we can speak informally didn't I?"

He waits for your response, easily tuning out the startled reactions from the rest of the team. Most high-ranking officials in the organization expected to be addressed formally by those in lower positions, but here he was, openly requesting you to speak as equals. It was almost unheard of during work hours. He was Min Yoongi, after all.

"Right, of course," you reply, "You'll have to excuse me, Yoongi-ssi. It slipped my mind for a moment."

Yoongi watches as you shuffle a few papers in your hand before continuing. "To get us started, I thought we'd discuss the decision to schedule a spot on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Will we be proceeding with this?"

"After mauling it over I think it's a good idea for the album. Do we have an idea of when this would happen?"

"Ideally after the album releases and around the time the U.S. tour begins April 26th. I say we aim for early May. Given Fallon's show's high demand, we'll need to get a jump on this as soon as we can." You shift your attention to your digital marketing and promotions team. "So-hyun, can you reach out to the producers and see what strings we can pull?"

She nods, scribbling a quick note on her writing pad. "We'll reach out today. I'll let you know as soon as we get a response."

"Excellent, thank you. I'm glad to hear you're on board with this Yoongi-ssi. It'll be a great way to promote D-Day and attract a global audience. The more smartly we utilize our resources, the better your album will be positioned in the current market." You take a brief pause to flip through your notes again. "Speaking of resources, we'll need to start booking magazine shoots and interviews. I'm proposing we run cover pages with Marie Claire Korea and Vogue Japan."

Yoongi would be taken aback by the flood of ideas and schedules you're firing at him, all within the first fifteen minutes, if he weren't already aware of your level of competency. This is exactly why he chose you, he hums to himself, your preparedness is impressive, but not surprising.

"I presume this will take place next year?" he asks. "During their spring issues?"

"Absolutely. We'll submit inquiries soon to get the ball rolling, but having the shoots completed now would be premature. Plus, it'll take some time before there are any openings with the companies. I think we should be consistent with tour dates and have Marie Claire go out in May and Vogue ready in August of next year."

"Okay, I'm fine with all that but we'll need to have something exciting released now, don't we? I know I start my weekly lives tonight, but shouldn't there be something more we can do?"

"I agree," you reply. "That's why I wanted to propose a brand new idea that came to me a couple of nights ago while I was drafting promotional content. Anytime idols release a new album or music, it gets published on YouTube, right?"

He nods, curious on where you're heading. "Right."

"Why don't we start a talk show with you as the host Yoongi-ssi? It can allow your fans to see another side of you, as well as the general public. We can invite your BTS members as guests where you can discuss music or past challenges that you've had to overcome—the choice is yours. To make it more interesting for viewers, you can have these frank conversations over a glass of whiskey or soju."

"I like the idea," he says, weighing it in his mind. "What would the timeline look like for this?"

"If we move forward with the idea, I suggest December 5th and we continue it for a max of two months. I know that only leaves us with just under two weeks to get started, but creating the set shouldn't take more an a day or a day and a half. We can also easily shoot a 30 to 60-minute video in an afternoon and publish it on YouTube the following week. Of course, a preview of the show will need to go out beforehand."

"Would we be able to invite other guests to the show? Outside of my members, I mean."

"Yes, feel free to invite whoever you'd like. We can start with the member for the first several episodes but ultimately, welcoming a variety of guests from the same or differing industries would be the goal."

"If I may." A member of the social media team suddenly joins the discussion, "I think Kim Namjoon-nim might be a good person to feature first since Indigo releases December 2nd."

Yoongi nods in agreement. "I can ask him."

"That would be fantastic, actually. If his availability is limited, we could have him guest star for the second or third episode instead," you add. "Hoseok released Jack in the Box this summer so we could have him be the first guest as well."

"Do we have a name yet?"

"Suchwita," you answer without hesitation. "It's a play on words with Daechwita."

"Suchwita..." Yoongi repeats, "Time to get drunk." He chuckles at the last few words, amusing the room, but you remain contemplative.

"How about Suchwita...time to drink with Suga, instead? It's simple and has a slight whimsical nature."

"Sure, let's use that," he answers, noticing that you've already begun jotting down the idea. "Yours is better."

Despite the adrenaline from the productive meeting with you and your team, Yoongi still feels the weight of his sleepless nights bearing down on him. His headache remains relentless and he is in dire need of a moment to himself. Once the team disperses, he slips his phone into his pocket and makes his way outside. The crisp, early morning air should offer him some relief, along with the pack of cigarettes tucked in his pocket.

When he reaches the building's designated smoking area, Yoongi takes out a cigarette and lights it, taking a deep drag as he leans against the cool brick wall. As he exhales, watching the smoke dissipate into the clear sky, his thoughts drift back to the meeting. The idea of hosting a talk show, "Suchwita...time to drink with Suga," still lingers in his mind. It’s an intriguing concept, and he can already envision the relaxed, candid conversations that could come from it.

His thoughts are suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps crunching on the ground nearby.

"Oh, Yoongi-ssi," you say with alarm, obviously startled by his presence. "I didn't mean to interrupt you. I'll come back lat-"

"There's no need for that. Join me if you'd like." Yoongi watches as you hesitate to accept his offer, your feet already positioned to head back inside the building. "Seriously, there's plenty of room, and no matter what they'll tell you, I don't bite."

He allows himself to smirk as you carefully move beside him, only stopping when there is at least two feet of space between you both.

"Thanks," you say, pulling out your own pack of cigarettes and lighting one. "I needed a break too."

"Rough morning?"

"Just busy," you reply, leaning against the wall next to him. "But the meeting went well. We should be able to get the ball rolling now that we have a more finalized plan. I'm glad you liked the idea of starting Suchwita, by the way."

"I do," Yoongi says, nodding. "It has a lot of potential and I'm sure Namjoon will be more than happy to help us out. He's a natural at this kind of stuff. I guess it's why he's our band leader."

"You know you're good at all of this too, don't you, Yoongi-ssi?" You pause, taking a puff of your cigarette. "Even when you have a lot on your mind and a packed schedule, you have a knack for making people feel at ease. It's why I think producing Suchwita will be such a great way to connect with fans and other artists—you'll be the host."

He chuckles, appreciative of the remark. "You really think that? That I make people feel at ease? It's not what a lot of people assume."

"Nah," you reply, tilting your head up toward the clouds. "They're just on the outside looking in. Those who know you, who are around you and talk to you, will agree that you're a pretty calming presence."

"Well, I think we're not so different then." Yoongi shifts his eyes to your face, still looking up at the sky, and smiles softly. "So, what made you come to BigHit? Didn't you say you worked for Atlantic Records? That's a pretty good gig."

"Yeah, it was. I learned a lot there, and man, I was thrilled when I got offered the job as a brand manager. I've always loved music, ever since I was a kid. I could connect so intimately with the lyrics. Music is one of the few things that could soothe me during rough times, and it still does today. I'm sure you can understand."

Yoongi nods, intent on listening to your every word, intrigued by your story.

"Anyway, sorry about getting long-winded here" you chuckle. "I ultimately decided to move on when Bang PD reached out and offered me the marketing manager position for TXT. It gave me the chance to be a more integral part of bringing music to individuals who need it most. It's like we say, 'music for art and healing.' I'd never had the opportunity to manage a completely new set of musicians before either, let alone a group. Plus, being on the global marketing team? I couldn't turn it down."

"It makes sense why you joined us then, and I have to say, it's a blessing you did too. Music is a way of communication for me, a way I can best express my story. That includes my past, present, and hopefully future. After hearing all you shared, I don't think there's anyone else I'd trust with handling my album promos." Yoongi pauses a moment, unsure if he should ask the next thing on his mind. "How come we never met before? I mean really meet and talk?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure myself. But things have a way of falling into place when the time is right, I suppose." You're now looking at him, the intensity of your gaze mirrors his own. A gentle breeze tousles a few strands of your hair and for a split moment, Yoongi begins to understand what Taehyung meant earlier when he said it feels like he's known you his whole life, like a childhood friend he'd reconnected with. While it may not be to that extent for himself, there's a comforting warmth emanating from you that leaves him feeling strangely tranquil.

"Given the circumstances, I feel like we should have at least met through Taehyung by now," he slips out. "Or even at a company-sponsored event."

"Why, do you like me that much, Yoongi-ssi? After five days of working together?" Your playful tease catches him off guard, revealing a side of you he hadn't seen before. It's kind of cute-wait, what?

"I-"

"Sorry," you quickly interject, feeling the need to backtrack. "I shouldn't have said it like that."

"Don't worry, there's no need for apologies. And to answer your question, I like you enough." He hopes you can hear the tease in his own tone as he responds.

You both lapse into a comfortable silence for the next few minutes, the only sounds being the distant hum of traffic and the occasional chirp of a bird. He finds all of it soothing in a way he can't quite explain.

After a few minutes, you turn to him, your expression thoughtful. "You know, if you ever need to talk or just need a break, I'm here. We're teammates now."

Yoongi looks at you, his tired eyes softening with gratitude. "Thanks, __-ssi."

You give him a reassuring smile before pushing off the wall. "I'll let you finish your cigarette. See you later? And by later, I likely mean at 9 or 10 pm in our company elevator."

"Yeah, see you later," he laughs, watching as you walk back toward the building. He takes one last inhale, extinguishing the cigarette and letting the remaining smoke escape his lips slowly.

Yeah, he likes you just enough.

a/n: Hope you enjoyed it! Lmk what you think 🥰

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[whatdoeseverybodywant]

Sorry- Chapter 2

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“I take it you ran into Jon.” Ishana said as she took in the scowl on  Dominique’s face as she stomped over to where Ishana was waiting for her in the lobby. “You’re late but you look good as fuck bestie.” Dominique smiled and gave a little 360 turn before giving Ishana a hug.

“ I do not want to talk about Jonathan tonight. Tonight is about us having a good time. No relationship talk.”  Dominique said, the scowl returning to her face as she and Ishana walked over to where Kayla and Carmella were waiting for them. 

“What happened?” Dominique huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “The same thing we’ve been arguing about for weeks. He got upset and stormed out of the room.” Dominique shrugged, looking into one of the mirrors in the hotel lobby fixing her hair. “Ready to go?” She asked her group of friends, only to turn around and see the three of them giving her the same disappointed stare. “What?” 

“You’re acting like you don’t care that your fiance stormed out on you.” 

“I don’t” Dominique deadpanned, rolling her eyes when Kayla, Carmella and Ishana shared a look. “No relationship talk" She reminded Ishana. "So” She said, clapping her hands together, bringing her friends attention to her, “Are we going to the club or not?" 

It was a Friday night and the club was damn near packed with their fellow WWE employees’ and with groupies that heard that the WWE was in town. Dominique rolled her eyes and she and her friends walked past another group of women and heard them squealing about ‘Roman and The Usos being there’ 

So he is here. Dominique thought to herself as she looked around to see if she could catch a glimpse of him. Clearing her throat she turned her attention back to her friends. She did not need to think about Jon tonight.. Tonight was supposed to be a Jon free night. She was there to have fun and that’s what she was going to do. 

“I'm going to get our drinks!” Dominique yelled over the music as she and her friends found a table for them to chill at. Her friends nodded and rattled off their drink orders. 

As Dominique made her way over to the club she had gotten the attention of three individuals in the club and one of them decided to not waste any time and walk over to her. 

“Damn sis” Josh laughed, as he leaned against the bar next to Dominique. “You tryna’ have twin bust a blood vessel or something.”  She rolled her eyes and pulled him into a hug . “You know he's here right” Josh asked to which Dominique nodded. “You see him yet?” 

“No and I’m not looking for him. I just wanna have a good time tonight.  He nodded and took a sip of the drink in his hand, eyes darting over to where Dominique assumed Jon was, watching them before returning his gaze back to her. From where she was standing she could see the 'RAISE YA ONES FOR THE BLOODLINE.’ sign and resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It was so corny and thirsty. 

“I feel you. But we got a section if yall wanna come over and chill with us.”  He said, paying for her and her friends first round of drinks and going back over to his section. 

“Uce! Yo Uce!” Josh yelled over the music as he made his way back over to where Jon was talking with Kofi. He was happy as hell Dominique showed up here tonight. He needed to get Jon and Dom back on good terms not only for their sake but for his as well. He loved his brother to death, but he was sick and tired of listening to him bitch about Dominique. 

“What happened Josh, You good?”  Jon asked him, turning away from his conversation with Kofi to look at him. 

“Dominique’s here.” When Jon just shrugged, Josh continued. “Aye Uce, I understand you mad at her right now but- “ 

“But nothing, Josh,” Jon sighed. “You’re the one who told me to come out tonight to forget about my problems with Dom and now that we’re in the same building you changing your mind?” Jon scoffed and shook his head. “Just drop it Uce.” Josh sighed and nodded his head. “Thank you.” Jon turned his attention back to Kofi and finished their conversation. 

Josh sucked his teeth and walked over to the railing that overlooked the dance floor, Jon and Dom were perfect for each other in Josh’s eyes, and he was going to do everything in his power to get the both of them to see that they needed each other. His started to look for Dominique, and smiled once he saw her but his smile dropped when he noticed who had snaked his way next to her. “Fuckin’ Orton.”

Ishana looked at Randy in confusion as he slid up next to her and Dominique on the dance floor.  “What the fuck” She mouthed to Dominique who shrugged in return. 

“I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight.” Randy said, smiling down and Dominique. 

“Oh, yeah well you know.” Dominique said with a shrug. “It’s Friday and my friends wanted a night out.” 

“Can I buy you a drink?” He said, pointing towards the bar and before Dominique could answer, Ishana interjected. 

“Actually, we were just leaving.” She said, trying to grand Dominique’s hand and lead her away from Randy. 

“No we weren’t.” Dominique furrowed her eyebrows at Ishana, ignoring the look she was throwing her way as she released herself from Ishana’s grip. “And I could really use a drink.” Dominique grabbed Randy’s hand leading him away from a confused as fuck Ishana. 

“I’m guessing you and the fiance still not talking huh?” Randy asked and when Dom cut her eyes over him, he pointed to her bare ring finger. “I know he paid a fortune for it so y’all gotta be fighting for it to not be on your finger.”  Dominique sighed and rubbed her bare finger. 

“Yeah, I uh- I threw it at him this morning after an argument we had.” 

“About what?” Dominique narrowed her eyes at him as the bartender placed their drinks down in front of them. “Oh, come on. We used to be really good friends when you were Hunter’s assistant.” 

“Fine, He said that loving me was like torture.” 

“No.” He gasped “Why did he say that?” Dominique sighed and picked up her drink, throwing the whole thing back, ignoring the burn it made in her chest. She had made it her main goal to not talk about her relationship with Jon tonight but it seemed like Randy wasn’t letting it go. 

“He wants to get married right now but I don’t want that. And yes it’s been nine months but who cares about that? Why can’t he just be content with us being engaged right now? “ 

Randy nodded as he took in her words. “Listen, i’m about to break bro code right now but, Jimmy loves you to death. When I'm actually in the locker room all he ever talks about is you and how he can’t wait until he gets to see you walk down the aisle and to finally be able to call you his wife.” Dominique blinked back tears as she listened to Randy. 

“This feels very planned.” She said with a watery laugh and Randy laughed too.

“I mean, I did run into him on the elevator earlier and he gave me the same rundown you did.” He chuckled lowly when she rolled her eyes. ‘Listen, I know when two people belong together. And you two belong together. Take it from me. I’ve lost the love of my life being stupid and indecisive with her.” Randy pulled Dom into a hug. “He knows that you're scared but to be honest love is scary but all he wants from you is to show him that you want to get married, go look at dresses, show him some venues or something.”  Randy gave her one last hug before finishing his drink and placed a 20 dollar bill on the bar top then walking away. 

Dominique sucked in a deep breath as she looked around the bar for a sight of Jon, Josh or Joe. It was time to apologize to her man. 

Josh was talking with Ishana about when he spotted Dominique walking towards them. “Here comes Dom.” He said and looked in the direction where he last spotted Jon, his heart dropping into his stomach as he noticed Jon and one of the bottle girls were way too close to each other, and Jon had his hand on her lower back. “The fuck.” 

“You better go over there because if I do imma take that bottle she holdin’ and wack his ass upside his head.” Ishana said as she glared over at Jon. While they were staring at Jon they didn’t notice Dominique had come and stood right next to them and was looking at Jon as well. 

Jon smiled at the bottle girl. He leaned closer so he could hear what she was saying. 

“You’re so much cuter in person” She whispered in his ear, and warning bells went off in his head but he ignored it. If Dominique didn’t want to marry him maybe this girl did. Dom did tell him to go and find someone else right? 

“Thanks baby girl. What’s your name?” He said, flashing her a smile. 

“Kendra.”  He went to say something else but someone bumped into her causing her to trip into him and push him onto the couch with her landing in his lap. He wrapped an arm around her waist so she wouldn’t fall.

“Shit you alright?” He asked her, the fall causing him to spill his drink on her. He tried to help her wipe the liquid off of her but she waved him off. 

“Yeah I'm good.” She bit her lip and looked at him through her lashes. “ I know this is very forward but can I have your number or I can put my number in your phone.” Jon hesitated before handing her his phone. Watching her type her number into his phone felt wrong. The whole interaction felt wrong and he wanted to immediately delete the contact when she handed him back his phone. 

“You gon text me right?” She asked, biting her lip and Jon nodded his head. 

“Yeah imma text you.” He lied. Satisfied with his answer she smiled at him. She stood up off his lap when one of her coworkers called her name. She bent down and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. 

“Wow.” Jon felt his stomach drop. He stood up and turned towards Dominique who was looking at  him with pure disgust. Josh and Ishanna were standing behind her. Ishana looked like she wanted to kill him and his own twin brother was looking at him in disappointment. 

He opened his mouth to say something but Dominique scoffed and stormed out of the section with Ishana hot on her heels.

“You know for being nine whole minutes older than me. You sure are dumb as fuck.” Josh gritted out. 

“That was your girlfriend or something?” Kendra asked, looking in the direction Dominique went. Jon didn’t answer her, he rubbed his hand down his face groaning. 

“That was his fiance.” Josh said, turning his lip up at his brother.  Kendra shrugged and turned towards Jon. 

“Oh well, Don’t forget to text me.” She said before winking at Jon before walking away from them. Josh sucked his teeth and looked at his brother again. 

“Man, whatchu’ still doing here. Go get Dom.” He said but Jon just shook his head and sat back down. 

“I’m too drunk to deal with this right now.” Jon groaned and picked up another shot, downing it before grabbing another. 

“Dom, wait!” Ishana called out, trying to keep up with Dominique. 

“Go back inside. I’m fine.” Dominique said as she wiped some tears that fell.

“No you're not. I’ll go back to the hotel with you.” Ishana watched as her friend wrapped her arms around herself, a telltale sign that she was about to break down. 

“Ishana please, go back inside. I’ll text you once I get back. Promise.”  When Ishana didn’t say anything Dominique looked up at her. “Please.” She pleaded again. Ishana sighed and nodded, giving her friend a firm hug before going back into the club. 

“Out of all the idiotic shit you’ve done over the years. This one takes the cake!” Ishana yelled at Jon. He ignored her and continued to push through the crowd, trying to exit the club. Ishana went to yell at him again but Josh grabbed her arm.

“Chill, he knows he fucked up.” Josh said, but Ishana wasn’t tryna hear it. Josh didn’t see the look in Dominique’s eyes, they didn’t see how broken she looked waiting for her uber. 

“Nah, fuck all that. He needs to understand how bad he hurt her.” 

“Chill.” Josh said again “ He knows.” Ishana just rolled her eyes and continued to walk outside. Already texting Kayla and Leah to let them know what happened. 

