#Everything I do now pertains to Passing My Exams

[thetardisisnotourdivision]

You know that bit of year eleven where you've finished all the content for the courses you're doing but it isn't quite exam season yet so it just feels like you're in limbo... how from the very start of the year I just felt like I was waiting for the 15th of May, to start the exams I've been prepared for since I was four... all the threats and practice and now it's real and it's like you just can't process it, something that has been nothing but a looming shadow for so long is suddenly so real and just around the corner. Full circle. It'll all be over and my mind just can't figure out what to do with that knowledge.

[smileysuh]

Anteric - Wonwoo & Mingyu

🌙 staring. Mingyu & Wonwoo x afab!Reader 

🔮 preview. when you bump into the guy that ghosted you, your model best friend and roommate, Mingyu, steps up to be your fake boyfriend for the night... and when the asshole is hired at your workplace, your other roommate, twitch gamer Wonwoo, is roped into the charade too - “polyamory exists dude, get over it.”

cw/ tw. 3some, dom/gamer/alt Wonwoo, Switch Mingyu, choking, spanking, handcuffs, slight pain kink, toys, vibrator, fingering, oral (f receiving), squirting, some overstim, nipple play, finger sucking, sex without condoms, some degradation, shower sex, multiple rounds, marking, jealousy, size kink, etc... I pet names. kitten, lazy bones, etc...

👹 rating. 18+ explicit I wc. 16.6

🍭 aus. frat au, roommates/friends to lovers, fake dating, non idol au, etc...

☀️ mlist +��an. Anteric meaning: pertaining to a revenge against a former lover, a lover that betrays - this fic has been edited/updated as of dec 2022 with minor grammar changes and an optional bonus extension accessible through patreon :)

Prologue 

You collapse into the red, fold up, camping chair. Your fingers immediately go to pick at the burn mark on the right arm where Hoshi had let a marshmallow, that was lit on fire at the time, fall onto the fabric when you’d all camped out in the woods behind the frat after a semi formal last year for a reason you can’t quite remember now. “I broke up with Seungcheol.” 

“Then you need this more than we do.” Wonwoo’s smooth voice calms down your heart slightly, a reminder that although you’ve just made a huge change in your life, your friends are a constant. The frat boy holds out a bottle of Captain Morgans’ that makes you scrunch up your nose in disgust, pushing his hand back immediately.

“How can you two even drink that shit?” you groan, looking between Wonwoo and Mingyu, who’s lounging half slumped in his chair, head tilted back on the neck rest so he can look up at the stars above their frat house on the edge of campus. It’s a clear night, and when you sneak a glance up, you’re distracted by the moon.

“Chase,” Mingyu responds honestly, drawing your attention from the sky when a long arm extends the coke he’s been drinking out to you. His other hand twiddles with a lollipop he’s sucking on diligently in his mouth, and moonlight shows off the sloppiness of his tongue on the hard candy, twirling this way and that.

“I’m okay, and honestly, we all know Seungcheol and I are better as friends than lovers,” you sigh, pushing Mingyu’s drink offer away as you get more comfortable in your chair, settling your hands in your lap and letting out a sigh of relief when you find just the right position. 

“So no one cried?” Wonwoo teases, hooking his foot in one of your chair’s legs and dragging you closer so he can throw an arm over your shoulders. He’s not a very touchy guy, or at least, he’s not an initiator, so this means a lot to you. He’s doing his best to comfort you in the ways he knows how.

Over the past four years in university, you’ve been involved with the frat and dated Seungcheol on and off, getting to know his frat brothers in the process.

This breakup with Seungcheol is final and you know it. Summer and adult life are looming on the horizon. This is your last frat party before exam season, and it’s a good thing you and Seungcheol ended it now, which will open up your mind for everything you need to remember in order to pass your classes.

“Do you guys want to study together?” you ask. “I always study better with friends to keep me accountable, and I’d had plans to study with Seungcheol-”

Mingyu cuts you off with his fingers lazily finding your knee while he brings his coke to his lips, “Don’t worry, we’ll study with you.”

Chapter 1: The Apartment  - Friday

“Hey have you seen my-” Your eyes land on the chunky gold Rolex on Mingyu’s bedside table, and you groan, heading into his room to grab your watch. Then you turn to glare at your best friend.

Mingyu is standing in his walk-in closet and he turns to face you, simply shrugging and flashing a grin as his fingers button up a dark, patterned, silky dress shirt. 

“Sorry, you didn’t wear it yesterday and I had a date.” Mingyu tells you, exiting the closet and heading into his bathroom. You follow, standing next to your massive roommate as you inspect yourselves in the mirror.

“Cute dress,” he tells you, eyes momentarily taking in your form, “but it’s missing something.” He opens his cabinet, pulling out one of his gold chains. “If you’re wearing the Rolex, you need something else happening up here,” he motions to your chest area, “or men will be looking at your wrist all night.”

You don’t necessarily agree with his analysis, but you turn and allow him to attach the necklace clasp at the nape of your neck. Then you face yourself in the mirror again, reaching for the bottle of vodka and shot glass sitting on the sink top.

“You started to pre without me?” You click your tongue at Mingyu, pouring yourself a shot.

“I’m a lot bigger than you,” Mingyu grabs the bottle from you when you’re done with it, “takes a lot more for me.” The two of you link your arms wordlessly, shooting you drinks in unison and letting out hisses at the taste.

“Who’s coming tonight?” you ask, putting the shot glass down and turning on the silk to wash away some vodka that had spilt onto your fingers. 

“A few people,” Mingyu responds, turning the sink off for you when you’re done and following you from the bathroom. “Hoshi, Seungkwan, DK- I think Seungcheol will be there for a bit- just to make sure none of us get too crazy.” 

You laugh at the mention of your ex, who, despite your break up, is still friends with you and your roommates. He never thinks any of the fun stuff you want to do is a good idea, and yet he always comes to watch you follow through with it.

 Tonight he’ll come to bear witness while you get drunk at the bar and grind on Hoshi because he parties hardest, and three years ago he’d helped you move in with two of his best friends, insisting that you’d be moving out again within months due to their annoying personalities. 

Sure, Mingyu’s prone to walking around nearly naked, and Wonwoo’s sleep schedule centers entirely around his twitch streams, which involve him playing video games for eight hours straight- but other than that, they’ve been wonderful roommates, and you’ve yet to even consider finding a new home.

As you pass Wonwoo’s room, you stop, knocking and waiting for a small “hmm?” before pushing the door open. Wonwoo’s seated at his computer, but at least the window next to him is ajar and lets in the cool night air. 

“We’re heading out,” you tell him, eying his massive headphones and pretty round glasses. He looks soft, with tired eyes, and yet dangerous at the same time, dressed fully in black as usual, and you suspect if you checked his nails they’d be black because it smells like polish and soju in his room. 

You realize his cam must be on, which makes sense, sometimes people pay him to do his nails on stream, which you’ve always found to be funny. You quickly bid him goodnight before turning to meet Mingyu at the entrance to your apartment.

It still smells like the stir fry Mingyu had made for dinner a few hours earlier, where you’d ranted about your workplace needing more workers for over an hour, and Mingyu had suggested going dancing at a club as a way to calm down.

When you pull your black strappy heels out, your tall best friend’s hands immediately find your hips to hold you up while you slip your shoes on. Then you stand straighter, looking up at your Mingyu with a smile, “Ready to party?”

Your roommate grins down at you. “Always.”

Chapter 2 - The Club - Friday

“Jungkook!” Mingyu calls the bouncer’s name and the incredibly sexy man guarding the door to the club turns to greet you and your best friend.

You love Mingyu. He always knows someone working at any club he wants to get into. Or if you want a table at any restaurant in town, Mingyu can get it for you within the hour. 

It helps that he’s a model. 

There are a few words exchanged between Mingyu and his bouncer friend, then Mingyu’s hand finds the small of your back, and he’s escorting you into the club, successfully skipping the massive line outside. 

Your friend group usually has a table at the back, made possible by the club owner being a graduate of the same frat that Mingyu and all his friends had gone to back in their university days.

Hoshi is already dancing in the crowd, his white hair standing out as he thrashes this way and that, and DK is close near him, although his attention is set on a brunette with long hair who is pressed to his chest.

“We’re late to the party,” you tease when you slip into the booth next to a happy - but tired - looking The8 and Jun. “I’m surprised you two even came out.”

The more fashionable of the two shrugs, dipping his bucket hat over his eyes to obscure his face from the flashing lights. “We’re heading out soon.”

“Of course you are,” you smile. “But not before we have a few shots.”

“What’s the occasion? Mingyu said you’re pissed about something?” Jun leans in, concern evident in his eyes. He’s always been one of the biggest sweeties of your friends.

“Just my work not having enough staff,” you brush it off, waving a hand, “nothing major.” 

You catch the eye of a waitress, who heads over, takes one look at your group (which now consists of only you and the ‘China Line’ because Mingyu and the others have disappeared) and begins to blush. You wish you could say this was uncommon, but the number of girls who get starry eyed when they’re around your friends is too high to count.

“What can I get you guys?” the waitress asks over the roaring music.

“Nine shots of tequila with lime and salt,” you tell her, earning groans from the men next to you.

The8 puts hand over his eyes and sighs. “So it’s that kind of night,” he says, leaning back and putting his free arm on the booth behind your shoulders. “Haven’t done this with you since back when you dated Seungcheol.”

You frown slightly at his words. No matter how many years pass between now and then, you’ll always be sore about the fact that Seungcheol wasn’t the one -  because fuck, he’s such a good guy and you really wish he was the one - but it’s not something you can do anything about. 

Jun quickly brings up some girl Hoshi is seeing to distract you. You’re more susceptible to sadness after a long day (as you’ve already informed them you’ve had), and the conversation on Hoshi and his potential girlfriends continues throughout the three shots. 

Your trio gets more animated, and soon you find yourself on the dance floor. 

It’s funny to be here with so many guys you know. Now that you’re slipping through bodies, Joshua’s familiar hands help you along, you get a flash of a smile and a “hi” from him, and even Jeonghan stops you for a moment to compliment your outfit. 

It’s like a frat party all over again, and you love it.

You enjoy dancing alone, though. You don’t need a man behind you, and you’re more than happy to be invited into little groups of females who are obviously just out for a night of girl power. They’re more enthusiastic anyways, and you always leave club nights with at least one new girl friend.

Soon you find yourself back up at the table with friends, doing more shots with Hoshi and Mingyu only to run out of booze way too soon. 

Buzzed off of the alcohol already in your veins, you’re feeling a little sleepy and in need of something to make you wake up, so you grab Mingyu’s hand and the two of you head down towards the bar, where your tall best friend easily waves down a bartender. 

You get two more shots to go with the water Mingyu insists you order as well.

When the drinks come, you and the tall model are quick to shoot them, linking arms like always, and grimacing in unison at the taste. 

“Do you miss the days of chase?” you ask Mingyu, sipping on your water, which also tastes bad now and makes you scrunch up your face again. 

Mingyu smiles at your antics.

“I'm a man now. Models don’t need chase,” he insists, running a hand through his dark hair, which looks like someone else way playing with it earlier.

You’re about to argue with Mingyu just for the hell of it when a familiar face appears around his shoulder. 

Jaehyun is a guy you know from tinder. You’d gone on three dates, and although you’d enjoyed them and wanted a forth, he’d ghosted you and left you with a bad taste in your mouth, much like the tequila. It had been very early stages with Jaehyun, you’d yet to really know anything about each other, but it had hurt to suddenly be dropped with no explanation.

And now here he is… with his arm around a gorgeous blonde.

“No fucking way,” you say before you can help yourself, because Jaehyun is looking right at you. And now, he’s coming over. “Mingyu, pretend to be my boyfriend,” you tell your roommate, grabbing his arm and looking up at him with your best puppy dog eyes, “don’t question it, just-”

“Y/N?” Jaehyun appeares next to your best friend. 

When Mingyu turns and looks down at Jaehyun, who, to be fair, is quite tall himself, realization flashes over your roommate’s face, then Mingyu steps smoothly to your side, wrapping an arm around you.

Jaehyun may have never met your roommates, but they’ve heard everything about him, and seen his instagram. 

“Jaehyun!” You fake a smile, tucking yourself closer to Mingyu’s strong chest, which smells like sandalwood and spice, a new cologne he’d received for an advert placement recently. “What a surprise!” You take in the way he’s dressed, which is a little fancier than you remember. “Have you just come to the club to party, or is there a special occasion?”

“It’s my girlfriend’s birthday,” Jaehyun explains. “Jennie, come here.” He brings the pretty blonde over, “Jennie this is Y/N, a friend from the gym.” 

You can’t believe it’s that easy for him to just lie about where he knows you from. You’re kind of glad he’s out of your life now if this is the way he behaves with girlfriends, and you grip Mingyu tighter.

“Hi, I’m Jennie,” the gorgeous woman smiles, “and you are?” Her attention is on Mingyu and despite her having an attractive man right next to her - an attractive boyfriend at that -  Jennie’s eyes are glazed over and widened as she looks up at Mingyu.

It makes you smug to think that your fake boyfriend is having this affect on her, and you sneak a glance at Jaehyun to see if he’s noticed, which he obviously has by the way his fist clenches at his side. 

“Mingyu, Y/N’s boyfriend,” your roommate says smoothly. “And it must be an old gym because Y/N’s been coming to mine with me for three months now, my modeling agency gets us passes at one of the most elite fitness clubs in the city.”

Not a lie… you just don’t go with him, although he has offered you to be his plus one on many occasions. 

“Wow, you model?” Jaehyun’s jaw has dropped as he looks between you and Mingyu, who (in that moment) you’re kind of in love with. “Guess it has been a while since I saw you,” he admits, and your brain autocorrects the word ‘saw’ to ‘ghosted’.

“Yeah, but it looks like you’ve been doing as well as I have,” you say in a sickly sweet voice. You’re about to dismiss you and Mingyu from the situation when Jaehyun interrupts you, eyes fixed to your wrist.

“Looks like, is that a Rolex?” he asks.

“Oh yeah!” You push your hand out. “Mingyu got it for me.” You snatch your wrist back before Jaehyun can touch your watch, grabbing at Mingyu’s suit jacket and making a big show out of it all. “We were actually just heading back to our apartment,” you bat your eyes up at him, “come on, Mingyu.” 

There’s no possible way you can stay in the club with Jaehyun floating around and you both know it. You suppose you could continue to lie that Mingyu is your boyfriend, or get with a different one of his friends and blame polyamory if dirty dancing with Mingyu himself is too weird, but even the idea of Hoshi or Jeonghan feels off tonight. 

Since dating Seungcheol, it’s always felt like he has a claim on you. Not a claim, so much as a bro code thing. You are - in every sense of the word - a designated frat boy. You dated one on and off for four years, and you’ve lived with two of them since you graduated two years ago. 

While they’re all super attractive, you have a feeling that none of them will ever challenge the fact that you were once Seungcheol’s girl, and you’ve learned to accept it. 

Following Mingyu as he blows a path through the sea of people out of the club, you can’t help but appreciate his body. You have a mental block in your brain that doesn’t allow you to ever consider sleeping with him, because you live with him, so if you sleep with him, or Wonwoo for that matter, you know there will be no going back on your end. 

And on theirs? Well, you’re sure they’ll only ever see you as Seungcheol’s ex and their dude-bro roommate.

Chapter 3 - The Apartment - Friday

“What a douchebag,” Mingyu says as you step into your apartment. 

You huff in agreement, kicking off your high heels and collapsing onto the floor in the middle of the hallway as Wonwoo’s door opens and he peaks his head out to ask, “Who’s a douchebag?”

“That dude Jaehyun, the one from tinder,” Mingyu calls as he tosses his jacket on a chair around the island in the kitchen, rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt as he moves to the cupboard over the sink so he can grab a glass and fill it with water. 

“The one who ghosted after three dates?” 

“Yeah, him.”

“He’s a total douchebag.” Wonwoo has now rolled his gaming chair out of the door of his room, and he sits in it, looking directly at you while you wallow around on the floor in self pity. “But why are we still talking about him?” 

“He was at the club with his new girlfriend and she was really pretty,” you groan, throwing your hands over your face at the memory of the gorgeous blonde.

“You’re prettier,” Mingyu tells you, “but it isn’t a competition.” He comes to squat down on the floor next to you, placing the water there. “That guy didn’t deserve you. He lied to his new girlfriend right in front of us.”

“He did what?” Wonwoo asks in shock, chuckling slightly. He pulls off his headphones, letting them settle around his neck and shaking out his bouncy curls as he gets more comfortable in his chair, eager and ready to hear the story.

“He told his girlfriend,” Mingyu says as he stands up straight, sighing, “that he met our little Lazy Bones at the gym.”

Your roommate’s foot nudges your body gently and you groan, swatting at him “I’m not a Lazy Bones,” you insist, pouting up at Mingyu while laying flat on your back.

“Sure you’re not, Pillow Princess,” Wonwoo snickers.

“Hey!” You toss your purse at him and Wonwoo easily catches it out of the air, laughing harder. “Seungcheol liked tying me up okay? It’s not being a pillow princess if it’s what he’s choosing.”

“You liked it though, don’t lie. You’re a no effort kind of girl,” Mingyu says, looking down at you fondly. “There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Says the Pillow Prince.”

Now it’s Mingyu’s turn to throw something at Wonwoo, and the closest item Mingyu is able to grab is an apple off the counter. 

He throws it a little harder than you did your purse, but Wonwoo still easily snatches it out of the air before it can hit him, and he tosses the apple in his hand, “Thanks, I was hungry.” His teeth sink into the hard flesh of the fruit, making a crunching sound that has your mouth watering.

“I’m hungry,” you groan.

“What do you want to eat?” Mingyu is already heading to the fridge, opening the door and allowing the light to flood around his massive frame as he blocks your view of the contents.

“Surprise me,” you tell him, finally sitting up. You face Wonwoo, crossing your legs to adjust to a sitting position, then you lift the glass of water Mingyu had brought to your lips. “How was your stream?”

Wonwoo shrugs, leaning back in his chair and spreading his legs slightly, flexing his hands against his black sweatpants before crossing his arms over his chest, biceps straining against the sleeves of his black V-neck. “Been playing the new Resident Evil Game. It was supposed to take ten to fourteen hours to complete but I finished it in eight today, so I restarted at the highest difficulty setting and I’m just dicking around now.”

“Was it scary?” Mingyu asks, shutting the fridge as he moves to the counter, pulling out a pot and turning on the stove element to begin cooking.

“Meh,” Wonwoo shrugs, continuing to fidget in his chair. He stretches his arms over his head and groans slightly, you doubt he’s moved much all day. “It was okay.”

Mingyu scoffs loudly.

There’d been a time where he’d thought horror movies were the most terrifying thing in the world… then Wonwoo had let him try a scary video game on his VR machine and Mingyu had nearly broken the gaming station trying to fight monsters attacking him… he’d also had nightmares for a good four months afterwards. 

“Hey, wasn’t that the game with the chick with massive tiddies?” Mingyu asks suddenly, making you all burst out into giggles because of course that’s what he’d remember from the trailer Wonwoo showed him weeks ago.

“Lady Dimitrescu, yeah,” Wonwoo grins.

“Her tits-” Mingyu makes a motion with his hands in front of his chest and then lets out a whistle.

“I know.” Wonwoo shakes his head back and forth, making a sound with his lips that’s obviously meant to emulate motor-boating, and you throw your hands over your face.

“You guys!” you groan loudly.

Mingyu joins in on the motor-boating sounds and you collapse onto your back, staring up at the ceiling. As much as you pretend to hate their antics, you adore your roommates, and the thought of Jaehyun has slipped from your mind completely.

Chapter 4 - The Job - Saturday

Your eyes keep finding the clock, focusing in on the minute hand, which gets closer and closer to the top of the hour, when this nightmare of a shift finally ends. 

It’s five to six, which means you’re nearly free, and you’re more than excited for this day to be over. 

Running on low staff at the restaurant during a busy Saturday brunch and lunch rush has not been fun for you. While you are capable of handling things, it’s not something you enjoy- rushing around and acting as if you have five arms, cleaning this, setting that, escorting customers to this table, ringing in a drink- 

You’re so tired you’d called Wonwoo on your lunch break and begged him to come pick you up with your favourite bubble tea, and he’d been more than happy to oblige. Wonwoo spends so much of his day inside, he’ll often walk the few blocks to your workplace to pick you up and stretch his legs between streams, something you’re very grateful for.

“Y/N!” One of your coworkers, Hyuna, rushes to your side and grabs your arm as you’re punching in an order near the back of the restaurant. “We have a new hire, and he’s being shown around right now, he’s so cute!”

Your manager had mentioned a new hire this morning, and although you’d been bummed the new hire wouldn’t be starting during your shift, he’d explained it would be good to show the new waiter the ropes during a busy night so he would know what he was getting himself into. 

You’d almost forgotten that there would be a five minute overlay, and the idea of a cute coworker makes your heart leap in your chest, finally, a good thing today.

“Really? Where?” Your eyes dart around and Hyuna grabs your shoulders to angle you towards the front door, where your manager is talking to the hostess, a pretty redhead named Yeji, with another man whose back is turned to you.

“Trust me, he’s super cute,” Hyuna tells you. 

“Well, my shift is over, so I’m going to go grab my things, and while I head out, maybe I'll get a look at him.” You bump your hip with hers and she flashes you a grin that says ‘go get him!’ 

She's been happily dating her boyfriend since high school, and ever since you started working here a year ago, she’s been on the lookout for cute guys to set you up with. 

You quickly clock out and head to the back of the restaurant to put on your coat, making sure your wallet and phone are in your pockets before leaving. 

You say goodbye to a few people before heading to the front entrance. You’re happy to find that the new hire is still there, talking with the hostess, who seems to be showing him her tablet where she keeps track of all the tables (which are numbered), and explaining to him how the sections are divided amongst waiters.

“Y/N!” Yeji, the hostess, perks up when she sees you approaching, you’re one of the top dogs around here, and everyone is always more than happy when they see you coming their way. “Have you met the new hire?”

You’re about to say no, but as the man turns, you realize that if you were to say no, you’d be lying.

Because standing in front of you, is Mr. Jeong ‘ghosting expert’ Jaehyun himself.

You feel your expression fall, and you don’t even bother picking it up again, you’re off the clock now, you’re not paid to pretend to be happy to see people anymore.

“Yes actually, I have.” 

“Y/N, I didn’t know you worked here,” Jaehyun says in disbelief. He looks as shocked as you are to be seeing him here.

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me because we don’t really know each other,” you remind him. And you’re also pretty sure that sometime during your three dates you had mentioned you work at this restaurant, so you think maybe Jaehyun just never retained anything you ever told him because what the actual fuck-

“Ready to go home?” Wonwoo’s sooth voice makes you turn away from your two coworkers, eyes landing on your roommate who is patiently standing at the open door entryway, a bubble tea in each ring clad hand. 

He’s dressed all in black today, with dark jeans, a turtleneck and a leather jacket that shows off the wide set of his shoulders. His curls are windswept, and his glasses are a little crooked, prompting you to close the distance between you both and fix them.

“Thanks,” Wonwoo smiles down at you, holding out your drink. With two hands full, he hadn’t been able to fix his glasses himself, and you can’t help but grin at your best friend and the adorable way he holds himself, despite the fact that he looks like he could legit kick your ass. 

“Ready to go home?” Jaehyun’s voice brings you back to your predicament, and you’re shocked at how easily you can flip flop between being mad, to being happy at Wonwoo’s arrival, to mad again. “I thought you lived with the dude from the club last night.” 

Wonwoo looks past you and into the restaurant, narrowing his eyes as he takes in Jaehyun. Now that Wonwoo’s glasses are fixed, maybe he can see better. 

You can tell that he understands what’s happening right away, and your roommate steps forward, wrapping an arm around you, “I didn't realize you had nosey coworkers kitten, is he bothering you?”

Your heart lurches at the pet name and you nearly want to scream in triumph at the way your roommate has just flipped the situation. Jaehyun immediately scrambles, “I didn’t- I mean-”

“Polyamory exists dude, get over it,” Wonwoo says rudely, lifting his chin slightly so he can look down his regal nose at the man who’d ghosted you, “Let’s get out of here.”

You smirk, sipping your bubble tea and allowing Wonwoo to lead you from the restaurant. “Bye Yeji,” you say to the hostess, who also bids you adieu, and is watching you with a little mischievous grin on her face. 

As soon as you’re far enough from your work, Wonwoo’s arm drops from your shoulders and he says loudly, “What the fuck.”

“I know right?!” you exclaim.

“Can we get him fired?”

You laugh sadly, “No, I think that’s mean.”

“Ghosting is mean.”

You can’t argue with him there.

“Good thinking with the polyamory thing,” you tell him.

“He seriously straight up questioned that you’re cheating on Mingyu to your face- the balls-”

“I know!”

“What a loser,” Wonwoo shakes his head, sipping his bubble tea. 

“I hope he quits, because now every time you or Mingyu come to the restaurant you’ll have to act like you’re my boyfriends.”

Wonwoo shrugs. “That’s not the worst thing in the world. It just means we can come up with evil ways to rub it in Jaehyun’s face that you’re a catch and he missed out.”

“You see, this is why you’re my best friend.”

Wonwoo nudges you with his shoulder when you come to a stop at a light, “And don’t you forget it.”

Chapter 5 - The Apartment - Saturday

“How was work?” Mingyu asks when you enter your warm apartment, which smells of yummy soup, Wonwoo following close behind you. 

Instead of answering him, you throw your jacket on the ground and then follow it, wallowing like you had last night.

“That bad huh?” Mingyu chuckles, leaning over the kitchen counter so he can see your from where he stands on the other side. “What happened?”

“That asshole from the club is her new coworker,” Wonwoo answers, pulling out a chair to sit down. He angles himself back so he can watch you even as you roll around, one of his hands coming to rest flat on the kitchen counter while the other finds his thigh, which bobs up and down slightly due to his fidgeting. 

“And now I have two boyfriends,” you add.

“What!? Since when!?” Mingyu exclaims.

You sit up, staring at Mingyu, and Wonwoo even laughs. “How easily you dismiss our love,” you tease Mingyu, and you see the realization flash over his face.

“How easily you invited an emo gamer kid into our relationship without telling me, missy,” Mingyu tuts, teasing you back. 

“Emo gamer kid,” Wonwoo scoffs. “At least I'm not a scaredy cat model who still needs chase if he’s doing a vodka shot because of the time he double fisted two bottles and got so black out drunk he ended up on the roof of our frat and no one found him for six hours.”

“Hey!” Mingyu points his finger in Wonwoo’s face, “I’d like to see you try to climb a ladder onto a roof while you’re smashed.”

“I’d like to see you try to climb down one. Oh, right, you can’t, and we all had to come save your ass,” Wonwoo retorts, smacking away Mingyu’s finger. 

The event had made the school newspaper, and you can’t help but giggle at Mingyu, who likes to act as if he’s not ashamed of his behaviour, however, by the way his ears are turning red, you know he’s embarrassed. 

Mingyu rolls his eyes wildly, continuing to act unbothered, and then says, “So what's our plan to get Jaehyun fired.” 

“There is no plan, kitten over there says it would be mean,” Wonwoo answers smoothly, swivelling in his chair sideways so he can look to where you’re still seated cross legged on the floor.

“Kitten?” Mingyu laughs,.“When did you start calling her kitten?”

“Since she became my girlfriend twenty minutes ago.” 

“Well, now I need a pet name for her because she became my girlfriend last night,” Mingyu insists. “Isn’t that right, my little sunshine cherub baby?”

“Mingyu?” you sigh.

“Yes, goddess divine?”

You open your mouth, then shut it, then open it again, “Ok, goddess divine is a maybe, but please, never ever ever call me sunshine cherub baby again.”

“Or what?” Mingyu smiles at you.

“Or I will help Wonwoo hold you down and finally make you play the Outlast horror game on virtual reality like you promised you would when you lost our New Years bet on who Hoshi would kiss at midnight.” 

“Fucking Hoshi kissing Seungkwan, no one saw it coming,” Mingyu cusses, turning his attention down to the pot of ramen he’s been tending to on the stove this whole time. 

“And poor Vernon,” you giggle, remembering how he’d been seated between the men as the clock had struck twelve and Hoshi had reached past him to grab his best friend and smash his lips to Seungkwan’s right in front of Vernon’s salad-

“Look, you come up with a petname,” Mingyu suggests, “and I’ll do anything you want me to if it means getting back at that fucktard.”

“Fucktard?” Wonwoo chuckles, and Mingyu throws a chopstick at him, which he easily bats out of the air, sending it skidding across the ground and under the couch in the living room. 

“Don’t make fun of me,” Mingyu pouts.

“Fine, I'll stop,” Wonwoo concedes, still grinning. You’ve heard this countless times before, and no matter how many times Wonwoo agrees to the request, he’ll always slip back into making fun of his friend. 

Your group runs on bickering, and as you watch your two roommates start a new conversation, that quickly turns into teasing yet again, you know there’s no place you’d rather be.

Chapter 6 - The Job - Sunday

Despite still being understaffed during the brunch rush on Sunday morning, you don’t murmur one word of annoyance. If anything, you’re grateful the newest member of your restaurant team isn't working your shift, because you really don’t think you’ll be able to deal with Jaehyun today.

You can see his name on the schedule, starting just as you finish, and you hope that unlike yesterday, you’ll be able to leave without bumping into him. 

Jaehyun crushes these dreams by arriving at his shift fifteen minutes early. By the way he hangs out by the bar, chatting with the bartender, Eunwoo, and watches you move around the restaurant, you have the sneaking suspicion he’s waiting to talk to you, and you’re dreading it.

“Hyuna,” you slot yourself next to your friend as she’s punching in an order and the woman smiles at you.

“What’s up, buttercup?” she teases you, pausing to fix your hair before going back to her job.

“Can you distract Jaehyun? Or go talk to him so I can escape?” You’d told her about the situation as soon as shift started, before the big rush, while you’d folded napkins at the bar, and by the way she sets her eyes on Jaehyun, you know her answer before she even says yes.

“I’ll make that poor boy question his morals, don’t you worry, leave it to me.” she tells you. “Have a good night with your boyfriends.” 

You groan. After telling her the story, she’d insisted on referring to your roommates as boyfriends just in case Jaehyun overhears her, and it had sounded ok at the time… but now you see the glint of mischief in her eyes and you think maybe it wasn’t such a wonderful idea. 

Pushing the thought from your head, you duck into the back of the restaurant and go to the staff room to collect your things, putting your hoodie up to hide your hair in the hopes that an incognito look will make it easier to slip by Jaehyun, but as you turn to go, the hope is shattered, as is your trust in Hyuna who you’ll have to have a stern talking to.

Jaehyun is standing in the doorway, leaning against it and watching you. “You in a hurry?” he asks.

“Yes actually,” you huff, heading towards him since he’s blocking your exit.

“Big night with those two boyfriends of yours, huh?” 

His words make you stop, and you can’t help the happiness that blossoms through you at the hint of jealousy in his tone. “How did you know?” you say haughtily, pushing your hair over your shoulder.

“I know how much work one person is, let alone two, you’re probably always busy.” 

His words strike something like anger in you and you find yourself defending your fake relationship before you can even stop yourself. “The difference between you and me is I don’t see my boyfriends as work, I see them as fun, and I have double.” You push past him and Jaehyun’s hand catches your forearm.

“I didn’t mean it like that-”

“I’m sure you didn’t,” you say, but there’s still an edge to your voice.

Jaehyun lets go of your arm. “Look, Jennie thought you seemed nice when she met you at the bar. When I told her that we’re working together now, she suggested we could go on a double date some time- or I guess, you have three people-”

“That’s still a double date because we’re in two separate couples,” you inform him.

“Right,” Jaehyun nods, “the polyamory thing, I’m new to it.”

“Okay.”

“So you’ll come?!” Excitement flashes in his eyes and you realize he thinks you’re answering his previous proposition of a double date instead of simply responding to his statement about polyamory. 

You open your mouth to say no, to backpedal like mad, to yeet yourself off a cliff if you have to in order to get out of this- but then Wonwoo’s plan of torturing Jaehyun for ghosting you bubbles to your mind and you realize, where better to rub your (fake) relationship with Mingyu and Wonwoo in Jaehyun’s face than directly in front of him on a date setting?

“I’ll have to talk to Wonwoo and Mingyu about it,” you say, providing yourself with a safety net, an easy out if you want to blame them for cancelations.

“Okay!” Jaehyun nods, “I still have your number so I’ll text you details?”

You sigh. “Sure.”

Chapter 7 - The Apartment - Sunday

“Spit take!?” Wonwoo tumbles out of his room, looking sleepy in black sweats and a hoodie, his curls sticking out from under the fabric. 

“How did you even hear that!?” you ask in shock, patting Mingyu’s back as he coughs into the sink.

“I always hear spit takes,” Wonwoo scoffs, coming so sit at the island in the kitchen where you and Mingyu are. He sits back casually in a chair, hands in his pockets. “What happened?”

“Jaehyun wants us to go on a double date.”

Mingyu all but chokes again, groaning and hiding his face in his hands. 

“What’s your problem?” Wonwoo asks. “You’re about to go on a date with two people who are way out of your league.”

“Excuse me?!” Mingyu holds up a finger. “Last I checked, I’m the model here.”

Wonwoo lifts his shoulders then lets them drop. “That just means you’re tall.”

“We’re the same height.”

“And I could model.” Wonwoo shrugs. “But I have aspirations.”

“Oh, do you Wonwoo? Do you really? And tell me, what are these aspirations, hmm?” Mingyu crosses his arms over his chest. “Being the biggest gamer nerd in the building? Well congrats, you’ve done it.”

Wonwoo shakes his head, sighing and moving his eyes back to you. “When’s the date?”

“He asked if we want to do something on Friday.”

“No,” Mingyu says immediately. “We’re going clubbing on Friday to celebrate Hoshi’s birthday, remember?”

“Right,” you nod, “well, I guess we’ll just have to push it back another week.”

“Aw, but I wanted to torture Jaehyun,” Wonwoo pouts out his lower lip and you kind of love how both of you keep referring to rubbing you in Jaehyun’s face as ‘torture’.

“You’ve been playing too many horror video games lately,” you sigh, smiling at your roommate, “and I hope they’ve given you ideas.”

“Trust me,” Wonwoo pushes his circular classes up his nose, grinning mischievously at you, “they have.”

Chapter 8 - The Club - Friday 

You’d managed to get through an entire week of working with Jaehyun, and you’re more than ready to slip into the crowd at the club during Hoshi’s birthday and dance the night away with some random who can make you forget about fake boyfriends and ghosting and how somehow your workplace is still understaffed.

After wishing happy birthday to Hoshi, you turn to longingly look at the dance floor, and surprisingly enough, it’s Seungcheol (not Jeonghan, or Joshua, or Dino- or, practically anyone else honestly) who grabs your hand. 

“Wanna dance?” he asks, and you can’t say no to your ex, who is smiling at you softly, in a way that’s reminiscent of the way he used to, and it makes your heart squeeze.

He’ll never be the one. And you hate it.

You let your ex escort you into the crowd of moving bodies, and he pulls you close, chuckling at the situation. “Missed this,” he tells you.

“Missed being close, being friends,” you admit. Although you’re in the same friend group and you’re friendly, you wouldn’t necessarily call Seungcheol a friend. You never call or text. You're friendly at events but that’s the extent of it.

“Me too,” he says. “So I hear Mingyu and Wonwoo are your fake boyfriends?”

“They told you about that?” you laugh.

“They told the whole group chat, we get daily updates,” Seungcheol grins, and you can feel your skin heating at the idea.

“Are you all really that invested in my love life?”

“Of course,” Seungcheol says. “You’re the honorary 14th frat brother in this friend group,” he reminds you, and while he means it in a positive way, it once again solidifies that these guys truly don’t see you as anything other than a bro. 

It’s always been a shitty idea, but it feels particularly negative tonight. 

“It’s just pretend,” you tell him, and the words taste sour on your tongue.

Seungcheol hums thoughtfully, his grip tightening on your waist. “Uh huh. Just be careful okay?”

Before you can ask him to elaborate on his cryptic warning, a hand is lacing with yours and you turn to see Seungkwan standing there. “Come drink with me!” he screams over the loud music, dragging you from Seungcheol who lets you go as easily as he had the day you broke up with him.

Soon you find yourself at the bar. 

One shot becomes two, and Vernon joins you before it can become a third, stealing your drink and settling between you and Seungkwan, who is in a deep discussion with the bartender over whether to stir or shake a martini- which you know for a fact he’s not even going to order. 

“Surprise surprise,” comes a voice that is becoming all too un-surprising, but none the less unwelcome. 

You sigh, turning with Vernon to look at the new arrival, Jaehyun. 

“Jennie found your model boyfriend, so I assumed you’d be around here somewhere.” His eyes shift to the man next to you, “Hi, I’m Jaehyun.”

“Vernon.”

They nod at each other.

“Is that other guy around here somewhere? The mean one?” Jaehyun asks.

“Yes, my second boyfriend is here too, and his name is Wonwoo,” you say, eyes immediately searching him out. 

You find your roommate and part time boyfriend at your table across the club as Jaehyun says, “looks like we got that double date after all,” and you’re pretty sure Wonwoo’s staring directly at you.

He’s been seated at the table all night, never one to dance. He’d only come tonight because it’s Hoshi’s birthday, and from his position, he’s been able to watch people all night, a favourite pastime of his. 

He’d noticed when Mingyu was approached by a pretty blonde, and he’d recognized her from her profile… which he may or may not have stalked through Jaehyun’s instagram while doing research on the guy who’d ghosted you. He’d only had to watch Jennie talk with the tall model for ten seconds to see she was hitting on him, and then he’d sought you out, realizing you may also be in danger of a hot swinger/cheater. 

Wonwoo’s not sure what Jennie and Jaehyun’s game is yet, and he intends to find out. It’s clear to him as well that Jaehyun likes you, but he’d been suspecting that fact since he met the guy and had felt threatened while in his fake boyfriend role. Jaehyun having you by the bar while his ‘girlfriend’ flirts with Mingyu by the dance floor makes Wonwoo’s blood boil.

While you may not be his real life significant others, as far as either of the other couple knows, you and Mingyu are taken… by him. And here they are, walking all over that.

If, perhaps, Jaehyun was a rich, kind, smart man, Wonwoo wouldn’t mind him flirting with you... except that Jaehyun is none of those things. He’s some fuck who ghosted you, and Wonwoo had seen your ego take a hit from it. He’s not about to let you fall into Jaehyun’s hands, even if the man does have some pretty charming dimples. 

Wonwoo’s tempted to go for you first, but you have Vernon and Seungkwan to protect you, the latter of which has thankfully stopped arguing with the bartender and entered your conversation. 

Wonwoo thinks you’re in good hands for now, so he stands and heads off for Mingyu.

When Wonwoo arrives at his friend’s side, the blonde looks up at him with big eyes, her smile widening.

Try it cheater, Wonwoo thinks to himself, nudging Mingyu with his shoulder. “Come get a drink.”

“Okay!” Mingyu is quick to agree, and Wonwoo thinks Mingyu must have also been trying to get out of this.

“Ooh, me too!” The blonde says, forcing her way between the men and linking her arms with theirs, “I’m Jennie by the way,” she smiles up at Wonwoo. 

He says nothing and she frowns when she’s not immediately given his attention, turning her gaze back to Mingyu a moment later, and Wonwoo ignores her the entire way to the bar. His eyes land on you as they approach and he can see relief flood through your features.

You push off of Vernon and rush towards him. Wonwoo pulls his arm from Jennie’s and scoops you up into a hug, glaring at Jaehyun over your shoulder. 

“You okay?” Your roommate whispers in your ear.

“Get me the fuck out of here,” you whisper back.

“In a second,” he responds, setting you down. “Jennie,” he looks at the blonde who is watching you with shock, “you know me and Mingyu’s girlfriend, Y/N.” His eyes practically shoot lasers into hers and he puts as much force into his body as he can, knowing that he towers over the poor girl, and it doesn't help that he’s in a full black outfit with big combat boots that say ‘don’t test me or I’ll curb stomp you’. 

“Right,” Jennie stutters, “yeah.” She looks at you and nods, which is enough of an acknowledgment for Wonwoo, who then shifts his gaze to Jaehyun.

“And we’ve met,” Wonwoo states, smugness erupting in his chest when Jaehyun shrinks back slightly. “We got off on the wrong foot, let me buy you a drink.” 

Jaehyun’s shock at the turn of events is obvious, and Wonwoo touches the small of your back, prompting you and your other friends to form a little circle while he joins Jaehyun at the bar to wave down a bartender.

“What’s your poison,” Wonwoo asks the other man, wishing, if only for a moment, that his question was literal. 

“Uh, Whiskey.” 

The bartender begins to poor drinks and the two men stand in silence, leaning forward against the bar.

“Look, I didn’t mean to offend you when we met-” Jaehyun begins but Wonwoo cuts him off.

“You ghosted Y/N,” he states harshly. “Don’t think I don't know about that, I do.” He turns, leaning sideways on the bar to look Jaehyun up and down. “You fucked up big time buddy, and I see what you’re doing now.”

“You do?” Jaehyun nearly stutters, eyes shifting sideways to where his girlfriend is talking with your group only a few feet away.

Wonwoo hums lowly in his throat. “You and your girlfriend really are meant for each other.” He leans forward. “I’m genuinely curious, is it a swinger thing? You fuck Y/N, and Jennie fucks Mingyu? Or are you both just lying, cheating, assholes?”

Jaehyun can’t even answer and Wonwoo chuckles at the way the man’s eyes move to Mingyu. 

“That’s what I thought, so just cheaters then.” A shot glass is placed in front of Wonwoo and he shoots it, pushing the second one towards Jaehyun then pulling out a bill he throws down onto the bar top. “This is all you’re ever getting from us. And if you try to talk to my girlfriend about anything non-work related every again- well, I'm not going to threaten you, but I just wouldn’t if I were you.” And with that, Wonwoo leaves Jaehyun standing at the bar dumbfounded. 

Wonwoo joins your group, throwing an arm over your shoulder. “Let’s get out of here,” he says loudly enough for you to all hear.

