#Captain Capri

[pastacurls]

I feel terrible for people who’s favorite beyblade characters r like smaller characters that show up for cameos in random episodes and then never really show up much again cuz like, I get upset when I don’t see kenta or yu on screen for a few seconds, I can’t imagine what it’s like for fans of people like sora or fucking captain capri.

[johannepetereric]

EVERYONE ELSE GOT THEIR SURNAME ON THE BOARD, BUT SORA DIDN’T?!?! RESPECT MY BBY BOI!!!😭😭😭😭

[johannepetereric]

Angwy Boi >:)

it's been a while since i drew kyoya!!

[capricule]

let's eat, captain! (alternatively, "let's eat captain!")

[siddyyyyyyyy]

You're Only Sixteen

wc: ~3.6k

summary: child soldier joins task force 141 part FOUR; one, two, three; five

warnings: discussion of abusive military camp, description of anxiety, some violence, (grieving), nightmares

a/n: this is getting really interesting now and I'm trying my best to keep the story entertaining and logical... hope you enjoy it!

Briefing room, 15:21, two days before the mission.

The new plan of the mission is projected on the white wall in front of you all, with Price standing beside it while everyone listens. He goes over the plan and explains who would be doing what, making sure he gets the message across. Laswell stands beside him, arms behind her back, as she nods along and adds information occasionally.

»This needs to go as smoothly as possible. No mistakes, no slip-ups, no nothing.«

Price starts, glancing over everyone before he gestures to the plan on the wall, continuing with explaining.

»We will be raiding an abusive military camp for children, takiing the kids to a safe place, and taking the bastards who are responsible for this with us. This is underage children we are talking about. Innocent souls, who are forced to get trained and sent on unnecessary dangerous missions. We’ll make sure the people behind it learn their lesson.«

Laswell looks around the small group, spotting you immediately. Her gaze is cold, but she doesn’t seem to be the type to throw glares without reason. She seems even tense. You’re aware she works for the CIA, doing most of the research and planning for the mission the team goes to eventually. Maybe that’s why she is staring at you, not used to a new member in the task force. But then again, she shouldn’t feel like that, considering how professional she must be.

»Camp is located in Urzikstan, Riyazabbi. It’s where Farah grew up, so she’ll be helping us out on it.«

Finally, she averts her eyes from you and clicks to the next slide of the small power point, presenting a map of Urzikstan with red scribbles on it. You listen intently to the whole briefing, growing more and more sick on the inside. Standing beside Ghost by the table, you can only hope no one notices your growing anxiety.

»To be more exact, in the Old Town, near the Low Town. Farah will be leading our way for the mission, making sure the children get escorted safely. Your mission is to get the bad guys.« She switches to another slide, a planned-out map from the base of the camp, »Most of them should be on the top floor, as well as the documents we need to find out what other stuff they’re hiding… and get the evidence.«

You take a deep breath looking at the map, feeling your stomach churn. Laswell steps away, leaning her hands on the table as she glances around the team once more.

»Gaz and Price will be paired up to keep watch and take out the guards. Soap, Ghost you both will storm in and clear the building out, sparing the children inside.«

She straightens her back and looks over you again, continuing with telling each their role for the upcoming mission.

»You’ll be with Farah, behind Ghost and Soap. Focus on escorting the children from the outside.«

Gaz glances at you from across the table, noticing your paleness. He keeps his eyes on you for a moment before he looks back to the power point, studying the map and listening to the rest of the briefing.

Ghost on your side notices your shift as well, nudging you lightly against your shoulder. You finally snap back, glancing up at him, almost disoriented. He gives you a questioning look, Price interrupting the exchange.

»Any questions?«

Ghost, the twat he is, nods and mentions towards you.

»Ya seem like you know something. Explain?«

Meanwhile, you’re still processing what the mission is about, your heart pounding in your chest and mind racing.

The small group watches you, slightly concerned about your sudden silence. It’s not unusual you are more reserved, but now it seems different. Price shifts on his feet, crossing his arms over his chest, and calls out your name.

»That’s my camp.«

You spit out bluntly, granting a shocked look from each. Laswell exchanges a look with Price giving a small nod. The silence in the briefing room is deafening, making you hear your own pulse in your ears.

»Holy shite...« Soap grumbles under his breath, making you exhale slowly to calm yourself down.

Captain Price shifts again, taking a step towards you as he holds up one hand.

»Now, I know this will be difficult for you, but I believe you are strong and capable enough to handle it, and even more.«

He motivates you, trying not to scare you off and reassure you. Suddenly it’s very tight in the room; everyone stares at you and makes you feel pressured. What are you supposed to do? Should you go along with the mission or call it quits after everything? You finally thought you could escape your camp and never see the commanders or the other soldiers again. What if you fail everyone and lose everything again?

»Ye knew about this?« Soap’s agitated voice rings through the room, slicing right through the soft tone of the captain.

»At first, no one knew, Soap. We couldn’t have known if it wasn’t in her file.«

»Of course, it wasn’t.« He scoffs, his tone growing more exasperated. Price shoots him a warning glare before he focusses back on you.

»You need to stay strong for this one. We need you for this mission, both for your strength and knowledge. You are a strong asset to us.«

He explains calmly, turning more towards you as he does. Price could go on about why he thinks you are perfect for this mission, but the rest of the team needs to process it themselves and consider his words. It’s true; because of your own experience from the camp it makes it easier to gain more intel on the whole organisation. On the other hand, this feels like they ask too much. There’s no way you’ll go back there to save the others.

Laswell breaks the visible tension in the room and speaks up, keeping her calm.

»This is important for everyone; however, I do think you need to get the chance to choose yourself. Do you want to join the mission?«

The question hangs heavy in the air, making you almost overwhelmed with it. After several tension-filled seconds, you have decided it.

»Yes. I will join on the mission.«

She nods back in acknowledgement, taking a small step back from the table. Somehow, the tension in the room leaves slowly, as does your pounding in your chest. You realise how serious and difficult this will be, already feeling like this will take years off your lifespan. Maybe that was exaggerated, but that’s literally how it feels right now.

You’ve never seen Soap so distressed before, even now when he has calmed down and wears an uneasy expression on his face. It’s your own, choice and you chose to actually participate in that difficult mission. There’s nothing they can do but work alongside you.

----

The briefing is over, and now it is time to prepare for the upcoming mission, needing to prepare some bags since this requires travelling to get to Urzikstan.

You feel a big hand on your shoulder, which makes you look to your right, seeing Ghost like before.

»Wanna feed Riley?« A firm squeeze is felt on your shoulde before he lets go, waiting on your answer. You simply nod, finally getting out of your distracted stare.

Soon enough, you find yourself in his office with Riley munching off from your palm again. She is calmer today, as if sensing something might be wrong or someone’s mood is down. Ghost is sitting next to the K9, silently petting her back before speaking up.

»What actually happened in that camp?«

His cold gaze is fixated on you, but not with the usual cold-hearted eyes. There seems to be an underlying understanding behind them as he studies you.

»Like…« you trail off, considering what he might want to know, »the abusive training or the raid missions?«

»How ‘bout we start at the beginnin’?«

You nod slightly, watching Riley lick your palm clean while you think of how to start talking about your past. Eventually, you start talking about the separation from your parents, the big explosion that came with, and how rough the soldiers were with children like you. About the endless training back then. The torturous amount of hours spent with nothing but improving yourself with elder commanders criticising and correcting every minor mistake. The nights spent training by yourself until morning, just for the seniors to ruin every single thing. Then you go on about the missions, mostly telling him about your own and briefly explaining the system to him.

»We were grouped into classes by our skills. The lower you are, the more likely you’ll have to go on a suicide mission. I was high class, meaning I was mostly either a sniper or went to raids. And doing night patrol.«

He listens intently, almost as if he tries to commit every word said to memory. Ghost lets you talk, not interrupting you a single time as you open up. Riley licks at your hand the whole time, making you try to swat your hand away from her, but she keeps nuzzling her nose against your hands.

»They said it’s to ‘protect our country and make our loved ones proud‘, but after a while I also noticed how much bullshit they’re trying to sell us. Once I got here, I started to realise how wrong the camp was. It feels like they robbed everything from me.«

You stare at Riley as you talk, trying to get back into the right lane and not let your emotions take over. Riley is still trying to lick at your hands but gave up and just rests her jaw in your two hands, occasionally looking at you as you speak.

»There wasn’t really anything different to do but train and fight. We would get punished or sent away if we made too many mistakes or misbehaved. God forbid we tried to escape.«

You finally pet Riley’s head carefully in your hands, being mindful not to put too much pressure on her and gently trying out how far you can go with her. She continues to sit calmly in front of you, letting you do your thing on her.

Ghost listens and glances down at his dog as well, noticing how fast you got used to her already. He shifts and speaks up, your words staying in his mind.

»Sure was hell of a shit ‘ole. But, you’re sure you will get revenge on them with us?«

He asks again, making sure if you didn’t just agree on the mission, because you felt like you had to, in front of them. You nod in response confidently, being sure nothing bad will happen with them by your side.

»I’m sure I can do it.« Ghost nods back in response, glad to see a positive attitude from you. Riley opened her mouth again, making her tongue stick out and breath louder. You let go of her head and glance to Ghost, noticing his eyes crinkle underneath his mask. Or that could be you imagining things also. He gets off the ground, and you follow shortly after, looking down to the friendly K9. She stares right back at you, her ears up and tail waggling slightly from side to side. You give her a final rub on her head before exiting his office, returning back into your own bunk to prepare for the training.

----

Training hall, 16:00, two days before the mission

You‘re glad you are all training today, needing to get your mind off everything that was discussed earlier. While warming your muscles up, Soap and Gaz join finally too, also ready for the sparring. This time, you‘d need to spar with Ghost, having been sparring with mostly Soap before. He gets ready in the stance, muscles tense and knees lightly bent. Ghost tells you to strike first, which you do shortly later.

The round begins with you attacking him to his side, but he is quick to counterattack with a punch of his own. And that punch sure was powerful. Is he trying to maul you? Going on, it‘s an exchange of attacks and counterttacks, blocked hits, and dodged kicks. To be completely honest, it‘s fun sparring with Ghost. He is not holding back, making it clear he is going to teach you something while training. And in reality, Ghost is indeed trying to prepare you more for the long mission in just two days. There is an underlying fear in him that he won‘t be admitting to anyone.

Focus still being on the mission, you‘re having a hard time keeping up with him. Thinking about the camp, the rude commanders and needing to rescue your comrades from the camp… It is getting a lot in your head. That‘s why sparring right now is such a good distraction, but obviously, it is not doing much at the moment.

Meanwhile, Ghost doesn‘t understand how you can be so quick and keep up with his strong attacks, trying to analyse your movements and figure your weak point out. After a few more moments, though, you already figured out his own. His left knee is weak, however, kicking against him is mostly a trap, as he takes the opportunity to yank on your ankle and make you fall. Obviously you didn‘t fall. Just stumbled.

Gaz watches as he takes a small break with Soap, seeing you both being cheeky fighters. Both trying to hit the other‘s weak points as much as possible. Both looking very focused on the task.

»Who do ye think will win?« Soap questions beside him, also watchig your sparring round.

»Hard to tell… they still seem full of energy.« Gaz mumbles back, focused on watching the fight go on. There‘s a moment of silence before Soap speaks up again.

»Wanna bet?« Gaz groans quietly and side-eyes his teammate, having lost the last bet with him just last week.

At the same time, you are both pretty much sparring like before. But it is getting harder to focus on the task again, while your mind is in a completely different world. It‘s gotten to a point where you‘re blocking a lot of hits and mostly taking them while having a hard time striking back. At the same time, you are too stubborn to give up just yet. The mission and all the thoughts about your camp are making you think rational and making you overwork. A sudden wave of frustration washes over you, and Ghost isn‘t that strong of an opponent anymore.

With a strong kick to his side, he has no chance to trick you again before you land a series of punches to his chest area. He huffs and grunts, trying to dodge them but with no luck. Your attacks are stronger now, making Ghost stumble back and block a few of your punches. The sudden action doesn‘t go missed by him at all, it makes him wonder where it all came from. It seemed like you were giving up a second ago, but now you‘re coming back stronger.

Wherever it came from, isn‘t as important for now. The skin at your knuckles is red again, and your expression is dark. He quickly realises and feels the need to step in. With you being so out of the wind from the meeting is something he knows all too well.

He launches forward, but instead of striking an attack, he wraps his large arms around you tightly, forcing himself to bite back a grunt at your attempt to punch him again. The hug is tighter than any hug you‘ve received, but you also didn‘t get many hugs before.

There‘s an instant halt in your movements and you simply freeze, having no idea how this just happened. Being in someone else‘s arms is something you haven‘t experienced a lot. And this doesn‘t certainly feel soothing, but also not forceful either.

»You‘re pushing yourself. Stop that.«

He gruffly tells you and finally lets go, looking over your face. You don‘t say much, just staring back at him and finally exhaling the breath you didn‘t realise you held in. Gaz and Soap exchange a look but don‘t say anything, continuing to spar together while keeping an eye on you both.

Finally, his words sank in, and you nodded in response. »Sorry, I won‘t.« You mumble back, earning a rather sceptical look from him. He just gives you a small grunt in response and mentions for you to strike in again.

For the rest of the training session, it is just Ghost grounding you and making sure you don‘t get lost in your thoughts again. Which surprisingly helps, but also gets exhausting after some while. The other pair just goes on with their own sparring match, eventually fighting like two cats who hate each other, and mostly fighting on the floor, both too stubborn to end the fight.

Eventually, Ghost finally decides to cut you some slack, as well as for the other two teammates, who beat the shit out of the other the entire time. Showertime before dinner, finally getting to some kind of rest before it is time to pack some stuff for the deployment into Urzikstan.

After the quick shower, you head to the mess hall and run into Ghost on the way. Thank God, he has the Capri Sun already and hands it to you. But not without saying something too.

»You fought well today. But you seemed distracted.« It‘s a gentle demand to spill the beans, but this doesn‘t seem like something you should talk about in the first place. It doesn‘t seem important enough. You simply shrug, looking to the Caprie Sun in your hands. Cherry flavoured.

»I was just somewhere else. The camp… the meeting just made me distracted.«

You answer back, cringing secretly at yourself for saying too much. But to your surprise, he doesn‘t even react to your words and studies you briefly.

»Wanna talk about it? I can listen.«

To no one‘s surprise, you deny the offer, even when you trust Ghost a lot by now. The only thing you want now, is some semi-warm cantine food and the sweet drink in your hands.

----

Packing an extra bag for Urzikstan wasn‘t as confusing as it may seem, but maybe nine pocket knifes are just enough to keep you safe. Fou of them are regular pocket knifes everyone else has, the other five being various ones, you either got or found somewhere. The biggest one is about the size of your whole hand with the blade out, also your favourite one by far. You found it somewhere in a desert during a solo mission.

Next, is your small sketchbook, of course. And your pencil, that needs to be sharpened again. The most important item goes deep into the smaller bag, making sure it won‘t get lost by any means. A polaroid picture of yourself and another girl, together, smiling. The sun is low, casting a warm and soft tint to everything, making you both look even more stunning.

Then, of course, some dog treats you stole from Ghost‘s office for Riley, since he mentioned taking the K9 on the mission. You are actually a little surprised that he didn‘t notice you sneaking some into your pocket while feeding Riley and explaining your camp to Ghost.

Finally it‘s all settled and you are ready for bed. Once again, it takes up some time to fall asleep, the mission still heavy in mind. But you get to it after approximately two hours.

You wake up to your mother screaming for you, the air feeling thick and loaded. The sharp pain around your wrists are a reminder of the ties around them, keeping you from escaping as your ankles are tied together as well; connected to the other set of children that are now taking hostage. Another yell before a sharp thud grabs your attention, looking over to where you think your mother just screamed from. The first instinct is to scream for her and beg, feeling the steady rise of panic and anxiety going up in you terrifyingly fast. Soon, it‘s nothing but a sea of screams around you, while you are the quietest one. But you are screaming your lungs out, why are you so quiet?

A sudden white light breaks out, blinding both your sight and sounds around you. The surprise doesn‘t last long, as all you can make out is darkness and disoriented voices, talking in unintelligible words over each other. It feels like something is trying to suck you out of the ground, but you‘re trying to fight it, eventually getting shocked with light hitting your face yet again. It‘s softer this time, but it quickly turns into a big, dark cloud of smoke.

Breathing is getting harder again, but before you know it, there is someone helping you up and guiding you somewhere firmly. Looking to your right, you see a familiar face again, and all your worries seem to disappear for a brief moment. The girl beside you is helping you get away from the explosion as fast as possible, suddenly realising why this feels so familiar and real.

Waking up with cold sweat yet again in an ungodly hour has happened before. Sighing out, you focus on calming your racing heart down before you can attempt to fall asleep once more. Actually, no, you won‘t be attempting to sleep tonight. Not after a flashback like this one.

a/n: the next part will be out probably by next week, please be patient.... but I can assure you, the next part is going to be awesome-sauce. You'll get to experience Farah Kari-

Hope you enjoyed it!

[tschulijulesjulie]

Lazar: you're not fucking him, you're making love to him. at least with your eyes. and if you haven't done it yet, it won't be long till you do

[khevinday]

kevin day as the crown prince of patras

[king-ludwig-ii]

rating historical figures based on what / how many songs off of brat match their vibe

[criminalyun]

cool for the summer | s.jaeyun

pairing: sim jaeyun x fem!reader

summary: having a crush on your brothers best friend for four years was never easy — especially having to deal with not only the strict rule your brother put in place of not dating his friends, but also his best friend being a playboy. what happens when summer arrives and your brother, jay, returns to your families holiday home with not only a new friend, but also his best friend, jake sim, and this time, he’s different.

genre: brothers best friend au, slow burn, forbidden romance, fluff, angst, smut

warnings: minors dni, jake smokes, alcohol, second lead jungwon :(, slight cheating?? (they don’t kiss whilst in a relationship but there’s flirty behavior!!), jake is a bit of a dick icl, dry humping which will is kinda public??, making out, fighting, name calling

word count: 32k

taglist: @cloud-lyy @sussycheetos @eneiyri @jaeyunzlovr @crimnalseung @skzesty @jvjsssnaa @slut4hee @304files @peachyun02 @laurradoesloveu @soobieboobiedoobiedaboobie @niinjo @heelovesmeknot @kissestoenha @cha0thicpisces @run2min @parksunghoonsgf @moonnssun @nshmrarki @seokseokjinkim @kookify @minniejenseo @capri-cuntz @chaeyunloveeee @brachives @kimsunoops

published: may 6th 2024

Growing up being Jay Park's younger sister was never easy. Having to put up with the constant teasing was something you despised at times when it wasn't funny, being ganged up on by Jay and his friends wasn't ideal, and having to deal with the numerous flings he'd bring home was annoying. You hated having to wear the boys hand-me downs, and absolutely hated having to watch his programs all night when he took over the tv.

Though, there were positives about being his younger sister. He was funny (at times), and you always knew you were well protected when in school. You enjoyed it when he'd allow you to join him in a video game and actually include you in things — and, you especially liked the fact his best friend was Jake Sim.

There was something about the brunette haired boy that made you feel drawn to him. You weren’t sure if it was because of his contagious, gummy smile, or because he would spoil you rotten, or if it was because you knew that he (specifically out of all of Jay's friends) was off limits to you ever having a relationship with.

Jake was well known around the area you lived. He would constantly be out partying during his high school days, and messing around with many girls — far too many to count. It even got to a point where his parents were becoming frustrated with their sons behavior, so the Sim boy started bringing his flings back to your home. He was also captain of the Football team which was practically a Venus Flytrap for the girls in his year.

And yet, despite the boy's reputation and behavior, you still found yourself wanting him like all the others girls did. You loved his sweet, innocent eyes and his plump lips — and definitely his dark, brown locks of thick hair. You also loved that despite his playboy tendencies, he was always kind and respectful to you because after all, you were his best friends baby sister. He saw you like a sister of his own and you hated that.

The old you, at least.

After both Jake and Jay left for Australia in January, neither of the boys had returned to Korea on their breaks due to hectic schedules — which was perfect for you, because that gave you more time to get over the Sim boy and work on yourself.

As the months went by, and you began to relish life to its fullest, you started to forget about Jake Sim. He went from being in your mind as soon as you woke up in the morning, to only sprouting up whenever the words 'playboy', or 'Jay's best friend' was brought up.

Besides Jake, you started focusing more on yourself — though, you did take the advice Jake once gave on maintaining your good grades because now that you were in your final year of high school, you were thriving. Even with you being at the top of your class, you were no longer seen as the 'nerd' because according to your classmates, you had the visuals to make up for the name.

You’d grown into your looks a lot, and thanks to the numerous videos you’d stay up late to would watch about skin care on YouTube, your skin began looking fresh and healthy — and almost pimple free.

You started wearing makeup after a immature boy in your class made fun of your acne, and from then on, it became a daily task to apply more and more. Your techniques had improved tons as time went on and you’d gotten use to wearing it every day for school (which you did hate putting on so early in the morning).

So now, as you packed away your paintbrushes into the flimsy case at your art club, you had a wide smile on your pink, glossy lips whilst listening to something your best friend, Niki, had shared.

Ever since joining the art club in February of that year and meeting Nishimura Riki — or Niki as he likes to go by — you two instantly became close despite the small age gap you shared. You had many things in common and had almost the exact same humor. You bounced off of each other.

"I can't wait to meet your brother tomorrow." Niki announced, washing the paintbrushes in the paint covered sink as you had moved to stand beside him so that you could dry the brushes off.

Immediately, a smile tugged at the corner of your lips at the thought of your older brother. You hadn't seen him since January — and it was now August. That was the longest time the Park siblings had ever gone without seeing each other, and despite you both constantly bickering and teasing one another, you still missed Jay.

The Park family were going on your annual holiday to your holiday home in Jeju Island. It was something you did every year since you’d turned three. You went so often, that you even had a few close friends over their.

You were excited this year more than ever, because you were going to see your brother again, however, you knew Jake would be joining, and just the thought of him made your heart beat nervously against your chest.

Though, after begging your mother and father to allow you to also bring a friend, they eventually gave in, and without a doubt you’d asked Niki to join you on the getaway trip.

"And I can't wait to meet Mr. Jake Sim." Niki teased, wiggling his eyebrows and he wriggled his body and nudged his best friend, causing your eyes to widen slightly at the said boys name.

You had almost forgotten about him...

"Don't even, Niki," You chuckled out a warning, rolling your eyes as you put away the now clean objects. "I definitely hyped him up too much when we first met — now, he's just ew." You scrunched your face up in disgust, though, what you were feeling inside wasn't matching up right with what you were saying.

You felt guilty — like Jake was in the same room as you and heard you, hurting his feelings. You knew deep down you’d lied to Niki. Jake Sim wasn't 'ew', he was far from it.

"Now, I know you're lying." Niki shook his head disappointedly as he wiped his hands on the towel. "You know you do this thing with your eyebrows, you twitch —"

"Oh, shut up, Niki." You jokingly hit the boy with the damp cloth, making him laugh as you walked away to collect your things. "I'm not lying — Jake isn't as perfect as I once thought he was. He's a player and doesn't know how to treat girls right."

You were shocked at the words that were leaving your mouth. Never in your four years of knowing Jake Sim did you think you would be speaking about him the way you were — but here you were, removing your apron, ranting to your best friend about him.

"Good—" Niki nodded, a smile of proudness on his lips as he too, removed his apron. "You're too good for boys like him." He shrugged and you couldn't help but smile at his words. You would always love and appreciate his words of affirmation.

"So that's why, when we go to Jeju, you're going to find a Summer fling." He grinned mischievously, instantly making you scoff and knock your shoulder into him as you rolled your eyes again.

"No, thank you." You shook her head. "I'm done with boys for now. I'm going to wait for after high school — then I can get a man." You chuckled and so did Niki.

"Whatever you say, y/n." Niki said, a breathy laugh falling from his lips as they exited the art club and out into the Sunmer evening, both equally excited for the next few weeks to come.

───────────

The hot summer air blew through the open window and down onto you, blowing your hair uncontrollably as you flicked through the book you were currently reading.

You released an exasperated sigh and rested your head back against the head rest, turning your head away from your book and out to the open window that showed the blue ocean. You had landed in Jeju Island not long ago, and now you were on your way to the holiday home.

It was supposed to be an exciting journey, with you on the edge of your seat, wishing you could just teleport to the home instead of waiting out the rather long car ride, however this time round, it was completely the opposite.

You thought that you were excited for the holiday considering you’d be able to see your brother and have your best friend with you, but that wasn't the case. You could feel a pit of anxiety in the bottom of your stomach, making you feel sick as the thought of Jake Sim continued to appear in your head.

You didn't want to think of him — you really didn't, but just the thought of seeing him again after eight months made your heart pound against your chest. Had he changed much? Did he still play with girls' hearts? Was he still as hot as ever? The questions were nonstop, and making your head begin to ache.

Eventually, you let out a groan, growing fed up of picturing the boys face, and so you shut your book before glancing over at the Nishimura boy, who was fast asleep with his mouth slightly parted and his AirPods in his ears. You couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of him and let out a sigh, before leaning your head on his shoulder.

Sleep would be the best option to get through the duration of the long, Jake-filled, car ride.

After a little while, your eyes opened as soon as you felt the car come to a permanent stop, and instantly, you sat up, rubbing your eyes as you heard Niki tiredly sigh and your parents gasps of excitement.

Quickly, once the sleep had evacuated both of the teenagers' bodies, you hurriedly left the car, the heat hitting you immediately, however that was the least of your worries as your eyes landed on your older brother, Jay Park.

You grinned wildly as you watched him reunite with your parents. From what you could see, he hadn't changed much. Other than his hair — which was now an unnatural silver shade, instead of his natural brunette colour, though it still managed to suit him as it complimented his features.

"Is that y/n Park?" You heard Jay tease once he pulled away from the hug he was in with his father and turned to look at you and your new appearance. "My baby sister?"

A laugh fell from your lips as you broke out into a slight jog towards him, and quickly you engulfed one another into a hug. Never in your lives did you imagine yourselves ever hugging, yet here you were in the middle of Jeju, happy to see one another again.

"Nice to see you again, y/n." He smiled as you pulled away, and you bobbed your head in agreement, before your eyes landed on the unknown boy beside Jay. He had black hair, and despite being under the suns gaze, his skin was as white as snow, and his face was also decorated with a few small moles. His lips were plump and his nose was straight and looked as perfect as ever.

"Y/n, this is Sunghoon, a friend we met at College." Jay introduced, and Sunghoon sent you a small smile, to which you quickly mirrored.

You parted your lips to welcome the taller boy more, but before that could happen, you felt your breathing hitch as soon as you heard a familiar laugh.

His laugh.

Jake Sim’s laugh.

You gulped nervously, and glanced over to the front door of the holiday home, where Jake was leaving from. His hair was now black instead of brown, and he looked older, like he'd grown out of his baby face phase, and he looked far more mature... and way more attractive.

Your heartbeat pounded ferociously against your chest as you watched him walk down the porch steps, gracefully — however, the trance you were once in was soon broken as your eyes landed on the girl walking beside him, laughing along with him.

She was beautiful — very beautiful. She was slim and tall, and her skin was sunkissed. Her eyes were sharp and hazel and shined against the sun. Her lips were plump and a similar shape to a heart and her nose was button like and had a perfect slope. Her face was dotted with many freckles and her makeup was done neatly and perfectly. The girls hair was long and blonde and straight with a slight kink in it. She truly was flawless.

"Y/n?" Jake called out, a grin on his lips as soon as his eyes landed on you and as you looked away from the blonde girl beside him and at him, you couldn't help but notice the glint of surprise in his brown orbs.

You sent him a small smile as watched him open his arms for hug. For a moment, you contemplated whether you should hug him or not. You wanted to, but you knew that if you did, you would only start to fall again.

"It's good to see you, Jake." You stated and turned your attention to the blonde girl, ignoring the hint of confusion that appeared on his perfect face. Usually, you wouldn't hesitate to wrap your arms around him and squeeze him tightly… so why didn't you do that this time? Whatever the reason was, all the Sim boy knew was that he didn't like it.

"Who's this?" You politely wondered, breaking Jake's train of thought as he then wrapped an arm around the girl. "This is Niah, she's my girlfriend."

Ouch.

You had no idea why that sentence had such an effect on you. You was sure you were over him, so why did your heart ache so much?

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Niah grinned, leaning into Jake. Even her teeth were perfect. "I've heard so much about you."

You returned the smile, though it felt forced as you kept your eyes focused on Niah, refusing the look at Jake. "All good things, I hope." You chuckled and so did the blonde girl.

"Of course," Niah shook her head, giggles escaping her mouth. "Jake says you're like a little sister, so I'm more than excited to get to know you. I'm sure we'll be the bestest of friends."

Ouch.

You could feel your heart breaking the longer the conversation went on. You knew that that was how Jake always saw you, and you’d moved on from him, so why were you so bothered? It annoyed you that you were effected by whole situation, and you felt yourself become angry with yourself.

It was going to be a long summer...

Later on that evening, after getting settled into the home, the delicious smell of yours and Jay's mothers cooking was making its way through the house, causing everyone's stomachs to growl with hunger.

The sun was beginning to set by the time everybody was called to dinner, and once they all had their plates filled to the brim, they sat around the family table, eating.

"We're thinking on going on a late night swim," Jay announced, glancing over at you as you sat beside Niki — who was easily getting along well with your brother and his friends. "You should come — Niki too."

A smile appeared on your lips at the thought of swimming in the sea late at night. It would be just like old times and you couldn't help but feel a wave of nostalgia hit you as you quickly nodded you head in agreement.

"So, Jake, Niah," Jihye (the siblings' mother) began as she took a sip from her glass of red wine with a wide beam on her red painted lips. "Tell us the love story." She chuckled, and instantly, you felt your body tense up and you looked up from your plate of food and over at Jake, who had already been looking at you.

You were quick to feel your cheeks heat up, and without another thought, you looked away, far too flustered to remain eye contact — a smirk growing on Niki's lips as he noticed his best friends state.

"Well," Niah started, setting her fork down and glancing beside her at the Sim boy, a warm, loving smile appearing on her lips. "I had joined the college a few days later due to my flight from the States being delayed —"

"You're Korean is good." The siblings' father mustered, far too busy eating his food rather than engaging in the conversation.

Niah sent the older man a smile of gratefulness, before she quickly continued with her story.

"And when I arrived at the school, I got lost." She chuckled, pouting her lip playfully, causing everyone (other than you and Niki) to let out quiet laughs. "Jake noticed and helped me outside. Turns out we were both majoring in Physics, so we walked to class together and he ended up asking for my number." Niah shrugged, an expression of happiness swarming her features.

You let out an almost silent sigh as you glanced over at Jake, who was busy admiring Niah with a small smirk on his plump lips. Oh, how you wished to be admired by him —

You quickly cut yourself from your thoughts as you snapped your head down to your plate, your heart beating at a fast pace and your eyes widening slightly. There was no way... This couldn't be happening... Not after months of working on yourself and getting over him...

Without another word, you abruptly stood from your chair, the wooden legs of the seat scraping across the wooden floor.

Everybody stopped what they were doing and looked up at you with concern and confusion on their faces.