“What you gonna do Uce?” Josh asked, watching Jon lean against the outside wall of the club. Jon shrugged, 

“Go to sleep and talk to her tomorrow at the show.” Ishana scoffed, causing Jon and Josh to look over at her. “I’m fucking drunk Ishana. And I'm sure she’s not completely sober either. If I go talk to her, it wouldn’t end well.” 

Ishana scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Fine, you better make this right Jonathan.” 

Dominique quickly thanked the uber driver before hurrying into the hotel and up to her room. She let out a sob as soon as she shut the door. This is why she didn’t wanna get married. After wiping her makeup off her face and changing out of her dress she crawled into bed and cried herself to sleep. The only thought in her mind being that her relationship was over and it was technically all her fault. 

Whew... Trying to add Randy into this chapter was hard as hell and that's why it took so long.

Reblogs, comments, likes, and feedback ALWAYS appreciated ❤ 

[anab-starr]

The List of BG3 OC's... so far

Resist-o-Durge: Oona, The Ghost Spider of Bhaal Szarkai Cleric of Eilistraee/Monk

Born of a ritual where an Underdark cult force-fed the flesh of Bhaal to a drider. She was then unceremoniously dumped above ground at the doors of an Eilistraeean church. Oona grew up with love, compassion, and a firm belief in redemption no matter the crime.

When the Slayer came for her, she razed the Church to the ground after murdering everybody inside.

Canon: Loves Gale Besties w/ Shadowheart & Astarion Hasn't killed any of the named drow. Nere, Drouin, Araj, Minty... all safe!

Yes that includes "he's drow enough" Kar'niss. She just knocked him out, dragged him somewhere safe, and left a moonlantern beside him for when he came to.

Crazy Fanon: Has a li'l Gortling daughter. I imagine the reunion would be Gortash bringing her to his office after she gets rid of Orin and being like "I mean you could kill me instead of helping me, but wow that would really upset OUR CHILD." Oona doesn't know this but the baby is exactly what caused her to rethink her Absolute plans. She didn't want to destroy the world for Father anymore, she wanted the world to be worthy of her Gortling! And maybe she could convince bae to just settle for Archduke of Baldur's Gate! She went to Moonrise Towers to talk to Ketheric about her second thoughts since she felt he'd be most apt to listen whether or not he agreed.

And that's when Orin struck.

Next, ANOTHER DURGE!

Embrace the Durge (for now): Edeva the Black Tiefling Rogue/Assassin

I wanted to do a tiefling version of Origin Durge, I just love the creepy white and red look. I don't know her background yet, I just know she has one rule: TIEFLINGS ARE OFF LIMITS. Everyone else is fair game, but when she walked in on Lump the Enlightened eating a tiefling, she went berserk. She also did not allow Lae'zel to be mean to Zorru.

But those Gnolls... were SO COOL.

Anyway, here's what I have of her: Canon: Crushing on Karlach, no besties yet :( unless you count Sceleritas Fel? Does NOT like Raphael, very much scared of him, even though she's the one who gets that good Devil-D in all my RaphxTav fanfics ^^;; Crazy Fanon: She's Orin's #1 hype gal, believes in her art skills, beat the absolute snot out of Sarevok for, as she puts it, "being mean to my girl". I figure, Sarevok is the driving force behind manipulating Orin into replacing Eva as Chosen because the thinks this Absolute Cult stuff is a waste of time and he feels Bhaal has better uses for Edeva.

My very first Tav, Meadowlark High Elf Druid/Circle of Spores

She's a Bard and a Druid, a happy woman with an 8 year old son who was playing with friends when the Nautiloid showed up. She hopes her kid's ok, neither one of them expected her to be kidnapped and tadpole'd. She did send word via the grove that she was alive and getting home ASAP.

She's giving me wicked Mommy vibes, which is why I felt she should have a child already. No romantic prospects at the moment with how badly she mother-hens her companions. She's especially protective of Lae'zel because of the gith's youth and naiveté.

That being said, she's crushing heavily on Barcus Wroot, and she hasn't met fellow druid Halsin yet...

Funny thing is, she's inspired by someone else's character! A long time ago I was in a Dragon Age fanart group on FB and someone created a mage named Meadowlark. The inspo pic the person used was of an absolutely gorgeous Turkish model. When I saw this face mod (Vamperen's Head's 2.0 I believe) I thought "omg that looks like Meadowlark!" and decided to make her a Tav.

Crazy Fanon: Her son is still in Baldur's Gate waiting for her... just not at home... :/

[bluejay-writes]

Heaven is a Misnomer - Chapter 1

To protect him from his unsafe home life, Jake's mother sends him to the Celestial Realm for an exchange program. Jake faces a pile of Celestial Realm biases, a broken system of oppression, and unlikely friends. This year is going to be unpleasant at best, but he'll survive. Hopefully.

Fandom: Shall We Date?: Obey Me! Rating: Teen, for now. Might bump it up for violence but I don't think it'll get that bad. Chapter 1 Wordcount: 3136 Characters/Relationships: Jake (Exchange student OC) / Raphael (Eventually. This is a slow burn). Michael exists, mentions of all the demon brothers and extras exist, and they appear in some of the middle chapters. A bunch of new OC angels because we don't know enough about the celestial realm in canon. Notes:

Well fam, here we are, as promised. First week of 2024, Jake's story in the Celestial Realm. Bad Khakis. Michael being problematic.

I'm really excited for you all to get to meet the extended OC cast, given that we don't have a lot of named angels in canon! Also the exchange students that got introduced in DD get fleshed out so that you can meet them more as real people. (The more I write of this the more I love Bunny and Aya, honestly.)

I'll be posting a chapter every Tuesday, and given how long the chapters are turning out and how many chapters I've got plotted past what I've written, I hope you're down for another ~100k word ride.

This follows the canon timeline, and is happening simultaneously with "Devils in the Details" which chronicles Nia's first year of the exchange program in the Devildom. If you're here and sad that there aren't a ton more scenes with the demon brothers, well! There's a whole fic for that already! Knowledge of that fic is not necessary to read this one, but the tie ins make it fun!

You can also read this on AO3, if that's your jam!

|| Next Chapter >

Chapter 1: What do you mean, Exchange Program?

“Same time tomorrow, Mr. Costello?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Jake said, a smile plastered onto his face as though it was the most important thing in his world, and that he hadn’t been fighting tears for the last twenty minutes.

He’d been having tutoring sessions over lunch time for his entire high school career.  It had been the cause of no end of strife in his school life, but it was better for him than not.  The tutoring sessions were a cover, of course, for counseling sessions. Therapy. It was something his mother had worked out with the school counselor the moment she knew what school he was going to.  Jake had always been a troubled kid, and his mother wanted to avoid that kind of thing following him to high school.

This of course, was the cause of a ton of rumors that made his life ridiculous, but Jake was the king of gossip and rumors, so he was entirely too happy to either play along or do something completely contrary to what they were spreading that made the rumormongers look like idiots.

On his way to his locker, Jake glanced down at his phone. He still had five minutes before passing time to wolf down his sandwich. He was leaving the bathroom after washing his hands when he practically ran into his bestie Nia making a beeline for the ladies’ room.  She didn’t seem to even notice him, and he pursed his lips.  Great. Something happened while she was reading under the bleachers again.  That was the only real downside to his lunchtime therapy sessions. He never got to have lunch with his bestie, and as much as she claimed to love the time for reading, he knew she was dealing with her own personal hell. People were assholes. Especially their fellow students.

“Jacob, can you see me at my desk, please?”

Jake sighed, stepping up to his Chemistry teacher’s desk.

“Care to explain why you didn’t turn in last week’s assignment? The late work deadline was Monday.” He said, lips pursed in a way that made Jake think of a cranky old woman librarian.

“I did, Mr. Cook.” Of course he did. Jake did all of his homework, it was the one reliable escape at home.

“I have no record of your lab report, nor the associated worksheets.”

Jake bit back his retort. Fighting with Mr. Cook about this never worked, and only got the Chemistry teacher more and more on his case.

“I have the slip you signed when I turned it in.” Jake said, pulling out his binder and getting out the slip in question. He refused to let go of the paper, simply showing it to the teacher. He just knew if he let go of the signed slip that it too would get “lost”.  He didn’t know if Mr. Cook did it on purpose, but his grades were suffering because this man was determined that he never did his work.  The signed turn-in slips were his mother’s idea, after the last parent-teacher conference where his academic reputation had been dragged in the mud. Mrs. Costello was having absolutely none of that, she knew full well how much focus her boy put on his academics.

“Ah. I see that you do.” the teacher said, and seemed to set his jaw. “I will have to look into what might have happened on my end.”

“Please.” Jake said. He was thinking ‘See that you do.’ but he just had this feeling if he said that out loud he’d never hear the end of it. “Is there anything else, Mr. Cook?”

“No, that is everything I need from you, Mr. Costello.”

“Great, can I have a pass to my next class? I still need to stop at my locker, and—“

“You’ll be fine if you hustle.” Mr. Cook said, and then promptly dismissed Jake from his attention.

Jake cursed internally, and walked out of the room as fast as he could - he couldn’t do with being yelled at for running, but he was going to need to pull off the power walk of his life if he didn’t want to be late to his last class of the day.

“Welcome home, Jakey.” his mom said from the kitchen, where she was busily cooking dinner.

“Hey Mom.” Jake said, setting his bag by the stairs and plopping down at the kitchen counter.

“And how was school?”

“I had to show Mr. Cook one of his signed assignment slips today.”

“Seriously? That man gets on my last nerve.” 

Jake watched as his mother chopped ingredients for dinner slightly more aggressively than she had been.

“It should be fine. If not, I can go to the AP’s office and complain directly.”

“Heaven help that man if I have to get involved again.”

“I still think he’s just homophobic and taking it out on me because I’m the one most publicly out at school.”

“It could be, as much as I hate to say it.” his mother said, sliding the chopped vegetables into the skillet. “But maybe we shouldn’t talk about that right now—“

“Talk about what?”

Jake froze at the sound of his father’s voice from behind him. Shit. He’s home early.

“I was thinking it was possible that Mr. Cook is intentionally ‘losing’ my assignments because I’m gay, is all.” Jake trailed off towards the end of his sentence. He knew how this was about to go down.

“Some teacher is losing your things.”

“Yes. I have pr—“

“And it’s because you’re supposedly gay.”

“It could be.”

“So tell him you’re not gay. Then it’s handled.”

“That would be a lie, dad.”

“You’re kidding, right Jacob? This whole thing is a joke, haha, joke’s on old dad.”

Jake looked up at his dad and winced.

“No, I’m not kidding, dad. I’m gay.”  It was probably the fifth time he’d accidentally outed himself to his father.  It wasn’t like his dad was old enough to have Alzheimer's or something, he was just usually too drunk to remember anything the next day.

“Oh Andy, leave the kid be. You know it’s just a phase.”  His mother said from the kitchen, and he winced. That was her way out of this argument every time.  Honestly, all he wanted was his dad to realize that being gay wasn’t the worst thing that a kid could be these days. It wasn’t even that rare for a kid to be gay, especially in the city.

It wouldn’t be that big of a deal, really, his dad not thinking the highest of him, but he knew that when his dad got upset like this… well… it went bad for his mom, real fast.

“Yeah sure, just a phase.”  his dad said, and threw his bottle against the wall.  From the way it splattered, it wasn’t quite empty, either.  Jake didn’t look forward to cleaning that up.

Here we fucking go. Jake thought. He started to say something, but his mother spoke before he could.

“Jake, go to your room.” His mother said, gaining all of his father’s attention.

“What, Marnie. You just going to take his side?” his father spat, and Jake all but sprinted up to his room, grabbing his bag on the way.  There was a reason he always left it against the stairs, much as he wished there wasn’t.

He got into his room and shut his door, practically collapsing into his desk chair. Perfect way to spend a Thursday night, he thought, pulling out his math homework and his phone.

Jake > Nia: Nia, they’re at it again. Nia > Jake: Oh shit. What this time? Jake > Nia: Same shit, different day. Dad found out I’m gay, I guess. Nia > Jake: You came out to your parents more than a year ago!!! Nia > Jake: How many times is this going to happen? Jake > Nia: I don’t know. What can I do? I can’t.. Anything. Nia > Jake: You know you’re always welcome here. Jake > Nia: I can’t leave my mom. Nia > Jake: I know. Hey look on the bright side, tomorrow’s Friday. Jake > Nia: Friday… gods bless Friday, I need my Ma hugs. Nia > Jake: Me too! Also it’s Pizza and Ice Cream Friday. Jake > Nia: Now there’s inspiration to get my math homework done.

Downstairs, more glass shattered, and Jake winced. He just hoped his mom was going to be okay, after this.  He knew he’d hear all about it tomorrow, how much he was a bad son, and did he have any idea what she went through for him…

I really do understand. Jake sighed, and put his headphones on.  The music was far too loud, but it served to drown out the mess that was his home life so that he had a chance to get his homework done.

Now… how was this supposed to work again? A squared plus B squared…

Jake woke suddenly to a hand on his shoulder, and jumped so hard he almost fell off of his bed.

“Sorry Jakey.” his mom said quietly. “Your dad’s out again. I brought you some dinner.” She set the bowl of vegetable-heavy macaroni and cheese on his desk.

“You don’t need to apologize, mom.” Jake said, reaching out to pull his mom into a hug. “It’s not your fault he’s like this.”

“I know, baby. But you deserve better.”  She ruffled his hair, and chuckled. “Looks like we need to trim your sides again.”

“Oh no, am I getting scruffy?”

“Just a little bit.”

Jake felt a strong need to put a hat on. Scruffy did not fit his aesthetic one bit.

Honestly, he wasn’t sure he fit his own aesthetic at all.

Circumstances made it so that he came out of the closet way earlier than he really felt comfortable, but he knew that if he was just himself, but gay, that it would backfire.  So instead, he was flamboyant, expressive Jake.

At least in the privacy of his own bedroom he could be himself. Quiet, melancholy Jake. Much less bright than anyone thought he was.  Anyone but Nia, at least. His bestie knew him inside and out, so at least he had that going for him.

Friday dawned like any other day ending in Y, and Jake hauled himself out of bed and to school. Early, of course, for track practice.  His mornings were utterly incomplete without a long run.  Something that helped him clear his mind and get his school mask settled into place.

Of course, by the time he was in the locker room showering off the sweat and changing out of his running gear, the rumors and gossip were already flying.  There were two new students today. Something about an exchange program.  Jake soaked in as much gossip as he could on his way to his first class. He absolutely had to share this with Nia. Hopefully she was already in class, and there hadn’t been some incident keeping her from her morning reading. It seemed like that kind of week.

Jake bounded into the classroom, glad to see Nia in her usual place.  He plopped down in his chair, facing backwards so that he could chatter at her before class started.

“Nia!!!”

“Morning Jake. Happy Friday.” Nia looked up from her book, casually putting her bookmark in to hold her place. 

“That’s your normal Friday Greeting. Today is not a normal Friday!”

“What?”

“There are new kids!”

“On a Friday?”

“Yep!”

“Their parents are the worst. Why would you start your kids on a Friday, at least wait until Monday.”

I think my dad takes the cake for the worst, but… sure, Nia.

“Okay, okay. I get your point, but like… they’re both seniors. Brothers, apparently. And smokin’ hot.”

“I’ll take your word for it?”

“No way. Between the two of us we have seven classes today. Surely we’ll catch sight of one of them, right?”

“Yeah. Hell of a story to tell ma later.”

“Miss Laney. Language.” Mr. Randall said, entering the room.

Jake rolled his eyes, grateful to be facing away from their teacher initially.

“English, Mr. Randall. Christian jargon, specifically.”

The teacher laughed. “Alright, alright. Good morning.”

At least he was dealing fine with Nia’s pedantic backtalk this morning. Maybe he was excited about new students to teach, as well.  Jake turned himself around in his chair, as the rest of their classmates started to file into the room. Jake was excited to meet the new kids, but he got the vibe from Nia that she could do without adding any new potential bullies to her watch list. He didn’t really blame her for it. She had the worst luck.

After lunch, Jake walked into Chemistry, expecting to have another discussion with Mr. Cook about his homework.  What he wasn’t expecting was for his usually vacant table to be populated… by the two new kids.  Oh, sweet! He’d get to meet them and could tell Nia what to expect in case either of them were choir kids.  The blonde looked… choir-possible. The other… seemed like he’d rather be skipping.  Did he just wink at me?

Jake settled into his usual chair, and engaged immediately with the new kids.

“Hi, I’m Jake, and apparently we’re table buddies now.”

Mr. Tall, Dark, and Handsome - the one who’d winked - grinned. “Hi there, Jake. I’m Diaval. And this,” He gestured to the blonde who looked like someone had taken him off of one of those 90s trashy romance book covers, “is my brother Mark.”

“Pleasure to meet you. Brothers, both seniors…” Jake said, thinking. “Don’t let me sound too stupid here, but you don’t look like twins.”

Mark scoffed. “Please. We’re barely brothers. My father is—“

“Someone entirely different than mine.” Diaval finished, rolling his eyes.

Oh. Jake thought. They don’t get along at all. This is going to be interesting.

He slipped his phone out and sent a few quick texts to Nia, before turning his focus on Mr. Cook, lest he get his phone confiscated.

Jake was looking forward to band.  His last period class, Band usually kept him sane and happy. He was surprised, after their conversations in Chemistry not to see Diaval here in band. He’d seemed like a musical sort. Maybe he was in choir with Nia.

Shaking his head to get the new kids out of it so that he could focus, Jake waved to his fellow percussionists before getting himself settled at the timpani.  He’d just picked up the mallets when the director beckoned him over. Setting the mallets down carefully, he practically flounced over to the director. The man never needed him for anything before, so this was a novel experience. He wasn’t even the percussion lead…

“I just got a call from the office, Jake. Your mother is here.”

Jake blinked. “Why is my mom here?”

“I certainly don’t know.” the director said, shrugging. “But apparently you’re going to be heading out straight from the office today, so grab your bag. I’ll see you Monday.”

Jake knew not to argue. If mom was here to pick him up, there was probably a good reason. Better her than dad, that was for sure.  He’d have to text Nia from the car, though. She’d worry, otherwise.

Of course, he didn’t have to do that, as he ran into Nia in the hallway.

“Oh hey! I have to go to the office—“

“—because my mom is here…”

“Weird.” They said in unison, and weird only began to cover the next few hours.

Their moms had come together. And had taken them out to get fancy coffee. Which was like ten red flashing lights right there. Something was very off.

Of course something crazy was happening. Of course.

“So, you’re saying you signed me up for an exchange program?” Nia said, and the look she was giving her mother over the top of her coffee-adjacent drink was telling.

To be fair, Jake was giving his own mother the same look.

“Isn’t it just supposed to be like, to another country though?” he said, concerned.

“Well…” Nia’s mom started, and his mom interrupted her.

“It was my idea. I didn’t know if you two would get in, but I suggested to Lynn, I mean Nia’s mom, that we could sign you both up so you’d be together.”

“Well, that backfired.” Nia said, bitterly.

“They said you can still text though! And video call, and regular call!” Nia’s mom said, trying to sound excited for them.

“But…” Jake said, not excited about being separated from Nia, and especially displeased about leaving his mom alone with how his dad was being.

“And there’ll be a big dance at the end of the program.” Jake’s mom said, her smile equally fake.

“So you’re saying the two hot guys who just transferred in today are our replacements?” Jake shared a look with Nia. That would explain some things about the supposed ‘brothers’ they’d met.

