#Ask ballpoint’s parents AU

[ask-steve-cobs-parents-au]

Ring are you upset at me for marrying you're son? I can't tell if you are mad quiet or just quiet

(Note:Btw he’s doing hand language.)

“I”

“Im”

“I’m j”

“I’m ju”

“I’m jus”

“I’m just”

“I’m just q”

“I’m just qu”

“I’m just qui”

“I’m just quie”

“I’m just quiet.”

“He said he’s just quiet!.”

F.P & Ring.

[benevolenterrancy]

Funnily enough, I posted a mlp svsss au on ao3 for cumplane week just as the lqg sonic rainboom anon was starting their thing. I was a big mlp:fim fan back in the day (I was in the target demographic), so I had a lot of fun with it. I figure pony must've been on the brain for us both.

Binghe ended up being a dragon/pony hybrid who became an alicirn (super OP unicorn+pegasus) in the abyss with Xin Mo as his horn and with batty dragon wings. Shen Qingqiu had a spread fan as his cutie mark, and Shang Qinghua had a ballpoint pen lmao. It would be fun to explore that sort of au more,

I am actually begging you to drop a link p l e a s e I am invested in reading an au like this now

[ballpoint-penii]

(i havent used this blog for so long omg)

{ 🖊️ } "Do you have a ball? Or do you have a point?"

} Welcome to my blog, feel free to ask.

| } Allowed Ships

[ Ballcobs 🌽 🖊️| Zoepoint 📝🖊️]

| } DNI, RULES

[DNI - P3dos, proshippers]

[RULES - NO EXTREME NSFW (light nsfw jokes are fine) NO EXTREME GORE/GORY DETAILS]

| } Headcanons (Including Cobs)

[BP;]

BP likes to be called Ballpoint (no pen), they hate it if theres 'Pen' with it.

BP's full name is 'Ballpoint Ink P. Pen'

In @//stevecobsog 's blog (and mine), BP and Cobs are married.

BP is Trans and Bisexual, using He/They pronouns.

BP's love language is hatred (a bit)

BP knows Cobs' parents of course! (@//ask-steve-cobs-parents-au)

[Cobs;]

Cobs' is Bisexual.

Cobs' hates and has a fear of his parents.

Cobs' full name is 'Steven Cobs Lee Husk'

Cobs' has bad handwriting (from @//stevecobsog)

[ 🏹🌟🐲//⭐ = OOC]

BLOG RAN BY: @shallyzxd

BLOG ASSOCIATES WITH:

@//stevecobsog

@//ask-steve-cobs-parents-au

{Their anniversary is Dec 7!!!!}

TAGS vvvv

[justrainandcoffee]

For the Walsh boys:

(Jared) 💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

(James) 🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer?

(Jay) 💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

For Linnie

🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos?

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies?

For Rosie

🎻 VIOLIN — does your oc play any instruments? what is their skill level (beginner/intermediate/advanced/virtuoso/etc)?

Thank you 🖤

Ask Game

Omg, thanks V ❤️❤️!!!

(Jared) 💘 HEART WITH ARROW — what and/or who do(es) your oc consider the most important to them?

For Jared the most important thing are his brothers. Even when James is only a year younger than him and Jay 4, he felt he has a paternal responsibility. No matter if it's in 1900s, modern AU or GoT, their parents are two shits so, he needs they need to be protected.

(James) 🍔 HAMBURGER — is your oc good at cooking? are they good at baking? which one do they prefer?

He's cooks quite well. Maybe not like Alfie, but it's pretty decent. As for baking... 🤭. Rose 🤝 James.

(Jay) 💯 HUNDRED POINTS SYMBOL — share three random facts about your oc that others may not know.

My neglected Jay!

-In 1900s and Modern times, he's a blacksmith (started as hobby and slowly it became his job)

-Hates maths.

Rose:

-in 1900s he's the only one that kept living with his mother after Jared killed their father, although Alysse didn't talk to him. Eventually that became his house.

Linnie:

🖊️ BALLPOINT PEN — does your oc have any tattoos? do they want any (more) tattoos?

Yes!! A black raven on her shoulder. And I don't think she wants more.

🎮 VIDEO GAME CONTROLLER — what are three of your oc's favorite hobbies?

1) Singing definitely is number one. No matter in which universe, she loves it.

2) reading. The peace of coming home and find time for herself includes reading. Or sometimes Audiobooks if she's too tired.

3) Yoga. Same as the previous one, being in the Court sometimes is extremely stressful so, she needs to relax somehow.

🎻 VIOLIN — does your oc play any instruments? what is their skill level (beginner/intermediate/advanced/virtuoso/etc)?

Not at all. Music isn't part of her abilities and I don't think she's interested in learning either. It requires time and patience and she doesn't have any of them 😂.

[lestcat-de-lioncourt]

(Gerard Way, by me. Black ballpoint, red fine-liner. 🖊🩸 )

Soo I’ve not posted much OC character stuff of recent as I’m still writing the second chapter of The Lord of Wet and Pyro Princess Adventures (Genshin Ayato x Diluc fanfic I’m having a lot of fun with as I’m back in ~Genshin playing mode~ since I invested a bunch in the game and it’s also the Lantern Rite time of year again, a favourite of mine).

I’ve had a request to finish my WattPad Kaze fanfic too, which I’ll try and deliver but I got kinda stick in the basement scene lmfao as writing Zero as a top is so odd for me even though I Want It to happen.

I’ve wanted to get out some Kaze stuff as not as many people post it anymore and I’ve realised there’s still a big fandom community for Vampire Knight which is excitingg! I might move it over to Ao3 once I have time.~

I’ve been a little busy planning and “making the art” and custom credit card designs as well as payment plan ideas not too mention considering setting up an Etsy or Fiverr or somewhere people have more access to than pixiv as setting up my regular posting on my pixivFANBOX and trying to build a schedule for Saturdays whilst juggling my physical/mental health and transition as well as parenting and socialising more. Basically I want a gallery of stuff to trickle out rather than doing it every week under pressure rather than when it comes to me, as whenever I have pressure to deliver I lose my imagination and just feel like it’s a chore so avoid it. I’m sure other creatives can relate!

Likewise I’m sitting back and reading again to unwind again and haven’t caught up with everything I’m reading yet but I’ve got numerous things In The Works I’m taking more time on rather than rushing out chapters such as:

• The NYE one shot for Orange Juice in the Studio~

• Chapter 3 “A Date In The City” of Orange Juice in the Studio, essentially the ~teaser~ Aquarium and ice cream parlour date where I finally introduce supporting character into the actual story who works at the parlour! I don’t know when I’ll be introducing Mama but they are on the horizon for sure. I’m currently busy researching real locations in Valencia and I’ve never been so I don’t have in person reference and am sourcing that online. I’m also researching top LGBT+ hang out locations/clubs in the city to make appearances in the storyline.

• ORANGE JUICE IN THE STUDIO CHARACTER INFO SHEETS!!! Exciting.

Here I’ll give lots of what you need to know about OC and Reader! I’m wondering if I should not make one though for Reader or ask for engagement from my actual readers of Who Reader Is To Them, as well, the whole point of the character is to depict You as a reader, and those who relate to what I write can get on board. I will make a mock up one for sure and be loose with it as a rule! Or leave out absolute details like “star sign” or height or something.~

• Beginning work on the AU “HorrorLand! The Isle of Marionettes”! This will be about the Orange Juice OCs. As you can tell, it’ll be slightly gory horror fiction, somewhere to express my love for horror and things but not canon. Just a little fun.

• Designing what will be in my monthly newsletter which only Bronze subscribers will get for yours truly to enjoy!

• Weekly updates to my pixivFANBOX, with my manga style art specifically. My pixivFANBOX is for my manga art style only, my other types of art can be found on zer0comicz IG, and Zer0 Comics on Facebook, or posted on here. This is my official name for my freelance illustration/comic business.

• I’ll try getting some new commissions up I’ve got of OC and Reader on here and/or on @crimsonyoukai , if not that, I’ll make some mock ups on PiCrew whilst I’m doing my own.

• Tiered FANs will be getting The Monthly Marionette+, this begins after the first month of being a patron on Bronze, Silver (to be set up) and Gold (to be set up). I’ll announce when the newsletter is starting to air!

You can get early teasers for chapters of OJITS posted on my pixivFANBOX as well too on Bronze tier, I’m not posting teasers so much on here anymore until I’ve aired it for protection of my work etc.

My Ao3 profile for writing updates!

Any queries or questions or anything you’d like to know in general or what you may like to also see from me, please feel free to drop them into my Ask Box!

I have commissions open for art likewise. Each custom piece is £5, £10 for more detailed works, which I offer postage for the original or a print. Tattoo designs are £25 each.

[weird0artgalonsocialmedia]

UPDATE + NEW AU

(Might be long)

ABOUT OWN CHOICES:

THE ASK-BLOG WILL BE CLOSED BUT I WILL OPEN IT EVENTUALLY!(JUST NOT NOW) JUST NEEDED TO FOCUS ON MY STUDIES AFTER SEM-BREAK CAUSE MY GRADES ISN'T GREAT SO FAR.

WHY AM I GONNA FOCUS ON A ANOTHER AU? BECAUSE I HAD SOME IDEAS FOR IT! ORIGINALLY I WAS GONNA NOT GONNA CONTINUE "HALLUCINATION NIGHTMARE" BUT NEW IDEAS COME UP OUT OF NOWHERE(or i got inspo from stuff on the internet) SOOO MOST DRAWINGS WILL BE BASED OFF THIS NEW AU/REWRITE IG?

AND A NEW AU, IT'S SOME REPLACEMENT OF "HALLUCINATION NIGHTMARE" BUT I CHANGED IT, IT'S GONNA BE CALLED "THE LONELY SPIRIT" AND THE SPIRIT IS GONNA BE CALLED LUNCY OR LUCY SINCE IT'S PREFERED FOR THEM. (PRONOUNS: IT/ITS, THEY/THEM, SHE/HER. DISLIKED BEING CALLED HALLUNCINATION, SHE'S BETWEEN BEING REAL OR NOT) REF COMING SOON!

AND FOR THE VESSEL OBJECT, PLANCHETTE ([PRONOUNS: ANY), DIDN'T HAVE ANY FRIENDS, THEY MADE FRIENDS WITH LUCY BECAUSE THEY WE'RE TOO TRUSTWORTHY INTO PEOPLE THAT AREN'T SO TRUSTWORTHY(if you get what I mean) REF COMING SOON!

PLANCHETTE HAS OTHER OBJECTS THAT WE'RE CLOSE TO THEM BUT FORGOT ABOUT THEM.

RAINBOW, REF(NOT HERE), HE/HIM OR THEY/THEM. COOL GUY TYPE, WEIRD VOICE BUT A GOOD PERSON. PARENTS: WATERDROP(HE/HIM) AND SUNLIGHT(SHE/HER)

SUN/SUNNY, REF(NOT HERE), SHE/HER. MEAN GUY TYPE, SASSY OR NORMAL VOICE AND VERY SELF-CENTERED. PARENTS:  hydrogen and helium(or gas and dust, both go by they/them. Sun/Sunny is adopted). SUNLIGHT IS SUN/SUNNY'S SISTER.

MOON, REF(NOT HERE), THEY/THEM, CHILL GUY TYPE, MONOTONE VOICE BUT IS A GOOD GUY. PARENTS: ROCKSTER(SHE/HER) AND LIGHTBALL(HE/HIM). LIGHTBALL IS LIGHTBULB'S COUSIN(DONT ASK I SUCK AT MAKING GENETICS), SUNLIGHT AND SUN/SUNNY IS THEIR SISTER.

(why are they all space-based? idk I thought it was cool)

AND JUST A NOTE: THE OBJECTS/CONTESTANTS FROM II ISN'T MADE FROM MEPHONE4. THEY ALL HAVE PARENTS BUT I HAVEN'T MADE THEM YET.

IS STEVE COBS A GOOD FATHER IN THIS AU? WELL, A REDEEMING ONE, HE MADE A DEAL WITH LUCY(USING PLANCHETTE AS A POSSESSION VESSEL) AND HE THOUGHT THE REST OF HIS CREATIONS WE'RE GONNA BE SAFE, HE WAS WRONG. SO THATS WHY HE'S TRYING TO BE BETTER ONCE HE MEETS MEPHONE4 AND MEPAD(THEY ARE NOT CURRENTLY IN THE SAME PLACE, STEVE COBS AND THEM DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PLACE IS THROUGH)

ALL MEPHONES(minus MePhone5C and 5S cause they are canonically married in this AU) ARE SIBLINGS. MINUS MEPAD CAUSE HE'S A DIFFRENT MODEL.

FOR THOSE WHO SHIP STEVE COBS AND BALLPOINT PEN, IT'S A SLOW BURN. STEVE COBS TRYING TO BE A BETTER FATHER AND BALLPOINT PEN TRYING TO HELP HIM. (I HATE CANNON STEVE COBS, I WANT TO MAKE HIM SOMEONE BETTER :])

AND FOR TOIPAD, IT'S PLATONIC OR BROTPT(sorry Toipad shippers!) GLITCHPAD BEING SLOW BURN, FLOORPHONE SLOW BURN(FLOORY HAS A CRUSH ON MEPHONE4 BUT MEPHONE4 IS SLIGHTLY OBLIVIOUS)

WANNA KNOW MORE? CONTACT ME! AND YOU WANNA MAKE CONTENT OF IT? USE HASHTAG: #ii au: the lonely spirit

OR TAG ME!

THAT'S ALL!

-Anja

[everlasting-elegy]

When You Have a Mild Injury (Albedo, Childe, Scaramouche)

Requested by dear 🎎-anon with some alterations by me~ After this I'll actually write the 500 followers requests skdfjslkdf. It's as the title says, when you have a minor injury (think a bruise or notable scratch, something that requires no hospitalisation)

Genre: Modern (College?) AU Word Count: 1.3k

Albedo

Medicine and first aid may not be his area of specialty but it’s likely knowledge he’s accumulated over his life. Albedo is calm and collected upon seeing your injury

He says he doesn’t exaggerate much but he’s still firm when you tell him your state is nothing to fret about. He orders you to take a seat on the couch so that he can prepare the necessary equipment

If you’re insecure about your injury being visible, Albedo will also offer to help cover it up with makeup whenever you prepare to go out. You accepted once out of sheer curiosity, you have no idea when or how Albedo became such a professional with makeup, your injury looking nonexistent

He becomes a mother hen, checking in on you more. If you come back to him with another scratch or bruise while your previous one hasn’t fully healed, he’ll just sigh and shake his head like a disappointed parent

Albedo’s head snapped to you when you broke the silence in his office with a sneeze. You hurriedly apologised, seeing yourself out to blow your nose as not to disturb him further. When your nose was suitably soothed, you re-entered his room, only to be greeted with Albedo sitting straight, looking expectantly at you as he gestured to the paper before him. Standing beside him, you looked at it curiously.

“What’s this?” You asked. Leaning down to get a closer look, Albedo instinctively pulled you onto his lap.

“Just a form I’d like you to fill out for me to keep track of your wellbeing,” he said simply.

“Bedo…” you sighed. “It’s just a little injury, it’s nothing.”

“Yes, but you’ve been showing symptoms of a cold or common flu as of late as well,” Albedo mused. “Correlation doesn’t mean causation, however it is never wrong to take precautions. I don’t want your health to worsen.”

He pressed the end of a ballpoint pen until it clicked, before passing it to you. You stared at his expression as his gaze remained fixed on the form he made. His expression was kept expertly neutral, but you knew better as his arms fastened securely onto your waist, his cheek pressed gently against your shoulder. Noticing your stillness, his eyes flickered up to you, waves of blue shimmering with concern under the light. You couldn’t help but press a quick kiss to his forehead before turning to fill out his form, earning an audible hum from him.

“Thank you, Albedo.”

“No problem, my love.”