You look up at him, “We should say goodbye to Hoshi-”

“Fuck Hoshi,” Mingyu links his fingers with yours on your other side, “let’s go.”

Chapter 9 - The Apartment - Friday

Wonwoo had sat in the front of the lift in the car ride home, and Mingyu had spilt the tea about Jennie hitting on him while you giggled manically. 

When you reached your building, Wonwoo had paid the driver, then followed you and Mingyu up to the elevator, where he’d leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest, smiling as you spilt your own tea on how mad Jaehyun had made you when he interrupted you with Vernon and Seungkwan, and how horrible he’d been at trying to keep a conversation going with your group. 

When you get to your apartment, your eyes watch Wonwoo take off his leather jacket, shoulders all broad and distracting- then you ask, “What was that whole thing with Jaehyun and getting him a drink?”

“Hmm?” Wonwoo puts his jacket over the back of a chair in the kitchen and moves to the sink, turning it on before grabbing a glass from the cupboard, which he promptly fills from the tap.

“You pulled Jaehyun aside, we both saw you do it.” Mingyu comes to your defence, his own suit jacket removed and hung in the closet. He holds a hand out for you to use to steady yourself while you take off your shoes, both of you waiting for an answer from Wonwoo, who now seems to be purposefully slowly drinking his water.

He turns to face you both, leaning back against the counter. One of his arms is across his abdomen, and your eyes go to his bicep, shown off by the short sleeves of his black t-shirt. You wonder if he’s been working out more lately, because his arms are becoming far too noticeable - and you don’t think you’re in a thirsty mood - but to be fair, you have had a few shots. 

When Wonwoo finally sets the glass down, it’s empty. He sighs. “Gotta pee.”

You and Mingyu both groan loudly and Wonwoo heads off towards the bathroom. Mingyu’s still steadying you, so he can’t chase his friend, and when he’s finally able to, the door to the bathroom is already closed and locked.

“Did you threaten him?” Mingyu asks, turning to look at you where you stay in the kitchen at the end of the hall, watching him and waiting.

“Mingyu if you don’t step away from the god damned door-” you hear, followed a moment later by a bang that sends Mingyu scrambling back in shock. Wonwoo must have smacked the door. 

Mingyu comes to join you in the kitchen and the two of you raid the fridge, finding leftover chow mein from takeout you’d had at dinner. “We said we want to eat it for breakfast,” Mingyu groans as he lifts the box from the fridge, “but… but we want to eat it now.”

“We do,” you agree, also looking longingly at the food. 

“Self control, you two,” comes Wonwoo’s voice from behind you, and you both turn to see him standing there. “That’s my breakfast too, so put it down or no story.”

Mingyu immediately starts pouting but allows you to take the box from him and put it in the fridge before following Wonwoo into the living room.

The gamer collapses onto the couch, taking a whole corner and leaning back into it. He runs a hand laden with chunky silver rings through his curls. “So you know Jaehyun was flirting with you tonight, right?”

“What?!” you and Mingyu both scream in unison after having just settled on the couch with you between the men, who always claim the corners like the animals they are.

Wonwoo sighs, “I was worried you might not have noticed. You’re so pissed at the guy, you couldn’t see he was trying to flirt with you.”

“He-” You try to fight what your roommate has just said, but now that he’s said it out loud, it kind of makes sense. You’d been so blinded by rage, and had assumed the double date idea was Jennie’s to go after Mingyu- but Jaehyun had come to you in the bar-

“I just pulled him aside and I told him that A, I knew everything he’d done to you with the ghosting,” Wonwoo begins counting with those pretty fingers, and you find yourself distracted again (how much had you had to drink with Vernon and Seungkwan?), “B, he’d fucked up. And C, that he needed to fuck off or he’d have me to deal with.” 

“Wonwoo!” you coo, immediately launching yourself at him. “You’re the best fake boyfriend ever.”

He catches you as easily as he bats things out of the air all of the time, his reflexes at 100% after hours of playing what Mingyu calls ‘the VR light stick games’ in his room - maybe that’s why he’s in such good shape?

He smells like Spice Bomb or whatever he calls it- the one that comes in a grenade style bottle that he and Mingyu have been addicted to since Christmas the second year at the frat when The8 had bought everyone perfume for Christmas and sang a song called ‘please for the love of god start using soap in the shower’. 

You’ve come to enjoy the smell over the long years, maybe because every time you smell it, you’re getting a warm hug from someone who makes you feel safe and secure. Someone who threatens to beat up a guy who ghosted you- 

“Did you actually threaten Jaehyun?” You push yourself back from Wonwoo, hands on his shoulders as you look down at him.

“In a way,” Wonwoo’s hands suddenly grab at the back of your thighs, roughly pulling you to straddle his lap, “and,” he purrs, looking up at you and leaning up even as your hands stay on his shoulders to distance him, “I called him a lying, cheating, asshole for you.” 

You can’t help the way your jaw drops and you begin to laugh, “you did not.”

“I did,” Wonwoo insists. Then both of his hands move quickly, snapping up from where they’d been sliding to your waist, and he knocks your elbows, causing you to fall, but he catches you, dragging you closer and securing one of your wrists, which he jostles back over his shoulder to tug you close enough for him to smash his lips to yours. 

Now that you’re straddling him like this, chest to chest, kissing him back desperately, his hands are free. One goes to the small of your back pulling you even closer, and the other cups the side of your face-

“Are you two serious!?” Mingyu’s loud, whiney, cry baby voice ruins the moment, and Wonwoo immediately stops kissing you, chuckling a little against your lips.

Just as suddenly as his first motion had been when he’d made you topple onto his chest, Wonwoo lifts you up and turns you around so you’re between his legs and facing Mingyu in his corner of the couch. 

Wonwoo wraps an arm around you and dips his head to press a kiss to your neck. “Looks like fake boyfriend number two also wants his reward for being such a good boy toy for you and rubbing your successes in Jennie’s face all night, staying faithful like the good puppy he is.”

“Wonwoo we’re not getting through this if you call me puppy and all that shit like you used to in uni,” Mingyu warns, but his eyes are trained on you and he licks his lips, sitting up more, “Cuz i got over it.”

“Okay what the fuck, you two!” you say, finally finding your voice. 

“Language,” Wonwoo tuts behind you.

You let out a loud laugh, staring at Mingyu who is watching you. 

He is not laughing. He’s dead serious… and so is Wonwoo.

You stop laughing. 

“But wait- after all this time- why now?”

Mingyu cocks his head, “I was wondering that too.”

The scene is broken and Wonwoo sighs, sitting back against the pillows. “You’ve always been off limits because of Seungcheol, but after you went to the bar with Seungkwan, S.coups came to sit with me and told me that if we wanted you, we could go for it.” 

“What?”

“You two really have to stop speaking in unison,” Wonwoo sighs, but you can hear him smiling behind you and you lean back, tiling your body so you can look up at his face and find that you’re correct. “I saw Jaehyun trying to flirt with you and I guess I snapped.”

“Ok, but for real, what did you say to Jaehyun when you pulled him aside?”

“I told him he’s only allowed to talk to you about work related stuff from now on, that’s it.” Wonwoo shrugs, pretending to be innocent, but you’ve seen that very same shrug on his live streams after he savagely murders whole towns in all sorts of horror games.

He’s a bit of a wack job, but he’s your wack job… and he’s explained to you that when he’s particularly savage in games, he gets paid more, so, to be fair, if it pays rent you gotta do what you gotta do. And you can’t help the way your body reacts to mean dom Wonwoo, your panties beginning to stick uncomfortably to your core.

“Also, wait,” Mingyu shuffles closer, “S.coups said if we wanted her, we could go for it?”

“You’re not very good at hiding who you’re attracted to, Gyu,” Wonwoo tuts, his fingers brushing up and down your arm while he smirks at your roommate. 

“Excuse me, yes he is, you both are,” you interject, “I had no idea either of you liked me, or we would have done this years ago.”

“Sometimes waiting is the best part,” Wonwoo’s voice has dipped and his words make you press your thighs together in anticipation, something he definitely notices by the way one of his hands comes to rest on your leg. He laughs at you, “I think we’re all done waiting, though.”

Mingyu hums. “You can say that again.” And then he’s grabbing at you, pulling you from Wonwoo’s lap and onto your knees in front of him. You look up at Mingyu with wide eyes and he licks his lips, eyes darting down to your mouth then back up. “You want this, right?”

Like you’d launched yourself at Wonwoo earlier, you all but jump on Mingyu. He’s massive, and he easily catches you, cradling you against his chest while you attach your lips to his own, cupping his jaw and kissing him hungrily. 

Wonwoo had been firm with his kiss, grasping the side of your head with a big hand that kept you exactly where he’d wanted you. Mingyu, in contrast, is all needy and sloppy in the best possible way, his tongue invading your mouth, his hands groping at your waist, then your ass, then up to your ribcage, as if he wants to grab your breasts but isn’t sure if he has permission. 

You push at Mingyu’s chest and he concedes to you, adjusting to be laying back against the pillow and arm rest on the couch, which gives you the opportunity to pounce and straddle him. Mingyu’s hands push into the cushions as he tries to lift his upper body to kiss you eagerly, and you try to force him down with your weight, one hand going to his neck-

Mingyu lets out a small sound and gives in to you, finally resting back against the pillows fully, his hands moving to your hips. 

You stop kissing him, looking down at your roommate, whose pupils are blown with lust, his lips already looking puffy from your kisses.

He’s never been handsomer. 

The couch shifts behind you and you feel Wonwoo’s breath against your shoulder before his chest makes contact with your back, his arms wrapping around you as he tucks his face down in the crook of your neck, lips teasing your ear when he speaks, “As much as I think we’d both love to fuck the shit out of you on our couch, we should probably take this to my bedroom.”

“Why your bedroom?” Mingyu lets out a whimpery breath from below you, hips shuddering and pressing up against you when you grind down on him. 

“Because I’m the one with fun toys,” Wonwoo growls, teeth nipping your ear lobe and sending goosebumps erupting over your skin.

You’d been more than happy with the notion of having two men with pretty cocks, let alone the inclusion of toys.

You’ve always known Wonwoo’s a bit of a kinky fuck, but he’s generally good at either playing music loudly enough to drown out the moans of the girls he’s fucking, or he goes to their place for a booty call, then comes home.

You’ve never actually seen his ‘toy box’ although you have heard about it on multiple occasions from other guys, specifically Jeonghan, who’s always talking about his own toy box and any new gadgets he’s trying out. 

“Come on,” Wonwoo’s hand gently taps your ass and you can’t help the way your eyes widen.

Mingyu laughs, having seen your reaction. “She likes being spanked, don’t you my little honey cherub?”

You put your hand on Mingyu’s throat again, pressing him down into the pillows and enjoying the way his lips part in surprise. “I told you not to call me that,” you remind him, releasing his neck in favour of standing up, then you dart off towards Wonwoo’s room before either man can stop you. “I’m going to find the toys!” you announce mischievously. 

You hear Wonwoo groan behind you, followed by footfalls, which tell you you’re being chased. As you get to his room, arms wrap around your waist, and you let out a shriek when you’re lifted from the ground, Wonwoo tossing you onto his bed. 

“Such a brat,” Wonwoo tells you, coming to stand at the foot of his mattress. “My toys, my rules.” 

Mingyu’s arrived in the doorway, and he watches the two of you with a fond smile on his face. “So that’s how it’s going to be, huh? You want complete control as always.”

“Of course,” Wonwoo rolls his eyes, looking down at you again. “Stay,” he instructs, waiting a moment to make sure you’ll be good before he heads over to his closet. 

Mingyu collapses onto the bed, moving to sit against the pillows with his back to the headboard. He opens his legs and pats the middle area, giving you a space to sit which you quickly claim, relaxing back into his warm embrace once you’re settled.

“Bring the handcuffs,” Mingyu calls to Wonwoo from behind you, letting out a breath that disrupts a few of your hairs when he buries his face in the crook of your neck. 

You both watch Wonwoo rifle around his closet, and when he straightens and turns towards the bed, he’s holding some harsh looking, black handcuffs, and a pink egg shaped vibrator you recognize from porn- you’d had no idea Wonwoo owned one.

Mingyu’s lips begin pressing soft kisses against your neck, and your body is conflicted on which of your roommates to focus on, one of your hands reaching back to grab a fistful of Mingyu’s soft, dark hair. The big model behind you groans against your neck, his fingers digging into your waist. 

Wonwoo gets onto the bed, coming to kneel in front of you. His eyes take in your body, specifically the way your dress has moved up to your waist, exposing your panties to him due to the way your legs are spread to accommodate his frame. Wonwoo’s fingers reach out to grab at the fabric, “this needs to come off.” 

At first you think he’s talking to you, only for Mingyu to roughly tug your dress up the moment Wonwoo’s done speaking, and you realize that you’re in for a long night if Mingyu’s this eager to follow through with Wonwoo’s commands. 

Your dress is thrown across the room and Wonwoo’s eyes eat you up, his tongue darting out to wet his lips as he says his next command, “bra off too, but leave her panties.” 

A warm hand finds the center of your back and Mingyu pushes you forward, fingers finding the clasp of your bra. He pauses and presses a kiss to your bare shoulder, giving you a few moments to tell him to stop, but when you stay silent, keeping eye contact with Wonwoo, Mingyu takes this as a go ahead. 

He gently pushes the straps from your shoulders once the clasp is undone, and your bra slowly falls from your body, exposing your chest to your roommates.

Wonwoo keeps his eyes on yours, but Mingyu goes straight for your tits, cupping the newly exposed flesh in warm hands. His thumb and forefinger pinch at your right nipple and you let out a whimper, pushing your chest out eagerly and leaning your head back against Mingyu’s shoulder. 

The bed shifts, Wonwoo moving closer. Hands encircle your wrists, lifting them above your head, and a moment later, cold metal bites into your skin. You look up at Wonwoo, who’s focused on his task, and you realize he has a little hook attached to his headboard that you’ve never noticed before. He slots the handcuffs in the hook. “Are these too tight?” he asks you, eyes looking down into your own.

You shake your head. The cuffs are a little tight, but the slight pain just delights you more, and when you tug, the hook holds your hands firmly over your head. 

Mingyu’s still behind you, a warm, steady presence, his hands continuing to worship your tits, but he’s angled towards your right side now that you’re attached to the headboard by cuffs. 

Wonwoo’s fingers grab at your jaw and he leans down to press a kiss to your lips. You try to kiss him back, but he pulls away too quickly, looking down at you with a shit eating grin.

“Eager little thing, aren’t you?”

Instead of letting you answer, he slips two fingers into your mouth, and you greedily suck on them, but they too, are removed before you can truly appreciate them. You watch Wonwoo bring his newly spit covered fingers to the pink vibrator, coating it’s surface. 

“Something tells me I don’t really need to do this,” Wonwoo tells you, his eyes dipping down to your core, “you’re already practically dripping, kitten.”

Shame floods through you at the notion that he can see your wetness through your panties, and you can guess that there’s probably a dark patch on them that’s betraying how needy you are for your two roommates, who are taking their sweet time at this, which is only making you hornier.

“But, I like to make sure my Kittens are well looked after,” Wonwoo continues. His fingers reach down for your panties and he pushes them aside, prompting you to suck in a breath at the coolness of the room and the fact that you’re actually doing this. 

His thumb rubs you from the bottom of your entrance to the top, finding your clit and gently stimulating it. The slick he’d collected with his motion makes this easy, and you let out a whimper, pushing your hips forward.

“Hold her down, Gyu,” Wonwoo says sternly, and two large hands find your hips, anchoring you down.

Wonwoo brigs the vibrator to your core, pressing it gently to your entrance. The wet, egg shaped toy slides into you easily until all that’s left is the ‘tail’, which sports a button Wonwoo presses. The vibrator shakes to life inside of you and you let out a small sound of shock, the feeling is new and definitely interesting.

Then Wonwoo puts your panties back in place and your brows furrow in confusion, “What-”

Wonwoo grabs your throat roughly, shutting you up in more ways than one when he presses his lips to yours. His fingers squeeze your wind pipe, and you whimper, giving him an opening to slide his tongue against yours and sink his teeth into your bottom lip deliciously.

One of Mingyu’s hands is still working your breast, fingers pinching your nipple, and the vibrator sends wonderful jolts of pleasure through your lower half while Wonwoo kisses you stupid. 

It’s almost too much to handle, and you can feel your orgasm building slowly- only for Wonwoo to tear it out of you by reaching down and roughly thumbing your clit through your panties. Your pussy clenches down on the vibrator, which only makes it feel more intense as your body convulses from all the stimulation.

Wonwoo’s grip on your neck tightens, his fingers rubbing your core harder and prolonging your orgasm until you’re a whimpering mess, thrashing in Mingyu’s grasp from the stimulation and pulling against the handcuffs, which now bite almost painfully into your skin.

When you’re done cumming, Wonwoo pulls away, leaving you a panting mess. His dark eyes move up and down your form slowly and he tugs his lower lip into his mouth, nodding to himself. “Okay.”

“Okay?” you breathe, confused.

Wonwoo hums in response but doesn't elaborate more. Instead, he looks down at his hands, and he begins to take off his rings. “As much as I love finger fucking girls with these on,” he tells you, “I don’t think you’d be able to handle it tonight.”

“I can handle it,” you insist immediately, watching with frenzied eyes as a third chunky silver band is taken off. 

“Hmmm, I don’t think so,” Wonwoo says. “Gyu, do you want to take them?”

The man behind you offers up his left hand, the one that had been on your hips, and Wonwoo slides the rings onto his friend’s fingers securely before flexing his own bare digits, which look way too god damned pretty even without embellishments. 

“These are cute, by the way,” Wonwoo tells you, reaching out and grabbing at the waist band of your panties only to let them smack back against your skin, causing you to take in a shaky breath. 

“Don’t even think about ripping them,” you tell him, although your voice really isn’t as commanding as you wish it was.

Wonwoo simply chuckles, letting out a sigh as he hooks his fingers in your panties again. “Fine,” he concedes, sliding them down your legs, “But you only wear them for me from now on, got it?” He puts them into his back pocket and you moan in affirmation, biting your bottom lip in anticipation.

Wonwoo lays down on the bed, positioning his face near your core. He moves your legs to be over his shoulders, both of his hands finding your hips and pushing Mingyu’s hand away.

The man behind you wraps his newly freed hand around your neck, and Wonwoo’s rings, which litter his long fingers, bite cooly into your skin. 

Wonwoo’s breath fans across your entrance and your legs quiver slightly, core tightening around the vibrator that’s still wedged inside of you.

When Wonwoo finally brings his mouth to your core, his tongue flicks at your clit teasingly before his entire mouth descends on you, wet muscle pushing into you slightly. Wonwoo lets out a groan that mixes with the vibrations from the toy inside of you and you whine loudly, straining against the hands and cuffs that hold you down.

“Our sensitive little baby,” Mingyu coos behind you, lifting his hand from your breast to your lips and forcing two fingers inside of your mouth for you to suck on.

Wonwoo’s tongue moves from your entrance up to your clit and then back down again, teasing you, never in one place long enough for you to get the pleasure that you so desperately need.  

Mingyu removes his fingers from your mouth and brings newly wet digits to your peaked nipple, gently swirling around the sensitive bud. 

You whine loudly, pushing your chest out. “Please,” you groan, “no more teasing.”

Wonwoo chuckles against your core which makes your legs shake on either side of his head, and then he’s adjusting again. Fingers slip into your core and make your toes curl, they move up, searching for the vibrator that’s already inside of you, and Wonwoo expertly pushes it against your gspot, holding it there and flicking your clit madly with his tongue.

“Oh my god-” You pull at the handcuffs, moaning when the pain of metal biting into your skin mixes with the pleasure radiating between your legs. 

“Cum for us baby?” Mingyu’s lips find your neck and his words are enough for you to explode on Wonwoo’s fingers, which he begins to thrust in and out of you at a wild pace, consistently ramming the toy into your gspot while his tongue stimulates your clit deliciously.

Your legs try to close around Wonwoo’s head, but neither he nor Mingyu let that happen, each of them using a free hand to push your thighs apart, stretching you open so Wonwoo has full access to you as he destroys your pussy throughout the entirety of your orgasm. 

You’re aware that you’re making noise, that you’re gasping and moaning, but you can barely register anything other that the waves of pleasure that are rushing through your body. Your eyes are closed, head thrown back, skin alight with warmth that radiates out from your core.

When Wonwoo finally pulls away from you, you slump in Mingyu’s grasp, taking in shuddery breaths. 

“Oh my god,” comes Mingyu’s voice from behind you, followed by gentle fingers brushing your cheek, “she’s crying.”

“She squirted too,” Wonwoo says smugly from between your legs, and you feel the bed shift with his movement. 

You still can’t bring yourself to open your eyes, body still overcome with aftershocks of your intense orgasm. 

Someone’s hand goes between your legs and you instinctively shut them, only for them to be gently, but firmly, opened again. 

“I’m just taking this out,” comes Wonwoo’s calm, soothing voice, and you feel a tug on the tail end of the vibrator. It leaves you feeling empty, and a shudder runs through you at the thought, your legs closing again now that Wonwoo’s let you go.

You open your eyes to watch him get off the bed and head towards the bathroom, disappearing from sight. 

“Are you okay?” Mingyu asks from behind you, and a moment later you feel his fingers brush your wrists. He uncuffs you, and your arms suddenly scream at you, muscles hurting from having been in that position for so long.

You nod, wiping your face to remove the tears Wonwoo had forced out of you with a mind numbing orgasm. “Yeah, are you?”

Mingyu shifts behind you, his hardened length brushing your lower back as he adjusts you, wrapping his arms around your entire body and resting his chin on your shoulder. He hums lowly, “you feel so nice.”

“My mouth feels even better,” you tell him.

Wonwoo must be able to hear you from the bathroom because his barking laugh sounds a moment later, but Mingyu groans in response, grip tightening on you. “Don’t say things like that.”

“Or what?”

“Teach the brat a lesson, Gyu,” Wonwoo says, appearing from the bathroom with a cleaned toy which he takes over to his closet, “and toss me those handcuffs.” 

The dark, metal binds that had worn your wrists raw are thrown through the air and Wonwoo catches them easily, putting them, and the vibrator, back in their box. 

“Maybe you should take her mouth,” Mingyu says from behind you, “she won’t be able to fit all of me.”

You groan, feeling a rush of wetness between your legs. “Please?” is all you can say.

“You better do something Gyu,” Wonwoo tuts, turning to face the bed, “look at her, she’s dripping.”

Mingyu and you both let out groans at Wonwoo’s words, he’s right, even though he probably can’t see your core due to he way you have your legs shut. 

The man behind you moves quickly, slipping out from behind you so he can take his spot between your legs, which he forces open and puts on either side of his hips as he pushes you down against the pillows, lips capturing yours.

You groan into his kisses, tightening your grip on his waist with your thighs, looking for friction, which Mingyu gives you by grinding down against you. 

Both he and Wonwoo are still fully dressed, and you immediately start tugging at Mingyu’s shirt, fumbling with the buttons. Mingyu stops kissing you just long enough for him to tear his shirt up and over his head, then slams his lips against yours again, tongue invading your mouth.

You grab at his hair, groaning into his kisses and pressing your chest up against his, delighted by the contact of his hard muscle against your sensitive breasts. 

“Fuck me,” you tell him, biting into his lower lip and earning a groan from deep within Mingyu’s chest. 

His fingers dig into your legs for a moment and then he pulls away from you, quickly undoing his belt and shoving his jeans down just enough for his cock to spring free.

Mingyu is between your legs again, lining his massive cock up with your entrance when he freezes. “Condoms?” 

“She’s on the pill, and our pretty little cum slut likes it raw, don’t you princess?” Wonwoo says, drawing your eyes to the side of the bed where he’s pulled up his gaming chair and is sitting there watching the two of you with dark eyes.

You whimper in response, grabbing Mingyu with both hands and dragging him into you, his cock stretching you out deliciously until his hips are flush to yours. You both groan, tongues clashing when you begin to kiss with new ferocity.

Your hands are everywhere, tangling in his hair, digging into his strong shoulder blades and grabbing at his strong biceps, which flex while he holds his body over you, hips rutting into you with a fast pace that has you seeing stars and sends the headboard banging into the wall behind you noisily. 

“Fuck!” Mingyu groans, moving his mouth instead to your neck. His hand, the one with all of Wonwoo’s rings, grabs at your jaw, forcing you to look to the side to give him full access to your throat. 

“Mark her, Gyu,” Wonwoo commands, “And when she goes to work tomorrow, Jaehyun will see just how taken she is.” 

Mingyu practically growls, his teeth teasing the flesh of your neck and making you whimper, back arching and pushing your tits up against his chest while he sucks a mark into your skin. 

While he applies pressure to your neck with one hand, his other one digs into your waist. Mingyu’s hips are moving quickly, and he’s panting lewdly against your skin. 

“Fuck, I’m so close-” he tells you, “Watching Wonwoo make you squirt-” He lets out a growl, moving his lips to yours again, “Cum with me?” He shoves a hand between your bodies and finds your clit, which is still sensitive and the motion makes you clamp down on his cock.

You dig your fingers into Mingyu’s shoulders, moaning loudly.

“Just like that!” you tell him, and Mingyu follows through, hiking your leg slightly higher on his waist which opens you up even more for him.

You and Mingyu cum together, Mingyu’s hand moving from your waist to cup your face. “Look at me,” he groans, and you open your eyes, staring up at your roommate while both of you are awash with pleasure, his hips helping you both ride out your highs.

As his motions come to a stop, you feel the bed dip, and both you and Mingyu turn to look at Wonwoo. 

“You,” he taps Mingyu, “on your back.”

Mingyu does as he’s told without question, collecting you in his arms and rolling you both so he’s now on his back and you’re straddling him on top. Mingyu’s cock has slipped out of you, and by the way Wonwoo says “messy girl” you can guess that Mingyu’s cum is already beginning to leak from your core. 

“Ready for me?” Wonwoo asks, his hands each finding an ass cheek, which he kneads roughly. 

“Yes,” you breath, pressing your lips to Mingyu’s again. 

He’s such a good kisser, and you think you could kiss him for hours if he asked you too.

You feel Wonwoo at you entrance, his fingers digging into your ass as he pushes his cock into you inch by inch until he’s flush against you. Both hands leave your bum only to roughly land on your cheeks, sending a jolt of delight through your body.

“You like that baby?” Wonwoo purrs, and you have no doubt that he felt the way your core tightened around him at the delicious pain. “You like it rough,” his hand suddenly grabs your hair and he pulls you up, forcing you to arch your back even as his hand moves to your throat, “right?”

You whimper, loving the new position, which leaves you on display for Mingyu, who is quick to push himself up with his forearms, licking his lips as his eyes take in your form. 

One of Mingyu’s large hands comes to cup your breast and Wonwoo’s lips find your shoulder, his hips moving in slow, short motions that push his cock against your gspot.

You whimper, reaching behind you to claw at Wonwoo’s hair only for your nails to scrape a strong, bare shoulder, and you realize Wonwoo must have taken his shirt off. 

Your hands immediately go to investigate what your eyes can’t while facing away from him, and when your fingers brush his abdomen, pleased to find strong, muscled, ridges, Wonwoo smacks your hand away. 

He easily finds both of your wrists and captures them in front of your body, the motion causing your boobs to be pushed together, and Mingyu isn’t able to contain himself, sitting up fully so he can latch his eager mouth to your nipple, tongue flicking the sensitive bud while he massages your neglected breast.

Wonwoo’s not moving fast enough, his motions shallow but still insanely pleasurable- just not enough for you to get off- and something tells you that he knows it.

“Wonwoo-” you whine loudly, throwing your head back against his shoulder and tilting your head to attempt to press kisses to his jaw and neck, “please-”

“Please what?” His voice is so incredibly sexy when it’s all low and gravely and it makes you whimper in response.

“Please fuck me until I can’t walk tomorrow.”

Wonwoo chuckles, then he forcefully shoves both you (and Mingyu in tandem) down onto the bed. His hands lift your waist slightly. “If you insist.” he says before slamming fully into you roughly again.

The sound of skin on skin is sinful, and Mingyu captures your lips to muffle your moans as Wonwoo finds a pace that decimates you. His hand comes down on your ass roughly and you whimper, whole body shaking with pleasure as your orgasm builds. 

When Mingyu cups your face with both hands, your body short circuits, pussy clamping down on Wonwoo as you explode on his cock, triggering his own orgasm, made evident by the way he groans and starts plowing into you even rougher. 

You squeeze the pillows on either side of Mingyu’s head, gasping into his mouth while he kisses you deeply, helping you through your orgasm until Wonwoo comes to a stop behind you. Only then does Mingyu pull away from your lips, lids fluttering open so he can look up at you with dazed eyes.

You’re all panting, and Wonwoo’s fingers flex on your hips, his cock still buried in your cunt, and for a moment, you’re all suspended in a form of existence that’s complete pleasure and happiness. 

Wonwoo lets out a heavy breath. “We should go shower before Mingyu’s demon cum gets everywhere.”

“I don’t have demon cum!” Mingyu immediately fights back, sitting up and making you half tumble on top of him, grabbing at his shoulders as you’re sandwiched between him and Wonwoo. “How many times have I told you, I’m not the one who stained your last gaming chair!”

“Then who did!?” Wonwoo retorts loudly.

“It was fucking Dino!”

“It was not!”

“Just because he looks innocent doesn’t mean he is!” Mingyu insists.

You laugh at your roommates’ antics, pushing at Mingyu to give you some space so you can un-straddle him, moving and drawing their attention as you go to stand on wobbly legs at the side of the bed. 

“A shower is a good idea,” you tell them. “And I can still walk, so neither of your jobs are done yet.”

“I was going to do more with you but then Mingyu made you cum by grabbing your face-” Wonwoo begins to defend himself, but Mingyu doesn’t even bother with words, jumping off the bed and grabbing your hand to drag you to the bathroom.

Wonwoo groans and follows, joining you in the bathroom a minute later. There’s not really enough room for all three of you to be comfortable in the shower, and Wonwoo, who’s in sweats now, takes a seat on the bathroom sink, momentarily distracted by the rings Mingyu’s discarded there before his eyes fix on you and Mingyu.

Your model roommate is busy scrubbing your skin with body wash, his hands paying special attention to your breasts, which he watches with focused eyes. 

“This looks nice,” he tells you, fingers moving to brush at your neck, where he’d left a mark earlier. 

“Does it?” you ask, wrapping your arms behind his neck. “Do you want one?”

Mingyu opens his mouth, eyes alight, but then frowns, “The makeup artists probably wound’t like it if you gave me one on my neck, and I have a shoot with Gucci tomorrow.” 

“Well one of you has to be branded if I am,” you insist, turning to lock eyes with Wonwoo.

“Fine,” the gamer sighs, pushing off the sink, and you watch the way his muscles move under his pretty skin. “Mingyu, shower’s over, my turn.” 

Mingyu was done anyways, and he exits the space, his spot quickly filled by Wonwoo. You grab at your roommate’s shoulders, pushing him under the stream and watching the way his pretty, fluffy hair is flattened by the water, which also glides down his skin and makes him nearly sparkle in the light. 

You grab onto Wonwoo’s strong shoulders and move in towards his neck, pressing a kiss over his jugular, which makes him groan softly, hands sliding down to your waist to pull you flush to his chest. 

You kiss his neck a few times before finding a suitable spot, then you pay close attention to that area, suckling and licking at the skin there until there’s a pretty purple mark. 

You pull back and inspect your work, brushing your fingers over it while Wonwoo looks down at you with interest. “Now Jaehyun will know I’m taken, and Yeji will know you are.”

“Yeji? The cute hostess?” Mingyu asks from outside the shower, where he’s brushing his teeth, words slurred by the foam in his mouth. 

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure she always thought you two were cute.”

Mingyu spits into the sink, turning to look at you, “And you never set us up with her?!” 

“You never set me up with any of your friends either!”

“Because you’re ours,” Wonwoo answers, grabbing your chin and forcing you to look up at him.

“And you’re both mine,” you say just as firmly. “Right Mingyu?” 

Your roommate laughs from outside of the shower. “Of course, I was just teasing.” 

“We should punish him for calling Yeji cute,” Wonwoo says to you.

“I heard that,” Mingyu snaps. “And you two aren’t allowed to start teaming up on me.”

“We’re not allowed?” Wonwoo chuckles, cocking and eye brow and turning to look at his friend.

“You heard me,” Mingyu crosses his arms over his chest, and you nearly drool at how pretty he is, skin flushed from the shower, hair still damp, a towel low on his waist- 

You push yourself closer to Wonwoo subconsciously reacting to your attraction to Mingyu, and Wonwoo notices, looking down at you and the way your breasts are pushed up due to the closeness of your chests now. He chuckles, “Is Mingyu making you wet again baby girl?” His thumb and forefinger come up to pinch your chin and he grins down at you.

“Yes, Sir.”

Wonwoo’s laugh turns into a growl and both of his hands move down to your ass, he lifts you up easily and slams you into the shower wall. “Fucking hell kitten, where was this attitude earlier, hmm?”

His eyes are dark and your core throbs at the notion of all the things he and Mingyu are going to do to you now that the cat’s out of the bag and you’re finally fucking. 

You shrug, cupping Wonwoo’s face and pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. “I don’t know Sir, but it’s here now.”

“Mingyu, get your ass back in here,” Wonwoo instructs, and a moment later he pulls you away from the shower wall in favour of using Mingyu’s body to rest you against. Mingyu’s hands find your waist and he helps hold you up with Wonwoo adjusts, lining his cock up with your entrance for the second time tonight. 

Wonwoo fills you up deliciously and you tug at his hair with one hand, the other reaching behind you. Mingyu grasps your fingers, guiding your hand to his cock, which is slick from the water coming down from the shower head, making it more that easy for you to pump his shaft up and down while Wonwoo finds a pace, bouncing you on his cock while you’re sandwiched and held up by them both.

“Fuck, I love you guys, what the fuck,” Mingyu cusses behind you, head thrown back as your fingers expertly stroke his achingly hard cock. 

“Shocker,” Wonwoo grins, earning a shove from Mingyu that makes all three of you falter.

“Guys we’re in a shower and it is slippery, no fighting!” you warn them, but you’re giggling at their antics. “I love you guys too,” you admit, and the words feel right on your lips.

“Wonwoo, you have to say it now,” Mingyu pants, betraying how close he is to cumming just from your hand job, which brings a spark of delight to your own core, making you tighten on Wonwoo who groans loudly too.

“Fuck, fine.” He presses a kiss to your throat. “You guys are pretty cool.”

“Wonwoo!” you and Mingyu both whine loudly, each of you on the cusp of orgasms. 

“I love you guys too,” Wonwoo finally concedes, and that’s all it takes for you and Mingyu to cum, both of you panting and releasing moans that help Wonwoo over the edge again too. 

Sandwiched between Mingyu and Wonwoo is the state of being you were meant to be in, you think. Even when they set you down, cradling you between two strong, warm chests, you’ve never been happier. 

“Give me like ten minutes, maybe a cuddle, and then... are you guys ready for round three?” Mingyu’s voice cuts through the pleasant quiet.

You and Wonwoo both laugh loudly, and you press a kiss up against Mingyu’s swollen lips, “always.”

Epilogue

“Good for Seungcheol,” you say, collapsing into the very same red fold up camping chair you had that night all those years ago when you’d broken up with the frat president in question.

You can’t believe Seungcheol’s been hauling this old thing around, and it’s marred up now with more than a few burn marks, but it feels familiar amongst all the new things in the yard behind your ex’s new two story house, complete with a white picket fence and a new bride.

“They’re a really good match,” Wonwoo’s smooth voice agrees, his hand reaching out to lace his fingers with yours lazily while he brings a beer to his lips with his other. “Want a taste?” He holds it out to you, only to snatch it back with a mischievous grin, then he leans forward puckering up his lips, “Come get a taste then, kitten.”

Mingyu snickers on your other side, fingers playing with the bouquet he’d caught at the wedding this afternoon, he’s yet to give it up to anyone, even Hoshi’s girlfriend, who he’d all but body checked to catch the flowers first.

You place your free hand on Wonwoo’s knee, moving in so you can capture his lips with your own. You can taste the alcohol on his tongue and it makes you smile, pulling away slightly and blinking at your lover. “Tastes a lot better than the shit you used to drink at the frat.”

Wonwoo scoffs at you, slumping back in his chair, his eyes moving to the people still in the yard. Only close friends had been invited here after the day of wedding festivities, and the night is a warm one. 

Wonwoo’s eyes drift to Seungkwan, who is - surprise surprise - arguing with Seungcheol by the makeshift bar station and he watches them while you turn to look at Mingyu.

“The flowers are really pretty,” you tell him. “Can I put one in your hair?”

Mingyu finally relents, holding the bouquet out for you to pick out a pretty white flower. You shift your chair closer to his own so you can delicately place the accessory into it.

Mingyu’s eyes stay fixed on yours, even as you focus at mussing up his locks to hide the stem and make sure it’s at least semi anchored by his ear.

“Are we ever going to get married?” Mingyu asks suddenly, causing your fussing to falter.

You’re not sure what to say, and you’re thankful when Wonwoo responds, “we’re already married.”

“No we’re not,” Mingyu rolls his eyes.

“Common Law marriage,” Wonwoo says, taking a sip of his drink. “We’ve been living together for what? Four years? Five? Been fucking for over half of it.”

“But what if I want a wedding?” Mingyu questions, tilting his head at his friend.

“If you want to invite a bunch of people to a wedding and have them all stare at you while you kiss Y/N, you can go for it, but it’s not my kind of thing.” Wonwoo shrugs.

“So you don’t want a wedding?” you ask, allowing Mingyu to lift you from your chair and bring you into his lap, which feels like a natural place to be while talking about this sort of thing.

“I don’t need a wedding to prove to anyone that I love you, and that I want to be with you until the day I die.” Wonwoo swirls his bottle of beer and won’t meet your eyes. Sometimes he has trouble with eye contact when he’s in his feels or saying things that are sappy, and it prompts you to grab at his chair and drag him closer, needing Mingyu’s help to get Wonwoo right next to you.

“Who would have thought an emo gamer could be so sweet.” You tease, pinching at his cheek only to have your hand brushed away.

“Keep this shit up and you’re gonna get it, kitten,” Wonwoo warns you, as if you don’t already ‘get it’ every other night of the week. 

“What do you think about a wedding baby?” Mingyu asks, pressing his lips to your shoulder and leaning back in his chair, cradling you in a warm embrace.

You sigh, letting out a ‘hmm’ sound while your eyes go to the sky. The sun has just recently dipped beyond the horizon and the stars are beginning to sparkle down at you, making you smile. 

“I think, as long as I’m with the two of you, nothing else really matters. If you want a wedding Mingyu, we can have a wedding. And Wonwoo, if you want to get matching tattoos and tie me to the bed or something to celebrate your own wedding of sorts, we could do that too.”

Your words earn snickers from both of your boyfriends, and Wonwoo reaches out to grasp at your leg, his fingers pressing against your inner thigh. He shakes his head and sips his beer. “How did we ever get so lucky?”

“I think we have Seungcheol to thank for this actually,” you confess, eyes once more going to your ex. He’s still at the bar, but his new wife has joined him, and she looks to be playing the role of peace keeper between Seungkwan and Seungcheol, which makes you smile. 

There’d been a time where you’d been sad Seungcheol would never be the one, but now you understand why he hadn’t been. Because all along, your perfect matches had been right next to him, two of his best friends. Two souls that you know will be by your side for the rest of your life, wedding ceremonies or not. 

Relaxing back against Mingyu, you place your hand over Wonwoo’s on your thigh, and the three of you relax in the quiet, looking up at the stars. 

☀️ mlist + an. thank you for reading! this is probably one of my best wonwoo/mingyu fics, and it was such a joy to return to it for editing and making an optional bonus extension :)

🍭 support me by. sending a tip here or here - or become a patron to access monthly bonus content and extensions for fics like this one :) find the Patreon teaser below! 

🔮 preview. “Fuck, you do feel good,” Wonwoo groans. “Wife pussy is superior, huh?”

cw/ tw. 3some, oral (f receiving), fingering, unprotected sex, praise, multiple orgasms, size kink, ring/hand kink, wedding/garter kink, choking, cum play, vouyerism, etc... I pet names. kitten, lazy bones, princess, baby, etc...

👹 rating. 18+ explicit I wc. 3.3k I teaser wc. 300

🌙 staring. Mingyu & Wonwoo x afab!Reader  

It feels like a dream to be getting married to Mingyu. 

Walking down the aisle, declaring your love for the model while the third member of your trio stands guard as best man- an open secret known to all the frat brothers in the audience, but hidden from the older, more conservative people in attendance- well, it’s not an experience you ever thought you’d be having.

It’s hard to pretend Wonwoo’s not an integral part of your relationship, and the three of you toe the line of poyamorous half secrecy by allowing you to sit between them at the wedding reception. Mingyu’s parents might not know about the arrangement the three of you have, but they know you’ve been roommates with both men for years, so no one bats an eye at the familiarity between you.

The table gives you perfect cover to tease both of your lovers, your hand finding Wonwoo’s upper thigh- which earns you a look that says ‘you’re going to get it later,’ and part of you wishes this whole wedding would be over so you can run away to the marriage suite on the property that you’ve booked to celebrate your first night officially tied to Mingyu forever. 

Wonwoo, ever the patient vouyer, watches you and Mingyu have your first dance, and as more people join you on the floor, he approaches you for his own turn with you in his arms. 

“I can’t wait to get you out of this dress,” he whispers in your ear, making your tummy flutter with butterflies. 

It appears you’re all eager, and you realize there’s no way you’ll make it through the whole planned reception without running away with your unconventional lovers. But then again, nothing the three of you do is ever that normal.

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© smileysuh — all rights reserved. reposting/modifying of any fic, reaction, or piece of original writing posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations not allowed.

[hertzwritings]

As night falls

A/N: I’m literally hanging onto my mental health with bleeding and flayed fingernails. Not that it matters, because I’ll just delve into my little, fictional world, where I can treat y’all with some goodie-good! We’re still going with the prompt-list, because I can and I have no actual creativity today, because my exams are frying my brain. Love that for me. Everything (including the play mentioned) is written by me, and it kind of took a turn, I didn’t expect BUT I LOVE IT. Prompt: “And that’s why it’s illegal to divide by four.” “That makes no sense.” “Math doesn’t make sense.” + COLLEGE!AU

 You can buy me a coffee here, and I’ll write you a personalized something – the sky is the limit, and it would really help me out with my bills this month.