“Well…”

“In Nia’s case, yeah, literally.” Her mom said. “They’re staying at our place since we have the space…”

“And you’re going to trust them to take care of the girls?” Nia said, cautiously.

“Well, no. I had to take a few months of 8-5s to cover Janice’s maternity leave, so it works out.”

“That is suspiciously convenient.” Jake said with narrowed eyes.

“Jake… There’s a reason we did this. I’m divorcing your father. But It’s going to be messy… and I need to know that you’re safe, okay?”

“So you’re sending me off to Literal Actual Heaven where Angels are from to keep me safe.” Jake was angry. Nia just looked like she was numb. “And you’re sending Nia off to Literal Actual Hell.”

“Technically it’s the Celestial Realm and the Devildom.” His mother said, quietly.

Nia still hadn’t done so much as blink in the last five minutes.

“Adania. Please. Just try it. It’s a year. It’s Room & Board covered, and we have been promised you will both be entirely safe.”

Jake reached out and took Nia’s hand in his, at which point she basically melted, falling over into his shoulder.

“Ugh. Fiiiine. Can we still have pizza and ice cream night?” Nia asked, sighing.  Jake could feel the subtle trembling.

“Yes. But we’re going out for pizza.” her mother said, grinning. “And Marnie’s coming along.”

“What.” Nia said, so blankly it wasn’t even a question.

“Yeah, we’re gonna do the whole arcade thing.”

“Mom, we can’t afford that.”

“With the stipend they’re giving me to house a literal angel and a literal demon? We’re good.”

“Mo-om!”

“Hush. You’re leaving tomorrow. Let me spoil my baby girl.”

Nia rolled her eyes and Jake just laughed. 

A year in Heaven, huh? Wonder if it was going to be anything like Seven Minutes in Heaven. Maybe he’d kiss an angel. Ha. Gay angels. Unlikely. This year was going to suck.

[abimee]

hey!! i was the anon who messaged you last week abt enjoying your ffxiv ocs even before i played the game!! ik i’m a new follow but i remember seeing some of your ffxiv art on my dash in like, 2020? early 2021? and being so intrigued by it at the time that i went through your entire tag for tock even though i had no idea what final fantasy was…

when i was doing the crystal tower quests with my friends & met graha tia for the first time, i was like “oh! i know this guy, i saw a comic about him once!” and had to go and track it down for them. that two-panel comic lived rent-free in my head for two!! years!! i guess lmao.

anyways i am so glad you’re still creating ffxiv art & that you have even more ocs now! i can’t wait to learn more abt them, especially as I play more of the game… finishing hw and being able to understand what this comic was about made me so emotional!! i’m about to start shadowbringers so i’m super excited to Learn More & to read through your oc tags again once i understand everything.

also since you said you’d like to see my WOL here she is!! truly lalafell are so fun to play.

a fellow lalafell player... feels so rare to meet another one, i do content with a xiv discord me and my bestie made and im the only one this low to the floor i feel like im surrounded by trees aaaa

thats really amazing to hear that you saw and remembered that really old tock comic as well.... i hope you really enjoy shadowbringers! my personal favorite expansion is the latest one, Endwalker, but shadowbringers was originally my #1 favorite and introduced me to my all-time favorite character (who you'll meet waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay later in the patches but hes a really funny addition..... i like him so much i cosplayed him for a convention ha). theres a lot of good music and characters and plot beats going on in shadowbringers and some of my favorite content is in there (like the lvl 73 trial i believe it is? and the dungeon before the final trial at the end of main MSQ... i still scream when I hear it's music), and I hope you enjoy it too!

and thank you for being so sweet about my wol ocs.... would love to hear more about what your wol is doing and how shadowbringers goes for them, it really is the expansion worth the hype and i love hearing how other people's wols feel about the events in it especially when it starts hitting lightspeed of WHAT? halfway through aaaa

[elfmoon3]

A Shadowy Mist Chapter 14 (Transformers Animated story)

Pairings: Prowl x Oc and Bumblebee x Oc

Summary: Another agent of The Unknown is going to help the Autobots.

Location: Autobot Hideout in Detroit

Meagan sighed as she heard Bulkhead drove in with Chris and the new agent, Scottie. "MEAGAN!!" A girl in pastel clothes squealed as she hugged her fellow agent. "You're hugging me." Meagan said, Scottie let's go of Meagan. "Oh, sorry, I'm just really happy to see my bestie!!" Scottie said. As Bulkhead transformed into his robot mode after Chris grabbed Scottie's things. "Well, since you already met Bulkhead, let me introduce you to the rest of the Autobots." Meagan said. "Oh, Bulky already put me up to speed." Scottie said "The yellow one is Bumblebee, the two black ones are Prowl and Shadow Mist, the red and blue one is Optimus Prime, the pink and purple one is PixelSpark, and the grumpy red and white one is Ratchet." Scottie added. Meagan is shocked at how accurate Scottie got them all. "Ok, good job. I believe you already know who your Autobot partner is?" She asked, "Well, duh, the pink one." Scottie answered. "Of course." Meagan sighed. "She has a lot of energy." Shadow Mist said to Bumblebee. Then the alarm went off, alerting the Autobots that there's decepticon activity in the city. "Autobots, transform and roll out." He said as he and his team transformed into their vehicle mode, along with their human partners and Sari joining in. The drive off and head to the situation.

Somewhere in town

Weird music was being heard, "What's that music?" Scottie asked, "I recognize that music, it's Soundwave!! And he's fighting a human." Bumblebee said. Meagan got curious about why a decepticon would be fighting a human and losing. "Stay still organic!" He said as he swung Laserbeak in guitar mode against the human's guitar. "How is it that your instrument won't break?" Soundwave asked, "Cause an evildoer like you won't understand what music really is." The mysterious human said with his long black hair covering his face. Soundwave got furious at that comment and was about to attack again, but was shot by a pink laser and turned to see the Autobots. PixelSpark's cannon is aimed at the decepticon. "I'd step away from the human if I were you, Soundwave." She said. Soundwave then noticed Prowl, "Megatron was right. You're back online." He said to the ninjabot. "So you're still in league with Megatron?" Optimus asked. Soundwave then did something he thought he never wanted to do. He transformed into his vehicle mode and retreated. "That was weird. Why didn't he fight?" Bumblebee asked in confusion. "That's a good question, my yellow friend." The mysterious human said, tying his long black hair back. Meagan gasped, "Ash Angel?!" Meagan yelled. "Who's Ash Angel?" Shadow Mist asked. "He's a rock musician that is part of a band called Angels Have Fallen. People say that his guitar is so indestructible that even he can't break it on stage." Meagan explained, "And I guess those rumors are true." She said, "I was on my way to BurgerBot when I saw that evil robot causing havoc. Even though he was evil, I was impressed with his transforming guitar. The instrument was a raven of all creatures." Ash said, "It's been a while since I've had a musical rival." He added. "Well, we're glad that you aren't hurt in any way, Ash Angel." Optimus said. "Well, thanks to you guys and gals. I still would've been." Ash said, "We can give you a ride if you want?" Bumblebee asked. "I guess I don't want to impose or anything." Ash said politely.

Later at BurgerBot

As the Autobots reached BurgerBot, they saw Ash's bandmates who hurried towards him, "Ash, where were you, man?" His drummer asked, "Ran into some trouble with the help of these nice folks." Ash said as the Autobots transformed into their robot mode after their human partners got off. "WHOA!" The bass player of the band said in excitement.

To be continued...

[1kook]

card swiped (4)

→ jeon jungkook x (f) reader

→ “I’ve known Jungkook was a virgin since he first tried to tell me he wasn’t,” you tell him, arms crossed over your chest. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows.” GENRE romance (romcom?), eventual smut, teensy angst WARNING mentions of a hand job, talk of virginity OTHER college crushes, volleyball player!jk, student council president!oc, idiots to lovers, besties to lovers, childhood friends au RATING m (18+) bc brief sex ment WC 1.6k

NOTES (!) sorry for taking so long to update </3 school be kicking my ass. anyway here they are! an idiot couple. lmk what u think!!

[ masterlist ] 

In the past, whenever something had bothered you, the first person you ran to was Jungkook. Low grades, fights with your parents, boy drama— as your best friend and number one confidant, Jungkook was always your first choice. He was always willing to lend you a shoulder to cry on, even if that meant staining his white t-shirts with streaks of your mascara. He was always ready to go beat up a mean boy who had hurt your feelings during lunch, even if he’d miss his favorite special. And he was always down for some good old fashion i hate my parents ranting, even if he adored your parents. He was a great listener, an even better best friend, and had rightfully won you over from a very young age. 

That being said, how were you supposed to talk to Jungkook about something that bothered you when that something was him? 

You could easily tell any of your numerous girl friends, those of which would probably understand your predicament better than Jungkook or any man ever could. But after years of vehemently denying any notion of a romantic relationship between the two of you, you get the feeling your call for help will be met with more unimpressed glares than actual assistance. Besides, as much as you bring up Jungkook, none of them really know Jungkook to truly offer you any worthwhile advice. 

Your next option: Kim Taehyung. Now, Kim Taehyung held a similar background as Jungkook (translation: he also went to the same high school as you). He knows both you and Jungkook—frankly, more than you’d like him to—so he would be able to dissect the issue easily and offer trustworthy advice. The problem with Kim Taehyung, however, is that aside from knowing you at your embarrassingly dorky teenage prime, he doesn’t know how to keep a secret. Anything he knows, Jungkook knows. So if you were to, hypothetically, ask Taehyung for advice on Jungkook, well. Chances are, you’d probably get a rather confused text from Jungkook two minutes later. 

Which leaves you with one option— Park Jimin. There’s a reason Park Jimin isn’t your first option, and that reason presents itself now as you glare at him from across the empty room. For as long as you’ve been in university, Jimin has always lingered around the student council meetings, giving everyone he sees the prettiest, meanest stink-eye. You suspect it’s because he waits around for Min Yoongi, your Vice President (which isn’t an issue; Jungkook also frequents student council meetings while waiting for you), and doesn’t really care for anyone else. Your problem with Jimin doesn’t lie there but rather with the fact he’s adamant on taking up space and not lending so much as a finger to help. 

Today he is sitting with his feet on the table, dirty volleyball bag tossed on the floor. He’s watched you for the last fifteen minutes wrestle with the broken copy machine and hasn’t said a word since. He pretends he doesn’t see you struggling, because if he does, he’d be obligated to help you. 

To summarize, Park Jimin may be the fastest libero your university’s volleyball team has seen in years, but he’s a good-for-nothing bum everywhere else. 

And despite all that, he’s your best choice. There’s no one quite as blunt and honest as Park Jimin. There’s no one in this world who truly doesn’t care enough about anyone’s problems to gossip about them as Park Jimin. You plop down beside him, rumpled papers in hand. Without warning, you jump straight into it. “Jungkook is going to take my virginity,” you announce, like it’s the most casual thing in the world. If any of your fellow student council members heard you, you’re certain you’d shrivel up and die. 

Jimin hums. “That’s nice.” His eyes don’t leave his phone, thumb hovering over his screen. It’s a testament to how much he truly does not care. His extended silence plants a seed of doubt in you— was this the right person to tell? you begin to worry. But after a beat, Jimin’s thumb taps against his screen and he says, “Jungkook is a virgin.” 

You clench your jaw. “I know.” 

The thing about Jimin is, with the right wording, you can get him interested in something. Not interested enough to genuinely care, but interested enough to at least listen and offer his own piece of straightforward advice. His thumb comes to a standstill over his phone, eyes momentarily going blank. It’s a minute gesture, one that’s taken you four years of paying attention to catch. Just as quickly as it appears, it’s gone. “Really,” Jimin sighs, back to, you now realize, playing CandyCrush on his phone. “You’re gonna let a virgin take your virginity.”

Not a question, but you nod anyway. “Yup.” 

There’s sweat building on the back of your neck, nerves at an all time high, but you’re trying to play it off. Just a little bit more and you know you’ll have caught him. Beside you, Jimin’s jaw twitches. 

Finally, after what seems like an eternity of trying to act calm, Jimin clicks his phone off and turns to you. He’s as intimidating as ever, ash blonde hair pushed back today to reveal his forehead and dark eyes. “You’ve known Jungkook was a virgin this whole time?” he asks, has this calculating look in his eyes that makes you feel like you’re being questioned by an officer of the law and not the shortest person on the volleyball team. 

With a practiced air of nonchalance, you shrug. “I have,” you confess, and it’s the truth. 

While you may have been initially fooled that night two years ago, you weren’t that oblivious. Oh, you knew clear as day that Jeon Jungkook was still a virgin, just as well as you knew that he religiously washed his sheets every weekend or that he had a specific color coded system for his underwear drawer. Jungkook was a fool to try and lie to you, not only because you had found out, but because you had found out that very next morning. 

It had been subtle. The night at the party, you had watched on with a throbbing heartache as some pretty girl led Jungkook up a set of stairs, had barely fought off a wave of emotion when he returned twenty minutes later, his hair a rumpled mess. “Did you… ?” you had mumbled, pressed closely against him by the back door. Your eyes had been glassy, from your emotions and from the drunken stupor you had gotten yourself into while he was away, wondering what he was doing. A sense of jealousy you would never admit to had curled around your heart. His hand had landed on your hip then. He smelled like flowers and vanilla, a smell unlike his own. Your heart clenched, hand mindlessly reaching up to cup his jaw, so drunk and heartbroken, you couldn’t stop yourself from trailing your fingers along his pretty cheekbones. 

Jungkook had graced you with a simple nod, and then, “do you wanna leave now?” 

You’d left, stumbling down Greek road on your way back to his dorm. Jungkook had held your hand the whole way, tucked you into his twin bed, and then promptly knocked out on the floor between his and Taehyung’s beds. The latter was nowhere to be found, wouldn’t appear until the next morning when he’d accidentally step on Jungkook’s ankle and wake both of you up. 

Jungkook had yelped, and your eyes had fluttered open. You remember debating rolling over, checking on him like you wanted to, but Taehyung was already there doing just that. So you had laid still instead, listened as the two boys clattered around the room. They chatted mindlessly, about the party and tomorrow’s practice. Taehyung had been bragging about some girl he’d slept with last night. “What about you?” he had asked, and your breath caught in your throat. “Did you and…”—a pause, the distinct ruffle of fabric—“finally?” 

“What— no,” Jungkook had said, and you felt the bed dip as he sat down on the edge beside you.

Taehyung pushed on with a snort. “Well, did you get lucky at all?”

Jungkook groaned, placed one warm hand on your back soothingly. You tried your best to level out your breathing, relaxed your facial expression as you clung to the sound of his voice. “Just a handjob. Some girl I didn’t even know. Does that count?” You could hear your heartbeat in your ears, felt it beneath your fingertips when you fisted the sheets. 

And that curt admission sat in the back of your mind everyday for two years. 

You turn to Jimin. “I’ve known Jungkook was a virgin since he first tried to tell me he wasn’t,” you tell him, arms crossed over your chest. “I’m pretty sure everyone knows.”

Jimin lets out a low whistle. “You’re smarter than I thought,” he grins, this conniving little smile that is a genuine cause for concern. “So you’re letting him think you don’t know?” You nod. Jimin’s smile grows. “My, my. If I had known you were this evil, maybe we would’ve hung out more.” 

You roll your eyes. “I’m not evil,” you insist, flicking him on the nose. Jimin huffs indignantly. “I think what he’s doing is sweet…” you confess, feel your entire body heat up as you recall that wide-eyed look Jungkook had given you just yesterday afternoon, your kiss print fresh on his cheek. “And, well,” you look down at your shoes. “I used to dream about him being my first.” 

Jimin groans. “You two make me sick.”

Copyright © 2021, 1kook on tumblr. absolutely NO reposts allowed.

[for-the-ninth]

Welcome to DWC! an OC Codex prompt :) : something written about your OC by a shop keeper

YESSS you read my mind! I was hoping for a codex prompt. Thanks for being my first for @dadrunkwriting!!! This one is about Zevriel Lavellan, Shielan's childhood bestie.

Met one of them strange elves today—Dalish, I think they're called. Had tattoos all over his face. When I asked about 'em, he grinned and lit a funny smelling cigarette, but didn't answer. Nice enough fellow, though a little chatty for me. Had quite a lot of questions about my wares, particularly the knives. Made me take 'em all out and spread 'em across the counter—said he was looking for a big one. Then, he asked if I could set up a dummy for him to practice on. Strange thing is, I let him. Didn't even question it. Then, he thanked me for the knife and walked out the door. Wasn't until he left that I realized he hadn't paid, and by then I couldn't find the bastard. Gave him that knife like he was an old friend asking for a favor. Why did I do that?

[carynsilver]

Favorite Fics: Drarry Edition

Like I mentioned last time, reading has been a big comfort to me with all this craziness and sheltering at home, so I want to pay it forward and send love to some of the writers whose work has been brightening my quarantine. Thanks, guys!

For this list, we’re leaving the MCU for a while and heading over to the Wizarding World. I liked Harry Potter when it came out, but I never really read much fanfic until I realized a couple of years ago how much a redeemed Draco fit into the redemption trope that I loved in Harringrove, LoVe, SnowBaz, and other fandoms and ships. Once I started perusing the fics out there, I realized that one of the strengths of this fandom is the length and quality of the stories. I love stories that are a meal, and Drarry provides so many!

As I’ve gotten into the ship (so many years late, lol), these are my top 10 favorites.

dirtynumbangelboy by @magpiefngrl

This is probably the Drarry fic that I most enjoy. I come back to it fairly often when I need just a good read in the HP world. Fake dating is one of my absolute favorite tropes, which made this one an automatic win for me, but it’s written with such heart. I really, really love Draco in this fic. His uni studies and his flat being so different from the diffident image he projects. This is also probably the best Astoria I’ve ever read. Also--Jam Today! Read it now!

Do It All Over Again by DracoWillHearAboutThis

I only discovered this series earlier this year, and I’ve already read it at least three times from beginning to end. It’s a re-telling of the original series starting from Book 1. Draco sends himself a letter from the future basically saying that his dad is wrong, and he needs to give up his pure blood ideals and befriend Harry, then--boom--the Golden Trio’s adventures all happen with Draco in tow (and eventual romance, of course). The plot is fairly similar to the actual series, but I am there for the angst and the character growth. Narcissa kicks ass in this ‘verse, and Draco/Hermionie as besties is a treat! Book 4 and Book 6 are both amazing. And her titles are hilarious. This is the only series on my list that is still a WIP, but there’s plenty to read. Books 1 - 6 are complete, and a new chapter for 7 comes out every two weeks. It’s a safe bet so far, and it’s so good--why wait?

A Secondary Education by Thunderbird587

In this fic, Draco takes a job as Potions Professor at Hogwarts after getting divorced under horrible circumstances and renews his acquaintance with Harry, who is the DADA Professor. It’s got a bisexual awakening, and manages to combine friends with benefits with some supreme pining. Like a whole pine forest. Thunderbird587′s Draco POV is so fleshed out, and yet it also lets us see how Harry is pining, even when Draco himself doesn’t. Plus, at over 200K, it is long enough to get lost in for ages, which is perfect right about now. And when you finish the main fic, there are three other ancillary fics, two in Harry’s POV that take place during the main one. The cufflinks one is my favorite, but the writing is so good that I even thoroughly enjoyed the third sub-fic that fleshed out an OC. So, so worth the read--all of it!

