#I hope you guys enjoyed the angst 🤪

[sunsetsandsunshine]

Hey!! For your next fic could you do Leo and Mikey angst

It came be 2012, MM or rise

~ 𝚈𝚘𝚞’𝚛𝚎 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚢𝚘𝚞 ~

💙🐢🧡 𝙵𝚒𝚌 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚢: @tmntalways 💙🐢🧡

·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚𝙷𝚒, 𝚃𝚞𝚛𝚝𝚕𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚍!!! 𝙸 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚜𝚘 𝚖𝚞𝚌𝚑 𝚋𝚛𝚘 ☹️💔…𝙸 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚊𝚍 𝙸 𝚠𝚊𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚝𝚎 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚛𝚎𝚚𝚞𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚗 𝚃𝚞𝚖𝚋𝚕𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝙸 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚜𝚎𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 💖💕💘💞🩷!!! 𝙰𝚕𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝙸 𝚍𝚘 𝚊𝚍𝚖𝚒𝚝 𝙸’𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚠𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛’𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 😅👍🏾! 𝙸 𝚍𝚒𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚛𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚝𝚎𝚛’𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍— 𝙸 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝’𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝 🫠…˚*• ̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*＊·̩̩̥͙

𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝙷𝚞𝚛𝚝/𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚜: 𝟹,𝟸𝟾𝟾

𝙻𝚎𝚎: 𝙼𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚢 🐢🧡

𝙻𝚎𝚛: 𝙻𝚎𝚘 🐢💙

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: 𝙼𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚢’𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐…𝚞𝚗𝚏𝚘𝚌𝚞𝚜𝚎𝚍…𝚞𝚗𝚘𝚛𝚐𝚊𝚗𝚒𝚣𝚎𝚍, 𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎…𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚞𝚗𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 '𝚞𝚗'. 𝙰𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚜𝚝 𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚒𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕? 𝙷𝚎 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜𝚗’𝚝 𝚔𝚗𝚘𝚠 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚜𝚎 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚐𝚘 𝚊𝚠𝚊𝚢…

𝚃𝚊𝚐𝚜: @shut-up-jo @someone1348 @saturnzskyzz

@savemeafruitjuice @rice-cake-teen10 @mistyandsnow

@skyloladoodles @itzsana-kiddingmenow @titters-and-tingles

(𝙰/𝙽: 𝚂𝚠𝚒𝚖𝚜 𝚒𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚜𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚊 𝚘𝚏 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝…𝚋𝚞𝚝 *𝙰𝙷𝙴𝙼* 𝚖𝚘𝚜𝚝 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚕𝚢: 𝙳𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚐𝚞𝚢! 𝚃*𝚌𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙺𝚒𝚗𝚔/𝙽𝚂𝙵𝚆 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐𝚜 𝙳𝙽𝙸!!!)

𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: 𝚂𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚍𝚎𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚊𝚌𝚌𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏-𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚘𝚛𝚝𝚑𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜, 𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝙿𝙻𝙴𝙰𝚂𝙴 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍 𝚊𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚔!!!

𝚁𝙴𝙼𝙸𝙽𝙳𝙴𝚁: 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗’𝚝 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝙰𝙳𝙷𝙳 𝚊𝚗𝚍/𝚘𝚛 𝚊 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚊𝚕 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚘𝚛𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚌!!! 𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚛𝚢 𝚒𝚜 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚜𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚎𝚡𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚒𝚝 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚖𝚊𝚍𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢 ☺️💞💗💓💕

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚𝙰𝚗𝚐𝚜𝚝 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 🕺🏾✨💞🎶˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙

Mikey couldn’t do anything right now. Like…anything.

Well…perhaps he was being a bit too dramatic. He was breathing. And he was fidgeting with his squishy cube. So saying he wasn’t doing 'anything' wasn’t entirely true.

Right now he just…couldn’t do anything…productive. 

For example, the box turtle tried making his favorite dishes and deserts! But that endeavor just ended up being a huge mess in the kitchen…and leaving the youngest turtle with a bunch of unappetizing food. 

Which he fed all to Raph by the way. 

Some would call that choice of action cruel but Mikey would just call it 'using his resources'. 

Besides, it’s not like the eldest minded at all. He said, and I quote: 'It has a nice…crunchy feeling to it. Did you put some of Don’s inventions in this?'

Which honestly got a couple of chuckles out of the smallest turtle teen of the bunch.

Then, Mikey tried skateboarding! But for once in all his 14 years of living…it was just utterly boring. 

And after all of that nonsense, Mikey then finally tried reading a comic…but he was too unfocused to even get to the second page…

But what was really new? Mikey could never focus on jackshit even if said jackshit hit him right in the shell. 

His brothers and sister would always have to remind him to stay focused or 'not do this' or 'not do that'.

For example, a couple days ago Donnie had to kindly remind the box turtle (well…as kindly as Donnie could be anyway…) to brush his teeth.

To. Brush. His. Fucking. Teeth. 

And honestly? Having to be reminded to do that was really embarrassing. And the orange banded teen knew his brother didn’t mean to humiliate him internally…but…yeah.

And it’s not like the softshell was wrong either! The youngest turtle just couldn’t freaking accept that he himself couldn’t do such a simple task in the morning. 

But literally every task he completely fails to do is just utterly simple ones!

Like cleaning his room or not forgetting things or even keeping track of time! 

…And the sad part about all of it was Mikey just honestly could not understand how his family haven’t gotten sick of his annoying tendencies…

And let’s be for real here…that was basically all of his tendencies. 

The box turtle groaned loudly in his room, slamming his whole body on his bed as he screamed into his pillow. 

There had to be something he could do instead of just wallowing in his own self pity…

And one of those options could not consist of bothering his family with his random bad mood. They had to put up with him 24/7…the least he could do was give them some space.

The youngest then glanced at his drawing notebook hopefully…

…One little sketch of something random wouldn’t hurt, right?

The amber eyed teen reached for his notebook, grabbing a pen from his drawer as he started to sketch his desk because why the absolute fuck not? Based on the objects he’s drawn in the past…sketching a simple desk should and will be easy, right? Right. 

That was until the orange banded teen’s pencil tip broke. But it was fine! He could just re-sharpen it, right? Right.

That was until the youngest realized he had absolutely no clue where his sharpener was due to the fact his room looked like a pig stie. And there was no way he was looking for it in…that whole situation. 

…The situation he created in the first place. 

Michelangelo layed on his bed with his face staring at the ceiling in frustration, he ran his fingernails along his arms, not making really deep cuts with them but going deep enough for it to hurt a bit.

Like a reasonable turtle would, Mikey should probably get one of his stress toys…or better yet, another pencil!

But let’s be for real here…he’d most likely find a way to fuck that up too.

Suddenly, there was a small, quiet knock on Mikey’s door but…in all honesty? He just wanted to crawl into his shell and sob for the next hour and a half. Letting out a niiiiice and quick 'come in' would take way too much energy. 

The box turtle let out a soft grunt, letting whoever was on the other side know it was a-okay to come in.

Abruptly, Leo peeked in the room, a wide smile plastered on his face as he closed the door, “Damn, Mikester…it looks like every single natural disaster went through your room…”

“I’m cleaning it.” The youngest grumbled to his brother.

“Really? You sure about that, little bro? Because if my memory serves me correct (which it in-fact does), you said that last week. And the week before that…and the week before—“

“I SAID I’M FUCKING CLEANING IT!!!” The orange banded turtle snapped, sitting up on the bed to glare at his immediate older brother before slowly realizing what he just did. 

The youngest’s heart dropped as he looked away from his brother. The orange banded mutant’s eyed widened as silent and small tears ran down his face. He covered his mouth as his other hand turned to a fist, his nails unforgivingly digging into his palm.

“I-I’m sorry…I’m s-sorry…I-I’m so s-sorry…!” He started, rocking himself back and forth before stopping as he was met with a warm embrace. Leonardo hugged him gently but firmly, rubbing the other’s shell in a comforting hold. “Woah woah…! Bud, you have nothing to apologize for…” The slightly older teen said as he rested his chin on the top of his baby brother’s head.

“L-Like h-hell I don’t. I-I just screamed a-at y-you for no reason…” Michelangelo wobbly said. “You were just trying to lighten the mood but I just had to make everything harder like I-I always do…!” 

“Mikey—”

“I-I always do this. I-I’m so f-fucking s-sorry Leo…”

“Mikester…I-I appreciate the apology but it seriously isn’t necessary—”

“You’re probably so sick of me and so angry at me. I-I’m sorry I just—”

“Mikey!” Leo gently yelled to get the other’s attention, squeezing the smaller turtle’s hands as he stared straight at him with pleading eyes. “Do I look mad?”

“…N-No.”

“Do I sound mad?”

“…No.” 

The second youngest sadly smiled, “So what are you apologizing for, hm?”

“…I-I…dunno…I-I just…I just felt I needed to apologize…” The box turtle mumbled as he looked at his hands. The blue banded turtle sighed, slowly getting out of the hug so him and his little brother faced each other. The slider rubbed the other turtle’s palm with his thumb comfortingly, “…Do you wanna talk about it, baby bro?”

The leader in blue was just met with silence…which he could honestly work with.

“Angelo…you know you can tell me…anything, right? Like…anything. Although, it doesn’t have to be me you talk to about it. It could be Raph or Don or April or even Dad or Draxum! I just…don’t want you sitting here and bottling up the way you feel…” 

Silence. Leo continued.

“You’re always there when we need you, Angel. Whether it’s to vent or to just ramble about shit, you’re just…always there. We don’t tell you this enough but we appreciate you always being someone we can lean on…”

Silence. Leo continued.

“But…you do know you can lean on us too, right? Comfort goes both ways and I can see you’re hurting, buddy. So please…if you need to talk to me…I’m right here.”

Mikey sniffled, squeezing Leo’s hand, “I-I d-dunno. Today is just…weird. This whole week has just been…weird.” Leo nodded, giving his brother his full undivided attention, “How so?”

“I just…haven’t been able to do anything…” The smaller teen admitted.

“What do you mean?” The taller teen inquired. 

“I haven’t been able to do…anything. Like, I can’t draw, cook or even skateboard! Me!!! Not being able to skateboard— isn’t that crazy?!” The amber eyed turtle laughed bitterly.

“And it’s not like I can’t do it. I’m perfectly freaking capable of doing it in the right amount of time I want but my brain just. won’t. let. me!” 

“I keep procrastinating and not doing the stuff I want to do and I have no idea why! I’m tired of just putting things off and being this way! I want to do things without having to ask you guys for help or to remind me or to relate it with a hyperfixation that I have!” Mikey hiccuped, a new wave of tears rolling down his face as his hands shook. 

The amber eyed teen sniffled, refusing to look at his immediate older brother at all right now because…holy shit he just overshared a whole lot…

Like…a whoooooooooole freaking lot.

“…That sounds like you.” Leonardo shrugged. 

In a state of just shock and confusion, the box turtle pulled his hands away from his brother, looking up at him as lime green eyes met amber ones. “I…what…?” Michelangelo murmured.

“I said that sounds like you.” Leo said again casually as Mikey glared at him, “Yeah. I heard what you said but that isn’t helpful.”

“I’m just being honest with you, Mikester.” Leo said, “Just…let me explain, okay?”

“…You have five minutes before I kick you out of my room.” 

“Deal.” The lime green eyed mutant commented, “You can’t draw, cook or skateboard right now. You’re procrastinating and not doing the stuff you want to do in the time you planned…is that correct?” 

Michelangelo sent deathly daggers to his brother— which the other wasn’t phased by at all. This time was probably the best time to crawl in his own shell and just sob his eyes out because what kind of dumbass question was his dumbass brother asking him?!

“…Yes.” The orange banded teen mumbled. 

“And…why are those bad things?” 

“WHY?!” The box turtle huffed out a laugh of annoyance, “Pfft— you’re asking me why. Maybe it’s because it’s annoying?! Maybe because it’s frustrating to deal with and I don’t want to burden you guys with my problems?! Maybe because I don’t want to fucking feel or be this way?!” The youngest shouted, breathing heavily as he finished his rant. 

The box turtle looked away again, silently cursing at himself for getting annoyed so easily. “Mikey.” Leo started again, “Your being too hard on yourself, okay? No one is expecting you to be at your 100% all the time.” 

“What you just described to me; you being able to not focus or you getting bored easily or procrastinating with stuff is…literally you. You’re just being you.” The slider explained as he held his baby brother’s hand in his. “And I get it. It’s hard to deal with it sometimes and it’s going to be hella frustrating. Like…super borderline frustrating. But you can’t shun them away and just…try to ignore them, bubs…”

“Let’s take moi for example. I’m impulsive, I talk loud and lose things daily. Those three things don’t make up my whole personality but it would be super weird and off-putting if I just…didn’t do or have those three things, right?” 

The youngest giggled wetly, “Yeah…it would. A-And by the way, I’m still waiting for you to find that glittery pen kit I gave you…”

Leonardo groaned loudly and dramatically, causing the other teen to giggle louder, “I’m looking for it, okay?! It’s in my room…somewhere.” The taller mutant mused, “But anyways…back to you. You procrastinate, you relate things to your hyperfixations and you can’t do some of your favorite tasks from time to time…those are some traits that make up you, is it not?” 

Mikey sniffled, rolling his eyes playfully due to the fact he knew damn well where this was going, “Yeah…” 

Leo smiled softly, seeing his younger brother was starting to get his point, “I wouldn’t change a single thing about you, okay? I know sometimes it’s hard to deal with the things you described but you have us for that.” He said as his smile turned to a grin. 

“You can come to me— to us— anytime. We love you for who you are…your flaws and all and we just…I-I need you to know that we love you so so much—!” The slider was cut off by a sudden abrupt embrace from the box turtle. The orange banded teen sobbed into the other’s shoulder, clutching the taller turtle like a lifeline. 

“T-Thank you…” The box turtle wobbly said through tears.  

“Of course, Angel.” Leo said as he hugged his baby brother back, “I love you.” He said as he kissed the other teen on the head.

“I-I l-love you too…”

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Tell your thoughts to shut up.” Leo said as he lightly poked Mikey in the forehead numerous times. The two were sitting on the box turtle’s bed just simply…relaxing and enjoying each other’s company. Michelangelo was sitting in between his older brother’s legs as he had his shell to his brother’s plastron.

Leonardo hugged his brother protectively, resting his chin on the top of the box turtle’s head. “What do you mean?” The youngest giggled out. “I can hear your thoughts, man. You’re not bothering me or disturbing me in any way, shape or form, alright…?” 

The amber eyed turtle nodded, squeezing Leo’s hand, “Y-Yeah…I know...” 

“I’m choosing to be here because I love you. I don’t feel obligated to be here, okay? You’re not annoying and you, neither your problems are a burden…okay?” The slider said reassuringly, “It’s okay to ask us for help…and we don’t mind reminding you to do things…okay?” 

“You’ve said ‘okay’ like, fifty times…”

“Mikey.” 

“Mhm…yeah yeah…I gotcha…”

The elder looked at his brother skeptically, resting his chin on his little brother’s shoulder so they made solid eye contact, “I want you to say it.” 

“…Say what exactly?”

“I want you to say that you are an amazing person and you don’t need to change a single thing about yourself.” 

“You are an amazing person and you don’t need to change a single thing about yourself.” Michelangelo grinned smugly. Leonardo glared at the youngest’s interpretation to his statement, “Mikey, you know exactly what I meant.” 

“I said what you wanted me to say…so…” The amber eyed teen trailed off.

“Michelangelo.” The slider said in a warning tone as he poked the other’s side. The box turtle squeaked at the unexpected touch, trying to stop his immediate older brother from doing it again but his brother had a strong but gentle grip on him…

Then the smallest turtle came to recognition that he was stuck in a potential tickle hug with no way out…

…How wonderful. 

“L-Leeheeo…doohoo nahat.” The orange banded mutant warned through his giggles, said warning not seeming too threatening due to the fact he was already laughing up a storm. The leader in blue raised a brow, poking the other’s side repeatedly, “I just want you to repeat what I said…in the first person.” The taller teen specified.

The smaller turtle squirmed in the hug, small frantic giggles pouring out of his mouth. This…really wasn’t how he was expecting his day to go. Just about an hour ago, he was wallowing in sadness about the stuff he hated about himself, to talking about it with his brother, to now getting tickled by his brother.

…So could he really complain about how things turned out?

…Yes. Yes, he absolutely could.  

“Leeheeon! Plehease dohon’t!” The youngest squealed as one of his brother’s hands hovered over his stomach. Mikey held onto the other’s wrists, trying to stop his elder brother from tickling him but his small attempts ending up to be all for nothing as Leo effortlessly tickled his stomach with one hand.

“LEEHEEHAHAHA!!” Michelangelo laughed wholeheartedly, swatting at his brother’s arms. The lime green eyed turtle cooed at the gesture, now using both of his hands to attack the youngest’s plastron, “D'aww…look at you giggling your head off~! You’re my adorable little bundle of amazingness, aren’t you~?”

The smaller teen shook his head, a faint blush appearing on his face, “STAHA— squeal N-NAHAHA!”

“What~? What was that?” The blue banded mutant asked as he kneaded the box turtle’s hips. “GYAHAH— squeal SHIHIHIT! COHOME OHAHAN!!!” The amber eyed turtle cried frantically as he kicked his legs on the mattress slightly. 

The youngest squealed with laughter, curling in on himself as he slumped in his big brother’s hold. Leonardo just sighed fondly at the action, wrapping the other in another hug as he raspberried his neck. “LEEHEEHEE!! PLAHAH— squeak NAHAHAT THEHERE squeak PLEHEASE PLEHEASE— squeak!!!”

“Not there~?” The elder lightly mocked, “What about…here~?” He mused as he used his hands to scribble all over the younger turtle’s ribs. Mikey cackled, shaking his head to try and at least subside the tickly feelings.

“NAHAHA— squeal AHAHAHA!! NAHAHAT THEHEHERE EHE— squeal EHEHEITHER!!! LEEHEEO!!” The orange banded turtle squeaked as Leo stopped for a second, “I’ve tried sooooo many spots, buddy! How many times are you gonna say not there, hm?”

Mikey genuinely squawked louder than a firefighter siren, squirming so much it looked like he was actually being electrocuted. “PLEHEHAHA LEEHEEO NAHAHAT THEHEHE RIHIHIBS!!!” He cackled. 

“Not the riiiibs~? Why~? Is it because it’s your tickle spot~? Your tickletickletickle spot~? Because you’re ticklish~?” Leonardo asked as he lightly nibbled the crook of Mikey’s neck. 

Michelangelo screamed in laughter, scrunching up his shoulders as he dug his heels on the bed, a couple of his plushies sadly falling on the floor (R.I.P. man…) “EEEHEEHEEP!!! S-STAHAP BEEHEEING MEEHEAN!” Mikey said as he thrashed on the bed. 

The slider said nothing, his hands sneaking up to the box turtle’s underarms. “AAAAHAHAHA! OHO NOHOHO— squeak SHIT! SHIHIHAHAT!”

Happy tears slowly begin to appear in the smallest teen’s eyes, he weakly hit Leo’s arms as a last attempt to be set free, “LEHEHEMME squeal GOHOHOHO!” 

“Ohonly if you sahay it, bubs.” 

“IHIHI— SQUEAK!! LEEHEEHEEON!!!” 

“Yeeeees, baby brother~?” The elder dragged out as he kneaded the other’s hips.

“IHI’LL SAHAY IHIHAT I-IHIHI’LL SAHAHAY IHIT!!” The amber eyed teen squealed. 

“And you promise not to be a sassy little shit about it~?” The older teen asked.

“SQUEAK YEHAHAHA— SQUEAK YEHES YEHES I-I PROHOHOMISE!” 

Leo stopped tickling his little brother, hugging him protectively as the youngest caught his breath slowly but surely. “W-Wahait…whahat squeak wahas ihihat yohou eeheeven wahanted me squeak to sahay again?” 

The taller turtle pondered for a bit, thinking to himself before loudly groaning, “That’s…a good damn question. I don’t really remember exactly what I wanted you to say in the first place…” The lime green eyed turtle sighed, “Forgetfulness at its finest...” 

The red eared slider adjusted himself, making sure the other was comfortable before starting to speak again, “Well…based on what we talked about…could you maybe just…y'know…” Leo gestured with his hands before groaning, “Do you get what I’m trying to say, man?” 

“…I thihink I have ahan idea…” Mikey giggled as he fiddled with his hands, “I shouldn’t beat myself up so much because of some of my traits or quirks. And I’m allowed to feel frustrated and/or upset because things don’t go my way because of them. But…I shouldn’t allow those things to put me down...”

Michelangelo smiled softly, rubbing his palm with his thumb, “They don’t define me as a person but they make me a person. I don’t need to be at my best 100% and I’m allowed to have bad days. And if things get too overwhelming or difficult I can just go to you guys.” 

Mikey hugged himself, letting out a small laugh as his happy tears welled up in his eyes, “I’m just…being me. And there’s nothing wrong with that.” Leonardo teared up at his brother’s words, hugging him tighter than he ever had before and burying his face at the back of the youngest’s head.

“Never forget that, Miguelito…never forget that.” 

·̩̩̥͙＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚��𝙸𝙽˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊·̩̩̥͙ 

(𝙿.𝚂.: 𝙸𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚎𝚗𝚓𝚘𝚢𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚌, 𝚙𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚐!!!)

[kookooluvr]

Teach Me How To Love - Part 3

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

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

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

rating: 18+ MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

word count: 6.7k

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

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

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

find tmhtl masterlist here

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Dammit.

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

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

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

Screw it.

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

"What?!"

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

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

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

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

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

"Wow."

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

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

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

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

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

"Still. It's progress, babe."

"Yeah, I guess it is."

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

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

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

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

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

"Nine point five."

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

You nod.

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

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

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

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

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

"No way, I can't."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

prof jeon [9:48pm]: aye-aye captain 🫡

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Not really, no."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"At what, kissing?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Don't tease, Kook."

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

"Just shut up and eat me out."

"Yes, ma'am."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Don't say that."

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

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

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

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

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

"That's the plan, yeah."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Wanna cum again?"

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

"Use your words, baby."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"H-how do you know?"

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

"Gonna...gonna cum-"

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

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

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

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

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

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

"He said you squirted."

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

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

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

"You look very pleased with yourself."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"What're you doing?"

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

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

"Is this...your sister?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

You chuckle, but you don't deny it.

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Well...goodnight."

"Night, Jungkook."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"You have a thing for her, huh?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Yeah."

"But it's not?"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jungkook sighs, nodding slowly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Tae-"

"Wrong time, my bad."

< Part 2 || Part 4 >

[mrworldwideshoulders]

all the wrong places || reader x myg

After getting separated from your friends during a night out, you get stuck with a hefty bill – one that you can’t pay. So when a handsome, emotionless stranger covers your tab in a random act of kindness, you’re determined to track him down and pay him back. inspired by 24K Magic by Bruno Mars.

‣ Pairing: reader x yoongi (dual pov; feat. JK and Jimin) ‣ WC: 6.1k ‣ Genre: slight angst, fluff, strangers to lovers ‣ Warnings: alcohol consumption, reader and jimin joke about her being an alcoholic 🤪 (psa fr tho, please drink responsibly), credit card debt, yoongi (gently) manhandles the reader, bouncer!jungkook and his tattoos, jeon jungkook being freaking annoying, unrealistic scenarios that could only happen in a fic (is it fate, or is it just fanfiction?), reader in her dumb bitch era (said lovingly) ‣ a/n: same yoongi from my fics bang bang and give me novacaine; different y/n tho. i’d def recommend checking those two out first (though for this one i don’t think you really have to unless you’d like more backstory). i like this fic a lot and i think it’s cute so i hope you enjoy it too! as always, bannered and beta’d by the amazing april aka @onmypillow-onmytable​, plus credit for the general idea of this story! 😘 thx! ly – robyn ‣ P.S. I do not own BTS, their likenesses, or the music of Bruno Mars, they just inspire me.

part of the 24k magic collection (masterlist)

This might actually be the worst night of your life. Or at the very least, one of the most embarrassing ones. 