"Y/n? What's wrong?" Your mother wondered, and you couldn't help but have your eyes land on Jake. It was like he was a magnet and you hated that. You didn't want to look at him all the time. You didn't want to like him. He was your brothers best friend. He was Niah's girlfriend. He was off limits and you hated that.

"I just feel a bit sick," you lied, holding an arm across your stomach to make your lie more believable. "I'm going to lay down for a bit." You then announced and picked up your plate, washing it in the sink and then hurrying up to your room with a feeling of guilt in your chest.

Later on that evening, when the sun had officially set, you were laying on her bed, listening to the music that played in your AirPods. You hadn't been downstairs since dinner and you didn't plan on going downstairs for the continuation of the night.

As you felt your eyes begin to shut, exhaustion from not only the plane and car ride, but also the sun beginning to take over your body. That was all you wanted to do: sleep and forget about today and forget about your feelings for Jake.

However, that wasn't possible, because just as you shut your eyes, a knock at your bedroom door was heard, causing you to sigh slightly and sit up, removing one of your earphones. "Come in." You called out, watching at the door opened.

"Are you coming out for the swim?" Niki asked. He was clad in his swimming trunks and a towel was thrown over his bare shoulder. You couldn't help but laugh at the sight of him and you laid back on her bed, relaxing now that you knew Niki was the one knocking on you door.

"Who are you trying to impress?" You joked, looking him up and down. "Remember, Niah has a boyfriend." You sang, chuckling at yourself, and a mischievous grin appeared on Niki's lips.

"Remember, Jake has a girlfriend." He bounced back, instantly shutting you up making you snap your head over in his direction, glaring your eyes at him, before you both burst out laughing.

"You noticed?" You questioned, sitting back up as Niki sat at the foot of your bed, nodding his head.

"Of course — you were practically drooling over him at the table." He flared his eyes, and you quickly picked up the pillow that was beside you and hit the younger boy with it.

"Shut your mouth, I was not."

"Yes, you were." Niki nodded, standing up so that he could escape your abuse.

"Whatever," You rolled her eyes, sitting back on the bed. "Go have your swim." You nodded your head towards the door, and Niki huffed.

"You're not coming?" He asked and you shook her head.

"I feel sick, remember?"

"Bullshit." He chuckled, before sticking his tongue out at you and excitedly left your room after hearing Jay call out for him.

A sigh of relief fell from your lips as you laid down, finally happy to be able to give in to your tiredness.

───────────

That same night, you’d woke up from your slumber in a pool of your own sweat. It was an uncomfortable feeling, really and you couldn't help but feel grossed out by it, and so you ripped the thin sheet from your body and stepped out of bed.

The house was silent, indicating that everyone was asleep, and the only thing that could be heard was the floor boards creaking as you walked down the corridor and made your way downstairs.

You got herself a glass of cold water and quickly gulped it down, in a hurry to get changed and then get back into bed, though just as you placed your glass in the sink, your eyes caught sight of the front door slightly ajar.

Immediately, you furrowed your brows in confusion, and couldn't help but feel a slight sense of panic sprout in your chest as you slowly approached the open door. Had someone broken in? Or had someone forgotten to close the door after coming back from the swim?

As you got closer to the door, your nose was soon filled with the smell on cigar smoke, quickly making you even more confused than you already were. And so, without another thought, you opened the door entirely, and your eyes slightly enlarged at the sight before you.

It was Jake sat on the top step of the porch stairs. He was clad in a white, long sleeved t-shirt, though he had the sleeves rolled up to above his elbows, and he wore a pair of denim jeans. His hair was damp, and messily sitting on his forehead, though that (surprisingly) wasn't the cause for your widened eyes — no, it was the cigarette he held between his fingers as he looked out at the ocean in front of the house.

For a moment, you didn't know what to do. You didn't know whether to leave him be, or to strike a conversation (the latter being something the old you would've done).

"Why aren't you sleeping, y/n?" His voice asked, instantly breaking you from your thoughts and causing your cheeks to heat up with embarrassment at the realization of being caught.

Gulping, you took a step forward and hesitantly sat on the steps with him, though you made sure to leave quite a large gap between you both, bringing your legs to your chest as you turned your head to look at him. "Why are you smoking?"

A smirk formed on Jake's lips as he then brought the cigarette up to his mouth and blew out a string of smoke in the opposite direction to where you were sat.

"Why not?" He shrugged.

"It's bad for you, Jake." You warned, disappointed at his actions. The old Jake wouldn't of done something like this, so why had his ways changed? "What about Football?" You questioned and the boy let out a long sigh, leaning back on his arm.

"I can still play, y/n, don't you worry." He chuckled, and you rolled your eyes at him.

"Did you have fun at the beach?" You wondered, moving on from the previous topic. You watched as Jake bowed his head slightly, biting his lip before turning to look at you.

"Yeah," He shrugged again. "I guess. It would've been better if you were there." The boy huffed out, taking another drag.

Immediately, you felt your heart explode and it felt as if a swarm of butterflies were flying around in your stomach, tickling your insides, and you felt your cheeks heat with fluster.

You hated when Jake would say things like this. He was always aware of the effect he had on you, and he liked to say things that would drive you into a frenzy which you hated. You knew he was playing around with you — the old you. Not now, you wouldn't let him get to you, and so, you took a deep breath and turned to look at him once again.

"Glad you had fun." You sighed, completely ignoring the statement before and stood up, about to head back inside though the boy stopped you as he spoke once again.

"You look pretty, by the way." He complimented, and your breathing hitched and you shut her eyes for a moment, the boys words doing things to you that you couldn't explain. There was no teasing tone to his voice. Had he really meant that?

Gathering yourself, you nodded. "Whatever, Jake." You spoke just above a whisper.

"I mean it, y/n." He looked behind him, looking up at you, who now halted your movements, your hand resting on the handle of the door. "You look beautiful."

You instantly squinted your eyes shut as you tried to compose yourself. Why was he doing this? Why now?

"Goodnight, Jake." You ignored him again before entering the home and heading back upstairs, your body far more sweatier than before.

The next morning, your parents had gone out to go and say hello and catch up with the neighbors, whilst everyone else had decided to head down to the beach for the day.

You were wearing a black bikini, with a pair of denim shorts covering your lower half. You had your towel in your hand and your book and headphones in the other as you walked through the sand beside Niah, behind everyone else who had hurried off, dumping their towels on the floor and rushing into the sea.

You both set up your space under one of the many community parasols, and once they were happy with it, they sat down; you opening up your book to the page you last left it on, whilst Niah watched the boys splashing around in the water.

"You're so lucky." Niah sighed, looking over at you, making you slowly detach your eyes from the words on your page and placed them on Niah. "You have two great brothers and Niki." She softly chuckled, and you cocked a brow.

"Two brothers?" You questioned, confused, as you were more than sure that your parents only gave birth to you and Jay.

"Jake — you guys are like siblings, right?" Niah asked, looking up at you, whose lips were now slightly parted as you nodded your head slowly.

"Right." You bluntly answered, ignoring the pang of annoyance in your chest. There was no way you viewed Jake as a brother, and there was no way you ever would.

Silence took over, and quickly, you both got back to doing your own thing. Jake, Jay, Niki, and Sunghoon had now left the Sea and decided to join in with another group that were playing Football on the sand, and you couldn't help but watch them, thinking back to the times you’d watch Jay and Jake's Football games when they were in High School.

As time continued, you soon got bored of watching and directed your attention back to your book — however, that was a bad idea, as you became unbeknownst to the ball that was now flying your way, aiming for your face, when suddenly, a Football hit you harshly across the face.

You sat with your mouth slightly agape and your hand on the right side of your face, far too stunned to speak — the only sound surrounding you being the gasps of the people on the beach.

The ball was kicked at a savage force, making the side of your face burn bright red and feel sore. You felt embarrassed as everyone watched you. You didn't know what to do. Should you just act like nothing happened? Get up and leave?

Before you could come to a decision, you were approached by one of the boys that were playing football.

"I'm so sorry." He spoke, his voice not very deep for a boy.

You looked up at him, raising your other hand to cover your eyes so that you were able to get a better look at the boy. He had brown hair that had a few waves mixed within the thickness of it, and it looked as if it was in need of a cut due to the few strands that hung over his doe, cat-like eyes. His lips were in between the size of small and big, his Cupids bow being deeply defined. Though, despite his fierce eyes and pretty lips, what stood out most to you was the dimples that dented his cheeks.

"It's okay." You awkwardly shook your head, your lips forming a tight line as you slowly looked away and at your legs, far too embarrassed to look him in the eye.

"No, really," The boy continued, kneeling down so that his face could become level with yours. "I'm sorry, it looked like it hurt." He nodded his head to your sore face. A small, awkward smile tugged at the corner of your lips as a quiet chuckle fell from your lips.

He seemed sweet.

"It's fine, I'm okay." You reassured the boy, who sighed and nodded slightly.

"Hey," The boy nervously began, standing up and rubbing the non-existent dirt from his shorts. "You should come to my friends party tonight — said he wants to make it one of his biggest." He shrugged and you couldn't help but chuckle as his awkwardness.

Going to a party was something you would never choose to go to. You were always the kind to stay in your bedroom, revising, reading or listening to music. The night life never appealed to you, and whenever your brother would go out to parties with his friends in high school, you could never understand the entertainment about it. However, the revamped you knew you had to get out more and socialize — even if you didn't really want to.

So, after thinking over the boys proposal, you slowly nodded your head, a small smile tugging at your lips.

"Great!" He happily spoke, his body visibly relaxing now that your answer was out in the open. "Uhm, you know where Lee Heeseung lives, right?"

"Yeah." You bobbed your head. Lee Heeseung was a boy around your brothers age. He was well known within the neighborhood of holiday homes for not only his handsome looks and kind personality, but also his night changing parties.

"Cool, the party starts at 8, so come anytime after that." The boy before you shrugged, nodding his head, awkwardly glancing over at Niah, who held in a giggle, excitement filling her bones at the situation you were in.

"Great, see you then..." you trailed off, soon realizing she didn't know the boys name.

"Jungwon — and you're y/n, right?" Jungwon announced, and you couldn't help but smile as you nodded your head.

"Okay, see you at 8, y/n." Jungwon waved, before he rejoined his game of Football after retrieving the football.

A blush formed on your cheeks as you bowed your head, your stomach fluttering around filled with butterflies.

"He just asked you out!" Niah exclaimed, a wide smile on her face as you immediately shook your head, denying the girls statement.

"No, he only asked me to go to a party, that's all." You shrugged, and Niah scoffed, rolling her eyes.

"Well, he didn't ask me." She deadpanned, a smirk on her lips as she leaned over and playfully nudged you. You were excited for the party later, and you were happy that not once did Jake Sim appear in your head…

───────────

"But why can't we go?" Jay questioned, a whine lacing his voice as he sat at the dining room table, an annoyed look on his face as he watched as you put your silver heels on.

"Shut up, Jay." Niah huffed, slapping the boys shoulder. "This is y/n’s night, she's met a boy."

"Yeah, a boy she's known for less then five minutes." Jake stated, folding his arms across his chest. He wasn't too happy about the whole idea. It was weird in his opinion. How could anyone be pleased about that idea? "And it's barely even a date. It's Lee Heeseung's party." He scoffed out.

"Don't be jealous, Jake," you grinned, grabbing your bag and making your way over to the front door. "Just because you don't get asked to go to parties —"

"I have been asked to parties, I've just chosen to decline their offer." Jake stated, feeling odd about the way you were behaving. Usually, as soon as he would disapprove of something, you went with what he said... so why wasn't that the case this time?

"Whatever." You shook your head. "I'll see you guys later."

"Phone us if anything happens!" You heard Niki yell after you once you were down the porch steps.

You could feel your heart pound nervously against your chest. You were filled with nerves and you had thoughts on backing out. You’d never been to a party before — let alone on your own, so this would be a new experience.

Once you arrived at the party, you couldn't help but feel a wave of anxiety consume you. The loud, blaring music bounced from one holiday home to the next, and the street was pact with parked cars. There were many people standing around outside Heeseung's home, and there were plenty of plastic cups and burnt out cigarettes scattered on the dried out grass.

It was your first time going to a party alone, and so far, by first glance, you were beginning to regret your decision.

That was, however, until your eyes landed on Jungwon, who was walking down the porch steps and over to you with a red, plastic cup in his clutch. He was clad in a pair of black, denim jeans, a white, loose fitted t-shirt, and a black bomber jacket and converse. He looked good, and you couldn't help but look him up and down for a while.

"You came!" Jungwon grinned widely, his dimples becoming as prominent as ever. You smiled back at the boy, quickly feeling more at ease within his presence.

"Of course," You spoke, glancing around at the tipsy people before looking back at the Yang boy. "Wouldn't miss it for the world.” You jokingly chuckled and Jungwon couldn't help but laugh also.

"Come on," He nodded his head towards the front door of the house as he began to walk towards it, you hot on his tail. "I'll introduce you to my friends."

You nodded, and as soon as you entered the home, you were instantly hit with a clash of scents. Many different perfumes mixed with sweat was assorted within the air, along with a strong scent of booze and weed. It wasn't exactly pleasant, and you found yourself grimacing as the smells hit your nose all at once.

"You look really good, by the way." Jungwon turned back to compliment. His voice loud, making you smell the traces of alcohol in his breath, as he had to shout due to the music that was even louder inside.

Immediately, a shade of crimson took over your makeup covered cheeks, and you couldn't help but feel flustered at his compliment. It was random, however you found yourself liking it.

"Thanks — so do you." You returned, and Jungwon smiled back, latching his hand onto yours as you made your way past plenty of moist bodies and eventually made it to his friends.

There were four boys all stood around; some were leaning against the wall, others were stood in front of them with cups in their hands.

"Hey guys," Jungwon called out once the two approached them, the boy placing his hand on one of his friends shoulder. "This is y/n Park —"

"Jay's sister, right?" Lee Heeseung questioned, turning his body to take a better look at you. His eyes trailed your body up and down with a raised brow, a look of intrigue shining through his features.

"Yeah, and you're Heeseung?" You wondered. You knew exactly who he was, you just didn't want to be awkward and nod your head, leaving the conversation at that.

"Sure am," He chuckled. "You've grown up so much." He commented, glancing over at Jungwon and then back at you. "You're not the old, nerdy, y/n anymore." Heeseung jokingly spoke.

Quickly, you felt yourself begin to worry. Sure, you may not look 'nerdy' any more, but that wasn't to say your grades weren't straight A's and your attendance wasn’t a perfect 99.9%, because it was and what if Jungwon didn't like that?

"Nope, not any longer." You awkwardly laughed.

"Right, well, this is Jisung," Jungwon continued, pointing to the fox-like boy who was leaning against the wall. Jisung sent you a smile, instantly making you feel welcome which you very much appreciated.

"This is Johan, and that's Chris." Jungwon introduced the two other boys, who both mirrored Jisung's actions.

"Hey, y/n," Heeseung began. "Is Jake in town this summer?" He wondered after taking a swig of his drink. "I haven't seen him in so long. We need to catch up." He smirked a mischievous grin, which made you furrow your brows slightly in confusion before nodding.

"Cool, well me and y/n are going to get a drink," Jungwon spoke out, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. "We'll catch you guys later." He announced and they all nodded in agreement, before the two weaved their way through people to get to the kitchen.

"What would you like?" Jungwon wondered, picking up a cup and then looking through the many bottles of alcohol that were set out on the kitchen counter for people to grab and fill their cups with.

"Oh," you began. You hadn't drank before, so this was a whole new experience for you. You didn't know which one you would like or which one you would hate, and you really didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of Jungwon.

"I'll have whatever you're having." You told him, to which he smirked slightly and nodded, picking up the bottle of Vodka and he mixed it with a very small amount of Sprite.

As soon as the liquid travelled down your throat, you found yourself squinting your eyes shut and pulling the cup away from your lips in disgust. It tasted as if you had just downed a whole bottle of hand sanitizer. The drink burned your throat and you coughed from it.

It truly was horrendously bad...

As time went on and minutes turned to hours, the clock struck two a.m, and by now, you were a sweaty mess.

For some reason, you found yourself craving more of the alcohol Heeseung had out, and after you finished your first cup, you finished another eight.

Your body felt light, and as if it was spinning on a spinning chair constantly, and your eyesight wasn't the clearest — along with your words. You were speaking freely to people you wouldn't choose to speak to if you were sober. You felt as if all of your problems had faded away and it was only you and the music existing.

That was until Jungwon pulled you out of the house and into the fresh air. The humid, night air immediately hitting you, causing a sense of relief to consume your body. You leaned against him him as he helped you down the steps, random giggles escaping your lips as your nose filled with the scent of Jungwon's long lasting cologne.

"You're very good looking, Jungwon." You announced, glancing up at him. Your eyes were doe like and glossed over. Your cheeks were pinker than ever before, and the slight glow of sweat remained on your skin. "You know, you're special because I don't find many men attractive."

The Yang boy glanced down at you, chuckles coming from him as he thanked you once they got to the bottom of Heeseung's front garden. "You should call someone to come pick you up — I'm crashing here for the night." He explained and you slowly nodded your head as his words entered one ear and exited the other.

"Y/n, come on." Jungwon laughed, and you pouted as you brought of your phone and clicked on your contacts. Your vision wasn't the best, and so as you typed in the letters 'JA' and two contacts appeared, you pressed on your brothers name and held the phone up to your ear.

"Y/n?"

"Can you pick me up from Heeseung's house?" You slurred out, stumbling slightly, making Jungwon grab hold of you.

"Yeah, of course, I'll be there in a minute."

Tiredly, a yawn passed your lips as you sat yourself down on the curb, patiently waiting to be picked up. "Thank you for tonight." You smiled up at Jungwon, who nodded, smiling back.

"No need to thank me," He shrugged. "I enjoyed it."

Eventually, the person who came to pick you up arrived, and as soon as your eyes landed on them, they widened in shock.

Jake?

Had you accidentally phoned Jake Sim?

Your jaw was held open slightly as Jake Sim approached you and Jungwon. Had you really phoned him instead of Jay?

The boy was wearing a pair of dark lounge shorts and a long sleeved, yellow and black striped polo shirt that had a light blue collar. He looked tired which was no surprise considering it was way past two a.m, and his hair was a little bit tousled.

You still managed to find him the most attractive boy ever, and you quickly shook yourself out of your trance and turned to Jungwon, bidding your goodbye before following after Jake.

You were both consumed by silence. Jake had his hands shoved in his shorts pockets and you stumbled beside him, causing him to chuckle softly before removing his hand from the comfort of his pocket and to hold onto your arm to keep you stable.

You were far too out of it to realize that you were walking the complete opposite way to the holiday home, and instead going to the twenty-four hour convenience store and it wasn't until your eyes landed on the lit up shop that a glimpse of confusion took over your features and you turned your head to look up at him.

"What..." You began, gulping to try and gather you words. "Why are we here?" You slurred out and a long sigh fell from Jake's lips as he lead you over to the empty bench outside the store.

"You need to sober up," He tells you once you’re sat on the bench. "You can't go back in this state." Jake explained and you only nodded your head, not asking any questions. "Now stay here, okay. Don't wonder off." He ordered, and you sat up, giggles leaving your lips.

"Okay, Jakey..." you grinned, your face close to Jake's as your eyes met. You were so close that you could practically see every detail on each others faces, and Jake could smell the strong scent of alcohol leaving your mouth. The older boys eyes trailed down to your plump, reddened lips and he subconsciously found himself biting his own down on his own.

Before anything could happen — not that Jake would do anything due to you being highly intoxicated and him having a girlfriend, of course — a stray cat brushed across Jake's leg, making him jump back slightly in shock.

Your eyes widened at the sight of the cat and you immediately bent down in your sitting position to smooth the cat as the Sim boy went inside the store.

You had always been a dog person growing up and never really liked cats at all, but you were far too drunk to even care about your preferences and feelings towards the animal.

Easily getting distracted, your eyes landed on the flowers that were scattered across the outside walls of the shop and the kids tattoo machine that you would once waste tons of money on when you were younger. Your eyes also fell on the gumball machine that was beside the tattoos and despite your queazy mindset, you felt your breathing hitch at the memory that came with the machine.

The memory that made you realize just how much you liked Jake Sim.

An excited beam was plastered on your fourteen year old self’s lips as you impatiently waited in line to use the gumball machine with your friends.

Your older brother and his friends were currently occupying the machine, taking their time because they made it their mission to get a piece of bubblegum in every colour.

"Jay," You whined, sticking out your bottom lip to pout in annoyance. "Hurry up, you're taking forever!"

"Shut up, y/n," Jay yelled back, turning the knob on the machine. "You're so annoying." He huffed and you instantly rolled your eyes and folded your arms across your chest.

"You're so annoying!" You returned the insult childishly, shoving your brother out of the way so that you could finally have your go. Your smile grew and your eyes enlarged as you quickly brought of the only coin you had from your denim shorts pocket and eagerly slotted it into the coin slot and turned the handle.

Your fists clenched as you impatiently waited for the bubblegum to roll along its spiraling pathway, before it eventually reached the opening. Without another thought, you reached out the grab it, and as soon as it was in your hand, it was immediately knocked out.

Your eyes widened in shock and a gasp left your mouth as you watched as it rolled into a drain.

Anger filled your veins as you turned to look at Jay who had shoved you back. "What the hell, Jay?!" You furiously yelled. "That was my only coin!"

"Oh," Jay pouted, faking his look of regret and sadness. "Too bad." He broke out into a grin and shrugged, before turning and picking up his bike that was laying on the floor; his friends following after him besides one — Jake Sim.

"Here." Jake smiled, holding his hand out that currently had a blue gumball in. As soon as your eyes landed on it, they widened and you couldn't help but feel your cheeks heat red at his kind action.

"Uh..." She awkwardly began. "Are you sure? I can just get another one next week." You spoke, and Jake simply shook his head, shaking his hand as a way of telling you to take it from him.

"Have it, you didn't deserve that — Jay was just being an ass." He chuckled at the thought of his best friend, and you slowly nodded and hesitantly reached out and took the gum from him.

"See ya, y/n!" Jake waved, quickly climbing on his bike and catching up with his friends, leaving fourteen year old you with a fluttering heart. He was the first boy to ever show kindness to you. He was the first boy you ever had a crush on.

When Jake finally returned to you, breaking you from your daze, he had his hands filled with a water bottle and two ice lollies. Your eyes instantly widened at the sight of your favorite ice lolly in his clutch and a beam spread across your cheeks as you reached out for it.

"Nu-uh." Jake shook his head, pulling his hand away from you and holding out the bottle of water he'd bought for you. "You can have the ice lolly once you've finished this." He told you and shoved the bottle into your hands, making you scoff.

"But it'll melt." You pointed out and Jake shrugged.

"You better hurry then."

Once you had finished the iced bottle of water, you were now peacefully enjoying your mixed berry ice lolly, whilst Jake enjoyed his weird (Mom Is Alien) flavored ice cream.

You could feel your heart pounding against your chest as you felt yourself begin to slowly sober up and realize just how close you and Jake were sat. The side of your thigh was touching the side of his, and as you both leaned against the back rest of the bench, your arms constantly brushed against one another.

"I'm sorry for phoning you." You announced, breaking the comfortable silence you were sat in.

A breathy chuckle passed through Jake's swollen lips (swollen due to the coldness of the ice lolly) "I was already awake." He revealed, and your eyebrow raised.

"You were?"

The boy nodded his head and turned to look down at you; your eyes instantly meeting and you could feel your breathing hitch as you couldn't help but wonder if he ever felt the same way you did — even if it was just slightly.

"I was worried for you." He simply shrugged, a small smile appearing on his mouth. "It was my baby sisters first time going out to a party alone." He teased, nudging you playfully as you felt your heart tear into millions of pieces.

Instantly, your shoulders slumped and you turned your head away from him and down at your lap, quickly feeling sober due to the sadness that overtook your body. You’d lost your appetite and so now, the ice lolly was melting and dripping down your hand.

"Oh..." You sighed, biting your bottom lip, refusing to make eye contact with the boy again. You felt so... silly for ever thinking he could possibly see you in the same light you did for him. "Right..."

"Did you have a good time?" Jake wondered, continuing to eat his ice cream.

"Yeah," you slowly nodded. "Jungwon seems nice. I'm really starting to like him." You expressed, a smile making its way to your lips at the thought of the dimpled boy — you unbeknownst to Jake, who had seemed to tense up to the way you spoke about the Yang boy.

Eventually, as time passed and both you and Jake finished your ice cream, a huff escaped your lips as you felt your eyes begin to grow heavy.

"I'm tired." You moaned out as Jake stood up, you looking up at him as he chuckled at your behavior.

"Come on," He spoke, nodding his head to the direction they had to walk in. "We're not far from home."

"But I'm too tired to walk." It wasn't usual for you to be like this. You weren’t one to be bratty, but with the alcohol rushing through your veins, she didn't care.

A long groan came from Jake as he threw his head back and flared his eyes. "You think you're such a princess." He joked and squatted down in front of you. "Get on." He ordered.

A part of you was telling you not to get on and just suck it up and walk, however a massive part of you was telling you to just do it — and because you were drunk, you found yourself listening to the devil on your shoulder, and without another word, you climbed onto the Sim boys back.

Once you finally arrive at the home, you quietly entered and made your way through the home, you not waiting around to say anything else to the boy. You were done. You couldn't — wouldn't — waste your time waiting for him, nor would you continue to be delusional and think a simple brotherly action from him was something more.

You were fed up.

"Goodnight, y/n." You heard Jake softly say, instantly making you halt your movements as you approached the bottom of the stairs, one hand on the railing. Your heart continued to beat faster than ever and you shut your eyes to compose yourself. You weren’t going to do it. You weren’t going to allow him to change your mind again. You couldn't do it anymore.

And the first step to moving on was to ignore him — and that’s what you. You didn’t utter a word to the older boy and you continued your way to your bedroom, desperate for your heart beat to slow down.

───────────

If your head wasn't already banging before, then it definitely was now, now that Niki barged into your bedroom, throwing questions at her, demanding to know what went down last night.

"Did you guys kiss?" Niki grinned, excitedly laying himself down at the end of your bed. Your brows furrowed in confusion and annoyance, and your head pulsed with pain as you slowly sat up on your bed — your hair matted and dark, prominent eye bags beneath your eyes.

"Did you get drunk?! Did he walk you home?" The younger boy continued to ask, causing even more discomfort to your head.

"Niki, please." You huffed, squinting your eyes shut. Why was everything suddenly so loud? "Be quiet for a minute." You groaned, throwing the warm blanket from your body, about to get out of bed.

"Where are you going?" Niki raised a brow and you stopped your movements and turned to look at him.

"I'm going to get Aspirin." You told him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, though a glimps of confusion flashed across Niki's features and he pointed to your bedside table.

You mirrored the boys feelings and turned to look at the table, only for your eyes to widen slightly. On it was two Aspirin tablets, a bottle of water and a pack of crackers. Shock consumed your body and you sheepishly glanced over at your best friend.

Had you put them there last night and forgotten about doing it? Though, considering you were quite drunk, your thoughts before jumping into bed would most definitely not be getting medication for the morning — and crackers. The only person you knew to have crackers after being drunk was Jake, and that because you once let both your brother and Jake ramble about a party they went to that night and how they were 'totally not' drunk whilst slurring on their words, meanwhile you revised for an exam the next morning.

Jake?

Was he the one to put them there?

"Did you forget that you put it there last night?" Niki chuckled, breaking you out of your thoughts as you slowly nodded you head. "Did you drink that much?"

A breathy chuckle fell from your lips and you let out a sigh. "Yeah, I guess I did."

"How was the party last night?" He wondered once you had taken the Aspirin and begun to eat the crackers.

"I can't really remember to be honest." You shrugged, and it was true. You couldn't remember pretty much anything from the actual party. All you could remember was her heart breaking when Jake sister-zoned her.

A long and exaggerated huff fell from Niki's mouth as he threw his head back in annoyance and rolled his eyes. He'd been waiting all morning (it was now the afternoon) for his best friend to wake up and tell him about your night, and now you couldn't even remember.

"Whatever," Niki stood from your bed. "You look like shit." He deadpanned and your mouth parted ever so slightly in shock. That was unexpected. "You should wash up because your dads doing lunch on the BBQ outside." Niki informed before leaving you alone to get ready.

Once you had showered and gotten ready for the day — your bikini beneath your denim shorts and loose t-shirt — you made your way down the stairs.

Instantly, your nose was filled with the scent of smoke and the delicious smell of ribs and burgers. It was nice and even made your stomach growl as you walked into the kitchen to go out the double doors to head outside.

However, before you could get far, your eyes landed on him — Jake Sim. He was pouring himself a glass of Coke whilst wearing a pair of wet swim trunks and no top. His hair was damp with water droplets dripping from it and rolling down his body.

You knew it was wrong to stare and feel the way you did about him. You didn't want to like him. You couldn't help but feel guilty because not only were you betraying your brother, but you felt as if you were also betraying Niah.

Too lost in your thoughts, Jake slowly looked up from his glass and over to you, a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as soon as his eyes landed on you, instantly making you to break away from your thoughts.

Your cheeks reddened with embarrassment. You’d just been caught staring and now all you wanted to do was curl up in a ball and roll away. He looked hotter than ever with the water gliding down his toned body, and you felt your stomach swirl as a wave of fluster hit you.

He has a girlfriend, you’d tell herself, attempting to compose yourself. You needed to move on. Jake Sim didn't like you — he never would. You were Jay Park's baby sister, you didn't stand a chance...

And so, you cleared your throat and stood up straight. "You're making a mess." You stated, catching him off guard. "Make sure you clean up the puddle on the floor." You nodded down the the pool of water by his feet from the water falling from his body, before you looked back up at him.

You both held eye contact for a short moment, Jake not knowing what to say. You had never spoke to him like that before. Usually, you would get flustered and stutter on your words, but this time you didn't and that bothered Jake.

You silently picked up your art book that was on the kitchen island and turned around the walk through the open, double doors. You couldn't help but feel proud of yourself.

"There she is!" Your father beamed once he saw that you were now awake and outside. "Do you want a burger, y/n?" He asked, flipping over the circular food and a wide smile appeared on your lips.

You parted her lips, about to agree even though your stomach was really calling out for the ribs. You knew they were a mess to eat and you didn't want to look a slob in front of Jake — a scoff quickly escaped your lips as you realized what you were thinking.

You weren’t going to let Jake Sim unknowingly dictate your life anymore.

And, when you finished eating the plate of delicious ribs, you moved yourself from the bench and table and over to the sun beds, where your mother and Niah were busy sunbathing. You sat herself on the empty bed between them and let out a long sigh; exhaustion taking over your body from the meal you’d just eaten.

Picking up your art book from your lap and opening it, your eyes immediately widened slightly and a quiet huff passed your lips as you took in the many different sketches you’d started of Jake Sim but never finished.

You always found Jake hard to draw. You weren’t sure if it was because his features were so perfect that they couldn't be recreated, or if it was because you became obsessed with a new look from the boy and desperately wanted it down on paper; not bothering to finish your previous work.