The Foundations!verse by Saras_Girl

All of the fics by Saras_Girl are great. You can’t go wrong with any of them. But Reparations, Foundations, and all the little one-shots after are my favorite. It honestly surprised me at first, because alcoholism is a trigger for me, but this fic actually helped me realize that it’s the addiction part, the fall to rock bottom that triggers me. Recovery stories are different. And, I guess, this one is a bit different in that, though it has plenty of characters recovering, Draco himself is actually in a healthy place and facilitating recovery without relapsing. Harry is a Healer in this one, which is not the usual, and I quite enjoy his other relationships in this ‘verse, as well. He, Ron, and Hermione’s friendship is great in this one (their pub nights crack me up), but I also really like Harry’s friends at St. Mungo’s. My second favorite Terry Boot ever, and two awesome OC chicks. And the process of Drarry going from can’t stand each other to in love is slow and prickly and yet really believable. Oh, and Harry and Narcissa’s relationship in this one is just fabulous.

Golden Age by zeitgeistic (faire_weather)

The Hufflepuff in me was bound to fall in love with this fic. I really enjoy Eighth Year fics, especially the ones that embrace inter-house unity (shouldn’t have taken them a war to see the need for that!). This one takes it to a new level when everyone in... I think it was 6th - 8th years were resorted at the welcome feast, and the whole 8th year dynamic is shaken up. Harry, Draco and Neville become Hufflepuffs; Hermione and Pansy become Ravenclaws; Ginny becomes a Slytherin; and somehow Ron and Blaise are the ones who stay in their houses because the hat thinks they are basically the uber Gryffindor and Slytherin. But with the rest of them, we get to see them embrace other facets of their personalities, which is super interesting. And then, after the resorting, we find out that Hufflepuffs have a whole different world going on that basically no one outside their house knows about, and that world is brilliant. Even Hufflepuff food in the Great Hall is different! Everyone would enjoy this story, I think, but if you are a ‘Puff, you really, truly should not miss it. And if you like this one, check out some of zeitgeistic’s other works. Her world building is fabulous.

Life skills outside the curriculum by Endrina

In this fic, Harry gets fed up with the Dursleys before his 11th birthday and runs away before he gets his Hogwarts letter. He ends up on the streets and somehow embraces this kind of instinctual magic that is really fascinating. A few years later, Draco runs away rather than get involved more closely with the Dark Lord, and of course they meet up. This whole fic is super compelling. Harry’s world view and the way people gravitate toward him even without chosen one status. Also, this fic has one of my favorite versions of Remus and Sirius ever. I really wish there was a part two that went in depth on everything that happened after the end of this one, but even on its own it is so worth the read. And everything is wrapped up. I’m just greedy and would’ve loved more. :-)

A Convenient Impracticality by @firethesound

This fic combines friends with benefits and fake dating into a really enjoyable story. Harry is so oblivious, but it all works out in the end. And Draco is a secret mastermind, but in a good way. So is Hermione. Unlike some of the other, angstier stories on my list, this one is so fun, and I love it. And if you like it, check out more of firethesound’s work, as well. It’s worth it!

you’ve got the antidote for me by kandakicksass

And then, back on the angst train, lol. Soulmates, red string of fate, rejected bond = terminal disease. Whew! There’s a lot to unpack in this one, but after I read it, I never forgot it. I read a lot of fic in a lot of fandoms, and I always know a story is going to become a favorite if it stands out so much that I remember it later and think about it. That surely happened here.

(We’ll Call This Fixer-Upper) Home by phdmama

This is one of the first fics I read on my first Drarry binge, and I’ve always remembered it. Just like I love Eighth Year and Hogwarts professor fics, I also love fics where they have really unexpected jobs--pretty much anything other than Aurors. In this one, Harry is an artist/photographer and Draco is an up-and-coming rock star. The music and art, the creativity is important in this fic, but it also really looks at Draco’s recovery after the war in ways I haven’t read since, and I’m also a sucker for our favorite characters actually addressing and recovering from their trauma. 

Boom Clap (The Sound of My Heart) by @femmequixotic and noeon (noe)

This fic takes the Eighth Year trope to the next level. Draco, Harry, Hermione, and some other faves are teaching fellows at Hogwarts. Junior professors, kind of. It read like if the HP crew went to college. And, of course, Draco and Harry fall in love along the way, but not without much angst and obliviousness. I really enjoy the Draco POV in this. His worries and anxieties feel so real for that stage in his life, but amped up because of the past. This was one I read, never forgot, and then had to go back and find so i could read it again.

So, those are my top 10, but there is lots of other good Drarry out there--both from these authors and all the others in the ship and the fandom. Thanks for all the writing you guys do.

Oh, and tagging @virtual-insomnia, but only because she said she might want to make some quarantine fic lists of her own. :-)

[xmagicxshopx]

Rush Hour Pt 1

Genre: Action Adventure, Angst, Romance, Comedy Rating: PG-13 - M Warnings: drug trafficking, human trafficking, language, smut (in pt 2) Pairing: officer!jungkook x reader , officer!taehyung x oc (Nari) Notes: AU fic. Not idol!bts. Single quote marks ‘ ‘ are for thoughts and double “ “ are for talking. Additional Notes: Thank all the crime shows my parents watch for this. XD Not to mention I love the Rush Hour movies. @u@

Tagging: @grxnadxs​

Summary: You and your best friend are being framed for a crime you didn’t commit and there’s only two people who believe you. Agent Inspector Jeon of the Busan Police Department and Detective Kim of the Daegu Police Department. Can they rescue you before it’s too late?

MASTERLIST

Organized Crime.

South Korea’s biggest enemy.

Financial fraud, drug trafficking, weapons smuggling, human trafficking. It was all because of organized crime and it made the police departments absolutely sick. A beast they couldn’t contain, let alone kill. Drugs were their biggest problem, really. And what drugs couldn’t produce in real cash flow, fake won made up for it. Sickening. Absolutely sickening.

“Detective Kim---Agent Inspector Jeon has arrived.”

Having been standing there watching the city with his steaming mug of hot chocolate because he’s not a coffee drinker, he simply turned his head to the officer-in-training and smiled a friendly smile before nodding his head and saying casually,

“Let the asshole in.”

“Hey, I heard that, asshat!”

Detective Kim, more commonly known as Kim Taehyung, just laughed as he set his mug down to greet one of his best friends and favorite partners in law enforcement. Walking through the door was one chuckling Jeon Jungkook, otherwise known as Agent Inspector Jeon. After performing their super secret handshake, the both of them took a seat in which Jeon sighed heavily.

“They briefed me on the situation. One of them is from Busan so they sent me over. It’s a pretty ugly case. This organization seems to have quite the record.”

“No kidding. Drug and human trafficking?? Disgusting. Makes me sick.”

Jungkook watched his older bestie tossing the folder full of files onto his desk and he couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Kim Taehyung was a good man. An honest and traditional man. Someone who one day wanted to settle down and have a family. A wife and kids. He cherished his fellow human beings so human trafficking always hit harder for him than anything else.

“Hey. We’ll catch them, hyung. They’re going to slip up and that’s when they’ll hang themselves with their own rope. In fact, it sounds like they might already have. It says they’re on the run. Armed and dangerous. But we’re more dangerous. Besides....”

Kim looked away from the window once more to see what his younger friend might be trying to say. The sight before him made the male snort and shake his blonde head in amusement. Jeon Jungkook had since stood up from his seat and was standing in a fighting position while saying with confidence that only he could pull off,

“I’ve been taking boxing lessons. These dirt bags won’t see me coming.”

“Whatever you say, Jeon. Whatever you say.”

Meanwhile, on a train heading out of Daegu.....

“I’m scared....”

You could hardly hear your best friend and honestly you couldn’t blame her. Both of your voices were hoarse from the lack of hydration. The first thing you’d do once getting to the next town would be trying to buy some bottles of water. Your tongue felt like sandpaper. Trying your best to comfort the female next to you, you simply reeled her in and let her head rest on your shoulder.

Criminals.

In the eye of the public, that’s what you were.

The world knew you both as criminals but the world couldn’t be farther from the truth. You two were just a pair of best friends who had found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Simple on paper but oh-so complicated in all actuality. With an internal sigh, you gently stroked your best friend’s raven locks as you spoke up softly,

“It’s going to be okay, Nari. I’m going to take care of us. Just stick with me and everything will be fine.”

Nari, your best friend of four years, nodded gently against your shoulder as she shifted a little closer in the bus seat the two of you were sharing. Honestly, the two of you weren’t used to the silence of the bus. The life you both had been living for the last four months was anything but silent. Guns, violence, moving from home to home. It was all so chaotic.

Human trafficking.

You were no longer considered a person. No. You and your best friend had become objects to be used by scum bags who called themselves men. To be used as they saw fit. Whether it be as a cover-up for a smuggling operation or to release sexual frustration, you were no longer considered a human being. It may have only been for four months, but it’s been the longest four months of your lives.

“Once we get off the bus, I’ll get us a hotel room, okay? I managed to knock the one guy out and grab his wallet. Let’s just hope this won is legit and not fake. Otherwise we’re screwed.”

You didn’t want to scare Nari, but you had to be realistic too. The situation was not pretty but you were going to do your very best to make this as easy for her as possible. Your best friend was a soft and sensitive soul so naturally this was extremely hard on her. Not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally. The physical scars would heal, but the mental and emotional? That was a whole other ballgame.

“Let’s get off here. Surely there’s a hotel or motel near by. If not, we can always ask around.”

Back at the Daegu Police Department....

“Okay. So your prime suspects are two females, both in their 20s and South Korean natives. Squeaky clean criminal records. Not even a parking violation.”

Both Taehyung and Jungkook found themselves sporting identical expressions of confusion as their eyebrows knitted together. While the younger of the two was staring at the huge TV screen that had the suspects’ passport photos on display, Taehyung was looking through each of their files and couldn’t believe his eyes.

“The one was going to school to be a kindergarten teacher with a minor in journalism while the other has an online degree in Police Science and has taken several self-defense classes.”

While the blonde detective was rattling off more information from the files, Min Yoongi who was Daegu’s Intelligence Analyst was bringing up those very same records up on the screen for Jungkook to look over as well. Dang. It was hard to believe these girls were their prime suspects.

“The files go on to say the university student, Nari, was currently shadowing a kindergarten class when she went missing four months ago. The Police Science graduate was currently working at a cafe in Busan when she too went missing four months ago.”

“So they were together when they went missing?”

Just as Yoongi and Taehyung were about to wager a guess to the younger’s question, a new voice entered the room as a young man that went by the name of Jung Hoseok strolled in. Hoseok, or otherwise known as Hobi, was a Forensic Psychologist and had been brought it to try and figure out why two girls with absolutely no prior criminal records would be suspects in one of South Korea’s largest drug trafficking ring.

“Possibly. According to their records, they live at the same address. An apartment building on the shadier side of town. Judging from their day jobs, I would say it was all they could afford. The Busan girl commutes.”

Jungkook turned around to look at the older males with his hands stuffed in his pockets, expression pensive as he stood there in deep thought before asking out loud,

“So maybe they did it for the money?”

With a casual shrug, Hoseok looked to the TV screen where the records and photos were on display. It just didn’t add up to him. He had dealt with a lot of cases and in all his years of forensic psychology, he had never seen anything quite like this. But then again.....

“It’s not uncommon for financial stress to drive a person to commit crime. For now, they’re probably going to be your only suspects. They were seen on the storefront’s security footage with the bag as they fled the scene. Looks like it was a deal gone South.”

It was then that Yoongi pressed a button on his tablet and brought up the exact footage Hobi was referring to. The four young men watched as the two female suspects approached two men who were twice their size. Again. It didn’t make sense to Hobi. This was a professional ring. Why would a ring leader who was supposedly one of the smartest men in crime......be sending in two puny girls in their 20s to perform a hand-off???

“Looks like the one put her self defense lessons to good use. But she’s lucky neither one of them got shot.”

While Yoongi spoke in his usual calm tone, the rest of the boys watched on as the footage soon revealed the spat that took place. One man was knocked out and Taehyung could see one of the girls swiping his wallet. The last few seconds of the recording was of the girls running off while leaving the bag behind. The bag was then taken by the two men who ran in the opposite direction. Dang.

“Okay, Hobi hyung. Put your brain to work. Why would those girls try to fight when they were just going to let them have the drugs anyway? What’s the purpose here? The only crimes they committed were assault and stealing a dirt bag’s wallet.”

The psychologist took a moment to consider the young inspector’s questions. Yes. What was the purpose of the whole transaction??? All the girls got away with was a wallet and who knows if it had any actual won in it. Even if it did, the odds of the won being legit were slim to none. Still......it wasn’t adding up......there was more to this story here. That’s for sure. It was then that Taehyung spoke up as he said in an authoritative tone,

“Okay. Jeon---call in Jimin from your guys’ Busan department and have him interview the cafe manager and the staff. You and I are gonna take a trip to the kindergarten class Nari was shadowing and see if the teacher might have any insight. Maybe they got close while working together.”

He then turned to the older males in the room and added in the same tone but with more softness and naturally more respect,

“Yoongi hyung, if you can get me any further footage, maybe even some traffic cams, I’d greatly appreciate it. Maybe we can track down where they ran off to. Hobi hyung, try to take a closer look at the footage we already have. Maybe you can spot something we aren’t looking at. See if you guys can enhance the video any. Get a closer look.”

With that, the four men went to work. Innocent or not, these two women needed to be found because they could be the key to bringing down the largest drug trafficking ring in South Korea.

“There’s a convenience store. Want to grab some supplies and food and then find a place to stay?”

After receiving a timid nod from Nari, you offered her a warm smile and gently tugged her along as the two of you headed into the store. There was plenty of won in the wallet you had swiped so thankfully they could afford the necessities without having to skimp. Shampoo, body wash, water, and food. Pretty simple. Well maybe some toothbrushes and paste as well. The two of you felt absolutely disgusting and probably looked just as much.

The hotel room would probably have little bottles of shampoo and body wash, but you planned to douse yourselves in both. Now that you got to thinking about it, both of your hair looked like rats nests. Comb and brush. Okay. The list was getting longer but still. You both were a little more than ready to start feeling human again. Could anyone blame you???

Once picking out the cheapest shampoo and conditioner you could find, you went to go pick up a bottle of body wash that was just as cheap. You guys didn’t need to be in a beauty pageant, just clean. After picking a brush and comb both, you gently tugged your bestie along with you to have her pick out some food.

Ever since the human trafficking started, Nari had nearly completely shut down. She became quiet and shut off. It was hard for even you to get her to speak. Like the few moments they had alone together while waiting for their next ‘owner’ to arrive and take them ‘home’. It was so heartbreaking because your best friend was once a ray of pure sunshine. A light in the darkness.

And now she had become part of the darkness.

“Okay, Ri, what sounds good for dinner tonight? I think some instant noodles are calling our name.”

You would have loved to just call room service. However, for two reasons, you didn’t go that route. One, it wasn’t essential and therefore you didn’t want to risk wasting your limited funding on it. Two, you didn’t want to give the organization or the authorities any ammo that might help either one of them track you both down. Oh how you wanted to use this guy’s credit cards. But you knew better. Credit Cards were so easy to trace back. It was safer to use the won notes.

After allowing Nari to pick out her bowls of instant noodles, you picked out some as well before buying a loaf of bread and some peanut butter. Carbs. You both needed carbs desperately. The organization and all of your ‘owners’ hadn’t exactly taken the best care of you. Apparently you didn’t need to have a pretty or healthy body to be a sex toy. Go figure. With all of your hygienic items in one basket and the food in the other, you gently tugged your bestie along so that the two of you could pay for the items and get the heck of here.

Coughing up more notes than you wanted to, everything was paid for and the two of you were soon out into the world once more. Honestly, the weather was perfect for a nightly stroll. It had been so long since you felt so.....free. Granted you were currently on the run but you’d take what you could get. Just before you had left the store, you asked the employee on the other side of the counter if there were any hotels close by. Turns out there was. Thankfully just a block away from the store.

“Come on, Ri. Let’s get a roof over our heads and some food in our bellies. You can have first dibs on the shower. It’s gonna be okay, bestie. We’re gonna be just fine.”

You could only hope you didn’t turn into a liar. Going over it all in your head, you were pretty confident that you wouldn’t be found. At least not for a few days. But your mind was already thinking of the next steps to take. Thinking and calculating. You knew better than to think you could be on the run forever. No. You just needed a bit of time before contacting the authorities and explaining the situation; hoping they’d hear you out.

“Morning, Jeon.”

“Morning, hyung. Ugh. I didn’t sleep a wink last night. Just kept thinking about those girls. Makes no sense.”

It was a new day and the game plan was simple. Information gathering. After that, the pair would get together with Yoongi and Hobi to analyze the data collected. Meanwhile, Yoongi was going to try and see if he could use traffic cams to map out where exactly the two girls went. They could still be in Daegu for all they knew. Hobi’s job was to pick apart the suspects’ body language and see if there was anything he could identify that might help them figure out why the girls are even their prime suspects. That part still didn’t add up with any of them.

Okay so maybe not such a simple plan. But it was a plan all the same.

“It was a good call to wear something casual. We wouldn’t want to scare the kiddos.”

Taehyung honestly hadn’t thought about it till late last night. He too had a hard time sleeping. All he could think about was the girls. There was this nagging feeling telling him these girls were innocent. He highly doubted they were armed let alone dangerous. Speaking of, as he popped the trunk to his personal vehicle, he said casually,

“Probably ought to hide the guns too. These kids are young but you know how they pick up on every little thing that’s out of the ordinary.”

“Good point. You’re batting a thousand today, hyung. I’m gonna have to up my game if I’m going to keep up with you.”

“Just put your mad boxing skills to good use should something go south and we’ll be square.”

Chuckling softly, the two made their way into the building and showed the receptionist their badges before being escorted to the kindergarten classroom Nari had been shadowing. It was odd to be working in something other than their usual suit and tie. Jungkook could get used to working in his button up shirt and skinny jeans. The two could hear lots of giggling and it warmed Taehyung’s heart. God how badly he wanted to be a dad. But he needed to focus. This was a job. Not a field trip. He couldn’t let his feelings get involved.

“Good morning, Mrs. Lee. I’m Detective Kim Taehyung and this is my partner Agent Inspector Jeon Jungkook. If you have a moment, we’d like to ask you a few questions concerning the girl who was shadowing your class. She disappeared a little over four months ago. Her name is Nari. Do you remember her?”

Turns out this Nari girl was quite the ray of sunshine to be around. Naturally shy upon first meeting but once she got comfortable, she was a bit of a chatter box. Kind of cute, really. She got along great with the kids and when she had first disappeared, they immediately picked up on it and kept asking where she was. The class had even made get well cards after being told that she was simply not feeling good and needed some time off.

The whole thing silently broke Taehyung’s heart. This Nari sounded like his dream girl. Aside from the criminal part. Which still didn’t make sense. This girl enjoyed reading, writing, anime, and kids. She enjoyed several things that he too enjoyed. It was a shame to think that she possibly turned to organized crime. But for what? What was the incentive to just drop everything and turn to crime? She had such a beautiful life and it seemed like it was something she was still working on building. Why just abandon it?

“Okay, Jeon. Playtime’s over. Let’s go.”

His partner had been of little help during the questioning. However, it wasn’t entirely Jeon’s fault. The kids were insistent that he play with them. Who was a man to deny so many sets of puppy eyes??? That was how Taehyung found his younger partner currently being used as a human jungle gym. He had a kid hanging off each arm as he flexed his arm muscles to help hold them both up. A little girl was giggling and squealing in happiness as she had been placed on his shoulders, hugging his face to keep herself from falling. What a dork.

“Okay, kids. Let Mr. Jeon go so he can get back to work. And what do we say to others who play nicely with us?”

“Thank you, Mr. Jeon!”