Your friends, who were supposed to be splitting the bar tab with you, have all but evaporated into thin air, and you’re so far gone you can’t even remember when you saw them last. And it’s starting to dawn on you, as your credit card declines for the third time, that you may have overdone it – in more ways than one. Declining once, that’s normal. Two times, that’s just bad luck. Three times declined, however, that’s just embarrassing. If there were ever a time you wished you were more proactive about budgeting and keeping your credit card paid off, it would be now. It’s not the end of the world, of course. You just won’t get your credit card back tonight, and you’ll have to come all the way back over here to retrieve it at some point – after you go home and recover enough of your senses to pay off some of the balance on your card. But going without your credit card for any length of time makes you anxious for some reason, and having to come back over here just for that doesn’t particularly fit into your already busy schedule. 

“Are you sure you don’t have another card?” The bartender that’s trying to close out your tab looks at you pointedly as you’re rummaging through your bag. You can feel the weight of his judgmental gaze all over you.

“No, but, listen,” you ramble, face hot with a mixture of shame and too much alcohol. “I wasn’t supposed to be the one paying for everything. My friends, they stuck me with the bill, and I really need—”

“Sounds like you don’t have very good friends.” He stares you down unsympathetically. “Either cough up or get out.”

“Can’t you just…give me my card back?” you manage helplessly. You feel tears of frustration starting to form behind your eyes. “I’ll come back and pay you tomorrow. I’m good for it. Really. I just have to—” Rearrange my entire bank account, pay off my credit card, reevaluate my whole life, and promise to stick to a budget from here on out, no matter how much Jimin and Nayeon want to go out drinking. Yeah. That’ll last about a week.  

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” grumbles a low, irritated voice from behind you. You turn to find a man dressed completely in black, with dark eyes and an expressionless face shrouded under a heavy curtain of black hair. He hands the bartender a sleek black card. “Here. Will you leave her alone now? Go back to pretending to do your job or something.” Your eyes widen. Who is this guy? And what is he doing? 

The bartender eyes you sullenly and hands you back your card. You turn to the man to thank him, but he’s already walking away, being swallowed up by the crowd. “Hey!” you call. “Wait up!” You push clumsily after him, jostling people left and right as you try to catch up with him. He’s at the front door before you’re finally able to tap him on the shoulder. 

“Now what?” he snaps.

“I just wanted to thank you,” you say breathlessly, taken aback by his brusque reply. “For what you did back there. I can’t even tell you how much I appreciate it. I was about to cry because of that guy, and then you just appeared out of nowhere to save the day. You must be my guardian angel or something.” 

He lets out a bitter chuckle. “Trust me, I’m no angel.”

Your cheeks seem to flush all over again and you almost forget the other reason you chased after him in the first place. “Oh! Money! I can repay you.”

His face doesn’t change. “Don’t worry about it. It’s not a big deal.” 

“But…it’s money.” Your face falls in disbelief. “Of course it’s a big deal. And I don’t like owing people anything. Especially money.” 

“Well, I’m not big on people feeling like they owe me anything either.” He shrugs. “So consider it forgotten. And stop following me.” He pushes through the front doors and out onto the street. 

You start after him again, but you stumble on your way out the door, falling almost directly into the bouncer’s well-muscled arms, one of which is adorned in a full sleeve of tattoos that recedes under the sleeve of his black t-shirt. “Careful,” he says, steadying you on your feet. 

“Um – thank you,” you manage. “That guy I was following. Did you see where he went?”

“Down there.” He points you toward the taxi stand. “He’s not bothering you, is he?”

“No, it’s just – I need to talk to him, but he keeps running away from me.” You march wobbily toward the man from before. “Hey! You!”

He sighs resignedly and turns around. “Do you make a habit of following random men out of nightclubs?”

“Only when they do me favors and won’t let me pay them back.” You plant yourself in front of him, arms crossed. 

“Look, I told you not to worry about it.” He scowls. “Do you really want to do something for me? Go home, pay your credit card bill, and forget you ever met me. You’ll only hurt yourself if you don’t.” 

“Suppose I don’t want to.” You gaze defiantly into his eyes. “Is that a threat?” 

“No. It’s a warning. I’d listen if I were you.” A taxi pulls up, and he grabs you by the arm, firmly, but loose enough that you could break away if you needed to, and pushes you inside. “Go home.” The door slams, leaving him standing there on the sidewalk. 

“Well?” says the driver impatiently. “Where to?”

You stammer out your address, still too stunned to think about anything else. Who was that guy? And what was that about a warning? He doesn’t seem like a bad person – why else would he have paid a stranger’s bar tab? 

Forget you ever met me. You’ll get hurt if you don’t. 

Why did he say that? You don’t know why, and you’re still far too drunk to figure it out tonight, but one thing is for certain. 

You’re going to track him down. And you’re going to pay him back.

Jungkook whistles as Yoongi heads back toward him. “That was a close one.” 

“Too close,” mutters Yoongi. “She could have blown the whole thing.” 

“What did you do, anyway? Weren’t you supposed to be blending in?” 

Yoongi shrugs. “The bartender was harassing her about her tab and her card wouldn’t go through, so I paid it for her. She wanted to repay me.” He thinks back to the look on your face, like you were about to burst into tears at any moment. A strange, unfamiliar surge of protectiveness in his chest, one that he hadn’t felt since he’d recruited Jungkook all those years ago. ”I told her she didn’t have to, but.”

“Aww.” Jungkook slaps Yoongi good-naturedly on the shoulder. “See, hyung? You’re a good guy after all.” 

“Hah,” he scoffs under his breath. “No. I’ve just gotten soft, that’s all. I’ll probably regret it in a day or two. No good deed goes unpunished and all that.”

“You say ‘soft’ like it’s a bad thing.” 

“Maybe not, maybe so.” Yoongi sighs, running a hand through his hair. “We should get back to work. We’ll stick around here until closing, then debrief in the morning.” 

“All right.” Jungkook nods, resuming his post near the front doors, despite the sidewalk in front of the club now empty at one o’clock, an hour before closing. “I’ll be here.” 

Yoongi heads back inside, his head still filled with thoughts of you, that defiant expression on your face when you’d asked him what would happen if you refused to forget him. Anyone else would have just accepted this good deed and carried on as if nothing had even happened, or worse, they would have screamed at him, told him he was overstepping and a creep, to fuck off and leave them alone. Why hadn’t you screamed at him? He’d even grabbed you, a stranger – and a woman – by the arm to push you into the cab. Yoongi knew for sure he’d overstepped there. You just didn’t do that when you were a man, not in this day and age – especially not when you were a man with a past like his. Even someone as supposedly stupid as he was knew that much. Why, he wondered, were you so intent on repaying him? Had no one ever done anything nice for you before? Purely for the hell of it, never expecting anything in return? The two of you must have something in common, then. No one had ever done anything like this for him – with the exception of Hoseok – but that was different. Hoseok was his friend, for one thing, and didn't understand the concept of taking no for an answer. At least Yoongi knew to just say thank you and get on with his life, instead of trying to push it. A chuckle rises in the back of his throat before he can stop it, and he swallows it down almost as quickly as it came, shoving aside the thoughts of you along with it. 

He tucks his hands into the pockets of his jacket as he forges back into the depths of the club. There was something about you, something that made you want to insist upon repaying a random man that had just done you a favor, something innocent, idealistic, even, that made him want to protect you. Something that made him want to know you, even if it was only as friends, to explore your thoughts, to live inside your head for just a day, to find out just what, exactly, was going on in there. But he would never allow himself to get close enough to discover what that was – or risk you doing the same. Someone like him and someone like you – that could be dangerous. 

Especially someone like you. 

As it’s beginning to turn out, tracking down your angel in black – that’s what you’ve been calling him – is far easier said than done. Somehow you’d stumbled up to your apartment after the cab dropped you off, and from there you’d somehow managed to let yourself inside and fall face-first into your bed, where you’d slept soundly until late the next morning, awakening with a pounding head and a foggy recollection of the man from last night, convinced the whole thing had to have been a dream and that your credit card, at this very moment, was probably stashed behind the counter of that bar. Or so you thought, because it’s definitely there when you go to check your wallet. That man, the angel in black – he was definitely real – and that means his warning was real too. The only problem is…you don’t have his name, and the only thing you can remember was that he was dark-haired and wearing all black – which could be literally any man in Seoul. Now it’s Wednesday, a week later, and you’re staring at your screen, open to a browser window that’s now littered with the failed remnants of your search, and rest your chin on your hand with a sigh. Ugh, what was I even thinking? How am I going to find some guy on the internet when I don’t even know his name and I can barely remember what he looks like? Talk about a needle in a haystack. You’re supposed to be working, as in, doing your actual job, but you haven’t been able to focus all week, and you've been off your game since that night. 

“What are you so laser-focused on over here?” comes Jimin’s lightly chiding voice from over your shoulder. His sudden appearance makes you jump and knock your hand into your half empty mug, causing a small wave of tepid coffee to slosh onto your desk. 

“Damn it, Jimin, you scared me!” You hurriedly reach for the wad of napkins you keep in the top drawer of your desk. “Don’t sneak up on me like that. You know I startle easily.”

“Sorry.” Jimin grins mischievously and leans in to take a closer look at your screen. “Y/n, are you seriously still looking for your mystery man? It’s been a week. You know, if he wanted you to find him he would have at least told you his name. Or slipped you his number. He was probably just being nice. People do that sometimes. Like on those hidden camera shows where little kids will ask you to help them cross the street or tie their shoes. Just accept it and move on already. He’s clearly not that worried about it. You said he had a black card, right? That kind of money is probably nothing to him.”

You finish mopping up the coffee and heave another sigh, sitting back in your chair. “I know It’s stupid. And I’m definitely wasting my time. But he saved my ass in a really big way. I can’t just move on like nothing happened. There has to be some way for me to pay him back. And besides…” You debate whether you should tell Jimin what he told you before he shoved you into a taxi. “He told me to just forget I ever met him, that I’d get hurt if I didn’t. I know it’s a bad idea to keep looking at this point, but you can’t just say something like that and expect me to forget about it. It only makes me want to find him even more.”

"That’s a weird thing for anyone to say," says Jimin, leaning against your desk, "but I suppose that's your choice, even if I do think you’re only setting yourself up for disappointment." 

"Thank you for the vote of support." You run your hands backwards through your hair and hum thoughtfully. "I guess I could always not pay my credit card bill and hope that it summons him out of the abyss to save my ass again." 

"Then he'll think you're trying to scam him instead of repaying him.” Jimin pats your shoulder. "Cheer up, y/n. Maybe you'll find him. Maybe you won't. But we've got a meeting about the new skincare line in about…" He checks his watch. "...two minutes? And they'll kill us if we're both late so maybe put a pin in that for now?" 

Of course, your actual job, the main reason you're able to have a credit card in the first place. "Shit, you're right. I completely forgot about that." You stand and gather your meeting materials into your arms. "What would I do without you, Park Jimin?"

"Mm, probably lose your job?" He straightens up and smirks. 

"Mean." You slap him lightly on the arm. "I wouldn't even be looking for this guy if you and Nayeon hadn't ditched and left me with your billion dollar bar tab." 

Jimin chuckles. "Okay, true, but need I remind you that you were responsible for most of it anyway?" He makes a tutting noise as you're walking down the hall. "Honestly, it's unnatural how much alcohol you can put away.”

"Please," you scoff, pushing open the door to the conference room. "I just have a high tolerance. It takes practice. You’ll get there one day."

“God, I hope not.” Jimin looks horrified at the prospect. “No offense.”

The meeting drags on, well into the afternoon, and your mind continues to wander in the direction of your angel in black, no matter how hard you try to pay attention to the subject at hand. Normally you’d be rapt with attention – skincare is your area of expertise, after all, and it’s been your dream to work at a cosmetics company ever since high school – but for the life of you, you just can’t seem to shake him from your memory and focus on your work. 

Wait. The bouncer. He was standing there the whole time you were arguing with the guy. That sleeve of tattoos was pretty distinctive-looking; you’d definitely remember it if you saw it again. It would be way easier to find him than the guy in black. And he works there. He’s more likely to be there than the other guy. Maybe he remembers something you don’t. 

As soon as the meeting ends, you hurry back to your desk, intent on getting all of today’s work finished by the time it hits six o’clock so you won’t have to work late, and spend the rest of the afternoon in a state of hyperfocus, only noticing that time has passed when you see that most of your coworkers are getting ready to leave. “Jimin.” You sidle up to him as he’s shrugging into his coat. “What are you doing tonight?” 

“Probably just going to head home and—” He stops and narrows his eyes. “You’re up to something, aren’t you? Is this still about that guy?” 

“I was thinking we could go back to that club,” you say earnestly. “There was this bouncer outside, and – well, I don’t really remember what he looked like either, but I’d know him if I saw him. I’m sure of it. I want to ask him if he remembers anything from last week. Maybe he knows something about this guy.”

“Y/n, it's Wednesday." Jimin says. “That place is going to be dead. I doubt anyone will be there, let alone your mystery man.” 

You make your best pouting expression. “You’ll come with me, right? For moral support?” 

“Fine.” Jimin sighs. “If it'll get you to stop fixating on this guy, I'm all for it. But you're buying me dinner.” 

You throw your arms around him. "Jimin-ssi, have I ever told you you're my favorite person in the whole wide world?"

"On multiple occasions.” He smirks. “This is the first time you've ever been sober, though." 

“Wow. See if I ever buy you dinner again.”

The club, as Jimin predicted, was nearly empty, with only a few clumps of people dancing here and there, a handful of people at the bar, and a completely different, tattoo-less bouncer working the front door, who seemed to think the man with the tattoos was a temp. 

“There’s nobody like that working here!” he bellowed back to you, over the thumping music. “Your guy’s probably a temp!”

“No, I’m positive!” you shouted. “It was here. I tripped going out the door and he caught me. I’d know him if I saw him. Are you sure?”

“I’m sure!” he said. “Would you mind stepping away from the door? People are trying to come inside.” You didn’t hang around much longer after that, figuring that if neither the bouncer nor your mystery man were there now they probably wouldn’t be there later either.  

“Well, that was a bust,” comments Jimin, once you’re back in a cab on the way home. 

You blow out a frustrated breath. “Yeah. Sorry to drag you all the way over here for nothing.” 

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” he says. “That’s what friends are for, right? At least I got dinner out of it.” 

“Ha, ha, ha.” You roll your eyes. “I knew I should have just waited ‘til the weekend. I was just so excited to test my theory that I jumped the gun a little.”

Jimin frowns. “Don’t tell me you’re planning on making another special trip back over here to look for this guy.” 

“Well…I was.” You turn to look at him, taken aback. “Why shouldn’t I?” 

“Y/n…” Jimin sighs. “I'm your best friend and I love you, but…don’t you think you’re going too far with this? You don’t think maybe it’s time to move on? I mean, what if this guy really is dangerous, like he said? What if you get hurt?”

You scoff a little. “Would a dangerous person really come right out and say they’re dangerous?”

“Yes. That’s absolutely what a dangerous person would say. Please let this go, y/n. I’m begging you. For your own good. The universe will forgive you this one time for not paying that guy back.” 

"I know, but…" I won't. You sigh. "One more time, Jimin. I have to try one more time before I can tell myself I did everything I could."

"Okay. One more time." Jimin's face softens. "But I'm going to hold you to that. No more midweek club nights, internet searches, whatever. You have to let this go because it’s weird that you’re still hung up on this."

"I promise. One more time, and then no more. If I don't find him this time, I'm done."

"Good. Be careful, okay?"

"When am I not careful?" Your best friend raises an eyebrow and squints at you with the most skeptical of sideways glances, probably armed and ready with at least a dozen examples of how you’ve most decidedly not been careful in the past few years you’ve known each other. "That was rhetorical, Jimin. Drop the judgy look, please."

“What judgy look?” he demands. “This is just my face.” 

“Uh-huh. Sure.” 

If Wednesday night’s visit was bad, then Saturday’s is even worse. It’s crowded, almost as crowded as it was the very first night the man in black saved your ass, with barely any good vantage points to park yourself and people-watch in hopes of catching a glance of your mystery man. You should have taken the other bouncer’s inability – or reluctance – to tell you anything about his tattooed coworker the other night as a warning – because it’s obvious that no one else is going to tell you anything about him either, for one reason or another. You’ve asked bartenders, waitresses, anyone who looks like they work there, and all that’s gotten you is in trouble with management. 

“We’re not allowed to give out that kind of information about our employees.” The manager’s eyes narrow. “Stop nosing around before you get yourself banned. Permanently.” With one final scowl he stalks off.

I guess that’s it, then, you think. You let out a sigh as you sit back down at the bar. God, what was I thinking? I never had any chance of finding this guy, not in a million years. Jimin was right. Why did I drag this out so long? It's time for me to move on. As soon as I finish this drink, I’ll walk out of this club and I’ll never think about him again. I’ll go home, and I’ll catch up on all that work I’m behind on because of him. No, I’ll get ahead. Yeah. That’ll show them. Part of you wants to feel relieved, but the realization only makes you feel dejected. Damn. I really wanted to meet him. You get to your feet, and collect your things, taking one last glance around the room. 

That’s when you see him. 

Your angel in black, drinking whiskey in the corner. Same black suit, same heavy bangs, same blank expression. Right as you’re about to leave and never look back, you just happen to see him? It’s too coincidental to be anything other than fate.  

You draw a deep breath, steel your nerves, and march up to his table. “And to think I was just going to walk right past you and out of this place forever. It's almost like the universe wanted us to meet again." You pull out the chair across from him and sit down. “You know, I never did catch your name.”

“That’s because I never dropped it,” he says dryly. “What are you doing here again? Didn’t I tell you to mind your own business?” 

“What, can’t a girl drink where she likes anymore?” You lean in. “Who says I’m here to mind your business? I’m busy minding my own. Which, as it turns out, happens to involve you – and making sure you get something in return for covering my ass that night. Thank you, by the way. You barely let me get it out last time.” 

He scoffs, sitting back. “I told you to forget about it. I didn’t spot you because I expected you to pay me back.” 

“Why did you do it, then?” You cock your head to one side. “There must have been some reason you felt like rescuing a damsel in distress. Nobody does anything without a reason.” 

The question seems to catch him off-guard for a moment, before he quickly regains his composure. “Why does it matter?” He stares down into his glass. “You don’t know anything about me. I could be dangerous for all you know. Like I've been trying to tell you this whole time.” Dangerous. There’s that word again.

“Well, you can’t be all that bad, or you wouldn’t have helped me out. And besides,” you muse, “if you were going to do anything to me you probably would have done it already.” 

“Suppose that’s true.” One side of his mouth twitches, almost imperceptibly. 

“Then again, maybe it is like you said. Maybe you aren’t a good person. But I don’t think that necessarily makes you a bad person. And I don’t think you would have done anything to me, even if you did have the chance. Which you did, the other night.”

A hard laugh escapes from his lips. "Clearly you haven't been listening to anything I've been saying. Because you definitely wouldn't be saying that if you really knew me.” 

You purse your lips thoughtfully. “Well, you know, I have this theory. Everyone has a color, right? Some people you can just tell whether they’re one way or another, black, white, whatever. But you…well, I’ve never met anyone like you before.”

“Hah. I’ve heard that one before.” The man avoids looking at you and stares down at the table, features set in an unreadable expression. “So, what color am I, then?” 

“Mm.” You grin. “First impression? Silver.” 

“Silver, huh?” He smirks. “Why silver?” 

“On the surface you’re a very gray person. Kind of an enigma. You’re not black and you’re not white, you’re somewhere in between, which makes you gray. But on closer inspection, anyone can see there’s something different about you that sparkles a little bit. Something that shines.” His face doesn’t move. “It’s just a theory, anyway,” you say hastily. “I’d have to get to know you a little better before I could really say for sure.” 

“What makes you think that’s going to happen?” An eyebrow quirks just slightly.

“Hm. You seem like the type who would have gotten up and left already if you weren’t at least a little bit interested in me, even if you came off as rude. And you’re still here, so you must be somewhat intrigued, right?” 

“That’s a compelling theory – but you're wrong. I might be an asshole but I'm not that kind of asshole.” He leans back, an arm draped over the back of the booth. “Anyways, before I answer your question, let me ask you one of my own: why are you so hellbent on paying me back to the point where you thought you had to track me down?” 

“You know, I’m not sure myself.” You rest your chin in your palm. “It just feels like the thing to do, that’s all. Most of the time strangers tend to either ignore me or glare at me when this kind of thing happens. You probably think I’m a mess. I know I do. I also know from experience that I can only ever count on my friends to have my back, so imagine my surprise when you, a random stranger, had my back the other night. You did something only my friends ever do for me.” You shrug nonchalantly. “And I always repay my friends.” 

“All right,” he says after a moment. “I won’t say I’m not at least a little impressed that you even found me. And now that you have…I’m guessing you’re not going to leave me alone until I give you what you want.” The whiskey swirls in his glass, resting in one long, slender hand. “Which is?”

“Dinner,” you say, boldly, without hesitating. “Or drinks, at least. I know I probably can’t afford what you’re used to. Obviously, considering the other night…but let me treat you sometime. Just to say thank you. Honestly, I’m a great date. Really. Or I should be." You sigh. "I've been on a lot, so I've had plenty of practice. But I promise I’ll make it worth your while. I even paid off my credit card. Just for you.”

He releases a resigned sigh and sets his glass down. “Okay. Say I agree, even though you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into and I definitely shouldn’t indulge you any further than I already have. Will you stop following me around if I do?”

“That depends. Are you going to ghost me as soon as it’s over?” 

“Now that,” he says, “depends on whether or not you’re as good of a date as you say you are.” 

“Oh, I’m positively delightful. Excellent conversationalist. Top-notch table manners. I won’t even stick you with the check this time. Best night of your life, guaranteed. Or top-ten, at least.” 

He pauses, looking like he might regret what he’s about to say. “Fine. We can have dinner. On one condition.” 

“Oh? What’s that?”

“You really have to stop following me around.” His expression turns dark. “It’s not a good idea for you to get involved with me. You could get hurt.”

“This again?” You sigh. “Let’s just see how dinner goes, and then I’ll decide if you’re worth any more of my time.” 

“You’ll decide, huh?” He eyes you. “You don’t even know my name.”

“I don’t know your name yet,” you correct him, “and that’s only because you haven’t told me what it is.” 

“Yoongi,” he says finally, after a moment of hesitation. A tinge of amusement plays across his features. “Min Yoongi.” 

“Yoongi,” you repeat. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Yoongi. I’m Y/n. Y/n L/n.” You extend a hand across the table. 

“Y/n,” he says, giving your hand a firm shake. It’s cool and dry, and you spot the barest remains of a scar on his palm as he pulls his hand away. “Only time will tell whether I’m going to be able to say the same for you.”

“Mm.” You shrug. “I think you’ll be surprised.”

“Like I said.” Yoongi gets to his feet, taking his glass with him. “Anyway. I have some business to take care of. Can you get out of here on your own, or are you going to be needing my help again?”

“I’ll be fine, but – wait, I didn’t give you my number. How are we going to get in touch?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He looks down at you and smirks, the unmistakable hint of a sparkle somewhere in those soft, dark eyes. “You seem to think we’re fated, so I’m sure we’ll run into each other again if we’re really meant to. We’ve exchanged names now.” Yoongi raises his glass slightly. “You can find out a lot about a person from just a name.” 

“Hey, wait a—” Yoongi is gone before you can finish your sentence, swallowed up by the dense crowds of the club. “He still didn’t answer my question,” you mutter. 