 Remember, feedback feeds the soul (mine, in particular), and my requests and askbox are always open – there’s no limits because I am me and I have none.

 MASTERLIST

PROMPT-LIST

ASK ME ANYTHING/REQUESTS

Pairing: College!AU Henry Cavill x plus sized!Reader

Contains: language, FLUFF SO MUCH FLUFF, College!Henry, theater-talk, theater!Henry, smooches, exam-anxiety, not much else but absolute love and best friends to lovers-trope

W.C.: 4.000 (WHOOPS)

 As night falls

  You walked with fast feet towards the library, glancing down at your clock and groaning, when you saw that you were late. The quad was full of people – the weather had turned over the last week, and the sun was shining down, heating up the pavement as you passed:

Frat boys throwing a frisbee full of shaving-foam A girl screaming her head off at a boy, throwing fluffy, pink pillows after him Someone puking at the front steps of the main office Mathletes trying acapella-music to entice new members to join them (it was impressive that they had found songs pertaining to math, really) Drama-students (your people) reenacting TikToks – you had been particularly fond of the ”her sister was a witch, bro” they had acted out as if they were doing Hamlet. It was always eventful to pass the quad near summer break.

You caught your breath and wiped your brow, when you finally entered the library. Your body type didn’t exactly match the weather, and despite wearing a sun dress, you were sweating. The eternal problem of being a bigger girl. You searched the lower level of the library for Henry, but couldn’t see him, so you took the steps to the upper level and looked through the rooms to see if he was sat in one. It was funny, that you two ended up so close. You were polar opposites. When you had met him, it was a flurry of papers and books – you were lost in the hallway, and hadn’t seen him when you turned a corner, so you walked straight into him, losing your grip on your books, papers and pencils, while your face bounced off his very hard chest. And thus, a friendship was born. You were introverted and the theater-geek, while he was the star rugby-player, the object of literally everyone’s desires, and he chose to spend his time with you. He even brought you to parties, which wasn’t exactly your scene, but he made them fun. At least, as long as he was next to you. If he went off, you were very aware of how people saw you and talked to you, as if you didn’t deserve to be there. It wasn’t news to you, and you had become pretty good at letting it roll off your shoulders, mostly because you didn’t want a repeat of that one time, you had told Henry how Dustin had sneered at you and called you a cow, and he had broken his nose. That was not necessary.

You finally found him at the very back study-room, his name scribbled in his perfect penmanship on the small board next to the door, and opened it quickly, throwing your bag down next to the door and closed it.

“I’m so sorry I’m late! I had to save the mental health of Loes, because her crush had told her he was impressed by that Beckett-inspired cake she did a while back.” You said with a grin and began unpacking your things. “She apparently feels that it’s appropriate to just die now, because nothing will ever top it, and she’s having a slight crisis, because he wants to give her something as a thank you.” Henry lifted his eyebrow at you. “She is dealing, huh?” You laughed. “Wonderfully. She only made five trays of macaroons today, which is an improvement from yesterday, where there was a baking tray on every surface in her apartment.” “I told her, I think she should just tell him she likes him. He clearly likes her.” Henry said, moving some of his own things over so you could set up. You shrugged. “Easier said than done. Sometimes it’s easier to live in the fantasy of what ifs, instead of facing a maybe or full disappointment.” You said, sitting down with a huff. “Hm.” He glanced at you, and something flashed across his face, but it was gone as soon as you noticed it. “I suppose you’re right.” You nodded. “I always am.” He sighed and rolled his eyes at you, before shooting you a smile, that made your body feel warmer than it already did. “Shall we get through this shitshow?” he asked, gesturing to the papers on the table. “You betcha.”

 --------------

“And that’s why it’s illegal to divide by four.” You said with an air of pride, throwing your pencil to the table and watched it bounce once. “That makes no sense.” Henry grinned.  “Math doesn’t make sense.” You grumbled and let your head fall to the table in pure agony. “let’s face it, I’ll never pass. Go on without me, live your probably perfect life without me. I’ll just be here forever, the student who never passed, and I’ll die covered in cobwebs and regrets, while you go out and win Oscars left and right.” He laughed and his hand found your back, fingers rubbing soothing circles over it. You had quickly learned that Henry was a physical man – if he had a chance, he would touch you. A lot. Not in a romantic way, but just… It was nice. You liked it, too, mostly because it was a moment where you could live in a little fantasy that you could be more than friends. Of course, you were also pretty much attached at the hip, and it wasn’t strange for you two walk with his arm thrown over your shoulder, your arm lifted a little, so you could intertwine your fingers with his. He was Soft with a big S – it was a lot of gentle touches and small smiles. It was nice, really. “Darling, you’re not going to die in here. Nor are you going to fail, this math-exam is barely 15 % of your grade.” You groaned but didn’t look up from your arms. “It’s still 15, Henry. I have to ace everything else!” Your voice was muffled. “Okay, so? You’re literally the smartest woman I know, love. I’m serious, you’ll do great.” You whimpered. “I’m not. I don’t even know how to get through my final exam in drama. I’m telling you, the professor has it out for me.” He gently moved his hand to your neck, gripping it softly – you almost moaned at the touch – and guided your head up to make you look at him. “What do you mean?” You sighed and ignored your butterflies. “She gave me a dialogue-piece. Seriously. I… And it’s romance.” You scoffed at it. “What do you think I’m going to do? Talk to an invisible partner?” He hummed. “I mean, I could help you. I’m already done with that class, so… You have Professor Martinez, right?” You nodded. “Okay, well, I know what kind of things she might like. I’m more than happy to help.” “You’ve already done so much, helping me prep for the other exams, Henry, I can’t ask you to…” “You’re not asking, I’m offering. I’m serious. My break already started, I only have to hand in one assignment on the differences in Austen and Wolf. I’ll help, I promise.” You searched his face. You were very close to saying yes, but your itsy-bitsy crush held you back – you feared what on earth it would do to you, if you had to act out a love-scene with him. “Y/N.” “Henry.” He narrowed his eyes at you. “Let me help. Please. Think of it as practice for when we get out in the real world as actors, and we have to act in front of each other.” You laughed. “I’m sure that’s not going to happen.” “What, why?” He looked genuinely confused. “I mean… Look at you.” You said, gesturing to his body. “You’re an instant action-hero. I promise, I’ll mostly be cast as the funny, fat friend. Maybe I’ll get a lead in an indie-movie or something, but that’s a reach.” You sighed. “Remember, I’m mostly taking this class because I need the credits to go to screenwriting. I’ll do better behind the scenes.” He glared at you and stood up, pulling you with him. He cupped your face. “Don’t ever talk about my best friend like that again, got it? I love you, and I literally don’t care what you think about it, we’re doing this.” You didn’t have the chance to tell him no, because he pushed his hand over your mouth, when you began to protest. “Darling, one more word and we’re acting out a murder-scene. Come on, I know what we can use.”

 -------------

 You were nervous as hell. It felt like your heart was about to drop out of your ass, and you were pacing back and forth, your long, white dress swishing against the floor backstage. It was just an exam, it wasn’t exactly something big, but you were the last on the line, and you had seen the other students who already passed, slowly seep in and settle in the chairs in the auditorium – it was terrifying. Honestly, you never really spoke up in class, so most of them had never seen you act, and now you had to do a full exam – a love confession, nonetheless – with spectators? It felt like your soul had been sucked out of your body and was hovering somewhere above you. Henry had found the regency-play, and it fit perfectly with the vibe, you normally loved, so it seemed fitting – it wasn’t a well-known play, either, so you felt pretty confident in it; at least until now. A hand gently laid on your shoulder, and you shrieked. “Henry, for heaven’s sake!” You clutched your hand to your chest. He grinned, and you couldn’t help but admire his attire; it was a period piece, and Henry definitely suited it. the period-appropriate suit and tight pants looked perfect on him – thanks to Loes, who had been more than happy to help you with the outfits, while Grim had managed to help with props and scenery (but not without smirking at you like the cat who ate the canary first, telling you “Oh, a romance, huih? Rooooomaaaaanceee? Like kissy-kissy romance?” first) and you knew the setup was good. You knew your lines; it was just a matter of actually speaking them. “Are you okay, you seem a little jumpy.” Henry asked carefully. You nodded. “Nervous, mostly. I never told you, but, uh, I never really… Uhm, did this. Like… Act-act. In front of a crowd.” He kissed the crown of your head and pulled you closely. “You’ll do amazing. You are amazing, love, I wish you knew…” He stopped talking, clearly holding back. “Knew what?” You asked, hugging him tightly. “No matter. Let’s get out there and ruin some hearts, shall we?” He pulled you out at arm’s length and looked at you with wide eyes. “You look gorgeous, by the way. Truly.” You felt heat rise on your cheeks. You were actually pretty happy with your look; Loes had been amazing with helping you find a regency-styled dress, that fit you great. It hugged your chest in the right way, and you had been admiring yourself for a while, after putting it on. It was your luck that Abby had passed you right after putting it on, and sighed gently before telling you, that you definitely needed to do something with your hair, and then had helped you braid it into a crown over your head. It was perfect. “Thank you. Let’s get this over with, please, or I’m going to throw up on you.”

You stepped out on the scene to loud cheers and clapping from your peers, and you both bowed a little, before you stated your name and student ID to the censor and your professor, and let Henry introduce himself. “And the play?” Your professor only looked at Henry, and you contained the eyeroll. “We’re acting out scene 17, act two from the play As night falls.” You said clearly, and the censor nodded with a smile. “A wonderfully underrated play, miss Y/LN.” he said. “Please, take your time and you start when you’re ready.” You nodded and Henry grabbed your hand, holding it tightly – tighter than he normally would – and gave you a comforting squeeze, before he stopped on your marks, resting his forehead against yours for a brief moment, closing his eyes. “You got this.” He whispered before drawing back and placing himself at his mark. You drew a deep breath and prepared yourself. Silence fell in the room, when you straightened your back and crossed your arms over your chest, looking at Henry as intently as you could.

“How dare you show up here, after barely speaking a word to me all day?” You began, nerves falling off your shoulders when you heard how much you projected your voice. He raised an eyebrow. “My Lady, I believe it was you, who didn’t speak to me, but made your disdain for my very being obvious.” “My disdain for you?” You spat, stepping closer to him. “My Lord, you do think highly of yourself, if you think for one moment, I would have any feelings towards you, disdain or other.” He swallowed. “Am I that obnoxious to you?” You scoffed and stared him down. “You show up in front of my home at night, throwing pebbles at my window, the night before you are to be wed!” You spat. “What do you think, good sir? That this is the mark of the gentleman, you so willingly allow people to perceive you as?” He glowered at you. “I don’t wish for people to perceive me at all. All I wished was for you to see me.” You swallowed thickly because the way he looked at you… It was intense and far too intimate for anyone else to see. “You must have me confused, for someone who want anything from you, my Lord. Please, leave, go, and get married and leave me be in my own misery.” You said, trying to level your breathing. He stepped closer to you and his hand twitched. “Do you think I could ever just leave you be? That there is a moment in time, in this life or any other, that I would not want to spend every waking moment near you?” he said angrily. “Do you think that I have not hated myself enough for feeling these feelings towards you?” “My Lord, you are talking a dangerous game now.” You whispered. “If I could leave you, I would. Oh, I wish I could, I wish there was a corner on this earth that I could escape to, where you weren’t ever present in my mind.” His eyes flickered between yours and he stepped even closer now, his chest nearly touching yours. “But you have imprinted yourself on me, like ink on the pages of the books, you so love to bury yourself in, and I cannot get away from you. I…” He stopped and sighed. “I would do whatever I could to forget the moment I laid eyes on you. You have wrecked me wholly.” You felt tears well up in your eyes at the intense gaze – it was like his eyes were drilling holes in your soul. “So be it. Forget me. Forget you ever knew me, Lord, forget whatever moments we shared, because you are to be wed tomorrow and I…” You smiled tearfully at him. “I can do nothing but watch you do so, watch you live the life I wanted with you.” “I thought you disdained me.” “I disdained what you made of me. A fool.” “Tell me not to do it. Tell me that you would rather watch me run from her, my Lady. Tell me that you feel just an inkling of what I feel, and I’m yours to do whatever you so please with.” You scoffed. “I cannot and will not tell you what to do, my Lord. You have a mind of your own, as you have made abundantly clear to me, and I wish not to tell you what to do.” He cupped your cheek.

“I will forever choose you, my Lady. Despite your stubbornness and unwillingness to entertain the idea that you might be wrong, despite the way you glare at me whenever I step into a room. I would want you to look upon me with hate any day, if that meant you were looking at me. It is better than you not seeing me at all.” He said softly, and you heard a gentle, collective sigh from the rows of students watching. You grasped his wrist and held it tightly. He was shaking slightly. “I am a fool, am I not, my Lord?” “As I am one, my Lady.” And with those words, he rested his forehead against yours in a manner just as before you started the scene, but this felt different – one, it was a part of the play, put it was also tender, and his breath was wavering slightly, as if he was nervous.   “Then we will be fools together, walking into the night as it falls around us, shall we not?” You asked gently. “Night would never fall, when I have a sun in you.” He responded equally as gently.

Silence fell around you, before someone started clapping and the room erupted in cheers and claps – you both smiled at each other, before turning to face the room and bowed. Your censor was standing, while your professor looked impressed and clapped politely. Thank God. “Thank you for that, miss Y/L/N and Mr. Cavill. If you could wait backstage while we discuss, we will call you back out for your grade. The rest of you…” You professor turned to your class. “Please leave quietly!” you grabbed Henry’s hand and pulled him backstage, where he picked you up in a tight hug and spun you around, laughing.

“You were brilliant! I never… I mean, holy hell, Y/N, you were a vision!” He whispered against your ear. “Put me down, you oaf, you’ll break your back!” You laughed, but he ignored you and held you tighter than ever. “It was brilliant, truly. You were… Stunning. I almost forgot my lines several times.” “I couldn’t have done it without you, Henry.” You whispered back, gratitude flushing your body. He chuckled. “I think you would’ve. You are, after all, the most amazing woman I’ve ever met, darling.” He gently placed you back on your feet and cupped your face with his warm hands. “I do have to tell you something.” He said softly. “What?” you replied, your throat dry. “Uhm… Well, I, uh…” He chuckled a little shyly. “I wanted to ask you if you’d…” “Miss Y/L/N, please come back out, we are ready to give you your final grade.” You groaned and pulled out of his touch. “Hold that thought.” You rushed to the stage and smiled at the professor and the censor. “Miss Y/LN, you managed to use a lesser-known play and truly make it something spectacular. I was deeply impressed, and I will extend a thank you for your performance, because it was truly wonderful.” Your professor smiled at you for the first time, since you began her class. “We’ve decided to give you an A, and it is well-deserved.” You bounced up and down in glee. “Thank you so, so much!” You said happily and turned to walk back, but the censor stopped you. “Wait, just one moment, Miss.” He quickly made his way up to the stage and smiled at you. “I was truly impressed by your work today, both you and Mr. Cavill. You have a special bond, and it’s very clear from the way you work together.” You smiled. “Thank you, sir.” “I know this might be a lot to consider, but…” He pulled out a business card and handed it to you. “I am making a movie soon, and although it’s a low-budget movie, it might be good for your resume. I can’t pay you much, but I would love to see you and Mr. Cavill for an audition and perhaps discuss the possibilities of the roles?” You blinked several times and gaped at him. “You don’t have to answer right away, I know you probably have other matters to attend to.” He winked at you. “Like perhaps telling the poor boy that you’re in love with him, before he falls apart?” You coughed. “I’m… Sorry?” “A director always knows, my dear. Anyway, consider it and get back to me. I’d love to see you both in it.” He left and you walked backstage with your head full of thoughts. “So, how did it go? Tell me!” Henry looked worriedly at you, and you lit up in a smile. “I got an A. And…” You held up the business card. “We maybe have a movie to do over the summer.” He looked at you with wide eyes. “No fucking way.” “Yes, way. The censor is a director and he, and I quote, would love to see us both in it.” He laughed wildly and scooped you into his arms, before his lips landed on yours with passion, that made you feel dizzy. He kissed you deeply, pouring everything into it, and, just as quickly as it had begun, it ended. He gasped and took a step back, looking absolutely mortified. “I am so sorry, Y/N, I don’t kn…” He grunted when you practically leapt into his arms, kissing him again. Your lips danced against his, like they had never done anything else, and it felt like home. It was glowing embers in a fire, keeping you warm and sated, but flames began licking your veins and you craved more. His tongue slid against yours and you sighed into the kiss, your fingers playing with his hair. When you both needed air more than you needed the kiss, you pulled away just enough for the tips of your noses to touch. “I suppose I wasn’t the only one, who wanted to do that.” He said breathlessly. “No, you were not.” You smiled and enjoyed the moment with him, feeling his large hands rest on your lower back. “You wanted to tell me something before I left.” You stated slowly. He chuckled and kissed you sweetly. “I wanted to ask you out, but I suppose the kiss kind of spoke for itself, love.” You laughed as well. “Yeah, I… yeah. To be fair, my answer would have been yes.”

 ---------

 “And that’s how we ended up here.” You said with a smile to the interviewer, while Henry’s arm was around your waist and cameras flashed in your face. The years had gone by faster than you’d care to admit, and the little, low-budget period-drama had kickstarted something, you never expected. Henry smiled as he kissed your cheek. “That’s really a wonderful love story, and such a great start to both of your careers!” Henry nodded. “I don’t think I would’ve ever got this far, if it wasn’t for this lovely woman. She’s been my rock through it all, and I’m more than excited to be acting alongside her again in this movie.” You smiled softly at him, and his hand found yours, twirling your wedding band on your finger. “Likewise. It feels almost cathartic to come back to this one, right? The play that started it all, and here we are, years down the line, about to watch us reprise the roles again.” You said and the interviewer sighed dreamily. “Well, to the power-couple… Thank you so much for answering my questions, and I cannot wait to see the movie, As Night Falls.” Henry kissed you before making your way down the carpet. “I love you.” He whispered, hugging your waist tightly. “As I love you.”

 ----------------

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[nishiannoya]

Just things from HQ!! that I love because sometimes I need to remember what really got me into the series:

When Hinata sees the poster of himself that Yachi made. I sob like a baby every time.

All the Brazil foreshadowing

Hinata's bathroom songs. Reminds me of my friends and I taking karate in preschool and learning Japanese and always giggling at "benjo."

Takeda-sensei being so dedicated to bringing out the full potential of the team. Like, the team wouldn't have Ukai, or the Nekoma connection, or all of the training in Tokyo, - read: everything necessary for them to make it to nationals - if not for him. His words of encouragement to Hinata and Kageyama after they lost to Seijoh? Chills every time I read it.

And Ukai. Takes on. A second job. That has him up before sunrise. Just to coach these high schoolers.

The fact that Saeko stayed and drank with the coaches when she drove Hinata and Kageyama to Tokyo.

In the anime, when Kuroo is teasing Kenma for the face he makes when watching Hinata play and Kenma's like "I don't make a face" and Kuroo says, "You do." There's this like half beat pause before Kenma comes back with "Do not" and idk why but the added pause cracks me up.

Nishinoya choosing Karasuno for the uniforms. This is top tier Libra behavior and I would do the same.

Every time Kyoutani spikes the ball and the animation does t h e t h i n g

The scene where Oikawa makes everyone cry while cleaning up the gym and Makki's like "No! Don't spoil the mood!"

Aone and Hinata's mutual respect for one another is just like. the absolute. cutest. shit. ever.

The visual of giant Ushijima crushing Hinata and Tsukishima to the ground with his hands.

When Hinata re-crowns Kageyama as King of the Court. I'm trying not to cry rn thinking about it.

When Kageyama pretty much has a mental breakdown on the court from seeing Kunimi move quickly. Yes, I know why he was freaking out, but it's still really funny to me.

Everything about Kenma and Hinata's friendship. I can't even elaborate or else I'll explode.

When Hinata gets hit in the balls at the first-year training camp.

The fact that Kenma and Tora had dark hair as first years, but then have bleached hair as second years. Like, did they decide to do it together? Did Tora just show up one day with gloves and foil and was like "now that we're friends, bleach your hair with me."

We get to see the other characters relationships with each other, not just the ones pertaining to the main characters. Like Oikawa and Iwa, Kuroo and Yaku, Yachi and Kiyoko, Atsumu and Kita, Tendou and Ushijima, etc.

The whole banding together of the team to help dumbasses Kageyama, Hinata, Nishinoya, and Tanaka pass their exams. The fact that Kageyama is even included in this group. The fact that both main characters are stupid. I laugh every time.

Opposing team members thinking Nishinoya is really cool

Everything about the timeskip. Everything. The teams. The jobs. Where everyone ended up. Makes me warm and happy inside.

I legit love every character and could go on a rant on why for every single one. All of them. Even Washijo. Furudate is a master of likability and relatability.

"What will you become tomorrow?"

[soramei]

Intentional - Part 1

Pairing: Bang Chan x Reader (she/her)

Summary: Landing your first real job at JYPE was something short of a miracle. You were prepared to face the new struggles of this elusive career whilst moving to a new country, however, nothing could have prepared you for him. Will stolen glances, secret touches, and hushed nights spent in the recording room ever be enough for the both of you?

Genre: idol!bang chan au, forbidden relationship, coworkers to eventual lovers, slow burn 

Warnings: none right now, eventual smut,

Word Count: 7.3k 

Masterlist

A/N: hey yall this is my first ff im posting on tumblr :D im kinda scared to post but i hope anybody who stumbles on lil ol’ me will join me along the way :) also important!!! i made oc/reader asian cus i am lol (and this whole thing is basically a glorified self insert) so plz keep this in mind when reading!! oh god i didnt realize how slow this first part was sry... 

The cold silence of the room felt like stabs at your inside. You commanded your feet to stop bouncing up and down as you unconsciously started to bite off the dead skin of your bottom lip. The white corporate light from above reflected off your brand new lanyard hanging delicately from your neck. You felt the coarse blue fabric rub against your neck as you mindlessly fiddled with your lanyard; the newly printed photo of your face stared back at you with a smile. 

The creak of the door to your left was what broke you from your nervous fidgets. Whipping your head up from your lanyard, you immediately stood up ready to bow to whoever came through that door. 

It was a girl. She looked around the same age as you, if not older. Her attire was what gave her away. Her appearance essentially mirrored yours: hair tied back into a ponytail with a white blouse and black work pants. She also had the familiar blue ‘JYPE’ labeled strap hanging from her neck. 

“Hello,” you spoke meekly, scared to disturb the cold silence that had a hold on the room you were in. 

“Hello,” she replied. “My name is Choi Na-eun, I’m the new social media strategist intern and today is my first day.”

This is so relieving, you thought, another newbie to share the stress with me. 

“This is my first day too,” you perked up, “I’ll be starting as the new junior Chinese marketing assistant.” 

Getting the acceptance email from JYP Entertainment was definitely a high point in your life. The feeling of butterflies swarming your insides as you clicked the email open only to see your acceptance was immediately locked as a core memory. All the years of memorizing thousands of Korean and English vocabulary flashcards, the panic attacks before your finance exams, and the many, many late night coffee breaks were worth it the moment you received your first legitimate job offer, and from the esteemed JYP Entertainment company no less. 

“Chinese marketing?” Na-eun asked. “So you aren’t from here, I take it.” 

You shook your head. “I am from China. I completed my degree a while ago with a major in Language and a minor in Business. To be honest, I’ve done internships back home, but it’s been my dream to move to a new country.”

All of what you said was true. Up until now, your surroundings have never changed in all of your twenty-three years living. From the walk with your grandmother to daycare to the vast campus of your university, the view of your city has never changed. Your social circle stayed stagnant since you were able to talk and your love life was — for a lack of a better word — uneventful. 

It wasn’t until the day you decided to start applying for careers outside your home country that you felt hopeful. Hopeful that you could find an escape from your inert lifestyle and escape the burnout and stress that has been building up over the years. And so, on a day when you were feeling unusually confident, you gathered up the courage and spent hours sending out applications to organizations all over Asia that pertained to your specific degree. The applications were mainly for small jobs at small companies, however, your strange spike of motivation gave you the confidence to apply to the everso esteemed JYP Entertainment located in Korea. Of course you knew about this company — you and your friends played songs by ‘Twice’ nonstop back in highschool — but you didn’t realize the full power that this company had on the entertainment market until you did your full research. To say that you thought you had no chance was an understatement. This application was so far of a reach that you purposefully forced your mind to erase all memory of even applying. 

However, with your education, your work experience, and whatever tiny bit of luck you had, you somehow made it through the initial application process. Then the next. And the next. Then the interview. And now, you were nervously sitting in this white painted room with Na-eun, in a completely new country, waiting for your manager to come greet you. 

“So you’re from China? You’ve got to teach me chinese sometime.” Na-eun smiled. 

You giggled in return while nodding your head. You were relieved that you’ve met a potential friend so early in your career in this company. This was one of your big worries. With your social circle being so stagnant for the majority of your life back in China, you rarely had the opportunity to meet new people, much less make new friends. 

You were about to inquire more into Na-eun’s life when the door to your left abruptly opened. In the blink of an eye, three new people strutted in — two women and one man. They seemed to be higher status than you and Na-eun judging by their attire. All three were styled in some type of blazer and dress pants and there was no lanyard to be found on any of them. 

“Hello new employees,” the man greeted. Judging by his face, he looked to be in his late thirties at the least. His hair was styled back neatly and his lips slanted up, giving him a fox-like appearance. “I am Executive Manager Kim. Joined beside me on the left is Social Media Manager An and to my right is Marketing Manager Chen.” 

Both you and Na-eun immediately stood up to bow and introduce yourselves. 

“Hello. My name is Choi Na-eun, I’m the new social media strategist intern.” Na-eun said. 

“Hello. My name is y/n, I’m the new junior Chinese marketing assistant.” You repeated after her, copying exactly what she said. You did not want to screw anything up on your first day, especially your first impression. 

Manager Kim reached over to Na-eun, introducing himself and giving her a firm handshake. He then slowly moved over to you, and reached for your hand. 

“Y/n,” he gave time for your name to settle on his tongue as he gave a sly smile. “You’re not from here, aren't you?”

You shook your head ‘no’. “No, sir. I’m from China where I studied language and business. I hope to do well here as the Chinese marketing assistant.” You replied, mentally cursing yourself for sounding so timid. 

“I’m glad to hear,” Manager Kim chuckled, “I’m sure you’ll treat me and your other managers well.”

You felt an uncomfortable shiver pass through you as he brushed his thumb along your hand before letting go. This feeling was excused as nervousness, after all, this was your first day and your first time meeting your higher-ups. 

You introduced yourself to Manager Chen, assuming that she would be the one you were to assist in your time here at JYPE. Judging by her last name, you presumed that she was Chinese as well. 

“Forgive me for being so straight up Manager Chen, but are you Chinese?” You asked. 

“That is alright, y/n,” she smiled, “I’m not. My Husband is, but I’ve lived in China for more than half my life. I don’t want to brag, but my mandarin has gotten proficient over the past decade or so.”

Proficient? It’s amazing. You thought. This first day was turning out better than you thought. Other than the weird feeling you received from Manager Kim, everything was turning out splendid. A potential friend and a manager that could speak your first language.

“Since it’s about noon right now,” Manager Kim took a look at his watch, “What do you all think about some lunch?” 

The other managers nod their heads in agreement and gestures for you and Na-eun to follow them out of the waiting room you were in for so long. 

The whole building seemed so clean. With every corner lit, by natural light or artificial light, you could clearly see that every room, every piece of furniture and decor had been purposefully placed. You couldn’t help but have a stupid look of awe plastered on your face as you mindlessly follow your superiors over to the cafeteria.  

You turned your head over to Na-eun and gave her a tilt of the eyebrow, silently saying wow, this is where we work. 

With the turn of a corner and several silent strides, your little group made it to the cafeteria. 

The difference between your claustrophobic waiting room and this vast room was astonishing. With countless tables and romantic yellow lighting, this place almost resembled a five star restaurant. You’ve never seen a cafeteria as extravagant and clean as this before. However, to be fair, you’ve never had the experience of working with such a large corporation before. 

The managers led you to the serving station where you grabbed yourself a tray and proceeded to spoon small portions of rice and side dishes onto your plate. This cuisine was different to what you were used to, but nonetheless looked delicious. You were prepared for the small cultural differences, especially with the food, but from everything you’ve witnessed so far, the culture shock would be easier to overcome than what you’ve anticipated. 

“Have this soup y/n,” Manager Kim’s grating voice came from in front of you, interrupting your inner monologue. “It’s good for your complexion.” 

As Manager Kim hands over the bowl of soup, you feel the sleeve of his blazer brush up against your shoulder, causing the pit of your stomach to drop.

First day nerves. That was what this feeling was. You thought. 

You quietly thanked him with a small nod and walked briskly from the service line, trying to find where Na-eun went with the other two managers. Thankfully, they were just a step away and you quickly made your way over to the comfortable spot beside Na-eun. She gave you a small grin and you both followed your way to a table right in the middle of the room. 

Soon, all five chairs of the table got filled and sounds of chopsticks tapping and scraping against plates and bowls filled your ears. An awkward silence dominates your table as you start to pick at your food. 

“So,” Manager Chen cleared her throat, “after lunch I was thinking we should go to a meeting room and discuss Miss. Y/n’s role in our new project.”

“I was thinking the same for our new Intern Choi.” Manager An cut in, “What do you think, Manager Kim?” 

“It all sounds good. I will be accompanying Manager Chen to her meeting room as I wish to also further discuss the preliminary steps for our project.” Manager Kim looked from Manager Chen over to you. 

“Project?” You ask. 

“We’ve had a very successful year with our idol groups and we wanted to ride this success and start marketing in China. Recently, we’ve noticed a very large and growing Chinese audience for this group. I’m sure you’re very curious now, however we can discuss further details once we are in the meeting room.” Manager Chen replies while taking a sip of the water in her glass. 

Manager Chen appeared to be a very professional and respectable woman. With prominent collarbones and wide shoulders, she easily looked the part of a confident and adored manager. She needed minimal makeup to highlight her tall cheekbones, and even with a short heel on her feet she seemed to tower over you. However, her warm and comforting voice was what broke her intimidating demeanour. Just listening to her voice felt like you were back in your high school classroom with your favourite teacher explaining the motif of a sad love poem. 

After some more awkward conversations mixed with a few work discussions, the five of you finished the delicious food on your trays. 

“Please excuse me whilst I head to the restroom” Na-eun spoke up after your group finished clearing the table. 

“Please excuse me as well.” You quickly followed, bowing as you both ventured off to the washrooms. 

I should get her number so I’m not completely a loner in this place, you thought to yourself. And so, after a quick inner struggle to speak up, you finally decided to ask. 

“Hey, should we exchange contacts? I don’t wanna look like the newbie eating in the cafeteria alone after today.” You chuckled. 

“Totally!” Na-eun beamed. “I was actually thinking the same thing…” 

And so, you both quickly exchanged each other's contact as you made your way to the restrooms. 

The hall of the washrooms were narrow, hidden away from the main cafeteria. You walked in, deciding you only wanted to retouch your hair and makeup before your first official meeting. You carefully fix the loose hairs that somehow escaped the confines of your elastic and dab on a fresh layer of foundation before applying your lipstick which rubbed off while eating. Looking over at Na-eun, you see she’s quite in the zone redoing her mascara. 

“Hey, I’ll just wait for you in the hall.” You said. 

Na-eun gave you a disinterested nod back as she kept focusing on her mascara. 

You walked to the end of the hall, leaned against the wall, and pulled out your phone. Smiling, you opened the virtual Tamagotchi app and saw your little friend staring back at you, bouncing up and down. The bundle of virtual pixels happily bounced as you fed and bathed it, making you happier in return. Playing this game, you were so entranced with your phone that the abrupt closing of the washroom doors broke you out of your hypnosis fast, causing you to flinch and drop your phone. 

You looked up, only to see a brown haired man wearing a long sleeved black shirt. The hem of his sleeve fell, covering his hand as he bent down to pick up your phone. He stood back up, fully facing you now and you immediately recognized who he was. You weren’t a fool, of course you did all your research on the artists of JYPE before applying for the job. Looking down at you right now, holding your phone in his hand, was Bang Chan of Stray Kids. 

The wispy tufts of his brown hair bounced over his forehead as he stepped over to you. He smiled, his dimple poking out of his cheek, and handed your phone back to you. “I think you dropped this.”  

Blushing tomato red, you embarrassingly accepted the phone, trying not to make your shaking hands noticeable. It seemed like that failed, however, as you noticed him glance at your hands and dimple grow deeper. 

“Thank you.” You meekly chirped and lowered your head, still in awe that you somehow bumped into a JYPE idol in the bathroom hallway of a cafeteria. 

“It’s good that there’s no cracks.” Bang Chan said, looking in your eyes. 

You looked back into his eyes. His smile never left his face, and you physically felt the warmth radiating off his body like rays from the sun. Some boring, objective part of your brain knew this interaction only lasted a fraction of a second, but you swore that time froze.

“Hyung!” A distant voice called. 

Your trance was broken as Bang Chan looked over to the person calling his name. He turned back to you, politely bowed, and casually sauntered over to the man who called him. 

What just happened? Your inner monologue ran, still trying to process the embarrassing interaction. The scent of his cologne lingered, swirling the atmosphere around your body. 

Thankfully, you didn’t have too much time to dwell on this interaction as Na-eun finally opened the washroom doors and was making her way toward you. 

You and Na-eun trailed behind the managers until you reached the set of elevators. It was there where you had to unfortunately separate from your comfort work buddy as she hopped in the elevator across from yours with Manager An. The other two managers led you to the elevator at the end and pressed the button for your destination floor. The ride in the elevator was silent. You stood there, fiddling with your nails. 

Once the elevator gave the ding of arrival, the three of you headed down a hall where you presumed had the meeting room. 

Manager Kim took a look at the watch on his wrist. “We are a minute late, everybody should be there already. Enter silently and respectfully.” He said in a stern voice.

You reached the frosted glass door of the meeting room and entered through the already opened door. The managers followed behind you with Manager Chen being the last one in and closing the door. 

Your eyes widened at whom you saw.

There was Bang Chan, who sat in all his glory, staring right into your eyes with his mouth ajar. His shocked expression didn't last long, however, as he quickly composed himself to fit with the professional atmosphere of this room. 

But why was he here? You thought. He’s an artist, isn’t this a management meeting? 

Your inner monologue was broken by Manager Kim’s stern voice. “Y/n, why don’t you sit with me for today?” He asked with a slight tilt of the lips. His hand was hovering above your back, almost guiding you to the seat just right of the head chair. 

Your heart rate quickened. There was no way that you could handle sitting right beside a high position manager on your first day. You barely knew what your duties entailed, you definitely could not handle the pressure of this seat today. You whipped your head around to look for Manager Chen. She was already sitting in her seat, looking like she was right at home. 

“Manager Kim, if you don’t mind, I would like to sit in this position for today, '' a voice spoke up, “I have a lot of new ideas I’d like to share that are written in my notes.” 

Bang Chan.

He paused a brief second, eyes switching between you and Manager Kim, and raised his iPad to show the screen filled with words. 

“I don’t mind at all, go ahead.” Manager Kim monotonously replied. He then made his way to the head chair. 

You looked over at Bang Chan, trying to subtly send the most grateful facial expression over to him. He returned your look, slightly grinning as his fingers tapped on the screen of his iPad and sat down to the right of Manager Kim. You looked over to see Manager Chen gesturing you to sit in the chair beside her and swiftly made your way over. At your seat, she handed you a notepad and pen, both adorned with the JYPE logo. 

“Now, as of 1:02 p.m., September first, the meeting will officially begin.” Manager Kim clasped his hands together on top of the table. “As most of you already know, we are in the preliminary stages of planning a Chinese debut for our artist group ‘Stray Kids’. All we have right now is the estimated timeline, which is four months. We have a basic grasp of the concept we are working towards, however, as you all know, trends are always changing and growing. While we are working to create a new and original concept for Stray Kids, we also want the concept to gather as much audience reception as possible.” 

Wow. That was a lot to take in. Your hands struggled to keep up with writing down what Manager Kim was saying. You knew this relatively new group was really starting to explode in the past year, but a debut in another country? This group must work really hard to even have the company consider a step as risky as this. So this is why Bang Chan is also involved in this meeting. 

You peaked your head up from your notepad. Bang Chan sat across from you, one hand on his chin and the other one holding the pen to his tablet. 

Manager Kim then carefully discussed the duties that each group in the room would take. Many of the jobs were directly involved with developing the concept itself, such as producing music, concept art, and theme development. Your pen never took a break from gliding on the notepad as you hurriedly jotted down everything that Manager Kim said. 

Eventually, Manager Kim’s delegations moved to Manager Chen. “Manager Chen, I’ll let you take over from here.” 

“Thank you Manager Kim,” Manager Chen cleared her throat. “While my main job here was to market Korean comebacks towards the Chinese audience, this new project changes things up a bit. Now, not only will I be in charge of marketing to the Chinese audience, but I will also be directly in charge of the concept itself. I will be working carefully with our team in China to monitor the trends which we can incorporate into our debut.

“This is my new assistant, y/n,” She turned and gestured to you. You politely nodded your head. “She will be gathering information on useful trends and reporting back to me, as well as some translating. Please report any ideas that you deem useful to her by the end of every week for her to sort through and deliver to me.” 

You almost want to call Manager Chen crazy for giving you so much power, after all, you were only starting out as her assistant. Despite this, however, you were determined to go above and beyond with the new responsibilities given to you, after all, you knew that choosing to work in an organization as big as JYPE would take blood, sweat, and tears. 

After some clarifications given by Manager Chen and a few more questions directed at her, Manager Kim took the reins back in his hands. 

“Now, as I’m sure you all know, this is Bang Chan: the leader of Stray Kids. Although our management team is in charge of this debut, we like to include the opinions of artists whenever possible. He will make an appearance whenever he can and act as a representative of Stray Kids, sharing their ideas and opinions.” Manager Kim explained. 

Bang Chan politely introduced himself, and quickly went on to express some concerns of his members. He made sure that each concern was answered thoroughly by Manager Kim before moving on to the next. 

“As for our concept ideas,” Bang Chan’s soft brown eyes met yours, “will I have to report to y/n?” 

You felt your ears redden. 

“You could, yes,” Manager Kim straightened his back, “but if you find the weekly deadlines too much of a problem, you may just report to me or at any subsequent meeting.” 

“No worries sir,” Bang Chan’s eyes lingered on yours for a fraction of a second more before grinning at Manager Kim, “I’m always punctual.”  

The rest of the meeting consisted of more introductions and preliminary plans. After about an hour, everybody seemed satisfied with the contents of the meeting and were starting to pack up all their clutter on the table. You looked over at Manager Chen, silently asking what should I do next? 

Manager Chen smiled. “Let's head to my floor. I can give you a quick tour, you can get settled at your desk. I have some paperwork that I’m almost done with; I’m sure you’ll have no problem finishing it for me.” She already was standing up and straightening over the creases of her jacket. 

You stood up as well and followed behind Manager Chen like a lost baby duckling. You both made your way over to Manager Kim to bid farewell. You politely thanked him, said your goodbyes, and were about to leave when he stopped the two of you. 

“Manager Chen, let’s go out for drinks tonight.” Manager Kim took a look at the intricate watch on his wrist. “With our whole team, of course. It’ll be a welcoming night and we can get to know the people on our team better.” 

“That’s a great idea, Manager Kim,” Manager Chen nodded at his idea in approval. She turned on her iPad to quickly get a glimpse at her schedule. “What do you think y/n? Can you make it tonight? I know this is very last moment, but I think it’ll be a great opportunity for you to get to know your coworkers better.” 

“I should be able to make it.” You definitely could make it. You had no plans anyways. 

“Am I invited to this top secret party you’re all having?” A now very distinguishable voice came from behind you. Bang Chan stared at Manager Kim with a very mischievous expression. 

“Would your manager allow it?” Manager Kim questioned, knitting his eyebrows. 

“I’m on a diet, so I can’t drink alcohol or eat anything,” Bang Chan’s nose scrunched up in annoyance, “but I want to be as involved as I can. Just because I’m an idol doesn’t mean I can’t help behind the scenes as well.”

“Very well,” Manager Kim nodded with a fixed expression, “Let’s all meet at that restaurant about a block away west. I’ll go tell the others.” And with that, Manager Kim left you, Manager Chen, and Bang Chan to stand in awkward silence. 

“Well,” Bang Chan cleared his throat and clapped his hands together, “I’ll get going as well to do some work now, but it was nice meeting the both of you.” 

“You as well.” Manager Chen replied for the both of you and Bang Chan left soon after. 

Manager Chen then led you to the elevators again and you headed up yet another few floors to reach your destination. You nervously fiddled with your hair as you silently waited behind your boss, looking up at the smooth lines of her blazer every few seconds. The elevator doors dinged, letting you know of its arrival. The two of you swiftly headed out the elevators and walked to what you presumed was Manager Chen’s office area. You kept following behind Manager Chen in silence before you stopped in front of a set of doors that looked identical to the ones at the previous meeting room. Manager Chen opened the doors for you, and you headed in. 

You paused a step in, looking wide-eyed at the interior. The office was clean. A big glass desk sat right in the middle of the vast room in front of a huge set of windows. There were a couple of soft looking chairs placed right before the desk with a huge rug right underneath it. Over to your left, you spotted a water dispenser with a kettle right beside it. You stared at the room a bit longer before realizing you must have looked very stupid with that astonished look on your face. 

“Is this your office, Manager Chen?” You asked. 

“Yes. It seems that you like it,” She chuckled. You felt the heat rise to your ears. 

“Since you’ll be working so close to me, I’m sure you’ll be happy to come here more often.” 

“Thanks.” You awkwardly laughed. You blamed your bad response on the fact that you still weren’t familiar with the language, not your blatant awkwardness. 