The chorus of high pitched voices was so endearing. Perhaps Jungkook was starting to see why his hyung wanted to be a father so badly. These little ones weren’t so bad. Well that was probably a result of good parenting. Not to mention it sounded like the teacher was trying to set good examples for them too. After smiling to the kids and trying to dodge their questions of whether or not they’d be seeing him again, Jungkook quickly made his exit with his partner who was smiling and shaking his head in amusement.

Kids. Go figure. It was then that both agents heard Yoongi coming in through their ear pieces. Taehyung had just been popping the trunk back open to get their guns when the Daegu native started speaking in a calm but rushed voice,

“You two better get back to the office. Hobi made a huge discovery that’s going to change this into a whole different ballgame.”

Well that didn’t sound good.

Making haste, the two drove from the school parking lot and headed straight for the station. It wasn’t often that Yoongi sounded so urgent. He was usually pretty cool, calm, and collected. That’s what made him such an awesome analyst. He was able to look at things with a clear head. It was a trait that many in the department wish they had as well. Arriving in the information room where the male worked, Taehyung said in a breathless tone,

“What you got for us, hyung?”

But it was Hoseok that spoke up in reply; his tone grave.

“Your suspects just turned into victims.”

Wait what???

Meanwhile, you were up bright and early. It was easy and yet difficult to sleep all at the same time. The exhaustion had knocked both you and Nari out the second your heads hit the pillows of your shared king sized bed. However, it seemed like you were awake every other hour. Your body screamed sleep but your mind was on full alert. It was hard to sleep peacefully when you knew danger could be around every corner. You could open your eyes and find yourself right back in the jaws of danger.

It was exhausting, really. But this was your reality for the time being. Looking away from the window, you peered over at the sleeping figure in the bed. Poor Nari. She looked so small and frail laying there in that big bed. It was comforting to see her getting some sleep. Hopefully dreamless and restful. Last night had been wonderful. Their first night where they weren’t held in some kind of captivity. No disgusting cages or dirty food and water. For the first night in four months, they were just two girls hanging out. No longer objects. But humans.

They were humans again.

Deciding it was safe to take a shower, you tiptoed your way to the bathroom and just cracked the door so that it wouldn’t let all the steam out. Gosh the shower last night had been amazing! Hot water, soap. It was wonderful! The both of you had brushed your teeth twice just for good measure too. While you allowed the water to warm up, you thought about the tasks at hand today. The plan sounded simple but it was going to be tricky regardless.

A disguise. You both needed a disguise. Just until you could get your thoughts together and a plan for when you notified the authorities. You didn’t want to just go waltzing in the Daegu Police Department with hands in the air. No. You needed a plan. You needed to be able to prove your innocence. And that was when you thought of those disgusting bracelets you had to wear. Ugh. They were the ugliest shade of orange too. It was surly a color you’d despise for the rest of your life.

“They’re what?!”

Jungkook tried to put a gentle hand on his partner’s shoulder but it got roughly shrugged off. Taehyung was furious. Absolutely furious. Seeing red. That was all the male could see as he stared at Yoongi and Hoseok. The two had just informed them that the two suspects were actually being trafficked and were part of the transaction that took place on the storefront camera footage they were able to obtain.

Human trafficking. These two poor girls were being handed off along with the drugs. It all made sense now. The one using her knowledge in self defense to try and disarm and distract the punks. Swiping the wallet and yet leaving the drugs behind. It all finally added up. These girls weren’t criminals at all. There was a reason their records were so squeaky clean. They never asked for this. They were forced into it. They didn’t go missing willingly. They were kidnapped.

“It’s gonna be okay, Tae. I was able to get access to the town’s traffic cams and I think I know what city they’re in. But you gotta calm down first. The chief isn’t going to let you go into this guns blazing and you know that.”

However, the blonde detective wasn’t entirely listening. It was like his ears were filled with water. He just stood there staring at the single clue that lead Hobi and Yoongi to discovering what was actually going on in the footage from earlier. Each girl sported an orange colored wristband. After doing some digging, Yoongi had discovered it was an inside tagging system for women who were being trafficked. Disgusting. Absolutely disgusting. It left a horrible taste in Taehyung’s mouth as he thought of Nari......Nari........

It was then that the feline looking male spoke up but this time directed his attention to the younger inspector.

“Kook---Take him to the cafe around the corner. I’ll forward you guys what I believe to be their city of refuge. It’s not too terribly far from here but it’s a drive. Looks like they took the bus.”

“Thanks, Yoongi hyung. Come on, buddy. Let’s go have a drink.”

That was how Taehyung wound up sitting at a small table with a steaming to-go cup of hot chocolate. Meanwhile, Jungkook had opted for an iced americano. Ugh. Gross. While the younger was looking over the traffic cam footage Yoongi had forwarded to his phone, the detective simply stared out the window of the local cafe. His partner had tried to place a single glazed doughnut in front of him to go with his hot chocolate but Tae had touched neither one; too lost in thoughts of the sweet college student trying to become a kindergarten teacher.

His dream girl.

‘I bet she wants to have kids too someday.....I’ll make sure she has that chance. I’m gonna find her. And I’ll save her.’

The young inspector, on the other hand, was more focused on you. What was your story? Certainly you weren’t going to be working as a barista the rest of your life. The fact that you had taken an online course in Police Science intrigued him. Perhaps you were interested in going into law enforcement? That would be cool. Especially since you were a Busan native. What would be the chances of you working in the same station as him?

“Okay, Ri. Today we’re gonna try and get some fresh clothes and maybe do something with our hair. Basically we need a disguise. Just until we can get our thoughts together and figure out how to notify the police without it looking like we’re turning ourselves in.”

It saddened you when all your best friend did was nod. Again....she used to be so talkative. So bright and cheery. You weren’t sure you were going to be able to take her out of this hotel room just yet. While your guys’ physical scars were already starting to heal, there were far deeper cuts that needed attention. Carefully taking a seat next to her on the bed, you gently wrapped an arm around her and spoke in a soft and soothing tone,

“Nari, baby. You gotta talk to me. I’m no therapist but I think being your best friend has to count for something. You can tell me anything. So please, say something.”

“You could have died.....”

Hmm? Out of all the things you were expecting Nari to say, that definitely wasn’t one of them. Before you could ask her to clarify, she did it for you as she added in explanation,

“They had guns, bestie. And they were shooting at us. They were shooting at you. I was so scared you’d get hit and die. I’ve lost so much. I can’t lose you too. Please---”

“Hey, hey. Shhh. It’s okay, Ri. It’s okay.”

You sat there at the foot of the bed hugging a sobbing Nari; gently rocking the both of you back and forth as you allowed the girl to cry out her feelings. You had been in such a constant state of survival mode, that you hadn’t taken into account how the dangers of the whole situation would affect her. Of course seeing your best friend get shot at would be traumatizing. Gently kissing the girl’s forehead while stroking her hair with a free hand, you said softly and soothingly,

“I’m sorry I scared you, Ri. It wasn’t my intentions. I just......I needed to get us out of there and it was the only way I knew how. And the good news is, we’re not only alive, but we’re free. No more drugs, no more trafficking. We’re humans again and we’re gonna get through this together. I’m with you every step of the way. Okay? Together?”

You held out your pinkie finger for her to take and was happily surprised to see her return the gesture by weakly wrapping her pinkie around your own. This was progress. It was the most Nari had said since the two of you escaped from the organization. Hopefully with this off her chest, she’d open up a little more and just maybe, things would get back to some kind of normal between you two. You really didn’t want to lose your best friend. Nari wasn’t the only one in that hotel room who had lost a lot.

With the both of you feeling a little bit better, you carefully stood up from the bed and brought your bestie along with you. It would be okay. You’d make it be okay no matter the cost. It was time to get out of these disgusting clothes and find something more suitable for wear. Not to mention your hair needed a trim something awful. Then again.....you were willing to go the extra mile for a disguise if it meant surviving to see real freedom.

Deciding it wasn’t smart to stay in one place for two nights in a row, you made the plan to get your clothes, get stuff needed for your hair, maybe purchase a couple duffel bags, and make your next move. That was as far as you had gotten in the planning. Should the two of you stay in this town or perhaps travel back to Daegu? Maybe Busan? Ugh. You just didn’t know yet. Okay. One step at a time, here. One step at a time.

Crossing the street, you had heard from the hotel desk clerk that there was a hand-me-down store for clothing not too far from where they were staying. That would be perfect! You didn’t need to look like models. You just needed some clean clothes to wear. And you had saw where a pharmacy was close by as well. You decided to dye your hair and cut it yourself but you just weren’t sure what color to get. Poor Nari, on the other hand, was way too happy with her hair and especially the color. So to try and find some even ground, the two of you had agreed on a hat. She could tie up her hair and wear a baseball cap. That would work.

While Nari wanted something pretty, you were more focused on trying to disguise yourself as much as possible. In fact, when you came out of the dressing room with a plain white t-shirt tucked into a pair of black skinnies and a black blazer to match; paired with black combat boots that looked like they could kill, Nari couldn’t stop herself from mumbling shyly,

“You look like a boy if it wasn’t for your boobs and long hair.”

“That’s the plan.....babe.”

You couldn’t help but grin as you watched your best friend blush heavily. Don’t get the wrong picture, the both of you were far more into boys. But it was cute to tease your bestie because as much as you loved her, she was such a cute and easy target. When you heard that familiar whine of mortification, you couldn’t help but feel your chest bubble with happiness and relief. Perhaps that talk in the hotel room really did do some good. Nari just simply needed to get some feels off her chest.

After he got Taehyung to finally eat and drink something, Jungkook ended up lugging his butt up from the cafe chair and hauled him outside into the fresh air. It wasn’t like his older friend to get stuck in his feels like this. Sure human trafficking had always been a sore subject, but he was taking it to a completely new level of sore. Stuffing his hands in his pockets and squinting against the sun’s rays, the young inspector said casually,

“Jimin said there wasn’t much to report on the barista from Busan. Apparently she was trying to save her tips from the cafe in order to go into law school. She’s on the fence of whether or not she wants to be a cop or an attorney.”

Jungkook really wanted to meet you. You fascinated him to no end. First the course in Police Science and now law school? You sounded super cool with how you had taken several self defense classes as well. He wondered if you liked boxing......Yeah......maybe he could teach you one day.

Wait what???

Shaking his head to clear it, it was then that he heard Yoongi coming on the ear piece once more.

“Your girls are on the move. They stayed at a hotel last night but they’ve not made any further reservations. Apparently one of the other guests recognized them in the hallways. I informed the manager to keep it quiet because we don’t want to scare them off. If we’re lucky, we can catch them before they depart. The manager said they’ve not returned the room keys yet.”

“Thanks, hyung. Keep us posted.”

“No problem. Forwarding you guys the hotel address now.”

“You hear that, hyung? We’re gonna find them and it’s gonna be okay.”

Feeling a hearty pat on his shoulder, Taehyung nodded and tried to give his younger partner a smile. The two girls must be so scared. Running from not only the organization, but the law as well. When in all reality, this had since then turned into a rescue mission. This was definitely a first for him in his career of law enforcement. Pulling himself together, the blonde squared his shoulders and held his head up high as he walked to the car. Meanwhile, Jeon was reading off the directions to the city where the girls were currently staying in.

“So.....Hyung.......You seem pretty invested in this case. You wanna talk about it?”

Yoongi was right when he said it was a bit of a drive. At the same time, Jungkook couldn’t help but mentally praise the girls for thinking of taking such a far, out-of-the-way route to escape danger. It was a quieter town too. Or so he had heard. Listening to the ticking sound of the vehicle’s turn signal, the blonde detective finally spoke up but in a small voice.

“I just want to find them and bring those dirt bags to justice.”

Okay. So clearly his hyung wasn’t ready to talk about it. Which was totally fine. But it was easier to work with a Kim Taehyung when he had his head on straight and he wasn’t thinking with his heart instead of his brain. Subconsciously nibbling on his bottom lip, a nervous habit of his, Jungkook silently nodded and turned his attention to his phone. With the help of Yoongi and his ability to enhance images, he was able to get a better look at the two girls they were trying to rescue.

“They’re both kind of cute. Once you get past their bird nest hairstyles and grungy clothing.”

That didn’t seem to make matters any easier as Jungkook could hear his hyung gripping the steering wheel all the tighter; the sound of his skin squeaking against the material of the wheel. Oops....

“What hotel was it again? I think we might be approaching the town soon.”

Yeah. Definitely not ready to talk about it.

“Bestie.....are you sure you want to do this? We can get you a ball cap too, you know. It doesn’t have to be this extreme.”

“I’m absolutely positive, Nari. Lay it on me.”

Nari couldn’t believe what she was about to do to her best friend’s hair. It was already painful enough to watch you chop it all off. She knew the point was for you to look as far from yourself as possible but still......This was just crazy. You had chopped your own hair off and now sported a boy cut of sorts. Bangs hung in your eyes to try and hide them while your back had been completely taken up. Not a single strand of hair was hanging down or coming anywhere close to your shoulders. Nothing framing your face. Just your bangs.

“They won’t be looking for a blonde, Nari. Just trust me.”

And that was how you got your hair bleached for the first time ever. It was worth it, though. Everything you were doing, you were doing for you and Nari both. What was a little hair if it meant keeping you both alive and getting your tickets to true freedom? It was so worth it in your mind and you could only hope your bestie would see that too. With time.

After washing and drying it, you stood there in the hotel bathroom mirror with your girl next to you. Nari looked shocked and a bit pale while you were grinning like an idiot. This was perfect. Sporting your outfit you had picked out from the store and turning your head this way and that way to inspect your new hairstyle, you couldn’t wait to throw both the organization and the police for a loop.

They’d never see you coming.

“Okay, Ri. Sadly we can’t stay here. We gotta keep moving. Let’s check out and find a different place to stay. We’ll grab a bus to the next city over and grab another hotel room. We still have plenty of won left. The guy was stupid enough to leave his wallet loaded.”

Helping your bestie secure her baseball cap on and making sure her hair was tucked in nice and neat, you couldn’t help but think how cute she looked dressed so casually compared to the rags she was forced to wear for the last four months of her life. Nari was way too pretty to wear such filth. You couldn’t wait for things to get back to normal. The first thing you’d do is take her shopping for some pretty new clothes to wear to the kindergarten class she shadowed. You knew how much she loved those kids.

Once the both of you packed your items from the convenience store last night and the new batch of instant noodles and snacks from the pharmacy earlier today, you hoisted up the duffel bags and made your way out of the room; making it look just as it did when you arrived. It would be like you were never even here. Although you couldn’t help but notice how deadly quiet it was in the hotel hallways.

“Thanks for staying with us. Have a wonderful day!”

Cool. You were out and on the street once again. The next step in your plan was simple. Find a bus routing out of town to the next city and hop on. Simple, right? Just as you were about to make a step for the bus stop down the street, you felt something hard and cold pressing into the small of your back. Not only that, but a chin rested on your shoulder and whispered in your ear,

“Scream and I’ll shoot you right where you stand, slut.”

Well that sucks.

[friendlybatteringram]

More OCs that You did not Ask For

Okay, I think I’ve waited long enough. It is time...that I finally introduced you, my loyal followers who for the most part probably have no idea that I draw sometimes...

...to Pete and Betty!!!

(working designs)

So basically, this is a story that I first came up with in, like...1st grade? I think? It revolves around the shenanigans of a pair of 10-year-old penguins living in Antarctica, obviously named Pete and Betty. Pete is a rambunctious adventure-seeker, while Betty is a timid nerd with an absolutely swole brain. Together, these two feathered tots make for quite a dynamic duo whenever they go investigating the many oddities lurking in their hometown of Sacro. And make no mistake, that is very often.

When I first conceived of this story and its characters, I actually originally envisioned it to be a comic strip! You know, like in the back few pages of the scrolls of current events, or “Newsed Papers.”

Of course, back then I didn’t know what a “syndicate” was or how it could fuck you over six ways from the Sabbath. But once I came to my senses and realized that this wasn’t meant to be a daily paper funny, I decided it would be a kids show. But even then I imagined it would just be slice-of-life humor with no real overarching plot.

Now...it has an overarching plot. More on that later. Let’s have a closer look at these two tykes!

Oh shit, you’re thinking, he’s holding a sword. Don’t worry though, he won’t actually be doing that. For the first part of the show anyway.

So yeah, Pete Featherby. That last name sure is a thing I didn’t hastily churn out. As I stated before, Pete is a rather bold fellow and a bit of a magnet for trouble, be it slight or catastrophic. He does have a habit of acting before thinking, especially in critical situations. This is why it’s especially good that he has Betty and her more logical mindset by his side in order to curb his impulsive actions.

I may have buried the lead here, but Pete is an orphan. I knowwwww, sad. :C His parents died when he was a mere toddler, so he never had much of a chance to get to know them...and yet he still feels a hole in his heart knowing they’re gone. How did Pete’s parents die? Weirdly enough, the details surrounding the event are rather obscured, and whenever Pete asks anybody about it, they’ll either have no idea what he’s talking about, or they’ll just give frustratingly vague recollections.

Suffice to say, the mystery of his parents’ simultaneous deaths is partly what drives Pete to investigate the world and expose the essential truths that others would rather keep hidden.

Oh shit, another pre-teen with a deadly weapon! But again, this is a much later on thing, so don’t pay too much mind.

Meet Pete’s best friend in the whole world, Betty Hunter. She’s also by far the most breathtakingly intelligent mind among her peers, and even among many adults. This, combined with her prolific work ethic, enable her to conjure a great arsenal of inventions, both for basic home life convenience AND for going on crazy adventures with her trouble-seeking bestie.

It may be of no surprise to learn that Betty is also very timid and awkward. One wouldn’t exactly call her shy, as she always makes an effort to connect and socialize...It’s just that said efforts usually take an immediate nosedive into nervous laughter and awkward silences aplenty. But hey, she’s working on it. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that she has Pete by her side to demonstrate for her the art of not giving a fresh fuck what others think.

It’s reasonable to assume that Betty has a hard time connecting with others because her towering intellect sets her apart from the rest. This is true, though there is one other separating factor as well. Betty also happens to be the First Daughter. Yes, First Daughter, as in her father is the President of Antarctica. Such immense social status can often be overwhelming for the poor girl, which is why she does her best to distance herself from that whole First Daughter label entirely.

There is one perk to being a single Kevin Bacon away from Antarctica’s grand poohbah, though! Because of the crazy presidential salary that her father makes, Betty’s family are able provide a home for her little orphaned friend. That’s right, Pete and Betty are best friends, and they live together! As friends. Just friends. In fact, nothing romantic will ever happen between these two kids. But bear in mind that that does NOT exclude potential romantic stuff between other pairings...

---

So! That is a basic summation of the two main characters for this story. Hopefully you like ‘em, because there’s certainly more to come. As a matter of fact, it won’t be very long into the story before the dynamic duo becomes a dynamic quartet! Not to mention the overarching plot which binds the whole story together, an epic of madmen and conspiracies, of creatures and of gods themselves, decades and even centuries in the making.

But for now, tell me what you think! I’d very much appreciate your feedback! :D

[prideful-sins]

Cynbel X Lucifer: Confessions of two sinners (OC X Lucifer)

Cynbel is my Obey Me! OC (here’s his info). Esmeralda/ Ezzy is my best friend’s OC/ MC (and our OC’s are besties) and Smeowg is his cat, they share a pact and with that pact they can feel eachothers energies and both become drained if the other uses a large amount, both my friend and I wanted to write out our OC’s confessing to their SO’s, no one will be interested but this is more for me than y’all

Word Count: 4.1k

Masterlist | Buy Me A Coffee?