But despite all that – you have a hopeful feeling about the whole situation. 

"Yoongi," you repeat. "Who are you, Min Yoongi?"

The silence in Yoongi’s office the next morning is nearly palpable, the air between him and Jungkook filled with the sounds of clicking keys as they’re finishing up their paperwork on the case at the club. Even without looking he can sense the younger man eyeing him over the top of his laptop screen. Yoongi heaves a resigned sigh. “Spit it out, Jungkook. I can practically hear the gears grinding inside that giant head of yours.” 

Jungkook stops typing and leans forward, grinning in a suspiciously sunny manner. “I was just noticing how good of a mood you’re in today, boss,” he says. “Better than you’ve been in months.” 

"Bullshit I am." Yoongi’s eyes don’t move. “You're imagining things." 

“You are too!” Jungkook insists. “I told you good morning on my way in and you didn’t even tell me to stop bothering you and get to work.” He squints at Yoongi. “You said it back to me. And you weren’t even being sarcastic about it.”

“So I said good morning to you. Once. Big deal. I’ve been known to be cordial every once in a while, haven’t I?” 

“But you’re never cordial with me,” insists Jungkook. “You're cordial with clients. And people who are gonna give you money. Normally it’s all grunts and scowling when you talk to me. Something good happened last night, didn’t it? I saw you chatting with that girl, the one you paid the bar tab for last week. She managed to track you down, huh?” He’s not going to let this go easily. He’s like a dog with a chew toy whenever he finds an interesting enough tidbit to hang onto. 

Yoongi suppresses a sigh and presses his fingers to the sides of his temples. “Yeah, and? What are you getting at?”

“Oh, nothing.” He plasters an innocent-looking expression on his face. “She went through all of that trouble to track you down when most people would have just let it go. She must like you. Seems like you like her too.” 

Yoongi snorts. “Y/n? Flighty, irresponsible, doesn’t even know her own limits, so impulsive that the first thing she thinks of when a man does something nice for her is to follow him out into the street y/n? No way in hell.”

“And you, a guy who’s so cautious, practical, and down to earth that he never does anything without thinking about it for weeks?” notes Jungkook. “All I’m hearing is that you’d be perfect for each other. Opposites attract, you know?”

“The worst thing she could do would be to get involved with me,” Yoongi scoffs. “Trust me. It’s not happening.” He rolls a pen back and forth in his hand. “It’s not like that, anyway. She said she’d leave me alone if I let her do this. She doesn’t like me, she just feels like she owes me. That’s all. I’m just humoring her so she’ll leave me alone.”

“Uh-huh.” Jungkook smirks. “You do like her, don’t you?” 

“I didn’t say that,” grumbles Yoongi. “Why don’t you mind your own business for once?” 

“In case you’ve forgotten, hyung,” says Jungkook, still grinning, “you left me in charge of minding your business for the past six months. You know, while you were off the grid camping in the middle of nowhere?” 

“Yeah, and I’m starting to regret it,” he mutters. “Humor me and let it go. It’s too early for this shit.” 

“All right, fine.” Jungkook turns his eyes back to his screen, but it doesn’t last for long. “So when are you going to see her again?” 

“We didn’t set a firm—” Yoongi’s eyes narrow, pinning Jungkook with a searing glare. “Hey. I’ll fire you if you don’t watch yourself.” 

“Ah, go ahead and fire me, then,” Jungkook says cheerfully. “I’d like to see how well you manage without me covering your ass.”

Yoongi flings the pen in his hand across the table, aiming for Jungkook’s head, who easily dodges it. “Aish, you’ve gotten cocky since I left. I managed just fine on my own before you got here, thank you. You were the one who came bitching to me about how much you needed me to come back, weren’t you? This case that you just couldn't handle by yourself, even though you've probably handled about a dozen of the exact same type of cases all by yourself?”

“Come on!” snorts Jungkook. “We both know you were ready to come back. I just needed to make you feel good about yourself so you’d actually get off your ass and do it. You should be thanking me, hyung.”  

“Thanking you?” demands Yoongi. “What the hell should I be thanking you for?”

“I think you know.” Jungkook’s eyebrows dance suggestively, eyes twinkling. “Y/n – she’s pretty, isn't she?”

“That’s it. You’re getting demoted.”

“Okay, okay.” Jungkook falls silent suddenly before he speaks again. “I missed you, boss. Good to have you back.” 

“Ah, shut up,” Yoongi snaps. “And get back to work. These reports aren’t going to write themselves, you know.” 

Jungkook turns his attention back to his computer screen again, eyeing Yoongi’s scowl with a knowing smirk. Yeah. He totally likes her. 

©2023 by mrworldwideshoulders || series masterlist || collection masterlist || my masterlist ||

[joels-shitty-puns]

The Key To Your Heart - Track 7

Pairing: Pedro Pascal x Musician!Reader

Series Summary: After writing your feelings for Pedro into a song, it gains a lot more popularity than expected. Ultimately it brings both criticism and support, with new possibilities around the corner.

Series Warnings: 18+ only (MDNI). Fat shaming, name calling, kissing, angst. Mentions of food, weight loss, weight gain, dieting, weighing, potential eating disorder, food guilt. Potential for puns/dad jokes (name of my blog, and the fic) should give that away. This is my first fic which should be its own warning, lol. Also some cursing. Mentions of masturbation (f) maybe more smut later idk. Sadness, reader is pretty depressed. Poor body image. Rude people. Bullying-ish and just lack of support? Anxiety. Age gap! Reader is in her mid 20's, Pedro is current age (48).

Other stuff: Reader is plus sized. AFAB. Inexperienced. Also has a dog, but you can pretend it is another creature probably. Further, in case it isn't clear, italics almost always are the reader's inner thoughts!

Word Count: 6.6K!!!

Series List: Here!

Miss last chapter? Here!

Hi guys! I'm so sorry this took a little extra longer than usual. I've had a lot of ideas for this chapter for a long time and I struggled with putting it all on paper. I'm also on vacation 🤪 but I really wanted to get this one out there, especially before Halloween. Also I'm sorry if the spacing and stuff is crap, I did this from my phone/iPad while falling asleep at 3:30 AM. Hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading!

__________

You awoke with a start, your alarms blaring through the bedroom. Giving the snooze button a smack, you reach across your mattress, touching the sheets to find the other side of your bed empty.

It was still warm, but missing the actual body that you fell asleep cuddled next to. Blinking your eyes a few times, you called out into the bedroom. "Baby?"

You climbed out of bed, making your way down the hall to the living room, where you finally saw him on the couch. Sound asleep, eyes gently closed, a soft snore passed from his mouth. At the sound of your footsteps, he opened his eyes, giving a big stretch and wagging his tail.

"Good morning Skippy, my little sunshine! I missed your cuddles this morning. Why'd you move to the couch?"

He looked at you and yawned, his eyes closing once again. You giggled and headed for the shower to get ready for another day. Some of us have to actually work and get stuff done in this house!

_____

The day at work was busy, leaving little time to chat with Pedro. You couldn't help but smirk to yourself as your coworkers buzzed about your new album freshly released the day before. They still hadn't figured it out, but you decided you would continue to let it be your little secret a bit longer. They didn't need to know. Just you and Pedro could share this for now.

On your lunch break, you finally opened your phone to find a few text messages from him. "Good morning! I had fun video chatting with you last night. I'm so glad we listened to your album together, and it was nice to finally get to see you." His message made your heart skip.

Second text from Pedro: "Hey, I hope work is going well for you. I was thinking, maybe if you'd like, we could chat again later? If you don't want to video chat anymore, no pressure, but I enjoyed it and thought maybe if you wanted to, we could."

You replied. "Hey P! It's been a crazy day :) but a good one. Especially waking up happy after enjoying a lovely evening. I would really love to video chat with you again too."

Pedro breathed a sigh of relief at your answer. He couldn't help but feel nervous to ask you, despite having just video chatted last night, and he also didn't want to make you feel pressured; especially with someone as private as you are. But with your response, he smiled as he felt his stomach fill with butterflies at the thought of seeing you again.

_____

Later on, after work, the two of you were texting and deciding on the time to video chat again. However, before you called, Pedro texted you again. "Hey, I had a question for you, but I didn't want to ask it over the phone or video call and make you feel pressured. But, there's this Hollywood Halloween party coming up in a few days. I know you still want to keep your identity, but I thought if you'd like to, each guest is allowed to bring a date, and I thought you could mingle a little with some other musicians and actors. I can just tell people you're one of my friends from a set if you don't want to give your real name. You don't need to tell them anything you don't want out to the public. Plus I would love to spend some time together in person too, if you want to. I know it's a lot, so if you would rather not go, I understand. But I'd love to meet you."

The idea of going to a party filled with other celebrities, AND Pedro, had you filled with mixed emotions. Nervous. Excited. Terrified. Love-sick. Hesitant.

After a bit of thinking,you decided, and the answer seemed obvious from the start. The party sounded terrifying, and was completely unknown territory. But you also knew that if you didn't go, you'd surely kick yourself and regret this chance forever.

Finally you replied. "Okay! I'll go. I'd love to spend time with you, too, Pedro. Thank you for inviting me."

He replied again: "Really?! So, will boo be my date? 👻"

You: "That was a little too.. (candy) corny. I may have to ghost you. 🎃"

Pedro didn't miss a beat. "Okay, you're driving me batty. 🦇 Want to call and talk about our costumes?"

Oh shit, I forgot about costumes.

The two of you chatted, easily falling into the comfortable conversations you always do. Fitting together like two peas in a pod. Even though neither of you were dressed up fancy anymore, it didn't feel like you had to be someone else, or dress up. Things were comfortable. Easy.

Pedro suggested a matching costume, which made you want to scream and pace through your living room. Unfortunately, due to your camera situation, pacing and screaming would surely cause some alarm. After dancing around things like pirates, ketchup/mustard, and movie characters, you finally had an idea and suggested Cinderella and her prince.

"It just feels kinda fitting you know? Nobody knows who I am, but I go out for once, I meet this prince, and he lets me have this fun night. But then at the end of the night, everything goes back to normal, and I'm unknown again."

Until he eventually can't stay away and they both fall in love and live happily ever after… but that's neither here nor there. Totally not my intention.. pffft…

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. Should I send a carriage?" He joked with a wink, but you could tell he was a little bit serious. You couldn't help but feel like he would have reserved a carriage ride in a heartbeat had you said yes.

"Absolutely not. Way too big of a scene," you laughed. "In fact, I actually have work that day. Would it be possible for me to just meet you there after I get off work? I can just take an Uber across town. My work isn't too far from the party and I'm sure parking will be a mess."

Pedro agreed, although he felt bad you'd be taking a ride-share service alone and continued to offer a ride if you needed. He also felt a bit disappointed he wouldn't get to have any time alone with you beforehand, but he wasn't about to tell you that detail.

Either way, the two of you agreed on your plans, and as the days led up to the party, you grew more and more eager. You also felt more and more dread in the pit of your stomach.

But this will be good. It has to be. Right?

_____

The night of the party came quickly.

You got off work, took a quick shower, changed into your costume, did your hair, and added a little bit of makeup. The costume felt silly, but you kept telling yourself it was Halloween and everyone would be in costumes. Plus, you have a handsome prince waiting for you inside. As your mind and heart raced, the Uber driver pulled up to the curb, dropped you off, and you were met with a line to the entrance.

The line to the party was lengthy, filled mostly with eager fans, paparazzi, and journalists hoping to gain entry. Occasionally you'd see a celebrity pass by, but they were quickly ushered in once they were recognized.

You, however, were unknown by all. So you stood in line, surrounded by others who hoped desperately to meet their favorite celebrity. Not unlike yourself.

Having finally made it, you sent a quick text to Pedro. "Hey! I'm here :) sorry I'm late."

Your stomach twisted in knots. Sure, you were excited to meet Pedro. Especially with as much as the two of you have been talking over the past couple months now-

Geez, has it really been months?

But despite your connection, you still had that nagging self-conscious worry that he might not like you. Maybe he's just been talking with you to be nice, and the second you're together in person he won't give you the time of day. Maybe he will find you boring in real life. Maybe he will think you're ugly. Or weird. Or fat. Or -

"Next!" The bouncer at the door yelled after sending yet another hopeful fan away. Your stomach dropped and your mouth was dry.

"Hi, I-"

"NAME?" He barked, clearly done with this whole event.

"Well, actu-"

"Speak up princess, I can't hear ya when ya mumblin," the man said with a thick New York accent.

You cleared your throat. "Actually my name isn't on the list, I'm a guest of Pedro Pascal."

The man, towering over you, let out a bellowing laugh. "YEAH, I'm sure ya are, toots. You and every other woman in this joint."

"But I-"

"And trust me, I've turned away much prettier broads than the likes a' you at this doorway," he said while looking you up and down with an amused look as if he had just told the punchline at a comedy club.

Your heart sank. You always said things like that to yourself on the inside, but it wasn't often that people were that blunt to your face.

The man sneered while smacking his gum and arrogantly moving it to the other side of his mouth with his tongue. That gum. You wanted to punch him if you had to hear him smack it one more time.

"Back a' the line, kid. Y'ain't gettin' in here tonight, but I appreciate the self-confidence," he said, laughing at his own joke.

Disheartened, you didn't even care about meeting Pedro anymore. Your mood was dampened, your ego was hurt, and all you wanted to do was go home, get out of this stupid costume, and cry on your couch. With a short nod, you bit your lip to choke down the tears, turned, and headed towards the exit.

"Hey!!! There you are- wait where are you going?"

You'd recognize that voice anywhere. Pedro.

You turned around, swallowing down your emotions and putting on a fake smile, despite the wave of hurt and anxiety pooling in your stomach and chest. "Hey, Pedro! You found me."

Pedro smiled at the guard and snuck past, telling him "hey, she's with me." Fans in line squealed, which he greeted with a kind wave and charming smile. At last, he reached you and gestured for the two of you to head inside to the party. You gave a nod and a small, half-hearted smile.

You didn't want him to know how upset you were. Not only did you feel pathetic and slightly agree with the bouncer, but you also didn't want to ruin Pedro's night.

As the two of you entered the crowded party, you looked around at the decorations. Filled with purple and green lighting, the Halloween music blared and monsters danced the night away. A bowl of green punch sat on a table to the side, surrounded by bowls of candy and platters of snacks. An open bar was on the back wall, providing both normal booze, and Halloween themed drinks topped with gummy worms or syrup made to look like blood. To the right of the bar was a door to the large rooftop balcony which held tall, dark-green potted hedges, perfectly trimmed and shaped underneath rows of charming fairy lights. Beyond the shrubbery, the deck had several nice patio tables and chairs, a few people catching their breath outside or chatting, and a gorgeous view of the city below with the sparkling sky above.

Back inside and off to the right of the patio door, away from the dance floor, was a door which you assumed was the restroom, based on the long line of women.

"I'd like you to meet some people, if you feel up to it," Pedro yelled to be heard over the booming music from the dj.

"Okay!" You yelled back.

He led you over to a couple of people off to the side of the dance floor, one you recognized as his friend Sarah Paulson, who was dressed in a shimmery witch costume.

Pedro introduced the two of you. Sarah was very sweet, and while you talked music and acting, Pedro touched your shoulder and spoke into your ear to avoid yelling. "I'm going to grab a drink, can I get you anything?"

"I'll just take a soda, thanks!" Although some alcohol might help your nerves, you wanted to maintain a clear head and maybe not do or say something to Pedro that you might regret.

"You got it," he replied, turning on his heel towards the bar.

Once he had left, Sarah gave you a look.

"What?" you laughed.

"You know, he talks about you all the time. I know you already love some other guy based on that hit song of yours, but I gotta say I think he might be smitten with you."

"Oh please, no he isn't. We're just friends!" You smiled at the idea, but inside, you kept hearing the bouncer's words on repeat. There's no way Pedro could have feelings for you. Even if you wanted him to have those feelings more than anything, it couldn't be.

"Whatever you say," she said with a smirk.

A pause before she added "just… don't hurt him. I know you love someone else, but he's a good guy," she pleaded, letting her protective side show.

On his way back from the bar, Pedro ran into Oscar, whom he tagged up with and headed back to your small group. "This is my friend Oscar," said Pedro, introducing you to Oscar as his friend.

Friend. Remember that. Friend. That's all. All you'll ever be.

"Nice to meet you Oscar!" You gave him a cherry smile.

"Nice to finally meet the woman of the hour! Pedro here just won't shut up about you," he said with a smirk, looking at Pedro mischievously. Pedro blushed and looked into his drink cup, taking a sip while trying to hide himself.

"Yep! It's always 'she said this, she said that, can you believe she can do that? She's so smart, funny, sweet…' yada yada yada," he said, smirking again and taking a side glance at Pedro, who choked on his soda. "Shut. Up. Oscar." He quietly threatened through clenched teeth. But despite his quiet tone and a loud party, you heard him.

I mean, I say kind things about my friends that way sometimes. It's nice he's so appreciative of his friends. Because that's what I am. A friend.

Sarah chimes in. "That's what I was telling her! But she claims they're just friends," she air-quotes around the words 'just friends.'

Pedro's heart sank. He knew deep down that's all you were to him, but hearing it second-hand from you still hurt. Just friends… he thought.

"Yeah right," Oscar rolled his eyes, talking to Sarah as if the two of you weren't standing literally right next to them.

"Believe what you want Oscar, but it's true," Pedro answered with a shrug.

Now it was your turn to feel heartbroken. Just friends… you thought.

You cleared your throat, "anyway, I'm going to go get another soda. Can I get anyone anything?" They all answered no, and you headed for the bar.

Deep in your thoughts, you walked over to the bar when a woman slammed into you. She spilled her red, bloody Halloween cocktail drink all down the front of your costume. "Watch where you're going, fat bitch," said the woman, appropriately dressed in a devil costume, her skin-tight red dress barely covering her ass and breasts.

You sighed. At this point you decided to skip the refill and head toward the bathroom to clean up your now wet front. You looked back to see the devil herself headed right towards Pedro's direction. Typical, you thought with an eye roll. She wants him and is mad I was talking to him.

You turned away from that scene and reached the line to the bathroom. It was lengthy, but luckily it was moving fast. Once inside, you finally could let your emotions out a little bit. You wanted to put on a brave face for Pedro and not ruin his evening, but ever since the bouncer made his comments, you couldn't get them out of your head. And now with that woman spilling her drink on you, you had another reason to be upset. You felt undeserving to be here to begin with, and their comments really solidified the imposter syndrome.

Despite wanting so desperately to see Pedro in the flesh, you hadn't even been able to really make eye contact all evening. Your nerves about meeting him were still there, but now you were just upset about the whole night. Even though you wanted to look at him, really see him, you felt like you didn't deserve it; and your nerves warned you not to look or else he'd figure you out.

If he realizes I like him, it's game over. It'll be like that guy I liked before. He'll eventually say it's weird. Weird for me to have a crush on him, weird for me to touch him, weird for the two of us to talk about relationships or sex. It's 'weird' with you.

You really started to hate that word; weird.

Perhaps you were destined to be a single hermit forever. Or maybe just become a nun.

Cleaned up and having let enough tears out for a couple more hours, at least until you could go home and really cry, you walked out of the bathroom. Heading back toward Pedro, you saw a tall, thin, beautiful woman wearing a tight black dress with a slit down the thigh and skeleton makeup on her face.

The woman was standing close to Pedro when you saw her touch his bicep. Slowly running her hand down his forearm, she batted her eyelashes and twirled her hair with her other hand. She said something to him you couldn't hear, but the two of them began to smile, Pedro's eyes growing wide with his grin. He said something to her and they both laughed, him throwing his upper half forward in a classic Pedro laugh.

That's it. I can't do it. I can't be here and see this.

Turning on your heel, you made for the patio door. The crisp air hit your face, urging the tears to fall immediately.

_____

Pedro laughed as the woman, Tricia, held up both hands in defense. "I SWEAR, Pedro. That's what she did. She touched my arm like that, twirled her hair, batted her eyelashes, and said "hey baby. Come here often?"

Pedro laughed, "oh man, that's so cheesy."

"I know!" Tricia laughed, holding her stomach.

Pedro raised an eyebrow. "Okay, you agree it's cheesy, yet I feel like every time I've seen you two together tonight, you're the one that can't keep your hands off of her," he stated with a sassy smirk.

"Alright, you caught me," Tricia replied with a laugh, right as her girlfriend Sam walked up in a matching skeleton costume. Sam handed Tricia a cup of purple liquid and asked what they were laughing about.

"I asked how you two got together," Pedro replied with a chuckle.

"Oh, gosh, I can only imagine how she's spun the story this time!" Sam replied with an eye roll and a quick kiss to Tricia's lips. Seeing the two love-birds kiss made Pedro long to experience that with you.

Where did she go? There's no way she's still getting a drink.

He excused himself and headed towards the bar, but you weren't there. Then he walked towards the bathroom to check the line. Nope.

Finally he looked to the left and saw you, leaning against the balcony which overlooked the city.

He pulled the sliding door open, slipping outside into the cool October night. The patio was mostly empty, apart from a few stragglers on the far side of the rooftop, sitting at the patio furniture underneath a heat lamp. Most of the guests had gone inside when the temperature began to dip. He walked towards you, saying your name to gain your attention, but you didn't turn. Too deep in your thoughts.

"Are you okay? What are you doing out here all alone?" He touched your shoulder gently.

Startled, you tried to quietly sniffle and wipe your wet eyes without him noticing, careful to avoid smudging your mascara.

You turned to face him, planting another fake smile on your face. "Yeah I'm fine, just needed some air, that's all. You?"

"I can tell you're not okay. What's wrong?" He frowned, stepping closer to you and eyeing the red stain on your dress. Confusion laced across his face.

You stepped back a half-step away from his touch. "It's nothing, it just seems it isn't my night I guess… but you look like you're having fun. Get back in there and dance with Sarah and Oscar," you said with a gentle smile. "I think I might head out. Skipper is probably wondering where I am, anyway."

"I'm sorry you're not having a good time. Let me at least give you a ride home," he pleaded with his brown eyes. This was the first time all night you had actually made eye contact with him, finally seeing just how handsome he really was in person.

Yeah. There's no way he'd go for me. That's for sure.

"No, no please, you stay, I'll just get an Uber. It's fine! Thank you for inviting me tonight though, Pedro. That was really sweet of you."

"I'm not letting you take an Uber home when I'm right here."

"No, dont. I don't want you to miss the party…" you added.

"I've partied enough tonight. Come on, I'm taking you home. No arguments," he pressed, puppy dog eyes unwavering in his demand.

Seriously this man could get away with murder the way he looks with those eyes.

"Okay. Fine, if you really don't mind," you finally agreed, not that it was even an option.

He gave a quick explanation to his friends with a brief wave before the two of you headed out the front door. You scowled at the guard as you walked past.

Thanks for ruining my night, asshole.

After receiving his car from the valet, Pedro pulled open the passenger door for you, gesturing for you to climb inside.

Nobody has ever opened the car door for me before, other than my dad.

What a gentleman...

Just because you were upset didn't mean you weren't zapped with a feeling of adrenaline and love at his chivalrous action. Whoever ends up with him is a lucky person.

You climbed in the passenger seat and he went around the car, entering the driver's side.

Not only did you feel like you ruined the party, but you worry you may have ruined your shot altogether. Why would Pedro want you after you didn't even talk to him your first night out together?

_____

*Pedro's POV*

As he climbed into his seat, buckling up and starting the ignition, he couldn't help but wonder where the night went wrong.

Did I say something to offend her?

He began to replay all the conversations you'd had tonight, trying to figure out when your sadness began and what could have caused it.

The party conversations? The texts? The phone calls?

Nothing came to mind, which worried him even more that he could be so ignorant to have said something hurtful without realizing.