Shaking your head, you snapped yourself out of your thoughts and glanced over at Niah. You didn't want the girl seeing Jake in your sketch book and getting the wrong idea, and so, you quickly turned to a blank page, retrieving a pencil from your pencil case to start a new piece.

However, before you had the chance to do anything, a gush of water was sprayed in your direction, soaking your lap and the pages of your book.

A gasp left your mouth and you instantly sat up on the bed, the squeals from Niah and the laughter of your parents, Niki, your brother and his friends consuming your hearing.

"Jay!?" You yelled out, looking over to him, where he was stood in the pool with a (now empty) water gun pointing in your direction. "What the hell!"

"Stop being boring losers," He scoffed, putting the gun down and rolling his eyes dramatically. "Come on, get in."

"We're gonna play Chicken and I need a partner." Niki smirked mischievously at his best friend, and you couldn't help but chuckle at him. You’d always liked that pool game — and you were a pro at it. However you quickly remembered the times when you were younger and when you would play and be the one on Jake's shoulders...

"So get in and get on my shoulders." Niki ordered, and quickly, you sarcastically huffed and put your book down, making your way to the edge of the pool (Jake's look of annoyance going unnoticed by everyone).

Once you were in the warm pool and now on your best friends shoulders, you watched as Jake swam to the edge of the pool and called out for Niah.

"Why don't you play?" The Sim boy asked his girlfriend, a smile on his plump lips as he rested his head on his arms and tilted his head slightly to look at her. "You can be on my shoulders?"

"No, thank you," Niah shook her head, her lips scrunching in disgust as she removed her sunglasses to look at Jake. "My hair will go green if I get in." She chuckled as she put her sunglasses back on and laying back to continue her tanning session.

You watched as the boy let out a sad sigh and his shoulders slumped before he turned back around to face everyone who was having their own conversation.

"Sunghoon, you're the Ref." Jay told the quiet boy, who smiled and nodded his head in agreement. "I'm gonna verse my sister, and then we'll finally get to see who the better Park is." The boy chuckled with a shrug as he beckoned Jake over so that he could get on his best friends shoulders.

Quickly, you rolled your eyes at your brother. "I don't need to win a stupid Chicken game to know that, Idiot." You scoffed.

"Be quiet, Nerd." Jay huffed, and eventually, once he was sat comfortably on Jake's shoulders, the four heard Sunghoon count down from three before yelling 'Go!'

Instantly, you began to wrestle, pushing and shoving each other. Your laughter was heard throughout the back garden, and the screams of worry that left your mouth would be heard every now and then when you would almost be pushed back into the water.

It was a tough competition. Neither Park was willing to give up and that was mainly due to the massive competitive gene you’d inherited from your father — howbeit, just as you thought Jay was about to tumble back into the pool, your eyes landed on Jake, who reached his arm out to shove Niki back, harshly.

Catching the Nishimura boy off guard, your best friend went stumbling backwards, a gasp of shock leaving both of your mouths as you were soon submerged within the water, evidently losing the game of Chicken.

Once you came up from the water, you were straight away faced with the cheers of your brother, Jake and Sunghoon (the referee!) your brows furrowed in annoyance and you were quick to point your finger at Jake.

"This is so unfair!" You stated. "Jake pushed Niki."

"Quit being a sore loser, Sis!" Jay mocked, jokingly using the nickname as he stuck his tongue out you, who rolled your eyes with a scowl on your face, and you splashed the two boys with the pool water before turning to Sunghoon.

"Sunghoon, you saw Jake push me." Niki stated, and a smirk appeared on the pale boys lips as he glanced over at Jay and Jake, doing his best to contain his laughter.

"Sorry, guys," He slowly began. "But a games a game..." He shrugged and broke out laughing before being brought in for a group up with Jay and Jake, the three boys cheering, leaving you and Niki left to roll your eyes.

After a little while of messing around in the pool, you finally managed to convince the boys to play your favorite pool game — Volleyball. Though, looking around, you soon came to the realization that the teams would be uneven and ultimately unfair.

"Hey, Niah," you called out to the blonde girl. "Do you want to join?" She asked, but the only response you received was the soft snores coming from Niah's parted lips.

"I'm tired anyways," Niki shrugged, a smirk on his lips as he glanced at you before lifting himself out of the pool and sitting on the edge, water droplets dripping from him. "Y/n and Jake can just team up."

Instantly, you snapped your head over in your best friends direction, a glimpse of shock spread across your features as you sent him a glare. What was he playing at?

Jake, however, was quick to agree and make his way over to you, who sent him a forced smile. You really did not want to be partners with Jake Sim.

But, nevertheless, when the game had begun, and you soon realized you and Jake were losing against your brother and Sunghoon, you let out an annoyed groan as you watched as Jay and Sunghoon conversed about strategies between themselves.

You were annoyed. You wanted to win — especially after (wrongfully) losing in the game of Chicken. The inflatable balloon was thrown back and forth, and just as you thought you could score a point for your team, it would quickly be snatched away by a overly aggressive hit back from Jay.

"Get a grip." You told Jake, who rolled his eyes at your attitude. Having basically grown up with the Park siblings, Jake had become accustomed to their behavior, and he knew that when a competition was involved, he was bound to receive 'tough encouragement' (as Jay would call it) from the either of you.

"Hey," Jake spoke up, beckoning you over to him. Your brows furrowed in confusion, and you held up a pause sign to Jay and Sunghoon, who rolled their eyes and allowed you both to speak.

"What?" You asked, a tone of annoyance laced within your voice. "You're literally sucking ass out there, Jake, come on."

The Sim boy couldn't help but chuckle at your words and he rolled his eyes. "Shut up, I have a plan."

"And that is?"

"You'll see." He stated, before un-pausing the game. "Come stand by me." He stated, and you sent him a look of confusion. Why did he want you to go back over to him? How could they possibly hit the ball when stood together?

"Why?" You questioned and the boy groaned and flared his eyes.

"Will you just do it?!" He questioned, impatiently and you huffed and did as told.

"Can I touch you?" Jake leaned down slightly to your ear and whispered, his hot breath fanning her skin and sending goosebumps all over your body. Your eyes widened at the close proximity and you felt yourself nervously gulp as the boys words swirled around in your head.

"Yes..." you nodded your head, remembering he only saw you as a sister and not witnessing the smirk that appeared on Jake's lips as he placed his hands on your waist beneath the water.

His hands on you felt weird — but in a good way. It sent butterflies crashing into your stomach and made your heart flutter. You’d never been touched like this by a boy before, so everything was peculiar to you. You didn't know what you were feeling.

Snapping you away from your thoughts, you heard Jay yell 'go', before he launched the beach ball over to them. Your eyes widened in fear as you suddenly felt restricted. Jake had his hands on you so you couldn't move, and the ball was flying right your way. There was no way you were going to be hit in the face by another ball on this holiday.

However, before the ball had chance to hit you in the face, Jake lifted you up so that you could have a chance at hitting it, considering Jay would unfairly hit it as high as he could knowing you weren’t tall enough — and luckily, you smacked the ball back over to the opposing team, catching them off guard and making the ball land outside of the pool.

Instantly, a giant smile appeared on your lips as Jake put you down and you quickly spun around, instinctively wrapping your arms around the older boys neck and pulling him in for a victory hug. Jake's arms circled around your waist, pulling you against him as you let out squeals of happiness.

You truly were happy to see the annoyed look on your brothers face.

The moment between Jake and you was interrupted by your father clearing his throat, making you realize what was going on.

Your eyes enlarged in shock and you speedily removed yourself from Jake and turned to your dad, acting as if nothing happened and ignoring the blush that was creeping upon your cheeks.

"There's some boy at the door," He announced, a playful smirk on his lips as he wiggled his brows. "He's asking for you."

Immediately, your eyes lit with excitement and you hurriedly got out the pool and wrapped a towel around her your body. There was only one boy you thought could be at the door and that was Jungwon, and so, as you headed inside, ignoring the eye roll from Jake (which did confuse you for a moment), you quickly walked over to the front door that was left slightly ajar.

Your thoughts were correct. There stood Yang Jungwon with a warm smile on his lips, revealing his cute dimples. "Hey." You smiled at the taller boy.

"Hi," He breathed out, slightly nervous. "Your dads scary." He blurted, and you quickly let out a chuckle.

"He's not once you get to know him." You reassured, the smile remaining on your lips as Jungwon soon mirrored your expression. "What're you doing here?" You wondered.

"Well, me and my friends are having a bonfire on the beach later on," The Yang boy began, shoving a hand in his front pocket. "And I was wondering if you wanted to join?"

As soon as the words left Jungwon's lips, you quickly bobbed your head in agreement. You were starting to really like Jungwon, and so you were more than happy to keep spending time with him.

"I'd love to."

"Cool," Jungwon let out a breath of relief as he nodded his head. "You can bring your brother and your friends along too, if you'd like... the more the merrier."

"Will do." You nodded and Jungwon's smile grew even more.

"Great, I'll come by later to get you?" He asked, and without hesitation, you nodded your head, before you bid your goodbyes, and Jungwon walked away with a grin on his face and you shut the door with a smile on yours.

You knew tonight was going to be fun.

───────────

When Jungwon had arrived at the home later on that night, sticking to his word and picking you up, you all made your way towards the beach — Jungwon and you in front of everyone, and Jake trailing behind everyone else with his hands stuffed in his jean pockets.

"You look really pretty tonight." Jungwon complimented, turning his head to glance down at you, whose cheeks now burned red.

What you were wearing was pretty simple, however you still managed to look as beautiful ever. You wore a pair of baggy denim shorts and a tight fitted red, cropped top. You paired it with your everyday jewelry and a pair of white socks and black and white Adidas Samba's. You hadn't put on loads of makeup when getting ready, considering the sun burn that was decorating your face hurt to touch, so you wore winged eye liner, mascara and a clear lip gloss and you hair just how you liked it.

"Really?" You questioned in a tone that showed you were slightly shocked by the boys compliment and Jungwon chuckled, nodding his head as you did your best to hold back your wide grin.

"You always do." He stated and never in your life did you think you would be thankful for the sunburn that was spread across your cheeks, because otherwise the Yang boy would be able to see your red, beaming cheeks.

Once arriving at the beach, your lips parted in awe as you took in the sight before you. In the center of the beach was a massive, glowing bonfire that had flakes of fire flying from it. It's crisping and crackling sound was just about heard over the loud beat of the electronic music and there were many people dancing around the fire with plastic cups in their hands — more than likely filled with alcohol.

"Do you want a drink?" Jungwon wondered, and you nodded your head in agreement before the boy hurried to the drinks stand, leaving you with large smile on you lips.

"He's only getting you a drink," you heard Jake Sim scoff from beside you, immediately making you turn to look at him with a scowl spread on your features. "No need to swoon over him that much." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly.

"Shut up, Jake." You huffed, fed up of the boy consistently trying to ruin your mood, and so you quickly followed after Jungwon, leaving Jake to watch you reunite and share giggles between each other as Jungwon handed you your drink.

The boy was brought out of his trance by the feeling of Niah linking her arm with his. He glanced down at her and instantly felt his chest pang with realization. He'd almost completely forgot about her. He had been so wrapped up with focusing on you and Jungwon, that he seemed to of forgotten about the girl he brought back from college.

The Sim boy sent her a small (guilt filled) smile, and felt his shoulders slump. All he needed was a drink.

As the night went on, you and Jungwon continued your conversation about something random before you went to get another drink. Jay, Sunghoon, and Niki had found a group of girls to try and impress, Niah ended up going back to the holiday home, telling everyone that she was sure she had sun stroke, and Jake was sat on the sand a little far from the actually rave with a cigarette between his slender fingers, staring out at the water.

A sigh fell from your lips as your eyes landed on him and millions of questions flooded through your mind. For example, how much had he had to drink?

You had known Jake for a while, and had quickly gotten to know his drunk side, and judging from the way he was right now, with his hand trembling and his eyes getting lost in whatever was before him, you gathered he was quite intoxicated.

"Hi." You quietly announced yourself once you approached the boy, who hadn't even turned his head to acknowledge your presence — which made you roll your eyes, but it was Jake, and when Jake was drunk, he didn't think...

"Shouldn't you be with your Lover boy?" The boy scoffed out as you sat down beside him and he took a long drag from the cigarette.

"Why are you being so salty about it all?" You questioned with furrowed brows. "You're acting worse than my actual brother."

And that was true. Jay didn't seem to have a problem with you and Jungwon. He wouldn't throw snarky remarks about him, nor would he send mean looks his way, so why was Jake?

"I'm not being salty," Jake shook his head, denying your words as he blew the smoke out of his mouth, your heart racing at the sight of him.

The orange glow from the sun peered down onto his sun kissed skin, and his brown eyes twinkled beneath the setting sun. He looked majestic and you found herself getting lost in him — however you were quickly pulled from the trance once the Sim boy spoke up again.

"I'm just stating facts."

Silence fell around the the two as you bit down on your bottom lip and followed the boys gaze, your eyes landing on the blue, gleaming ocean.

"Does he know you were once a nerd?" Jake asked, his words slightly slurred as he turned his head to look at you, a quiet — almost non existent chuckle — falling from his lips. Immediately, you felt her face scrunch in confusion and offense and you quickly snapped your head over in his direction.

You couldn't help but feel hurt by the boys words. What was wrong with being a 'nerd'?

Did Jake think Jungwon would change his mind about her if he knew she took her academic life seriously? What was wrong with that?

Was that why Jake never looked at you twice? Did he not like the fact you focused on your grades instead of spreading your legs for random boys at random parties?

"Why are you being such a dick for?" You disputed, shaking your head in disappointment and disbelief. "You're drunk." You sighed out, though it sounded more like you were trying to convince yourself that he was, rather than a statement.

"You've changed since college," you revealed. "The old Jake was always nice." You said, missing the times the Sim boy would never say a bad word about you and always be there to defend you.

"People change, Y/n," He sneered and you quickly felt an even bigger wave of annoyance fill your body at his attitude towards it all. The boy looked you up and down, his eyes taking in the outfit you were wearing and the light make up you had on, and the features on your face before he cocked a brow. "And you're a good example of that."

"What do you mean?" You asked, confused as to what Jake meant. How had you changed? If anyone had changed it was him, not you, so what was he talking about?

A frustrated huff left the boys parted lips and he threw his head back slightly before shaking his head and connecting his eyes with you; the two of you instantly feeling the tension between them thicken.

You felt your breathing hitch as his eyes landed on you, a pit of nerves unleashing within your stomach as you did everything you could to avoid eye contact with the older boy.

"I thought you were supposed to be brainy, huh?" Jake stated. "Or did you just lose all your intelligence when trying to be pretty?"

Your heart ached with hurt. What had gotten into him? Why was he being such a prick?

Was it the alcohol? Though, drunk words were sober thoughts, right? So if that was he thought when sober, how long had he been thinking this?

Did he not think you were pretty? Was that why he used the word 'trying'?

"Fuck off, Jake," you spat, standing up from the sand and walking away from him. "Prick." Rolling off your tongue in a hushed tone as you folded your arms across your chest and headed to the other side of the beach with a stone cold face — your best friend noticing the mood you were in and quickly following after you.

───────────

The warm, summer setting breeze blew softly through your hair, skimming your face as you and Niki sat side by side on the beach, looking out at the ocean. The sun had now set and the only source of light surrounding the beach was the fiery beam from the bonfire that everyone continued to dance around. 

An alcoholic drink was past between you and Nishimura boy as you cracked jokes every now and then; your legs brought up close to your chest as a way to find warmth in the midst of the chilly night. The two of you had been sat away from the rave for twenty minutes and neither of you had any plans of heading back just yet. You liked being in one another's company and gossiping about the party.

"Y/n," Niki began, a sly smirk on the boys lips as he turned his head to look down at you, his eyebrow cocked. "Be honest. Are you really over Jake?" He wondered and instantly, you felt your eyes enlarge slightly in shock at the unexpected question. "You can tell me." He reassured you, who let out a sigh.

"It's weird." You began, looking at him as he listened to you. "I hadn't seen him in so long... and now that I've seen him again, I guess I just feel overwhelmed." You shrugged, not quite sure if what you were saying made any sense.

"And do you really like Jungwon?"

Nodding your head quickly, a smile appeared on your lips as you turned away from looking at Niki and focused your eyes on the sea before you, biting down on your finger nail. "Originally, I was only going to focus on him as a distraction from Jake, but now I'm really starting to like him."

"So," Niki started, a mischievous grin on his lips that made you groan and rolls your eyes. You knew that look all too well. "If they were both to ask you to be their girlfriend, who would you say yes to?"

You felt your breathing hitch as the boys words travelled to your ears. Of course Niki would ask something like this — ask something that you didn’t have an answer to.

Jake was your first love, your childhood crush and you would forever hold a special place for him in your heart — no matter the mean things he'd say to you.

And Jungwon was someone new. He made you feel special, like he only had eyes for you. He was a gentleman and that was something you cherished... however, no matter how hard you thought about the Yang boy, your brothers best friend would always find a way to appear in your head.

Just as your lips parted to answer the boys question, the sound of yells coming from the bonfire caught both of your attentions and instantly made you snap your heads over to see what was going on. Multiple people were crowed around in one place, cheering and holding their phones out to capture what was unraveling.

Without another thought, you both stood from the beach (Niki leaving the once full cup of alcohol buried in the sand) and hurried over to the chaos with confusion and intrigue written across their faces.

You managed to push your way through the crowed of people, muttering apologies beneath your breath as you heard people's scoffs of annoyance.

Immediately, as soon as you got to the front of the circle, your eyes widened in shock once they landed on Jake, who was on top of another boy, punching him. He looked furious and irritated and you couldn't help but feel taken aback by the scene before you.

Jay and Sunghoon were trying to pull their friend off of the random boy — who was trying to fight back, though, due to Jake being above him and having more power over him, it was quite impossible.

Eventually, the Sim boy was yanked off of the stranger, his long sleeved, white t-shirt tearing at the collar as he ran a hand through his dark hair in pique.

Instinctively, you wrapped your hand around Jake's wrist and pulled him away from the circle to prevent him from doing anything else regretful, whilst your brother and Sunghoon spoke to the bloodied boy to find out what had happened.

"What the fuck, Jake?" You spat out once they came to a halt at the end of the beach; you dropping the boys wrist harshly. "Why would you do that?" You asked like an angry mother and all Jake could do was stay silent, looking down at you as his eyes softened.

Squinting your eyes and taking a closer look at his face, you began noticing the wounds displayed across his face. The other guy had managed to get in a punch or two because Jake's bottom lip was burst, and dripping with blood, and his right cheek bone had a slit across it, now oozing with a dark, crimson liquid.

"Answer then," you urged, folding your arms across your chest. You were becoming frustrated with the mute boy. "What are you playing at?"

"You're not my mum, y/n," Jake finally spoke up with a slightly raised voice. He too, was also frustrated. "So quit speaking to me like you are."

All you could do for a moment was scoff and roll your eyes. You were fed up of him. You didn't know what had happened to him since college, but all you knew was that you didn't like it at all.

You didn't like him speaking to you the way he did, and you didn't like his violent actions. The old Jake would never of done that...

"You need to stop being a Dickhead," you stated, looking him up and down before letting out a quiet sigh and dropping your arms to the side of your body. "Go home and clean yourself up. I'm going back to the party." You explained and began to make your way past him.

However, before you could get very far, the boy caught hold of your wrist (Just like you once had hold of his moments ago) and caused you to halt you movements.

"He was talking about you, y/n." Jake confessed. His voice was as soft and sincere as ever and it immediately made your heart warm at his tone. "He was calling you all kind of names."

A long huff fell past your plump lips as you turned around to face the boy. "Like you're any better, Jake, you were calling me a Nerd." You informed whilst your brows scrunched in confusion.

Jake sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair, slightly tugging at his roots in frustration. "That's different." He stated, instantly making your eyes widen slightly.

"How is it different?"

It was silent for a moment as you looked up at the boy, waiting for an answer to leave his lips. His eyes landed on everything but you and he bit down on his bottom lip (the side that wasn't injured).

"Because it is."

As his eyes eventually met yours, you couldn't help but feel your heart clench at his words.

Why? Why did Jake Sim have to do this to you?

Why did he have to speak in that soft voice and quickly make you go crazy for him?

Why? Whenever he spoke in that tone it always reminded you of the old Jake...

Glancing back at the party with thousands of thoughts swarming your head, you felt your shoulders slump and a quiet huff come from your parted lips as you turned to look back up at the older boy.

"Never call me a Nerd again." You spoke firmly, in a tone that was demanding before taking hold of Jake's wrist again and leading him away from the party, and taking him home.

And so, when you both made it back to the home and quietly made your way up to the bathroom, careful not to wake your parents or Niah, Jake sat himself down on top of the bathroom counter.

Silence filled the air between you and him as you tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear and kneeled down to search through the cabinets beneath the sink for the First Aid kit.

There were many thoughts swirling through your head and questions that you were asking herself, yet couldn't find an answer to were clogging her mind.

Why were you helping Jake?

Why didn't you just stay at the party with Jungwon?

Jungwon…

You had completely forgotten about him and now, as his face appeared in your head you couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving the party without telling him.

Once you had retrieved the kit from behind a load of shampoo bottles, you placed it on the side of the sink and opened the container and began getting the equipment ready.

A few glances were shared between you and Jake, however no words were spoke as you drowned a q-tip in saline solution before hesitantly turning your body to face the Sim boy — who had been watching you the entire time.

"This'll probably going to hurt a bit." You warned, your voice quiet and tone soft, and Jake nodded his head, not uttering a word as he allowed you to clean his wounds.

Gently, you brought the q-tip up to the corner of the boys lip and began to wipe it. The pressure you put on him was delicate, almost like you’d cause even more injury to him if you had pressed down harder. However, no matter the gentle approach you had, it didn't stop the wince of pain escaping Jake's mouth.

Instantly, you pulled back with your eyes slightly widened. "I'm sorry." You quickly apologized, afraid you’d hurt him more than he already was, but Jake shook his head.

"You shouldn't apologize, I should..." He started, shaking his head ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, Y/n," Jake spoke just above a whisper. "For being mean to you, I didn't mean it at all."

"I'm finding that hard to believe." You sighed, a small chuckle falling past your lips as you slumped your shoulders and you lowered your hand that held the q-tip.

The Sim boy bit down on his bottom lip and bowed his head in shame. He knew what he said hurt you, and he wanted nothing more than to take it back. He doesn't know why he said it, but all he knew was that didn't mean it.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Jake uttered out. "There's something going on with me, Y/n, and I don't know what it is." He explained and raised his head, instantly making their eyes connect.

You could feel a bubble of nerves appear in your chest as their eyes met and you felt yourself gulp whilst you quickly disconnected the eye contact and mimicked Jake's actions by lowering your head.

It felt as if your chest was pounding against your chest, uncontrollably. Jake always knew how to make you feel like this; like your heart was going to burst from your body at any given moment and you hated it. He knew how to make you feel nervous and make the butterflies in your stomach flap their wings.

Quietly, Jake reached forward and placed his hand beneath your chin and slowly raised your head so that you could look back at him. The tension between you was thick as neither of you chose to say a word — the only sound between you being the sound of your breathing.

"What do you mean?" You eventually spoke up. Your voice was as quiet as ever and laced with nerves.

What did Jake mean? Was he ill?

Jake licked his lips whilst his eyes darted from your eyes and down to your own plump lips. They lingered there for a moment, immediately making your breathing hitch and your ears tint red before his dark eyes travelled back to your eyes. It felt like Jake had put you under a spell and now you were caught within his trance.

You could feel his hand reach out and hold onto your hip, pulling you closer to him between his legs. You didn’t know what to say or do, so you remained silent. It pained you weren’t sure if you wanted this moment to end or not.

His cold fingertips brushed against the fabric of your top, gently raising the cloth so that he could curve his fingers around the waistband of your shorts.

You could not just feel a heartbeat in your chest now, but also one between your legs…

You watched as the boys lips parted, about to speak, though before he could get the chance to get any words out, the bathroom door abruptly opened, causing you to jump away from him in fright and for you both to turn your heads to see who had walked in.

"What's going on?" Your mother tiredly asked. Her eyes were half open and her hair was a mess with strands of it poking out in all kinds of directions.

"I fell over." Jake quickly answered. "And Y/n was helping me clean up." He informed the older women, who slightly nodded her head, far too exhausted to properly understand — or care.

"You both should get to bed, it's late." She stated and you agreed with your mother, hurriedly walking past her and headed to your bedroom with your heart still in her throat.

Once Jake got to the room he shared with both Jay and Sunghoon, he lazily dropped down on his bed and let out a long sigh. His mind was restless with images of you running through it.

He felt frustrated with himself. He shouldn't be thinking of Jay's younger sister in the way he does. That was his best friends sister. You were off limits. Jake Sim had a girlfriend — Niah, and yet he didn't find himself wanting to be near her all the time like he did with you.

There was something wrong with him... there had to be...

Pulling out his phone from his back pocket, the boy began scrolling through it, desperate to get his mind off of you and to get rid of his growing hard on. However, as the boys finger clicked on the contacts icon and he scrolled past Niah's name and landed on yours, he sighed.

You still up|

This was a bad idea, he thought with his bottom lip between his teeth. He couldn't do it to Jay or Niah, and so without another thought, he deleted the message and shut off his phone, groaning in frustration.

This was hell.

───────────

It had been four days since you had cleaned Jake Sim's wounds, and to say the tension between the two of you was thick would be a massive understatement.

Neither of you had spoken about that night even though it was constantly on both of your minds.

What had Jake meant by something being wrong with him?

You and Jungwon had kept in contact (you having apologized for leaving so suddenly at the party) and things were going well for you two.

Currently, you and your best friend, Niki were sitting on your bed, locked away from the gloomy weather outside. Despite it being the middle of summer — a time when the sun should be blaring all the time — the clouds still managed to turn a dull grey and swarm the once, clear blue sky, causing everyone to remain in doors.

You mindlessly drew in your sketch book whilst Niki laid beside you, dipping his hand into the family share bag of crisps every now and then as he spoke about whatever was on his mind.

Suddenly, disturbing the two best friends was a knock at your bedroom door, which immediately grabbed your attention as the mystery person walked in.

"Heeseung's inviting us over," your brother, Jay, informed you both. "And Jungwon is gonna be there." He added before quickly leaving your room so that he could put his shoes on.

The younger boy beside you nudged your arm jokingly, as he stood up from the bed, disregarding the crisp packet that was now empty and slipping his shoes on.

"Come on," Niki bobbed his head, motioning for you to move. "We're going."

And so, after arriving at Heeseung's holiday home and the group had gotten themselves comfortable in the Lee boys living room (each of them dotted on the sofa), Jungwon, Jake, Heeseung, and Niki had all decided to play a video game on the console.

"When I come back to Korea sometime, we should definitely go and get our nails done together." Niah suggested with a wide smile on her pink lips. You both had decided to sit beside one another, stating that you didn't want to get involved within the chaos of video game rage.

Nodding your head in agreement, you turned your head away from the large television and looked at the girl next to you, mirroring her smile. "That'd be nice, I could also introduce you to some of my friends, I'm sure you'd get along with them well."

Just as Niah parted her lips to add on to your suggestion, your attention was pulled away from the conversation as Jungwon turned to you, nudging your arm gently.

"Do you wanna play?" He asked, holding out the controller for you to take. You couldn't help but smile at his gesture and nod your head — even though you had no idea what to press and how to play the game.

"Do you know how to play?" Jungwon softly chuckled out once noticing your hesitation to press anything. Lifting your head up from the controller and looking at the Yang boy, an embarrassed laugh quietly passed your lips.

"Not really." You shook your head — which instantly earned knowing giggles from your best friend and Niah.

"That's okay, I'll teach you." Jungwon shrugged and inched his body closer to your body, before he placed his hands on top of yours, showing you what button and stick does what.

As Jungwon's warm breath fanned your exposed neck causing multiple goosebumps to form on your skin, you hadn't realized you were holding your breath — no, not until a gasp left your mouth in shock as your screen turned black and the words 'DECEASED' appeared in bold, red writing.

"What the hell, Jake?" Jungwon huffed out in confusion, visibly irritated with the older boy for murdering his character. "We're on the same team."

Glancing over at the raven haired boy, who had refused to look at you and Jungwon, you were quick to notice Jake's clenched jaw and his bottom lip tightly tucked between his teeth — and when the Sim boy turned his head to look over at you, the annoyance in his eyes became as obvious as ever as they met your ones.

"My bad." Jake brushed the matter off, sending a glare at Jungwon before turning back to the video game, which only made you roll your eyes.

Suddenly, the sound of thunder echoed throughout the neighborhood and lightning struck brightly in the air and rain soon began to angrily fall from the clouds. The sky had turned miserable with the dark clouds taking over the setting sun.

"So much for summer." Heeseung scoffed, running a hand through his black hair before going back to the game — however, the plans of continuing the video game was abruptly ended as the television and all of the lights in the home switched off.

"A blackout?" Jay groaned and you let out a sigh. What were you going to do now? It wasn't like you could go home because the street lights weren't working, so Jay (who'd driven in your parents' car) wouldn't be able to see clearly with not only the darkness, but also the pouring rain. It'd be dangerous.

As time passed, and conversations about what to do changed into jokes being made in the dark and then to 'horror stories with Niki', boredom soon fell upon the group as huffs were thrown about. There were no signs of the electricity being turned on as minutes soon turned to hours.

"Hey," Niki spoke up, a playful grin displayed on his lips that could be seen due to the flash from his phone being shone on his face on his lips. His tone was filled with excitement and it quickly grasped everyone's attention as you turned to look at the youngest, waiting to hear his idea.

"Let's play hide and seek."

───────────

"But I don’t want to be on." Jay stated, folding his arms across his chest as everyone gathered back in the living room.

You all had been playing for a good few hours and to say it was a good way to pass time would be an understatement. The home had been filled with laughter and screams of excitement and fright when getting caught, and now, as the sun officially set and had been replaced by the glowing moon, you were moving into the next round of (what seemed to be) a never ending game.

"Everyone but you has been on." You pointed out, annoyed at your brother for acting like a child. "Just suck it up, Jongseong and get to counting."

Jay instantly rolled his eyes at you. "Shut your mouth." He scoffed and turned around to face away from everybody, as he then began to loudly call out the numbers leading up to one hundred.

Without another thought, you had disbanded into every direction of the large home. At first, during the first few rounds, you couldn't help but struggle with finding somewhere good to hide. You didn't know your way around the house well enough, and so hiding behind curtains was the best you could do.

However, as time went on and places around the house caught your eye, it was safe to say you’d won one or two games of hide and seek.

You could hear Jay in the eighties and felt your eyes widen and your heart begin to smack against your chest, anxiously. All of your saved spots had been taken and so you were left with the closest in one of the spare bedrooms.

Huffing in frustration, there were ten seconds left until your brother would search for you and quickly, without another thought, you slid the door open and stepped inside, grateful that the closet was empty.

You stood in silence, patiently waiting for Jay to begin his hunting, and you leaned back slightly, resting your back on the wall as you caught your breath. Running around a house and laughing at the same time causing you to be at a loss of air.

Suddenly, the closet door was slid open in a hurry and for a moment, you felt your shoulders slump with defeat at the belief of being caught and so you stood up straight — however when you watched the figure shut the door behind them, your brows furrowed with confusion.