—

Cynbel sat down on the edge of Lucifer’s bed, a dim light shining in through the window and illuminating his sleeping lovers face. Another night of ‘meaningless’ sex, used and abandoned, sneaking out to his own house smelling like sweat and despair. While it sounds like Cynbel hates these nights he, in fact, loves them. The arousal, the gripping, the clawing, biting, licking, hair pulling, all ecstasy, or so he would have said many years ago, but now? He just liked the time with Lucifer, being around him, listening to his stresses of his day, stresses made by either his workload or his brothers.

Cyn stood up and got fully dressed before turning to Lucifer, sleeping soundlessly on the bed. It couldn’t have been past 2 am and Lucifer was sleeping deeply, his breaths slow and heavy, chest rising and falling in a hypnotising pattern. His hair falling ever so slightly into his eyes, other strands stuck to his forehead, a remnant of their time together last night. Cyn took a step forward and pushed the hair from Lucifer’s eyes, he always hated it when it got into his eyes, his fingers lingering for just a moment too long upon the sleeping demon’s cheek before taking a sharp breath in and stepping away.

The door closed silently, he had been doing this for years now he was practically an expert at sneaking out of The House of Lamentation, not that he needed to, the Brothers knew what was going on, they had for years now, and it had gotten past the point of asking. Cynbel’s steps were silent and cautious down the halls, careful not to wake any of the sleeping demons. As he walked down the corridor the portraits stared in disgust at Cyn, or ,at least, he felt like they were.

“Fuck off” he hissed at a particularly depressing portrait of some random woman he’d never ever know. All was silent within the halls, but a snack was needed, so the route was changed for a slight stop in the kitchen. Cynbel made his way downstairs, all had been silent but not for long as the distant sounds of munching and wrapper unfurling was particularly disruptive.

“Beel? You in here?” Cyn turned the corner to a starry eyed Beelzebub.

“Hm?” Beel swallowed all that was in his mouth, “Oh Cynbel it’s you, hey”

“Hey, got anything I can have? I’m starving, Lucifer sure as hell tired me out”

“There’s not a lot left in here, but I can give you a slice Banoffee Pie, it’s Satan’s”

“I’ll take it” Cyn looked solemnly at the slice as he reached out to grab it from Beelzebub

“Are you okay?” Beel had already shoved something else into his mouth so his words were barely audible.

“Yeah I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” Cynbel did his best at playing coy, putting on a fake smirk and shrugging his shoulders.

“You look really sad, that’s all”

“Huh” Cyn looked down at his slice of pie, “I’ll uh- I’ll be leaving now, thanks Beel ‘preciate it” Cyn walked off and waved the slice of pie as a goodbye.

Beelzebub wasn’t wrong, for the last few months Cynbel felt horrible after sneaking out like this, just one time he’d like to wake up next to Lucifer as an equal, as his public lover, but he was a coward, too scared to admit his feelings, feelings he didn’t even know he had until Ezzy decided to point them out to him. Cynbel was perfectly fine living it out as he was until his, supposed, best friend pointed them out to him. She was his best friend of course but damn if these feelings weren’t annoying, and to top it off? They both had to admit their feelings to their respective men. Another problem? That was tonight.

The streets were always quiet around this time, demons have places to be I suppose, naught more than a nightclub, throwing out the late night riff raff, was open. Streets lined with drunk demons enjoying their sins. They’re not going to have any food left for the morning, Cyn thought before taking his D.D.D. out of his pocket and dialing a local produce supplier. The only thing that answered the phone was an answering machine.

“Hey, it’s Cynb- uhh War, sorry to call so late, I’m leaving this message for this morning. Can you send The House of Lamentation 2 of their food delivery orders? Just send the bill to me and I’ll sort out the rest, thanks” Cyn hung up the phone and placed it back into his pocket, his house now coming into sight, thank fuck.

The door creaked open and Smeowg came running right up to his master, chittering away and telling Cynbel about his day.

“Smeowg! Man did I miss you, how are you doing buddy?” Cyn picked up his cat and wasted no time in smothering him in kisses and headpats, returned with headbutts and licking. “You’re such a good kitty yes you are, come on we’re gonna go wake up Ezzy, I don’t wanna sleep alone tonight, she won’t mind” Cynbel walked through the house, cradling Smeowg in his arms toward their private portal, with a cat flap for his feline of course, the door swung open and he was within Ezzy’s own private cottage, the familiar smells of her herbs immediately making him feel at home. He weaved his way through the furniture and the remnants of her spell work through to her bedroom, where nary a sound was being made.

He turned the handle and opened the door as quietly as he could, Smeowg jumped from his arms and made a beeline for the bed, hopping up without a problem. Cyn closed the door behind him and walked toward his sleeping best friend.

“Hey Ezzy?” He whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder and shaking softly, “Ezzy”

Esmeralda moaned in response, her eyes opening and brows furrowing, “huh?”

“Can I sleep with you? I don’t wanna be alone right now”

Ezzy responded with a hoarse voice, “don’t even have to ask, just climb in” Cyn smiled and climbed over her, a little rougher than he should have but Ezzy didn’t mind. He snuck himself under the covers and became her little spoon, a rare treat for them both, her arms were protectively covering his side and neck and his back was fully against her body, an act of pure love on both counts.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Ezzy’s voice was soft amongst the pale moonlight within the room.

“No, just the usual” Cyn was quiet, unnaturally so, his voice wavering just a little.

“Okay, I’ll be here when you wake up”

“I know, thanks babe” with that he drifted off to sleep.

--

Sunlight, after all this time knowing Ezzy, and being at her house, Cyn had yet to get used to waking up and seeing sunlight in the morning, or maybe it was the afternoon. His eyes groggily opened, a slight headache ringing in his ears from his late night rambling home, the fresh air clearing his lungs from last night’s thoughts. God, why did he feel so drained today? Cynbel sat up on the bed and reached for his D.D.D. 

[10:22 A.M] 

“Fuck, that’s early” He murmured as he tossed the covers to the side. Cyn always liked the smell of Ezzy’s room, smelt like home to him, not many places ever had. He walked over to the drawers and opened the one that had some of his clothes in, a quick change and Cyn was in clean, non Lucifer or sex smelling, clothes. He opened the door and walked down the hall, into the living room where Ezzy was nowhere to be seen. “Damn, she must have gone somewhere, I’ll catch her in a bit” he said as he walked over to his door, stealing a pastry from the countertop in the kitchen, on the way.

He opened the door, pastry firmly in his mouth, and walked through, the smell of his own house filling his nostrils. As he walked through a loud, thundering knock came at the door, making Cynbel stop in his tracks, brows furrowed, and head pounding. “Son of a taint” mumbled through the dough as he walked over to his door. It swung open and he was faced with Barbatos, “Hello?” or a sound like it from his pastry-filled mouth greeted his fellow demon.

“Hello Cynbel, Diavolo is requesting you at The Palace, he has news he wishes to discuss with you and Lucifer” Barbatos gave a small bow and stood aside, his hand out and pointed towards a car to escort them. Cynbel took the danish from his mouth and swallowed the contents remaining.

“They can’t just send a text? Damn I just woke up” He rolled his eyes as he walked through and past Barbatos.

“My Lord knows you like a personal invitation Cynbel” Barbatos gave a small chuckle as he walked behind Cyn. No more words were said as they both entered the car and proceeded to the castle.

--

Cynbel couldn’t remember why he was there, he had felt so drained all day that nothing was being taken in by his brain, and the final straw was when he just fell asleep right in the middle of Lucifer talking about….something....

“Cynbel? Cynbel!” He heard Lucifer’s voice but just couldn’t respond, muscles barely even responding to the fact he was awake, until a very sharp stinging sensation on his face.

“Ah!” Cynbel shot up awake, his whole body reacting with fight in this fight or flight situation, his hand raised in a fist before seeing Lucifer’s seething face before him. “Oh hey, what’s up?” Cynbel had a shit-eating grin on his, now rested, face along with a mischievous energy radiating from him.

“What is ‘up’ is the fact you’re asleep during one of our meetings” Lucifer glared down at Cynbel, Diavolo chuckling in the background.

“Oh let him, I’m not even sure why he had to be here in the first place Lucifer, only one item actually regarded War in the human world and it could have waited for his next meeting” The prince hopped to Cynbel’s rescue, a thankful look on his face.

“I wanted to see him to make sure he knew of our dinner reservations later on this evening, and to also thank him for the food he ordered for The House of Lamentation this morning”

Cynbel raised his eyebrow at Lucifer, “Aww you just wanted to see me, of course I remember our reservations” he shrugged and stood up, “I would invite you Dia but it’s strictly Lucifer and I, and you’re welcome”

“Ahaha, I understand” Diavolo chuckled, gave a knowing wink toward the two demons, and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Look, if I’m not needed I’m gonna go, I have some things I need to do before dinner tonight” Cynbel high-fived Diavolo, something he insisted on to make the Prince feel a little less ‘scared of’, and gave Lucifer a pat on the back before leaving. “Thanks for the nap guys!” Cynbel gave one last wave before leaving the room. He could practically hear Lucifer’s frown boreing into the back of Cyn’s head.

Walking back from The Palace was always a treat, cobblestone paths leading him down towards the antique shops, War memorabilia collected from demonic and human wars hung within windows, old portraits looking and staring from within the shop’s glass. As he walked by a quill within an ink set caught his eye, a lovely peacock feather quill complete with an embellished inkpot and scorpion venom ink.

“Lucifer’d love that” Cyn whispered to himself as he looked upon the quill with awe, not a second later he was walking in, paying 12 thousand Grimm, and walking back out with a gift wrapped box. A smile spread on Cynbel’s lips as he looked down at the box “he’s really going to love this”

The rest of the walk was quiet, minor fans bugging him for autographs or photo’s, no flirting, just him walking along with his gift toward his house. He opened the door and the room felt a little warmer than it did earlier, Ezzy must have used his oven for baking because hot damn did his house smell amazing right now, speaking of his best friend Cyn had to go and see her and see how she was getting on with her book, after all, both of them were confessing today. He placed his gift on the kitchen counter and proceeded to the portal to Ezzy’s.

Cyn walked through her door and found Ezzy fast asleep on her sofa, mouth wide open as she breathed in and out, Smeowg curled up between the crook of one of her legs, she must have been asleep for a few hours now, ah the book, that’s why Cynbel felt so drained today. He stood over her and tickled her chin ever so slightly, a wide grin on his face as she began to wake up, her eyes groggily opening before she yelped out in surprise, a howling laugh from Cyn as Ezzy shot up from her sleeping position, Smeowg jumping and bolting from his slumber.

“Don’t scare me like that, you ass!” Ezzy shouted as she got up from the sofa. Cyn only laughed, holding his hands up in surrender. “Sorry, babes, couldn’t resist,” he laughed. “I see you’ve been busy today” he looked around at the spell on the floor, book humming with distant, but strong, energy. Ezzy dipped down and retrieved the book from its position on the floor.

“Yeah, sorry about the energy drain. I know you felt it.” Her voice was soft, remembering how gentle he had been last night, and how bad she felt about the energy drain.

“No worries, dear. Just gave me an excuse to have a nap through Lucifer’s boring meeting,” the fondness in the demon’s eyes betrayed the mischievous smile, he raised an eyebrow “Is it done?”

“Yep, it’s all done,” her voice was excited and definitely anxious, he could feel her heart racing from nearly a metre away “When should I give it to him?” Ezzy’s eyes were wide, her eyebrows raised up high as she pondered her own predicament.

“Well, we had a deal that you would confess if I did. I’d say as soon as possible,” Cyn shrugged and flopped onto the couch. Smeowg happily jumped onto his owner for pets. “We all know he has feelings for you, so just give it to him right now. He should be home, anyway.” Cyn’s words fell on deaf ears as he watched her bite her reddening lip, “Ezzy. Ezzy. Ezzy! Dammit will you stop biting your lip?” He finally broke her out of her thoughts as she whispered a ‘huh?’ finally listening to him. “If you don’t get your ass moving and quit biting your lip, I’ll throw the book at him myself. Now, go girl! I’ll hold down the fort here, won’t I Mr. Smeowg? Yes, I will! Aw, you’re such a baby!” Cynbel didn’t focus on Ezzy leaving to admit her feelings to Satan, he fell into the trap of cooing upon his pet, rubbing it’s stomach with hellish intent and basking in the victory purring.

He heard Ezzy walk away with the book, a pang of worry through his chest as he thought of the worst possible scenario. “I only have a couple of hours until I have to meet Lucifer at The Fall, am I ready buddy? Do you think he loves me back?” Smeowg merely looked at his master and gave a slight ‘mew’ “Tell me about it, I should go and get ready, shower, shave and get dressed, let’s go buddy”

Once he was clean, shaved, and dressed Cyn admired himself in the mirror, parting his hair different ways and making funny faces in the mirror before heading off downstairs, picking up his gift and walking through the door, a small, but worried, spring in his step as he made his way to the car waiting to take him to his doom.

The drive had been silent so far but Cyn has other ideas, “hey Isaac, you ever just shit yourself about emotions?”his voice was playful but there was a tone of worry hidden below.

“Uhh?” The driver looked at him, his eyebrow raised in confusion, his name was definitely not Isaac.

“Eh drop it” Cyn’s failed attempt at some humour was thrown out of the window as the bumps threw his body around. The rest of the drive was silent and foreboding, Lucifer’s gift heavy within Cynbel’s hands as he played around with the ribbons adorning the neat gold and black paper. The car pulled up in front of The Fall and Cynbel stepped out, some paparazzi hung around the entrance trying to get pictures and questions, Cynbel merely waved at the cameras and gave his best smile, questions being shouted about if ‘he was meeting anyone there?’, ‘why was he holding a gift’, ‘is he proposing to someone?’ it was relentless, but easy to ignore as Cyn walked by the bodyguard, Mammon’s doing from previous, unwanted, entries on his part.

The atmosphere was happy and light-hearted, music coming from the nearby live band, a soft concerto piece featuring strings hovering above polite conversations. The waiters and waitresses bustled around to pour drinks, serve food, and deal with diners accordingly. The host smiled at Cynbel and gave a small nod.

“Do you have a reservation Sir?” 

“Yes, it’s under War” Cynbel hated using his ‘official’ name for things but he was bound to it, for the most part, email subscriptions were usually just Cynbel. The host nodded and looked down at his documents, checking that Cyn wasn't some random demon who had wandered in from the street, they guy knew he wasn’t, Lucifer and Cynbel were here 2 times a week at least, and knew half of the staff by name, but he still had to do his job.

“Of course mister War, you’re second party is here already” the host walked out to escort Cynbel to Lucifer, of course he was here early, no time for Cyn to suck up his gut and swallow the heart beating a samba within his throat. They passed other demons eating happily, enjoying their food and the conversations they were engulfed within, the clinking of cutlery on plates and wine glasses set down on tables amongst the slight chitter of gossip and distant thrumming of laughter. The pair came to the stairs they lead to the second story of the hall, private booths for couples and business partners to discuss their secrets.

Cynbel thanked The Host for the escort and ascended the stairs by himself, breath barely there as his heart pounded within his head. ‘You can do this’ Cyn repeated in his head trying to give himself some courage, ‘Ezzy believes in you’ warmth radiated within his chest, originating from the pact mark on his back. As he walked up Cyn’s eyes darted around trying to find Lucifer, scanning over the people within the booths not taking in anyone else he may have known. 

There he was. The butterflies within Cynbel’s stomach flew around even more so after looking upon Lucifer’s face, the ambient lighting making his features stand out, the curve of his cheek, the way his hair fell over his face, just perfect. Cyn walked up and Lucifer looked over at him, that smile appearing as he stood to greet his partner.

“Lucifer” Cyn’s voice wavered, excitement washing over him as he greeted the man he loved.

“Cynbel, good to see you again” Lucifer smiled, stood up, and reached out a hand to shake, nimble fingers entwining within Cyn’s.

“You too” Cynbel cleared his throat as he placed the gift on the table before tucking the chair underneath Lucifer. He walked around and sat himself down, looking more nervous by the minute, was he sweating?

“You look nervous, Cynbel, is something wrong?” A waiter came up and handed the pair a wine list for them to browse through, Lucifer was poised gracefully, his eyes staring into Cyn’s with nary a blink of nerve. Cynbel, on the other hand, was damn near panting, out of breath and smiling nervously.

“Wrong? No, of course not. I’ll have a Chenin Blanc” the waiter nodded and asked for Lucifer’s order, he responded with a nod, signalling he’d have the same, the waiter took their menus and left.

The night went on for the two, Cynbel creating lighthearted conversation and Lucifer chuckling along, hands touched between courses, feet played against each other throughout them chewing, rubbing along ankles in a playful manner. Lucifer talked of work, vented about his brothers’ doings of the day, letting his guard fall more and more as they conversed. The dessert course came, ones of Lucifers favourites, hot, poisoned apple pie with a custard ice cream.

As Lucifer admired his plate Cynbel cleared his throat once more, “Lucifer?” the alert of his name caused the other demon to look up at Cyn once more, a light ‘hmm?’ in response. “We’ve been staring at this all night, so here” Cyn pushed the box over to Lucifer, his face reddening at his feelings laid bare.

“It’s not my birthday Cyn, you needn’t have gotten me a gift” Lucifer’s sentence didn’t compliment the smile on his face, a slight excitement in his eye as he looked upon the gift.

“I know, but I saw it and thought of you” Cyn looked fondly at the other demon as he started opening the gift, fingers dancing along ribbon and edges of paper. “I actually had something to talk to you about, to ask you, that is”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to confess to you. Something that’s been eating away at me for months now. When we began this… this” Cyn waved his hand between the two of them in a telling way, they both knew what he meant, “we never wanted feelings to come into it, it’s been, what, decades now?” Lucifer nodded in agreement, “Well thanks to Ezzy, that dear friend of mine, I’ve come to realise that...well I don’t want to sneak out in the morning’s anymore, I want to wake up next to you and look upon your sleeping face before kissing you awake, I want to spend the bad days with you and help you through work and your brothers doings-” Cyn was interrupted by Lucifer’s gasp, his eyes on the present, Cyn smiling at his reaction.

“Cynbel this is, my goodness, it’s beautiful” Lucifer smiled at Cyn, this final act giving him the courage to continue.

“I love you, Lucifer, body and soul, I have for years but I never wanted to admit it to myself, but now that I know… I can’t just ignore it, I can’t continue with this by keeping my feelings locked away” For once Lucifer was silent, his mouth slightly open and brows raised in disbelief. The silence was deafening, and too long for Cyn’s liking “Lucifer, please say something”

“I- “ he began to reply before taking a deep breath, “I feel the same way” Lucifer gave a small chuckle, “foolishly, I assumed you had no feelings for me so I kept it to myself, afraid to ruin what little time we were spending together. Making love to you only to wake up and smell the covers of where you once were was torture, I would have hardly been able to endure it much longer”

“You’re shitting me?” Cynbel was astonished, his mouth hanging agape at Lucifer’s confession.

“I ‘shit’ you not, I love you too, Cynbel” Lucifer placed his hand on the table, open and waiting for Cyn to reciprocate, which he did, immediately. Hands closed around each other as they giggled and smiled, “What a night”

“Yeah you don’t say, honestly? I didn’t think you’d actually feel the same” Cyn leaned over the table, Lucifer mirroring him and leaning in closer, both of their hands clasping each other’s, smirks and half lidded eyes leading them into their first, proper, loving, kiss.

The world stood still in that one moment, knowing Lucifer felt the same way he did was amazing and this kiss was like none they had shared before that. Passion entwined within their bodies, electricity thrumming between them, smiles parting the kiss as their foreheads touch, Cyn’s hand raised to Lucifer’s cheek cupping it and running his thumb along his lovers cheekbone.