Pedro looked over at you in his passenger seat. You were curled toward the side, arms scrunched toward your body and looking out the window. Silent. Just the occasional sound of a sniffle, or a road direction for him to take toward your house.

He wanted so badly to reach over and touch you. Hold your hand and rub his thumb over your fingers to comfort you in any way possible while driving. Then, he'd pull you into his arms the second you two got out of the car.

But he knew he couldn't. You weren't his to hold.

Was her crush at the party too? Could he have hurt her somehow?

He felt anger flare into his system at whatever could have made you cry. You deserved the world and he wished he could spend every day trying to prove it to you.

_____

*Back to your perspective*

About 20 minutes later, you quietly said "this is me."

Pedro put the car in park, and told you to wait. Confused, you sat, but he ran around the car and opened the door for you.

What. The. Hell. Is he real?

You stood from the car, fluffing down your ruined princess dress. "Thank you Pedro. You really didn't have to give me a ride, I feel bad you went out of your way. I'm sorry if I ruined your night."

"Hey, whoa, don't apologize. There's no way you ruined my night, and don't worry about the ride. I feel better knowing you made it home safely from me than some taxi service," Pedro placed his hand on his heart.

"Well, thank you either way. It was nice getting to finally meet you in person…"

"It was nice meeting you too," he shifted his weight, awkwardly wondering how to proceed.

"You should go. Get back to your party before you miss anything else! I'm sure Oscar and Sarah miss you," you prompted.

"Oh, I'm not going back. I'll just call it a night and head home. It's not as fun without my date, anyway." He smirked, and you couldn't help but wonder if he was flirting with you. Probably just being nice.

"You aren't going back??"

"Nah, I'm good. But…" he rubbed the back of his neck with his palm.

"What?" You felt nervous.

"Can I ask why you're so upset? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. It's just… if I did something or said something to upset you… I'm so sorry," he said, and you could actually feel the genuine sadness in his voice.

"Oh, Pedro. No. You did nothing wrong. It's just," you sighed. "Do you want to come in?"

You worried about asking and seeming too forward, but now that it's out there it can't be taken back.

Friends go over to other friend's houses. It's totally fine and normal.

"I, uh, sure," Pedro stumbled over his words. "I'd love to. If you don't mind." He seemed nervous and a little surprised at your invitation.

You unlocked your door and the two of you entered. Instantly, you were greeted by your boy, who was all too happy to have a new friend. His tail wagged, smacking against nearby surfaces.

Pedro's face lit up instantly, and he crouched down to Skip's level. Letting Skipper get a good sniff, you heard Pedro gently coo to your dog. "Hi buddy!! I'm Pedro. I've heard so much about you." He scratched behind his ears.

Your heart swelled. Here they were, two of your favorite boys, bonding like old friends.

Pedro stood up again, giving a final scratch to Skipper's head before turning to you. "So, do you want to talk about it? What happened tonight?"

You ushered him to the kitchen table, asking him if he would like a drink. "Sure, thanks. Just water, please."

You poured two glasses of water and sat at the table near him, finally delving into the events of the evening. You told him about the bouncer and the woman with her drink. "I also saw that one girl talking to you and being really touchy and flirty and I felt like I was intruding."

I was also really fucking jealous…

"Wait, what girl?"

He repeated the evening's events through his mind. He wasn't flirting or being touchy? Who were you - Oh. Tricia, when she was describing Sam. Were you jealous of her? He allowed his mind to wonder, slightly hopeful that you might want more.

"I guess I just… I don't really feel like I fit in here. I don't look like I fit in here. I don't act like I fit in here. I honestly don't even know why you're as nice to me as you are. I wonder why you want to be my friend. Not that I'm not happy about it, because I am, but-"

He cut off your ramblings. "Whoa, whoa, hey. Sweetheart. You belong here. People just don't know you yet. That bouncer was totally out of line and a complete asshole. That woman, who spilled her drink on you, was rude, offensive, and nasty; and I don't tolerate that kind of behavior. Especially towards those I care about. The second she came over, I could tell she was a snake. I didn't give her the time of day. And lastly, the girl you saw being touchy was my friend Tricia. She was describing how her girlfriend picked her up in a bar," he laughed.

"Oh," you listened to his words, still not making eye contact, looking at your hands on the table.

"And as for you," he prompted, "I'm nice to you because you deserve it. You're sweet and funny, and I'm so thankful to have met you. I talk to you because I like talking to you. I enjoy spending time with you, whether it's on the phone, or, even better, when I get to see your face. Although I have to say I hate to see it crying." He brushed away a tear from your cheek, and you gave a small laugh, wiping the rest of your face.

"Thanks Pedro. I'm sorry if I brought down your night. I just really wanted tonight to be special, and it felt like my carriage turned back into a pumpkin before I even started." You gave another defeated laugh.

"You didn't ruin my night. If anything I'm just disappointed you didn't say anything, so I could help cheer you up or we could go do something else." He paused, brushing your hair from your eyes. "By the way, I never did get to tell you how beautiful you look in that dress, princesa."

Your cheeks heated under his gaze. "T-thanks Pedro. You look pretty handsome there, yourself," you answered nervously. It was the first time you had truly looked at him all night, and he was more beautiful than you ever could have imagined. Even pictures didn't do him justice. Dressed in a white suit with golden epaulets and golden buttons on the jacket, he was the most charming prince you'd ever seen.

Pedro rubbed his neck. "Thank you." He smiled. "But, hey, just because the night didn't go your way doesn't mean we can't turn it around."

You smirked. "That's true. Do you wanna watch a movie or something? Because if so, I think I might change out of this costume real quick," you began to stand.

"Whoa, not so fast princesa," he grabbed your arm.

You turned and gave him a confused look.

"Not before I share a dance with you in that dress. I've been waiting all night," he held out his hand.

"Really?" The grin on your face lit up, and you pulled him towards your music room where you stored your records.

"Wow. This is amazing. You have so many records and instruments in here! Is this where you write your music, too?"

"Yep! Here's where the magic happens," you answered with a laugh, pulling out an old record filled with slow love songs of the 50's and 60's. You placed the needle on the record, hearing a soft crackle as it began to play.

Pedro pulled you into his chest, grabbing your right hand with his left and gently placing his right hand on your waist. You slid your left hand up to his shoulder and smiled up at him as the two of you gently swayed to the music.

One song turned into two. Then three, and finally four; the two of you holding each other, silent except for the soft music turning from your record player on the desk. At some point you took the risk and decided to rest your face on his chest while the two of you swayed. His head rested on top of yours, both of you breathing softly, eyes closed, with you listening to the rhythmic drumming of his heart in his chest.

The record crackled with the end of the first side and the two of you looked at each other. You didn't miss the quick glance he stole from your eyes down to your lips, and you began to slowly lean closer.

Is this it?! Am I finally going to have my first kiss?!

You continued leaning closer, both his and your eyes gently closing. You could feel his breath fanning across your nose when-

Clunk clunk clunk. Pant pant. Whine.

You and Pedro opened your eyes, confusion painting your expressions as you turned your faces away from each other towards the sound. Still held in each other's arms, you peeled your eyes away from each other to see Skipper looking at you both with a big doggy grin on his face. His tail smacked the table with a thump thump, and he let out soft little whines and coos for attention.

The two of you laughed, the moment over, as you both kneeled down to give pets while Skip wedged between the two of you. Although you were disappointed the kiss was interrupted, you can't be mad at such a cute face. Still scratching your dog, you looked across to Pedro on the other side of Skipper. The two of you shared a soft look and smile, filled with so many unsaid words and feelings.

"So, uh.. how about that movie?" Pedro asked, still smiling.

______

You changed out of your princess costume into a comfier movie watching outfit and he changed out of his prince costume. He had some clothes in his car, which he changed into, looking handsome as ever. He wore a navy blue sweater with jeans, both fitting him perfectly. The two of you settled on your couch and turned on a movie. Although you sat next to each other, you kept a friendly distance, neither of you wanting to push the other too far.

As the movie rolled on, you had a hard time focusing on the plot with him so close. He looked so cozy and soft, you just wanted to climb in his lap. You wanted him to hold your hand. You wanted to finish that kiss. He smelled nice, he looked nice, and you wanted him more than anything else in this world.

Without realizing it, you gravitated closer. Your body inched toward him, and without him realizing it, he inched closer as well. It wasn't long until your leg was brushed against his. Just the slight touch of his leg on yours was enough to send an electric feeling pulsing through your body. The tension was as tight as an electrical cable, slowly fraying until it eventually snaps into sparks.

Pedro's fingers twitched at his side, his jaw clenching and unclenching. Your eyes kept sneakily darting over to him, his doing the same at opposite times. Your hearts were racing, breathing quick and shallow. The movie finally ended, neither of you able to tell someone the storyline if asked.

You nervously turned towards Pedro, rubbing the back of your neck. "So that was some movie…"

"Yeah, that ending… it was-" his eyes darted to your lips. "Something." He looked into your eyes, hand settling on your thigh as the two of you once again began to lean in closer. You had just shut your eyes, noses brushing together, when he pulled away.

What the heeeeeeeellllll??? Whyyyy!?

You couldn't help but let out a whimper as you opened your eyes after the second failed kiss of the evening.

Pedro sat with his elbows on his lap, holding his face in his hands. "I'm so sorry…"

"What? Pedro? Why are you sorry? What's wrong? Did I - did I do something wrong?"

Do I smell bad? Does he not like me? Was this some sick joke?

"I don't know what I'm doing. I'm sorry. I let my feelings get in the way, and I shouldn't have done that. You're in love with someone else. I can't steal your first kiss. You deserve to have it with the man you really love."

"Pedro-" you tried to pry his hand from his face.

"No. I'm sorry if I ruined things. I should probably leave-" he began to stand up, but you grabbed his forearm and pulled him back down.

"Stop. Pedro," you begged.

He sat back down, looking into your eyes guiltily.

You continued. "Please don't apologize. I wanted you to kiss me…"

"But that guy in your song. You deserve to be with him. I've been letting my feelings take over and stealing all your time away on the phone and text, video chat, and now in person. I almost stole your first kiss from you twice tonight and-" he rambled on, once again throwing his hands over his face before you interrupted him again.

"Pedro.." you pulled his hand away from his face, leaving yours to hold his cheek instead, but he still avoided your eyes. Taking a deep breath, you figured it was time to take the plunge.

"It's you, Pedro."

His eyes glanced up to yours. "What?"

"It's you. It's always been you. You're the one I like."

"Wait, so you mean-"

"Yes. The songs, the interviews, our chats… I've been talking about you this whole time. I really, really, like you."

Pedro gave a gentle smile, leaning his face into your hand. "I like you too, baby," he whispered.

His hand moved from his cheek to yours and the two of you leaned in. Closing your eyes, you brushed your noses together before you whispered "please kiss me.

You could feel a soft smile as he pressed his lips to yours, first gentle and soft, then stronger and more desperate. Although the kiss was still very tame, you could both feel all the emotions you've been harboring for each other for so long.

Breathless, the two of you pulled back, falling into a gentle laughter. "You don't know how long I've been waiting for that kiss," you spoke softly, wanting to keep the words as quiet as possible, heard only within the tiny bubble you currently shared.

"Me too," he smiled, pressing another kiss to your lips.

"I think you were worth the wait," you pecked his lips.

"I think you were too," he rested his head on your forehead with his hand on your neck, lightly stroking over your hair.

"I like you." You giggled.

"I like you too." He grinned. "But, you know, if I remember correctly, 'like' wasn't the word you used in your song…" he teased.

Your stomach flipped. "I don't want to scare you off too soon, P."

"You won't, sweetheart. You couldn't if you tried. I feel the same way." He kissed your forehead.

You looked at him, and feeling slightly nervous, yet calmed by his deep brown eyes, you told him those important words that have been spilling from your chest in silence.

"I love you Pedro."

"I love you too," he grabbed your face, once again pressing a kiss to your lips, this one much deeper than the others, before pulling you into his arms. The two of you were finally together. Finally you had love. All the things you wanted were coming true.

Turns out you got your happily ever after tonight after all.

__________

To be continued...

That's all for now! I hope you liked this chapter. I've received a lot of kind messages and DMs saying how much you guys relate to the reader and I just want to say thank you. It really means a lot to me that people are finding something to relate to. I'm essentially just using this fic as my diary, because she is pretty much just me. So to see others feeling the same way, it makes my heart so full! I send hugs to all of you.

Next Chapter! Here!

Taglist: (Want in? Let me know!) If I forget to add anyone, I'm sorry!

@pedrotonin @starcrossed02 @lightupsketchersperson @cartoon-garbage04 @tyferbebe @maryfanson @gwendibley84 @faithfullyyours2000 @brilliantopposite187 @hc-geralt-23 @jenniferpendragon @winchestergypsy90 @red-red-rogue @theendwhereibegin @lottieellz101 @oliversaurus @kyga01 @milly-louise @titabel @taz-97 @stefanibear003 @marantha @fandomoniumflurry @ilovemybrown-eyedbabygirl

[mochis-cream]

i see you have requests open! as such i need to be your first requesting anon ever >:3 can i request a non!idol au drabble fic thing about the reader realizing they like their fwb (nct mark) cuz like..that's just the type of stuff i like 😋🤪 also can I be 🦋 anon?, please and thank you ☺️

one day at a time | m. lee ☆

・ you never meant for things to get this complicated. one night was all it was supposed to be—one night to escape, to find solace in the familiarity of his embrace, and then you’d both move on like nothing happened. it’s just one night, you tell yourself. but deep down, you know that nothing is ever that simple, especially when it comes to him.

m.l x gn!reader ・ nct 127 ・ 엔시티 일이칠 ・ sfw ・ non!idol au ・ wc: exactly 2,400 ・ genre -> fluff, slight angst (does this also count as hurt/comfort??) ・ one shot! -> masterlist!

content warning: fwb (not explicitly stated or properly implied but still), complicated relationships, emotions are hard, reader has a panic attack, crying, love confessions, pre-established relationship (kinda), mark can cook now guys, lowercase intended, narration heavy, please let me know if i missed anything!

author’s note: aw man guys.. SORRY I WAS GONE FOR SO LONG ☹️☹️☹️ was busy with work and technical stuff ☹️☹️ anyhoo WELCOME ANON WELCOME!! ask is so yummy mm i love your brain frfr 🤭 and yes you can be 🦋 anon! thank you so much for requesting! i hope you enjoyed it!!

(moodboard spread by @/pink-horizon, found here!)

it’s just for one night.

or at least, it was supposed to be.

it was just supposed to be for one night. one night, and then you’d both go your separate ways, shoving everything under the rug like you used to. so why? why is it that you’re still here, tucked within the comfort of his home a week later?

you blink your eyes open, the familiar dim light of mark’s guest room greeting you. except, let’s be real, it’s hardly a “guest room” anymore. the way you’ve practically taken over—your clothes draped over the chair, your favorite mug on the nightstand, and your books scattered across the floor—yeah, it’s more your space than some random guest spot.

you let out a sigh, the weight of the situation pressing down on your chest. this wasn’t supposed to happen. it was meant to be simple. a quick visit, a night to clear your head, and then back to your normal routine. no strings, no complications.

yet here you are, seven days in, still wrapped up in the comfort of mark’s home… in the comfort of him.

and it’s not like you haven’t tried to leave. you’ve made the effort—packing your bag, setting an alarm, even making it to the front door. but then there’s mark, with that ridiculous bedhead and sleepy smile, asking if you’re really gonna leave without breakfast. and somehow, you’re roped back in, heart doing that weird little flip it does when he looks at you like that.

ugh, why is this so hard? why can’t you just go back to how things were? simple, easy, no weird feelings creeping up on you every time mark laughs at one of your lame jokes or makes you tea just the way you like it.

you close your eyes again, as if that’ll somehow block out the growing realization that’s been gnawing at the edges of your mind. but it’s there, lurking in the corners, refusing to be ignored.

because the truth is, you don’t want to leave. not really. and that’s the scariest part of all.

———

you remember how it all started—how it was supposed to be just another one of those days where you needed to escape, to find some kind of peace in the middle of the chaos that is your life. mark’s place had always been your safe haven, the one spot where you could just… be. no pretenses, no pressure, just you and mark in the bubble of comfort you’d both created over the years.

you’d arrived at his doorstep that night, the weight of the world on your shoulders and a tired smile plastered on your face. mark had taken one look at you and, without a word, pulled you inside, wrapping you up in one of those warm, awkward hugs that only he could pull off. it was the kind of hug that said more than words ever could—“i’m here, you’re safe, it’s okay.”

and just like that, the tension in your chest eased, the world outside fading away as you stepped into the familiarity of his home. it was routine by now: you’d crash on the couch or in the guest room, talk about anything and everything, and by morning, you’d be gone, back to reality. no strings attached, just two friends helping each other get through the tough days.

but this time, things didn’t go as planned.

you remember waking up that morning, the early light filtering through the curtains, and immediately getting that nagging feeling in your gut—like you were overstaying your welcome, like you needed to leave before things got weird. so, you’d quietly started gathering your things, trying to make a quick exit before mark woke up.

except he did wake up.

you were halfway out the door when you heard his voice, soft and a little groggy, calling your name. you froze, guilt flooding through you like you’d been caught sneaking out of a crime scene. when you turned around, there he was, standing in the hallway with his messy hair and sleepy eyes, looking like he was trying to figure out why you were leaving so soon.

“you’re leaving already?” he’d asked, and there was something in his voice—something almost… sad. “i, uh, made breakfast. thought you might wanna stick around for a bit.”

it wasn’t just the words that got to you; it was the way he said them, like he was really hoping you’d stay. and for some reason, you couldn’t bring yourself to say no.

so you’d stayed. one morning turned into a day, that day turned into another, and before you knew it, a whole week had gone by. every day, you’d wake up with the intention of leaving, but somehow, mark would always convince you to stay—whether it was with breakfast, or a movie night, or just… him being himself.

and you couldn’t help but notice how much lighter he seemed with you around, how his laugh came a little easier, how he smiled a little more. it was like, for the first time in a long time, things were just… good.

but the longer you stayed, the harder it became to ignore that nagging feeling in your chest—the one that kept whispering that maybe, just maybe, this wasn’t just about friendship anymore. that maybe, you were starting to feel something more.

and that scared you more than anything.

———

you don’t know when it happened, when the lines started to blur between friendship and something more. maybe it was the way he looked at you sometimes, like you were the most important person in the world. or maybe it was the way he’d always go out of his way to make you feel comfortable, even when you didn’t ask for it. it could’ve been any of those little moments that seemed so insignificant at the time but now… now they felt like pieces of a puzzle, slowly coming together to reveal a picture you weren’t sure you were ready to see.

it hits you like a ton of bricks one morning as you’re sitting in the kitchen, sipping on the tea mark made you (because of course he knows how you like it). he’s at the stove, humming some ridiculous tune under his breath as he flips pancakes, and you’re just watching him—really really watching him—and it’s like something inside you clicks into place.

oh.

oh no.

it’s not just a crush. it’s not just some fleeting feeling that’ll go away if you ignore it long enough. no, this is something deeper, something that’s been quietly growing inside you, unnoticed until now. and it scares the hell out of you.

your mind races, scrambling for a way to make sense of it all, to put those feelings back in the box where they belong. but it’s too late. the box is open, and you can’t shove everything back inside no matter how hard you try.

and then, like the universe has a cruel sense of humor, mark turns around with a goofy grin on his face, holding out a plate of pancakes like he’s just won the lottery. “ta-da! best pancakes you’ve ever had, right here.”

he’s so damn proud of himself, so blissfully unaware of the emotional crisis you’re having right in front of him. you force a smile, trying to keep it together, but all you can think about is how this is it. this is the moment everything changes.

you barely hear him as he starts rambling about how he thinks he might’ve finally nailed the perfect pancake recipe, how he’s been tweaking it for weeks now, and oh, you have to try this one with the syrup because it’s so good. his voice fades into the background as your thoughts spiral out of control, panic rising in your chest.

you’re gonna ruin everything.

you’re gonna lose him.

the thought of losing mark, of him looking at you differently, of things becoming awkward and weird between you—it’s too much. your chest tightens, breath hitching as the panic starts to take over. you can’t do this. you can’t tell him. you can’t risk everything for this stupid, irrational feeling.

you stand up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor, and mark’s voice cuts off mid-sentence. “hey, what’s wrong? are you okay?”

you shake your head, unable to speak as you bolt out of the kitchen, your vision blurring as you make a beeline for the guest room. you need to get out of here. you need to think. you need to—

but you don’t make it far before your legs give out, and you’re collapsing onto the bed, clutching your chest as the sobs start to wrack your body.

it wasn’t supposed to be like this. it was supposed to be easy. why does everything have to get so complicated?

you curl up into a ball, trying to breathe through the panic, but it’s no use. the walls are closing in, and all you can think about is how you’ve ruined everything before it even had a chance to start.

———

you’re not sure how long you lie there, caught in the whirlwind of your own thoughts, but it feels like an eternity. the sobs have subsided into quiet hiccups, and you’re left feeling drained, emotionally spent. the room is too quiet, too still, and it only amplifies the storm raging in your mind.

then, you hear it—the soft creak of the floorboards outside the door, the hesitant shuffle of footsteps. you don’t have to look up to know it’s mark. of course it’s mark.

a part of you wants to tell him to go away, to leave you alone so you can wallow in your misery. but the other part of you—the part that’s always sought comfort in his presence, that knows he’s the only one who can calm you down—doesn’t want him to leave.

the door opens with a quiet click, and you feel the bed dip slightly as he sits down beside you. he doesn’t say anything at first, just places a hand on your back, rubbing slow, soothing circles like he’s done a thousand times before. the gesture is so familiar, so grounding, that it nearly brings you to tears all over again.

“hey,” he says softly, his voice laced with concern. “what’s going on? talk to me.”

you swallow hard, the words stuck in your throat. how are you supposed to explain this to him? how are you supposed to tell him that you’ve gone and fallen for your best friend like some cliché rom-com character? you can’t. you won’t. you—

“it’s nothing,” you finally manage to choke out, but even to your own ears, the lie sounds weak.

mark doesn’t buy it for a second. “come on, don’t do that. i know you better than that.” he shifts closer, his hand moving to your shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. “please, just talk to me.”

his voice is so gentle, so full of genuine concern, that it makes your heart ache. you can’t keep this from him, no matter how much you want to. he deserves to know, even if it means everything falls apart.

you take a shaky breath, trying to gather your thoughts, to figure out how to put your feelings into words without making everything worse. “i just… i’ve been thinking,” you begin, your voice trembling. “about us. about… what this is.”

there’s a pause, and you can feel mark’s gaze on you, heavy and intent. “and?” he prompts, his tone careful, like he’s afraid to push too hard.

“and… i’m scared,” you admit, your voice breaking on the last word. “i’m scared that if i tell you how i feel, it’s gonna ruin everything. that we won’t be the same anymore. that i’ll lose you.”

the words hang in the air, raw and vulnerable, and for a moment, there’s only silence. you’re terrified of what comes next, of what mark will say, of how he’ll react.

but then, he does something you don’t expect.

he pulls you into his arms, holding you close, like he’s trying to shield you from your own fears. “you won’t lose me,” he says firmly, his voice a steady anchor in the storm of your emotions. “i promise you, nothing’s gonna change. not like that.”

you want to believe him. god, you want to believe him so badly. but the fear is still there, gnawing at you, whispering that this is all too good to be true.