Had you not been found yet?

The wardrobe was awkwardly silent, the only sound that could be heard was your heavy breathing (which you were embarrassed about).

Who had joined you in the confined space?

"And I thought I was the smoker." They scoffed out a quiet chuckle, and instantly, your eyes widened as the familiar voice travelled to your ears.

It was Jake...

"Jake, what the hell, I was here first, get out," you swiftly broke out into a rant, your voice slightly raised which was bound to grasp Jay's attention as he roamed the corridors. And so, the Sim boy did the first thing that came to mind, shut you up.

Stepping closer to you, who was still talking at a fast and uncontrollable pace, Jake quickly placed his hand over your mouth, covering it and stopping any noise coming from you as you hid.

The action effortlessly made your eyes widened in shock and you stumbled backwards slightly, leaning your back against the wall once again. You didn't know how to feel about the situation you were currently in. It was pitch black, so you couldn't see him due to the hiders not being allowed a torch, so they were only left to their memory.

You could feel the boys minty breath hitting your skin due to your close proximity, and the longer you stayed stood in front of one another with his hand still over your mouth, the more relaxed you became — and you didn't know why.

You were supposed to be annoyed at him — annoyed at him because he rudely stopped you from speaking, and took your hiding spot. You were supposed to no longer like him. You no longer had feelings for him... you liked Jungwon, right?

You could feel your eyes soften and the once feeling of your body being tense vanished.

Despite not being able to see him, you knew he towered over you and knowing that you had to look up at him, you couldn't help but feel nervous and submissive.

Eventually, Jake slowly removed his hand from your face and placed it on the wall behind you, beside your head.

"Are you finished?" He asked, his tone as quiet as ever, and all you did was nod your head (forgetting the fact he couldn't see you).

It was now, when the only thing that could be heard was your breathing and the screams from your friends being caught, that everything you wanted to ask him came back to you.

You wanted to know what he was going to tell you the other night, before your mother interrupted you.

You wanted to know what was wrong with him and why he'd been acting the way he had.

"Jake..." you softly called out, earning a 'hm?' as a response from the said boy. Licking your lips and opening your mouth to question him, you were abruptly stopped by the lights switching back on — and it was then, that you and Jake Sim became aware of just how close you were stood.

The light from the bedroom the closest was in was piercing through the small gaps in the wardrobes wooden doors, allowing you to see one another. Your bodies were centimeters from touching, and all it would take would be one small nudge for you lips to touch due to the older boy leaning down.

Your position took them by surprise, and you couldn't help but nervously gulp as your cheeks burned red.

"I-" you went to start, though it seemed as if you would never get a chance to ask your questions because just when you built up the courage to do so, the closet door quickly slid open, immediately making you push Jake away from you, afraid that whoever opened the door would get the wrong end of the stick... or would it really just be the right end?

"Powers back on," Jungwon awkwardly stated, his lips tightly shut as he glanced between you two. "Um, Jay said your parents want you home." He informed.

Nodding your head at the Yang boy, you sent a small, guilt filled smile his way before you walked past him and hurried downstairs, wanting nothing more than to get out of the situation.

You felt awful.

───────────

Your eyes quickly sprung open in shock to the sound of your brother yelling out for you from the kitchen. You sat up in your bed and threw your blankets from your body and hurried over to your bedroom door and pulled it open, concerned as to what Jay could possibly want at ten in the morning.

"What!?" You shouted back to him, and impatiently waited for a minute or two as the older boy grew silent. "Jay, what?!" You yelled once again, your tone filled with annoyance, hoping that he'd eventually answer.

"Jungwon's outside for you." The Park boy finally told you, and quicker than ever, your eyes widened in confusion and you shut your bedroom door.

Why was Jungwon here?

Sighing to yourself, worry filled within your chest as you began to get ready — already overthinking the situation and picturing of the worse case scenario.

"Hey..." you softly spoke as you shut the front door behind you once making it downstairs. Jungwon was stood at the end of the porch steps, leaned against a post with his hands stuffed in jean pockets. He looked up at you and sent you a smile whilst you returned it and stood at the top of the steps, looking down at him.

"Hi." He spoke back, letting out a sigh as silence swarmed the two. It was suffocating and all you wanted to do was leave. It was a weird feeling you were feeling when being with Jungwon.

Before, you wanted nothing more than to be around him because he made you feel comfortable, and forget about all of your worries, yet now, you felt the complete opposite.

"Listen," The boy began, letting a pregnant pause fall between you as he looked away from you and out at the sea. "I don't think this is going to work." He revealed, turning to look back at you, who now had a brow raised in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"I don't think me and you are going to be able to more forward." He explained and as the words hit you, you felt your chest slightly ache.

Why?

"Its obvious you're meant to be with someone else..." Jungwon sadly shrugged, answering your thoughts before you had the chance to vocalize them.

"Jungwon, I don't understand," you shook your head, walking down the steps so that you were face to face with him, your brows still furrowed. "What do you mean I'm 'meant to be with someone else'?"

The boy before you kissed his teeth and ran a hand through his healthy, brown hair in frustration. "You and Jake, y/n... it's obvious, is it not?"

"No," you shook her head. "It's not obvious."

It wasn't obvious because there wasn't anything going on between you. He was just your brothers best friend... nothing more, nothing less.

You were over him, you didn't want him anymore... right?

"Well then that's something you both need to sort out." Jungwon licked his lips, shaking his head slowly as he began to take a few steps back. "I'll see you around, y/n."

You remained silent for a moment as you watched as the Yang boy walked away from you, your shoulders feeling as if they were caving in on you.

Perhaps you didn't like Jungwon as much as you thought you did?

Sighing to yourself, you ran a through your hair and turned on your heel to head back inside — however, your eyes widened slightly and you felt your breathing hitch at the sight of him, Jake Sim, standing in the doorway.

“Are you okay?" Jake's voice rang out softly as he took a step forward, closing the front door behind him. His black hair sat effortlessly on his forehead, and he was clad in a pale red, sweater that had white writing on and was split at the collar, along with a pair of blue denim jeans that had a few rips in.

If you were being honest, he looked perfect (as always). The bright glow from the sun shone down onto him, making him look even more majestic than he already was.

"What?" You questioned in surprise, you being caught off guard by his question.

"Are you okay?" Jake repeated, slowly making his way towards you with his hands in his front pockets. "I mean," He began, shrugging slightly as you looked up at him. "I saw what happened, and I know you liked him..."

Your eyebrows furrowed in ultimate confusion. It felt as if the old Jake had returned as his voice was laced with sincerity and his eyes glassy; the Jake at the start of the trip having vanished.

"Oh..." you quietly spoke, gulping as his eyes remained on you, making a volcano of nerves erupt in your stomach. "I'll be okay." You nodded your head, forming your lips into a tight line as you sighed.

If only he knew you were much more broken about him, rather than Jungwon...

"Come," The boy instructed as he headed towards Jay's car with the keys in his hand. You hadn't even noticed them in his clutch. "I wanna take you somewhere."

Confused and shocked, your eyebrow raised slightly in suspicion as you followed after him. "Did Jay even allow you to use his car?" You wondered, a breathy chuckle falling from your lips, (knowing how protective your brother was over his most prized possession) as Jake opened the passenger door for you.

"He's my best friend, Y/n," Jake pointed out the obvious. "Of course he'll allow me — and he thinks I'm going to the shop to get snacks." He grinned, which only made you mirror his expression and get into the car (your chest filled with curiosity).

As the Sim boy got into the seat beside you and started the car, you couldn't help but feel nervous as you watched as one of his hands steered the wheel and the other occasionally rested on the side by the rolled down window, or lingered on the gear stick. His eyes remained on the road in a concentrated manner, and his lip was often found between his teeth.

You could almost hear the blood pumping through your body as your cheeks heated; visions of last nights hide and seek game returning to you. You remembered how his warm breath fanned your face, causing goosebumps to decorate your skin, and how he laid his hand on your mouth, preventing you from getting them caught. You remembered how his taller figure almost pressed against your smaller one, and how your lips were oh so close to touching —

You hadn't even realize the car had come to a halt until your door was opened, instantly snatching you from your long train of memories.

Once you stepped out of the vehicle, and the instant wave of heat hit your in the face, your eyes landed on a boardwalk with many different stalls on, and below the boardwalk was a beach that had a few people sunbathing on whilst others shopped at the mini stands, buying all sorts of souvenirs.

"Come on," Jake chuckled at your shocked expression, walking towards the walkway. You couldn't help but smile and follow after him. You’d only been here a few times with your family, so now you were here with just Jake, you were more than excited.

However, reality sunk in as you both started looking at the different key rings on a stall and you couldn't help but sigh heavily.

Why was Jake doing this? He had a girlfriend, so why was he taking you out and buying you things like he was more than just your brothers best friend?

"Do you like these?" Jake wondered, holding up a pair of sunglasses to his face and posing, which only made you laugh at his silly behavior. Your heart was pounding and it felt as if it was about to burst from your rib cage. The reason for you liking Jake Sim in the first place was returning and you didn't know what to do or how to control your feelings...

"I love them, Jake." You chuckled and he grinned back, revealing his gummy smile as he turned to the lady to pay.

You shouldn't be here.

You and Jungwon had just ended whatever was going on between you, and Jake had something going with Niah...

It was meant to feel wrong, yet it felt so right.

A little while later, after a few hours of shopping, both of your feet were beginning to ache from walking around so much, and sweat was dripping from your foreheads, so you decided to stop at an ice cream parlor to cool down.

"Do you think Jay's mad?" You wondered after taking a bite from your Caramel flavored Ice Cream, making Jake look up from his cup of Ice Cream, shaking his head slightly.

"I'm taking his sister out, I have a good explanation." Jake chuckled, the image of an angry Jay appearing in his head — along with the thought of you now being single...

He no longer had to worry about you with some other guy that wasn't him.

He no longer had to feel jealous when seeing you with someone other than him.

Silence fell upon them for a moment as you enjoyed your food, finally being able to feel a sense of coolness well within your bodies. It was relaxing as you enjoyed one another's company — though, the silence was short lived as you felt a question threatening to fall from your tongue.

"Jake," you began, licking your lips nervously. There were many things that were playing on your mind ever since you sat in your brothers car. "Did you hear everything Jungwon said?" You wondered, hoping he hadn't heard the Yang boy insinuate things between you and Jake.

Jake paused for a second, thinking back to earlier when he eavesdropped on you and Jungwon — quite easily remembering the confusion in your voice as you questioned Jungwon, and Jungwon's explanation.

The boy bit his bottom lip before shaking his head.

"No, I only watched him walk away," He lied, shrugging his shoulders, not telling you the truth. "I guess I gathered the conversation wasn't good by your guys' facial expressions." He explained and you nodded your head slightly, hesitantly believing him as they went on to finish their Ice Cream.

───────────

"Jake, what the hell! Don't soak me!" You screamed as you hurriedly ran away from the Sim boy, who was chasing after you in the shallow water of the Sea, desperately trying to wet you.

After finishing your cold snack, you both decided to head down to the beach. You’d only planned on sitting on the sand for a little while, however with Jake's complaining about how hot the weather was, he ended up rolling his jeans up and forcing you to go in with him.

Laughter accentuated from you both as droplets of water fell from Jake's raven hair, and you did everything you could to not get wet.

"I said I don't want to get wet!" You yelled at him, though the boy took no notice of your words and quickly splashed the salty water onto you, instantly making you bring your arms up to cover your face as your clothes dampened.

It was quiet for a while as Jake waited for a reaction to spring from you, him doing everything he could to not break out in hysterics. You let out a small huff before quickly splashing him back.

There was no way you were going to allow him to soak you and not be able to do it back.

A little while later, once both you and Jake grew tired of messing around in the water, you sat yourselves down on the sand to dry off; you looking out at the beautiful ocean and Jake pulling out a cigarette beside you.

Glancing over at him with the stick between his lips, about to light it, you couldn't help but sigh in disapproval. You’d always been against smoking when growing up, knowing the causes it had, so when you witnessed Jake, one of the boys (besides your brother and father and best friend) you cared for most following through with those actions, you felt worried.

"I don't like it when you smoke." You spoke up, turning your head to face him as he blew out a drag of the acrid air.

Jake, slightly caught off guard, turned to look at you as he pulled the cigarette from his lips and held it between his fingers and away from you.

"Why?" He lowly asked, subconsciously allowing his eyes to fall down to your lips, which only made your breathing quiver.

"Because it's bad for you." You stated, attempting to swallow the nerve-filled lump in your throat as his face leaned slightly closer to yours. "You're basically just killing yourself — Do you know how much—"

A small laugh escaped Jake's mouth, cutting you off as he nodded his head slightly, moving his eyes back to your own eyes.

"Okay." He nodded, smoothly putting out the cigarette. "I'll stop." He announced, quietly.

"What?" You questioned, taken back by his actions. "That easy?"

"Yeah," Jake bobbed his head. "If you want me to stop, y/n, I'll stop," He explained, narrowing his attention back to your plump lips as he licked his own.

"Just for you." He spoke just above a whisper, the air around them instantly feeling thick and suffocating, and yet all you wanted to do was drown in it.

Gulping once again, you could feel your body become numb and your mouth become dry as you watched as Jake slowly started to lean in; his attention dancing between your lips and eyes.

You didn't know what to do.

You wanted to kiss him so bad.

You wanted to finally give in to her four year crush and plant your lips on his and allow him to have his way with you, however there was still Jay and Niah.

You couldn't do that to them...

"Y/n," Jake began, traces of nervousness in his voice as he slowly brought his hand up and delicately held the side of her face, setting off millions of butterflies in your stomach.

There was a pregnant pause as you waited for Jake Sim to finish his sentence. You could hear your breathing quicken and your heart pick up its pace as his warm hand held your face, you wanting nothing more than to lean into his touch,

"Can I kiss you?"

"Jake..." You breathed out, gulping nervously as your eyes diverted down to his red, plump lips that were only centimeters away from touching your own.

You could feel your heartbeat beating throughout your body, and ill thoughts of you and Jake sprouting in your mind; scenes of what might possibly happen if you allowed his lips to touch yours.

And you wanted to allow him — so badly...

You wanted to fulfill your dreams of kissing the boy you’ve liked for years. You wanted to give in to the temptations, you really did...

However, the images of your brother and Niah appeared in your head, clogging your thoughts and a stream of guilt ran through your body, turning you cold.

You couldn't do that to them...

"We can't." You shook your head, your accent meek as you hesitantly turned to look away from him — your heart painfully aching in your chest.

As much as you wanted to kiss Jake Sim, not wanting to hurt anybody was far more important to you rather than your happiness.

Jake remained silent as he nodded his head, his eyes landing on the ocean before him as he licked his lips.

"My brother, Jake," you reminded the boy beside you, your attention landing back on him. "And Niah, you're girlfriend... We just can't... I don't want to hurt them."

"I understand, Y/n," Jake reassured, running a hand through his hair as he stood up from the sand. "Now come on," He grinned, ignoring the odd feeling in his stomach. "I'm pretty sure Jay is gonna get suspicious." He chuckled.

You stifled out a laugh as you agreed and stood up, trailing behind him with a heavy heart as he headed towards the car.

You couldn't believe what had happened.

Once both you and Jake arrived back at the holiday home after buying snacks from the convenience store and a long, silent journey home, you both parted ways: Jake heading to the living room to play video games, where he received Jay's rant about how long he took, and you hurried up to your bedroom, shutting your door behind you and laying yourself across your mattress.

Images of Jake flashing through your head as you shut your eyes, a long sigh escaping your lips.

You could only wonder what would of happened if you allowed him to kiss you... you could only imagine the feeling of his warm lips against yours and what would of played out if your innocent acts escalated and turned sinful — and so, as your thoughts trailed, and your fingers subconsciously brushed against your parted lips, you felt her chest heave and your cheeks turn red with fluster.

The only sound you could hear were the yells of Jay, Jake, Sunghoon and Niki downstairs as they played their game, and your mother and fathers mumbled conversation from outside seeping through your slightly ajar window. It was enough to send you into a slumber as Jake Sim's face took over everything.

Later that night, everybody was sat around the family table, eating the food yours and Jay's parents provided. There were brief conversations taking place between Jay, his father, Niki and Sunghoon about the latest Football scores, and Niah and your mother chit-chatting about their split ends.

Though, you and Jake sat in silence with you resting your head on your palm as you mindlessly played with the food on your plate, glancing up at Jake before you every now and then — who refused to look at you, as he kept his eyes plastered on the dish.

Ever since you’d awoken from your nap a few hours ago, Jake had done everything he could to avoid you.

When you entered the kitchen to get yourself a glass of orange juice, he was quick to exit, telling Sunghoon he had to 'drop the kids off at the pool', completely disregarding your presence.

After that, when everyone (minus your parents) were gathered in the living room, watching old movies, you had joined a little later, sitting next to Jake as it was the only available seat — though the Sim boy was quick to stand and move to sit on the uncomfortable, wooden floor (where he later moaned about having a numb bum).

His sudden change angered you. You couldn't seem to understand why he was avoiding you and acting as if you were the one that asked him to kiss you.

And so, as dinner continued and more small talk was made, you couldn't help but feel uncomfortable, annoyed, and saddened — and it seemed that your mother was quick to pick up on your low mood.

"Y/n, help me clean the plates, will you?" Your mum asked with a sweet smile on her lips, making it hard for you to decline.

"What's going on?" Jihye (your mother) questioned, glancing at you as she scrubbed the plates clean.

"What do you mean?" You asked, playing off your current emotions with a confused smile. You were never good at expressing your emotions, especially to your parents, so the situation you were currently in made your body shrivel with embarrassment and uncomfortableness.

"Don't play dumb, y/n," your mother warned, handing you a dish to dry. "You're my baby girl, I know when something's up, now come on, tell me."

Shaking your head and releasing a breathy chuckle, you sighed. "There's nothing wrong, Mum, trust me."

"So if there's nothing wrong, why are you and Jake avoiding each other like an old married couple?"

Instantly, your eyes widened in shock which only made your mother laugh and shake her head. "Honestly, y/n, you're both acting like you've had a massive row. Have you?"

"No..." you denied, feeling your shoulders slump. To be honest, you didn't completely know. Were you having a argument with Jake? And if so, what over?

"That doesn't sound too convincing." Jihye hissed, tilting her head and narrowing her eyes down at you, who threw your head back and released a groan.

"I feel awful." You bluntly stated, looking up at your mother, whose brows creased in confusion.

"Why's that?"

"Because..." you took a deep breath in, preparing yourself for what you were about to reveal. Never in your life had you revealed your deepest secret to anyone in your family. You were always afraid of their reaction, worried they'd tell Jay, or degrade you for liking your older brothers best friend.

"I think I'm in love with Jake — and I know I shouldn't be because he's Jay's best friend, and Jay's warned me about liking any of his friends and he has a girlfriend, but I can't help it, Mum, I really can't." You began, and as you ranted, you couldn't help but notice your shoulders begin to feel lighter — as if a ton of bricks had been pulled from you.

"I've tried to move on, but he's always there and it's so annoying," you breathed out, your tone filled with pain and pent up frustration. "And one minute he's acting like he likes me too, and the next he's avoiding me like I've insulted him. I hate it, Mum, I hate it so much."

Without another word, your mother pulled you in for a hug, wanting nothing more than to take your worries and pain from you.

"I don't know how to handle it anymore, Mum." You whispered into your mothers hair as you wrapped your arms around the older woman's waist.

"It'll get easier, y/n, I promise." Jihye reassured, pulling back to look down at you. "He's a boy — they can be immature creatures at times, trust me. You need to be straightforward with him and pull him up on his behavior. As much as I love him like he's my own, he shouldn't treat you the way he has."

You remained silent, listening to your mothers words and nodding your head in agreement. She was right after all. You needed to confront Jake Sim immediately. He shouldn't get to treat you how he likes.

"You're right." You stated, and Jihye grinned.

"See," She playfully nudged you. "I said I could sense something was up." She chuckled. "Now, find the right time to talk to him about it — and if I was you, I'd make sure you explain it in a way to make sure he understands. Boys can be quite dense at times." She shrugged, which only made a laugh pass your lips as you nodded once again, before continuing to dry the dishes.

You were going to take your mothers advice and do as said as soon as possible.

───────────

Aa the glowing moon overtook the once blazing sun, you sat silently on the ledge of the pool with your legs submerged in the cool, chlorine water; your mothers words continuing to spiral in your head.

Everyone had either gone up to their rooms to hang around, or were fast asleep, so the only noise that you could hear were the crickets in the distance as you focused your attention on your legs that were swaying in the water — the nap you’d taken earlier causing you not to feel tired.

"Hi." You heard his voice quietly and softly announce, making you fall away from your thoughts and look over to the sliding doors that Jake Sim was closing behind him. Immediately, your brows furrowed in anger and a scoff left your lips.

Hi? Was he stupid?

"What?" You harshly asked, refusing to look up at him. You were fed up of his bullshit.

"Y/n—" Jake began, as he headed over to you, however before he could get any other words out, you put a halt to his actions.

"No," you shook your head, looking up at him, a scowl present on your face. "You don't get to come out here and sweet talk me into making me forget how you were with me this evening." You stated rather harshly. "I can't deal with it anymore, Jake. I'm not some doll you can mess around with. I'm human too, I have feelings, you know?" You huffed, turning to look away from the boy who stood with his hands deep in his jean pockets.

"Y/n, let me explain—" He attempted to start, though you shook your head once again, licking your lips. You no longer cared. You were going to take your mothers advice and explain everything.

"Shut up, Jake," you ordered, catching him off guard. "You can't keep treating me like I'm a piece of gum — one minute you're all for me, and then the next you're acting like I'm just on the bottom of your shoe. I'm fed up. I've had enough. I'm not a kid anymore, so quit treating me like shit." You firmly stated as you stood up, getting your legs out of the pool and standing face to face with the older boy.

It was now or never.

"I like you, Jake, so much and I have for a long time, but you're my brothers best friend — you have a girlfriend, and you're mean to me for no reason, and I just have to deal with it. Do you know how hard that is for me?—"

"Do you know how hard it is for me?" Jake cut you off, pointing to himself as he let out a breathy chuckle, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek as he glanced away from you, who was now confused more than ever. What was he talking about?

"You're my best friends baby sister, I shouldn't like you, but I can't help it, Y/n." He revealed, which instantly made your eyes widen at his confession. "I feel so guilty for feeling the way I do towards you because I'm betraying Jay — You know, I promised him at the start of our friendship that I wouldn't look at you in such a way, but I just can't help it, y/n, you do things to me that I can't explain."

Silence fell upon you both as neither of you knew what to say. The tension was thicker than it had ever been, and currently, all you wanted to do was latch your hands on one another — but you knew you couldn't.

Taking a gulp and a small sigh, you slightly shook your head, confusion taken over your facial expression.

"So why treat me the way you have? I don't get you. You make me feel special for a second, and the next you're making me feel like I've done something to you."

You watched as Jake ran a frustrated hand through his hair and parted his plump lips. "Because you have, Y/n," He started, pausing for a split second to gather his words before continuing.

"I've never felt this way before. I thought at first it was just some stupid little crush on my best friends younger sister, but it just continued to grow bigger and I couldn't handle it. I felt guilty. So I thought the best way to get over you was just to get with a load of girls—"

"And become a man whore?" You questioned, which only made Jake send a glare at you before continuing his explanation.

"That obviously didn't work — but when I moved to Australia for College, I thought I finally forgot about my feelings for you. I believed I was finally over you, that's why I got with Niah, but coming here and seeing you again made realize I was wrong, y/n — so wrong. It wasn't like I could just go back to my old ways and sleep around, so I thought it'd just be best to push you away—"

"On days you felt like it?" You interrogated, raising your brow which only made Jake huff.

"Y/n, I'm sorry." He apologized, stepping towards you, hoping you wouldn't move away from him — and you didn't.

You allowed him to stand closer to you.

She allowed him to stand closer to her.

She allowed him to gently take hold of the sides of her face.

She allowed him to raise her lowered head.

She allowed him to caress her cheeks with his thumbs.

She allowed their eyes to meet, and she allowed her heart to flutter.

"I'm so sorry," Jake said just above a whisper, his eyes never leaving yours. "I don't know what to do. I've never felt this way about someone like I do with you."

Your breathing hitched at the boys words and you felt your cheeks heat up. This was all you wanted. You finally had the boy you’ve liked — the boy you’ve fallen in love with — confessing his feelings to you and all you wanted to do was kiss him.

"Jake," you just about managed to get out, her throat feeling tight and her chest feeling heavy with emotion. The tension between them was suffocating as they both stood in the back garden, the glow from the pool shining onto them, both of their intentions being the same.

"I—" you started, however the sound of the sliding doors abruptly shutting was heard, quickly causing both of your heads to snap over in the direction of it, worry and confusion pumping through both of your veins.

Had someone been listening?

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Waking up the next day, Jake Sim felt different — in a good and bad way. It felt as if a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders now that he had realized he still felt the same way he always had for you, and confessed his feelings to you, yet the remaining thought of Jay and Niah was still evident in the back of his mind.

He knew he'd end up hurting Jay if he ever found out about the way Jake felt towards his younger sister, but he couldn't help it. The feelings he felt for you were far too strong for him to keep to himself any longer — it'd end up killing him.

Jake Sim also knew he would have to speak to Niah before it was too late. He couldn't continue to lead her on, making her believe he loved her when in reality, he didn't, she was just a distraction.

It was wrong, he knew that, and so as he threw his covers from his body, sending a 'Goodmorning' nod to Sunghoon, who was busy drying his hair in the mirror (Jay already having got up hours before everyone else), Jake stood up.

A yawn fell from his lips and he stretched his body slightly, desperately trying to escape the early morning fatigue — however, if his stretching wasn't enough to wake him, the note on the bed side table with his name on sure was.

His brows creased with confusion and he sent a quick glance over to Sunghoon to see if he had any idea on what the mysterious note was, though the Park boy shook his head and turned the hair dryer off.

Jake picked up the note, sitting on the edge of his bed to open it up, curiosity welling up in his veins as his eyes landed on each and every word.

To: Jake,

By the time you end up reading this, I would've left. The time I spent at the Parks holiday home was truly a one of a kind experience, and I'll forever be grateful to you for introducing me to Mr & Mrs Park, and of course, y/n. I like y/n, she's cute and any guy would be an idiot not to realize his feelings for her (p.s, you're the idiot !!)

I knew the minute she stepped out of her parents car on the first day of summer that there was something going on. I mean, if you're constant staring at her didn't tell me, then your overprotectiveness was just a slap in the face — and then when I overheard your guys' conversation by the pool last night, it really gave me clarity. I no longer felt like a toxic girlfriend that was overlooking every interaction you both had.

So, no hard feelings, yeah? We're still going to remain friends, right? I wanna know all the updates between you and y/n (good luck with Jay!!)

P.S: tell y/n that she MUST come visit Australia so that we can get our nails done together!!

- Niah

A heavy breath left Jake's mouth as he stayed silent, staring down at the letter. He didn't know how to feel. He was shocked at the way Niah handled the situation, knowing most girls he'd been with in the past would of gone a-wall. If anything, Niah's reaction made him respect the girl even more.

And so, as Jake folded the note back up and stood, he exited the bedroom, preparing himself for the questions he would be asked about Niah's disappearance.

"So, she just left?" Jay questioned as he spooned a load of scrambled eggs onto his plate. Everybody had decided to sit outside on the bench to enjoy the breakfast both Jay and your parents had prepared considering it was a beautiful day and coming up to their final days at the holiday home.

You watched as Jake nodded his head, the boy and you stealing glances at one another every now and then as he was sat opposite you on the bench.

"Yeah," He began, slowly dragging his eyes away from you. "She told me she was feeling homesick and that our relationship wasn't working." He shrugged and as his story hit your ears, you couldn't help but think back to last night.

Was Niah really homesick? Or had she heard yours and Jake's conversation late last night?

"Sorry to hear that, Jake." Your father sympathized with the younger boy, sending him a tight lipped smile.

The breakfast continued peacefully, with small talk taking place from all ends of the bench, however just like yesterday, you and Jake stayed silent; last nights events still playing out in your heads.

You had finally revealed how you felt about one another, so now what?

"Why don't you lot head down to the theme park?" Mrs Park suggested as she finished her plate of food, grasping everybody's attention. "You haven't been there yet, and the holiday is almost over. I heard it's better than it was last year." She wiggled her eyebrows, intriguingly.

Instantly, your eyes widened slightly at the thought of visiting the theme park and many memories flooded your head. It was almost every year (since you were six) you’d gone there and had fun, so it was only right to go this year round. You’d always been sucker for the rides (which you loved forcing Jay to go on) and the headbands.

And so, just when you thought the day would be filled with overthinking and a lack of communication from Jake, your plans were quickly changed because now, you were sat in the back of your brothers car between Jake and Sunghoon.

And so, if it wasn’t for asking Sunghoon to roll down his window, then you would've become a pool of water by the time you could arrive at the theme park.

You didn't think sitting next to Jake Sim would be so difficult, yet there you were, sat beside the older boy trying to contain your ragged breathing as your thighs lightly brushed against each others.

You weren’t sure if your outburst of nerves was due to the fact you hadn't spoken properly since your mutual confession, or because your bodies were squished so closely together due to Sunghoon obnoxiously manspreading.

You hated that you could feel the sweat dripping down the back of your neck — even after having the cool air blow into the car. You tried to focus your thoughts on other things, like listening to your brother and best friend singing their hearts out to a song that was playing on the radio, or thinking about the first ride you’d go on once arriving (if you even made it).

Quietly, it felt as if your thoughts were eating you up. The nonstop voice in your head telling you to just turn your head and see what Jake was doing was almost deafening. A part of you wanted to. You wanted to see what was occupying him during the long, tension-filled car ride, however another part of you didn't; afraid you’d catch eyes or your stomach would erupt in butterflies and make you puke all over the boy.

You ended up going with the latter, and just chose to imagine what he was doing instead — after all, that would be better than throwing your breakfast up on him...

Once you had all eventually arrived, you were quicker than ever to climb out of the car. You could hear the screams and cheers from other people at the amusement park, and the sound of the metal wheels on a cart gliding against the metal railways filled your ears.

A bubble of excitement grew in the pit of your stomach as you glanced over at Niki, who'd already been looking at you, and you both shared the same look of excitement before hurrying over to the entrance, leaving Jay and the other older boys to sort out the payments.

"I haven't been here in so long!" You beamed, your eyes jumping from one ride to the next. "We should go on the 'Hulker Sulker'," you informed your best friend, who eagerly nodded. "That one is so fast!"

"Y/n!" You heard your brother call out for you, instantly making you impatiently turn around. "Sunghoon doesn't want to go on the 'Hulker Sulker', so I'll stay off with him. You, Niki and Jake go on, and please be careful."

Far to excited to care that you’d have to sit next to Jake again, you rolled your eyes at your brother's protectiveness and bobbed your head in understanding before hurrying over to the long (thirty minute) queue.

As the day went on and you lead the boys from one ride to the next, and sat down for a quick lunch before being ushered up again due to a ride that caught your eye, the four boys tiredly stood in front of you, running a hand through their hair whilst yawning and groaning about their aching legs — even Niki, the boy that would constantly match your high energy had become exhausted.