Childe

The biggest surprise was how Childe had nothing to do with your current injury. You’ve suffered through plenty of light bruises and scratches with his playful shoving and antics. When Childe sees you tending to your wound, he’s automatically apologising while stifling a laugh

He can also be incredibly cheeky. He’s teasingly pulling you away from sharp edges and corners, sometimes even carrying you since ‘you always get yourself into danger’. Really, he just wants an excuse to touch you

He’ll gladly tend to your injury if you’ll let him. His hands are rough and calloused yet his touch is still light as feathers against your skin. He adores taking care of you, when you thank him he’s practically glowing

Childe tends to be melodramatic when it comes to your wellbeing - and you in general. He definitely told his family about you, his siblings sent you ‘get well soon’ cards and wrote as though you were on death’s doorstep. You were quick to tell them you were alright

“Hey cutie, you single?” You rolled your eyes at your boyfriend’s antics as he entered your place, bags in hand.

“Childe, what are you doing here? I thought you had classes today.”

You followed him as he walked into your kitchen, dropping the grocery bags haphazardly, letting ingredients spill across the table top.

“I told them I couldn’t go,” he shrugged. “I’m busy.”

“Busy with what?” You looked at him incredulously and Childe gasped in mock horror.

“‘With what?’ My partner has been mortally wounded and you’re asking me what I’m busy with?”

“Mortally wounded?” You showed him your injury. “This tiny thing?!”

Childe rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “An injury’s an injury?”

“Just say you didn’t want to go to class,” you turned your back to him, ready to go back to your couch and binge watch whatever’s on.

“Hey, don’t make it sound like that!”

You lurched forward as Childe tackled you into a back hug. Struggling to regain your footing, Childe steadied the both of you as he pressed his cheek into your hair and chest against your spine. “I just wanted to spend time with you, that’s not a sin is it?”

“But lying is,” you retorted.

Parting from you, Childe took your shoulders and turned you to him. His face was dangerously close to yours, lips slightly pouty and eyes wide. After a few seconds you groaned and shoved him away and he let out a victorious cry.

“Damn you and your pretty face,” you muttered and Childe just winked back at you before turning to prepare lunch.

Scaramouche

His initial outward reaction is to be smug. Chances are he likely taunted you, saying he saw this coming given your clumsiness. If it was a sports injury he backhandedly warned you prior, and now look at you hobbling back to him just as he predicted

You can tell him you don’t want to be a bother all you want, Scaramouche is tending to your wound whether you like it or not. The entire time he’s chastising you, telling you how dumb it was for you to get injured, but against his harsh words his hands are nothing but soft and gentle

If the injury was caused by someone, such as someone shoving you or throwing a ball at you, don’t mention their name if you want to keep seeing them around. Scaramouche will give them an earful if he figures out who they are, no matter if the injury was accidental or if they already apologised to you

“Thank you so much for helping me with this worksheet, (Y/N),” an acquaintance of yours whisked you to the local library.

“Don’t worry about it, what are friends for?” You chuckled.

“Just one question.”

“Fire away.”

“Who the hell is he?”

Scaramouche wrinkled his nose at your buddy.

“None of your goddamn business,” Scaramouche sneered as he crossed his arms, leaning closer into you.

“My boyfriend, Scaramouche,” you introduced and Scaramouche only huffed, tilting his hat down to let the shadows obscure his flustered face.

“Boyfriend or guard dog?” Your friend raised their eyebrows.

“Both,” you laughed and Scaramouche slapped your arm lightly.

“What did you do?” Your friend asked curiously. You displayed your healing injury and they started to giggle in response. “He’s all riled up from that?”

“It’s not my fault you can’t look after yourself,” he muttered, completely disregarding your friend and glaring at you. “I can’t even trust you to go outside by yourself. First it’s a scratch, then a bruise, then it’ll be broken bones and hospital unless I intervene. Don’t blame me for your incompetence.”

“Don’t mind him,” you smiled apologetically as you reached down for your bag, your arm accidentally hitting the sharp corner of the desk. You quickly retracted your limb with a stifled hiss but before you could look at it Scaramouche was already cradling your arm and scrutinising it.

“This is what I’m talking about,” Scaramouche chastised. “You’re actually a clumsy fool, you know that, right?”

“He’s very sweet,” you assured and your friend nodded half-heartedly.

Genshin Impact Masterlist

[earth1to1wynter]

non despair au rantaro amami hcs!!

�� cw ➵ tense parental relationship (mention) 【 word count ➵ 827 【 notes ➵ n/a

-rantaro knows, like, 12 different languages

-he's only actually fluent in 3 or 4. those would probably be english, japanese, korean, and spanish

-the rest he knows at a survival level. which is to say if he were dropped into the middle of an area where they only spoke one of those languages, he could get himself some food, get a hotel room, lose a sister, pick up a souvenir, and buy a plane ticket home

-he'll also just switch between languages randomly, especially in his head. he'll start a sentence in one language and go through two more before he finishes his thought

-this happens a lot in class, too

-rantaro will be giving a presentation or answering a question, and he'll switch to another language

-and he only realizes it when his peers start to giggle or when the teacher gently stops him and tells him he’s speaking in another language

-then he just awkwardly laughs and scratches his neck before continuing in his original language

-he loves tally hall (hidden in the sand, the bidding), the neighbourhood (cry baby, softcore, fallen star, reflections), jack stauber (choice, oh klahoma, buttercup), tame impala (lost in yesterday, let it happen, desire be desire go), and harry styles (as it was, kiwi)

-maybe i'll drop my rantaro playlist 👀

-a date to one of these concerts is a MUST

-he somehow always gets awesome tickets by pure chance. maybe the tickets were on discount, maybe he had some connections, or maybe he won them over the radio

-i don't think he's afraid to wear dresses or makeup.

-as shown in the game, he's pretty good at painting nails, so i think he'll wear a little makeup from time to time or vibe in a dress every couple weeks

-they might not be his prefered clothing item, but i think he'd wear one

-rantaro in the strawberry dress >>>

-he also draws from time to time! nothing too fancy, but he'll draw something interesting around him with a ballpoint pen while he waits for a train or something. rantaro's art is actually pretty good

-he has the vibes of someone who likes reading old and dusty books by candlelight or by a window

-i think he really enjoys historical fiction or fantasy books. preferably with a little romance and drama sprinkled in

-speaking of drama, he says he's a peace keeper, but he actually enjoys watch other people's drama unfold

-he also has a habit of accidentally flirting with almost everyone he talks to. rantaro doesn't even know he's flirting, it'll just kinda...happen

-his friends know that he doesn't mean it, but everyone else? nope.

-he's also so smooth. SO smooth and SO clever

-even without him accidentally flirting with people, he gets asked out or gets notes in his locker fairly often, and he feels so bad turning them down. he does his best to let them down slowly

-his relationship with his parents is...tense, to say the least. they still love him very much and they're not abusive or harmful in any way, things are just a little off after losing rantaro's sisters

-back to a lighter note, i think he really enjoys stargazing and can use the stars to guide him

-especially when he travels to other places, he loves seeing the contrasts and similarities between the sky where he is and the sky where his home is

-he probably plays the weirdest instruments

-definitely the guitar and ukulele, but he also probably plays like the dulcimer or something too

-rantaro's also pretty absent minded and spaces out often

-he kinda likes this quality, he thinks it makes him look all cool and mysterious

-his forgetfulness stems from being absent minded

-this makes it fairly difficult to concentrate in class. one minute he'll be listening to the lecture and the next he's neck deep in thought about his next trip

-to help combat this, rantaro has found that doodling on his paper every couple of minutes helps keep him focused

-luckily, his clever nature helps him get good grades, even if he was spacing out for the whole lesson

-he's also a little time blind, too

-rantaro could start a project, then BAM! it's been 6 hours and he hasn't eaten or drank anything

-funnily enough, this only happens when he's inside

-if he's outside, he'll be able to guess the time within 10 minutes of what it actually is

-he can also do this if there's a window open

-i think this a little obvious, but he loves being outside

-he out there reading or working or something for a good handful of hours

-has been known to sleep outside on his patio or dorm balcony for absolutely no reason

-his favorite place is the mountains

-rantaro loves being so high up and watching clouds form and move before his eyes

-and the trails are so pretty, too!

-all in all, a pretty cool guy

[byulsgrease]

duly noted

you've never been one to obsess about your soulmate, assuming you'll figure it out when the time is right. but seriously, what kind of nonsense has yours been writing about recently?

(eventual moonbyul / wheein x gender neutral reader, soulmate!au, trainee/idol!au, ~1.2k words)

a/n: wheein bias wrecker anon! I might've had too much fun with your req and so this is gonna be my first soulmate au 🤠 while byul and wheein don't actually appear in this part (does that make this a prologue? idk), I promise they'll make their appearance soon enough :)

cw: struggles of being a trainee (weight + food talk)

The claps from your dance instructor ring out in the mirrored studio, calling everyone to attention before they send you off for the day. Everyone stands around listening to whatever niceties they're talking about, asking the rhetorical questions of whether all of you want this, how everyone needs to work harder, etc. How many years has it been now, almost three? Evaluations went pretty well recently and you've certainly demonstrated signs of growth since you started, but debut? Who knows. Does anyone, really?

But right now it's late and you're hungry, hoping that your growling stomach isn't loud enough to pierce through the lecture. You're respectfully tuned out anyway, since it's all old news. Nothing you haven't heard before. They clap again once their spiel ends and everyone disperses. Your eyes catch Hyejin's on your way out of the studio, sharing a funny face and an eyeroll before disappearing into the herd of trainees shuffling to the lockers.

Your locker opens with a routine spin of the dial, taking care to slow down and line up the numbers properly so you're not stuck having to do it over again. The inside's pretty cute for a metallic rectangle— it's really the only space of your own besides your notebook. Pictures of your family, old school friends, and fellow trainee friends line the sides beneath a tiny string of battery-powered fairy lights. It's not much, but always a humbling reminder of why you're here.

Unzipping your bag, you take out a pair of slides and drop them on the floor while stepping out of your sneakers. There's not much else in your bag, just a change of clothes and your notebook, of course. Everyone has one. Anything inside could be drawn, written, scribbled, painted. It’s your personal creative space and no one else's, but with two conditions:

You can't write your name in it, not even your initials. Of course everyone tried to as kids against their parents commands, but letters simply sink into the page, disappearing as if they'd never been written at all.

You can only mark up one side. Pages on the right side are for you, and the left side pages fill themselves. Fill themselves with what? you asked your parents. They gave you a non-answer, saying you'd figure it out someday. Great. Only other thing they bothered to tell you was that your right-hand pages were someone's left-hand ones. So someone can see what I put here? Their confirmation sounded rather casual, which you found weird. Someone out there was watching what you put in? But you got used to it, especially since every person owns one. It's a novelty for children anyway. Mark up a page however you want, knowing that someone out in the would will see, and sit back to watch whatever randomness shows up on the left side.

Your left side pages were actually empty for quite a while, save for the occasional "UGGHHH" followed by a typical childish annoyance scrawled messily across the entirety of the page in marker. Not that notebook use was mandatory, but parents usually encouraged it because it kept their kids occupied. There wasn't much you could do about empty pages, nor did you care most of the time, but it did leave you a little jealous of other kids at school who'd sometimes open theirs and be greeted with cute watercolor paintings, mini murals, or skillfully written poetry.

For you, the notebook's served many uses. As a kid it was random doodles and poorly-drawn fantasy scenarios— escapism, perhaps. In middle school it was angsty poems and random journal entries about the random happenings of your life. For the first half of high school it became your to-do list, keeping track of school assignments. And on the rarest occasion, song lyrics. Visual art was never your medium of choice, music came more easily. But drawing staff lines for music notation in the notebook usually ended up being too tedious, so your original stuff was mostly relegated to voice memos on your phone. And now? Who knows. Trainee life may as well be a blur. Sing, dance, talk, eat if you can afford to, sleep, repeat. It's hard to find the energy to write anything most days. Whenever you feel like checking, the left side has random jottings, nearly illegible most of the time.

It wasn't until you got older that you realized that whoever read your entries on the was the same person generating content on the left. And supposedly the person you're supposed to be with for the rest of time? What kind of system is that? I'm just supposed to trust blindly? having asked your parents in exasperation after figuring it out. Again with more non-answers— it had worked for them, didn't it? There's also the obvious question of why people don't just write directly to each other, but whatever. You're still young, no need to obsess over "the one" unlike some of your classmates. If it's meant to be, it'll happen, you figure. And it obviously is, you've got a notebook with (semi-)filled left side pages. What more could you ask for?

The cacophony of clanging lockers opening and closing starts to die down as people leave. Hyejin's head pops out from behind the locker door, laughing in your face when you flinch.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah, one sec. Man, I'm starving,” you remark while slipping the bag straps on your back and closing the locker door. You don't even want to know how strapped for cash you are, probably in for another night of boiled eggs and canned kimchi.

“Wanna go out for food?” she immediately asks, eyes alight at the prospect of getting to eat something besides convenience store food.