“but what if it does?” you whisper, your voice small and scared. “what if everything changes?”

mark pulls back just enough to look at you, his expression soft and full of something you can’t quite place. “it won’t,” he insists, his tone gentle but unwavering. “because i love you. i’ve loved you for a long time, and nothing’s ever gonna change that.”

his words hit you like a freight train, knocking the breath out of you. you stare at him, wide-eyed, trying to process what he’s just said. did he really just—

“i love you,” he repeats, like he’s trying to make sure you understand, like he needs you to know that he means it. “and i’m not going anywhere. not now, not ever.”

it’s too much. the relief, the joy, the overwhelming sense of love that washes over you—it’s all too much, and before you know it, you’re crying again. but this time, it’s different. this time, it’s not from fear or anxiety, but from the sheer weight of everything you’ve been holding in, of finally hearing the words you never thought you’d hear.

mark doesn’t say anything else. he just holds you, letting you cry it out, his hand never stopping its soothing motions on your back. and as you start to calm down, exhaustion begins to creep in, your body finally giving in to the emotional rollercoaster of the past few hours.

“stay,” mark whispers, his voice soft and comforting. “just stay with me. we’ll figure everything out together, okay?”

you nod, too tired to say anything, but the decision is made. you’ll stay. for as long as he’ll have you, you’ll stay.

and as you drift off to sleep, nestled in the warmth of his embrace, one thought lingers in your mind:

maybe one more day won’t hurt.

[winterchimez]

Love Me Right | Ju Haknyeon

summary: perhaps you and your best friend Haknyeon were destined to be lovers after all

pairing: best friend Haknyeon x f!reader

genre: best friends to lovers, fluff, slight angst & suggestive (only in the beginning)

warnings: bad breakup & arguing (with ex), lust (slightly)

word count: 3,530

a/n: me? writing fluff? unheard of 🤪 jokes i'm usually much better at writing angst/crime fics, but our precious boy hakkie deserves a sweet fluff fic 🥺 i love him sm he's literally my fav comfort person ever, and yes he is my bias wrecker alongside hyunjae lmao 🤧 hope you guys enjoyed this! 🫶🏻🩵

buzz buzz!

The alarm on your smartwatch goes off, giving you the signal that indicates the end of your shift. 

It has already been 14 hours, and you stood up from your chair and did a stretch as you submitted the final report of one of the patients you had to deal with throughout the night.

You originally would’ve ended your shift 2 hours ago, if only one of the ER nurses didn’t call in sick this morning. You shrugged, it happens almost every fortnightly in your department, always being understaffed that is. 

Packing up your belongings, you waved goodbye to all of your co-workers where some were just finishing up as you were while the others had just clocked in for the day and headed straight to your car. 

To make matters worse, it was snowing pretty heavily as you made your way to your vehicle. You had to use your handy-dandy ice scraper to get rid of the snow that formed on the windshield and the sides of your car doors. With that, the first 10 minutes right after your shift ended were gone in the blink of an eye. You hopped into your car real quick and gave yourself a heavy sigh, hoping at least the car ride home wouldn’t be too bad.

Stepping onto your front porch, you dug into your backpack for the keys to your apartment. You wasted no time trying to unlock the door and quickly kicked your boots off as you closed the door behind you. 

Making your way into the living room, you spotted the familiar figure laying down on the couch.

Your boyfriend, Daniel. 

At the beginning of your relationship, the two of you would gladly wait for each other to arrive back home and chat away about how the day’s been for both parties. Now, getting a “welcome home” from your partner is already better than nothing. 

However, tonight was different as you muttered those two words to your boyfriend laying down on the couch. Instead of responding, he stood up with his back facing you and muttered a deep “we need to talk” right back at you.

Already exhausted from your shift, you so badly wanted to ask him to save it till morning when both of you are in much better shape, but that won’t happen tonight as he wasted no time trying to make his way to you.

“I can’t do this anymore, Y/N. This relationship we’ve been having? I don’t see the spark nor commitment no more.” 

“Please Daniel, what are you trying to imply here-” 

“You work for 12 hours straight each day, God. Sometimes even more than that. I’m off to work while you’re asleep, and you're only back in the house during the wee hours of midnight. What happened to us spending quality time as a couple?”

Your boyfriend certainly had a point there. It has been months since the both of you truly had a good bonding time with one another. As work started piling up for you, you had to always sadly turn down the multiple ideas of your boyfriend’s well-planned dates and vacations. 

Of course, he’d be frustrated and sad. But it was also his responsibility to understand your situation here. You’re a nurse gosh darn it, and he should know damn well how whenever duty calls, you can never say no. That is what he agreed with when you both started your relationship 3 years ago. 

But apparently, the spark that the two of you have been sharing for the several years you both had up till now, has been completely burnt out. 

“Let’s end this, Y/N.” 

To say that you were in tears would be an understatement. 

Hell, you have been bawling your eyes out for the past 2 hours and breaking down in your living room as your boyfriend left your shared apartment after a heated argument. 

You kept blaming yourself, for how much you have ruined this once so-called perfect relationship you have built with your now current ex. Everyone around you said that you both were perfect for one another, that you both were a match made in heaven and the wedding invitations are bound to arrive at your friends and relatives' doorstep in another 2 to 3 years' time.

Including your best friend, Ju Haknyeon. 

Feeling weak and vulnerable, you desperately needed a warm embrace, and to hear some comforting words from someone who cares about you deeply. 

It was now 3 in the morning, and there was only one place you know that you’ll be accepted in. 

You stood right outside of the door that reads Apartment 309. 

You knew this apartment from the back of your mind. The drive route from your apartment, even up to the passcode or where the extra pair of keys are hidden on the front porch.

Instead of trying to open the door on your own, the owner of the apartment has already been expecting your arrival and they were the ones welcoming you at the front door instead.

The brunette male, wearing a white t-shirt with black sweatpants, opened up the door for you. His eyes widen as he examines your red swollen eyes, puffy cheeks, and a wet soaked nurse uniform you were still wearing. 

Before he could ask you what happened, you were pushing the male into the apartment while slamming the door shut with your leg. Guiding him all the way to his bedroom and pinning him down on his bed. You climbed over him and were about to kiss him right on the lips. 

What was going on in your mind? Has the break-up made you feel a sudden surge of lust towards your best friend? Desperately wanting a hug and a kiss to see if it could make you feel better or at least forget about your ex. 

But the male was clearly stronger than you were and he turned the tables over within seconds, and now you’re the one who’s being pinned down on the bed instead.

“Y/N, what is this all about?”

With that one sentence, you then broke down into tears again, leading the male to pull you up and hold you tight against his embrace. 

It’s been a while since Haknyeon has witnessed you in such a fragile state, the last time probably being in college when you and your ex were going through some tremulous times to fight against all odds in order to be together. 

And he hated it. Hated how vulnerable you were at that moment. He hated seeing you cry the most. 

Especially when he still had feelings for you after all these years. 

After calming down for a bit, you finally fill Haknyeon in with all that has happened the past few hours prior. You can’t help but to sob and sniffle from time to time and Haknyeon manages to wipe away your tears and calm you down each time. 

Without having much thought, you blurted out “Haknyeon, be my boyfriend” right there and then. 

Deep down you know very well that this was your best friend’s dream for the longest time, and he would definitely be delighted to accept the offer.

Or will he?

What you didn’t expect was the straight rejection he gave you right after you said that.

“Why not Haknyeon? You’ve had your eyes on me and loved me since day one of high school. Isn’t it always your dream to date me?”

“Y/N. I love you with all my heart. Hell, I would give up anything if it’s for you and to make you the happiest girl alive. But not like this.”

Haknyeon then lets you out of his embrace and cups both of his hands on your cheeks, staring deep into your eyes. 

“I want you to love me when you’re at your best. I want you to truly see the man that I am, and how much I’ve grown. I want you to truly make up your mind because I will not let you go when you’ve decided to begin a relationship with me. I want you to love me right.” 

You have been crashing at Haknyeon’s apartment most weekends for the past two months, and he couldn’t be happier if it makes you feel better. 

During the weekdays though, Haknyeon would make the effort to come to visit you instead while bringing you the best take-out meals from all of his favourite restaurants in town. Your best friend clearly does not mess with food. 

Knowing how messed up your eating schedule was, he has even taken the initiative to plan out your diet.

No consuming those nasty junk food when you’re already low on sleep.

You’d constantly be reminded of your bestie’s words every single time you’re about to head to the drive-thru at Mcdonald's at two in the morning after your shift at the hospital. 

Tonight was different though as your manager informs you that you get to finish your shift way earlier than your usual post, as your department is getting a handful of transferred nurses from the capital. That was good news especially how your hospital has been understaffed for like two to three years now. 

And that 2 - 3 years had to be the time when you were with your ex. 

You shook off the negative thoughts you had in mind and quickly got out your phone to text Haknyeon about you coming home early for the night. 

You were certain he was definitely on his phone when you sent the message because it took him less than a minute to give you a reply. 

Hakkie 🐷: sweets!! I’ve had a big night planned ahead of us, can’t wait to see you at home 😊

You can’t help but smile at the message, thinking about how cute he was at times when he was all giddy and excited, which makes you wonder if you both are really the same age at all. 

Your co-worker noticed your excitement and how a big sincere smile was plastered all across your face. It has been a while since you’ve been this jovial anyways. 

“You got a date tonight?” She nudges your shoulder while giving you a wink. 

Smiling back at your co-worker, you looked back down at your phone staring right at the newly changed picture your friend has chosen for his iMessage profile. 

“I guess you can say that.” 

“Woah Haknyeon, what on earth have you done with your apartment?”

You were astounded by what your best friend has done. The entire living room has been cleared out and Haknyeon took the largest blanket he owned and turned it into a fort. A comfy throw was laid out nicely on the floor with pillows scattered above it. As a finishing touch, fairy lights were hung around the blanket to give it that true cosy movie night experience. 

“You sure are an ambitious young man.” You replied. 

“Since when have you ever gotten off work this early Y/N, I’d say this calls for a celebration, and of course thank heavens that tomorrow is the weekend!!”

“Okay okay, kiddo. What are we watching tonight?”

“Big Mouth, the infamous K-drama everyone’s been talking about recently.”

“And why is that?”

“Well, both you and I are huge fans of crime shows, and we love Im Yoon-ah, so I’d say it’s a win-win situation!”

“More like you are the one who’s obviously obsessed with her.” You protested. 

You couldn’t help but laugh at your bestie's enthusiastic comment. Eventually, you gave in and decided to make yourself comfy. Haknyeon went ahead and made some warm honey butter tteokbokki in his so-called best portable pot that he owned. Of course, a comfy night movie wouldn’t be complete without a warm mug of cinnamon latte according to the food master himself.  

You never expected to have enjoyed the drama this much as it’s been such a long time since you've been to the cinemas, let alone watched a tv series or show at home. You missed this feeling of excitement as you engross yourself in the show’s plot, and of course, having someone to share the same experience with you in the same room. 

As the show progressed, you can’t help but have tears well up in your eyes whenever a sad or frustrating scene appears on the screen. Haknyeon notices your demeanour and quietly puts an arm around your shoulder. Naturally, you decided to lay your head down on his shoulder. None of you said anything but just enjoyed this little comforting moment you both were having. 

Haknyeon truly was your best friend, you definitely didn’t deserve a fine young gentleman like him. 

“So where are we off to this time Mr Ju?”

It was another rare occasion where you’ve gotten a day off from work as your manager has seen all of the extra hours you’ve accumulated over the past several months. 

Since the hospital wasn’t understaffed anymore, your manager has even managed to free up your Sundays from now on. It definitely has improved your physical and mental health as compared to your previous self when you were working 14-hour shifts straight for 7 days a week. 

Your best friend was beyond ecstatic to find out that you’re free for the day, and he wasted no time coming to pick you up early in the morning, insisting on bringing you on a day trip.

So now you are sitting in Haknyeon’s car, and god knows where he’s bringing you to because he wouldn’t tell you what the itinerary even was for the day ahead. 

It was now the beginning of summer, and Haknyeon clearly was taking you somewhere away from the city. Both of you passed all of the highways and eventually ended up on a riverside road just a little outside of Seoul. 

It was kind of a long drive, around 4 and a half hours to be exact. Many times you’ve offered to take over the wheel, but the male insisted that he was fine and you deserve to be in the passenger seat instead. 

“Rude Haknyeon, I’ll show you that I’m just as good as a driver like Sangyeon and Jacob oppa.” You pouted and crossed your arms. 

“Yeah, rather convincing, Y/N. Remember how you were desperately calling for me in the middle of the night back during your first year in college when your car swerved right into a tree because you got too nervous to drive on your own? And oh, may I add, you were also crying over the phone and it took me a good minute to try and figure out whatever you were trying to tell me.” 

“Shut up. We don’t talk about that.” 

Haknyeon was clearly winning this whole debate, and he begin singing his lungs out on his so-called victory song, Young Tak’s Jjin-iya. You on the other hand, were sulking and decided to turn your head towards the window, trying your best to ignore the ever-so-slightly annoying song that was getting on your nerves while taking in the scenery in front of you. 

After 10 more debate topics and bickering (because your friend is a tease like that), you both eventually arrived at your destination. Your friend has brought you to Haeundae, one of the famous beaches in Busan. As you both stepped out of the car, Haknyeon immediately went to the boot of his car and brought out a huge basket filled with whatever items he brought for the day.

He quickly grabbed hold of your wrist and brought you to the beach. There were quite a number of people here today, reasonable as most families and couples would’ve come to spend the good weather out at the beach. But Haknyeon manages to find a quiet spot where the both of you could truly enjoy the peaceful time today.

Haknyeon wasted no time in taking out the first item from the basket, a huge blue beach cloth and laying it down on the sand. Slowly, he took out all of the remaining items from the basket, most of them being food, to be honest.

What surprised you was that he picked out all of your favourite food and snacks that you literally consume whenever you wanna have a cheat or fulfilling day. Japanese fruit sandwiches, onigiris, chips, you name it he has got them. Oh, and yes he brought along his handy-dandy trustworthy Bluetooth speaker he’s been using for years that he loves and swears by it. 

“Since when have you become a chef, Mr Ju Haknyeon. I thought you were a business consultant, not a restaurant owner.” 

“Anything for my bestie, am I right?”. He gives you his signature cheeky smile, and you have to mentally ask your heart to stop beating so quickly. 

Stop being so cute for the love of God. 

With every bite you had, you couldn’t help but constantly give out this mmmmm pleasure sound, indicating how delicious every single meal was, and your friend couldn’t be much happier as it felt like he had gotten a trophy from a race or something. 

You both enjoyed the meal and had a good chat about every single topic that comes to mind. You both reminisce back on the good old high school and college days, where multiple times Haknyeon has saved your ass from being called to detention for being late to class to almost missing your graduation day in college because you somehow lost the high heels that you planned to wear with your matching dress that day. 

It was hilarious catching up with all of the crazy adventures you both had throughout the years, and Haknyeon with his bright and gagman persona made it a lot more memorable.

“I’m so glad you were with me from the beginning, Haknyeon. Never would I have thought to have gone through heaven and hell if I was alone.”

“Likewise, Y/N. I couldn’t have had a better bestie than you.”

You smiled and gave your best friend the biggest hug. “I just wish for us to be together for as long as we can.” 

With that, Haknyeon breaks off the hug and grabs hold of your shoulders, looking deep into your eyes. He hesitated for a few moments, before deciding that it was the right time for him to speak about that certain topic that he has been desperately wanting to for the past couple of weeks now. 

“Y/N. I know you’re probably sick of hearing this from me, but still, I want to make it clear to you. I still love you, even after all these years. I’ve never once given up hope on you.” 

“And?” 

He swallowed. “A-and. I mean, y’know we’ve been getting a lot closer for the past few months, crashing into each other’s place throughout the weeks, having tons of fun and cute movie and date nights at the restaurants in town. I just… wanna let this thing that has been bothering me for weeks now. I don’t mind if you don’t give me an answer, but just hear me out. I-I just… I want-” 

“I’ll be your girlfriend.” 

“Wa-wait what?”

You chuckled. “Oh my god, Haknyeon. I swear I’m gonna be dosing off to sleep waiting for you to blurt those words out. I know you still love me since the first day we met back in high school in the science laboratory. I gotta say I admire your persistence, young lad. Even what I was still with the ex who shall not be named.” 

A burden was taken off of Haknyeon’s shoulders, and he immediately jumped right back into your embrace while rubbing his cheeks against yours. He was like a puppy who has just gotten their biggest treat yet. 

“Thank you, Y/N. Thank you thank you thank you!!!” 

The hug lasted for a good few minutes, both of you taking in each other’s scent while resting both of your heads on each other’s shoulders. 

That was until Haknyeon broke off the hug for the second time now, as he moved his fingers right onto your plump lips. 

“May I?”. 

“About damn time, Ju.”

No words were needed. He lowered his head and crashed his lips onto yours. It’s like you both have been waiting for eternity for this to happen, how long you both have waited for this day to come. He wasted no time in exploring your lips, kissing you deeper as he tilted his head, and you did the same. 

Breaking off the kiss, he eventually scooped you up bridal style and brought you straight into the waters. As the sun starts to set, you both spend the rest of the remaining time kicking and splashing each other with water at the shore. By the end of the day, you both were soaking wet, but no regrets were made.

Haknyeon then lifts you up in his arms once again, giving you another kiss on the lips as you lean down and wrap your legs around him, both resting your foreheads with one another.

“I love you, Y/N. More than you could ever imagine.”

a/n: yes there will be a part 2 😌

masterlist

taglist: @deoboyznet @flwoie @hokupi @kyusqult @tinkerbell460 (join my permanent taglist here!)

[whowantslovergirl]

An: this is a looong one enjoy my lovers 🤍

Rise and Fall

JJ Maybank x reader (gender is not specified)

warnings: cursing, kissing, talks about marriage, ig suggestive content, fluff turned to angst bc why not, talks abt jjs bitch ass dad, shitty parents, jj is an ass in this lowkey, reader is described as middle class, and let me know if i forgot anything hope you enjoy my lovers 🤍 somewhat proofread 🤪

outer banks masterlist

Summary: the story of JJ and Y/n and how they rise and how they fall

posted: June 25,2023

the start:

If you knew JJ (which everyone did) you would know that he never settles down. It’s always one and done. And always the same bullshit excuses. “I’m not emotionally available right now.” “I’m not really looking for a relationship.”

Well that was before he met Y/N.

how they met:

You were walking around outer banks soaking up the fresh air. You always take walks when your parents were fighting. It always made you feel like you were the problem since your name was always brought in their ‘nice’ conversations, “Y/N did this.” “Y/N always said.” “God! Y/N was right about you!”

You were fucking sick of it.

_____

JJ noticed you walking when he was with John B in the twinkie. “Yo JB” JJ tapped his best friend’s shoulder. “Who is that person walking? Might add them to my list.” John B looked over at him with ‘what the fuck dude’ eyes. “Well that person is Y/N L/N.” “Aren’t they a kook?” He said with disgust and amusement. “No JJ they live in the middle. Too rich to be broke but too broke to be rich.” JJ just nodded.

He wanted you and he wanted you bad.

_____

The pogues threw a party after JJ forced them to so he can get to know ‘Y/N.’ He looked around and asked around. No one knew where you were and some didn’t even know who you are. Which baffled JJ since everyone in this town was somehow connected to the other.

But after waiting forever and a day (two hours) he finally saw you in an outfit that just made him want to run over there and rip your clothes off, but that can happen later.

JJ never ran so fast just to talk to someone.

_____

“Well hello there.” You heard a male voice and turned around to see a tall blonde boy with blue eyes. His hair was shaggy it looked like he just woke up. Which you found very attractive. “Um hi?” JJ looked at you with his signature smile. “I’m JJ.” He reached his hand out for you to shake and you just looked at it. He saw the expression on your face and slowly lowered his hand. “I know.” You said with a soft voice.

He smiled at that. “Glad to know you know who I am baby.” You internally gagged at the pet name. “I only know who are because you’re known as the ‘man whore of obx’.” You looked at him while doing air quotes when you said his nickname. JJ smiled dropped since he didn’t know he had a nickname around here and especially not a man whore title. “So man whore of obx, is there a reason you are talking to me?” You continued.

“I am not going to fuck you.” You said a little too fast for his liking. He let out a small laugh at that statement. You just looked at him with ‘how the fuck is that funny’ eyes. “I am not here to do anything baby. I’m just here to say I like your outfit.” You was everything but ready for that response. “Oh well in that case thanks JJ.” He smiled and nodded and walked away.

You was gobsmacked because you felt like you just made a fool of yourself.

JJ just realized he never formally asked for your name so he went back to ask.

“Hey baby I never asked you for your name.”

“Oh it’s Y/N.”

“Pretty name, well bye Y/N.” He turned back around and walked away like once before.

You was still gobsmacked. And JJ got you right where he wanted.

_____

After three months of getting to know each other, you guys eventually did have sex. And it was amazing, best sex you ever had. That was also when…

JJ knew that you weren’t going to be an one and done.

He grew feelings for you and he wanted anything but that.

the rise:

You were working at the country club well if working meant staring at your friend? boyfriend? fuck buddy?? Whatever he is. You were staring at JJ wait tables and shit.

“Y/N quit staring at your boyfriend and get to work!”

You jumped and started wiping down the tables so they can be ready for the customers.

‘he’s not my boyfriend. i don’t know what the fuck he is.’ You muttered to yourself.

_____

As you were about to clock out you feel arms around your waist. And by the rings and bracelets you knew who it was. “Hey baby.” He said while putting his head in your neck. “Hi JJ.” You say while turning around and wrapping your arms around his neck.

“Let’s go on a date. I have everything set up all you have to do is show up.” He looked up to see a surprised look on your face.

“Is the man whore of obx asking me on a date?!”

“Noooo! You promised not to call me that anymore!” He said in a whiny voice.

“I’m sorry. Can I try again?”

He nodded.

“Is the JJ Maybank asking me on a date?!”

“I hate you so much and yes I am! Why is it so surprising?”

“Well one because of your nickname and two we had sex more than once-.”

“298 times to be exact.”

“And no-.” You cut yourself off. “Ew you kept count?! You are such a loser!”

“A loser you did it with 298 times!” He exclaimed.

You just look at him. “But anyway can you go with me? As my girlfriend?”

You smile and bite your lip. “Am I your girlfriend now?” He just nodded with a smile on his face. “I guess I’ll go on the date then.”

He’s your boyfriend!!

_____

“Do you ever want to get married?” You asked him. You two were swinging on the hammock while everyone is drinking beers and shit. “Yeah I already know my future and don’t worry you’re not in it.” He looked down at you and you looked like you were about to cry. “Baby I was joking! ‘And when I start to build my future she's the main component’.”

“Ew you did not just quote our song. You’re so corny.”

“Yes I did. You wanna hear our future?” You nodded ecstatically. “Ok well after we go full kook and have a big ass house. We both have well paying jobs to keep the money coming. And uh we have kids, two of them. Aireen and Vinnie.”

“You remembered the baby names I told you Jay?” He nodded. “Of course I did baby. But anyway we have a cat named Scar and a dog named Pougie. And we also have a big ass pool so we have pool parties and shit.”

You just wanted to cry as you heard his view of the future and with you in it.

God you love him so much

_____

“Happy one year baby!” JJ yells to wake you up. You bolt awake and smile. “Happy one year Jay. I finally can get my 100 dollars.” He just laughed and picked you up spinning around.

“Jay put me down!”

_____

When you joked that you can finally win the bet. He might have laughed it off but it got him thinking negative things.

‘What did she mean by that?’

‘Am I good enough?’

‘She wouldn’t bet on this would she?’

And that’s when JJ realized that before he gets hurt, he has to get out this relationship and fast.

the fall:

You started to notice that JJ was getting more and more distant over time. Not even last week you asked if he can hang out and he said something about his dad needing him. Which is weird because his dad barely talks to him.

Then he came up with even more excuses.

‘I have work.’

‘Gotta do something for my dad’

‘John B needs me for something.’

You were getting sick of it.