"None of you want to go on with me?" You questioned, your expression filled with shock. It wasn't usual they got tired this easily, however it was expected due to the beaming rays of sun that constantly peered down on them.

The four boys sent a few glances between one another. A look as if to say 'who wants to suck it up and go on?' and all you could do was huff.

"You don't have to come on, don't worry." You chuckled. "I can just ride it on my own." You shrugged and turned on your heel, about to walk away and to join the already long queue.

"Wait," you heard a voice call out to you, which only made a slight smirk form on your face as you then turned around to see who would accompany you on the pirate ship.

Instantly, as your eyes landed on the familiar set of dark, brown eyes and the dark lock of hair that sat on his head, you felt your heart pound against your chest.

How were you going to survive an hour long queue with Jake Sim?

"I'll come on with you." He stated and they began walking to the entrance, you still shocked.

"Are you sure?" You questioned, hesitantly glancing back to the other three boys before looking up at Jake, who nodded and shrugged his shoulders, shoving his hands in his denim jean pockets.

"Yeah, I like the Pirate Ship," He revealed with a playful grin. "It's a childhood favorite." Jake slightly nudged you, softly, making you let out a chuckle as you both stood behind a group of people.

Silence overtook you two. It wasn't comfortable, nor was it uncomfortable. It was just silence.

You found yourself being occupied by one of the fake plants the park had used to decorate the waiting area, and Jake was busy kicking a pebble on the floor and habitually biting his lip.

"Are you having fun?" The boy wondered, moving his attention away from the small stone and over to you, who had now whipped your head over in his direction and nodded.

"Of course, there's never been a time where I haven't had fun at the theme park." You grinned, ignoring the memory of ten year old Jay puking all over your hair as you went down a slope in a ride.

"Cute." You heard Jake mumble beneath his breath whilst he allowed his eyes to linger on you for a little longer, before the line moved. You could feel your cheeks burning and your stomach flutter and sweat trail down her body.

The things he made you feel...

Memories of the breakfast you had earlier appeared in your head and you quite quickly remembered the abrupt news you were told by Jake about Niah's departure. You couldn't help but wonder if Niah being 'homesick' was the real issue and you desperately wanted to ask the boy beside you and find out the truth, however you didn't want to ruin the mood.

Gradually, the line had begun moving a lot more frequently which only made the two of you happy and even more thrilled to ride the Pirate ship ride that was a fan favorite — however, just as you made it to the front of line, desperate to climb onto the mechanical device, the metal chain dividing the areas was placed in front of them.

"Sorry, the tanks to operate the ride need to be checked." One of the workers (who looked no older than sixteen) informed the pair, earning a groan in response from you. "The wait will be a little over forty-five minutes, thank you for waiting and sincere apologies." The boy sloppily spoke, clearly not too pleased about being where he was.

Jake nodded his head in understanding and soon after, the worker disappeared the sit on the stool whilst the ride was being looked at.

You watched from afar, worry welling up in your chest as many gruesome thoughts flooded your head. What if the ride broke down during the time you were on it? What if it exploded? What if you all died? What if some 'Final Destination' stuff occurred? Or what if —

"Hey, y/n," you heard Jake's soft voice cut you from your trail of thoughts, immediately making you look up from the floor and drop the hand you were biting your nails on to the side of your body. "Don't worry," He reassured, sending you his signature smile that no doubt made your stomach swirl. "They're fixing it, they wouldn't let us go on if it wasn't safe."

You nodded your head slightly, his words only adjusting your thoughts slightly. Despite your love for fast rides and going upside down and screaming your lungs out, there was no doubt that you were continuously anxious about the whole ordeal. Just the mere thought of dying on a roller coaster turned your warm blood, cold and made you break into an icy sweat.

As time went on and the sun continued to shine down on everyone, you couldn't help but begin to grow tired (just like everyone else). The bright ball of fire in the sky was draining you and causing your t-shirt to stick to your back, uncomfortably. It didn't help that where you were lined up had nowhere to sit, so you couldn't relax your legs and shut your eyes for a little while — which annoyed you.

A yawn escaped your mouth and you released a long sigh, bowing your head ever so slightly and closing your eyes. You had only planned to be in that position for a little over five minutes, however as time went on and your legs became numb and your breathing got heavier, you found herself unknowingly drifting off.

Jake, who stood in front of you, leaning against the small, waist high wall behind him had a smile plastered across his lips as he watched as you lowered your head. It truly was a sight for sore eyes and without another word, he stood up properly and gently tugged you forward by your hip, allowing your head to rest against his chest.

He too, was exhausted, though he wasn't going to allow you to end up falling flat on your face whilst he attempted to relax his eyes. An even wider smile grew on his plump (bitten) lips as you instinctively wrapped your arms around his slim waist, nuzzling your head into him to become more comfortable.

You stayed like that for a while, with Jake gently and subconsciously tapping his finger on your back. Even though from afar the position they were in might of looked uncomfortable, you and Jake were far from it — and that's all that mattered.

Finally, after almost another hour long wait, the worker returned, informing everybody that the ride was safe to go on. A few cheers were heard here and there, and nervously, (after you had awoken from your quick slumber) you stepped forward and hesitantly made your way towards the ship.

Was it too late to back out yet?

Reassuringly, you felt Jake's smooth hand slip into your smaller one and he lead you to the back row of seats. You could hear him encouraging you the whole time (which did work a little), and just as the ride counted down from three to begin, you squeezed the older boys hand as a way of telling him not to let go — which he had no plans on doing so.

It had been a few hours since then, and after escaping the amusement park and getting into Jay's car to begin your journey home, silence immediately erupted in the vehicle and the soft noise of the radio seeped through the speakers, creating a relaxing car ride.

Once again, you were sat in the middle between a sleeping Sunghoon, and Jake, who was busy scrolling through his phone. You could feel your eyes grow heavier by the minute and exhaustion fill your veins — just like it did earlier — as your head slowly began to drop, unable to stay conscious.

A sigh left your lips as you raised your head and turned to look out the window. You refused to fall asleep in the car, knowing that the many times you’d done it before always resulted in horrendous neck pain. You weren’t going to put yourself through that and decided to wait until you were in the comfort of your bedsheets to shut your aching eyes.

"Y/n," you heard Jake quietly call out to you; his voice was just above a whisper and almost nonexistent, and if you hadn't been sat next to him, you definitely wouldn't of heard him.

His eyes slowly trailed over your profile, taking in every feature and blemish that decorated your face so perfectly. In his eyes (and he was sure everyone else's too) you were perfect — and when his eyes eventually landed on your pink, plump lips, he felt his throat tighten.

"Here." He bluntly spoke, nudging his shoulder out to you before looking away, afraid you’d spot the blush creeping on his cheeks.

You sat in shock. You hadn't expected him to offer his shoulder to you — you were even overthinking his gesture, wondering if what you thought he meant really was what he was implying.

And so, nervously, you moved your head and gently laid it against the boys t-shirt clad shoulder. At first, it was uncomfortable. You could feel his bones digging into your temple which only made you grimace, however after adjusting your position so that you could lean on him more, he soon became a good enough pillow.

It wasn't long until Jake followed after you, his head bobbing low until it soon fell onto yours, subconsciously. His lips were slightly parted as he nuzzled his head against yours, desperate for comfort (which eventually came) — and due to the two of you being unconscious and in total bliss, Jay's confused eyes that were glaring through the rear view mirror went completely unnoticed as soft snores left both yours and Jake's mouths.

───────────

A little while later, once arriving home and you and Niki having quickly made your way up to your room and hurriedly tangled your limbs with one another, you both drifting off into a deeper (and much more comfortable) sleep.

It wasn't until the sun had completely set that you woke up again, quietly sitting up in your bed, desperately trying not to awake the sleeping boy beside you as you removed his leg from your waist.

It seemed that the exhaustion had decided to finally exit your body, and so now you were now full of energy — and had no idea what to do with it. You were sure everybody else in the house was fast asleep, so it wasn't like you could wake anyone up so that they could entertain you.

Sighing to yourself, you stood and made your way to your chest of drawers, where you then began searching for her bathing suit.

It wasn't often that you tended to go for a night swim in the families pool; your fathers constant reminder that 'You could drown and we wouldn't know until we see you at the bottom of the pool the next morning' ringing through your mind, however you were bored and were in desperate need for fun.

Once changing and grabbing yourself a towel, you were immediately hit with the humid air as soon as you set foot outside, quietly shutting the sliding doors behind you. As usual, the pool glowed yellow and had soft, delicate waves in it, creating a soothing noise as they bounced off of one another.

Dropping your towel to the floor, a smile appeared on your lips as sat on the ledge with your feet dangling in the water. It was moments like this that made you realize how grateful you were for the holiday home your parents bought sixteen years ago — and it was moments like this, that needed ruining by a certain boy who'd messed with your heart far too many times.

"Can I join?" Jake Sim's voice seemed louder than it actually was due to everything being silent. His abrupt disruption made you jump ever so slightly in shock and you instantly felt your heartbeat begin to get faster as he headed towards you, wearing nothing but swimming shorts and a white towel hanging from one shoulder.

You’d seen Jake's bare chest multiple times, though now it felt different. The situation felt a lot more intimate with just the two of you by the pool late at night (practically half naked).

It felt suffocating.

"I don't mind." You nervously shook your head, your voice as quiet as ever, which only made you mentally curse yourself and roll your eyes. Why did your voice have to show how you were feeling?

The Sim boy didn't utter a word. All he did was set his towel down beside your one and immediately jumped into the pool without warning, creating a splash of water to hit you, making a gasp fall from your parted lips.

"Jake!" You whisper yelled, your eyes quickly darting over to the closed back door, afraid your parents — or worse, your brother — would hear you. "Be quiet." You ordered in a hushed tone once the boy had risen from the water, slicking his soaked hair back.

"My bad." He chuckled and licked his lips with a mischievous grin displaying on his face.

"What's your problem?" You questioned, breaking the silence you sat in. It had been almost fifteen minutes since Jake had joined you on your 'late night swim' (you’d yet to get in the pool) and all the boy had done besides splashing you, was glue his eyes to you.

You couldn't understand why he wouldn't stop staring, but for whatever reason it was, you wanted him to stop. He made your stomach swirl with anxiety; fearing you had something on your face, or he was beginning to regret ever confessing to you that night.

"What do you mean?" Jake wondered, cocking his brow and turning his head slightly as a smirk appeared on his lips. He knew exactly what he was doing and he was loving the reaction he was getting.

"You keep staring," you firmly stated. "Stop it."

"Or what?" He urged, slowly beginning to make his way over to you from the other side of the pool. "Am I not allowed to look at you? You're more than pretty, it's hard not to stare."

Instantly, as the words processed in your head, you felt your cheeks burn brighter than a tomato and your breathing hitch as he soon arrived in front of you — his hands directly coming to rest on either side of your legs as he looked at you.

You didn't know where to look. The last time your faces were this close was when you were in the wardrobe together and that was in the dark.

So now, with the lights from the pool reflecting onto Jake's face and highlighting his pretty features, you couldn't help but shy away.

Desperately trying to escape the thick tension, you sucked in a breath and allowed your eyes to move away from his and down to the necklace that was hanging around his neck. It was simple, yet alluring. The silver chain was thin and hanging from it was a small, circular pendant that had the initials SJY engraved on.

"I like you're necklace, do you really need reminding what your initials are?" You complimented and joked (to break the tension) just above a whisper, and as the words left your mouth, Jake's one hand reached up to to the jewelry and his other moved to hold your chin, gently, and raised your head so that you could look him, a breathy chuckle falling from his lips.

"Do you want it?" He asked, his tone more sincere than you’d ever heard it be before and that only caused your eyes to widen in surprise.

"What?" You breathed out. "Jake—"

"I'm serious, y/n," And he was and you knew that, which was why it made butterflies violently flap their wings in your stomach. "You can have it." Jake spoke as he unclasped the clasp once letting go of your face.

"Are you sure?" You asked, and only received your answer as the boy attached the necklace around your neck, allowing it to fall just above your cleavage.

Though, Jake's actions were sweet and made you want to do nothing but kiss him and spill your undying love to him, you still couldn't help but wonder what you were. You didn't want to live in the dark and constantly wonder.

You wanted to know.

You needed to know.

And now was the right time to ask...

"Jake," you anxiously began, reaching up to fiddle with the pendant. The Sim boys eyes trailed away from the necklace that was once his and up to your face, his eyes instantly meeting yours as he waited for you to continue.

He watched you whilst you nervously licked and chewed away your lips as your cheeks blushed pink and he almost heard your heart pounded so hard against your rib cage.

It was cute.

You were cute.

"What are we?"

The silence was loud. Very loud — almost deafening as you watched as Jake slowly lowered his head, his tongue escaping his mouth to nervously lick his lips whilst he remained quiet, avoiding eye contact with you at all costs.

Was this his answer? Was this Jake Sim's way of saying they weren't anything? Had you been stupid enough to think that maybe, just maybe, you and Jake could ever be something?

A scoff fell past your parted lips and you shook your head in a mix of anger and annoyance. How could you of been so stupid?

"Shit..." you frustratingly whispered to yourself while your hands quickly reached up and fiddled with the clasp of the necklace, attempting to desperately remove to jewelry from you.

You felt like a complete and total fool.

However, as you focused your attention on unlinking the dainty hooks with tears beginning to blur your vision, your movements were put to an end as soon as Jake placed his hand against the side of your warm face, lifting your head up so your eyes could meet, before confidently crashing his full, red lips against her ones.

It felt as if the air had been sucked from your body as your mouths collided. You were more than shocked by his actions and couldn't quite comprehend what was unraveling as you sat on the edge of the pool with the brunette boy stood between your legs — however, you knew you liked it.

You liked pressing your lips against his and enjoyed the feeling of butterflies flying around in your stomach. It felt so surreal kissing your brothers best friend. It felt wrong but so right at the same time, and you no longer cared if you’d have to deal with your brother's disapproval.

You were snatched from your trail of thoughts once the boy slowly pulled away, his head gently resting against your forehead as the sound of your heavy breathing consumed the back garden.

Neither of you uttered a word; your minds far too hazy for words to be able to jump from your tongues. It felt as if you were drunk off of one another (which you practically were), and as you both sat in silence, thinking about the events that occurred, Jake slowly brushed his thumb across your cheek, wiping away the tear that had (unknowingly) fallen.

"I wanna be with you so bad, y/n," The older boy breathed out, his eyes not leaving your ones. "So bad." He repeated, shaking his head ever so slightly as desperation seeped through his eyes.

All you could do was nod in acceptance as you brought your other hand up to delicately move a strand of his wet hair out of his face, fighting back a ear-to-ear grin that was threatening to show on your face.

"Okay." You agreed just above a whisper and without another thought, you and Jake hungrily clashed your lips together once again, craving the taste of one another.

It was almost as if you had been deprived of each other — which in a way, you had. You both didn't want to hurt Jay's feelings, and so you restricted themselves from one another no matter how bad you wanted to be in each other's arms.

You both felt amazing; like you were on top of the world as Jake's tongue softly, yet hungrily, brushed against your bottom lip as a way of asking for entrance.

The action caused your heart to race with nerves and even though you wanted this so bad, you still hesitantly parted your lips, allowing his tongue to enter your mouth. Never in your life had you ever kissed someone before, let alone made out with somebody at your families holiday home — though, you were happy you were experiencing your firsts with Jake Sim because after all, he was (and always will be) your first love.

You could feel his hands unhurriedly depart from your face and his arms snake around your waist, Jake instantly pulling your dry body against his damp one, and he was gentle — so gentle.

It was clear that he didn't want to hurt you as his hands explored your waist, his thumb stroking the side of your stomach ever so slightly, before he slowly retreated back into the pool (hesitantly parting your lips in the midst of doing so).

His eyes were glued to you the whole time he looked up at you in awe whilst helping you into the water and assisting you with wrapping your legs around his body before you continued your steamy make out; subtly grinding your crotch against his hardening one, releasing low groans from Jake’s mouth and into your mouth.

You were closer than ever now.

Body to body.

Lips to lips.

That was all you needed.

You were both all you needed.

And so, as the night got older and the sun began to rise, you and Jake Sim remained in the (now cold) pool with their limbs tangled, your lips interlocked and your crotchets grinding against one another, wishing the moment would never end.

───────────

"Y/n!" Your brother yelled out to you, frustratedly. "Are you even listening?" He questioned you, running a hand through his dyed hair.

"Huh?" You asked, looking up from your lap and at the boy that stood before you in the living room. The memories of last nights canoodling with Jake flooding your mind and muffling out Jay's words.

You still couldn't get over the sensation of the Sim boys lips against yours and the memory of his hands exploring your body made your latently clench your legs together and your stomach churn as your subconsciously reached up to play with the pendant — his pendant — around your neck and a tiny blush creeped upon your full cheeks.

"Are you high?" Jay interrogated, narrowing his eyes down at you to inspect your features, desperate to know the cause for your lack of attention.

"What?" You spat, looking up at your brother with creased eyebrows filled with confusion. "What are you even on about?"

"You're not listening to me." He explained and you sighed, muttering an apology beneath your breath as you waited for the boy to speak once again.

However, before he got the chance to, Niki, Sunghoon and him — Jake Sim — entered the living area, immediately gaining your attention as you watched as the two boys sat on the sofa across from you — Jake's eyes lingering on you as his lip found its way between his teeth.

"What I was trying to say was," Jay scoffed in annoyance, rolling his eyes at you and glancing over at the youngest and his two best friends to engage them in the conversation. "Heeseung's throwing an end of Summer party tonight."

"Nice." Jake grinned widely as he sat up on the chair, him and your brother dabbing one another up.

It was then, that it finally dawned on you that you would no longer be able to see Jake Sim (and your brother, of course - and Sunghoon) everyday. They would go back to their lives in Australia, and you’d go back to hers in in Seoul and you weren’t so sure how to feel about that.

"Whatever happens tonight, just remember to have fun," Jay shrugged as he, Sunghoon and Jake stood up after deciding to head to the convenience store to buy alcohol for the party. "It's our last night here and all together, it's the least we can do." He chuckled and playfully patted you on the head, making you groan and move away from him.

"Whatever you say, Jay." You rolled your eyes, already knowing he wouldn't stick to his word and end up being the overprotective brother he is all of the time.

And yet, it seemed that you were wrong — very wrong. 

Earlier on, when getting ready for Heeseung's end of Summer party, you were dreading it and even considered not going, debating on making up some lie to tell the boys that your period had started and that you felt sick.

The constant worry that your brother would follow you around like a fly and taking the 'overprotective brother' role far too seriously just made your shoulders slump and your eyes roll. You’d been to many house parties with him before in the past and even then he was always making sure you were okay and restricting your freedom.

It wasn't that you weren’t grateful to have someone care for you as much as he did, it only made you feel awful. You felt as if you were depriving Jay from enjoying himself to the full extent — so, when the group pulled up to the car-filled street and Jay told Jake and Sunghoon to keep a slight eye on you before being pulled away by a random girl, you couldn't help but feel relieved and shocked.

"Come on," you just about heard your best friend yell out to you over the music. "Let's go get drinks." He suggested, before you nodded your head in agreement and you weaved your way past plenty of intoxicated people.

Lee Heeseung's house was packed to the brim, flooding with people of all different ages, genders and races. The strong mix of scents of all kinds of alcoholic liquids and drugs were imprinted within the homes walls and carpets, and the loud, blaring sound of Heeseung's Spotify playlist boomed through the speakers that were nailed to the creme coloured walls. Disco lights danced through the rooms, brightly beaming through the windows and lighting up the front lawn, where some people sat around, taking gradual sips from the concoction in their red plastic cups. There were some people scattered out the back garden also, standing hazardously close to the lit up pool, just waiting to fall in.

It was rather easy to lose one another within the cramped home, and so that was why you kept a tight grip on the back of Niki's black, loosely fitted button up shirt, worried you’d lose your best friend in the flock of bodies. 

Once arriving at the station of drinks, your face immediately grimaced at the sight of the display of alcohol. It was quicker than ever that flashbacks from the last time you attended one of Heeseung's infamous parties appeared in your mind, and a wave of embarrassment consumed your body, causing your cheeks to tint pink as you remembered the drunken state you’d gotten herself into. 

You were most definitely not getting wasted tonight. 

After taking a small sip of the Gin and Tonic Niki eventually poured for you, the boy soon dismissed himself when a he was pulled away by a flirtatious looking girl, which only made you chuckle at his surprise expression.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing here alone?" You heard a rather familiar voice question whilst you took a gulp from your drink.

Looking up, your eyes widened slightly at the sight of the tall boy before you. His small, dark eyes met your ones and you were instantly reminded of the times you had crushed on him — Sung Hanbin — when you were just eight years old. 

Within the Park family, it was once a running joke that you were madly in love with the older boy and that you’d end up marrying one another when you were older — however, that quickly fizzled out when Hanbin stopped returning to Jeju Island one summer and became a distant memory. 

It was weird seeing him in front of you after so many years of him being MIA and you couldn't help but feel even more awkward as you stiffed out a laugh. It had been quite a while since you last spoke — the last conversation you had, Hanbin promised you’d continue your annual summer bike rides the following year (which never ended up happening).

"Hanbin?" You quietly spoke his name in surprise. "What're you doing back in Jeju? I thought you outgrew the area six years ago..." you half heartedly joked, taking another sip from your red cup as a way of filling the awkwardness between you. 

A small laugh escaped the boys thin lips and he lowered his head ever so slightly and took a few steps towards you, habitually fixing his zip up jacket. "I guess I got bored of visiting my Grandmother the past six years," He simply shrugged, biting his bottom lip and brining his hand up to move a strand of hair out of your face. "And I guess you could say I also missed our bike rides."

It appeared that you had yet to realise how close the older boy was stood in front of you as you made no signs of backing away — however, your close proximity didn't go unnoticed by the boy who had his back leaning against the door frame of the kitchen, glaring daggers at the two of you.

"Jay said to keep a slight eye on her," Park Sunghoon pointed out, glancing between you and Jake. "Not burn holes into her." He huffed out in annoyance, swilling the liquid around in his cup out of boredom. 

"So?" Jake shrugged, adverting his attention to the taller boy in front of him. "I don't know who this dude is — he could be some weird pervert and I don't want her getting hurt by him." He explained, his tone filled with protectiveness and predatory, which only made Sunghoon's brows crease with confusion. 

"Because Jay would be up my ass about it, obviously." The Sim boy quickly cleared up, standing up straight as he threw his empty cup into the trash bin, a hint of panic racing through his body at the thought of his and your relationship being found out. 

"Whatever dude," Sunghoon shook his head, a quiet, breathy chuckle falling past his red lips. "Just try and wipe the possessive look off your face before speaking to Jay about his sister, alright." He stated, though at the same time the words left his mouth, Hanbin had rested a hand on your waist (visibly making you uncomfortable which Jake took notice of).

"Yeah, whatever, man." Jake nodded his head with furrowed brows and a clenched jaw as he soon began to make his way over to you both - irritation and displeasure filling his body. 

"Leave her alone." The boy stated loud enough so that he could be heard once making it over to you two. It felt as if a ton of bricks had been taken off of your shoulders as soon as Jake interrupted you and Hanbin's 'moment' and you could't be more grateful.

You knew you should of just told the Sung boy that you weren’t interested in him like that, however it seemed he had you in a suffocating chokehold, leaving you no room to but in as his hands latched onto your body and he towered over you like a giant. 

"And who are you exactly?" Hanbin squinted his eyes in a mixture of annoyance and confusion as he let his cold hand rest on you — which Jake had been eyeing the entire time, making him bite his bottom lip in anger. 

"None of your business," Jake revealed, shaking his head slightly and taking another step forward so that he could take hold of your hand and gently pull you away from the situation, however it wasn't that easy. "We're leaving, come on, y/n." 

"Bro, does she look like she wants to leave?" Hanbin asked, nodding his head towards you, who was chewing your bottom lip whilst he moved his hand from your waist and up to take hold of your other hand. 

The Sim boy narrowed his eyes at the taller boy and couldn't help but feel dumbfounded by his reply. It was obvious you were uncomfortable and didn't want to be there, so he couldn't quite understand how Hanbin couldn't grasp that. 

"Yeah, she does." He deadpanned with the nod of his head, a sarcastic scoff escaping his slightly parted lips as he licked them.

"Just leave us alone bro, we were fine before you became such a bother." Hanbin rolled his eyes. "Quit being a cockblock and hop off my dick." He declared and turned his attention back to you, who had an expression filled with disgust spread across your features. 

"Listen, Hanbin," you went to speak up, planning on rejecting him nicely, however before you got the chance to finish your sentence, Jake had turned the eldest back around in fury, and before anyone knew it, a hard hitting punch was thrown across Sung Hanbin's face. 

Chaotic yells erupted in the kitchen as Jake's fist collided with the side of Hanbin's face, the Sim boys actions being a shock to not only Hanbin himself, but also everyone else.

Nobody had expected Jake to get into yet another fight at a party this summer, and so when their attention was grabbed when the boy threw another hit, gasps accentuated throughout the home.

Hanbin, being quick to retaliate, threw a hit back, fury spread across his features as he grabbed Jake by the collar of his t-shirt.

Your eyes widened in frenzy and you took a few steps back, unsure what to do in a situation like this. Usually, your brother would be around to prevent the fight from getting any worse, however as time went on and more and more blood leaked from both of the boys, it felt as if Jay was never going to show up and save the day.

"Jake!" You panicked and you went to take a step forward, panic bubbling in your stomach — which made her want to puke — though, just as you were about to reach out to the boy that now had a firm grip on Hanbin's jacket, you were quickly yanked back by a firm grip on your wrist.

"Are you stupid?!" You heard your brother shout over the loud music, and instantly you felt your body relax. "What the fuck happened?" Jay asked, but he didn't leave a chance for you to answer as he'd already hurried to the two boys — Sunghoon and Niki hot on his tail — to try and depart them from one another.

It felt like an eternity for Jake and Hanbin to finally be pulled apart, and as soon as you watched the Sung boy step back to where his friends were stood, you scurried over to the chaos, your bottom lip tightly tucked between your teeth as anxiety ran through your veins.

You could feel your heartbeat race as fast as ever once your brown eyes landed on Jake and you couldn't help sigh.

His nose had a few slithers of blood dripping from it and his bottom lip was completely busted, along with his red eye that was bound to bruise sooner or later.

You wanted nothing more than to engulf him in a tight hug, lecture him about his actions and take care of him, but with your brother standing only inches away, you knew you couldn't do anything. It was like you were in chains and couldn't get free.

"What happened?" Jay asked, looking away from his best friend and over to Hanbin, who was busy groaning in pain with his friends, Matthew and Jiwoong surrounding him.

"You tell me," He scoffed, rolling his eyes as he sent Jake a fierce glare. If looks could kill... "This psychotic bitch swung for me just because I was talking to your sister." Hanbin explained in annoyance.

You had drowned out the rest of Jay and Hanbin's conversation, far too concerned for the boy beside you — who had now subtly placed his hand on your waist.

He too, wanted nothing more than to escape the situation and be alone with you, and so, he let out a hiss of pain as he licked his bottom lip habitually and turned his head to look down at you.

"Let's go." He stated firmly, his eyes darkening as they narrowed down to you, leaving you speechless. It was as if you were in a trance and under his spell, because all you did was nod in agreement before allowing him to take you away, ignoring Sunghoon's knowing look and Jay's glance of confusion.

After pushing yourselves through the swarms of bodies (your hands still being interlocked), the cold air outside hit you, instantly making goosebumps form on your skin — though neither of you seemed to care. That was the least of your worries.

"Where are we going?" You quietly asked as you looked up at the boy, whose jaw was still clenched and his body remained tense as he led the way.

"I don't know..." Jake answered just above a whisper, afraid that if he spoke normally, the fury he was feeling would be revealed even more than it already was, and you would take it the wrong way — thinking he was mad at you.

Which he wasn't. He could never be mad at you.

Eventually, after a little over five minutes of walking with an unknown destination, you found yourselves at the beach, sitting next to each other ever so closely — your thighs rubbing against each others, and your arm linked with Jake's and you rested your head on his shoulder.

The view before you was beautiful. The light waves brushed against one another as the soft breeze blew in the wind. The lights from other islands in the distance were glowing brightly and a few shining stars decorated the pitch black sky. It was silent on the beach, not another human in sight. The only sound that could be heard was the water caressing the damp sand, making a sense of calmness take over you both; easing Jake's emotions.

"I can't believe tonight's our last night." You sadly sighed, feeling your shoulders drop as your eyes remained on the sight before you. The boy beside you stayed silent whilst he slightly nodded his head in agreement — his mind still playing out the scenes from earlier.

"I didn't like how he was touching you, y/n..." Jake lowly spoke, breaking the comfortable and tension filled silence between you.

His voice was quiet, yet his tone made his emotions loud and clear.

All you could do was raise your head from his shoulder and look up at him, your eyes softer than ever as he slowly moved his head to look down at you with his eyes glassy and glimmering against the lights around you. His injuries were no longer as noticeable and you couldn't help but feel your heart go pitter-patter against your chest.

Despite being in such an open area, the air between you felt stuffy and suffocating as your eyes met. Your throat felt tight and you subconsciously bit down on your lip, nervously.

"You're mine, y/n." Jake stated unwaveringly, his clenched jaw showing just how serious he was. "Not Hanbin's or anybody elses. They don't get to touch you like that..." The boy paused for a moment before he eyes unhurriedly trailed down to your lips, where he felt his heart ache with need.

"Only I do."

You sat with her mouth slightly parted, amazed at the boys words. They made your stomach churn and it felt as if caterpillars were finally hatching from their cocoons and flapping their wings rapidly as you subconsciously squeezed your legs together.

His jealousy made you feel things you’d never felt before.

His jealousy made you want to do things you’ve never done before.

Without another thought, you placed your warm hand on the side of his face and pulled him down to you so that you were only inches away from having your lips touch.

You���d kissed before, however for some unknown reason, this time felt different. There was a lot more need and sexual tension surrounding you, that you felt as if you’d lose control as soon as your lips touch.

And so, after a short moment of pained silence, you and Jake crashed your lips together, desperate for one another. You wanted each other so bad that you could no longer contain it. You didn't care if you were on a public beach and that Jay could show up at any moment and catch you, pull you apart, and demand that you stopped seeing each other. You liked each other too much to be able to do that.

It wasn't until a hiss fell from Jake's lips that you pulled away, worry taking over your features as you inspected his face. "I'm sorry," you whispered out, reaching up to delicately caress his injured lip.

"It's okay," Jake quietly reassured, shaking his head as he took hold of your hand that was touching his face. "I don't care about the pain... I just want you." He said, before reaching down to grab hold of your leg to pull you up, so that you could sit on his lap.

A chuckle escaped your lips at the sudden movement, however before any words could leave your mouth, the boy had reached back up and connected your lips again — this time it was a lot more messy.

You could feel his tip of his tongue licking at your bottom lip, desperate for entrance and you gladly gave it to him, parting your lips ever so slightly so that the muscle could explore your mouth.

You could feel his hands roughly, yet also gently, roam your body, touching over your waist, grazing your breasts, squeezing your hips and guiding them to rock against his crotch.