"I wish. Actually, you wish," you smirk with longing in your eyes. The "no" doesn't even have to be said, weigh-ins are way too soon to risk it. She hangs her head, jokingly dejected as you swing an arm around her shoulder to walk out of the company building together.

~~~~

After scrounging up whatever food you call dinner, taking a shower, and flopping into bed, you open up your notebook and grab the random pen laying on your dresser, unsure of what you'll write about tonight. There's chicken scratch on the left page already, ballpoint pen. It's actually legible today, though: In my room every day I see your smile.

What the hell does that mean? Whose smile, yours? You haven't even met yet.

Call me everyday every night, hug me everywhere every time

Utter nonsense. Maybe meeting soulmates is just a huge game of catch-up once everything's finally revealed, surely yours will be. There’s just so many questions. Moving to the right side, you jot down a list of cheat meal ideas along with some assorted notes and pointers from practice that you want to work on tomorrow, drawing little characters next to each list item for fun. After accidentally drawing a random squiggle from jolting yourself awake and feeling the heaviness in your eyelids, you cap your pen and shut your notebook, placing it back in your bag. With the lights out, the last thought you have before sleep consumes you is why haven't you ever tried writing directly to each other after all this time?

[next]

[ask-steve-cobs-parents-au]

Ring and F.P are you proud of your son?

“Yes, of cour-“

“I’m not proud of my child tho.”

“Maize, leave or I am going to fucking cut your Pussy off with scissors, in your fucking sleep.”

“Pfft.”

F.P & Maize & Ring.

[philtstone]

For the Fanfiction Writing Asks — #6, 13, and 16 ☺️

i just answered 6 here!

13 - Do you listen to music while you write?  If yes, what have you been listening to recently?

okay, the answer to this is "sort of". whether or not i listen to music as i'm writing is a very inconsistent and unpredictable thing and entirely dependent on my level of focus, and will often be limited to instrumentals or pure vibes i can tune into the background. that said, i do listen to music around what i write very consistently. more and more frequently i'll make playlists for fics or series i'm working on and i'll listen to them throughout the day, or whenever i want to feel inspired, sometimes for weeks on end depending on how long a fic takes to write. also depending on the fic, i won't have to make the playlist, it'll just exist in album form, or i'll find one or two songs that really stand out to me (for example, this cover of "scarborough fair" when i was writing the scarborough fair au; "daylight" and "running with the wolves" when i was writing the alligator healing fic, etc.)

most recently, i made a playlist i'm still really proud of while i worked through "hopeful." (the arcane au), and that was really helpful in part because it helped me set the tone and feel of an entirely au setting. you can find that playlist here! i've also been listening on and off to etta james's "at last" album since pretty much last june while i work through my somehow ever-increasing sarahbucky feelings. to the point where my brother got it for me on vinyl, which was very sweet of him

16 - Do you write by hand, on your phone, or on your laptop?

loool, laptop all the way. once upon a time many years ago i'd carry around a notebook (which i still have somewhere in my parents house -- i'm pretty sure first scene drafts of the jacen solo vs the world fic of yee olden times still exist in it in scribbly ballpoint pen), but these days i don't have the patience to write more than a few sentences by hand and i need to get into the flow of writing something for the ideas to come. my phone's google docs app is for emergencies or when i have a sudden brainwave at 2 am and technically should not indulge it but really want to put it down somewhere anyway.

[taelme]

like or like like

genre: college!au, college frat boy!Johnny  (fluff, mild angst if you squint) 

pairing/s: Johnny / Reader , Lucas and the some of the 127 kids make appearances 

word count: 12k+ (wow this was a ride) 

tw: not much just mild language, mentions of smoking and they drink in this... also nothing SUPER scandy but they make out in this so yes

a/n: gif isn't mine!! also low-key inspired by that vid of 127 playing beer pong in America....  read this on ao3

"Life doesn't wait for you to enjoy yourself, Y/N....you know?"

You rolled your eyes, a huff of laughter escaping your lips as you looked up from your work to raise an eyebrow at the boy beside you, his puffy brown hair falling over his eyes as he bobbed his head to the imaginary music playing in his head.

"Are you high?" you dropped your voice to a whisper, pulling your earbud from your ear and looking at him curiously.

Scoffing at you, his eyebrows furrowed, as if he suddenly wasn't sure himself, "I don't...actually know....but don't be like that," he set his pen down, looking at you with a serious, wide-eyed expression. "As I was saying, why don't you give him a chance? What's so bad about it?"

You knew what Lucas was talking about, glancing at your very conversation topic that was currently seated a few tables away from you at the self-study tables in your school’s library, gaze intent on his laptop as he scribbled furiously on his notepad. Dragging your gaze away, you looked back down at the post-it glaring at you from its position on a hot cup of coffee sitting on your desk- supposedly from him, reading:

‘meet me before you leave?

-Johnny-’

You frowned after reading it for the umpteenth time, not knowing what he would want you to meet him for, a sick feeling in your stomach refusing to let you study in peace until you knew just what it was, and Lucas, of course.

"What do you mean, ‘give him a chance’?" You shot back at Lucas in a harsh whisper, your leg bouncing anxiously as you thought about the possibility of you and Johnny Seo together.

It wasn't as if you didn't know who he was. He was in your literature lecture, though he barely showed up. You only knew he was there because every time he was, he'd always find a seat behind you. Not to mention the way he would lean forward, so his lips were just barely next to your ear and you could smell his expensive perfume, just so he could ask to borrow a highlighter; his voice so enchanting you couldn't forget it even if you wanted to.

Lucas shrugged, "I mean, maybe he wants to ask you out, I mean...why else would he go through the trouble of buying you a coffee and shit if he didn't?"

You narrowed your eyes at him, "I don't think that's how it works, Lucas,” you told him, “plus, you know, you're not exactly doing a very good job in convincing me that Johnny, who we've known for like... ever but has never expressed any interest in anything other than in what stationery I’d brought to class, is actually into me."

Lucas clucked his tongue at you in annoyance, "you know, you don't always have to be so iffy about everyone that expresses interest in you," he gave you a pointed look, making you shake your head.

"I don't do it without reason," you murmured, twirling your pen between your fingers absently.

"You're making me want to day drink," Lucas huffed, "I'm leaving. Can you make sure you meet him so I can rejoice in how I’m right when he ends up asking you out."

Lucas stood up, the chair screeching against the hardwood floor loudly, slinging his bag over his shoulder before shooting you a smile, almost sending you face-planting into the table when he'd given you a firm pat on your shoulder.

"All the best," he held his fist up in a gesture to cheer you on, leaving promptly after to fulfil his promise of daydrinking, you assumed.

As the clock ticked by, every time you brought your hot cup of drink to your lips (as much as you didn't want to take it from him, you couldn't help it, the drink smelled too good to resist), you were reminded of the impending meeting you were going to have with Johnny, subtly glancing at his table every now and then, not knowing what gave you the courage to stand, beginning to walk over to him.

You clenched the strap of your bag tighter in your hands as you neared his table, being able to hear the muffled pumping bass of his music through his headphones. Holding the cup with the post-it in your hand, you took in a deep breath before holding it in front of his face.

Johnny didn’t seem startled, which intimidated you even more, simply setting his pen down and turning around in his chair to face you, giving you a small smile.

Johnny opened his mouth to speak, but you'd cut in quickly.

"What do you want?" you blurted, realizing you'd sounded a bit rude, but not moving to correct yourself in case it'd make your strong, totally unintimidated facade crumble.

Johnny removed his headphones, knocking the hood of his jacket off his head, revealing his dark blue cap, which he'd fidgeted with as he looked at his scribbles on his notepad.

"Did you like it?" he asked you, taking the cup from your hands, eyebrows raising at the lightness of the cup, since you'd finished the coffee.

“How’d you know my coffee order?” you murmured.

Johnny’s lips parted, giving you an unabashed smile, "Well, that’s for me to know and you to… ignore, but I’m glad you liked it.”

Placing the cup onto his table, Johnny looked back at you with an almost-analytical gaze, the intent in his eyes almost successfully making you avert yours.

"Anyway, what I wanted to talk to you about was,” there was a hint of anticipation behind his smile, “d'you mind doing me a favour?" he continued.

"... what kind of favour?" you asked, your head spinning as your imagination ran wild with all the possible things he could have asked you. It wasn’t as if he was gonna ask for you to go on a date with him as a favour like a cliché teenage rom-com, was he?

Johnny pointed at his notebook with his scribbles on it, giving you a sheepish smile, "I kind of need the notes for the week before last's lecture."

You thought back, frowning in confusion when you'd recalled that Johnny had been sitting behind you that week, remembering the disappearance of your blue ballpoint pen taking place that lesson.

"Weren't you there?"

"Yeah, I was. But... uh,” Johnny gave you a sheepish smile, his hand coming up to scratch at the back of his neck, “may have had a really bad hangover that morning...and I did remember taking notes,” he said pointedly, “but uh... I don't know if you can, but I definitely can't make out what this means.”

Johnny turned, picking up a sheet of paper that was tucked in between his book to show you, illegible scribbles scattered around over the lines, the words trailing off into lines at the end of almost every sentence.

You pressed your lips together to suppress your urge to smile, scrunching your nose up in amusement.

"Sure," you eventually sighed, a small part of you thankful that he didn't ask you what Lucas thought he was going to ask you.

"Nice, thank you so much, you're a lifesaver," he thanked as you were busy fishing in your bag for the notes you'd consolidated just prior to meeting him.

You'd rather not give him the soft copy, seeing as there were way too many typos and distracted musings in there, (which may or may not have been about him as well).

"When do you need it back by?" he asked, earning a shrug from you.

Johnny huffed, seemingly amused by your demeanour.

"Okay, it's fine. I'll return them to you as soon as I’m done with them," he told you, startling you when he'd reached out a hand to touch your forearm gently before you could turn to leave, "see you around," he murmured.

You nodded quickly, walking away before you could embarrass yourself, Johnny not being able to help the smile from his face at your flustered state.

===

The next time you'd seen Lucas was when he'd arrived unannounced at the door of your apartment, a luxury you very much cherished thanks to your parents, who would much rather you not live in a dorm after hearing stories about peer influences in college life.

"So, are you married to Johnny yet?" he'd asked upon seeing you open the door for him, making you roll your eyes.

“Hello to you too, Lucas.”

"Hello,” he giggled, “also, go get dressed.”

At the look of confusion you’d given him, glancing down at your loungewear, Lucas had given you an expectant look, his eyebrows raised.

“You're coming with me to the mixer, remember?" Lucas continued. Oh, that.

"Right,” you let out a small sigh, “are you sure it's mandatory for us to go? And he didn't ask me out, by the way," you were hesitant about the mixer, having heard your fair share of rumours about the group of guys that were holding the party.

Entering your bedroom, you heard Lucas follow you into your room while you decided on what to wear.

"He didn't? Weird," Lucas frowned, flopping onto your bed with a thud and leaning against the headboard, crossing one of his stretched-out legs over the other.

"Don't wear that. You always wear that," Lucas snapped when you'd reached for your trusty outfit combination, making you put it back with a frown, skimming through your clothes before settling on something a little more ‘presentable’ according to him.

"Stop looking so nervous, you'll have fun! The guys are all really fun once you get to know them. Trust me!" you frowned at Lucas.

He'd been to many of these 'mixers', while you'd taken the liberty of forgoing the first three that had been held ever since you enrolled, but all Lucas had told you was that in going, you'd be promised to booze, music, and fun.

And considering your lack of entertainment these days, you figured it wouldn't be so bad if you just went for one.

Only when you'd reached did you realize that you were somewhere definitely not up your alley.

It looked like a house from the outside, (you obviously hadn't explored your campus enough to have stumbled upon the frats and sororities), but you were already growing increasingly excited (or nervous, you couldn't tell. Both made you feel like puking, frankly) from the tension of the music and the crowds of people.

You noticed Lucas was pretty popular among the people here, especially the guys, and you and Lucas had been led by one of them to the kitchen, the boy- who had striking features and a kind smile, handing the both of you drinks.

"Thanks, Yuta, where's the rest of the guys?" you heard Lucas ask him, and you'd frowned when he turned to you, asking you to stay there while he went God knows where with Yuta.

You downed your drink quicker than you'd expected, taking the liberty to grab a beer before you'd seen a group of girls walk into the kitchen, relieved sighs escaping their lips.

"Thank God we got out of there," you heard one of them say, your head tilting at them in confusion.

You must've looked a little too sober to have fit in, the soda in your cup and the lack of perspiration on you. But you didn’t think much of it, your attention captured when you heard one of them start to sigh, shrugging off their jacket.

"Those boys scare the shit out of me... remind me never to think I have a chance with Jaehyun again," she sighed.

Her friend had simply agreed, but not without letting out a tired sigh as well, "it’s not like he didn’t tell you beforehand that he wasn’t looking for anything serious... you can't come here thinking you can land a nice one, the nicest you're gonna find here is like... Johnny Seo, and he's not even interested!" you tilted your head at them, blurting out before you could stop yourself.

"You guys know Johnny too?" you blurted, seeing them look at you curiously, narrowing their eyes at you as if you were some sort of jungle predator.

"Do you?" one of them had asked, and you didn’t miss the way she’d scanned your attire, almost making you squirm uncomfortably.

You nodded slowly, not sure why they had looked at you in such shock.

"I guess? He's in my lit class," you shrugged, taking another sip of your beer.

"What about him?" you continued, curiosity getting the better of you, but you were annoyed to say the least when Lucas had chosen that time to return to the kitchen, smiling and nodding at the girls in greeting (they seemed to recognize him, straightening up and adjusting their clothes immediately).

"Come on, let's play some games!" he said, not giving you a chance to respond before he'd dragged you further into the house, where you saw what looked like a lounge area, ping pong table set up for beer pong.

Looking around the room, you felt like you were seeing something completely new yet utterly cliché to you, how the music here was different in the sense that it wasn't any of that electronic music they were playing outside, the trap and rap catching your attention.

"I brought a guest!" Lucas announced upon entering the room, and your heart had almost stopped at the sight of Johnny, who was seated at the sofa with a drink in hand, looking up from his phone when he'd heard Lucas say your name.

His eyebrows raised in surprise, not expecting to see you here, making you take a bigger sip of your drink (which had been replaced by Lucas’ beer), glancing around the room and waving at the guys who greeted you with smiles and nods.

"First time at a mixer?" a boy that Lucas had told you was named ‘Ten’ had asked you, earning a nod from you.

“Uh-huh,” you smiled, though it seemed Ten could sense your tension.

"How are you finding it?" he'd asked as the boys had started playing games to decide how to split the teams.

"I pick Y/N to be on my team!" Johnny had shouted over the noise just as you'd turned to Ten, who chose to sit out of the game, to reply, "Loud."

Ten had glanced at the players you and Johnny would be against, shrugging, "You're in safe hands," he told you, shooting you a knowing smile before leaving to sit with Lucas who was seated next to a boy named Baekhyun.

You'd moved to do the same but were stopped in your tracks when Johnny had approached you.

"Hey. Didn't expect to see you here," he told you, leading you to an empty space on one of the sofas and pulling you to sit down next to him, squeezing you between him and the side of the armrest with the sheer amount of people trying to fit onto the sofa.

"Why so?" you asked, observing the first two teams that had gone up to play, finally putting a face to the name you'd heard in the kitchen down there. Jaehyun, he seemed nice, cute....but too competitive, you dismissed the thought quickly.

"Didn't see you at the last few mixers," Johnny explained, making you scoff.

"Didn't expect you to notice," you shrugged with a laugh.

Johnny didn't seem to find the joke as funny as you did, simply tilting his head at you.

"How could I not?" he murmured, dropping the topic quickly as the game had started, the guys around you cheering noisily as a lean boy named Doyoung landed his first shot.

"I think Jaehyun's team's gonna win," he leaned over and told you, keeping his gaze fixed on the teams, a calm yet focused expression on his face (while a part of you wondered how he was taking this game so seriously).

Johnny leaned back in his seat comfortably, his hands in his lap, leaning over you to place his drink on the small table beside the sofa.