_____

You were both at the chateau. He was working on your car and you were just watching him. You might have intentionally did something to your car but that was only to talk to your boyfriend of almost two years who was ignoring you. You walked over to him trying to start conversation.

“Hey Jay.” He nods.

“Are you almost done? Not to rush or anything.” He nods.

“Ok so do you wanna hang out when your done? We can watch our show of the month.” You said smiling.

“Can’t. I have work.”

This is so annoying.

“Oh my fucking god! What’s your issue JJ?!” He just looked up at you. “I have no issue Y/N.”

“We haven’t talked in like two months.”

“I talk Y/N.”

“Excuses after excuses don’t count Jay.”

He started to walk and you can tell he’s frustrated and you should leave him alone.

You didn’t though.

“Jay don’t walk away from me! I’m trying to talk to you.” You continued. “I just wanna know what’s wrong.”

He turned around so abruptly that it made you flinch. “You wanna know what’s wrong?! Maybe it’s because you’re asking me stupid questions!”

“What’s wrong Jay?”

“Nothing is wrong!”

“Jay just tell me!”

“I don’t wanna do this anymore!”

You immediately started tearing up cause you knew exactly what ‘this’ was.

“What?” You said in a soft voice.

“I wanna break up. I just don’t feel like I’m ready for a relationship.”

“It took a year and seven months to figure that out?!” He just looked down.

“Fuck you JJ.” You said driving away in your half finished car.

As soon as you left he started breaking down, gasping for air while sobbing.

He fucked up. And he fucked up bad.

_____

It’s been three months since your break up with JJ. And all the pogues. You never felt so alone. JJ was the main thing making you happy and he just ended it. You were walking to the chateau to try to fix things and at least be friends with him.

But you start to tear up.

When you see JJ kiss Kiara.

An: SURPISEEEE the way this has been in my drafts for three months this was probably one of my longest stories but hoped you enjoy 😉 AND PLEASE TELL ME YOU SAW THE FRIENDS REFERENCE but until I post again my lovers 🤍 *hint: fezco x bennet reader ;)*

[vivysnights]

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Your letter to Fyodor in a lonely Christmas night

• TW: Angst no comfort (sorry), Gn reader, established relationship, Fyodor chose his plans over reader, suffering, no use of y/n

• So guess who is backkk. (Me ✋)Only to share this with you my loves. I swear whenever I try to write hurt/comfort I find myself writing angst. This was in my drafts since August. I was keeping it in a shoebox under my bed to share in Christmas 🤪 Also, happy Christmas everyone 🥳 Also I couldn't write part 3 for my ex-husband Fyodor fic so sorry about that. Mentally I'm not prepared and physically I don't have the time to write. I'm too tired and I have been sleeping for 5 hours everyday for 3 months because of college😴 but hey here is the short fic. Hope you enjoy <3 comments and reblogs are appreciated. I wanna know what you guys think 🥺

• The song is "You Broke My Heart Again" by Teqkoi

I think you broke my heart again

*･ﾟ｡♡Ψ☁︎

Please don't leave and take my hand

☆ﾟ⁠.⁠*⁠･⁠｡ﾟ｡⁠.ﾟ⁠+⁠ *⁠☂

Drowning inside these walls of fear

+⁠ *⁠･⁠゜ﾟ☁︎

Take my hand, and stay with me my dear

:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:⁺‧₊˚ ཐི⋆♱⋆ཋྀ ˚₊‧⁺:･ﾟ✧:･.☽˚｡･ﾟ✧:･.:

You knew before I did

(Drowning inside these walls of fear)

Why are you crying?

Don't you know?

(Take my hand, and stay with me my dear)

Yes I know exactly

Merry Christmas, Mr. Dostoevsky,

It's snowing again... just like that day. It is a little cold and lonely. No sound of pages turning, shallow breaths near my nape or cold fingers brushing and tucking little strands of hair behind my ear gently. And the sound of the door opening and closing, now making me understand your departure with a kiss that felt strange that time and now I realise how foolish I was. Leaving me so suddenly without saying a word at all... and going your own way... It is too cruel. You are too cruel. But may it bring you happiness I couldn't.

No, my love, I do not condemn or pity you. How could I? When all of my letters are about loving you unconditionally. I knew you couldn't stay by my side forever like this, without a care in the world. Even when White Christmas is upon us, while I don't even know your whereabouts, there is just this one wish I keep praying over and over. If you ever think about me, even for a second, please give yourself what I couldn't offer you, although God knows how much I wanted to... A glimpse of forgiveness.

Oh how I know that you won't accept it despite whatever I do because of your own pride.

I know it is not my place to say these words to you but you've done enough; please forgive yourself for your past and the agonizing incidents that wasn't your fault. Let go of the remorse you've been holding in your heart god knows how long, and allow me to embrace you for everything that has happened to you. And may you find solace in my arms just as I found mine in yours.

Isn't it funny how people refer to you as soulles when, in reality, only things you carry are the pieces of people once were a part of your soul.

Yes, Merry Christmas, Mr. Dostoevsky

Please forgive me for not being able to send you all of these letters that I wished for you to read. As if they'd ever reach you but please don't be upset by my fondness of you.

Maybe... maybe in another universe when my hand reaches out to yours for you to keep, I will get to hold yours this time. Ah and I'm sure you would like how the sky looked right now... All white and endless, just like your hometown that you seemed to admire. 

And, as always, I will keep this letter in a box under my bed alongside other letters that were never meant to be sent to you. Oh, how I wish you were here with me now. If you are not here right now, who knows how these things work?

But please let my soul find salvation in yours 

My beloved

My love

Please do not let this be my final goodbye. Appear in my mind like a breeze, gently remind me of your light, because without you, it is extremely cold and I am terribly lonely. Yes, I admit it now, my worst sin was letting you go. Yes, it's surely have been my worst mistake.

I'm not going crazy. Am I? So please let another universe be where you and I are together and without a care in the world, where I get you all to myself, where you don't have to try so hard, where the only time I will ever change my last name is when we exchange vows, and where the only eyes I will ever see before I close my eyes eternally will be yours.

Because for you there's only love.

For you, there's only love

Merry Christmas, Fyodor

May God bring an end to all of your battles within you that I couldn't end with love...

—Yours eternally, your dearest

[sukirichi]

Me to Rin: I can’t keep defending you plzzzz have some sense, you are hanging by a thread 🤏

Me to Kyoomi: sir, YOU 🫵 can take me anytime

Me to Yuzuru: that one Brooklyn 99 meme that quotes “I’ve only had YN for a few months but if anything were to happen to her I will kill everyone and then myself”

Ahhh I can’t believe thissss the more chapters get the released the more the angst is angsting 🧎🏽‍♀️

I really enjoyed reading the whole game between the Queen and YN it had so many parallels in between.. specially the plans because, YN had her own plans in taking the throne and getting rid of iris, and now we hear a more cruel one from the queen which is Atsumu ☠️

I don’t know if this is me being deulu but I low key feel like the queen sees herself in YN, two wives who’s husbands betrayed them…

And like the Queen could be a older version of YN if something doesn’t changeee history would just repeat itself , like what if one of YN’s next plan is to act as an ally of the queen just to get what she wants, that would be so villain arc of her 🙏🙏🙏 work 🤪

I’m soooo exited for the ending it’s so intriguing on what’s going to happen, I’m rooting for both rin and omi tbh 😭😭😭 pls don’t hate me I just love them equally so whoever is the endgame I’m sure it’ll be great 🧎🏽‍♀️❤️❤️

And low key if you decide to go for a Lucy grey and just have my girl yuzuru scape from all royal life and be happy in cottage somewhere unknown it would be great as well 🙏🙏🙏 she deserves that peace

Sukiii you are so great!! I hope you doing well and sending you lots of love ❤️❤️❤️ xoxo 🥰

-🐝

lmaooo that’s so real! i just want to shake rin’s head and hear the bells clattering inside 😔 kiyoomi, though, oh my. he’s honestly so perfect and i didn’t expect writing him would be so fun, i feel like he deserves his own story where he’s the male lead now 🥹 OMG i’m so glad you guys liked the scene between yn and the queen! i was honestly worried it wouldn’t be received well bcos it was a lore-heavy drop but yes there are parallels !! queen mentioned “that’s why you’d make a good queen,” but the more you think about it, one of them would be a terrifyingly good queen but not necessarily what is best for the crown 👀 OOH actually in one of the dtd routes (that i did not proceed with) yn was actually more villain-y there so ig that yes she would have been another (younger) version of the queen 😭

omg baby i could never hate you, i’m rooting for them both too !! every day i tell myself to stick to the ending i planned and not to be swayed by my attachment to the other </3 GASP what if we did pull a lucy gray !! i’m ngl i was not a fan of lucy gray running away in the story bcos uhm babes... young snow is hot but yeah. when a man keeps that much secrets from you and could potentially betray you, i’d run away too 😭 ALSO thank you so much for the kind words nonnie you’re too sweet! sending lots of love back 💫🌷💕

[onlyjaeyun]

WAR IS OVERRRRR!!!! reading the update was such a big breath of relief after the heavy ass angst you dropped on us the past couple chaps😓 BUT i love how everything was tied together and justice finally being served!! it’s sooo satisfying seeing the downfall of everyone that jong had a lawsuit against😌 i’m also not over hoon being seoul’s top lawyer like ive said it before and i’ll say it again, that’s hot🤭

jongyn are finally getting their happy ending and i can’t help but tear up at the thought of it bc they have been through an insane roller coaster throughout this story🥹 sooo ready for the fluff in the next chaps!! i’m so attached to jongyn that i’m going to reread from the beginning right after i send in this ask LOL

zadie baby whenever i read your responses to my asks they make me smile so big and my heart so full!! i look forward to them whenever i log on 🫶🏻 i hope you know that you always make my days brighter too 💞 sending a big forehead kiss back to you baby!! mwah💋💋

- 💌

MY BABY!🥺🥺🥺💞

war really is over and i'm SO happy, proud and grateful that we actually made it to the end bc ngl at one point i felt like giving up but you guys kept my motivation up and knowing you loved and enjoyed everything so much makes me so emotional 🥺 thank you SO much for your sweet words and your feedback, you know it means the world to me 💞🧸

am gonna try my best to give jongyn the best ending ever, have yet to decide what to do for the last written chapter but just know smut is gonna be involved to end it with a literal bang 🤪

don't make me tear up now your ask are lit everything to me and knowing you always take time out of your day to send me these is smth i will forever treasure and keep close to my heart baby, i love and appreciate you SO much 🥺💞

[after-nine-at-the-oasis]

I JUST FINISHED EPISODE FIVE AND AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

GUESS WHAT'S PLAYING ON REPEAT IN MY HEAD!!! IT'S "YOU KISSED MY BOYFRIEND?" :'DDDD!!!

I HOPE Y'ALL ARE ENJOYING LAUGHING AT MY PAIN 😭😭😭 no genuinely I hope it helps soften this for you lol

I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine

Anyway 🤪✌️ let's get going :)

CARLOSSSSSS 😭😭😭😭😭💔💔!!!! I HATE TO BREAK IT TO YOU GUYS BUT NO ONE IS GOING THROUGH IT AS MUCH AS CARLOS EXCEPT MAYBE RICKY

YOU ALL JUST CAN'T MATCH UP

Anyway xD. I honestly felt SO bad for Carlos this episode. But you know what I didn't expect to come out of this storyline xd? The part of his conversation with Miss Jenn where they (the show) talked about the high standards for gay people in society, tied into Carlos's body and self esteem issues. Like?? Hello??? Honestly a slay?? I'm not gonna say it makes this WORTH IT, but still lol.

And, to be totally honest or a moment, the longer it goes on, the more okay I am with this storyline. Obviously I don't like "cheating gay" trope, but with Big Red explaining what happened I'm feeling a bit better about it. And I mean hey - it's angst. And also, it's a TV show, and people (especially tv characters lol) make mistakes. I'm not saying I've forgiven either of them yet lol, but I still love them.

Anyway! Back to my drama lol. Besides that serious stuff though Carlos and Miss Jenn's scene was HILARIOUS lol xD. Also, back on the serious stuff for a moment, I love how she acknowledged that it doesn't just go away, but promised to be there by his side through it :'). Beautiful <3.

Now. We'll be back to Carlos in a moment, because I'm gonna discuss Big Red and Ashlyn first lol.

AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I WAS S O HOPING HE WOULDN'T SAY IT!!! Our greatest fears came true y'all 😭. Also I gotta say I LOVE that Ashlyn was defending Carlos. But also, since she was, and not really defending herself, I think that was a pretty sure sign that it was over xD. They were great, and now, they've grown up, and changed, and they're different :'). Honestly that scene made me feel better about the whole thing than anything else. It honestly kind of mad me okay with the storyline lol? Like I said, I'm loving the angst, and honestly? I just don't enjoy disliking things. Is this how I wanted it to go down, for any of them? No. But it's what I have :). Anyway, HUAOFWIZMOFKAGSKNL I WAS DYING THROUGHOUT THAT ENTIRE SCENE!!! Y'all the liveblogging of panic that was being sent to my sibling 😭😭 xD.

But AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH ASHLYN COMING OUT!!!! :'DDDD. And finally (it's been one episode lol) an explanation on what happened 😭. Yeah honestly I feel like that's the best possible choice. My mans (as in men) just let the impulsive thoughts win 😌 /hj xDD. Or, the best possible option I guess, lol. Anyway, that honestly was the most beautiful breakup ever :'D. They just. . . genuinely were on the same page :'). Given that Redlyn's the last OG ship left (besides Seblos, but yk, they're B-U-R-N-T lol xD they better be fine though -.-), it does feel a bit bittersweet :'). Mostly bitter lol xd. I just- sighh. It's better this way for both of them, but I will miss them :'/. Ash is right - it really does feel like the end of an era x'd. Ahh, my babeys <3.

Goodbye and Rest in Peace, Redlyn <3. You were wonderful :').

Also at this time I'd like to once again bring up the fact that we were jokingly considering Big Rashlyn as the ship name LOL. Wayyy back in the day xD. Anyway lol.

Oh and also, I like that Big Red actually DID pick up on the Maddox and Ashlyn thing lol :'). Good for him xD. Also, it kinda shows again that he and Ash had changed really early on :( :').

Now, back to Carlos lol xd. Yeah, we're doing this part a bit chronologically since it involves all three of them and the background is important for both sides of it lol (Big Red and Ashlyn as one side because their scene was together lol). STOPPPP Caros wanting the international tea 😭😭💔 honey I'm so sorry but this meeting is about to crash and burn :'(( <33. And then I just- BIG RED!! THIS IS THE WORST THING YOU'VE DONE SO FAR!! WORSE THAN KISSING SEB!!! YOU TOLD CARLOS, NOT EVEN TALKING ABOUT THE GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS PART, BY DOING A DOUBLE THUMB POINT!!!! Okay, maybe it's on equal footing with smiling while you told Ash xD, BUT STILL!!!! Y'all 😭. Seriously I rewatched that part like three times though. Just like, those 30 seconds of them talking. Carlos's HURT is just what gets to me 😭💔. The hurt and heartbreak and anger in his voice just K I L L E D M E!!! I'm not okay 😭😭😭❤️💔. But honestly I loved it lol xd because it was just SO. GOOD!! Also "I'm very fond of you" 😭😭😭😭 STOP. That whole line honestly - like I said, the whole conversation xdd 😭😭💔❤️. I love them so much and this hurts <33.

Also, I could insult Big Red by saying you don't have to worry about the self conscious side of it anymore Carlos, but I will not because that was a joke my brain made that I don't believe anyway xD. I mean, obviously Seb doesn't feel that way, but you know lol.

Anyway!! I am super stressed and not at all ready :')). Especially because the next episode started a little bit before I could pause it (and then the disney+ logo bit just. disappeared from the runtime lol) and I SAW THAT CARLOS'S SHIRT IS THE ONE HE HAS ON IN OVER AGAIN!!! LIKE I'M PRETTY SURE!! AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!! It took me a minute of having it paused at the very beginning of the recap but then when I registered it I was like o.o xD. Anyway!

Going from those three into Ash, honeyyy 😭😭😭😭😭💔💔. Madison picking up 😭😭 :'(((. It's okay honey, I'm sure Maddox still likes you, it's probably a misunderstanding D':. Maybe they were breaking up and Maddox didn't answer because she was upset lol. Anyway xD! I felt so bad for her 😭😭. Also AAHHHH HER CLEANING OUT HER LOCKER HIGDKZOSMP 😭😭😭. Like of their pictures :'((. But I was also like xD "chill girl they're still your friends 😭 xD" lol. Maybe she left like one of Big Red so he's equal to her other friends xD. I justified she didn't have multiple of Maddox :((. But, anyway, ouch <3333.

AAAAAHHHHHHHH KOURTNEYYYY!! I'M SO HAPPY FOR HER :'DDDD. Obviously this whole thing is still scary, but she just seems genuinely happy here :'). I don't think we would've seen that if we watched her visit an Ivy League. And then the song being her sign 😭😭😭- stop, don't talk to me <33. It was perfect :')). And AAAHHHHHH IT WAS SO GOOD!!!!! GIRL YOU SLAYED S O H A R D :DDDD!!! WHOOOO ❤️❤️🤩🥰😍🥳🥳😭❤️❤️. Good crying lol <3. It was just amazing :'D. And again, I'm just so happy that she's happy 🥰. Obviously it's still scary, and anxiety-inducing, and weird, but I think she feels a tiny bit more confident in her journey now :'). And hopefully, she can enjoy the year a little bit more <3. Also, I love how surprised they all looked when she started singing xD. A very real reaction lol. And as they SHOULD, she is amazing :DDDD. I love her so much <3333.

AAAHHHHHH EJ!!!! HE'S HERE :DDDD!!! Well I mean, he's not here lol, he's there, but you know xD. HE'S ARRIVED ON THE SHOWWW!!! Lol xD. Anyway!! AAHHHH He's thriving so much :'D. And he's away from his dad :')). I'm honestly just so happy for him <333. Also, it seems like he may mayhaps (just go with it - lol call me ginain 1x05- anyway xD) have a thing going on with Val 👀👀? Good for you EJ :'D. I'm happy for you :') 🥰. He deserves this so much <333. Also, that SONG!!! IT WAS AMAZING 😭😭❤️❤️❤️. And AYYY they finally let Matt play guitar :D xD. I love him so much lol <3. EJ and Matt :).

RINA!! Okay so Ricky first, man was going through it 😭😭💔❤️. I definitely think he really needed that time with EJ <3. And honestly just, time away in general. But not alone :). But like, between seeing how EJ is flourishing (especially given what EJ said at the end), and being outside of everything and being able to look at it with an outside perspective (from himself and EJ), it was what he needed :'). Also that tough love was really what he needed 😭 xD. Seriously though, EJ saying basically that he would do anything for Gina, and the she deserves the best? 😭😭😭😭😭😭💔❤️❤️ Stop, I'm not okay <3333. But seriously, their conversation was just SO. GOOD. And the ACTING bro don't even get me started on how amazing everyone's acting has been 😭😭💔❤️. But Ricky crying? Dang that hit HARD!! And yeah, EJ said exactly what he needed to hear. A little comfort in the way of having faith of him, a little tough love, and just plain old love. He's finally starting to heal, to not run, and I just love that so much for him :')). I'm so happy for Ricky 😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰 :')). He deserves this <3.

Also them hugging and saying I love you 😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️. I can't dude I love them so much <333. They really are brothers :')).

Though I've gotta say that right after/during that I was like "and after you keep stealing his girlfriends too :')" AND THEN THEY BASICALLY SAID THAT SLFJGHDKGJLS XDD!! That part was amazing lol, on its own too xD. And also the guitar :'D. Lovely <333.

GINAAA!!! GIRL YOU WERE SLAYING SO HARD THIS EPISODE :DDD! GIRL SHE WAS SLAYING SO HARD THIS EPISODE :DDDD!!! Like all the filming?? YES girl go off :O :DD!! Although I am kinda like. "Bestie the rehearsal xD." still lol, but to be fair that still wouldn't have been enough xD. Anyway, I'm glad Mack got to have dinner with them and honestly just be kinda normal for a bit :). Like, him trying to pay? Nah, dude :). And hey, Gina's doing what she said :p. She's training him how to live life a bit :'D. Also Gina's mom liking him was sus 😭😭. I mean like, sus in a :'((( way because she likes him and would let Gina date him but that's just because he's successful DD':. And that's rude frankly :'((. I mean it's more than rude but still lol. And then YES Gina honestly ska <33 stad up to her :)). I know you love her but she ain't perfect and she needs to know what you have to say <3.

And then, that last scene (with Rina). AAAAHHHHHHHHHH 😭😭😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. Y'all I was freaking out and then HE SAW MACK AND HE TURNED AWAY AND I WAS ABOUT TO LOSE MY MIND I SWEAR, BUT THEN AAAAAHHHHHHHHH GINA SAW HIM :DDDD!!! AND I WAS SCARED SHE WOULD BE TOO LATE BUT P H E W SHE WASN'T 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️🥰 :'DDD!!! AND AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH SHE TOLD HER MOM ABOUT THEM :'DDDD!!!!!! AND AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH WAS THAT SECOND CHANCE PLAYING??? BUT I JUST WPXIGUSNMOSMLOAUNPA AND THEN THE K I S S S S S!!!! Y'ALL THAT WAS SO GOOD 😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️. AND IT WAS SO CINEMATIC!!! AAAHHHHHHH I JUST LOVED IT SO MUCH :'DDDDDD.

Also side note Ricky calling EJ 😭😭💔❤️ :')).

And then NOOOOOO THE SHOWWW 😭😭😭😭💔❤️❤️. Only Emmy and Miss Jenn being there :'((( 😭😭💔. I was hoping at least a few people would be :'(( but no D':. I mean I know they're all going tough it but 😭 DD':. Anyway that sucks really bad :((. Also what was the principal doing before he came in that he was so happy about lol. Anyway xD.

Accidentally am at the end of the episode and haven't done Miss Jenn yet (shhh might've forgotten xdd) SO here she is :D. Again her and Carlos's scenes were wonderful 😭😭😭❤️❤️. I just love her being there for him :'))). And him for her 🥰🥰. And you know what? We deserve this. We deserve sad Carlos who gets comfort 😤😤😌. Does it hurt? Yes xd. But it's GOOD 😭❤️❤️❤️ MH <333. Anyway xD. Poor Miss Jenn overall though :'((. Especially with the show 😭😭 DD':. I love her though <333

And poor Emmy too :'((. Honey's just trying her best <33. And I mean she literally came to this school for the musical and to be with them D':. Poor girl 😭😭❤️ <333. Plus Carlos said Seb was the only reliable theatre kid but now there's Emmy :'((( :'). She is, but no one else was there 😭💔. Anyway she's slaying as always :'( <333.

Oh also I forgot to mention it but 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔 CARLOS SITTING IN THE STAIRWELL WITH IT RAINING LOOKING AT PICTURES OF SEB KILLED ME 😭😭😭😭😭💔💔💔❤️. Also the caption said something about "my favorite person" or something like that so ha I'm fine :'))). Heh :'))). Also, WE HAD NO IDEA HOW DEPRESSING THESE SCENES REALLY WERE 😭😭😭😭💔💔. Like from the promo pics xdd 😭😭. First Halloween now this 😭. Like this one looked sad unless you were like me and thought it as just his skater outfit for a second :')), but still it was WAY worse 😭😭😭💔 DD':. Anyway it killed me thank you :)) :')) :'(( <3333.

Maddox, Jet, Seb, and Nini - we miss you :')) ❤️😭💔❤️❤️🥰. I have no clue where Maddox and Jet were but you know xD.