“Thank you for the gift, I’ll take that as an apology for your napping during the meeting earlier” Lucifer pulled away from Cyn, a snide smirk on his face.

“Oh? I was hoping to apologise later on tonight, unless you’d rather I didn’t? Cynbel played coy, innocently smiling and raising his eyebrows, causing Lucifer to smirk.

“Oh no, I’ll take that apology, too”

[jinterlude]

This Little String

↳ header is made by yours truly. I do not own the rights to the image used. 

➳ Pairing: Kim Taehyung x Reader (female OC)

➳ Genre(s): Soulmate!AU, College!AU, Romance, Fluff, Friendship, Humor, & Slight-Angst

➳ Words: 5.8K

➳ Summary: Legend has it that the other half to your heart is currently out there, patiently waiting for their soulmate to surface. Yeah...there’s a tiny problem with that... You love the idea of being alone. Why? Well, You always found it a tad strange that a person would suddenly go from being independent to dependent in a split second, especially when he or she is on top of their academic game. Also, it doesn’t help that you tend to get a bit bored after being with someone for more than 2 weeks—so, why settle? Unfortunately—whether you like it or not—you do have a soulmate, and his curiosity has been piqued. 

Lively chatter becomes muffled. The sounds of your fellow college students fade away as you place your noise-canceling headphones over your precious ears. The power of your headphones is truly amazing. Every time you have put them on, everything and everyone disappear into the background. It’s as if they are to become pieces of furniture or a new painting that’s added to enhance the overall atmosphere.

With the lightest of touch, your phone unlocks, revealing your home screen. A faint smile graces your pretty lips as you recall fondly of the memory that the picture took place. It’s photo of you and your best friend, who is practically your sister, Sumin, and the two of you are smiling brightly and flashing the “peace” sign. Your eyes remain focus on the picture as you begin to purse your lips, contemplating what on Earth happened between you guys. Before, it’s just the two of you. The two musketeers. Then—suddenly—Sumin has announced that a particular string appeared on her left pinky, and the rest was history in your book...

You perk your eyebrows up as you tried your hardest to contain the laughter that bubbles within the pit of your stomach. You always do find entertainment in another person’s misery. Dark, huh?

        “It’s not that big of a deal, Min...” You say, doing your best to comfort your frustrated friend.

Sumin frowns and her eyes narrow at you as she takes a break from looking for a pair of scissors in your shared dorm.

        “Not that big of a deal? Not that big of a deal?!” She shrieks, causing you to quickly shield your poor ears from the high-pitch scream that emits from her lips. Seriously, for a small young woman, she can really produce a loud sound. Maybe that will be your next case study.

Sumin flashes her left pinky finger, “This is a HUGE deal!” She pauses, taking a deep breath before resuming her rather interesting rant, “I went from being blissfully unaware that I have a soulmate to ‘Oh, look! Your other half is closer than you think!’” She finishes, flopping on your bed.

You suck in some air, concocting the best plan to approach your grieving bestie. You tilt your head to the side as your eyes focus on one section of the dull, white ceiling. This might be a little harder because out of all your years of knowing her, none of your go-to tactics is going to cut it. Right now, she’s beyond a Code: Blue. She’s like a Code: Rainbow. She’s experiencing every single meltdown behavior known to man.

Taking a deep breath and then exhaling nice and slow, you push yourself off the comforts of your wall and stride over to Sumin. You gently take a seat next to her and display a warm smile. You cautiously place a comforting touch on her thigh as you continue to witness her trying to suffocate herself with a pillow.

        “First off, why are acting like me? This is something I would do,” You take the pillow off from Sumin’s face, “Second, since when did you find this whole soulmate stuff terrifying? Again, you are behaving like me.” You finish, poking fun at the fact she’s indeed acting like yourself. Oh, how the tables have turned.

Sumin props herself up, looking defeated as she always hates the fact that you are right.

Though...

Someone has to be between the two of you.

A long yet faint groan escapes her lips as she continues to pout cutely. She crosses her arms over her chest as she rests her head on your shoulder. Out of instinct, you place your head on top of hers.

        “It’s not that I find this situation terrifying, but the idea of not knowing who my better half is? Yeah, that’s the scary part. What if the person is this serial killer? What if he’s going to murder me in my sleep and sell my organs on the black market?” Sumin fires question after question. However, the last question causes a small giggle to leave your mouth. She spends way too much time with you. You two need to stop.

You eye her with an amused smirk, “The black market?” You repeat.

        “It was the first thing that came to mind. Leave me alone.” Sumin replies, defending her choice of words.

You chuckle softly as you begin to ease Sumin’s worries away. You start to tell Sumin that you highly doubt that the romance Gods would pair her up with a serial killer, and that maybe her destined pair is someone that is going treat her like the princess that she is—especially after her previous failed relationships with sad, immature little boys.

        “I truly believe that this person is going to make you the happiest you have ever been, and you will forget all about Choi Junhong, Choi Seungcheol, and what’s his face...,” You trail on, snapping your figures as you hope that the last name will pop in your wonderful mind, “Ah-ha!! Chae Hyungwon! Now I remember!”

Sumin laughs softly before hugging you in a thankful manner.

        “What would I do without you?”

       “Probably settle for that one annoying pretty boy that keeps pestering not only you, but myself as well. Seriously...can’t he take a hint?”

        “Do you want to try and work your booby magic, again?”

        “Maybe...maybe...”

Now bopping your head to the music, you find yourself lost to the words that the musician sang. The haunting melody is oh so addicting that you can’t help but hum along as you lazily scroll through your Instagram feed, liking every other post and obviously skipping the ones about your friends gushing over their significant other; their one true love.

With a heavy sigh, you close the app and place your phone gently down on the table. You pick up your fork before digging in your healthy lunch. Funny. Sumin suggests that the two of you eat healthier and try and have your meals together yet, here you are, sitting at a table that’s against the window and you are alone—or so you think.

As you lift the fork, with a few pieces of mixed greens, to your mouth, you notice a couple of figures in front of you.

Suddenly, your body shakes. Your heart races and pounds against your chest. A few pieces of your salad fling over to one of the intruders as you swiftly slide your headphones off.

Your hand clutches your chest as you glare at the people who dare sneak up on you.

        “Hey. How about a warning next time?” You “politely” ask the two invaders.

        “Sorry hubby... You just look so lonely, so I thought Mark and I should sit with you!” Your mind registers Sumin’s voice as your vision finally focuses on the two bodies that currently sit across from you.

A soft scoff exits your lips as you lean back in your seat, crossing your arms over your chest.

        “Oh, you mean the child you babysit every single day of your life?” You question; your tone lace with nothing but pure attitude.

Sumin’s soulmate, who is the sole reason why it’s never just the two of you anymore, rolls his eyes as a snarky comeback slowly brews inside his brain.

        “You know... Now, that you said that, your soulmate is going to be this 80-year old, sickly man.” He snaps back with an overly friendly smile.

The bottom of your lip disappears as this dark cloud glazes over your eyes. You slowly nod as you revert back to your original position. You calmly sit up straight, crossing one leg over the other, as you maintain direct contact with Mark freaking Lee.

Is this kid serious?

Is he honestly thinking that he can step up to you? The master—no—the queen of clap backs.

Oh boy…this is going to be fun.

         “I actually find that to be a positive thing,” You take a swig of water then quickly swallow, “If my soulmate happens to be this elderly gentleman, then that means that he would want to do everything and anything with me before his time on this realm is over. For instance, he would want to take me out on a nice shopping spree or shoot, he might even pay for my college tuition,” You lean back again, turning your attention towards Sumin, who’s busy shaking her head, “I always wanted a sugar daddy, right Min?” You ask.

Sumin nods as she stares at her poor boyfriend with an apologetic smile. She rubs his lower back gently, whispering comforting words.

         “I can’t win with her, can I?” Mark Lee muttered as he stares blankly at you.

         “Nope.” Sumin says shortly as she leans back in her seat.

You smile brightly at the college freshman before continuing your healthy yet hearty lunch. You mix up your salad, coating the dressing over the nutritious leaves again. You make sure to grab a bit of everything. A few pieces of the mixed greens, a piece of chicken breasts, and can’t forget the tiny shreds of cheese.

A content expression washes over your face as the fork nears your lips.

As the green barely touches your bottom mouth, a strong force causes your left hand to jerky suddenly. Your eyes widen. An almost giant “O” forms as you see Mark Lee now decorated with a small portion of your lunch.

         “I am so sorry…!” You say slowly before dashing off to grab some more napkins. You may dislike him for taking away your best friend, but you don’t hate him enough to purposely fling your food at him.

That bit of action is purely reserved for your dates, especially if you can’t think of any other way to get the unfortunate soul, who you’re on the date with, to be turned off.

You rush back to the table and hand over the paper product to Sumin. Sumin quickly says, “thank you”, and proceeds to clean up her better half. She makes sure that his shirt isn’t stained with the salad dressing. Once she deems his shirt passable, she kisses his cheek sweetly and kindly reminds him that you haven’t found your soulmate yet, and you flinging your food is 100% accidental.

Mark Lee mumbles a few profanities under his breath; his mind telling him that you are trying to sabotage his relationship with the woman that he has pined after for years. Then, he soon realizes that you want Sumin to be happy, so it doesn’t make sense for you to try and tamper with their relationship.

         “It’s all good. Besides, whatever that salad dressing is, it smelled bomb, so I might want to go buy some for myself.” Mark Lee says, smiling, as he stands up. He quickly asks Sumin if she wants anything. Sumin thinks to herself, tapping her chin lightly, before giving him some money to buy her a peach mango smoothie.

         “Put your money away girl. I got you.” He states, winking and clicking his tongue, as he walks away, leaving you and Sumin alone.

You feel a heavy weight lift off your shoulder. While you do like poking fun at his age, you never want him to despise you or hold a grudge against you. He doesn’t know this, but you would protect him since he’s protecting Sumin in your place.

         “He hates me.” You declare, shocking Sumin.

Sumin is alarmed by your bold statement.

         “Mark can never hate anyone. He’s too pure for that.” Sumin waves away your declaration, “Seriously. He doesn’t hold any grudges. If anything, he’s making it his life goal to come up with the perfect comeback to clap back with,” She flashes a reassuring smile, “Trust me. He doesn’t hate you.” She declares.

Just as you’re about to open your mouth, wanting to state another point, that same strong force from earlier tugs your body to the side, causing you to topple over.

A long groan escapes your lips as you remain lying on the floor.

Sumin shoots up from her seat and dashes over to your side. Out of the corner of your eye, you see her kneeling beside you.

         “Stupid question to ask, but are you okay?” She inquires; a sense of worry laces her words.

You tilt your head towards her, “Just peachy.”

Sumin laughs as she helps you up from the ground, checking your body once more for any visible injuries.

         “I wonder who’s causing your body to react like this?” She questions as the two you take your seats.

         “Maybe my dad finally kicked the bucket and he’s haunting me from his grave.” You snort as Mark Lee returns with his food and Sumin’s smoothie.

         “What did I miss?” He asks, taking a seat and handing Sumin her smoothie.

         “Don’t worry about it kid.” You reply, looking indifferent.

         “For the last time, I’m not a kid! I am a nineteen-years-old college student!” Mark states firmly; his voice raising in pitch.

You roll your eyes, not wanting to entertain this little man any longer,

        “Yeah…if you’re not old enough to share a few shots of vodka with me, then you’re still a kid in my book.” You argue back.

        “Well, I’m legally able to in…let’s say… Germany! There, I’m allowed to drink beer and champagne since you have to be sixteen in order to do so,” Mark stands up, “BOOM! Got you there!” He declares proudly, wearing a smug smirk.

         “Yeah, but are we in Germany right now? No. Therefore, you are still a child to me. Boom! Got you there!” You kindly point out, mimicking him near the end with a sweet smile.

Mark huffs and sits back down, earning a sympathetic smile from Sumin while she pats him on the shoulder.

         “I’m going to win against you one of these days. Just wait and see.” He declares, slowly nodding his head with a determined grin.

         “Looking forward to that day. Until then, I’m just going to sit back and sip my favorite cocktail, which you are not allowed to have because you’re still a baby.”

         “God damn it!”

Meanwhile, on the other side of your campus, a small group of young men are currently huddling over someone. A man with raven black hair examines his friend’s pinky finger, taking in the detail of a red string that is firmly tied around it.

         “I don’t know what to tell you, Taehyung. Maybe the romance Gods have a sick sense of humor.” The black-haired college student says, creating distance between him and this Taehyung fella.

Taehyung frowns as he examines the red string himself. This has to be joke. He doesn’t have a soulmate, especially, when he’s so close to confessing his feelings to you.

Well, by close, he’s working the courage to actually say hi to you. Since the first day of your art history class, you have intrigued Taehyung. The way you puff out your cheeks as you answer one of the many short answer questions on the exam. The way a few strands of hair cascade gently down the sides of your face while the rest of your hair is tucked away in a messy bun.

Honestly, he can write an entire book on why he likes you so much, but his friends have told him that would be pretty creepy, and you’ll more than likely file a restraining order against him.

         “Wait! What if she’s my soulmate?!” Taehyung exclaims; his optimism showing. His eyes practically sparkle. That’s how happy he is thinking about the possibility of you being his soulmate.

The rest of his friends stare at him in complete disbelief. They turn to one another, unsure who should speak first. Yeah. None of them wants to crush his hopes and dreams.

The youngest, Jungkook, volunteers himself and stands next to him. He places a warm hand on Taehyung’s shoulder and with a grin, he suggests,

         “Hm…why don’t you tug on it again and the rest of us will look out for anyone who stumbles over?”

The older fellas give Jungkook a look; their mouths either agape or pursed. That has to be the stupidest idea that they ever heard.

         “I don’t think it works like that, Kook.” Pointed out a boy with hazel frame glasses.

Jungkook grins widely, “I think it does, Namjoon. I mean, it worked for me.”

Namjoon raises his brow then sighs. He doesn’t want to argue with the youngster. Usually, it ends with him in a headlock by the muscle head.

Jungkook remains smiling as he tells Taehyung to give his string a good old pull. Taehyung’s still unsure, directing his focus on to the little red string that is tied firmly around his pinky finger. A short hum continues to emit from his lips until he eventually gives in to Jungkook’s strange suggestion. I mean, it doesn’t to try again.

Third times a charm, right?

With one final deep breath, Taehyung’s left-hand wraps around the red thread and then with all of his strength, he pulls it.

The second he did that; the rest of his friends snap their heads in every direction known to man. Their eyes scanning the school’s courtyard.

They seven young college students patiently wait to see if anyone would feel the string’s pull. They decide to wait for a few more minutes before the second oldest, Yoongi, says that Jungkook’s idea is stupid and that he shouldn’t have suggested it during the school’s peak hours.

Jungkook holds his hands up in surrender, “Well, it was a good idea in my head…”

Yoongi scoffs, “Uh-huh. You always say that whenever your plans fail.”

Yoongi’s response causes the others to laugh, except for Taehyung. He frowns because he silently hoped that Jungkook’s plan would lead him to you.

Oh well…

         “Well, this has been eventful,” Seokjin begins as he picks up his messenger bag from the ground, “Come on, Tae. You, Jimin, and I got astronomy in 20 minutes.” He says, causing both Taehyung and Jimin to grab their respective bags.

Jimin flings an arm around Taehyung as they trail behind their oldest friend.

         “Don’t think about it too much, Tae. Your soulmate will appear to you when you at least expect it.” He tells him, comforting his distraught friend.

Taehyung fakes a smile before getting lost in his thoughts…

         “I still can’t believe that you tripped walking out of the dining hall…” Sumin comments, digging out her sunglasses from her backpack.

You mutter a few curse words under your breath as you screw the cap back on your water bottle. Seriously, talk about poor timing. You have just finished eating your lunch and as you near the entrance, you feel that same foreign pull on your left pinky finger and you nearly end up tripping.

You make a mental note to murder your soulmate because he or she has done nothing but cause you to injure yourself and embarrass yourself in front of your peers. You’re pretty sure that your professor has seen you spill the rest of your iced tea all over you.

Like…

What…?

You have always thought that your soulmate would be someone that betters you. Is this payback for making fun of Mark Lee and Sumin’s relationship? The age difference between them is honestly not that bad, but for some reason, you have always imagined Sumin being with someone older. Not younger.

Okay…

This is payback…

You have determined that.

         “Penny for your thoughts?” You hear Sumin ask as the two of you walk up the horrendous number of stairs.

You hum in response as you continue to trek up the steps; you feel the air in your lungs leave with each step.

         “I know that look. Okay. Emergency talk session after class!” Sumin states, clapping her hands. In doing so, she unintentionally alerts the attention of three young men. However, you’re too lost in your thoughts that you don’t care to check who the people are.

You mumble a quick, “okay”, as the two of you continue to your last class of the day. Thank God for only having two classes for the day.

         “Hey, wasn’t that your future wife?” Seokjin asks, glancing over his shoulder.

Taehyung’s head instantly snap towards the opposite direction, however, he’s too late. You magically disappear from his sight and all he sees is a sea of people either going to class or leaving it.

Today is not his day…

Now, currently settled in your class, you pull out your notebook and a pouch filled to the brim with pens. You unzip the bag and pick out a few colors that you have assigned to this class.

You write today’s date and wait for the long lecture to begin, mentally counting down to when class is over.

Scratch that.

You are counting down to when this horrid day is over. Finish.

The sounds of your professor’s voice slowly becomes muffled. You feel your eyelids droop; a tired sensation enters your body. Your head starts to nod as you continue to fight the sleep that your body desperately wants. While this is a boring class, you need it for your major, especially if you want to remain on track for graduation.

This is why failure is not an option for you, and the mere thought of having a soulmate will only be a major distraction. You are quite content with being independent with your main focus being on your studies.

Casual dating is fine with you but not anything long-term.

         “Remember…eye on the prize…” You chant over and over as you muster all your strength to stay focus and jot down anything that seems important.

Out of the corner of her eye, Sumin observes your unusual behavior. Most of the time, you’ll take a few notes and then rely on her for the rest. Yet, right now, it seems like someone or something possessed your body to behave this way.

Honestly…

It concerns and frightens her. She definitely needs to talk to you…

         “Remember class, next week, your midterm papers are due by midnight.” Announces your professor as your classmate begin packing up their school supplies.

         “Well, that lecture was stimulating…” You hear Sumin say sarcastically as the two of you stand up, quickly shoving any remaining items in your backpacks.

You chuckle softly, “Yep…which reminds me…did you start on the research paper?” You ask as you exit the classroom.

         “Surprisingly no. Mark has been having trouble with chemistry, so I have been helping him out.” She replies, causing you to smirk as you eye her with a perverted gaze.

Sumin gawks, “NOT LIKE THAT!”

You laugh loudly as you fling an arm around her shoulders, “Whatever you say babe.”

Sumin sighs loudly, causing you to laugh some more, as you two continue your little adventure back to your dorms.

And for some strange reason—you enjoy this little walk a smidge more because once again—it’s the two musketeers.

Just like the old times…

Currently settled in your favorite lounge chair, you prop your feet up on the coffee table before abruptly taking them as Sumin’s quick to scold you. What a motherly friend you have.

You grin widely at her as you take out your laptop and turning it on. Since you know that Sumin is going to talk about what happened today and the whole idiotic idea of “soulmate”, you want to be distracted when she does. The less you pay attention to her, the more of a chance you have to concoct the perfect plan to escape.

What?

You aren’t one to talk about your feelings—unless you’re crazy drunk.