You, on the other hand, were busy trying to communicate telepathically with Lucas.

He was frantically gesturing saying you should be flirting with Johnny but you glared at him, shaking your head furiously, catching Johnny's attention from your sudden movement.

“Hmm?” he turned to you, eyebrows raised in a silent question.

You shook your head, trying to think of an excuse, “Oh, nothing, I was just trying to figure out why that guy next to Ten was so familiar.”

Johnny laughed, scrunching his nose, “That’s Taeyong. Wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve heard of him… he’s got… quite the rep.”

Laughing (even though you had no idea what rep Johnny was referring to), you let out a small sigh, glad to have successfully diverted Johnny’s attention.

The game progressed quickly, Johnny’s prediction being right about Jaehyun's team having the upper-hand, and they'd won in no time.

Gulping down on the bare droplets left in your cup for good measure as you watched Johnny step up to the table, waving you over, you set your cup down and made your way over quickly.

You were nervous to say the least, not trusting your sense of aim, especially with how Johnny was towering next to you, his presence adding to your nervousness.

"Any words for the other team before you begin?" Baekhyun had provoked, urging their competitive spirits to awaken, as Johnny had leaned forward.

"Good luck," he shrugged casually, and usually you would've been put off by this kind of cocky behaviour, figuring the only reason why you thought it was okay now was because it was coming from none other than Johnny Seo.

"Johnny," you whispered while the guys on the other team, Jungwoo and Taeyong, had been busy throwing challenges and trying to hype their audience up.

Johnny leant over, bending down so he could hear you better.

"Yeah?" He shrugged off his dark coloured flannel, leaving him in his plain black shirt and ripped blue jeans. You’d felt as though you were having déjà vu, the many times he’d leant over to you during lectures making your face warm at his proximity.

You cupped your hands around your mouth like how you would if you were telling a secret.

"I'm not very good at this game," you murmured.

Johnny giggled, shaking his head at you in dismissal.

"It's fine, just have fun, it's just a game after all," he told you reassuringly, but once it started, it was like you were seeing a different side of Johnny (and suddenly it didn’t seem like ‘just a game’).

He aimed confidently, one hand shoved into his pocket so he wouldn't fidget around (or just to look cool, as Ten had pointed out), and had landed two shots smoothly at the start.

It was going to be your turn when Jungwoo had landed the ping pong ball in one of your cups. You scrunched your nose up, nervous for some reason about your next shot as you picked the cup up and downed it in one go, making Johnny raise an eyebrow at you in amusement.

Hoping your aim was steady enough, you held your hand up, ready to throw when Johnny had leant down next to you, softly instructing you on where he thought you'd be able to get a clear shot.

In your flustered state, you'd missed, and if Johnny was disappointed, he didn't show it.

Johnny had offered to drink the drinks on behalf of you whenever your team lost, which, of course, flattered you but also disappointed you because you were hoping to get to drink a little. Though you couldn't say you weren't impressed by how he was handling his drinks.

You weren't aware that your sulky demeanour was showing on your face as you saw the ball land in your side's cup again, already anticipating Johnny's hand swooping in to help you drink the beer.

"Why d'you look so sad, babe?" Yuta laughed, making you shake your head dismissively, before Lucas had outed you quicker than you could blink.

"Y/N hasn't had a drink the whole game!" he laughed loudly, knowing you had come here with plans to indulge before you went back to studying.

Johnny held the cup in his hands, looking slightly buzzed already, an intrigued smile on his face.

"You want this?" he asked, holding the cup up and you clenched the ping pong ball in your hands, nodding.

Throwing it quickly, you heard cheers erupt as it landed in your opponent's cup.

Johnny in his excitement, turned to you with the cup still in his hands. You’d raised your hands slightly in a move to grab the cup, though your actions went unnoticed by Johnny.

"Open up," he sing-songed, using one hand to tilt your chin up, bringing the cup to your lips and letting you down its contents.

Gulping the liquid down with a wince, you saw his expression change, his parted lips of concentration curving to form a slight smile.

"Happy?" he'd asked, eyebrows raising, making you nod quickly, directing your attention back to the game quickly.

You were excited when you saw that Taeyong's ball had missed, leaving one last cup on their side that you had to get rid of before you would win.

"Go ahead," you prompted Johnny, seeing him get into his position calmly, throwing the ball and shrugging nonchalantly when he'd seen it go in, the rest of the guys erupting in shouts.

You were amused that he'd reacted in such a way, walking over to the table of drinks and pouring something stronger for himself.

"Want some?" he'd asked before shaking his head, "Actually, no, I think you shouldn't," he laughed, making you raise an eyebrow at him, wondering why it seemed as though he knew your alcohol tolerance too.

You realized you had to play a final round against Jaehyun and Yuta, and this time you were a little more thankful for the fact that Johnny would drink on behalf of you, considering your tolerance wasn't the best and you were already starting to feel a little buzzed, smiling more than you were used to.

You could tell he was a little more relaxed too, even though the game was getting intense, even going to the extent of patting your head proudly when you landed a shot, resting a hand on your shoulder whenever it wasn't your turn (and sometimes even during your turn)

And after the previous game, you were even more determined not to have a repeat of the whole 'open up' situation, simply letting Johnny drink on behalf of you. Though your team eventually lost (Lucas would scold you later on saying it was totally your fault), the guys had moved on to a different game pretty quickly, deciding on a game of ‘never have I ever’.

You would've considered yourself to be a player with an advantage, seeing as you were pretty sure they were starting strong and you supposed you hadn't done a lot of questionable things in your life.

The guys had already lost two fingers by the first two players, who'd asked pretty mild questions related to drinking and skipping class, "Jungwoo, your turn."

The boy pursed his lips, before a mischievous grin appeared on his face, "I've got one. Never have I ever woken up next to someone I don't know."

You stayed the same, laughing at the way Taeyong had nonchalantly put a finger down, jumping with a start when you'd heard shouts erupt and many fingers start pointing at Johnny.

"Don’t lie! You have to put one down!"

Johnny raised his hands in defence, eyes widening, "Why should I?" He scoffed.

"You can't say you've never fucked someone when you were less than sober before," Jaehyun drawled, a hint of sulkiness in his tone, the now rosy-cheeked boy upset that he was left with only two fingers and silently hoping that he could drag someone else down with him.

Johnny shook his head, smiling smugly, "I, for one, happen to make sure I know the people I...have relations with, as a matter of fact," your eyes widened at his forwardness, looking down at your four extended fingers, hoping your shyness wasn't obvious.

"Jae, you're up," Johnny pat the boy on the shoulder, seeing him purse his lips.

Johnny tried not to glance at you, a part of him enjoying the breath of fresh air that you were still doing pretty well in the game, not seeing you pick up your cup more than once during the game so far.

Taeyong had snickered, leaning over to murmur something in Jaehyun’s ear.

Jaehyun smirked, directing his gaze at Johnny intentionally, "Never have I ever… made out with someone more than 8 years older than me."

Johnny refrained from standing up.

"Fuck you, Taeyong," lowering his finger before he picked up his cup, drinking it all the while with narrowed eyes directed towards Taeyong, making you laugh along with the rest at him.

"Wow, Y/N's doing pretty well," Jaehyun pointed out, "too bad we don't know enough about you," he said, heavy implications behind his words, earning a glare from Johnny.

"And you won't," Johnny butt in quickly.

Yuta spoke up, "alright, my turn. Never have I ever smoked."

The boys were confident initially, until Lucas had spoken up, his eyebrows furrowed as he pouted.

"Do e-ciggs count?"

Johnny nodded, knowing smile on his face, not seeming to mind that he had to put down a finger as well. You tried to hide your surprise when you saw how many of them had only picked up their cups after that, having lost the game already after running out of fingers.

A few of them had gotten up and searched for other things to play, Johnny leaning back in his seat, resting his weight on his hands as he looked at you.

"Did you have fun?" he gave you a soft smile, making you shrug, forcing your gaze from your fingers to look at him, momentarily distracted by how brown his eyes looked in this lighting, not to mention the hazy look in his eyes.

"Were the uh...notes, useful?" you asked in your lack of a better response.

Johnny furrowed his eyebrows, lips parting in thought before he nodded.

"Oh, right, I was gonna return them to you the next time we had class but I can actually give them to you now, if you want."

You hesitated before nodding, figuring you'd might as well since he had them now, your mind not registering the fact that this meant Johnny lived here and that getting them now meant getting them from his room, your alcohol-induced state thinking all the while that he just had them in his backpack somewhere here.

You were too focused on following Johnny to realize that the other guys were giving each other looks, assuming Johnny had brought you upstairs for other reasons, already passing the point in the house that guests were allowed in.

Though you had to admit you were a little thankful for that because you were starting to feel the drinks you'd consumed start to hit you, feeling your head get a lot heavier than it was just moments ago.

Johnny shoved the door open, revealing rather welcoming warm tones in the decoration, down to the different pictures he'd pasted around the room, varying from scenery to pictures of the other guys you'd seen downstairs.

"Is this your room?" you asked, hearing him grunt in affirmation, walking over to his desk and fishing out your notes from under the stack of papers.

He waved them at you and you'd accepted them gratefully, still standing around awkwardly next to his bed as he'd taken a seat on his bed, looking at you expectantly.

Too tired to form words, you watched curiously as he'd extended his arm, reaching over to tug on the hem of your shirt, urging you to sit down, his head pounding as well.

"Were they useful?" you asked, letting yourself sit on his bed with a light thud, the both of your minds too hazy to realize you'd asked him this already when you were downstairs.

Johnny nodded, his eyebrows raising as if he'd remembered something, leaning over your shoulder to flip the pages of your notes, pointing at something you'd written.

"There was… I don't really get this part, though," he murmured.

You tried explaining to him, only realizing how much the both of you were yawning when you were halfway through explaining, thinking that maybe this wasn't such a good time for you to be explaining literary concepts to him.

You laughed, shaking your head when you realized you'd been repeating yourself the past three sentences and Johnny hadn't even noticed, too busy staring at your lips as you spoke and trying to remind himself that whatever he had in mind probably wasn't what you had in mind.

"Honestly, I think I should explain this another time, I’m honestly really tired," you yawned, seeing him give you a tired smile, nodding.

"Who's your ride home?" he asked.

"Lucas," you yawned.

Johnny stood up, albeit reluctantly, and led you downstairs so you could go find Lucas, your heart sinking when you saw him passed out on the sofa in the guys' lounge room.

Hearing Johnny huff next to you, you sighed deeply.

"Well, there goes my ride," you frowned, attempting to shake him awake but to no avail.

Johnny cast an amused look at Lucas' sleeping figure, "I can uh...let you crash for the night? pretty sure the rest of us are too drunk to drive you back anyway," Johnny told you, making you shoot him a hesitant look.

"Are you sure? I can just like walk home myself or something—"

Johnny shot you a look, shaking his head as he was already leading you back up to his room.

You were surprised, again, at how the noise from the party was so muffled from Johnny's room.

"It's really late now, that'd be stupid and dangerous," he brought you back into his room.

Well, then.

"You wanna wash up first?" he yawned, and you realized he really wasn't kidding about this. "I've some clothes you can change into.”

Your eyes widened, before wincing at the throbbing ache in your head, the urge to just curl up in comfortable sheets and go to sleep stronger than ever.

“There’s a spare toothbrush and stuff in the cupboard behind the mirror, you can like... just go ahead and use that," he told you, and you'd stepped into the bathroom, shutting the door behind you.

If someone had asked you yesterday what you were planning on doing over the weekend, you definitely would not have expected yourself to be sleeping in Johnny Seo’s room for the night, much less after finding out all that you found out about him from the games you played prior to this.

Staring in the mirror in your tired daze after washing your face, you'd reached for the toothpaste, starting to brush your teeth slowly, flinching slightly when you heard a sharp knock on the door.

"Is it safe?" you heard him ask, huffing in amusement at the innocent nature of the question.

"Uh-huh, very," you murmured over the toothbrush, seeing the door open and he handed you a bunched up t-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts.

"Thanks," you said, spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing your mouth, closing the door behind you and proceeding to change into the clothes he'd given you, only there was a slight problem, the pants were much too big, sliding down your hips.

You'd tried to search if there was a string you could use to tighten the waistline of the pants, frowning when you saw none.

Peeking your head out of the bathroom, you spotted Johnny sitting at the edge of his bed, hands shoved into his pockets as he stared at nothing in particular.

"Johnny?" you called timidly, seeing his gaze lock with yours, tilting his head.

"Yeah?" he hummed.

"Slight problem, the pants are too big," you frowned, watching him raise his eyebrows, frowning, never having run into this problem before because he didn't usually give girls his clothes to wear.

"Oh, shit. Alright, wait hold on, I'll go see if I can get a smaller pair," he got up, walking out and going over to Ten's room, just as the said boy was trying to drag a very passed out Lucas into the room.

"Hey, glad I caught you here, do you happen to have a spare pair of pants I could borrow?" Ten practically dropped Lucas once they were past the door, panting with a pained look on his face.

"Pants, for what?"

"For Y/N," Johnny said, already having anticipated the smirk Ten gave him.

"Just let her go without them, no one else will see," Ten shrugged, as if just having solved Johnny's problem with his Ten-logic.

Johnny shot him a look.

"I'm not doing that," he said firmly.

"Why? Is this the period where you get to know someone before you....what did you say just now? 'have relations' with them?"

Johnny rolled his eyes, "Yes and no. Look, enough questions. Would you just give me the pants?"

Ten scrunched his nose in amusement, walking over to his cupboard and rummaging around before pulling out a pair of shorts, tossing them over to Johnny.

"Have fun. Oh, and sweet dreams… if you even get any sleep tonight." Ten waggled his eyebrows at Johnny, which Johnny had promptly ignored. Walking back into his room and seeing you leaning against the doorframe of the bathroom with a tired look on your face, he held the pants up with one hand.

Johnny couldn't help but laugh at how tired you looked as he handed you the shorts, "here, hope these fit better."

You accepted them gratefully, eventually coming out of the bathroom with your clothes and Johnny's too-big shorts in hand.

Johnny had told you to just set them aside as he'd gone into the bathroom to wash up, coming out and walking over to his cupboard, almost forgetting you were there as he removed his shirt, his back facing you.

Your eyes widened, turning away quickly so you wouldn't start staring.

After you heard the door to the cupboard shut, you asked, "Are you done?"

Hearing his laugh in response, followed by a "yes", you turned around, seeing him turn his lights off to the room, though you could still see.

"Hope you don't mind that we're sharing a bed, by the way. I can go sleep in Taeyong's room, if you're not okay with it."

Stunned, you watched him slip into the bed, leaving a space for you.

"Oh, no it's fine, I mean, do you mind? I don't wanna impose or anything," you murmured, resting a knee on the side of his bed tentatively, seeing him shake his head.

You were used to sharing a bed with Lucas whenever he stayed over, but this was way different. Because this was Johnny, and not Lucas who you’d seen practically all sides of already.

"I don't mind at all," he assured you, and you'd taken that as your queue to slip into bed as well, stressed about which way to face, eventually deciding on lying with your back to the bed.

"Thanks again... for letting me crash, and stuff," you murmured, hearing him hum.

"You were really cool playing beer pong just now," you blurted, starting to ramble in your fatigue.

You heard him let out a small huff, already being able to picture the tired smile on his face.

"I had fun, since you were on my team," he murmured, and if you thought his voice when asking to borrow your highlighters or pens in class had an effect on you, the way he spoke to you now was much much worse.

"Hope Lucas doesn't mind the fact that you're sleeping here," he yawned.

You frowned.

"Lucas? why would he mind? He's been be—" you stopped yourself, realizing you couldn't just tell Johnny that Lucas had been nagging at you to try your luck with him.

"Huh? You guys aren't like… seeing each other?" he asked, and you shook your head.

Johnny didn’t know why he bothered asking. He already knew you and Lucas were just friends, he figured he’d simply wanted to hear it from you, just in case.

"Nope, far from that," you told him.

A silence had fallen between the both of you after that, and you'd turned your head to face Johnny, whose eyes were closed.

"Go to sleep, Y/N.”