Manager Chen made her way over to her desk, picking up a small stack of papers. “These are some letters I’ve received from several designer companies in China. Since we are still in the very preliminary stages of this project, we would like to keep our options open for the stylists here.” She picks an annotated letter from the pile. “I’ve translated and created a summary of the main points of this letter. There are a few more left which I believe I can trust you with. Just do as I did with this letter and add the sample pictures along with it.”

You quickly complied, taking the stack of papers from her hands. 

“I’ll show you to your new work space.” She led you out of your office and over to a cubicle that wasn’t too far away. It was considerably smaller compared to Manager Chen’s office, but you thought it had a certain coziness to it. Plus, working close to your coworkers could also boost your motivation. “Here is your desk, it’s not the most exciting thing, but you may bring photos or whatnot to decorate it. Now, I’ll let you settle in and get started on your work. You can meet me at my office around six, I can double check your work before we leave.” 

You thanked her before she left and immediately got started on your work. You diligently translated the whole of the letters before picking out the main points that matched with Manager Chen’s example. After this was done, you included the photos that came with each letter and slipped them into their own cozy folder. This work was monotonous, sure, but it was something you needed on your hectic first day here. 

You were so captivated by your work that you completely forgot about the time. The sun was starting to set, and you only remembered to look at the time after you tucked your last letter neatly in its folder. You briefly panicked, praying that you weren’t making your manager wait. Thankfully, it was only a quarter until six. You took the next fifteen minutes double checking your work, making sure to also check the time every once in a while. At exactly six, you left your desk and scurried over to the big doors of Manager Chen’s office. 

Knocking a couple times, you waited patiently to be let in. 

“Come in.” 

You let yourself in, handing the papers to your manager, then sat quietly in one of the chairs before her desk, crossing your fingers together. You fiddled with your thumbs, patiently waiting for Manager Chen to speak up. 

“Not bad, this is some decent work.” Manager Chen announced as soon as she finished glossing over your work. “I’ve noted some places that you can either fix or improve. I’ll scan them and hand you a copy tomorrow.” 

You let out a breath that you didn’t know you were holding. A tidal wave of relief washed over you as you let yourself relax further into your chain. Not bad, this is some decent work. You proudly repeated this moment in your brain. Although you were disappointed with the mistakes that you let slip through, to get somewhat of a compliment on your first day meant a lot to you. 

“Shall we get going now?” Manager Chen asked. 

You grabbed your bag and stood up. “I’ll let you lead the way.” 

                                                         _______

It seemed like all you were doing on your first day was following Manager Chen around like a lost puppy. The situation right now was no exception either, as you tried to copy her confident strides over to the restaurant a block down. You watched the busy rush hour streets and sidewalks fill with people, some people going home after a long day, some people going to party just like you.

Soon, after a few more minutes of walking, the both of you arrived at the small wooden doors of the restaurants. It seemed like the both of you were a bit late as Manager Kim was already waiting in front of the entrance with the rest of the team. Bang Chan was also there, head down looking at his phone. 

“Sorry we’re late, have you been waiting for long?” Manager Chen somehow sounded confident despite making everybody wait on her.

Her voice seemed to have caught everybody’s attention. You watched as Bang Chan swiftly turned his head up from his phone, his eyes making contact with yours. You immediately focused your eyes somewhere else, trying to casually play off the fact that your eyes subconsciously drifted to him. 

“We’ve only been waiting for a couple minutes.” Manager Kim gave a tight smile. “Let’s go in before you all get too cold.” 

Your little group of around ten people slowly entered the doors, filling the restaurant. Manager Kim called over a waitress, signaling that you had ten people in your group, and let the waitress lead you all to a long wooden table. 

The restaurant was nice, nothing too fancy, but that’s how you could tell the food was good. With dim lighting and tightly packed tables, it made you feel fuzzy and warm on the inside. 

However, your thoughts on the restaurant were soon broken by a hand on your shoulder. 

“Y/n, why don’t you sit with me?” Manager Kim’s lips curled up, “After all, this is a work gathering, how good of a boss would I be if I didn’t even treat my newest team member to a drink?” 

Your brain was in shambles. You seriously didn’t feel comfortable sitting with him all night. However, the logical side of your brain was saying something different. He’s just being nice as a boss. You don’t know how people in this country act anyways, stop being paranoid. 

It seemed like your inner turmoil was taking longer than necessary, as you heard another familiar voice speak up. 

“Manager Kim-” Bang Chan called out. 

“You don’t need to sit with me here, Bang Chan.” Manager Kim chuckled as he stared directly in Bang Chan’s eyes. “I’d rather not talk about work outside the office.”

You watched as Bang Chan’s eyebrows furrowed, looking back to you in reluctance. You smiled at him before turning your attention to Manager Kim. It was just one night, right? Plus, there’s no harm in establishing a good impression with your boss. 

“I’ll sit with you, Manager Kim.” You smiled, “thanks for offering.”

And so, you took your seat next to Manager Kim at the table. Bang Chan, who was to your left, looked askance at Manager Kim for a brief second before his facial expression did a complete 180. His familiar, boy-ish smile was plastered on his face like it was the most natural thing. 

When the menus came, everybody at the table — including you — started to order onslaughts of food and alcohol. After brief moments of casual chatter about topics such as the weather or how good the food was here, everything that was ordered arrived at your table.

You grabbed a can of beer and started sipping on it. You’ve drank before — of course — with your old friends at university, but it’s been at least a year since you last did. Better ease myself in. You thought. 

However, your preconceived plans were ruined when a small glass of clear liquor got pushed in front of you. 

“Y/n, surely you aren’t going to sip on that can all night.” The ends of Manager Kim’s lips curled up. 

“Wasn’t planning to, sir.” You replied while tipping the glass up and into your mouth. The bitter liquid burned your throat as it went down. You took a moment to recollect your surroundings. Seems like your tolerance was higher than you thought. 

“Bang Chan, do you not drink? Why not eat something then?” Manager Chen pointed to the food on the table. 

“No can do ma’am, I’m on a strict diet. My manager would kill me.” Bang Chan pointed to his glass of water. 

“In that case,” Manager Chen filled another glass, “Y/n, have another drink.” She slid the glass down the table in front of you. 

You gladly accepted your second drink, downing the alcohol in one go. Your eyes instinctively squeezed together as you felt your throat burn. From the tips of your ears to the ends of your toes, your whole body felt warm and alive. 

You lost track of the time. As your conversations got livelier, your head got fuzzier. You stopped counting your drinks after four, especially since so many people were eager to offer the new employee a drink. Although your vision was starting to blur, you could still think straight. I can still think, you thought to yourself, still — what a powerful buzz.

Your thoughts ran rampant in your mind as you stared at the lightbulb across the room. What a pretty light. So bright. Warm. 

“Y/n.”

Was the light calling your name? 

“Y/n!” 

Your eyes focused again and snapped away from the lightbulb. Where was the voice coming from? You slowly turned your head. Bang Chan.

“Hi.” You smiled. 

“Hi.” He smiled back. So bright. Warm. “It’s been hours and I haven’t even offered you a drink yet.” 

You tried to focus your eyes on his face as he slid the glass over to you. One more drink wouldn’t hurt your buzz, right?  

You gladly accepted, slowly moving your hand over to the glass to pick the clear liquid up. It went down in one go just like all the others. 

Huh? Was this water? 

You struggled to focus your eyes on the person who offered you the drink. “That was yummy.” 

“I bet it was,” the talking blur chuckled, “How about another one?”

You nodded, then took the glass he slid towards you. It’s funny how water flows even when in a cup. Water. You needed to pee. 

“Hey,” your words dragged out, “where’s uh, where’s the washroom?”

“Follow me. I’ll show you.” Manager Kim stood up and reached his hand out towards you. You didn’t want to take it, but it seemed like nobody was noticing his offer. 

Reluctantly, you took his hand and stood up, only to stumble down again. Did your knees not want to listen? 

“Whoa there, better hold on.” Manager Kim said. 

“No, I can walk. I-I can walk.” You let go of Manager Kim and tried to focus all your brainpower on moving your feet in a straight line. This tactic only worked for a second, however, as your knees gave in and you stumbled down. 

“It’s obvious that you can’t.” Manager Kim’s lips turned up. “It’s time for you to go home. I’ll take you back.” 

What? No. You didn’t want Manager Kim to take you home, not after all the awkward events of today and the general vibe from him. You tried to express your thoughts, but nothing came out of your mouth. 

“Manager Kim, you’ve been drinking!” Bang Chan’s voice came from some part of the room. “It’s not safe to drive, I’ll call a taxi for you.” 

“What about Y/n here? I’ll get a taxi for us both.” Manager Kim said. 

“I called my manager earlier to pick me up, we can drop her off along the way. It’s not a good idea to put two drunk people in a car. I’m completely sober right now, so let me do all the work.” Bang Chan grinned, patting Manager Kim on his shoulder. 

“Is that what you want, Y/n?” Manager Kim glared. 

You dizzily nodded. 

“Alright. In that case, I can call my own taxi later.” Manager Kim grimaced. 

“Stay safe, Manager Kim.” Bang Chan smiled. He turned to you. “My manager’s been waiting outside for a while now, do you want to leave now?” 

You nodded. You tried to start walking again, but your damn knees just wouldn’t listen. 

“Do you want to hold on to me?” Bang Chan knitted his brows together and held out an arm.

“I,” you slurred, “can walk.” You tried to start your feet again, only to end up stumbling down. 

“I know you can,” Bang Chan said as he reached his hands out to stabilize you, “but — ah —  I’m really tired after today. Can you hold on to my arm so I won’t fall out of exhaustion?” 

You agreed to help him. Bang Chan waved to everybody still at the table before leading the two of you out to a black SUV. He allowed you to stumble your way in the back seats first before sliding in himself. He asked you for your address, which took many tries for you to accurately type it into his phone. 

You leaned your head against the window, staring at passing blurred lights as Bang Chan’s manager started driving. Just being away from the loud and bright environment seemed to have cleared your head a little, but the pounding would not stop. You cursed yourself for being so irresponsible on your first day, especially because you were still alone in this new country.   

“Hey,” you felt a gentle tap on your shoulder, “want some water?” You looked over to see Bang Chan holding out a plastic bottle with the lid screwed off. 

You languidly reached your hand out for the bottle and gulped down as much water as you could in one breath before handing it back to him. The street lights started getting blurrier as you tried to fight exhaustion, the muscles in your eyelids starting to get more and more uncontrollable. 

“Y/n.” 

“Hmm?”

“Don’t fall asleep yet, we’re almost there. Ten more minutes.” 

You couldn’t hear anything after that, however, as you felt your eyes give up on you and your body fall into a deep sleep. 

“Y/n… Y/n.” A familiar voice called.

You fluttered your eyes open, your head pounding. Not knowing where you were, you surveyed your surroundings in a panic. It seemed as though you were in the back of a car… Parked outside of your apartment building? 

“Hey, you’re finally awake.” Bang Chan’s voice entered your ear. It all came rushing back to you; the restaurant, the drinking, entering the SUV. 

“How long have we been parked here?” Your groggy voice sounded inhuman. You had to clear your throat a couple times. 

“It’s only been twenty or so minutes. I’m not allowed to leave the car, are you able to get home alone? I can ask my manager to go with you.” Bang Chan scratched the back of his neck. 

“I should be fine.” You mumbled, a bit embarrassed to have fallen asleep in the car of a person you just met that day. This wasn’t even his car, it was his manager’s. 

“Hey… can I put my number in your phone?” Bang Chan avoided your eyes. “Just so you can tell me when you get home.” He quickly added. 

“Okay.” You awkwardly handed him your phone with your contacts already opened. He quickly typed his phone number in before handing it back to you. 

“Text me when you get home. Remember to lock your door, okay?” 

You thank both him and his manager before hurrying back to your apartment. Your head was still pounding unrelentlessly as you pressed the elevator button for your floor. The events of today were still unprocessed in your brain. You met a potential friend, which was a highlight. However, you also met two higher up managers and an actual idol, only to get hilariously drunk in the presence of. At least it’ll make a good story to tell my mom. You thought. 

In no time, you made it in your apartment and locked the door behind you, remembering what Bang Chan told you in the car. You texted the new number in your phone. 

Y/n: Hi. It’s y/n. I just entered my apartment.

Not even a minute later, your phone lit up, signaling a new text message. 

Bang Chan: great!! remember to lock the doooor hahaha ( ◕ω◕✿ )

You subconsciously grin at your phone. Cute. Throwing your phone haphazardly on your bed, you begrudgingly began your night routine. After washing up and throwing on a random shirt from your closet, you fell on your bed ready to sleep. You were about to close your eyes when your phone lit up again with a ding. It was another text.

Bang Chan: Hey… Just so you know, if you ever feel unsafe around the office just tell me okay? I’ll always try to help you in whatever way I can.

[fandom-monium]

Bonding

Summary: In which you suddenly transfer into the BAU, and Spencer is too socially awkward. (alternatively, the failed attempts Spencer makes trying to connect with you.) “You’ve been profiling me, Doc?”

Word count: 2.3k+

Tags/warnings: Spencer Reid x reader, another attempt at gender neutral reader so no pronouns, Fluff(??), kind of first meeting (?), Spencer Reid pining is everything (what an adorable loser), Spencer socially awkward is also everything, reader insert, mild social anxiety (??), no big warnings except a couple fucks and damns

A/N: TO MY TODOROKI FANS: YES, I’M STILL ALIVE. SOULMATE AU EP 5 IS STILL UNDERGOING EDITS. COMING SOOON~ THX FOR WAITING!

New beginnings are scary, Spencer Reid understands that more than anything. A fish out of water at school, thriving in all academics; it came naturally to him, but the rest... well being over six years younger than his classmates didn’t make things much easier. It winded him trying to connect with his peers. He gave up eventually, no one bothering to extend a line to him, and when they did, it wasn’t out of good intentions. He learned that new things are terrifying, be ready for the worst.

So when you stride into the bullpen without so much as a notice, no one’s prepared. Not even you, Spencer notices, your hands flexing at your sides. You shove them into your pockets as you politely smile.

“Everyone, this is SSA (First Name) (Last Name), our newest member of the team,” Hotch introduces.

They manage a welcome but introductions are cut short as a new case presents itself with severe urgency. 

Garcia whines, unprepared for your arrival. You later reassure her it’s fine, but Spencer figures you’re relieved by the way your shoulders relax.

Oddly enough, the way you ease into their team dynamic is almost instantaneous. Not like the way a puzzle piece fits because that would imply that the team is a set when in reality it’s changing; not often but it happens. 

No, your addition is similar to a LEGO brick.

You slip into the role of profiler with ease. You hesitate at first, but your voice doesn’t tremble in the slightest as you offer your own opinions and observations pertaining to the case. You provide them support much like the base of a LEGO model. 

Later on, when Spencer divulges this to you, you smack him hard enough he bruises. You equate him to a peach. But you grin, and the ache fades almost instantly.

Spencer would go as far as to say he respects you, despite not knowing anything about you at the moment. Your devotion shines through whatever hesitancy you had earlier, and though your debut to them was hurried, your dedication is not lost to the team, prompting them to give you the welcome you deserve.

As a result, they make an effort the next couple weeks. A “united force of camaraderie”, Garcia calls it.

Hotch and Rossi go to you, whether you’re at your desk or called to them. Usually, it’s for an extra opinion on a case because you’re fresh eyes. From his desk across from yours, as he inconspicuously watches you purse your lips, attempting not to smile at your seniors, Spencer realizes you do think differently than the rest of them. It’s slight but not too obvious. Maybe it’s because you’re new; you’ve only joined a week ago, or maybe it’s because the team has known each other for so long they’ve learned to predict what they’d say. He isn’t sure.

You do your best to answer them before returning to your assigned tasks.

While Morgan normally makes jokes and teases, he switches his methodology with you for reasons Spencer can’t infer. Instead, he manages to include you in whatever he is doing if you’re within the vicinity. You respond in kind before quickly moving on. 

Jokes and teasing come soon.

In an attempt to naturally get to know you, JJ and Prentiss question you, not like interrogating of course but⎼from what Spencer overhears (he just happens to be within earshot, totally not eavesdropping)⎼sometimes when they border on personal, he notes your swift change in body language. Like they hit a switch: open to closed. And when you answer them, you never give more information than asked for, quick to redirect the conversation. He’s certain they notice as well, but they don’t push. 

Your gratitude is evident in the soft quirk of your lips.

To his chagrin, Spencer isn’t as bold as his friends. When you interacted with each other, it was by extension of the team starting it or on the job so mainly professional. He isn’t even sure why he finds it so hard to talk to you because it’s not like you’re intimidating. 

Okay, maybe just a little. 

But he won’t let that hinder him. You deserve your spot on the team, and, just like the rest of his team, Spencer wants to do his part in making you feel welcomed.

Which means he has to talk to you, and not just about work for once.

Unlike the rest of his team, however, Spencer has to build up courage, frustrating him more than he’d like to admit because sometimes he misses his chance. For example, this morning: you stood at the coffee maker, burying your face in a book as you waited for it to finish brewing. He recognized the cover immediately but when he opened his mouth to rant to you, he choked.

Spencer Reid choked. He never chokes, not when it comes to books. But the words died in his throat, not even making it past his lips. Never had the doctor been so baffled with himself. He scoured his memories for signs, anything that would justify his stumble, yet there was nothing that rationalized this occurrence. He didn’t have this problem before. At least... not with other coworkers.

He cleared his throat to try again, but, to his dismay, you filled your mug and left.

On the other hand, Garcia is the most upfront with you, which leaves Spencer simmering because he would give anything to have that kind of confidence. Although, he can tell the tech analyst’s friendly demeanor almost… annoys you? No, that’s not right. You don’t outwardly dismiss Garcia when she catches you, and when he says catch, he means catch, as in he witnessed you on multiple occasions going out of your way to avoid the colorful hacker.

A month has passed since you joined the BAU. As he arrives early that morning, Spencer spots you down the corridor, and normally that wouldn’t pique his interest, but the way your eyes sweep the halls in every direction is too much. He snorts, nearly spitting out his coffee.

Curious, Spencer trails after you; he slows his pace, careful to maintain distance so that he would be at the end of the hallway and you at the other. You eventually come to a halt, making him freeze mid-step. His heart drops to his stomach. Oh god, did you notice him following you? Of course you did. You actually completed the FBI fitness exams.

But you don’t turn to him. Instead, you press your back against the wall, and as you peek over the edge, he wordlessly makes his way over. His curiosity overrides any nerves. He leans to peer over your shoulder at whatever you’re tailing and…

Ah, he gets it now.

At the end of the hallway by the elevators, Garcia stands a vibrant Sphinx among a sea of dark pantsuits and white-collared button downs, tapping her foot as she waits. Spotting the (your favorite color) paper bag in her hand, he thinks it’s safe to assume it’s another attempt to get you to warm up to her. The tech analyst purses her lips, pulling up her watch.

“Come on, come on…” You mutter, your eyes flicking down at your own.

Spencer glances at you, unsure of what you are waiting for. A minute passes.

Then Garcia looks at her watch again, letting out a frustrated huff. The elevator dings open behind her, allowing her to trudge into the crowded metal box, and the second the door closes over her disappointed pout, you sigh in relief.

The word tumbles out of Spencer’s mouth before he even processes what he’s doing. “Morning.”

You shriek, whirling to face Spencer only to smack into his chest. Though he prides himself in the growth spurt he hit as a teenager, Spencer isn’t at all sturdy and buff as Morgan, so, despite your close proximity, you nearly knock him and his precious coffee over. Luckily, your reflexes are faster than his and you clasp the front of his vest, tugging him into you. He fumbles with his free hand, catching your elbow. “I’m so sorry!”

It takes a moment for you both to compose yourselves. Before Spencer can fully register your hand steadying his wrist, you step back. Something inside him deflates.

"Don't scare me like that," You press your hand over your heart as you start towards the elevator. He follows next to you.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to, but I couldn’t help but watch the whole,” Spencer gestures at you with his coffee cup.

You groan, smashing the elevator button, “Alright, go ahead.”

“Go ahead with what?” His brow furrows. The elevator doors open, allowing you to enter. He hits the button for the BAU floor, and the doors shut with only you two, standing side by side.

“Tell me I’m a bad person, tell me I’m mean or whatever for dodging someone as nice as Garcia. I know you want to,” You grumble, not looking him in the eye.

“I don’t think that.”

The skeptical look you throw him makes him blurt out the words before they could get stuck in his throat. "I mean, it’s clear you don’t dislike Garcia. You give her your full attention whenever she's talking to you, you gratefully accept her gifts despite your obvious discomfort, which seems to spur her on by the way. Actually, you display similar mannerisms with everyone in the team⎼”

Your brows climb your forehead as Spencer digs himself further into the profile hole he made of you. He spills the numerous observations he mentally filed away, and as he rambles he finally understands how his coworkers, probably every person he’s ever rambled to, feel because oh god, now even he wants himself to shut up! Shit, what is he doing? Why? How to stop?

It’s one of those moments in life where words are out of his mouth before he realizes this is not the time or place⎼it certainly isn’t his place⎼ for this, to be profiling you the way he is doing right now.

Yet here we are.

In his head, he’s screaming but it’s too late, and when he finishes seconds later, there’s a beat of silence. You gawk at him. His eyes widen as his chest heaves; his heart pounds like it’s about to break out and escape.  

Then you glare at him, a playful gleam in your eyes. “You've been profiling me, Doc?” 

Oh god, let this elevator break down and drop him. Wait, no, that would kill you too. Fuck.

Spencer swallows, his face growing hot. He tells himself it’s because he just embarrassingly gave a near complete profile of you, unwarranted, definitely not because of the way you say his title. He could apologize⎼he should⎼but his mind blanks and anything else he has to say dies as his throat closes on him. He tugs at his collar, turning to face his pink reflection in the elevator doors.

To his relief, you chuckle, “Don’t worry, I’m not mad. Should've expected nothing less from a genius.” 

“Thank you?”

The doors open and you exit. Before you reach the glass doors, Spencer, biting his lip and unwilling to let the first real conversation he has had with you to end, gathers the remains of his confidence to tap your shoulder. You face him, your expression curious as you halt in front of the BAU headquarters.

Clutching the strap of his bag, he stammers, “Do… Do you want me to talk to Garcia? I mean, I won’t tell her we talked of course. I’ll make a suggestion or something⎼make it seem like it’d be her idea⎼I guess. Might help her tone it down, you know? For you?” He cringes at the last bit, his voice octaves higher than normal. God, what is he, thirteen? How he regrets his boldness. 

If you notice, you don’t mention it. Rather, you give him a onceover, and he tries not to squirm as your sharp eyes scan his face, his body language. You’re sizing up his character, profiling him the way he did with you. The difference is he had a month; you have a few seconds. “You’d do that for me?” You question softly.

Terrified his voice will betray him again, Spencer nods. 

“I⎼” You lick your lips, searching for the right words. Then you smile, a genuine smile, not the shy ones you offered to the team before. It's not awkward or polite. This is way better; your eyes crinkle, there's teeth, and Spencer squints, unsure whether to stare or grab his sunglasses in his satchel because wow, too bright. 

Both. He can totally do both.

I’d do a lot of things for you... as long it’s legal, a tiny voice in the back of his head admits. Spencer can’t bring himself to argue.

“I appreciate that.” Oh right, conversing. He shrugs. “No, really. I know that I’m being stupid and irrational⎼” He opens his mouth to protest. Social anxiety⎼any thing that makes you uncomfortable⎼ is most definitely not stupid. But you shake your head at him. “⎼No, I know I am, and I should get over it as quickly as possible but…” You trail off, glancing to the side.

Spencer follows your apprehensive gaze through the glass doors into the BAU headquarters. It’s early morning, people dawdling around the office, calmly going about their morning routine. It lacks the usual organized bustle as people stand in the corners and chat by the coffee machine, while others take calls or type at their laptops with an air of serenity. A rare, mellow day.

Before you can complete your sentence, Morgan speeds past you, bee-lining for the doors. “Sorry to interrupt, but we got a case!”

Spencer sighs. Spoke too soon.

You both follow behind him without question, leaving your thoughts unfinished, but Spencer catches the impish grin Morgan throws him over his shoulder. He curses under his breath, promises of his friend’s destruction on his lips. 

Just when he was starting to have an actual conversation with you.

Needless to say, eyebrows raise when he drags himself to the round table a couple seconds after you.

Author’s note: You can’t tell me that Reid pre-prison did NOT love action figures, figurines, LEGO models. He is a total nerd, it’s genetic.

So, I just started watching CM since it’s on Netflix. I now love this pipe cleaner with eyes. Can’t tell if I want to caress his lovely jaw or watch him squirm though...

I am basing this one(?)shot on how I get overwhelmed by friendly people. Not to say I don’t like Garcia, bc I love her, she’s one of my fav characters. But at the same time, thanks, I have mild social anxiety. I remember in my COLL 01 class, this guy was making an effort to socialize with our project group mates with invites to hang out together. I could not even. It was like the first day of class, like, chill, my guy.

Also, I‘m sad that I can’t imagine Reid with anyone that isn’t not interesting?? Sad bc I’m such an average person so when I project myself, it feels more unrealistic than it already is and hurts just a bit. I favor the idea of him being with like wild ppl, opposites attract, dumbass and smartass, badass and geek dynamics, stuff like that???

So, the reader’s back story is gonna be hella mysterious and stuff... ;P

And, I’m really into the idea of a Spencer Reid x Hunter!Reader. May try my hand at a CM x SPN crossover in the future. Only problem is that I haven’t finished SPN...

I’m accepting suggestions and ideas!!

Connecting (Bonding Part 2) is in masterlist!

[raleighcarrera]

after class

ride or die | colt kaneko x mc (ellie wheeler)

‘part of me wishes things were different. we could’ve met at college… pushed each other in the classroom…’

colt & ellie are classmates at langston. for @rodappreciationweek day 2 (colt day!)

tags: @choicesarehard, @lovehugsandcandy, @pixeljazzy, @theeccentricbibliophile, @troublemakerinspace, @dancingboba, @zigtheeortega 

~10.5k words | M (18+)

colt surveyed the classroom as he stalked through the front door, late, his eyes eventually coming to rest on the last available desk. naturally, it was in the front row of the room, worsening the low level of irritation he already had simmering. 

great. just what he’d been hoping for, at 8:30 in the morning, on the first day of the fall semester. he huffed as he made his way over to it, dropping unceremoniously into the chair. so much for coasting through syllabus week, or sleeping through the morning classes his advisor had recommended. at least he’d made it in before the professor. 

he cut a bored glance to the left and caught sight of the girl sitting next to him. she looked way too perky for the early morning hour, sitting up straight in her seat, notebook already open on her desk. the charms on the bracelet adorning her wrist jangled together when she lifted her reusable water bottle to her lips and sipped from the straw. 

8:30 AM and she wasn’t even drinking coffee? what a weirdo. 

colt’s eyes slid down and lingered on her legs, crossed under the desk. the shorts she was wearing provided ample view of smooth, brown skin, and he smirked at the way she was bouncing her foot before forcing his eyes away. when he looked back up, he noticed she was looking at him, too.

his eyebrows arched, the corners of his mouth quirking upwards. before he could say anything, the professor walked in, pulling the door shut behind her. the girl beside him flushed red all the way to her hairline and averted her eyes guiltily, looking back toward the front of the room as though the lecture had already started. 

colt grinned to himself and leaned back in his seat, pleased as punch. maybe this early class wouldn’t be the worst thing that ever happened to him, after all.

“good morning, everyone,” the professor said, dropping her things on the desk at the front of the room and immediately moving to pass out the syllabus, working her way up and down the rows of desks. “i’m dr. morrell. welcome to law and psychology. the purpose of this class is to examine the ways both industries intersect with each other. over the course of the semester we’ll explore issues relevant to understanding human behavior from the perspective of law and psych and the contributions of psychology as a behavioral science to legal issues.” 

the girl sitting beside him was already taking notes. colt scanned the syllabus as the professor dropped it onto his desk, grimacing when he caught sight of the grading breakdown. two exams, two papers and a group project? surely no hot girl was worth subjecting himself to that.

“i’d like a few of you to provide some examples of where law and psych intersect so that i can get to know you. who wants to go first?”

out of the corner of his eye, colt saw the girl’s hand shoot up. of course.

“go ahead. what’s your name?”

“ellie wheeler,” she answered, “and psychology often intersects with the law when it comes to false confessions. a majority of false confessions occur because of the psychologically manipulative interrogation tactics police use, like the guilt-presumptive reid technique.” 

“very good,” dr. morrell praised. “we’ll be covering the psychology behind false confessions extensively before midterms. anyone else?”

his hand raised before he was even aware of it. “colt kaneko. isn’t ellie ignoring that false confessions are also born from a system that doesn’t take into account dispositional vulnerabilities of suspects? like not requiring a lawyer for juveniles or those with behavioral or personality disorders -- you know, the groups who actually provide a majority of false confessions.”

the professor’s eyebrows raised. colt could feel ellie staring at him in disbelief from where she was sitting beside him. “certainly,” dr. morrell agreed politely, “we’ll be exploring a variety of studies that explain how social pressures, personality traits and potential conduct disorders intersect with police interrogations and confessions. but this is great insight.”

she crossed to the other side of the room to call on another student. colt turned his head and caught ellie’s eye -- she was still glaring at him, looking pissed off and, honestly, even hotter for it. 

when he grinned at her, she huffed under her breath, still obviously annoyed. her gaze snapped back to the syllabus, and though he continued to sneak glances at her for the next ninety minutes, she didn’t look his way again.

she hung back to talk to the professor once they were dismissed, but colt wasn’t about to linger in a lecture hall, even if it meant scoring a chance to talk to the only girl who’d actually captured his attention at college so far. 

the thought of having to wait until thursday to see her again was... unwelcome. as he made his way to his next class, he wondered why he’d never seen her around before. if she was a psych student it seemed strange that they’d managed to go a whole year without having a class together; the program at langston wasn’t that big, and for most of his freshman year he’d seen the same faces, give or take a few, in each of his classes. now, on the first day of his sophomore year, he’d recognized most of the people in law & psych, too. but not her. 

hopefully she’d changed majors and wasn’t just taking law & psych to fulfill a requirement. having her around was going to make the program a lot more interesting -- none of the other people in his courses ever challenged him, and he’d honestly gotten sort of bored picking apart their points all the time. she was a welcome change of pace, and he was surprised to find that he was actually looking forward to her inevitable payback for shutting her down in class. 

colt got to his social psych class with enough time to have his pick of the seats. he slipped into the back row and pulled out his phone, scrolling through the messages he’d missed since last night. a few minutes later, the sound of someone pulling out the chair beside him made him lift his eyes, and a wide grin -- one that he knew well was too obnoxious for even the latter half of the morning -- took over his face when he saw who it was that had sat down next to him.

“hey,” he greeted, nodding at ellie. “looks like you copied my schedule.”

she regarded him with barely suppressed disgust. “my advisor picked these classes. i registered late and got locked out of everything.”

huh. that was exactly what had happened to him, but in all actuality, he’d completely forgotten about the deadline to register for classes. “are you new to the program? why haven’t i had any classes with you before?”

she looked at him like he was insane. “uh, it’s my first day? i just started here.”

okay -- that wasn’t exactly fair. like he was just supposed to assume she was a freshman, when both classes he’d found her in were two-hundred level courses? “shouldn’t you be in intro to psych, then?”

ellie rolled her eyes at him. he watched as she pulled a second notebook from her bag, setting it on the desk next to her water bottle. “i have an accelerated course load,” she explained, “i started over the summer. i’m in the pre-law program? you do undergrad in just three years and then law school for the next three. psych is just one of my minors.” 

so -- she was brilliant. figures. he’d had a feeling.

“well --”

she turned away as the professor walked in. colt rolled his eyes as he started droning on about the course, walking through the syllabus at an agonizingly slow pace. like he gave a shit. the girl sitting next to him was infinitely more interesting.

“...so our first unit will explore social psychology as it pertains to consumer behavior. can anyone name an example of psychology impacting consumer behavior? let’s see... colt. how about you?”

the sound of his name startled him into paying attention again. “uh... packaging? and presentation. grocery store layouts are designed to push certain products so everything from lighting to shelf position impacts consumers on a psychological level.”

“sure,” the professor nodded, “but what about in a social context? anyone else?”

ellie raised her hand. “there are lots of studies that show salesperson interaction can significantly affect consumer behavior. oftentimes the social pressures of the interaction can impact purchasing behaviors significantly.”

“you’re absolutely right. now, if we expand on ellie’s observation...”

colt looked back towards her and found ellie shooting him a smug, self-satisfied smile. well. if that was the way she wanted to kick off the semester, then... color him even more impressed. 

he nodded back at her. game on.

*

tuesday afternoon came around quickly enough. the class pattern at langston meant that most students had the day off on wednesdays, so colt’s roommate was already pregaming when he got back to the dorm, getting ready to go out later that night.

logan tossed him a beer as soon as he took his jacket off. “hey,” he nodded at him, “there’s a party at backyard tonight. wanna go?”

colt shrugged, cracking the tab on the can and lifting it to his lips for a sip. “i guess. who’s living there this year?”

“i think the lacrosse team,” logan answered, though his voice sounded distracted, his eyes were on his phone. “there’s people going to howl too, though.”

“whatever,” he said, dropping down onto his bed, kicking off his shoes, “we could always start at the bar and go to backyard after. i don’t care.”

a thought occurred to him as he drained the rest of his beer, leaning over to set the empty can on his desk. trying to keep his voice casual, he asked, “do you remember where we used to party when we were freshmen?”

logan lifted his head and smirked at him. “we didn’t used to party anywhere. i went out and you sulked in the room.”

colt rolled his eyes. “i wasn’t sulking.” he just hadn’t wanted to be at school. at all. colt spent most of his freshman year trying to figure out how to get kicked out of college and sent home to l.a., not that it had done him much good. 

“if you say so,” logan hummed, setting his phone aside and heading to the fridge for another beer. colt shook his head when logan looked back at him curiously. “why’re you asking, anyway?”

“no reason,” colt answered too-quickly, averting his eyes when logan’s look turned suspicious, “just wondering.”

logan leaned against his desk, his expression morphing into one of disbelief. “dude. come on.”

colt’s jaw clenched as he grit his teeth. then he sighed and said, “fine. there’s a girl in the psych program i wanted to talk to.”

logan’s face split into a boyish, excited grin. “dude,” he said again, but this time he sounded delighted, “seriously? i’ve only been waiting, like, an entire year for this. what’s her name?”

colt rolled his eyes at him. he should’ve anticipated this reaction. “forget it. it’s not a big deal. if we run into her we run into her --”

“colt,” logan sighed, “you know you could just invite her, right?”

“i don’t have her number. and anyway --”

“okay, whatever. we’ll just find her. i think most of the freshmen should be at the rugby party, we can walk there after the bar. dude, this is so awesome. i’ve always wanted to be your wing man.”

“well, can you try to calm down?” he leaned back on the mattress, shrugging his shoulders. “i don’t even think she likes me.”

“yeah,” logan laughed, “i’m sure you were really nice to her.”

“shut up,” colt mumbled, “it was -- whatever. i’m going to take a shower.” 

logan’s enthusiasm didn’t waver; if anything, it only got worse as he kept drinking. he bothered colt about what he was going to wear for twenty minutes until colt finally gave in and let logan pick from his shirts.

fortunately, he was at least moderately buzzed by the time they made it to the bar and met up with the rest of their friends. even more fortunately, logan started talking to a girl as soon as they got there and left him alone to first survey the crowd for ellie -- no luck there -- and then start slamming back shots.

he lost track of time talking to some girl who knew a surprising amount about cars and soon enough it was approaching midnight and he was drunk, waiting until logan came up for air from where he’d been kissing the girl he’d met in a corner of the bar to remind him about the party.

“oh yeah!” logan said excitedly, one arm wrapped around the girl’s shoulders. she was leaning on his chest, giggling drunkenly at nothing. “christina’s a freshman, too, she said she’d bring us by. maybe she knows the girl you like.”

“dude,” colt said, shaking his head, “come on.” the small group of people they’d met up with at the bar walked with them to the rugby house, where the guy at the door recognized the girl logan had been making out with and waved them all in without a second glance.

the house was full of people he didn’t recognize, which probably meant that most of them were freshmen or people on the rugby team; painfully loud music made it almost impossible to hear logan, even when he leaned in and screamed into his ear, “is she here?”

colt looked around, but he didn’t see ellie anywhere in the living room. he shook his head. “i’m gonna go get a drink,” he called, weaving through the crowd of bodies and walking off into the kitchen, alone.

he bypassed the keg and went straight for the bottles lining the counter. he was pouring vodka into a cup he’d already half-filled with tequila when someone bumped into him, jostling his shoulder.

colt turned around and came face-to-face with ellie, who was unsteady on her feet, brushing her hair out of her face where it’d suddenly fallen into her eyes. she looked different than she had in class yesterday -- the top she was wearing was low-cut and lacy, her shorts tight and short enough to show off the same long, tanned legs he’d been eyeing in the lecture hall. 

she smiled when he finally met her eyes. “oh. it’s you. hi!” she chirped cheerfully, her voice loud and over-excited. the fact that she was being so nice to him meant that she’d probably had a few. her eyes were unfocused as she looked him over, though her gaze sharpened when she stopped on his face again. “what’re you doing here?”

he shrugged, leaning against the counter as nonchalantly as possible. “my roommate wanted to stop in.” colt felt his lips pull into a grin despite himself. “didn’t think i’d see a girl like you in a place like this.”

ellie pouted prettily at him. “what’s that s’posed to mean?”

he laughed. of course she had to be a cute drunk. “you’re just such a goody-two-shoes. i’m almost impressed you made it out at all.”

her arms folded under her chest. colt focused all of his energy on keeping his eyes on her face. “i am not a goody-two-shoes.”

colt took a long sip from the cup in his hand. that he was able to swallow the alcohol straight without gagging immediately proved he was probably too drunk for this conversation. “sure you’re not.”

“i’m not,” she insisted, “i’ll prove it. let’s take shots!”

he glanced down at the cup in his hand, mentally judging how much was left. then, he held it out to her with his eyebrows arched. “okay. if you can finish this you’ll officially have impressed me.”

ellie confidently snatched the cup out of his hand, lifting it to her nose. then she wavered, squinting down into it. “what is it?”

colt grinned at her again. “tequila.”

“it smells like vodka.”

he shrugged. “it’s vodka, too.”

“you’ve been standing here drinking vodka and tequila mixed together? without -- without, like, soda? or juice? you’re a sociopath.”

“look, if you can’t handle it, no worries. maybe we can find you a white claw or something.”

ellie huffed, squinting at him before resolutely lifting his cup to her lips and knocking back the liquid left in it in one gulp.

he pursed his lips together to stifle a smile, and then a laugh, once she started coughing.

“ugh! that is awful,” ellie exclaimed, pushing the empty cup back into his hands, “how can you possibly drink that? no wonder you’re like -- how you are.”

his friends found them in the kitchen before he could ask what she meant. logan clapped his shoulder and asked, “hey, are you ready to go? chase and sean are already at backyard.”

the girl he’d brought with him squealed excitedly when she saw ellie, throwing herself into her arms for a hug. “ohmygod, you should totally come with us!” she exclaimed, “i’ll walk you back later. please, el?”

logan’s face lit up. he elbowed colt hard in the side until colt glared at him and stepped purposefully on his foot. 

“sure,” ellie shrugged, “let me just tell my roommate.” she glanced at colt, the corners of her mouth lifting. “i’ll meet you guys outside?”

he nodded, probably faster than he should have. “yeah.” the longer they all stood there, the more likely it was that logan would say something to embarrass him, anyway. 

there were people drinking in the front yard when they went outside, but he felt like he could breathe a little easier out of the crowded kitchen and living room. as soon as christina pulled away from logan, he turned back toward colt and asked, “soooooooo? was that her?”

“yeah,” he admitted begrudgingly, “but don’t say anything.”

logan held a hand to his chest, wounded. “it really hurts my feelings that you think i’d be so uncool. dude, i want you to get laid.”

colt rolled his eyes. “i don’t need any help getting laid.” and it wasn’t like he was looking to sleep with her and never call her again.

“i know, but --” ellie and one of her friends came out the front door, walking over as soon as they caught sight of them. the girl ellie had brought with her started talking to christina as logan led the group down the street, and colt was surprised when ellie hung back and fell into step with him, at the back of the group.

“so -- you been over here yet?” he asked, pushing his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans.

“nope. but riya said all the upperclassmen hang out at backyard.” 

colt snuck a glance over at her and had to suppress a smile again. “that your friend?”

“uh huh,” she nodded, “we’ve been best friends our whole lives. it was, like, a dream come true when we both got in.”

“cool. well -- backyard is usually pretty fun, but the lacrosse team is living here this year so we’ll have to see if they can hang.”

“who’s your friend?” ellie asked abruptly. when he looked over at her again, he saw that she was staring at logan. he’d recognize the look on her face anywhere. he’d seen it on tons of girls’ faces before. 

ellie was biting her bottom lip.

“that’s my roommate,” he answered stiffly. “logan.”

“he’s really hot,” she murmured thoughtlessly, almost to herself. the sound of her voice was soft, each word starting to slur together. 

colt rolled his eyes. he quickened his pace to catch up to some of the other guys.

“hey!” ellie huffed, and he heard the sound of her shoes on the sidewalk as she rushed to be beside him again, “wait up.” 

the off-campus housing that had always been a party spot had gotten the name ‘backyard’ for said impressive feature; the grass was packed with undergrads when colt and everyone else made their way outside. as soon as they found chase and sean, one of them passed him a lit joint, which he accepted gratefully, thinking there were few things he might’ve liked more, at that moment, than being too high to think about any of the things that were bothering him.

ellie appeared beside him suddenly. “you smoke?”

he stared back at her blankly, and then took another hit. “weed? yeah.”

“oh.” she blinked, looking from him to chase and back again. “can i try it?”

chase shrugged at her. “be my guest,” colt said flatly, passing her the joint and leaving her with the group, walking over to the keg.

logan jogged over while he was filling a cup. colt passed him the first one and went to get another. “so? how’s it going?”

he rolled his eyes. “she’d rather talk to you. it’s whatever.”

logan frowned at him. “i’m obviously not going to --”

“i literally don’t care. it’s fine.” colt walked away before logan could continue. he had only a moment to scan the backyard for someone he actually wanted to talk to before ellie popped into his field of vision again.