His actions caused a soft moan to fall from your mouth and into his, making him smirk into the kiss and roll your heat into him harder.

Instantly, as the pressure of his hard on nudged your clothed, untouched clit, you couldn’t help but detach your lips and throw your head back as a gasp flew past your lips and your hands landed on his shoulders.

“Jake…” You whimpered whilst the boy took the opportunity to attack your exposed neck with his mouth, sucking and biting it like it would be his final meal.

By now, Jake no longer had to guide you as you’d quite quickly got the hang of the sinful action and began cantering your hips into him; your arousal dampening your panties and seeping through them onto the older boys trousers.

“God,” Jake breathed out as he pulled away from your skin and attached his eyes to what you were doing, which only made a groan pass his parted lips before he shook his head in awe.

Without another word, the Sim boy swiftly flipped you over so that you were now laying beneath him on the sand with him laying between your parted legs.

Taking over your previous movement, Jake soon started to desperately grind his clothed cock into your heat, the empty beach soon filling with the sounds of your heavy breathing as you hugged the boy close to you.

It felt as if you were in a cloud of pleasure and your mind was completely fogged over as you felt your insides clench and your bottom lip find it’s way between your teeth.

Was this normal?

You thought you could only ever feel such intense pleasure from sex, not dry humping…

Suddenly, an uncontrollable gasp escaped your mouth and your eyes squinted shut as your high consumed your body, making your legs tremble and your tummy muscles clench as you came in your panties; Jake following suit whilst he lowly groaned.

“Fuck,” The boy huffed out as he kneeled upright to look down at you as his fingertips mindlessly stroked your exposed thighs. “That was so hot.”

Just the thought of you cumming from nothing but a bit of dry humping was enough the make the blood gush through his cock once again and he quickly ran a hand through his hair.

“You’re amazing, y/n,” He praised and leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead. “You’re so perfect.” Jake complimented and rubbed a few droplets of sweat from your head, making you smile a slightly dazed smile up at him.

It was then, in that moment, as Jake praised you and showered you in kisses as you came down from your high, that you both realized just how in love you were with each other.

───────────

You woke up the next morning with a heavy heart and your shoulders slumped; the feeling of loath streaming through your body. You really did not want to go through with what was about to come.

You didn't want to say goodbye to Jake, not now, not ever.

You could still feel the boys delicate hands roaming your body as you got ready for the day, brushing your hair whilst the image of his lust filled eyes looking up at her as you ground your hips on his lap appeared in your mind, making your stomach swirl.

Standing in front of the mirror, you felt your breathing hitch as you traced your warm fingertips over the purple marks he’d left on your collarbones.

Just the thought of Jake's soft, plump lips against your smooth skin had you going into a frenzy and made your head blur as you remembered the quiet groans that would escape his mouth as he bruised your skin.

"Y/n! Hurry up!" Your brother's voice calling out to you abruptly disturbed your thoughts, causing you to quickly snatch your hand away from the hem of your pajama shorts and a panicked breath to leave your mouth as your eyes widened and your cheeks burned red. Embarrassed at what your hand was subconsciously doing and alarmed at the mere thought of missing Jay, Sunghoon and Jake's departure.

"I'm coming!" You screamed back down to your brother, rolling your eyes at the sound of his moaning and groaning about you always taking forever filled your ears.

Huffing to yourself, you hurriedly stripped from your night clothes and got into a pair of shorts that you were sure would be comfortable for the long journey home and a simple, orange flannel that you’d stolen from Jake a few years ago when he'd left it in the family living room after sleeping over. The boy hadn't asked for it back yet, and so you didn't see a problem with having it at all.

Once you’d finished cleaning your face, you quickly picked up your dirty laundry and shoved it into your backpack, not caring if it was folded or not. You could deal with it later on when you returned home because right now, you didn't care. All you cared about was seeing Jake for one last time before the Winter break.

"Finally." Jay loudly huffed once you had made it downstairs, your backpack clinging to your shoulders. All you could do was roll your eyes at your brother and head into the kitchen to grab something for you and Niki to eat for the car ride.

"The car is all packed, so we can head home now." The Park siblings father announced as he poked his head through the front door the inform the five of you, to which you nodded in acknowledgment and soon left the holiday home.

"It was nice meeting you, even if we didn't speak much." You smiled widely and a chuckle fell from your lips as you looked up at Park Sunghoon, who had a firm grip on the strap of his bag and his other hand tucked in his jean pocket and a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah, and it's safe to say that the allegations of you being an 'Annoying Younger Sister' are false." Sunghoon laughed, pulling you in for a quick hug before pulling away and looking down at you with a mischievous glint in his eye. "And whatever's going on with you and Jake, be careful around Jay. He already thinks you've got some secret boyfriend because you rejected Sung Hanbin."

Instantly, your eyes widened slightly in shock — shocked because the thought of Jay slowly catching onto what was going on between his best friend and sister panicked you, and because Sunghoon knew there was something happening between them.

"Don't worry, your secrets safe with me." Sunghoon quickly reassured you before being beckoned away by your mother, who was desperate for a hug from 'the son she should of had.'

"The flannel looks good on you." You heard his voice softly speak out from behind you, making your heart skip a beat as you hurriedly spun around on your heel, a wide grin on your lips as you looked ahead at Jake Sim.

He was wearing a striped, long sleeved polo shirt that was white and navy and a pair of denim jeans along with black and white converse. His outfit was simple, yet he still managed to make it look ten times more attractive than it would've looked on any other person.

"Oh," you stuttered out, glancing down at the flannel and then back up at him, your cheeks now tinted red. Despite going as far as second base — pretty much third — you still managed to get flustered just being under his strong, appealing gaze. "Thanks..."

A chuckle broke past Jake's plump lips as his hands instantly attached themselves to your hips, pulling your body against his as a way of bringing you in for a hug. Your own arms instinctively wrapping around his neck, bringing him down closer to you, making his face muzzle into the crook of your neck and his arms circle your waist; his thumb gently brushing against the skin that had been exposed due to the flannel hiking up.

"I'll miss you." The older boy whispered into your hair and his warm breath softly hit your neck, causing goosebumps to attack your skin and your stomach to spin with nerves and excitement.

"I'll miss you, too." You quietly said back as you pulled him even closer to you, afraid he'd disappear at any moment — which in a way, he was.

Once you had both had pulled away from one another and shared glances over at Jay, who was busy messing around with Niki and Sunghoon, Jake hurriedly placed his hand on the side of your face and leaned down, pressing his delicate lips against your own.

And even though it was quick and chased and left you both wanting more, the strong feelings you felt for one another were still apparent, and as Jake stared down into your dark eyes, he parted his lips, ready for the three words he desperately wanted to get off of his chest to be released into the world.

"Ew, go away, Jake." Jay scoffed, his voice filled with disgust as he made his way over to the two of you, disturbing your moment and halting Jake's next actions. "And quit looking at my sister like you want to kiss her, you freak. It's weird."

A muffled chuckle left your mouths as you awkwardly took a step away from one another.

"See you around, y/n." Jake waved, his lips tightly pressed together a he walked away from the siblings, subtly winking at you behind Jay's back, making you do everything you could to hold back an even more prominent blush and a giggle.

"Don't get into trouble when I'm gone." Jay warned, sternly, looking down at you with a raised brow, making you roll your eyes and release a groan.

"I didn't get in trouble before, so I think I'll be perfectly fine, Jay." You huffed out, folding your arms across your chest.

"Whatever, I'm just warning you because you're going into your last year of high school, that's all." He explained, before reaching out and forcing you into a hug, which only caused you to break out of the tough character you were attempting to portray and fling your arms around his waist.

"When I come back for Winter break, I'm going to throw a party and this time you're allowed to join." Jay told you as they pulled apart, him roughing up your hair in a playful manner.

Your eyes lit up at the boys words and you couldn't help but let out a happy sigh. Previously, whenever Jay would host a party at your home when your parents would go out of town, he'd always make you hide away upstairs in your bedroom, so hearing that you’d actually be able to join in made you feel a sense of accomplishment.

You were finally cool enough to hang out with your older brother at his party.

Eventually, when all the goodbyes were said and long hugs were shared and Jay, Jake and Sunghoon climbed into the eldest's car, you sadly smiled as you watched as the vehicle slowly began to drive away from the home, Jake hanging out the window and waving to the family.

Once the car had officially vanished and your shoulders had slumped, you and Niki, along with your parents got into the other vehicle, ready to finally head home.

"Do you think I'm stupid?" Niki's low, deep voice questioned, making you snatch your attention away from the scenery outside the window and look over at the boy who'd decided to sit in the middle seat beside you.

"Hm?" You furrowed your brows in confusion, removing the AirPod that you and the Nishimura boy were listening to music through together.

"You and Jake.”

there will be a part two to this which will be much shorter, tumblr js decided to be stupid and stop me at a certain word count idk lmao

i hope you enjoyed this & my apologies for it being long lol

DON’T FORGET TO REBLOG :)

@ criminalyun 2024.

[homeofthelonelywriter]

Capri Sun

(A/N) This is just stupid, but I love this side of Cod.

Pairing: Simon x Reader (no Y/N)

Warning: blood draw, fear of needles, aggressive and oblivious reader, starstruck Simon, suggestive at the end

Synopsis: Based on this.

Simon is a soldier. A warrior. Hardened by life, by the horrors he experiences every day. He had killed hundreds, thousands of people with his hands. Scars cover his body. Scars he acquired in battle and through torture. His subordinates fear him, his superiors respect him. If anyone were to think of a ‘tough guy’, someone not scared by anything, they would think of him.

But god damn, this man is scared of needles. What didn’t help, was the fact that, as a soldier, he had regular health check-ups, each of them including a blood draw.

At first, he tried to face his fear alone, not telling anyone how bad it really was. Only when he eventually fainted before one of those blood draws, did Price catch wind of the Lieutenant’s phobia. And since then, he accompanied Simon to every single blood draw, just to make sure the big, scary man was okay.

But Price still tried to help Simon with his fear. While at first, the Captain would be standing right beside his colleague, he started slowly distancing himself, hoping to give the Lieutenant some independence that way.

The same was happening again. They had just gotten back from a mission and due to an injury, Simon had to go through a check-up, which would start with the oh-so-feared blood draw.

The soldier felt the anxiety from the moment he woke up, only consoled by the fact, that since he had to be sober for the blood draw, it would take place before breakfast. At least it would be over soon.

Ten minutes before Simon’s appointment was scheduled, Price knocked on his door and picked him up. Together, they walked to the infirmary and after checking Simon in, they sat down in the waiting room. Some other soldiers recognized them and started to chat with Price, not really noticing Simon’s silence. After all, he wasn’t much of a talker on a day when he didn’t have to get a needle jabbed into his arm.

After a few minutes, Simon was called into one of the rooms. As he got up, he glanced at Price, who just nodded encouragingly, sending the Lieutenant off. While walking to the room, Simon took slow, steady breaths, already trying to calm his nerves. But when he entered, the anxiety spiked up again.

This time, it wasn’t because of the prospect of what was about to happen, but because of…you. You were…adorable, sitting on a tiny stool, you could use to roll around the room.

He stood in the door for a few seconds, staring at your profile, as you routinely took out everything you’d need for this. You didn’t even notice him until you swiveled around to face the door.

A surprised gasp escaped your lips, not expecting a mountain of a man to be your patient today. Sure, you were used to treating soldiers, big men and women, fit and stocky, but that man…he was something else entirely.

After recovering from the surprise, you let out a chuckle and pointed to the chair in front of you.

“Please, take a seat.”

Simon did as you asked, still staring at you. You looked so fragile and cute. And your smile. If Simon were to die and he could pick one image to see before he leaves this world, it would be that smile of yours.

You swiveled back again, grabbing a capri sun from a table behind you before you turned back to face him. As you ripped off the straw, you started to go through your standard introduction.

“Hi I'm your medic and I'll be drawing your blood today.”

You straightened the straw and aimed at the small hole on the top, jamming the straw down, but missing it. If this display wouldn’t have scared Simon as much as it did, he would’ve found the way, your face pulled into a frown, adorable.

You try again, missing once more, making you grow incredibly frustrated.

“Ahm, so…are you sober?”

You weren’t even looking at Simon while asking him the question, still focused on the capri sun and the way you kept missing the hole.

“Uh-hu.”

You glance at him, a smile on your face, before you glance back down at the juice pack in your hands, the smile gone.

“And have you ever fainted before, during, or after a blood draw?”

Simon’s muscles tensed and his eyes grew wide while he watched you jabbing at the poor juice pouch, a thin layer of sweat starting to cover his skin. His hands had started to claw at the armrests of the chair. But you were oblivious to his panic.

He muttered a quick ‘no’, wanting to save face in front of you, but in his mind, he completed it with a ‘but I think I’m about to’.

“Good. Let me just…ugh.”

Another missed attempt and you clearly had enough. You balled up the pouch, turned it on its side, and jabbed the straw into it with as much force as possible, a triumphant ‘ah-ha!’ leaving your lips as you took a sip.

Your display of aggression was enough for the poor man and with a voice you never expected from someone like him, he called out.

“Price!”

You looked up, confused as to what was going on. Your confusion only grew when another big and burly soldier, even if not as big and burly as the one sat in front of you, came running up to the door.

“What’s going on?”

You looked between him and the man sitting in front of you, not knowing what to say. And Simon didn’t say anything either, instead just reaching out his hand towards the Captain.

Price let out an understanding chuckle and closed the door for some privacy, before grabbing Simon’s hand and giving him an assuring squeeze.

“He doesn’t like getting his blood drawn.”

The way Price whispered that to you, seemed as if he was sharing an important secret with you. You nodded in understanding and sat down the juice pouch, which caught Price’s attention, earning you a confused look.

“I couldn’t hit the hole with the straw, so…”

You explained it so nonchalantly, but in that moment, everything started to make sense in Price’s head and he had to use all of his self-restraint to not just burst out laughing.

Now that you knew that your patient was afraid of the procedure ahead of him, you decided to get it over with as quickly as possible. And you did it without a hitch, placing a small bandaid over the puncture wound.

“Do keep some pressure on that, okay? You don’t want a bruise to form there.”

Simon nodded and with the help of Price got to his feet. The Captain quickly thanked you, before leaving the room, but Simon hesitated. He glanced at you and you again smiled at him, making his heart melt.

“W-Would you l-like to go out s-somtime?”

He talked so quietly, it took your brain a second to catch up, and when it did, a heavy blush covered your cheeks. Was he really asking you out?

“Y-Yeah. I’d love to. I’m done at six tonight.”

Simon nodded, not looking at you, way too embarrassed.

“I’ll pick you up then.”

You nodded and smiled at him, waving as he left the room.

Let’s just say, from that moment on, you were the only medic that would draw his blood. And let’s just say that with him, the procedure required a lot longer than normal and would only happen behind a locked door. Yeah, he’d practically have you sitting in his lap while drawing his blood, grinding up into you, the only way to get his mind off of what was happening that moment. At least Price no longer had to accompany him to those appointments.

Please consider reblogging and following me! It helps a lot!

Call of Duty - Masterlist

Master-Masterlist

[kenandeliza]

a collection of ideas of a post-suspendium Golden Age comics Billy Batson if he ended up in the 21st century (pick any comic continuity

EDIT: IF YOU SEE THIS POST HAVING A WEIRD/REPEATING PARAGRAPH/FORMAT, LET ME KNOW BECAUSE TUMBLR ISNT WORKING FOR MY MOBILE

1.adoption scenario

(If a leaguer wanted to adopt Billy, he’d just show them his birth certificate)

Billy smirking:” Sorry, you can’t legally adopt a grandpa”

2. Billy teasing with a smug boomer voice: “Back in my day, we used to play with atomic machines!”

3. youtube

Billy:thanks for showing me how to use a modern phone (insert friend from 21st century)! But I wonder, where is the tv remote for changing the youtube channel? And Where is the news?

(Friend from the 21st century):*sighs* it’s so over

4. Old friends

Aside from the fawcett city heroes, Billy in this case probably relates more to the older heroes like wildcat, Alan scott or Jay Garrick, maybe they have multiple team ups in the past and would reminiscent over it (the rest having their favorite drinks while Billy preferring his hot chocolate ice cream)

5. Teasing

The younger hero teams who know his identity would teasingly call him a “boomer”, Billy wanted to protest that he technically was born before boomers but they ignored it and still teased him about it.

to the rest of the heroes who didn’t know about his identity, they assume captain marvel is more than centuries old, and thinks this is the reason the kid heroes calls him a boomer.

6. Jokes

Billy: “oh so these memes are like what replaces comic strips i used to read, how nice”

Some of these ideas are taken from the fanfics i’ve written, some just came to me inside my head, but it’s fun to think about it.

(Edited: added more scenarios)

7. Caprisuns

Caprisuns werent invented yet when Billy was in suspendium. After getting out of suspendium, He really likes caprisun.

Other leaguers would be confused, Marvel's liking of caprisun is comparable to Martian Manhunter's love of oreos. When asked about when his capri sun addiction started, Marvel shrugged, "They weren't made before I was born, so it was only recent"

The league is now confused as to how old marvel is. Wonder Woman relates to this with her fascination of ice cream flavors.

8. Billy automatically put on a Mid-atlantic accent whenever he is near a microphone due to his habit and work with Whiz station for his TV segments as well as radio programs.

Whenever Captain Marvel uses a communicator, he unintentionally uses a mid-atlantic accent (this confuses the leaguers, "who is this guy!?"). Some of the leaguers enjoyed listening to his voice

Marvel would occasionally file an audio JL report (yes, with the same mid-atlantic accent) when he's on a hurry and couldn't type it out with his typewriter (he still finds it difficult to use a computer) : "And there you have it, folks! In a nutshell, I managed to handle the There was an outbreak of imps but Mary and I already took care of it, Junior apprehend the acrobat after a terible case of Moonitis, the three of us thwarted Mr. Mind's dastardly scheme to seize control of the sun, and we all prevented Sivana from being promoted to "King of Earth" by hurling his atomic bomb straight into the heart of the sun itself! That's the latest from me, This is Captain Marvel, signing off!"

Leaguer: "Why does he sound like a radio host commenting on a football game?"

Other leaguer:*shrugs*

9. Billy watches a cgi lion movie for the first time

..and thought innocently that there are other talking tigers like tawky tawny.

Some of these ideas are taken from the fanfics i’ve written, some just came to me inside my head, but it’s fun to think about it.

[johannepetereric]

I start a comment about how Kyoya has shitty hair in Zero-G, and then a couple days later, I’m monologuing to myself and hypothetical conversations about Ponytail 101

[mermaidgirl30]

✨Love Amidst The Blue Part 1: Discovering the Siren✨

Series Masterlist

A/N: Welcome to my little mermaid au world featuring sailor! Joel 💙 I hope you enjoy this story I put together, and please tell me what you think! Comments and reblogs always appreciated and thank you to @mountainsandmayhem for reading over this and giving me suggestions! 🥰

Summary: Joel sets out on the Tyrrhenian Sea with his crew in search for hidden treasure. What he doesn’t know is that he’ll meet a beautiful mermaid that will turn his world upside down. Will he win her over or will he introduce a long ago foe to the mermaids of the hidden underwater city of Capri?

Pairing: sailor! Joel x mermaid fem! reader

Word Count: 9.1k

Rating: Explicit (18+ Only MDNI)

Tags: Longing, feelings, eventual smut, Joel discovers a mermaid, mermaids try to drown Joel, slight angst

Dividers by @firefly-graphics and @saradika-graphics

The crystal blue water of the Tyrrhenian Sea is calm, the wind gently blowing the sails of the Deep Blue Oasis as it rocks back and forth slowly. That was the name of Joel’s boat, one of his most prized possessions. A gateway to the unknown where he could clear his mind and get lost on the aqua ocean tides that have called to him for as long as he could remember.

A call to the side of him that loves history , ancient things, and to the treasure hunter in himself. He spent countless days out on the tides of the sea, always looking for hidden treasures that may be hiding under the deep blue water. His scattered map was marked with red inked circles and x’s of areas where there was said to be lost treasures down below. He swore to his father he’d find them one day and make him proud.

Joel’s father was a wealthy businessman, always focused on the clients in Italy and making a fortune of his own. Joel didn’t want to follow in his footsteps. He wanted to be out on the sea, out where the ocean breeze could ruffle through his curly locks and carry him into the unknown. He always loved the water and the salty sea air, always wanted to become a sailor to travel the world. His father never approved of it, though. He said it was a waste of time and money, until that dark day that he passed away. His last dying breath was him telling Joel to buy a big boat and sail. Make me proud, son. Follow your dream. Those words still haunt him to this day, the few words he begged his father to say his entire life. So on his thirtieth birthday, that’s exactly what he did.

Five years later Joel had his own boat, his own crew, his own freedom to do as he pleased. His crew wasn’t the most trustful men, but they earned his trust little by little. He befriended some filthy pirates on one of his sea explorations a couple of years ago. At first they threatened him, but he was smart and talked them out of stealing from him and taking over his boat. He offered them so much money that they couldn’t refuse. They agreed to work for him and show him parts of the sea that he’d never been to. Sure, they had their flaws and their bad habits, but he couldn’t do this without them. So he decided to give them a chance.

Joel unfolds his large map of the area and lays it out flat on the side of the railings, studying the area like he knows exactly where he’s headed to. He rolls up his white cotton sleeves and traces lines of the faded map, mapping out this specific area with the tip of his finger.

“Captain Miller, the boys think it’s in this area,” Jasper voices over the blowing breeze, making Joel stop to look up from his marked map.

“What is?” he asks with a raised brow.

“The hidden underwater city of Capri,” Jasper says with excitement in his flushed swampy eyes. His linens are tattered, his blonde hair outgrown and unkempt, his crooked smile waning up at Joel as mischief plays in his scattered mind.

“I thought that was just a folktale? The underwater city. People have searched for years and found nothing. What makes you so sure this place is here?” Joel asks with narrowed dark eyes, waiting for an honest answer from his so-called pirate friend.

“Mermaids, cap’n. They’re here in this area,” Jasper says with the gleam of his eye, sure of himself as much as he’s sure of how to sail this boat.

“Mermaids…” Joel questions, flicking his eyes out to the blue tides as the water gently laps at the large rocks in the water. “I’ve never seen a mermaid, Jas. Only seen them in some old books in my study. As far as I’m concerned, they aren’t here.”

Joel starts to turn around, but Jasper catches his arm. “I swear on my life, mate. They're as real as you and me. Seen one with my own eyes. Not long ago either. Beautiful creatures they are, their siren songs able to hypnotize anyone who dares to look them in the eyes. Saw one drown one of my men before. Grabbed him by the arm and pulled him under with her song. He was never seen again,” he says with sad eyes, looking out into the bright horizon as seagulls and pelicans flock the sunny sky.

Joel ticks his jaw and looks out amongst the miles and miles of open ocean, only seeing the lapping waves as they hit the bottom of the boat. “Jasper, I’m gonna have to see one with my own eyes to believe it. Maybe it was sun poison that made you see things.”

“It wasn’t sun poison, Joel! If you won’t believe me, then I pray one day you do see one. Am I one to lie?” he asks with a heated stare and a hand on his grimy hip.

Joel knits his brows together and stares for a minute at the pirate that swears on his life he’s seen a mermaid. While Jasper doesn’t usually lie to Joel, he’s still a pirate. Still willing to lie and cheat his way around the system. But he’s also the most trustful of his crew, so he’s torn. Maybe it wasn’t a mermaid he saw, but maybe another sea creature. Yes. That’s what it must’ve been. Something else.

Joel puts a hand on Jasper’s shoulder and nods his head. “Sure, Jas. But let’s keep our eyes out for this.” Joel puts his index finger on the red x that’s marked right around the sea cave that sits a few hundred feet from the boat. Supposedly there was a ship wreck that happened years ago, and men have tried and failed to discover what great treasures were lost to the sea that day. Those who go in, never come out. Joel would find out, though. One way or another he’d discover the secret of what happened so many years ago.

“Go on and have the men anchor the boat. Wanna stay here overnight and see if we can find anything.”

Jasper nods his head and huffs out a breath. “Yes, cap’n. Right away.” He turns and yells at the men to hoist the anchor and get ready to search the area.

Joel folds the map back up and places it in the pocket of his tan trousers. He sighs and looks out at the massive sea cave, watching the waves churn calmly against the rough rocks.

Mermaids. There couldn’t be any. He would’ve seen one before, would’ve remembered if he did. He lets his thoughts go back to the task at hand and clears his mind. No time to think of maybe’s and false folklore. It was time to find some treasure.

The water is crystal clear today, sunlight beaming through the long seaweed that sits tangled in the ocean. You swim your way past a pod of dolphins, waving hello to the newborn calves as they whistle out their greetings. You dive down hundreds of feet and hum your favorite lullaby. The one your mom used to sing you every night before you fell asleep in the comfy bed of a massive clam shell.

A school of colorful fish swim past you, and you smile up at them as you propel yourself faster to get to your favorite discrete area of the bay. You call it the moonlight sea cave because at night you can see the moon shine all the way through the entire cave system, even under the water. It’s beautiful, a place where you can go to think and relax.

You always have to sneak off to this area. Your sisters would never approve, and you shudder thinking how your father would react. How many times has he told you to never go up to the surface again? How many times had your sisters dragged you back home over the years? You couldn’t keep track, didn’t want to think about it.

After that awful day that happened so many years ago, you weren’t supposed to want to go back up to the surface. You weren’t supposed to look for treasure that humans always dropped off their boats, but you still did. And you definitely weren’t supposed to be this close to shore, but you were still quite a ways out. Your father would kill you if he found you swimming around these parts, but you chose to ignore his wishes like you always did.

You swim up to the surface and lift your face into the sunlight, breathing the fresh salty air as you inhale the warm breeze. You push your long hair over your shoulder and take a few strides through the water, floating in the waves as the salt water dries on your shoulders.

When you look up, you freeze as your blood runs cold. A boat, there’s a boat. It’s big, towering over the water as a crew of men work on casting nets and walk along the deck. You duck down in fear and hide behind a rock, hoping that they haven't seen you. You slowly peek your head around the corner and stop in your tracks when you see him. The most beautiful man you’ve ever laid your eyes on.

He’s tall, broad shouldered, and has the most beautiful smile you’ve ever seen. His hair is dark, tousled curls blowing in the wind as a few strands fall near his eyes. Brown, warm flecks coat his eyes. Eyes you could get lost in, eyes that you’d now dream about for days on end. And his arms. They’re strong, built, powerhouses that could take down a large man. The top buttons on his white cotton shirt are open, exposing tanned skin that must bathe in the sunlight on a regular basis.

You’re supposed to hate humans. You don’t trust them, you don’t think you could ever trust them again. But him… he looks like a walking dreamboat, a sailor you’d like to get to know. He doesn’t look like all the other ones, no. He looks kind, caring, maybe even dare you say trusting. But he’s a human, and you’re a mermaid. This can’t happen, this can’t ever happen.

Scar bumps your hip with his large fin as he makes a circle around you, warning you that you could be seen. “It’s okay, Scar. They can’t see me, I don’t think. It’s alright.”

He bumps you again with his snout and looks at you with his big black eyes, his dorsal fin coming just above the surface. He tells you to be careful, tells you he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to you. You only smile and brush your hand against his sandpaper like skin.

“I’m alright. Promise. Go on, I’ll be fine. Just gonna stay here for a few minutes,” you confirm. He huffs out a sigh and dives back down into the deep depths of the water, but he stays close. He always stays close. Who knew that a great white shark would be one of your best friends in the sea? They usually don’t want anything to do with mermaids, but you saved him that awful day that was full of bloodshed and death. And ever since then he never left your side. You were grateful for him. He was the best protector you ever had.

You stay there against the rock and lean your elbows up on it, continuing to watch the handsome man look over what looks like an old map of some sort. You lap your tail up and down in the water and lean your cheek against the rock, daydreaming of meeting the man with dark eyes.

He was going to get you in trouble, but you didn’t care. You’d risk your life just to get a chance to stare into the maps of his golden brown eyes.

Joel clings to the side of the boat as he digs his nails into the warm, polished wood. He turns his head to watch his crew stay busy on the deck as they bustle around and drag their worn out shoes against the floorboards. He sighs and takes another look at his intricate map, tracing his finger over every crevice of the parchment until he gets frustrated and throws his head up to look out on the bright horizon.

As soon as he looks up, he stops cold as he spots the gleam of a sparkling tail in the near distance. It’s not just a tail, there’s a girl leaning up against a rock that’s staring right back at him. He rubs his eyes to make sure it’s not the sun playing tricks on his mind, but she still appears there in the same spot just staring blankly at him. He sees a young woman who’s beautiful, dreamlike, something he only thought was a fantasy. He sees you, a mermaid…

Mermaids aren’t real, mermaids can’t be real. But how does he explain what he clearly sees now? You are very much real.

His ears ring with white noise, the sounds of his crew scrubbing along the deck nearly nonexistent now. It’s just you and him, staring at each other as if you’re the only two people out on the calm waters. It’s just the gentle breeze kissing his tanned skin and the distant noise of waves lapping against the rock that you so subtly lean against, eyes locking with each other as if the world crashes on its side to bring the two of you together.

He grabs his golden telescope, looking through the lense as you come into view just inches from his vision. The sight of you nearly knocks the breath out of him, his eyes widen as he takes in the beauty that sits before him. He thinks you’re the most beautiful creature he’s ever laid eyes on, thinks you’re absolutely divine, a treasure that should be well cared for.

His eyes trail down your lush curves, taking in the dusty coral colored seashells that cover your breasts, scanning every inch of your shimmering tail that’s soft pink as it flicks back and forth against the water. It’s almost sparkling like diamonds, maybe even soft to the touch. He wonders what you feel like, what you sound like. He bets your voice is like an angel’s, captivating and melodic like nothing he’s ever heard on earth. He wonders what your hands feel like, how they’d feel entwined in his own.

You should swim away, dive back underneath the blue water, but you can’t move. You can’t look away from the handsome stranger. You want to know his name, want to ask him all about what land life is like, want to know if his voice is as soft as his tousled curls look, want to see him again and again…

“Cap’n, whatcha lookin’ at?” Jasper asks as he comes up to Joel and nearly sends him over the edge of the boat. Joel drops the telescope from his unsteady hand, and it lands in a heap on the wooden deck. He scrambles to pick it up, and when he stands up and looks back out at the rock he sees that you’re gone.

He huffs out a sigh and shakes his head slowly. “It was nothing, Jas. Just thought I saw something. Was only a dolphin, nothing else,” he says with a hint of sadness on his tongue, wishing you were still on the rock so he could look into your entrancing eyes.

“Too bad it wasn’t a mermaid. Could’ve made you a true believer,” Jasper laughs as he hits Joel on the back of the shoulder with more force than he meant to.

“Yeah, too bad…” Joel says quietly as he stares at the vacant rock, doing nothing for his peace of mind as he wishes you were still there.

When he turns away from the rock, he sets his eyes back on the folded out map and grabs it up, heading toward the rest of his crew as they send down row boats to go inspect the area.

Joel makes a promise to himself then. Tonight he’ll go out late at night and look for you, hoping you’ll hear his thoughts that he wants to see you again. He will see you again. That’s a promise he will surely keep.