You weren't sure why, but you felt like a child being put to bed by their parents when they weren't ready for bed yet, not being able to help the "why," of protest you'd mumbled.

"Because I'm really tipsy and you're making it really hard for me not to kiss you," he murmured, turning around to face the opposite direction, leaving you shutting your eyes immediately, warmth spreading to your cheeks quickly.

===

You frowned when you'd woken up to a weight on your stomach, groggily wanting to turn but confused at the sight of Johnny's pillow being empty.

Rubbing your eyes again, you'd glanced at your stomach, realizing that Johnny's hand was draped over your stomach, his palm tucked in under you like he was hugging a bolster, and his face snuggled up next to your waist.

Your eyes widened, texting Lucas and asking where he was, seeing that he’d given you a missed call.

10:21pm -don’t call me lucas i swear to god just text me- lucas 10:21pm -WHY what happened??? why can’t i call u???-

You saw that he was already calling you, not listening to you, and because your phone decided it would be good not to give you the option to decline his call, you picked up in your panic to get your phone to stop ringing.

“Lucas,” you whispered harshly, “I told you not to call me!” your movements had caused Johnny to stir awake, wondering what you were so tense about.

“Why can’t I call you? and why are you whispering!”

“Where are you?” you asked, hoping he hadn’t left the house without you.

“I’m in Ten’s room, where are you?”

“I’m in Johnny’s ro—” you felt Johnny shift, moving his hand to rest on your stomach, resting his chin on top of his hand as he looked up at you with tired eyes, his shoulder practically holding you down with his weight, making you stop talking to Lucas halfway in your distracted state, only snapping out of it when you heard a knock at the door.

“Come in,” Johnny murmured tiredly, and you brought your hands up to cover your face when you saw Lucas barge into the room, looking between you and Johnny before pressing his lips together, struggling to contain his smile.

“Uh...Y/N, I’ll just... wait for you downstairs,” he murmured, a slight giggle escaping his lips as Johnny waved at him with a smile, watching as Lucas closed the door behind him after walking back out.

“Good morning,” Johnny murmured, pushing himself off of you, getting up from his bed groggily as he fished for a bag from underneath his table, placing your clothes inside neatly along with your notes.

“Go on, poor Lucas is waiting for you downstairs,” he fiddled with his earring, holding the bag out for you.

You accepted the bag, getting up and smoothing down your shirt where it had bunched up while you were asleep.

“I’ll uh...return this to you after I wash it,” you said, and he was nodding patronizingly, hands on your shoulders as he guided you downstairs, seeing Lucas waiting in the kitchen, talking to Doyoung.

“Morning,” Johnny greeted Doyoung in the kitchen, seeing Lucas stand up and cover his mouth (though it was obvious he was grinning), nodding goodbye at Doyoung as you were practically pushed out of the door, Johnny smiling and waving you goodbye as he leant against the doorframe.

Once you were closer to his car, Lucas nudged you harshly, almost sending you stumbling onto the lawn.

“What the hell was that?” Lucas asked you in hushed whispers (or as hushed as he could bring his voice down), making you wince, letting out a groan.

“You’re asking me? I wasn’t necessarily prepared for you to pass out on me,” you glared at him, getting into the passenger seat of his car.

He sighed, thankful to be able to talk normally now.

“Yeah, well...” he trailed off, not being able to find an excuse for you. “But the way you two looked so cozy just now!” he diverted the topic, making your eyes widen defensively.

“That was all him, okay?”

“You see? I told you he was interested in you!” Lucas started the engine, beginning to drive slowly, making his tone more serious.

“But you guys didn’t…” he let out a grunt, “did you?”

You almost screamed, shaking your head vigorously, “Oh my god no, we didn’t.”

Lucas glanced at you pensively before looking back at the road, “That’s weird. You guys didn’t even make out or anything?”

“Lucas!” You scolded

“What? I’m asking important questions!”

You huffed in disbelief, shaking your head eventually, “No, we didn’t.”

Lucas hummed again, as if he was surprised, “… weird.”

“Why do you keep saying it’s weird?” you frowned, seeing him shake his head.

Lucas brought a hand away from the wheel to run through his hair, smoothing down the mess. “I don’t know, just...unexpected I guess. Johnny’s not usually so nice…”

“Take this for example,” Lucas gestured to the clothes you were wearing, “never in my duration of being here have I ever seen Johnny lend his clothes to anyone other than the other guys… and that’s saying a lot too because you guys didn’t even do anything last night.”

You contemplated on telling Lucas what Johnny had said before you slept, afraid that if you told him now he’d throw a fit and swerve the car, so you decided to wait until you’d reached your house, getting out of the car and grasping the handle of the bag tightly.

“I mean....okay he did say something,”

Lucas snapped his head around to face you, a questioning look on his face, eyebrows furrowing and lips parting as a hint of a smile played at his lips.

“We were like already going to sleep and all and we talked a little and then he suddenly told me to go to sleep and I was kind of sad because I felt like he was just trying to get me to shut up,” Lucas snickered at that, “but then I asked him why and then he said... it was because he was like really tipsy and I was making it hard for him not to kiss me.”

You scrunched your eyes shut, hoping the lift would reach your floor quicker.

“He said that?!” Lucas gasped, making you nod, gauging his face for a reaction, seeing him let out a loud strangled sound of excitement.

“Okay, well clearly that clarifies the question of whether he’s attracted to you,” he told you, making you frown, walking out of the elevator and unlocking the door of your apartment quickly, Lucas shutting the door behind him.

“Why do you look so hesitant? Isn’t this a good thing?” Lucas asked, seeing you shrug at him.

You sighed, feeling your headache worsen.

“Think about it, Lucas. I don’t know whether he’s actually interested and what he... intends to get out of it, you know? I heard some girls talking about the guys in the kitchen yesterday, and they weren’t speaking very highly of Johnny and his friends…”

Lucas dismissed your worries quickly, “that depends on how Johnny treats you, and of course, whether you’re willing to take the risk.”

“You said it yourself, it’s a risk,” you told him pointedly.

Lucas shook his head insistently, “Look, Johnny’s really nice, and if anything, whatever he’s been doing lately is just his way of trying to get to know you more.”

Lucas shrugged, walking over to your cupboard and getting out the spare set of clothes he kept here for days where he would stay over.

Taking in a deep breath, you let it out with a sigh, shaking your head.

“Okay, fine. I’ll just see what he does from here.”

Lucas smiled triumphantly, “That’s right. Now, I’m gonna take a shower and give you some time to think about him.”

===

“Hey,” you’d seen Johnny in the library when you were doing work in the spare time before your literature lecture, thankful that you’d brought the bag of Johnny’s clothes to return him. His hair was hidden again by his cap, turned backwards so it wasn’t covering his face, doing wonders in making him look like a typical boy (except typical boys didn’t look as good as he did)

“Hi,” you greeted, seeing him gesture to the table, “is there anyone sitting here?”

He gave you a small smile, adjusting his grip on his cup of coffee.

Shaking your head, you urged him to sit down, “Nope, go ahead.”

He gave you a smile in thanks, sitting down and laying out his things.

“Actually, since we weren’t very successful the other night,” he let out a huff of laughter, “I was wondering if you’d mind explaining to me that part in your notes again?”

Your eyebrows raised in surprise, nodding as you saw him push his notes towards you on the table, leaning forward to rest his weight on his elbows as you pointed with your pencil to explain to him the links between the different aspects of the story and how they related to that part he didn’t understand.

As you did so, you tried not to let yourself get distracted by the way he would take his lower lip between his lips in concentration, or the way he would bring the cup of coffee to his lips and nod at you as you spoke, stopping you whenever he didn’t get it to ask you if what he got was correct.

“Does that make sense?” you asked him to clarify once you were done explaining, seeing him nod slowly, eventually looking up to smile at you, nodding more firmly.

“Yeah, thanks so much,” he told you, putting his notes aside and opening his laptop up, typing away at whatever paper he was doing.

You noticed how different it was for him to be sitting at the self-study tables versus when he sat somewhere exposed with you, seeing how many more people approached him to say hi or walked past with the intention of getting his attention, and you lost count of the number of pretty girls that had chimed in with a ‘hi johnny’, but not without shooting you a surprised look, as if to silently ask why you were sitting with him in somewhere that wasn’t a party setting.

“Sorry, is it distracting you?” Johnny noticed after a while when he’d connected how you’d tap your pen and take longer to return to your work each time a girl or guy had walked past him to say hi.

You looked back at him in surprise, realizing he’d caught you staring at the girl that had just walked past the both of you, saying she would see him at the next mixer.

“Huh?” you raised your eyebrows in question, hearing him let out a huff in amusement.

“Nah...you just seem a little… distracted, is all,” he said, a soft smile on his face as he twirled his pen between his fingers, making you scoff, panicked at the thought that your distraction had been obvious enough for him to notice.

“You should be the one that’s distracted, with someone coming by to greet you every five minutes,” you shot back quickly.

Johnny shrugged, bringing his cup of coffee up to his lips with a smile, taking a sip before he spoke.

“I don’t know, Y/N… you sitting in front of me is already plenty distracting.”

You shut your mouth quickly, a small scoff leaving you.

“You know you shouldn’t say things like that so casually,” you laughed nervously, seeing him put his pen down, as if prompting you to continue so you did, “might make me get the wrong idea.”

He hummed, as if pretending to consider your words, though he’d already made up his mind on what he wanted to say.

“I don’t know, Y/N, what exactly is the ‘wrong’ idea?” he asked with feigned innocence, scrunching his nose up slightly, earning an exasperated look from you.

“You know what I’m talking about, Johnny.”

“Then you won’t mind telling me, right? You know, so I know that we’re on the same page?” he shrugged, prodding you further.

“Okay, fine. I just meant that if you keep saying shit like that to me I might actually start to think you like me,” you huffed, highlighting another line on your book, looking up when you hadn’t heard a response from him.

Johnny Seo wasn’t someone that usually expressed his interest like this, he was used to casual flirting, not flirting to win someone over, especially when that person was you.

And now that he was finally in that position, finding a way to express his interest in a way that wouldn’t intimidate you was a lot harder than he’d expected it to be.

Johnny shrugged, “… maybe I do want you to think that.”

Your lips parted, not being able to find a proper response to what he said, choosing to stare at him in shock, the way he was looking at you with an expectant expression, picking up his phone and texting someone as you tried to recover from your shock.

“What’s... what’s in it for you?” you asked, seeing him look up from his phone screen, giving you a shrug as he set his phone back down on the table gently.

“Well, you... I guess,” he answered, making you furrow your eyebrows, still a little bit unconvinced that he was being sincere.

I mean, not that you had any reason to question him, but you just felt like it was too good to be true.

“Oh… uh, well.”

Johnny decided to put you out of your misery for now,

“Anyway, should we get going? Lecture’s gonna start soon.”

He'd gotten up from his seat, slinging his bag over his shoulder as he gathered the rest of his things in hand nonchalantly, and you did your best to shove everything into your bag before carrying it in front of you, as if hugging it would make you feel a little more sane after what he'd just told you.

“The guys are asking when they’re gonna be able to see you again,” he laughed, making you frown in confusion, slightly out of breath from climbing the stairs up to the auditorium.

“Well, when do you think would be a good time for that?” you asked, seeing him scrunch his nose up.

“If I’m being honest, I wouldn’t bring you to see them if I had a choice… can’t trust some of them not to fall for you,” he tilted his head, lifting his cap and adjusting his hair before putting it back on.

You couldn’t help the laugh that left you.

“What the hell, Johnny, then why’d you even tell me they wanted to see me again?” You huffed, laughing at the absurdity of the situation.

Johnny laughed with you, shrugging when he realized what he said could have made you very confused, choosing instead to shake his head, dismissing the previous statements.

“You know what? It’s alright. I’ll let you know when the next mixer is, but then again Lucas will probably tell you first."

You couldn't help but laugh, knowing that was very much true, distracted as you’d reached the auditorium. Since it was your first time entering with Johnny, you’d wondered if people always gawked at Johnny like this as he walked past them, pushing the door open for you to the lecture hall.

“After you," he bowed dramatically, making you shove his shoulders so he would straighten up, not wanting to attract any more attention despite being flattered by the gesture.

You tried to remain calm at Johnny had taken his seat beside you instead of behind you this time, claiming it was to make it ‘easier for him to borrow your stationery’ (even though the both of you sort of knew/hoped that it wasn't true).

You watched as your professor had walked into the room, setting up his things noisily on the table as he invited ( or demanded ) for everyone to take their seats, announcing that today's lesson was rather content heavy.

Sighing, you took out your book, flipping it open to the pages he was referring to and having your laptop ready to take notes, Johnny taking the liberty to lean over and ask you for a pen, the smell of his hoodie making you wish you could just lean forward and nuzzle your face into it.

But of course, you stayed calm, squeaking out a small 'go ahead' to him, seeing him smile and reach over you to grab at the pink highlighter in your pencil case.

"Y/N," you heard him murmur, and you'd raised your eyebrows, nodding at him to continue as you typed down what your professor was writing on the screen. You hoped he wouldn’t ask you what the professor had just said because you were definitely struggling to pay attention.

"Do you wanna get dinner after this?" he asked, making you snicker, trying to stifle your laughter before it could echo throughout the room.

"Johnny, the lecture barely even started," you turned to him with an amused look, seeing him dismiss your amusement.

"But yes, I don't mind getting dinner with you after this," you replied softly, seeing his eyes widen, pretending to stab your highlighter in his chest with a wince.

"Ouch, you 'don't mind’? Hey, if you don't wanna have dinner with me you can just tell me," he teased, making you roll your eyes.

"Shut up before I change my mind, Johnny."

You realized how distracting Johnny's presence beside you was, thankful that he hadn’t chosen to done this sooner or you would’ve definitely left lectures feeling as though you’d never even attended.

It was the way he would lean over to peek at what you were writing when he got lost, or the way he would play with his earrings absentmindedly, which would make his earrings fall off occasionally, and he would have to fumble around to get it, making you unconsciously put your hand against the table to make sure he wouldn't knock his head against it, an action that didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Y/N," he whispered, the harshness of it making the people in front of you turn around, and you gave them apologetic looks in return, turning back to face Johnny with an expectant look.

Johnny leant over closer to you, turning to whisper, "What did he write, I can't read his fugly handwriting—"

"Johnny is there something so important that you have to be interrupting Y/N in the middle of my class?" you winced when you heard your professor's voice echo through the classroom, drawing a load of unwanted attention to you.

Johnny smiled, shaking his head, "Nothing, professor, just talking about how much I love your handwriting."

The professor eyed him suspiciously, nodding slowly.

"Flattered, but I’d like you to pay attention to the words I'm writing instead of the way I'm writing them," he sighed loudly, turning back to recollect his thoughts and pick up where he'd left off.

You'd silently nudged your laptop towards him, gesturing with your finger at the words Johnny was having trouble deciphering.

"Oh, thanks," he giggled.

You were pretty surprised at how Johnny had been keeping up considering the fact that he didn't always have the best track record for lectures. You were almost about to commend him for it until you turned and realized his head was close to hitting the table, already falling asleep.

Suppressing your smile, you'd reached a hand over to pat his head, making him jolt awake, confusion laced in his features.

Pushing his cup of coffee towards him, you struggled with the urge to smooth down his messy hair, "drink something. It'll keep you awake," you whispered.

Seeing him nod gratefully at you, he'd finished the rest of his coffee, leaning back and straightening his posture in an attempt to make himself feel less groggy, even at one point resorting to thinking about you so there was no way he could fall asleep.

At one point you'd took pity on him, initiating games of ‘tic tac toe’ on your spare paper to keep him awake, not wanting the professor to call you both out again.

"Alright, since I’m already starting to lose most of you, I’ll wrap it up here today. You're all free to go."

Johnny let out a relieved sigh.

"Finally, I'm hungry. Quick, let's go eat," he stood up quickly, taking his hat from the table and adjusting his hair before hiding it under his hat as he waited for you, ignoring the people who were staring as they walked past the both of you on their way out, surprised that Johnny Seo actually made friends in his classes that weren't his frat brothers.

"Did you have any place in mind?" you asked, seeing him nod.