“are you mad at me?” she demanded, frowning at him. 

“nope.” the girl from howl who’d talked to him about cars for an hour was waving at him from over by the fence. colt pushed past ellie to go talk to her again. “i owe you one,” he grinned when he approached, “you saved me from an unbelievably awkward situation.”

the answering smile she sent his way was wide -- all teeth. “then you should come home with me.”

he blinked. colt racked his brain, trying to remember if she’d told him her name. “do you live on campus?”

she nodded. “in south. but my roommate’ll be sleeping over here with her boyfriend.” 

if she lived in south, she was probably an upperclassman. unfortunately, that didn’t bring him any closer to remembering her name. 

he squinted at her, then ducked his head, as bashfully as he could manage. “i forgot your name.”

admitting as much was a risk, but it paid off -- she only laughed at him, and then said, “olivia. so? you wanna get out of here?”

more than anything. he nodded, reaching down and threading his fingers through hers. “let me just tell my roommate.”

she let him tug her over to where logan was standing with the rest of their friends. “i’m leaving,” he said, clapping logan on the shoulder. logan frowned at him for a moment before he caught sight of olivia, and then he grinned widely.

“nice. see you later.” 

colt nodded at everyone else before they left, pointedly not scanning the crowd for one last glimpse of ellie. 

he was a fucking idiot for thinking he should pursue something there in the first place, probably. whatever dumb little crush he had on her because she’d impressed him a couple of times had to go.

fortunately, he’d already found another way to occupy his time -- even if it was only for tonight.

*

he was late to law & psych again on thursday, and everyone in the room was sitting in the same seats they’d taken on monday -- which meant the only open desk was in the front, again, next to ellie.

she shot him a deeply unimpressed look when he slunk into his seat and dropped his head in his hands. like she had on monday, she seemed wide awake and much too excited; she was drinking water again.

“hi,” she said pointedly, like he was ignoring her or something.

colt arched an eyebrow at her. “hi?”

ellie huffed. “where’d you disappear to on tuesday?”

“uh...” he rubbed at his eyes, still feeling exhausted. “just went back to campus, i guess.”

she looked almost... embarrassed, not that he understood why. professor morrell called everyone to attention before she could say anything, and though he really didn’t give a shit, he still turned back to the front of the room, slumping down in his seat as he went.

he did his best to pay attention for most of class, but found himself zoning out for the next hour -- pretty much sleeping with his eyes open. the only part of the lecture he actually caught was five minutes before class was scheduled to end, when dr. morrell said, “and before we go, i’ll assign the partners and topics for the first project so you guys can get started over the weekend, if you want.”

yeah, that was exactly how he wanted to spend his weekend. he rolled his eyes as she started passing out readings. though he was only half-paying attention, he did realize that she was working her way clockwise around the room... and everything slowed to a stop when she paused in front of his desk and said, “ellie and colt. your topic is false confessions. i look forward to seeing your presentation.”

he probably should’ve seen that one coming. it was par for the course with his life, honestly -- just his fucking luck. 

he flipped absently through the reading she’d given them and then sighed, handing it to ellie. 

“don’t look so thrilled,” she said as she took it from his hands. “come on. we can work out a schedule for when we’re going to work on this.”

they headed toward the building they had social psych together in, side-by-side. ellie kept her eyes on the reading as they went, and he took advantage of the fact that her gaze was averted to study her in turn, analyzing the expression her face calculatingly. 

“i’ve read this study before,” she said finally, “this won’t be that hard. we can split the lit review and then i’ll work on the analysis and you can do the conclusion.”

“okay,” he said, a little startled by the way she seamlessly doled out orders. “sure.”

ellie snuck a glance up at him, then, and he didn’t look away, even when she caught him staring. her cheeks were a little flushed when she drew in a breath and said, “okay. do you want to work on it this weekend?”

“that’s fine.”

they crossed the quad together in silence. as they neared the building their next class was in, she hesitantly started, “so -- your roommate...”

colt tensed, but otherwise didn’t say anything. the expression on his face soured when, a moment later, ellie continued, “is he single?”

try as he might to force his face blank, he could feel his look of distaste twisting further into a scowl. “i guess.” at least he’d been drunk the last time she’d subjected him to this.

ellie either didn’t notice his attitude or didn’t care to comment on it; she breezed right past the dark tone of his voice when she said, “cool, because my friend riya -- from tuesday? -- thinks he’s really cute, and i think they’d be perfect together. but she had this awful breakup last spring and i don’t want to set her up with just anyone, so --”

his sneer cleared as she kept blabbing, and he slowly tuned her voice out in favor of the pounding of his own heart. so she hadn’t been asking for herself.

that was... an interesting development, for sure. for sure.

“colt?” he shook himself from his thoughts and looked back at her. ellie frowned at him, her eyes narrowing. “were you even listening to me?”

“yeah, your friend. bad breakup. high school drama.” he shot her a winning smile as he opened the door for her, following behind her and letting it swing shut in the face of whatever underclassmen were coming in behind them.

“maybe we can all do something this weekend,” she suggested, as they made their way down the hallway to the classroom, “get drinks or something after we work on the project?”

“definitely.” fuck. that answer had probably come too quickly to be considered cool, and it hadn’t gone unnoticed by ellie -- she was looking at him from under her eyelashes, smiling shyly. 

she looked really pretty. fuck. 

she followed him to the back of the room again even though they were right on time today and there were plenty of open seats. he wondered what the fuck she was doing when ellie slid into the same desk she’d sat in on monday; she clearly wasn’t a back of the classroom type of girl. but here she was.

“give me your phone.”

he startled. “what? why?”

“so i can give you my number?” again, the look on her face seemed to suggest he was the biggest idiot she’d ever had the displeasure of talking to. “how else are we going to find a time to work on the project?”

colt passed it over wordlessly, watching while she plugged her phone number in and then texted herself before handing it back. “thanks,” he said stupidly, with no idea why. 

“just try not to ditch me again.” the look on her face had him feeling weirdly guilty, like they’d gone to the party together, or something -- like he hadn’t left her with all of her friends. he suddenly wondered how much she actually remembered, if she saw him leave hand-in-hand with olivia or not. 

try not to act like you want to fuck my roommate, he thought to himself, the words on the tip of his tongue. 

before he could put his foot in his mouth, the professor called class to attention. he sat in silence for most of the next hour and a half, until he answered a question and ellie said --

“actually, colt’s forgetting that schemas related to behaviors are known as scripts, and a widely different concept.”

“they’re actually not a different concept at all,” colt said, before the professor could correct her, “they’re a deviation of the same concept on a technical level but operate in pretty much the same way where modification and therapy are concerned.”

“colt’s correct,” the professor said, shooting them both a strange look before walking back to the board at the front of the room, “which brings us to next week’s reading by abelson. we’ll be discussing chapter four in more detail on monday...”

he turned and smiled smugly at ellie. she looked just as deeply annoyed with him as ever, seething at her desk. 

never one to quite know when to stop, he couldn’t resist leaning in and whispering, “maybe you shouldn’t have skipped intro to psych after all,” gratified by the way her hands clenched into fists and how she stared him down with the dirtiest look she could muster. 

suddenly the semester had gotten fun again.

*

working on their project together went surprisingly well. much better than he had expected it to, given their track record.

but ellie was smart and sharp and witty in a way that felt like something he’d been waiting for without outright searching for it. 

admittedly, he’d caught himself staring at her more than a few times, his eyes mapping the curve of her neck when her head bent low into his textbook, which was used, and therefore free game for her to mark up with highlighter. 

they were probably sitting too close for the library. all the private rooms were taken when they’d first arrived, so they’d found a table in the upper level of the atrium, and though it was sort of secluded in the back corner by the windows they were far from alone. 

but that didn’t stop his mind from wandering. 

“look at this study,” ellie said suddenly, sliding a piece of paper under his nose and forcing him to tear his eyes away from the dip of her cupid’s bow, “what kassin says here about compliance will be an important point for us.”

“god, aren’t you tired yet?” he was almost impressed. it’d been hours. “look around. it’s dark out. you have to at least be hungry.”

ellie’s lips pursed into a thin line. she sighed, but begrudgingly admitted, “okay, i’m a little hungry.” 

his grin widened, toeing the line between obnoxious and charming he so often straddled. “we made really good progress.” well. she had, at least. “let’s call it for tonight. come on, it’s friday.”

she wavered for another minute, but he knew he had her. it still felt like a victory when she finally nodded. “fine. we did make pretty good progress. maybe we can meet up again on sunday?” 

he stared at her as she stretched in her chair, arching her back and raising her arms above her head. “sure. are you going out tonight?”

ellie’s lips twisted into a grimace, and she shook her head. “i wasn’t planning on it. i have a meeting with my advisor early tomorrow morning.”

“on a saturday?” someone sitting at one of the other tables chose that moment to shush them, loudly, and he twisted around to glare at them over his shoulder as ellie packed up her books and stood. he only looked away to follow her out, though she waited until they were in the stairwell to talk again.

“yes, on a saturday. i just want to make sure i’m staying on track.”

colt arched his eyebrows at her as he held open the door to the lobby. “it’s the first week of the semester.”

“well, it doesn’t hurt to be prepared,” ellie huffed, stepping smoothly past his arm and striding to the exit, “school is really important to me.”

“okay,” he said, trying to stifle the smirk that was threatening, “so if you’re such a goody-two-shoes, how’d you wind up missing the deadline to pick classes? doesn’t seem like something that’d just slip your mind.”

ellie’s smile dipped while they made their way back across the lawn. “um.” her voice was suddenly much quieter, and he watched one of her shoulders lift in an unsure shrug before she stiffly continued, “my mom. she’d been sick for awhile, but... over the summer -- she died. i honestly just forgot about registering.”

“fuck,” colt sighed, before he could stop himself and think for a second about what he was saying, “i’m an asshole. i’m sorry, i didn’t --”

“please,” ellie said, already shaking her head, “you couldn’t have known. but... that’s what happened. and i totally had a meltdown when i realized and i seriously almost just deferred a semester to get around it, but i guess everything wound up working out.” 

he was surprised to see her sneaking a glance up at him as they walked. immediately, he averted his eyes. “i guess,” he allowed, decidedly ignoring the strange and unfamiliar feeling that was abruptly squeezing his chest tight, “but, still. that really sucks. i’m sorry.”

“don’t be,” she murmured. her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. ellie cleared her throat, her voice a little brighter when she said, “hey -- do you... want to get dinner? um, if you’re not going out or anything.”

as if. she was the only person who’d been able to get him to go out since he fucking came to this stupid school. “yeah. i mean -- i’m not. so that’d be cool.” maybe he still had a shot at impressing her. “actually, can i show you something? do you like tacos?”

“oh.” she looked surprised, both by his agreement and his suggestion, but despite how floored she seemed she still smiled in a way that lit up her whole face, and he was amazed to notice that she had a dimple he’d somehow never seen before right now. “i love tacos.”

ellie didn’t say another word until they were both sitting down on the edge of the roof, styrofoam takeout boxes balanced in their laps, so he had no idea what her opinion was on any of it. 

she’d remained coy while he led her to his favorite off-campus hole-in-the-wall, quiet when he’d dragged her back to the biology building and forced her up five flights of stairs, silent save for a pointed raised eyebrow when he shoved his shoulder into the door marked roof access - custodial staff only until it popped open and they emerged out onto the roof, easygoing but still a little cautious when he led her over to the edge and sat down with his legs dangling over the side of the building.

now, she had pineapple juice dripping down her thumb as she cradled her al pastor in her hands, giving him carte blanche to stare at her while her own eyes looked out at the city. 

he was desperate to know her take on it all, and frustratingly close to demanding well?! before she eventually spoke up and put him out of his misery.

“this is a great view.”

colt finally diverted his gaze to his own tacos. “don’t tell anyone about it. it’s a secret.”

“that’s a funny way of saying breaking and entering.” 

he rolled his eyes at her, gently shoving his shoulder into hers. “what they don’t know won’t hurt ‘em. besides, we’re not doing anything wrong.”

ellie shrugged her shoulders sheepishly. “i’ve never done anything like this before.”

“we can leave, if you want,” he offered. “i just wanted to show you the city.”

“no.” colt watched her shake her head rapidly, and then ellie leaned in and bumped her shoulder back against his in return. “i didn’t mean it like that. i guess i’m just -- trying to explain. why you think i’m lame.”

he frowned. “i don’t think you’re lame.”

ellie laughed, ducking her head and poking at the styrofoam container in her lap. “you don’t?”

“no. why, because you’re not out tonight? i’m not, either.” in fact, he could probably count all the nights he’d been out since he’d moved in last year on one hand. 

“not only that.” she paused thoughtfully, stopping to take a bite of her taco. “because i take school so seriously, i guess.” 

colt set his food aside to lean back on his palms, looking out over the city. “there’s nothing wrong with wanting to do well. you’d be, like, my parents’ dream child. i’m sure they both wish i’d take this even half as seriously as you do.”

her head turned, and he caught a glimpse of her soft smile out of the corner of his eyes. “did you miss the deadline to register for classes on purpose?”

he nodded. “i’ve been trying to get kicked out since i got here. it’s harder than you’d think.”

ellie laughed. “why would you want to get kicked out? most people would kill to be here.”

“well, i’m not like most people.” colt pushed the toes of his shoes against the loose edge of the roof, silently debating the rest of his answer. “i never wanted to go to college. but shipping me out here so i’d be out of my dad’s way is the only thing my parents ever agreed on.”

“where’re you from, again?”

“los angeles. but i’ve been with my mom ever since my folks split in denver. my dad -- it’s complicated.”

she was quiet. he wondered what she was thinking. after a moment, she said, “i’m from l.a., too.”

colt’s eyebrows arched high. “really? small world.”

“nothing was the same after my mom got sick, though. my dad never let me out of his sight. it got to a point where being home felt like being in prison.” ellie hesitated, her eyes still on the skyline. “part of me was so relieved to come here that i still feel guilty about it.”

“you shouldn’t feel guilty. it’s your life. you should get a chance to live it.” his brow furrowed as he turned to look at her fully, staring at her profile where she was half-lit by the lights dotting their campus. “you deserve to make your own decisions.”

“i know.” ellie closed the container in her lap, then set it aside. she dusted off her hands and finally tilted her head to look at him, a small smile playing at her lips. “that’s the part i’m most afraid of. not -- taking these chances, and doing all this stuff. but -- messing it up. not doing enough, you know? letting... this opportunity to finally be myself pass me by.”

“yeah.” of course he knew what she meant. that was pretty much what he’d spent the last year doing. “well, you should get out more, then. do all the shit you always wanted to do that your dad never let you try.”

“like what?”

he laughed. “fuck if i know. i thought a girl like you would have a list all ready to go.”

“well...” colt glanced down and saw that she was biting at her bottom lip, like she wasn’t sure she wanted to say whatever was about to come out. “i’ve always wanted to learn to drive.”

*

“okay.” his left palm spread over hers from behind, and he fanned his fingers out on top of hers, gently pressing her hand around the lever. “this is the clutch. it’s how you shift gears.”

ellie shifted from where she was straddling the bike in front of him. he felt her fingers wiggle underneath his, and saw her head bob with a nod. “got it.”

his right hand curled over hers, gripping the handlebar. “this is the throttle.” colt shifted their hands to the lever beyond the handlebar. “and this is the front brake.”

she hummed, her bare arms warm against his. the parking lot he’d left his bike in was deserted, except for the two of them -- they were pretty far on the outskirts of campus, tucked away from the hustle and bustle of everyone getting ready to go out on a friday night. “what about the back brake?”

colt’s right foot gently kicked hers. “feel the lever down here?”

ellie’s sneaker fumbled around, the heel of her shoe kicking him in the shin before she found it. “uh huh.”

“basically, the right side of the bike is for accelerating and braking. the left side is just to switch gears.” 

“this seems a lot more complicated than a car.”

“hey, you want to learn to drive, don’t you? this is the best i can do right now.” but maybe if he ever made it back to l.a. with her, he could show her a really good time. “look, i’ll handle changing gears, okay? you just worry about the throttle. and brake when i tell you to.”

“but how will i know when to accelerate?” her voice sounded a little worried, like maybe she was starting to have second thoughts. he kept his right hand held firmly over ellie’s, moving it to the handlebar before pushing his fingers through hers.

“i’ll give you a squeeze. don’t worry, i’m not gonna let anything happen to you.” 

the words left his mouth before he could even think about them. he blinked at her, a long moment of silence stretching between them. ellie leaned her back against his chest, her thumb stroking the side of his hand. 

he had the sudden urge to kiss her.

“you have a helmet, right?”

colt jolted out of his thoughts, then slid off the bike to pull it out for her. “yeah, of course. here.” it was a little big on her, but it did the trick -- he pulled it down over her head with a grin, endeared by the way she posed playfully once it was on. 

“how do i look?”

“like a total babe,” he answered honestly, pulling his jacket off, too, before handing it to her. “here. better put this on, too.”

“why?” she asked, but she was obligingly slipping her arms into it. like the helmet, it was way too big on her, but unlike the helmet, the sight of her inside of it stirred something within him that he had trouble ignoring. he reached out and settled the jacket on her shoulders more firmly. 

“in case you fall. it’ll protect you.”

“i thought you said you weren’t going to let anything happen to me,” ellie hummed, staring at the way the sleeves of the jacket hung down over her knuckles. in the low light of the dark parking lot, it almost looked like she was blushing a little. 

“i’m not, but it doesn’t hurt to have an insurance policy.” colt reached out and slid the face shield on the helmet down, over her eyes. “come on.”

ellie got back onto the bike from the left side, just like he’d showed her. she really was smart -- probably even too smart for this stupid school -- and quick, too. her hands found the handlebars straightaway, and he moved snugly up behind her, his arms keeping her close. 

their joined left hands pulled the clutch. he shifted to thumb the kill switch with his right hand, and the bike jolted to life beneath them, ellie jerking with it. colt leaned in toward her ear even with the helmet in the way. “relax,” he said, raising his voice a little to be sure she’d hear him, “i know what i’m doing.”

she still squeaked a little when he let the clutch out and the bike slowly started to roll forward. “colt --” her voice was panicked. “help, what do i do?”

“just like we talked about,” he encouraged, “put your feet up. then hit the throttle.”

ellie drew in a deep breath. he could feel her along his chest, and squeezed her hand reassuringly. after a moment, she revved the engine, and then they were off -- a little unsteadily, but in a straight line, at least, heading down the length of the parking lot.

“oh my god! oh my god, i’m doing it. oh my god!” 

she was too cute for her own good. the excited tone of voice she had made him grin unabashedly into the air behind her, and he leaned back a little to give her more control, impressed by how smooth her handle on the bike was, for her first time. was there anything she wasn’t fucking good at? 

“okay,” he said finally, once they started to run out of space, “both breaks, then your left foot. you’ve got it.” he pulled down on the clutch for her, and then ellie easily halted the bike to a stop. he exhaled a breath he hadn’t known he was holding, but there’d been nothing to worry about -- she was a natural.

“wow,” she gushed, practically jumping off the bike, turning around to face him and throwing the helmet off, “i can’t believe i just drove a motorcycle! i can’t believe you do that every day.”

“you did pretty good,” he praised, “for your first time. a few more lessons and you’ll be a pro.”

“really?” now her cheeks really were flushed, rosy and delighted as she beamed at him with pride. “you’d let me drive your bike again?”

“if you want.” thank god they were alone. if logan could see them he’d be insufferable. even colt could admit this was wildly out of character for him, but he would’ve given anything, just then, to keep her smiling like that. “you wanna see what she can really do? i’ll take us for a ride. all you have to do is hold on.” 

“definitely,” ellie grinned immediately, pulling the helmet back on. he’d expected to have to convince her a little more, but -- maybe there was more to her than he’d thought. 

a dangerous prospect, given how much he already liked what little he knew. 

he waited until she was secure behind him before tearing out of the parking lot and away from campus entirely, taking empty side streets until they were on the highway that’d lead them out of the city. ellie’s hands stayed warm around his waist, and after a few minutes, she leaned her cheek against his shoulder, too, settling something peaceful in his chest. companionable quiet stretched between them while he drove, as fast as he could, just so she’d laugh with exhilaration like she did when he got them into the triple-digits.

eventually he pulled over in a random, deserted park. there weren’t any streetlights in this part of the city, so it was dark, and he could only barely see ellie when he killed the engine and she pulled off her helmet to look at him curiously.

“so?” he asked, “how was it? everything you’ve been waiting for?”

“totally.” ellie grinned at him, so widely her dimple popped out. “i know it sounds cheesy, but tonight... is the most i’ve ever felt like myself. do you know what i mean?”

he was starting to. everything had felt purposeless before she’d showed up here. he’d wanted nothing more than to coast through the next few years, if he absolutely had to.

now it all felt different. because of her.

she was the piece he’d been looking for, something he hadn’t even known he wanted but now was desperate to make his. ellie was sharp and beautiful and headstrong, all the things he needed to fit into the void he was suddenly hoping she’d actually be interested in filling.

“it’s not cheesy if it makes you happy,” was what he settled on, swallowing some of the sudden intensity that was slowly taking him over. “you’ve held back for long enough. you should do whatever you want.”

“you’re right.” ellie’s eyes slid over to meet his, and she smiled at him through the dark, her expression soft and sweet. 

colt’s heart thumped loudly. that urge to kiss her was back again, stronger than before. he wasn’t usually the sort of person that resisted an impulse, but part of him was terrified of pushing for more than she was comfortable with, scaring her away with his intensity. he knew he wasn’t the kind of guy a girl like her could handle.

but maybe he didn’t know her as well as he thought he did, yet. ellie leaned in and pressed her lips against his, without warning, surprising him still. colt’s eyes went wide with shock before they slid shut and he kissed her back, twisting on the bike to slide an arm around her shoulders and yank her in as close as she could get.

ellie’s arms, still covered by the fabric of his leather jacket, wound around his waist. she kissed shyly, like she was worried she might be bad at it, but let him take the lead -- and eventually her mouth opened up under his and she shivered in his grip and gave back as good as she was getting, until his mind was blank and the only thing he could focus on was her, under his hands.

they both pulled away at the same time, struggling to catch their breath. she was looking at him like he assumed he must’ve been looking at her: in complete shock, her eyes wide. “wow.”

“yeah.” there was a sarcastic quip on the tip of his tongue, but he swallowed it in favor of studying her face some more -- her cheeks were as flushed as her red lips, which were slowly starting to curve up into a gentle smile. “you ok?”

“um, that was my first kiss,” she admitted, ducking her head. the few strands of hair that weren’t pulled back into her ponytail fell around her face. “i’m probably not helping on the whole you thinking i’m lame front, huh?”

his brain felt like it was short circuiting. “you -- i -- for real?”

“okay, it’s not like i didn’t have options,” she started defensively, rushing to explain, “it just never felt like the right time, and i was waiting for something special, and -- this felt special to me.” her eyes flashed, as though she was waiting for him to start making fun of her at any moment. that was probably fair -- he’d definitely thought about it. “i like you.”

“i like you, too.” probably more than he should. definitely more than he’d ever set out to like anyone, when he’d packed up all his shit and agreed to give this stupid college thing a try. 

but she was a distraction he felt was worth the risk. 

the expression on her face transformed into something cautiously pleased. “you do?”

“you’re kidding, right? ask logan -- this is the most i’ve left my room in three semesters. i’ve been losing my mind trying to impress you.”

her eyebrows arched. “really? it sure hasn’t seemed that way to me.”

“well -- you were giving me mixed signals.”

he smirked as her expression turned indignant. “i was giving you mixed signals? you went home with that girl!”

colt winced. he was really hoping she hadn’t noticed that. “i thought you were asking me about logan for yourself.”

ellie stared blankly back at him. “oh my god, you’re an idiot.” 

“we’re both idiots,” he corrected, rolling his eyes at her. 

just as she opened her mouth to bite back, a loud roll of thunder cut through the stillness surrounding them. “shit,” colt sighed, “we should --”

rain started to pour down in heavy sheets, immediately soaking his t-shirt through to the skin. ellie yelped, fumbling for her helmet while he quickly started the bike up again, waiting for her to squeeze her arms around him before speeding back to campus as quickly as possible.

*

the foot traffic in his building was minimal -- they’d managed to find the sweet spot in the middle of the night where everyone who’d gone out to party was out already, and it was too soon for people to be coming back, so they had their run of the hallways when they rushed inside. 

they both laughed breathlessly as they raced up the stairs and into his dorm, dripping water all over the floor.

“god, sorry about your jacket,” ellie said, stripping out of it and leaving it on one of the desk chairs, accepting the towel he passed over to her with a smile. 

“it’s fine,” colt said, rubbing his own towel over his hair. “sorry about your -- everything.”

ellie dissolved into giggles that tapered off when he pulled off his soaked t-shirt and flung it into the corner of the room where the rest of his laundry was waiting. 

she was staring.

“see something you like?”

the sound of his voice appeared to startled her into looking away, and she laughed again, more nervously this time. “don’t be a dick. you know you’re hot.”

“maybe, but i wanna hear you say it,” he said obnoxiously, his grin widening. “do you think i’m hot?”

ellie drew the towel in her hands around her shoulders, pursing her lips at him. “i think you’re smug, arrogant, obnoxious and wasting your potential.”

if it were at all possible, his grin grew larger. “and?”

she sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward. “and you’re obviously very hot.”

“thank you,” colt said primly, “was that so hard?”

ellie rubbed the towel around her down her arms again before whipping it off and smacking him gently with it. “your ego doesn’t need any more compliments from me.”

colt caught the towel in his hand and used it to tug her in closer. “maybe,” he allowed, dropping his voice as soon as she came near, “but you’re the only one i actually wanna hear them from.”

she blinked at him. her eyes dropped to his mouth. 

slowly and deliberately, he wound the towel around his hand, pulling ellie in the last few steps it’d take to close the distance between them. she stumbled forward, reaching out and resting her hands on his arms. 

colt locked eyes with her, trying to read her gaze for a sign that he should stop. but there wasn’t one.

he bowed his head and pressed their lips together again, softly at first and then, when she didn’t step on his foot and elbow him in the stomach, a little more boldly, firmly working his mouth against hers. 

ellie slid her hands up his arms and over his shoulders, pushing her fingers into his wet hair and angling him in deeper. for someone who’d only just had her first kiss, she had killer instincts -- something he was already looking forward to exploring. 

if he’d been waiting for a sign that she was the missing his piece his life had needed, this sure felt like it, or something close to it. she was both the type of girl he’d never go after and exactly what he’d been unknowingly wanting for a long time all rolled into one devastatingly sexy and infuriating package. for as long as colt could remember, he’d assumed there was something unsavory about the way he couldn’t bring himself to consider anyone else he met an equal -- like maybe there just wasn’t anyone else as smart, interesting or determined as him, but... ellie somehow managed to be all that and more. 

they had a surprising amount in common. even more surprisingly, that felt like something positive, instead of a curse. 

he settled his hands on the small of her back and pulled her in closer, fascinated by the way his thumbs touched as his hands caged her narrow waist. the urge to get her underneath him on his bed swelled until it was no longer ignorable, though just as he started to walk her back over to it, the door to the room swung open abruptly.

they sprang apart as logan stumbled into the dorm. he looked surprised to see them, but then a wide smile lazily overtook his face and he said, “woah, sorry. i can come back later.”

colt glared at him, but it didn’t stop logan from looking between the two of them with his eyebrows arched meaningfully. “yeah, you should --”

“it’s fine,” ellie said loudly, cutting him off. “is it still raining outside?”

logan blinked, seemingly noticing ellie’s damp hair and colt’s bare chest for the first time. “oh. no.”

ellie squeezed his hand, looking back at him questioningly. “walk me home?”

he exhaled, already nodding as he moved to find a new shirt. “yeah. one sec.”

“good to see you, ellie,” logan nodded, still grinning at the both of them even when colt rolled his eyes and started dragging her towards the door, “come back soon, okay?”

*

ellie shivered the whole way back to her dorm, making him wish he’d grabbed his jacket again before they left. it was mostly quiet while they walked, though the closer they got to the freshmen buildings the louder campus became, with the night getting late enough that people were finally starting to make their way home from the bars. 

“so much for my meeting with my advisor tomorrow,” ellie said when they slowed to a stop outside of her building, her jaw cracking with a wide yawn. he shrugged at her, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

this was new to him. part of his brain was insistent that maybe what they’d just done could technically count as a date, though that thought was admittedly a little uncomfortable to confront. 

he didn’t think he’d ever been on a date like this before, or, at the very least -- not one that he’d cared about quite so much. 

but then she smiled at him, and provided a momentary reprieve from his over-analyzing. “this was fun. maybe next weekend you can help me try something else new.”

colt licked his lips and smirked at her. “i have a few ideas.”

ellie immediately caught on to his implication and flushed pink. the way she smiled softly as she glanced away was almost worryingly cute. “we still have to finish our project.”

“i know. i’m not gonna leave you hanging.” he continued to stare down at her even as her gaze flit around the small section of campus her dorm was tucked away in, looking out over the lawn in front of her building and back to him again.

“you mean that?”

“yeah.” ellie finally looked back at him, then, and caught his eyes. he felt one corner of his mouth lift despite himself into a lopsided smile.

“you’re not gonna get kicked out of school?” something like vulnerability shone in her eyes.

“well -- not before next weekend,” colt answered obnoxiously. 

he was hoping to make her laugh, and she did. she reached up and hit his shoulder. “i’m being serious!”

“i know you are.” he paused. getting kicked out of school had always been step one of the plan. if his fucking parents weren’t going to take him seriously, he was going to have to make them -- that started with putting college in his rearview mirror, one way or another. 

changing course at this point felt like a weakness.

but she looked pretty hopeful.

“look,” he sighed, “what do you want me to say? i can’t predict the future.”

maybe it was crazy to even think about putting everything on hold for someone he’d literally just fucking met, but there was no denying the way his pulse sped up anxiously when she frowned and ducked her head to stare at her toes. 

“i’m not trying to start something that’s just going to set me up to get hurt,” ellie said. 

she had a point. he should probably let her get away now, then -- there was no guarantee he wouldn’t hurt her; in fact, it was probably a safe bet he’d do just the opposite. his life wasn’t structured to accommodate a girlfriend. 

...but maybe it was time he learned to adapt.

there were few things colt could promise her with certainty that he wouldn’t break them, but there was one thing he had absolute control over. “okay. you want me to promise you i’ll stop trying to get kicked out of school? it’s done. i promise.”

ellie blinked. she looked stunned, as though he’d said the absolute last thing she’d been expecting to hear come out of his mouth. “really?”

“sure.” the look on her face was soothing, a reassurance that despite how new all of this was to him, he wasn’t completely bombing. “as long as you’ll keep making it all suck less.”

everything had seemed markedly less annoying since he’d met her, just a week ago. classes were fun again with someone on his level to argue with, someone whose buttons he could press effortlessly and who always reacted so perfectly when he did. weekends were filled with promise, an opportunity to do something other than sulk in his room suddenly on the horizon.

time no longer felt wasted or like it was dragging at a snail’s pace -- at least not when she was around. now he was desperate for it to slow down, so he could spend even just a few more minutes talking to her, learning her viewpoint on anything and everything, figuring out what made her fucking tick.

...getting her to sigh in that sweet way she did when their lips touched.

“i think i can do that,” she smiled, setting an unfamiliar warm feeling loose within him. optimism, his brain helpfully suggested. maybe the rest of the semester won’t be that bad.

maybe this college thing had its merits after all. 

[chimswae]

BTS Caretaker CH23

Summary: She may think she has Bangtan Sonyeondan wrapped around her fingers. She may think it is easy to love the members equally without hurting any soul. She may think the boys wont fall head over heels for her. She assumes it is okay to show a little love and affection towards the boys, what if she gets it all wrong? What if it only brings more complication to her already complicated life? Can she survive their charms? Will she be able to resist them? What if they just wont let her go?

- Pairing: BTS x Oc ( Yoongi x OC, Jungkook x OC)

- Genre: Fluff, Slight Angst, Romance, Idol!au

- Word Count: 4, 330

- Author Note: So im late, i will do double update! so please check on next chapter too~ :) thank u for whoever that read my cliche story HAHAHA i have no words to describe how im embarassed i am AHAHHAA anyways ~ 

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Chapter 23

Promotional month embarked the start of everything.  Hectic schedule, unreasonable amount of sleep time in a day, the most would be 2 hours and not to mention the studios and practice rooms would be their second home for the time being. The boys had been practicing non-stop these past few days until their official comeback early in February. This time their popularity soared higher than their previous comeback. It felt like a dream, but the boys did it. Their album sales make it digital or physical had risen drastically in comparison to previous sales.

The impact of Bangtan Sonyeondan to the industry was no joke. More people showed their support and their fanbase grew two times bigger than before in the blink of an eyes. Phenomenal indeed. Overwhelmed by the support, the boys promised to work harder this year to repay Armys’ love. Entering the last week of their You Never Walk Alone promotion, the boys were ready to start their Wings Tour around the globe. Unlike before they went to few continents depending on the demand of the respected country however this time their schedule was utilized for the first half of 2017.

Seul massaged her aching muscle and sunk on the couch with sulky face. The dorm was quiet and cold since none of the boys were home at this time.  They would only be home around dawn to get short nap before heading to their next schedule early in the morning. Following the change of their schedule, Seul would take an evening shift and went to their place right after her shift. So, she could prepare advanced breakfast for them. It became her routine to come around 2 in the morning and stayed for two hours or more, making sure the boys got a proper breakfast despite their busy schedule.

Mrs Hwang on the other hand was well informed pertaining to Seul’s unusual activity and she would make Hoon, more like force his son to pick her sister up every day from work. World is a scary place, she did not want to risk Seul’s life though that girl was the one who insisted to change her caretaking schedule out of sudden.

Glancing on her phone screen, she decided to call it a day since it was already 3 A.M and surprisingly she managed to pull her work within an hour. Seul had informed Hoon in advance so the younger guy would not pick her up considering he had exam the next day. She did not want to be blame for his bad performance later on.

“Should I watch Tae’s drama to kill time?” grinning to herself, Seul made up her mind to catch the latest episode. As she expected, the boys had recorded every episode up till the latest one.

What a supportive boyfriend!

It took Seul a moment to remember the last episode she watched, then it came to her realization she was following the drama diligently every week. Seul never missed any episode since she watched this with her mother. Of course, her mother would watch it, we were talking about her so-called adoptive son on screen.

Satisfied with her choice, Seul sat with her leg cross on the couch gleefully. She was excited to see different side of Taehyung on screen. A side which could only be seen on screen. Indeed, BTS V nailed it so perfectly. There were times Taehyung would give her a call as soon as his drama aired that particular day just to hear her opinion. She couldn’t understand why her opinion matter in this anyways.

 “Seul-seul! Did you watch?” Taehyung’s voice croaked in happiness. Apart from his members comment, Taehyung anticipated Seul’s point of view every week caused him to automatically give the girl a call after a new episode aired.

Seul laughed softly at Taehyung’s weird antic “I watched it Tae” he hummed. “So how was it this week?” he chewed his lower lips knowing how bluntly honest she could be. Taehyung valued her honesty even though sometimes Seul would never leave her sassiness behind, he didn’t care. He basically grew up with Min Suga’s sarcasm so to hear something similar from Seul, he was already immune to it.

“Hurm.. do you want to hear the good one or the bad one first?” she poked fun making Taehyung pouted in his seat.

“I want to hear good one first” Seul could imagine Taehyung’s pouty lips as a protest whenever he was forced to make a complicated choice.

Pressing her lips together to suppress her laughter, Seul regained her composure to have a decent conversation with him “You are certainly better if we were to compare with the episode which you first appeared. You look natural and comfortable with your character now. As I mentioned before, I like how you portray your emotions through your deep eyes. It is not a joke. How did you do that?” she professed earnestly.

Her compliments flustered him “Urm…Thank you..You are flattering me”

“I am not..You really did well Tae. Don’t tell me you are blushing” she teased.

“YAH I AM NOT! Alright, I am ready to hear the bad one” Taehyung murmured under his breath with hope it was not as nasty as her first comment back then. “Listen carefully Kim Taehyung, I am about to say something that might hurt your heart” the tone of her voice was stern and cold.

“Ji Seul you are scaring me! Stop sounding so serious”

“I am trying to, okay give me a moment” he heard her heavy breathing at the end of the line as if she was in the middle of night work out. What was on her mind?

“Tae-ah..I think you are too adorable for me to handle. Shouldn’t Hansung be manlier?”

Taehyung gasped “Is that an insult?” her small giggle tickled his heart. “Or is it your way complimenting me?” he pressed. There were times he craved for this kind of attention from Seul, made him feel normal guy around his age. To have a simple conversation with a friend gave him tranquillity.

“Will you take that as an insult since you really hated cutesy stuff nowadays?”

“Armys think I am cute. I will live with that if it comes from Armys and you. Yah, I am serious. Tell me right now what is my flaw?” he insisted.

Seul shook her head “Couldn’t find it. You are a rookie, but you are doing great. My mom thinks your acting is real and she really into it. Don’t ask me who is her favourite character, because she is choosing you over Minho. Aren’t that too much that she’s giving extra attention on you?” Taehyung beamed.

“Why? Are you jealous that Ahjumma favours me more than you?”

“I am used to it, Bangtan boys this, Bangtan boys that. You can take my mom’s love, I have Eodeng and Eomuk to love me” he cringed at the response. “Ew, that simply means you have Jin hyung’s love. Those two brats are the mini Kim Seokjin” she rolled her eyes in process.

She retorted sarcastically “Who are you calling brat? You are the brat!”

 She found herself smiling at the memories, being with Taehyung made her comfortable. Something that she could feel whenever she’s with Jin and Hoseok. Returning her attention back to the screen, Seul watched the drama and clasped her hand excitedly.  A silly smile would appear on her face every time Taehyung appeared on screen along with small awe in between.

Few months ago, she ridiculed the power of Bangtan Sonyeondan on her now as time passed it slowly turned her into a fan. Guess, she was being supportive of her friends.

Yes, supportive sounds fitting.

 ------------------

“Sejin hyung quick quick my bladder is about to explode” Jimin whiney voice filled the emptiness of the hallway. Other members stood sleepily behind him. Meanwhile, Jimin was getting impatient to finish his business inside. “Gosh, why are you so whiney” he pressed the button hurriedly, entering the password.

As soon as Jimin heard the beep, he squished his small body between the door and Sejin and ran inside ignoring the older guy that were already pressed against the wall.“That kid!” Sejin hissed while shaking his head. He gave a soft pat on Jungkook back, making the maknae moved inside with a big yawn “Get some sleep everyone, you need to be ready in 4 hours” he ordered.

Jungkook screeched softly feeling his muscle stiffened at the sight before him “Seul?” he stared in disbelief. Sleeping peacefully on the couch was Seul with Hwarang still running in the background. A soft smile spread across his face since the last time he saw her was two weeks ago. He almost lost his balance when he felt someone crashed against his body from back, Kim Taehyung groaned in frustration.

“Yah, Gukkie why are you blocking the way” his bangs were poking his eyes making it hard for him to see the obstacle in front of him. Furthermore, in this sleepy state everything appeared irrelevant to him except for his comfortable bed. Confused, Taehyung’s eyes followed Jungkook and upon it landed on Seul’s figure, his eyes widened in sheer surprise.

“Seul? Seul is here?” he spoke lowly fully aware that their manager was still there.

“What should we do? Sejin hyung is here!” Jungkook started to panic. The hyungs made their entrance with questionable look but soon they gawked at the scene in front of them. It would be a huge trouble if their manager found out about Seul. The chances of her being fired was high.

It is 5 A.M why is she not home? Yoongi cursed, taking a glance at Sejin whom thankfully still at the doorstep gathering bags in process. Everyone was trying to come up with ways to hide Seul or to face Sejin’s wrath in a minute. Without wasting any time, Taehyung marched forward taking Seul in his arm casually surprising everybody in the room.

“What are you doing?” Yoongi inquired with concern look.

“We need to hide her”

“Yes, but where?”

“Lets just bring her to my room” Taehyung suggested earning a low protest from Yoongi and Jin. Nonetheless, they followed him afterwards.

Seul stirred in her sleep a little and snuggled her face at the crook of his neck, liking the familiar smell and warmth. Even in her sleep, she knew how to play with his heart. Taehyung tried to control himself from smiling foolishly as his main concern right now was to hide Seul from Sejin.

“I will distract Sejin hyung” Jungkook blurted out and quickly dashed to the main door followed by Hoseok behind. Namjoon and Jin assisted Taehyung to his room, opening the door for him so he could move Seul to safer place.

 “Hyung I forgot my headphones!” “Me too I forgot my-my game console!” Hoseok and Jungkook hollered in unison causing the older guy to eye them suspiciously.

He wiggled his finger to his headphone which hang loosely around his neck “That is your headphone Hobi and as for you Jungkook, I didn’t see you play any games today let alone having your game console with you” closing the door behind him, he placed the bags on the floor.

Hoseok gulped nervously exchanging nervous look with Jungkook “Urm…Sorry I seem to forget, but really I forgot something in the van!” he tried his luck one more time to convince Sejin. They knew it was not easy to lie on his face since he could read them so easily. Their manager knew when the boys were hiding something, like right now.

“I smell fear and lies. What are you hiding from me?” he quirked his brows prying answers out from the two boys before him.  

“Nothing, nothing” Jungkook palmed his hand against the wall awkwardly with a sheepish smile. He heard the commotion behind him meaning the hyungs were doing something about Seul, though he had no idea how much time they needed for him to stall their manager.

“If it is nothing, why are you blocking my way? Is there something that I shouldn’t see?”

Hoseok held both his palm out while cracking a nervous chuckle in between “Jimin.. I mean Jimin peed in his pant and it is disgusting. We have to clean the floor first. It is dirty, you can’t walk” Hoseok facepalmed at his idiotic ideas. It sounded ridiculous.