You hear a glass clink against the coffee table, causing you to peek up from your Twitter feed and raise your brow. You eye the clear liquid in the crystal-clear glass, trying to decipher if it’s water or vodka. You conclude that it’s the first option, however, a tiny part of your mind doubts that it can be just water since Sumin knows you.

She knows that you’re more willing to pour out your emotions if you’re slightly buzzed.

You make an unsure face and reach for the glass. Just as the rim touches your lips, you hear Sumin say,

         “It’s not vodka, if that’s why you’re taking a sip.”

You playfully wink at her as you take a few sips of the ice-cold water then gently set it on the coaster.

Sumin lightly shakes her head with an amused, lopsided grin as she sits directly across from you.

         “Okay. Spill. What’s going on in that intelligent mind of yours?” questions Sumin as she types away on her phone. More than likely messaging her other half that she’s going to put their study session on hold.

You blow some air out before leaning backwards in your chair. You sit there in silence, hoping that your lack of response will give Sumin the clue that you don’t want to talk about the whole soulmate thing right this moment.

Unfortunately, she’s stubborn and decides to press your buttons. She knows the exact combo that will get you talking.

Why are you guys friends again?

A displeased expression glaze over your face as your eyes remain lock onto hers; your blank stare peering into her concerned ones.

         “Nothing is the matter.” You say shortly, closing your laptop and setting it aside.

Sumin clicked her tongue, “Don’t give me your usual lie. I know you more than you know yourself and vice versa. Now, talk.” She demands, showing the tough love that you have shown her whenever the two of you engaged in these types of talks.

A loud groan escapes your lips as you stand up and walk away from her.

Honestly, you know what she’s going to say before she even says it. She’s going to hit you with the harsh truth quite frankly, you aren’t ready for it. You aren’t ready to allow some stranger into your heart. To allow some random person to make you laugh…to make you feel unconditionally loved…to simply make you…happy.

You shake your head as a fake, forced airy chuckle leaves your lips while you scan for a way out.

Then, your eyes immediately zoom in on the window. You always do joke about escaping out the window. Might as well give it a shot.

You casually head over towards the window, causing Sumin to look at you with a confused gaze. You pry it open and then peek over the ledge until deeming it safe to jump.

You hook one leg over the ledge, causing it dangle lazily.

         “What are you doing?” Sumin asks. Her mouth slightly open and her brows raised.

Just when you are about to answer her, that annoying pull occurs, causing you to topple over and land in the hedges.

Sumin’s jaw nearly drops to the floor before running over to the window. She pokes her head out and shouts,

         “Holy shit…! Are you okay!?”

Instead of answering, you remain lying awkwardly on the wide plant. A few faint groans escape your mouth as you stare at the pastel colors that slowly paint the sky. Giant pink clouds, reminding you of delicious cotton candy, appear in your line of sight.

A soft breeze fan your skin, creating tiny goosebumps on the sides of your neck.

Yeah…

It’s time to get leave the bush before bystanders think you’re strange.

You untangle your limbs from one of many children of nature and pull out any foliage that cling to your luscious locks of hair. You wipe away any dirt, not wanting your favorite jean jacket to stain, and begin walking towards the campus.

You might as well grab a cup of coffee from your favorite café.

         “Where are you going?” shouts Sumin, wanting to make sure that you’re okay enough to be alone.

Not turning around, you give her a thumbs up as you continue on your merry way.

         “I wonder if they can add more than ten shots of espresso…” You snort at your thought as you arrive at the crosswalk.

The same soft breeze brushes against your skin once more. For some strange reason, you can’t help but feel tranquil. You just feel at peace with yourself as you drink in the evening atmosphere.

Out of the corner of your eye, you notice a few couples talking and eyeing each other with nothing but pure love. Then, your eyes notice the red thread of fate on their pinkies.

You take a deep breath and exhale nice and slow as your mind quickly berates you for mocking the idea of having a soulmate. If you haven’t mocked it so much, then your soulmate would be standing by your side right now.

He or she too looking at you as if you’re the most prized treasure that he or she owns.

You don’t know what possessed you, but you lift up your left pinky finger as the crosswalk signals you and the rest of the herd of people that it’s safe to cross the street.

Your pupils examine the fine thread and then a lightbulb lights up in your brilliant mind.

If that person has been tugging in on your string all day, then it’s only fair that you return the favor.

Standing in the middle of the courtyard, you lightly pinch the thread with your right thumb and index finger. You utter a quick prayer before tugging on it with your eyes tightly closed.

You peek one eye open; your lips grimacing as you think that this is a terrible idea. You wait a few more seconds before tugging it again. Maybe you haven’t pulled hard enough.

You repeat your earlier action, but this time harder.

You quickly scan the sparse quad area, hoping to see anyone who have perhaps stumbled while walking or even have their hand jerk.

Nope.

Nothing.

Nada.

Maybe this is your punishment.

Destined to be forever alone, unaware of who your soulmate is.

You sigh softly before tucking your hands in the pockets of your jean jacket and continue your journey for nice little pick-me-up.

As you take another step, you attempt to pull your hands out. You manage to free your right hand with ease, but with your left hand, it’s proven to be difficult. That stupid string managed to get itself snagged on something.

You continue to fight to free your hand, struggling. You even allow some other fellow coffee lovers to go in front of you because your phone also happened to be inside the left pocket.

You tug, and you tug until with one final strong effort, you free your hand.

In doing so, you unintentionally cause the string to be pulled back—and someone else to fling a rather hot beverage across the establishment.

         “Ooh…my…God…! I am deeply sorry!” frantically shouts a deep voice. A voice that sounds a tad too addicting for your taste.

         “I don’t know what possessed me to do that, but I swear it’s an accident!” adds the person with a bass for a voice.

You quickly scan the café until your eyes lock in with the person that you at least suspected.

         “Taehyung? Kim Taehyung?” You question to yourself or—so you think.

         “Yeah?” answers the person with the voice that sounds almost magical to you.

Your face flush in embarrassment as you awkwardly nod your head before dashing out of the coffee place.

No.

That can’t be.

He can’t be your soulmate.

He deserves someone who quite frankly isn’t you.

You glance up to the sky and in a questioning tone, you mutter,

         “Really? Him? It’s fine that you despise me, but why do you have to torture him too?”

         “I don’t think of it as torture. If anything, I say it’s a blessing because they answered my prayers.” Says a voice behind you, causing you to flinch and grasp your chest.

Why do people like sneaking up on you?

You roughly turn around; your expression remaining neutral as you mask the fear that’s trying to surface.

         “Well, you’re going to regret saying that because I shouldn’t even be your soulmate,” Your strong tone of voice wavering, “I’m completely wrong for you and will only leave you in heartbreak,” You sigh, “Do me a favor and cut that string and put us both out of our misery.” You request even though you’re fully aware that nothing and no one can terminate the connection the two of you share.

You can still dream, right?

Taehyung smiles, finding your little speech rather adorable. You’re scared, and if he’s being honest to his innermost feelings—the secrets that not even his close friends knows about—he’s terrified as well.

Yes, he has remained optimistic about the potential chance of you being his soulmate, but he has never once believed that it’ll come true.

He has read many books about this tiny string, and he has his fair share of experiences with his buddies all finding their one true love. Yet, he still feels under prepared for it.

You are his soulmate and you are standing right in front of him.

The person that he says will be his future wife. The future mother of his children. His everything.

Out of habit and with a nervous grin, he rubs the back of his neck while focusing his gaze onto the concrete sidewalk.

         “Well…I might not be your first choice…but I’m willing to give this adventure a shot, if you are.” He says softly, stumbling over a few words.

His words catch you off guard. You stare at him, briefly taking note of how the sunset is creating a beautiful aura around him. Your lips slightly part while your heart begins to race.

Is this the sensation that Sumin felt once she gave in to the soulmate connection she shares with Mark Lee?

All of her fears vanished the moment she surrendered?

You think it is. You too feel the same burst of warmth in your heart as it spreads towards the rest of your body.

A genuine, sweet smile slowly graces your lips as you step closer to Taehyung. The boy you know has been staring at you in class. The boy that you notice in the background whenever you’re third-wheeling on Sumin’s and Mark Lee’s dates.

The young man that is going to take your hand and venture on this journey of uncertainty. He’s going to prove you wrong. You just know it.

         “Just a heads up, I tend to get bored after week six so…” You tease as the distance between your chests is pretty much nonexistent.

Taehyung laughs; his smile shining so bright, “I’m not worried. If anything, that makes it a challenge for me to keep you interested even with our special connection.”

This time it’s your turn to laugh and smile so wide that your cheeks are actually hurting.

         “I wish you luck then. I hear that I am quite difficult to please.”

         “We shall see about that, my lady. We shall see.”

A/N: This little one shot is dedicated to @softjeon​, my soup friend/hubby. Without her, Our Second Chance wouldn’t even have five chapters planned, written, and published (the 6th chapter shall be written either over the weekend or next weekend once this is published!) I also wouldn’t even have an overall plot idea for my upcoming Detective!/1940s!AU Mark Lee story. She is my go to brainstorming buddy, and I am forever grateful to have her as one of my close friends!

Let me know what you think about this one shot! This is my first time writing a soulmate!AU :) 

Don’t forget to leave a like/reblog/comment/message in my inbox! I love to hear your thoughts!

- Kim

[novellaquill]

Starling: Starting Over

—

Drabble with OC!Batsis x Batfam

Summary:

Lerina begins to doubt her decision and doubts if she can make it on her own but with help from friends she starts to enjoy her new found freedom. However, an old friend may accidentally ruin it all.

Warning: This talks about depression, mental illness, and other serious topics. If these topics make you feel uncomfortable don't read. There is also cursing.

A/N: You finally get to see what she looks like and are introduced to a new character! Young Justice are mentioned.

—

“It’s all anybody wants, right? Clean slate. A new beginning. Like that’s gonna be any easier. Ask the guy pushing the boulder up the hill. Nothing’s easy about starting over. Nothing at all.”

― Meredith Grey

“Everyone has that moment I think, the moment when something so momentous happens that it rips your very being into small pieces. And then you have to stop. For a long time, you gather your pieces. And it takes such a very long time, not to fit them back together, but to assemble them in a new way, not necessarily a better way. More, a way you can live with until you know for certain that this piece should go there, and that one there.” ― Kathleen Glasgow, Girl in Pieces

—

I'm not going to lie this has been hell. My anxiety is skyrocketing,  I've never done this before. I spent nights wondering what my family would say if I ever saw them again. Would they be angry or disappointed? Who knows? Why should I care? I shouldn't, but I do. Dick's birthday is coming soon. I've never missed a birthday before what am I going to do? Will they survive without me? Of course, they will. Will they be okay though?  Again I ask who know? I shouldn't care, but I do I always will. Every day is a nightmare, it feels like you're on your own even though you have people to help you. 

— My best friend Shani gave me a place to stay until I got on my feet, but later on, we decided to become roommates since rent would be cheaper and she's basically my second sister. We got a four bedroom two bath apartment in Star Ciry. Honestly, we didn't need all that space, but Leilei insisted on having a place to sleep when she came to visit, and we both wanted a workspace. Shani mainly just wanted Leilei there so she could get free food whenever she came to visit, that vulture.

Now for the hell part, it's difficult to take care of yourself without having to take care of someone else at least physically. At home, I would remember to eat because I helped Alfred make breakfast for my household. Now I have to remind myself that I have to eat for me. Eating was necessary for survival just another task for me to do. It was hard to find the joy in anything especially when it's for myself. Oh, don't get me started on finding the motivation to do anything. Now that someone isn't relying on you it feels like you can't do anything or find to energy to do anything. When living is a chore with others, and now you're by yourself it feels like you're pushing a boulder up an unclimbable mountain. Maybe I should just go home? I mean what am I going to do out here? Really? Like what's the-"Okay get your ass up," Shani my best friend said dragging me off my bed and into the shower, "You did this at my old place you're not doing it here." "AH! SHIT, YOU SON OF A BITCH THAT'S COLD," I screamed as she drowned my body in the water. "Forget them Lerina you are a strong independent woman who doesn't need a man. Act like it! Now you have a degree in psychology if you saw someone acting like this what would you tell them to do," she asked dismissing the fact that her best friend is still in her clothes and in the shower having cold water pouring down on them. "I'm not a psychiatrist, but I'd tell them to go see one and get to get their life together," I answered pissed. "So what should you do?" "Yeah, I get it. Get out so I can take my own advice." "You're welcome bestie!" "I hate you." — Luckily I did see a psychiatrist. It's kinda fun to talk to him because of my background in psychology, I know the medical terms. I also received a new private doctor so it could be harder to track me. Together my doctor and my psychiatrist found medications that worked for me. Basically all the medicine I hoped to avoid I had to take. I'm on an antidepressant and medication for anxiety, but at least I don't have to take Adderall anymore. I used to as a child, and I haven't used it over a year. I'm officially off it now. I'm supposed to manage my stress, but I went ahead and got one of the most stressful jobs ever. I'm a neurologist! I originally went to school to be a psychiatrist, but that wasn't my calling. I continued the course then switched it to neurology I still love psychology and use the knowledge I learned to read others and give advice from time to time. Let's be honest, it's easier to fix someone else's problem than to fix your own. I didn't want to set a bad example for my patients. It took some time to job hunt and to get the okay from my doctors, but I finally started working. Life has its ups and downs I know that now and after three months my life is coming together. Maybe just maybe I can do this.

—

That naive little fool. Did she honestly believe starting over would be that easy? In only three months as well? Ha! She’d have better luck seeing Jesus and watching hell freeze over with him by her side. Did it not occur to her that her younger siblings would indeed look for her? Oh yes, the batclan began to search for her whereabouts two weeks after she went disappeared and haven't ceased searching since. I bet you curious to why it took two weeks for the clan of vigilantes to look for their missing bat. Well, it all started two months and a week ago. --

Tim noticed Lerina's disappearance the second he entered the Batcave. There was no welcome home kisses, bone-crushing hugs, or dinner. No questions about the mission after being dragged into the infirmary. There was nothing but the pained groans from his fellow vigilantes and the sounds of the keyboard used by Bruce. Tim looked at Jason and Jason looked back a Tim. It was if they shared the same mind that moment, they knew for a fact without a single doubt something was wrong with their sister. "Hey, Alfred did you see Lerina anywhere," Jason asked while getting a bullet wound stitched up "I'm afraid I haven't seen Miss Lerina at all during my return," the butler answered. "She's probably in her bedroom," Dick proposed, "Doesn't she have a board meeting tomorrow?" "Indeed she does but-," "I am certain that Oriel is alive and well," Damian interrupted unbothered by his butler and older brothers' concerned tone. "I didn't know you cared Damian," Cassandra said while putting away her gear, "I don't I believe we should consider taking the time to appreciate the beautiful silence her absence has brought us," he replied with a smirk. "If Lerina isn't here it's for a good reason. Now I want Tim-" "Bruce I'm pretty sure Lerina is missing," Tim interjected. "Nonsense Drake, Oriel is most likely working on father's business files and if not she's with her grandmother. Do Not disturb her I'm enjoying the silence," Damian sneered leaving the group. -- That's how it was for the entire time she was gone. Jason, Tim, and Alfred started their search immediately, however, the others didn't decide to join until 3 weeks later Kamalei complained about not seeing her granddaughter, even if that was a lie. It was then when the police, the league, and young justice were notified of her disappearance. There wasn't even the tiniest unit of dust to point them in the right direction but they continued to search losing hope until someone got a text. "That was Wally," Dick explained as the other began to suit up, "He saw Rina in Star City."

-- "Did you see the news today Rina?" "Oh yes, 'No it's true I am the real Lerina Oriel-Wayne' please," Lerina mocked the latest beauty queen who pretended to be her, "Another demented fangirl craving fame and fortune."  "Yo, but did you see how much money your family was willing to lay down for your return? Nearly fifty thousand dollars! Hell, I'm willing to put lipstick on a pig for that much money," Shani exclaimed powerless to hide the shock that trekked across her body. "Only fifty thousand? A pity I thought I was worth more than that," she shrugged entirely unbothered by the amount of reward money her family was willing to spend for her retrieval. "However, what is worrying is if someone recognizes me and reports back to my family. Are you certain it's safe for me to be out in public?" "I'm sure, you don't stay out long enough for the public to remember what you look like and thanks to papa Bruce's neglection he doesn't have any recent pictures of you. Relax, you're in the clear." Shani responded in a laid back tone, "Now let's go get some coffee-SHIT!!" "What," the older woman questioned, "What's wrong?" "It's Wally he's here! He heard everything and he's coming right at us, RUN!" You didn't have to repeat yourself to get the oldest Wayne to run as if a demon was right on her tail but as a regular human, it's impossible to outrun a speedster. Within a second a livid red head blocked their path. "Wally hi. How's everything with Artemis?" "Don't play that with me Lerina you have a lot of explaining to do,' Wally growled taking off with the pair. -- "That's it? That's why you dropped off the face of the Earth?!" Wally shouted his rage scorching the air. "What do you mean "that's it', Lerina argued, "That's a great reason." "You couldn't have left a note?" No, because I didn't want them to find me!!" "Listen Wally," Shani began getting the attention of her best friend and the speedster, "You're not really being fair-" "HOW AM I NOT BEING FAIR!?" he screamed, "The league, Young Justice, her own family are currently killing themselves to find her thinking that she's in some sort of danger only for me to find out she abandoned them! How am I being unfair?" "I didn't abandon them I left to-" he cut her off, "You left to spite them." "I left because if I stayed they would use that 50 grand to plan my funeral," she snapped her response draining the color from Wally's face."W-w-what?" he stuttered unable to get the words out, "I left to save my life, Wally, I would've killed myself in that house," she said voice cracking, "I didn't leave a note because I didn't want them to carry the burden of knowing nor did I want to face them ever again." He sat down on their couch head lowered and fingers running through his red locks, "SO what am I supposed to do, huh? I already texted telling them I saw you here. They are on their way if they aren't already here." "Well, you don't have to tell anyone you found us," Shani stated. Wally's head snapped up, "Are you saying that I lie to them?" "No, I'm just saying-" "I know what you're saying and it's still a lie. Asking for me to lie to my best friend and the bat clan is one thing but the team and my girlfriend too? You've got to be kidding me." "Artemis already knows. You can't be in Star City without one of its vigilantes finding out," Shani explained "Listen," Lerina said sitting next to him, "You can tell them I was here but by the time you come back I'll be on the next flight somewhere else. Why? I finally made a life where I'm not numb and I can live my life to the fullest. I'm not sacrificing my happiness or my health for anyone. Not anymore. Now you don't have to keep my secret I'm not going to ask you do but if you do I know a senior citizen who is always willing to fill that bottomless pit you call a stomach." Wally sighed putting his face in his palms, "He's my best friend, Lerina you can't just-" "Shh let's talk about something else, how are you and Artemis doing," she questioned. The only response was a groan. -- "Are you absolutely sure you saw her?" Nightwing questioned looking over the city. "You saw the picture I sent, it was her," Kid Flashed answered in monotone. "But?' he asked turning to his glum friend. "There were too many people around during a rush hour. I couldn't catch up." he said sighing in defeat. Nightwing didn't show it but he was distraught and Wally knew this but a new feeling of hope also filled the blue vigilante’s heart, "It's fine man. Thank you for notifying us, we'll keep looking in that area during the time she was last spotted to see if we can find a pattern. Then we'll branch out to the rest of the city. I'm sorry for all the trouble." "Yeah," Wally said as a mixture of  relief and guilt  settled in his stomach, "I'm sorry too."

--

~Novella Quill