"But only if you're okay with it, of course. I was thinking we could go to the burger joint just outside campus," he told you, his words alone enough to make your stomach grumble.

"I'm more than okay with that," you huffed, seeing his smile grow bigger, wordlessly leading you out of the lecture hall.

"You seem to know this area pretty well," he commented, after the both of you had discussed the other food places in the area that you thought were good.

You nodded, "I mean, I kind of have to. I live here," you let out a small giggle, seeing his eyebrows raise in intrigue.

"Oh, you don't live in the dorms?"

You shook your head. Johnny nodded pensively, making you curious to his reaction.

"What’s with the reaction?" you laughed.

He shook his head, and you spotted the burger and pizza joint down the street you were currently walking on.

"Nah, just, that kind of explains why the guys haven't really seen you around school," you raised an eyebrow.

"Do they spend lots of time in the girls dorms?" you joked, a part of you not expecting him to look so serious as he replied you.

"… I guess you could say that," he shrugged.

Walking into the shop, the owner had recognized you from how often you and Lucas get food here, and she had seemed to recognize Johnny as well.

"Y/N, usual for you and Lucas?" she'd asked before turning to Johnny, "table for the rest of the guys as well today, Johnny?"

Your eyes widened, strangely feeling shy that you were here with Johnny instead of Lucas, but if Johnny was shy, he did a pretty good job of not showing it, simply shaking his head with a friendly smile on his face.

"Nope, just a table for the two of us will be fine," he told her, and now it was her turn to look surprised, only realizing now that the both of you had arrived together, doing a poor job of concealing her smile as she led the both of you to a booth at the side.

You nodded at her in thanks before she'd placed the both of your menus down.

"Do you know what you want already?" you nodded at Johnny's question.

"Great, then we'll just order now," the owner nodded, taking your orders before leaving you two (not without a cheeky 'have fun' leaving her lips as she left).

"So," Johnny began, glancing at how you were typing away at your phone, since Lucas was blowing up your phone asking if you were with Johnny.

6:59pm -yes im with johnny now leave me alone pls ill update u later-

You set your phone down, looking at him expectantly, but he was having his own crisis about wanting to be forward with you but suddenly not knowing how to flirt when he looked at you.

You were thankful for the water that they'd served, bringing it up to your lips and taking big sips to take your mind off how nervous you were in front of Johnny, not only because he looked so pretty up close but also because of the way he gave you his full attention.

"Do I make you nervous?" he suddenly spoke, almost making you choke on your water, wiping your mouth with the back of your hand, making Johnny simply stare.

"Uh....just a little bit?" you confessed, seeing his eyes crinkle at its corners when he laughed at you, his laugh bubbling out in fits, making you smile, enjoying how cute he looked like this.

"Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?" he asked, and in your flustered state you'd laughed nervously, shaking your head.

"It's fine, it's not that bad," you lied, "it's not your fault, I’m just hungry.”

The way he’d simply smiled at you had made your hands come up to cover his face from your view, urging your heart desperately to calm down.

Feeling him pull your hands down gently, you pursed your lips, making him cast you a very amused look.

"You weren't this shy at the party," he murmured teasingly, making you desperately glance at the owner for help, seeing her prepare to bring your food to you (which you were very thankful for).

"Yeah, well, you didn't necessarily come with a sign that warned me that you're even prettier when I’m fully sober," you laughed, seeing his eyes widen, your words catching him off guard, and you noticed the way his gaze shifted, looking elsewhere as he used one hand to cover his smile. Perhaps... did you just make Johnny Suh... shy?

The owner had come to give the both of you your food, amused at Johnny's flustered state, enjoying seeing this side of him that wasn't the always-calm, flirting-is-his-second-nature exterior he showed her whenever he and his frat brothers would visit the eatery.

"You should be careful with your words too," he finally spoke after gaining back his composure, "might make me think you're interested in me too."

He shoved a fry into his mouth, his cheeks puffing as he chewed and you tried to resist the urge to reach over and pinch his cheeks gently.

You shot him a look, maybe I kind of am, you wanted to say. But for now, you decided on simply nodding in understanding as you ate your food, not having enough guts now to say it to his face.

As you two ate, he'd asked you questions about why you chose your major, even asking you how you got to know Lucas when the both of you are so different, and you actually found yourself growing more comfortable with him as you talked, starting to feel less like he was someone you were intimidated by and more like he was someone that you could see yourself hanging out with in the future (or more, if luck was on your side).

At one point, you'd started to delve into the things that were practically itching at your mind since the mixer you'd gone for, curiosity pushing you to ask him questions about the things the guys had said about him.

"C'mon, don't tell me you've never sort of... you know, wanted to be with someone that you knew you could never actually have?" he defended, the both of your food having been finished long ago, simply nursing your drinks that the owner was kind enough to let you have refills for.

You furrowed your eyebrows, shaking your head at him, "thinking back on it now, i don't think it's ever really… crossed my mind," you told him, knowing that was a big fat lie because here you were looking at Johnny sipping his drink and wondering how good his plump lips would feel on yours.

Johnny rolled his eyes playfully.

"What a bore," he joked.

"Sorry, I guess I’m just not fratboy material," you shrugged with a giggle, making him sigh, bringing his otherwise empty cup to his lips to let an ice cube slide into his mouth.

“It’s a good thing, honestly,” he told you quickly.

"Does it bother you?" he asked, the question catching you off guard as you raised an eyebrow at him, a silent gesture to prompt him to elaborate.

"You know, the fact that I’m associated with that kind of... behaviour," he told you, the mood suddenly growing a little too serious too fast.

You shot him a look, not knowing how he expected you to be honest with him, "Look, it's no secret that you've… you know, built up that kind of reputation for yourself, but I can't lie and say that it doesn't bother me at all."

"What part about it bothers you?"

You were confused at his questions, not expecting him to care about what people thought of him, but you didn't know that this was just a result of him not wanting to disappoint you, wanting to be honest with you about his intentions.

"I don't know," you lied, shrugging and avoiding his gaze, feeling as though you were an open book under the intense stare he was giving you.

Johnny shot you a skeptical look, one that said there was practically no cheating yourself out of this question.

"Be honest, please,” his tone was gentle, pleading. How could you possibly refuse?

You let out a breath you didn't know you were holding, "I guess I just… don't know how genuine you're being with me, you know? You have this...ability, to win people over. I can't help it if I find myself wondering why you started approaching me, asking me out on dates like this—"

"So you think it's a date?" just like that, the seriousness of the situation had dissolved slightly, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he smirked at you.

You scoffed.

"I say all of that and that's what you got out of it?"

You shook your head, the owner returning with your receipt and the both of you taking that as your queue to leave.

"Oh, I heard all of it, Y/N, believe me." He said, his tone firm, "and believe it or not, I’m telling you now that everything I’ve done to approach you and get to know you so far was genuine, because I’m very much interested in you, Y/N. Like… for real.” he told you.

"I wouldn't have even made Lucas specially bring you to the party if I didn't mean it."

Your eyes widened at that, making you think back to all the instances where Lucas seemed so confident that Johnny was into you but each time you'd approached him it just seemed like a normal exchange between friends.

"… here?"

You were pulled from your thoughts when you'd heard Johnny speak, looking back at him with a sheepish expression, "Sorry, can you repeat that?"

He gave you a look of mock annoyance, sighing dramatically.

"I said, can I walk you home? I won't impose if you're not comfortable. I just wanna make sure you get home safe, since you live outside campus and all..." he murmured, and if there was a meter for how much you were starting to fall for Johnny, it would've definitely jumped up a little now.

You nodded.

"I'm alright with it," you said simply, shaking your head at the way he tried ( and failed ) to contain his smile, nodding slowly.

"Y/N—"

"Can we play the silent game, please?"

Johnny shut his mouth quickly, nodding and actually proving successful in keeping quiet the rest of the way.

Only when you'd reached your apartment block did he suddenly blurt out, "Okay silent game over!"

"Johnny, you can't just declare—"

"I know but please, just listen, alright? I know given the whole... nature of my love life, if you can even call it a love life, whatever I’ve promised you doesn't seem so… legit. But I swear, it's just... I’m so used to casual flirting that I kind of seem like that boy who cried wolf or help or something... whatever!"

He looked at you with wide eyes, almost desperate to convince you of his intentions.

"I can get why you could feel overwhelmed now, so I’m not expecting any answer from you now...but whatever it is, I’ll respect whatever answer you have to give me, okay? Whether you want to continue getting to know each other… with romantic intentions, or… you know, not."

You looked at him with raised eyebrows in surprise, not knowing what else to do other than to nod, especially with the way he'd seemed as if he was about to lean in, and your breath hitched, but Johnny had pulled away suddenly, nodding at you, his fists clenching behind his back.

"Goodnight, Y/N." he said, promptly leaving before he could mentally kick himself even more.

===

2:51am -lucas help i keep thinking abt what johnny told me during dinner n now i cant sleep-

Lucas 11:02am -meet me at the cafe on your street in fifteen minutes, u can thank me later lol-

Seems like Lucas knew you better than to think you'd actually give up a whole night's sleep for Johnny, ( which you didn't, you'd ended up passing out at 3:30 in the morning ), and you hadn't bothered to read the message properly before putting on whatever you had in arm's reach and brisk walking to the cafe to meet Lucas.

Only Lucas hadn't told you he was going to bring help that came with light brown hair and went by the name of Yuta.

Walking into the cafe, you'd made as if to walk back out when you saw Lucas waving happily at you, smiling as though he totally didn't warn you that a cute boy was gonna see you while you were dressed in your pajama pants and t-shirt, slippers on and hair still messy from sleeping.

"Lucas," you frowned, sitting yourself down at the table and seeing Yuta look at you with a blank expression, nodding his head at you in greeting.

Lucas clapped his hands together with a stupid grin on his face, "Okay, great. So, as I was saying just now, Johnny asked her to dinner—"

Yuta snorted, shaking his head as he kept his gaze on the coffee he was stirring, ice clinking in the cup obnoxiously as your stared, wide eyed and eyebrows furrowed at him in offence that he was laughing at your dilemma.

"Johnny doesn't do dates," Yuta snickered, before realizing the implication of the statement, his mouth pulling into a frown, "forget what I said, continue.”

"Yeah, so then, he tells her that he's really into her and that he won't pressure her to give him a reply now and that he wants her to think about it and shit," Yuta nodded as Lucas had explained, turning to glance at you curiously, a part of him strangely not finding it weird that his friend Johnny would be into this pajama clad, mess of a girl sitting before him.

"Okay, now, as Johnny's close friend, what's your verdict?" Lucas said, tapping a (very loud) drumroll onto the table, thankful that there wasn't many people in the cafe at this time other than other working aged couple who were talking louder than his drumroll.

Yuta looked at you, sipping his drink with an intense gaze scrutinizing you.

"Do you like Johnny?"

You felt your cheeks heat up, "I mean, he's really nice and—"

"Yes or no?" Yuta said again, firmer this time which made you yelp out a "yes!"

Lucas eyed the both of you with a wide smile, covering his mouth in an effort to stifle his amusement, watching Yuta's expression slowly turn brighter, leaning his head back to laugh heartily.

"Great, cause he's totally whipped for you. And in my experience of knowing Johnny for like… two going on three years now, he's a sap, and from what Lucas has told me, he's definitely into you, and not just for a fuck in case that's what you're concerned about," Yuta shrugged, his tone matter-of-fact.

You almost choked at his bluntness, nodding slowly, seeing Yuta shake his head with a small giggle, a very contrasting demeanour from how he usually appeared to strangers.

"Don't be stressed, Johnny's the most genuine guy I’ve met, and when he says something like what he told you, I can assure you he really means it."

Lucas applauded, laughter bubbling from his lips as if he'd been holding it for very long, and you watched as Yuta stood up, giving you a reassuring smile that made you feel like all was good in the world.

"There's gonna be another party at our house tomorrow... yeah, just saying," he winked, leaving you to ponder on what he'd said. All the while, a very smug looking Lucas was looking at you expectantly.

"So what do you have to say now?"

You huffed, rolling your eyes, "Thank you, Lucas."

===

Plucking up whatever courage your emergency counselling session with Yuta had given you, you'd ended up standing outside the frat house, intimidated by the all-too-loud and curse-laced song that was blaring through the house (Lucas practically had to push you in the house in your anxiousness).

Your heart was practically thumping along with the bass as you navigated through the crowd in the living room to reach the kitchen. Making a trip to the kitchen first, you'd gotten a bit of liquid courage in your system, having to force yourself from the snacks table when a group of people initiating body shots had come to invade your personal space.

Thankfully enough (though you were slightly disturbed), you'd spotted Ten in this said crowd, and he'd cast you a smirk before gesturing upstairs, leaning over to you to say (or yell) into your ear.

"Johnny's in his room!" he shouted, adding an "alone!" as an afterthought.

"Why are you telling me that?!" you yelled back, seeing him shake his head, practically shoving you out of the kitchen.

"Why do you think?! Just gooo!"

And so you did, glancing around to make sure the people around you were mostly preoccupied that they wouldn't see you going upstairs, since that area was restricted for guests unless they were invited.

You knocked on the door, hearing a “Go away, Jaehyun, I’m not playing spin the bottle!" that was unmistakeably Johnny, making you laugh, shaking your head.

"Johnny, it's me,” you called, “Y/N. Ten said I could find you here," you winced, accidentally speaking louder than you'd intended to, having gotten used to speaking at a yelling volume while you were downstairs.

It was only a matter of seconds before you'd seen the door open, revealing a messy haired Johnny dressed in a black sleeveless top and shorts, and you'd tried not to let your eyes linger on his exposed thighs, looking back at his hair.

"You cut your hair," you pointed out, seeing his hand go up to his hair with a shy nod, before realizing you were still standing outside his room.

"I did,” he gave you a soft smile, “Hey, come in," he cleared his throat, a million questions in his head about your sudden appearance here.

As if you read his mind, you began.

"Yuta told me that you guys were having a party," you explained your presence here, seeing him remove his laptop from his bed and place it onto his bedside table.

"Didn't expect you to show up, to be honest," he huffed, though the laugh didn't seem to reach his eyes, he'd almost looked worried.

"That's actually kind of why I’m here," you started, feeling a little more confident speaking from where you were standing at his door, "I gave some thought to what you told me the other day."

Johnny’s eyes widened, his hand coming up in a gesture for you to wait.

"Look, before you say anything, I hope you're not being pressured into giving me a response, I really do want you to be sure about your decision," he looked at you from where he stood at his bedside table, searching your face for any sign of an emotion he could place.

"No, really, I’m not. I made up my mind," you told him firmly.

"I wanna give this a shot—"

"It's alright, Y/N, I totally underst- wait, what?"

You couldn't help the huff of laughter that escaped your lips, nodding at him, "Yes, Johnny. I wanna give this a shot."

You saw him bring a hand up to run through his hair, letting out a small sigh, "I'm... really glad to hear that."

He continued, taking steps towards you that you barely noticed with how distracted you were by the triumphant feeling of getting that off your chest

"And, you've really been nothing but nice to me from the start, you didn't try to use me for parties or like... clout or whatever, or even for... other stuff, and I really appreciate that, you know?”

“But that bad part about that is that I don't know what other way to thank you..." you felt your heart start to pick up speed at his proximity, the way all he had to do was just lean over and he would be at a very, very dangerous proximity to you.

"But at the same time, how can I resist?" Johnny looked into your eyes, his stare almost wolfish, looking as though he were 3 steps ahead of you and you didn't even know.

"May I?"

Johnny asked, his voice just slightly louder than a murmur but softer than you'd ever heard him, and he'd brought a hand up slowly, as if testing the waters, taking your unwavering gaze at him to be a good sign as he let his hand cup the side of your jaw, warmth spreading through your neck as his thumb softly caressed your lower lip, letting it spring back gently when he removed his thumb.

How could you refuse, when everything in your body was aching for him to close the gap between your lips and his?