“YAH WHO PEED IN PANTS?” clueless Jimin exited the bathroom as his eyes threw daggers at Hoseok way. Hoseok grinded his teeth together chasing Jimin away from the scene but of course he would not budge even an inch. Park Jimin was persistent to begin with. He never let anyone taint his name.

Jungkook rubbed the back of his head in frustration ‘Jimin-ssi, can you be a little cooperative. Why out of all time’ the manager did not buy the boys lies so he forced himself inside. Being tall giving him advantage to dominate the boys. His eyes scanned the empty living room with suspicion whilst Jimin, Jungkook and Hoseok were having their secret banter behind.

“The caretaker came to clean the place?” he noticed the cleanliness of the place as he made his way to the kitchen. “I guess…” Hoseok murmured silently.

“Jimin-ssi, Seul is here we are trying to stall him! You are ruining the plan” Jungkook whispered under his breath making the shorter guy gasped realizing his own mistake. When he dashed inside, he didn’t catch a glimpse of anyone in the dorm. If and only he realized it sooner this thing could be prevented. The three musketeers kept their eyes on the manager hyung whom busy inspecting every corner of their place.

Namjoon, Jin and Yoongi exited Taehyung’s room as their eyes spotted the three boys stood in line with their hands neatly together, they shot them a bewildered look “Yah are you crazy! Don’t act suspicious, hyung might find out!” Namjoon scowled lowly afraid that the older guy overheard him.

“Get into your room now and act naturally” Jin mouthed them. The three musketeers scurried off almost bumping into each other before each of them got into their room without trouble. The sound of heavy footstep alarmed the remaining members, and they decided to avoid their manager at all cost.

 On the other hand, Taehyung had already changed into his pyjamas in order to appear more convincing in case their manager decided to appear magically in his room. From time to time he threw a nervous glance at the door feared to witness an unwelcoming sight. Judging from the message in their group chat, Sejin was inspecting every nook and cranny of the dorm started from Jungkook. Taehyung’s room is a room away from him that scared the shit out of him.

He stared at Seul while trying to find perfect way to hide her from their manager. “Screw this” caressing his fluffy hair out of frustration, he turned off the main light and slipped under the cover beside Seul. Taehyung bit his lower lips, apologizing non-stop since he was about to initiate something inappropriate. The girl was unconscious, and he was literally touching her without her consent.

She will understand, she will. Taehyung prayed in his head that Seul would not wake up until this nerve wrecking scene ended.

“Fuck” his eyes rounded upon seeing the shadow behind the creak of his door. Using his long hand to reach the lamp on his night stand, he switched off swiftly. Taehyung pulled the cover under his chin, wrapping one of his arm securely around Seul’s waist. His heart pounded due to the proximity and it doubled when he heard Sejin’s footstep approaching his room.

His body froze when he felt Seul making a slight move in his embrace. On the bright side, she’s not awake however her face was buried deeply in his chest. The heavy lump on his throat caused his breath to hitch.

Ji Seul, what are you.

“Taehyung-ah, are you asleep” Taehyung snapped out his thought, and brought Seul’s body closer to him. He shut his eyes tight pretended to sleep with hope they wouldn’t get caught by their manager today. Not today, they couldn’t risk losing Seul.

Sejin twisted the door knob, poking his head inside. He squeezed his eyes to adjust to the darkness “Guess, he is asleep. That was fast” he mumbled. Taehyung’s mind overloaded with negative thoughts and his heart thumped crazily that he swore the eerie silence in his room adding the tension. The sound of the footsteps sounded so close yet unclear. He was sure it was just few steps closer from his bed. Like a reflex, Taehyung tightened his arm around Seul’s keeping her close.

Exasperating a soft sigh, he was relieved when the sound of the footsteps faded away. The soft slam came from the door convinced Taehyung that his manager had left the room, yet he did not want risk getting caught, so he stayed like a statue for few minutes. Taehyung grinned upon hearing Sejin’s faint voice behind the door “Park Jimin, I told you to sleep. Why are you still standing there?” Sejin frowned.

Jimin cleared his throat awkwardly “Is..Tae asleep?”

“Yes, his room is dark, and I bet he is asleep”

“D-d-dark what?” Jimin continued to curse something vulgar in his head. After finding out Seul was in Taehyung’s room he couldn’t help but to worry. It triggered his protective instinct and jealousy. He couldn’t let his guard down just because Taehyung is his best friend even though Tae was never vocal about his feelings for Seul, his man’s instinct could not be wrong. Something bloomed whenever they were together.

The older guy snapped him out from his deep thought “What is wrong with you? Go sleep and stop worrying about Tae. Clock is ticking Jiminie, you don’t want to miss even an hour worth of sleep” he exclaimed.

“Fine, I am sleeping” his lower lips puckered out of habit.

“I will be here around 10, make sure everyone is ready by then” Jimin nodded obediently and threw a final glance at Taehyung’s door. Everything will be fine, Jimin convinced his racing heart.  

 ----------------

Groggily, Seul forced her heavy lids to open and that when she realized the unusual warmth behind her. Seul squinted her eyes one last time in order for her foggy brain to function properly. A small light from the curtain illuminated the dark room but was not enough for Seul to get a clear view of it. On top of all, she was beyond relief that her outfits were still intact, remain untouchable. Meaning no funny business happened. At least, she was not kidnapped by some sasaeng fans, she hoped.

‘I swear I was in the living room watching Hwarang’ she grew frustrated of her failure in retrieving her memory. Seul couldn’t recall whether the boys were back home or not. Shrugging her unimportant thought away, Seul fisted the sheets under her gathering her courage to face the individual behind her.

Seul, move slowly don’t wake up the tiger.

Shifting under the sheet, she changed her position slightly to face Taehyung. In 3,2,1 she was ready to see whoever beside her but to her surprise, someone was cradling her head halting her earlier intention to catch the culprit.

“Seul, you awake?” his voice trailed off. She recognized that voice.

Seul touched his hand “Jungkook?” she whispered in daze.

His low yet squeaky chuckle made her smile “Yes, it is me. Come on let’s get up quietly. We don’t want to wake Tae hyung” Jungkook stroked his hand down to her waist, slowly sweeping her off from the bed.

Setting Seul down on the ground, she inquired “Tae? I am in his room. How?” Jungkook let out another adorable giggle, embracing her tight. “You fell asleep while watching hyung’s drama. Let’s talk outside” while keeping Seul in his embrace, they exited Taehyung’s room at ease.

She pulled away making an abrupt stop facing the giggly maknae, why was he in good mood today. “Tell me why I am in Tae’s room? I thought I was kidnapped!” she pursed her lips in annoyance.

“Sejin hyung was here, so we had no choice but to hide you”

“Hiding me in Taehyung’s room? How clever” she wheezed.

“Then you wish to be in my room instead?” Jungkook look amused as playful smirk spread on his handsome face.

She squirmed under his intense gaze “I didn’t mean it that way, you could wake me up. I can hide in the closet and leave afterwards” he sent a disapproval glare at her way.

“No way we are making you walk alone at that time, now stop complaining” he took few steps forward, pulling the sulky girl into another tight hug. Jungkook nuzzled the top of her head, exhaling a low sigh “I miss you” he murmured.

Her heart did the weird dance again, “You woke up early today, I thought you were not an early riser” she wrapped her arms around him, returning the hug with equal passion. “You think I can sleep knowing you’re sleeping on the same bed as Tae hyung?” he said sulkily.

Seul giggled “Are you jealous? Then, I blame it on you for letting Tae got into the way” her tease making the visible frown on his forehead two times thicker. She looked up “Aigoo, you may develop wrinkles at this age” her hand smoothed his eyebrows, giving it a soft caress along the shape.

Closing his eyes with a soft hum, Jungkook let himself drown under Seul’s magic touch “You are losing your baby fat again. I don’t like that” she gave his cheek a soft stroke with a slight frown.

“Don’t worry I will earn that back after our promotion ended. Besides, I had a good breakfast every day thanks to you. Did you come late at night for your work just to prepare those meal for us?” he pecked her fingers, interlacing it with his.

“You guys are barely home so I thought it is wise to change my caretaking schedule a little. On the bright side, I can prepare breakfast for you guys. I bet Jin had no time to prepare proper food for all of you, I don’t want to wear him out” her eyes glimmered in concern. The mere thought of filling seven empty stomach washed away the worries in her.

Jungkook protested “But that’s mean you will be walking home alone, and it is not safe”

“About that, my mom made Hoon picked me up from work every day. Don’t worry, I will be fine. Worry about yourself, you need to eat healthily. Stop skipping meals” she cringed. “I saw your Vlive, all of you look dead tired. And, I am sorry I couldn’t make it to your Wings tour last week. I had to fill in for Sera” she sighed.

His hand skimmed, featherlight, over her shoulders “It is okay, it is just the opening tour this year, I will make sure you attend the next one. Hobi hyung and Jin hyung were not happy that you couldn’t make it to our concert. However since you bribed them with food the day after, they lowkey claimed that it was okay for you not to attend as long as you prepared yummy food to make it up to them” she chuckled at their silliness.

“As expected, how easy it was to persuade those two. Don’t remind me the long ass text that they sent to me showing off their protest and resentment” Seul’s face scrunched a little at the vivid memories. Jungkook laughed along and the couple continued their conversation in the kitchen. Seul reheat the food for the boys to savour when they woke up with Jungkook’s help.

“I think I need to go before your manager come. Oh, say hi to everyone” she hung her apron carefully and gathered her belongings. Meanwhile, Jungkook continued to sulk behind, “Can’t you stay for breakfast? It is still early, hyung will be here around 10” his voice was a little more than a whisper but in cutesy way.

She flashed him a soft smile “I can’t Jungkook maybe next time. I have an errand to run” he watched her back as she made her way to the entrance. “I want to meet you again before we fly off to America next month” Jungkook leaned against the wall with one hand inside his pocket.

She saw the disappointment in his eyes, so she walked up to him. Dazed Jungkook set his eyes on Seul as the girl tiptoed a little giving a soft peck on his lips “There. I will see you around, don’t miss me too much” a sweet rush of embarrassment coursed through Jungkook.

“O..kay..” his eyes sparkled causing Seul to chuckle. Jungkook might be a little blunt in showing his affection towards her, but whenever she initiated the skinship first, the guy would turn into a total baby.

Seul was about to push the door getting ready to leave but only to be greeted by Sejin’s confused face. She felt an extreme fear in her system, was she caught for real now? Fuck, she muttered.

“Who are you?” he pushed the door wider to see Jungkook stood frozen behind Seul with an extremely disturbed face.

“Hyung…You are urm.. early?” his voice broke into a small shriek.

Quirking his eyebrows, the older guy stepped inside closing the door behind him carefully “You have a long explanation to do Jeon Jungkook. To the lounge now. I want everyone in the room. 5 minutes” his voice was rough and Seul felt like pissing in her jeans.

Seul swallowed a heavy lump on her throat “When I said everyone, that includes you Miss” he pushed the glass back on the bridge of his nose, leaving astounded Jungkook and Seul behind. Jungkook made eye contact with Seul and they exchanged looks of panic and questions.

   This work belongs to  Chimswae © 2020. All Rights Reserved

[lawschoolsecretfiles]

Law School 24/7: How to slay and survive law school daily grind

Have your experienced being grilled by your professor? In your exams, have you encountered one question you couldn’t seem to answer no matter how much you scratch your head? While studying, have you read one passage, word, or sentence that you couldn’t quite understand no matter how many times you reread it? Well, I have. If you have also experienced the same, that would make us comrades! As your comrade, here are nine tips that I can share with you to help you overcome your law school daily grind:

1. Scanning

Scanning is pretty self-explanatory. We do this all the time! We quickly search through loads of text to find specific info, like a certain name, date, or term. For example, when you encounter the paragraph below:

"That on the expiration of the period agreed upon, all the improvements and buildings introduced and erected by the party of the second part shall pass to the exclusive ownership of the party of the first part without any obligation on its part to pay any amount for said improvements and buildings; also, in the event the party of the second part should leave or abandon the land leased before the time herein stipulated, the improvements and buildings shall likewise pass to the ownership of the party of the first part as though the time agreed upon had expired: Provided, however, That the machineries and accessories are not included in the improvements which will pass to the party of the first part on the expiration or abandonment of the land leased." (Davao Sawmill Co., Inc. v. Castillo, G.R. No. 40411, August 7, 1935)

Here, we can scan through this paragraph by:

1. looking for key words or phrases

In this paragraph, we can say that the key words are: expiration, period, improvements, buildings, and exclusive ownership.

2. reading the words, phrases, and sentences surrounding the key words

When you’re reading a book, you may scan through the Table of Contents to look for headings and subheadings that might cover key words or phrases that you may need. For instance, when you look for the rights of an accused in the 1987 Constitution, where will you find it? In the Bill of Rights.  

2. Skimming

You skim a book by rapidly “reading” through the text before you start to read it extensively. Here, you gain a general idea of the whole text and familiarize yourself with how it was written. Using the same paragraph above:

"That on the expiration of the period agreed upon, all the improvements and buildings introduced and erected by the party of the second part shall pass to the exclusive ownership of the party of the first part without any obligation on its part to pay any amount for said improvements and buildings; also, in the event the party of the second part should leave or abandon the land leased before the time herein stipulated, the improvements and buildings shall likewise pass to the ownership of the party of the first part as though the time agreed upon had expired: Provided, however, That the machineries and accessories are not included in the improvements which will pass to the party of the first part on the expiration or abandonment of the land leased." (Davao Sawmill Co., Inc. v. Castillo, G.R. No. 40411, August 7, 1935)

Like scanning, we skim through this paragraph by looking for the key words and/or phrases. Then, we read the words, phrases, and sentences surrounding those key words in order to have a general grasp of this paragraph. Here, we can understand that, based on the key words, the paragraph pertains to a lease agreement – all the buildings, machinery, or equipment that were placed by the lessee will be turned over to the lessor once the lease period has already expired.

3. SQ3R Study Method: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review

SQ3R is a technique for reading and studying. Personally, I can say that this method can definitely help you develop your reading comprehension and improve your study habit. The problem is, you have to devote a lot of time to perfect this study method because this involves a combination of skimming, scanning, reading, repetition, and reviewing. But this could definitely help you a lot, especially for those degree programs that are using the Socratic method of instruction. By reciting the key terms and phrases, you condition yourself answering possible questions that may be thrown at you by your professors during recitations. Plus, you can practice your verbal skills!

1. Survey

You familiarize yourself with the text. This is akin to skimming and scanning wherein you may read the introductory and summary paragraphs, the headings and subheadings, and illustrations and tables.

2. Question

Here, you find the main points of a text. You ask the 5Ws and H: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. You may also relate the text to your past discussions or background knowledge. For example, if what you’re reading is a chapter on requisites of negotiability under the Negotiable Instruments Law, you might want to ask yourself what is the definition of a negotiable instrument. Or when you are reading about the liabilities of the parties and their warranties, you might want to recall the terms “maker,” “drawer,” “acceptor,” and “indorser” during your past recitations with your professor.

3. Read

When I say “read,” you don’t just let the words flow into your head without understanding anything. Don’t just read passively! By “reading,” you read in an active, questioning, and purposeful way. Before reading, you might want to ask yourself what do you aim to learn while reading the text, what questions your professor might ask when it’s your turn to be grilled, etc. While reading, you may underline or highlight key words, phrases, or sentences, make marginal notes, and summarize key points in your own words. Here’s an example:

[Photos lifted from Pre-Week Reviewer in Commercial Law, 2018 edition, by Justice Japar B. Dimaampao and Judge Ella Dumlao-Escalante]

4. Recite

You recite what you have read into your own words from your memory. You may also imagine yourself being asked by your professors and you say the answers out loud as if you are in an actual recitation.

5. Review

Repeat Steps 1-4. Don’t be afraid to read and recite what you have gone through – again and again – until you have fully understood it. Like everyone says, repetition is the key!

4. Summarizing Short Articles

When you summarize short articles, you just write the main idea and key supporting details according to their order of importance. Here, you answer the 5Ws and H: Who, What, When, Why, Where, and How. This technique could be helpful in writing case digests wherein you have to summarize a case based on the facts, issue/s, and ruling. Here’s my example:

Soriano v. Spouses Galit G.R. No. 156295, September 23, 2003

Petitioner: Marcelo Soriano Respondents: Spouses Ricardo and Rosalina Galit

Summary: Respondent Ricardo Galit contracted a loan from petitioner Marcelo Soriano. The loan was secured by a real estate mortgage. After Galit failed to pay his obligation, Soriano filed a complaint for sum of money against him with the trial court. Respondents failed to file an answer; hence they were declared in default. The trial court ruled in favor of Soriano and subsequently issued a writ of execution which covered the following real properties of the Galit spouses: (1) a parcel of land, (2) storehouse, and (3) bodega. The properties were sold to Soriano. Ten months from the time the Certificate of Sale was registered with the Registry of Deeds, Soriano filed a motion for the issuance of a writ of possession which was granted. The writ of possession which was issued in Soriano’s favor includes the land on which the sold storehouse and bodega are constructed.

Issue: Whether or not the land on which the storehouse and bodega are constructed is necessarily included in the said sale on execution (NO)

Held: Art. 415 enumerates land and buildings separately. This can only mean that a building is, by itself, considered immovable. While it is true that a mortgage of land necessarily includes, in the absence of stipulation of the improvements thereof, still a building by itself may be mortgaged apart from the land on which it has been built. Such mortgage would still be a real estate mortgage for the building would still be considered immovable property even if dealt with separately and apart from the land.”

In writing this mini-digest, I summarized the facts in my own words. I only included the details that are relevant to our discussion; I omitted procedural facts because they weren’t necessary. In the ruling part of the case, I cut a portion of the ruling, which is the doctrine, and pasted it in this mini-digest, word-for-word.  

Tip: Do not paraphrase the ruling. Just write the doctrine word-for-word according to how the court ruled the case. Why? Paraphrasing might cause misinterpretations. Normally, we paraphrase based on our interpretation of the text. However, in this case, paraphrasing might not work. Our understanding (and consequently, paraphrasing) of the case might not be in harmony with how it was explained in the original text. Plus, we might omit some nuances if we try to paraphrase the case too much.

5. Underlining, Highlighting, Annotating

When you are highlighting or underlining key words or phrases, do not overdo it and highlight everything. Do not turn your book into a coloring book! Your aim is just to take note of those terms or phrases that are important. So that, when you review the text again, you may now able to easily recall and understand these important terms and phrases.

We annotate by writing marginal notes, making mnemonics, summarizing provisions in our own words, etc. Annotating saves you time from re-reading the whole text, because you might only want to re-read the notes that you have written to remember and understand the main point of a paragraph or a codal provision. 

Here’s my example:

[Photo lifted from the Civil Code of the Philippines]

Here, I highlighted almost everything (laughs). I summarized some provisions into my own words (e.g., “[t]o bear the surnames of the father and the mother, in conformity with the provisions of the Civil Code on Surnames” – use surname of mom & dad). I made use of annotations (e.g., “If filiation is being proven by illegitimate child, ¶2 of Art 172 must be proven during the lifetime of the parent.”); I underlined a lot, encircled some terms, especially those pertaining to periods (e.g., two years, three years) because I found it hard to remember them (until now). Basically, I turned my codal into a coloring book-slash-notebook. Yeah.

6. Outlining

We outline by arranging ideas going from the general to the specific ones. Outlines may be found in law school syllabi wherein Roman numerals, capital letters, and numbers are used to indicate which information is more specific, which is more general, which topics are associated with one another, and which covers which. But you can outline on your own! Here’s mine:

Section 1. Requisites of Negotiability

1. in writing and signed by the maker or drawer

               i. not necessary that the signature is the usual signature (e.g. “X”)

2. must contain an unconditional promise or order to pay a sum certain in money

               i. unconditional promise or order

                               a. condition v. period

                                               i. condition – future and uncertain event

                                               ii. period – a day certain

                               b. if there is a condition – non-negotiable

                               c. See Sec 3

               i. a sum certain

                               a. See Sec 2

                                               i. interest

                                                               GR: date expressly stipulated

                                                               no date: date of instrument

                                                               undated: date of issue

                                               ii. installments

                                                               maturity date, exact amount

                                               ii. escalation/acceleration clause

                                                               insecurity clauses – non-negotiable 

                                               iv. “whether at a fixed rate or at a current rate”

3. must be payable on demand or at a fixed or determinable future time

               i. payable on demand (See Sec 7)

               ii. determinable future time (See Sec 4)

4. must be payable to order or bearer

               i. payable to bearer (See Sec 9) – negotiable by mere delivery

                               a. fictitious payee rule (Sec 9c)

                                                               GR: drawer bears the loss

                                                               XPN: commercial bad faith

               ii. payable to order (See Sec 8)

5. where the instrument is addressed to a drawee, s/he must be named or otherwise indicated therein with reasonable certainty

In my outline, I dissected Section 1 of the Negotiable Instruments Law by concept and connected per requisite with other codal provisions associated with each of them. I only wrote key terms and phrases so that I wouldn’t be overwhelmed with too much information when I review. To be honest, I wouldn’t call this a good outline because it wasn’t super organized – it doesn’t show relationships nor the importance of the ideas in the order – but still, I could understand it.    

7. Mapping

Mapping is another technique that you may use to organize ideas while studying. You may write the main idea and encircle it. You may use other shapes. Then, you enclose a supporting detail into another shape and draw a line which connects it to the main idea. And so on. You may also write short descriptions on the side and connect them to the ideas they pertain to. This continues until you end up with a visual summary of the text.

8. Comparison-Contrast Chart

Making a comparison-contrast chart is a technique which you may use if you want to show similarities and differences between two or more different terms or concepts. In exams, you might be asked to compare and contrast two terms or concepts as to different categories so this technique might be handy to you as well. 

Here’s an example:

9. Time Line

Time lines are handy when a case or a topic needs to be organized chronologically by dates. To make a time line, you may only list dates in chronological order, then assign information to the dates.

Now we’re done! I hope you find these techniques useful in your law school daily grind. But hey, do not limit yourself to these techniques. Perhaps you’ll find a different study technique that’s more suited to your needs. Anyway, just do whatever’s best for you – as long as you feel that you understand what you’re reading. For my last piece of advice to you, let me quote a PH Supreme Court justice: Study with passion.

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Hakuoki SSL - Hakuo Gakuen Student General Assembly Track 3

well... i hit 300 followers. not sure if it’s a milestone worth mentioning (if you’re one who followed because of the musicals and hasn’t gotten a message, read what it says at the top of my stuff i have page) or not since i can honestly say that i only started this tumblr for myself and everything i translate was really only done for my own sake... and I really have no idea if that number is good or bad for the amount of time I’ve been posting lol.

Still, i’m going to use the fact that this happened as an excuse to post this since i couldn’t figure out where to stick it in my queue since i didn’t want to wait til september to post this lol.

Anyway, this damn track is 18 min long... and i’ll get to the video next month along with the Hijikata web drama (have to push that back cause i got a bit busy with some things). Please note that the text left in bold is when Amagiri’s conversation with Kazama gets overlapped by Shiranui speaking. 

As always, final edits will be done when I get to my subtitle video... need to double check that other video translation and the audio for a few things.

Enjoy~! and do not post elsewhere!

Hakuoki SSL - Hakuo Gakuen Student General Assembly Track 3

Translation by KumoriYami

Hijikata: okay... it's about to start.

Harada: Hijikata-san?  you okay? need stomach medicine?

Hijikata: no need... alright, start/begin.

Amagiri: The Hakuo Gakuen Student Assembly will begin now. All students, stand! .....sit down.

Kazama: Then, start with each club's budget report, Amagiri.

Amagiri: Yes. these are the draft budgets for the various clubs/departments.

Kazama: The arts and literature club, the calligraphy club, and the photography club last year all needed 10,000; the music club which won a competition, in any case, needs a budget of 50,000; the newly established broadcasting club/depart of broadcasting  to buy equipment, they need an increase of 20,000; the baseball team, soccer team and tennis team will be the same as last year with 50,000; the judo club, archery club, track and field team, and also the kendo club, given their achievements from last year......

What......100,000?! Oi amagiri, what's going on/what's this about?!

Amagiri: About this issue...

Kazama: I haven't approved of any of this!! any club/organization/group associated with Hijikata will not have its budget approved!!

Shiranui: Alright/Well, of the budget report was just read, the clubs that weren't named will will maintain the status quo this year, ok? If there's no problem, the draft proposal will be adopted directly.

(applause)

Kazama: Eh...... continuing on [next], regarding the cultural festival that is to be held in october.......Shiranui.

shiranui: hey, hey. But there's nothing much to say since it will basically be the same as last year.

Kazama: This year like previous years, Hakuo Gakuen will hold its cultural festival......

(Kazama voice's cuts out completely while Hijikata and Harada talk)

Harada: I originally though [he'd] poke a basket [probably blow a gasket], seeing him now though, it seems that things are going smoothly.

Hijikata: For better or worse, that's because he's the student council president. But, what happens next will be the real question[/test]......

Harada: Next...... you mean the matter of changing of school rules and regulations?

Hijikata: I don't know what sort of issues the students will raise, though it's better to keep an eye on them.

(aside ends)

Kazama: Read it out/This reading is finished [check video version. Alt: That will be all on/for that/Conclude with that]. Are there any objections to what was raised? If there are no objections then this proposal/motion will be passed/approved. the next topic of discussion will be pertaining to amending the school rules and regulations.

You should all remember/recall, the questionnaire about amending the school's rules and regulations that I had sent out.

Due to he subject of this questionnaire, we solicited opinions on the revision of school rules.

amagiri: kazama-sama, these are the results of the questionnaire.

Kazama: So many opinions were collected, this shows that everyone is quite diastisfied with the current school rules and regulations. I see I see.....

? ? ?: How about cancelling the classical literature class? As someone living in modern times, I cannot help but wonder if there is any real need to learn classical literature. I think the time for classical literature should be spent on something more meaningful. So I propose that the classical literature class be cancelled. ——Proposed by: Anonymous

Kazama: Hm, hahahahaha.... This suggestion/proposal/motion/draft truly is great! However I believe cancelling the classical literature class isn't enough, rather [we should be] abolishing the classical literature [teaching] position. Hm. This suggestion will be kept to discussed later.

Hijikata: oi!!! You've got to be kidding me!! Classical literature is a required subject for entrance exams! Really, it's already that Kazama is thinking about adopting this proposal,  and the one who wrote this sort of proposal is also ridiculous, Souji ! You two, [come] to my office later! [either that or the principal's office.... but im leaning towards 'my' since 我 is in the TL. reword later]

Okita: Wait a moment/sec Hijikata-san, why do you think I wrote that proposal? The questionnaire was anonymous, there's no evidence that says that I wrote that proposal.

Hijikata: Regardless if you try to be anonymous, a proposal for cancelling the classical literature, there's no one aside from you in the entire school who would propose such a thing!

souji: wah, you seem to be really self-confident in that~ However, don't you think that students find Hijikata-san's classical literature class boring, I've seen not a few of them [may be: i don't think anyone i've seen would disagree...? check video later]?

hijikata: you bastard!!!

Harada: Calm down, Hijikata-san! You need to calm down! you should treat this as Souji fooling around.......

Okita: yes yes, I simply wrote down my heartfelt and honest thoughts~ [reword later? check video tl]

Hijikata: Sure enough you were the bastard who proposed this/it!!

Amagiri: Kazama-sama. do you want discuss the motion for cancelling the classical literature class later? I think you should continue with the next proposal. Further discussion on this draft may cause delays.

Kazama: To dare give/Daring to give me advice, you truly are brazen/impudent——I was originally going to be saying that, now you do as you say/that. [check video for last sentence]

Amagiri: I sincerely apologize.

???: Classes are 50 minutes in length, and they're too long! So can they be cut down to 30 minutes? If that happens, then the lunch period can be extended, which would mean more time to eat or even take a nap right? I think that this would absolutely be better!

——Proposed by a hopeful anonymous person [double check audio cuz the text on the video just says 'proposed by: anonymous']

Shiranui: Cutting the amount of time spent in class, that has my support! Kazama, pass this proposal [approve of this]!

harada: oi, oi! Don't you know how bad it would be/about the adverse/negative influence/impact/effect it would have, if you cut down on class time?

Shiranui: Hah? How bad effect it might have?! Shouldn't this be something to celebrate [Not sure but it might instead be: something happy/good to look forward to. check video tl]?

Harada: Hah...... you may think that cutting on class time would mean more time for playing around, but that way of thinking is wrong! Don't you guys know that each semester, exams are regularly scheduled? If class time is reduced, I'm afraid that it might mean being unable to learn everything before taking those exams. If that happens, you'd have to sacrifice your weekend for make up lessons. Is that alright with you?

Shiarnui: If that's the case, it would be better to reduce what the exams cover then!

Harada: In school, there are "learning essentials." If you feel like causing problems, and ignoring the minimal learning requirements, maybe should try being a teacher. If that happens, getting passing post-secondary entrance exams will become a dream. So, Heisuke, this type of draft proposal would be something that we can't approve of.

Heisuke: EH?! Harada-sensei, how do you know that this is something that I wrote?

Harada: Think with your head, who else would have come up with such an idea. To really think that you wouldn't get found out, that sort of thinking is completely incomprehensible.

Heisuke: ergh...........

Kazama: This type of shortsightedness really suits your identities as small fry. If class time is reduced, it'd better to have the classes cancelled altogether. Final exams cannot be considered as something to worry about, if I was writing an exam, I'd be able to get a perfect score even if my eyes were closed.

Amagiri: That skill is something that only Kazama-sama has.

Shiranui: Mah... The outward appearance is [might be] human, but [I/who] don't/doesn't know how many times he's repeated the school year/about the countless times [he's] repeated the school year.

Kazama: Returning to the subject, are there any objections to this proposal? It seems that there aren't, then [we're] moving on to discuss the next proposal.

???: I've heard that many students go play at the rail station/bus stop after school. Although moderate relaxation is harmless, but isn't playing at the game centre and KTV all night, something that goes against the responsibilities that students have? In order to prevent problems from occurring, I think that students should get permission from their teacher for where they go after school beforehand. [^check video tl for this later]

——Proposed by: Saito Hajime.

Kazama: oh.....?  The proposals up until were all anonymous, it seems like draft is different. But, to have the teacher give permission approve of where one can go after school, what a stupid idea.

Saito: A stupid....... idea?! If one person disrupts the moral standards/discipline, it will cause a chain reaction. What's so stupid about a proposal to prevent that?!

Kazama: Just think about it for a little bit. Or is your brain too small so you can't [even] figure that out?

Saito: …………

Amagiri: Kazama-sama. Although it may be bold for me to act as your substitute/in your place, but may I be the one to handle this explanation?  

Kazama: Approved.

Amagiri: yes!...... saito-dono, your opinion does sound somewhat reasonable. Because the act of playing around after school is not praiseworthy. However, after studying hard in school, it is necessary for suitable entertainment to be used as an outlet for accumulated stress. Just monotonously going to and from school will affect the students ability to think independently. Only by enriching their experiences will their minds be able to grow [more literally this sentence is about experience becomes  the soil for minds to grow in... check video tl later].

Saito: But I never said anything about banning after school entertainment/recreation! I only proposed having teachers the approve of what can be done after school!

Amagiri: That will affect the students' ability to think independently. What is referred to as independence, requires individuals who think by themselves and make their own choices [says "to take action"]. I believe, that it would go against human nature, if a teacher was asked about for permission about being able to play in a certain manner [check video tl for this later]. What do you think of this perspective?

Saito: So it was like that. Just as you said. I actually proposed something that opposed Hakuo Gakuen's education policy....... I will accept this conclusion [word I have for this translates to 'reality.' check video tl later], and deeply reflect upon this.

Harada: But even though this has nothing to do with being self-reliant/independent, this sort of regulation is [would be] too harsh/strict.

Kazama: Hrm......is that worthless discussion finally over? Presumably everyone has already become tired of this sort of monotonous talk. Here is some good news. The draft I will be reading now, I will not be accepting any objections and [will be] pass[ing] it right away.

(students mumble in background)

Kazama: Hmph. I understand how you are all worrying about whether or not your proposals will be adopted. Ignorant fools! Get down on your knees/Grovel on your knees before me and pay attention to attention to what I have to say! "My wife must greet me every morning at my home. Although there will be difficulties in the implementation of this regulation, I will compromise in having my her greet me every morning in the student council room.

Hijikata: This terrible proposal, did you really think, that this wouldn't get vetoed! Don't you remember how the same draft was rejected last time!!!

Kazama: That's preposterous...... Didn't you hear me?! I remember saying "the proposal that I will be reading now, I will not be accepting any objections, and [will be] passing it right away."

Hijikata: We don't have even the slightest reason to accept the draft proposed by you! Really, originally I thought that this would be able to proceed smoothly, but I didn't expect for this to happen again. Furthermore, you need to restrain yourself, stop calling/don't call her "my wife!"

Kazama: Hrm~ I have no obligations to listen to your complaints. But....... it truly is a pity for my wife to not be here right not. If she was here, surely, she would be passionately watching me, and blushing shyly while crying tears of joy.

Souji: To be able to misunderstand to this degree, it's shocking to the point of laughter [hilarity?]. The content of this is the exactly the same as last time, and nothing's been changed.

Heisuke:  (Fortunately), ["fortunately is included in the text tl but not video tl. check audio later]It seems like that guy caught a cold, which is she isn't here today.

Harada: It's seem that you can also do something smart. Well done, Heisuke!

Heisuke: hehe, right?

Kazama: Che! Too loud! After I've announced the passing the adoption of these proposals, you all/all of you bastards [check audio] should just obediently behave......!

Amagiri: Then, read out the next proposal.

Shiranui! Oh! That looks pretty good. "I hope for winter vacation to be as long as summer vacation, please give us a month of vacation!" Summer vacation is indeed a month long, winter break is only have a month!

Amagiri: To begin with, the length of summer vacation isn't the same across the country. In colder regions with more snow, summer vacation may not be a month. On the contrary, that region's winter vacation may be relatively longer. Summer vacation was originally established for escaping the hot weather.......

Shiranui: I know, I know! I get it already! Stop talking okay?

Amagiri: No. I am not finished speaking....

Kazama: Amagiri, Shiranui! You've got some nerve to be interrupting me while I talk! This is all your fault that we've strayed away from our next topic for discussion!! The next time this happens/If this happens again, I will not spare you! Remember that/keep that in mind!

Saito: I believe that if it wasn't for your pointless proposals, the current topic of discussion wouldn't have been so derailed.

Kazama: Listen to me, no matter the objections against the following/next draft, I will still implement it! Now remember that and listen carefully!

"Female students must report to the Student Council room immediately after the bell rings for lunch. At the time [they] must also bring a hand-made bento..."

Hijikata: Veto!

Kazama: "Female students must go to the Student Council room after..."

Hijikata: Veto!

Kazama: "Female students must..."

Hijikata: Veto!

Kazama: Hijikata, if you haven't listened to everything that I've said, surely you have a reason for it [/how can you have a reason to interrupt me]?!

HIjikata: It’s because you deliberately targeted her by writing so many proposals, bastard. [alt: "because, bastard, you deliberately targeted her..." will check audio for this later]

School rules are not your toys!

Kazama: You don't understand the obvious! As Hakuo Gakuen's student council president, I am obligated to make the school rules and regulations perfect! Therefore, the current school rules must be amended with only this draft!

Souji: Saying/Having said such beautiful/pretty words, isn't he just making excuses for his wilfulness?

Saito: Because there is only one female student in the entire school.

Kazama: Keh! You bastards! Do you guys mean to do everything you can to obstruct the path of love between me and my wife!?

Heisuke: what path of love......

Harada: It goes without saying that she's not your wife! Having said that though, to say spout such nonsense without backing down in front of everyone, that courage is really admirable.

Kazama: How could I possibly give up! My wife and I have been matched by the red thread/string [of fate]! This profound bond, even if the world stands against me, I will never back down!

[While I usually see 'thread' associated with the Chinese version of this belief, I don't know if the Japanese version of it uses 'string' or 'thread'....]

Shirnaui: What red string...... this is clearly just Kazama's own unbelievable delusions and his own wishful thinking.

Amagiri: Shiranui. You cannot say that/That mustn't be said. there's no telling if a miracle will occur. [reword more formally later]

Shiranui: Ah, if the sun rises in the West and the sky rains red, perhaps that might be true.... but, I don't think it's/that's going to work/it isn't anything but hopeless.

Amagiri: Mm............

Kazama: Heh, you've said enough. No matter what you think, the final decision is in my hands. Amagiri, all the drafts that were just read have been approved.

Amagiri: But... isn't that too unreasonable?

Kazama: What's the problem. I am the the student council president. Even if the [my] methods are unreasonable, no one would dare object.

Heisuke: Who'd accept that sort of ridiculous reasoning?!

Souji: That's right, if you think that you'll be forgiven for doing whatever you want as the student council president, then you're gravely mistaken. Eh.... (goes up on stage) I see.... these were the drafts that were read right?

Kazama: What the hell are you doing bastard?

Souji: Of course doing this! (tears all the drafts)

Kazama: ...! You bastard! You two quickly help me stop him!!!

Amagiri: Kazama-sama. I do not think that those drafts are suitable to be adopted.

Shiranui: I also agree/Agreed. Say, I'm very tired can I go home now(/ Anyway I'm tired can I go home now? [2nd one sounds better])

Kazama: Not permitted...!

Hijikata: Anyway! If you continue being a nuisance, we also have our own ways to respond. I don't care about the power you have/ about the powers of the student council president, but I'd advise you to not look down upon us teachers.

Harada: That's right, Kazama. I advise you to retreat while you're still able. If this continues, those so-called rules won't be able to protect you.

Amagiri: Kazama-sama. Listen to Hijikata-sensei and Harada-sensei's advice right now. This commotion/disturbance is getting bigger, and continuing this may cause others to doubt Kazama-sama's ability as student council president.

Kazama:.....Kuh!...! Heheheheheh.... You guys, I'l remember this! The next Student Assembly, I'll show off all my power to show everyone in the world just who my wife belongs to [check video tl]! Look forward to it!

Souji:...This type of behaviour... is this what they call a "defeated dog's barking"? [if it's not this interpretation.... i'm assuming it means something like 'running away in defeat,' or 'having your tail between your legs'or 'turning tail' since this mentions a dog - 负犬远吠 in chinese. or maybe its 'barking dogs seldom bite' that was the only idiom i found that that mentioned dogs and barking that might have been in JP when browsing. either way, i'll go i'll go double check the other version of this that has been translated later].

Saito: Exactly/Absolutely/(indeed/It is).   I don't want to become like that person. /I don't want to be that kind of person, even if I walk astray/I don't want to be that kind of person, even if I'm not careful. [check video tl]

End

----------

well, this is now officially the longest thing I’ve translated... tho that won’t be the case when I get to Shinsengumi Oni-tan. i dragged this one out for a long time since it just looked like a massive wall of text in nimble... haaah thankfully all the other ssl dramas aside from “Another Chizuru?” are >15min... I think?

also no images being posted this time cuz i didn’t schedule this posting.

[mysterylover123]

Todoroki’s Relationships Part 5: Training Camp & Hideout Raid Arcs

The Training Camp arc is mostly about Todoroki’s relationship with Bakugou, with a little sidecar for Midoriya.

Todoroki compares Bakugou to Kota; this indicates that he views Katsuki as basically a bratty kid. Baku protests the comparison, and Shoto apologizes (apology #1098234) but doesn’t retract the comparison. 

He gets a chance to use his fire power to help others. Momo steps in to defend him, though also to reprimand her classmates and tell them that they need to learn to be self-reliant. Todoroki tells her it’s fine by him

And helping his friends brings out one of his rare smiles.

We see him thinking in sync with Midoriya and Bakugou 

He comes over to Midoriya after noticing him asking Aizawa about All Might. Midoriya confides in him about Kota.

He shows some impressive respect for Shoto, putting him on the same level as All Might. Shoto then gives him some fantastic advice.

This is very interesting as far as Shoto’s relationships go. It’s clearly an important principle of his that actions speak louder than a person’s words. He often seems to judge people in just that manner: He came to respect Bakugou and Momo for the skills they demonstrated, and didn’t listen to Midoriya until Deku could back up his ideals with actions. Perhaps this also pertains to why Bakugou doesn’t annoy him as much as you’d expect. He isn’t as concerned about what he’s saying.

He also brings up Deku’s words to him, indirectly. He criticizes Izuku again, something he has a surprising tendency to do. Shoto is more of a non-involvement type of person, avoiding meddling in Iida’s personal problems until he was already in trouble, and noticing but not acting on his concern for Momo until it boiled over. Izuku is more interfering, meddlesome, and pushy towards other peoples boundaries. It’s true, as Shoto points out here, that that can be annoying if it isn’t backed up with actions. It’s also absolutely the kind of person Izuku is. This is an interesting difference between them.

He’s paired up with Bakugou for the trial and Bakugou tries to switch with Ojiro. BTW, Ojiro was paired with MINETA. That’s how badly Bakugou apparently wants IcyHot away from him. My god. You couldn’t be more insulting if you tried. 

Shoto’s usual approach to teamwork, as established in previous episodes/chapters, is to take charge and try to handle everything himself. While the members of his Cavalry Battle team, as well as Shoji, were fine with that, neither Deku nor Kacchan is. Both refuse to be bossed around by Shoto. All three are assertive, leader-type characters who take charge and try to handle everything on their own. 

His reaction to hearing Bakugou is being targeted is to reprimand him for his recklessness. He saves Bakugou several times with his ice from Moonfish. Here and there the two achieve smooth communication, though not necessarily great teamwork, usual from coming to similar conclusions at the same time about Moonfish. 

They think rather alike, as both have already figured this out and Bakugou is annoyed with Todoroki for telling him what he already knows. 

Here, they try to negotiate, with Bakugou trying to come up with a plan to take out Moonfish as he drives them into a corner, and Todoroki being more cautious. Another difference between these two is that Bakugou is more reckless, more interested in solving things Right. Now. Shoto, meanwhile, is more cautious, and unless upset emotionally, he generally tries to keep calm. 

However, here their behaviors are reversed. Bakugou is faster to figure things out and realizes exactly what to do, while Shoto wants a quick fix. They are on the same page enough to use fire and explosion simultaneously to calm down Tokoyami. While they don’t work together as smoothly as Shoto and Momo did in the Final Exam arc (after their pep talk), they do work together better than you’d expect, given both of their track records with teamwork.