Later that night, Joel tosses and turns in his cabin quarters underneath the boat. He can’t sleep, can’t think as he tosses and turns back and forth in his bed. He thinks of you, the way your tail shimmered in the glow of the sun, how your eyes called to him from the deck of the boat. He needs to see you again. He needs to talk to you.

He crawls out of the bed and throws on his leather boots, lacing them up as he climbs up the stairs and enters into the glow of the full moon as the stars sparkle in the sky. He tiptoes around drunken pirates that are passed out cold on the deck, snoring and limbs scattered about as he passes them carefully to not wake them.

He paces the upper deck, sliding his hands along the edge, searching and searching for any sign of moment in the water. He only sees the faint laps of water against the boat, sees nothing out of the ordinary. He starts to doubt himself, maybe he saw nothing. Maybe it really was the sun playing tricks on his brain. It wouldn’t be the first time.

He sighs and starts to turn around, until he hears a soft melody carrying through the water. He turns around sharply and latches onto the wooden edge of the boat, eyes searching as he hears the sing-song voice start to come closer. It’s angelic, harmonious, nothing that he’d ever heard before. It sends him into a trance-like state, needing to find the owner of the beautiful song.

You wade through the water, flipping your tail as you hide behind the large rocks, singing the song of your people as you let your voice blow through the breeze, hoping he can hear you, hoping he’ll come.

Please, come. Come out to the sea, let me see your beautiful face.

You let your voice carry over the water, humming out melodic notes as you flip through the water. He has to come. He has to hear your voice, has to listen to you call him with your siren song. Come on, handsome sailor. Come find me.

You peek your head out from behind the rock and see him standing there on the deck, staring at you as his eyes go wide. You smile triumphantly as you duck back under the water, tempting him to come chase you.

Come get me, come get me. Find me under the water.

Joel wastes no time and lowers a wooden row boat to the water, climbing down a ladder as he jumps carefully onto the small boat as it rocks underneath his weight. He rows it out slowly to the middle of the water, searching his eyes every which way to find you.

“Where are you? Come out,” he whispers into the crisp night air.

He hears a splash to the left of him and throws his head in that direction. He sees small bubbles that form over the water, but there’s no sign of you. He sighs and pulls his eyes toward the rock and then he sees you.

He audibly gasps as you splash your tail and hide back behind the shelter of the big foundation in the water, nerves pulling in you as you’re so close to the human. The human with dark eyes and beautiful face. A human you want to meet.

He crawls to the edge of the little boat and places his hands on the edge, calling out to you in a deep voice that sends goosebumps down your arms. “Hey, come out. It’s alright, I won’t hurt you. Please, don’t hide,” he says, calmly holding out an arm as if he wants you to take it.

You peek your head out from behind the rock carefully and see him leaning against the boat, a little too close to the water. He doesn’t know what dangers lurk beneath him, what things would reach out and drag him under the water.

You shouldn’t go, shouldn’t talk to a human. Humans are bad, humans are cold, cruel, vial. They killed so many of your kind, tortured your friends of the sea. But him… Well, he looks kind. He looks… safe. Safe? Could humans be safe? No. Could they…

This was stupid and reckless. You start to turn back into the shadows until he calls out to you again. “Wait, please. Don’t go. Stay,” he pleads, his eyes searching yours with some kind of intensity and longing that you’ve never seen before. It frightens you more than the horrors humans have caused in your life.

Stay. The word wracks your brain over and over as it pulls at your insides.

Stay. He asked you to stay. You decide then that that’s exactly what you’ll do. You’ll stay. You’ll stay for him. You might regret it later, but for now this is what you wanted. What you needed to do.

You start to swim slowly over to him, diving under the water and breaching just inches from his wooden boat. You come up for air, realizing just how close you are to his face now. He’s so beautiful, the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen in your life.

His skin is tan, the sun bronzing him as he seems to spend days on end on the water. His shoulders are broad, so strong as your eyes trail down his thick arms, ropes of taut veins spread wide over his lower arms. His hands look strong, big, calloused from working on a boat. You bet they feel nice, would like to feel them pressed up against your face or maybe have them entwined with your fingers.

His dark, tousled curls kiss his forehead as stray curls fall over his skin. You have to stop yourself from reaching out your hand to push them back into place. You think it must feel so soft, so smooth…

And his eyes. God, his eyes. They’re deep brown, flecks of golden warmth sprawled across the crevices of his irises. They’re beautiful, deep, intricate as they study you carefully.

He digs his hands into the side of the boat and leans so far forward you’re afraid it may tip over. You make sure that it doesn’t because these waters are dangerous to humans, dangerous to men such as himself.

He looks at you with wide eyes, his lips parting as he takes in your features. He’s so close that he can make out details he couldn’t see up on the boat through the telescope. Like your eyes. He’d never seen such beautiful eyes such as yours. They glisten like the stars, almost as deep as the ocean itself, captivating and breathtaking.

He takes in your long hair that sits over your shoulders as you nervously run your hands through the damp strands. And then there’s your tail. That glittering, magnificent tail that almost looks too intricate to be real. He focuses on each shiny scale, watching the way the colors go from a deep pink to a lighter flamingo shade of coral. He wants so badly to reach his hand out to touch it, see how it feels underneath the weight of his calloused fingers.

Just one touch, that’s all he needs. One touch to make this dream a harsh reality as a mermaid sits right in front of him, right in his grasp.

You see the way he stares all transfixed and in a trancelike spell. You might be insane, but the first words fall from your lips without a hint of hesitation there. “Do you want to touch it?” you ask shyly, pulling back a lock of hair behind your ear as you position your tail so it’s sitting out of the water, just inches from his waiting hand.

“What?” he asks surprised, eyes wider than the full moon in the clear night sky.

“My tail. Do you want to touch it?” you ask again with more courage this time, flicking your tail above the water as you entice him to go on.

“Oh-uh… yes,” he whispers out as he slowly but steadily reaches his arm out, ever so carefully extending his fingers as they brush over the side of your tail.

He gasps as his fingers come in contact with the shiny scales, like the breath has been knocked clear out of him. It’s nothing like he imagined it’d be. It’s softer than he thought possible, smooth as he glides his fingers underneath the cold water.

You almost stop breathing as you feel his fingers explore the magnificent scales on your long tail, almost sigh at the contact of his skin. No one had ever touched you quite like this, even if it was just the brush of fingertips. It feels… good. And you want more, need more.

He pulls his hand back out of the water, and you almost whine as you lose the contact of his fingers. You’d let him touch you again, let him marvel your tail all night if he wanted to. It was silly really, how attracted you were to him when you only just met him. He was just that beautiful, that mesmerizing. And for a moment you think he is the siren, not you.

“You’re a… you’re a…” he stutters, voice hoarse as he continues to stare at you with a starstruck gaze. He’d never seen a mermaid before, that much is certain.

“A mermaid?” you finish for him, almost giggling at his gaping stare.

“Yes,” he says in disbelief, nodding his head up and down. “I didn’t know you, mermaids existed,” he says with a look that says everything you need to know. He’s harmless, not here to hurt you.

“Well, we’re very much real. We’re just discrete, careful. We don’t really come up to the surface, not anymore,” you say quietly, shaking away the memories of distant screams and bloodshed that once was long ago. The memories are too painful to relive, so you lock them out of your mind and try to forget every day that you exist in a world that did that to your kind.

He doesn’t ask about the distant sadness in your eyes, you just smile and clear your eyes as you continue to gaze up at him curiously.

“What’s your name?” he asks slowly, eyes never leaving yours as you let your name slip past your tongue. You drop it carefully, giving him information that seems too personal, but you’re in too deep now. You want to know about him, and he clearly wants to know about you. So you’ll let him in, even if that’s a bad idea. A very bad idea.

He repeats your name slowly, going over every syllable so carefully as it rolls off his lips effortlessly. It sounds beautiful the way he says it. You could lean against the edge of the boat and lay your head against your arm as you look up and hear him repeat your name over and over again. Almost like a lullaby as it could put you to sleep with how deep and mesmerizing his smooth voice sounds.

“My name’s Joel. Joel Miller,” he says with deep brown eyes looking down into yours.

You repeat the name over and over in your mind. Joel, Joel, Joel. It pulls at you, calls you as you hook your fingers around the edge of the small boat and feel his hand brush up against yours. You gasp and pull your hand back, feeling an electrical shock run through your entire arm at the connection of skin on skin with him. You’d never felt that before, that kind of connection with anyone. This was new, this was scary, this was dangerous.

He notices the panic in your eyes and puts his hands up calmly. “Hey, hey. It’s okay, darlin’. I’m not gonna hurt you. See?” he asks as he surrenders his hands, letting you know he means no harm.

Darlin’. The name sends warmth through your stomach as you mull over his words. I’m not gonna hurt you. You let those words be a promise as you cautiously put your hands back on the edge of the boat. He brings his hands back down, just enough where if you shift your fingers they’d brush up against his. But for now you stay like this, just enough to still feel that electricity deep in your body.

“Darling, what’s that?” you ask with a raised brow, not having heard the word before.

“You’ve never heard the word darlin’ before?” he asks as he knits his thick brows together, pulling at the seams of your heart.

You shake your head no as droplets of water trickle down your back. “No, guess I haven’t,” you say with an even breath.

“It’s just a term of endearment where I’m from. A nickname, you can say,” he answers, his hand moving just enough for him to brush the outer edge of your pinky finger. You suck in a breath and try not to get too flustered at the action.

“Oh, I see,” you say quietly. “Darlin’, I like that…”

You ponder over the name and ask something else in return. “Do you have any other nicknames you use?” you ask, biting your lip at the question as you wait patiently.

He twitches his jaw and looks you over carefully before he responds. “I mean, there’s a lot I could use, I suppose. Darlin’ just comes naturally to me, but you…” His soft brown eyes flick over yours slowly before he speaks again. “Sirena, yeah. I like that,” he smiles to himself as your lips curl up slowly.

“Sirena, hmmmm,” you hum to yourself. “I like that, but what does it mean?”

“It comes from a Greek word. It means siren or enchantress, which you are. You are quite enchanting,” he says with a gleam in his eyes, his words in a trancelike state as he stares into your eyes.

You gulp at the meaning, eyes fixed on his intently. He called you enchanting, he thinks you’re enchanting. It shouldn’t make you feel so much closer to him, it’s only a nickname, a silly name. But it does. It does.

When you don’t speak, he asks another question. “What’s it like out there? Under the water? To be able to breathe and see things I couldn’t quite imagine myself?” His brown eyes sink into yours, shifting his weight slightly as the wooden boat creaks underneath him.

“It’s the most amazing thing you could imagine,” you say enchanted, your tail grazing above the water as you spin up a small current underneath you. “Unearthly, exquisite. There’s truly nothing like being able to connect with nature, to be able to see the wonders of fathoms below that no human has seen before. It’s freeing, beautiful, amazing, but…”

Your voice cuts off at the last part, thinking about all the things you wish you knew about the real world outside the waters of your home. Something you always wanted to know ever since you could remember. A taste for knowledge of the outside world, the human world.

“But what?” he asks quietly, almost putting his hand on top of yours before you shy away and move your fingers out of his reach.

“I just… I just wonder what the human world is like sometimes. I shouldn’t. I know I shouldn’t. But I just have that deep fascination with things I don’t quite understand. I crave to know the history of the land, want to know what it’s like to touch actual sand out of the water. Want to know how a…. oh, what’s the word?” you wrack your brain for what seems like minutes until you think of the word you once saw on a picture in a book. “How a fire burns,” you say proudly after remembering the strange words.

“Maybe I can teach you a thing or two about the human world. If you teach me about the underwater world.”

You mull over the words, think of what you could be risking. You could expose too much, you could open up a can of worms that you couldn’t close. You could risk everything. But for him maybe it was worth the risk. You could trust him, right?

As if he can read your mind, he places a hand gently on top of yours and you gasp at the contact. His touch is so careful, so soft atop yours. You think you like it, a lot. “You can trust me, darlin’. I swear on my life, I won’t hurt you. Do you trust me?”

Do you trust me? The words ring through your head as you question the words yourself. Trust was a big deal, trust meant you were putting your own life on the line. But as you look into his soft brown eyes and see the genuine smile curled on his plush lips, you can’t help but lose yourself as you automatically nod and respond, “I trust you.”

His face is so close to yours, so close that if he leaned down just a little he could brush his lips against yours. It’s as if he can hear the wild beating of your heart as it beats like a pod of dolphins traveling as fast as lightning through the water. Your eyes gaze into his, begging him to sink his lips down to yours.

He reaches his hand out and traces the edge of your jawline slowly, intimately. You gasp at the feel of him, as his calloused fingers trail gently over your skin. It feels warm, safe, so very right like his hand was made to touch you, to know you. He sees you. He sees you.

Just when he’s about to lean down and give you what you desire, the boat suddenly flips over and Joel goes crashing into the water.

“Joel!” you scream as you dive down to retrieve him, but he’s not there where he should be. Where is he? You call his name again, search below the dark depths below, twist your way through the seaweed and look frantically around until you see what exactly happened.

Your eyes go wide, a scream escaping your mouth as you find two of your sisters holding him down below the water trying to drown him. He fights their grip, trying to hold his breath as he looks terrified of what’s happening. Your sisters just smile vindictively to each other as their aquamarine and deep purple tails flick against the water and draw their sharp nails into his arms.

“Stop!” you beg as you swim desperately up to them and try to grab his arms out of their reach. They back up just enough so you can’t quite grab him.

Cleo stands her grown and flashes her white incisors your way as her blue tail fans out behind her. “He’s a human! A man, for crying out loud! All men should die for what they did to us,” she spits out, a snarl deep on her flawless face as your other sister Marissa agrees with her.

“He’s different. Joel is different!” you plead, reaching your hand out again.

“Joel. You know him by name? Can you believe that, Cleo? He has a name. How thoughtful of our sister to learn such information of this beast,” she laughs sadistically as she yanks him under again.

You watch his eyes start to close, watch his breath gasp for air as he slowly fades from the light. You grow desperate, hasty as you swim with all your might to grab his arms out of your sisters’ grip.

“Please, he’s kind! Don’t do this. Don’t take this one!” you beg as tears start to pour from your eyes, landing against your cheeks as they float off into the unsteady waters.

Your sisters drop their hands, eyes wide at how desperate you’re acting over a human. But he’s not just a human, he’s different. This one is different.

They both watch you take his body against yours as you wrap your arms behind the backs of his arms and start to hoist him to the surface. They stop you before you breach atop the water, grabbing your slippery fin as they stop you from swimming any further.

“You better be careful, sister. You don’t know what danger you’re putting us in. Interacting with a man? You’re foolish, selfish. How do you think father will handle this?” Cleo asks with narrowed eyes that could kill a man with how sharp she’s staring.

“Don’t you dare tell him, Cleo. Just… let me go. Please,” you beg as you try to squirm out of her hold. “He’s going to die if you don’t!” you scream, eyes wide as his head slumps against your shoulder weightless, almost like he’s already dead. Panic consumes you at the mere thought of it.

“Go on, then,” she says with a snarky look. “I won’t tell him… yet. But be warned. If he does anything to sway my judgement and I mean anything, I’ll have no choice but to tell him,” she warns as Marissa spits in your direction.

Cleo finally releases your fin as you swim frantically up, up, up until you break the seal and breathe fresh air again. Joel doesn’t stir, doesn’t even seem to be breathing as his head still rests lazily against the crook of your neck.

You look around desperately for anything you can lay him on, needing to stir him awake somehow. You need to get him someplace dry.

“Joel, just hold on. You’ll be alright. Please, just hang on,” you cry out as you circle around frantically looking for anything you can use.

That’s when you see it, a large flat rock that lays above the water in the middle of the sea cave you always find yourself in. You push yourself forward in the water, making sure to keep his head above the stirring waves. You turn on your back and hold his body above yours as you propel your strong tail in the water, trying with all your might to get there faster.

He’s going to die and it’s all your fault. Why were you being so reckless? The words taunt your mind like your sisters’ glaring warnings. You can’t think about them now, the only thing you care about is getting Joel to wake up. He needs to breathe, he needs to wake up.

You drag his body up on the smooth rock and lay him flat on his back. He has no sign of breathing anywhere, his chest is still as dawn like the sun slowly rising in the horizon.

You try to shake his shoulders, try to rub at his sternum forcefully as if that’ll wake him up. Nothing happens. You try again, calling his name and shaking him, screaming for him to wake up. But again there’s no movement, no breath coming from his mouth.

You crash down on top of him and wrap your arms around his neck, letting a tear drop from your melancholy eyes as it falls against his still chest. You whimper out a pathetic sound that sounds like you’re choking on your own words. “Come back to me, Joel. Come back,” you plead, face still pressed against his hollow chest as you let another tear fall in his presence.

You feel cold, hard pressed, wounded as if someone just took a sharp stake to your chest. You shouldn’t feel like this, shouldn’t let yourself feel so much for a human who you barely know. But he was going to show you his world, was going to teach you everything you wanted to know, and you were going to show him your world. But that’s no more. He’s gone. He’s gone.

You let the falling tears dry up on his cotton white shirt where the buttons lay half opened to expose tanned skin, can feel just how broad and strong he is underneath your weight. And you wish he’d wake up, wish he’d open his soft brown eyes so you could sink into them, sing him a melody while he grazed his fingers gently against your face. You want it so bad, want him so bad. But it could never be now. Not anymore.

You let your hand fall to his chest and wrap your fingers around his damp white shirt. You start to hum out your favorite lullaby, a way to soothe you over against the hurt you feel in your chest now as it aches and twists like a knife in your gut. Singing has always been a way to make you feel braver, a way to drown out the sorrows of dark days. Your mother always said you had the most beautiful voice she’d ever heard, but she was also gone now. Gone on that awful, dark day where blood filled the waters of your home. Gone.

You push the thoughts away, continue singing your song as if this will make the situation better. You close your eyes and drown out the lapping waves with your voice, making sure it echoes off every corner in the open cave.

Just as you’re about to push yourself off him, you feel movement underneath you. Just a faint lurch beneath you until he’s turning on his side and coughing up water out of his lungs rapidly, spilling it all over the glossy rock as he tries to catch his breath from all the choking and coughing his body expels.

“Joel?!” you ask alarmed, your hand shooting up to his face as you caress the soft, patchy scruff against his jawline carefully.

He lays on his back again and slowly opens his eyes, placing his hand over yours as he calls your name softly, his words still laced with salt water that still burns the back of his throat, but he answers anyway. And your name out of his mouth sounds like the sweetest thing you’ve ever heard.

“You’re alive?” you ask quietly, eyes wide as you stare down at him with your mouth parted open slightly.

“Thanks to you, I am,” he says with a nod up at you, his hand still lingering on top of yours as his calloused fingers send sparks down your arm. It’s electric, shocking as it blinds you with need.

You gulp but don’t say anything else, too afraid to ruin the moment. “Your voice,” he says nodding to you again, “I’ve never heard a voice quite as beautiful as yours. I thought I was in heaven for a second there, thought you were an angel.”

Beautiful? An angel? Oh.

“An angel? Not quite,” you giggle, dropping your hand from his face to rest on his broad chest.

He lifts his arm up slowly and hooks a piece of damp hair behind your ear, trailing his calloused fingers along your cheek as he stares at you with wide brown eyes. Eyes that make your insides turn to putty.

“You are an angel,” he nods, his lips curling up into a soft smile that could knock you back into the water.

He thinks you’re an angel…

“Oh,” is all you can say.

He looks at you like no one else has, looks at you like you’re the only girl in the world. He sees you for what you are, a siren, and yet he doesn’t run. He doesn’t run. He stays.

His lips look so soft, so plush that you think you’d like to feel them pressed up against yours. His eyes flick back and forth between your wanting eyes and your parted mouth, and you think he wants the same thing.

You start to drift toward him, closer and closer until you’re almost there, almost touching his lips. He reaches to cup the back of your head, steering you down, down until you’re barely a breath away from him.

Suddenly there’s a large splash in the water, and you jump apart from him as he sits up on his elbows and gazes out into the dark blue rippling water. He sees a large fin and goes ghost white as he takes in the long body of the great white shark that lurks around the area. His eyes go wide as he sinks against the cave wall behind him as if to hide from the creature of the deep.

“It’s alright,” you say calmly as you reach your arm under the shadow of the water and call the shark over to you. Joel’s chest rises and falls unsteadily as his eyes remain locked on the terrifying features of Scar.

“Your hand, get your hand out of the water,” Joel urges as he tries to pull you back, but you wave him off.

“Joel, it’s alright. He’s my friend.”

Scar circles back around and brushes his body up against your hand as you pet his back and let him disappear back under the water.

“You’re friends with a shark?” he asks surprised, eyes still peeled on the shadow that looms around the area.

“Mhm. I saved his life many years ago, and he’s never left my side since then. Kinda ironic how people misinterpret them. Sharks may look scary to the human eye, but they’re really peaceful creatures. If you just took a few minutes to really see them, you’d see they’re just trying to live peacefully in their home. They just want to survive like any of us do.”

Joel looks at you as if really hearing you for the first time. The way you talk about the ocean, about the creatures of the deep makes him feel things he’s never even thought of before. He thinks you’re beautiful, breathtaking, and so kind. So very kind…

“You’re really something out of a fairytale, aren’t you?” he asks with wonder in his voice, his brown eyes sinking into yours as he focuses on the warm smile you give him as you blush crimson.

“I guess you could say that, sailor?” you giggle out. “That’s what you are, right?”

“Yes,” he nods as he looks over at his boat that sits idle over the calm tides.

“Is that your boat?” you ask as your eyes wander over to the large vessel that sits in the water under sparkling stars. You flick your eyes over the sides, noticing the large blue flags that fly gently in the cool breeze and notice the words Deep Blue Oasis written in cursive letters that hang down the side.

“Yep, that’s my beauty. Been sailin’ on her for a few years now. Probably one of my favorite things ever. To be able to sail across the waters and explore areas I’ve never been to before. It’s all very… exciting.”

You watch the way his eyes light up the way he talks about the sea, watch the way his smile curls over his lips as he talks about his love for sailing. You think it’s hypnotizing, beautiful. You think he is beautiful.

“What are you doing around this part? Looking for something?” you ask as your eyebrows rise up, intrigued why he was staying around these parts.

“There was a ship that went down many years ago here. There’s all sorts of tales and rumors that some great treasure was lost here with the ship. And I want to find it,” he states excitedly.

A shipwreck many years ago? You think you know which one he’s talking about, like maybe it was that same night that all the bloodshed went down. The night you lost your mother to those bloodsucking humans…

He notices your eyes shift from lit up to cold irises, feels the dread that seems to take over your body for the moment. But then he’s cupping your chin and lifting your eyes up to his warm brown eyes, and you feel like you’ve made it safely back home.

“You alright, darlin’? You went away for a minute there,” he asks as his concerned eyes gaze into yours. You nod your head and let him continue to keep his hand on your skin. You’ll let him keep it there for as long as he wants.

You smile up at him and nod in response. “I’m okay, was just thinking about something,” you say with a daze to your tone, somber eyes coming back down to earth.

“Was there something specific you were looking for?” you ask as his fingers continue to trace down your skin. It feels like complete magic that holds you under a spell.

“Not really. You see, I kinda have a fascination with history. You should see my study. I have hundreds of books and ancient artifacts that I’ve found in the sea. You’d love it,” he says with a crooked smile splayed against his face. It makes a dimple form deep in his cheek, and it nearly takes your breath away.

His study sounds a lot like the secret cave you have deep underwater that’s full of human treasures that you’d collected over the years from lost ships and things thrown overboard from wasteful humans. It’s a little sanctuary for you, a place you can go to clear your mind and wonder just what it’d be like to walk on land. What it’d be like to have your own pair of legs. But you love the sea so much, you don’t think you’d ever want to leave. But for him, you might just follow him anywhere.

You sigh as you lean into his touch, wishing you could see just what he’s talking about. “I wish I could see it,” you say quietly, eyes trailing back to his doe eyes as he speaks again.

“Maybe someday you will.” And it sounds like a promise, like he will show you one day. But how? You have a tail, you can’t walk. Your home is in the ocean, not on land. But if you could find a way to do both then you would. There had to be a way.

“Maybe,” you say dreamlike as you dream of warm sand on your feet, walking hand in hand with him on the beach. A distant wish you so wanted to be true. But it wasn’t, and you had to deal with that.

You stay there another moment letting his calloused fingers run along your jawline as you watch his eyes settle in on your face. Before you get lost for too long, you pull out of his reach and sink back into the cool water.

“I guess I should get you back to your boat,” you say sadly, eyes averting from his as to not dwell on the beautiful flecks of mixed browns that you want to get lost in again and again until you can’t see anything but them anymore.

“Yeah, guess so,” he says quietly, a voice that screams for you to stay, but you can’t. He doesn’t belong here.

“Wait here,” you say before you take off to retrieve his small wooden boat that’ll take him safely back to dry ground.

As you wade through the water you get a sick sense that this can only end badly, but it was too late. You were already in too deep, and you already wanted to see him again. This was bad, so bad.

You turn over the toppled boat and throw the rows back inside, pulling it along as you drag it back to him safely. You place it against the rock he sits on and watch him climb in, situating himself as he takes the rows in his hands. Before he heads back to his large boat, he stops and stares at you.

“Can I see you again?” he asks quietly as the cool breeze blows a tousled curl against his forehead. Without thinking you reach up and push it back into place, feeling just how soft his hair really feels. He lets you, and it feels as soft as velvety moss.

You drop your hand back down and before you can, he grabs your wrist and stares deeply into your eyes, eliciting a gasp out of your mouth as his fingers dig into your soft flesh. You let him keep you there until you give him a clear answer.

You think of your options, think of what you might be risking if you see him again. Would your sisters try to drown him again, would he try to steal you away from the sea, would your father find out that you were meddling in human affairs? All of the questions were valid and unknown, but you couldn’t bring yourself to say no. You wanted to see him again, needed to.

“Yes. Tomorrow night,” you say without any hesitation.

He nods his head and smiles down at you as he gently lets his fingers fall from your skin as your hand splashes back down underneath the water.

“Tomorrow it is then. See you later, Sirena.” The nickname falls off his tongue like a sweet melody that fills your ears. Sirena, enchantress, siren.

You watch him row back to his boat, watching the way his biceps bulge every time he pulls back on the rows. He looks a little like your own Prince Charming. A sailor that had captured your heart, and you weren’t willing to take it back. It was his now, as long as he wanted it.

He looks back at you before climbing up the steep ladder. He smiles gently your way and nods before turning back to the ladder and climbing up, disappearing from your view as he makes his way below the deck.

You sigh and rest your elbow against the glossy rock he was just sitting on minutes ago, daydreaming about those dreamy brown eyes and his smile that knocks the breath out of your chest.

Scar circles back around and comes up beside you, nudging you with his large snout as you gently pet the top of his head. “I know, Scar. I know. I’m in so much trouble.”

You sink back underneath the water and follow him back home, back to the kingdom of Capri where you belong. But you keep your mind locked on those sweet, syrupy eyes that you so desperately want to see again.

Joel was going to be your undoing.

Tags: (Let me know if you don’t want to be tagged) @janaispunk @amyispxnk @princesatracionera @vividispunk @keylimebeag @pedroswife69 @littlevenicebitch69 @poeticbarnes @tuquoquebrute @awkwardprovocateur @ayamenimthiriel @everythingiwanttoread @burntheedges @hc-geralt-23 @joelmillersblog @joelalorian @vivian-pascal @untamedheart81 @laurrrra @dugiioh @blueseastorm @pedrostories @morallyinept @vvitchesh3x @frannyzooey

[vaarians]

List of Terms: Chiss Ascendency Edition

(If I missed anything, please add in reblogs; I feel like I've forgotten stuff. Some of these are just assumptions based on the context around them.)

For all your Chiss Ascendency writing/roleplaying needs:

General Terms

Cheunh - Chiss Language

Minnisiat - Trade Language

Tybroic - Ancient language of the Stybla

Chaos - Name for the Unknown Regions by a native

Lesser Space - Main part of the Star Wars Galaxy

Syndicure - main governing body

Nine Ruling Families - head ruling body

Comm - Phone

Questis - Tablet

Data Cylinder - Storage Device

Univers - Universal Currency in the Chaos

Credit Chit - Money

Tube Car - Type of rail transport

Tube Car station - Rail Station

Skycar - Car

Skytruck - Truck

Dayroom - Sitting Room

Yapel - Waffles

Striped Fruit Squares - Poptarts

Nutpaste - a Nut Butter or Spread

Caccoleaf - coffee

Galara tealeaf - tea

Grillig-Juice packet - Capri Sun

Cooker - Oven/Stove

Nyix - Thicker metal used mainly in war ship building

Star Day - Birthday

Lurestick - electronic catch pole

Communication Triad - Three Poled device used to transmit communications across the Chaos. The bigger the Triad, the longer range the communication.

Animals

Yubals - Cows

Packbulls - a different breed of Cow? Donkey? Horse?

Whisperbird - hummingbird

Stingfly - Bee?

Whiskercub - Domesticated Cat

Groundlion - Big Cat

Growzer - Domesticated Dog

Firewolf - Type of Wild Dog

Blinkbirds - Hawk or Predator Bird

Nighthunter - Large constrictor serpent-like creature

Military Terms

Breacher - Missile with acid inside of it

Plasma Sphere - glop of fluid used to disable ships

Spectrum Lasers - Turbolasers tuned to a ship's electrostatic barrier frequency

Crippler Nets - electronic nets used to cripple ships electronics systems

Electrostatic Barrier - Type of ship shield

Gunboat - Starfighter

Missile boat - Starfighter

Heavy Cruiser - Destroyer type warship

Light Cruiser - Smaller warship

Patrol Cruiser - Smaller warship

Nightdragon Man of War - Largest Ship in the Fleet

Defense Fleet - Stays inside the Ascendency Border

Expansionary Defense Fleet - Protects the Ascendency from outside the limits of the Ascendency

Family Fleet - Fleets supplied by one of the Nine Ruling families

Military Ranks

Enlisted Ranks

Cadet

Senior Cadet

Junior Warrior

Mid-Warrior

Senior Warrior

Lieutenant

Lieutenant-Commander

Junior Commander

Mid-Commander

Senior Commander

Junior Captain

Mid-Captain

Senior Captain

Flag Ranks

Commodore

Mid-General

Mid-Admiral

General

Admiral

Senior General

Fleet Admiral

Supreme General

Supreme Admiral

Political Ranks

Patriarch - head of family

Speaker - head of family in the Syndicure

Syndic Prime - head syndic

Syndic - member of the Syndicure

Patriel - handles family business on the planetary scale

Councilor - handles family business on the local level

Aristocra - mid-level member of the Nine Ruling families

Family Ranks

Merit Adoptive

Trial-Born

Ranking Distant

Cousin

Blood

Ruling Families

Ufsa

Irizi

Dasklo

Clarr

Chaf

Plikh

Boadil

Mitth

Obbic

Forty Great Families

Xodlak

Kiwu

Pommrio

Erighal

Stybla

Sayings

"Son of a growzer," - Son of a bitch

[siddyyyyyyyy]

You're Only Sixteen

wc: ~4.6k

summary: child soldier joins task force 141 part THREE; part two, part one; part four

warnings: brief flashback, blood, violence, nightmares

a/n: I'm genuinenly happy how well this is going so far, I'm going to update the parts a bit more slowly for now, but I'm pretty sure I won't take too long on this. Probably. Enjoy!