This episode was so amazing. I loved it so much :'DD. Like, yes, it caused me immensely, immeasurable pain, but it was SO GOOD. The EMOTIONS this episode!! And every episode tbh lol. Like I said, I haven't mentioned it much as of yet, but the acting is absolutely PHENOMENAL!!! And just overall y'all I am so not okay with this show 😭😭😭❤️💔💔 xdd. Like, not okay over this show lol. Anyway xD. I'm so scared for the next episode, and the next few episodes. And I'm also SO FREAKING EXCITED!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Y'all I think we might get Over Again next episode :'D (nearly said week lol). That would heal my broken heart a bit <3.

Oh also, input on everything this far from my sibling through my updates (panicked texts): SEB WOULD NEVER THE WRITERS ARE WRONG. Summarized a bit, but it wasn't much longer than that lol. So yeah, that <3 xD. I agree but I'm still okay with the storyline lol. Again - I'm just enjoying what I've got :).

Anyway!! Yeah :)). Wonderful episode- OH YEAH!!! THE MUSIC WAS S O GOOD!!!! I know I talked about them individually but it was just AMAZING :'DDD!!! Both songs were so amazing, thank you very much for those 🥰🥰. I loved them :'D. And again, that Second Chance motif killed me <3.

But yeah!! I'm so nervous and so excited :))).

NOW IT'S TIME FOR EPISODE 6!!!!

[lokischocolatefountain]

Just finished reading separation, [I know I already reblogged it, but I felt the need to explain the emotional roller-coaster I went through and figured it would be best to explain it here]

Ahem... THE ANGST DURING THE FIRST HALF OMFG! 😫 HAD ME ON EDGE! and then him SCREAMING "FUCKING TELL ME" I had to pause and recollect myself bc lord have mercy that did something to me (I don't know what nor can I say if it's good or bad 🫣)

But seeing Javi being worried/concerned that he fucked up AND DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IN WHAT WHY... I was sobbing, screaming, crying, pulling my hair out. Heart breaking, to say the least 😭

I LOVED them communicating, and Javi wanting/needing reader to open up and communicate with him but still not forcing reader into doing so... again sobbing and crying while screaming 😭

Reader telling him the reason why she left and him not being able to say/do much because it's not something he can control but still trying to comfort reader 🥺

And last but not least [I could rant about this fic, but alas I won't]

“You like this, don’t you?” He asked, lowering the register of his voice the way she liked as he took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “You want me to possess you, to hurt anyone who would want you that way I have you. You like that I can be a dangerous man.”

That, my friends... that was FUCKING HOT 🥵

All this to say, I LOVED LOVED LOVED everything about this fic! I love how you write my beloved Javi 🥹🫶🏽

I would love to be added to your tag list 🙃 I hope you have a lovely day/night 🫶🏽 and you'll be hearing from me again when I either reread all your fics or when a new fic comes out 🤪

That is all from me. I just needed to let everyone know that I am OBSESSED with this fic and would recommend it to everyone 😌 [it is 4am and I'm feeling bold, so for the first, I will not be posting anonymously... 🫣]

Stay safe, healthy, and hydrated ❣️

First of all, I love your url. It’s perfect and hilarious 😆 Secondly, THANK YOU for the reblog and this beautiful comment. I love when I’m taken on an emotional rollercoaster so it’s cool to know that I wrote something that was an emotional rollercoaster haha.

Ngl, the “fucking tell me!” wasn’t supposed to be that way, I just meant it to be angsty. But then I went back to read it after your comment and now I’m like 👀 It just reminded me of how hot he is when angry (like in the scene where he’s yelling at a guy trying to find Helena). I want him to scream at me 😩 and that’s all I can say without being sent right to horny jail.

Javi is a soft, gentle, kind man despite everything he has seen and done. And he has this strong sense of duty and doing the right thing. Combined, those characteristics would make him want to be a good husband. He cares for everyone deeply and he starts caring fast. So someone he marries would have all his care and love and respect. He would want to treat her right and make her happy, but he can’t always do that because of his job and because he’s only human. Humans make mistakes. But he’s not one to forgive himself. He’ll keep a ledger of his faults and go over them repeatedly. So when someone he loves leaves out of the blue like that, his instinct is to blame himself. He goes over the ledger, try to figure out what exactly he did wrong this time and when he can’t figure it out, he just feels worse.

I think he can’t bear it when people cry. Because he cares. So even though he wants answers more than anything, he stops his pursuit quickly to hold her and comfort her.

Yessss I’m glad you enjoyed that part about him knowing how she likes that he can be dangerous. That part is a bit of a self-insert, tbh. But can ya blame me? Irl, I would never go for someone who shot people (and got shot at) for a living but since it’s Javi and he’s not real, I can let my worst fantasies run wild. And wanting someone something I know I shouldn’t want… that’s 🥵🥵🥵

This comment is the best thing ever and it makes my heart all warm and fuzzy. Thank you thank you thank you sooooo much for this. I’ll keep it in mind to tag you in my future Javi fics. And I’m excitedly waiting to hear from you again 💜

[mysweetgirl2-love]

Hanging on His Every Word - Kaeya x Reader

(A/N): Ah, Kaeya. The Calvary Captain, whatta guy.

This prompt ending up falling on the perfect character in my list, I'd argue. It fell on his name and I was like "Great. Beautiful. Love love him to be whispering just ... everything in my ear." God, talk about a tease, right? I hope you enjoy the emphasis on tease I put on him in this oneshot. I think my brain tried making it a little angstier at one point because 🤪 plot??? But, not enough to make it surrounded with angst. Genshin characters are really hard to write, I've come to realize. I wish I knew them all a little better, but reading every five-part backstory is a lil intimidating t.b.hONEST- so I hope this suffices ^^" I also have been reading other one shots on Tumblr and realize people put warnings even if it's a soft one shot, so I'm gonna start doing that 🤩 just cuz' I feel a little foolish if that's what people are worried about here. Hope you enjoy the oneshot!! Here's to the alluring knight of Favonious, shudders.

Prompt #9: Whispering Sweet Nothings

Word Count: 2.7k

Warnings:(None! Unless whispering into your ear makes you uncomfortable??? But, that's the prompt for this day so ehhh maybe next time ;u;)

✦✧✦✧

Living in a teapot didn’t seem so comforting in the beginning, the idea of a cramped space like that being utilized as a home seemed… for lack of a better word, unfit. Yet, after some help from Chubby and encouragement from your team, you actually were able to spiffy the place up appropriately for your needs.

The outside closely resembled the Liyue nation you had recently traveled through—the sun always golden in a constant lowering within the sky. It lit your surrounding, glass china which encased world in brightened gold, a direct replicant of the sunsets you had since observed against the Liyue skyline. The ones you’d found yourself basking in with your teammates, and now one you could show the other team members who all now resided here. Or, at least had another home to confide in outside of their dwellings across Teyvat.

You weren’t one to usually spend much more than a few minutes, or so, within your teapot’s domain. Not that you didn’t like the space, there was just too much to also be done in the real world towards completing your adventures that finding time for the teapot was difficult. Chubby assured you not to ever worry about the wellbeing of the realm, and he would be happy in keeping its upkeep in your absence. Nevertheless, your lack of nurturing the teapot would always spawn some anxiety.

Tonight was actually a night you were able to seek out the time and rest in your home. Recently, you had called upon Lisa to help you appropriately furnish the home you were gifted to make the place actually live-able. She had picked out a couch and surrounding table and chairs for your entry room, making the hall to left hold a kitchen, a closet, and a study. The librarian still was determined to help with the opposing hallway, but for now you were appreciative of the space for a study she had currently built.

More than appreciative, especially with the fact she so took to heart making the place feel like a real home for the companions like her who liked comfortable downtime, you were eternally grateful for the authority she took in her interior design. She definitely felt prideful in her work, and you felt she was rightly entitled to. It was cozy, welcoming, and let you take on less of a job for once.

Currently, basking in that forever setting sun from outside your window, you were curled over the dark oak of your desk—a worn notebook laid out before you with scribbled writings marking the lines in frantic thoughts and recollection of your day. The interactions you had, the importance of items you had picked up along the way, mapping out waypoints and why they held certain importance. Anything that came to mind, it was marked down, and now you were simply paused to try and wrack your brain for anything more. 

So engrossed in your trying to remember what had happened through your earlier afternoon, you weren’t tuned into your surroundings like usual. Not that you would necessarily need to be worried of what’s around you, it was here where you were supposed to trust in the security of your surroundings. That was the whole point, right?

To true enemies, yes; that would always remain fact in this plane. What the rule didn’t apply to was your acquired comrades from over the journey—those who loved to antagonize only being an objection to your found peace in this evening. And, it was him who now descended on your space, careful to not make much noise as he entered your study and proceeding his silent approach behind you.

You remained unsuspecting, much to his amusement, and quickly from there he finally made himself known in the quiet room. He wasn’t quick to speak, but swiftly his hands grabbed gently at your shoulders which he further used to pull himself up and slightly over your back. You gasped at the sudden ‘attack’ instilled against you, your face flying to look up and confront the oncoming person—gaze dulling at who you found.

“I should’ve known better.” you scoffed irritably, throwing the hands off your shoulders with a quick yank of your upper half, “You must think you’re so funny, don’t you?”

“Haha, a little~” The man behind you finally spoke up, his purr of a laugh eliciting the butterflies in your stomach to flutter up a storm, “What? You’re trying to tell me this wasn’t a good surprise?”

“Not at all, Alberich.” You snappily quipped in his direction, waving your hand dismissively over your shoulder. “Would you buzz off? I’m a little busy right now…”

“Really.” He didn’t obey, flopping over towards the space of desk next to your arms; still determined to see what you’re working on. “Writing in your little diary about me?”

Your head fell towards the page, baffled at the Calvary knight’s persistence to keep you irritated. 

“Kaeya…” 

“I tease, doll…” Kaeya hummed from beside you, his one eye flicking over to the paper again and pushing his head closer, “I am curious, though.”

“Well, you’re going to be disappointed when I still tell you…” your fingers slipped under the notebook’s cover, flipping it up and letting the pages slap shut against one another, “no.”

“Oh, please,” Suddenly the book was snatched away entirely, Kaeya holding it to dangle between two fingers tauntingly over your head. “like your no is gonna stop me.”

“Kaeya.” You growled, your arm flashing out to try and grab the book away from him, “Give it back.”

“Mmm-noo,” He took a lumbering step away from the desk then, grabbing the book by one of its covers and letting it hang by its spine. “I’ll take my time with this novel, I think.”

“Kaeya!” You leapt from your chair, almost being caught in the falling backwards of the piece of furniture. “It’s not funny! Give it back!”

The man paused to throw a glance your way, the gleam in his gaze and twist of his mouth clearly showing you how much he was enjoying this game of cat and mouse he so quickly enforced. What joy he found in that irritated scowl you held so prominently for him. But, he also knew you through other expressions—and could clearly see what differed even now in the face of your irritation.

From darker circles around your eyes, a new scar or two from your travels and the violence you often challenged, the lack of vitality in your being with maybe how tired your body grew over time. He registered this in his heart, and suddenly the grin fell from his lips and settled in a hesitant frown.

“…Fine,” He sighed, bringing the book back forward—you taking a beat and snatching it out of his fingers before he could think twice on his decision.

Kaeya scoffed a soft laugh at your desperation, not being able to help himself, you then clutching the diary against your chest. With his hand still lifted, he flicked his fingers into a snippy wave as though to brush you off in the other direction. You frowned with his dismissal of this entire interaction, suddenly; you stepping out in his path to make him pause.

“What?” You ask, your voice having an edge that showed you weren’t going to let him lie his way out of this one.

“Nothing, it’s nothing…” He sighed, almost dejected as he further turned away, “just… you look tired.”

You were speechless in the wake of his commentary, confusion quickly flooding itself through the rest of your emotions as he continued in his now exiting of the room.

“Woah, woah, woah, hold up.” You suddenly are tripping over yourself to reach out and grab him, “I asked you to give me my book back, not that you had to leave.”

“Ah,” he finally paused and returned his attention to you at the sense of your touch, “I guess that would be true, wouldn’t it?”

“So…?” You nodded up with your chin, urging him to speak, “What was that, just then?”

Kaeya’s light tease subdued at the question, the knight’s gaze falling as though he were suddenly beside himself. “I just thought I don’t need to be taking away from your time alone. That’s all.”

Your frown only deepened at that, a light squeeze from you against his wrist brought his head back up—his one eye revealing more to you than maybe necessary. On the rare occasion, and really only with you, the man before you arguably appeared to feel guilty. 

“I mean… sure, I’ve had a long journey thus far and enjoy the quiet moments when they come. But…” You shrug your shoulders indifferently, “It’s no problem if you’re quiet and respectful.”

It was meant to be a little bit more of a jest than you trying to comfort him, but he seemed to appreciate the effort you gave in making him feel welcomed even after he had been so adamant on messing around with you. You were too kind to him when it came to things like that, in his eyes. Also understanding, that was half the fun of having first been sneaking around with one another—it all starting on a stealth mission in Mondstat when he couldn’t help but tease at you beneath him, simultaneously pinning you both to a wall in an attempt to stay out of sight from your target. That moment changing the course of your relationship entirely, as it probably would anyone’s. 

“Haha, I barely know the definitions of those words…” He chuckled, turning back towards you and stepping in the direction of your smaller frame. “Teach them to me?”

“Woah, buddy…” You chuckled, your breath a little short with how intimate the space had suddenly become, “I’m a partner, not your dictionary.”

“Mmm, two birds with one stone?” His voice was next to your head, breath washing over the side of your ear, “Why not be both?~”

“Kaeya…” You managed to say through a building pressure you then realized was starting to build in your chest, as if the air was thin with how you felt so closed in against him.

“The definition, doll…” He purred the instruction into your ear, knowing exactly how his voice was affecting you.

“Quiet,” you shuddered, his hand in your wrist now twisting to grab at yours while you spoke, “the-the opposite of what you’re doing now.”

A quiet chuckle and squeeze at your wrist was the response you received, and it only was urging you to continue. You bit on the tip of your tongue to keep from being snarky again, a rebelling glare hardening itself against your features. 

“Respectful… showing respect for a person.”

“That’s cheating,” his voice resounded in a deeper register, more a growl this time around, “try again.”

“Kaeya…” you whined, your hand leaving his grip and placing itself against his chest in trying to push him off. It was evidently no use, his stature stagnant before you. 

He dipped his head evidently closer towards your ear, a hushed uttering against your ear, “Enlighten me, little one.”

Your head flew up at his calling, a wide eyed stare being your only reaction for the time being. Blinking furiously, you had to will yourself into giving him some better answer, the other half of your mind pleading to let him continue. Wanting desperately to hear what more he could say, that half hanging on his every word. You shoved him into a stagger with how your strength struck at him this time around, needing both him and your own opposing thoughts to be silenced in that way.

“You need to stop that.” You announced while he laughed obnoxiously over your head, his own falling back in a resounding cackle much to your dismay. “It’s not that funny!”

“Ah, yes it is. When this is your reaction?” He craned back forward, you not being able to stop him in time before his nose gently touched against the tip of yours, a light brushing of faces between the two of you. “Besides, I can’t call on you in an endearing title?~” 

“I—Well, can it be a nicer one?” You hummed in return, you cautiously watching him above you and how his features rested. The point of contact appearing to make him ease. You frowned at the expression on his face, not loving how it alleviated your tension and heightened your yearning of the knight. It caused the tone of your voice to ease and your expression fall into one of subdued defeat.

As usual, he read you better than anyone you’d already grown accustomed to and saw right through your request. His gloved hand raised to your cheek, and his own appearance changed into something more endearing. Like he were nurturing the world at his fingertips, and in his case he knew he was. You had become everything for him in the span of a few months you now had spent together, all while becoming that more familiarized with the other. Most definitely in ways you never imagined would be possible with someone like him—and in that thought, he too was shocked to have wooed someone like you into loving even those darker aspects about him.

Circling back on your question, the man shook his head. “No… I don’t think it’s inherently rude in any way. You’re just being picky.”

“Wow.” You huffed, not being able to stop the smile that then grinned across your face, “What am I going to do with you.”

“Hmm,” Kaeya seemed to ponder the question for a moment, but ultimately his eyes fell back to the desk and he was nodding towards your abandoned journal that not lay flat on the corner of the small table, “I guess I’d still appreciate being enlightened on what you’ve written in there?”

You turned over your shoulder in following his direction, straining a frown at the idea of rereading your thoughts out loud. “It’s really nothing interesting… just travel detailings, puzzle solutions I want to try… the normal scheming for an adventurer.”

“Exactly why I wish to know about your journey’s recollections.” He sounded a matter-of-factly above you, “I’m sure I can help problem solve a few things for when you go back.” 

The hands that once shoved against his chest were now resting on the biceps of his arm, and you squeezed at the arms against your palms in knowing he would ultimately get what he want. You had a hard enough time telling him a straight no when he was teasing, the genuine curiosity he now displayed making an objection to his want arguably impossible. 

“…Fine, okay. You win.” You relented suddenly, slouching forward and pushing your head into his chest. He made a soft hissing yes in success of his wants being met, you tensely turning up and huffing at the eye-patched fighter while he reached over to retrieve the book. 

“Thank you, my love.” He chuckled, hoping the display of appreciation was clear enough in more than just his words, him further reaching your work of writing up in your direction. “Please. I’m dying to hear about your travels in my absence.”

Quietly, you gave the book a once over before taking it tentatively in your grasp; quietly than cracking the cover open in reading what was first in the writing. That quiet plead of his made your heart burn all the more, and you grinned in looking back to him.

“Where do I begin?” You chuckled, the man taking your hips and pacing back towards the chair at your desk. He hoisted himself down but only while positioning you in-between his legs, pushing you then to rest easy before him.

“Wherever you deem fit, little one.” He hummed, his thumb stroking at your clothed side making the goosebumps race along your arm.

“Ah, well…” You turned a page or two where your writings first started, pointing at the first word for you to recall a little of what you had already written, “I think that first day in exploring Mondstat works then, yes?”

Kaeya’s warmed face somehow grew to seem more sincere, and he quietly nodded, “That sounds absolutely perfect to me.”

[writefightandflightclub]

Hi there, I absolutely loved your story "You-o-meter", and I was wondering if you would be open to a request for something similar to that? I had an idea with Santi or Poe, with the reader either having sensitive ears or having a similar situation to what happened in the story with Nathan. And if you do Santi, maybe the reader gets scared of a loud gunshot or something?

Thanks so much for this prompt, Anon! Really enjoyed this. Hope you like what I did with it! 🧡

The space between words: Poe Dameron x GN!Reader

Summary: there’s never any peace and quiet with Poe Dameron around… or, is there? (This is about sensory overload but also it’s a super cute love story; because of course it is, so I think anyone could enjoy this even if that’s not something you deal with!).

Genre: it ends fluffy 🥰

Author’s note: this one is about reader experiencing sensory overload / overstimulation (reader is particularly sensitive to noise here rather than other forms of stimuli.) Hilarious fact - I wrote most of this in the midst of a week which was overloading me to the point I felt hungover. But, the glass is half full bc ha! At least it helped me get in the right headspace for this thing! 🤪

Warnings: sensory overload (especially noise), lots of descriptions of said stimuli (upfront, before the comfort arrives), reader is not overloaded by touch. Unspoken love. Generally fluffy / eventually cute. Hugs and luff. Mentions of canon-typical angst but only as a scene-setter. Quickly written not proofed. Oh and he calls reader “kiddo” but it’s just meant to be cute not an age thing at all.

It’s loud everywhere on base and it’s pretty hard to escape it. Near impossible on the days where you are rostered for duty, in fact.

There is the barking of orders in the command room. The tense, terse exchanges of tacticians, spit flying with every heartfelt enunciation. The grind of metal. That tinny punctuation and crank of tools in the hangar. The whirr of engines out on the duracrete and the beep of droids - well, kriffing everywhere. There’s Threeps babbling at you over your shoulder. Wracked, rhythmic sobs throbbing in the corridors like a pulse through an artery, perfectly in time and yet completely at odds with the clamour of jubilation from the makeshift bar across base.

It is near constant. Even the supposed avenues for winding down are loud. The pulse of the bass around the campsite. Lairy, throaty laughter from those necking fire whiskey. The only place you can retreat for a modicum of peace is the edge of the forest, but by the time you make it there after a long shift your head is already so bleary, throbbing, that even the mocking song of the cicadas is enough to send you over the edge.

You do what you can to subdue it. You wear ear loops to take the edge off of the decibels, but even then, without any circuit breaks it… builds up. For others, the noise seems to flow through them; dissipate. But for you it sticks. Settles. Accumulates. Fills you up like a bucket until you are spilling over.

Even aside from the noise, it is loud everywhere. There is the bold, blaring flight suit orange. The flashing blue of star maps and whizzing space. The palpable smell of fear too - and all these stimuli sometimes feel as deafening a tumult as the noise itself.

It all scrapes you. Grinds you down until your head throbs.

And then, because of course there is… on top of all that noise…. there is Poe kriffing Dameron. Poe, your shockingly handsome Commander. And, as per usual, the famously verbose man will not shut up.

You adore the guy. No, you really do - in that kind of harbouring a dead secret (presumably unrequited) love sorta way, your feelings for him excavated at the pit of every exhale, and and buried again with the tip of every in breath; circular, bedded deep and never straying too far from your chest. His voice might even be - hands down- the most beautiful sound you’ve ever heard. You could - and have - listen to him talk for hours on end with pleasure, when you’re feeling in the right spot to manage it. But, right this second?

Right this second, you cannot stand his jibber-jabbering.

He’s been talking for so long, and all you want is for this briefing to end so you can head back to your bunk. Your bunk being the only kriffing place around here that you can attempt to get some peace and quiet - at least, before the morning alarm sounds and you’re back at it all over again, that throb pushing out from beneath your skull and threatening to crack you open like a geejaw egg.

The lack of sleep doesn’t exactly help either. 16 hours on duty without relent. You know that you desperately need to recharge - reset and replenish your threshold for stimulation back to zero, before you surpass your limit. It’s just that, around here, everyone’s batteries are running low (even the droids’, thanks to those classic Resistance power cuts). So, during those times when you feel like taking a moment for yourself? You always feel like it would simply be taking too much. For goodness’ sake - Poe has soldiered on with concussion, a broken leg, and innumerable other ailments. You certainly don’t feel you deserve to duck out because it’s too kriffing loud.

Meanwhile, your commander is rattling things off now at pace, somehow animated and peppy at this makerforesaken hour (you know it’s not even as a result of the caf, because you drained the last of it).

So far, you’ve tried so hard to mask your discomfort throughout the briefing. You’ve put in effort to mirror the expression of the others around the table who are listening keenly. Hanging on his every word. You’ve tried so hard, but… after a double shift? You’re overstimulated enough that you actually feel physically nauseous. Panicked even, the anxiety buzzy throughout your body as you approach overwhelm - alarmingly quickly now.

Blissfully, there is a teeny tiny circuit break. A brief, blessed silence as Poe pauses to shuffle around some files on his datapad, and your body sags with momentary relief. Perhaps that false end to all this is why - as he resumes talking once again only moments later - you actually wince, sucking in air through your teeth and pinching the bridge of your nose as though you’re in physical pain when you realise it’s not over.

Well. You are. You are in physical pain.

The whole table swivels to look at you now, as your sharp sound slices through the room. To them, it’s quiet in here -which you find inexplicable- and your “interruption” has garnered their attention.

You immediately creak your head up to Poe in apology, your face twisting - in equal parts discomfort and contrition. But, of course, he’s Poe, and so he looks at you kindly. He only ever looks at you kindly.

You feel that love for him stir again on the exhale, and you push it back down again as you remember to breathe in.

“You okay, kiddo?”

His umber eyes are entirely earnest beneath his thick brows, and you nod - rather unconvincingly.