We get a brief bit of negotiation between him and Izuku, which is mostly them giving each other exposition.

He utters another command to Bakugou, who again hates being bossed.

When Bakugou is taken, we get Shoto’s first extreme reaction to a friend being endangered. While he certainly showed his capacity for anger at the pain of a loved one before (his Mom), this is the first time he’s expressed it about one of his classmates. The first time we get to see Shoto being protective - not just passively concerned and caring about people, but sending a giant ice wall at a villain to save someone.

His reaction to Bakugou’s abduction is not quite as extreme as Deku’s (”GIVE HIM BACK”), but by Todoroki’s standards, this is pretty emotional. He unleashes the power he’s been saving this whole time out of fear of putting others at risk, and grows far more erratic, emotional and expressive.

He takes the time to notice Midoriya’s pain as well, showing concern for him and giving him an order which Deku, being Just Like Kacchan, defies. The difference between Ochaco and Shoto here is she asks, Shoto commands. Deku doesn’t listen to either one of them.

These are his and Izuku’s expressions when they get ahold of the guy who’s taken Bakugou. He’s furious and focused, dead-set on taking him down.

When he thinks Shoji has saved Bakugou he looks happy

Desperation when trying to catch the BakuMarble

And when he fails to  catch the marble...he looks ready to start crying.

And moves in to try and comfort Izuku when he falls over.

What we get from this arc for his relationship with Midoriya is that Shoto notices what’s up with Deku, cares about his wellbeing, can work together with him all right, and finds his interfering personality a little irritating. For Bakugou, we see that Shoto and him aren’t perfectly in sympatico, but can actually work together ok; that Shoto sees Bakugou as kind of childish, but that he cares deeply about him and is rather protective of him. 

HIDEOUT RAID ARC

We get a soft, concerned look at Midoriya when he visits him in the hospital.

He bluntly tells Izuku that Kacchan is gone. This straightforward attitude doesn’t seem to bother Izuku (consider that he grew up around Bakugou, no wonder). Shoto looks pretty devastated himself at Bakugou’s loss.

They must have been going to visit Momo first. 

Shoto makes it clear what’s motivating him here: Bakugou could get killed. He can’t sit around when Bakugou might be in deanger of dying.

However, the decision is Yaoyorozu’s. It’s clear he can’t make her, and he looks surprised when she appears. 

When Iida hits Izuku, Shoto looks properly horrified. We don’t see his reaction to Yaoyorozu saying she’ll help because she trusts him, but it is a moment worth noting. 

Shoto makes it clear that his interest in saving Bakugou is selfish. He isn’t doing it because of what he sees as a pure ideal of heroism, as Izuku and Kirishima both try and justify their actions by bringing up their ideologies. For Shoto, he knows this is because of his own personal desires.

a

This is the first time I can recall of Shoto criticizing Momo, the way he’s wont to critique most of his fiends. He asks her a logical strategy question and she quickly gets defensive and cites reasons that, according to Kirishima’s analysis, are just a cover-up for her real motive. Momo wants to appear good and competent around Todoroki, so she gives a better motive for her actions here than she may actually feel.

He tells them to get moving when creeps start hitting on her, showcasing a kindness and protectiveness of Yaoyorozu here.

When the Pros appear to have handled this situation, he looks back with Izuku, showing that he wasn’t as sanguine about their capacity as Momo and Iida are. Todoroki, being the son of the very flawed #2 hero, most likely has less confidence in their infallability than his peers. 

He looks just as scared of AFO as the others but snaps into dtermined mode like Deku and Kiri when Bakugou is audible...

And moves in to save him with Izuku, having to be stopped by Iida.

He looks very determined to save Bakugou, but can’t act on it. When Midoriya has a plan, Shoto gets a little impatient with him and gives him a very Baku-like order. (in the Viz translation)

He and Momo are left alone and leave together; he calls Midoriya quickly to see if the plan worked successfully and check in on both him and Bakugou. We see some good comfort passing between them.

We don’t see much of Shoto during the All Might vs AFO fight; we meet up with the Rescue Squad again once the furor has died down.

It’s debateable who Momo is speaking to here. "You three” could mean any of the other four. If she includes Todoroki, this is a moment of her reprimanding him mildly.

This arc doesn’t really do much to develop Todoroki’s relationships. He’s worried for Bakugou, he works well with Midoriya, and he’s a little quizzical about Momo.

[moro-nokimi]

chapter 5: December 31, 2010

Summary: Shit gets real. Near continues to have refuge in his audacity and Naomi continues to be snarky.

NOTES: Two more chapters! Whew boy. We've got a live one up in here. Oh Near, we're really in it now. This bitch is almost 10k, so I BETTER get a review, ask, or reply talking ab how good this is. (This is a joke; no pressure.) TW: Death of a loved one, suicide mention, allusion to gun violence and sex.

ffn.online

“Light Yagami is a registered grad student at To-Oh University, but nobody has seen him on campus since he graduated. And the Japanese police have given all the employees false job titles to hide the fact they are members of the police force. He received letters of appreciation from the police in 2000 and 2002 for advice that led to resolved cases. I think it’s safe to say that these facts and the influence of his father point to him currently being with the police.

“When I asked former students what they remembered about him, several of them had interesting comments. He had the highest score in the entrance exam, but someone going by Hideki Ryuuga--the same name as the top idol back then---tied scores with Yagami. They gave the freshman address together, and were often seen with each other. But no photograph of this Hideki Ryuuga can be found.”

So was this L? Feels like suicide to me… then again, they don’t seem to instill Wammy’s alumni with a particular sense of self preservation, Naomi thought.

“I also received information that around June of 2004, Hideki Ryuuga, Light Yagami, and Misa Amane were seen together on university campus. After that, everyone seems to have lost track of this Ryuuga. Light Yagami and Misa Amane also went missing for several months at that time,” Rester finished.

“He used the name of a popular idol to get close to Light Yagami, whom he suspected of being Kira. It was a dangerous plan that assumed he wouldn’t be killed so long as Kira didn’t find out his real name. But then the Second Kira appeared, with the ability to learn people’s names just by looking at their faces. Then, they joined hands. Everything fits. Light Yagami is Kira, and Misa Amane being the Second Kira, and Hideki Ryuuga being L,” Near said.

“It corroborates the report we received that Mogi and Aizawa went straight to Amane’s place after leaving here,” Gevanni said.

“So the fact that Amane is Light’s fiancee is…,” Lidner added, avoiding Naomi’s eyes.

“No coincidence,” Naomi finished. “She was a loose cannon, just going back to when she first appeared. No doubt, he wants to keep her close to avoid any mishaps.”

Late at night and when everyone was distracted or asleep, Naomi finally had her chance.

“You’re still holding a grudge over what Mello did?” Lidner asked.

“I think it was a damn stupid thing to do, yes. No matter if Near said for you to go along with his wishes, he still walked in and you held me back from tackling him and ending the standoff,” Naomi seethed. She rarely found herself angry, but when she did, it was enough to make others recoil.

“He never would’ve forgiven you for the blow to his pride, and it would’ve just escalated things.”

“His pride is the least of my concerns, Lidner. He pointed a goddamn gun at Near and you wanted me to be worried about his pride? He. Almost. Killed. Near.”

“I never told you to be worried about anything.”

“Don't you fucking twist my words like that. You putting his pride over Near’s life says a lot.”

Lidner's brows had knit and her eyes had narrowed. “You’re complaining to me about double allegiances? At least they’re working together now, right?”

“The last thing I want is to be working with a criminal again.”

Lidner had chewed the inside of her mouth for a second before lowering her voice and adding, “Think of it like this. Your fiance is like Near: he asks too many questions before pulling the trigger. But in this case, Mello shoots first and asks questions later. Near needs that push to act.”

Naomi’s vocal volume spiked for a second, and this drew Rester and Gevanni’s attention:

“Raye exhausted all options to make sure his gun was the last resort!”

“That doesn’t sound like very good methodology to me," Lidner said sharply.

That was the last button Lidner pushed before Naomi snapped back, volume rising, “Don’t you fucking compare them! Raye was a good man, Mello is--”

“Is there a problem?” Rester asked. Gevanni was placid, eyes sliding between them, gears turning in his head.

“No,” said Lidner coolly, eyes boring into Naomi. Naomi was red with anger.

“I’m going out. If I’m not back for a couple hours, don’t worry.” She knew her hands were shaking.

She bunched her turtleneck to her mouth and screamed as soon as she was out of earshot. She cried later on her bike and almost ran a red light.

Naomi had the urge to scream now, just thinking back on it. She stepped outside and dug the photograph out of them on the beach. That had been a fun day. Suruga had taken the picture. He was also understandably irritated when Naomi told him about the incident.

“So she just uses something she told you in confidence like that? Sheesh,” Suruga said. “That’s just shitty.”

“I screamed. Not in the room, just as I was leaving.” Naomi shuddered. “I’m not proud of it.”

“You have every right to be irritated, Naomi. Again, talking about something she told you in confidence for the sake of a comparison was just low. Especially in earshot of your other coworkers and your boss.”

“I almost woke up my boss. I don’t think he would’ve been too happy, ha… Do you think about what would’ve happened if he lived, Suruga?”

He hadn’t responded. There was an implicit yes, but she supposed he feared crying more than being transparent with his friend.

“Men don’t like crying,” Audrey had explained. “Toxic masculinity says that men have to be these pinnacles of strength. The only emotion they show is anger, and so on. Hell, Raye was expressive, but he never liked crying, especially in front of me or you.”

Naomi figured there was some truth to that. But she also figured avoiding crying was unhealthy period. No way around it.

Though, she was one to talk.

She resisted the urge to cry and stepped back inside.

“Near, this NHN announcer Kiyomi Takada was a classmate of Light Yagami’s in college. She was an excellent student, and was on close terms with him, it seems,” Rester added.

“How do mean ‘close’?” Near asked.

“I can’t assume anything, but they looked to be more than friends. I don’t believe this is a coincidence.”

“But Light’s relationship with Amane started when he was in college, too,” Gevanni pointed out.

“I don’t believe anyone’s introduced you to the concept of male infidelity,” Naomi said dryly. "Clearly there's no accounting for taste."

“Commander Rester, can you get close to Takada?”

“I’ll give it a try, but… She’s more heavily protected by Kira worshippers than Demegawa ever was. I’d attribute it to her being a woman. To the worshippers, if Kira is their God, Takada is their goddess.”

Prophet, Naomi corrected.

“You said she was an excellent student, but that was only her grades. She’s downright stupid outside of class.”

This woman hosts debates and is knowledgeable about our political landscape, and she’s stupid because she worships Kira? Naomi thought. Audrey would’ve called this misogyny. I call it underestimation.

“It may be possible for me to get close to her among all the worshippers. But Mr Aizawa and Mogi have seen my face before. They may tell L about our movements.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. There’s no reason for them to get in the way of our investigation. I’m sure they won’t tell L you are a member of the SPK. And if that information is passed to L and you die, it means L is Kira. I find it hard to believe Kira would do such a thing before finding out about Mello and I, unless Kira is in a very tight situation.

“Gevanni, Lidner, Maki, would you like to go to Japan as well? It’s almost certain the one writing the names is in Japan. I think it’s a safe call based on the people killed, and from the fact an announcer from NHN was chosen as the spokesperson.”

Naomi wasn’t too impressed with Kiyomi Takada. It’s definitely not easy to keep up with Kira and what’s going on, but it was her blind loyalty and outright reverence to a murderer that chafed. She tried time and time again to put her personal ties to the Kira case aside, but it just wasn’t possible.

“Depending upon what their sin was, Kira will not tolerate people with a criminal record…,” Kiyomi Takada said. “Starting today, I will be introducing you to messages and requests from viewers as well as expressing my own opinion on some matters. Many of the countries and companies claim to support Kira now…”

Naomi shook her head and tuned the rest of it out.

“... But that is a mere empty promise, and we do not know how they are supporting Kira or should be supporting Kira. I feel that in order to create a peaceful world as fast as we can, Kira should give orders to the army and police of each country on how they should act. I would like Kira to give a reply to this and…”

Near turned on his PA. “Rester, find out who Takada saw last night. Whatever it takes.”

Rester nodded. “Well, Kiyomi Takada is being protected unbelievably well, and even getting near her is tough. I never expected it to be this difficult. A reporter who tried to investigate the meeting last night was caught by the guards and accused of breaking and entering, then got killed by Kira on the 9 o’clock news. Her phone is completely untraceable and bug proof. She’s better guarded than the president.”

“Speaking from experience?” Naomi asked. The thought of things becoming that authoritarian worried her, despite her wisecrack.

“Very funny, Maki. All her guards are people who’ve participated in TV programs pertaining to Kira many times, and whose backgrounds can be easily traced. It’s incredibly hard to get in.”

“Gevanni and Lidner should be getting back to Japan shortly. Please get near her any way you can,” Near said.

“Near, Takada went into the Perin Hotel. Until she comes out, no one is allowed to enter or leave unless requested by Takada,” Rester said.

“Then you’re going to have to try to become one of Takada’s trusted bodyguards at the very least,” Near said.

“I’ll do my best.”

December 12 “We’re trying to get on Takada’s personal bodyguard team, but the hurdles are getting higher. We need more time,” Rester said.

“Very well. I had a feeling it would be like that,” Near replied. “Maki, would you mind making flight arrangements?”

“Yeah, just a second.”

While she cleared her cookies and went searching for airplane tickets, Near called the Japanese task force.

“This is Near. I’d like to talk to L.”

“This is L speaking.”

“It’s been a while. Thank you for keeping the connection open.”

“What do you want?”

That’s no way to greet someone, Naomi thought.

“I am in Japan to capture Kira. Right now, actually,” Near said. He snipped away at paper. “Seeing as how the best way to investigate Kira is to start with Kiyomi Takada and all.”

L paused. “I’m in Japan already, doing just that. If you’d like to cooperate, I’m willing to do so as well. But since you’re suspicious of me, I guess that’s not possible.”

Near’s brow furrowed. It quickly turned into a scowl. “Did you just say ‘I’?”

“Yes. I’ve personally gotten into contact with Takada and am making headway in the investigation.”

In more ways than one, I think, Naomi thought.

“We’ve gotten as far as having our investigator, Mogi, be able to enter NHN.”

So he knows we’re trying to get into NHN ourselves. Or is hypothesizing as so. With these geniuses, any hypothesis automatically means they know something.

“We’ll find a way to get into NHN as well, but there’s one more thing. You said you’ve personally contacted Takada and are investigating her, right? Then please tell Takada however you can that members of the SPK have escaped from the Kira worshippers in New York have entered Japan to capture Kira. Judging from the current world situation and her position, that’s the type of news she’ll have to report.

“You can even say that there are five members of the group including Near, the leader. There are four other members that Mr Mogi and Mr Aizawa met. This isn’t a lie, so it’ll be a true report. If either of the aforementioned men see them near NHN, please feel free to tell L. We don’t want to get in the way of your investigation. But please don’t show their faces as members of the SPK on TV or via other media outlets. This report is to lure out Kira.

“Including me, there’s only five of us. There’s no way Kira is going to find out, and I’m sure that Kira will make a move to try and kill us. That is where I intend to counterstrike and defeat Kira.”

Oh, great, so we’re being used as bait. I’d rather I was the killing shot, Naomi thought, and slammed her laptop lid closed.

“There are five members altogether in Japan. Is that it for the message, Near?”

“Yes. I’d gathered people who could work under me, but now that the situation has changed, numbers aren’t important. I’m in Japan. Since you are as well, we may come face to face.”

“True.”

“And that will be something worth looking forward to.”

“Indeed.”

“We’ll bring Kira to an end once and for all.”

“Of course.”

Well, he’s taciturn all of a sudden. And here I thought he’d never shut up, seeing as how all the other meetings have been.

“The only way to restore the world now is to get rid of Kira and the existing notebooks. If we succeed in both of those objectives, we win. If we die, Kira wins. This battle was not about an arrest or something measured by the laws of this world. It’s always been a one-one battle to prove who’s on top.”

Near turned the PA off.

“You’re playing a zero-sum game, Near,” Naomi said.

“You don’t have to tell me that. The original L was doing the same thing. Commander Rester, where are Gevanni and Lidner now?”

“Right now, they’re in a booked room near NHN.”

“Please connect me to them.”

“Pay close attention to what I’m about to say. I have decided to meet L---rather, Kira---in person in the near future and settle this case once and for all.”

“In person?” Gevanni repeated, the poor guy surprised into echolalia.

“Do you mean you’re going to see him face to face and capture him?” Lidner asked.

“Yes. The world is practically in Kira’s hands now. But, in Kira’s nearly completed world, only the SPK members, Mello, the Japanese task force, and I remain in Kira’s way. I remain the biggest problem as well, since he can’t easily get my name or face.

“It seems Mello’s name has already been discovered, and he’s also wanted for the murder of the Japanese police director and deputy director.

“As we all know, he lets his emotions control him. Kira may think it will be easy to kill him using his followers. If Kira succeeds in killing me, he will very likely kill the rest of you, and the Japanese task force.

“Since I, his biggest headache, who hasn’t made a move until now am now making said move, Kira will not miss this opportunity to kill me. And the fact that he’s said he’s willing to meet me means he’s accepted my challenge. The die is cast. Whether we like it or not, we must make our move.

“Let’s examine this situation. L is Light Yagami and Light Yagami is Kira. We know for sure that L would answer yes if we asked if he was Light Yagami, seeing as how he told us he’d personally gotten into contact with Takada, as well as Maki’s account of meeting him five years ago. But he will obviously deny the fact that he’s Kira. There’ve been many incidents to make us suspect he’s Kira, but no solid proof.”

Naomi was rather bitter that things could’ve gone very differently if she’d not regarded Light’s “selling” of the Japanese task force as a bit too maudlin to be genuine. Mostly at herself. She’d learned her lesson then: hard evidence only, no circumstantial evidence will be taken as fact whatsoever.

“There’s almost no doubt that he’s Kira. I’m 99.9999 percent sure. The lack of proof is the only reason it’s not a hundred percent.

“Kira… let’s call him L-Kira. Around him are several people who know of the existence of the notebook, such as Aizawa, Mogi, and the others. However, L-KIra is not using the notebook himself. That’s because there are others around him keeping an eye on him and the notebook. Obviously, there’s another who has the notebook and is using it. That’s X-Kira. Based on the fact that L-KIra has used Misa Amane in the past, as well as with relation to the attack on Mello’s hideout, I think that L-Kira does not have the Shinigami eyes. But judging from the killings of recent criminals, X-Kira definitely has the eyes. Of course, both Kiras are connected in some way. But since L-Kira is being watched, it would be almost impossible for him to get in direct contact with X-Kira.

“So, they use Takada. Note how Kira’s messages are spread through NHN, and L-Kira and Takada can meet in person without arousing suspicion. At the moment, both Kiras are able to send messages to and through Takada. Though she may be only Kira’s puppet, we can’t deny she’s highly important to us in discovering X-Kira.

“I likely don’t have to explain this, but this is a recap of the situation. I see two ways to defeat Kira. The first is…” Naomi cringed as Near pulled the trigger on the toy gun and knocked over the legos. “We kill L- and X-Kira and confiscate the notebooks. If the killings stop, it means we are correct.”

“Right. That would prove L---Light Yagami---was Kira,” Rester said.

Near returned the cork to the barrel of the revolver. “We are almost positive that L is Kira, so I’m confident we can solve this case. But we won’t be using this method, no matter what.”

“Why not?”

“Even if the killings stop, it doesn’t really prove that Light Yagami is Kira. Since no one is using the notebook at the task force headquarters, there’s always a chance that the killings stopped because of X-Kira’s death. And the killings may continue if there are Y- and Z-Kiras.

“Most important of all, we kill those two and the killings stop, then to say see, we were right… such an ex post facto justification will not be tolerated. That’s not the way we do things.”

“We?”

“Of course, we being me and L. He wouldn’t be happy if we did that.”

Naomi was still ruminating on the possibility of X-Kira’s identity. She figured it would have to be an acquaintance of Takada’s but not Yagami’s, so it would leave a pool of up to a hundred people who were regulars on her debate show.

In another life, while her and Rester were discussing this during the C-Kira case and Rester would say this and shrug and say “like it would offend L’s spirit or something”, Naomi would shrug, too, and say, “Well, that means he centers his identity on being L’s true successor.” And Lidner would take a seat on the counter and say, “That could be used as an advantage some day, by someone unsavory.”

“It would be an insult to L, who entrusted those who came after him with this case.”

And then Rester would mention that line. Naomi had sat back in her chair and folded her arms. “You’d better hope someone wouldn’t decide to create another impossible to solve case,” Naomi would say. If she closed her eyes, she could see B’s burning silhouette.

“Hence, even if we are going to kill L- and X-Kira, first we must rub their faces in the evidence and make them taste the misery of their defeat. It’s out of the question to kill them before that. So we get solid proof.”

“And how will we do that?”

“Have him use the notebook and arrest him on the spot.”

Naomi’s throat went dry.

“Then the person whose name was written will die. Do you have any plans for that?’

“Not at the moment, no. But we no longer have other ways to get proof. But I’ll think of something. When we first meet Kira, the first person he’ll write down is me, so.” Lowering his voice, Near held the miniature notebook replica. “Now what will I do…”

Holding the L-Kira labelled lego, he added, “But just as I said now, killing Kira and confiscating the notebook with hopes that the killings will stop is a plan Kira will assume we have. We may be able to use that to our advantage. But for the time being, our job is to find out who is executing the criminals as Kira. And in order to do that, we must investigate NHN and Kiyomi Takada, even though Kira knows we will be doing it.”

December 14 “The Japanese police announced at three PM today that five members of the SPK who escaped from New York have entered Japan. The police are initiating a full search for these people and are calling out for public support,” Kiyomi Takada said.

To say Naomi was unsurprised was an understatement. Takada had expressed such authoritarian views before, so this was no surprise. But the police being willing to hunt them down and be the footsoldiers for a regime like this was the cherry on top of a shit sundae.

The latest ass-kissing program (Today’s Lady Takada) began.

“Today, Lady Takada chose four female bodyguards from 20 finalists who went through rigorous testing. These four glorious women are Tatsumi Ooyama, champion of the women’s 60KG weight class in the 22nd world karate championship. Former CIA agent, Hal Lidner…

“These four all passed the tests and…”

“It’s just as you said, Near,” Rester said. “Sooner or later, Takada needed female bodyguards, which she didn’t have until now. Being with the CIA formerly made it easier for Halle to be chosen, but it’ll make it easier for Kira to notice her as well.”

“Yes… I am grateful to Lidner for putting the investigation before her safety. By the way, Commander Rester, have you been able to come up with an answer for this?”

“If I was Kira, who would I have chosen for the spokesperson after Demegawa?”

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t watch and listen to several screens at the same time. I can’t do it in only five days. I need more time.”

“Gevanni said the same. I was merely going to use your opinions as a reference. Don’t think too hard about it. An answer off the top of your head will suffice. Maki?”

“An easier solution would be to look at each segment of each news channel separately. You’ll lose out on sleep, but maybe you’ll have more input that way,” Naomi said.

“That’s not what I’m asking.”

“I know. If I were Kira, I’d go for someone I know and has a platform. As for X-Kira…”

“So long as it’s not someone extreme like Demegawa, they all look the same as a possibility for Kira’s spokesperson,” Rester said.

“I can’t decide either, but I wouldn’t have chosen Takada. No matter of her and Yagami’s acquaintance, she’s still a rookie announcer,” Gevanni said.

“Agreed. It seems she’s popular, having gotten second place in a magazine poll. There are, of course, more male announcers with more experience and dignified demeanors. So why was Takada chosen? It could just be that Takada is the type of woman Kira fancies, but I think it was because…”

Naomi couldn't hold back a snort.

“Takada was a Kira worshipper and Kira knew about it. The reason Demegawa was chosen is because he zealously used Sakura TV to support Kira even before the world began leaning towards him. It would’ve been easy for Kira to threaten someone into being the spokesperson, but it would be to his advantage if the spokesperson supported Kira.

“Well, in Takada’s case, I’m sure she was chosen because she’s a Kira worshipper. Here’s a comment by Takada from last night’s news.”

He turned on a clip of Takada.

“I feel that it is necessary for schools to educate children about Kira, and that Kira’s teachings are the proper way to live.”

“Ever since she started making comments to Kira, Takada’s been nothing but a stupid Kira worshipper.”

“That’s not stupidity, that’s authoritarianism and incredibly worrying,” Naomi said. "She very much has her own agenda." … So could we be looking at her becoming Kira point blank, or does she want to be his follower and nothing more?

“True. But it’s also true that Takada’s words are affecting the public, which is filled with stupid people. To Kira, this is great.”

"It's quite easy to assume that because someone supports something authoritarian that they lack the ability to rub two brain cells together. It's much scarier to think about Kira supporters being our lawyers, our realtors, etcetera," Naomi said. Near shrugged.

“Then if we believe Light Yagami is Kira, does that mean he chose Takada because he was on intimate terms with her in college and knew her feelings towards Kira?” Rester asked. That’s generous, Naomi thought.

“No, Takada only started making pro-Kira remarks after the meeting at the hotel. L/Light Yagami claims that he’s in contact with Kira for the investigation. And I’m sure that we’ll be able to confirm that with Mr Aizawa and the others.

“Therefore, if L-Kira/Light Yagami chose Takada, he would’ve been able to get Takada to make pro-Kira remarks from the moment she became the spokesperson. But in reality, Takada only started making pro-Kira comments the day after the meeting. She also spoke directly to Kira in the comment, so I can only assume that L-Kira made her say this comment, since he hasn’t gotten into contact with X-Kira at that point. Same with Takada before the meeting. That’s likely because Mr Aizawa and the others had their eyes on him and had doubts. That means Takada was chosen as the spokesperson through X-Kira’s personal judgement.”

“But isn’t it possible L-Kira ordered X-Kira to kill Demegawa and choose Takada as the next spokesperson before Aizawa and the others began to watch over him?” Rester asked.

“I won’t say that it’s impossible, but after Demegawa died, it was a week before Takada was chosen as the next spokesperson. Even if L-Kira had ordered X-Kira to use Takada after Demegawa died, it would be meaningless and odd to order X-Kira to wait a week.” He leaned down to inspect a black lego. “So it fits better to assume that X-Kira, unable to get in contact with L-Kira, killed Demegawa and then took a week to decide who to choose as the next spokesperson.”

“Then that proves Maki right, that X-Kira has some kind of connection with Takada,” Rester said.

“Yes. I understand that it’s dangerous to investigate Takada right now, but could you please look into it with Gevanni again?”

Both agreed.

“I’m going to start off by tracing all of the programs that Takada has appeared on, Starting with the most recent ones and looking at the regulars. Maki, would you mind taking record of these people?”

“Of course.”

On a hunch, she dug up a previous survey of one Teru Mikami. Near practically swam through all the DVDs to find Kira’s Kingdom, coming to a stop in front of all the monitors in front of Mikami speaking about Kira’s ideals.

“The reason I became a prosecutor is because of the frustration and helplessness I felt over all the physical and emotional abuse I witnessed as a child. All the young people going into the world should have their own goals and use their abilities to contribute to society.”

The click of a remote, and next she heard:

“I would very much like to hear Kira’s voice again, and I intend to follow your ideals. I believe that following your orders and teachings is the quickest way to achieve world peace. Kira, please let me hear your voice. If there are no orders or words from Kira, I believe that I am going to have to judge by myself what Kira’s thoughts may be, and put them into action.”

Naomi looked up from the survey.

“Near, I think you want to take a look at this.”

Right on his survey on the question of his opinion on Kira, the answer was listed as “God.”

Near peered over her shoulder, and turned on his PA to Rester.

“You no longer need to look into Takada’s friends and associates. Please come back to HQ, as Maki and I have just found a suspect. I’ll ask you to start investigating again if my assumption is wrong.”

“You’ve already found a suspect?”

“We’re good at looking," Naomi said.

December 21 “According to Lidner, Mogi is acting as Amane’s manager, which means he will often be away from L’s headquarters,” Rester said.

“That’s right,” Near replied.

“We can get Lidner to ask Mogi if they have their eyes on L when he is meeting Takada. That way, L won’t find out what we’re investigating.”

“But Mogi probably won’t tell us. And it’s highly likely that both Kiras are contacting each other through Takada. They know that we know it, so there’s no reason for us to go sneaking.”

Obviously, being clandestine isn’t our strong suit, Naomi thought, and passed Near the PA to L.

“L, if Mr Aizawa is there with you right now, is it okay for me to talk to him in person through this?”

“It’s Aizawa. What’s the problem?”

“When L meets with Takada, are you recording their conversations through wires and cameras?”

“No, we’re only using wires.”

“I see… Thank you.”

She set the PA aside and rolled her neck.

“If it’s only a wire, we can assume that L- and X-Kira are getting into contact with another through Takada. This only makes things more dangerous for Lidner. All of Takada’s bodyguards have their cell phone records checked. We can’t directly contact Lidner, so is that all right?” Rester asked.

“Lidner is well aware of the danger, but the important thing is that she is still trying to find out who X-Kira is through Takada and we have no clue as to the identity of X-Kira, so L’s attention will lie with them," Near said.

“Gevanni?” Rester asked.

“It’s about Mikami. Tailing him is strangely easy. It’s not like he’s making a move to go into hiding or anything. He’s been living at the same place for the past four years and leads an ordinary life. He’s very active with his job as well. I understand he’s a Kira worshipper from the fact he was on Kira’s Kingdom, but I find it hard to believe he could be X-Kira.”

“It’s not like Kira’s going to be waving his arms around saying ‘I kill people for justice’,” Naomi said.

“Thanks, Maki. I appreciate your input.”

“No problem.”

“The chances of Mikami being X-Kira are high, even ignoring his personal endeavors. Please be careful. Don’t try to enter his house or anything else yet. Just keep your eye on him.”

“Of course. You should try this, Maki, it’s very fun.”

Too familiar. “Stalking isn’t my idea of fun. I’d be worried if I didn’t know you were joking.”

“Please,” Rester said.

“Mikami just pulled the notebook out. There’s something---ugh, weird about it. He took a picture of the guy who was harassing a girl before writing in the notebook. He’s getting off the train, I’ll follow---” Gevanni said.

A high pitched scream followed.

“The guy who was doing the harassing just collapsed, about a half minute after his name was written… but that leaves me curious as to what the purpose to taking the picture was. And he said delete while writing it.”

“O-kay. X-Kira is definitely Mikami,” Rester said.

“Yes, but that also makes the possibility known of there being a Y-Kira,” Near said.

“So what do we do? Aren’t we going to capture Mikami?”

“Commander Rester. Please don’t make me repeat myself. Even though we know for sure that Mikami is X-Kira, we’re not going to use that method. If we do that, we’re never going to be able to get to L. If we capture Mikami, we may even face the situation that the killings stop and Mikami will appear to everyone to be Kira.

“All will be meaningless unless we prove the Light Yagami is Kira, the root of all this, and stop him.”

“Right…”

“In any event, we must get near Mikami, but there is one thing we must be extra careful about. And that is the Shinigami.”

Naomi raised an eyebrow. She’d never particularly believed in them, even as her dad told her that they take children who don’t go to sleep by 10pm’s souls. (Because what is the point of parenting if you can’t scare them a little.)

“The Japanese task force once told us that in order to get the notebook back from Mello, Kira gave the Japanese HQ a different notebook from that of Mello’s via a Shinigami. That means a Shinigami followed Kira’s orders and brought the notebook to them. And that means the Shinigami possessing Mikami will follow Mikami’s orders. So if we are going to tail Mikami from now on, there’s a chance that Mikami’s Shinigami will alert him.”

Rester said, “But the Shinigami can only be seen by those who’ve touched the notebook. Being careful of something you can’t see isn’t easy.”

“Even so, I would like you to do it. But this time, you may keep some distance from him and film his movements. It would be best if you can get an image of him talking to the Shinigami.”

“All right. I’ll see what I can do.”

December 25 If they only have wires, they’d just have to not say something out loud if they wanted to avoid being caught by the task force, Naomi thought.

Her attention was drawn by a notification that Lidner was on the monitor.

“I’m sorry, I’ve hardly had time to be alone. It was four days ago. Takada, Amane, and me met up. The conversation was really only about which of them was ‘his’---really meaning Light Yagami’s girlfriend,” Lidner said.

Naomi rolled her eyes. “So it was a covert catfight?”

“What does it mean?” Rester asked. Lidner’s expression just about screamed Are you shitting me?

“That Light Yagami’s a two timer?” Naomi said, as Near replied, “This just proves that Light Yagami is a ladykiller. Takada and Amane are infatuated with him. Though I’d be inclined to agree with Maki’s summary.”

“Seriously, Near?” Rester asked. “You too, Maki.”

“And they went after each other instead of going after Light for being a two timer.” Naomi shook her head and rolled her eyes.

“But being seriously infatuated can be a problem. They won’t betray him, and he can control them as he wants. However, what I’m more worried about is that there’s been nothing new in Gevanni’s reports,” Near said.

“But he reported today that Mikami pulled out the notebook and killed someone. Or had him killed, if we’re going with the Y-Kira hypothesis.”

“Not the notebook, but the Shinigami. If a Shinigami is possessing him, it would be normal to say a word or two to each other in three days. If they’ve decided not to talk to each other in public, then it doesn’t make sense that he pulled the notebook twice this week in front of everyone to kill someone. And then it’s strange that…”

“What is?”

“The Shinigami at L’s headquarters can be seen by the other members. That means that apart from Light Yagami, they’re also keeping a close watch on the notebook and the Shinigami. Obviously, L-Kira is not able to give orders or talk to Shinigami that easily. But judging from the fact that Kira probably got his notebook from L-Kira, then only L-Kira and Mikami should be able to see the Shinigami on that notebook.

“And if that’s so, why didn’t they get into contact with each other by using that Shinigami? It’s a lot safer than making contact through Takada, and if only the two of them can see the Shinigami, there should have been a way for them to get into contact.”

Naomi stretched her legs, careful to avoid the legos, and swivelled until she was laying on her front. “That also means the task force has touched the notebook.”

Rester’s knees popped as he got onto Near’s level. “Now that you mention it… But the only thing I can think of is that there are Shinigami that will work for you and those that won’t.”

“Yes. Or the members of the task force can see Mikami’s Shinigami too. Mello said that he’d seen a Shinigami. While he had his own, L’s investigation team must have had their own Shinigami as well. Mr Aizawa and Mogi have claimed to have seen a Shinigami that was different from the one that their headquarters. That could be possible.”

The monitors beeped.

“Gevanni?” Rester asked.

“Mikami’s talking to himself!”

“Huh?”

“Yeah, I’m wondering if he’s talking to the Shinigami. I’m too far away from him to hear what he’s saving, but I’ve been able to film his mouth as it moves. The footage is here.” Gevanni sent the footage to the monitor where everyone could see it. “It’s at the rooftop of the prosecutor’s office where Mikami works, during a break. Oh---he’s saying something right here.”

“Slow it down.” Rester leaned towards the monitors and read Mikami’s lips word-for-word perfect. “I guess he’s asking if it’s his Shinigami?”

“I see you aren’t a commander for nothing,” Near said.

“He seems to have reacted to the piece of paper to the bottom right of him.”

“He’s giving a small sigh.”

“He’s talking a little more from here. Give me a second, I’m going to zoom up to his mouth and slow down the footage.”

“That Shinigami… ever since he handed me the notebook, he hasn’t appeared…,” Rester said.

“Huh,” Naomi said. She pushed herself off the floor and into a squatting position.

“So there’s no Shinigami possessing Mikami at the moment.”

“But that makes me wonder if there’s a time limit as to when the Shinigami can appear to Mikami,” Naomi said.

“True…”

Near threw one of the Grim Reaper legos over his shoulder without comment.

“It makes things easier for our investigation if Mikami isn’t being possessed by a Shinigami. We may even be able to find proof from him that Light Yagami is Kira.”

“Yes…”

“Gevanni here. I’m at Mikami’s apartment. I’ve counted two surveillance cameras at the door to his room from my position. I’m assuming that the security inside is even tighter so even if I’m able to get inside, it’s going to be hard for me to remain unnoticed.”

“The tenants gotta be loaded if there’s security cameras everywhere,” Naomi said.

“Mikami makes 200 grand a year easily, not counting bonuses. Anyways, when he’s outside, Mikami just leaves the notebook inside his bag, so it’s not seriously guarded. But it would be undoubtedly strange if he did keep his guard up in public.”

“Commander Rester, I would like you and Gevanni to research Mikami’s behaviour patterns as much as possible, and look for any opportunity that might let us touch the notebook.”

“I thought you weren’t going to confiscate the notebook from him,” Rester said.

“Yes. I won’t use Mikami and the notebook as proof. The chances are that Mikami doesn’t have a Shinigami of his own, but we can’t be sure until we touch the notebook and monitor Mikami for several days. Of course, there’s a possibility that Mikami does have a Shinigami possessing him, and that the Shinigami will tell Mikami that we touched the notebook and have him kill us. But even so, from all the observation so far, it’s likely that Mikami’s Shinigami isn’t very cooperative with him.”

“So who’s going to touch the notebook? Me or Gevanni?”

“Well, since you’re his superior… Gevanni, I guess.”

Naomi cringed.

“I appreciate the support, Maki.”

“Yeah, no problem.”

“If there is no Shinigami possessing Mikami, then there’s a plan I’d like to see put into action. But if there isn’t, I’m going to have to make some changes.”

“Very well. I’ll keep my eye on Mikami.”

“Mr Aizawa. It’s been a while,” Near said.

“I believe what you said earlier. L and Takada have been seeing each other almost every night,” Aizawa said.

“I know.”

“What about this? The two are talking to each other via notepads. I left a mark on the notepads at the hotel, and…”

“Of course. As I said before, I know what’s going on. Kira is using the notepad to give orders to X-Kira through Takada. X-Kira being the person who’s doing the killings. Anyways, it’s commendable that you found this out on your own. But it does little for us unless you’ve found any actual notes.”

“I haven’t found them yet…”

“Then it means nothing. Those notes can be ripped up and flushed down the toilet or merely handed over to Takada to dispose of, since no one can search her bodily. In other words, there are a million ways to dispose of them.”

“You said that if we could get one note, it’ll be proof! I can talk to other members of the task force and have one of them hide inside the room once it’s booked. The wire detectors don’t react to people and I can pretend to have checked the place where the investigator is hiding. That way it’ll be possible to get one of the notes before they’re thrown away.”

“Mr Aizawa…,” Near said, “please stay out of the way.”

“What do you mean?”

Near underlined just why Aizawa intervening was such a bad idea.

“Unless they were to institute cameras in certain spots,” Naomi pointed out.

“But they run the risk of detection either way,” Near pointed out. “Obviously, all of your identities have been revealed to whoever is doing Kira’s killings. They know who you are. Kira probably has it set up so he can kill you all with the snap of a finger. The only reason you’re all still alive is because of me. There’s no other reason now that everything has fallen into Kira’s hands.

“Though, if you are able to get that notepad and are killed, I could use that as proof that L is Kira. But I already know that, so it’s useless to me. It’s not the way to go. If you do this, it’ll only allow Kira to move about freely, and it’s nothing but a headache for me. Even if Kira’s identity is proven to the world, most people are still going to take Kira’s side. And even if that happens, even I will no longer be a threat to Kira. Do you follow?

“Mr Aizawa, it’s not longer a matter of merely finding evidence that L is Kira. The only way to stop Kira is for me to completely defeat him and rub it into his face.” He held up his own lego figure. “Mr Aizawa, I’m sorry to say, but Kira doesn’t even consider the task force a threat. You’re not worth dealing with to him. He sees you as a bunch of flies buzzing around him.” Near took his Kira figurine and knocked down the task force’s lego models. “However, he’ll never be able to ignore me. That’s because, to Kira, I’m his current opponent in the battle for pride between him and L. The only way to stop Kira is for me to defeat him.

“Mr Aizawa, you and the task force are no longer a part of this battle. Please stay out of our way. This is the reality of things. However, if you still wish to capture Kira and continue to cooperate with me. Just keep an eye on him like you’ve been doing. That’s the best thing you can do for me and this investigation.”

“Just keep an eye on him…”

“That’s right. Anything more will just be a nuisance to me. The plan is almost set, and I do not want you to do anything that may disrupt it. Kira is also in the midst of coming up with a plan to defeat me. As such, any moves on your part will be a waste of time.”

“Are you saying that we’re of no significance now?”

“No. There is a significance in keeping an eye on L, and that is a part of my plan. And that is how I want you to cooperate with me in order to bring down Kira.” He lined up the figurines made of the task force. “Kira kills people without a second thought as if they were bugs, but it’s very likely that he will keep you all alive until time comes to fight face to face with me. I want you to see this through to the end, to Kira’s defeat.”

Silence.

“Mr Aizawa…?”

“Okay.”

She did feel for the guy. If someone said that she couldn't do anything of use, she'd be unhappy too.

December 31 Happy birthday, Raye, Naomi thought. Kira will go down and I’ll be thinking of you the whole time.

She held her phone away from her ear as Misa Amane screamed in the backseat of Lidner’s car. “She’s temperamental isn’t she?”

“Yup,” Rester said.

“I guess Kiyomi’s angry at me again, but this’ll teach her a lesson. She’s lost face now as the host of the show!” Amane said.

“Is the lesson going to be not letting her perform on NHN again?” Naomi asked, rolling her eyes.

“What is it, L?” Near asked.

“Mogi and Misa Amane have gone missing.”

“Yes. I’ve taken the liberty of bringing them into my custody.”

The task force began cussing Near out.

“What for?” L asked.

Near smirked. “Just to be on the safe side.”

Silence. Naomi was beginning to wish they’d put away their dicks and rulers.

“Near, kidnapping and confining people is criminal! Please stop, this instant!”

You sound like you’re chastising a child instead of trying to order Near to let your employee and one of your girlfriends go, Naomi thought.

“Well, Mr Mogi and Amane have agreed to cooperate with me. They won’t be staying with me, but you can talk to them if you want to. Should I connect you to them?”