His other hand smoothed down from your shoulder to find its place on your hip, and you watched as he'd began to lean in, letting your eyes flutter closed when you heard him murmur, "relax, baby."

"I haven't done this in a while," you dared to whisper, a small huff of amusement leaving your lips, "I'm going to disappoint you."

He shook his head, a huff of laughter escaping him.

"Indulge me, I’ve been thinking about this for ages now."

He connected his lips with yours, and you'd kissed him back, gasping at the feeling of his hands going to the back of your thighs, urging you to jump as he wrapped your legs around his torso, not breaking the kiss as he led you to his bed so you wouldn't have to kiss with a doorknob poking into your back.

Moving carefully, Johnny sat on his bed, leaning against the headboard with your knees on either side of his hips.

He swiped at your lower lip with his tongue, making you laugh at the sensation, letting him deepen the kiss, hearing knocking at his door, pulling away from him quickly with a start when you heard Yuta's voice.

"Johnny, did you talk to Y/N yet? Lucas said he brought her here but she disappeared."

You gave Johnny a panicked look, seeing him raise an eyebrow at you, moving to press kisses to your jaw, trailing them down your neck, speaking between kisses.

"Go ahead, answer him,” his voice was so intoxicating, you’d almost forgotten what he’d said.

You could practically feel his smile as he rubbed his hands soothingly over your thighs, amused at your shock.

You rest your arm on his shoulder, fingers combing through his hair as you mustered up your voice to reply Yuta, Johnny giving the skin at your neck a light nip at your delay, making you tug at his hair unconsciously, almost eliciting a groan from him.

"Yep, I’m here, Yuta! You can tell Lucas—" you swatted at the back of Johnny's head when he'd blown cold air on the spot on your neck he’d bit just before, making you shiver from the ticklish sensation, "you can tell him everything's fine!"

You heard a pause before Yuta replied with a hum. (though you swore you heard Lucas' tell-tale giggle)

Johnny smiled at you, "where were we?" he used his thumb and forefinger to guide your mouth back to his, feeling him tense up when you let you fingers find purchase in his hair, making you laugh, amused at his reaction.

"I love it when you do that," he sighed, and you'd pulled away, shoving yourself off of him as you flopped onto his bed beside him, Johnny looking down at you with a look full of admiration and a giddy kind of happiness.

You scrunched your nose up at him.

"Hope that didn't disappoint," you laughed, your heart swelling when you heard his own little giggle.

Johnny reached his hand over to run it through your hair, pushing it out of your face, before letting his thumb smooth over the skin of your cheek, shaking his head at you.

"Definitely not. I’m so satisfied I might just ask you to do it again."

===

lucas 2:23am -so....if ure doing all that funny business w johnny....- 2:23am -does this mean we get free passes for parties now?-

[emy-loves-you]

Sanders Sides AU-gust Day 18: Bodyguard

When Logan signed up to be the bodyguard of a wealthy (and questionable) man’s son, he thought it would be an easy job. Just sit in the background and make sure the kid doesn’t get killed. He didn’t expect the kid to be his age. Or flirty. Or dating his ex. Logan POV, eventual Analogince with parental Moxiety

Day 17 | Masterlist | Day 19

Logan sighed as he twirled the ballpoint pen between his fingers. He was sitting in the middle of a cafe, filling out a crossword puzzle. He took a sip of his chamomile tea and bit back a grimace. It was exceedingly bitter; the coffee shop he normally went to served much better drinks. But he wasn’t here because of the drinks. He briefly looked up from his crossword to quietly observe the real reason he was here. On the other side of the cafe, scrolling through his phone while he sipped on an iced coffee, sat Virgil Tempest Sanders, son of Patton Sanders and heir of Sanders Financing.

Logan thought back to everything leading up to this moment. Before this, Logan was commonly hired to take out corrupt politicians and gang leaders. So when he got a call from Patton Sanders to be a bodyguard, he was shocked to say the least. Patton Sanders was seen as the epitome of goodwill; he frequently donated to charity, has never spoken ill will towards anyone, and always had a smile on his face. So it was extremely odd for him to contact an assassin who was frequently hired by much more sinister individuals. But apparently Logan’s skills impressed Mr. Sanders enough to provide Logan a more permanent (and well-paying) job.

The job was simple: shadow his son any time he was out of the house. Virgil was kept on an extremely short leash after he was ‘kidnapped’ 5 years ago. He was only gone for a few months, but it was enough to essentially put him on house arrest. Virgil was only allowed to be out of the house between 10 AM and 5 PM. Mr. Sanders paid Logan to watch Virgil during these hours. When Logan had first learned about the job, he’d nearly scoffed in disbelief. He didn’t want to be babysitting a child! But after hearing about what wages he’d earn, Logan quickly changed his tune.

It was also shocking to learn that Logan actually wasn’t babysitting a child. Virgil was 23 years old; shockingly close to Logan’s own age. The age surprised him for several reasons. First of all, why was Virgil kept on such a short leash at 23 years old? Sure, he was kidnapped for a few months (which Logan doubted was an actual kidnapping. It was more likely that Virgil ran away) but that still didn’t warrant such restrictions for an adult. Second of all, Virgil still looked like a teenager. He had an extremely youthful face, with large brown eyes hidden beneath an oversized purple hoodie. He was actually quite attractive, almost as attractive as-

Logan figuratively shook the thought away, attempting to focus on the crossword puzzle. There were a few words that he was stuck on, but he was most likely going to stay here for a while. One of the perks to this job was that Virgil only tended to go to four places: this cafe, the local library, a small music store on the other side of town, and the local park. Still, Logan had been following this pattern with Virgil for the past two months. A small part of Logan, the part that smiled slightly when he managed to shoot someone directly between the eyes, wished that something would happen to spice things up-

“Amir.”

Logan looked up and was surprised to see Virgil leaning over his shoulder, staring at the crossword puzzle. “What?”

Virgil smirked. “‘First name that can mean ‘prince.’’” He took the ballpoint pen from Logan’s hand, which he had been lightly nibbling on. Logan bit back a gasp as Virgil deliberately ran the pen against Logan’s bottom lip before using it to write ‘AMIR’ on the crossword.

Logan examined the paper and was surprised to see that it was the correct answer. He blushed as he turned back to Virgil, who had a smug look in his eyes. “Th-Thank you, Mr…?”

Virgil smiled, settling down in the seat across from Logan. “Call me Tempest. And you are?”

Logan smiled at the use of Virgil’s last name. He felt like he should at least reciprocate. “Adstrum.”

Virgil smirked. “Glory. Immortality.” He gives Logan a once-over before practically purring. “Divinity.”

Logan blushed at the implications. “I’m sure my parents meant ‘star’ when they named me.”

Virgil laughed before his expression darkened. “So, how much is he paying you?”

Logan put on a faux-innocent expression, but on the inside it felt like his blood had turned to ice. Mr. Sanders specifically said that Virgil couldn’t know about Logan unless absolutely necessary. Logan thought he’d been subtle and inconspicuous. “Who is paying me, exactly?”

Virgil sighed. “My father. Look, you almost fooled me at first. If I wasn’t always watching my back, you would’ve fooled me. But nobody ever visits this cafe because their coffee’s shit.” He gestured to Logan’s tea. “And I’m guessing the tea is too judging by how much you face screws up when you drink it. You could’ve been just a regular customer, but I’ve seen you at the library and the park, and I don’t doubt that you were at the record store too. And the people around here get really gossipy, so I knew that you were only here on the days that I showed up.” He leaned back in his chair, a smirk on his face. “So I’ll ask again: how much is he paying you?”

Logan looked him in the eye before sighing. “Too much to say no.” He carefully folded up his crossword puzzle. “Though I’m quite uncertain as to why this job exists in the first place. You obviously have no intention on running away again-”

“Running away?” Logan looked up to see Virgil confused and slightly angry. But Logan had dealt with enough people to see the acting for what it really was. “I was kidnapped and held against my will!”

Logan scoffed. “Kidnapped?” He straightened his tie as he spoke. “You disappeared in the middle of the night from a building whose security rivals the White House. There was no sign of struggle, nor was there a ransom note. Either your kidnapper was an extremely intelligent individual who wanted more than just money from Mr. Sanders, or you left on your own free will. And judging by my observations and personal experience, I’m inclined to believe the latter.”

Virgil stared for another moment before laughing. “Well, would you look at that! You’ve got a brain to match your bark. And I assume you bite, too. Because there’s no way you’re some random civilian. So, what’s your real job?”

Logan coughed. “I must admit, I’m not used to having my job description be, ‘keep client alive. ’”

Virgil blinked, and Logan suddenly felt like he’d said something wrong. “You stressed the word alive. ” Now it was Logan’s turn to blink. “You wouldn’t need to stress it unless there was something specific about keeping them alive.” His eyes suddenly lit up. “Are you an assassin?!”

Logan blushed. “Essentially. But now I am your bodyguard.”

Virgil vibrated in his seat. “How many people have you killed? Do you usually kill good people or bad people? Or does it only depend on the money? I wouldn’t blame you for that. The economy sucks.”

Logan chuckled. “I mainly target corrupt politicians and gang leaders. I turn down any jobs that involve families or children.”

Virgil mouthed the words ‘corrupt politicians and gang leaders’ before gasping. “Do you know Logan Croft?”

Logan blinked. “How do you know that name?”

Virgil gasped again, stars in his eyes. “Are you Logan Croft?” Logan decided to nod his head. Virgil already knew about his job, and his father was paying Logan. It wouldn’t hurt to give out his name, just this once. “Oh my gosh, you’re the guy who killed Jacob Smith four years ago! How did you do it? They say he was impenetrable behind his gang and-” Suddenly his phone ringed. “One moment, please.” He pressed the phone up to his ear, and Logan could hear his boss’ muffled voice on the other end, though he couldn’t understand what he was saying. “Hey, Dad. Yeah, I’m at a cafe. Yeah, I can come home for lunch. See you then. Bye.” He turned back to Logan with a grimace. “Sorry, I’ve gotta go. Maybe we can have a full conversation next time?”

Logan nodded. “I ask that you don’t tell Mr. Sanders about our conversation, or that you know about having a bodyguard. I’m afraid he might fire me if you do.” Or expose me to the world.

Virgil nodded. “Of course!” He stood there awkwardly for a moment. “Well, you know where I am… see ya, bye!” And with that, Virgil walked out of the cafe. Logan waited a few minutes before following. It was just to make sure that Virgil got home safe. It was part of his job, after all. It wasn’t because he found Virgil interesting and funny and cute-

Logan frowned, shaking away the thought. He would not get attached to Virgil. It would only serve as a cruel reminder of Roman. Roman and Logan had met in middle school and dated for several years. But Roman had fallen in love with another man a few years ago. And while Logan is polyamorous, it was dangerous enough to be attached to one civilian. So, they broke up on friendly terms. Logan had never felt so… empty, after leaving Roman. It had felt like Roman had taken Logan’s ability to be happy. Logan hadn’t fully smiled or laughed since their breakup…

Except for today, when he’d talked to Virgil. Virgil reminded Logan of Roman. He was charismatic, sarcastic, and funny. And with every butterfly that formed in Logan’s belly, a new knife stabbed him through the heart. Being with Virgil would only remind Logan of what he could no longer have with Roman. So, Logan would keep his distance (even if he could no longer do so literally).

---------------------------------------------------

When Virgil got home that day, he had a brief lunch with his father before retreating to his room for the day. Once he got there, he immediately pulled his phone out of his pocket and started texting his boyfriend.

V- (3:05 PM) Hey, your ex’s name was Logan Adsrum Croft, wasn’t it?

R- (3:06 PM) Yeah, why?

V- (3:06 PM) Guess who my hot new bodyguard is ;)

[cockasinthebird]

Apparently I never shared this here?? Some more Soulmate AU because fuck if it isn’t cute

-

For a Saturday morning, Steve is awake surprisingly early.

When his alarm rings at 8am, he shoots up and has exactly ten minutes to become clear headed after too little sleep, maybe 4 hours or so; it's so hard to fall asleep when his skin tingles.

Feet stumble over yesterdays outfit, as he rushes into his bathroom to turn on the shower, drowsy movement guided by a groggy head from lack of sleep, but it's worth it all when he catches himself in the mirror.

“What song best represents you?” Steve had written on his bicep, and the response was-

“Rock you like a hurricane ;)” Which... isn't a surprise. “You?”

“Don't you forget about me”

He still feels a slight blush creep up when he sees what Billy's response had been. “I won't.”

“Show me your moles again” Billy had requested, written across his ribs.

And Steve had taken his time with that; circled every single one he could reach from the comforts of his bed. Up and down his arms, his chest, that he shaves for this exact reason, abdomen, shins... thighs... hips... down where he trims his pubic hair, body oddly... excited to reveal certain locations, and his heart races as he re-reads, in impressive cursive-

“Oh ;)” down between his legs.

He catches himself grinning like a fool in the mirror.

Then looks at his left hand, words on his wrist-

“Take my hand”

The circle in the middle of his palm has faded a bit, probably worn off by Billy as he had gone about his day-to-day in Australia, while Steve had slept in America.

And he reaches for the ballpoint pen on the sink – a tactic he was quick to learn, is to always have something to write with in every room of the house, rather than just carry one pen with him everywhere and occasionally lose it – then retraces the circle in his palm, now fresh and clear blue.

It takes less than 10 seconds before he feels pressure in the same form again, as Billy draws on top of the circle in his own palm.

Next there's a gentle and familiar tickling across his naked hip-

“Good morning princess” and a little crown scribbled above the i.

Steve is so, so tempted to draw out a heart, to just make that tiny little shape down there, but the both of them understand what a heart so low means. So he simply signs off with a singular dot, to show “message received.”

And in the shower he does his best to wash away old messages and song lyrics; to clean up the canvas for today's fresh pen strokes. His skin is itching to be touched and used again already, ready to be marked up everywhere the two of them can reach.

When the clock says 08:09am he's out of the shower and drying his hair – never before has he washed up so quickly, but for good reason, because barely does the clock switch to 08:10am, when the phone on his bedside table rings.

“Harrington residence, this is Steve,” he says all courteous and well mannered, but who else would it be other than-

“Hey pretty boy,” Billy drawls out.

A smile grows immediately. Steve leans against the table and smooths his hair back from where it lies limply against his forehead. “Hi.”

“You busy?”

Steve hums in feigned contemplation and looks around his room, only slightly messy. “I guess I can take a break from my busy morning for you.”

The way Billy chuckles deep in the receiver urges forth goosebumps down Steve's bare arms.

“Want me to put on some music?” Steve asks per the usual.

Since he lives alone and hates the silence of such an empty home, he listens to music near constantly, and it eventually became a bit of a thing between them, to always have something running in the background.

“Yeah, play the song you mentioned earlier.”

The song he had said “represented him best”, although having thought more about it, there are several songs that could describe him and his life, Tainted Love, Sweet Dreams are made of this, Don't you want me. Plenty of songs put in to words how utterly lonely and starved for attention he truly is, but Don't you forget about me had been the subtlest choice in a constant struggle to not come off as clingy.

“Ok, hold on!” the tone he had intended was soft, but it jumped right into eager before the words had even left his tongue.

Swiftly with practiced hands, he slips out the vinyl from its sleeve, lifts up the plastic cover for the turntable, and places the stylus in the grooves of the LP. The music is low and Jim Kerr's voice fills the room.

Steve dances; pumps his shoulders to the beat and spins his way back to the bed, then lands with a poomf next to the phone receiver he had thrown onto his covers.

“Is it too loud?” he asks with closed eyes as he listens to the song.

“No it's good,” Billy says with a clear smile to his tone. “And the song isn't that bad.”

Saying that they have vastly different tastes in music would be a severe understatement. Sure, a few of the records that Steve has lying around his house is technically from rock bands- Van Halen, Inxs, even Simple Minds is rock, but not the right type of rock according to Billy. It's pop rock, it doesn't count.

“Sleep well, princess?”

Steve feels his lips twitch further up at that stupid name that started out as a tease years ago when Steve had been crying about not getting his way with his rich parents, but now it was something dear.

“Mmh yeah,” he mumbles out and leans into the phone. “Didn't get much sleep though.”

“Hey you can't blame that on me, I was at work all day,” Billy laughs, “You're the one that started it all... couldn't stop thinking about you after you fell asleep.”

“And now I'm awake and you're going to bed,” Steve whines only a bit.

“Yeah... time zones suck.”

There's a short silence, as the chorus plays-

Don't you, forget about me

Don't, don't, don't, don't

Don't you, forget about me

“Tell me about your day.” He crawls further up the bed till he meets with his pillows, and takes the pen from his bedside table.

“Same shit as every other Saturday really, spent all day at work getting distracted.”

The insinuation in his tone makes Steve laugh.