“Mmmhmm.” Your response is weak and you’re not entirely sure he buys it, but you wave your hand anyway, insisting he carry on with what he was in the middle of.

And so, given the go ahead, Poe indeed continues talking. You try to tune him out, but that was always going to be impossible. You’re so attuned to his voice - after so much time spent together - that your whole body stands on end for it, like iron filings dragged by a magnet. He’s impossible for you to ignore. And, stars, under any other circumstance, why would you want to?

Still, in this present moment, you are where you are, so instead, you grit your teeth, trying at the very least to steady your breaths - genuinely worried you might have some kind of mini meltdown if you’re not able to get out of here soon. You even feel your lower lip begin to tremble, and note your hands balling into fists against your thighs - clenching and unclenching as you try to focus on anything else aside from the urge to flee to somewhere quiet, or, to let this accumulation find it’s venting point through the corner of your eyes.

You breathe in and out, the pads of your fingers soothing at your temples and trying to relieve some of the tension. Your eyes close, so that you at least shut out the colours and shapes and visuals and everything else added into the mix which might tip you over the edge.

You’re more than sure Poe would understand if you ever talked to him about this. That he’d insist you check out right now and promise to catch you up later. You just know that he would try to find some workaround in briefings, if you brought your needs to his attention. He’d do it for anyone… but he’d do anything for you, you’re sure. But… you never have tried to talk to him about it. It never seemed like the most important thing, always something bigger or more urgent that seemed to trump your discomfort. Right now though, you are cursing yourself for always pushing yourself to the bottom of the list.

Even so, you make it through, somehow. You let out a huge, audible exhale of relief as Poe concludes the briefing, and you let his comment about whether he was “boring you” glance right off, unanswered. Then, you stay put in your chair, even as your fellow Rebels slow to wait for you, turning your body only briefly to wave them on. You don’t wish to exit alongside them on this occasion. Right now, you’re not sure at all that you could handle being immersed within the centre of such an inescapably thick cloud of chit chat. Being the grounding quiet in the eye of a storm.

You take a second to slump in your chair and breathe a sigh of relief, relishing the relative hush of the room; even covering over your eyes with your hands and letting yourself revel in blackness, until the clutter of voices safely recedes from your range of hearing.

When you open your eyes again, you are a little shocked -it’s fair to say - to see that Poe has remained behind in the room. You blink a few times and look up at him in confusion, and in response he circles quietly, slowly around the table, a small, sympathetic smile curling his plush pink lips. You watch as he comes to perch on the table edge before you, one pert butt cheek hiked up on the surface and his hands falling loosely into his lap, turned palms up like cupped rowboats strewn across a sea of rumpled orange flight suit. You want to climb into them and be rocked to sleep.

“You really okay, kiddo?”

You brace, waiting for the sound of his question to scrape you, but you are relieved to find his tone hushed - the cracks in his voice all smoothed out.

You lie, voice thin. “Sure.” It comes out as more of a question.

Poe’s eyes narrow in scepticism. “Okay.” He probes gently. Only ever gentle with you. “So are you coming to the bar for a few?”

Shit. He would call your bluff, wouldn’t he?

There are plans, you see. Things had gone well today. Victories against the First Order. People want to “celebrate”. As much as you would love to share some quality time with your fellow Rebels -would jump at the chance on a good day- you cringe at the mere thought of how noisy it would be. For some, “celebration”, and “loud” are synonymous. For you, conversely, you often find yourself exalting the quiet. The spaces between words. The room; to breathe in. The expansive possibility of that in breath.

“No. I… I can’t.” You bounce your foot agitatedly and the feeling shakes through your whole body. You sorta think you want to cry.

“Sure? Honestly, y’ look like ya could do to let loose.” Your body drags to his voice like a magnet, even as you want to push the sound away.

“Astute assessment, Dameron. But, pulsating music so loud I can’t think isn’t really it for me right now.”

Poe tilts his head sympathetically. Scratches at his crown of errant curls. You’d see his bark-brown eyes flitting gently -fondly- over your face, if you were looking. He speaks softly, his voice a vat of honey and a niggle settled on his brow. “Okay. I’m not gonna push it. Just… you take care of yourself, okay?”

You blink before tears can ball. “Yeah,” you concede. “Yeah, I’m trying to.”

He reaches out his weathered, rowboat hand and cups it against your shoulder. “You be okay? Can I do anything?”

You look at him now. His voice is not the only thing that drags you to him. His eyes too. His whole damn being. You wish you could stay and be close to him tonight, but-

“-Nah.” You stand, bumping him playfully in the shoulder with a balled fist. “Just tired, fella. I want to come but…” You cup your hands over your ears and the quiet swirls around you like the breath caught inside a seashell. “Loud,” you explain, with brevity. “No thank you.” Maker, you’re starting to sound like D-O. (Well? Maybe that’s not wholly a bad thing - D.O. sure knows how to set boundaries.)

Poe nods, reluctantly. “Ok. Well. You’ll be missed.” His mouth rocks into a fond smile. His thumb draws back towards his chest. “By me.”

You absent-mindedly curl your fingers around the lip of his collar, smoothing all the rumples out. He holds his breath. Then, you can’t help but smile at him, even as your head continues to blare and throb. “Oh, Poe. I know that I will,” you purr smugly, before you swivel on your boot to leave.

Sometimes your feelings for him are far too loud, and you need to turn the volume down.

***

Some time later, you’re sat up in your bunk. Your legs are folded beneath you, and you’re settled in the centre of the mattress, your favourite misshapen plushie -a mascot gifted by Poe- stuffed into the space between your legs, its head carefully angled so you can both look out of the viewport, of course.

You’re one of the lucky ones, you realise - one of the few Rebels on base to benefit from not only a first floor room, but also a small, round transparisteel hole which looks out on to the base. Usually, it is covered by a blackout curtain, to maximise the chance of grabbing some shut eye between shifts. Tonight though, you have drawn it back, opting to lookout across the expanse of duracrete. It’s not as though you have much chance of sleeping, anyway. Not after the five shots of caf in as many hours.

It’s quiet in your room - finally. Quiet enough that you actually find it soothing to watch the activity of the new shift, the routines and duties falling into place seamlessly like a well-oiled machine; oddly rhythmic. You even find it peaceful to watch the ships lifting off, taking flight gracefully (though not quite as gracefully as the flight of one pilot in particular).

You are mesmerised for a while, as you watch the droids and Rebels and vehicles shuttling from one station to another, busying themselves as the last dregs of light weep over the horizon. You slip on your headphones, playing some gentle white noise, and you lean your head up against the pane, disappearing your hands into the sleeves of your soft woollen cardigan.

Then, you brighten as you spot Poe down there, an involuntary smile claiming your features as he emerges from out of the munitions building. You even clutch your mascot a little tighter, in lieu of him.

He has his data pad in hand, and he’s brightly greeting the night shift as everyone slots into position.

You watch him do the rounds, his attention to detail meticulous even as Snap beckons him over to the bar to join the rest of the squadron. You can just about see his mouth move, but of course, you can’t hear the words spoken in reply. You can imagine them though -something promising revelry- and the smile slants from your mouth as you wish you could join them. You even think about it, but you know it would be too much today. And so, you console yourself with watching Poe flit around the base, ticking off his duties one by one on his pad.

He stands down on the duracrete as he completes the last of his checks, his muscle memory taking over - no doubt - as he completes the all too familiar run.

He’s done it so many times that it’s seamless by now. You watch him fondly as he assigns duties, checks positions and rosters, passes out equipment, checks protocols, and inventories munitions. And, as he concludes his round, he executes his last stop with a flourish. He pauses to look up squarely at your window - as though that is part of his nightly routine too. His final stop, no less, before he makes his way back to his own quarters.

Except, this time, of course… you’re peering right back at him.

Surprise hooks his face, tugging it up into a lopsided grin. You can’t see the flash of happiness in any detail from up here, but you can imagine it. Can picture those creases as the smile reaches his long-lashed eyes, and the slant of his pearly, gappy teeth. You smile bashfully in return as he swipes a “hello” up at you with an arc of his hand, and shyly return his wave.

Then, Poe holds his finger in the air as though he has a bright idea - hang on - and you see him typing on his datapad. Your eyes flit over to your own device, just in time to catch the gentle illumination of the screen as his message is transmitted through to you. 

“What ya doing still up? Thought y’were too tired to come out?”

You scoff lightly before firing a message back. Sleep would be amazing, if it could come. “Can’t sleep yet. Too buzzed. Drank too much caf, I guess.”

You glance back out of the window, and see Poe still stood down there. He is looking all too earnestly up at you, his shapely jaw tipped up and feet spread in a wide stance. It makes you feel giddy, and the churn of butterflies in your stomach makes you feel a little exposed, you suppose. So, hurriedly, perhaps with too much haste, you offer him a “good night” wave, tugging your curtain closed with a flourish and throwing your body back on to the mattress.

You let out a big breath and all of the silt inside you stirs, your buried love for him floating to the surface. It makes your skin hum. A quiet, resonant note, too deep to hear. A sort of peace.

As soon as he is gone though, you miss him.

You even miss his noise.

***

You lie back in your bunk for a while, unwinding, decompressing, and letting your mind slowly filter through all the thoughts from today. You still don’t feel ready to sleep, but a little of the tension has slipped away.

Still, your thoughts can’t help but wander back to Poe. You keep imagining him in the bar, full of jubilation. You think about the creases radiating from the corner of his eyes like sunbeams. The warmth of his hand through your flightsuit, reaching for your arm or thigh or smoothing up against your back. You feel like you’re missing out on seeing him happy. On sharing this win with him and your teammates. You wish there was a way that you could be a part of it, but there’s no way you feel up to it just now.

So, instead, you continue to bask in the hush of the room, reading and tidying and freshening up.

You are startled when you hear an unexpected, soft rap on your door. Your chunky headphones now slipped down around your neck, you thankfully hear the subtle yet insistent request for your attention and you tread towards it. 

A frown notches in your brow and you crane forwards to peer through the spy hole. A distorted, grinning idiot appears to you, in swirled shades of orange, brown, and black.

There’s only one grinning idiot that could be.

“Poe?!”

You swing the door open, and you don’t even have to ask what he’s doing here. Poe volunteers the information freely, instantly, his tone soft and just a little mysterious. “I’ve got a surprise for you.”

Your frown deepens, and you respond a little tiredly. You’re of letting him down, if you’re not feeling up to taking part in whatever harebrained scheme he’s about to propose to you. “What is it, Poe?” You raise your eyebrows, knitting them in the middle, tilting them up like a question. “Is this like the time you and Snap raced those wheely chairs down the runway? Because I told you that I-”

Poe shakes his head, his eyes gently gleaming. “-Nothing like that. Something you’ll like, I promise.”

He extends his hands towards you, cupped expectantly, in a way that beckons you to pour all of your love into it. He beams hopefully at you, his eyes big and round and sparking gently. “Can ya just trust me?”

You take a deep breath, and - so help you - you slip your hand immediately into his.

You can. After all, there’s no-one else you trust more. Your hand clamps hold of him, his warmth blooming across your palm. With the other hand, you move to uncoil your headphones from around your head, ready to discard them.

“Keep ‘em with you,” he suggests, upon seeing the slight indecision in your face. “It’s okay.”

You nod at him, and his eyes tighten in something like admiration. He’s always made you feel comfortable. Comfortable enough to be yourself. He looks down at your hand in his then. “This alright?”

You gulp, nervousness fluttering in your stomach. “Yeah.” Yeah, it is, actually. You don’t want him to let go. 

Guiding you by the hand, Poe leads you outside, down through the winding  corridors and towards the door leading out on to the duracrete. You walk out to the main thoroughfare, and your hand becomes clammy in Poe’s, your whole body stiffening unconsciously as you brace for the onslaught of sound all over again. But, he doesn’t let go, and with him leading you, nor do you want to stop.

You look towards him in apprehension as your path twists to take you via the hangar, and Poe simply provides you a reassuring nod, clasping your hand all the tighter. “Trust me,” he promises as he feels your pace dragging, and it bolsters you. You do. You do. You do.

You approach the noise and the clamour and you screw your eyes shut, as if that could help. The night shift is working hard on patching X-wings before the morning’s recon flight, the hammered notes of metal on metal resounding through the space. You are about to reach in haste for your headphones; however, you find that, in fact, you don’t even need to. You see one of the Captain’s clock Poe and they share a firm nod with one another. Then, one by one a message is seemingly conveyed seamlessly through the hangar.

You watch with a slack-jaw as every one of the mechanics and droids and officers downs tools as they see you and your Commander approach. You toss your head towards him, expecting to see confusion there too, but all you see from Poe is a knowing, humble smile. All you feel is your hand in his, guiding you onward.

“Poe?” you ask, voice shaking, but he gently encourages you further, until you observe each area on base you walk through responding in much the same way - quietening upon your approach - and entirely confirming your suspicion. That Poe is the one who orchestrated this. For you.

You are so full with emotion at the thought he would do this for you, that it does not even occur to you to think about where he is leading you. That is, not until he brings you to a halt outside the door to the makeshift Rebel bar. He turns his body towards yours and you mirror him, tears shimmying in you eyes and making his appear as a distorted, grinning idiot all over again.

Then, he cups his hand on to your shoulder and swings opens the door, his voice an invitation. A magnet. “After you.”

You take a deep breath, still pretty much lost for words. Apprehensive, at the thought of entering the crowded space. However, you will try for him, you think. You will try for him, because he deserves the world, and you would do anything for him. Look at what he just did for you.

So, instead of any protest out of your mouth, it simply opens and closes wordlessly. You enter the dingy little room, once again bracing yourself for commotion, but floored all over again as you realise… it’s quiet in here too.

Poe reaches to squeeze your hand in his once more, and your eyes are so full with happy tears now that you can barely make him out at all. At least, not beyond the outlined orange of his flight suit and that unmistakeable, raven crown of curls, which never seems to suffer from a helmet.

You blink your tears to the corner of your eyes as you take it all in, in complete shock. The music inside is turned right down, to nothing more than a pleasant background lull - not the usual din, which, at times when you’re overloaded throbs unpleasantly in your skull. As well, the usual throng of patrons have evidently been cleared out. Inside, only one table is occupied: your squadron, sitting there and waving at you with open, inviting smiles.

You grin back at them in utter delight, glancing back and forth between them and Poe, your heart overflowing with gratitude.

“Hey,” he intones softly as an aside to you, as you begin to make your way towards the table together. “You deserved this, okay? You shouldn’t have to miss out on celebrating with us. Not for anything.” You swallow. Your throat feels scratchy and swollen with emotion and you can barely take it. “Anytime you want to step out is all good, alright? If this still is too much or you need a break that’s okay.” He squeezes your hand one more time, before releasing you to take your rightful seat amongst your team. “Whatever you need. We all love you.” He looks down at his scuffed shoes. “Want you with us.”

Still gobsmacked, you take a seat at the table. Jess dips out to get you a drink from the droid behind the counter, and the others envelop you in gentle, amiable chatter. It’s not obtrusive or grating at all, with everyone clearly being mindful of the noise. You find everyone is better able to speak with more hushed tones, given that the music is playing far lower than usual. No-one need strain to be heard above it, and you find it is manageable. Like this, their voices - brimming with joy and peppered with laughter - feel like a cosy, warm blanket wrapped right around you. Knowing that you can step away at any time without anyone judging you? It feels wonderful.

After a few moments of allowing you to bask in the jubilation of your squad - their joy at having you join them - Poe quietly takes his natural place next to you. He shuffles up beside you and he subtly rests his palm on your thigh, letting you know he’s right by your side.

You turn your head towards him, and for once, in this moment, there is no need to say anything at all. Instead, you simply plant your hand right on top of his, twining your fingers, and you watch him attempt to swallow down the goofiest, most bashful smile as you do so.

And so, it continues like this, everyone sharing their battle stories and jokes and gossip. Ripping the shit out Poe - as per usual - but in a way that is entirely fond.

You’re still tired -exhausted even- and so you can’t contribute all that much. You simply enjoy listening. Even so, it feels good to be present. To be a part of things, instead of on the outside.

Best of all, Poe is there too at every turn, to make you feel entirely included. His warm hand remains where it was planted, the heat of him suffusing through the fabric of your trouser leg. He turns towards you, to share every joke and laugh with you. Bigs up your flight skills every chance he gets. And even more than that, there are the other moments too. The moments where he simply turns to look at you, his eyes creasing with fondness. Gleaming with a forceful admiration.

Suddenly, his feelings for you seem so incredibly loud that they are deafening.

You had never dared to dream that Poe might have feelings for you, but suddenly you can hear it so clearly.

You feel entirely overwhelmed, but not at all in the same manner as earlier.

“Poe? Do you mind if we step outside for a second?” Your voice cracks open, and Poe’s thick brows immediately knit together in gentle concern for you.

“Sure,” he nods. “Okay.”

You head outside towards the rear door to the bar and the others excuse you seamlessly, Jess throwing you a covert and all too knowing look at you duck out, as if she is somehow aware of what might befall Poe through those doors. As if, in this quiet, you are screaming it out loud.

“Is it too noisy?” Poe asks as you exit into the cooling night air, rounding your body to face him as the door shushes closed. He throws up a thumb over his shoulder, back in the direction of the bar. “I can tell Snap to stop yabbering if-“

“-No.” You reassure him quickly. It’s not the noise. Not the noise at all. That’s not what you’re overwhelmed by. “It’s perfect. It’s… I wanted to say thank you, Poe.” He blinks a few times in quick succession, lending an all too rare cloak of shyness to his handsome features. “I mean. How did you know, Poe? Exactly what I needed?” Your voice creaks under the weight of him. The burden of your undisclosed love for him. You feel you are ready to buckle. Your knees feel that way too.

He scratches at his crown of curls, a gentle scoff escaping his plush mouth. “Believe it or not, kiddo, I’ve gotten pretty good at knowing when someone wants me to shut up.”

Your mouth tipping up in gentle amusement, you opt to shuffle a little closer to him, until you’re almost toe-to-toe.

He doesn’t back away.

You deliver him a watery smile, overcome by him - though you still don’t relent on the teasing. “Hmm. That figures. It must happen a lot.”

Poe laughs at your dig; and that? That, is the most beautiful sound in the world, you think.

Then, your commander finally falls silent - an all too rare phenomenon. But even so, the way he’s looking at you? It’s ever so loud.

You feel the thrum of butterflies in your middle, and now, it’s you who can’t seem to stop talking. “You know. You should learn to leave some space between words more often, Poe. Some quiet.”

“Oh yeah?“

You swallow, a tremble in your voice, but you shuffle even closer to him and his eyes track your lips as you move, his tongue dragging along his lower lip. “Yeah. ‘Cause then I could show you what happens when we stop talking.”

He shifts his warm, broad hands to your waist. Slots his sturdy thigh in between yours to draw your body closer. More flush to him.

For a moment, you entirely forget how to breathe, and, without the usual pulse of music from the bar, it is hushed enough that you hear the hard swallow which bobs down his throat.

There’s an awful lot of beauty in the pauses, you think. The lull between beats. The spaces between words. The moment of held breath before an exhale, where love might have the opportunity to rise to the surface. In the little gaps between his teeth. The gaps between his spread fingers. The distance between you, waiting to be closed.

Your heart thuds in the cage of your chest, and when you speak next, your words are barely audible. “Can I kiss you, Poe?”

Poe’s gaze dances over your face, enthralled and misted over, and then, with a smug, soft, fond curl of his pretty mouth, he raises a thick finger, pressing it against your lips. “Ssshhhh,” he urges, his voice barely above a whisper. “You really need to stop talking.”

Then, sweeping his hands up to gently cradle your face, Poe kisses you.

His tongue licks like a gentle flame into your mouth, warmth spreading through you. You breathe him in, and let your love for him rise; releasing it on the exhale. Sending it out into the open, no longer buried.

Somethings are too loud to remain unspoken, you realise. And, some things that need saying don’t require any words at all.

You draw back and your eyes lock with his, saying everything there is to know; loud and blaring, without a single decibel.

Poe catches his breath, and then; he kisses you again.

For the first time all day -and the first time for a long time - you feel wholly and entirely at peace.

[flrtwoo]

OUT OF THE BLUE | jcm

➙ when you find out that one of the students you coach is the niece of the guy you accidentally punched in the face and pushed into a pool, you're not surprised that he's, well, disappointed at the outcome. however, you're determined to make amends with him for the sake of his niece... and maybe for the sake of his cute face too.

pairing: dancer/scarer!ji changmin x swimming coach!gn reader (ft. bff/swimming coach!kim younghoon)

genre: social media au, strangers/enemies-ish to friends to lovers au, fluffy fluff, humor, v slight angst n drama

warnings: swearing, presence of a love triangle (but nothing stressful HAHAHA), mentions of haunted houses, horror, (unintentional) attacks, (not serious) threats, swimming, drinking, and food, and possible second-lead syndrome 😁

started: july 26, 2021

ended: september 9, 2021 (complete)

(for more updates on the series, please check out the “#ootb update” tag under my blog!)

a/n: here we go again 🤪 HHAHAHAHA i'm sorry the "pairing" part of this post is sucha handful but i promise it's not as complicated as it sounds 🥲 this au might be a little bit of a mess but i hope u all still enjoy !!! XD as always, feedback is GREATLY appreciated and please lmk if i make a mistake in the use of pronouns, etc. hehe thank you for reading and have a great day !! <33

profiles

chapter 1

chapter 2

chapter 3

chapter 4

chapter 5

chapter 6

chapter 7

chapter 8

chapter 9

chapter 10

chapter 11

chapter 12

chapter 13

chapter 14

chapter 15

chapter 16

chapter 17

chapter 18

chapter 19

chapter 20 [epilogue]

[seobseobs]

"i love you"

bff!sunghoon x reader (no prns) • 0.3k

platonic; fluff, angst

[ hoon thinks he's not a good bff to y/n :( , one mention of d word metaphor , cusses?? , y/n calls hoon babe platonically (we love it!!) ] - reposted

back to suite

sunghoon is an awkward guy. he finds saying stuffs like "i appreciate you" such a cheesy manner and he admits he would rather die than saying that. and that's where you came in: to be the cheesy one in the duo!

he could never get over how easily you utter those words and compliments to people around you, especially him. he only recently dyed his hair blonde which he did a good job at hiding it from you btw and when you first knew from enhypen's instagram post, you didn't hesitate to send him a text and squealed about how he looks so good with it. and he loves you, he really does.

but when you're always so vocal about your thoughts and admiration like this, he wonders how did you both even became bestfriends in the first place. because he's surely failing in that department.

how did he even let you enter his life and affect him a great deal? because you enjoy teasing him to the point his ears turn red, you say things like "wow! my best friend looks so cool!" and "engenes are going to love this one!" at literally every thing he does (and he really appreciates you knowing how much engenes mean to him) and you're just so supportive it makes his heart hurts a little.

what did he do to have such an amazing person like you in his life? you're so lovable and he can only hope he affects you the same way (spoiler: he does) because he feels he doesn't cheer you on enough. or compliment you enough. or show you off enough. he thinks he's not being a good bestfriend. and he knows if he'll tell you this, you'd smack the shit out of him and list a 100 reasons on why he is.

he lets out a sigh, eyes closing off to try and clear his mind until a row of notifications from his phone jolts him a little.

y/n 🤪🥰 : it's probably too late to say this but wtv

y/n 🤪🥰 : ty for ur cuddle service yesterday hoonie 😭🙏💞💞💞

y/n 🤪🥰 : i rlly needed that :(( really, thank you so much babe :(

✒ if you don't get it, their love language is different. y/n -> words of affirmation, hoon -> physical touch. but hoon fails to notice that smh. (imo hoon's is actually quality time?? but my mind fucking blanked at the end LMAO)