“I must find out if they are safe, and if what you’re saying is true, then connect me to them.”

“Sure.” He patched L through to the mic in Mogi and Misa’s room.

“Mogi, Misa, it’s L. I heard you’ve been imprisoned by Near, but is it true that you agreed to it?”

“Yes,” Mogi said.

“Mochi said that it would be better for us to stay put until the whole Kira ordeal is over. If not, we might all be killed, so I’m fine with that. I just want to live happily with my boyfriend once Kira’s caught.”

Naomi’s chest panged. I wanted that too, she thought.

“Very well. If you two are fine with that. There are no problems, but please remember you can leave any time you want to. I’ll be switching back to speak with Near now. Near, I’ve talked with them, and I’m okay with everything.”

She ducked her head as she wiped her eyes. I don’t think Near’s too inclined to be asking for permission or your forgiveness.

“L, if I pose as you and announce to the world about the existence of the notebook and of my speculations on who Kira really is, a lot of people will probably believe me. If I do that, there are definitely going to be people who’ll try to kill Kira, but Kira isn’t going to just stand there and be killed. He’ll make use of his worshippers to try and stop that. I don’t want such meaningless bloodshed to occur. So I’ll bring this to an end by defeating Kira myself.”

L’s tone rankled. The condescension and babying she’d put up with for a long time, whether it was at a boss or coworker’s hands, and L was just another shitheel boss who thought he knew better than someone else of arguably more expertise.

“Near, your speculations are wrong. You mustn’t announce to the world what is a mere assumption on your part.”

“You’re right. I’m going to end this by pinning solid proof right in front of Kira’s face. But if my assumptions are wrong, then… Well, even if my assumptions are correct, but if I lose to Kira, then the world will no doubt be his. When that happens, Kira will kill me and all of those who are aware of the notebook’s existence. Only then is it a complete victory for Kira.”

“Near, the world is close to being Kira’s perfect world already, so we must capture him as soon as possible. That is the only point on which I agree with you today.”

“ … Anyway, it’s incredibly likely that Misa Amane was the second Kira who had the Shinigami eyes. Therefore, I’ve decided to keep her contact in case Kira wants to use her again. I intend to keep her here until the Kira incident comes to an end. Rather, until I give her permission to leave. L, I’m sure you’re well aware of the present situation even if I don’t say any more.”

The task force debated this current situation.

“Apart from the fact that he leaves his office at slightly different times depending on his workload, Mikami’s habits are completely fixed. He’s also a bit of a neat freak,” Gevanni relayed.

“And every Thursday and Sunday, he attends the gym from nine to 10:30 pm?” Near asked.

“Yes. I’ve become a member myself to do research on that. Ever since he joined four years ago, he’s been going to the gym on those days at that time. Near Year’s day 2006 was a Sunday, and he went to the gym on that day as well. The only reason I can think of for him to have picked a hotel gym that’s open all year is because he wants to go on those specific days at that time.”

“Then I suppose it’s safe to say that he’ll be going there on the 31st.”

Naomi clenched her teeth. She’d almost forgotten in the midst of all this.

“Well. Yes. I don’t see a reason why he wouldn’t. I don’t believe he’s devout Shinto or goes to the temples.”

Near paused. “Gevanni, is it possible for you to touch the notebook at the gym on the 31st?”

“I’ll probably be able to. The lock on his bag won’t be an issue, but the location may be… No matter, either way.”

“Have you checked on the security system at the hotel?”

“Yes. There’s surveillance cameras inside the hotel, but none in the locker room for obvious reasons.”

“Right. If Mikami is at the gym on New Year’s, touch the notebook. Takada will be hosting the show, but I’ll distract L just in case.”

“What are the chances that a Shinigami is possessing him?”

“I don’t believe there’s one near him, but I’m asking you to touch the notebook to check that. If there is one, then that’s that. I’m going to have to think of another plan. Even if you want to touch the notebook and don’t see the Shinigami, I want you to keep your eye on him for a while to be sure that there is no Shinigami possessing him.”

“But if there is, I’ll probably die, right?”

“Yes. If you’re scared, I can have Rester do it.”

“It’s all right. I’ll do it.”

“Please be extra careful not to be noticed by Mikami either.”

“Of course.”

“Mikami and Gevanni would have left the hotel around eleven, and then he tails Mikami back to his house. It should be about time for Gevanni to call us,” Rester said. He took off his suit jacket and placed it over the back of a chair.

“Ooh, I can’t do anything until they catch Kira… Why am I here anyway?” Misa Amane whined.

“I’m surprised you didn’t say 2300 hours. You’re supposed to be a commander,” Naomi said.

“Very funny, Maki.”

“I try.”

Near’s thoughts were somewhere else: “Misa Amane, the person suspected of being the second Kira by the first L…”

Rester said, “But she didn’t say anything even when she was confined for more than 50 days. I don’t think you can get any information from her. Anyway, we’re talking about a notebook that can kill people. It probably has powers beyond comprehension. Of course, trying to find that out is our job, but…”

“I know. I wasn’t expecting to get any new information from Amane. This is only so Gevanni will feel a little easier about touching the notebook and in case Kira needs her eyes.”

A notification went up that Gevanni was onscreen. “It’s Gevanni. How’d it go?”

“I’ve successfully touched the notebook. But I haven’t confirmed the presence of the Shinigami yet.” He checked his watch. “I touched the notebook at 9:09. Mikami returned home at 12:07 and I tailed him back to his house.”

“And during those three hours, you didn’t see the Shinigami, is that right?’

“Yes.”

“Please continue to keep an eye on him.”

“Okay.”

“Commander Rester, please connect me to Mr Mogi. Mr Mogi, do you remember the rules of death when Higuchi was doing those death meetings at Yotsuba?’

“The rules of death? That sounds scary…,” Misa Amane said. Naomi rolled her eyes. Of course, she’d been in the job for roughly a decade, she’s desensitized. Though if Misa Amane is the second Kira, she ought to be too.

“I disagree with you when it comes to your assessment of Kiyomi Takada’s assessment, but if you called Amane stupid, I wouldn’t disagree.”

“Mm.”

Mogi looked up. “I do. It’s been quite a while now, but…”

“In return for information on Mello, I was told by the new L about the rules written inside the notebook and about the rules of death. If a person is to die of an illness, unless it takes longer for that illness to progress, the notebook is able to control people for up to 23 days before their deaths. Is that right?” Near poked at his Mogi figurine.

“Yes. It’s not that we tested it out ourselves, but the killings at Yotsuba proved that.”

“Thank you very much.” Near shut off the PA and added, “Then let us consider the possibility that there is a Shinigami possessing Mikami’s notebook, and it has already told Mikami that Gevanni has touched the notebook. Hence, Gevanni is actually being controlled by the notebook to say that Mikami doesn’t have a Shinigami with him. So we’re going to face L if Gevanni is still alive 24 days from now.”

Naomi’s eyebrows shot up. That was a gamble that she considered the former and current L to make, not…

“However, Maki, I’m going to move the plan ahead under the assumption that he will still be alive.”

[txst-psf]

Welcome back!

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first blog post of the semester! While we enter into this new and very different semester, the PSF officer team is excited to jump back into our Zoom room and talk all things pagan and magical. Today, I wanted to pull some cards for some semester intention setting and talk about the actual act of it as well. Let’s jump into the reading!

I used a three card spread I found on Pinterest (link:https://pin.it/14pfnLw) that shows us what we need to know, where we need to grow, and what we can let go. I also pulled an oracle card to give us some focus.

What we need to know: Justice

The card Justice shows a very prominent theme that we have seen building throughout the year, and likely culminating with the election in November. It speaks on moral decisions and law and order, both mundane and divine. What seems clear is that we need to take our moral decisions more seriously and stay accountable for the consequences they yield. This card is heavily associated with the astrological sign Libra, which is known for social relationships and balance, showing an impact on people outside of ourselves. We will need to find a balance that works for us and others, in all areas of life, to bring harmony. I see this being particularly relevant to how it pertains to socializing, academics, and self-care. A great way to go about that is to find sensible boundaries. Know them and act on them accordingly. 

Where we need to grow: Death

Honestly, when I flipped this one, I had to laugh just because of the contradiction that we need to grow in death. This card is one of the most misunderstood cards in the whole deck by those who don’t read Tarot often. What I’m seeing is the need to transform and grow past our former selves. Much like a snake shedding it’s skin so it can continue to grow, we must transcend things in ourselves that we find restricting, like limiting beliefs and attitudes that keep you in a stagnant mindset. Holding space for this will be accompanied with growing pains. We may lose parts of ourselves and find that we are completely different from the people we began this semester as, but just as the sun starts to rise in the card artwork, this transformation will bring about new opportunities to bring us closer to our highest good. Death (the card) is associated with the astrological sign of Scorpio which links it to secrets and the inner world/underworld. It looks like this will be a great time to start some shadow work!

What we can let go of: Queen of Swords

The suit of swords is often associated with air and with the mind/thoughts, while the Queen is typically associated with water and feelings. She is someone who is articulate and analyzing. Normally, we are told this is a positive trait, but I think rationalizing our feelings can sometimes be to our detriment. This semester, let go of the habit that is over analyzing or overthinking your feelings. Some things need only to be observed and released, while persistent and prolonged emotions deserve more attention. This card is also referred to as the widow, being the only matriarch portrayed from her profile, looking like a ruler in action. Even though we are mostly virtual and avoiding in person hangouts, it doesn’t mean we have to be fully independent in everything we do. Find some ways to get social support! I know that PSF will be doing our best to get some social time built in virtually for everyone who wants to participate.

Focus: Truth

This is a good season to find and live your truth, whatever that means to you. While we have this abundance of time with ourselves, learn how to live with the person you are. Oftentimes, the beginning of the semester is met with auspicious goals that leave us putting personal development, in terms of spiritual and psychological wellness, on the back burner to tackle the semester ahead of us. This fall, focus on how to integrate your authentic self into your scholastic goals. How can you genuinely interact with the material you are subject to in class and find meaning that is applicable to your life? When can you hold space for yourself to rest when the burnout sets in? As the Northern Hemisphere shifts into darkness that comes with the Autumnal Equinox, we are called to find the place within ourselves that we call home. Make it comfortable and stay awhile. 

With this message in mind and Virgo season in full swing, now is a great time to set intentions for the semester ahead of us. Take the time to picture what you want your life to look like come December when final exams are over. Sure, we all want to pass our classes, be happy, and have a stable financial situation, but what does that specifically look like for you? Having detailed goals gives us a better framework to structure our time around.

Coming up with the nitty-gritty details of a goal is difficult but a good method for goal setting is to keep it SMART, which is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Yes, even mundane goal setting can be used for spiritual goal setting or intention making! Specifics make sure the goal is clearly written, for example, “I want to read more” versus “I want to read the Hunger Games trilogy”. The more specific you make it, the less ambiguity there is in how to accomplish the goal. Adding specificity also makes the goal easier to measure which deals in quantities like how many, how much, and how often. “I want to read three books” is better than “I want to read more” because you know exactly what successfully achieving the goal looks like. 

Two very important parts of goals are being attainable and relevant - both require self-awareness and reflection to determine. A goal must be possible to do or you risk setting yourself up for failure. You still want the goal to feel like somewhat of a challenge, but not so much that it is anxiety-inducing just to think about it. Relevancy makes sure that the goal serves a purpose and isn’t just something you feel like you have to do. Does this goal further you down a path you want to take? Will this goal be easily integrated into your everyday life because it is a skill or habit you want to use? This isn’t to say that you can’t have random intentions that are different from your usual interests, but you should have enough interest in them to follow through on the goal. This quality also establishes why the goal is important to you. It will keep you coming back to work on the intention. 

Being time-bound helps us measure our success and add urgency to accomplishing things. Few things are more motivating than a due date for college students. Some people work with a regular calendar, like days, weeks, months, or years. Others set their goals with the astrological calendar like by moon phases, sabbats, and certain astrological placements. If having an ultimate due date causes anxiety, the best thing is to break your goal down into smaller tasks and give them suggested due dates. For example, if I want to save $400 for holiday gifts, I may feel rushed to save it all up at the last minute, but if I give myself one month for each $100, I can have my goal in four months. It makes the intention seem much more doable and grants us a specific time to reflect on our process. 

This month, we will be talking about intentions and how we can work to manifest our goals. It is hard to be motivated in a time where we rarely leave the house and are still configuring our normal lives, but we can become our own motivator. Some of the days I’ve felt the sanest were the ones I spent working towards skills or knowledge I really wanted, both academically and spiritually. So we want you to think about something to manifest over this semester, big or small, magical or mundane. Let’s see what we can accomplish this semester!

[heartfeltheart]

Alchemy: Magic Vs. Science

Chapters: 22/25 Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist/Harry Potter Rating: T Relationships: Edward/Winry, Lan Fan/Ling, and May/Alphonse. Primary Characters: Edward Elric, Severus Snape Additional Tags: Crossover, Teacher!Edward, BrOtp Edward/Severus. Sassy beyond measure. Series: Part 1 of 9. Summary: Magic and Science, are they the same or are they completely different? It just takes one person to point out all up and downs. Along with breaking the stereotypes that come up with being a wizard, alchemist and most of all being human. Thank you, @amynchan! D/C: I do not own Harry Potter or Fullmetal Alchemist. Discord: La Red(Mesh Mash of… stuff.): https://discord.gg/KYjmVAb Alchemy Series: https://discord.gg/DejEYNJ

“English and Edward’s accented voice.” “Amestrian or another foreign language.” “Written notes.” ‘Thoughts.’ First Name: Informal Last Name: Formal (Or used to annoy others)

"Is he okay?"

"He's been like this for the past half month."

"I'm sure he's fine, could be that Professor Severus pulled a prank on him."

"No, impossible. Professor Flitwick was probably the one that pulled the prank on him."

"Even so, Mr. Elric never spent this much time complaining about it. He would get even."

A chorus of agreement ran through the Friday Alchemy class. Which counted being all thirteen students that are studying said subject. For the past half month, they had taken note at how their teacher has been moping around and grumbling under his breath in Amestrian. Whatever the reason for his behavior, it has to be something big.

Edward ran a hand over his face, mentally preparing himself what he is about to say to his class. He was about to announce something to them that will surely spread like wildfire. Even if he was not going to tell them, the old man was going to announce it to the school any other way. The main difference between what he and the Headmaster are that Edward is providing more detail on the matter. "Settle down everyone. I have an announcement."

Once everyone sat in their proper seats and giving the Golden Blonde their full attention, the announcement was made.

"Next week, the Emperor of Xing will be visiting along with a group of Amestris. The Mustang Unit, most of you already know... The reasons for them coming to Hogwarts has to do with politics and other random things that do not concern any of you for now. Emperor Ling main reason to come here is to see how magic works, the id... he is planning on creating a magical in Xing for his country. Don't be surprised if you see him wondering around once he gets them."

"What about the Mustang Unit, Mr. Elric?"

"Continuing negotiations with the Ministry of Idiots, I mean Magic... Plus, Xing and Amestris are in friendly terms. Plus... General Mustang, Doctor Marcoh, my brother, a Princess from Xing and a Mr. Scar will be giving the school a performance in alchemy..."

"They are going to perform Alchemy to the entire school?"

"Why everyone? No one else is learning alchemy but us."

"That's the problem, do you remember how many took the exam? How many of us passed? How many are there left at this point? People are degrading Alchemy for the fact at how Mr. Elric is presenting it. To get more people into it, there has to be some sort of show to get noticed."

"Exactly. That's it!"

"Or they are just coming to degrade Mr. Elric."

"That's a possibility too."

Edward slowly blinked at his class, he couldn't help but shake his head. They were coming up their own theories onto why his friends are coming to Hogwarts. Let thing think and wonder why they are coming. They'll see once they arrive.

-.-

Once Dumbledore announced the fact that an Emperor of far east is coming to Hogwarts. On top of that, a delegation will be coming from Amestris to act as a type of go-between for the Emperor and Ministry of Magic. What really got everyone's attention is the fact Mr. Elric is in charge of taking care of them once they arrive. It came into light that Mr. Elric is very deep connections to both countries to the point he could wave off the fact he knows an Emperor... by a first name base.

Nope. The Alchemy teacher is actually dreading the date that is quickly approaching for the fact he does not want any of them to come. He just does not like any of them in general, something about corrupting his students and taking them away from him.

-.-

"Oooooooohhhhhh! Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh! What is thaaaaaaaaaaaaat?" Emperor Ling Yao jumped all over the Headmaster's office, his expression completely transfixed at everything in the room. It was just so whimsical! He wants it all. The group he came with either shakes their heads at his antics, failing at trying to hide their smiles or just ignoring what he was doing. His group is comprised of Unofficial-Official Advisor/Bodyguard/Future brother-in-law Alphonse Elric, younger sister/princess of Xing/bodyguard/advisor Mei Chang, and the final one the Emperor's bodyguard/unofficial advisor Lan Fan. "Lan Fan! Look at it! It's so beautiful..."

Ling's attention is fully focused on Fawkes, the Phoenix seemed to enjoy the attention. The Phoenix took in the attention he was receiving from the Emperor of Xing.

The other occupants in the room are Dumbledore, the four Heads, the Minister of Magic Millicent Bagnold, along with other government officials and a couple of Aurors. They were either talking among themselves or paying close attention to the fireplace in the office. They are still waiting for the Amestrian diplomats or as Mr. Edward Elric calls them, Mustang Unit. The moment came to be when the fireplace grew and the flames changed color signifying the short arrival of the group.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Curse.

Curse.

Grumble.

Bigger thump.

Squeak.

Pain in general.

Several individuals dressed in blue uniforms fall out of the fireplace, piling one on top of another. The ministry officials and Aurors recognized said pile to be the same group of people that visited the Magical World previously. The only one that did not end up in the pile is Captain Hawkeye, she simply strode out of the fireplace and shaking her head at her team's antics. After her is a man dressed like a monk, a man dressed in a cloak with a hood that hide his entire face, and finally came out is Edward Elric himself.

The Alchemy teacher looked down at the pile with a snort, he grinned when he realized who is on the bottom of the dog-pile. He said something in Amestrian that sounded an insult that resulted with a grumble from underneath the pile.

"Is this everyone, Mr. Elric?" Dumbledore asked the young man, interrupting him from his possible argument slash fight.

"This is everyone that is supposed to come. Hope none of you mind I invited Dr. Tim Marcoh and uh... Jugemu-jugemu Gokōnosurikire Kaijarisuigyo-no Suigyōmatsu Unraimatsu Fūraimatsu Kūnerutokoroni-sumutokoro Yaburakōjino-burakōji Paipopaipo-paiponoshūringan Shūringanno-gūrindai Gūrindaino-ponpokopīno-ponpokonāno Chōkyūmeino-chōsuke... Scar for short." Everyone that did not know the man's name, sweat dropped. That was one hell of a long name and for it to be shortened to Scar? Well... could be for the fact the man has a scar on his face.

"I can't feel my face..."

-.-

General Roy Mustang is a shallow and self-absorbed man. An aura of selfish and narcissistic surrounds him and every word he speaks. Acts just as immature as Colonel Edward Elric. Pushes off most of his work to his Captain, Captain Riza Hawkeye, whom he flirts with every moment he has. (It seems to be one-sided...)

Captain Riza Hawkeye, quiet and collected, serious but courteous. Disciplined and rational, keeps her colleagues on track. Strict, rigid and puts fear into everyone that works with her. It notes her aliases, 'The Hawk's Eye' is just putting it lightly to her talents in marksmanship with her muggle weapon.

Captain Vato Falman remarkable memory.

Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc laid back...

Second Lieutenant Heymans Breda an imbecile.

Sergeant Major Kain Fuery weakest link...

Emperor Ling Yao is a right down childish, idiotic ruler by far we have ever encountered. Extremely easygoing and trust people far too easily, the only problem is his advisors and bodyguards.

Masked Bodyguard #1 keeps to the shadows or right by the Emperor's side at all times. A porcelain mask keeping their identity a secret and it appears they are acting as an advisor or secret keeper to the young Emperor.

Mei Chan is the seventeenth royal princess of Xing, younger sister of the current Emperor. It is noted by Colonel Edward Elric, General Roy Mustang and Emperor Ling Yao that she has a mastery in Alkahestry that rivals in terms of Alchemy. (Turn to page 5 to see what Alkahestry is.) She is currently teaching Alphonse Elric Alkahestry, continuing her mastery of the subject.

Alphonse Elric, younger brother of Colonel Edward Elric by just a year. It is heavily applied by Colonel Elric that they are on par in their Alchemy skills and helps with the Alchemy Curriculum. Something else worth noting is that he is far nicer than his older brother...

Tim Marcoh, a doctor.

.... Scar, a monk.

Dolores Umbridge rechecked her notes she created on the foreigners that arrived at Hogwarts. She is going to need every bit of information in order to go head to head to any of them. The only thing she ends up doing is adding more and more to her notes or revising them. The longer she spends her time with both groups, the Ministry Official wonders about the sanity of everyone. Her every attempt to question any of them are met with far too kind smiles or complete disinterest.

Every turn that was attempted to gain a favor for the Ministry, ended up backfiring. Speaking to the Emperor is like talking to a very, very...very... immature child. The only times he even speaks English is to ask random questions that did not pertain to anything to the negotiations. The only time he got serious is when he speaks to Mr. Alphonse Elric or General Mustang. The former of the two would translate everything for him and Dolores swore... the youngest of the two Elric's is the secret to securing Xing. Now if she could have the Amestrian's to stop blocking her way to him.

"Ugh... why did they bring the pink horror?" Edward grumbled under his breath, just loud enough for Ling, Roy, and Alphonse to hear him. The former of the two men snickered at his set of words, neither of them was fond of the walking pick terror. They would comment on how she looks like a toad, but that would be an insult to their friends that are chimeras. So, they are sticking towards a theme of her hideous wardrobe and sickly sweet words that makes them want to vomit. Oh, how people will act to gain a favor...

"Edward...Big Brother... be nice." Alphonse said warningly, all the while he had a smile on his face.

"Meh... you weren't there the first time I meet that... thing!" Edward pulled a face when he remembered the first time he first saw Ms. Dolores Umbridge. That isn't a pleasant memory to remember. "A warning Al, she wants to know about your exact connection to the Military."

Alphonse's nose scrunched up at his brother's words. Of course, people would want to know about his connection to the Amestrian Military. In Amestris and the Military itself knows that his only connection is his brother who is a State Alchemist. In Xing, it is more or less but that is less and less as time goes by. He made it a point that his only connection to the Military is his friends in said group and his brother. It doesn't control him or give him orders, hypnotically speaking. They could ask him or mention something here and there, but not order him as they do to Edward. "Now they are going to ask my connection to Xing."

"And what exactly are you going to say about that?"

Roy and Edward looked at Alphonse expectantly, waiting for an answer. Luckily for Alphonse, Ling answer it for him. Ling swung an air around Alphonse's shoulder and gave Roy and Edward a closed eye smile. "He's my advisor, bodyguard, future brother-in-law, confidant, best fri-"

"Wait..."

"What?"

Edward and Roy stopped walking and faced Ling and Alphonse. This caused everyone around to also stop walking and glance over at the scene before them. It appeared whatever the Emperor of Xing is informing General Roy Mustang and Colonel Edward Elric are giving them mini heart attacks and looks of complete shock. It didn't help how the younger Elric brother is trying to pull away from the Emperor.

"Marriage!"

"I feel so old!"

"Please let go of me..."

"Once Alphonse marries Mei, you and I are going to be brothers, Edward! Isn't that great!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Everyone stopped walking at this point and turned their attention to the eldest Elric brother. How said brother is now on his knees blubbering out words that no one could comprehend. It seemed to involved his younger brother and the Emperor of Xing. The only one that appeared not at all surprised by such behavior is Severus. He actually walked over and smacked Edward upside his head. "Behave."

Edward stopped his blubbering and glared at Severus. "You do not understand what is happening... In a couple of years... I will be related to this idiot. My brother is going to marry one of his sisters..."

By this point, Alphonse to make himself smaller and inch away from the upcoming questioning stares. Mei, on the other hand, is blushing heavily but made no way of moving from her spot. She has many sisters and Edward made no mention she is said sister.

"Alphonse is marrying a princess and Edward marrying his childhood sweetheart... You have to step up your game, Boss." Jean sniggered at Roy's look of astonishment and deep realization of several aspects of his life. "They're beating you to the punchline."

"I'm actually surprised Fullmetal did not attack tall, dark and creepy."

-.-

"Have you seen the visitors?"

"Yeah! The so-called Emperor of Ping? What a bloody joke!"

"He's a complete idiot!"

"Shhhh! Didn't you guys know? He has a guard that blends into the shadows and could pop out of nowhere!"

"Naw, that can't be true."

"Don't believe me, ask the Weasley Twins. They're still recovering from that prank they did on the Emperor of Xing?"

"Wait... is that why they are in the Medical Wing?"

"Yes, I was there when it happened."

".... Whoa..."

"I know..."

-.-

"He's so handsome!"

"His smile..."

"How is he even related to Mr. Elric?"

"I know! They act nothing alike!"

"They do have the same eye and hair color..."

"That's where the similarities end."

"I heard he's engaged..."

"WHAT!"

"NOO!"

"Why is it all the good ones are always taken!"

-.-

"She's is... Amazing."

"Adorable even."

"If only we could understand what she is saying."

"That only makes it even better."

"Everyone... She has a bodyguard."

"I thought only the Emperor had a bodyguard."

"The princess has a tiny rat bear cat thing, the demon thing bits or scratches anyone that comes their way."

-.-

"He looks like a potions accident gone horribly wrong, don't they have any sort of healers where they are from?"

"He looks terrifying..."

"Hah! He looks like a freak!"

"True! Hahaha!"

"Hey! Shut up! Don't talk about Dr. Marcoh like that!"

"Yeah, what are you going to do about it, Hufflepuff?"

"Oh I show you, you damn Gryffindor!"

-.-

Let it be noted... All of this occurred in the span of two days...

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[shawnpetermuffins]

No Prior Engagement

(The outfits in the photo are not what's described in the story, but I liked the picture.)

A/n: To make this easier to write, I'm just going to use places that pertain to me - make it less confusing when I'm writing and while you're reading. You can find the "next part" in my March Mendes Madness Masterlist under 03.25

Summary: this is what happened before Shawn's minor slip up at an awards show.

***

My phone buzzes on my desk and I sigh, looking up from my study guide. 2:32 a.m. my phone read.

Bubba 💞

"Shawn, it's late. Are you okay?"

"Let's get married," he says out of the blue.

"What? Are you drunk?"

"No," he answers seriously. "I just don't want to wait anymore. Why should we have to? We're in love, right?"

"Well, yes. But-"

"I want to marry you. Right now. I want a house with you. I want kids with you. I want us to make grocery lists together. And I was just laying here in bed and I realized how much it fucking sucks falling asleep without you. And I know that I can't be anymore in love with you than I am right now. I want to marry you," he says and takes in a deep breath.

I didn't know what to think. We've talked about this, sure, but it always for when I got out of school.

"What do you say, pumpkin?"

"I want all of that, too," I start. "But I'm still in school. We can't let our first year and a half basically be long distance - even more so than usual, it would seem."

He sighs, "I thought you'd say that. Which is why I should tell you... I bought us a house in San Angelo. It's on the lake, like you've always told me you wanted. I'm ready to move down there with yoh if you tell me that you'll marry me."

My eyes burn with tears, maybe because it was so late and I was running on a total of three hours of sleep, or maybe it was because of the craziness of his request. "You're sure about this?" I take in a sputtery breath. "Like you really want to marry me? You want to spend the rest of your life with me of all people?"

"I do. And I already asked your dad. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the idea of us doing this so young, but I promised it wouldn't interfere with your studies and that we'd stay here until you've graduated. He said that as long as you said yes, then so did he. So? What do you say, y/n? Will you marry me?"

I giggle - this time I know, for a fact, it's because of the absurdity of the situation. I'm talking to my boyfriend of three years at 2:30 in the morning, and he's asking me to marry him. I have an exam in two days that I should be studying for, but my guide sits abandoned on my desk while I pace the room back and forth. "This is absolutely insane. You know that right?"

"Is this your way of saying yes?" He asks, his voice hopeful.

I bite back the smile that transforms my face, "yes," I whisper.

His laugh is so soft and happy, and I blush because I made that laugh happen. "I'll make all the arrangements. Come Saturday afternoon, you will be my wife."

"Whoa. That fast?"

"Yes," I know he nodded on the other side. "I told you I didn't want to wait anymore. Now go get some sleep, you can study in the morning. Right now, though, I want my fiancé to be well rested."

I shake my head, "I love you," I say in pure bliss.

"Good night, future wife. I love you more."

"Good night, future husband. I love you most."

---

"You're sure you're okay with not having a huge wedding?" Shawn asked outside the courthouse.

I look down at my outfit, black shirt, cream skater like skirt - the bottom hem littered with flowers - And black stilettos that I was already ready to slip out of. I'd always imagined a big flowy white gown, but when I look over at Shawn - dressed in a white button up, a few buttons naturally undone, and signature black jeans and Chelsea boots. He looked perfectly content just like that and I couldn't ask for more. I didn't need the big fancy wedding as long as I had the man of my dreams standing next to me.

"I'm okay," I say finally, taking his hand in mine. "I just want to marry you already. I don't care how."

He caresses my knuckles and leans in to press a sweet kiss to my lips. I hum in acknowledgement and kiss back, placing my free hand behind his neck. "Then let's go do this."

---

Everyone we want it here. Our parents, siblings, Andrew, the band, my aunt and uncle, my two best friends, Josiah, and Brian. This is all I needed.

"Shawn, if you would..."

My beautiful boy clears his throat, "y/f/n y/m/n, I may not have known you my whole life, but it definitely feels as if I have. In these three years we've been together, I've watched you grow into this beautiful, confident young woman who I am so lucky to have by my side through my crazy, fast paced life." He clears his throat, shaking his head with a soft smile. "I never thought the day would come when I met someone who's soul matched mind. You're my other half, pumpkin. I know a million little things about you and I can't wait to learn a million more. I love you more than should be humanly possible. The way you do your nails every Sunday afternoon, like clockwork. How you scrunch up your face when you're annoyed. The way your laugh, when it's completely real, fills up a room with nothing but brightness."

I giggle through the threatening tears. Shawn wipes away the one straggler tear. "The way you'd probably rather do anything but watch Harry Potter for the hundredth time, but you sit through it anyway because you know it's my favorite. I'm just... I'm so in love with you and I want to spend the rest of my life proving that I am. You are my forever person and I wouldn't have it any other way."

He catches a couple more of my fallen tears and I melt at the soft gesture.

"Y/n?"

I take in a shuddery breath, "I don't know entirely what to say. I tried writing down how I felt about you a billion times. I tried writing these vows the second we got off the phone the other night. There are not enough words in the English language to tell you how I feel. But I know that my entire being is on fire with just the brush of your hand against mine. Shawn, I fell in love with you when all you were to me was an international pop star, who had no idea u even existed. I was about sixteen then. And then god put you in my path when I was seventeen and I haven't turned back since. When we met, I didn't meet Shawn Mendes: superstar. I just met Shawn: a regular guy just living his life. There was never this moment of celebrity to fan; it was instantly friend to friend."

He pushes a strand of hair behind my ear and I can't help but smile. "You make it entirely too easy to love you. And I do. More than anyone else in the world. I can't believe how lucky I was to find my other half at only seventeen, and to be standing here, three years later, completely giving myself to you. I love you more than you will ever know, bubba, and I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you."

---

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."

"Finally," Shawn mumbles, pulling me against his hard chest. His large hands rest on my cheeks and kisses me with so much love and passion. I laugh into the kiss and pull away. "You're my world, Mrs. Mendes," he whispers into my hair, holding me tight.

I bury my head into his chest, "I have never loved my name more than I do in this moment."

He hums, "I love you so much."

---

Shawn stands up, holding his wine glass. "I would like to propose a toast to my beautiful wife," he stops and smiles for a second. "Guys, I get to say that for the rest of my life. That's- wow, that's the greatest gift I could ever receive." The whole table awes, the women, of course placing their hands over their heart. "I just want to say that I am so lucky to have found you when I did. And even more lucky that you agreed to marry me. I fall more and more in love with you every day. Y/n, baby you are my biggest blessing, and I could not be more grateful for our time together. Now, let's go change your name to Mendes on everything."

We all laugh, but he I know he's serious. Bevause I've been thinking the same thing since I said 'I do.'

He leans down and pecks my lips gently. I hum and pull away as he sits back down. "You're the perfect human being," I whisper, taking his hand in mine. I bring it to my lips and smile at the single silver band that now decorates his left ring finger.

Brian stands next. "Well, I too would like to say a few kind words about the happy couple."

"Oh no," Shawn and I say in unison.

"Y/n, when you guys first met, I knew that Shawn had met his soul mate. It was undeniable, the chemistry between you two. Everyone thought you were moving too fast, and I hate to admit that for a second there, I thought so too. But then I realized, there was no other pace for you guys to go. And you couldn't be moving that fast, when it took six months for you guys to say 'I love you.'" I laugh at that. "Your relationship began at such an awkward time for the both of you. But you shoved any doubt that anyone had away and you powered through. And now here you are, three years down the road, married. I'm so proud to be able to call you both my best friends."

Everyone takes turns toasting us, and it's all beautiful, but I just really wanted to be alone with my husband.

A couple more hours pass before we're back in my car, Shawn takes my hand and just stares at it for a while.

"What are you doing, bubba?"

He looks up at my through cloudy eyes, "You're my wife," he says, barely above a whisper. "God, I'm so lucky."

"Shawn, are you crying?" I reach for his face with my free hand. His eyes are red as he stares at me. "Why are you crying, hon?"

"Because we're married. I'm married to the love of my life. I don't- I don't think I could ever be any happier than I am today. Today was better than any show I've ever played, any award I've ever won, and place I've ever been. Today is the absolute greatest day of my life."

***

I hope you enjoyed this fluff. Next and final part will be up on Wednesday!

Like, reblog, and leave feedback!!

[equalstrashflavoredtrash]

Study Buddies

a/n: random idea i had to get out of my head by writing down. heavily inspired by @honestsycrets and @lisinfleur recent 5 Crown Weekend.

warnings: high school au, dub-con (coercion), making out in the library, fingering

FF.net // Ao3 // Masterlist

Modern!Hvitserk X Reader // Vikings

word count: 1,734

(gif by @lisinfleur)

He was late. Well, of course, he was always late. You were foolish to think this one instance he wouldn’t make you wait. He probably got some satisfaction out of it, ambling along with the knowledge you were in the library, impatiently tapping your foot as you checked your watch.

Your teacher had assigned you as his tutor. Almost instantly you regretted volunteering for the the program once the name ‘Hvitserk Ragnarsson’ crossed her lips. Trying to keep a polite smile you accepted your fate and slowly made your way to the designated meeting spot in the library.

Eventually he showed up, explaining that he forgot his text book and his notes ...and his pen. So he sat next to you leaning over your shoulder to follow along with the diagrams you were explaining. He barely ever listened to anything you had to say and often interrupted you with random questions that in no way pertained to the subject at hand. Half of your time with him was spent redirecting the conversation back to the lesson.

This became a daily routine. He’d show up late unprepared and then annoy you at every chance he had. In class you had learned to tune out his occasional quips--as the class clown, he always had a comment to make--but now everything he said was directed at you and sometimes there was no way you could ignore him.

About two weeks into tutoring him, during an unseasonably warm fall afternoon you decided to shed your faithful hoody. Hvitserk was supposed to be filling out a worksheet when you tugged the too-warm fabric over your head and he made the unprompted comment, “You have a pretty nice rack.”

You face burned with heat as you disentangled yourself to shoot him a glare.

“I'm just saying you have nice tits, why you hiding them under frumpy sweaters?”

Fuming at the memory of his words you looked back at your watch and wondered where he could be. You were exactly where he suggested in the back of the stacks and yet he was not present. It was such a stupid deal, you never should’ve agreed, but he had tricked you.

“Let’s make bet,” he began, wearing his ever present smirk. “You think I won’t even get a C, right?”

You scoffed at the idea, “If that.”

“Ok then, here’s the deal: if I get a B or higher, I get to play with your tits.”

It seemed like such a stupid proposition and so easily in your favor, how could it backfire? You were well aware by now of his study habits and how much he understood the subject, it seemed like a sure thing. But it was your fault for underestimating a Ragnarsson.

There was already a crowd around the bulletin board when you approached that morning. Using your height to your advantage you wedged your way to the front, paying no attention to who you were pushing against.

You eyes easily found your own name, confirming what you expected--you passed with flying colors. Then you searched for his name. Resting your finger on the list you looked down the sheet till you touched the bold print reading Ragnarsson, Hvitserk. Dragging your arm to the right you followed the row to the final column.

PASSED

He couldn’t have.

Scanning back at the numbers, you quickly put together the scores and realize he had gotten a B+.

How could Hvitserk Ragnarsson earn such a high grade?

“Looks like I did pretty well, huh?” A voice spoke next to you. You whipped your head to the side, finding Hvitserk in the middle of the crowd to your right, you hadn’t even noticed he was there. “Guess I’ll see you in the stacks after sixth period.” With a wink he worked his way out of the crowd, leaving you standing there, dumbfound with one idea in your head.

He had cheated. You weren’t sure how but you know he had. Marching your way down the hall to the teacher’s office you went over your case in your head--you didn’t know exactly what he did but you were well aware enough of his study habits to know that he could not have gotten such high marks unaided.

“Mrs--,” you began as you entered the room when she cut you off.

“Just who I was hoping to talk to!” Your teacher seemed excited to see you, which threw you off kilter, chasing the matter at hand from your mind. “I spoke with Hvitserk earlier and he only had praise for your tutoring. He thanked me for pairing him with you, saying he wouldn’t have done so well on the exam without your help.” She smiled in a way that made you keep your mouth shut, scared to respond. “So don’t tell the administration but I’ve given you extra, extra credit. I know you only signed up for tutoring to put on your admissions, so I hope this helps.”

“Thank you ma’am,” You mumbled, unsure how to mention your qualms after such praise. Instead of bringing your suspicions forward, you chose to turn on your heel and leave her office, heading instead to face the boy that put you in this position.

You were pacing back and forth when he arrived. He just smirked, slowly approaching with his hands tucked into his pockets. The accusing words itched in the back of your throat but you couldn't bring them forth as he sauntered closer. Countering his movements, you backed away, not breaking eye contact until your shoulders butted against the bookshelf.

Hvitserk didn't say anything as he placed his palms flat on your hips. Slowly, he let his touch inch upwords, eventually catching the hem of your shirt. You gasped as his fingertips brushed against your midriff.

“Wait,” you hissed, grabbing his wrists before he was able to venture further.

He gave a slight laugh at your reaction, leaning in close before chiding, “Come on, you’re a smart girl. You didn’t really expect that I meant over the shirt, did you?”

You didn't respond with words, catching your bottom lip between you teeth. As his hands progressed you didn't fight their advancement. His thumbs rubbed along your ribs, just under the wire of your bra. You let out a shuddering breath, eye closed to avoid his smirk as your own palms rested on his biceps.

The entire expanse of his hand seemed to cover your breast, easily cupping them as he squeezed gently. It was Hvitserk’s turn to groan as messaged the soft tissue of your chest. His thumbs brushed over your hard nipples, teasing them before bring his index finger to pinch.

Certain you heard a crash, you whipped your head to the left, murmuring, “I think I hear someone.”

“Sure you do,” Hvitserk replied absently as he leaned in, bringing his lips to connect with your exposed neck. He nipped at the skin along your jugular as you whined.

“This wasn’t part of the deal,” you tried to state with a firm tone, but still your voice wavered.

Hvitserk ignored your words, shifting his arms to raise your shirt up, exposing your breast to the open air. Moving from your neck to your collar, he let his lips drop to your breast bone. He kissed and nipped at your skin while tugging the cups of your bra away, freeing your nipples. The way he handled your body made you blush--like you should be ashamed--but still you melted with every touch. Your mind was divided and the part that didn't want him to stop was winning out.

With a pop of his lips, Hvitserk released your nipple, abating his onslaught as you pawed at his shoulders. Rising up, he met your eye. His heavy breaths brushed against your lips before you leaned forward and captured his mouth in a kiss. This was not some caste, loving kiss, he didn't let it be as he pulled against you. Taking your bottom lip between his teeth, he nipped, distracting you from the way his palm slid down your belly and beneath your waistband.

By the time you had noticed and grabbed his forearm, his hand was already well nestled within your panties. Hvitserk’s warm fingers slid between your lips as your head dropped back, butting against the metal structure of the stack you were propped against.

“You like that?” He laughed, dragging the pad of his middle finger just to make you moan. “For someone so worried about being caught, you’re not very good at keeping quiet.” he teased in your ear, pressing harder to cause your voice hitch.

Shifting his arm he brought his touch to dance around your center. You grabbed his arm bracing yourself as his finger slid inside you.

“Want to know how I cheated?” He husked in a rasping voice, his lips tickling the shell of your ear as his hand began to rock inside of you. “It’s nothing elaborate.” Part of you wanted to tell him to shut up and focus on finger fucking you but you weren’t able to verbalize this request at the moment. “My brother took the class last semester. Turns out the professor doesn't write a new test every year.”

You gasped, pinching your eyes shut as he curled his fingers to brush against something wonderful inside you. There was a coil in your stomach that tightened with his manipulation. You felt like you were at breaking point when he admitted, “I didn’t need your tutoring, I knew I was gunna pass no matter what.”

The coil inside you snapped, and you came without warning, almost shouting with release if Hvitserk didn't muffle your noises by capturing your lips in a kiss.

Hvitserk chuckled lightly as he pulled away, taking his hand out of your panties as you tries to steady yourself on jelly legs. Your mind was still reeling, blind to your surroundings as you came down from your high when he spoke, “Next time you can play with me.” He brought your hand to the front of his jeans, leading you to cup something very stiff.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” you snapped, yanking your hand out of his grasp. “I still don’t like you.”

“Well, next time you feel like hating me, you know where to find me.” You rolled your eyes as he winked. “Until then, I’ll see you tomorrow for another study session.”

(i do have ideas for more parts if people really want it...)

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