This time, Ghost is leading the training for today. That just means they're no fun games like last time with Price, not that you were looking forward to it. Starting at the shooting range is like a warm-up for you, landing all shots while doing everything casually. Your reload is fast and precise, your aim is almost always perfect, and your technique couldn't be more clean.

Sparring was similar to the last time, but now you're paired up with Soap. You're both getting in your stance, knees slightly bent, one leg forward, and abdominal muscles tense. Both ready to fight, but this time without any weapons. Ghost specifically told him to strike first, wanting to see how long you can last or even win against Soap. It shouldn't be a big deal for you, even though he is quite a big guy, full of muscle, and slightly taller than you. You've mostly had opponents your size or bigger in field, and you never really had a problem winning or lasting long. Well, besides one person back in camp.

Soap strikes you first with a sharp jab to your side, but you dodge it quickly, hitting him back. You focus on your technique instead of winning, wanting to be strong against him. He seems to be focussing more on his technique as well, noticing how fast he works and his reflexes are. Your fighting styles are similar; the only difference is how you two use it in practice. While he's using more strength and power, you're trying to be quicker than your opponent and trick them.

You kick against his knee, and land some hits against his weak points, it's hard for him to stay balanced or focused. He huffs and stumbles back, only to rush to you quickly and try to tackle you down. With his amount of strength, it's difficult to actually stop him or dodge, having to think quickly. With a small grunt, however, you're down, with him trying to keep you like that. Your heartbeat speeds up and your eyes widen, your breath hitching in your throat. The position you're in is too familiar; trying to get out of it as quickly as you can. Soap is oblivious, just training with you and having tackled you down, keeping you pinned on the mat. Your brain is quick to handle, pulling out the same moves you did in camp. Soap doesn't even realise he's getting into a headlock by you at first. His back on the mat with your arm holding him tight around his neck, feeling how you're only squeezing him more and more with your bicep. He grips your arm and tries to relax, not wanting to get hurt. Luckily, that's all it takes for you to snap back to reality and let go. You sigh out heavily and stand back up, calming down.

»Ye alright?« He asks you even though he should be the one getting checked up on. You give him a weary nod, clearing your throat.

»Yeah, sorry about that.«

You mumble back and focus on not thinking back to the time in camp. It's almost confusing you now, how similar and suffocating it felt. But you know better than to think back to a time like that and distract yourself in training. Soap tilts his head with a confused gaze.

»What do ye mean? The headlock? Nah, that was sick.«

He encourages you with a thumbs up. You nod, unsure of what to say back. The training continues with trembling hands and more focussing on your breathing than technique, feeling on edge the entire time, thanks to the small trigger. Of course, no one has noticed these signs from you, or at least no one has said anything about it. On the other hand, you're glad no one has noticed your trembling hands and more or less distracted mind during the time.

Once it's over, you're headed to the showers and straight back to your bunk. That was more off-putting now that you're alone in your small room, thinking quietly to yourself about what had happened. You shouldn't feel this way, having thought you were over it a long time ago. Maybe it was something else that triggered you, or maybe you really aren't over it yet. Getting in a pin on the ground was one thing your past rival used on you as much as he could. You don't know the real reason behind his technique, but all you do know is how weird and creepy it felt like.

A heavy sigh escapes your lips once more, slumping down on your bed with no energy. Today's training was longer but not as exhausting as the one at camp. But you still feel very tired for no reason. You close your eyes and try to shut your brain off; instead, a lot of thoughts appear about your rival and that god awful training. You don't know why he's all of a sudden back in your mind. You don't know why you're thinking so much about it, and you don't know why you can't stop thinking about him. He was such an annoying and unpleasant person that you tried so hard to forget about, yet he can't seem to give you peace. Even when you're finally away from him.

After spending most of your day inside your bunk, trying to get your mind off old memories, it's time to actually try and do something about it. With slow steps, you make your way back to the training hall. It's dark out already, forcing you to walk cautiously around and not wake anyone. Eventually, you made it in and looked around for a punching bag… and something to wrap your knuckles with. You don't want to injure yourself after all.

It's dimly lit in the training hall, making it seem more cosy and relaxing. Especially with no one inside beside you. There are five punching bags to use in a row, but unfortunately no bandages or gloves for your hands. It is what it is, and you walk up to one of these punching bags to release some tension and stress. After getting into the stance, you land a few softer punches to get used to the feeling again. Maybe it's because you're alone in here, but it already seems too loud for you. Checking behind you, the double door is closed, so there's no way someone could hear you from their bunk.

You start again, using proper technique, and gradually become faster and put more strength into your punches. The punching bag suffers through your hard punches, taking it like a champ, all the while your mind zones out. Zoned out, all you can think about is your past rival back at camp. You don't remember his name; didn't even bother asking for it back then. But you do remember how creepy and annoying he used to be to you, for no reason. And that's enough for your punches to grow heavier and even quicker, the punching sounds are growing louder through the hall. Maybe your knuckles are hurting at this point, but you don't care. That bastard had no reason to treat you like that, leaving you confused, hurt, and probably traumatized.

It's only then when a gruff voice calls out through the hall, speaking to no one other than you.

»Didn't you have enough training for today?«

You stop in your tracks and turn around, seeing that familiar shadow again. Ghost.

Glancing down at your knuckles, you notice how red they look just from how hard you've been punching that bag for… how long already? You didn't keep track, but it seems like more than ten minutes, judging from your aching knuckles. Ghost has crossed his arms, glaring at you with tired eyes.

»Go back to bed, 's way too late for this.« He adds with a more weary tone and leaves no room for arguments, cocking his head slightly to the side. You sigh out rather disappointed, knowing you shouldn't talk back, but you also can't stop just now.

»But I just started...« You mumble and trail off at the end, already smelling how annoyed he is with you. He shakes his head, being as serious as before.

»I won't tell you again. Don't overwork yourself and go to sleep. Let your body rest. We've got trainin' tomorrow, too.« Ghost is not joking with you, probably being more stern than he needs to be. But he knows better than to let you work too much or stress over something for no reason. In his eyes, you're just a poor child who happens to have this fate and is forced to get along with it on your own. Too much alike himself. Eventually, your shoulders drop in defeat, and you nod in understanding.

»Fine. Sorry about that.« He doesn't respond back and just leaves, most likely going back to sleep, too. After considering his words and contemplating if you should just stay longer in here, you walk back to your own bunk like promised and fall against your bed. It's comfortable and quiet, dark as well.

But you notice a small med kit on your night stand, bandages and a cream for sore muscles beside it. You blink, thinking it's just your sleep catching up on you, but there is indeed stuff for you on that small table. Eventually, you apply the cream on your red knuckles and wrap them up, laying back on your bed. Maybe it really is just a normal base and rather peaceful. Maybe you could get used to this some time.

Having no energy to think any more about that, you fall asleep quite quickly this time. Even if you fell asleep quickly, it wasn’t a good sleep. A nightmare plagued you, most likely because of the trigger from earlier. A grey room with no windows, similar to your old training room in camp, several people around you, and loud noises everywhere. It’s incoherent nonsense, but you still understand everything clearly. The room is cold and rather dark for some reason; it all seems too much, but there’s nothing at the same time. Your body feels numb, and you’re wearing your bandages around your knuckles, some dried blood decorating the usual whiteness of the material. You notice it too late, but Mike has you on the ground already. The ground is even colder against your back, and you can’t do anything but lay and watch. He’s on top, which he often tried to do on you, and has your wrists and legs pinned tightly beside you.

Everything is so loud but also so quiet, it makes your ears ring. There’s a horrible stench of blood and sweat around the air, which makes it hard to stay still and fight back. Your moves are too slow, having no other choice but to stay like this. Your rival, Mike, slashes quickly through your throat, staying on top in a mocking way. It’s hard to breathe, you’re chocking on your own blood and squirming under him helplessly. The whole dream feels like a flashback, but worse. Too quick, too real.

You don’t remember much of what happened next, because the next thing you know is how you’re trying to control your breath and get rid of the sickening feeling from the nightmare. It’s not unusual you get dreams like this, but never to such an extent of being unable to breathe normally.

The digital clock on your nightstand tells you it’s time to get ready for the day. You couldn’t be more thankful for Ghost to lay the training into early afternoon instead of early morning. Because you know they’d notice if you showed up like this to the hall. Still on edge and tired, feeling as bad as you look right now. You keep trying to tell yourself that it’s normal to feel like this, hoping it’ll pass soon. Deciding to distract your mind, you go out to the park with your small sketchbook in hand. Maybe you will feel better in the fresh air while sketching something down that comes to mind.

But, of course, you never have a few minutes to yourself as a familiar figure comes by and stops in front of you.

»Drawing?« Gaz seems curious and tries to secretly subtly into your sketchbook.

»Sketching.«

»Ah. What exactly?« He carefully asks, knowing not to disturb a teenage girl when they seem peaceful at the moment. Gaz has past experience from his own family and friends, knowing how moody some are.

You hesitate to show him what exactly you’re drawing, and you just shrug in response.

»Just… anything.« That was a boring response to anyone, and he still wasn’t done disturbing your peace. He politely asks if he can sit by you for a while, sitting down on the same bench after you accept his kind offer. Gaz isn’t one to pry or mind someone else’s business, but today he’s really curious. Probably, because it’s been three days since you’ve been here and no one got to know you properly. Maybe they should work on their social skills instead.

»You sketch often?« Finally, he’s asking you about your hobbies. And finally, a normal question after years.

»From time to time.« That’s not true, you’ve been drawing since you remember and ever since. Drawing to kill time? Three pages full with doodles. Sketching something pretty? Two pages full with only that beautiful thing you saw earlier. Filling some pages to get rid of the anxiety? Done.

Gaz doesn’t quite believe your answer as well, noticing there’s only three pages left in there. Instead of prying more into it, he changes the topic slightly.

»So, what’re you drawing then? People?«

Without another word, you hand him your sketchbook, deciding it’s easier and probably faster this way. He takes it wordlessly and flips through the pages carefully. His eyes study the way you drew random people and objects, not having expected how good you’re at this. He glances at you before flipping another page, recognising the person almost immediately.

»Soap? You drew Soap?« You look down to his hands as he’s still holding it, seeing he found the first sketch of his teammate.

»I guess,« There’s no way out of this now, seeing he’s actually quite amused about it, »There’s more, actually.«

His smile widens, not having expected to see realistic drawings of his teammate. And there’s more? Today couldn’t get any better.

»More? You like drawing him or somethin’?« Gaz stops talking once he goes some pages forward, seeing some doodles of himself and Price. Even if it’s just some sketches or doodles, they look surprisingly well-made and semi-realistic. He looks towards you again, holding up that book of yours slightly.

»Can you draw Soap with a moustache?« Out of all questions he could’ve asked, he chose this one. Always picking the important ones. You need a full second to process what he’s asking before you find yourself speechless.

»What do I get for it in return?« Now, he’s the one without words. He considers for a moment as he tilts his head to the side.

»Depends on how well you draw.«

It’s then, when he can’t take himself seriously and chuckles.

»All jokes, I’ll get you a new sketchbook. Seems like this won’t do in a while.«

That’s a deal well struck with him. You can’t deny such an offer and start scribbling down a rough sketch of Soap, added with a moustache. Gaz watches the lines on the blank paper slowly resemble his teammate, grinning at the extra facial hair above his lip. It’s a sight to behold, being glad he could make someone draw a silly pic of this even more goofier SAS soldier.

Once you’re done, you show the page fully to him, and he can’t help but laugh at the drawing. Not because it’s ugly, but because it looks so much like him, and a moustache looks rather silly on his face.

»We gotta show it to him later.« You don’t see why not and nod, already seeing how absurd the situation will be later on.

After the more eventful interaction, it’s time for the usual training. This time, there wasn’t any difference in sparring, only feeling more tired than usual because of the nightmare last night. All you four did, was practice in the shooting range and go about sparring with Soap, leading with him improving your technique and showing some tricks. Of course, like no other time, you all went to the mess hall to eat dinner. You would have forgotten about the silly sketch of Soap if Gaz hadn’t reminded you beforehand to bring it over for dinner.

Sitting in front of the two teammates, Soap is laughing so hard that he’s clutching to his stomach. The drawing was really worth it, being amused at the sight in front of you. At least now, you could eat in peace without one particular person trying to get to know you better.

A familiar shadow appears in the corner of your eye, and you instinctively glance over. Ghost is approaching the table… with a Capri Sun? You look over once again, needing to take a double take to reassure yourself of what you’re seeing. And right, there he was, the scary-looking goth with a Capri Sun in hand.

It’s then that Soap also notices Ghost. Eventually, he stays standing next to the table and places the smaller but sweet drink on the table.

»Oi, what’s that?« The still amused scot questions him, as confused as you and Gaz. Ghost clarifies, finally not being an intimidating tree.

»Shitbox got me this instead of wa’er. Some of you can have it.«

Oh, so he can’t deal with a vending machine. If he weren’t your lieutenant, you would have made fun of him. Gaz nods and looks over to you after noticing you shift in your seat slightly. To him, it’s clear who wants it most. He wasn’t the only one noticing it, and Ghost shifts the drink towards you, mentioning it to you. Or maybe he just doesn’t think the two blokes deserve such a sweet drink and let’s you have it instead.

»You can have it.«

He grumbles before leaving for wherever he needs to go. It’s a bit weird to just receive something like this for no reason, especially from someone like Ghost. Glancing around, the two others seem normal about it, or they’re just good at hiding their real surprise. Eventually, you take the Capri Sun and draw in the orange straw into the packet. Oh, it’s cherry-flavoured. Your favourite.

Even when you thought your small happiness wasn’t so obvious, it turns wrong once Gaz speaks up.

»Taste good?«

You nod back in response and relax your expression as well as you can, not wanting to come off as too giddy for a sweet drink as such. They both grin quietly and continue eating with Price joining in after some time to eat beside you three.

----

It’s been a week there, and it feels less awkward now. You train and practice every day, sometimes sneaking in late at night to punch some bags. Capri Sun is something you get more regularly at lunch because Ghost can’t seem to figure out how to use the vending machine. In reality, he just likes to give you a small treat and see your eyes light up for a split second. It’s his small way to befriend you; it doesn’t matter if it seems silly or stupid, you appreciate it, and there’s no harm to it. You could compare it with an attempt to befriend a cat with treats, and it works well. Consider Ghost as a harmless guy who gives you your favourite drink- just because.

Gaz talks to you the most from the others, occasionally checking up on your new drawings and sketches, promising to get you a new one as soon as he can. He likes your drawings after all. He’s easy to talk to as well, having light conversations with you and a few jokes. Gaz is the most friendly and easygoing of them all for one. At least that’s how he is with you, but you’re sure he can be different too. Soap is as friendly as him, but for some reason you feel like you need to be careful around him.

The problem isn’t him, it’s no one’s fault, really. You know he’s just as nice and supportive, but it seems like the pin he did on you is still in your head. They can always out win you in a fight if you don’t pay attention, and the thought of it makes your skin crawl. Ignoring it most of the time, you trust them all equally. It’s better here than back in camp. If you can still call it that anymore.

Being here, made you realise how toxic it was back then. They don’t judge and punish you for making simple mistakes; they won’t even look at your scars twice or ask about them, and most importantly, no one forces you into something uncomfortable.

You feel safer.

Pushing the constant nightmares and headaches away, it really is more safe and peaceful here.

Today, after training, you cross paths with Ghost. You immediately notice that he’s carrying an almost comically large bag in his arms. Taking a closer look, you see it’s dry dog food. Dog food? Why would he need that? You never took him as someone with pets, and you never saw dogs around on base. Thank God you didn’t.

You nod briefly at him and can’t help it but approach him out of curiosity.

»Do you have a dog?«

He grunts, side eyeing you for a moment.

»Just gonna feed Riley. A K9.«

So, they do have military dogs. How come you never saw them? Back in the old camp, the dogs could roam freely on base. But they also weren’t really nice dogs, always barking and ready to attack anyone. Even you were once chased by a large German Shepherd, almost getting bitten if you weren’t fast enough.

You simply nod back, not sure what to answer to that. Of course, he could sense your shift into uneasiness and nudges your shoulder lightly while walking down the base with you.

»You should get to know some. They’re not scary, don’t worry.« That makes it better only for a moment before you fully process his words. There isn’t really a way you can deny his offer and nod slightly, following him wordlessly. He isn’t as talkative either, but you don’t think that’s a bad thing. You’re lost in thought once he speaks up, shifting the big bag of dog food into his left arm.

»Ever met a big dog? Anything?«

You’re standing outside his office as he asks, opening his door with a key while he waits for your answer.

»Kind of. Got chased by one.« He can’t help but pause for a moment at your blunt answer, eventually getting his door open and stepping in. You follow him in and close the door behind you, noticing a bigger German Shepherd sitting up on the ground. It’s tongue sticks out and seems to be happy about seeing you both, judging from it’s wagging tail.

The dog stays silent though, patiently waiting for their owner to give them some sort of permission. You stay standing near the door, watching the two silently, hoping it won’t do anything. Ghost puts the large bag down against the wall and steps closer to the dog, kneeling down as it happily walks to him and enjoys the few hat pats he gives. You watch them both interact, visibly relaxing slowly as long as the dog is near Ghost and gets fed, getting a few more pats from its tall owner. He turns to you and introduces you to the dog, his hand staying on the dog’s back.

»That’s Riley. A sweet girl- will be joining our next mission, as far as I know.«

That’s totally great. Yeah, sure, you could work with a big dog while having a fear of them. You nod either way, shifting on your feet as you watch the dog from the closed door. Riley munches on her food, seemingly content.

»She seems… nice.«

He can see how unsure you are about the dog, and he guessed he would need to get you used to dogs somehow. Ghost sits down beside Riley, nodding towards her.

»You can pet her. She’s friendly, won’t bite.« He is trying to loosen the tension with a small joke, only seeing how you glance at him before looking back at Riley. Eventually, you approach her with silent steps, being cautious of the still-eating dog. You kneel down beside Ghost, firstly just watching her with anticipation in silence. Riley is quick to realise you are close now too and lifts her head off the bowl of food, trying to get to know you eagerly. She takes a step towards you, and you stay still, not wanting to accidentally make her angry. Ghost beside you can’t help it but feel amused watching you be so stiff while also watching Riley to make sure she won’t make you even more scared.

Riley sniffs around the air shortly before leaning towards your hands on your knees, taking a sniff at them. Before you know it, she’s licking at them. You cringe at the feeling, leaning a bit away from her.

Beside you, Ghost grins under his mask, glad that you don’t seem to be scared and more amused at how you react to Riley’s sudden affection. Suddenly, the K9 is trying to lick at your face, but you turn away with a small groan. Ghost pets her on the back, commanding her to sit down for now.

It takes a moment for Riley to fully calm down, her tail still wiggling back and forth. Ghost hands you some treats and wants to show you what tricks this joyful dog can do. Riley follows his commands flawlessly, rolling over, laying down, playing dead, able to stand on her back paws for a few seconds.

You extend your hand to give her a few treats- the small cookies in shape of bones in the palm of your hand. She eats it out of there happily, probably having a blast right now.

Riley is a good dog, even when she wants to give you affection through licking your hand, which mostly feels weird, but overall she doesn’t overwhelm you like the past dogs in your life.

Ghost also seems to be satisfied with the end result, however, he couldn’t let go of your words earlier. Normally, he would mind his business, but this is a sixteen-year-old we’re talking about.

»So, you were chased by one?«

You glance at him shortly, unsure of how to explain it to him now. You try it out, explaining it to him as shortly as you can.

»We also had some K9’s on camp and I was chased by one because I wasn’t careful enough.« You don’t realise how shocking that sounds before he gives you a look of disbelief. He asks again, gently petting Riley behind her ear.

»Your own camp had dogs, and one chased you? Why’s that?« You only shrug in response, not sure yourself. The dogs were mostly trained to be aggressive and were held rather roughly.

»I believe they got extra trained to be as aggressive as possible.«

He only hums out in acknowledgement, letting go of Riley and standing back up. Every time he hears more about your camp it is when he loses five years of his life. You follow right after him, standing up and getting a last glance at the sweet dog.

»Go, get your shower.« He mumbles, reminding you of taking your shower since you joined him after training, finally able to rinse off your sweat. You nod and leave without another word, taking a quick rest before eating dinner in the mess hall.

a/n: Hope you had fun reading this, it was a bit longer than the last part. The next one is probably going to be just as long. I hope you enjoed it!

[avengerscompound]

Shared Experience - Chapter 3

Shared Experience - A Captain America Fanfic

Masterlist PREVIOUS //

Rating:  E

Warnings:  lots of blood talk, i dunno, you’re reading a vampire fic, you should probably expect that.

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Rose Astor

Word Count: 2162

Summary:  Rose Astor met her end in 1920, joining the ranks of the living dead two years after the birth of Steve Rogers.  A century later the two meet in battle - a beacon of light clashing with a creature of the night.  Despite their differences, the two bond over their shared life experiences.  Can a vampire become an Avenger?  Can two such different beings create a life together?

Chapter 3

Rose was beginning to feel like a science experiment.

After agreeing to Steve Rogers’ conditions of release - she’d prove to him that she wasn’t a danger to society by joining the Avengers - she was taken to see Bruce Banner and Tony Stark.

They had been poking and prodding at her ever since.

It had started with them taking her blood.  It was always so strange to Rose how slow it flowed when people tried to draw it with a needle.  If she opened her wrist, it gushed from her like a fountain.  She’d seen a vampire beheaded once, and he’d exploded blood on everything within a ten-foot radius.  There had been more blood than vampire or so she had thought at the time.  Yet the few times someone had tried drawing her blood with a needle it had oozed out like molasses.

After they’d taken blood, they’d done a full body scan and then made her run on a treadmill at different speeds and inclinations.  Then they’d tested how long she could hold her breath.  When the time seemed to be infinite, they assumed she must have been cheating somehow and had her stand at the bottom of a tank of water.  When it was clear she didn’t need to breathe, they let her out and allowed her to dry off and change.

They’d given her a bag of blood after that, and she sat sipping it through a straw like it was some kind of macabre Capris Sun, while Bruce and Tony ran some further tests.

“You don't have a blood pressure,” Tony said, looking over the readings as his fingers worried at his beard.  “How can you not have a blood pressure?”

“I'm the living dead?” Rose replied.  “I thought we'd already established that.”

“But you have blood, and your heart does beat.  The blood pumps through your system.  Therefore, you should have a blood pressure.  Even if it was low, it should exist.”

“You’re friends with a god, correct?” Rose said.  “That is to say, you personally know a Norse deity and you're questioning why the vampire doesn't have blood pressure.”

“Thor is a man who owns a hammer that conducts electricity,” Tony argued. “You were born a human and now you don’t have blood pressure.”

“Just like all humans eventually,” she said, taking a sip from the blood bag.

Bruce approached her and began to look at the burn marks on her collarbone and hand.  “You healed from the broken spine.  Why not from these?”

Rose sighed.  It went against every ounce of her nature to tell someone her weaknesses.  But most were out there in the mythos.  It was likely whether she told them or not, they’d try them against her if they ever felt threatened.  Maybe telling them what they were would help build the trust she needed to earn to gain her freedom.  “There are a few things that vampires have trouble recovering from.  Just like everyone else if you cut off our heads, or ram a stake through our hearts it will kill us.  Fire and sunlight will turn us to ash if exposed for too long.  But we heal quickly from most things.  Even from being burned by the sun if we can quickly get to cover.  The exceptions are silver and symbols of faith will burn us, and those scars stick around for decades.”

Both Bruce and Tony were taking notes.  Rose assumed they were keeping track of the things that would hurt or kill her if they needed it.  She had to fight the urge to take them both out now to show them that knowing her weaknesses didn’t make her weak.

When Bruce turned back to her, he took a closer look at the mark on her collarbone.  “So this one was the crucifix Steve used on you,” Bruce said.  “But what about this one?”  He turned her hand over, exposing her blistered palm.

“That was where I caught the shield,” she said.

“But that’s not Christian Iconography,” Bruce said.

“No,” she said with a small shake of her head. “It’s not about Christianity.  It’s about faith.  Crucifixes.  Stars of David.  Those little necklaces in the shape of Thor’s hammer.  Symbols that people believe in.”

“And Cap’s shield falls into that category?” Tony asked, raising an eyebrow.

“It shocked me too,” she said.  “But it seems that way.”

“Weird,” Tony said.

“Is there anything that will help it heal faster?  Would treating it the way we do burns help?” Bruce asked.

“You could try cutting my hand off, but regrowing bones is a bitch.  Maybe if you took the skin right off?”  she said.  “But I don’t want to go through the pain of that either.  If I eat properly for the next couple of weeks there will be a scar but it will be essentially healed.”  She took a long drink from the bag and held it up, swishing it from side to side.  “This is disgusting, by the way.  It’s like a can of boiled mutton, only it lacks the salt.”

“Well, I’m very sorry our blood isn’t up to your standards,” Tony snarked.  “I’m sure you’re used to the rare AB negative or the blood of virgin royalty.”

“To quote What We Do in the Shadows; ‘If you are going to eat a sandwich, you would just enjoy it more if you knew no one had fucked it.’   But it’s not that,” Rose said.  “Do you know what they do to blood when you donate it?  They pull out all the white blood cells.  Then they separate the plasma from the red blood cells.  Then they wash it.  By the time it’s in here, half of the stuff I need has been taken out.  This is like eating white bread.  It’ll fill me up, but it’s not going to keep me alive.  You do want to keep me alive right?  You don’t want me going feral and draining everyone?  What do you think will happen to me if I drink your blood, Doctor Banner?”

Bruce frowned and his jaw twitched as he tensed up.  “It’s not smart to threaten me like that,” Bruce said. “I don’t always have control of what the Hulk decides is a real threat or not.”

“It’s not a threat, Doctor Banner,” she said.  “The longer I go without eating, the less control I have.  Starve me and I become more and more feral.  A blood lust comes over me and you all just start looking like big juice boxes.  Maybe the Hulk would smash me before I got a taste of your blood, or maybe I’d get a bite in and that bite would be enough to affect me.  Who knows, all that Gamma might be the equivalent of me stepping into sunlight.  Maybe it’ll turn me into a vampire hulk.  Do we want to risk it to find out?”

He sighed and nodded. “I’ll have someone send up some untreated blood.”

“Good news,” she said.  “It doesn’t have to be human”

“Can you die if you’re starved?” Bruce asked.

She shook her head.  “No, we go dormant.  But our bodies will react to things on their own.  If you were to lock me up away from people until I’m dormant, assuming that I can’t beat my way out of it.  If anyone or anything alive gets close enough to me to eat, they’re getting eaten and I won’t be able to do anything to stop myself.”

“All this talk about going feral and blood lust isn’t exactly ingratiating you to us,” Tony said as he started taking some of the wires and probes off her.  “I thought you were supposed to be proving that you weren’t a danger to society.”

“I don’t starve myself in society,” she said.  “Besides, I’m being held here for a potential crime and you’ve been running tests on me against my will.  And you’re starving me.  I’m pretty sure that’s against the Geneva Convention.”

“Lucky for us, the Geneva Convention covers humans,” Tony said.  “And not mythical monsters.”

Rose’s fingers tightened on the metal arms of her chair.  Small dents formed under her grip.

Bruce seemed to pick up on the danger and quickly tried to diffuse the tension.  “You’ve seen What We Do in the Shadows?  Do you watch a lot of vampire movies?”

Rose’s eyes snapped to Bruce, and she let the chair go as she forced herself to relax.  “Yes.  I watch all of them.  And I read books.  I didn’t choose to be what I am.  These stories come from myth and myth comes from reality.  It’s like a game of broken telephone.  I’ve been trying to find if there’s a cure that there’s some truth to.”

“Have you had any luck with that?” Bruce asked.

She shook her head.  “Not really.  There aren’t a lot of movies that talk about curing vampires.  When they do half the time it’s with a magical artifact, and I wouldn’t even know where to start looking for something like that.  Do you assume Dracula is the first Vampire and go to Romania or do you assume Anne Rice knew some shit and try Egypt or France?  The other option stories say is killing your progenitor and trust me, I’ve tried.  I don’t even know where he is now, and even going off those stories, I think I’m too far gone for it to work.”

“That might be something we can help you with,” Bruce said, as he turned to the screen and began typing something in.  “We have a lot of resources, and a god, maybe we can find the things you couldn’t.”

“I’d appreciate the help,” she said, deciding not to mention that they didn’t even know there were vampires until she showed up.

“Is that why you sound like a snarky teenager?  Movies?” Tony asked.

That made Rose snort.   “What did you want me to sound like?” she asked and altered the pitch and inflection in her voice.  “An old-timey radio news reader, talkin’ about the war?”

“I mean, now you’re doing it, yes,” Tony joked.  “Kind of weird that you call it old-timey when it’s from your time period.”

“This is also my time period,” she said.  “And that was a long time ago.  Vampires wouldn’t be particularly successful at staying under the radar if we all went about speaking in dead dialects and using slang nobody’s familiar with.  We have to keep up with dialects.  It’s a survival skill.”

Tony nodded and sat back in his chair, spun around.  “Bruce, you remember when you were at school and there were no vampires or gods and the only monsters were just stories.”

“I do,” Bruce said.  “And then a guy perfected cold fusion in a cave and used it to power a mech.”

Tony laughed.  “Oh, so this is all my fault?”

“I’m not sure,” Bruce teased.  “But I don’t know that it helped.”

As the two men teased each other, Rose began to feel that itch to go to ground again.  She shifted in the chair and rubbed her arms.  “So - I know I haven’t been the best test subject a couple of scientists could want.  But the sun is coming up and if I’m not somewhere enclosed by the time it starts going up, I’m going to start trying to dig a hole through the floor.”

“Really?” Tony asked, sitting up and looking at her.  “I kind of want to see that.”

She raised her eyebrow at him.  “You really don’t give a shit about my well-being do you?”

Bruce got up and gestured to her to follow.  “Come with me.  I’ll take you to your room.”

She followed along after Bruce, holding her arms wrapped around her middle. “I’m sorry we’re keeping you here,” he said.  “And for all the tests.  I know what it’s like to have people look at you like an uncontrollable monster.  And to lose your free will because of it.”

“So let me go,” she said.  “Wouldn’t you have wanted that for yourself?”

Bruce sighed.  “I’ll talk to them.  You need to sleep now, right?  I’ll work on them and we’ll talk tomorrow night.”

“Fine,” she huffed.  “Where are we going?”

Bruce led her to the room.  It was a cell really, but better than the last one.  It was still very bare, but there was a bathroom attached and an actual bed and shelves.  Beside the bed was a long metal box that had been lined with fabric and pillows.  She was grateful they hadn’t just dragged up a coffin.

“Will this do?” Bruce asked.

She nodded.  “Yeah.  That’ll work well.  Thank you.”

“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow,” Bruce said.

She nodded and waited for him to leave her alone.  When the door hissed closed behind him she climbed into the box and pulled on the lid.  The itch disappeared and as the sun crept up on the horizon, she lost consciousness.

// NEXT