“My co-workers really tease me about it sometimes, they noticed all the circles on my skin and asked about it.”

“And what did you say?”

“The truth; that my soulmate was marking all her moles...” It's clear in his voice that Billy stopped smiling. “I'm sorry that I haven't told them that you're a-”

“A guy?” Steve interrupts, his own mood slightly sour, but he gets it; he can't blame Billy for the way the world works. “Billy...” he speaks softly, “I don't want you to feel bad about not telling anyone that I'm Steve and not Stacy. I've only told one person here the whole truth.”

“Robin, right?”

“Yeah, from history.” He pops off the cap on the ballpoint pen, and sits up to start drawing little flowers up on his thigh.

“Hmm...” Billy hums as he has probably noticed. “How's it going with her and Heather?”

“Pretty good; Robin's become an oddly proficient swimmer suddenly.” And Steve chuckles, “I'm kinda feeling neglected though. My best friend is spending more time with her girlfriend than me!”

“Well...” Billy's voice suddenly so warm and sweet like honey, as he says, “What can you do when you're in love.”

And Steve's heart beats an extra few times upon hearing Billy say that word. Love. Yeah, what can you do...

“Anyway,” Billy says as there's no response from Steve. “There is this one guy at work, uhh, think his name is Julien? Julian? Julius? Something with a J, it doesn't matter. I think he might be gay, too.”

Steve perks up a brow with a sly smirk. “Oh? And how do you know that?”

“I dunno,” his response a slight mumble, “He just... gives off a vibe?”

And the other brow goes up. “A vibe?”

“Yeah! Like!” frustration apparent at the fact that Steve doesn't just get what he's saying. “You know... all... well groomed?”

Steve chortles loud enough for it to drown out the music through the phone. “Ok, go on.”

“His hair is just always so nice, face clean shaven and skin always so clear...”

“Oh you must have gotten pretty close to notice all of that,” Steve is still bubbling with leftover laughter.

“Steve...” but Billy sounds so worried. “You know I wouldn't-”

“I haven't asked you not to,” Steve interrupts and looks up into the air, as if he could catch Billy's eyes and give him a reassuring look. He can feel that they're all so suddenly on the brink of a rather important discussion that they've already had.

“I know! I know...” Billy sighs. “I just want you to know that I haven't... been with anyone ever since you and I started...”

Getting serious? Are they serious? With an ocean between them, can they be...

“Yeah, me neither...” Steve's heart thumps as his mind starts spewing out ideas of what it would be like... to be with Billy. “But you can. If you want to. You don't need my permission, Billy.”

“Yeah you've said that already, and the same goes to you, too, of course.”

“I know...”

But there's a clear air of assumption between them, despite the thousands of miles. Assumption, expectation, hope that there's a chance...

The song repeats again.

Won't you, come see about me

I'll be alone, dancing you know it baby

Yet the two of them don't say a word. Just listens to the song, together. The type of silence between them that can only be achieved with someone you're so comfortable with. When Steve feels Billy draw in his hand, and looks to see a heart in his palm. A little, shy heart.

And he can't help but smile warmly; feels his cheeks heat up with unspoken feelings- the kind that just came naturally over the last 7 years, and that he wishes to cherish forever.

He draws a heart around Billy's, just slightly bigger, surrounding it, like an embrace.

“Getting tired yet?”

“Yeah,” Billy sighs, sleepy and exhausted. “I always feel so drained during winter. It's so cold and dark... I miss being a lifeguard, but no one wants to go to the beach in this shitty weather. And I use my body in a different way as a mechanic, and I have to deal with customers and co-workers...” he complains about it a lot, but Steve knows that Billy loves getting to spend all day getting dirty and fiddling with cars.

Once talked about opening his own shop somewhere. Says he hasn't quite decided where to do so yet.

Assumption, expectation, hope...

“Should we hang up?”

“Mmmh, no, let me just hear the song a few more times,” is his reasoning, but they both know that that's not why.

They always struggle with hanging up, which is why they don't do this as much as they want to- other than it being expensive of course. Despite their souls being connected and bodies bonded this way, being on either end of the phone line is when they truly exist together. Even in silence, just knowing the other is there too keeps the world away.

“Want me to trace my hand?” Steve whispers softly, his voice a sweet little thing, only for Billy's ears.

“That'd be nice, yeah.”

And oh how he wishes he could see Billy now; eyes closed, a warm and dopey smile, tan body naked under the sheets. There's nothing he wants more in life, than to fall asleep with his muscular arms wrapped around himself, to share body heat, to share their breaths.

But for now, he can settle with drawing the pen along the lines in his palm; creating an endless pattern that Billy describes as feeling like you're running your finger over my skin.

The closest thing to caressing his soulmate that he can get. For now. And the last thing he hears from Billy's end, is him humming with pleasure of the gentle touch.

[pineapplebread]

Tattoo AU

Before Steve enlisted in the army, he was working as an illustrator (I believe this is canon, but correct me if I’m wrong), so he’s always had strong ties and appreciation for art.

After the serum changed his body, Steve felt uncomfortable in his own skin. He went from tiny and asthmatic to huge and strong within the span of minutes, and he never quite got used to the change. In his own head, he still feels small and helpless despite his new physical appearance and newfound strength. After a while, his new body doesn’t feel like his own anymore, it’s too big, it’s too perfect, it’s not his.

One night in one of the military camps on the Western Front he’s show-and-ponying at as Captain America the living dancing war bonds commercial, he comes across a soldier giving others tattoos with a heated needle and a split ballpoint. There’s talk of a coil machine someone’s making back home to make tattooing easier and better, and Steve remembers he hasn’t been stateside in months. He asks the soldier to ink something on his arm, and he gets laughed at. “Wouldn’t wanna fuck up Cap’n America’s body.”

A year later, Bucky falls to his presumed death from the rails, and Steve convinces someone to scratch a nautical star onto his arm in memorium. The ink doesn’t hold, and it fades within weeks. Steve inks it again at least twice, but it’s gone by the time he crashes the Valkyrie into the ice.

Steve wakes from the ice into a new world, one he doesn’t recognize or know. He’s more lost than ever, and never has he felt the loneliness and inadequacy stronger than when he’s facing down an army of aliens from outer space looking to destroy the city and there’s nothing he can do. He’s never felt more like “just a kid from Brooklyn,” than he ever has. What business does he have being a superhero? 

After the Battle of New York, he’s as untethered as ever, feeling even more lost when he has to spend large amounts of time in DC, and he throws himself into missions with abandon. His friendships with Natasha and Sam help, but finding out Bucky is alive is what gives him hope in the new century. For the first time in a long time, he can breathe.

Steve returns to New York to work with the Avengers, and they make a great team. Even though he and Tony hadn’t gotten off on the best foot, they make a real effort, if only for the sake of the team, and Steve finds that once he sees past Tony’s sarcastic armor, he’s someone invaluable to the team, and someone Steve greatly respects. Ultron happens, and Tony and Pepper are on a break, and things might’ve happened at Clint’s farm behind closed doors, but Steve doesn’t want to think too much on that, it’s just mutual comfort. There are no feelings there. At least, he knows Tony has no feelings there.

Then the Accords happen, and as much as it breaks Steve’s heart, he feels like he has to do what’s right, even if it means going against Tony, who’s his best friend and partner. It almost kills Steve to put his shield through Tony’s arc reactor to stop him from killing Bucky. A part of him is left with Tony on the floor of that bunker in Siberia when he tosses down the shield and leaves.

Another part of him dies when he sees on the news Tony is engaged to Pepper.

Thanos comes. They lose.

Steve doesn’t know how he’ll go on when Tony doesn’t return from space.

“No coordinates, no clues, no strategies, no options. Zero, zip, nada. No trust–liar.”

Thanos comes again. This time, they win. Together, like Steve had promised almost ten years ago.

They rebuild. The Stones burned through Tony’s arm, and almost took Steve’s with it when they used the gauntlet together. The serum helps Steve recover, but it takes a long time for Tony to heal. Steve stays with him through the year of rehabilitation, never leaving his side, because he’d broken that promise once already, and he can’t, won’t do it again. He stays with him through the breakdowns, the agony, the rebuilding. Something loosens in his chest the day Tony feels well enough to wear his new arm. 

Steve only leaves Tony’s side for 5 seconds on the day he goes to return the Stones. He tries to get Natasha back, but a soul for a soul, and what is done is done.

Tony and Pepper get divorced. Sometimes, things just don’t work out, but they’re friends, for Morgan if nothing else. They’re good parents.

It takes almost two years for Steve and Tony to recover fully and feel brave enough to reach for each other. Steve remembers the pain of not having Tony, and decides he can never let that happen again. He proposes on their first night together. Tony laughs in shock and asks, “A little soon, isn’t it, Cap?” and Steve can only tell him, “It’s been almost eleven years, but I would like it to be forever.” Tony says yes.

Steve talks about his attempts at having a tattoo and how it makes him feel like he has ownership over his own body. His body still isn’t really something he’s used to even after all this time, and on his worst days, Steve aches through the dysphoria, and while he never wishes he was small again, the big body still doesn’t feel right. It doesn’t feel like his, and he feels like it’s on loan from the government who gave it to him. Man out of time, boy out of body.

On Steve’s 41st (108th) birthday, Tony surprises him with the serum-proof ink he’d been developing with Bruce.

Steve finds an artist and starts with Bucky’s star on his arm. Bucky gives him a strange look when he and Sam come over to visit. Then he begins work on the rest of his ink, going down his arm with Sam, who’s always been there for him, the tattoo in memorium for Peggy Carter, and moves on to the other arm for his teammates.

The most important and biggest pieces are on his chest for Tony, who is misty eyed when he sees Steve get the T.S. inked over his heart. 

Steve’s tattoos inspire Tony to get his own ink. He has silly tattoos from his college days and drunken dares with Rhodey, but he starts getting more meaningful ones now. It makes him feel beautiful in his own old, scarred body, and they help him heal what’s left of the damage from the War. His favorite though, is still “Property of S.R.” on his lower back, much to Steve’s distress.

[a-jynx]

Stuck On A Heart String | Ch. 1  A Drink & A Tune

“So won’t you stay for a moment?”  “Why should I stay with you..?”  “Because... I’ll pull on your heart strings.” 

If someone would’ve told Steve that his band, A Stranger’s Mind, would be taking off into the world of music - he would’ve downright laughed in your face and told you to “piss off.” But, when his band and he find themselves reaching Top Charts, they grow excited… However, with money tight, they seek out new gigs and bars to play at, so what happens when A Stranger’s Minds’ guitarist finds a bartender looking for a life that’s a little more… In tune? 

Find out in Stuck On A Heart String. 

________ 

“So, tell me again why you’re taking OUR band all the way to Los Angeles WITHOUT consulting anyone first!?” Dustin grumbled, watching as Steve finished packing the last of the equipment with a sigh. 

“Dust, come on! Trevor got us a few good gigs at some bars there, and besides,” he paused, slamming shut the small traveler van with a huff. “Money is really tight right now, so we could use the cash.” 

“Okay? But I don’t see why none of us can come.” 

“Do you really believe any of the party’s parents would let them travel with me across the states to go to a few bars?” 

Dustin grew silent, slumping against his usual lawnchair with his bottom lip jutted out. Steve sighed, pushing off of the double doors and moving to sit next to his little buddy, shouldering him as the young boy glanced at him, a few unushered tears settling on his waterline. 

“Hey, I’m doing this for us, okay? I’ll come back, it’ll… It’ll just a little while, okay?” Steve murmured, reaching out and patting Dustin’s shoulder while he stared at him, frowning slightly before sighing. 

“Yeah, yeah, okay… You better bring something awesome home.” He scoffed, reaching up and tugging down the brim of the teens’ hat, grinning as a few curses flew from his lips. 

“Hey, language,” 

“Oh, tell it to my dick,” he shouldering Steve’s stomach, making him grumble before shoving the young boy forward. “Where is everyone? I thought you were supposed to leave like an hour ago?” Steve rolled his eyes, fishing out his phone and glanced at the clock, 2:30… Trevor, Steve, Austin, and Tommy were supposed to leave by noon. 

“Hell if I know, maybe they’re drunk or something.” 

“That’s comforting to know you’re taking a bunch of drunk assholes with you to California.” 

“Okay, hey, those assholes are still part of this band.” Steve sighed, standing from the squatted position and moving towards the mini-fridge, snatching a Coors and cracking it open. “And like I said before, I’ll send you guys updates after every show and I’ve already talked to Will, he said he would ask Johnathan to help live stream us.” 

Dustin eyed him, his brow cocked and lips pressed into a thin line. “You do realize you shouldn’t be drinking two in the afternoon, right? Especially since you’ll be at multiple bars once you get to California - by the way, why’d you choose Cali, anyway?” Dustin reached over, grabbing his Dr. Pepper from the speakers’ top, sipping at it as Steve grimaced, shrugging one of his shoulders. 

“I didn’t choose Cali, it was Valentine’s choice,” 

“You seriously let Trevor pick where you were taking your - scratch that - our band. All the way to California when you could’ve picked somewhere else?” 

Steve sighed, fighting back the urge to roll his eyes while grabbing his acoustic guitar, tuning the strings with a few plucks before gently strumming at them, somewhat drowning out Dustin’s angry comebacks. The melody flowed from the instrument, Steve’s gentle humming adding as he thumbed the nimble lines, not flinching at the small pricks that stab into his pad. Stretching out his legs, he continued to strum when the sound of screeching tires came from the road outside of Steve’s small home. 

“And que the assholes,” Dustin sighed, pushing up from the lawn chair as Steve rolled his eyes, yet he was grinning, before allowing the instrument quieted. Trevor, Tommy, and Austin came barreling into the garage, making Steve arch a brow at his bandmates who all paused at the sight of him lounging on his stool, a Coors cracked open next to him and his guitar in hand. 

“Jam sess’ without us? That hurts, Steven,” Austin snorted, moving close and patting his shoulder and squeezing it while grabbing the open beer. “Wouldn’t have had to have one if you all would’ve got here on time,” he shot back, snatching the beer away from his friend, a few slipping past the two boys' hands, glaring daggers. 

“But, yes, I’m so sorry it hurts your pride.” He grumbled, practically chugging the last bit of the beer before setting his guitar on the stand gently and standing. “Where the hell have you all been anyway!? We were supposed to leave hours ago-” 

“Chill it, King Steve,” Tommy sighed, grabbing his own beverage before cracking it open like an ape. “We’ll get on the road when we’re good and ready.” He shrugged, glancing over at Dustin, who was typing away at his laptop, most likely adding updates to ‘A Stranger’s Mind’ webpage, social media, and their groupie page. 

“Dusty! Long time, no see.” Tommy cackled as Dustin glanced up, holding his nonimpressed look before going back to his laptop. 

“Leave him alone, Hagan, we need to go NOW. Our first show is supposed to be at 8 tomorrow night, and it’s a fucking 32-hour drive!” Steve deadpanned, standing in front of Dustin’s laptop stand, somewhat protecting him from any more pokes from Tommy. 

“Yeah, Steve’s not wrong… We all have to drive cause I’m not going to force Steve and me to drive the entire way while you and Trevor get your beauty rest.” Austin quipped, standing next to Steve who nodded once, thanking him. 

Tommy rolled his eyes, waving Steve and Austin off before marching towards the van, leaving all of them standing there, eyeing it. “Somethings up with him… And I don’t like it.” Trevor frowned as the other two nodded, sighing. 

“Whatever it is, he better get over it because we’ve got a long trip ahead of us,” Steve sighed, crossing his arms over his chest before turning towards Dustin. “Everything updated?” 

“All set - a lot of people are saying they’re pumped for you to be coming to their city, so, have fun and post videos and photos, got it? I can’t run this thing by myself.” 

“You got it, Dusty bun!” Trevor called over his shoulder Austin and he walked towards the van as Steve snickered, grabbing his acoustic guitar before following them.

“Hey, I’ll see you on the flip side?” Steve grinned as Dustin smiled back, flipping him off as Steve did it back, shaking his head gently. So much for good influence. 

“Trevor said he’ll drive first, I took back and so did Tommy, so you get shotgun.” 

“Good, it’s my van and we need to figure out what songs we’re singing so we can get set up when we get there.” Steve chewed on his usual ballpoint pen, making small smudges and notes in his notebook that contained all of his songs - it was a bit awkward to have it out, as the others rarely got to look into it. 

“We’ll figure it out, King Steve, now blast some tunes and let’s goooooo!” Tommy shouted, reaching forward and blaring the radio, making the others flinch before Steve’s hand shot out and turned it down, making Hagan grumble. Jesus… This is going to be a looooong trip. 

__________

So, nothing much happened, but I just wanted to establish the band ethics and let you guys get to know everything first!! 

I hope you do enjoy this little AU and you’re excited about the next chapter! 

TagList: @trashmouth-hargrove, @greyspilot, @your-pretty-bambi, @hargrove-billy, @harringrovetrashh, @baconspice, @harrington-s, @ifuwannabemydingus, @stranger-h, @marythemudblood, @big--yikes​